Strictly speaking, the destructive power displayed by Magikarp wasn't exactly earth-shattering—it had merely broken through a thin sheet of pinewood.
Sure, pine was decently sturdy, but it wasn't anywhere close to steel.
For comparison, even a newly hatched Piplup, still in its baby form, could crack a steel plate.
So in terms of raw damage, Magikarp's strike wasn't particularly impressive.
As for that burst of speed?
Well, Magikarp has always been fast, just in a way no one ever noticed—after all, no matter how high it jumps with Splash, all it really does is send up a few extra droplets of water. Useless, right?
But that wasn't the point.
The real shock was this:
Zhou Xiaofei had actually trained his Magikarp into learning Tackle—a move it should only acquire at Level 15!
Su Bai was absolutely certain: that was Tackle, the most basic offensive move nearly all Pokémon start with.
Even then, Magikarp normally needed to reach Level 15 just to learn it.
But the Magikarp in front of him? There was no way it had reached that level yet.
That was the real miracle.
To give context—Fletchling evolves into Fletchinder at Level 17.
Ding Yue's Fletchling had to survive a siege of death beasts and go through rigorous combat training before it could finally evolve mid-battle against a Growlithe!
Yet Zhou Xiaofei's Magikarp had never fought a single battle.
Its progress came purely from dedicated training!
"Guess that proves it—games are just games, but reality's a whole different story."
"In a game, no matter how hard you train a Magikarp, it'd never learn Tackle early."
"But here? The outcome's unpredictable and amazing…"
Su Bai watched as Zhou Xiaofei enthusiastically directed Magikarp to smash into pine boards again and again, unable to stop himself from nodding in approval.
Diancie practically danced in place beside him.
"Right? Right? I told you Xiao Fei could do it!" she cheered.
"Magikarp really pulled through too! It felt Xiao Fei's emotions and didn't let him down!"
"I'm so happy for them both!"
Meloetta waved her arms at the screen, cheering with joy.
Inside the pet shop, everyone was genuinely excited for Zhou Xiaofei's success.
Inside the Training Grounds.
Zhou Xiaofei rushed forward with a bright smile, scooping up his large fishy partner.
"We did it, Magikarp! We did it!!"
He quickly opened his Pokédex, eyes locking on the stats section.
Alongside the usual "Splash" move, a new entry had appeared.
Tackle
It was the most basic of basic skills—but to Zhou Xiaofei, it felt like they'd just climbed a mountain.
He reached into his bag, pulled out a freshly made Pokéblock, and held it up to Magikarp's mouth.
"Here! Eat up and regain some energy!"
"We're running out of time—if we sleep too late, we won't have energy to work tomorrow!"
"After all, I'm an Outstanding Employee of the Pokémon Center!"
His youthful face radiated pride.
Clearly, that title—"Outstanding Employee"—meant a lot to him.
Su Bai chuckled softly as he watched Zhou Xiaofei talking proudly to his Magikarp.
That "Outstanding Employee" award? He'd made it up and handed it to the kid himself.
Because no matter how mature Zhou Xiaofei tried to act, he was still just a child.
And children… need encouragement.
Ever since receiving that little certificate, Zhou Xiaofei had doubled his effort in both training and work.
"See that? That's youth right there."
Su Bai laughed, "All that passion and drive—it really is the most important thing."
But then, something strange happened on the monitor.
"Wait, what's he doing now…?"
Su Bai frowned, puzzled.
After feeding Magikarp the Pokéblock, Zhou Xiaofei didn't return to smashing boards.
Instead, he picked up Magikarp and headed toward the far side of the Water-type training grounds.
The system's blueprints had included a wide variety of terrain simulations.
And now Zhou Xiaofei stood before…
An artificial waterfall.
The crashing cascade pounded into the pool below, sending mist and foam into the air.
He gently placed Magikarp into the water, then pointed straight at the falls.
"Alright! Since you've already proven your strength, it's time to take things to the next level!"
"Our new goal: Conquer that waterfall!"
Zhou Xiaofei felt unstoppable.
With his finger pointed at the torrent of water, he looked every bit the heroic protagonist.
Magikarp blinked at him.
Then it looked at the waterfall.
Right on cue, the force of the water knocked a loose rock off the ledge above.
It crashed into the water with a violent splash.
Magikarp stared at the water… then back at its tiny trainer.
"My Trainer's brain… might be broken," its blank expression seemed to say.
Conquer that waterfall?
Magikarp wasn't brave—it was just dumb. And even it knew this was crazy.
Zhou Xiaofei saw the hesitation in Magikarp's body language and clenched his fists.
"Come on, Magikarp! You can do it!"
"I've prepared for this moment!"
He pulled out a healing Berry from his bag.
"I bought this myself, even pre-paid some of my salary just to get it. If you get scared, just keep it in your mouth. If you get hurt, eat it right away!"
"Even if you fail, it's okay!"
He showed Magikarp a collection of recovery items and potions, bottles and jars carefully spread out on the ground.
"I've got healing supplies ready—and the medical machine isn't far! You'll be fine!"
Zhou Xiaofei clearly saw Magikarp as a treasure.
He would never have pushed it to do something dangerous unless he'd thoroughly prepared for it.
The day he saw that Fletchling defeat stronger foes and then evolve… it left a deep mark on him.
If that Fletchling was worth 400,000, then his Magikarp was worth 200,000—and no less!
He was just an orphan, and yet he'd become a proud employee of the Pokémon Center.
So he believed, with every ounce of faith, that Magikarp could also break its limits!
Watching all of this unfold on screen, Su Bai facepalmed.
"So that's why he asked to borrow money…"
"Poor Magikarp…"
But thinking again, even if it looked like Zhou Xiaofei was forcing Magikarp to do something it didn't want, this… was training.
Few creatures ever want to push themselves.
If a Trainer just pampers their Pokémon endlessly, all they'll have is a pet, not a real partner.
Su Bai had once feared that Zhou Xiaofei might smother Magikarp with love and never help it grow.
But now, it was clear—
Zhou Xiaofei was born to be a Trainer.
He had deep empathy for his Pokémon—but he never treated them like toys or pets.
If that's the case…
Maybe Zhou Xiaofei really could create a miracle.
Back Inside the Arena.
Magikarp's instincts screamed danger.
Its brain told it to flee.
That waterfall was terrifying!
But Zhou Xiaofei's voice kept calling.
With great effort, Magikarp began to wiggle forward… and then slowly swam toward the foot of the waterfall.
Watching this from the monitor, Su Bai held his breath.
Then Zhou Xiaofei thrust out his hand and shouted:
"Let's go, Magikarp!"
"Use Splash—and clear that waterfall!"
Magikarp's eyes remained blank, but its body responded.
Its tail swung powerfully.
It struck the water with force—
—and its body launched into the air—
Straight into the heart of the waterfall!
(End of Chapter)