Becoming a Pokémon Worker was already a decent outcome. With the school's limited finances, most students might not even have a Pokémon of their own by graduation.
"You students in the back, stop whispering!"
The teacher's rebuke interrupted their chat. Xiao Chun ducked his head dramatically, and Shen Qi nearly bit his tongue.
Fortunately, the teacher did not pursue the matter and instead announced something else.
"Our next class is Pokémon interaction. Before that, I have an announcement: this year's Pokémon Photography contest has begun!"
Pokémon Photography was an annual event at Pokémon High School.
Students could submit Pokémon photos on any theme. The school would judge them through several rounds and award prizes to the top five.
"This is also a great opportunity to practice communicating with Pokémon. I hope you'll all take part."
Chapter 22: Viewing Her Memories
"Whoa! Let's go find some Pokémon to photograph!"
The students were brimming with enthusiasm during the next Pokémon interaction class.
The students at Pokémon High School could not afford professional photography equipment, but they were still excited to take pictures with their cheap phones.
At the edge of the sports field, Shen Qi reviewed the prizes for the Pokémon Photography activity.
"Haven't I got this in the bag?"
For beautiful Pokémon-themed photos, surely there was no better subject than Lilligant.
The other students could not get Lilligant to pose for them.
Students from all three years could enter the Pokémon Photography activity.
Pokémon High School had only two classes per year, totaling fewer than three hundred students, and the top five would win prizes.
Naturally, Shen Qi was aiming for first place.
First place in the photography contest came with 3,000b worth of Pokémon Rations, plus five Poké Balls.
Pokémon had a wide variety of foods. Besides what they found in the wild and foods they could eat just like humans, there were also foods made specifically for them.
These included Pokéblocks (also translated as Berry Candy or monster boxes), Poffins (muffins), and so on.
At the Veilstone City department store, a single Poffin cost 6,400b. That was enough to cover more than half a year of Shen Qi's living expenses.
In Black 2 and White 2, players could buy an "Energy Root," an item that revived a Pokémon and restored it to full health, for just 5,000b. That showed how expensive high-end food was.
Pokémon Rations were a relatively basic food. In the anime, they appeared as coffee-colored balls roughly the size of ping-pong balls, supplying nutrients that ordinary food could not provide.
For smaller Pokémon with smaller appetites, such as Bellossom and Oddish, 3,000b worth of Pokémon Rations might last half a year when supplemented with ordinary food.
The most basic Pokémon Rations and the cheapest Poké Balls were already substantial prizes by Pokémon High School's standards.
Watching the students hurry around searching for Pokémon, Shen Qi did not act immediately. Instead, he put his effort into composing a message.
Not only could he win the grand prize, he could also get plenty of opportunities to communicate with Lilligant and advance his romance progress.
Two birds with one stone.
Under normal circumstances, if he asked Lilligant out for a photo shoot without any particular reason, she might agree at his current romance progress, but he could not keep doing it indefinitely.
Pokémon High School's Pokémon Photography activity gave him a perfectly good reason. Besides, Lilligant was highly competitive. If they had not taken a photo she was satisfied with, he could keep asking her out several more times.
He composed the message, checked it, and hit send.
ID Shen Qi: You know about the Pokémon Photography activity, right, Lilligant?
This year's contest has started again, and you're the only Pokémon I want to photograph.
Let's work together and take first place!
After sending the message, Shen Qi breathed a sigh of relief. He had no idea why he was so nervous. It was just a message, not a confession.
Still, the wording was a little flirtatious.
Typing was inconvenient for Lilligant, and she did not use her phone very often, so he probably would not get a reply anytime soon.
While he waited, Shen Qi opened the game interface.
When he and Lilligant parted at lunchtime, his progress in the "Speedy Hot Girl" Romance Scenario had reached 50%, triggering the third-stage rewards.
One [Skill Proficiency Card 1]; One [Inspection Card].
The second-stage rewards had consisted of a general-purpose game item and a special item corresponding to the Pokémon.
The third-stage rewards seemed to be two general-purpose game items, plus one special...
[Obtained: Memory Image]
"What... what's this?"
