"What is this?"
"It looks a bit like an ant, but its eyes look like stars..."
Seeing this Pokémon, Lily's face wrinkled slightly, and Emma also peeked over curiously.
"Not so pretty..."
"Boss, can you help me with this?"
It's best to ask the boss when unsure, so Lily called out to Alex, who was deep in thought.
"Let me see."
Alex came back to his senses, took the Pokédex from Lily's hand, glanced at it, and was a bit surprised.
"This is Trapinch, a Ground-type Pokémon."
Alex gave Lily a look, thinking she was really lucky.
"Ground? Can I draw again?"
Lily's face wrinkled even tighter; what she wanted was a dragon-type Pokémon.
And although this Trapinch looks cute, it doesn't quite match her aesthetic.
Lily pouted, thinking about drawing again.
"Yes, of course. After all, it's the guest's right, and I won't stop you." Alex shook his head.
"However, as a competent boss, I must remind you that Trapinch has high potential, and its evolution is dragon-type."
Alex kindly reminded Lily, as he wasn't about to take advantage of customers' unfamiliarity with Pokémon to make money from lack of information.
That wouldn't be right.
"This big-headed ant will become a dragon in the future?"
Lily paused for a moment, then her eyes lit up, and her previous worries vanished instantly.
Emma and Jason were also shocked.
A dragon again?
"Yes, there is a process called evolution in a Pokémon's growth. After evolution, a Pokémon's abilities will improve significantly, and its appearance, attributes, and even abilities may change."
"And when Trapinch evolves, it becomes a Dragon-type Pokémon."
Alex explained in detail that the final evolution of Trapinch is Flygon.
It is also a very powerful Dragon-type Pokémon. Although it isn't as renowned as the Dragon-type pseudo-legendaries, Flygon's strength is definitely in the top tier of Pokémon power rankings!
Well, that doesn't count Legendary and Mythical Pokémon.
"Then which one is better, Trapinch or Charmander?"
Lily was all ears; she would bet she had never been so attentive in school!
And Lily was also very curious, which one would be stronger between this big ant and Charmander in the future?
"Uh...this..." Alex was a bit taken aback.
How was he going to explain this?
"If you just compare the strength of the final evolutionary types, the two are actually similar."
"However, if you have a Mega Evolution stone to allow Charmander to Mega Evolve in the future, then, in terms of Pokémon's inherent strength, Charmander should be stronger... probably?"
Alex held his chin and pondered for a while, glancing at Charmander in Lily's arms before speaking slowly.
Yes, Flygon and Charizard are hard to compare in terms of strength, as their strengths lie in different areas.
But just to compare the two, there is no doubt that Flygon, which has the advantage of attributes, holds an edge since the Dragon type is resistant to Fire type.
But that doesn't diminish the fact that Charizard is often seen as more prestigious!
Charizard has two Mega Evolution forms, and there's also a Gigantamax form. In terms of strategic significance, cultivation value, and potential, Charmander is naturally higher.
"But what I want to say is that whether a Pokémon is strong or not, apart from its innate talent and species, depends more on the Trainer's care and training."
"To simply compare Pokémon's combat power without considering the Trainer is a misguided approach. A Pokémon may appear completely different in the hands of different Trainers."
"Miss, do you understand what I mean?"
Alex said to Lily earnestly, not disapproving of people's pursuit of more powerful Pokémon.
Because the pursuit of strength is a natural instinct; if there are Pokémon with higher base stats and greater strength, why not pursue them?
But he doesn't want people to blindly chase powerful Pokémon, which, while not wrong, can be too single-minded.
And Pokémon strength isn't just defined by base stats.
"There are no weak Pokémon, only weak Trainers. I hope the three guests will remember this sentence."
"Every Pokémon is a creature with feelings, life, and thoughts. Many times, if a Pokémon doesn't shine brightly, it's often because of the Trainer's incompetence."
Alex whispered; his words were a bit idealistic, and he understood that.
But that's what he wanted to convey.
Hearing this, Lily, Emma, and Jason all showed slight changes in their expressions, feeling a bit moved.
"But I believe that the three of you will become renowned Trainers in the future, because you're my first guests."
The topic seemed a bit heavy, so Alex smiled and teased them, subtly shifting the conversation.
After all, he is just a store manager, and he can only guide as much as possible. Pushing too hard might only alienate customers.
Although it seems that all three, including Emma, are good people, and they really listened to what Alex just said.
"Of course! Boss, when you hold that competition in the future, I will definitely win the championship!"
When Lily heard the words, she raised her delicate chin instantly, her clear and pleasant voice full of energy, and she was still confident in herself.
This lady is a force to be reckoned with!
"Then I'm looking forward to it, but I'm afraid the competition won't be held in the short term. Of course, I could use more customers introduced to me."
"Let more people know about Pokémon and support my business."
Alex couldn't help laughing but didn't want to dampen the little girl's enthusiasm, so he spoke with a smile.
"Don't worry, boss, we'll help spread the word."
"That's right, I'll post about it on social media when I get back. They're always idle, either playing games or going out, and they never do anything serious."
"..."
Jason, who was just about to speak, heard Lily's dismissive words and silently closed his mouth.
Did playing games offend you? How annoying!
But Jason also decided to help promote the Pokémon House more after returning. The boss is right; if you want to hold a Pokémon competition, you need enough Trainers first!
Otherwise, what, let the three of them compete for the championship, runner-up, and third place?
Isn't that ridiculous?
Moreover, with more people having Pokémon, there are naturally more opponents to battle, making it more interesting, right?
"Boss, give me the Trapinch first! I want to see what my big ant looks like."
Lily urged Alex, knowing that Trapinch will be a Dragon-type Pokémon in the future, she was quite looking forward to Trapinch!
Well, Trapinch will be her little cutie from now on.