What was going on... wasn't Chansey a Pokémon that specialized in special attack?
Actually, "specialized" wasn't quite right. Chansey's special attack was pretty lousy too, but her physical attack was truly terrible-rock bottom.
The main reason was that a huge share of her base stats went into HP growth, giving her almost the largest HP pool in the entire Pokémon world. Her special defense was also exceptionally high.
As a result, her attack ranked among the lowest in the world. Her special attack wasn't much to talk about either, barely on par with some unevolved Pokémon.
Special attack was roughly equivalent to "magic attack." Chansey could just about be considered a tank with a little mage mixed in, but none of that had anything to do with practicing punches and kicks. She looked as though she was honing Fighting-type moves.
[But...]
Chansey looked a little dejected.
[No matter how hard I train, I'm only a tiny bit stronger than other Chansey.]
"Well... that's a species trait."
Base stats were a game-specific mechanic that didn't align perfectly with the anime's world. They simply helped players understand each Pokémon's strengths and weaknesses, what they were good at and what they weren't.
Reality couldn't be judged entirely by game numbers. Just as the games gave each Pokémon species a fixed height and weight, real Chansey would certainly vary in height and build.
The numerical formulas couldn't be applied directly to reality, but the general characteristics weren't too far off.
Chansey also knew the results of scientific research. Her species was simply weak at attacking. An earthworm could burrow for miles, but expecting it to bite someone was asking too much.
[I must not be working hard enough yet.] Chansey's gaze grew even more determined.
[I just have to push past my limits!]
"Um... good luck."
Shen Qi didn't say much more. He merely offered some encouragement, without holding out much hope.
Even with fully maximized training and individual values, Chansey's attack would still fall far short of Caterpie's. Even if she pushed a little beyond that, it wouldn't amount to much.
Fortunately, Chansey's grueling training was meant to help her treat people. With her Tendon-Splitting Bone-Dislocating Technique style of massage, having her strength limited by her species was actually a good thing. Otherwise, she might dismantle someone to death.
After dinner, Shen Qi finished washing up and tidying the house, then headed out with Chansey.
First, he had to collect the repaired Little Sheep from the market. He happened to have a delivery job today, so he could load up there and head straight out, dropping Chansey off at Ruins Valley along the way.
"Shen Qi, you're here."
After a day's business, Dev was drinking tea outside his shop with a few neighbors to unwind. When they saw Shen Qi, everyone immediately began chiming in.
"Qi, don't go risking your life just because you're young and hotheaded. The Little Sheep is such a sturdy van, yet you managed to drive it into that state. It's unbelievable."
Shen Qi could only respond with an awkward laugh. "Ahahaha... next time, possibly, probably, maybe it won't happen again."
"Make sure you remember that," Dev reminded him. "Never mind the other parts-you nearly wrecked the engine. If you'd kept overloading it for much longer, the whole vehicle would've been scrap."
That matched Shen Qi's assessment at the time. If the chase had lasted any longer, never mind catching Lilligant-he probably would've had to push the van home that night.
"Jili."
Chansey greeted some passing children, quickly drawing everyone's attention.
"Shen Qi, is that your Pokémon?"
"Not yet, but we're already pretty close."
Shen Qi patted Chansey, enjoying the pleasant sensation of touching something like a water balloon.
"Not bad! You're barely a month into your first year of high school, and you've already got a Pokémon you're close to forming a bond with."
"Huh? Does your Pokémon High School have Chansey?"
"I..." Shen Qi felt as though he'd brought a girlfriend home over New Year's to meet the neighbors. "I happened to meet her in the wild."
Fortunately, Dev interrupted the conversation. "He's got a delivery tonight. Let's not hold Shen Qi up too long."
"True. They haven't formed a bond yet. It wouldn't be good if us old guys teased them and made things worse instead."
Chapter 25: Worked Here Before
"Having you help saved me so much time."
"Jili!"
Dev had been swamped with work these past few days, on top of arranging repairs for the Little Sheep. Shen Qi hadn't had the heart to ask him to help load the cargo today.
Fortunately, Chansey lent a hand. With her nimble movements and sturdy physique, she filled the Little Sheep in no time.
The repaired and carefully tuned van really did handle beautifully, but the expense really hurt too.
The repairs had cost over two thousand b. One or two months of work, down the drain.
If this kept up, forget saving money to raise Pokémon-he'd lose even the underwear off his backside.
