Chapter 23: Sprigatito Rearing Tips from the Paldea Region's Top Champion

Xia Chi felt stuffed from the grand promises he had made to himself. He spent the rest of the afternoon brimming with energy, drafting an epic, grandiose promotional text for the creation of the world by Arceus. The notifications of "Sprigatito defeated Mankey..." that chimed in his mind from time to time served as a reminder that his Sprigatito was also working hard elsewhere. Behind that effort, no doubt, were many Mankeys paying the price for their past tyranny.

Once the tracker indicated that Sprigatito was officially on its way back, Xia Chi tallied the day's results: seven Mankeys, four Aipoms, and 2.4 points of Dark-type bond "Fear Value." On the surface, it seemed as if it would take another forty days or so to reach one hundred points of Fear Value, which would grant Sprigatito a 10% damage boost and unlock the first reward. However, the reality was far less ideal. There were few troublesome Pokémon in the school to begin with, and even fewer that Sprigatito could currently handle—there was no point in mentioning those it couldn't defeat, and the weak ones provided negligible Fear Value.

In this light, the upcoming Hupao Cup seemed like a promising place to grind for Fear Value. Excellent; that gave him one more reason to participate.

Sprigatito returned as the sunset faded. Its eyes and body were noticeably more exhausted than they had been in the morning. Clearly, the midday rest was not enough to sustain a full afternoon of relentless battling. Xia Chi, feeling a pang of sympathy, insisted that Sprigatito stay in the dorm for the evening and go nowhere. He framed it as attending a "tactical literacy course" by watching streams with him to improve its tactical awareness. Sprigatito, having no way to object, could only passively enjoy the peaceful respite.

Meanwhile, after a full day and night of fermentation, the battle between Xia Chi and Raihan from the previous night had completely taken over the internet. The buzz was significantly higher than when Xia Chi had "captured" Iono twice a few days prior. After all, while both were Gym Leaders, there was a vast disparity in their strength. At the top was the leader of the world's largest criminal organization, Team Rocket, and the underground emperor of the Kanto and Johto regions: Giovanni. At the bottom were the Cerulean Sisters, whose strength was inversely proportional to their looks, and who were constantly rumored to be on the verge of losing their Gym status, relying solely on water performances to stay afloat. As for why the rumors never led to an actual shutdown—perhaps the League auditors enjoyed the shows too? But I digress.

While the gap between Iono and Raihan wasn't quite that dramatic, the latter held the title of the "Strongest Gym Leader." Although this title was little more than a marketing gimmick—not unlike the misleading Forbes wealth rankings—it still made him the undisputed number one in the public eye, guaranteeing massive attention and prestige. Consequently, when Xia Chi started his stream today, the activity in his chat was unprecedented. Passersby who resented Raihan’s lofty status cheered him on, while Raihan’s loyal fans swarmed in to tear him down. The regular viewers of Xia Chi's stream were on edge, and the Iono fans who had been drawn in over the last couple of days were simply amused. As for Xia Chi, who enabled paid-subscriber-only chat and profited handsomely from the traffic, he was the ultimate winner.

In short, without any gimmicks, without matching against any other famous trainers, and without Iono’s involvement, Xia Chi simply used the account of his second-highest donor to run a Trick Room team, dominating the Great Ball Tier. It was another profitable day.

The following days settled into a routine of classes, video editing, streaming, and remotely training Sprigatito. Occasionally, he would touch base with his top donor, discussing the viability of Pawmot replacing Rillaboom for a dual-Fake Out tactic, commiserating over annoying Gym challengers or obsessive fans, and providing her with plenty of emotional validation through the art of "damning with faint praise." By the end of the week, Iono was initiating conversations with Xia Chi more and more frequently.

Sprigatito’s progress was equally significant. Its accumulated Fear Value crossed 20, and the system displayed its level as having risen to Lv. 14. If the system levels were synchronized with the Pokémon games of his past life, it meant that in two more levels, Sprigatito would evolve into Floragato. Perhaps the little cat would be standing on its hind legs before the Hupao Cup arrived? The system didn't show a specific progress bar for levels, so Xia Chi couldn't be certain.

Finally, on the last day of November, the cultivation data he had been longing for arrived. The cute Bellibolt icon of his most frequent contact began to blink.

"Sorry to keep you waiting! The data was scattered, so it took a while to organize. (Bellibolt lying down.jpg)"
"Attachment (Geeta’s Sprigatito Cultivation Insights.rar)"
"Attachment (Katy’s Sprigatito Cultivation Insights.rar)"

Xia Chi, who had just finished editing a video and was lounging in his chair, sprang up like a Magikarp and clicked the files with lightning speed.

Xia Chi: "Files received successfully *2."
Xia Chi: "Thank you so much! Please, come in and sit, let me pour you some tea! (Polteageist smiling and holding a tray.gif)"
Xia Chi: "By the way, did those two big shots help organize this, or..."
Iono: "They're so busy, it was enough to get them to find it for me. Where would they find the time to organize it? (Pawmot sighing.gif)"
Xia Chi: "!!!"
Xia Chi: "I have drifted through life for half a lifetime, regretting only that I had not met a wise master. If you do not despise me, I would like to call you my foster mother! (Squirtle crying.jpg)"
Iono: "(Bellibolt looking dull.jpg)"
Xia Chi: "Wait, no, foster mother!"
Iono: "That's not what I meant!"
Xia Chi: "Anyway, Teacher Iono, you’ve been a huge help!"
Iono: "Forget it. It was something I promised to do for you, no need to be so polite."
Iono: "I have a Gym challenge match in a bit, I have to go. (Pawmot waving goodbye.gif)"
Xia Chi: "Good luck with your battle! I’m going to study these insights!"

Closing the chat window, Xia Chi rubbed his hands together with excitement and unzipped the two compressed files. There was a saying in this world that a top trainer must also be an excellent breeder. Iono certainly fell into that category; the Sprigatito cultivation data she had organized was incredibly clear and logical. The entire guide was divided into three stages: Sprigatito, Floragato, and Meowscarada. Each major stage was further broken down into six categories, including diet, training, and move sets. Each category was comprehensive, covering everything from daily nutritional needs and optimal berry ratios to energy distribution across three meals. It was a nanny-level guide.

Just as Iono had said, Geeta and Katy certainly wouldn't have had the patience to help Xia Chi to such a detailed extent. The identity of the person behind the effort was self-evident. Even though these documents were part of an unfinished deal, Iono could have easily done the bare minimum, but she had clearly put in a lot of care.

Xia Chi sighed inwardly. He now owed Iono a massive favor.