That's Life

After chattering away for quite some time, Lilligant realized she had gotten too excited. She reined herself in a little and returned to her demure manner.

She could gradually show her true self in front of Shen Qi now, but she still wasn't ready to drop her mask entirely.

["Speedy Hot Girl," Romance Scenario progress: 25%]

This really had been the right topic.

Shen Qi recalled the Little Sheep's Skill Slot. Normally, the Racing Driver should sit in the driver's seat while a Pokémon used moves from the passenger seat to boost the vehicle's performance.

But Lilligant probably didn't have a Trainer.

Surely she couldn't drive and use moves at the same time?

"Do you like racing too, Lilligant?"

[Yes!]

Her emotions came through vividly and energetically.

"Then... do you drive alone, Lilligant?"

At his question, Lilligant's expression dimmed a little. He must have touched on something painful.

The more she recalled, the more hurt she looked.

As her sorrow spread, the progress for "Speedy Hot Girl" dropped to 23%.

This thing could go down too?!

Shen Qi quickly realized that winning over Pokémon differed from grinding ordinary dungeons.

Once you cleared a dungeon stage, it stayed cleared; your progress wouldn't drop. But when winning over a Pokémon, until you reached 100% and brought the Pokémon into a Poké Ball, forming a bond in which they entrusted their life to you, progress could fluctuate. It was something like affection or intimacy.

"Lilligant." Shen Qi stayed calm and spoke softly. "I'll work hard. I hope that one day, you'll sit in my passenger seat."

The progress, which had already fallen to 22%, stopped dropping and climbed back to 23%.

Shen Qi broke into a nervous sweat. Luckily, he had stopped the slide.

A fragrant breeze stirred as Lilligant hurried out of the classroom. She stopped in the doorway and turned gracefully.

Her flower crown, leafy skirt, and slender stamens swayed with her movement. She gave Shen Qi a long, meaningful look, then disappeared through the classroom doorway.

[Lilligant wouldn't agree to someone so easily]

[Lilligant was worried... about whether she would bring her Pokémon Trainer bad luck]

The two consecutive narration lines were exact opposites in content and tone.

The first carried the slightly smug, coy mood of a young girl, while the second hinted at a sorrowful past.

When Shen Qi had asked whether Lilligant drove alone, she had suddenly become sad. Naturally, it suggested that she had once had a Pokémon Trainer, a Racing Driver by her side, but now could only drive alone.

Her progress hadn't dropped because the topic had made her dislike Shen Qi. She wasn't that petty. Rather, as the final narration said, she worried that she was an ill-omened Pokémon who would bring her Pokémon Trainer misfortune.

"Heh heh heh..."

Shen Qi left the Teaching Building with a grin he couldn't suppress.

For Lilligant to worry about something like that meant she was already beginning to see Shen Qi as a potential Pokémon Trainer. How could he not be excited?

What he needed to do next was earn more of Lilligant's trust and let her know that fate wouldn't knock him down so easily.

Under the moonlight, Shen Qi headed toward the school gates, chuckling strangely. It made for quite an eerie sight.

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

Chapter 6: That's Life

Only after the second class did Xiao Chun, who sat next to Shen Qi, enter the classroom with his schoolbag on his back, looking utterly exhausted.

"Helping your family sell vegetables again?"

"Yeah... haaah..." Xiao Chun let out a long yawn. "I'm dead tired."

Whenever a family's finances were a little better, the parents generally did their best to send their children outside the Sevii Islands to attend school in a city on Kanto's mainland.

Students who stayed at Pokémon High School often had plenty of work to do outside their studies to help make ends meet.

Xiao Chun's family, for instance, sold vegetables and had to set up their stall at five in the morning. Whenever things got busy, Xiao Chun could only go help, then come to school once they were finished.

It wasn't just a matter of missing a class or two. The lack of sleep affected his learning for the entire day.

Students like him were everywhere.

"Shen Qi..."

Slumped over his desk during the break, Xiao Chun mumbled, half asleep, "I want to form a bond with a Grass-type or Ground-type Pokémon... and bring one home when I graduate... to help with farmwork."

"Haven't you always wanted to become a professional Pokémon Trainer?"

Professional Pokémon Trainers were dazzling figures, active in major battle tournaments and held in high esteem. Their wealth, status, and powerful Pokémon were all things students yearned for.

At the mention of his dream, Xiao Chun's narrowed eyes opened a little. Then he turned and buried his face in his arms without another word.

He knew perfectly well that the troubled Pokémon housed at Pokémon High School made it difficult to cultivate powerful Pokémon Trainers. More students became Pokémon Workers after graduation, taking their Pokémon into society and striving to make a living in the workplace.

