I'm popularizing ecology in the Pokémon world.

Despite having a different opponent, Hidemasa Kurosaki's fighting spirit remains undiminished!

"Growlithe is a Fire-type, and my Poliwag is a Water-type. Water-type beats Fire-type, so it's my advantage!"

Hidemasa Kurosaki confidently encouraged himself.

He was immediately full of confidence, he gave the order, and he charged in!

A few minutes later, he typed GG.

Kneeling on the grassland in a dejected, forward-bending posture, Kurosaki Hidemasa uttered a hollow voice.

"How could this happen..."

Yuzuru shrugged, "That's why you shouldn't underestimate wild Pokémon."

Chen Mu smiled helplessly, stepped forward, patted the boy on the shoulder, and comforted him.

"Don't be so discouraged. In the wild, predatory Pokémon in high ecological niches are generally stronger than herbivorous Pokémon in mid- to low-ecological niches. It's not your fault."

Minami, standing behind her, asked in confusion, "I remember the textbook said that Poliwag's base stats were higher than Growlithe's."

Furthermore, water types are effective against fire types, so why did Poliwag seem so hesitant and timid during the fight, getting completely suppressed?

These words undoubtedly dealt another blow to the already dejected Hidemasa Kurosaki.

This time, Chen Mu was able to provide an explanation without needing a professional trainer like Yuzhen to speak.

"In the end, racial values ​​are just an evaluation system invented by humans themselves, and do not represent objective truth."

In nature, many factors determine the combat strength of wild Pokémon, such as temperament, diet, environmental adaptability, and aggressiveness.

As I just mentioned, in the wild, predatory Pokémon are generally stronger than herbivorous or omnivorous Pokémon with similar base stats.

Because they have experienced more battles and have more experience and skills.

Furthermore, the difference in ecological niches can cause Pokémon in lower ecological niches to be naturally more prone to fear when battling their natural enemies.

The training Poliwag has received so far is insufficient to rid him of this fear, so he is naturally unable to directly confront the warlike and skilled Growlithe.

Yuzuru, who was listening from the side, nodded repeatedly, "That's right, I didn't expect Teacher Chen to have such a deep understanding of combat."

Hidemasa Kurosaki looked up and asked, "So, what should I do to help Mosquito Coil overcome its fear?"

Yuzuru quickly replied, "Train him to the professional level, or let him evolve to his final form."

Minami then asked, "What does 'professional level' mean?"

This is actually what Chen Mu wanted to ask as well.

Because this is not a concept from the previous life game.

Since there are no ranking systems in reality, other ways of evaluating strength will naturally take their place.

Yuzuru explained, "This is a Pokémon strength evaluation system that has been widely adopted by various leagues in modern times."

The Pokémon in a trainer's hands are divided into six levels of strength, from low to high: Amateur, Professional, Elite, Gym Leader, Elite Four, and Champion.

Trainers who own at least one Pokémon of that level will receive the corresponding Trainer Rank title.

In contrast, there are six power ratings for wild Pokémon: Normal, Boss, Lord, Regional Overlord, King, and Catastrophe.

Chen Mu suddenly realized—no wonder Jubei blurted out "Disaster-level Pokémon" when he saw the crimson Aerodactyl.

He must have mistaken it for a wild fossil pterosaur.

Yuzuru then explained, "Whether it's a Pokémon in the hands of a trainer or a wild Pokémon, the first turning point in its life is when it advances from stage one to stage two."

Wild Pokémon grow significantly in size after reaching the Boss level. Take this Arcanine, for example. He's a big star in this protected area. We named him Simba, and when we weighed him last year, he already weighed over half a ton.

In the hands of a trainer, a Pokémon undergoes a significant qualitative change when it transitions from amateur to professional level.

You can see this from the difference in pay between amateur and professional trainers.

The three children nodded in agreement.

This is very intuitive.

Hidemasa Kurosaki is currently an amateur 9-dan trainer, almost at the pinnacle of amateur skill, but he is still nothing special, at best a relatively skilled amateur battle enthusiast.

