Who needs a girlfriend when you have Pokémon?

"Phew, she's kind of cute at times like this~"

Looking at the Masked Meow lying quietly in his arms, Luo Wei couldn't help but sigh. Since the Masked Meow evolved, his feelings towards it had undergone some subtle changes.

Previously, Luo Wei jokingly said that Xin Ye Miao was like a troublesome girlfriend, but that was really just a joke, like joking that your own cat is like a master. He was just saying it for fun. Xin Ye Miao gave him more of a feeling of cuteness.

However, after evolution, the complete transformation from body size to form caused many of the actions that were inconsequential when they were performed by New Leaf Cat to feel different, with a more ambiguous flavor.

In the world of Pokémon, no one thinks this behavior is wrong. Eating and sleeping with Pokémon is perfectly normal, and even falling in love with your own Pokémon is a very normal and common thing.

The feeling that Masked Cat gives Rowe is becoming more and more like that of a girlfriend.

After carefully considering the situation for two seconds, Lowe immediately came to a conclusion...

...So what's wrong with that?!

Even a real girlfriend might not be able to match the chemistry between Masked Cat and Lo Wei. Even if they don't speak the same language, they can communicate seamlessly with just a gesture or a glance. Besides...

...Can anyone really resist a big cat that exudes girlfriend vibes?

Impossible, absolutely impossible! ! !

Chapter Sixty Arrival in Wudou Town

Who could resist snuggling up with a fluffy, girlfriend-like big cat?

Impossible, absolutely impossible! ! !

Anyway, Luo Wei had no resistance to fluffy things in his past life, and now he is completely obsessed with Masked Cat.

This big cat can be a bit arrogant at times, but most of the time it acts like a little girlfriend. Although it's not particularly voluptuous, its fluffy fur has all the right curves. What real girlfriend could possibly be as alluring as this big cat?

That can only be another fluffy one!

Or……

"...Ahem, Kirlia?"

Rowe felt a resentful consciousness enter his mind. Having spent some time with Kirlia, he was becoming increasingly adept at telepathic communication with her.

After all, Kirlia's Psychic power has become stronger than Ralts's after evolving. The little guy who could only be a support back then can now be used as a sub-DPS.

However, she still needs to practice her skills more. This is something that can't be rushed; it can only be achieved through diligent practice. Fortunately, Kirlia's growth potential (base stats) in this area is high enough.

These base stats can be loosely compared to human talents. For example, a high Attack base stat makes it easier to develop strength, while a high Special Attack base stat makes one better at developing special abilities like mental strength.

Among humans, there are also those who are born faster and stronger than others, which can be roughly understood as differences in racial attributes.

Of course, if we were to draw an analogy to individuals, this would be more like the difference in "individual values," but this isn't a particularly rigorous analogy, so I'll just mention it briefly.

Of course, no matter what... talent is something that is innate, and it is basically determined 90% of the time when you are born, and it is almost beyond human control.

What can be controlled by humans is the growth that comes from hard work.

Just like having great talent, if you can't use it properly and turn it into real strength through training, then even the greatest talent is just talent.

Only by working hard to fully transform talent into real ability can one unleash the full potential of their gifts.

This is what training after birth is all about, and it's also the "effort value" correction that has a huge impact.

Race, individual, effort value...

The combination of these three factors directly affects the strength of Pokémon. Gym Leaders are powerful because they can better unleash the potential of Pokémon than ordinary people.

There are no weak Pokémons, only trainers who aren't good enough. As long as the trainer is good enough, any Pokémon can unleash its full power... In this world, this is almost a consensus akin to political correctness, and it's true in most cases...

However, regardless of the circumstances, it must be acknowledged that there are individual differences and differences in abilities among Pokémon. Therefore, in addition to Pokémon battles, there are also events like "Contests" to evaluate the value of Pokémon from different perspectives.

Even if a Pokémon is not actually good at battling due to its base stats and individual values, it can still prove itself through Contests.

(Pokémon's talent... ah...)

Many figures appeared in Luo Wei's mind. They were unique beings in the entire Pokémon world. Their existence completely surpassed that of ordinary Pokémon, possessing the power to reshape the entire ecosystem "single-handedly"!

Of course, their existence is mythical to most ordinary people, and there's no need to pay much attention to them. Most people will never witness the arrival of a legend in their lifetime...

Klaus knew the script and was willing to actively engage with these legends...

So, when that time comes... facing the legend head-on, will his Masked Cat and his companions really be able to dance with the legend?

It's definitely possible, absolutely possible!

Luo Wei looked at Masked Cat with doting eyes. This was his first companion. In the future, he would have many new companions and new encounters, but Masked Cat would definitely be different from everyone else.

Although Luo Wei is still quite immature, but...

(Sooner or later, we'll face the legend together!)

The speedboat sped across Channel 106 and finally docked on a small island with a southern charm.

"Yo, we've arrived!"

The voice of old man Hachi came over the radio. Luo Wei immediately woke up Masked Cat, who was sleeping in his arms. Looking at her rubbing her sleepy eyes and staring at him blankly, she looked rather confused, like a clueless girlfriend.

"We've arrived, let's go!"

Upon hearing this, Masked Cat, who had just been half asleep, immediately perked up and became excited.

