"My... complexion looked bad, but I actually felt better than before. I guess I overdid the training."
"Oh, I see."
Shen Qi hadn't been making things up.
He had spent the entire morning fighting for his life to finish Chansey's egg. Its outrageous taste had assaulted his brain, and afterward, everything in his field of vision kept twisting as light and shadow shifted.
It had hardly seemed like a Chansey egg at all. More like a Roselia egg.
After that hellish experience, he still had to thank Chansey. Shen Qi could now clearly sense fluctuations in Normal-type energy.
Part of it was because Shen Qi had practiced diligently and stood just one final step away;
the other part was that Chansey's egg really was remarkably effective.
Sensing types was a matter of mastering one and unlocking them all. Once he knew what Normal-type energy felt like, he could use that sensation as a guide for the energy of other types.
There was still a long staircase to climb, but Shen Qi had already pushed the door to becoming a Pokémon Trainer open a crack.
"Let's go. It's almost time," Xia Yang called, unaware of the truth. "We'll interfere with their race if we arrive late."
"Yeah."
The Little Sheep pulled away behind the car ahead. Shen Qi already knew where this race would take place.
Ruins Valley.
It was an uninhabited stretch of wooded gorges at the southern end of Island 6, with no buildings inside. In Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, players could only encounter Pokémon Trainers devoted to hardcore outdoor exploration there, such as Hikers and Ruin Maniacs.
The valley was too dangerous, so this amateur race used only the outer areas with proper roads.
They drove out of Trail Mountain. In the games, crossing the Water Path required a Pokémon to use Surf, but in reality, bridges led straight to the Island 6 Main Island.
Continuing south, they reached the narrow entrance into the mountains, where flashing light posts warned that a car race would be taking place on the road ahead tonight.
"Just in time."
Xia Yang expertly parked his sports car on a relatively level patch of wilderness, and Shen Qi parked the Little Sheep as well.
Six cars were already parked at the starting point, their drivers greeting the spectators beside them.
The event was much smaller than Shen Qi had expected. There were few competing cars, fifty or sixty spectators, and the Pokémon they had brought along.
There were also... wild Pokémon.
Amateur races were common on Island 6, and the local wild Pokémon were used to them.
A Fearow had brought some little Spearow to claim a high perch, Wooper poked their heads out of a small ditch, and Slowpoke were already sprawled on rocks.
They... mostly couldn't understand the race. They hadn't lived with humans and didn't know the rules. They had simply come to join the bustle because it seemed fun.
Shen Qi swept his gaze back and forth across the starting point, searching for a familiar figure.
Halfway through his scan, Shen Qi abruptly returned to the Little Sheep, found a jacket, and used it as a mask to cover half his face.
"What's wrong?"
"That... car number three. The driver's a support teacher at our Pokémon High School."
"So what?" Xia Yang looked puzzled. "You're just a student coming to watch a race."
"Shh... tomorrow's Monday, and I'm out in the wilderness watching a race at eleven at night."
"That's true... you really can't let a teacher catch you."
It was only a small amateur race, without any grand prize. The organizers covered every competitor's energy expenditure, essentially reimbursing their fuel costs, and the winner would receive a gift package containing several varieties of Berries native to Island 3's Berry Forest.
Without a love of racing, who would such a prize attract?
Yet the atmosphere was fervent. Commentator and spectators alike looked thoroughly excited.
"Come on!"
"I'm betting on car number two."
"Number one's clearly better. He's a sailor at the Island 3 docks, and he's really skilled."
"Car number four... that's the legendary Tsareena, right?"
"Yeah. No idea who the Pokémon Trainer is, but they often let their Pokémon practice on Island 6."
The stretch of gorge around the starting point was fairly spacious, with more than enough room for the spectators. Shen Qi easily made his way near car number four and crouched slightly to look inside.
Unlike the other drivers, who got out with their Pokémon to enjoy the cheers, car number four kept its doors and windows shut, with no interior light on. The temporary lighting revealed only a faint outline of its driver.
Silky hair shaped like long leaves, a small round face, Leaf-Blade Hands gripping the steering wheel...
It was undoubtedly Lilligant.
The rules prohibited spectators from approaching the race cars. Even without barriers or security personnel to maintain order, the excited crowd still followed the rules.
