Pokémon: Just won the championship, the newbie growth system is here!

At the rest area by the waterway, under the bare fruit trees, the faint aroma of grilled fish wafts through the air.

The carp caught are placed directly on the barbecue grill, sprinkled with rock salt and a little herb for decoration, and then drizzled with a few drops of lemon juice.

Smelling the aroma, Primarina swallowed hard. Pokémon that live near water naturally love to eat fish.

"Just wait a little longer."

Ye Luo used a wooden skewer to flip the fish over, ensuring both sides were heated evenly until the skin was golden brown and the scales were slightly charred—just right.

"That's about it, Primarina, the freezing wind is a little weaker."

"La~".

The West Lion Sea Breeze gently blew a cool breeze over the grilled fish, causing the surface temperature of the fish to drop rapidly.

The steaming fish skin is then blown by a blast of cold air, making it even crispier and giving it a unique texture.

"The West Lion Sea Breeze Grilled Fish, made with special ingredients, is complete."

"La~".

The West Lionheart clapped its hands as if in celebration, and the icy wind that had just blown out extinguished the wildfire, allowing the charcoal to be quickly gathered under the tree and returned to nature.

Sitting on the stone platform, Ye Luo used chopsticks to separate the fish meat. After taking a bite, she thought it tasted good.

"Freshly caught fish tastes the best."

A touch of rock salt enhances the umami flavor, while the aroma of vanilla and a hint of lemon blend into the fishy fragrance.

"The skin becomes crisper after being exposed to the freezing wind, and the fish meat also becomes much firmer due to the alternating hot and cold temperatures."

Upon hearing Ye Luo's assessment, the Primarina was already drooling with anticipation, but it had no hands and its webbed toes were not good at grasping.

Ye Luo picked up a piece of crispy fish and held it to the mouth of the sirens, which opened its mouth and ate it in one bite.

"What do you think? Give me your feedback."

"Yay~ (Delicious)"

The Primarina was so delicious that its affinity with its trainer increased significantly, and it let out a happy cry to indicate that it wanted more.

At that moment, Gardevoir and Cypher walked around the corner, carrying the food they had bought.

Although it's a bit off from the agreed location, Gardevoir can sense the trainer's location using its psychic abilities, so finding the trainer isn't a problem.

"Gardevoir, Cypher, you're back."

Gardevoir nodded and spoke telepathically.

[I'm back. I bought pineapple buns. Ye Luo, do you want some?]

"I caught a few carp, let's eat grilled fish first."

Three grilled fish were simply not enough to satisfy the appetites of all the Pokémon in Ye Luo's household; bread would be used as a supplement to their meals.

Gardevoir agreed with the idea, blinked, and continued.

[There's one more thing: humans are following us.]

The other party didn't seem to be hiding, or rather, they weren't hiding well enough. Ye Luo looked behind Gardevoir and could see two figures behind the house around the corner, who looked like rookie trainers.

"It really is Ye Luo."

"Why are you hiding, Xiaoxu? Don't you know him?"

"Uh, I suddenly chickened out."

He had originally come along, but now that Gardevoir and Cyclops were in between, and they looked very strong, Xiao Xu didn't dare to go up and talk to them.

Anai was further behind Xiaoxu, watching the trainer eating grilled fish. The trainer seemed quite gentle, but she was especially drawn to the Pokémon beside him.

"What is that blue Pokémon? It looks really pretty."

Open the illustrated guide.

[Primarina, a solo singer Pokémon, Water/Fairy type, uses its singing to control water balloons. This unique melody is learned by its companions and passed down from generation to generation.]

"Fairy attribute?!"

Anai's eyes lit up when she saw the description in the Pokédex; she had never seen a Fairy-type Pokémon before.

I've heard about it, but Fairy-type Pokémon are rare in the Johto region, and since Anai lives in the countryside, she hasn't had the chance to see that many different types of Pokémon.

She believes that Pokémon of the Fairy, Dragon, and Ice types are extremely rare.

"He must be a very strong trainer. Xu, aren't you going to go say hello?"

"How about Ah Nai goes up and say hello?"

"Why should I go? I don't know them well. If I go up to say hello, it'll just be starting a fight."

When strangers greet each other, it's sometimes assumed that they're about to start a Pokémon battle. Although this is a bit of a stereotype, Anai, who was born in the countryside, has always believed it to be true.

When she first met Xiaoxu, she suggested a battle, but Cyndaquil didn't have much fighting spirit, so she gave up.

Xiao Xu was a little helpless.

"I'm not that familiar with Ye Luo; we've only known each other for less than a week."

"We're friends now that we've met, so go ask him. It's about whether we can beat the Cerulean Gym."

"Don't push me."

"Chirp~ (Hello)".

As the two newbies were shoving each other, a golden Pokémon suddenly darted out from the corner of the wall, startling them with its sudden appearance.

New Leaf Cat immediately assumed an attack stance and launched an attack on the uninvited guest.

"Meow!"

"New Leaf Meow, wait a minute."

Ignoring Xiao Xu's command, Xin Ye Miao dashed out with a flash of lightning, launching a surprise attack on Sai Fu Hao. However, the dash of [Lightning Flash] passed through Sai Fu Hao's body at the moment of contact and reached its back.

"Cyndaquil, Spark."

"Aww!"

Flames erupted from the back of the Cyndaquil, and bright sparks shot out from its mouth, sprinkling onto Cypher.

"Chirp~ (What a warm welcome!)"

Sai Fuhao was unharmed, and Xiao Xu suddenly turned around and grabbed Anai's shoulder.

Why are you commanding the Cyndaquil to attack?

"I couldn't help it."

Seeing that Xiao Xu's new Leaf Cat had already started fighting, Anai didn't want to be left behind, so she reflexively commanded Cyndaquil to fight.

Xiao Xu didn't even know how to complain anymore.

"Are all the trainers who initially choose Fire-type this impulsive?"

Xiao Xu originally thought he was someone who easily rushed forward without considering left or right, but after meeting other Fire-type rookie trainers, he realized what recklessness really meant.

Whether it's Anai or Xiaoxu, whom he met in Pewter City, they were both much more rash in their actions. Xiaoxu had already begun to form certain preconceived notions about trainers who chose Fire-type starter Pokémon.

I felt that Anai was a very friendly girl when I was chatting with her, but I didn't expect her to be a completely different person when we were fighting. She was so passionate that she wanted to challenge even the strongest opponents.

"The opponent seems very strong, right? How about we team up and defeat it? It'll show the veteran trainers what we newbies are capable of! Charge!"

"What are you rushing for?! Are you even listening to me?"

Ye Luo watched as two rookie trainers, New Leaf Cat and Cyndaquil, started fighting with Sai Fuhao for no apparent reason at the corner beside the waterway.

"Should I go and stop them?"

[Does Ye Luo want a pineapple bun? I also want this grilled fish.]

"Yes, that's fine."

Gardevoir gave the pineapple bun to Leafy in exchange for the grilled fish he was holding.

Meloeta was not only eating grilled fish, but also pineapple buns, her mouth practically agape.

While West Lion Seaman happily ate grilled fish on the side, only Sai Fuhao's injured world was achieved.

Ye Luo still asked a question.

"Are you sure you shouldn't go up and stop them?"

Gardevoir smiled happily and explained telepathically.

[Don't worry, it always loves to show off on the road. Look how much fun Saifuhao is having! Let's have lunch first.]

Gardevoir was completely unconcerned about Sai Fuhao's situation; it was currently lunchtime with its trainer.