Su Hao sat in the back row, getting a clear view.
At the moment, there were two battles happening in the public arena. On one side, a Blade Leaf Lizard was facing off against a Fluff Ball, while on the other, a Gurgle Turtle was battling a Thorny Hedgehog. Both were Pokémon in their initial forms, but they had clearly been trained for some time. The Blade Leaf Lizard was fast, darting left and right like it was dancing. The Fluff Ball, however, spun around, using its thick fur to defend against the Blade Leaf Lizard’s sharp leaf slashes. The two were evenly matched. Though neither was particularly strong, Su Hao found it thoroughly entertaining to watch.
“Gu-nuo~ Gu-nuo~” The Silkworm cried out excitedly, propping itself up on its hind legs and babbling away.
On the other battlefield, a sharp thorn suddenly shot up from the ground, sending the Gurgle Turtle flying. The lower half of its body was injured, and the Thorny Hedgehog seized the opportunity to ram into it hard. Its sharp quills pierced the Gurgle Turtle’s unprotected areas, leaving tiny dots that looked painful just to see. In no time, the match was decided.
Su Hao glanced at the Silkworm. It was still shouting excitedly, showing no signs of worry, fear, or hesitation. It was just chubby. The Silkworm didn’t seem afraid of getting hurt. Once it entered the growth stage, he could train it relentlessly.
Silkworm: ε=ε=ε=┏(゜ロ゜;)┛
…
Su Hao and the Silkworm watched several more battles. Some rookie tamers who had just contracted their Pokémon got so hyped they jumped into a fight, but it was nothing more than a clumsy brawl. Basically, both Pokémon would step onto the field, spend dozens of seconds getting close to each other, and then start whimpering as they tussled. The tamers didn’t even know what commands to give, and the Pokémon didn’t always listen. It was hard to watch.
The Silkworm was indeed at a disadvantage before evolution. The Thorny Hedgehog’s quills could rival steel needles, the Gurgle Turtle’s shell was rock-hard, and the Fluff Ball’s thick fur provided plenty of defense…
But Su Hao wasn’t worried. A normally developed Silkworm might have limited combat ability, but one of the basic training plans he’d unlocked focused on honing the Silkworm’s body strength, turning its soft outer skin into armor-like plating. Besides, as long as its speed and power could overwhelm an opponent, having a special trait didn’t matter. If he could raise the Silkworm to evolve before the college entrance exam, Su Hao was confident he could get into a top Pokémon school… probably—since he still hadn’t figured out the admission criteria.
Leaving the battle hall, Su Hao took a detour to the nearby Green Shade Supermarket. The supermarket didn’t sell ordinary goods—only Pokémon-related items like nutritional supplements, supplies, elixirs, and evolution materials. It was the most comprehensive place in the city for Pokémon products, bar none. Everything needed for the Silkworm to evolve into a Dream Moth was available there. The only thing holding Su Hao back was being broke.
“Herbal Liquid Type I—the best supplement for restoring the Silkworm’s stamina.” “Pokémon Medicine (Basic)—developed by the Green Shade Group, specifically for healing Pokémon. The price isn’t bad, and the Silkworm’s ‘Revival’ trait has some healing effect, so I should use that. No need to buy too much medicine.” “Fat God Milk—a special milk cultivated using Pokémon technology… Whew, that’s expensive. The effects aren’t as good as the ads claim either. Silkworm… ah, fine, since you want it so badly, I’ll get a little.” “Herbal Essential Oil—a specific item needed in the training plan to strengthen the Silkworm’s skin. It’s already considered an elixir… Forget it, I’ll buy it later.”
Su Hao picked up a few training necessities for the Silkworm and headed to the checkout counter. He bought very little, skipping whatever he could, but Pokémon products had one defining feature—they were expensive! Even these few training items cost nearly a thousand yuan, instantly draining a third of the money Su Hao’s parents had transferred to his card for the Silkworm.
“Raising a Pokémon costs way more than raising myself. Hey, Silkworm, don’t let me down. Train hard, got it?”
Silkworm: “Gu-nuo?”
Su Hao headed to his last stop of the trip: the Pokémon Training Hall. Unlike the supermarket, there were several training halls, all trying to recruit rookie tamers like Su Hao.