Shen Qi couldn't conveniently move closer, so he simply remained half-crouched, watching.
A text notification box appeared.
[Lilligant noticed a special gaze upon her] [A premonition arose in her heart, filled with disbelief and anticipation]
Through the window, the driver's silhouette turned outward, then froze.
Clearly, Lilligant had recognized Shen Qi.
[Emotion and bashfulness welled up in her heart, along with a trace of unease]
Thanks to the romance game's text notifications, Shen Qi could accurately judge Lilligant's state of mind.
His presence was definitely a point in his favor.
Simply showing up raised his romance progress to 25%, an increase of 2% in one go.
It should actually have increased further. Unease was what held it back.
At Pokémon High School, Lilligant had already confirmed that Shen Qi would keep the secret about her personality. Now she worried that he might call out her real name at the race.
Shen Qi said something through the window, but with all the noise around them and the glass in the way, Lilligant couldn't make it out.
Bzz...
The driver's window lowered to leave a gap two fingers wide, revealing a red apple-shaped hair clip on Lilligant's head.
It imitated the little red crown atop Tsareena's head.
Lowering the window just that much sent a clear message.
[Lilligant couldn't hear what the boy said and hoped he would repeat it]
"Good luck, Miss Tsareena."
[Good luck, Miss Tsareena]
Shen Qi suddenly went all out, speaking while sending the message directly into Lilligant's heart through the romance game.
He hadn't used this method at first. By speaking where Lilligant couldn't hear him, he had hooked her curiosity, allowing the powerful follow-up attack to land a critical hit.
Snap! The window abruptly shut, and Lilligant covered her face and pressed it against the steering wheel.
[Her face was redder than a Cherubi]
Lilligant's heart was a tangled mess, and Shen Qi's "Miss Tsareena" still echoed in her ears.
Clearly, Shen Qi had asked around about the Island 6 racer "Tsareena" and knew that she was Lilligant.
To keep Lilligant's secret, he had come up with a form of address that balanced public appearances with intimacy.
Not daring to affect Lilligant's condition for the upcoming race, Shen Qi quietly withdrew when the commentator announced ten minutes until the start, watching from the safe zone five meters from the track.
The game interface.
["Speedy Hot Girl," Romance Scenario progress: 30%] [Romance progress reached 30%. Awarding second-stage romance rewards]
Chapter 10: A Stranger's Picnic
[Obtained: Skill Proficiency Card] [Increases skill proficiency by 10%]
The real Pokémon world didn't operate on the games' algorithmic rule that learning a move meant knowing how to use it perfectly. Moves had to be mastered gradually through training and battle.
[Obtained: Adaptive Tire]
"This... what's this?"
Shen Qi had thought a Pokémon romance game would reward him with conventional items like Poké Balls, fruit and vegetables, or Potions. The skill card had been easy enough to understand, but he hadn't expected something resembling a vehicle part to pop up next.
[Adaptive Tire: Once compatibility with a vehicle model is confirmed, tire types can be adjusted, replacing wear on the original tires]
A closer look at the item description suggested that using the [Adaptive Tire] while driving the Little Sheep would form a layer of item effects over its actual tires.
He could freely adjust the Adaptive Tire's tread, turning it into a slick, a rain tire, or a knobby mountain tire.
What wore down would be the game item, and he only needed to consume Normal-type energy to restore its durability.
"Good stuff..."
Shen Qi made his living through deliveries, alternating between mountain terrain and wilderness. That put considerable wear on his tires, and relying only on old tires was unsafe.
The [Adaptive Tire] would be a huge help.
Also, he had to say, she certainly lived up to "Speedy Hot Girl." The game items matched her personal style perfectly.
By the time he finished his quick look at the game items, the countdown had begun at the starting point.
[Narration: Lilligant glanced out the window, her determination to claim victory growing stronger]
The commentator held up a large megaphone and counted down. "Five, four, three, two... one!"
Caught up in the excitement, Shen Qi watched Lilligant's pink-painted race car intently.
The black-and-white checkered flag dropped, and the engines erupted in a roar.
"Oh no, the driver who drew starting position one has made a mistake! Stalled at the start! What a despair-inducing start!"
Shen Qi scratched his head awkwardly. As expected of an amateur wilderness race... someone had served up a blunder to feast on right out of the gate.
Before you continue