Chapter 5: Surprising Discovery
Unconsciously, the Sun had already set into the West Mountain.
After fighting for most of the afternoon, both Bai Ye and the Fletchling were exhausted, lying sprawled on the Grassland.
Bai Feng sat down next to them and gave each of them a Golden Finger Massage, which not only relieved their Fatigue but also purified the Origin Energy within their bodies. The benefits were numerous.
Compared to Bai Ye, the Fletchling had much less Origin Energy in their bodies, so Bai Feng's work of sorting and purifying was naturally much easier. It didn't take long to finish the Healing Treatment for all the Fletchling.
The Fletchling flew up, chirping their thanks to Bai Feng, clearly satisfied with the "Wage" Bai Feng had given them.
"Will you come again tomorrow? If you do, the treatment will be the same as today." Bai Feng asked the Fletchling.
Training requires perseverance. The Fletchling performed very well today, and Bai Feng was extremely satisfied with their work attitude, so he intended to sign a Long-Term Contract with them.
When the Fletchling heard about this good opportunity, they immediately agreed excitedly and arranged with Bai Feng to meet here again tomorrow.
At this moment, Bai Ye was utterly resigned. Thinking about having to go through this every day from now on, it felt like its Pokémon life was hopeless.
When Bai Feng arrived home, he happened to meet Fuyu returning from School. Seeing Bai Feng and Bai Ye coming back from the Hillside, he asked, "Bai Feng, did you and Bai Ye go out for Training?"
"Yes." Bai Feng nodded, still speaking a little haltingly.
Fuyu then asked casually, "Does Bai Feng want to become a Trainer in the future?"
Bai Feng shook his head honestly, "I don't know... I haven't decided yet."
Fuyu nodded and said no more, walking into the Courtyard with Bai Feng. However, there was a hint of envy in his unintentional glance towards Bai Ye.
During dinner that evening, Dean Meili asked Fuyu, "Fuyu, I heard your School is filling out future intentions forms recently. Have you thought about what you want to do in the future?"
Fuyu was about to turn ten. Ten years old is one of the most important turning points in life for children in the Pokémon World, as they face the choice of whether or not to become a Trainer in the future.
Most children complete their Primary Education by the age of ten. To continue with Secondary Education, they must face a Career Choice.
If you aspire to become a Trainer (here, Trainer is a general term, including various professions such as traditional Trainers, Coordinators, Breeders, etc.), you either choose to travel and compete with your Pokémon, or you stay at School and choose the Pokémon Department to study more in-depth Pokémon knowledge.
If you want to pursue other industries, you choose the General Department to continue studying until you graduate from Secondary Education, then you can go out and work. If you want to obtain a higher degree and study more specialized knowledge, you can also strive to get into a Higher Education Institution for further studies.
For ordinary residents of the Pokémon World, Primary Education and Secondary Education are Compulsory Education, which everyone pursuing a non-Trainer profession must complete.
Now, Fuyu, who was almost ten, was facing such a life choice.
"I've already thought about it," Fuyu replied to Dean Meili without hesitation. "I want to choose the General Department and graduate early to go out and work."
Dean Meili advised him, "This concerns your future, you must think carefully."
Fuyu nodded, "I know, I've been thinking about it for a long time. Please don't worry."
Just then, Xiaoyou, who was diligently eating, suddenly looked up with a confused expression and said, "Brother Fuyu, didn't you used to tell us you wanted to become a Trainer like the Elite Four in the future?"
Looking at the rice grains stuck to Xiaoyou's face, Fuyu gently wiped them clean for him, then explained, "Those were just jokes from when we were little. How could becoming one of the Elite Four be that easy?"
Xiaoyou said in a childlike tone, "Oh, well, I'm definitely going to be one of the Elite Four in the future. I'm not joking."
Hearing this, Fuyu said nothing more, but turned to look at Bai Feng across the table and said, "Bai Feng, practice speaking properly. When you can communicate with others without much trouble, I'll take you to School."
"Okay, thank you... Fuyu." Bai Feng nodded.
At this moment, Dean Meili said with satisfaction, "Our Fuyu is becoming more and more like a big brother."
Hearing this, a rare hint of shyness appeared on Fuyu's usually expressionless face.
In the blink of an eye, another week passed. This week, Bai Feng took Bai Ye to fight with the Fletchling in the Small Woods behind the Hillside every day, and Bai Ye's progress was quite significant.
