The air by the river was thick with the scent of damp moss and flowing water. For Lin Feng, this spot wasn't just a part of the landscape; it was a sanctuary. Walking along the bank, he felt the resonance of his newly acquired Divine Everstone Power. The world felt louder, more vibrant, and strangely, more emotional.
Standing at a familiar bend in the river where the reeds grew thick, Lin Feng brought two fingers to his lips and let out a sharp, melodic whistle.
The surface of the water, previously as smooth as glass, began to ripple. A series of bubbles broke the surface, and then, a head emerged. It was brownish-gray, covered in tattered, dull scales that looked like rusted iron. Its eyes were large, vacant, and slightly bulging—the unmistakable, often mocked appearance of a Feebas.
In the eyes of most trainers, this was the "ugliest" Pokémon in existence, a useless scrap of life not even worth the cost of a Poké Ball. But Lin Feng saw something else. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a high-grade Water-type energy cube, tossing it with practiced ease.
The Feebas leaped, its movements surprisingly fluid for its ragged appearance, and snapped the cube out of the air.
"Ding! Detection: Host has provided high-quality nourishment and emotional care to a wild Pokémon."
"Feebas's Happiness Value has increased from 10% to 40%!"
"Reward: Ten bags of Golden Kela Fertilizer, one Rare Candy, and one Life Fruit (Permanently increases HP Potential)."
Lin Feng chuckled. The rewards were rolling in. But as he looked at the Feebas, which was now bobbing near his feet, he felt a pang of nostalgia. He had found this little one months ago, trapped in a muddy, suffocating puddle after a spring storm. He had nursed it back to health in his own bathtub before releasing it here so it could have space to swim while he finished his exams.
He had expected it to swim away and find a school of Magikarp to hide with. Instead, every time he came to this bank, it was there, waiting.
"Hey there, little one," Lin Feng said softly, his voice carrying the soothing frequency of the Everstone Power. He knelt by the muddy bank and reached out, his fingers grazing the rough scales of its head. "I'm done with the exams. I'm staying home for good now. I'm reopening the Nursery."
The Feebas froze. Its dull eyes seemed to struggle to process the tone of his voice.
"I don't want to leave you here anymore," Lin Feng continued, his smile widening. "Do you want to come home with me? For real this time?"
The Feebas let out a small, bubbly Plop! It drifted backward, staring at him in utter disbelief. Its fins quivered. To a Pokémon that had spent its life being ignored or chased away by predators, the idea of a "home" was alien.
Lin Feng didn't wait. He activated the Eye of Exploration.
Pokémon: Feebas (Female)
Ability: Adaptability (Hidden Potential: High)
Aptitude: Green (High Growth Potential)
Individual Values (IVs):
HP: 25 (Solid)
Attack: 13
Special Attack: 11
Defense: 14
Special Defense: 16
Speed: 10
Strength: Level 8
Skills: Splash, Tackle
Affection: 85 (Deep Trust)
Happiness: 95 (Extreme Joy)
"Ding! Critical Event Triggered!"
"Feebas's Happiness has skyrocketed from 40% to 95%!"
"The Host's sincerity has touched the soul of the Pokémon!"
"Mega Reward Granted: Aptitude-Boosting Energy Cube Recipe (Unique), one Perfect Prism Scale, and ten Rare Candies!"
Lin Feng's breath hitched. A Perfect Prism Scale? In the markets of Wutong City, a standard Prism Scale could buy a luxury car. A "Perfect" one was the stuff of myths—the kind of item that didn't just evolve a Feebas into a Milotic, but into a Milotic that defined the very concept of beauty.
"You really are easy to please, aren't you?" Lin Feng whispered, seeing the pure, unadulterated joy in the fish's eyes.
He pulled a clean, red-and-white Poké Ball from his belt. "Let's make it official."
He tapped the sphere against the Feebas's forehead. The Pokémon didn't even struggle. It dissolved into a stream of red light and was pulled inside. The ball clicked once, twice—and then went silent with a spark of stars.
Lin Feng held the ball up, the sunlight reflecting off its polished surface. He felt a rush of adrenaline that no exam score could ever provide. Even though he was aiming to be a Breeder, that primal instinct of a "first catch" was unavoidable. He struck a classic pose, a two-finger peace sign held high.
"I caught a Feebas!"
He laughed at his own sudden burst of "Protagonist energy" and tucked the ball safely away. He wasn't going to use the Prism Scale yet. As a Master Breeder, he knew that evolution was like tempering steel; the more effort you put into the foundation, the more magnificent the final result. He would use the new recipe to boost its aptitude first.
Before heading back, Lin Feng took a detour to check the irrigation channels. His parents had been meticulous, diverting water from the river into a clever series of stone-lined ditches that fed the Nursery's plantation and its central pond.
The channels were dry, clogged with autumn leaves and fallen branches, but the structure was sound. No cracks, no leaks.
"Just a bit of manual labor," Lin Feng noted. With his True New Human Body, clearing the blockage at the source would take him minutes, not hours.
As he walked back toward the "Neighboring Nursery," his mind wandered through the history of this world. It had been eighteen years, and he had learned that this wasn't just any Pokémon world—it was a fusion of everything he knew from his past life, made terrifyingly real.
History books told of Arceus and the Original One, Mew. They spoke of the invention of the Poké Ball in 1897 by Professor Bruce P., which dragged humanity out of the dark ages of fearing "monsters" and into the era of "partners."
But it was the present day that truly fascinated him. This world was massive. He was currently in the East China Alliance, but across the oceans lay the Kalos region, the tropical Alola, and the rugged Galar.
He remembered turning on the television three years ago and seeing a man named Leon—Dande—and his Charizard absolutely decimating a challenger in a stadium that shook with the roar of a hundred thousand fans. He had seen news reports of a "Dragon Master" named Lance and whispers of a brilliant, terrifyingly strong woman named Cynthia becoming the pride of Sinnoh.
For a long time, Lin Feng wanted to be out there, standing on those podiums. But the reality of this world was that for every Leon, there were ten thousand trainers who ended up broke, injured, or worse.
"Breeding is the way to go," he muttered, reaching the fence of his property. "The world's strongest trainers will eventually have to come to me if they want their Pokémon to reach the peak."
He stepped into the plantation behind the house. It was massive—nearly the size of a professional soccer field. Once, it had been a sea of vibrant colors: Nanab berries, Oran berries, and exotic herbs. Now, it was a jungle of weeds.
However, a few resilient trees remained. His eyes landed on the Pecha Berry trees, their pink, heart-shaped fruits hanging heavy and ripe.
"At least I won't go hungry today," he joked.
He started toward the trees, but suddenly, his True New Human Body screamed a warning. His senses, sharpened to a razor's edge, caught a blur of motion.
A greenish-blue shadow, fast as a lightning strike, flashed across the corner of his vision. It wasn't a wild Pokémon looking for a snack—it was moving with intent.
Lin Feng stopped mid-step, his eyes narrowing as he activated the Eye of Exploration.
"Who's there?"
The tall grass rustled, and a pair of sharp, calculating eyes stared back at him. The "daily life" of a breeder was clearly going to be much more interesting than he had anticipated.