"What is this?"
"It kind of looks like an ant… and its eyes look like stars…"
Staring at the Pokémon on the screen, Lily's small face wrinkled slightly. Emma also leaned over curiously to take a closer look.
"…It's not very pretty."
"Boss, come take a look for me," Lily called out, following her usual rule—when in doubt, ask the boss.
"Let me see."
Ren snapped out of his thoughts, took the Pokédex from Lily's hands, glanced at it—and froze for a moment.
"This is Trapinch, a Ground-type Pokémon."
Ren looked at Lily with a strange expression. This girl was ridiculously lucky.
"A Ground type? Can I redraw it?"
Lily frowned even harder. What she wanted was a Dragon-type Pokémon.
And while this big-jawed ant looked kind of cute, it really didn't match her aesthetic preferences.
She pursed her lips, clearly unwilling.
"Well, that's your right as a customer. Of course I won't stop you," Ren said, shaking his head.
"But as a responsible shop owner, I still need to remind you—Trapinch has extremely high potential, and its evolved form is a Dragon type."
Ren wasn't about to take advantage of customers' lack of Pokémon knowledge. That would be tasteless.
"…You mean this big-headed ant will become a dragon later?"
Lily froze for a second—then her eyes lit up instantly, and all her hesitation vanished.
Emma and Jason were stunned as well.
A dragon… again?
"Yes. Pokémon grow through a process called evolution. After evolving, their strength increases significantly, and their appearance, attributes, and even traits can change."
"After Trapinch evolves, it becomes a Dragon-type Pokémon."
Ren explained patiently. Trapinch's final evolution, Flygon, was a powerful Dragon-type Pokémon. While it wasn't on the same level as pseudo-legendaries, Flygon was absolutely top-tier among standard Pokémon.
Of course, that didn't include Legendary or Mythical Pokémon.
"So which one will be stronger in the future—this one or Charmander?"
Lily listened with intense focus. She had probably never paid this much attention in school.
She was genuinely curious: her Trapinch, or her little Charmander—which would be stronger later on?
"Uh… that's…"
Ren paused.
That was a dangerous question.
"If we only compare their final evolved forms, they're actually pretty evenly matched."
"But if Charmander can Mega Evolve in the future, then purely in terms of raw power, Charmander would likely be stronger… probably."
Ren rubbed his chin, thought for a moment, then glanced at the little Charmander in Lily's arms.
Honestly, it was hard to say whether Flygon or Charizard was stronger. Their strengths lay in completely different areas.
From an attribute perspective alone, Flygon had the advantage—Dragon types resist Fire types.
But that didn't change the fact that Charizard was practically his biological son.
Charizard had not only Mega Evolutions, but also a Gigantamax form. In terms of strategic value, development potential, and overall versatility, Charmander's growth path was undeniably superior.
"But what I really want to say is this—whether a Pokémon is strong or not depends far more on the trainer than on its talent or typing."
"Judging a Pokémon's strength without considering the trainer is meaningless. The same Pokémon can look completely different in the hands of different trainers."
"Do you understand what I mean?"
Ren looked seriously at Lily.
He didn't dislike people pursuing powerful Pokémon. Seeking strength was only natural.
But blindly chasing power alone was too one-sided.
A Pokémon's strength was never defined solely by its base stats.
"There are no weak Pokémon—only weak trainers. I hope the three of you remember that."
"Every Pokémon has emotions, life, and thoughts. When a Pokémon fails to shine, more often than not, it's because of the trainer's shortcomings—nothing more."
Ren spoke softly. He knew his words sounded idealistic.
But they were what he truly believed.
Lily, Emma, and Jason all fell silent, clearly moved.
Sensing the atmosphere getting a little too heavy, Ren smiled and changed the topic.
"But I believe all three of you will become famous trainers someday—after all, you're my very first customers."
"Of course!" Lily lifted her chin proudly, her voice bright and confident. "When you hold that competition in the future, I'll definitely win the championship!"
This young lady was unstoppable.
"I'm looking forward to it," Ren laughed. "Though I'm afraid the competition won't happen anytime soon. I'll need a few more trainers first."
"It'd be great if more people knew about Pokémon and came to my shop."
"Don't worry, boss—we'll help promote it!"
"That's right! I'll post about it on Moments when I get back. They waste all day gaming and hanging out anyway—it's time they did something meaningful."
"..."
Jason, who had been about to speak, silently closed his mouth.
What did gamers ever do to you…
Still, he also decided to help promote Pokémon Home after going back. Ren was right—without enough trainers, how could a Pokémon competition even exist?
Otherwise, would the three of them just split first, second, and third place?
That'd be ridiculous.
"Boss, boss—give me my Trapinch already!" Lily urged impatiently. "I want to see what my big-headed ant looks like in real life!"
Now that she knew Trapinch would become a Dragon type in the future, she was full of anticipation.
From today onward—
Trapinch was officially her little cutie.
------------Author---------------
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