"That really is great. Empoleon is absolutely the Pokémon best suited to you." Lu Li seemed to see Yu Lili's future as a Water-type Heavenly King who combined the strengths of both families.
If she could combine the strengths of both families, Yu Lili would even be qualified to challenge for a Regional Elite Four position.
In the Pokémon world, League Elite Four members were divided into three types. Taking the Asian League as an example, there were first the Regional Elite Four, who were generally the strongest in a given region and were primarily responsible for protecting its safety.
Next were the Type Elite Four. The Asian League had a total of eighteen Type Elite Four members, each named after their respective type, and they generally also served as the Gym Leaders of the eighteen type Gyms.
For example, the Gym Leader of a Water-type Gym was also one of the Asian League's eighteen Type Elite Four.
Finally, there were the Elite Four, also known as the Title Elite Four. Every Title Elite Four member in the Asian League possessed Champion-level strength and stood at the very pinnacle of the world's trainers.
In this world, becoming a Regional Elite Four member depended mainly on one's background, becoming a Type Elite Four member depended on one's birth, and becoming a Title Elite Four member depended on strength.
Yu Lili was probably aiming for the Regional Elite Four. As for the Title Elite Four, every one of them was a monster in the truest sense. That was not something Yu Lili could hope for at her current level.
As for why not the Type Elite Four? If someone was not born with that title, then they would never have it in their lifetime.
Some things in this world were simply that cruel.
Suddenly remembering something important, Yu Lili took a Gym Badge from her pocket and tossed it to Lu Li. "This is the Gym Badge my dad told me to give you," she explained.
Lu Li caught the badge and examined it curiously. It seemed to be made of some kind of special steel. Yu Zhonggang's portrait was engraved on its face, while a large character for steel was on the back.
"This is my dad's Gym Leader Badge. You can take it, along with the certificate from your school, to the Pokémon Breeding Center to claim the sponsorship funds," Yu Lili added.
Lu Li nodded.
Normally, there were three types of Gym Badges.
The first was a Gym clearance badge. After participating in a Gym challenge and successfully passing it, the Gym would issue this kind of badge to the challenger.
The second was a Gym Recognition Badge, prepared for talented trainers. It represented that the trainer had received the Gym's recognition.
The one in Lu Li's hand was a recognition badge.
The last was the Gym Apprentice Badge. The badge Jin Huang wore was one of those, and its primary function was identity verification.
With the badge in hand, the weight in Lu Li's heart finally dropped away.
Starter Pokémon!
And they were Starter Pokémon raised by the League. League-raised Starter Pokémon might not be the very best, but their quality was absolutely guaranteed.
The Squirtle in Yu Lili's hands was a League-raised Starter Pokémon. These League-raised Starter Pokémon were guaranteed to possess at least one Egg Move.
After receiving the badge, Lu Li did not linger at the Gym.
Yu Lili knew that Lu Li had long been unable to wait, so she did not keep pestering him.
Yu Family living room.
After filling the teacup before her husband, Jin Fengjiao asked gently, "That child left?"
Yu Zhonggang took a sip of tea and nodded. "Yes. After all, they're Starter Pokémon. The temptation is far too great for ordinary people. Anyone would be impatient."
"We still underestimated that child. An Intermediate Breeder—such talent would stand at the top of the pyramid even across the entire Kyushu Region," Jin Fengjiao remarked.
A Master-level Breeder was someone even Regional Elite Four members had to curry favor with. Even Title Elite Four members had to remain respectful before a Master-level Breeder.
Yu Zhonggang asked, "Do you think he can become a Master-level Breeder?"
Yu Zhonggang had great faith in his wife's judgment. Otherwise, she would not have become his wife.
"If that child does not die midway, he can at least become a Top-tier Breeder before the age of forty," Jin Fengjiao said with certainty.
A Top-tier Breeder was equivalent to an Elite Four member. In other words, their investment could yield returns within thirty years.
Thinking of this, Yu Zhonggang sighed sincerely. "Looks like we're quite fortunate. That notebook I gave him was well worth it. Now Li Li has an even better chance of becoming a Regional Elite Four member."
"Speaking of returns, I truly didn't expect our investment to pay off so quickly. An Intermediate Breeder capable of raising a Milotic... that is far too important for Li Li," Jin Fengjiao said with some relief.
Yu Zhonggang drained his tea, rose, and stretched lazily. "Looks like I'll have to call in my connections again to find outstanding Feebas for Li Li."
Jin Fengjiao agreed. "Indeed. Since that child dared to say such a thing, then the Milotic must be real."
After saying that, Yu Zhonggang left the living room. At his age, it was already difficult for him to improve further, so Yu Zhonggang had only two goals for the rest of his life.
The first was to raise his daughter well. The second was to find a Mega Stone for Aggron. The former was his hope for the next generation to become stronger, while the latter was his hope to become stronger himself.
In this world, nearly everyone knew one piece of common knowledge.
The largest building in any city was undoubtedly the Pokémon Center. Qingyun City's Pokémon Center was no exception.
The Pokémon Center was divided into many sections, such as hospitals, Breeding Parks, research bases, battle centers, storage facilities, and more...
Standing before the service window, Lu Li handed the badge and recommendation letter in his hand to the staff member.
The staff member responsible for reviewing them was a beautiful woman in her twenties. When she received the badge and recommendation letter, she gave Lu Li a somewhat surprised look.
"You came a little late," the staff member said. "Many of this year's Starter Pokémon have already been chosen."
Lu Li answered with a smile, "It's fine. I'm already lucky enough to get a Starter Pokémon."
The staff member nodded. There was indeed nothing wrong with what Lu Li said.
After completing the registration, the staff member stood up. "Follow me."
Led by the staff member, Lu Li took the Pokémon Center's dedicated sightseeing shuttle to Qingyun City Breeding Park.
As she led the way, the staff member said, "All of Qingyun City's Starter Pokémon are in this Breeding Park. What kind of Pokémon you find will depend on your luck and judgment."
Lu Li curiously looked over the enormous park. Most impressively, it was actually divided into three zones.
There was even lava in the area suited for Fire-type Pokémon, and next to the Fire-type Zone was the Grass-type Pokémon Zone.
The staff member beside him explained, "The Breeding Park is mainly divided into three zones: the Fire-type Pokémon Zone, Grass-type Pokémon Zone, and Water-type Pokémon Zone. They represent the three different types of Starter Pokémon.
"The fathers of the Pokémon Eggs you are going to choose are all inside this park."
The staff member continued, "What type of Pokémon are you planning to choose?"
Without hesitation, Lu Li replied, "Fire-type. Take me to the Fire-type Zone."
Before coming here, Lu Li had already considered which type of Starter Pokémon to choose.
Before you continue