One punch

There was nothing Su Bai could do about what the system had told him.

If they had their eyes on him, so be it.

Surely two mighty Legendary Pokémon wouldn't actually do anything to a mere trainee Trainer like him?

Thinking of it that way helped Su Bai calm down considerably.

Over the next week, Su Bai tried every possible way to earn more credits.

He even had Gengar steal Qi Shijun's toilet paper, then went to sell him some while he was stuck on the toilet without any, hoping to trade it for credits.

Instead, Qi Shijun simply had Gardevoir bring him some.

Miscalculated. I forgot the old man's Gardevoir was male.

Su Bai rubbed his backside, swollen from the kick he'd received, and privately admitted he'd been too hasty.

Over that week and a bit, Su Bai had even cleaned the school's public toilets, only to earn five credits.

"This can't go on!"

Su Bai lay sprawled on an old tree in the Ten Directions Mountains, eating fruit Aipom had brought him and fretting miserably.

Ever since gaining the forest's blessing-the Viridian Force-Su Bai had frequently visited the Ten Directions Mountains that week and befriended many Pokémon.

Once, he'd even wandered deep into the mountains by accident and encountered an Aggron at the near-Elite Four level.

Su Bai hurriedly used the Viridian Force to communicate.

Spare me, mighty one!

But Aggron merely glanced at Su Bai, let out a warning cry, then turned and left.

As for the naturally gentle, adorable Pokémon, they got along especially well with Su Bai.

If Su Bai wanted to, setting strength aside, he could assemble a full team at any time without resorting to force to catch them.

So far, though, Su Bai still hadn't figured out how the Viridian Force worked.

It wasn't that he couldn't use it; he simply didn't understand its operating principle.

It was like breathing. Su Bai knew perfectly well that he was breathing, and did it effortlessly, but if he actually had to explain how to inhale and exhale, he suddenly couldn't do either naturally.

The Viridian Force was the same. A single thought was all it took, but he couldn't explain why.

Growlithe lay beneath the tree beside a huge pile of Berries. The greedy pup refused nothing, gulping them down one after another.

Pikachu lay on Growlithe's back, squeaking in contentment.

His phone suddenly lit up. Su Bai opened it and found a response to his registration.

There was an amateur exhibition tournament that weekend, two days from now, in L City in the neighboring L Province. Su Bai had already signed up.

The text confirmed that his registration had been successful.

After a week of trying different approaches, Su Bai had concluded that competing was still the most worthwhile option.

Under J University's rules, winning an amateur tournament earned credits: ten for a city-level event and twenty for a provincial event.

L City, where the tournament was being held, also had the Water-type Golden Stone Gym, a top-tier Gym like the Origin Gym. Su Bai had looked into it. Although its battles were three-on-three, Pikachu's abilities should let him manage without revealing Gengar.

Gym battles didn't involve checking which Pokémon challengers carried, nor did they require them to bring a particular number.

As long as you were strong enough, you could take on a six-on-six Gym with just one Pokémon.

If everything went smoothly this time, he'd pocket twenty credits.

At that thought, Su Bai's mood improved just a tiny bit. He finished the fruit in his hand and had Gengar use Psychic to lower him from the tree.

After leaving the mountains, Su Bai decided to visit J University's Pokémon Day Care in the city.

There was a big sale taking place today. A rich man had ordered an Altaria for his daughter, who had just become a Trainer.

That Altaria was the very one Su Bai had ridden during the forest fire a couple of days earlier.

Su Bai decided to go take a look.

"Let's go, Pikachu, Growlithe."

With Pikachu and Growlithe in tow and the old ghost hidden in his shadow, Su Bai took a taxi to J University's Pokémon Day Care.

The moment he entered the Pokémon Day Care, Su Bai sensed a familiar little life.

The Viridian Force made Su Bai extraordinarily sensitive to the presence of Pokémon.

It's little Eevee! What's it doing here?

"Pikachu, Growlithe, little Eevee's inside. Let's go see it."

Su Bai hurried inside, wanting to see whether little Eevee was doing well and what its Trainer was like.

Instead, he walked in on a scene that nearly made him breathe fire.

In the reception hall, little Eevee was pitifully confined in a cramped, old iron cage. Its fur was dirty and disheveled, and it had simply been left beneath the counter.

Beside the cage stood a young man wearing Fila's latest collection. He looked four or five years older than Su Bai.

He was arguing with the manager, Zhang Shu.

"No, you have to give me a refund today!"

"Young Master Liu, we really can't accept the return. Besides, a Pokémon as rare as Eevee isn't easy to come by. We wouldn't want you to regret it."

Su Bai frowned and strode over.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Zhang. What's going on?"

"Oh, Su Bai. It's you."

The Pokémon Day Care belonged to J University, and Zhang Shu held a position roughly equivalent to deputy director of academic affairs there. He had met Su Bai when Su Bai came to pick up his Pokémon, so addressing him as Mr. Zhang was perfectly appropriate.

By now, Zhang Shu was thoroughly fed up with Young Master Liu's pestering and desperate for a breather. Seeing Su Bai approach, he hastily took the opportunity to change the subject.

"Young Master Liu here wants to return Eevee."

"Is something wrong with little Eevee?"

Although Su Bai was inwardly shouting, Just let him return it!, he felt there was more to this than met the eye.

Zhang Shu knew Su Bai had been helping the school care for the Pokémon in the breeding area lately and was deeply attached to little Eevee, so he shook his head considerately.

"Su Bai, this has nothing to do with you. You'd better not ask."

"Vee..."

Hearing the familiar voice, Eevee stirred inside the cage, but its cry was weak.

Young Master Liu lit a cigarette and looked at Su Bai, lightly blowing out a smoke ring.

"And you are?"

"He's a student at our J University."

At Zhang Shu's explanation, Young Master Liu nodded.

"He seems pretty fond of this little thing. How about trading with me? I quite like his Growlithe."

"Growlithe's my friend. I won't trade it."

Having said that, Su Bai paid no further attention to the asshole.

Rebuffed, the man went back to pestering Zhang Shu for a refund.

"Hurry up and refund me. I'm not a Trainer, so I can only keep two Pokémon. There's something wrong with your Eevee. You can't hold up my getting a new Pokémon, can you?"

"You could release it."

Su Bai casually offered the suggestion, only for Young Master Liu to snort.

"I already fucking released it, but it clung to me and wouldn't leave. Besides, I paid over two hundred thousand for it. I can't just throw that money away. What's wrong with your Eevee? It can't win a single battle, and now you won't refund me. Believe me, I'll report you!"

"That's your problem!"

Su Bai snapped back at him, then crouched beside the cage and reached out to stroke Eevee.

Since this man had already released it, he no longer had any legal claim to Eevee, so there was nothing wrong with Su Bai touching it.

Yet when Eevee sensed someone approaching, it trembled and shrank farther into the cage.

It was nothing like the sweet, affectionate little darling it had been.

"Eevee, what's wrong? It's me. Don't be scared. I've come to see you."

At Su Bai's words, Eevee heard the familiar voice again and grew a little restless. But it didn't look toward him at all, merely reaching its little paws tentatively forward and sniffing constantly.

Seeing Eevee like that, Su Bai's heart lurched.

"What happened to Eevee?"

"It's blind."

The man surnamed Liu tapped the ash off his cigarette and cursed irritably.

"It couldn't even beat my buddy's Scolipede. One Venoshock hit it in the face. What a piece of-"

He never got to finish.

Su Bai slammed a fist into his face, then tackled him to the floor and hammered his face with heavy punches.