This Trainer Has No Sportsmanship

Demon Lizard Yihao nodded. Since its talent had improved, it had clearly become much more agile and emotionally expressive.

"Weak thoughts are still weak thoughts. Power is ultimately just power. You need to learn to control it, rather than be controlled by it, and you must never fear it."

"Hiss~"

Demon Lizard Yihao lowered its head, looking deeply dejected.

You Zhi was not good at encouraging comfort, so he could only approach it rationally. "When all is said and done, what happens if you lose control? As long as I'm here, you won't be able to hurt anyone."

Demon Lizard Yihao recalled the battle in the Heavenly Might Realm and felt that its master's words made sense. It was just that every joint in its body still ached faintly. Why did that make it even more resistant to evolving?

"Starting today, we'll train three times a day, morning, noon, and night. The goal is to remain rational even after evolving. Come on, we'll start now."

"Hiss..."

It wanted to evolve less and less, but it could not disobey its master's orders. Demon Lizard Yihao wore an unwilling expression, yet could only evolve obediently.

Light flashed, spiritual power surged, and Demon Lizard Yihao visibly grew larger. Plates of steel armor emerged over its body as it evolved into Divergent Lizard Yihao.

"Roar—"

The instant it evolved, Divergent Lizard Yihao threw back its head and howled. Its eyes turned scarlet, heavy breaths blasted from its nostrils, and it stared fixedly at You Zhi with a conflicted, struggling expression.

Without Great Unity Panlong's control, it retained some of its rationality, but it was still affected by wicked thoughts. Even slight stimulation would send it into a frenzy.

After resisting within its consciousness for five minutes, Divergent Lizard Yihao's reason finally lost to its wicked thoughts. With an angry roar, it swung a claw at the only living being present, its force tearing through the air.

You Zhi ducked and easily avoided the attack. Then he clenched his fist and drove it straight into the opponent's chest. Dragon-head-shaped force howled out, carrying a terrifying presence. It was the Heavenly Might Fist.

With a bang, Divergent Lizard Yihao's massive body flew out like a cannonball, smashing through three trees before finally stopping more than twenty meters away.

It instinctively tried to stand, only to collapse back down halfway.

It could not help it. The pain was simply too intense, and even its steel armor had been dented inward.

"Sorry. I've broken through twice in a row recently, and my physical abilities improved too much all at once, so I can't quite judge my strength properly. But don't worry. After a few more real battles, I'll adapt right away," You Zhi said sincerely.

Upon hearing that, Divergent Lizard Yihao's vision went black, and it fainted on the spot.

"As a Steel-type Pokémon, you really can't be this fragile."

You Zhi sighed helplessly and could only return it to its Pokémon Card, thinking that he would have to double its training load in the future.

Union Cave was the only route to Violet City, so You Zhi once again passed through the long tunnel. This time, however, he did not need to search around. He simply followed the main road straight to the exit, reaching the other side of the cave in only an hour.

"Still a little slow. Looks like I need to catch a Pokémon I can ride."

When traveling, one could stroll leisurely and enjoy the scenery along the way. But when rushing, one practically wished for a teleportation gate to appear so that a single step would take them to their destination.

You Zhi considered either catching a Pokémon that could run on the ground or one that could fly through the sky, making future travel easier. None of the four Pokémon he currently had met those requirements.

Humanoid Pokémon had that drawback. There was nowhere to ride them even if he wanted to.

"Wait! Speaking of transportation in the Pokémon world, shouldn't it be bicycles? How did I forget that?"

Although the games had established that bicycles could only be purchased in Goldenrod City in the Johto Region, reality obviously could not follow that setting. Merchants would not be stupid enough to turn down money.

However, he had already traveled so far that turning back to Azalea Town would waste time. You Zhi could only quicken his pace and continue onward. With his current physique, his speed during long-distance jogging was not much slower than an ordinary person riding a bicycle.

He passed an ancient ruins research institute along the way and went in for a curious look. In the game, it studied Unown, but in this world, it had become Kuriboh.

