Su Feng stared at the nearly half-meter-long training schedule he had drafted for Torchic. It meticulously outlined every activity down to the minute.
Torchic: "…"
Su Feng: "…"
"Did I… write all this?"
"Chirp."
Torchic nodded calmly.
"No way. Even *I* can't stand looking at this." Without hesitation, Su Feng tore the plan to shreds.
Torchic: "…"
It was starting to question its life choices.
Of course, this was just a joke. So far, Su Feng hadn't let it down.
The shredded plan had looked overwhelming, but its essence boiled down to one line:
**"Train smart, eat well, fight hard, heal fast!"**
[Stop with the rhymes—are you prepping for a poetry slam?]
[Is this some kind of mantra?]
[Confused but impressed!]
The most critical part? *Fight hard!*
To grow stronger and evolve, Torchic needed experience—earned through battles. Wild Pokémon fought for survival, not training. But a battle-hungry Pokémon like Torchic, with the right support, could dominate.
Previously, Torchic avoided fights to prevent fatal injuries. Now, with Su Feng handling logistics and healing, it could go all out.
"But where do we find Pokémon willing to spar?"
No one liked getting beaten up for free, even for Energy Blocks.
Su Feng glanced at Greninja napping on a branch and dismissed the idea. Greninja would obliterate Torchic, not train it. But maybe Greninja knew suitable opponents.
After explaining his plan, Greninja's eyes gleamed. It vanished into the forest and returned 15 minutes later with a small, muscular Pokémon.
"Gra."
Greninja jerked its chin at Su Feng, signaling him as the boss.
The newcomer eyed Greninja warily but approached Su Feng.
Su Feng's eyes lit up. "You're… a **Tyrogue**?"
"Ruu!" Tyrogue nodded firmly.
The Fighting-type Pokémon stood about Torchic's height, its body toned and battle-ready—a perfect sparring partner.
[Is that… a human kid?!]
[No, it's a Pokémon! Three fingers, pink skin, weird head bumps—no human looks like that!]
[Why does it wear "pants" and "shoes"? Are those part of its body?]
[I'm getting creeped out…]
Tyrogue's human-like appearance sparked chaos in the chat.
"Ahem." Su Feng cleared his throat. "This *is* a Pokémon. Meet Tyrogue, a Fighting-type. It's fiercely competitive and challenges anyone to hone its skills—even larger opponents. In the wild, it'll keep fighting until it wins… or you refuse, which it respects."
"Its 'clothes' are part of its skin. And the lack of hair? That's a sign of strength."
[Why does no hair mean strength?!]
[It's *actually* a Pokémon?!]
[I know martial arts—am *I* a Fighting-type?]
"Who knows?" Su Feng grinned. "Maybe humans *are* Pokémon."
The chat exploded.
But Su Feng wasn't entirely joking. In his past life, lore hinted at humans and Pokémon intermarrying. Some trainers even rivaled high-level Pokémon through abilities like Mega Evolution. Still, dropping this bombshell now—when most people barely accepted Pokémon as friendly—was risky.
Time to deflect.
"Anyway, why does this Tyrogue have injuries?"
A clumsy pivot, but it worked.
[Its shoulders and legs are scraped up!]
[Wild Pokémon life is rough…]
[STOP CHANGING THE TOPIC! ARE HUMANS POKÉMON OR NOT?!]
Ignoring the chat, Su Feng frowned. "Tyrogue, who hurt you? Does it hurt?"
"Ru…" Tyrogue glanced fearfully at Greninja, then shook its head.
Su Feng: "…" *Now I get it.*
"Mr. Greninja… was this your doing?"
"Gra."
Greninja shot him a *"You really asking?"* look.
"I asked you to find a sparring partner, not bully one!"
"No dinner for you tonight! Reflect on your actions!"
"GRA!"