"Brother Hui, go ahead."
Qiao Cheng walked over to the bedside. Looking at Ah Hui's exhausted face, he had already more or less guessed what Ah Hui was about to say.
Sure enough—
The next moment, a trace of apology appeared on Ah Hui's face.
"Sorry. I've really been looking forward to our match, but..."
"I'll probably have to forfeit the next round."
"Huh!? Why!?"
Before Qiao Cheng could even respond, Gao Tianming blurted out in disbelief.
"Brother Hui, didn't you hear what Teacher Mo said?"
"You've already experienced Meloetta's blessing once, but experiencing it again would be great too!"
"So why give up!?"
He genuinely couldn't understand.
For eliminated contestants like Gao Tianming, one of the most painful realizations was learning only now that a Legendary Pokémon had once blessed the Pikachu Cup stage.
Perhaps they had only been one step away.
But now—
That final step could never be taken.
"Sorry, Tianming. Cough, cough..."
Ah Hui clenched his hand weakly as an overwhelming sense of exhaustion washed over him.
"When I traveled with Brother Mo, he once told me something."
'Great power is often accompanied by great risk.'
"I may really be a very lucky person to receive blessings from two Legendary Pokémon..."
"But my body seems a little too fragile."
"I can't fully bear those blessings yet."
"So... sorry."
"I've already reached my limit."
Cough, cough...
Only now did everyone realize something.
Ever since Ah Hui woke up, he'd been coughing nonstop.
Just looking at his face made it obvious how weak he currently was.
Seeing the helpless and apologetic expression on Ah Hui's face, Feng Lan quietly let out a sigh of relief.
Ah Hui's parents were extremely busy.
In fact, she had handled nearly all of the hospitalization procedures herself.
She remembered the doctor's warnings very clearly.
Even if Ah Hui hadn't said anything, she had been planning to stop him from continuing the tournament.
At that moment, however, Feng Lan noticed Chen Haoran standing across the room with an expression that looked like he was desperately trying not to laugh.
Confused, she asked:
"Haoran... why are you laughing?"
"Nothing."
Chen Haoran waved his hand.
Then he glanced at Ah Hui and burst out laughing again.
"I was just thinking..."
"Does this count as getting your account banned after using cheats?"
"..."
Ah Hui didn't take offense at his friend's jab.
Instead, he simply looked at everyone and continued:
"Honestly, that isn't entirely wrong."
"Meloetta's blessing never belonged to me in the first place."
"I was only borrowing power that wasn't mine."
"So in a sense... yeah, I kind of was cheating."
"But this experience reminded me of something Brother Mo has been saying repeatedly in his livestreams."
"Do you remember?"
"He always tells trainers who want to become stronger that they shouldn't only train their Pokémon."
"They should train themselves too."
"At first I didn't really understand why."
"But now I do."
"A trainer and a Pokémon are one body, one heart."
"It's not enough for only the Pokémon to grow stronger."
"If the trainer doesn't possess a strong enough body..."
"Then even when opportunity appears before you, you might not be able to endure it."
Everyone in the room fell into thought.
Among them, Xiao You's face had turned completely pale.
After all, she was still an elementary school student.
Physically, she was probably the weakest person present.
"Thank you for the warning, Brother Hui."
Qiao Cheng bowed his head seriously.
This was extremely valuable information.
At that moment, Zhao Xue'er, who had remained silent the entire time, suddenly spoke in her cool, detached voice.
"Giving up the tournament."
"Do you regret it?"
"Regret?"
Ah Hui looked up at the girl staring directly at him.
"A little, maybe."
"But..."
His gaze shifted toward the bedside table.
There, the brightly colored flower wreath rested together with Butterfree's Poké Ball.
"I've already found what I was searching for."
...
Chen Mo's Courtyard
Moonlight reflected quietly upon the pond filled with aquatic plants.
A string of bubbles rose from beneath the surface.
Then—
A red Magikarp wearing a crown slowly emerged, swaying its tail.
It glanced at the moon overhead.
But very quickly, its attention was captured by sounds coming from nearby.
"Gengar! Gengar!"
"Kaao! Kaao!"
"Pika Pika!"
Magikarp turned toward the source of the noise.
A large section of the yard had been remodeled into a sand pit.
The grass had been removed completely.
It had been specially built for Gible, a Ground-type Pokémon capable of using Sandstorm.
Ever since the sand pit was completed, Gible, Pikachu, and Gengar spent their days happily playing in it.
Yesterday they built castles.
Today they were sculpting little figures based on Chen Mo.
"Pika Pika!"
Pikachu suddenly noticed Magikarp looking over.
Its face lit up with excitement.
It waved its tiny paws repeatedly, trying to show Magikarp what it had built.
Unfortunately, the pond was too far away.
Magikarp couldn't see anything clearly from the water.
"Glu..."
No choice then.
After thinking for a moment, Magikarp sank slightly beneath the surface.
Then—
Its tail whipped powerfully.
Its body shot upward.
Splash!
This was Magikarp's signature move.
It didn't use it often.
But that didn't mean it couldn't.
In fact, it was quite proficient.
Splash!
With the momentum from the leap, Magikarp burst out of the water and soared high into the air.
Still not high enough...
It's too far away...
I still can't see clearly...
While Magikarp desperately flapped its tail in midair, trying to rise even higher—
A shadow suddenly descended from the sky.
With practiced precision, two massive talons seized Magikarp out of the air.
In that instant, Magikarp remembered.
Back at Crimson Leaf Lake—
Its fellow Magikarp had been carried away exactly like this.
Because yes.
Pidgeotto's species naturally preyed on Magikarp.
"Pidgeotto!"
Pidgeotto let out a loud cry.
Magikarp understood immediately.
Pidgeotto was asking:
Can you see now from this angle?
