Chapter Twenty: Steel—Could It Be That You’ve Awakened Your Instincts?

“It seems you’ve noticed something amiss as well.”
Zhu Suihan spoke calmly, “Don’t worry, it was just three small fry. I’ve already dealt with them. Abi will see for himself when he goes over.”
Joey was surprised. “You dealt with them?”
“I already said they were nobodies. Not worth fussing over.” Zhu Suihan took a seat. “Where’s the young one with the Totodile?”
“He’s still outside the ward, keeping watch. The treatment was a success.” Joey smiled. “I admit, I didn’t take you for a trainer adept at battle. You surprised me.”
“I’m not good at formal battles, but wild fights are another matter.”
Never fight one-on-one if you can gang up. Never go head-on if you can ambush. And if you can hit the trainer along with the Pokémon, don’t waste the opportunity.
If that Heracross knew how to Focus Energy or Swords Dance, Zhu Suihan would have had him buff up completely before sending him into the fray.
Carrying energy cubes in the mouth?
Why not? Why shouldn’t you bring items into a fight? If he hadn’t filled Heracross’s mouth with energy cubes, he’d have worried about combat inconvenience.
Joey understood, looking at Zhu Suihan with a newfound appreciation, as if thinking, “So, you’re one of those crafty types who play by their own rules.”
“Let’s go. Time to head home.”
Zhu Suihan bid her goodbye.
“That trainer wants to meet you.”
“If fate allows, we’ll meet again. He and you, Miss Joey, are the ones who saved Totodile, not me. I was just there for a little excitement.”

...

“Suihan!”
At the school gate, Qianhui waved energetically at Zhu Suihan.
“He’s Qianhui’s brother?”
“So pretty! Maybe that’s her sister.”
“Such beautiful white hair. I’m jealous.”
Stay calm. They’re just kids; it’s normal they’ve no experience.
Zhu Suihan flicked the trembling Poké Ball gently. Lapras was practically giggling inside.
“Let’s go. We’ll pick up something for dinner and head home.”
“Okay!”
On the way, Qianhui asked curiously, “Suihan, were you waiting outside for me the whole time?”
“No, wait.” Zhu Suihan paused. “Did your teacher tell you anything special this afternoon?”
Qianhui nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, they said our parents had to pick us up after school today—absolutely no going home alone.”
“They never said that before! Lots of my classmates live nearby, but even so, the school called all their parents.”
Looks like Abi is taking his Gym Leader duties seriously.
And Denji hasn’t slacked off yet… right?
Who knows if there are any other minor villains lurking around. Abi has to stay vigilant, for the sake of Azalea Town’s people.
Back home, Qianhui and Lapras played in the yard, while Gangtie prepared dinner in the kitchen, half-listening to Zhu Suihan recount the day’s events and nearly cutting his hand in surprise.
“That’s how ancient people battled with Pokémon?!”
Gangtie wondered if Zhu Suihan had awakened some kind of primal instinct!
Flying-types using Hurricane to control the wind, Grass and Poison-types scattering powders and launching long-range attacks, a wild Pokémon roped in to masquerade as an ally, and Lapras lying in wait for a decisive strike.

Such devious battle tactics.
But aside from that, Gangtie was more intrigued by Zhu Suihan’s unusual affinity for wild Pokémon.
In the wild, Pokémon aren’t the sort to warm up just because you feed them.
“No, not exactly.”
Zhu Suihan remembered the Hisui region.
At least back then, Pokémon battles were akin to monster hunting.
Some were hunters, some were monsters, and some were hunter’s prey.
You didn’t always send your own Pokémon into a fight—Hisui folk were more likely to roll up their sleeves and charge in themselves.
And if you ran into a boss, so what? A few sticky balls could take down the mightiest.
“I can’t recall any memories from before, so it probably has nothing to do with my past.”
It was just one way to fight in the wild—victory was all that mattered.
In the special manga, the characters were ruthless in pursuit of victory, stopping at nothing.
The most iconic example early on was Lorelei’s Ice Dolls; Red barely escaped disaster.
Good thing Giovanni, desperate to save his child, provided equipment and tools. (scratch that)
“Still, Azalea Town has always been a magnet for trouble, though maybe not as much as places with rare Pokémon gathering.”
Gangtie said, “In the past, most came for Slowpoke Well. This time, it’s some rare mineral in a small cave.”
Zhu Suihan recalled, “Those two minions mentioned their boss’s Rhydon was good at mineral detection, and his partner was an Onix, probably boosting the effort.”
He didn’t know how the boss had trained his Rhydon, but the Onix’s ability was right there in the Pokédex—it had a magnet in its brain, which made it impossible to get lost underground. Selective breeding for detection was no problem.
“Best to be cautious in the future. You only have Lapras as a partner. If you run into a five-man team or even larger groups, it could be dangerous.”
Gangtie warned, “Not just here in Azalea, but anywhere you go.”
“The League is strong, but they can’t be everywhere at all times. Xuecheng tells me there are odd characters in every region.”
Zhu Suihan nodded. “Thanks. I only went after confirming the Pokémon’s strength. I’ll be careful next time.”
Don’t worry, Mr. Gangtie. I might know more about those oddballs than you do.
As long as the stories elsewhere aren’t as scrambled as I’ve made Kanto’s.
Zhu Suihan carried out the pot while Gangtie set the table.
“Lapras, Qianhui, dinner.”
“Hey, that’s not fair, Suihan! Why did you call Lapras first?”
Qianhui and Lapras tumbled inside, both playful and mischievous at heart.
“You rascal. Eat up.”
Zhu Suihan rapped Qianhui’s head lightly, then beckoned to Lapras.
“Your seat is here. And this is for you.”
Tonight’s dinner included hot soup, so Zhu Suihan made Lapras a large wooden straw—thicker than a bubble tea straw—so she could drink the soup and eat the solids with ease.
“This way it’s less trouble for you to drink.”
Just sip, and the bottom of the straw had a rough stopper that could hook onto the bowl’s rim, so even if Lapras let go, the straw wouldn’t fall in.
Zhu Suihan rubbed his nose. “That’s the best I can do for now. I’ll find someone to make you a better one someday.”
Lapras tried it, then nuzzled Zhu Suihan happily.
Say no more—she was very pleased!