“Hey there, little bro! Want to check out our Mammoth Training Hall? A membership card is only 998 a month, giving you unlimited access to all the training facilities. We also have professional Pokémon instructors offering courses to guide you on raising a Pokémon from scratch, bringing you one step closer to a Pokémon university. A single course is just 1,688, and new tamers get a 20% discount!”
Su Hao was a bit interested, but… A membership card costing a thousand a month? A course for 1,688? Don’t think he didn’t know—‘Pokémon instructor’ sounded fancy, but there was no such professional certification. People who designed training plans for Pokémon were usually Breeders. Clearly, the so-called instructors at Mammoth Training Hall didn’t even have a ‘Junior Breeder’ qualification.
Su Hao sneered and walked away. It had nothing to do with his empty wallet or the girl’s average looks.
…
Leaving the Pokémon Plaza, Su Hao didn’t head straight home. He took the Silkworm on a stroll through half of An City. An City wasn’t big—it was an ancient town with a historical vibe. There were several parks in the city, with hills and water, but they were full of elderly people walking, exercising, or doing square dancing, making them unsuitable as training grounds for Pokémon.
“Hmm, all public places are out. Even the less crowded ones won’t work. If a Pokémon damages plants or trees and gets caught, there’s a fine.” Su Hao thought about the surroundings of An City. The roads and buildings in the city were somewhat different from what he remembered, but the mountains and terrain were the same. “Got it—East Lake Mountain Park!”
East Lake Mountain was on the outskirts, but within An City’s limits, it wasn’t far from his home. A twenty-minute bike ride would get him there. The area was seventy percent mountain and thirty percent water, with only the southern side developed into a park. He could train the Silkworm in the other parts of East Lake Mountain.
It was already a bit late today, so Su Hao could only head home. That evening, he spent the whole time writing out the Silkworm’s training plan and scheduling its training time. The Silkworm watched TV, while Su Hao’s parents played with it. Su Hao felt like he’d been forgotten—no one even nagged him about his summer homework. Ever since he’d contracted the Silkworm, his family status had dropped by one.
…
The next day, Su Hao was woken up by his alarm clock. He dragged the still-sleeping Silkworm out of bed.
“Gu-nuo?!”
The Silkworm had been dreaming of being the protagonist in a show, going through a tough adventure, defeating the big boss, and about to start a brand-new Pokémon life with its friends—when the dream ended. It was furious and didn’t want to acknowledge this tamer.
Su Hao spoke earnestly, “Look, if you don’t train hard, you’ll just end up as some background Pokémon that the protagonist beats up in the show. Only by working hard can you become the protagonist. Do you want to be the protagonist? Do you want everyone’s attention? Do you want to show off?”
A trio of soul-searching questions. The Silkworm, still new to the human world, couldn’t resist. Its little face turned serious as it cried, “Gu-nuo! Gu-nuo!”
“Great. Let’s do this together.”
Su Hao swiped open the game interface and clicked on the Silkworm in the Pokémon section. Sure enough, the stats had already changed noticeably.
[Pokémon: Silkworm] [Basic Info: Grass Type, Growth Stage 0.1%] [Contract Holder: Su Hao] [Detailed Info: Height: 0.12m; Weight: 2.6kg; Physique: 4; Spirit Power: 6; Below omitted…]
“Just as I thought…”
The Silkworm, now entering its growth stage, had slightly increased in height and weight. Su Hao noticed that the green stripes on its back were more pronounced and intricate. But the real leap was in Physique and Spirit Power—both had doubled! Pokémon in the growth stage were in a period of rapid stat improvement, so not a single second of training time could be wasted.
“Let’s go!”
Su Hao had prepared everything the night before—a big backpack filled not only with the Silkworm’s food and training supplies but also his own: a few pieces of bread and water. To save time, he planned to skip lunch at home. His mom had left him breakfast before heading to work. Su Hao ate quickly, washed the dishes, and the Silkworm, full of motivation, downed its morning Jade Powder.
Going downstairs, he glanced at the bike parking spot near the entrance of the complex. There were still a few shared bikes left. Su Hao was about to walk over when he suddenly stopped. The Silkworm had just eaten its Jade Powder and needed to digest it. Riding a bike there would waste that time.
Instead… what if he rode the bike and had the Silkworm run to keep up?