"W-wait… you're entering the Zongheng Championship?"
Qin Shu stared at Lin Feng in disbelief.
"Yes." Lin Feng nodded calmly.
"But… the Zongheng Championship? Isn't that…"
Her words trailed off as if she could not quite organize her thoughts.
The Zongheng Championship was the largest tournament in the Eastern Region League and the ultimate stage every traveling Pokémon trainer dreamed of reaching.
Qin Shu's own dream was to one day stand on that stage with her Pokémon and win the championship.
But right now, she felt like she was still very far away from that level.
Lin Feng looked puzzled. "What's wrong? Why are you so shocked?"
Qin Shu blinked, then suddenly realized something.
That was true.
Why was she so shocked?
Yes, the Zongheng Championship had strict requirements. Trainers normally needed to challenge eight provincial gyms before they could qualify.
With her current strength, she could not even handle a single gym challenge yet.
But Lin Feng was different.
His Pokémon seemed to grow stronger one after another.
Even his Sprigatito, which had only been born a month ago, now had the strength to challenge a provincial gym.
Not to mention powerful Pokémon like Gardevoir, Serperior, Blaziken, and Alolan Vulpix.
But when it came to the requirements…
Qin Shu suddenly remembered something.
"Wait, wait. I mean… doesn't the Zongheng Championship require gym badges? Lin Feng, aren't you at home every day?"
If he stayed home all the time, how could he possibly challenge gyms?
Lin Feng smiled smugly.
"Heh. You wouldn't know this, but I have an internal qualification."
Qin Shu's eyes widened. "An internal qualification?"
The Zongheng Championship was the highest-level competition organized by the League each year.
How could something like an internal quota even exist?
And more importantly, who had the authority to grant it?
"Don't ask so many questions," Lin Feng said lightly. "Just go back and call Blastoise over."
He was not foolish enough to explain everything to the curious girl, so he casually changed the subject.
"Oh…"
Qin Shu puffed her cheeks slightly but did not ask any further questions. She turned around and headed off to find Blastoise.
Lin Feng, meanwhile, happily turned back, planning to bring Meowscarada home and start preparing breakfast for everyone.
But when he glanced down, he noticed that Meowscarada, walking beside him, could not hide the excitement shining in her pink eyes.
"Meow-ha!"
Looking at the Pokémon that was now only slightly shorter than himself, Lin Feng gently placed a hand on her head and stroked it.
Yet his gaze unconsciously drifted to the soft pink paw pads on her claws.
They looked smooth and plush.
They probably felt very comfortable to touch.
Still, he restrained himself and simply said,
"Alright, Meowscarada. Let's head home too."
As time passed, the schools in town gradually finished their classes.
More and more teenagers around fifteen or sixteen began wandering through the streets.
At the same time, several new residents had recently moved into town. Some were young trainers, others were families.
The once quiet town slowly grew livelier.
And when groups of young trainers gathered together, what was their favorite activity?
Pokémon battles, of course.
Although Lin Feng rarely went out, he still heard plenty through the town's gossip.
Recently, several particularly energetic newcomers had appeared.
There were two second-year high school students named Felix Feng and Daniel Du.
There was also a first-year girl named Emily Liang, and another girl named Lily Li.
Lily Li had not yet obtained her first Pokémon.
But the others already had their partners.
Felix Feng's Pokémon was Bulbasaur, a very popular choice for new trainers in the Eastern League.
Daniel Du's Pokémon was Krabby.
Emily Liang, however, owned two Pokémon.
One was a Grass and Poison type Roselia, and the other was a Swablu.
She clearly came from a wealthy family.
The house she built in town was particularly eye-catching.
Its design had a futuristic, high-tech style that Lin Feng could not quite understand.
These three were all recent arrivals.
As for Lily Li, she had originally been born in this town.
However, when she was eight years old, her family moved to another city.
For some reason, she had returned this year to celebrate the New Year.
Because of these new arrivals, the number of young trainers in town increased rapidly.
Even in the most remote part of town where Lin Feng lived, near the forest, he occasionally saw them running over to battle.
Whenever that happened, other kids would gather around to watch.
Some cheered for one trainer, others shouted encouragement for the opponent.
To Lin Feng, it all felt rather novel.
Watching their battles was amusing.
Of course, from his perspective, their matches looked like children playing.
Still, it was entertaining.
Interestingly, Qin Shu had also joined their battles for some reason.
And the moment she did, she instantly regained a strong sense of presence.
With Florges and Blastoise charging through the field, she quickly became the strongest young trainer in town.
Whenever Lin Feng sat outside his house watching them battle, Qin Shu's proud smile never disappeared.
However, something unexpected soon happened.
During casual conversations, those new trainers gradually shifted their attention toward Lin Feng's Pokémon Nursery.
They had already watched most of the videos from the online channel.
Every now and then, they could not help glancing toward the nursery building.
At first, Lin Feng had simply been a spectator enjoying the lively atmosphere.
But as more and more kids gathered nearby, he began paying closer attention to them.
Eventually, he even had to find new training locations for his Pokémon.
He discovered a clearing deeper in the forest.
With the Zongheng Championship approaching, Meowscarada trained with great enthusiasm.
Alolan Ninetales, Blaziken, Serperior, and even Alcremie began actively practicing with the metronome.
In fact, aside from Gardevoir, all the other Pokémon seemed to have become even more motivated.
But peaceful days never lasted forever.
January 11.
Two days before the Zongheng Championship.
The first "visitor" arrived at the entrance of the villa.
That day, Lin Feng had come outside to apply a layer of nutrient powder to the vegetables he had planted in the drainage trench surrounding the villa.
He also needed to clean the mud that had accumulated on the cement near the house. After all, Eevee and Alolan Ninetales spent all day running around outside.
But the moment he stepped out, he sensed someone approaching.
A beautiful young girl stood outside the villa gate.
She wore a sky-blue winter jacket and had a high ponytail that faded from dark blue to light blue.
Her expression showed no hesitation. From the very beginning, her goal seemed clear.
She pressed the doorbell.
It was Emily Liang.
Among the three new trainers who had recently moved to town, she was the only one who already had two Pokémon.
Lin Feng thought for a moment before walking toward the gate.
"Hello," he greeted her.
"Hello," the girl replied politely.
Then she immediately stated her purpose.
"I heard from Qin Shu that you're a very strong trainer," she said.
"So I came to challenge you."