Ride shotgun with me

His eerie smile, coupled with the dark circles left by a sleepless night hauling cargo, made Shen Qi look like a vampire venturing out on an overcast day.

Beside the path, Bellsprout and Oddish huddled together, trembling.

"Shen Qi, what are you grinning about?"

Xiao Chun hurried into the school grounds. "Get upstairs! We're going to be late. The energy communication teacher is scary as hell."

"Coming, coming!"

Shen Qi slipped into his seat just as the bell rang and leafed through his textbook.

"Fundamentals of Energy Communication"

This was one of the foundational courses for working with Pokémon.

In the Pokémon world's framework, humans were actually something like "humanoid Pokémon," which explained the existence of people who could awaken the Viridian Force or wield Aura.

Humans weren't as proficient as Pokémon at using the various types of energy, but energy communication was a basic requirement for communicating and cooperating with Pokémon, or for becoming a professional Trainer.

Shen Qi recalled watching Lilligant practice a Buff Skill beneath a streetlight last night. Even from about five meters away, he had indeed felt an indescribable presence stirring.

His perception of energy was still extremely vague. Never mind controlling it-Shen Qi was nowhere near understanding or analyzing it.

After "Fundamentals of Energy Communication" came an introduction to types and a course on studying the Pokédex.

For a player, it was all common game knowledge. Having slept poorly last night, Shen Qi slept through both classes.

"Shen Qi, you're really out of it today."

During lunch break, Xiao Chun asked with concern, "Were you hauling cargo again yesterday?"

"Yeah..."

The students at Pokémon High School weren't exactly well-off. Most had to help their families with some work to make ends meet. Xiao Chun had also done farmwork early that morning before coming to school.

"Xiao Chun, why does our school have such a high-level Pokémon as Lilligant?"

"You're right... why does it?"

Xiao Chun bit his chopsticks and asked the student sitting in front of him, who was equally stumped.

Everyone hoped to become that beautiful Pokémon's partner, but no one had really considered why impoverished Pokémon High School had a Lilligant. They simply took her presence for granted and tried their best to win her over.

Lilligant didn't seem like the injured Pokémon that made up most of Pokémon High School's population, and she wasn't native to Kanto, either. Surely she hadn't been abandoned?

"Oh my god." The boy in front nearly choked on his rice. "Who would abandon a Lilligant?"

It sounded outrageous, but Shen Qi felt there were grounds for the idea.

For instance, there was Lilligant's secret love of street racing. Without having lived with humans, a wild Pokémon couldn't possibly have learned to drive on her own-much less race.

That really left abandonment as the only option.

After afternoon classes ended, Shen Qi, who hadn't joined any clubs, went home for a nap, then returned to Pokémon High School under cover of darkness.

The impoverished school was short-staffed. There was no gatekeeper at night, only a closed iron gate.

With a few metallic clanks, Shen Qi climbed over the iron gate and dropped into the school grounds.

Scree-

A sharp cry rang out from the shadows beneath a tree. Shen Qi hurriedly gestured in that direction.

"It's me. I'm a student at Pokémon High School."

The Zubat hanging upside down from a branch squeaked twice, circled briefly in the night sky, then flew away.

Students in every year took turns on duty, and Pokémon High School only had two classes per year, so it was easy for the Pokémon to become familiar with their faces.

Veno-woo↑woo↓woo↑woo-

A soft cry rang out. A round figure shuffled out of the grass, its purple fuzz quivering with every step, its large eyes displaying the distinct structure of compound eyes.

Venonat, a Bug- and Poison-type Pokémon, was also nocturnal. It waited in illuminated places at night to catch insects to eat.

If he hadn't transmigrated into the Pokémon world, Shen Qi would never have imagined Venonat's cries could be so... melodiously expressive.

Veno-woo↓woo↑woo↓woo-

Its cry was lilting and delicate as Venonat shrank back a little.

"Huh? No petting?"

Shen Qi withdrew his outstretched hand.

None of the Pokémon housed at Pokémon High School had nasty temperaments. The clearest distinction was simply between those friendly toward humans and those harder to approach.

Venonat had only arrived recently and fell somewhere between the two. Having been rescued by humans and regularly fed by them, it wanted to get close, but still seemed timid.

Given a little more time, it would surely become more outgoing.

After saying goodbye to Venonat, Shen Qi began searching secluded places with streetlights.

His target was clear: Lilligant.

He made a circuit of the lake, but Lilligant was nowhere nearby. She had probably been startled yesterday and didn't dare practice her moves in the same place.

