Ch.141 Raising Pokémon is Hard, Sorcerers Sigh

Akira admits that he has a mischievous streak. 

Although he knows it's wrong to derive pleasure from others' suffering, watching the people around him "struggle" is just so satisfying. 

Of course, the "struggle" here refers to the various troubles of raising newborn Pokémon. If it were a real crisis, Akira wouldn't stand by and do nothing. 

Ever since the Pokémon hatched from "Geto, the Male Mom" emerged, the mornings at Tokyo Jujutsu High have been anything but quiet. 

Today, Voltorb electrocutes everything in sight. 

Tomorrow, Growlithe and Alolan Vulpix start fighting for some reason, one spitting fire, the other spewing ice, forcing Inumaki Toge to use his cursed speech to make the two dogs stop. 

Weren't you two getting along just fine earlier? Why are you fighting now? 

As for Altaria and Serperior sparring, that's just the norm. If they don't fight for a day, they feel uncomfortable. 

Thankfully, Akira has "strength in numbers" on his side. He, Gardevoir, and Darkrai can take shifts to handle things. Others aren't so lucky. 

After surviving the noisy mornings, the afternoons aren't much better. 

Both staff and students have classes, which makes taking care of the baby Pokémon a problem. 

If they don't bring them to class, they have to find someone to look after them. 

Gojo Satoru, being completely unreliable, is out of the question. 

Either he'd corrupt them or use his technique to suppress them all—and no, that's not a joke. He's actually done it before. 

Once, Voltorb leaked electricity in the cafeteria, angering everyone, and they all ganged up on it. Gojo directly used "Shinra Tensei" to pin both the Pokémon and its trainer to the ground, then smugly said: 

"How many floors does a bag of rice need to carry? A bag of rice needs to carry two floors." 

Even with Akira and Yuuta, two Special Grade sorcerers, teaming up, they were still ruthlessly suppressed. Akira was so angry that he ran the nightmare dungeon three times that night. 

Gojo Satoru, just you wait. When I find Giratina, you're in for it. 

Hayami is reliable, but she's too soft-hearted. She can handle one or two Pokémon, but when there are too many, she can't cope. 

Once, for some reason, Alolan Vulpix started crying out of nowhere. Hayami had just started comforting it when the other Pokémon started crying too. She was so overwhelmed that she couldn't keep up, and soon everyone was crying, including Hayami herself. 

Then, the Pokémon stopped crying and started happily watching Hayami cry. 

When the students came to pick up their "kids" after class, Hayami was absolutely委屈 (wronged). 

"When I raised my son and Ralts, it wasn't like this." 

As a concubine in the Kamo family, she had no idea how destructive a group of mischievous kids could be. 

Some people say women are troublesome, always comparing them to a flock of ducks, but those people have never seen a group of kids together. Try visiting a kindergarten or daycare and ask the teachers—see if any of them don't have a headache? 

Gardevoir and Darkrai aren't much better. 

Gardevoir's personality is as soft as Hayami's. Although she has strong psychic powers, you can't keep using them to suppress the Pokémon—that would just make her like Gojo. 

Darkrai can be used to maintain order, but you can't rely on him all the time. Mischievous kids are the kind of creatures that become immune to intimidation if used too often. His proud "Black Hole" technique also has its risks. If he uses it, everyone falls asleep, but what happens after they wake up? 

Sleeping for a while feels great, but when the mischievous kids start unleashing their energy, it's a disaster. 

Every time this happens, the Panda brothers would sit under the newly planted bamboo grove, sipping tea and chewing on bamboo leaves, sighing: 

"It's so peaceful…" 

"Ah…" 

If they don't leave the Pokémon in daycare and bring them to class instead? 

It's even worse. 

Well-behaved Pokémon like Growlithe are fine, but don't forget about Gastly. When it gets excited, the whole class is ruined. 

And if it triggers Growlithe's sense of justice, sparks might fly. 

Well, let's emphasize this again: Gastly's body is made of gas. Flammable gas meeting sparks… 

Gojo gave Gastly a new nickname: "Deidara." Those who get it, get it. Those who don't, won't understand even if you explain it. It's stakeholder-related—you can continue the chain yourself. 

In short, being a Pokémon breeder isn't for everyone. Akira is very glad he made the right decision. 

Thankfully, Pokémon are also incredibly cute when they're being adorable. Without that, breeders would have gone out of business long ago. 