Unown were Pokémon shaped like the twenty-six letters and two punctuation marks. They had little combat ability themselves. Back when online information was not yet well developed, a rumor had spread among players that collecting every form of Unown would allow one to capture a certain legendary Pokémon.

After asking around, You Zhi discovered that a similar rumor existed in this world. Supposedly, collecting every form of Kuriboh would summon the Ten-Star King of Kuriboh, which possessed traits comparable to Forbidden Cards and could determine the outcome of a duel.

Of course, most people treated the rumor as an urban legend, and few truly attempted to collect every Kuriboh.

After all, there was a limit to the number of Pokémon a Trainer could catch.

Even Pokémon sealed inside Pokémon Cards continuously consumed a Trainer's spiritual power. The amount was minuscule and could practically be ignored, but once the number rose to dozens or even hundreds, it became a considerable burden.

If the rate of spiritual power consumption exceeded a Trainer's natural recovery rate, then even if they did nothing all day, their spiritual power would still be completely drained. Should danger arise, they would be unable to summon Pokémon to protect themselves and would need to meditate and replenish their power from time to time.

After leaving the Kuriboh Ruins and traveling a little farther, You Zhi finally reached Violet City at noon, where he encountered Dr. Xini's assistant at the Pokémon Center.

"Hello. Are you Big Savage, the one who made an appointment with the doctor?"

You Zhi took out his Pokédex and displayed his ID name.

After confirming it, the other party took out a Pokémon Card and two armband-like items. "This is the Pokémon the doctor asked me to pass on to you, along with a special item for Pokémon. The instructions are all inside."

You Zhi accepted the items and glanced at the manual, only to discover that this was actually the Exp. Share he had been thinking about earlier!

However, unlike the game setting, it did not allow a Pokémon wearing the Exp. Share to freely gain half the battle experience of every other Pokémon. Instead, the two Pokémon carrying the armbands could share half of the spiritual power they gained with each other.

Stuttering Girl

After accepting the Exp. Share, You Zhi looked toward the Pokémon Card given as thanks. His appraisal cheat immediately provided the information.

[Gagaga Girl (3-Star) DARK attribute]

[Lineage: Psychic]

[Level: 5]

[Talent: Strong]

[Attack: 1000 (667)]

[Defense: 800 (533)]

[Spellcaster, Effect: Can only be activated by selecting 1 "Gagaga Magician" on your field. This card becomes the same Level as the selected monster. In addition, Xyz Monsters whose materials consist only of "Gagaga" monsters including this card gain the following effect: When this Xyz Summon succeeds, select 1 Special Summoned monster on your opponent's field to activate; the selected monster's Attack becomes 0.]

To him now, this Pokémon was actually somewhat redundant, because Silent Magician surpassed it in every respect.

Both were Psychic Spellcaster Pokémon, but Silent Magician had higher base stats, more practical traits, and greater talent. Under normal circumstances, if he could send Silent Magician out, why would he send out Gagaga Girl?

It could not possibly be because her name sounded like a stutter, right?

A Pokémon Trainer's energy was limited. Focusing on one Pokémon meant delaying the growth of the others, so even Pokémon League Champions only used a fixed roster of Pokémon.

Still, it was not as though Dr. Xini lacked sincerity. He did not know that You Zhi possessed Silent Magician, a superior replacement. Giving away a Pokémon with strong talent and a clear evolution path would have made anyone else overjoyed.

That was right. Gagaga Girl was a relatively famous Pokémon, and its evolution route had long been known to the public. Although it was not one of the starter trio itself, it was closely related to Dark Magician, one of the starter trio.

Gagaga Girl—Magician's Valkyria—Dark Magician Girl—Dark Magician Girl Alternate Form.

That was Gagaga Girl's evolution route. As for "Dark Magician Girl Alternate Form," it depended on the specific circumstances. The currently known forms were Toon Dark Magician Girl and Apprentice Illusion Magician.

The assistant revealed, "Actually, this Pokémon was one that got passed over. Although it is also an initial form of Dark Magician Girl, everyone prefers Card Excluder, so the doctor specifically told me that if you're dissatisfied, you can exchange it for another Pokémon."

