Chapter 206:
"Jirachi?" (When they fight, why don't they attack the humans first?)
In the contestants' area, Hayashi Kaede held Alolan Vulpix in his arms, with Jirachi floating beside him. It looked puzzled at the two Trainers battling on the field.
The two humans stood on opposite sides, their Pokémon being a Throh and a Sawk.
Both were Fighting-type Pokémon, so there were no flashy long-range moves—just pure physical collisions from start to finish.
Each punch and kick landed with force.
But what Jirachi didn't understand was: Since it's a fight, why didn't they go after the humans behind them first?
This was a question it had since yesterday.
"Attack the humans?"
Hearing this, Hayashi Kaede was momentarily stunned, but he quickly realized that Jirachi's last awakening was a thousand years ago.
Back then, in human history, the Pokémon League was still a distant concept.
Battles between Pokémon were often for survival or inter-tribal conflicts.
He patiently explained: "Pokémon battles today are no longer just about fighting for territory or essential resources."
"Most Pokémon partnered with humans in this world won't go hungry."
"As for why battles still happen, it's mainly because some Pokémon have inherently competitive natures that need an outlet."
"There's no need to fight for survival like in the past."
"Jirachi? Everyone can eat their fill?"
Jirachi was taken aback, then thought about what it saw yesterday and today, and it seemed true.
Those tall, massive buildings had all sorts of places selling food and clothes.
If everyone could eat their fill and didn't have to worry about winter, then naturally, they wouldn't fight for survival anymore.
This was easy to understand.
Jirachi fell silent.
Hayashi Kaede also felt empathetic for the harsh survival required in ancient times.
In fact, the productivity of the Pokémon world was very high.
This productivity wasn't just reflected in food supply—Grass-type Pokémon could easily sense the condition of plants.
There was also electricity, construction, textiles...
In many industries related to human life, Pokémon could help.
For example, with electricity, often one Electivire, paired with a few other Electric-type Pokémon, could power an entire city.
A few hundred Caterpie or a few dozen Wooloo could produce tens of thousands of garments.
And they'd be silk or wool, no less.
Dozens of kilometers of roads could be built in half a month.
So, in this world, as long as you were diligent, you could live very comfortably.
Standard work hours were often 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Everyone lived quite peacefully under these conditions.
Like the workload Hayashi Kaede had at the breeding house earlier—it far exceeded the average for plantation owners in this world.
Converted to his previous world, he'd be called a "workaholic."
But even in such a world, initially, they still had to fight for survival resources.
This wasn't about productivity but the lack of information support for utilizing productivity.
Shaking his head, Hayashi Kaede didn't dwell on it further and turned his attention to the match.
It seemed the outcome between Throh and Sawk was about to be decided.
In terms of energy level, Sawk seemed slightly inferior, so it ended up with more severe injuries, which became the tipping point for its loss.
Each battle lasted five minutes; twenty matches could be held in an hour.
That meant the first round would take about three hours.
Takagi Megumi, watching beside him, was fired up, cheering loudly for whoever, lost in the excitement.
Alolan Vulpix in his arms was also watching such battles for the first time, quite interested in the action on the field.
Indeed, a lively atmosphere easily stirred up emotions.
Hayashi Kaede felt his own mood rising.
Down below, match after match passed, allowing Hayashi Kaede to observe various Pokémon battles from the closest vantage point in the contestants' area.
This felt different from the previous Baby Cup he participated in.
Because the Junior Cup, no matter what, required screening. The Trainers here had better understanding of Pokémon battles.
It also tested the Trainers' ability to perform under pressure.
In such situations, some Trainers could still issue commands that caught the eye.
Time passed quietly, and soon it was Takagi Megumi's turn, as her number was earlier.
Before heading down, she took a deep breath and looked at Jirachi and Hayashi Kaede.
"Jirachi, Hayashi Kaede..."
"Mhmm."
"Jirachi?"
"Cheer for me!" Takagi Megumi looked nervously at Hayashi Kaede and Jirachi.
The scale of this competition was different from last time. The previous Baby Cup had at most a few hundred spectators, but this time was different.
Just the spectator stands behind them held thousands, even tens of thousands of people.
Plus, her parents were also there, so it was natural for her to feel nervous.
"Go for it~ At least have faith in your Wartortle, okay?"
Hayashi Kaede patted the girl's shoulder, offering encouragement.
"Jirachi~"
"I can make a wish~" Jirachi also offered its idea.
"No need, I'll do it myself!"
Takagi Megumi waved at Jirachi and ran down.
In fact, Hayashi Kaede wasn't worried at all about whether Wartortle and Takagi Megumi could win this match. Because, based on past Junior Cups, Gym Leader-level Pokémon usually only appeared around the semifinals or top 16.
Unless she was extremely unlucky, and ran into a Pokémon with Water Absorb, since, as far as he knew, Wartortle wasn't proficient in moves of other types.
Or if she encountered a Trainer who had raised only one Pokémon to Gym Leader level.
But even then, her Wartortle could hold its own.
Sure enough, after she went down, the opponent's Trainer sent out a Charmeleon around levels 22–24.
This surprised Hayashi Kaede a bit, because in the Tōka region, beginners with Charizard weren't that common, and most were inland rather than in coastal areas.
Coastal areas had ample sunlight, so Bulbasaur were more prevalent.
With type advantage, plus energy level suppression, Takagi Megumi didn't need any special tactics—just simple Rain Dance and Water Gun sufficed.
However, even with such a straightforward battle, she was visibly excited when she returned with Wartortle.
Perhaps... for a novice Trainer, every victorious battle was worth remembering?
As he pondered, the Poké Ball at Hayashi Kaede's waist trembled slightly.
He looked down.
It was Serperior's.
"Do you want to come out, Serperior?"