Trainers returning from the Kingdom of Roc

Chapter 11: Sleepless Nights

Night completely enveloped the temporary camp beside the green tributary.

The flashlight beam illuminated the dim environment and cast long shadows of the two people and the tadpole on the tent.

Tonight is destined to be sleepless—at least for Hou Hao.

Luo Yan knew this perfectly well when she saw him holding that shimmering mosquito coil tadpole, his eyes shining like searchlights.

That mosquito coil tadpole was indeed special. Its skin color was not the deep blue of its kind, but a lighter, more lustrous light blue, which shone with a gentle, jade-like luster under the light. The swirling patterns on its abdomen also appeared clearer and softer.

"Look at its eyes, how bright they are!" Hou Hao exclaimed for the nth time, his fingers gently stroking the smooth, cool back of the mosquito coil tadpole.

The little guy squinted his eyes comfortably and made soft "yo-bo~ yo-bo~" sounds.

He never gets tired of watching it. From the moment he confirmed the capture by the river until now, Hou Hao has almost never let the Poliwag leave his arms. Even when Luo Yan took out Pokémon food to feed it, he insisted on doing it himself.

Hou Hao carefully picked up a few specially made Pokémon food pellets and held them to Poliwag's mouth. Poliwag sniffed them, then happily swallowed them in one gulp, its round body swaying contentedly in Hou Hao's arms.

Although it was simple-minded, it could clearly feel the overflowing, unreserved love and cherish that the human holding it had for it.

Luo Yan looked at the picture of "a loving father feeding his child" and shook his head helplessly.

He then turned to attend to his own business, preparing a late-night snack.

Hou Hao had been splashing around in the river for quite a while. Although he had changed into dry clothes, it wouldn't hurt to eat something hot to warm up.

He skillfully opened the self-heating hot pot packaging, added water, and watched as the heating pack reacted quickly, emitting a hissing sound and releasing heat. Soon, a rich, spicy aroma filled the air.

"Hou Hao, stop staring and come eat something, it's hot," Luo Yan called out, pushing a small hot pot that was already bubbling over.

Hou Hao finally managed to pull his gaze away from the mosquito coil tadpole a little, and his nostrils twitched.

"Godfather has arrived."

Although he said that, he still couldn't bear to put down the baby in his arms. He just adjusted his position so that the mosquito coil tadpole could stay comfortably on his lap before accepting the simple tableware that Luo Yan handed him.

Hou Hao picked up a slice of lotus root and put it in his mouth, chewing as he spoke.

"Honestly, I really didn't expect you to actually let me have Poliwag. It's a Shiny Pokémon, its rarity is comparable to pseudo-legendary Pokémon!"

"How could it be so outrageous? Is it really that easy for a quasi-god to stage an accident?" Luo Yan smiled casually and reached for his chopsticks.

"I'm talking about rarity, not strength. Besides, Poliwag isn't weak either. Both Poliwag and Poliwag are quite powerful, definitely in the top tier."

Hou Hao said seriously, then grinned at the mosquito coil tadpole.

"Right, little one?"

"Lulu lulu~" the mosquito coil tadpole responded happily.

It couldn't understand, but it knew that Hou Hao was probably praising it.

"This Poliwag's personality is more suited to physical attacks, but I can't guarantee it. You should ask your dad to confirm it when you get back," Luo Yan suggested, before turning his attention back to the Poliwag.

The thought of this cute little guy evolving into a big green frog made Luo Yan's expression hard to contain.

However, it does have its advantages; at least everyone can tell at a glance that this big green frog is a shiny Shiny Pokémon.

"I understand. To be honest, if it weren't so late, I'd be video calling my dad right now. Do you believe he'd see this and come right here in the middle of the night?"

Speaking of this, Hou Hao couldn't stop smiling.

After a pause, Hou Hao suddenly remembered something. "Hey, Luo Yan, now that we both have starter Pokémon, why don't we participate in the Baby Cup?"

"A 'baby cup'?"

This was the first time Luo Yan had heard of it.

"What is that thing?"

"It's a rookie trainer competition held in the province, starting with the city's qualifying rounds. It was originally prepared for those from the spring semester," Hou Hao explained.

Spring semester refers to students who graduate from junior high school six months early. They usually skip grades to go to high school or transfer to a vocational school.

Because they enter school six months earlier, they can also get their starter Pokémon six months earlier. However, since there is no college entrance examination, they are also unable to receive the starter Pokémon issued by the government.

Students like this either have their own families preparing their starter Pokémon, or they enroll in intensive prep classes after graduation so they can take the college entrance exam six months later and achieve better results.

This competition is specifically designed for these people. All new trainers who have been registered for less than a year can sign up. The rewards aren't great, but they're enough for newcomers.

Because all the participants are newcomers, the competition is jokingly referred to by netizens as the "Baby Cup".

These competitions are held regularly in various provinces, and what netizens enjoy most is watching these newbies compete against each other.

As Hou Hao talked about this, he became more and more excited.

"There are still two months until the competition. I'll ask my dad to give us some extra training to improve our fighting strength as soon as possible. Although my dad likes to play it safe, he still has some skills."

"Plus, we're both Shiny Pokémon, so just standing on the stage will give us an overwhelming presence. Taking them down will be a piece of cake."

"I think you just want to show off in the competition..." Luo Yan rolled her eyes.

"Oh, well, it's better not to say anything even if you see through it." Hou Hao laughed, his gaze falling on Luo Yan. "Stop talking so much, just tell me if you're participating or not."

Luo Yan thought for a moment. Encountering the flashing mosquito coil tadpole was indeed an accident, but if he could get along with Monkey Daddy, that would be a good thing.

Although I have spent three years in the Kingdom of Rock and have a wealth of battle experience, to be honest, I don't really know much about Pokémon.

There are so many Pokémon in the world, and there are many different ways to train them. You need to find the right approach for each situation. You can't just train Pokémon the same way you train the Pokémon in the Kingdom of Rock, because that's easy to go astray.

So if I want to go further in the future, I guess I'll need a professional to guide me.

It's just like being in the Kingdom of Rock.

I am a disciple of Enzuo; if you disagree, come and fight.

Compared to the teachers in the school, Hou Hao's father, the master of the dojo, is obviously more skilled. Perhaps he doesn't have a teacher to teach him, but as long as he is willing to learn, he can still make a lot of progress.

Thinking of this, Luo Yan snapped his fingers.

"My brother has already asked, how can I refuse?"

"It's just a competition, let's do it your way."

...