Lin Shou was in the middle of a heated mobile Pokémon battle when three "big grey rats" — his affectionate nickname for certain mischievous trainees — managed to slip away unnoticed.
He checked the time. Half an hour. Exactly what I predicted.
The hum of motors announced the arrival of the MK-II mech, wobbling slightly as it rolled forward, clutching a Poké Ball containing Miltank.
"Boss, I called Squirtle for backup and had the robot deliver the Poké Ball itself," came Latina's voice over the MK-II's speakers.
"Thanks, good work," Lin Shou said, closing his game in the middle of his opponent's angry rant after another victory.
He was about to clip the Poké Ball to his belt when Miltank burst out in a flash of light.
"Oh… I forgot to feed you, didn't I? Sorry, I'll sort that out right now." He smacked his forehead.
But instead of nodding, Miltank shook her head and gestured rapidly, clearly trying to communicate something.
"I… don't understand a single thing you're saying," Lin Shou admitted.
—Snap.
Miltank slapped a different Poké Ball on his waist, releasing its occupant, and gestured again.
Blaziken's voice sounded in Lin Shou's mind. "Master, she feels her strength still isn't enough to help Axuan. She wants you to find a way to make her stronger."
"What can I do? Getting stronger is every trainer's and Pokémon's shared goal," Lin Shou said half-heartedly.
Miltank leaned close and whispered something to Blaziken.
"She says… if you have a way, she can provide free Moomoo Milk," Blaziken translated.
Lin Shou's drowsiness vanished. Moomoo Milk wasn't just a drink — it was a miracle. A single bottle restored 70 HP. Considering Lin Shou's entire HP bar was only 69, that meant one bottle could fully heal him, two would keep exhaustion at bay for hours, and three… well, immortality wasn't out of the question.
"Alright, wait here. I'll make it happen," Lin Shou said, patting Miltank's shoulder with a confident grin. When Boss Lin agreed, nothing was impossible.
"Mooo~" Miltank narrowed her eyes and smiled.
"Love-struck fool…" Blaziken muttered under her breath.
Thinking of Miltank brought back a vivid, bitter memory for Lin Shou — the evil Gym Leader from the old games. She'd charm male Pokémon with Attract, then crush them with Rollout. Just when you thought you'd won, she'd use Milk Drink to recover everything. The trauma had been so bad that young Lin Shou swore to always choose Fire-type starters… and even reset his game if he didn't get a female one to avoid the risk.
The thought made an evil grin curl his lips.
"You're level 28 now," he told Miltank. "At level 35, you can learn Milk Drink — heals half your HP every time you use it. Keep Attract, Seismic Toss, and Rollout as is."
Reality didn't limit Pokémon to only four moves like the games did, but this move set alone already made her dangerous. Still, he wanted something more… something that would push her to the next tier.
He flipped through his ability entry list. Only Poison Sting was incompatible with Miltank — and using that on her would risk her poisoning Axuan, which would earn Lin Shou a well-deserved beating.
"Blaziken, you train with her for level-ups. I'll handle everything else," Lin Shou decided.
Blaziken smirked. "Sounds fun." She led Miltank away to start drills.
Left alone, Lin Shou returned to his entries. He had three useless white-tier ones left. Seventeen more, and he could craft a powerful blue-tier entry. Then he saw it:
Cute Charm (Blue) — When a Pokémon of the opposite gender uses a contact move against this Pokémon, there's a 30% chance it becomes infatuated.
A slow grin spread across his face. If Miltank had Cute Charm, she wouldn't just be strong — she'd be the undisputed queen of the "pink demon" archetype.
"I'll get this for her in the next two days," he murmured. "Axuan's going to be so surprised."
Seventeen more white entries meant defeating about 30 Pokémon — easy enough. With over a hundred fans now, all he had to do was announce it online and they'd come running.
Miracle Training Gym: [Friends, the host will challenge 50 elite Pokémon live! Limited to 50 participants — sign up now!]
Within minutes, his inbox exploded.
Boss, I'm in!What's the prize if we win?
He thought for a moment, deciding it was only fair to sweeten the deal.
Miracle Training Gym: [Update — All participants get 100 Alliance Coins or one free hour in our premium battle arena! Beat me, and you get a free one-month membership!]
Hosting a few extra people was no loss — in fact, it was practically free publicity. Within thirty minutes, every spot was filled. One fan was even traveling from a thousand kilometers away.
Miracle Training Gym: [Thanks for the enthusiastic sign-up! The friendly match will be this Saturday. Let's have fun!]
"Perfect," Lin Shou said, settling into his rocking chair and firing up another game.
[Bite—]
A private message popped up from Zhou Ze: Why didn't you tell me in advance? I was ready to get revenge for last time!
Lin Shou broke into a sweat. His last win had been thanks to Zhou Ze's unpreparedness. If Zhou Ze had scouted a new powerhouse Pokémon, things could get ugly.
He typed back: Next time. Guess your reaction speed wasn't fast enough.
[Bite—]
Zhou Ze: Are you free today? Let's battle. I've got something else to ask you.
Lin Shou groaned inwardly. The "something else" was obviously just an excuse to get payback.
Fine, he replied. But I haven't had lunch yet.
Zhou Ze: I'll send you a quiet restaurant so you can eat first.
Lin Shou: I've also got an employee I promised free food and lodging to…
Zhou Ze: The little girl from last time? Bring her too.
Lin Shou's eyes narrowed. Zhou Ze's bluntness meant one of two things — he'd either found an insanely strong Pokémon… or he genuinely needed help. Either way, trouble was coming.