Forcing a bond with Pokémon was never the goal. Su Feng encouraged his students to meet potential partners, not to demand obedience. Of course, capturing required Poké Balls—generously, Su Feng provided three per student. Thirty Balls for ten trainees.
[Live Chat Reactions]
[So jealous! Not just the Balls, but Su Feng's personal guidance!]
[Each Ball costs 200 bucks… That's 6,000 total!]
[Why can't I ever get this lucky?!]
Su Feng chuckled. "Don't worry. Once the Pokémon Academy opens, everyone will get these resources."
He also distributed generic Poké Puffs—less tasty than specialty ones but irresistible to wild Pokémon. Food was key to building trust.
Students scattered, agreeing to regroup by sunset.
Cheng Meng, a researcher accompanying her sister Xiao Die, trudged to a sunlit meadow. Exhausted from months of nonstop work, she collapsed onto the grass, her notebook shielding her face from the sun.
"Aren't you looking for a partner?" Xiao Die asked, already used to her sister's lethargy.
Cheng Meng waved lazily. "You go. I'll nap."
Xiao Die left with Xiao Da, whose Snorlax and Miltank made her the group's strongest. A Machop stood guard nearby, vigilant despite Cheng Meng's snores.
Hours Later
"Machop! Machop!"
Groggy, Cheng Meng heard her guardian arguing with another Pokémon. Removing the notebook from her face, she blinked at a black-and-white creature with gentle eyes—an Indeedee, undocumented in Su Feng's Pokédex.
The Indeedee curtsied like a noblewoman. "Dee~"
Cheng Meng hesitantly waved. "Hi…?"
After a heated debate with Machop, Indeedee knelt beside Cheng Meng and began untangling her messy hair with clumsy three-fingered paws.
"Here." Cheng Meng handed over an ornate wooden comb carved with butterflies—a gift from Xiao Die urging her to "tidy up."
Indeedee's eyes sparkled. Spotting cosmetics in Cheng Meng's bag, it gestured pleadingly.
"Go ahead," Cheng Meng yawned.
For thirty minutes, Indeedee worked miracles: styling hair, applying subtle makeup, even giving a massage. Cheng Meng emerged revitalized, her stress melted away.
"Thank you," she murmured, touched.
Indeedee glowed, nourished by her gratitude. "Dee~!"
Cheng Meng glanced at her unused Poké Balls. For the first time, she wondered: Maybe a partner isn't so bad…