After handing over the materials, the senior didn't linger. She greeted him briefly and then left, leaving Yun alone in the clubroom.
Yun didn't idle around either. While using the books stored here, he also searched for information on his phone to digest the memories he had just gained.
However, as he was reading, he suddenly patted his stomach.
Grrrr...
His stomach betrayed him with a growl.
"I forgot to eat. I wonder if the cafeteria is still open during the college entrance exams."
"Let's go check…"
After packing up, Yun glanced at the time—it was almost 2 PM. The odds of getting food at the cafeteria were low, but he mainly wanted to buy some bread from the convenience store inside, and ideally grab a bottle of Nutrient Express.
But reality hit: on days like this, the store auntie had already left long ago. No one was manning the counter.
After wandering around for nothing, a helpless Yun had no choice but to leave school and randomly found a restaurant nearby to get a rice bowl.
"Waiter, one bowl of shredded pork with garlic sauce."
"Got it," the waiter replied.
Wait a second!
After sitting down in a cool spot near the air conditioner, Yun suddenly paused in thought.
Shredded pork with garlic sauce? What kind of meat is that?
Right—according to his memories, this world had both Pokémon and regular animals coexisting.
Although the initial emergence of secret realms had severely damaged local ecosystems, after decades of human intervention, the environment had gradually stabilized.
The cost of maintaining balance in the wild was that most ordinary animals could now only live in zoos, farms, or protected areas. The wilderness had become a paradise for Pokémon.
How to ensure Pokémon and regular animals could coexist in the same ecosystem had always been one of the major scientific challenges for humanity.
But experience had shown that mixing the two wasn't a good idea. There was once a trainer who made the news for doing exactly that—he left his pet teddy dog at home with his fire-type Growlithe. When he got back that night, he found the teddy dog had almost been burned alive…
"Pfft..." Recalling this, Yun laughed. What a character. And that was considered a mild case—regular animals becoming Pokémon food wasn't all that rare. After all, their combat capabilities weren't even on the same level.
Soon, the meal arrived. Yun was truly hungry—he polished off the dish in just a few bites, washed it down with a cold Coke, and felt thoroughly satisfied.
"Scan to pay." Looking at his empty plate, Yun wiped his mouth with a napkin, pulled out his phone, and turned to the staff.
...
After leaving the restaurant, Yun thought for a moment. Instead of going back to school, he went straight home.
From 6 AM to 10 PM, no one else was usually at home. His dad was an electrician, and his mom worked in a clothing store at the mall—they both came home late.
Right now, Yun had only one thing on his mind: What kind of starter Pokémon would suit him?
Although there was still time before he could go to the breeder's house to buy a Pokémon egg, it didn't hurt to plan ahead.
Hmm...
Suicune is beautiful…
Articuno isn't bad either.
Or maybe... Diancie?
After a moment, Yun shook his head—he realized he was just fantasizing.
"Given my family's situation, grass-type Pokémon are definitely the most realistic choice."
"Even the homeroom teacher hinted at that subtly, and Mr. Li gave me similar advice."
After researching online, Yun found that the public breeder center in Pingcheng offered a decent variety of grass-type Pokémon eggs: Bellsprout, Oddish, Hoppip, Sunkern, Paras...
But...
"No Bulbasaur... no Treecko... no Turtwig... not a single starter!"
Reading carefully, he noticed a small note in the top-right corner of the webpage titled Pre-Order Information.
Clicking the question mark icon, he realized that to buy rare Pokémon eggs, one had to submit a request to the breeder in advance.
"Forget it. I probably couldn't afford the rare ones anyway."
Yun did some math—he had a hefty tuition bill for his third year of high school. Registering as a trainer required at least five years of tax payments. On top of that, he needed to budget for his Pokémon's nutrition and food for the year. Whatever was left would go to the Pokémon egg. His budget was tight.
Everyone wanted to choose a rare and high-potential Pokémon as their first partner. Yun was no exception. But considering his family's financial situation, he had to be more realistic.
"Easy to raise and high potential—those are the two criteria. Looks like I'll need to stick with a grass-type. Their eggs are also the cheapest on average."
In terms of ease of care, grass-type Pokémon were definitely at the top. Most could survive just by basking in the sun. Of course, if someone actually tried raising one like that for a year, it'd be terribly weak in battle.
After researching for a while, Yun began to feel anxious. His indecisiveness was acting up—every option seemed good.
"Isn't there any other way?"
"No… wait, there is."
Yun's eyes lit up. How had he forgotten about the anime? Must've been shaken up by the breeder test earlier.
In the anime, the main character Ash had gone on long journeys across multiple regions—there had to be some insights worth learning.
"I remember one episode where Ash's Grotle accidentally swallowed its Energy Ball move—and then suddenly powered up, unleashing incredible strength."
Thinking of this, Yun quickly searched for the move Energy Ball. Unfortunately, there was very little information. Online, all it said was that Energy Ball was a move packed with immense natural energy, and it listed which Pokémon could learn it.
No matter. He still remembered more details about the move.
"Energy Ball's principle is collecting and firing life energy gathered from nature—that's what it says in the game. I think that's accurate. But what does that have to do with Grotle's sudden power-up after swallowing it? And can this method work on other grass-type Pokémon too... Forget it. I'll mark this idea down—my future Pokémon must learn Energy Ball."
Yun grinned, feeling like he had found a new direction.
"Hmm, maybe I can develop my own training strategy around the idea of 'powering up by swallowing Energy Ball'?"
"But it does sound kind of risky… What if it causes internal damage?"
"Let's assume it does—can internal injuries be healed?"
"Let me think. Photosynthesis—must learn that. Giga Drain—also necessary. Growth—very useful. Also Ingrain, Grassy Terrain..."
Yun took out a notebook and pen, and began jotting down ideas in earnest.
As his pen glided across the paper, the ideas forming in ink, Yun suddenly had a realization. Whether or not this concept would work, and whether or not he would even end up buying a grass-type egg, this was something he couldn't quit halfway—because this was his first independent thinking as a Trainer.
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