Lying on the sofa, Su Bai munched on snacks and idly watched a movie starring Diantha.
It told the story of a girl helping an abandoned Murkrow find its way home.
The plot was clichéd, but Diantha's looks and acting were both impressive.
He reached for the plate beside him and found nothing.
Where's my beef jerky?
Looking down, he saw Growlithe lying on the floor with the jerky pinned beneath its paws. When Growlithe noticed Su Bai looking, it hurriedly licked the jerky all over.
Woof, woof! (Still want it?)
"Go ahead, eat it!"
Su Bai smiled helplessly.
"It's not that I won't let you eat it. I just need to watch your nutrition. I've already prepared your late-night snack: Pokéblock salad and fresh Miltank milk."
Woof, woof! (It's fine. I've got room for all of it.)
Resigned, Su Bai figured he might as well serve Growlithe's late-night snack first.
After getting the Pokéblocks and fresh Miltank milk ready, Su Bai glanced at Pikachu, who was playing nearby.
"Pikachu, snack time."
Pika!
Pikachu happily ran over and began eating, picking up Pokéblocks with its two little hands.
Growlithe buried its head straight in the bowl, getting food all over its face.
"Good thing I've got the system. Otherwise, I couldn't afford to feed you two."
That thought made Su Bai realize he needed to find a way to earn some money.
The original owner's parents had left him a substantial sum. It would have been enough for an ordinary person to live comfortably for a lifetime, but raising Pokémon would stretch it thin.
Su Bai had considered selling system items for a profit, but that would only bring occasional windfalls, and it wasn't reliable.
What Su Bai needed was a legitimate income that would generate steady profits and stand up to scrutiny.
Actually, plagiarizing works from his previous world wasn't a bad idea. The presence of Pokémon had caused this world's history and culture to develop differently, so plenty of works from his previous life didn't exist here.
Unfortunately, Su Bai had been an incredibly dull person in his previous life. Simply getting by had been exhausting enough, and he couldn't remember those works of art or literature.
He did enjoy reading novels, though. Maybe he could copy over some of the classics?
The problem was that writing novels really didn't pay in this world.
Forget it. I'm sleepy. I'll get some sleep first. If nothing else works, I can become a researcher at Grandma Cynthia's research institute.
The next day, Su Bai headed to the Golden Source Gym for a challenge as usual.
He Zhiguo's face lit up at the sight of him.
"Su Bai, here for work?"
"No, I'm here to challenge the Gym and earn a Badge."
When He Zhiguo heard that Su Bai hadn't come to work as a coach at his Gym, his expression immediately darkened.
"Haven't you already earned a Badge?"
"Oh, then I'd like to report it lost."
Every Gym in the Dragon Nation followed the same rule: if challengers lost a Badge they had earned, they could pay two hundred to have a replacement issued.
Anyone unwilling to pay could challenge the Gym again instead. Su Bai decisively chose the latter.
Seeing Su Bai choose that option without hesitation left He Zhiguo feeling even more humiliated.
I'll make you pay today! I'll show you my Badges aren't that easy to earn!
Half an hour later...
Humming a tune, Su Bai walked out of the Gym with a Golden Source Gym Badge in hand.
He Zhiguo sat alone at the far end of the battlefield, wanting to cry but unable to shed a tear.
That little bastard is fucking inhuman. I really can't beat him...
There was nothing he could do. Even if Su Bai challenged him again, He Zhiguo still had to follow the rules. At most, he could treat Su Bai as a challenger with two Badges, rather than someone on a second run.
Unable to field his main team, He Zhiguo was no match for Su Bai.
Just after midnight, Su Bai randomized the Badge and received a Blue Flute this time.
Not bad. It was an excellent tool against Hypnosis, useful both in wild battles and official matches.
Over the next five days, aside from training Pikachu and Growlithe, Su Bai spent his time challenging the Golden Source restaurant.
He Zhiguo simply hid and refused to see anyone.
No problem. Su Bai booked his challenges online.
Su Bai randomized every Badge he earned into Berries or items. He also obtained a skill-Singing Mastery.
Su Bai was delighted with the skill. He had enjoyed singing in his previous life, but unfortunately, he had been tone-deaf.
Now he could sing his heart out.
When Friday came, Su Bai hadn't forgotten his two private lessons. He arrived at the Origin Gym half an hour early.
As soon as he entered, the Origin Gym's staff surrounded him.
They had all heard about his daily challenges at the Golden Source Gym and assumed he was doing it to settle a score on the Origin Gym's behalf.
In the end, Wu Zhong rescued the trapped Su Bai by calling him into his office.
"Su Bai, Uncle Wu heard all about what you've been doing. What a relief! That old geezer He Zhiguo kept coming here to challenge the Origin Gym, and now one of my coaches is farming him like an elite monster."
Wu Zhong insisted on giving Su Bai a raise to one hundred and twenty a day, with his lesson fees unchanged. This time, Su Bai agreed.
I can't exactly tell him I'm challenging the place endlessly just to collect their Badges and trade them for stuff, can I?
"Su Bai, you have no idea. Everyone in the business is saying the Golden Source Gym is about to shut down. You've really helped me get even! I have to reward you. What would you like?"
"Um... how about another Liberation Badge, Uncle Wu?"
"What? Are you addicted to collecting Badges?"
Faced with Wu Zhong's question, Su Bai could only explain that he wanted to put his current one in a collection case and carry it with him.
He wanted another to display at home as a memento of the first Badge he had earned.
It was a flimsy excuse, but Uncle Wu was a sincere man. Su Bai's words moved him so deeply that he gave him not just one Badge, but three.
Wu Zhong's exact words were, "What if you lose one?"
Su Bai accepted the Badges and was about to head to the training room for his lessons when Wu Zhong told him to be careful, leaving him utterly confused.
"Uh... Uncle Wu, what's going on?"
"Hard to say. Go ask them, and you'll find out."
Su Bai changed into sportswear, brought Pikachu along, clipped Growlithe's Pokémon Ball to his waist, and entered the training room.
His student for the five-to-seven lesson was a boy with naturally curly hair who looked as though he came from a well-off family.
After asking a few questions, Su Bai learned that the curly-haired boy was named Ming Tai and was about to enter his final year at J City No. 1 High School.
A short, elegantly dressed middle-aged woman had come with him. She was probably his mother.
The moment Mrs. Ming saw Su Bai, she spilled the whole story in a torrent.
Ming Tai wanted to apply to a Pokémon Trainer Program. Under Dragon Nation law, students about to enter their final year of high school could raise one Pokémon before the school year began, provided their families passed a political background check.
When the college entrance exams came around, those students would take a different exam from ordinary students.
Ming Tai's family had set aside three hundred thousand to buy a Dragon-type hatchling at a Pokémon Day Care. But the boy insisted on liking Bug-types. Not only had he caught a Caterpie without permission, he had even registered it at school.
Under the rules, that registration couldn't be changed, so his family was helpless.
Examinees weren't allowed to trade Pokémon. Even an accidental death of their Pokémon would disqualify them from the exam.
If you couldn't even look after your own partner, how could you be a Trainer?
The Dragon Nation's official requirements for professional Trainers were extremely strict.
Although Ming Tai's mother was emotional, crying and making a fuss and occasionally swatting him, ultimately, it all came from a parent's concern for her child.
Besides, this boy really was far too rebellious.
[Ding! A change in the host's circumstances has been detected. Mission issued: Looking down on my baby Rayquaza?] [Mission objective: Persuade Ming Tai's parent to let him raise Caterpie for the college entrance exam.] [Mission reward: Randomization attempts ×10, a large sum of legally obtained money.]
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