Pokemon : I Am A Breeder/Champion

Sophia nodded. After putting away the simple design in her hand, she said to Evan:

"Alright, Evan."

"I'll arrange for someone to come over and handle this later."

"Everything should be done in about a week."

"Evan, I need a list of the types of fruit trees you want. Then I'll have someone transplant them all together."

"That way, you won't have to go back and forth."

"Evan, the next step is for you to communicate with the Pokémon in the back mountain."

"We'll start with building the houses down here, and then head into the mountains."

"If we can get this sorted quickly, we'll be able to finish everything sooner."

Since Evan had already mentioned he'd handle communicating with the Pokémon, there was no need for Sophia to press further.

Evan was a Psychic, so he surely had a way to reach out to them.

With this in mind, Sophia stopped worrying about it.

She was confident that Evan had it under control.

After listening to her, Evan nodded.

After a moment of thought, he said:

"No problem."

"I can get this done today."

"I'm quite familiar with the Beedrill at the back."

"I got all my honey from it before. If I negotiate with it properly, there should be no issues at all."

As he spoke, Evan flashed a confident smile.

No problem at all—just talking with some Pokémon.

What's the big deal?

Sophia looked at him with curiosity.

Familiar with Beedrill?

Really?

Beedrill were notoriously fierce.

But seeing Evan's confidence, she held back her questions.

Maybe his relationship with those Beedrill was genuinely good?

A bit confused, Sophia moved on and started making arrangements.

Seeing this, Evan looked around and noticed that the young Pokémon were happily playing with Sophia's Pokémon, so he didn't worry much about them.

He waved to Pichu and said:

"Pichu, let's go."

"Let's go meet with the Pokémon in the back mountain."

It was a good chance to give Pichu some training.

Upon hearing Evan's words, Pichu, who had been playing with Ralts, perked up its ears.

It quickly ran over and climbed onto Evan's shoulder.

Evan waved goodbye to Sophia, indicating he'd be back after his trip, and started walking towards the back mountain.

Sophia nodded and continued making her calls.

...

Evan headed straight toward the back mountain with Pichu.

His plan was to have a productive talk with the leaders of each Pokémon group.

The one he knew best was, of course, the Beedrill who had shared its nectar with him recently.

If it agreed to help, he'd be able to learn from it how many Pokémon groups were in the area.

As they moved into the forest, Evan encouraged Pichu to engage in battles with weaker Pokémon along the way, while he made his way to Beedrill's group higher up.

He gave no specific instructions to Pichu, letting it manage the battles on its own.

Pichu felt a bit exasperated.

What kind of trainer was this?

Wasn't the trainer supposed to lead the Pokémon in battle?

Why wasn't Evan helping out?

Instead, he was making Pichu handle it all alone.

"As a mature Pokémon, you should learn to fight independently."

"If you rely on your trainer for every move on the battlefield, what's the point?"

"Pichu, you need to develop self-reliance."

"Understand?"

"Battlefields are unpredictable, and sometimes even the trainer might not be able to respond in time."

"This is training for your adaptability."

Evan's tone was serious.

He truly believed this.

Pokémon were immensely strong, far more powerful than humans.

Champion-level Pokémon could even level a city in combat.

And a trainer trying to control them at every turn?

That would be absurd; they'd be impossible to manage.

Trainers often needed Pokémon to protect them just as much.

Therefore, a Pokémon's independent battle instinct was essential.

"The most important thing for Trainers is to learn how to protect themselves."

"Only inexperienced Trainers rely on their Pokémon for everything."

"Still want to direct each move? When a Pokémon is strong enough, it should take the lead, and you should only guide it when needed."

"Do you think you can call out each move in time? By the time you finish, the opponent might already have the upper hand."

Listening to Evan's explanation, Pichu felt even more frustrated.

"Pichu Pi~~!"

"Well, at least tell me where the enemy is!" 

But Evan simply gestured to the surrounding woods.

"Everywhere you look is an opponent."

"Understand?"

"Only when you defeat all the Pokémon here can you take the first step."

"There's no shortcut."

"If you can't handle these Pokémon, how will you ever become number one in the world?"

"So come on, Pichu!"

...

"PichuPichu~~!" 

Pichu sighed, unimpressed with Evan's lofty goal.

Number one in the world? Sounds like big talk.

Who doesn't feel brave when they're not the one fighting?

Pichu felt drained. Having a trainer who just knew how to "motivate" was exhausting.

"I'm just a baby, you know."

"Go on."

"If you can't beat them, I'll step in."

"With me around, what's there to fear?" Evan said, glancing at Pichu.

"You've got to be strong and independent."

Pichu rolled his eyes and decided not to argue further. Spotting a Caterpie nearby, he charged forward, figuring he'd start with the smallest.

"Zizi~~!"

Before long, sparks of electricity were crackling in the bushes as Pichu unleashed Thunder Shock, stunning a few Caterpies. But soon enough, Butterfree appeared, ready for a fight, forcing Pichu to face a real opponent.

Evan stayed back, observing without interfering. Against these weaker opponents, Pichu was holding his own, though he did end up with a few scrapes.

Noticing Pichu's injuries, Evan gathered some healing herbs from nearby and gently applied them.

"Remember what these herbs look like, and also remember some of the berries around here."

"In the future, if you get hurt, you can find these on your own and treat yourself."

"If they don't work, I'll take you to the Pokémon Center."

Pichu blinked, startled by Evan's words.

Are you serious?

Not only do I have to fight alone, but now I need to be my own healer?

Then what's the point of having a Trainer?

Feeling frustrated, Pichu was about to cry when, suddenly, a bright white light surrounded him.

Driven by his intense emotions, Pichu evolved into Pikachu.

His injuries healed instantly as his new form took shape.

"Pikachu?"

Did I just evolve because I was so annoyed?