With his current resources, entering races was still too risky. Shen Qi considered taking on more deliveries, occasionally making an extra trip or two.
Shen Qi could now barely control Normal-type energy, charging the [Adaptive Tire] at an extremely slow rate. It was inefficient and utterly exhausting, but it still served as a form of training.
Once he gradually got the hang of controlling energy and received the prize from the Pokémon Photography activity next month, Shen Qi planned to occasionally try the amateur races on Island 5 and Island 6.
The Little Sheep crossed the Trail Bridge. Straight ahead lay Ruins Valley, while a right turn led onto the main island of Island 6 and then to the Inter-Island Bridge.
"Jili!"
Chansey called out, asking Shen Qi not to head toward Ruins Valley.
Having experienced it herself today, she understood how hard it was for Shen Qi to load and unload everything alone, so she wanted to accompany him to Island 5 and help complete this delivery.
"Thank you so much."
[You're welcome. Just drop me off at Ruins Valley on the way back.]
"Of course."
The biggest burden for Shen Qi had never been the hundred or two hundred kilometers of mountain roads on the round trip, but the unloading on Island 5.
Delivering local specialties to Island 5's tourist street or hotels was manageable. But when he delivered to the more distant Luxury Resort, they were often short-staffed, leaving Shen Qi to carry every bit of cargo into the warehouse himself.
All that carrying back and forth was physically draining. Between moving the cargo and taking breaks, he spent a huge chunk of time there.
"Chansey, use Egg... no, use Egg Bomb on the Skill Slot."
"Jili!"
Charging the vehicle with a healing move would reduce wear on the brake pads and tires, as well as energy consumption, within a certain duration or numerical limit.
Without any aggressive driving, the [Adaptive Spoiler] wasn't needed for now. Having a spoiler sprout from the Little Sheep's rear would look pretty awkward too.
Shen Qi brought up [Racing Energy].
It needed both Grass- and Rock-type energy to restore its durability, which he couldn't provide yet, so he couldn't use it recklessly. Shen Qi only intended to use a tiny amount for an experiment.
After consuming a little [Racing Energy], the Little Sheep's engine roared noticeably louder at the same throttle setting, and its power increased.
Like the specialized fuel used in racing before his transmigration, [Racing Energy] had a higher conversion efficiency and could feed more powerful engines.
"Jili..."
Upon reaching Island 5, Chansey suddenly murmured.
[Where are we going?]
"To make the delivery."
[Where are we delivering it?]
"The Luxury Resort."
Silence settled over the van. Shen Qi sensed something in Chansey's mood... he couldn't tell whether it was aversion or something more complicated.
Her innocent smile had vanished. She simply watched the streets outside the window in silence.
"Do you have something against the Luxury Resort?"
As he asked, Shen Qi checked the game interface.
His Script Walkthrough Progress in the "Crazy Quack" scenario hadn't dropped.
Just as he'd judged before, Chansey was extremely steadfast. Mentioning something painful wouldn't cause a major emotional setback.
That inner resolve came from her confidence in herself and her rigorous training. Heaven only knew what she'd gone through before taking up a solitary life of grueling training deep in the mountains.
After a long while, Chansey answered.
[It's nothing. It happened a long time ago.]
[Let's head back early afterward.]
"Of course. We still have to go to Ruins Valley."
Besides the fact that his Script Walkthrough Progress wouldn't drop, Shen Qi had noticed something else.
When he spoke with Chansey, the strategy game hardly needed its narrator.
She expressed herself frankly and directly, without Lilligant's delicate, sensitive little moods.
If "Crazy Quack" had been the first scenario he'd found, Shen Qi probably wouldn't even have known the game included a narration feature.
As they drove across Island 5's main island, Chansey gazed out the window, her eyes full of memories.
"Did you stay here before?"
[Yes... for a while. It wasn't very pleasant...]
[Anyway... I just have to keep working hard!]
Chansey expressed her feelings openly, her resolve growing ever firmer.
Screech.
The Little Sheep stopped behind the Luxury Resort, and Shen Qi signaled for Chansey to stay in the van for now.
"I've brought the local produce."
"Oh, Shen Qi from Island 6."
A staff member poked his head out of the building. "Sorry, we've had quite a few guests checking in lately. We don't have time to help."
"No problem."
Normally, having to unload everything alone again would've left Shen Qi feeling a little frustrated.
Before you continue