The Bond That Lasts a Trainer and Pokémon's Entire Life

Lu Li's answer left the Head Teacher somewhat dissatisfied. After all, his answer had been far too brief.

The Head Teacher added, "The so-called bond is an invisible yet real connection between a Trainer and a Pokémon.

As a Pokémon grows stronger, its Trainer will grow stronger alongside it. The firmer the bond between them, the greater the benefits the Trainer receives as they grow together.

The most obvious signs are improved reaction speed and stronger physical fitness as the Pokémon develops. According to Doctor Chen Mu's research, an Elite Four-level Trainer who grows normally can have a natural lifespan of up to two hundred years.

They may not even enter old age until after the age of one hundred and twenty. That is the greatest benefit brought by the bond between Trainers and Pokémon."

After that lengthy explanation, the Head Teacher picked up the cup on the podium and took a sip before continuing, "Tomorrow, you'll be able to catch your first Pokémon in life. Does anyone know why starter Pokémon must be raised from Pokémon Eggs?"

"I know!"

Li Sen, who sat behind Lu Li, raised his hand high.

The Head Teacher remained quite kind toward students who volunteered to answer questions.

"Why?"

"Because of the bond! Pokémon that have just hatched from Pokémon Eggs can form a stronger bond with their Trainers." Li Sen spoke excitedly.

The Head Teacher nodded in satisfaction, then continued teaching, "So, if you want to become a Trainer, it's best to raise your first Pokémon from a Pokémon Egg. This concerns your future. Even Rookie Trainers born into Great Families only begin raising their first Pokémon at the age of sixteen."

Lu Li beneath the podium fell into thought.

In fact, in this world, the bond between Trainers and Pokémon was incredibly important. It was not as though those Great Families had never considered having their younger generations raise Pokémon from childhood.

However, children's temperaments were unstable. The vast majority of children treated their Pokémon as toys or pets when they were young.

The result was an insufficient bond between Trainer and Pokémon. Though the Pokémon's strength improved quickly, the Trainer's own abilities could not keep pace with the Pokémon's growth.

After all, the bond between a Trainer and a Pokémon depended on the feelings both sides gave and accepted, not just one side.

This was a lesson those Great Families had paid for in blood, which was why the Pokémon League set the age for Rookie Trainers at sixteen.

However, because he had an adult's mentality—and because he had loved Pokémon in his previous life—Lu Li had adopted Feebas when he was very young and had always regarded it as family.

That could be considered one of the hidden benefits of being a transmigrator.

"Starting tomorrow, the school schedule will change to two days of classes per week—Monday and Tuesday. You may arrange the rest of your time freely," the Head Teacher announced next.

The students in the classroom instantly grew excited upon hearing that.

"Great! Tomorrow, I'll finally have a partner of my own!"

"Invincible Beedrill, your Trainer is coming!"

"Hahaha, my family has already prepared an Aron Pokémon Egg for me. In half a year, I'll definitely take first place in Qingfeng City in the National College Entrance Examination Competition."

As he listened to his classmates' noisy chatter, Lu Li lowered his head in thought.

In this world, the Trainer College Entrance Exam was divided into two parts: the cultural examination that had ended some time ago, and the College Entrance Exam Tournament half a year later.

Students who wanted to become Trainers would begin preparing for the College Entrance Exam tomorrow, while those who did not want to become Trainers could enjoy more than half a year of vacation.

According to his original plan, Lu Li had intended to take the Pokémon Breeder route.

On one hand, he had not yet officially entered the Qi Refining Stage at the time, and his Golden Finger had been practically half-useless. On the other hand, his family was poor and simply did not have enough money to obtain and raise Pokémon. That was why Lu Li had made Pokémon breeding his first goal.

But things were different now.

After entering the Qi Refining Stage, he could already be considered superhuman. By this world's standards, his strength was already comparable to that of an Experienced-level Pokémon.

Rookie, Ordinary, Experienced, Elite, Gym Leader, Heavenly King, Champion, Master, Grandmaster—these were the official strength rankings for Trainers and Pokémon established by the Pokémon League.

In tiny Qingfeng City, an Elite-level Trainer could already be considered a peak existence.

With Experienced-level strength, as long as he did not provoke herd-dwelling Pokémon in the wilderness, he should be able to find a Pokémon Egg, right?

As for buying one?

Lu Li had never considered that option. Pokémon Eggs started at fifty thousand, while his entire family's savings only amounted to one hundred thousand.

Having made up his mind, Lu Li silently picked up a book four centimeters thick and began reading.

"Pokémon Item Crafting: From Beginner to Burial"

Besides Trainers, this world also had many professions related to Pokémon, such as Pokémon Planters, Pokémon Item Crafters, Pokémon Breeders, Pokémon Researchers, and Pokémon Archeologists.

Lu Li, who had originally planned to follow the Pokémon Breeder path, did not actually need to come to school anymore. But the school Library was free.

After school, the Head Teacher stopped Lu Li.

After following her to her office, Lu Li looked at the Head Teacher curiously.

"Lu Li, are you planning to become a Pokémon Trainer?" the Head Teacher asked.

Lu Li hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Yes. I only decided this morning."

Seeing that Lu Li truly wanted to become a Trainer, surprise flashed through the Head Teacher's eyes. She then asked, "But your family circumstances probably aren't enough to support you becoming a Pokémon Trainer, are they?"

That truly was an awkward question.

Lu Li looked at the Head Teacher curiously. She had specifically called him to her office, so she probably had not done it just to mock him. After all, Lao Ban was not that kind of person.

As a teacher, Lao Ban was absolutely qualified.

"Are you willing to accept sponsorship?" the Head Teacher asked.

Hearing that, Lu Li asked directly, "From a family or a corporation?"

"A family."

Lao Ban added, "The family behind me can be considered a Gym Leader-level family. Although your teacher is only from a branch line of the family, I still have one recommendation slot in my hands."

After hesitating for a moment, Lu Li politely declined. "Teacher, I don't want to tie myself too deeply to any faction."

If he did not have the Golden Finger, Lu Li would definitely have been happy to accept the sponsorship.

To put it bluntly, this so-called sponsorship meant they invested in you early on, and then you sold yourself to work for them later.

It was like certain companies recruiting students before they had even graduated. For ordinary people, this was undoubtedly a wonderful opportunity.

After all, work was for earning money. Any normal person knew to choose a job with better benefits and higher pay.

Lao Ban was not surprised by Lu Li's refusal. There was a saying that shallow waters could not raise flood dragons, but that saying did not apply to Lu Li.

A sixteen-year-old junior Pokémon Planter who was even talented in Pokémon breeding—such talent would make him a genius even in those first-tier cities.

It was only because Qingfeng City was such a backwater that those Great Families could not be bothered to turn their attention to places like this. Otherwise, Lu Li would have long since been discovered and recruited away by one of them.