[View a deeply significant memory belonging to a Pokémon]
It was not a racing accessory, but something similar to an [Inspection Card].
The difference was that the card inspected a Pokémon's abilities, while the [Memory Image] revealed information about memories they treasured.
When Shen Qi clicked on [Memory Image], a selection box appeared before him.
He could select a Pokémon within his field of vision directly, or choose one from a storyline instance.
It seemed that once players passed the halfway point in a storyline, the game gave them a chance to receive a major helping hand.
If a player was confident enough, they could certainly save the [Memory Image] for another Pokémon who was harder to win over.
But...
"How could I possibly not use it on Lilligant?!"
Although Lilligant was relatively easy to win over, and he could indeed save the [Memory Image] if he insisted on being frugal, there were no other Pokémon he needed to use it on for now.
Chansey's romance difficulty was rated "Hard," but as long as he steadily accepted eggs with exceptionally intense flavors or the terrifying Tendon-Splitting Bone-Dislocating Technique treatment, he could reliably increase his progress.
The process was grueling, but fortunately, Shen Qi was also the one who benefited in the end. There was no need for elaborate emotional maneuvering.
He swallowed...
He was about to peek into Lilligant's memories. This was worse than secretly reading someone's diary.
"I shouldn't put it that way. This is a game item! I earned it fair and square, so I'll use it fair and square!"
He clicked confirm and selected the protagonist of the "Speedy Hot Girl" storyline: Lilligant.
A book resembling a sketchbook opened, revealing bright pictures drawn in a Colored Crayon style.
They could not match the meticulous artistry of a master, but they had a special innocence, liveliness, and peaceful charm.
"The things you like... are so unusual."
A gentle, refined female voice sounded in Shen Qi's mind.
Colored crayons depicted a spacious room. A quiet little girl in a princess dress pushed open the door and happened to see Lilligant excitedly hopping in front of the television.
The next crayon drawing showed that the program on television was a professional Pokémon racing league.
Clearly, the little girl was surprised by this interest.
In the next picture, Lilligant composed herself and stood demurely in a corner, as though nothing had happened.
The memory sequence unlocked by [Memory Image] also included narration, displayed vertically along one side of the picture.
[This family purchased a Pokémon with a temperament similar to their daughter's, hoping to raise their daughter into a refined young lady, a princess.]
That was how Lilligant had come into her previous Pokémon Trainer's care. Her behavior just now had certainly been a little out of character.
"Oh, that looks like fun!"
Unexpectedly, the little girl did not continue expressing her surprise. Instead, she watched the race intently for a while.
"Maybe I'll come to like it too."
Standing obediently to one side, Lilligant raised her head, a spark of life appearing in her eyes.
The first set of pictures closed. Just a few pages had conveyed a deeply significant memory of Lilligant's first meeting with her Pokémon Trainer.
Then came the second set of pictures.
"Time to get up, little hot girl!"
An energetic female voice rang out. The little girl in the picture had grown considerably. Her white dress lay discarded to one side as she changed into more fitted clothes and tied her long hair into a ponytail.
"Mom and Dad aren't home. There's a race tonight, so we'd better not be late."
Well, would you look at that!
In the girl's actions, Shen Qi saw Lilligant's current style.
A dignified young lady on the surface, she became a fiery hot-girl Racing Driver at night.
Clearly, her previous Pokémon Trainer had embraced Lilligant's passion and pursued it alongside his Pokémon.
Chapter 23: Keep Moving Forward
The next sheet depicted this stretch of their racing career through a freely arranged collage of smaller pictures.
In some pictures, the girl and Lilligant held up their prizes together;
in others, the girl hugged Lilligant as they comforted each other.
Win or lose, they weathered it all together.
In the final picture, the girl and Lilligant embraced. A registration form fluttered nearby, with the words "T3-Class Race" and "Island 1" just visible.
"If we earn points in this race, we'll be T2 Class Racing Drivers!"
The second set of pictures ended.
"Oh no... here comes the heartbreak. Here it comes. There's glass mixed into the candy!"
Knowing something of Lilligant's current circumstances, Shen Qi knew tragedy was coming. That young Pokémon Trainer would almost certainly meet with disaster during the race.
Before you continue