"Glu..."
Being able to fly really is amazing...
Magikarp lightly swished its body in response.
Soon, with Pidgeotto's help, Magikarp finally saw what Pikachu had wanted to show it.
A fish-shaped sculpture made entirely of sand.
Or at least—
Something that vaguely resembled a fish.
Looking at the crooked little crown on top, Magikarp instantly understood.
It was supposed to be him.
At that moment, footsteps came from the direction of the living room.
A moment later, the glass door slid open.
Then an exasperated voice rang out.
"Good grief."
"I leave for a little while to pick up a package and you guys invent an entirely new form of entertainment."
"Pidgeotto, what are you doing?"
"Have you finally become so ruthless that you're preying on your own teammate now?"
"Hurry up and put Magikarp back!"
"Pidgeotto!"
Pidgeotto's eyes widened.
Quickly returning Magikarp to the pond, it landed beside Chen Mo and flapped its wings frantically.
Then it pointed toward the Magikarp sand sculpture Pikachu had made, desperately trying to explain.
Ever since joining Chen Mo's team and escaping the pressures of survival, Pidgeotto no longer viewed other Pokémon as food.
Forget Magikarp.
It hadn't even touched a Caterpie.
Misunderstanding!
It's all a misunderstanding!
"Hahahaha!"
"Pidgeotto, you're still so easy to tease."
"Relax."
"I was only joking."
"I know perfectly well you'd never do anything to Magikarp."
Chen Mo chuckled and rubbed the tuft of feathers atop Pidgeotto's head.
Then he turned toward the sand pit.
Pikachu and Gengar were grinning mischievously.
Nearby sat Gible and Absol, along with several bizarre sand sculptures.
"...What exactly are these supposed to be?"
When the sand pit had first been built, Pikachu, Gible, and Gengar had used Chen Mo as a reference and created a horrifying monstrosity that barely qualified as a human being.
As the model, Chen Mo had laughed so hard at the finished product that he couldn't even stand upright.
Still—
Seeing his Pokémon playing happily together filled him with satisfaction.
He had always worried that his own pressures might eventually affect them.
But watching them laugh and play purely for fun...
That was enough.
If only days like these could continue forever.
Chen Mo smiled quietly.
Pikachu and Gengar were discussing what to build next.
Little Gible obediently listened like a loyal junior.
Pidgeotto and Absol stood on either side like guardians, silently watching over them.
And Magikarp too.
To help it participate, Chen Mo had Gengar bring out a transparent glass tank from inside the house.
Magikarp was placed inside so it could join the fun.
After all, building sand sculptures required water too.
"Ah, right."
After sitting and watching his six Pokémon for quite a while, Chen Mo suddenly slapped his forehead.
He returned to the living room and brought out the package he had just picked up.
Opening it—
Twenty boxes of red Pokéblocks were revealed.
"Marshadow."
"Come collect your payment."
Whether it had been watching the entire time or simply heard its name being called, Marshadow soon rose out of Chen Mo's shadow.
It glanced at the twenty boxes.
A puzzled expression appeared on its tiny face.
"Too many."
The childish voice echoed directly inside Chen Mo's mind.
Chen Mo smiled.
"You finished all the last batch, didn't you?"
"You seemed to really like this flavor."
"So I ordered a little extra."
"Don't be shy."
"Eat as much as you want."
"..."
Marshadow said nothing more.
It was already receiving payment according to their agreement.
If Chen Mo wanted to give more, it certainly wouldn't refuse.
Sitting beside him on the porch, Marshadow opened one of the red boxes and calmly popped a Pokéblock into its mouth.
Chewing slowly.
As one of the latest achievements of the Pokémon Research Bureau, these Pokéblocks had undergone countless rounds of refinement.
In Chen Mo's opinion, they were already very close to the Energy Blocks from the original Pokémon world.
Marshadow had personally confirmed that they provided a small but genuine benefit to a Pokémon's growth.
Which meant—
Even a Mythical Pokémon like Marshadow wasn't exempt from enjoying them.
If he remembered correctly—
Red Pokéblocks were supposed to be spicy.
In the games, a Pokémon's preferred flavors could often hint at its personality.
Unfortunately, Chen Mo couldn't remember those details clearly anymore.
So he had no idea what personality category Marshadow belonged to.
Judging from daily interactions, though...
Tsundere?
The word surfaced in Chen Mo's mind.
Then he immediately shook his head.
Game mechanics were game mechanics.
Real Pokémon were completely different.
Trying to raise Pokémon strictly according to game personality charts was a disaster waiting to happen.
"What weird thing are you thinking about now?"
Marshadow's voice suddenly echoed again.
Chen Mo turned his head.
Without him noticing, Marshadow had already finished an entire box.
The empty package sat neatly beside it.
It really does love these things.
Chen Mo thought.
Then he noticed Marshadow staring directly at him with its orange-red eyes.
Remembering Marshadow's question, Chen Mo coughed awkwardly and decided to change the topic.
"Oh right, Marshadow."
"I remember you saying that while the Three Legendary Beasts travel the world, they also help Ho-Oh search for suitable candidates to become the Rainbow Hero."
"In that case—"
"Since Ah Hui received Entei's recognition..."
"Does that mean he has the qualifications to become this world's next Rainbow Hero?"
Chen Mo looked at Marshadow curiously.
At that moment—
Marshadow abruptly lowered the Pokéblock it was about to pick up.
Then it stood up.
And moved closer.
And closer.
Until its face was practically pressed against Chen Mo's.
Staring directly into his eyes, Marshadow spoke each word with absolute conviction.
"Impossible."
"Of all things..."
"This one thing is absolutely impossible."
For some reason—
Chen Mo suddenly felt that Marshadow was extremely, extremely angry.
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