Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Pokémon Training Diary

On a certain day, in a certain month, in a certain year
The morning was sunny, the afternoon cloudy, and it rained at night
Overall impression: an exhausting day
Location: Hoenn region, Verdanturf Town, Psychic Breeding House
Characters: Cheng Cheng and his Pokémon

When the first ray of sunlight pierced the room, Cheng Cheng awoke. He donned clothes he’d bought some time ago, pulled on a pair of pants without holes, slipped into slippers, and headed to the kitchen.

He opened the fridge. What should he eat? A cucumber, a tomato. Alas, no meat.

He shredded the cucumber, added a pinch of salt, squeezed out the water, and placed it in a bowl. He sliced the tomato—no, diced it instead. After preparing them, he washed the cookware, lit the stove, poured in a little oil, and stir-fried the tomato. Thirty seconds later, he placed it in a bowl and mixed it. Breakfast was ready.

He took a bite; it wasn’t very tasty. He thought, perhaps he’d go out and buy some sushi instead.

After breakfast, Cheng Cheng realized he’d forgotten something. Oh, he hadn’t closed the door.

He returned to the second floor and checked carefully—no signs of thieves. Relieved that nothing had been disturbed, he exhaled.

He left his room, closed the door, and descended the stairs. As he was about to open the main door of the breeding house, he realized he’d forgotten his keys.

He went back to the stairs, but the room door wouldn’t open. What to do? Then he noticed the window nearby.

He was about to climb through when someone spotted him.

“I’m really not a thief.”

He explained for half an hour until Ali and Lily arrived and resolved the situation.

Climbing through the window, he retrieved the keys, opened the door, and stepped outside. He went downstairs into the breeding house.

“Good morning, boss.”

“Lily, good morning.”

Hadn’t they just met? Cheng Cheng sighed and entered the back room.

“Good morning, boss.”

“Morning…”

“Ali, I’ll leave the Pokémon’s food to you. I’ll prepare some Pokéblocks.”

This time, Cheng Cheng was making intermediate Pokéblocks, strictly following the recipe. He hoped it would turn out right. Maybe adding a personal touch wouldn’t hurt.

He glanced around—some Oran Berries, a bit of Golden Grapes. He diced the Oran Berries, juiced the Golden Grapes, and mixed them together. He added a bit of food additive and some gel additive.

He put the prepared ingredients into the machine, waited ten minutes, and the Pokéblocks were ready. He tasted one; it seemed decent, though he wondered if the Pokémon would like it.

Cheng Cheng carried the tray of Pokéblocks and, together with Ali, took them to the ecological garden.

Ali blew his whistle, and the Pokémon began to arrive one after another. Surprisingly, the first wasn’t the fastest Flying-type, but Kadabra.

Is teleportation only for snatching food?

Ali poured the Pokémon food into bowls, Cheng Cheng added Pokéblocks on top, and then watched the Pokémon expectantly.

The Pokémon sniffed, then ate. In the end, the food was gone, but the Pokéblocks remained.

Were they really that unappetizing?

Cheng Cheng took one and tasted it—it was quite good! What now? He couldn’t let them go to waste.

Just then, he spotted Kadabra, the first to arrive.

Kadabra, resting, suddenly sensed malice. It tried to teleport away, but Cheng Cheng caught it.

“Kadabra, these Pokéblocks are personally crafted by me. You have to try them.”

Cheng Cheng held Kadabra close with one arm, Pokéblock in the other.

“Come on, Kadabra, give it a taste.”

With considerable effort, Cheng Cheng made Kadabra eat all the Pokéblocks.

Now Kadabra was lying on the ground, foaming at the mouth.

At this moment, Slowpoke walked over, curiously observing Kadabra. Then it ate one Pokéblock nearby.

“No!”

Cheng Cheng suddenly remembered—that Pokéblock was made from Spicy Pepper Berries. Water-type Slowpoke might experience an intense reaction.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes… It seemed fine.

Suddenly, Slowpoke dashed into the river at a speed beyond its usual, clearly overwhelmed by the spiciness.

Alas, what kind of Pokémon had he raised?

When the Pokémon had rested, Cheng Cheng gathered them together and had them practice in their usual squads.

But today, Cheng Cheng decided to personally train them, starting with Spoink and Gothita.

He grouped them not only because their strength was similar, but also because of their close bond.

Spoink often spent time with Gothita; they danced together, spun around, and each time Spoink would be the one to faint.

“All right, Spoink, Gothita, today you two will train together.”

