章節 18: There's Something Off About My Pokémon. [18]
That night, Lu Cheng approached his dad, asking to stay at his grandfather's house in the countryside for a couple of days. "I want to do some pre-competition training for the U20 Youth Trainer Tournament," he explained. Under the relentless questioning of his parents, Lu Cheng eventually revealed his reason, adding, "I've already applied for a week off from school."
Lu Dad and Lu Mom had evidently heard about the U20 tournament. Lu Dad, chewing on his chopsticks, asked, "Do you have confidence, Cheng Cheng? If you don't place, it will be a waste of a whole week of review time." Lu Mom shot Lu Dad a glare and replied, "I've heard that just making it to the top sixteen can secure you a job at one of the top companies. If you place in the top three, you can even get a guaranteed spot at Jiangnan University!"
After saying this, Lu Mom placed a big chicken leg on Lu Cheng's plate, encouraging him, "Mom believes in you! Strive to get into Jiangnan University for our family!" Lu Dad snorted and said, "Women are just blindly optimistic." However, under Lu Mom's watchful gaze, Lu Dad sighed and added, "I'll speak to your grandfather."
"Your dream is to become a trainer, and I fully support that," Lu Dad said with rare seriousness. "But remember, Cheng Cheng, if you don't place, you must focus on your academic subjects." Lu Cheng nodded, understanding his parents' concern. They were only looking out for his best interests. However, Lu Cheng was determined to walk the path of a trainer, and this U20 tournament was the perfect opportunity to sharpen his skills alongside Vulpix.
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The next day, Lu Dad drove Lu Cheng to the countryside. Grandpa was quite pleased to hear about Lu Cheng's participation in the U20 tournament, bursting into laughter and telling Lu Dad, "See, Cheng Cheng is more accomplished than you!"
"Yes, yes, yes," Lu Dad said with a bit of helplessness, "Your son didn't become a trainer, but now your grandson is fulfilling that dream."
"Hmph, dragons give birth to dragons, phoenixes give birth to phoenixes. How could our Lu family not produce a single trainer!" Grandpa huffed, turning a smiling face toward Lu Cheng. "Cheng Cheng, you go inside and rest for a bit. Grandpa will take you to the forest later!" Lu Cheng nodded, noticing his father's gaze lingering on him. Turning back, he caught a glimpse of his dad's reluctant expression and gave him a firm nod.
Yulin was the name of the forest. Originally a protective area in the countryside, it had been overtaken by a group of wild Monkey Pokémon and eventually fell into disrepair. The forest was an excellent habitat for wild Pokémon, but the environment was relatively simple, with only a few species present. Their levels weren't high, making it the perfect training ground for Vulpix.
Grandpa seemed quite impressed with Lu Cheng. Upon seeing that Vulpix had grown six tails in such a short time, he praised Lu Cheng's excellent care, which made Lu Cheng feel a bit embarrassed. Taking advantage of the early morning light, Lu Cheng entered the forest with Vulpix and his backpack. Inside the bag were supplies for both him and Vulpix—rice balls, Pecha Berries, and a few bottles of healing potions. He had spent half of the 10,000 yuan he earned from his battle with the senior to buy intermediate healing potions for 1,000 yuan each, while the rest went toward purchasing more Pecha Berries.
"Ding—Task 'Yulin's Janitor' discovered.
Task Objective: Defeat any 10 wild Pokémon in Yulin.
Task Reward: 5 Poké Balls, 1 point in physical attack, 1 potential point."
The attribute rewards were modest, but the key prize was the 5 Pokéballs—worth 50,000 yuan! For Lu Cheng, who was financially stretched, these Pokéballs were a crucial boost. Unless the system rewarded him with them, he wouldn't dream of spending cash on such luxuries.
"If I get the chance, catching a few new Pokémon wouldn't be bad," Lu Cheng muttered to himself. Vulpix was barely considered battle-ready, and with many matches in the U20 allowing for up to three Pokémon switches, opponents could easily exploit type advantages against him. So, in addition to practical training, catching a new Pokémon was also on Lu Cheng's agenda.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, illuminating a group of lazy Caterpie basking on a pile of dry grass, looking utterly content. With the lack of human intervention, Bug-type Pokémon had flourished in the area, and the sight of so many clustered together made Lu Cheng's skin crawl.
"Vulpix, use Ember!" Before the Caterpie could escape, they tried to spit out silk to protect themselves, only causing the flames to blaze even brighter. Soon, the forest echoed with the sound of bursting pods, accompanied by the Caterpie's desperate hissing.
"That seems... not very humane," Lu Cheng remarked, wincing. "Can I really gain experience from clearing out these pests...?"
"Ding—Task 'Yulin's Janitor' progress (4/10)."
Just as Lu Cheng was muttering to himself, an angry insect cry echoed, sharp and piercing, causing his head to throb.
"Ding—Detected that the host is under attack from a Pokémon move; source confirmed!"
The system automatically focused on the enemy hidden behind a tree, highlighting a red figure through the thick trunk.
Beautifly
Relation: HostileNature: Bold
Ability: Compound Eyes
Moveset: Sonic Boom, Telekinesis, Sleep Powder, Gust
This was worrying. Lu Cheng hadn't expected to encounter such a strong Pokémon in this forest. Sonic Boom was a move Beautifly learned at level 23 in the games, indicating that this Beautifly was indeed formidable!
"Vulpix, come back to my side!" Lu Cheng commanded urgently. Vulpix, seemingly unfazed by the confusion effect, stood firm with blue light emanating from its eyes, clearly channeling its psychic energy to resist the attack.
Vulpix dispelled the effects of Sonic Boom, leaping gracefully to shield Lu Cheng and glaring fiercely at the Beautifly that emerged from behind the tree trunk. This Beautifly looked just like the one Lu Cheng had seen on television, with its menacing mandibles, crimson compound eyes, and black-and-white patterned wings, which created a grating sound as it rubbed its claws together.
The Beautifly, realizing it was at a disadvantage, spread its wings to make a quick getaway. But Lu Cheng wasn't going to let it escape!
"Vulpix, use Ember!" As the Beautifly flapped its wings, a flame shot out and struck its wing, turning it into a fireball. The Beautifly shrieked in pain, turning to charge recklessly at Vulpix. Its wings, crucial for courtship, had been burned, leaving the Beautifly disfigured.
"Vulpix, don't panic; wait for the right moment to use Ember again!" Lu Cheng called out. With the "Chain" ability, the power of Vulpix's moves increased with each consecutive hit, so Lu Cheng was confident they could win a prolonged battle.
The gust created by the Beautifly's damaged wings clashed with Vulpix's Ember, filling the area with smoke. The fire surged toward the trees, threatening to spark a forest fire.
"Oh no, Vulpix, quickly use Telekinesis to control the flames!" Lu Cheng ordered anxiously. Just then, a dark figure suddenly burst forth, its skill lighting up the area as it delivered a powerful strike that split the tree trunk in half.
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