Chapter Sixty-Nine: Summary and the Plans Ahead

On one side, Su Yi was still praising the companion beasts who had fought valiantly for him. The beasts, like well-behaved children, basked in his affectionate strokes as Rotom Phone captured the moment. Luzao ran over, smiling, and said, “That was a spectacular battle, meow!”

Meanwhile, Hop and Sonia hurried to Leon’s side. Hop exclaimed excitedly, “Big brother is as amazing as ever! The G-Max Wildfire from that Gigantamax Charizard was so cool!!”

Sonia nodded, adding, “It was indeed an impressive finishing move, but Mr. Su Yi’s command was also remarkable.”

Su Yi turned and smiled, “Thank you for the compliment.”

“That’s right, that’s right! Brother Su Yi’s battle was fantastic too. Tyrantrum and the others have such a fierce fighting style! I was holding my breath watching them,” Hop praised.

“Su Yi, your team isn’t fully formed yet, is it?” Leon smiled, noting that Su Yi had proposed a 4v4 match rather than a full battle.

“Of course not. But once it’s complete, you’ll be in for a real surprise!” Su Yi replied with a grin.

“You’ve already surprised me. Especially with that ‘Flash Tactics’—if I’d let my guard down for a moment, you could’ve taken out my ace in an instant,” Leon admitted, still feeling a lingering sense of danger.

If he’d been even slightly careless, Tyrantrum might have seized the chance to knock Charizard out.

Looking at the four battered yet wild warriors behind Su Yi, Leon felt even more certain of his intuition: Su Yi’s achievements would not end here. As Su Yi himself said, he would keep reaching new heights!

“Su Yi, let me take this Wishing Star back to my grandmother’s place and have her make you a Dynamax Band. It should be ready by tomorrow. Tomorrow, you and Leon can come together to the lab near Postwick—Leon knows the way,” Sonia said, picking up the Wishing Star.

Are you sure Leon can find the way?

Well, it doesn’t matter—Charizard will help.

“Thank you, Sonia,” Su Yi said gratefully.

“I’ll head back now,” Sonia waved under the moonlight and walked in the direction of Postwick.

Su Yi nudged Leon, who looked at him in surprise, not understanding.

“Aren’t you going to walk her home? You’re going to let a girl walk alone at night?” Su Yi chided, half-exasperated.

Leon scratched his head sheepishly, then turned and hurried after Sonia.

Watching Leon catch up to Sonia and seeing her subtly delighted expression, Su Yi couldn’t help but grin.

“What’s big brother doing…?” Hop asked, puzzled.

Su Yi patted Hop on the shoulder and laughed, “That’s grown-up business. By the way, Hop, hasn’t your family ever tried to push Leon to get married at his age?”

Hop looked even more confused and replied, “Whether my brother gets married or not is his own business, isn’t it? Also, Brother Su Yi, you’re not much older than him yourself, are you? Are you married?”

Su Yi: ...

This kid really knows what to say.

...

“Hop, thank you for inviting me to your birthday party today. And thank you, Mr. Su Yi, for the delicious food and the wonderful match. See you another time, bye-bye~”

Back at Hop’s family’s small courtyard, Sonia bid a polite farewell, then jogged toward a house at the far end of the yard.

“Brother Su Yi, we’ve prepared a room for you. Just relax and get some rest,” Hop said.

...

After a refreshing bath, Su Yi lay on the bed and opened the Hunter’s Guide, checking the details of his companion beasts. The Pluckbird had learned Brave Bird, a powerful Flying-type move that required charging, but was more likely to land a critical hit and could cause the target to flinch.

Unexpectedly, the Direjaw Drake had learned Crunch, which was stronger than Bite and could lower the opponent’s defense.

“That must have been when it fought to a draw with Inteleon at the end,” Su Yi recalled. “Its Bite became sharper and more ferocious—I suppose that was Crunch.”

Since its capture, the Direjaw Drake had trusted Su Yi deeply and followed his commands unwaveringly. Its fighting style was reckless and relentless, and though not a top-tier monster in the ecosystem, its diligence and ferocity had made it the backbone of the current team.

Pluckbird, on the other hand, was a clever little thing, still obsessed with eggs and full of surprises. Yet it also executed Su Yi’s orders without hesitation; like Direjaw Drake, it was one of the first to be caught and had come to trust Su Yi deeply.

The capture of Savagejaw Dragon was a classic battle capture, and it, true to its nature, recognized Su Yi as its boss. However, due to its abilities and moves, it was best suited to the Poison Miasma Valley; otherwise, it was just a slightly tougher paralyzer. Weighing his options, Su Yi decided not to field it in the match against Leon.

Tyrantrum began to trust Su Yi after he directed it in a fierce fight against Savagejaw Dragon. Thanks to its ruthless combat style, as long as it was willing to battle, it gave its all—making it Su Yi’s strongest companion beast to date.

As for Zizi, though its mood no longer seemed so low, it lacked motivation—a bit of a slacker. It didn’t resist Su Yi’s commands but wouldn’t give its all like Tyrantrum. Still, it played a crucial tactical role.

“The battle with Leon revealed a lot of issues,” Su Yi mused.

First and foremost was the lack of strong ranged options. His current companion beasts were all close-combat types, and it was impossible for them to figure out moves they’d never used before.

“Maybe I could try some Technical Machines,” Su Yi said, calling out to Rotom Phone.

“What can I do for you, Rotom?”

“Take some notes and remind me at the right time.”

“Got it, Rotom!” the phone chimed.

“First, make some money, then pick out and buy a few Technical Machines to try,” Su Yi thought, remembering the pristine pearl he still hadn’t sold. It would be a waste to let it go for a low price at the Poké Mart.

In the game, there was a merchant in Circhester who bought valuables at high prices; maybe he could maximize his profit. But that was just in the game—perhaps he could ask Bea, whose gym was there.

“After buying some daily essentials, maybe I should consider heading from the Ancient Tree Forest to the Giant’s Mirror Wasteland again,” Su Yi said.

If only he could catch a Rathian, then he could start building some aerial strength; otherwise, he’d have to seek out and capture a Corviknight or another Flying Pokémon.

He’d originally wanted to catch a Corviknight on the Isle of Armor but had never encountered one. Since leaving the island, he hadn’t explored the wilds, so there’d been no opportunity. If he still couldn’t catch a flying monster, he’d have to rely on Pokémon instead.

The Toxicroak was still too small, unable to fly, and had little fighting ability—clearly in need of further growth.

As for the Rathian in the Ancient Tree Forest, it was probably still with the Rathalos; the husband-and-wife pair would be a real handful. Better not to provoke them for now.

Looks like I’ll have to pick on a single mom.

I really am a terrible person!

Then again, I do like lady monsters.

“That’s all for now.”

“All noted, Rotom.”