When Lin Feng stepped out of his room again, he wasn't just carrying the Pidgey perched on his shoulder. In his arms now rested a Vulpix, and a few Eevee had tagged along beside him.
It all started when Vulpix, having finished breakfast, asked if there was anything planned for the day.
Lin Feng replied, "I think someone might come to challenge the Pidgey today."
Vulpix's eyes immediately lit up. It squeaked, insisting that it had to come along.
Well, if Vulpix wanted to watch, then naturally, its friends the Eevee wouldn't want to miss out either. They were curious by nature and quick to follow.
"Vulpix!"
Just then, the girl who had arrived earlier to challenge the Pidgey's attention brightened at the sight of Lin Feng holding Vulpix in his arms. Her eyes sparkled as if tiny stars had appeared.
"Wow… can I hold it?" she squealed.
Vulpix stuck out its tongue playfully, then burrowed closer into Lin Feng's arms, clearly signaling that it wasn't up for hugs.
Every human who came to the nursery wanted to hold it, but it wasn't going to be that easy. Lin Feng had warned that if it got overhandled, its fur would be ruffled off.
The girl's excitement faltered. She looked disappointed, her cheeks puffing slightly in frustration.
Lin Feng gently pinched Vulpix's nose, a little playful reprimand, then smiled at the girl. "Come on, you can try now."
With Vulpix in tow, a few Eevee trailing along, and a handful of other visitors, they headed to the familiar challenge area. Lin Feng patted the Pidgey on his shoulder. The bird flapped its wings and soared into the sky.
"The challenge zone is this cemented area. You can choose either offense or defense. Also, the Pidgey's flight height will not exceed five meters," Lin Feng explained.
The girl's expression immediately grew serious. "I'll go with offense!"
Lin Feng nodded and stepped back, moving to the viewing area beside Lin Ming.
Lin Feng had prepared this spot specifically for spectators. While the road was being repaired, he had asked for a few bags of cement and had Hu Ba construct some sturdy benches, like the ones you'd see in a park. They were perfect for watching Pokémon battles.
No sooner had Lin Feng sat down than Lin Ming arrived, selfie stick in hand, plopping down beside him.
"Everyone wants to see the challenge's difficulty and the Vulpix next to you," Lin Ming joked.
Lin Feng nodded, acknowledging the comment, then turned his attention to the battle area.
For offensive challengers, each round lasted one minute. The advantage, however, was that within the two-hour session, the challenger could repeat attempts.
After each failed attempt, the time before trying again depended on the Pidgey. If the bird still had energy, the challenger could continue without pause.
These Pidgey were no ordinary Pokémon. They had been trained with energy cubes designed to improve flight skills, especially for long-distance deliveries. Some even practiced using Quick Attack to speed up their routes. Their agility and evasive skills were absurdly high, far beyond what most ordinary trainers could handle.
This was one reason Lin Feng had doubts about whether anyone could succeed. Most trainers simply couldn't match their skill levels. To balance things, he had imposed limitations: the Pidgey couldn't fly above five meters.
The girl's confident expression faltered when the first wave of water attacks from her Froakie barely came close.
She had sent out Froakie, a female starter Pokémon from the Kalos region. Its stats were impressive:
Ability: Torrent
Grade: Blue
Individual Values: HP 12, Attack 24, Special Attack 23, Defense 15, Special Defense 16, Speed 26
Level: 25–27
Skills: Double Team, Water Gun, Quick Attack, Water Pulse, Swords Dance
When she shouted, "Froakie, hit it with Water Pulse!" a dense sphere of water energy formed in Froakie's hands and shot toward the Pidgey.
The speed was astonishing. Even the group of young spectators couldn't help but exclaim.
"That Water Pulse is fast!"
Lin Feng's eyes twinkled with admiration. Froakie's skill and cultivation were clearly top-notch. But even such a precise Water Pulse wasn't enough to take down a Pidgey in the air.
The Pidgey flapped its wings, glinting in the sunlight, and deftly dodged the attack with agility born of countless deliveries.
Again, Quick Attack.
Thanks to prior training, these delivery Pidgey were highly skilled and extraordinarily fast. Dodging and speed were essentially second nature to them.
The girl tried several more Water Pulses, but the result was the same.
One minute passed.
She didn't rest. The Pidgey didn't rest.
Second attempt. Still unsuccessful.
Third attempt. Failed.
Fourth attempt. Failed again.
As time passed, the spectators from the nursery grew in number. They marveled at her strategy adjustments. On the fourth attempt, realizing the Pidgey's speed, she had Froakie first use Quick Attack to match the bird's velocity, then followed with Water Pulse. By combining speed and unpredictability, her attack's trajectory became much harder to anticipate.
At first, Froakie struggled. But gradually, its coordination improved.
Finally, after who-knows-how-many attempts, roughly an hour later, the girl had Froakie use Quick Attack, then Double Team to confuse the Pidgey, and followed with Water Pulse to finally land a successful hit.
"Got it!" she cheered.
"Froakie!"
Both she and Froakie froze in disbelief, then shouted in joy.
"Congratulations!"
Lin Feng waved the Pidgey back to the older Incineroar to receive care and medicine, then presented a box of Sandfruit Energy Cubes to the girl.
Her tension melted into excitement. She held Froakie in one arm, sweat glistening on both of them, while taking the energy cube in her other hand. "Thank you, Xiao Ge! Froakie, look! This is what hard work gets us!"
"Froakie!"
Froakie's reply was equally enthusiastic. It had never been so exhausted in gym challenges before.
Lin Feng couldn't help but chuckle at the scene.
For the rest of the day, apart from creating energy cubes and preparing meals for the Pokémon and construction team, Lin Feng moved between the challenge area and the nursery. He explained the rules to incoming trainers and observed for any unusual circumstances.
The day progressed smoothly. Among the three trainers who attempted the Sky Challenge, only the girl succeeded in completing the first level, earning the nursery's costly Sandfruit Energy Cube.
This outcome had been expected. The weakest two Pidgey had just recently evolved, with energy levels around 23.4. Only trainers with some experience on their journey could realistically succeed.
During the challenges, Lin Feng also had Rotom document the battles, capturing key moments: successful hits, Pidgey dodges, and other highlights.
Thanks to the road repair and challenge promotion, today's visitors were plentiful. After buying energy cubes, many trainers lingered to watch others attempt the Sky Challenge, evaluating whether they could succeed themselves.
Seeing that the first-level difficulty was high, but achievable with the reward in sight, excitement sparked in everyone's hearts.
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