Chapter 49: Becoming Friends

Chapter 49: Becoming Friends "By the way, have you prepared a Poké Ball for it?"

"Not yet, I haven't had the chance to prepare one."

Yuga could tell from the way he was acting that he must have rushed here as soon as the Blitzle hatched.

"No need to rush, you can just carry it around like this normally. It'll help you build a bond with it. After all, it's just been born and will likely be very dependent on you."

"I understand."

Rand nodded in understanding.

"Also, don't rush to have it participate in battles. Newly hatched Pokémon are still in their infancy and can't participate in battles. Otherwise, it might affect its growth."

Yuga suddenly thought of these points and quickly advised Rand.

"I know, thank you, Yuga. I'll be careful."

Afterward, Yuga went on to explain some other points to Rand. Rand was eager to learn and even borrowed pen and paper from Yuga to jot down the important things.

They chatted for a long time before Rand bid his farewell and went back home. As for Luna, in the end, her father had to come and carry her away by the collar.

After having lunch, when Yuga returned from the restaurant to the shop, he noticed someone by the counter with the Pokémon eggs.

Since Yuga home and the kitchen were connected to the shop, he usually didn't close the shop during lunchtime.

The figure seemed quite familiar to Yuga, so he walked over and greeted them.

"Hello, is there something I can help you with?"

The person turned at the sound, and indeed, it was someone he recognized.

With golden hair, a handsome face, tall stature, and dressed in a deep blue suit, these distinctive appearance and attire could only belong to Robert.

"Oh, it's you, Robert!"

"Trainer Shimizu!" seaʀᴄh thё Nôvelƒire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Both of them called out each other names simultaneously.

"Sorry about that, I didn't realize this shop was yours."

Perhaps feeling that it was impolite to address Yuga directly by his name without any greeting, Robert courteously apologized.

Robert every word and action showcased his good manners.

In fact, Robert didn't know Yuga full name. Even though Yuga registered using his full name for competitions, the host always referred to him as "Trainer Shimizu." So, just now, Robert subconsciously used "Trainer Shimizu" to address Yuga.

Yuga smiled and said, "Yes, this shop is mine. Are you interested in buying a Pokémon egg?"

"Yes, I'd like to take a look. But are all the Pokémon eggs in the shop displayed here?"

Clearly, the ordinary Pokémon eggs in the shop wouldn't meet Robert needs.

"Yes, they're all here. My shop has just started, and I don't have any high-quality or rare Pokémon eggs at the moment."

Yuga apologized to Robert with regret.

"I see. Nonetheless, it's quite impressive that you've opened a shop at such a young age."

Robert didn't belittle Yuga shop due to its small size. Instead, he expressed admiration for Yuga ability to independently start a shop.

"Haha, I think you're the impressive one. You look even younger than me, yet you're already such a skilled Trainer. That's really remarkable."

As a Pokémon Trainer himself, Yuga genuinely respected and admired Robert.

"My strength is still far from enough. Compared to 'that person,' my strength is incomparable."

As he spoke, an expression of admiration and reverence appeared on Robert face.

Although it was strange who this "person" Robert was referring to might be, Yuga didn't ask right away. After all, they had just met, and asking too much might seem overly familiar.

As they continued chatting, Yuga found Robert to be quite a decent person. He seemed to come from a well-off family but didn't have the air of arrogance that often accompanied wealth. Instead, he was mild-mannered and polite, and his knowledge was quite extensive.

From their conversation, Yuga learned that Robert had come to Verdanturf Town to participate in the Grand Contest. Participating in Pokémon battles was just something he did for fun in his leisure time, not his main pursuit.

Moreover, Robert isn't a traditional Pokémon Trainer; he belongs to the specialized category of Pokémon Coordinators among Trainer-related professions.

At this point, Yuga finally remembered why he found Robert familiar the first time they met.

This Robert is actually the same Robert from the original animated series, the one who won the ultimate championship at the Grand Contest during Ash journey in the Kalos region.

It's probably because so much time has passed that Yuga has almost forgotten the content of the anime. If Robert hadn't left a relatively strong impression in the original work, Yuga probably wouldn't remember him.

Meeting a character from the original story for the first time, Yuga was quite happy. The more they talked, the more they found common ground, and it seemed like they could discuss anything.

"It's getting late, I should go."

Seeing that they had been chatting for a long time, Robert decided to bid farewell and leave.

"Sure, let me reintroduce myself. I'm Yuga Shimizu, and it's an honor to meet you."

Since Yuga noticed that Robert always addressed him as "Trainer Shimizu" during their conversation, he guessed that Robert probably didn't know his full name. So, he took the initiative to tell him.

"I'm Robert, and I'm also honored to meet you. If you have any good Pokémon eggs in the future, don't forget to let me know."

They shook hands and exchanged smiles.

After seeing off Robert, Yuga returned to the shop feeling quite content. Robert should be considered the first friend of his age that he had made since arriving in the world of Pokémon.

In the evening, Yuga took his six Pokémon out for training.

After watching Robert battles, Yuga realized that his own Pokémon still had many issues.

For instance, Chimecho, his main battling Pokémon, had no attacking power whatsoever, and it couldn't even participate in battles. Although its role was meant to be a support Pokémon, it shouldn't lack any attacking power either. If he continued to solely focus on its supportive role, Chimecho might become useless in battles apart from group battles.

Observing Robert Chimecho, Yuga could tell that Chimecho had been developed really well.

Then, there was the matter of levels.

Whether it was Floette, his main battling Pokémon, Chimecho, or his backup Pokémon, Murkrow, Houndour, and Vulpix, their levels were all hovering around twenty-something, and Murkrow level was merely 19, not even reaching 20.

Comparing this to Robert, none of Robert three Pokémon were below level 30. Robert highest-leveled Pokémon, Cinccino, was already at level 38, just a step away from reaching level 40.

Lastly, there were their skills.

Currently, several of his Pokémon had achieved a decent level of proficiency in the skills they knew. At least, they could handle battles without a problem. However, the power of their skills was still far from sufficient.

For example, Floette Fairy Wind, which was a basic Fairy-type skill, had low base power. If he didn't give it proper training, using this skill in battles when the level was higher would become increasingly challenging. The same applied to Murkrow Peck and Wing Attack, as well as Houndour Ember and Roar.

Only when these basic skills were well-trained could they evolve into advanced skills, allowing them to use higher-level skills more effectively and harmoniously.

Yuga also realized that he had been neglecting his backup Pokémon. Although they weren't his main battling team, as their Trainer, Yuga still had a significant responsibility towards them. Moreover, since he currently had only a few Pokémon, he had the capacity to care for and train all of them.