Get Stronger by Pleasing Pokémon? Who Needs to Be a Trainer!

Barbecue, green dumplings, berry ice slushies, Pokéblocks, a spread of fresh vegetables, and a variety of drinks… all came together to form the grand feast.

The sky was blanketed in starlight, countless stars twinkling joyously overhead.

Because the Pokémon present were of many different species, Lin Feng had prepared a diverse array of food.

All the barbecue had been grilled, most of it tailored to enhance Fire-type Pokémon, and unsurprisingly, it was Fire Chick and Pidgeotto who devoured the lion’s share.

Lin Feng was truly shocked by Fire Chick’s staggering appetite.

He had bought five jin (about 2.5 kilograms) of pork belly, and four jin of it had disappeared into Fire Chick’s belly. And that was not even counting the grilled veggies…

Hiss…

The pile of food seemed larger than Fire Chick itself. Lin Feng couldn’t fathom how it all fit inside such a small body.

After eating, boosted by all the buffs from the barbecue, Fire Chick was practically drunk on energy, darting around the open space, repeatedly using Quick Attack and Flame Charge.

Since Shanaido was supervising, Lin Feng wasn’t worried about stray flames igniting the forest.

Under the bright moonlight, flashes of fiery red streaked across the clearing every so often.

As for Sweet Bamboo, the tiny Pokémon was like a newborn baby and had been beckoned over by Miltank.

”Moo moo?” (Is my milk tasty?)

”Moo moo~” (There’s more where that came from…)

Sweet Bamboo stood on a small chair, sipping MooMoo Milk through a straw, and gave a satisfied sound. ”Tian tian?” (Is this really your milk?)

”Moo moo!” (Yep, it’s ours!)

One of the Miltank tilted her body slightly. ”Moo moo?!” (Want some fresh milk straight from the source?)

”Tian tian?” (But I haven’t finished this yet!)

”Moo…” (Alright then… since I started eating more lately, my milk production has shot way up.)

The Miltank didn’t look disappointed. Instead, they simply chatted among themselves.

”Moo moo~” (Yeah! I have to produce two barrels of milk every day! And honestly, it feels like the quality of my milk has improved a lot.)

”Moo moo~” (Our rancher is so kind… I’d be happy to give him my milk for life.)

”Moo moo~” (Me too!)

Listening to all this, Sweet Bamboo kept sipping her milk in silence.

But inside, she couldn’t help feeling a bit conflicted.

…Is this… really okay?

…

By the end of the feast…

Lin Feng started arranging where each Pokémon would sleep. Truthfully, there wasn’t much to arrange.

Sweet Bamboo and Fire Chick still didn’t have their tree house or nest built, so for now, they were staying in the cowshed with Miltank and Caterpie.

Before leaving them there, Lin Feng made a point to warn Fire Chick not to get up in the middle of the night and try to eat Caterpie.

As for Popplio, it went back to the water reservoir with Milotic.

Once all the Pokémon were settled in, Lin Feng sighed and looked at the trash left over from the feast, ready to start cleaning up. That was when Shanaido, who had been floating above drinking an icy beverage, suddenly spoke.

”Shana?” (And what about me?)

”Hmm?”

Hearing Shanaido’s question, Lin Feng froze, suddenly remembering that Shanaido had been commuting back and forth between Wutong Forest and the orchard for the past few days only because of the three little Pokémon. Now that the three newcomers were settled, there was no reason for her to keep going back and forth.

But…

Over these past days, Lin Feng had hinted to Shanaido about his intentions sometimes subtly, sometimes more directly. And she’d never outright rejected him…

Could it be…?

Realizing the possibility, Lin Feng’s heart began beating faster, though he quickly steadied himself. Casually, he pulled out a Poké Ball from his pocket.

”I have a pretty good Poké Ball here. What do you think?”

Shanaido floated closer to him. ”Shana…” (So you’ve been planning to catch me all along, haven’t you?)

Standing there looking at the elegant Shanaido, Lin Feng didn’t hide his intentions.

”Of course I have. But it still depends on what you want. After all, to reach the strength you have now, I’m sure you’ve had plenty of offers from other trainers.”

He spoke plainly, his eyes filled with sincerity. He truly had a deep fascination for Psychic-type Pokémon.

”Shana.”

Shanaido nodded, holding Lin Feng’s gaze for a long moment. In the end, she drifted over to the Poké Ball and gently tapped it.

A chime of red light flashed. Shanaido didn’t emerge immediately from the Poké Ball. She stayed inside for a moment, as if letting the Poké Ball stabilize, then reappeared outside.

”Shana~” (The curse on me still hasn’t been lifted, so I won’t stay here permanently just yet. But I’ll come back during the day.)

Having said that, she floated upward into the sky. Glancing around at the leftover trash, she summoned her psychic power. In no time at all, all the trash was sorted neatly into separate piles.

Once she finished tidying up, Shanaido was about to teleport away.

But Lin Feng suddenly called out, ”Wait!”

”Shana?”

”Take this with you. Try to master the curse’s power as soon as you can.”

Lin Feng handed her the bottle of Assimilation Pokéblocks and tossed it over.

Shanaido paused, then nodded. A gentle light softened her usually calm eyes.

Using her psychic powers, she caught the bottle midair. Wrapped in a soft, pink glow, her figure vanished into the night sky.

Left standing there, Lin Feng stared down at the Poké Ball that now belonged to Shanaido.

A grin spread across his face so wide he couldn’t suppress it.

”Yes! I’ve caught Shanaido!”

…

The next day dawned bright and clear.

Today, the weather finally seemed a little cooler. In the small town, a gentle breeze occasionally swept by, rustling a few leaves through the air.

Inside the kitchen…

The feast the night before had resulted in Lin Feng staying up until one in the morning making Pokéblocks.

And that was even with the help of his newfound psychic abilities.

But watching Shanaido across the counter, learning how to make Pokéblocks, he couldn’t help but smile like an idiot, not feeling the slightest bit tired.

Once Shanaido learned how to produce a few basic types of Pokéblocks, Lin Feng’s little shop would finally be able to produce them in large quantities instead of having to limit the supply.

Coincidentally, in recent days, some people on Douyin had been leaving comments asking whether he could start a delivery service.

Should Shanaido teleport to deliver takeout?

Or should Pidgeotto fly deliveries instead?

Lin Feng found himself tangled in these questions.

”Shana?” (Like this?)

Floating in the air, Shanaido shaped a perfect Pokéblock, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

She hadn’t expected Lin Feng to seriously teach a Pokémon how to systematically produce Pokéblocks.

And from the looks of it so far, both the teacher and the student were doing quite well.

Except…

As she glanced at Lin Feng, who was grinning with that peculiar expression again, Shanaido felt a headache coming on.

She always had the nagging feeling that this human harbored certain… improper thoughts toward her.

Yet she had no evidence…

Even now, when she had officially become his Pokémon, what exactly was he still scheming?

Shanaido sank into silent contemplation.

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