Emily Liang was not originally from Xiang Province; she was from Modu, the central city of the Eastern Region League.
At a young age, she had not only passed the Pokémon Trainer Examination but had also obtained her second Pokémon.
Additionally, influenced by her grandfather, she had become a skilled breeder.
She was not entirely sure why her grandfather had suddenly decided to build a house in this town, and he seemed to be planning a research facility as well.
But since it was the holidays, she decided to come and check out the situation for herself.
Upon arriving, she was immediately surprised to find a remarkably powerful female trainer living in this quiet town.
It seemed almost unbelievable to her.
Whether she viewed it as a caretaker or as a trainer, Blastoise and Florges were nearly perfect. Their skin, fur, and physique were among the best she had ever seen for Pokémon of their species.
From a trainer's perspective…
The first thing Emily did after arriving was to challenge the girl.
The girl gladly accepted.
Thus, Emily quickly witnessed the full strength of Blastoise and Florges.
Her Roselia still had enough skill to hold its own against Florges, but against a Water Gun from Blastoise, it was utterly defenseless.
That Blastoise…
It felt as if it possessed strength far beyond what was required to challenge a standard gym.
Even in Modu, few trainers could raise a Squirtle to that level in such a short time after obtaining their license.
But this was Wutong Town…
A place barely marked on the map, not even with a Pokémon Center, yet housing such a formidable young trainer?
With this doubt in mind, Emily began asking the girl how she raised her Pokémon.
The answer she got was simple:
"Baths, battles, meals."
Emily blinked in confusion.
The girl continued, "Also, I'm not the strongest trainer here. The strongest trainer in Wutong Town is Lin Feng. He lives in the largest house near the forest. He even has a Sky Battle area. Lin Feng owns twenty Pidgeots. You can try challenging him, though it might not be open yet."
Emily approached the house.
"Challenge me?"
"Sky Battle?"
Lin Feng was momentarily stunned. "The Sky Battle isn't open yet. It's too cold in winter, and the Pidgeots aren't really active. You'll have to wait until spring."
"No, no," Emily shook her head.
The man in front of her appeared to be around her age, yet his sun-kissed skin showed he worked outdoors often.
"The Sky Battle isn't open?" Lin Feng asked, confused. "Do you mean you want to challenge me directly?"
Emily nodded seriously. "Yes."
"Uh… well…"
Lin Feng had never expected that someone would come to challenge him. Even during the open periods of the Sky Battle, no one had dared challenge him.
However, he did not immediately refuse her. "How about this? Show me your Pokémon, or if you have challenged any gyms, bring your gym badges so I can see them."
"Alright."
Emily nodded.
It was reasonable; some gyms or elite trainers required challengers to show proof of qualification to ensure they were capable.
She took out two Poké Balls and lightly tapped them.
Out popped a pair of Pokémon.
One was Roselia, holding two roses one red, one blue in its hands, squinting its eyes slightly.
The other was a Swablu, a small bird with pure white, cloud-like wings, looking fluffy and cute. Two antenna-like feathers sprouted from its head, adding to its charm.
Lin Feng examined their energy levels.
Roselia: Level 21-24
Swablu: Level 12-15
Both Pokémon had good stats and potential. Roselia radiated a purple aura, Swablu a red one.
But looking at their energy levels, Lin Feng shook his head slightly. "I cannot accept your challenge. You should wait until spring to attempt the Sky Battle. Or… you can come after you have collected four gym badges."
"Four gym badges?"
Emily's eyes widened.
She knew that eight badges were required to enter the Zongheng Championship.
How could a trainer in a small town like Wutong need only four badges?
"Yes." Lin Feng nodded.
If he did not specify the gym level, it could be assumed they were provincial gyms.
"So many?" Emily asked, still skeptical.
At that moment, Gardevoir, Dragonite, and Blaziken emerged from the villa, followed by Meowscarada and Serperior.
Blaziken stepped forward first.
"I'm calling, I'm calling," it seemed to say, signaling that training time had begun.
"Alright, coming," Lin Feng nodded.
Then he turned to Emily, who looked utterly stunned. "You'll have to wait until next spring. I am not accepting challenges this year."
He closed the villa door, leaving Emily outside, confused and overwhelmed.
What had she just seen?
A Dragonite taller than her head?
Different-colored Gardevoirs, Serperior, Blaziken…
Oh my, and that was only the beginning.
Not to mention all the fully evolved Pokémon.
And nearly all of them were larger than the average Pokémon of their species.
As a breeder, Emily knew this well.
Some rare Pokémon naturally grew larger than normal, often becoming leaders in their groups.
But every Pokémon she had just glimpsed was either slightly larger or far larger than normal.
The Dragonite, in particular, seemed far bigger than her grandfather's Dragonite!
Her grandfather's Dragonite had been an elite Pokémon for five years.
Emily walked along the cobblestone path, trying to explore the villa's secrets.
But no matter how she looked, she only saw a vast, well-maintained plantation behind the house.
Although it had yet to bear fruit, the plants were lush and green, clearly well cared for.
So perhaps…
Was the person she had just seen the plantation owner?
It sounded absurd.
Logically, a plantation owner's daily focus should be on tending the crops.
Where would he have the time to train all his Pokémon to such a high level?
Emily focused her attention on the plantation. "Xiao Qing, can you check from the sky?"
The Swablu nodded and began flying upward.
But moments after reaching the sky, it trembled, flapped its wings frantically, and fell back down, gazing upward in terror.
Emily looked in the direction of its fear and froze.
A massive Pidgeot shot into the sky like an arrow.
"Pidgeot!"
Emily Liang: "!???"