In an electronics factory, components swiftly slid along the assembly line.
Beside it, a worker's arm moved so fast it almost left afterimages, busily processing the products.
At first, everything was fine, but as time went on, some people couldn't take it anymore.
"You three at the front! That's enough! For such a small wage, do you really have to work like your lives depend on it?!"
"Huh? We're paid per piece. What does that have to do with you?"
Yes, the three at the very front were Jessie, James, and Meowth.
Sticking to the principle of loving whatever job they did, they worked with exceptional efficiency and were directly assigned to the piecework position by the foreman.
They greatly boosted production efficiency—to the point it was about to cause public resentment.
"By the way, while we're working here, do you think those brats might take the chance to run off?"
"No way, meow. I already checked. In a few days, this city is hosting a Pokémon competition. They will definitely bring Pikachu to compete.
We'll take this time to prepare, and then, while he is focused on the competition, we'll take away Pikachu~"
Meowth kept his hands busy as he talked, already planning their next steps—even devising a scheme to infiltrate the competition venue as a volunteer.
The workers behind the assembly line were sweating profusely from being busy, and didn't pay attention to what they were saying about things like Pikachu.
Even if they didn't own Pokémon themselves, they often heard such terms and just considered these people to be fantasizing.
After all, phrases like "We feel great" were something they overheard from time to time.
Meanwhile, Rowan had returned home. Due to Nekomi doing it on purpose, she didn't miss a single mud puddle on the way back.
After entering the door, Nekomi placed her shopping bags on the shelf, then naturally opened her arms, waiting for Rowan to carry her into the bathroom.
"You really stepped in every single one along the way."
"Meow~ (No I didn't, the puddles were just too big.)"
"You sure?"
"Meow.... (Maybe...)"
A puddle three meters wide—if you don't consider walking around it, that really is pretty big. But Nekomi didn't fall under the category of humans.
Although she wasn't like Blaziken, a Pokémon skilled at jumping that could leap over a thirty-story building in a single bound, she wasn't as "fragile" as a human either.
In front of Rowan, she might not be able to open a bottle cap, but out in the wild, her claws could twist off a skull.
"Alright then. Next time we go out, should I get you a pair of rain boots? It might make things easier."
"Meow~ (No, wearing shoes feels weird. This is fine.)"
Rowan wasn't blind—he knew Nekomi had deliberately stepped in every puddle along the way. He didn't dwell on it and carried her straight to the bathroom.
While Nekomi washed the mud off, Rowan was sorting the items they'd bought and filling the previously empty fridge.
"Beedrill pollen… Pokémon really are peculiar. Even though they're a type of bee that doesn't make honey, they still collect pollen."
Looking at the ingredients of the honey, Rowan thought he should make time to study the ecology of Pokémon in this world.
The game data that he remembered only went so far—there was still a lot he didn't know.
This world had already developed many unique things, like ordinary cattle with Tauros bloodlines. Breeding such animals was an actual specialized field—and a promising one at that.
Over the next stretch of time, Rowan made some Pokéblocks, and also tried his hand at Berry Ice Cream and Poffins.
To avoid letting them occupy his living space, Rowan didn't take out all the items. He simply followed the recipes and experimented by hand.
Using those items was like producing them with a single click, but now that he was doing it manually, the failure rate shot up.
Compared to those perfectly shaped Pokéblocks, many of these could only be considered scraps.
Over the next few days, Rowan mostly trained his body using the strengthening device, and the improvement was quite noticeable.
By the standards of that machine's assessment system, Rowan's "level" was very low—and the lower the level, the more remarkable the effects of the enhancement.
Besides that, Rowan also researched other Gyms, such as Fengdu Gym, which specialized in Ghost Type, and Xuantai Gym, which specialized in Ice Type.
Looking at those Gym names, Rowan seemed to understand Rong Fei's feelings a little—compared to the others, his family's Lanxiang Gym did sound a bit unconventional. [TN: Fengdu is a historical, famous necropolis, while Xuantai is a platform where the Heavenly Emperor stored books in legends.]
By evening, the university's stadium was full of all kinds of people.
Young couples in the corners, students rehearsing for the graduation party on the lawn, and Trainers walking their Pokémon for some fresh air.
Dormitories at the university weren't as comfortable as renting a place off campus. The Battle Department's accommodations were definitely nicer, but dormitories weren't exactly Professor Oak's backyard lawn either.
University rules prohibited releasing Pokémon inside the dorms.
Even a Trainer's own Pokémon could have conflicts with each other—let alone ones belonging to different Trainers.
If two people's Pokémon started fighting inside the dorm, the aftermath would be quite annoying.
To prevent that kind of situation, the higher-ups had simply gone with a strict ban across the board.
The university provided a designated daycare area for the Battle Department. If someone didn't want to leave their Pokémon there, they had to abide by the corresponding rules.
The spacious stadium had also become a place for many Pokémon to move around. It was cooler in the early morning and evening compared to the daytime, and since many people couldn't get up early, the evenings tended to get more crowded.
Lately, however, the stadium had seen an unusual duo.
"Nekomi, which do you think takes less effort—roller skates or a skateboard?"
"Meow… meow! (Roller skates, probably. I can't control the skateboard well, and it's easy to fling you off during turns.)"
The University Race wasn't being held for the first time—Rowan had already seen information about the previous competitions.
There were all kinds of vehicles. Any vehicle that didn't provide its own propulsion could potentially appear in the competition.
In the first leg of the race, teams couldn't abandon their received vehicle, and they had to use it with the help of a Pokémon's power—otherwise, it would count as a forfeit.
Carriages, unicycles, roller skates, and even wheelchairs were all among the options.
This race even had an element of luck—if the competing Pokémon didn't match well with the received vehicle, it was easy to fall behind right from the start.
It isn't until the second leg, when the restrictions are lifted, that participants are allowed to ditch their vehicle and complete a final sprint.
Right now, Rowan was doing some practice.
Although he's added some variations, the essence is still having Pokémon run with weights. In this scenario, the lighter the load, the more advantageous it is.
Rowan can't handle anything too unusual, but he could still practice with some small items here.
After a few days of testing, they found that certain vehicles—especially during sharp turns—had a tendency to get flung off. After all, Nekomi was pulling Rowan by the hand as she ran, and Rowan had some trouble keeping control of the skateboard.
For him, drawing a pair of roller skates would be the most ideal outcome.