Greatest Pokémon Trainer

"So luxurious... just not sure what salary they'll offer me."

Fang Yuan looked around and noticed that there were many battle areas set up outside, not to mention the independent battle rooms inside.

He estimated that just maintaining the battle areas would cost a heap of money per month.

"Bwoo!"

Eevee also became concerned; if Fang Yuan had money, it essentially meant that it would have money, and then it could drink better quality fruit juice and milk.

"You must be Fang Yuan."

Not waiting too long in the lobby, Fang Yuan saw a strange middle-aged man come around the corner and greet him.

"That's me."

"I'll skip the pleasantries. Yang Han recommended you, and although he vouched for you, we still need to test your true abilities. After all, Starshine Battle Club is not a charity."

"Here's the deal, you'll come with me for a battle. Your opponent will also be a New Trainer. If you win, you can stay and continue to be a sparring partner; if you lose, take today's salary and give up the job," Mr. Shanmi said.

"You don't need to worry about the private tutoring, though. That I promised Yang Han, and I'll help you to the best of my ability."

Hearing this, Fang Yuan nodded but felt bitter inside.

It seemed that Old Yang and Mr. Shanmi were not as close as he had thought. Whether he could secure this part-time opportunity seemed to depend on his own real skills.

From what the other said, Fang Yuan picked up some information. His upcoming battle opponent was also a New Trainer. Since they were both newbies, Fang Yuan had no reason to be scared. As long as he didn't face an opponent with Pokémon types currently difficult for Eevee to deal with, like Psychic Type or Ghost Type, after comprehensive training, they had a great advantage.

"Good spirit," Mr. Shanmi said with a slight smile upon seeing Fang Yuan and Eevee's expressions on his shoulder. "It seems Yang Han does have some insight. Come on, follow me, and I'll share some details about your opponent."

"He's a Pingcheng No.1 Middle School student like you. His Beginner Elf is a Little Kabigon. That Pokémon's fat is astonishing; ordinary attacks hardly work on it. Using Little Kabigon, your opponent has already easily gained nineteen consecutive victories in external public battle areas. Of course, his opponents were also New Trainers of the same period, so you don't need to be too tense."

Little Kabigon?

Listening to Mr. Shanmi's reminders along the way, Fang Yuan's thoughts shifted, and he also breathed a sigh of relief.

Indeed, everyone who comes to the Staryao Battle Club is wealthy.

Little Kabigon is known as the Big Stomach King Pokémon, and even on its first day of life, it needs to eat nearly a hundred pounds of food.

It's one thing if you feed it cheap crops like potatoes, sweet potatoes, or corn...

But if you provide a large amount of nutritious food, it's terrifying because not many families can afford it, unless they own a mine.

With sufficient food and nutrients, given Little Kabigon's growth rate, it's indeed a nightmare for most New Trainers. Just the thick layer of fat alone is enough to block the power of many Moves.

It's not surprising for such a Pokémon to achieve nineteen consecutive wins.

However, despite seeming strong, Little Kabigon also has a downside: it's slow-moving.

So Fang Yuan was not worried.

"Just play to the strengths and avoid the weaknesses."

After following Mr. Shanmi into an independent battle room, Fang Yuan already had his strategy in mind.

Stepping into the battle area, Fang Yuan couldn't help feeling excited; this must be his first official battle with Eevee. There was no nervousness, only anticipation. Although they had experienced some battles in the Secret location, wild battles and official battles are incomparable.

"My name is Liu Le."

The plump boy introduced himself first as Fang Yuan entered, exuding great confidence. It seemed he was quite sure of himself; the advantage of Little Kabigon was indeed very significant for a New Trainer, and this also fostered Liu Le's careless attitude.

"My name is Fang Yuan, and you're up next," he said.

Looking at the corpulent Liu Le, Fang Yuan silently thought to himself, it must be nice to be rich...

"Your Eevee is quite cute," said Liu Le with a smile, taking Fang Yuan even less seriously.

"Bwoo..." Eevee nodded proudly.

Fang Yuan: "..."

He's mocking you for being harmless, you fool.

Fang Yuan decided then and there that he would have Eevee do his Chinese homework from now on, to prevent any misunderstandings due to Eevee's illiteracy.

Mr. Shanmi smiled and clapped his hands, interrupting the two as they introduced themselves, "Friendship first, competition second."

"We will be watching from above, and wish you a pleasant battle."

Only then did Fang Yuan notice a middle-aged man sitting in the spectator seats... Could he be Liu Le's parent by any chance?

Ignoring everything else, as soon as the referee arrived, Fang Yuan and Liu Le took their respective positions on either side of the battle field, waiting for the referee's instructions.

"The battlefield is a standard one, and the rules are a 1vs1 match to determine the winner. Now, please let both sides send out their Pokemon."

"Go, Eevee!"

After the referee announced, Eevee hopped down from Fang Yuan's shoulder and curiously eyed the Poké Ball in Liu Le's hand.

"It's up to you, Little Kabigon. Just like before, win the battle and I'll treat you to a lavish feast," said Liu Le.

With that, Liu Le threw his Poké Ball with force. A red light flashed, and the Poké Ball bounced back, which he managed to catch only after fumbling and nearly dropping it, hardly graceful.

Little Kabigon had deep blue skin and a small, pale white belly. On its hind legs, it stood up, its round and big eyes currently shining with longing.

"Kab! Kab!"

Upon hearing his Trainer's promise of a feast, Little Kabigon gazed at Eevee with burning eyes.

Eevee suddenly turned its head and looked at Fang Yuan for some unknown reason.

Watching Eevee gaze at him for a moment before turning back, Fang Yuan felt heartbroken.

This little rascal... might be wanting a feast too.

As the battle started, Liu Le immediately issued an order, "Use Round Move."

Round Move: Tuck in to become round, thereby boosting one's defense.

This move turned Little Kabigon into a ball...

"Hahaha, your kid is quite the character. Are you planning to adopt a passive defense strategy?" Shan Mi laughed from the stands, his keen eye able to tell that Little Kabigon's defensive power was astonishing and that it likely hadn't shied away from high-nutrition food.

"That's pure negative play," commented Liu Dad, shaking his head.

"Let's see how this Fang Yuan figure it out. Logically speaking, with Eevee's offensive moves, it would be very difficult to harm Little Kabigon. This could be a tough fight for him," Shan Mi commented, then shifted his gaze back to Fang Yuan and Eevee.

Yang Han had asked him to coach Fang Yuan, but he didn't know where to begin. Perhaps there would be something to observe in this battle.