Card Excluder could also evolve into Dark Magician Girl, but its final evolution was not a Dark Magician Girl Alternate Form. Instead, it was Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight, which had a higher Star rating, stronger ability values, and more practical traits. It was therefore more favored by trainee Trainers.

You Zhi had never been the type to stand on ceremony with others and was just about to return it when a pleading will, desperate to be acknowledged, suddenly came from the Pokémon Card.

He hesitated, then changed his mind. "Forget it. It wouldn't be right to be picky about someone else's gift."

So what if their lineages overlapped? There were plenty of Pokémon Trainers in the world who preferred a single type. Besides, overlapping attributes now did not mean they would remain the same after evolving.

As he spoke, he activated his spiritual power and branded the Pokémon Card. Then he took out his Pokédex for a look and discovered that its actual traits were:

First, its Star rating synchronized with the "Gagaga Magician" on his side of the field.

Second, during special evolution, it reduced one enemy Pokémon's Attack to 0.

The first trait was easy to understand. In essence, it was a doubles trait, because Gagaga Magician possessed the ability to change its own Star rating to any number between 1 and 8. The higher a Pokémon's Star rating, the stronger its spiritual power and the more abundant its stamina. Pokémon had similar traits that focused on doubles battles.

For now, the second trait appeared useless, because Gagaga Girl's evolution system had no special evolution form. Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight was a fusion evolution form, but unfortunately, it belonged to Card Excluder's evolution system.

As if seeing through You Zhi's thoughts, the assistant explained, "The doctor does not believe a Pokémon would be born with a meaningless trait, so he concluded that Gagaga Girl must have a special evolution form. It simply has not yet been discovered. He entrusted this Pokémon to you in hopes of borrowing some of your good fortune."

The entire situation became clear in an instant. Because You Zhi had discovered a Pokémon with a new form, Dr. Xini had decided to take a gamble and hand the Pokémon to You Zhi to raise. Keeping it around would have been a waste anyway, and it might even develop psychological issues. Perhaps he felt that doing so seemed like taking advantage of someone and was not sincere enough, so he added an Exp. Share as a gift of thanks.

"Don't worry. Since I've accepted this Pokémon, I'll naturally raise her with care," You Zhi promised.

"I thank you on the doctor's behalf." The assistant rummaged through his pocket again and pulled out a calling card. "There is a Training Tower in Violet City, but only the first and second floors are open to the public. With this certificate, you can enter the third floor and above."

A Training Tower?

You Zhi thought about it, and the only thing that matched was Sprout Tower. In the games, the tower was filled with monks training there, and they generally battled using Bellsprout. He wondered what kind of Pokémon they would use in this world.

After the assistant bade farewell and left, You Zhi summoned Gagaga Girl. She wore the horned hat unique to the Dark Magician Clan and carried an iron chain, with two cartoon skulls hanging from its other end. Red ribbons wrapped around her body, a massive red bow was tied around her waist, and she wore pointed boots. Altogether, she had the rebellious style of an alternative mage.

"Thank you... for taking me in..."

Gagaga Girl tugged down her hat. Her tone carried both stubbornness and a hint of insecurity.

You Zhi had no mind to care about that. At that moment, he could think of only one thing: he finally had a Pokémon that could speak human language!

Pokémon were one thing. After all, Pokémon capable of speaking human language were exceedingly rare, with Team Rocket's Meowth being the most famous. Yet Yu-Gi-Oh! monsters did not lack humanoid Pokémon, and every Pokémon under You Zhi's command was humanoid. Still, not one of the first four could communicate verbally. Now, he had finally made a breakthrough—this had also been one of the reasons he agreed to accept Gagaga Girl.

"Don't thank me yet. Following me may not be a good thing. I don't know what goals other Trainers have, but my goal is to train hard and become the strongest. That means you're destined to suffer a lot along the way. If you lack sufficient perseverance and determination, it would be better to leave now. I can send you back to Professor Elm."