Yuzuru, a professional trainer, can easily obtain a stable job by virtue of her status as a trainer, providing safety guarantees for tourists who enter the protected area to hunt.

The difference between amateur and professional is clear from the very meaning of the words.

"A profession..." Hidemasa Kurosaki sighed.

His dream is to become a professional trainer.

But at the same time, he also knew how difficult it would be to realize this ideal.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of trainers apply for the professional qualification exam in the league, but only a very small number actually pass.

The real world cannot allow everyone to become a trainer without engaging in productive work.

Most ordinary people can only treat Pokémon battles as a hobby throughout their lives.

In my youth, I played amateur and college tournaments; as I grew up, I watched leagues and cup competitions; occasionally, when the mood struck me, I would have a friendly match with a friend; and then, as usual, I went to work and did my job.

Until one day when I was in my thirties or forties, I passed by the battle arena downstairs in my neighborhood and happened to see a group of young boys and girls using the elf tactics that I had studied back then to duel with each other. I smiled and went up to comment on them.

"That positioning is terrible!"

"My Mosquito Coil was incredibly skilled back in the day, capable of firing four shots in a row with a water gun. It was much more powerful than this."

He shook his head, picked up his briefcase, and went on to deal with the weekend's overtime work.

This is life.

For a moment, Hidemasa Kurosaki seemed to see his own future, and he stood there motionless, as if he had fallen into a gray-white sculpture.

Qinglian then stepped forward and said.

"Can I give it a try?"

"Of course," Yuzuru replied.

Subsequently, both Qinglian and Meibo tried to capture Growlithe.

The white sea lion sent by Qinglian once again attracted a challenge from an adult Growlithe, but ultimately failed as well.

The Snivy sent by Minami was too weak, so the adult Growlithe, acting as its parent, shook its head and retreated, leaving the eager little Growlithe to fight instead.

"Oh wow, I feel like this is my chance!"

Minami clenched her fist excitedly.

Unexpectedly, this greatly fueled the fighting spirit of the little Growlithe!

In the end, Growlithe used a series of "Ember" attacks to utterly defeat Snivy, which was weak to Fire.

Thus, all three children perished; none of them succeeded.

Yuzhen comforted them, "It's okay, you can try many more times. Go over and offer them treats, and as long as the little Growlithe doesn't refuse, you can keep trying."

A small Growlithe dog not far away was panting and wagging its tail, looking very happy.

For a moment, I couldn't tell if it was genuine enjoyment or just a craving for snacks.

Hearing this, the three children perked up again.

Unfortunately, even as night fell, they were still unable to pass the test of the Growlithe pack, remaining in a state of uncertainty about their chances of winning.

The next morning, as a chorus of long howls rose and fell, the group opened their tents pitched on the grass and found the Growlithe pack already ready to go.

They even abandoned the unfinished beef, ready to run against the wind at any moment.

The long howl before their eyes was their final farewell to Chen Mu and the others.

Growlithe and Arcanine are Pokémon that are passionate about running their entire lives!

They rarely stay in one place for long; as long as there is enough open space, they will enjoy the joy of conquering the battlefield forever!

The three children could only wave goodbye to the adorable dogs with immense regret.

Having completely missed her chance, Minami sighed helplessly, "Catching Pokémon is so difficult..."

Yuzhen laughed, "Otherwise, why do you think we only give you two hunting balls per ticket, but are willing to give you seven to ten days of hunting time?"

Anyway, Chen Mu's live stream isn't running right now, so he doesn't mind telling the truth.

Hidemasa Kurosaki sighed helplessly, "Growlithe is very strong, but catching it requires too much skill. Aren't there any rare, powerful, and easy-to-use Pokémon to recommend in the protected area?"

Yuzhen laughed and scolded, "What are you thinking? There's no such thing as a free lunch."

However, no one could have known that at that very moment, a little fellow was braving the elements, braving the wind and rain, and actively seeking this place out.