ALL NOVEL Chapter 79 – Progress
"Floyd-san, if something happens, we don't know what we would say to Kyouju and Sensei," Yamada said, pleading with his eyes.
Floyd glanced at something, then beckoned to him and said, "Look there."
Yamada and everyone else looked in the direction Floyd pointed and saw many Wartortles following Ryota.
"You don't need to worry anymore; they know their assignments," Floyd reassured.
Seeing this, Yamada and the others felt comforted.
Floyd observed the new wild Pokémon. Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't prioritize wild Pokémon, but with Ren Mingzhe missing, Kanraku had no choice but to utilize them.
Now that the body has been found, there's no real reason for them to stay, but the decision lay with Kanraku. For Floyd's part, he didn't want these Pokémon to return as they were racking up points for him.
Thirty minutes later, Floyd and Kang Jihoon battled. Unsurprisingly, Floyd emerged victorious, with his Dratini besting Kang Jihoon's Elekid.
Floyd's Horsea also faced off against Le Mai Linh's Tyrogue. Though the latter had recently advanced to the pro-stage, Tyrogue had difficulty against Horsea, primarily because Le Mai Linh was not yet fully comfortable with all her commands. Nevertheless, she demonstrated some command expertise.
Over the past week, not only had Floyd improved, but so had everyone else, notably Le Mai Linh, Kang Jihoon, Li Qin, and Bianca – especially the last one.
Le Mai Linh's Tyrogue had achieved Pro Level in recent days.
Her Mankey, like Horsea, Growlithe, and Goomy, was at the peak of the Rookie stage.
Kang Jihoon's Elekid, too, had shown rapid improvement, its level possibly equal to or just below Floyd's Dratini.
Li Qin's Growlithe had shown significant advancement, with Li Qin training her Growlithe to improve dodging and accuracy.
Floyd had advised them to strengthen their foundations first and not to push their Pokémon too hard.
However, they declined his counsel, feeling the gap with Floyd's Pokémon was too vast, and that there was no room for , feeling somewhat defeated, thought, 'They might regret this later.'
Bianca's Swablu had also progressed quickly, reaching Level 17, almost on par with Floyd's Dratini. This bird shared a similar temperament with her Horsea. Though not as intense as his Horsea, the essence was same. In just over a week, she'd gained four levels.
While this might seem modest, it was impressive given her primary activities were eating and playing. Swablu's inherent talent rivaled Dratini's, but it had a more relaxed disposition. Bianca, being gentle by nature, had tried Floyd's training methods. However, she couldn't bear to see her Pokémon in distress.
Swablu had a solid foundation, even bloated.
The bird loved to soar joyfully and had a mischievous personality. Floyd was taken aback by its sudden personality shift. Previously, she was more reserved, and now, it now showcased her true playful nature.
It's said that a Pokémon reflects the character of its trainer. Pondering this, Floyd found himself staring at Bianca.
Sensing his gaze, Bianca met his eyes, then blushed, lowering her head to attend to her Pokémon. It seemed unlikely, but Floyd couldn't deny that her Pokémon's growth was astonishing, Swablu in particular.
As for Kanraku's disciples, their main focus was research. Even though they took Floyd's advice to heart due to Kanraku's influence, they didn't train as extensively, often preoccupied with other matters.
Ivan's Spinarak was shaping up nicely. He trained it to be a spy, and Floyd was aware of its 'Insomnia' ability, perfect for night-time espionage. Floyd offered him some guidance and even crafted a special Pokéblock for him.
Jonathan took Floyd's advice to heart. While his Pokémon's growth wasn't rapid, he prioritized building a strong foundation. Truly, only Bianca, Ivan, Jonathan, and Kanraku's disciples heeded Floyd's suggestion about building up their Pokémon's base, trusting in his expertise.
A few moments later, surprisingly, Kanraku and Suzuki appeared.
"Where's that kid?" Kanraku asked, looking around. He was dumbfounded by what he saw.
"Where's Ryota-kun?" Suzuki asked with a worried expression.
Yamada and the others were speechless, not knowing what to say.
"Suzuki-san, look there," Kanraku said, tapping her shoulder and pointing.
Suzuki looked in the direction he pointed and was startled to see Ryota playing with an Ekans.
"Ryota!" She quickly ran towards him.
"Suzuki-san, be careful," Kanraku called out, rushing after her.
"Auntie, Shishou, you're here. Meet my new friend, Ekans. Ekans, this is my beautiful oba-chan, and this is my Shishou. Oba-chan's futu-" Ryota began but was cut off when Kanraku quickly twisted his cheek. Blushing and scolding, Kanraku said, "Stop speaking nonsense. Why are you here making friends?" He then glanced at Ekans.
"Shishou, stop twisting my face," Ryota protested, his words muffled by Kanraku's grip.
Releasing Ryota's cheek, Kanraku listened as Ryota explained what had happened. After hearing the story, Kanraku was surprised at how strong Floyd's Fraxure was, defeating fully-grown Pokémon like Ursaring and Arbok.
Patting Floyd on the back, Kanraku laughed, "Knowing you, I'm not surprised you managed it."
"Stop praising me. If not for Chansey's intervention, I would have killed Arbok without hesitation," Floyd replied.
"By the way, why are you here?" Floyd asked.
"Suzuki-san was concerned about her nephew, so we came to check," Kanraku said with a helpless sigh.
"Professor, what should we do with these wild Pokémon? Take them or let them go?" Floyd inquired.
After a moment of contemplation, Kanraku sighed, "I'd like to take them."
"Then why don't you?" Floyd asked, puzzled.
"It's complicated, especially with them," Kanraku said, glancing at Ekans playing with Ryota. "Losing a comrade was a big blow to us, especially for the Chinese members. Adding these Pokémon might add salt to the wound. It's really my fault, I should've increased security," Kanraku expressed regretfully.
"I'll handle it," Floyd declared.
"What?" Kanraku looked at him in surprise.
"I'll take care of all these Beasts," Floyd insisted.
"No, that's my responsibility," Kanraku protested.
"The Chinese and others people here already have a low opinion of you. This will only make things worse. Let me handle it. I wanted them as sparring partners anyway; they're strong," Floyd explained.
"So that's your real goal?" Kanraku asked. After a pause, he continued, "Are you sure you can handle it?"
"Absolutely. Some of these Pokémon can accelerate the growth of Berry trees," Floyd said, nodding towards the Cherubi and Cherrim.
"Really? What's special about them?" Kanraku asked eagerly.
"How about I explain during the meeting? Speaking of which, it's past 5. Shouldn't there be a meeting now?" Floyd reminded him.
"You're right. Let's go," Kanraku agreed.
"You go ahead. I'll wait for them," Floyd said, watching Kang Jihoon's Elekid spar with Le Mai Linh's Mankey.
"Understood. I'll see you later," Kanraku replied, departing with Suzuki and their disciples.
(AN: The cringed scene has ended)