Losing a battle despite having the advantage in raw strength was naturally a crushing feeling.
Not to mention that Gible had defeated him and Snubbull without even having a trainer directing it.
Still—
Wan Yushu wasn't someone who couldn't accept defeat.
Losing didn't matter. As long as he continued getting stronger, he could always win back what he had lost later.
That had always been the belief he held onto.
After bringing Snubbull to the Pokémon Center for routine treatment, Wan Yushu learned that his battle had just happened to be fully live-commentated by his idol, Teacher Mo.
Honestly speaking—
Just like how every child longs for praise from their parents or teachers, Wan Yushu, who had always regarded Chen Mo as his guiding mentor, cared deeply about Chen Mo's evaluation of him.
Even though he had lost, his commands and Snubbull's performance had still been fairly impressive, right?
Well… there was nothing he could do about it.
After all, it was Teacher Mo's Pokémon—a pseudo-legendary hatchling with outrageous talent that had defeated a Nidorino only a day after being born. Losing to that kind of monster wasn't exactly shameful.
With that thought, Wan Yushu barely managed to comfort himself before opening the replay with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.
But then—
Chen Mo's words left him completely stunned.
Teacher Mo had indeed given high praise to Snubbull's strength and Wan Yushu's battlefield decisions.
However…
The things Chen Mo mentioned while explaining Snubbull's species characteristics plunged Wan Yushu into deep self-doubt.
Snubbull…
A Pokémon that looked fierce on the outside, yet was actually timid and cowardly inside?
Wan Yushu had never known that.
He had first met Snubbull a very, very long time ago, back when Chen Mo had only just started streaming, when many people still referred to Pokémon as "monsters."
Through all the long years they had spent together, Wan Yushu believed he fully understood Snubbull's personality.
They were best partners.
Family.
And yet suddenly, someone told him—
Everything he thought he knew was merely his own wishful thinking.
That in reality, he didn't truly understand his Pokémon at all.
That kind of blow was devastating.
Of course—
Wan Yushu could still make excuses for himself.
That was simply Snubbull's species trait. Snubbull had never directly shown it before, and the current Pokédex didn't contain enough detailed information for him to learn about it.
But…
Those excuses might fool others.
They couldn't fool himself.
Just looking at Snubbull filled him with guilt.
The true reason he had lost to Gible wasn't Snubbull.
It was him—the trainer.
As he reflected on all the moments he and Snubbull had shared together, a question slowly surfaced in Wan Yushu's heart.
Was he…
really a qualified trainer?
"I want to know… how does someone become a qualified trainer? Even though I'm Snubbull's trainer, I failed to notice what it was feeling… Doesn't that make me completely unqualified…?"
His voice grew softer and softer, his head lowering unconsciously.
Right then—
Clap clap.
Two crisp claps echoed through the hall.
"Alright, everyone, quiet down for a moment. I know this is the first time many of you have participated in such a formal competition alongside your Pokémon, so I'm sure you all have plenty of thoughts and questions."
"But before that…"
"I'd like to tell everyone a story. Would you be willing to listen?"
The crowd looked toward the young man standing among them, his face carrying a warm smile.
"Of course! Teacher Mo, start already! I promise I won't make a sound!"
"I love listening to Teacher Mo's stories! I never thought I'd get to hear one in person after coming to Anping City—I'm so happy!"
"Teacher Mo, do you want to sit down while telling it?"
"Oh no, I just matched with a new opponent on the Pokédex. I was originally going to leave after seeing Teacher Mo once, but now I don't want to go anymore…"
Listening to the crowd's noisy responses, Chen Mo raised a hand gently.
Everyone instantly quieted down.
Soon, the enormous lobby was left with only the sounds of breathing—human and Pokémon alike.
At this moment, in the eyes of both people and Pokémon alike, the young man standing there seemed to shine like the center of the world itself.
Perfect.
Flawless.
And then—
Chen Mo began speaking.
"I have a friend. Let's call him… 'the young man.'"
The moment those words left his mouth, many people who had been absentmindedly listening suddenly burst into laughter.
In an instant, that perfect image of Chen Mo seemed to crack slightly.
Yet Chen Mo himself didn't mind in the slightest.
He glanced at the Pikachu resting on his shoulder and continued with a smile.
"This young man had a dream."
"A very grand dream… and also a very foolish one."
"He hoped that one day, humans and Pokémon could live together peacefully in the same world."