“By the way, Mr. Gangtie, are there any particularly strong wild Pokémon around Azalea’s outskirts?”
Zhu Suihan asked, “All I saw was a Heracross, and he didn’t seem that powerful.”
Lapras nodded as she sipped her soup. That Heracross wasn’t strong, though he was the leader of his small group.
Getting beaten by those three flunkies just meant he wasn’t up to the task.
“There are, but they don’t usually come near Azalea.”
Gangtie replied, “Deep in the woods, there’s a very powerful Ursaring. Quite a few trainers who did well in tournaments have tried to catch him, but all failed.”
Oh, I see—the top four, top eight, top sixteen, all padding Nurse Joey’s workload.
“As for others, I’m not sure. The forest is dense, and aside from trainers, few dare to venture deep inside. Who knows what stronger Pokémon might be hiding there.”
After the meal, Gangtie poured Zhu Suihan a cup of tea.
“Suihan, starting tomorrow, you’ll be learning how to craft Apricorn Balls from me. I’ll take you to drop Qianhui at school, then we’ll head to the Azalea Gym.”
Zhu Suihan was surprised. “At the Gym?”
“Abi’s place is fully equipped. Even though making Apricorn Balls is tricky, modern technology has made it much more accessible.”
Gangtie sighed. “Times have changed. I haven’t much left to teach but experience.”
“You picked up Pokéblocks quickly, and your quality is high. Even if the shapes are a little off, it proves your talent.”
“Conservatively, you’ll have the basics down in a week.”
Zhu Suihan could only nod. He was a complete novice—better listen to the expert.
The cunning transmigrator had dealt with three bit-part villains through trickery and ambush, and naturally gained research points.
[Research Points: 35]
The night passed uneventfully. As usual, Zhu Suihan filled his mind with knowledge to help him sleep, finding it as effective as a math class.
The difference was that, come morning, he’d spend time mastering what he’d learned.
The next day, Lapras poked her head into Qianhui’s room only to be caught in a perfect hug.
“Hehe, didn’t expect that, did you, Lapras?”
“Bwoo.”
Lapras let Qianhui cling to her neck. The little girl was light as a feather—no burden at all.
“Once we’re at the Gym, I’ll be busy, so I’ll ask Abi to let you play in a bigger area.”
Zhu Suihan said, “The crafting process will be complicated for me, but probably boring for you.”
“Bwoo.”
Lapras didn’t mind; after the novelty wore off, she’d come back and keep Zhu Suihan company.
“Let’s go.”
Gangtie stroked Qianhui’s head and then witnessed Pokémon after Pokémon greet Zhu Suihan as they walked.
“Suihan, if you’re this amazing, does that mean I can pick anyone I want as my partner?”
“Qianhui, becoming partners with a Pokémon is about fate. They’ll accompany you all your life, so be sure to choose carefully.”
Gangtie’s preparations probably included all those greetings, because once inside the Gym, none of the apprentices gave Zhu Suihan a second glance.
At least there was no risk of someone mistaking his gender.
Still, the facilities here were excellent—so much better than Elder Liu’s Gym in the snowy underground.
Good thing Elder Liu agreed to move his Gym above ground in Cajin Town; otherwise, even the hardiest body might not withstand it.