Ten minutes later, Elijah was holding a box of Pikachu cookies in his left hand, constantly digging into it and tossing them into his mouth to chew, while a bag of Psyduck potato chips was tucked under his arm.
Completely ignoring the two "peers" behind him, sniffling and wiping tears, he strutted off with Umbreon in tow.
"Sigh, how could I forget how I made money in the games?"
Elijah munched on cookies, shaking his head and muttering to himself.
That's right—in his previous-previous life, his main source of income as a Trainer in the games was battling, wasn't it?
Sometimes, he'd run into rich NPCs and rake in tens of thousands of Poké Dollars.
Sure, there's a gap between games and reality, so he couldn't rely on this to make a living.
But bullying elementary school kids and snagging their snacks? That's a bit of a hassle.
A bit immoral, maybe… What? I'm an elementary school kid too? Oh, then it's fine.
Selling items was another big money-maker in the games.
Unfortunately, despite wandering outside the city for days, Elijah hadn't found anything like a "Big Nugget."
He hadn't even picked up a single wild Poké Ball.
Guess you can't trust everything from the games.
"Hey! What's your name? Next time, we'll beat you!"
At that moment, the boy with the Cyndaquil shouted defiantly.
"I'm Fat Tiger."
Su Sheng didn't even turn around.
And so, for a long time afterward, legends of "Fat Tiger" circulated in Azalea Town.
…
…
A few days later, outside the Azalea Town department store.
Under the gazes of numerous onlookers, a Sentret, full of unwillingness, succumbed to the overwhelming exhaustion coursing through its body. It staggered two steps, eyes swirling, and collapsed to the ground.
"My Sentret…"
The young man, Sentret's Trainer, stared in shock, unable to believe his eyes as he looked at the boy across from him—less than half his age, accompanied by a never-before-seen Pokémon whose eerie aura gave him goosebumps.
"Sentret… is unable to battle, uh…"
The young man's girlfriend, acting as the referee, started to announce the match's result but paused mid-sentence.
Wait a second—she didn't even know what that black, creepy Pokémon was called.
"Umbreon,"
Elijah glanced over. "She's Umbreon."
"Oh, right!"
The girlfriend nodded repeatedly, then announced with a bright smile, "Sentret is unable to battle. Umbreon wins! Therefore, the winner of this instant noodle battle is this young kid!"
"Whoa!"
"Impressive, impressive!"
"That boy's really strong!"
"But that Pokémon feels kinda scary. Its name has 'Eevee' in it—could it be one of Eevee's evolutions?"
"Huh? Doesn't Eevee only have three evolutions?"
The surrounding crowd buzzed with discussion.
Meanwhile, Su Sheng walked up to the man and said with a light chuckle, "Uncle, as per our deal, hand it over."
"Tch, call me 'big brother,' you cheeky brat."
The man recalled his Sentret, reluctantly handing over a plastic bag containing a pack of instant noodles with a Charizard printed on it and a portion of Pokémon food.
That's right—this was the agreed-upon "prize."
If Elijah lost, he'd have to give the man a pack of Gengar gummy candies. If the man lost, he'd give Elijah the instant noodles with Charizard printed on it and a Pokémon food.
As for the Gengar gummy candies… well, naturally, Su Sheng won those from the elementary school kids.
But after bullying kids for a few days and seeing their teary faces, even Elijah—a guy who'd lived three lifetimes—started feeling a bit guilty.
Alright, alright, time to target adults instead.
And so, this "friendly match" came about.
Elijah's targets were usually guys like this—loaded with snacks, preferably with their girlfriend.
The reason was simple: straight guys, when their girlfriends are watching, rarely back down for the sake of their pride.
And there was another reason: When a Man don't have their girlfriend with them they would not have some balls to accept his challenge.
Look at the strongest Trainers—Red, Leon, Lance… which one of them isn't a succesful Pokemon trainer?
That proves one thing!
Only single guys are worthy of being badass Trainers.
You guys, drowning in romance and reeking of love, how could you ever reach the top!?
"Fine, fine, take it."
The man handed over the goods with a resentful look.
"But your Pokémon looks really creepy. That black fur, those red eyes, and those moves—sounded scary too. What were they, 'Snarl' and 'Foul Play'? Using such a terrifying Pokémon at your age… I suggest you switch to something more normal."
Being called "scary" repeatedly by the crowd and the man, Umbreon, despite being the victor, lost the light in its eyes and hung its head low.
Elijah, who was about to take the food, suddenly pulled his hand back.
Sensing the displeasure radiating from Elijah, Umbreon instinctively looked up.
Elijah scoffed, "Kings have the talents of kings, chefs have the talents of chefs. Pokémon have their own ways of surviving and fighting. There's no such thing as a 'noble' or 'lowly' Pokémon."
Elijah's acknowledged that some Pokémon were stronger than others.
Just like Hermit Purple and Star Platinum aren't on the same level, or how Stereodactyl, 99% of the time, can't beat Dolphmon.
But just as no profession is inherently noble or lowly, he didn't believe Pokémon had such distinctions either.
Whether it's a Caterpie or a Rayquaza, as long as he liked the Pokémon, he'd train it with care.
With that, Elijah turned and walked away, ignoring the food.
"Why're you hanging your head? Lift it up! You're the victor!"
Umbreon bit its lip, watching Elijah's retreating figure, feeling an endless surge of motivation welling up inside.
Finally, it raised its head high, like a proud queen.
Under the crowd's gazes—some fearful, some wary, some admiring—it held its neck high and followed Elijah, leaving with pride.
…
…
Ten minutes later, on a public bench by the Azalea Town coastline.
"Emmm… this stuff doesn't seem very filling."
Elijah opened the pack of Gengar gummy candies, popping one in his mouth and giving one to Umbreon. In no time, the pack was empty.
"Bree~"
Umbreon hung its head again, dejected.
If it weren't for me…
"I told you, stop hanging your head and sighing! Lift it up! Like this!"
Elijah struck a pose—one hand on his hip, pointing at Umbreon, his head tilted back so far it was almost at a 90-degree angle.
Here it is!
The signature condescending pose of the Pirate Empress!
"Like this! Stomp all those who look down on you under your feet! Like an empress! That's right—you're the Pokémon Empress!"
"Don't let the nonsense from others sway you. In my eyes, you're the most beautiful Pokémon!!!"
Umbreon's fangs bit down hard on its lower lip.
One second, two seconds… the grievances it had bottled up for so long burst forth like a dam breaking, tears streaming from its eyes.
(End of Chapter)
--
Translator's Note: I'll try to update many chapters as I possibly can tomorrow. It's night now in my country, so good night! Enjoy reading other Novels for the Meantime...