Chapter 90: Zhou Xiaofei’s Determination! This Is What a Real Trainer Looks Like!

The silhouette in the Pokédex was unmistakably familiar to Su Bai.

Especially those two long whiskers—it was impossible to forget them!

It was… a Magikarp!

Su Bai looked at the hopeful expression on Zhou Xiaofei's face and couldn't bring himself to speak for a moment.

After thinking it over, he carefully suggested,

"Uh, Xiaofei… how about this? You stay here at the store and study for a while."

"When you're ready to pass the test for the Pokémon Room, we'll go there and choose a Pokémon directly. How does that sound?"

Zhou Xiaofei, still unaware of what kind of Pokémon Magikarp was, blinked in confusion.

"Why, Boss Brother? Is it too expensive?"

His wide, innocent eyes were filled with puzzled sincerity.

He had drawn a Pokémon—why wouldn't his Boss Brother want him to keep it?

Was it because… it cost too much?

Su Bai sighed in resignation.

"It's not that it's expensive… That's actually the problem."

Magikarp.

Who didn't know Magikarp—whether you played the games or watched the anime?

The problem wasn't its cost—it was how hard it was to raise!

In the games, you could just let it tag along in your party and level up through shared experience.

But this was reality.

Here, things weren't so simple.

Even in the anime, very few Magikarp ever evolved into Gyarados.

Not everyone was Ash Ketchum.

Raising one was harder than climbing to the heavens.

"This Pokémon is called Magikarp," Su Bai began gently.

"It's known for its incredibly strong vitality. As a fish-type Pokémon, it can survive in even the dirtiest waters."

"In the Pokémon world, whether it's the ocean, a river, a pond, or even a muddy puddle—you'll find them everywhere."

"At the Pokémon Center, the lowest price for any Pokémon is 200,000 credits. Magikarp is exactly that base price."

"As a species, Magikarp's only strengths are its vitality… and reproductive ability."

"It's most famous for being unreliable."

"It's frail, dim-witted, and basically useless in battle."

"It has no strength or speed—can't even swim upstream in the gentlest rivers."

"They're often swept away by the current, and if you look where the water pools, you'll find it's full of stranded Magikarp."

"And worst of all—this is one of the very few Pokémon that doesn't learn any proper moves early on. It only knows Splash."

"And Splash doesn't do anything but create a few harmless droplets…"

The more Su Bai explained, the more disheartened he felt.

This was Zhou Xiaofei's dream—to become a Trainer.

And the system gave him… a Magikarp?

Shouldn't it have been something like a Charmander?

Was the system trolling him?

Su Bai couldn't help but recall how the Pokédex described Magikarp over the generations:

"The weakest and most pathetic Pokémon with almost no combat value."

"Magikarp used to be a bit stronger in the past, but it has become pitifully weak."

"All it does is jump—meaninglessly. And even then, it gets snatched by Pidgey."

"No one knows how this species has survived to this day."

It was just… tragic.

Su Bai didn't look down on Magikarp out of arrogance—he just knew reality.

Zhou Xiaofei was a complete beginner. There was no way he could handle raising a Magikarp.

So for the first time—Su Bai, the shopkeeper who always told others, "There are no useless Pokémon, only trainers who don't know how to raise them,"—was trying to persuade someone to change their Pokémon.

He didn't want Zhou Xiaofei's dream to die right here and now.

Zhou Xiaofei listened quietly, but instead of responding immediately, he hesitated.

"Um… Boss Brother… if I don't take this Magikarp, what will happen to it?"

His face was filled with innocent concern.

Su Bai froze for a second.

He honestly hadn't thought about that.

"I'm… not entirely sure," he admitted. "But generally, a Pokémon in the Pokédex stays there waiting for a buyer."

"Until someone buys it, it'll just… keep waiting."

"As for what kind of life it has while it's stuck in there, I really don't know…"

Zhou Xiaofei's expression turned even more worried.

"No way… that's too cruel!"

"Magikarp's already so weak, and if it has to be locked up in the Pokédex forever too… isn't that even more pitiful?"

His words brought the room to a stunned silence.

Diancie floated over, visibly moved, and gently patted Zhou Xiaofei's head.

"As expected of little Xiaofei!"

Meloetta nodded repeatedly, her eyes shimmering.

Even Su Bai had been trying to protect Zhou Xiaofei—

But this boy, barely ten years old, thought only of the Magikarp.

The weakest. The most unwanted.

And yet, he cared.

"…Maybe you're the real kind of Trainer," Su Bai murmured.

He reached out and ruffled Zhou Xiaofei's hair.

The words of warning he had meant to say turned into encouragement.

Compared to this child, maybe he—as an adult—had become too cautious and pragmatic.

The bond between a Pokémon and its Trainer… wasn't something measured by power.

So what if it's Magikarp?

Su Bai suddenly remembered a famous scene from the Pokémon Platinum game.

A young boy charges into battle declaring,

"I'm going to beat you with the Magikarp my dad gave me!"

Then… he sends out a single Magikarp.

Level 8. Only knows Splash.

Most players would laugh, thinking it was a joke to lighten the pacing.

But take a closer look.

After losing, the boy says,

"Even the Pokémon my dad gave me couldn't do it…"

and hands over 128 yen.

That was probably everything he had.

Which meant his dad gave him 256 yen and a single Magikarp, saying:

"Go on your journey."

Meanwhile, the player starts with a top-tier starter, a bag full of items, 10 Poké Balls, and 10,000 yen in pocket money.

The world was never fair—not in the game, not in reality.

And Su Bai began to wonder… if he ever met that boy again—

Would he still believe in his dad's gift?

Would his Magikarp have evolved into Gyarados?

He never expected that in another worldline, in a completely different world—

He'd actually meet that kind of Magikarp boy in real life.

Zhou Xiaofei's chances of becoming a Trainer were even slimmer than Magikarp's chance of evolving.

But maybe… just maybe, he'd witness a miracle.

Looking down at the hopeful boy staring at the Pokédex, Su Bai reached out and gently tousled his hair.

"Not resenting your own Pokémon… that's the first step to becoming a Trainer."

"And you've already done that—without anyone telling you to."

"Xiaofei, you're amazing."

He smiled and handed his payment card to Rotom.

Even though the money was just transferring from one pocket to another, the process still had to be done right.

Moments later, a lively Magikarp appeared in front of everyone.

And what they saw stunned even Su Bai.

The Magikarp flopped joyfully—and beside it floated a nearly invisible bubble of water.

Su Bai blinked.

This was his first time seeing a fish-type Pokémon appear outside water.

"In the official lore, fish-type Pokémon can survive on land… but I always thought that was nonsense."

"So this is how it works…"

He touched the bubble—surprised to feel nothing at all.

It was like air.

"A self-generated water field… like an elemental bubble. Just enough to let it live on land."

"Huh. Makes sense."

Su Bai nodded thoughtfully, then turned and rummaged through the back shelves.

A few moments later, he pulled out a large glass tank, lifted it with ease, and carried it out to the courtyard.

He filled it with water and placed it in the corner.

"Still, constantly making water vapor like that must be tiring. Better to let it stay in water."

Thankfully, the old pet shop had plenty of supplies—otherwise, it would've been hard to find a proper tank.

Zhou Xiaofei beamed with joy as he carried the Magikarp to the tank and gently placed it inside.

He leaned over the glass, watching his Pokémon lovingly.

The Magikarp happily flopped in the water, replying with little splashes.

Su Bai chuckled softly.

"Don't forget your shower. I'm heading out."

"I've put off this errand long enough…"