Shen Qi searched the entire perimeter of the Pokémon Living Area, but still found no sign of Lilligant.

"Forget it... I can't expect that kind of coincidence."

His luck wasn't good enough, but at least he had the dating sim.

Just as Shen Qi passed the Teaching Building on his way back, a text prompt scrolled into view.

[Lilligant was curious. What was the boy who had understood her heart at their very first meeting like in class?]

Chapter 5: Ride shotgun with me

Moonlight spilled through the window frames into the classrooms. In the silent corridor, soft leaves moved without a sound.

Her flower-crown headdress revealed a splash of bright red in the darkness, and her leafy, bud-shaped skirt swayed with her steps, gentle and graceful.

Lilligant peered curiously into classroom after classroom.

Pokémon High School only had two classes per year, leaving many classrooms empty. Lilligant had never entered the Teaching Building before and only knew that the first-year students were on the second floor.

Barely a meter tall, she couldn't reach the corridor-side windows or open the classroom doors. Troubled, she hopped up and down outside a window.

Lilligant.

The call sounded in her mind. Lilligant paused, then turned around with delight and surprise.

The familiar outline of the boy appeared at the other end of the corridor, the Pliers in his hand reflecting a faint, cold gleam in the moonlight.

The scene looked like something out of a terrifying urban legend, yet it didn't frighten Lilligant at all.

The narration-style text prompt made her feelings clear to Shen Qi.

[A little anticipation and excitement welled up in Lilligant's heart.]

Good...

With confirmation from the text prompt, Shen Qi felt even more confident in his efforts to win her over.

"Lilligant, this is what you dropped last night..."

In the dim corridor, Shen Qi slowly walked forward.

Lilligant also seemed inclined to approach him. Shy and reserved, she leaned slightly forward, then drew back, pressing her Leaf-Blade Hand to her chest as she quietly waited.

The offered Pliers seemed a little out of place, spoiling the atmosphere, yet they represented an unspoken understanding between the two.

Taking the Pliers, Lilligant tucked them downward, hiding them inside her skirt.

The corner of Shen Qi's eye twitched twice. He had no idea who had taught her to hide auto repair tools in her skirt.

Silence settled over the scene for a moment. Prepared for this, Shen Qi spoke confidently.

"I'm Shen Qi. This is the classroom where I usually have lessons. May I invite you to take a look, Lilligant?"

Lilligant leisurely bent forward at the waist, lifting her skirt slightly with both hands in an elegant lady's curtsy.

[Lilligant was puzzled. The classroom doors and windows were clearly closed, so how was he going to invite me inside?]

"We usually swipe a card to get into the classroom."

With that, Shen Qi took out his student ID and slipped it into the gap between the door and its frame. The card pushed up the old lock's latch, releasing it.

Lilligant covered her mouth, giggling at this so-called "card swipe."

Shen Qi walked over to his seat. "This is my spot. This is where I sit during class."

Bringing up today's "Fundamentals of Energy Communication" lesson, Shen Qi deliberately mentioned his troubles.

"Being told to sense type energy straight away is too abstract. If possible, it'd be nice to have a Pokémon studying with me."

Lilligant didn't respond. She neither agreed nor refused, merely gazing quietly at the textbook on the desk.

[She was hesitating over whether she should agree.]

This is fine... Shen Qi knew very well that his progress with "Speedy Hot Girl" was only at 15%. He couldn't rush things.

So, rather than pressing the question, Shen Qi switched to a much more appealing topic.

"Lilligant, sometimes I do hauling jobs at night to earn a living. I often see Racing Drivers driving the mountain roads on Marker Mountain and Trail Mountain."

At the mention of racing, Lilligant's eyes immediately shone. She gestured animatedly, her hands and feet dancing.

[Some of them are professional Racing Drivers, and some are just enthusiasts.]

[It's like Pokémon Trainers. Professional Pokémon Trainers who make a living competing aren't the same as ordinary Pokémon Trainers.]

The text continued to scroll. Lilligant's responses and enthusiasm far surpassed anything he had seen before.

["Speedy Hot Girl," Romance scenario progress: 19%]

Simply introducing one topic had added 4% to his progress. Shen Qi secretly congratulated himself for thinking up lines that catered to her interests earlier that day. Preparing ahead really had been the right move.

"You like racing too, don't you, Lilligant?"

[Yes!]

Her leaves fluttered as Lilligant described the tension and exhilaration of racing, an experience unlike any other.

Her ability to express herself in words was limited, but the information flowed into Shen Qi's mind through the game, allowing him to feel her overflowing emotions directly.