The Combee fluttered in excitement, their eyes lighting up at the sight of the flower grove ahead. When they noticed the two trees nearby exuding a sweet, honeyed aroma, they buzzed even more cheerfully.
"What do you think? Like it?"
Lin Feng stood behind them, speaking softly.
"Bzzz... bzzz..." (The flowers... smell so good...)
One of the Combee turned its head toward Lin Feng. The others followed, their previously innocent eyes turning serious with a sudden sense of purpose. As if declaring their loyalty, they flew in a circle around him.
Then they looked back at the flower grove, seeming to ask, "Can we start collecting honey now?"
"Huh?"
Lin Feng was momentarily dazed but nodded anyway.
With that, the Combee buzzed happily into the sea of flowers and began working.
Lin Feng could almost feel what they were thinking: "So many flowers if we don't start now, we won't be able to finish in time!"
"…They're... working that hard?"
Watching the Combee busily flitting from blossom to blossom, Lin Feng suddenly felt a pang of guilt.
His whole plan had always been to teach his Pokémon how to manage the ranch so he could slack off a bit more. Compared to the diligent Combee, he really was just a lazy caretaker.
He turned to look behind him.
Sure enough, Gardevoir was already giving him that look a wordless "seriously?" kind of stare, enhanced by their psychic link.
She was probably wondering how a Trainer could possibly be this lazy.
Though in truth, Gardevoir's thoughts were a bit different: "With how hardworking those Combee are, he'll definitely earn a lot from this."
"He actually looks pretty happy doing this…"
From her perspective, Lin Feng wasn't just running a breeding center for profit. He was always thinking of ways to improve the place without neglecting the feelings of his Pokémon.
Every single Pokémon that joined the ranch he'd do his best to fulfill their wishes, resolve their troubles, and make sure they were well-fed with tasty food.
Wasn't that the definition of a dedicated Trainer?
So that "strange look" in her eyes was actually... fondness.
"..."
After a moment of silence, Lin Feng gave an awkward laugh. "Ahaha... so efficient... what hardworking Combee…"
"Garde." (Yes. Very diligent.)
Gardevoir merely nodded, making Lin Feng feel even more awkward.
To shake off the tension, he busied himself adjusting the wind curtain so the Combee could fly in and out more easily.
Then he went to the kitchen, steamed up some green dumplings, and fed all the Pokémon their afternoon treats. By the time he was done, it was already two in the afternoon.
He finished feeding Milotic in the reservoir, then had Gardevoir teleport them both back to Grapevine Town.
Grapevine Town – Central Plaza
The plaza was massive an enormous circular space with a marble battlefield at its center. The arena had been specially constructed by Madam Shufen, the owner of Honeygrape Ranch, to give Pokémon a proper space to train and battle.
Right now, however, the entire area was cordoned off.
Only the Trainers participating in the upcoming Battle Gauntlet were allowed inside, each of them accompanied by their partner Pokémon. Officers with Arcanine stood watch, maintaining order.
Outside the plaza, a massive crowd had gathered.
In this world, Pokémon battles never lacked an audience. They were the purest form of adrenaline.
But Lin Feng, surprisingly, felt no excitement. He was completely calm none of the typical Trainer's fiery anticipation before a match.
Mostly thanks to the Gardevoir beside him, whose presence gave him total confidence.
This was a battle where the outcome was already determined.
All that was left... was to enjoy the show.
Registering for the Gauntlet was simple: just show your Professional Trainer's license.
It was a credential typically earned while traveling, requiring victories against four city-level gyms.
Naturally, Lin Feng didn't have one.
But he could still join the tournament under an alternate rule: if you had a fully-evolved Pokémon from a three-stage evolution line, you were eligible.
Like Pidgey —> Pidgeotto —> Pidgeot.
Any Pokémon that could evolve into Pidgeot was considered strong enough to rule over its territory in the wild.
The person in charge of verifying entries was Madam Shufen. When she saw Lin Feng and his Gardevoir, she simply gave a knowing smile and waved them through.
Once inside the plaza, Lin Feng began scanning the competition.
"Pidgeot... huh. Why does it look like it's half the size of mine?"
"Muk... Weezing? Wait a second, is that Trainer from Team Rocket?"
"An Alakazam? Whoa, that's a high-level one…"
From what he could see, most of the Pokémon here were final evolutions.
This was no casual event the lineup here rivaled a full-blown provincial league.
"You really showed up, kid!"
A familiar voice called out. It was the big guy Lin Feng had spoken to at lunch, striding over with his Machamp still at his side.
Lin Feng smiled politely, but before he could say anything, the man launched into his pitch.
"So, what do you think about what I said earlier? Tempted to raise a muscle Pokémon of your own?"
As he spoke, he pulled a Poké Ball from his belt and released it.
A Grumpig popped out.
But instead of the usual chubby appearance, this one had... biceps. You could see the muscle tone in its arms, and even a hint of abs beneath its belly.
Lin Feng's eye twitched.
It was clear now this guy really had a thing for muscle Pokémon.
He declined as politely as he could. "Cough... I think I'll stick with fluffy Pokémon."
"That's a shame!" the man said, looking genuinely disappointed. Then he chuckled, "But don't worry. Once you and your Gardevoir witness my Machamp's power, you'll understand just how glorious muscle can be."
Lin Feng: "…"
You mean... your level 41 Machamp is going to take on my level 82 Gardevoir?
Or are you trying to turn Gardevoir into a muscle queen?
I mean sure, she can learn Ice Punch, Fire Punch, Thunder Punch...
The guy was about to keep pushing the idea, when suddenly
SWOOSH!
A sharp sound tore through the air above, catching everyone's attention. Heads turned skyward as a yellow blur shot across the sky, zooming past Grapevine Town in an instant.
A collective sigh of relief followed.
It was clearly an extremely powerful Pokémon. Had it actually landed in town, today's event might have been canceled on the spot.
But Lin Feng froze.
That aura... he knew it well.
"Whew..." the muscle fanatic beside him also exhaled. "Must've just been a passing Trainer. No way someone's that unlucky last year a Champion showed up, and now another one?"
But before he could finish
SWOOSH!
The yellow blur came screaming back... headed straight for them.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————
Love the story? Show your support and unlock early access to new chapters by joining me on Patreon! and if we hit every 250 Power Stones, a bonus chapter drops!
[email protected]/_tey
Change @ to a.