At this point, if You Zhi still had not guessed that Dr. Xini was Professor Elm, he would have disgraced all the times he had played Pokémon Gold and Silver in his childhood.

"I don't want to go back... I can endure hardship..."

Gagaga Girl raised her head, her gaze firm. "I want to become stronger and make those brats regret it."

Her tone was filled with resentment. Clearly, she cared deeply about being passed over.

"Don't rush into making a decision. First, let me show you my Pokémon's daily training."

With that, You Zhi summoned Demon Lizard Yihao. "Come on, continue this morning's training."

"Hiss~"

Demon Lizard Yihao gave him a pitiful look, like a child who did not want to go to kindergarten. Unfortunately, its parent had a heart of stone and remained unmoved. Under Gagaga Girl's baffled gaze, it could only evolve into Divergent Lizard Yihao and endure another round of domestic violence.

Crisis Awareness

Gagaga Girl stared at Divergent Lizard Yihao, which lay on the ground in a rigid spread-eagle position, completely unconscious. She fell into deep doubt. Was this how Trainers raised Pokémon?

Were other Trainers this strict too?

It felt completely different from her previous impression...

When You Zhi turned his gaze toward her, Gagaga Girl shuddered and instinctively took a step back. But she immediately realized that doing so showed weakness and was extremely embarrassing, so she stepped forward again, clenched her fists, and declared, "G-Gagaga isn't afraid. C-come on!"

As long as she could become stronger and make those brats who looked down on her regret it, she would not fear any hardship, even if her Trainer tortured her until she was covered in wounds!

"Determination is a good thing, but not now."

You Zhi returned Divergent Lizard Yihao to its Pokémon Card, then summoned Silent Magician. "This newcomer is in your care. Help her integrate into the group as soon as possible."

Hmm... It somehow felt like a homeroom teacher entrusting a new student to the class monitor.

Silent Magician nodded and took Gagaga Girl aside to talk.

Although it looked as though only Gagaga Girl was speaking, Pokémon had special ways of communicating. Even if it was like a chicken talking to a duck, they could still communicate normally.

At the same time, You Zhi noticed that Gagaga Girl generally slowed down when she spoke. Whenever she became anxious, she stuttered. He wondered if that was some kind of racial talent.

Perhaps it was because they were both Spellcaster Pokémon, or perhaps Gagaga Girl yearned for others' approval. In any case, the two Pokémon communicated exceptionally smoothly. Before long, Silent Magician gained Gagaga Girl's trust and acquired a little follower.

Seeing this, You Zhi simply summoned Neon Stone Sprite as well, allowing the Pokémon with similar styles to get acquainted.

That green-skinned monster uncle should stay out of it.

The next morning.

You Zhi habitually rose early for morning training, only to discover that the Pokémon who had chatted all night were sleeping together without the slightest regard for their image.

Neon Stone Sprite was one thing. It was a transparent ice sculpture anyway and had no allure to speak of. But Gagaga Girl's skirt had been flipped up, exposing her safety shorts and snowy-white belly.

However, as You Zhi looked at the springlike scene before him, he could not help but feel a sense of crisis. He clearly preferred muscular Pokémon, so why were there more and more cute Pokémon under his command?

This trend was not good at all!

Imagine becoming a Pokémon Master someday, only for others to introduce him as someone who liked cute-looking Pokémon and conclude that he possessed the innocent heart of a young girl. That would be a complete disaster.

That would be ten thousand times worse than being called despicable, sinister, or vicious!

Vaguely, You Zhi sensed malice from the universe itself, but he had no intention of surrendering. He seriously began considering how to break the deadlock.

First, go into the wilderness and casually catch a fierce-looking Pokémon.

That was obviously useless. While it might lower the proportion of cute-looking Pokémon in his team, it was fundamentally self-deception. More importantly, it would not fool anyone, because people would only look at which Pokémon he used in battles, not which Pokémon he had caught.

Did Pokémon players care about those utility Pokémon specifically kept to learn Hidden Machines?

Without talent, without ability, and unable to appear in battle, who would know what Pokémon you owned?