"Just come find me when you want to set sail again, haha. It's been a while since the old man's been here. I'll head over to the tavern first~"

Old sailors and captains often have a habit of having a drink or two, and taverns are usually the places where news spreads the most in a region. Therefore, when captains and sailors arrive in a new city, they will habitually visit the tavern. Lowe is naturally not surprised by this.

As the two disembarked and were about to go their separate ways, they saw a group of young people gathered on the shore, seemingly watching something exciting.

Curious, Luo Wei also looked over there, and saw a wave roll in, a figure riding the giant wave into the air, stepping on a surfboard and spinning in the air, before being caught steadily by the rising wave, the whole figure flexibly changing postures back and forth on the crest of the wave.

He transforms the giant wave into his own kinetic energy, skillfully riding the waves; he is a very skilled surfer.

The moment Luo Wei saw the other person, he immediately guessed who it was.

As the wave receded, the young man returned to the shore, and Luo Wei was able to see what he looked like.

The young man had a healthy bronze complexion and well-proportioned muscle lines all over his body, clearly indicating that he was a skilled martial artist.

And indeed, that's the case. This young man is a surfer and a professional boxer. In the Hoenn region, he's not exactly a household name, but he's certainly a minor celebrity.

But the more crucial point lies in his other identity.

The young man's name is Fujiki... He is known as "Fighting Wave" and is the gym leader of the Fighting Town Gym!

There are pictures here, which can be viewed after the updated version

Fujiki, who looked like he had just finished his daily training, waved confidently amidst the admiring gazes of his admirers and greeted each one with a smile.

Luo Wei composed himself and walked straight forward. As if sensing something, the other person immediately turned his gaze in Luo Wei's direction.

Their eyes met, and before Luo Wei could speak, the other person had already warmly stepped forward to greet him...

"Welcome to Dewford Town, young trainer. Are you here to challenge the gym? Haha, the Dewford Town Gym... welcomes any challenger anytime!"

Chapter Sixty-One: Ruins and Caves

Luo Wei hadn't expected to run into the gym leader of Fighting Town right away...

However, it's not too surprising, since Wudou Town is a small town built on a southern island. It's not very big, only slightly larger than Luo Wei's Mobai Town.

After all, this is still just a town, not a city.

Although the place is small, it has all the necessary facilities. After all, there is a gym here, so it naturally receives resources from the league.

In addition, as long as there is a gym here, trainers who want to challenge the gym will inevitably come here. As long as there is a flow of people, it will boost the local economy. In this way, it will not be difficult to make such a small island popular.

When Fujiki saw Rowe, he immediately recognized him as a trainer who had come to challenge the gym. After all, Fighting Town was a small place, and everyone in the town knew each other. Seeing a new face that was so young, he knew what the person was up to without saying a word.

However, after seeing Masked Cat and Kirlia next to Rowe, Fujiki immediately guessed what was going on.

"I see. You must be Luo Wei."

After all, Masked Cat is extremely rare in the Hoenn region. Since there is no existing population, it is impossible for wild Leaf Cat to exist. The only record is... the one next to Rowe.

With this in mind, anyone who sees Masked Cat will immediately guess Rowe's identity.

Others might not be aware of this, but Fujiki, being the dojo master, must know Luo Wei's father, Senri, and must have heard about Luo Wei from Senri. Therefore, he immediately guessed Luo Wei's identity.

Luo Wei naturally had nothing to hide, and nodded frankly in response, "Yes, I am Luo Wei. It seems that Dad really did give everyone advance notice and is going to increase the intensity of my training..."

Luo Wei couldn't help but mutter a complaint, while Fujiki laughed and replied, "Haha, that's definitely Mr. Senri's style. Of course, this is just a private commission; if you're not willing..."

"Of course I'm not unwilling..."

Before Teng Shu could even finish speaking, Luo Wei answered directly, "...That suits me perfectly!"

"Okay, then there's no problem."

From Luo Wei's unhesitating answer, Teng Shu seemed to see that ridiculously strong man in his mind. The father and son's temperaments were indeed inherited from the same lineage. They were truly worthy of being biological children.

"...So, shall we challenge the gym now?"

Tengshu packed up his surfboard, stretched his shoulders and neck, and quickly did a few simple warm-up exercises, indicating that he was ready.

Although Luo Wei really wanted to agree immediately, he had another place he wanted to visit first, so he shook his head for the time being.

"No, if possible, I'd like to go somewhere else first..."

"Oh, I know where Rowe is going... In that case, I'll go with you. Perfect, I can go check it out too~"

Tengshu walked up to Luo Wei and generously extended his hand. Luo Wei also readily shook hands with him. This dojo master was obviously a very forthright person, and he did things without any hesitation. He could leave as soon as he said he would.

Masked Meow seemed unfazed, but Kirlia instinctively shrank behind Rowe.

"what happened?"

Noticing Kirlian's actions, Fujiki asked a question out of curiosity, to which Rowe replied with a wry smile.

"Uh, my Kirlia might be a little shy; she's not very good at dealing with overly enthusiastic people..."

After all, Kirlia is a rather introverted and timid type, preferring to be around gentle people, while Fujiki is clearly the social terrorist type...

...For Kirlia's personality, it's an innate incompatibility. Fujiki was slightly taken aback by this, then laughed even more heartily.