Hiding Sadness Behind a Smile

"So the Battle Arena wants me not only to apprentice at the Gym under the name of the Jindu Battle Arena, but also to compete in the provincial tournament under that name?"

Ye Lan frowned, unable to understand what they were really after.

"But I'm still a student of Mianzhou No. 1 High School. If I compete in the provincial tournament, I'll be representing Mianzhou No. 1 High School..."

"You needn't worry about that. We won't make things difficult for you. We only need you to mention the help our Battle Arena gave you during the award ceremony. We'd be perfectly happy with that."

Hearing that, Ye Lan laughed instead.

"I can't guarantee that I'll make it into the top three in the provincial tournament."

According to the provincial tournament rules, only the top three contestants would have the chance to receive awards before the eyes of the entire province.

Ouyang Sheng Tian did not mind Ye Lan's attempt to shrug off all responsibility with a single sentence. He simply said, "Then that will be our Battle Arena's loss. It has nothing to do with you."

"Alright. I'll choose the second option."

Ouyang Sheng Tian had already put it that way, leaving Ye Lan with no reason to refuse. Besides, this had been the option that appealed to him most in the first place.

Seeing Ye Lan agree, Ouyang Sheng Tian's previously stern expression immediately turned warm. "Then we're friends now. Let me introduce myself properly. My name is Ouyang Sheng Tian. If you need any help in the future, just come find me on the second floor..."

After leaving Manager Lin's office, Ye Lan pondered the entire matter from beginning to end as he walked.

"Did they really just want me to help promote them?"

Lost in thought, Ye Lan soon arrived outside Servine's hospital room.

The moment he opened the door, he saw Swellow collapsed on the floor, twitching and foaming at the mouth.

On its stomach, Cottonee was bouncing desperately, trying to make Swellow spit out whatever was in its belly, like a rescuer administering emergency aid to a drowning victim.

Servine, lying on the hospital bed, was wriggling about as it cheered Cottonee on.

"Servine, Servine, Servine~"

Before Ye Lan could figure out what was going on, Liu Yan arrived outside the room with the Elite Class students behind him.

Seeing this, Ye Lan slowly turned around and looked at his mentor, Liu Yan, with a grief-stricken expression.

"Ms. Liu, your ace Swellow might be kind of dead. My condolences!"

With that, he bowed to Liu Yan.

Liu Yan: ???

Ye Lan looked strangely at the extra hospital bed beside Servine's.

"So, you gave Swellow a piece of the bread I made?"

"Cotton!" Cottonee nodded its little head vigorously. It had never imagined things would turn out like this!

Around the hospital bed, the Elite Class students of Mianzhou No. 1 High School looked at one another.

"It shouldn't be this exaggerated, right?" Ye Lan scratched his head and took a bite from the bread on the table.

Although he had seen the system's warning and had tried his best to avoid feeding food he made to other Pokémon, the ingredients he used were all natural, pollution-free Berries. It was not as if he had mixed poison into them!

"Doesn't it taste pretty good?" Ye Lan mumbled as he savored it.

Perhaps because Ye Lan possessed Grass-type Pokémon Affinity, he counted as half a Grass-type Pokémon himself?

"Do you want to try some?"

As Ye Lan offered the bread in his hand to everyone, the students of Mianzhou No. 1 High School, along with Liu Yan, hurriedly backed away.

What a joke. Even a professional-level Pokémon with such a tough constitution had collapsed after one bite.

If they ate it, would they not die on the spot?

Seeing that no one appreciated his offer, Ye Lan did not mind. He gave all the bread in his hand to Cottonee beside him.

"Cotton~"

Seeing Cottonee eat so happily, everyone could not help but feel sorry for it.

So Ye Lan's newly caught Pokémon lived such miserable lives. They did not dare imagine what Servine's life had been like before.

Cheng Xiaolu's eyes even reddened with pity. She had never expected such an adorable Pokémon as Cottonee to have already learned, at such a young age, to hide its sadness behind a smile!

"Ye Lan, battle me!" Before the sorrowful mood could spread, Wang Zihao's furious shout reached everyone present.

"Sure." Ye Lan, who had been wondering why his bread could poison a professional-level Pokémon, froze for a moment before smiling and agreeing.

"You don't think I'm overestimating myself?" Wang Zihao had not expected Ye Lan to agree so readily.

"Of course not. And my partner this time is it." As Ye Lan spoke, he picked up the bread-chewing Cottonee from the hospital bed.

"Cotton?" Cottonee was stunned for a moment, then happily waved its little arms.

The little fellow's adorable appearance nearly melted the hearts of many girls present.

"I can't beat Servine, but Cottonee is only at the early intermediate level. With the type advantage, I'm confident I can fight!"

In truth, no matter how one looked at it, Wang Zihao's Nidorino held the advantage.

After all, Poison-type Nidorino could deal a full four times the damage to Grass- and Fairy-type Cottonee!

Poison types countered both Grass types and Fairy types.

Yet Ye Lan's commanding presence when he directed Servine at the Battle Arena had still left an indelible impression on Wang Zihao.

No matter what, Cottonee was Ye Lan's Pokémon. He had to stay on guard.

The group soon arrived at an open area in the second-floor training zone, and Wang Zihao threw out his Poké Ball.

"Come out, Nidorino!"

A flash of white light appeared, and a Pokémon resembling a porcupine with large purple ears emerged onto the field.

Nidorino's body was purple and covered in dark purple patches. A row of uneven spikes ran down its back, while the horn on its forehead was said to be harder than diamond.

The Nidoran♂ family had also been a species deeply loved by fans in Ye Lan's previous life.

Not only because they were incredibly strong, but also because Giovanni's Nidoking had once collapsed the Viridian Gym with a single move during its battle against Ash, leaving a profound impression on countless viewers.

One had to know that when facing Ash, Giovanni had already been holding back significantly.

That powerful Nidoking had been able to hold its own even against several of Red's main Pokémon.

Looking at the fierce Nidorino across from him, Ye Lan understood that if he wanted to win this battle, Cottonee could not let the opponent touch it even once.

Although Ye Lan admired Wang Zihao's courage in challenging him, since it had been a long time since any classmate was willing to battle him.

He had to win this match no matter what.

This was Cottonee's first official battle since being caught. If it suffered a crushing defeat here, it might affect the little fellow's enthusiasm for battling.

"Then on my side, it's Cottonee!"

"Cotton~"