Dreams were full, but reality was skinny

Feebas possessed astonishing vitality and was a hardy Pokémon that did not mind even filthy water.

It usually inhabited ponds thick with aquatic plants. Its appearance was so ugly that people and Pokémon alike shunned it.

Its looks often left its pride wounded, so it rarely appeared in places crowded with people or Pokémon.

Reading further, Ye Qing's gaze lingered on these two entries.

These two passages contained several key points: few visitors, dirty water, and plenty of aquatic plants!

Ye Qing quietly committed this information to memory. He believed that finding waters matching those two characteristics would probably turn something up. However, he was not yet strong enough to travel into the wilderness, so building up his strength had to come first.

Time slipped by, and before he knew it, the last rays of the sun were almost sinking behind the mountains.

Golden evening light streamed through the library windows, bathing Ye Qing as though coating him in a layer of golden sand.

He closed the book. Since Milotic was out of reach for now, Ye Qing had to make other plans.

He already had a detailed training plan for Chimchar. As long as he followed it, there should not be any major problems. Now it was time to consider what kind of Pokémon he wanted next.

Chimchar's final evolution was Fire-type and Fighting-type, while Milotic was Water-type, so his next Pokémon should ideally exclude those three types.

Dragon-type, Fairy-type, and Psychic-type Pokémon were relatively rare, while Ghost-type Pokémon were far too dangerous...

Ye Qing scribbled on his paper, ruling out those types one by one.

Realizing that he should start raising a mount now, Ye Qing nodded and considered which Pokémon among the remaining types would make suitable mounts.

First, among Flying-types, the common early-route bird Pidgey was a good choice. Its final evolution, Pidgeot, possessed not only incredible speed but considerable strength as well.

Ground, Steel, and Rock-types could all be ruled out. Pokémon of those types were mostly heavyweights. If he relied on them for travel or escape, he would probably be done for.

Although Bug-type Pokémon became battle-ready the fastest, their small size and short lifespans made Ye Qing reluctant to consider them for now.

The Electric-type Zebstrika was a decent option, but unfortunately, its actual combat strength was not outstanding, so it was not his first choice.

Pidgeot, Zebstrika...

Ye Qing rubbed his forehead. He kept feeling that he had forgotten a Pokémon that would be a perfect fit, but its name remained just out of reach.

Just then, two students, a boy and a girl, came down the aisle, talking quietly.

The boy sighed and said sadly, "Xiaomei, have you heard? The neighboring county was attacked by wild Pokémon again. Apparently, there were quite a few casualties.

"I really wish I could become a Pokémon Trainer soon and protect my family."

Xiaomei nodded, sounding emotional. "Yeah. A little more strength means a little better chance of surviving.

"Disasters have been happening so often these past few years. Who knows if Legendary Pokémon are behind them?"

"Disasters?"

That word suddenly jolted Ye Qing's memory, instantly bringing to mind the Pokémon whose name had kept eluding him!

The Disaster Pokémon, Absol!

At that thought, Ye Qing slapped the table with a bang in his excitement, startling everyone studying in the library.

"Sorry, sorry."

Noticing all the eyes turning toward him, Ye Qing came to his senses and hurriedly apologized.

Once he quieted down, Ye Qing gradually regained his composure. Absol often appeared in places where disasters occurred frequently.

Back when technology was less advanced, most people had considered it a symbol of disaster. There was even a folk superstition that anyone who approached it would bring calamity upon themselves.

As a result, people drove Absol away whenever it appeared, though some experts had recently suggested that Absol might be capable of predicting disasters.

However, after so many years, that impression of Absol had become deeply rooted. Besides, the title of "expert" had acquired a poor reputation in recent years, making people's long-held beliefs difficult to change.

At that thought, Ye Qing suddenly clawed at his hair in frustration. He had only thought about which Pokémon he liked, but any Absol capable of roaming alone was exceptionally powerful. How could a rookie like him possibly have a chance of catching one?

"Sigh. Forget it for now."

Ye Qing patted his forehead and temporarily set aside that unrealistic idea.

After all, I'm part of the transmigrator army. Maybe a Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon will fall out of the sky for me tomorrow!

With his plans settled for the time being, Ye Qing checked the time and left the library.

Nothing much changed over the next five days. The only good news was that, after intensive training, Chimchar finally reached level 11 and completely mastered Flame Wheel.

With this move, Chimchar had finally overcome its inability to quickly close the distance to an enemy on its own initiative.

On Friday afternoon, Ye Qing and Wang Yao leisurely crossed the Back Mountain and walked toward the school gates with their arms draped over each other's shoulders.

Wang Yao asked smugly, "Have you read that new Gardevoir hentai comic?"

Ye Qing rolled his eyes at him. "Why read hentai when I could catch one someday?"

Wang Yao burst out laughing. "Yeah, right. Keep dreaming! Do you have any idea how rare Ralts is? You think you can catch one? If you manage to catch a Ralts, I'll eat shit while doing a handstand!"

Ye Qing shrugged. "Then it's a deal. Just you wait."

"Well, if it isn't Young Master Wang! Where's the luxury car and pretty girl to pick you up today?"

When they reached the school gates, someone spotted Wang Yao trying to hail a cab and teased him with a laugh.

Wang Yao rolled his eyes at him. "Oh, get lost. We're stuck on campus all week and only get two days off to go out. When would I have time to chase girls?"

Ye Qing shook his head. He and Wang Yao each hailed a taxi and headed home.

After getting out, Ye Qing looked at the familiar, run-down apartment building and suddenly felt a wave of emotion.

Looking at the spoon mark on his wrist, he thought about how he had almost failed to return from this trip to Team R.

Ye Qing knocked on his family's door and waited quietly outside.

Creak.

The old security door let out an unpleasant noise, then a little girl with twin ponytails poked her head out.

"Big brother!"

When Ye Menghan opened the door and saw Ye Qing, she immediately cried out happily.

Ruffling his little sister's hair, Ye Qing squeezed through the doorway and called, "Where's Mom? I'm hungry!"

After saying the words he could utter with the most confidence, Ye Qing suddenly felt a weight lift from his shoulders.

He had been cautious every step of the way, afraid that a single careless mistake would cost him his life. Only at home could he be this carefree.

His mother's voice came from the master bedroom. "You're home, son? Hang on. I'll go buy groceries in a bit."

"Thanks, Mom."

Ye Qing answered with a smile, then quietly followed his sister as she ran back to her room to study.

Watching his sister diligently work through questions at her desk, Ye Qing walked over and stood quietly beside her.