Chapter 128: Break of Friendship
AN: The scene felt like it was forced
...
Because of the recent developments, Floyd's workload has increased significantly, and the stock of berries has started to deplete. It takes a month for the berries to yield 3-5 pieces per tree, but with more than 3,000 trees capable of producing at least 12,000 berries, which are not particularly effective but more suitable for making Pokéblocks, there is still enough to sustain the rest of the Pokémon living here.
The main issue is that Floyd is the only one who can make Pokéblocks. With the rapid increase in the Pokémon population, the pressure on him has intensified. However, this situation has caused his points to soar significantly.
Now, he has accumulated more than 14 thousand points, and this number is expected to increase further in the future. With these points, he could potentially spend on a pseudo-legendary Pokémon in Dragon Clues if he wished to.
However, for the time being, he has decided to save them for emergencies, as he doesn't feel the need for such a purchase right now. To him, 14 thousand points still do not feel like a secure amount; he believes he needs over 50,000 points to feel comfortable spending.
Upon arriving at Chansey's place, Floyd found her just waking up. Seeing Floyd bringing his injured Pokémon, Chansey sighed, seemingly resigned to the situation, as if she had already expected it. After a few minutes of healing, Floyd returned to his training session.
On his way, he encountered Kang Jihoon and noticed his newly caught Pokémon, Magby.
Floyd looked at him strangely, which made Kang Jihoon feel uneasy. "What are you staring at?" Kang Jihoon asked.
"Nothing," Floyd shook his head, finding it odd to see Kang Jihoon with Magby and Elekid, especially since this Magby was the one Kanraku had saved in Meidao.
"Well, I'm off to the Safe Zone first, see you later," Kang Jihoon said as he hurried towards the Safe Zone.
Many people here seem to have changed their perspective on wild Pokémon, and there's an increasing number coming to challenge them. The likelihood of them staying here is high, especially since there will be a meeting later to discuss the wild Pokémon.
After spending many days here, the wild Pokémon have also grown to like this place and do not want to leave. The food here is incomparably more delicious than what they find in the forest.
The Safe Zone is notably safer because all Pokémon here coexist harmoniously, unlike in the forest where constant vigilance is necessary, especially around the strongest predators. Whether a Pokémon is a predator or prey, it is safer here.
Floyd also encountered Hu Tianyi and his six Pokémon. Indeed, Hu Tianyi had surpassed Bianca in Pokémon count and was second only to Floyd, with his team consisting of Eevee, Squirtle, two Rattatas, Pidgey, and Metapod.
Floyd found it peculiar that Hu Tianyi's selections seemed relatively weak, with most being Normal types. Floyd had even advised him to limit his team to three, but Hu Tianyi dismissed the suggestion, arguing that since Floyd had 10 Pokémon, why couldn't he have a similar number?
Hu Tianyi possibly believed Floyd felt threatened by others having as many Pokémon as he did.
Indeed, Hu Tianyi wasn't the only one; other trainers had also amassed more than three Pokémon. They even aimed to outdo Floyd in terms of quantity, hoping to surpass the number of his Pokémon.
Floyd understood their ambitions but struggled to explain the impracticality due to his own larger collection of Pokémon.
Observing Hu Tianyi's Pokémon, Floyd sensed their spirits were not vibrant; they appeared lifeless, displaying little emotion and merely following their master's commands.
Hu Tianyi had mimicked Floyd's rigorous training style, which was demanding. However, Floyd catered to his Pokémon's exact nutritional needs, provided daily massages, and infused them with a few of his dragon powers to enhance their physique.
In contrast, Hu Tianyi's care involved feeding his Pokémon with failed Pokéblocks and some novice-grade Pokéblocks. Floyd also made failed Pokéblocks as they were quick to prepare and still offered some nutritional energy for larger Pokémon.
Unfortunately, Hu Tianyi's salary couldn't cover the cost of providing all six of his Pokémon with novice-grade Pokéblocks, so he resorted to using failed Pokéblocks as their primary food.
This discrepancy was a key reason why Floyd had suggested focusing on training fewer Pokémon, to ensure proper nutrition and a strong foundation for the future. However, they were not keen on following his advice.
His imitation of Floyd's training regimen was nowhere near as effective; it was likely to exhaust the Pokémon in the long term because the training wasn't suitable for them.
Floyd's Pokémon were stronger in physique, and most of them belonged to the Dragon Egg Group, which is one of the strongest egg groups in Pokémon. Even those not from the egg group, like Munchlax and Growlithe, had superior physical strength.
So, how could they be comparable to Hu Tianyi's Pokémon?
Floyd wanted to offer them advice, but they were not willing to listen. He decided to let them believe what they wanted; it would not be his fault if they later regretted their choices. However, he couldn't help but feel sorry for Hu Tianyi's Pokémon, suspecting they might be abandoned by their trainer in the future.
Floyd's impression of Hu Tianyi was already low. Since the death of Ren Tianyi, Hu Tianyi's demeanor had shifted, becoming somewhat arrogant and unruly.
Observing his Pokémon, some appeared to have minor injuries from their previous training, but Hu Tianyi had not attended to them.
Looking at Squirtle, Floyd thought it was almost a waste for Hu Tianyi to have it, as it would only squander Squirtle's potential. He already had plans to take Squirtle away from Hu Tianyi and find a more suitable owner.
Normally, Floyd wouldn't intervene, but this Squirtle was a descendant of Blastoise, the one who had saved him previously. He couldn't allow such a valuable Pokémon to remain with someone he deemed unworthy.
For the time being, Floyd would simply observe and wait for an opportunity. Hu Tianyi greeted Floyd casually as "youngest," but inwardly, he seemed to have gained confidence in facing Floyd.
"This is Healing Powder. Your Pidgey and Eevee look a bit injured; let them take it," Floyd said, not waiting for a response before he tossed a packet of healing powder to Hu Tianyi. Despite his personal feelings towards Hu Tianyi, Floyd felt differently about his Pokémon.
"Oh, is this free powder? You're so generous. Don't worry, I will use it later," Hu Tianyi said, pocketing the healing powder casually.
"What? I gave it to you so you could heal your beasts," Floyd said, knitting his brows in annoyance.
"You gave it to me, so it's mine, right?" Hu Tianyi replied shamelessly, smiling smugly.
"HU TIANYI!" Floyd called out his name loudly, without any hint of respect, his demeanor turning cold and intimidating.
Hu Tianyi's arrogance diminished as he felt the terrifying aura emanating from Floyd. He suddenly remembered that Floyd was still someone he couldn't afford to provoke.
Feeling a shiver run down his spine and sweat beginning to bead on his forehead, he laughed nervously, "Youngest, why so serious? Of course, I'm just joking." He hastily took out the healing powder and began tending to his Pokémon.
Internally, he felt pained at the thought of 'wasting' the healing powder on his Pokémon, thinking he could have used it for himself in case of an accident. Now it was gone.
If cursing could kill, Hu Tianyi would have killed Floyd a thousand times in his mind for 'wasting' his Healing Powder. But he seemed to forget that the healing powder had come from Floyd in the first place.
"Hmph," Floyd snorted, giving Hu Tianyi a side-eye, and walked away. He continued on his way, not bothering to befriend someone who showed such disregard for the well-being of Pokémon.
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