Joyful Pokémon Get Stronger? Then I Won't Be a Trainer - Part 9

But it seemed the immense momentum was no longer enough to let it dodge this Vine Whip...

The loud crack of its head against the blue stone made Lin Feng couldn't help but let out a "tsk tsk" from the side...

That sound, so crisp...

It gave off the illusion of "a good head makes a good sound."

"Snivy..."

Snivy rubbed its forehead with a small hand, suddenly realizing why the two of them had ended up together...

Like trainer, like Pokémon!

"Squirtle!?"

Over there, Qin Shu watched as Squirtle crashed heavily onto the road and immediately shouted, "The battle's only just begun, stand up, hold on!"

"Squirtle, Squirtle..."

Rubbing the lump on its head, Squirtle stood up groggily, looked ahead, and found no one there except Lin Feng. For a moment, it couldn't even locate where Snivy was.

Lin Feng quietly pointed behind it, and Qin Shu yelled from the side, "Behind you, it's behind you, there's a Vine Whip!"

Only then did Squirtle catch on and turn around.

But by then, the two vines were already less than ten centimeters from its back, and as expected, they bound its entire body, lifting it into the air.

No matter how frantically it struggled, it couldn't break free from the vines' grip.

Flinging Squirtle away, Snivy cast a speechless sidelong glance at its trainer.

During a battle, and he still went and reminded the other Pokémon...

"Ahem, well, I had to give them some kind of battle experience, right?"

Lin Feng coughed twice to cover his embarrassment.

Though it seemed that experience hadn't really landed.

Over there, The flung Squirtle slammed heavily into the ground and took a long while to recover.

It simply couldn't figure out why Snivy had ended up behind it in the middle of the fight.

"You okay, Squirtle?"

Qin Shu quickly ran over to Squirtle's side and asked with concern.

"Squirtle, Squirtle..." Squirtle was about to say it was fine, but in an instant, it switched to a weak demeanor, "Squirtle, Squirtle..." (I'm out of energy...)

Naive Qin Shu didn't notice anything off about Squirtle. Feeling a bit regretful, she looked over at Snivy, her eyes lighting up...

Such an impressive Snivy, no wonder it was Brother Feng's Pokémon!

Lin Feng walked over with Snivy. "Not fighting anymore?"

Even though Squirtle was still a newborn Pokémon, it wouldn't lose its battle ability after just two tosses, so Lin Feng came to check the situation.

"Squirtle says it has no energy left."

Qin Shu said with a bit of a headache.

This made Lin Feng pause.

Squirtle clearly still looked full of spirit.

Then it dawned on him, and a wry smile tugged at his lips.

"Brother Feng! Look, how did I do just now? Was it alright?"

Qin Shu couldn't help but lift her head and ask again, her eyes sparkling, clearly hoping for some positive praise.

"Hmm... not bad... if only next time Squirtle uses Tackle, it would lift its head up,"

Lin Feng thought for a moment and replied.

Chapter 9: Wangwang Supermarket's Baby Cup

Watching Qin Shu walk away full of confidence after receiving the advice, Lin Feng couldn't help but shake his head.

He'd only said to remind her that next time Squirtle used Tackle, it should lift its head, and she'd had a sudden epiphany, immediately understanding the reason for this battle's defeat.

She promptly took Squirtle off for targeted training...

But...

"How could the reason for losing be that Tackle's proficiency wasn't high enough?"

"Snivy..."

Snivy couldn't hold it in either...

"Forget it, let's head to the city? Do you want to go into the Poké Ball?"

Lin Feng took out the Poké Ball and asked.

"Snivy?" (Can I not?)

Looking at the Poké Ball in Lin Feng's hand, Snivy's face twisted with disdain. It had no desire to stay cooped up in that cramped space.

"Fine, then are you going to let me carry you, or will you stand on my shoulder? Otherwise, you won't be able to get on the bus."

The Elf Law clearly stated that on public transportation, no large Pokémon were allowed, and a Trainer had to maintain physical contact with their Pokémon.

"Snivy?"

Snivy eyed him suspiciously.

"Really!"

Lin Feng said earnestly.

Though he had to admit, he was a little biased—he wanted to hold Snivy in his arms.

It was summer, after all.

That cool, smooth skin felt the best to touch.

"Snivy..."

Snivy reluctantly nodded.

At the Wutong City Pokémon League branch.

Lin Feng walked out, holding Snivy in his arms.

At first, the little one had only wanted to perch on his shoulder. But soon, because of its height, standing on his shoulder on the bus made it stand out too much. That awkwardness made it feel embarrassed, so it settled for staying in Lin Feng's arms instead.

Actually, it wasn't so bad...

It was pretty warm.

If only those hands would stop rubbing all over its body, that would be even better...

Snivy thought to itself.

It was a little embarrassing.

The certification came through quickly. The receptionist sister was also very pretty, and she praised Lin Feng for being accomplished at such a young age, becoming an Intermediate Breeder so early.

She also helped him activate his Breeding House qualification certificate.

"I need to buy some everyday bandages, Super Potions, and materials for making Nourishing Energy Cubes."

With that thought flashing through his mind, Lin Feng strode toward the Wangwang Supermarket across from the League.

This was the League's largest chain department store, where both Pokémon supplies and daily necessities could be found.

But after crossing the street, Lin Feng noticed something.

Hanging at the entrance of Wangwang Supermarket was a large banner.

"To become an excellent Trainer, you must start with battles. During the summer break, Wangwang Supermarket, in collaboration with the Pokémon League, is hosting a Rookie Trainer battle tournament—the Baby Cup! Any Rookie Trainer can participate for free!"

"Rich rewards await you at home!"

Beside the banner was an anime-style sticker of a Gardevoir blowing a kiss.

It seemed the event organizers knew exactly what would catch the eyes of kids this age.

That wasn't what caught Lin Feng's attention, though.

What caught his attention was...

[First Prize: One Starter Pokémon Egg, one 88,000-yuan Wangwang Supermarket shopping card, and one chance at the Wangwang Supermarket headquarters' Egg Guessing Riddle!]

[Second Prize: One 88,000-yuan Wangwang Supermarket shopping card, and one chance at the Wangwang Supermarket headquarters' Egg Guessing Riddle!]

[Third Prize: One 88,000-yuan Wangwang Supermarket shopping card.]

Hmm...

The rewards seemed a bit generous?

Lin Feng pondered, barely able to tear his eyes away from the Gardevoir... and onto the participation time and rules below.

July 15th.

Rules: Only first-stage Pokémon are allowed to participate, and their strength must be below Elite level.