"Jin! Scorbunny! I'm so sorry!"
By the campfire, Xiao Da bowed deeply to Jin, who waved her off. "It's fine. Scorbunny forgives you."
"Scor!" The rabbit Pokémon chirped, happily sipping Moomoo Milk—Xiao Da's peace offering alongside a jar of Fire-type Poké Puffs.
Jin scratched Scorbunny's ears. Truthfully, he owed Xiao Da for the chance to bond with the injured Pokémon.
"Little Chrysanthemum Mom's Class is in session!" Su Feng clapped, silencing the chatter.
[Live Chat Reactions]
[Why won't my kid stop coughing?]
[They're faking. Spank 'em!]
[Y'all need therapy.]
"Today, you all did great—everyone's got a partner now." Su Feng nodded at the trainees. Li Na's Applin (which fell on her head mid-novel-writing), Zhang Wei and Lu Ming's twin Wurmple (common but potent when evolved), and Cheng Meng's accidental "mom" Indeedee.
"Bedtime lesson: Same-type attack bonus. If your Pokémon uses a move matching its type, it hits harder. Blaziken's Fire Kick? Extra crispy. Exceptions exist—like abilities that change types mid-battle." He glanced at Scorbunny, wondering if it had Libero.
"Pokémon's full of surprises. Sleep on that!"
[Wait, STAB's a thing?!]
[Battle me! I'll pay your hospital bills!]
[Keep the stream on! We promise to behave!]
"Privacy first, folks. Goodnight!" Su Feng ended the直播, then addressed the group. "Rest up. Tomorrow's lesson? Every Trainer's rite of passage."
Next Morning
"Huh? I thought we'd learn grooming!" Xiao Die pouted as Su Feng set up a projector.
"Care comes later. First, survival." He queued a video. "Courtesy of a 'volunteer'—don't harass them."
The footage showed two middle-schoolers battling:
"Rattata! Bite it!" yelled the blue-shirted boy.
"My Lillipup's a dog! Bite back!" countered his rival.
The Rattata and Lillipup exchanged confused glances before resorting to literal tooth-and-claw combat. The "battle" ended with Lillipup pinning Rattata, its trainer declaring:
"Now that's an epic Pokémon battle!"
Su Feng facepalmed. "Exhibit A: How not to Train."