The dream of becoming a Pokémon master

Since the birth of Huang'er, Xiong Jie's life has changed drastically.

I have to be very careful when I get up at four o'clock every day so as not to disturb Huang'er who is lying next to me. Fortunately, I have accumulated a lot of stealth skill points. Every morning, I sneak out of the tent with three Poké Balls (we used to sleep together at night, but we had to stop because Charmeleon and Nidoran made too much noise while sleeping). Then I randomly decide which one to stay and guard the tent, while the others go to train at a distance.

As long as you stay behind and don't make too much noise to wake Huang'er, you'll get a chance to rest! Of course, if you do wake her up, the punishment will be doubled.

However, Nidoran still liked the job quite a bit and was eager to stay every day.

Kyosuke finally understood him; he was always slacking off.

Charmander and Mai didn't miss any opportunity to train.

Kyosuke can only hope that he will change in the future.

Besides morning exercise, the only other issue is leveling up.

Every day, Kyosuke takes Huang'er and searches every corner to find Bug or Grass-type Pokémon for her to practice with. In addition to Kyosuke, he also brings a bodyguard to escort her throughout the journey.

Even double the restraint isn't enough! Quadruple restraint is the only way!

Occasionally, when I encounter a few wild trainers, I have to ask if they have Bug or Grass-type Pokémon. If they don't, I don't even want to accept their allowance.

If possible, propose a two-on-two, three-on-three, or four-on-four match. In any case, it can't be one-on-one, since there's no reason to spend money you've earned.

This is probably what it feels like to be a father after having a daughter—a feeling of overwhelming happiness. Kyosuke was so moved that he shed tears.

Two months have passed since then, and this kind of life has continued.

A whole host of things happened in just two months.

For example, Kyosuke has earned three badges during this time and is heading to Rainbow City. Now, he's not far from his destination.

Of the fifty gyms in the Kanto region, the most common are Bug-type, Grass-type, and Flying-type gyms. This is partly because there are many Pokémon of these three types, and partly because the average strength of these three types is relatively weak.

Naturally, they are also the main force behind the ranking of trash dojos.

In the past, Kyosuke naturally looked down on this type of gym, at most picking up a badge as he passed by and then leaving.

but!

For the sake of nurturing the next generation, Kyosuke decides to put aside his pride!

In Greenwood Town, the first town Kyosuke arrived in after Ouji's birth, Kyosuke (and his three Pokémon) carefully studied the map, found the gyms, and planned their itinerary. They found a route that started from Greenwood Town and passed through four cities with gyms that were rated extremely low in online reviews: Rocky City (with a towering tree in the city center and a badge that resembles a tree), Murkland City (with a Bug-type gym and a bug-infested city where almost every citizen has a Flying-type Pokémon and a badge that resembles an insecticide), Pinewood City (with a Grass-type gym and beautiful red maple leaves all year round; the badge that resembles a maple leaf and is named after the gym leader), and finally Celadon City.

Find a few weak dojos for Huang'er to practice in. That was Kyosuke's purpose.

However, Kyosuke was disappointed that he didn't meet Billy, the kind person who had given him directions.

He had no idea that Billy had spotted him as soon as he entered town and then hid at home for two whole days.

Then comes the cycle of traveling, gaining experience, earning money, and fighting in gyms.

Now, only the Rainbow City Gym remains.

For example, there are always those evil characters that Little Sparrow tries to capture, only to be caught by Kyosuke and taken to the police station to be used as travel profits (a name he's given to his little stash of money over the past two months). Those who dare to rob usually have some kind of criminal record, so Kyosuke naturally doesn't hold back. A few of them do have quite valuable bounties, and Kyosuke's travel profits have reached nearly 20 yen.

For example, helping a few people in need every day, teaching a few people who stage accidents to a lesson, and cultivating a correct outlook on life for the next generation. As for those who dare to stage accidents, Kyosuke's attitude has always been, "I can afford to pay for it, so I'll get you." However, most people who are provoked by Kyosuke don't dare to retaliate.

"That's the meaning of raising kids," Kyosuke concluded. Travel? Forget about it.

Over the past two months, Charmeleon has grown quite a bit taller, and its thighs and tail have become much thicker, thanks to its daily diet of high-quality food and intense training. Mai doesn't seem to have changed much; she's still as thin and frail as before, but her body is actually much more flexible than before. Her skin no longer tears easily when attacked, and her silk-spinning skills are truly amazing, as if she could create a world of silkworm webs in the blink of an eye.

Most importantly, Mai secretly tells Kyosuke that she feels she is about to reach the critical point of evolution.

After Ho-Oh, Rayquaza is also going to join him. Kyosuke feels like he's finally made it through.

However, what Kyosuke was really worried about was Nidoran's condition.

Since his defeat in the first round of the Fairy Forest City competition, and Charmander's evolution into Charmeleon, Nidoran seems to have given up on himself. He still completes his training diligently, but afterwards appears somewhat lost. He no longer shows the same enthusiasm when facing challenges from wild trainers.

Kyosuke also consulted Dr. Oki about this issue.

Professor Oak explained that this is a common feeling many Pokémon experience when they are weak, and it's a general phenomenon. He said that as long as the trainer maintains faith in and attention to their Pokémon, it will usually get better over time. However, the timeframe depends on the relationship between the trainer and the Pokémon; it can be as short as one or two weeks, or as long as one or two years.

Kyosuke wanted to smash his phone right then and there.

However, Professor Oak then said that he could send Nidoran back to him for a while to study, and perhaps he could find a way to solve the problem.

That's a good idea. However, Kyosuke only has four Pokémon in total right now, and if he teleports back, he'll only have three left. How can he possibly play then? So he refused.

After hearing Kyosuke's reason, Professor Oak, unusually, mocked Kyosuke: "Even Ash has caught thirty-eight Pokémon, and you only have four? At this rate, you probably won't even be able to gather six for the tournament."

Can you please stop mentioning your son, Satoshi? I'd like to know how your neighbor, Shigeru, is doing! Feeling humiliated, Kyosuke hung up the phone.

However, catching Pokémon is indeed a problem. At the current rate, Kyosuke will most likely only have three Pokémon when the tournament starts, making it impossible for him to rotate them and making him vulnerable to being targeted. He might even be heavily injured and have to fight six against five opponents.

However, as an upright trainer, Kyosuke couldn't bring himself to capture Pokémon arbitrarily based solely on personal preference. If capturing Pokémon isn't for a shared future but simply to make them his personal collection, how is that any different from an evil organization? Someone entrusts their future to you, and you repay them with indifference?

At least Kyosuke couldn't do that.