Initially, facing the attacks of over ten Fletchling, it could only counterattack clumsily. After each battle, it was covered in injuries and exhausted to the point of collapse.
But as time went on, and as it became more proficient in using the few Moves it knew, its performance in battle became increasingly effortless.
Its mother's personality was indeed lazy, but it must be said that Pokémon like Gardevoir are inherently excellent. As long as they are properly supervised, they can still take off no matter how lazy they are.
Moreover, the Strength of the Fletchling was not static. With Bai Feng helping them purify and condense their Origin Energy, the Fletchling's Strength also advanced by leaps and bounds.
Even their appearance underwent Variation. The notable features were increased vitality, and their Coat Color became brighter and more lustrous. Their appearance was truly stunning within the entire Fletchling community.
After the battle that day, Bai Feng, as usual, used his Golden Finger to help the Fletchling relieve Fatigue. At the same time, a thought suddenly struck him:
Hey~ With this Golden Finger, isn't the most suitable profession for me a massage therapist? With my skills, wouldn't it be unreasonable not to charge 9999 for a session? How about... opening a Healing Treatment center in the future?
Just as Bai Feng was letting his thoughts wander, a strong white light suddenly erupted from the Fletchling in his hand, giving the distracted him a real fright.
But he quickly realized that the Fletchling was about to evolve.
Evolution again?
Bai Feng couldn't help but think of the Magikarp that had also 'worked' for him. Could his Golden Finger also have the effect of promoting Pokémon Evolution? Otherwise, it couldn't be this coincidental, right? After all, Pokémon don't just evolve whenever they want.
The other Fletchling also noticed what was happening with Bai Feng. They all gathered around, landing on Bai Feng's head, shoulders, thighs... chirping excitedly as they discussed their friend's situation, their words full of excitement.
Within the white light, the Fletchling's body grew larger and larger, more than doubling in size in the blink of an eye. When the white light completely dissipated, a more majestic Bird-like Pokémon appeared before everyone.
Fletchinder!
"Ya~ goo~"
Fletchinder excitedly flew up from Bai Feng, flapping its wings and circling back and forth in the air, venting its unspeakable excitement.
Seeing this, all the other Fletchling also flew up from Bai Feng, circling around Fletchinder, continuously expressing their blessings and envy to their friend.
After venting its emotions, Fletchinder landed on the Ground and solemnly expressed its gratitude to Bai Feng.
"Fletchinder, let me check your Body!"
Saying this, Bai Feng squatted down, placed his hand on Fletchinder, and input his Golden Finger Energy.
The most significant Variation after Fletchling evolved into Fletchinder was that the Energy Circuit within its body became larger and more complex, and its efficiency in absorbing Energy from the outside also increased.
In other words, the Energy Circuit also evolved!
At this moment, Bai Feng suddenly thought, in the games of his previous life, Pokémon had Base Stats. Is the Energy Circuit here a manifestation of different Base Stats?
In the games, Fletchling and Gardevoir have different Base Stats. In reality, their Energy Circuits are also different, and Gardevoir, with higher Base Stats, clearly has a larger and more complex Energy Circuit, higher efficiency in absorbing Energy autonomously, and can store more Origin Energy.
In the games, Fletchling and its evolved form, Fletchinder, also have different Base Stats. Similarly, in reality, Fletchinder's Energy Circuit has also become larger and more complex.
Bai Feng speculated that the Energy Circuit is not static. Pokémon can promote the growth or evolution of the Energy Circuit within their bodies through forms like Evolution, Training, and development, thereby achieving the goal of becoming stronger.
For example, a Raticate's Energy Circuit is definitely not inherently as good as a Tyranitar's, but if a Raticate's Energy Circuit is developed to its extreme, causing it to continuously evolve, could that Raticate one day surpass a Tyranitar?
Thinking of this, Bai Feng became incredibly excited. His Golden Finger could help him see the structure and operation of the Energy Circuit within a Pokémon's body, so wouldn't he have a greater advantage when helping Pokémon develop their Energy Circuits?
At this moment, Bai Feng almost wanted to prostrate himself before the great transmigration god. This Golden Finger was too powerful! Starting on a deserted island, unknown background, poor life - none of that mattered. As long as there was a chance to become stronger, everything else could be slowly fought for.
Having this Golden Finger was worth it!
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, after finishing the Healing Treatment for all the remaining Fletchling, Bai Feng started on Bai Ye.
After being exhausted each time, the thing Bai Ye looked forward to most was the Healing Treatment. Otherwise, it was questionable whether it could have persevered through these days.
