Sprigatito could faintly sense that something about its body had changed over the past two days after being captured by Aarav.
But it was only after actual combat that it realized—
This wasn't just a change.
It was practically a mutation.
Without access to the system's detailed information, Sprigatito naturally had no idea that this was still the result of only partial buffs, with several major Bonds yet to be activated.
Its current state was achieved solely through the effects of the Chosen Emblem, Trinity Force, and Bloodthirster.
The Chosen Emblem and Trinity Force together provided Sprigatito with over a 50% boost to all attributes, while Bloodthirster granted it the crucial ability to sustain itself in battle.
With just these three enhancements alone, even without a qualitative leap in combat power, dealing with a few beginner-level Mankey was effortless.
Even though it didn't understand the full truth, Sprigatito knew one thing clearly—
All of this had to do with Aarav.
He had given it meticulous care and warmth, restored its dignity as a battle Pokémon, and dramatically improved its strength.
At this moment, Aarav's status in Sprigatito's heart had risen to an incomparable height.
A warrior dies for the one who truly understands him.
Though it had never heard this saying, Sprigatito understood the meaning.
Its eyes sparkled with faint light as it made a silent vow.
It would accompany Aarav to a peak that no one else could ever reach.
——————
Meanwhile, after deducing the most likely situation, Aarav—who had unconsciously taken on the role of Ash—was no longer in a hurry to rush back and check on things.
The main reason was simple: there was no way to contact Sprigatito anyway. Even if he went back now, he wouldn't be able to find it.
Safety wasn't much of a concern either. Sprigatito had survived in the wild around the school for more than half a year. Even when it was isolated, hadn't it still managed just fine?
Not to mention its current state after receiving buffs from the system's Bond equipment.
If the kid wanted to play, let it play.
After all, the Dark-type Bond required Fear points gained by defeating Pokémon. Instead of worrying unnecessarily, it was better for Aarav to focus on class while letting Sprigatito farm Fear points in the wild.
Modern Pokémon breeding studies even suggested that among groups of similar Pokémon raised in the same way, those that battled more frequently—without being pushed beyond their physical limits—tended to grow slightly faster in strength.
In other words, although reality wasn't like a game where battling directly increased experience and levels, it still had a similar, albeit weakened, effect.
So right now, Sprigatito really was "grinding monsters and leveling up."
That was what Aarav thought.
But then again, defeating a single Pokémon—especially when punching above its level—only granted a fraction of a Fear point.
To stack that up to one hundred layers would take months, wouldn't it?
And one hundred layers was just the starting line for Fear.
According to the mechanics of Teamfight Tactics, opening a truly valuable Fear Chest required stacking several hundred layers.
In the short term—forget months, it would take at least two or three years to reach that level.
Still, no matter what, Aarav's "win-streak harvest" plan had finally taken its crucial first step.
So during the entire Pokémon Mythology class, he spent his time listening to the system's voice repeatedly announce:
"Sprigatito has defeated Mankey."
It felt strangely similar to the joy of farming gold in an idle game.
Of course, Aarav didn't forget that this happiness was built on Sprigatito's effort and sweat.
From that perspective, capturing an abandoned Pokémon wasn't such a bad thing.
Pokémon like this were often more sensible than completely untrained ones—and sometimes even trained themselves.
By the end of the morning, Sprigatito's final record was five Mankey defeated, accumulating a total of 1.1 Fear points.
In battle terms, that was equivalent to a terrifying "one-versus-five" sweep.
Even with the system's assistance, achieving such results while fighting higher-level opponents was no easy feat.
So who said Sprigatito was useless?
Sprigatito was amazing.
As for whether it would return safely, Aarav wasn't too worried.
First, he figured that if the system reported victories, it would probably also notify him of defeats.
Second, he knew Sprigatito was a very sensible little cat.
After months of knowing each other, no matter how battered it got, it always managed to crawl back to his dorm around nine in the evening with a body that was still reasonably healthy.
Its fighting ability might only be around A–B rank, but its escape ability was definitely S+.
Sure enough, when Aarav finished his morning classes and returned to the dorm with a nutritious lunch and medicine, Sprigatito was already waiting inside as if nothing had happened.
Though it tried to act calm and had groomed its fur neatly before Aarav arrived, its slightly unsteady steps and several clearly fresh wounds betrayed it.
"So you ran out on your own to train in real combat without telling me, just so I wouldn't worry, huh? You little rascal…"
Aarav rubbed Sprigatito's head as it came to greet him, then took out the medicine he had bought on the way back.
While applying the medicine, he frowned and said, "I told you, didn't I? Whatever you want to do, I'll support you. So don't hide things like this from me again. Don't make me worry."
"Meow…"
Sprigatito, half guilty and half touched, lowered its head obediently and accepted his scolding.
But then it suddenly remembered something. Its expression turned surprised, and it looked up at Aarav suspiciously.
"Meow?"
Wait. You even brought medicine back.
So how did you know I went out fighting this morning?
Reading Sprigatito's gaze, Aarav felt slightly guilty. He looked left and right, forcing an awkward half-smile.
When you know the other person is lying but can't expose them—because the way you know the truth is also a secret.jpg
——————
Compared to later semesters, freshman courses were relatively relaxed. Aarav had no classes in the afternoon.
Originally, he had planned to spend the free time editing videos. Instead, he took Sprigatito to Silver Department Store and bought a portable Pokémon tracker.
This high-tech device, hidden inside a collar tag, could not only display Sprigatito's exact location on Aarav's phone app, but also monitor its physical data and status in real time.
If necessary, Aarav could even communicate with Sprigatito through the device.
It was practically essential equipment for Pokémon like Sprigatito that loved roaming outside.
Of course, the price was as beautiful as its functionality.
But Aarav bought it without hesitation.
With this on Sprigatito, he could finally feel more at ease when it went out to "train" on its own.
After that, Aarav and Sprigatito established their own "three rules" for independent training—
Don't provoke Pokémon far stronger than yourself.
Leave combat before stamina or condition is fully exhausted.
Every half hour, meow three times at the tracker so Aarav can confirm safety.
And return home before dark.
As for why the "three rules" had four clauses—
Everyone knows the Four Heavenly Kings have five members, so having four rules in a "three-rule agreement" is perfectly reasonable, right?
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