"Over ten thousand Pokéblocks, and he just gave them away like that? Lin Feng is really generous."
"Right? I've been coming here to watch the Sky Challenge for days now. Out of nine challengers, only three have passed the first stage. That means three people got the first-level reward."
"Yeah, I tried buying one of those Pokéblocks myself once. The effect was amazing. After my Mimikyu ate them for a while, its moves became smoother and more powerful."
"Lin Feng's such a good guy. The entry fee for the challenge is only a thousand credits it's practically charity."
"It's just too bad the second stage is insanely hard."
"Yeah, and getting a spot in the challenge is the worst part. He only opens it on Sundays."
In Wutong Town, a few teenagers around seventeen or eighteen years old walked down a cobblestone path bathed in the golden light of sunset, chatting excitedly about Lin Feng's Sky Challenge before disappearing beyond the newly paved road.
Back at the Pokémon breeding house, Lin Feng finally saw off the last young trainer who had completed today's challenge. He let out a long breath of relief, then walked past the garden and toward the newly built plantation.
It had been nearly a week since he announced the "Sky Challenge." Today was October 22nd, and the past few days had been busy explaining the rules, fixing up the battlefield, and tending to Pokémon injuries after matches. He was determined to make the Sky Challenge run smoothly, so that even without him present, it could continue flawlessly.
To help with this, he had enlisted Mewtwo and Gardevoir. Their role was to guide the flock of Pidgeotto, helping them get used to the intensity of different challenge levels and learn how much strength to show in each match.
The results were remarkable. Over the past week, three of the Pidgeotto had evolved into Pidgeot.
That meant the breeding house now had four Pidgeot and seventeen Pidgeotto in total. The first Pidgeot that joined Lin Feng his "oldest partner" in that group had already reached level 45 to 48, nearing the Elite tier.
His efforts had clearly paid off. By now, most of the Pidgeotto had fully adapted to the first stage's level of difficulty. As for the higher stages the second, third, and fourth he decided to leave those for the future, once someone actually managed to clear the earlier ones.
Meanwhile, the new plantation was also progressing steadily. Thanks to the daily hard work of the Sandslash, who loosened soil and crushed stones, more than half the land had been prepared for cultivation. Lin Feng had been working closely with his Serperior to plant batches of Berries.
He started, of course, with the rare ones. In this world, the rarer a Berry was, the slower it grew. So Lin Feng decided to plant those first, enhancing the soil with a bit of mid-grade Miracle Fertilizer.
He did have some top-tier fertilizer stored away, but using it all at once would make the entire orchard bloom overnight and that would definitely draw unwanted attention. Instead, he planned to let the vines and thorns grow naturally, then mix in normal Oran Berry trees. Once those matured a bit, he'd discreetly sprinkle the high-grade fertilizer among the special Berry patches.
By dusk, Sandslash had finished for the day, carrying its spicy-flavored Pokéblock reward back to its den. That left the evening shift to Lin Feng, Serperior, and Dragonite.
Lin Feng opened his portable storage ball and took out different Berry seeds. Using telekinesis, he gently placed the seeds into the holes Sandslash had dug, covering them back up with soil.
When the last seed was planted, Dragonite soared into the sky and began to summon a controlled drizzle with its Rain Dance.
Lin Feng preferred to use seeds rather than young Berry saplings. Seeds, he felt, were more "organic." Combined with Serperior's Grassy Terrain ability, there was also a higher chance for rare mutations.
As the gentle rain fell and the soil grew damp, Lin Feng lifted the telekinetic barrier that had been shielding himself and Serperior.
"Shiuu~"
Serperior understood immediately. Energy flared within its body, and a soft green glow spread outward, washing over the newly planted soil. Within seconds, tiny sprouts broke through the ground, reaching several inches tall.
Lin Feng blinked in surprise, then smiled at Serperior. "That's incredible."
He could feel how much stronger it had grown. Serperior's energy had already reached level 50 to 53 approaching Champion level.
"Shiuu," Serperior hissed proudly, though its eyes betrayed a faint flicker of emotion.
As the number of Pokémon in the breeding house grew, it had started to feel… overshadowed.
From the beginning, it had been one of Lin Feng's main partners, but lately, more powerful Pokémon had joined Gardevoir, Dragonite, Goodra, Salamence, Mewtwo, even Mew. All of them were stronger, flashier, and more versatile.
And then there were the little ones new Pokémon that always seemed to get Lin Feng's attention.
Serperior couldn't help feeling a sour twinge of jealousy. It knew Lin Feng wouldn't favor it any less, but… it still wished he would spend more time with it alone.
If it had to admit it, the one it envied most wasn't Mewtwo or Salamence it was that adorable Alolan Vulpix.
When it came to the plantation, everyone knew Gardevoir was the MVP. With its psychic powers, it could do everything harvest berries, make Pokéblocks, soothe Pokémon's moods, even assist Lin Feng with data recording.
Serperior knew it could never match that versatility. It lacked Gardevoir's psychic abilities and couldn't handle as many tasks. All it could do was nurture the soil, use Grassy Terrain, and keep the orchard thriving.
But even so, Lin Feng always came to inspect the plants after Serperior used its power. Each visit gave it a chance to see him smile to see him look at it.
And that was enough reason to keep trying harder.
So, despite the swirl of feelings inside, Serperior's expression remained calm and regal. Especially with Dragonite watching from above, it wasn't about to start acting spoiled.
"Shiuu…" it murmured softly.
"Yeah," Lin Feng said with a faint chuckle. "Time to head back. Come on, Dragonite."
He gathered the tools, double-checked the newly planted field, and, satisfied, started walking back toward the breeding house.
Behind him, Dragonite let out a cheerful roar it was thrilled because finishing work meant dinner time.
Lin Feng smiled faintly at the sound. His mind, however, was already elsewhere.
"Tomorrow's the start of the Youth Cup, isn't it?" he murmured to himself.
The sky was tinged with orange and violet, and the air smelled of damp earth and fresh grass. As they walked home, the Serperior followed quietly beside him, its long tail brushing against the soil it had just nurtured a small, private reminder that even if jealousy sometimes crept into its heart, all it truly wanted was to grow together with its trainer.