The team takes shape

Zhang Cheng poured Miltank milk into a small Pokémon bowl, then offered it to Mareep.

After eating its eggshell, Mareep gazed curiously at Zhang Cheng. In its mind, it already regarded him as its mother.

When Zhang Cheng offered it the milk, Mareep first leaned forward and sniffed it.

Once it caught the milky aroma, it began gulping the milk down.

Mareep drank so quickly that it choked. Zhang Cheng hurriedly patted its back to ease its discomfort.

After finishing the milk, Mareep began wandering around, inspecting the place where it had been born.

Seeing Mareep's curious expression, Poliwag trotted over and began chatting with it.

As for Pidgey, it would not take the initiative to be friendly toward unfamiliar Pokémon. It only became more outgoing after spending enough time with them.

"Poli, poli~ Poli~"

"Mareep~ Mareep~"

The two Pokémon chatted together, and everything Poliwag said seemed to astonish Mareep.

Zhang Cheng could more or less guess that Poliwag was telling Mareep about the world.

It might even be complaining about him, their Trainer, but Mareep looked so well-behaved that Zhang Cheng was not particularly worried.

There was no way Poliwag could lead such an obedient little cutie astray.

After they had chatted for a while, Poliwag suddenly hopped off the table, then brought some Pokémon Food over to Mareep.

Mareep looked at the Pokémon Food Poliwag offered, unsure what to do with it.

Poliwag pointed at the food in its hands, then popped some into its mouth.

Watching Poliwag, Mareep imitated it and put the food into its own mouth.

Once Mareep finished eating, Poliwag offered it more food, but this time, Mareep refused to eat any.

Poliwag looked at Mareep in confusion. Why doesn't this little one want to eat such delicious food?

Zhang Cheng found Poliwag's clueless expression rather amusing.

"You're giving Mareep your Water-type Pokémon Food. Of course it doesn't like it."

Zhang Cheng then took out the Electric-type Pokémon Food he had bought in advance, opened it, and held some up to Mareep's mouth.

Mareep obediently opened its mouth and ate the food Zhang Cheng offered.

This time, Mareep loved it. It looked pleadingly at Zhang Cheng, wanting more.

Seeing how adorable Mareep was, Zhang Cheng felt his heart melting. Is this the joy of raising a little one?

Zhang Cheng granted Mareep's wish, pouring the Pokémon Food into its bowl so it could eat at its own pace.

Once he was done, Zhang Cheng lay on his bed and considered his current team and his Pokémon's future training plans.

Mareep had only just hatched and was not ready for training yet. Some light exercise would be enough for its first week.

Poliwag and Pidgey now both had suitable training partners.

Poliwag could train with Butterfree, while Pidgey could spar with the Heracross Ye Tian had recently caught.

The Rain Team Zhang Cheng envisioned was beginning to take shape. He already had suitable Pokémon for Hurricane and Thunder; he just needed to buy the Technical Machines so Pidgey and Mareep could learn them.

The Pokémon he caught from now on would primarily be Water-types, preferably with Abilities that benefited from rain.

His current lineup would struggle against Electric-type Pokémon. Both Water-types and Flying-types were weak to Electric-type attacks, so if he encountered Electric-type Pokémon in the future, he could only send out his own Electric-type, Mareep.

But if the opponent had Volt Absorb or Lightning Rod, he would have few options.

That made Swampert the best choice for his next Pokémon. Its Ground-type typing would neatly solve his problem with Electric-type Pokémon.

Swampert also had the Swift Swim Ability, making it even more formidable with Rainy Weather.

The problem was that obtaining a good Mudkip would be extremely difficult.

Mudkip was a Starter Pokémon, and the League monopolized most of the available supply. Zhang Cheng could not currently afford the Starter Pokémon sold through official League channels.

For now, he could only settle on which Pokémon he wanted and leave the rest until he grew stronger and earned more Pokémon Coins.

Evening soon arrived. After dinner, Zhang Cheng arranged to train with Ye Tian.

Their joint training would now be much more efficient. Both could send out two Pokémon and have them practice their moves against one another.

That way, all four Pokémon could grow stronger. Previously, Ye Tian had only had Butterfree, so Zhang Cheng could only send out one Pokémon to train with it.

"Did your Pokémon Egg hatch today?" Ye Tian asked Zhang Cheng.

"It did. It was a Mareep." As he spoke, Zhang Cheng let Mareep out.

Ye Tian looked at Zhang Cheng's Mareep in surprise. "Why does this Mareep look different from the ones I've seen in books?"

"Could it be a Shiny Mareep?" Ye Tian asked incredulously.

"Yes, it really is a Shiny Mareep with different coloring," Zhang Cheng confirmed.

"Your luck is off the charts! You actually got a Shiny Pokémon," Ye Tian said enviously.

"I didn't expect it either. I was surprised when I found out. Maybe heaven was smiling on me," Zhang Cheng said after a moment's thought.

After being let out, Mareep stayed hidden behind Zhang Cheng. It was a little afraid of strangers.

Seeing Mareep's fear, Zhang Cheng scooped it into his arms and gently stroked its wool.

With its Trainer comforting it, Mareep grew less frightened and began sneaking glances at Ye Tian.

After training, Zhang Cheng brought his Pokémon back to the dorm and made Mareep a cozy little bed.

Then he began their massages. At first, Mareep felt a little uneasy.

After a few minutes, Mareep discovered how pleasant it felt and quickly fell in love with being massaged.

Under Zhang Cheng's practiced hands, all three Pokémon soon fell fast asleep.

Once he had settled his three Pokémon, Zhang Cheng washed up and went to bed himself.

When he opened his eyes tomorrow, another week would begin, along with the same old routine.

The idea of heading into the wilderness to gain experience was also beginning to stir deep within him.

Zhang Cheng planned to see Bai Yuling next week and ask whether she could approve some leave so he could go away for a while. There was only so much progress he could make at school.

If he wanted to improve faster, heading into the wilderness was his best option.