Both had only learned the Protect move, and neither had begun learning Psychic. Cheng Cheng didn’t rush them; that powerful move required full psychic control. They were still weak—better wait until they grew stronger.

The best way to train was through battle, and today’s match was a one-on-one between Gothita and Spoink.

“Okay, the battle starts now. I won’t direct you two—just attack as you see fit.”

“Goth~”

Gothita rushed forward and used Double Slap on Spoink, striking it hard.

Spoink then used Confuse Ray, calming Gothita down, but Gothita became disoriented and flailed about.

Spoink bounced forcefully, landing a hit on Gothita, who was badly hurt.

“Gothita, hang in there!” Cheng Cheng cheered from the sidelines.

“Goth~”

Gothita suddenly began to cry, looking heartbroken. Spoink panicked, not expecting Gothita to cry.

Spoink hopped closer, comforting Gothita, circling around and offering solace.

Gothita continued to sob bitterly. Spoink grew anxious, hopping back and forth. In an instant, Spoink was knocked to the ground.

It was Gothita’s Feint Attack—apparently Gothita wasn’t really crying, but using Fake Tears.

Cheng Cheng was surprised by the scene, never expecting Gothita to pull off such a move. Its potential was limitless.

Although Spoink had been hit by Feint Attack, it hadn’t completely lost its fighting ability and slowly stood up again.

“Doo~ Doo~”

Spoink seemed angry now, hopping away from Gothita and using Psywave.

Gothita was hit by Psywave and spun in place. Seeing Gothita spin, Spoink forgot itself and also started spinning. In the end, Spoink lost because of spinning.

“Spoink has lost the ability to battle, so Gothita wins this round.”

Cheng Cheng looked at Spoink’s swirling eyes and felt a headache coming on. Clearly, he’d need to find a way to break Spoink’s habit.

He brought Spoink and Gothita back to the breeding house and applied healing medicine to their injuries.

Cheng Cheng recalled the battle and noted areas where both Pokémon needed improvement. Future training would focus on these directions.

But Cheng Cheng knew these notes were still insufficient; only through more battles and observation could they become stronger.

After lunch, Cheng Cheng continued to train two other Pokémon.

Kirlia and Sigilyph.

“All right, this time you two will battle freely.”

“Battle, start.”

This time, Cheng Cheng mainly observed Sigilyph’s performance. Seizing the opportunity, he wanted to see what made Sigilyph unique.

He remembered Sigilyph’s appearance in the anime—seemingly in the Unova region, dwelling in a ruin alongside a Cofagrigus.

He thought he should visit someday; perhaps he’d discover something.

Lost in thought, Cheng Cheng noticed Kirlia and Sigilyph had already begun fighting.

Golden light shone around Kirlia—likely Lucky Chant.

Sigilyph seized the moment to attack, sending two Air Slashes flying toward Kirlia.

Just as Kirlia was about to be hit, it vanished—Teleport.

Kirlia had mastered Teleport, Cheng Cheng silently noted.

Sigilyph, seeing Kirlia disappear, quickly took flight. Two Magical Leaves chased after it.

Sigilyph flew fast, using Tailwind to dodge, but the Magical Leaves were relentless, impossible to evade.

So Sigilyph stopped and used Protect.

Protect blocked the attack, but as the shield dispersed, Sigilyph’s mind was struck, leaving it briefly stunned.

Kirlia was gathering energy, seemingly preparing to unleash a move, but failed.

Sigilyph recovered, sending two Air Slashes at Kirlia again. Kirlia quickly used Protect to block.

But as the Air Slashes struck, Sigilyph simultaneously used Teleport, appearing before Kirlia.

Sigilyph then used Hypnosis, and Kirlia couldn’t escape.

Kirlia succumbed to Hypnosis and drifted into sleep. Sigilyph’s Hypnosis was powerful—Kirlia had no resistance at all. This round, Kirlia had lost the ability to fight, and Sigilyph claimed victory.

Seeing Kirlia asleep, Cheng Cheng let it remain undisturbed, allowing it to rest.

He glanced at Sigilyph, aware this was not its full strength; several powerful moves, especially three inherited ones, remained unused.

Cheng Cheng paid it no mind—he’d already learned much about Sigilyph today, enough to nurture it for a while. The rest could wait.

He instructed the Pokémon to pause training and rest. Returning to the breeding house, he prepared Pokéblocks for them.

This time, he was certain the Pokémon would love them. Cheng Cheng was full of confidence.