Lin Fan hesitated for a moment, but ultimately chose ten each of the Junior extraordinary energy cubes of the Bug-type and Poison-type.
energy cubes are quite filling for Pokémon; even the gluttonous Snorlax can't eat too many.
Moreover, the energy a Pokémon needs is closely related to its strength and size; a Weedle of this strength can only eat one energy cube a day.
...Probably?
Thinking of his Weedle's size, Lin Fan became a little unsure again.
Gritting his teeth, Lin Fan took ten more of each.
After paying, Lin Fan walked out of the store, carrying two heavy bags of energy cubes and peach fruits.
A cold wind blew, and Lin Fan looked up at the sky, feeling a bit like "the wind whistles and the Yi River is cold."
His wallet... was completely empty...
And whether this food could last a month was still unknown.
One month, just for food, would cost twenty to thirty thousand...
Actually, while energy cubes are a type of Pokémon food, they are not conventional Pokémon food.
Generally, Pokémon food is a specially formulated solid food, similar to dog or cat food, which is affordable and not much more expensive than human food.
In fact, it's perfectly fine for Pokémon to eat human food.
But the trade-off for doing so is that a Pokémon's strength growth will be slightly slower.
For Lin Fan, it was either not doing it at all, or doing it to the best of his ability.
Since there was better food available, he wouldn't consider slightly inferior options.
"I need to find a way to make money; I can't keep leeching off my family."
Lin Fan exhaled lightly. His family's financial situation didn't really support him becoming a full-time battle Trainer, but who cared when he possessed the Insect Plate?
With this legendary item, the word "give up" was no longer in his dictionary.
"Perhaps I could consider getting a Junior Breeder certificate; that way, I could also make money by making energy cubes."
After a moment of thought, Lin Fan added this idea to his list of options and walked away from the spot.
Now that he had the items, he needed to start training quickly.
"That damn competition's Champion title, I must get it! Two hundred thousand, that's enough to buy 10,000 peach fruits!"
Lin Fan threatened his Weedle fiercely, and the latter, head held high, looked resolute.
"Woo!"
For the peach fruits... no, for his Trainer, it would definitely win the championship!
"Train, train! Next goal: master the Bug Bite skill!"
...
The next morning, Lin Fan and his Weedle appeared in a quiet forest.
This was a not-too-large forest located in the suburbs of Twilight City. Lin Fan had searched for a whole day to find this place and intended to make it the training ground for him and his Weedle for the next two months.
There was no other way; training rooms were simply too expensive. With limited funds, he had to be very frugal.
Moreover, the environment here might be more suitable for Weedle, who was accustomed to living in the wild.
Taking out his notebook, Lin Fan glanced at it. It recorded Weedle's future development directions:
1. Physical conditioning
2. Mastering the Bug Bite skill
3. Increasing the toughness of its Silk Thread
4. Mastering the long-range attack method of Poison Sting
5. Evolution
Physical fitness is the foundation of a Pokémon's strength, and its importance is beyond doubt.
The Bug Bite skill is the last skill in Weedle's meager skill pool, but typical Weedle cannot master this skill.
This is because, theoretically, Weedle evolves into Kakuna at Lv. 7, but Weedle needs to be Lv. 9 to learn Bug Bite.
In the real world, it's pretty much the same; before Weedle can learn Bug Bite, they have already accumulated enough energy to evolve.
Lin Fan didn't know when his Weedle would evolve, but looking at the situation, it wouldn't be evolving anytime soon, making it a good time to learn Bug Bite.
"Perhaps it will only evolve when it reaches Superior strength."
Lin Fan muttered.
Trainers are divided into five levels: Junior, Intermediate, Advanced, Superior, and Professional Trainer, while Professional Trainers can obtain different titles based on their strength: Gym Leader, Elite, Champion, and Master.
Overall, there should be nine levels.
Pokémon's strength is also divided in the same way.
However, there are no specific levels in the real world. Based on Lin Fan's thoughts over the past few days and information found online, he had a rough idea of the conversion between the two.
Lv. 1 - Lv. 15 is Junior.
Lv. 16 - Lv. 29 is Intermediate.
Lv. 30 - Lv. 39 is Advanced.
Lv. 40 - Lv. 49 is Superior.
Lv. 50 - Lv. 59 is Professional.
Above that is less clear, but most likely it also progresses in ten-level increments, all the way up to the theoretical maximum level – Lv. 100.
This was Lin Fan's conclusion, derived from his memories of Pokémon evolution levels combined with real-world Trainers.
For example, Charmander evolving into Charmeleon at Lv. 16, Croconaw evolving into Feraligatr at Lv. 30, and Larvesta evolving into Volcarona at Lv. 59, and Zweilous evolving into Hydreigon at Lv. 64.
Lin Fan had checked online yesterday; the timing of a Pokémon's evolution generally has no impact on it, but Pokémon like Weedle, which need to form a cocoon, are an exception.
Because the process of forming a cocoon is essentially a process of digestion and conversion of internal energy, the later the evolution, the more energy Weedle accumulates, and the more energy available for conversion after evolving into Kakuna, the more beneficial it is to it. It might even significantly increase its potential after evolution.
Of course, because Bug-type Pokémon like Weedle, Caterpie, and Wurmple, which need to form cocoons, are too weak, Researchers have little interest in studying them, so the last sentence about potential possibly being increased is purely the article publisher's speculation.
However, apart from that, the information in this article was useful enough for Lin Fan.
"Researcher seems like a very impressive profession too; I can consider it. After all, so much of what's in my head needs to be published as papers to get rewards."
After a moment of contemplation, Lin Fan had already decided on another future side hustle for making money.
Twisting his neck, Lin Fan stretched his limbs slightly, then squatted down and patted Weedle: "Today's tasks aren't complicated. We'll do physical training in the morning and learn Bug Bite in the afternoon. If you perform well, I'll reward you with an extra peach fruit tonight."
Hearing this, Weedle's eyes suddenly lit up, and its upper body stood upright, striking an eager pose.
"Woo!"
For the peach fruits... no, for its Trainer, it would definitely win the championship!
"Very energetic, aren't you? I just wonder if you'll still have this much energy later."
A mischievous smile played on Lin Fan's lips.
Since it was physical training, how could he not push its stamina to the limit?
"Then let's just start with a simple five-kilometer warm-up."