In comparison, Feebas, which is extremely easy to raise, and Larvitar, which is a glutton, are like a breath of fresh air in the noisy baby group. 

Relatively speaking, of course. When you really think about it, everyone has their own troubles. 

Larvitar spends its days eating and sleeping, with very little free time. Rika watches eagerly, but Larvitar ignores her completely. 

Feebas… has a simp personality. 

That's right, a simp. 

It occasionally licks Maki, but more often, it's licking Dratini. 

After all, these two are aquatic, unlike land-dwelling Pokémon that their trainers can always accompany. 

Dratini is also very beautiful, fitting Feebas's aesthetic, so of course it's always circling around Dratini. 

In fact, Akira has always thought that Feebas and Dratini's evolution lines got swapped. Milotic's appearance should have been Dragonair's evolution—both are aquatic and serpentine. 

Feebas, on the other hand, would fit Dragonite's chubby, powerful, and cute appearance better. 

Who knows if there's some kinship between the two species. 

Every time Akira and Maki go to check on them, they see Feebas circling around Dratini, occasionally trying to nudge it, only to be smacked away by Dratini's tail. 

It's not that Dratini looks down on Feebas, but Dratini's species has extremely high standards for cleanliness. Even the slightest bit of dirt is unacceptable. 

If Akira doesn't wash his hands properly before touching Dratini, he'll get the same tail-smacking treatment. Feebas, however, doesn't care much about cleanliness and has thick skin, so it doesn't mind being smacked. 

This creates a classic scene. 

Akira laughs every time he sees it, while Maki covers her face in embarrassment. She's thought about separating the two Pokémon several times, but Akira always talks her out of it. 

"With Dratini as a role model, Feebas will find it much easier to become beautiful." 

"But it can't always be like this. It's like, like—" 

"Like what?" 

"Nothing. Just figure something out." 

Maki's cheek muscles twitched as she barely managed to swallow her words. 

—It's like how I'm always circling around you, but you don't pay me any attention. 

Akira gives a thumbs-up, poking Serperior with one hand and the Altaria perched on Maki's head with the other: "Go say hi to your younger siblings." 

"Di Lu…" 

Altaria flaps its wings and takes off, diving down to grab Feebas, who is so startled that even its usually dull eyes widen in fear. 

"Tang Tang…" 

Serperior lands by the water but doesn't make any further moves. Its head is tsunderely raised, striking the pose of a lone wanderer. 

Stupid human, you think I'll greet them just because you told me to? 

Something interesting happens. Dratini, who ignores Feebas, actively approaches Serperior, its chubby nose trying to nudge her. 

Serperior, maintaining her aloofness, smacks Dratini with her tail. 

Dratini blinks its watery eyes, looking wronged like a little wife. 

Feebas, still in the air, looks like its eyes are about to pop out. Summoning some unknown strength, it breaks free from Altaria's grip and headbutts Serperior. 

Serperior smirks proudly, about to use Vine Whip to teach this clueless little sister a lesson. 

But before the Vine Whip can land, Dratini's tail smacks Feebas away, then Dratini calls out to Serperior as if seeking praise: "MINI…" 

The force is so strong that Feebas is nearly sent flying out of the pond, but Altaria quickly catches it. 

Thus, a new world-famous scene is born—the Pokémon love triangle is a mess. 

Akira: "…" 

Maki: "…" 

Feebas, your CP is Gyarados. Why are you clinging to Dratini? 

And Dratini, you and Serperior have no connection. Are you two trying to stage a dragon-snake epic? 

And Altaria, you future traitor to the dragon clan, is Feebas from the dragon egg group your true love? 

"I should be under the car." 

"Not in the car?" 

Akira raises an eyebrow: "You can actually follow up with that? What's the next line?" 

Maki snorts: "How should I know? I'm not you." 

"Well, if it were you—" 

"Of course, I'd evolve into Milotic first, then come back to show off—today you ignore me, tomorrow you won't be able to reach me." 

"Got it. You're following the strong female lead script." 

"What strong female lead script? This is what you told me to say to the Zenin family." 

"Oh, so I have the potential to direct a strong female lead script." 

"What nonsense? I'm leaving. You can keep watching this farce." 

"What about you?" 

"Learning makeup." 

Well, even strong female leads have their feminine side.