Ten minutes later, Su Sheng held a Pikachu cookie box in his left hand, constantly rummaging through it with his right hand, tossing cookies into his mouth as he chewed, while under his arm, he carried a bag of Psyduck potato chips. Completely ignoring the two "peers" behind him who were sniffling and wiping their tears, he strutted away with his Eevee.

"Sigh, really, how did I forget how to make money while playing games?" Su Sheng muttered to himself, shaking his head and clicking his tongue as he munched on cookies. Indeed, in his previous life as a trainer, battles had been the source of income, right? Sometimes he would encounter wealthy NPCs who would pay tens of thousands. Although there is a gap between games and reality, it’s not possible to earn a living through such means. But bullying elementary school students and snatching their snacks is still acceptable, right? Although it’s a bit unethical... What? I’m also an elementary school student? Oh, then it’s fine.

However, selling items is also a major source of income. Unfortunately, Su Sheng had been wandering around the city for several days but hadn’t found anything like a "huge golden pearl." He hadn’t even picked up a wild Poké Ball. It turns out you can’t fully trust everything in games.

"Hey! What’s your name? Next time we will definitely beat you!" At that moment, the boy with the Cyndaquil shouted defiantly. "I’m called Fat Tiger." Su Sheng replied without looking back. From then on, a legend about Fat Tiger spread throughout Blue City for a long time.

……

A few days later, in front of a department store in Blue City, under the gaze of many passersby, a Marill looked dejected but was overwhelmed by exhaustion, ultimately staggering two steps before its eyes rolled back and it collapsed on the ground. "My Marill..." The young man, the owner of the Marill, looked shocked, unable to believe that he was staring at a boy across from him who was less than half his age, accompanied by a Pokémon he had never seen before that gave people goosebumps.

"Y-Your Marill has lost its fighting ability, uh..." The girlfriend of the young man, who was serving as a referee, was about to announce the results of the match. But she got stuck halfway through. By the way, she still didn’t know what that dark Pokémon was called.

"Eevee," Su Sheng glanced sideways and said, "She is Eevee."

"Oh!" The girlfriend nodded repeatedly, then smiled and announced, "Marill has lost its fighting ability, Eevee wins. Therefore, the winner of this instant noodle competition is this little friend."

"Oh～"

"Impressive!"

"That boy is really strong!"

"But that Pokémon seems a bit scary; the name has 'Eevee' in it. Could it be a form of evolution?"

"Huh? Aren't there only three evolutions for Eevee?" The surrounding crowd began to discuss animatedly.

Meanwhile, Su Sheng had already walked up to the young man, chuckling, "Uncle, according to our agreement, give me the stuff."

"Tch—call me 'brother,' you little brat who isn’t cute at all." After retrieving his Marill, the young man, looking displeased, handed Su Sheng a plastic bag containing a pack of instant noodles featuring Blaziken and a portion of Pokémon food. Yes, this was the "prize" both parties had agreed upon. If Su Sheng lost, he would have to give the other person a pack of Gengar gummy candies, and if the young man lost, he would have to give Su Sheng a pack of Blaziken instant noodles and Pokémon food. As for the Gengar gummy candies... well, Su Sheng had won those from an elementary school student.

But after bullying the elementary school students for a few days and seeing them cry, Su Sheng, who had lived three lifetimes, felt a bit guilty. Forget it, let’s focus on adults instead. Thus, this friendly match came to be. Su Sheng's target was basically the type of clueless young man who had bought a bunch of food, preferably with a girlfriend. The reason was simple... when a girlfriend is present, straight men often won’t refuse out of pride.

Another reason was—without a woman in the heart, missing the ball comes naturally. Just look at those formidable trainers, like Red, Green, Dan Emperor, Yu Long Du... which one isn’t a single dog? This indicates one thing! Only single dogs are qualified to be impressive trainers. You men who are infatuated with beauty, exuding a sour smell, how could you possibly reach the peak!?

"Alright, alright, here you go." The young man handed over the items with a resentful look. "But your Pokémon looks really scary, with that black fur and red eyes. Those moves sound terrifying too, called 'Roar' and 'Pursuit,' right? Using such a scary Pokémon at such a young age... I advise you to switch to a more normal Pokémon."

Continuously called "scary" by the audience and the young man, Eevee, the supposed victor, lost her spark and drooped her head. Su Sheng, who was about to take the food, suddenly hesitated. Sensing Su Sheng's displeasure, Eevee instinctively raised her gaze.

She saw her owner with a look of disdain, saying, "Every king has his own talents, every chef has his own skills, and Pokémon have their own ways of survival and battle. There’s no distinction between noble and humble Pokémon." Su Sheng acknowledged that there are strong and weak Pokémon. For example, the likes of Purple Hermit and Platinum Star are not on the same level. In 99% of cases, a sound bug would never defeat Dolphin Hero.

But just like no profession is superior or inferior, he didn’t believe there was a hierarchy among Pokémon. As long as it was a Pokémon he liked, whether it was a Caterpie or a Rayquaza, he would nurture it well. Saying this, Su Sheng simply refused the food, turned around, and left.

"Why are you lowering your head? Raise it up! You are the victor!" Eevee bit her lip tightly, watching Su Sheng’s back as he walked forward, feeling an endless surge of motivation inside her. Eventually, she raised her head high, like a proud queen.

In the eyes of the surrounding people, some feared, some were wary, and some admired her. She held her neck high, following Su Sheng proudly as they walked away.

……

Ten minutes later, on a public bench by the coast of Blue City.

"Emmm... this thing feels very unsatisfying." Su Sheng opened the pack of Gengar gummy candies, took one for himself and one for Eevee, and before long, the pack was empty.

"Bu Yi～" Eevee drooped her head again, feeling dejected. If it weren't for her...

"I said not to always lower your head and sigh! Lift your head! Like this!" Su Sheng placed one hand on his hip, pointing at Eevee and tilting his head back almost to form a 90-degree angle.

There it was! The signature overbearing posture of the Pirate Empress! "Like this, step on all those who look down on you! Like an empress! That’s right, you are the empress of Pokémon!"

"Don’t let the nonsense of those around you affect you. In my eyes, you are the most beautiful Pokémon!!!"

Eevee bit her lip tightly. One second, two seconds... all the grievances she had accumulated for a long time burst forth like a dam breaking, and tears streamed down her face.