Chapter 9: There's Something Off About My Pokémon. [9]
A single Pecha Berry cost 500 yuan. Lu Cheng bought just ten of them, and his freshly acquired 5,000 yuan was gone in no time. For a Pokémon trainer, raising a Pokémon often involves expenses that run into tens of thousands; otherwise, the Pokémon can't reach its full potential. Whether it's berries or Pokéblocks, they provide essential nutrients and promote growth—it's all a necessary investment.
Even though it hurt to spend the money, Lu Cheng reluctantly hit the purchase button. He turned to look at the little fox, which had finished eating and was now dozing off, realizing that he urgently needed to figure out a way to make more money. Otherwise, this small amount of money would never be enough to feed Vulpix!
Vulpix was wrapped up warmly in its own tail, happily sleeping on the soft cushion. Young Pokémon need plenty of nutrition and rest, but their development cycle is short; in about one to two weeks, they can begin training. Bug-type Pokémon are even more astonishing, evolving to their final forms in as little as three to four days or up to a month.
However, evolving too early can drain a Pokémon's potential, so Lu Cheng wasn't planning on letting Vulpix evolve until it mastered the necessary skills. Besides, he couldn't afford a Fire Stone anyway! A Fire Stone costs about seven to eight hundred thousand yuan—enough to buy a small house in a rural town. The path of a Pokémon trainer is indeed long and challenging!
Lu Cheng let out a long sigh, but as he looked at Vulpix peacefully sleeping, he couldn't help but smile with a fatherly expression. Being a Pokémon trainer—it's truly a joy!
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"Lu Cheng, Lu Cheng, my Wingull has hatched!" Early in the morning, the chubby A Le came rushing into the classroom, grabbing Lu Cheng's arm with a voice full of excitement.
"I get that you're excited, but could you let go of me first?" Lu Cheng shuddered as he felt the greasy hand gripping him.
"Sorry, sorry! Let me show you its photo!" A Le looked around to make sure their ever-elusive homeroom teacher wasn't about to appear out of nowhere, then handed his phone to Lu Cheng.
On the screen was a photo of a freshly hatched chick, its body raw and bloody, with a sharp beak and fierce eyes, viciously tearing into a piece of raw meat.
"Uh—"
"Isn't it cute?" A Le's eyes lit up with pride. "It's just like a little angel."
"Y-Yeah, hahaha..." Lu Cheng awkwardly laughed, understanding A Le's feelings. After all, one's own Pokémon always looks adorable no matter what. Besides, given Lu Cheng's unusual sense of aesthetics, he wasn't really in a position to say much.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, you think that's worth showing off?" A sharp voice suddenly interrupted their conversation. Hu Sheng, the class troublemaker, leaned over to glance at the phone, a sneer spreading across his face.
"A cheap Pokémon like that will only ever be good for low-level work," Hu Sheng said, crossing his arms with a smug expression.
As soon as he said that, the morning study session fell silent, and many students' faces turned sour. This high school was a prestigious one, and most of the students had worked hard to get in, many of them from average families with no plans to become Pokémon trainers. Although Wingull's evolved form, Pelipper, is often a valuable asset in rain teams, without the financial backing, it's more commonly seen as just a transport Pokémon.
Hu Sheng's voice was loud enough for everyone to hear, but no one dared to speak up against him. The room returned to its quiet reading, but with a noticeable tension in the air.
A Le's face turned bright red, and he struggled to come up with a response. With his head held low, he muttered, "I think Wingull is just fine."
"Hah, you're really clueless, aren't you?" Hu Sheng mocked loudly, ensuring everyone could hear. "My starter Pokémon is a Charmander, and you don't see me bragging. So who do you think you are, showing off, you chubby loser?"
"I-I wasn't showing off..." A Le stammered. He wasn't the type to argue with people, preferring to play video games at home, so when faced with a bully like Hu Sheng, he was at a loss for words.
When Hu Sheng mentioned his Charmander, the classroom fell silent again. The market value of a Charmander was as high as 700,000 yuan, not to mention its immense potential. With Hu Sheng's family's wealth, raising it into a Charizard was just a matter of time. After all, Charizard is a symbol of elite trainers in the Pokémon League promotional videos!
Hu Sheng reveled in everyone's reaction, looking at A Le with a smug expression. He had just received his Charmander yesterday and was eager to let everyone know. By putting A Le down, he was basking in the glory of his superior position.
Just then, a calm voice rang out. Lu Cheng, with a smile, said, "Hu Sheng, this is the morning study period, so please keep it down. You're disturbing my concentration." He pointed to his ear with an apologetic look, adding, "Your voice is like a buzzing Yanma right next to my ear."
"Pffft!" A girl couldn't help but burst into laughter at the amusing comparison.
Hu Sheng glared at Lu Cheng, anger flaring in his eyes. To him, Lu Cheng was just a bookworm obsessed with getting into a prestigious university. An arrogant guy like Hu Sheng wouldn't tolerate anyone interrupting his moment of showing off! Enraged, Hu Sheng was about to grab Lu Cheng by the collar.
But just then, a red light flashed from Lu Cheng's backpack. The small figure of Vulpix appeared on the desk, and in an instant, it aimed an "Ember" at Hu Sheng, who was trying to harm its trainer.
"Ahhh! My eyebrows! My eyebrows!" The so-called "Ember" was really just a few sparks, but since they hit Hu Sheng's face, they managed to ignite his eyebrows, causing him to jump around in panic.
"Water, water! My eyebrows are on fire!" Though Hu Sheng's situation was pitiful, most of the students felt a bit of satisfaction watching him jump around like that, given his usual behavior. Finally, a kind-hearted girl handed him a bottle of water, and Hu Sheng quickly poured it over his head, looking like a soaking wet cat with singed eyebrows.
A Le looked at Hu Sheng's half-burned eyebrows and couldn't hold back his laughter, letting out a snicker. The entire class burst into laughter. Hu Sheng shot a venomous glare at A Le before turning to Lu Cheng and shouting, "Lu Cheng, you just wait!"
"What's all this noise about!" At that moment, the homeroom teacher walked in, looking at Hu Sheng with a puzzled expression. "Hu Sheng, what happened to your eyebrows?"
Another wave of laughter rippled through the classroom.
Hu Sheng yelled, "Teacher, Lu Cheng ordered his Pokémon to attack me!"
This accusation was no small matter. In a Pokémon-centered society, incidents of people using Pokémon to harm others were taken very seriously, with strict rules from the Pokémon Association. Violating these rules could lead to severe consequences.
A Le, panicking, shouted, "That's not true! Hu Sheng tried to attack first, and Lu Cheng's Pokémon jumped out of its Pokéball on its own to protect him!"
While it was true that Pokémon sometimes emerged from their Pokéballs to defend their trainers, that usually only happened when there was a deep bond between them. How could that be the case with a newly hatched Pokémon?
The homeroom teacher's expression turned serious as he said, "Lu Cheng, Hu Sheng, step outside with me."
Hu Sheng was the first to storm out, glaring at Lu Cheng and muttering coldly, "You're finished!"
Lu Cheng gave A Le a reassuring look, then returned Vulpix to its Pokéball and followed the homeroom teacher out of the classroom.
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