Watching Qin Shu leave brimming with confidence, Lin Feng couldn't help shaking his head.
All he'd done was tell her that the next time Squirtle used Tackle, it should lift its head.
And she'd immediately acted like she'd discovered the grand reason for her defeat in their earlier battle.
Now she was off with Squirtle, determined to train specifically for that move.
But…
"How could the reason you lost possibly be just because Tackle wasn't practiced enough?"
"Snivy…"
Snivy couldn't hold back a laugh either.
"Forget it. Let's head into the city. Want to go into your Poké Ball?" Lin Feng asked, taking out Snivy's Poké Ball.
"Snivy?" (Do I have to?)
Snivy glanced at the Poké Ball with a look of pure disdain.
It definitely didn't want to be stuck inside that cramped little space.
"Alright then. Do you want me to carry you, or do you want to sit on my shoulder? Otherwise, they won't let you on the bus."
The Pokémon Law was crystal clear: on public transportation, large Pokémon weren't allowed, and a Trainer had to physically hold or carry any Pokémon they brought along.
"Snivy?"
Snivy eyed him suspiciously.
"I'm serious!" Lin Feng insisted.
Although, truth be told, it was partly an excuse to hold Snivy in his arms.
It was summer, after all.
And nothing beat the cool, smooth feeling of Snivy's scales against his skin.
"Snivy…"
Snivy gave a reluctant little nod.
At the Pokémon League Branch Office in Wutong City…
Lin Feng stepped outside, Snivy now in his arms.
At first, Snivy had insisted on perching on his shoulder.
But it quickly realized that, given its own rather tall stature, riding his shoulder on a crowded bus made it look hilariously conspicuous.
Feeling awkward, Snivy had finally compromised and settled into Lin Feng's arms instead.
Honestly, it wasn't too bad.
It was warm and cozy.
Just… it'd be nicer if those hands of his would stop absentmindedly roaming around…
Snivy sighed inwardly.
It was feeling a little embarrassed.
The license processing at the League branch had gone smoothly. The young lady at the counter was pretty, too, and had even praised Lin Feng for being so accomplished becoming a mid-level Pokémon Breeder at such a young age.
She'd also helped him activate his official Breeding House license.
"I need to pick up some standard supplies: bandages, potions, plus ingredients for making those Maintenance Pokéblock recipes," Lin Feng thought to himself, striding toward the PuppyMart supermarket across the street.
PuppyMart was the League's biggest retail chain. Whether you needed Pokémon supplies or ordinary groceries, they had it all.
But the moment Lin Feng crossed the street, he saw an enormous banner hanging over the store entrance:
"To become an excellent Pokémon Trainer, one must start with battles! This summer, PuppyMart and the Pokémon League proudly present the Rookie Trainer Battle Tournament - The Rookie Cup! All new Trainers welcome to participate, absolutely free!"
"Amazing prizes waiting for you to take home!"
Beside the banner was a large anime-style sticker of a Gardevoir blowing a kiss, clearly designed to grab the attention of kids and teenagers.
But what caught Lin Feng's attention wasn't Gardevoir.
It was the prize list…
First Prize: One Starter Pokémon Egg, plus a PuppyMart gift card worth 88,000 yuan, and a chance to participate in the "Guess the Egg Mystery" at PuppyMart Headquarters.
Second Prize: A PuppyMart gift card worth 88,000 yuan, plus a chance to participate in the "Guess the Egg Mystery."
Third Prize: A PuppyMart gift card worth 88,000 yuan.
Hmm…
The prizes were… surprisingly generous.
Lin Feng found himself staring at the details beneath Gardevoir's picture.
July 15th.
Rules: Only Stage One Pokémon may participate, and their strength must be below the Elite level.
The rankings went: Rookie, Ordinary, Elite, Gym-Level, Dominator, Elite Four, Champion…
This was the human classification system for all Pokémon below Legendary rank.
So, anything from Level 0 to Level 20 was eligible.
Of course, entering a tournament wasn't exactly what Lin Feng had envisioned when he decided to become a Pokémon Breeder…
But…
Those prizes were really tempting.
"Snivy, what do you think?" Lin Feng asked, shifting the dilemma onto his Pokémon.
"Snivy?"
"Snivy…"
Snivy shook its head, indicating it couldn't read any of the words on the banner. The only thing it recognized was the picture of Gardevoir…
"So you agree, right? Great, I'm signing up!" Lin Feng declared, eyes sparkling, and marched into PuppyMart.
Snivy: ???
Was he even listening to me?!
Inside PuppyMart, Lin Feng was surprised to see quite a crowd gathered around the registration table.
Suddenly, it all clicked.
This was summer vacation.
The Rookie Trainer Examination had just ended. All these kids were free and brimming with excitement.
Which was exactly why PuppyMart was hosting the Rookie Cup to ignite these new Trainers' enthusiasm for training their Pokémon.
After all…
Raising Pokémon required resources. And where would you buy those resources?
At PuppyMart, obviously.
They only had to put up a modest prize pool to rake in massive sales.
So devious.
Lin Feng silently cursed under his breath.
Then immediately decided he'd use the same trick when he opened his own breeding shop someday.
Just then, a cheerful store clerk approached him. "Hey, handsome! Is this your Pokémon? It's so cute!"
Lin Feng beamed and agreed readily. "Yes, it's my partner. Isn't it adorable?"
Snivy flushed bright red, shifting a bit awkwardly.
"Are you here for the Rookie Cup too? What do you think about the tournament PuppyMart's organizing?" the young woman asked, clearly conducting some market research.
"I think it's brilliant!" Lin Feng said, with a completely straight face. "It gives rookie Trainers a chance to battle and ignites their passion for training Pokémon. Though, if you ask me, the prizes aren't quite generous enough. They could definitely go even higher."
He added with utter seriousness, "Because when I win first place, I'd be even happier."
The store clerk, who was used to dealing with customers of all kinds, froze for a second then burst out laughing. "Wow! Confident much? Are you from one of the big Pokémon schools?"
"Nope," Lin Feng said brightly. "Strictly speaking, I'm actually a Breeder… just moonlighting as a Trainer."
"…Right."
At that, the clerk had no idea how to respond. After a few polite words, she walked away.
Though privately, she couldn't help thinking:
"Typical fearless rookie. Does he really think PuppyMart would actually let anyone walk away with that first-place prize?"
She shook her head.
After all… she knew the PuppyMart owner's son would also be competing in the Rookie Cup.
And his Pokémon…
Was a Lapras.