Letting out a satisfied sigh, Bai Ye felt that all the beatings it had taken these past few days were worth it.
After the Healing Treatment ended, Bai Feng took out the can of Energy Cubes that Miss Jun Sha had given him, poured out two, and fed them to Bai Ye. Afterwards, he looked into the can and saw there were less than ten left.
He had to find a way to make money! Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to afford his mother's retirement! It was a shame he was too young; no one would hire him if he went out to look for work.
After Bai Ye had eaten its fill, Bai Feng said to it, "How about we go look for some Berry trees nearby later? Otherwise, once the Energy Cubes are finished, you'll be hungry."
Okay!
Bai Ye nodded. Ever since Bai Feng regained his senses, it had gotten used to listening to its son about everything.
After resting, Bai Feng, Bai Ye, and Fletchinder said goodbye to them, then began searching for Berries in the Small Woods. However, Berries weren't that easy to find. The two searched for a long time but didn't even see the shadow of a Fruit Tree.
Just as the mother and son were at a loss, a Diggersby suddenly popped its head out of the Mud. It turned its head to look around, and the moment it saw Bai Feng and the others, it immediately tried to pull its head back into the Ground Hole.
Bai Ye was quick-witted and directly used Psychic to control the Diggersby.
I have a question for you. Do you know if there are any Berry trees nearby?
The Diggersby trembled, shaking its head vigorously, but didn't make a sound.
Hey~ If you don't tell me, I'm going to hit you! Saying this, it even showed its tender green little fist. (﹒﹒)
The Diggersby still trembled and didn't make a sound.
Bai Ye lost its patience with it and used Psychic to pull it out of the hole.
Can you just make a sound? So annoying!
At this point, the Diggersby finally pointed a direction with a trembling finger.
"That's more like it!"
Bai Ye nodded in satisfaction, then released the Diggersby. The Diggersby scurried away and disappeared in a flash.
Following the direction the Diggersby pointed, the mother and son walked out of the Small Woods. A large expanse of Grassland appeared before them, and not far from them stood a large Tree, laden with round blue Fruits.
Bai Feng walked over, looked at the Tree full of Fruits, and said in surprise, "These should be Oran Berries, right? There are so many of them!"
Honey, let's pick them quickly, there are so many Fruits!
As a mother who had once raised a young one alone in the wild, Bai Ye deeply understood the importance of Food. Seeing so much Food, its heart couldn't help but feel excited.
Just as Bai Ye used Psychic to pick a Fruit, it suddenly heard an angry roar from behind. The mother and son turned back and saw a Diggersby appearing from somewhere, looking at them with a furious expression.
Oh no! This Fruit Tree has an owner!
At this moment, the Diggersby had already launched an attack. A large Mud Ball was controlled by it and shot towards the mother and son. If they were hit by this, they could be buried on the spot.
"Bai Ye, Magical Flame!" Bai Feng quickly shouted.
Bai Ye drew a circle in the air with each hand. From within the two circles, two pillars of crimson fire suddenly erupted, instantly engulfing the Mud Ball launched by the Diggersby.
Under the immense impact of the fire pillars, the Mud Ball lost its momentum and fell directly onto the Ground.
∑(O_O;) The Diggersby was directly scared into an emoji by Bai Ye's attack, thinking: So strong! Where did these two guys come from? They seem a bit troublesome!
As the 'king' of this area, the Diggersby prided itself on being a smart Pokémon. It decisively chose to abandon the attack and pointed at Bai Feng and Bai Ye, jabbering a string of accusations.
The general meaning was that they lacked martial ethics, engaging in sneaky acts. It had cultivated the Fruit Tree for a long time to make it full of Fruits, and they actually dared to come and 'pick the peaches'. It was utterly hateful!
Bai Feng realized they had been tricked by that Diggersby and quickly explained, "We didn't know this Tree was yours, we apologize. Here, we'll give this Berry back to you." Saying this, he took the Berry from Bai Ye's hand and returned it to the Diggersby.
The Diggersby took the opportunity to back down, took the Berry, and swallowed it in one gulp. Then, pretending to be generous, it indicated that it forgave the mother and son's rude behavior.
Just then, Bai Feng suddenly saw a small Sapling swaying in the Wind next to the Oran Berry Fruit Tree. It seemed to be a Sapling of the Oran Berry Fruit Tree.
A thought flashed through his mind, and he suddenly thought: I can grow Berries myself!
(End of Chapter)