"One day, after finally getting the chance, the young man forced himself to overcome his fear and step into the wilderness, hoping to prove to others that Pokémon were not terrifying creatures that humanity could never accept."
"Perhaps due to a bit of luck, the young man quickly formed a bond with a Pokémon, and through a somewhat crafty method, convinced that Pokémon to travel with him."
"But back then, people still found it difficult to accept Pokémon. They treated them like monsters and demons."
"So while bringing the Pokémon home, the young man didn't even dare let it show itself openly. He could only let it secretly hide inside his backpack."
"Even so, the young man was incredibly happy."
"Because he had proven that humans and Pokémon could coexist peacefully… that humans and Pokémon could become companions who understood and cared for each other like family."
"Day after day passed."
"The young man and that Pokémon ate together, watched television together, slept together, traveled together…"
"And through all of that, their bond deepened rapidly."
"Gradually, more and more people began discussing the relationship between the young man and his Pokémon."
"They really did seem to be changing the world, little by little."
At this point, Chen Mo paused.
Wan Yushu frowned thoughtfully.
As fans, everyone present was already familiar with these stories.
Since Teacher Mo was bringing it up now, there had to be a deeper meaning behind it…
Just as Wan Yushu was pondering this, Chen Mo's voice rang out once more.
"In many people's eyes, the young man was gentle, loved Pokémon deeply, and was willing to sacrifice everything for his dream."
"But in reality…"
"He himself had many flaws."
"After spending such a long time together, the young man had already come to regard his Pokémon as his closest family."
"And because of that, he believed that no one in the world understood his Pokémon better than he did."
"And precisely because he thought that way…"
"He often forced his own opinions onto his Pokémon without realizing it."
"He believed that his Pokémon didn't enjoy battling very much, and because they were still young, there was no need to rush their training."
"So he intentionally delayed their training schedule."
"And eventually…"
"That suppression reached its limit."
"One night, the young man's first Pokémon and a newly joined teammate secretly left home behind his back…"
"…and began training on their own."
The trainers listening to the story were all stunned.
This was something they had never heard or seen during the livestreams before.
Pokémon secretly sneaking out to train because their trainer wouldn't let them?
While everyone felt a little sorry for the Pokémon, another thought also emerged in their minds.
"As a trainer, this guy is terrible!"
A young trainer standing at the outer edge of the crowd suddenly shouted indignantly.
He had a red-and-white cap on his head.
And he had unknowingly voiced exactly what everyone else was thinking.
Immediately afterward—
He realized everyone around him was staring at him with extremely strange expressions.
Thinking he had disrupted the atmosphere, the young trainer quickly covered his mouth and apologized awkwardly.
"Sorry, sorry! I really didn't mean to interrupt…"
"It's just that the friend Teacher Mo described is seriously infuriating! Pokémon aren't dolls! Forcing your own ideas onto them is completely the behavior of an unqualified trainer!"
As he spoke, the teenager looked around, expecting agreement from the crowd.
Instead, everyone's expressions grew even stranger.
"Why are you all looking at me like that…?"
Finally, someone nearby couldn't stand it anymore and quietly whispered:
"Are you stupid? The 'friend' Teacher Mo is talking about… is himself!"
"?!"
The teenager's eyes widened in shock, his expression practically screaming:
You've got to be kidding me!?
But after replaying Chen Mo's story in his head and recalling all the clues…
The more he thought about it, the more it really did sound exactly like Chen Mo.
Instantly, the teenager became incredibly embarrassed.
Still—
He stubbornly muttered under his breath:
"Even if it's Teacher Mo… what I said still isn't wrong…"
"Yes."
A gentle voice answered him.
"You're not wrong."
Everyone turned around.
Chen Mo spread his hands helplessly, then glanced at the Pikachu rubbing affectionately against his cheek before smiling softly.
"At that time, I truly wasn't a qualified trainer."
"And even now…"
"I still make many, many basic mistakes."
At this point, Chen Mo looked toward the teenager who had spoken up earlier and asked loudly:
"Trainer with the red-and-white hat—may I know your name?"
Hearing this, the boy instantly perked up.
He first whistled toward the back.
The next second, everyone saw an orange dragon-like Pokémon with a cream-colored belly leap directly into the boy's arms.
At the tip of its wagging tail burned a bright flame, expressing its excitement.
"I'm Gao Tianming from Crescent Moon Town!"
"And this is my best partner—Charmander!"
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