If all he did was take a Pokémon home to till the fields, he wouldn't even count as a Pokémon Worker. At best, he could call himself an owner.

Of course Xiao Chun longed for a Pokémon like Lilligant. Of course he dreamed of one. But even if he had the chance, then what? Would he take her home to work the fields?

Weary snores rose from the neighboring seat, and Shen Qi sighed.

Whether in the Pokémon world or the world before he transmigrated, once the word "reality" entered the picture, things were rarely easy.

Shen Qi's situation was slightly better. He only had himself to feed, but it wasn't much better.

If his finances were stronger, Shen Qi would absolutely drive the Little Sheep van out on the mountain roads at night, hoping to run into Lilligant and continue winning her over.

The reality was... Shen Qi couldn't afford to spend that much on fuel and maintenance. With his finances in such poor shape, he couldn't afford to support a Pokémon either.

On top of that, his studies brought pressure of their own.

Shen Qi had no trouble with the vast majority of courses at Pokémon High School, including learning to use the Pokédex, the basics of types, and ordinary subjects such as math and biology.

He didn't even need to study the basic knowledge about Pokémon.

The truly difficult course was "Fundamentals of Energy Communication."

Whether a Pokémon Worker or a Pokémon Trainer, you could only call yourself competent if you could sense the energy of different types and coordinate your actions with your Pokémon.

It wasn't like the anime, where the Pokémon fought tooth and nail while their Pokémon Trainers shouted from the sidelines:

Dodge it!

Use Tackle, quick!

The first-year "Fundamentals of Energy Communication" course Shen Qi faced began with sensing the most common Normal-type energy, then moved on to influencing its rhythms.

These were only the basics. Later, there were even Pokémon Trainer skills to learn, allowing Pokémon Trainers and Pokémon to train and grow together.

For the current Shen Qi, all that was far too distant. He still couldn't get a clear grasp of Normal-type energy.

The cheat granted by the dating game was only icing on the cake. The decisive factor remained Shen Qi's own foundation.

"I need to work harder..."

He had only just started his first year of high school, yet Shen Qi kept feeling like a graduating student about to take the college entrance exams.

In truth, things weren't that urgent. Even after forming a bond with a Pokémon, he would still have to pass Pokémon High School's assessment before he could take that Pokémon away.

Given Lilligant's unique circumstances, the other students had no chance of forming a bond with her. Shen Qi had time to grow.

Both his personal strength and his relationship scenario progress needed to grow.

The day's classes ended, with the weekend coming next. Students could be seen making weekend plans in twos and threes.

Shen Qi hurried out of Pokémon High School. He had a hauling job today: transporting produce from Island 6 to Island 5.

If he set out early, he could find some Racing Drivers on the mountain roads and ask them about Lilligant.

Running into Lilligant herself would be best, but the odds were slim. Both the time and place would have to line up just right.

After hurriedly finishing dinner, Shen Qi took out the low-end phone he had bought for 1,000b and called Uncle Dev at the market.

"Uncle, I'd like to set off a little earlier today. Can I come over early to load up?"

"Sure, come on over. Get some proper rest this weekend. You've made three trips this week. Thanks for all your hard work."

"Will do."

Shen Qi started the Little Sheep and arrived at the market on the neighboring street.

It might only have been a van, but the Little Sheep had a full 700 kg load limit. In the eyes of people who hauled cargo for a living, that meant a carrying capacity of over a tonne.

Loading was manageable, since the neighbors around the market would lend a hand. But when he reached the hotels or the Luxury Resort on Island 5, there might not be anyone to help Shen Qi unload, which took a great deal of time.

It was an enormous physical strain for a fifteen-year-old boy, so Shen Qi didn't dare take on too much work.

"Uncle, I'm heading out."

"There's a bit more cargo today. Be careful on the road."

"Got it!"

The Little Sheep left the market, passed out of Marker Woods, and then headed onto Marker Mountain.

The overloaded cargo made the van sluggish to handle even on level ground. After entering the mountains, Shen Qi could hear the suspension groaning from time to time, so he drove with even greater care.

Fortunately, there was little traffic on these offshore islands after dark, and it was still too early for the Racing Drivers to hit the mountain roads. The journey went smoothly.

After unloading at the Luxury Resort, Shen Qi rested briefly, his back and waist aching, then immediately drove back.

He glanced at the time on the dashboard.

20:33

He was really early today.

By the time he returned to Trail Mountain on Island 6, the night had deepened. Shen Qi parked the Little Sheep beside the road and quietly waited for the nighttime mountain Racing Drivers.

About ten minutes later, the roar of an engine approached from afar.

A sports car with a flashy paint job came roaring toward him. It slowed slightly as it passed along the road near Shen Qi, but the driver didn't lower the window, and the car quickly sped away.