For Little Snorlax, it was the same.
The system provided super influence points, which could compensate for its innate deficiencies in individual values. But when it came to training and development, that was entirely up to them.
Raising a Pokémon's strength—even if not for battles—could improve its health and lifespan.
What's more, Lovy intended to eventually raise Little Snorlax into a Pokémon capable of holding its own in any situation.
Of course.
Lovy would always respect Little Snorlax's will. If it showed obvious resistance during training, Lovy would never force it.
One of the core principles of training: respect.
Respect not only for the Pokémon's personality and choices, but also for its type, abilities, habits, and so on.
"Come on, Little Snorlax, let's go get some breakfast."
Although they had restocked on Pokémon food yesterday, the delivery hadn't arrived yet.
Lovy decided to just let Little Snorlax have a small taste of human food first.
Pokémon can eat human food—it's just that they might not like it as much, or it might not be cost-effective.
"Snorrr!"
At the mention of food, Little Snorlax immediately perked up.
Lovy glanced at his influence points—back down to zero—and muttered under his breath.
The influence drained way too fast. Yesterday, just eight minutes of listening to Pokémon's inner voices used up everything he earned from a whole livestream.
This was like charging for five hours just to get eight minutes of battery.
"Make sure you chew slowly and really taste the food."
Lovy brought Little Snorlax out for breakfast, but of course they wouldn't eat a lot—just enough for a taste.
"Snorr?"
Little Snorlax tilted its head and touched its mouth with one paw.
"It means don't just gulp it down—like this."
Lovy mimed a performance.
First, he imitated Little Snorlax scarfing food down whole, then he crossed his arms and shook his head.
Then he exaggerated a slow, chewing motion, gave a thumbs up, and nodded approvingly.
"Got it?"
Little Snorlax nodded, seemingly understanding—but maybe not completely.
At the breakfast stall.
"Two juicy pork buns, two iced soy milks, a bowl of tofu pudding, two plain steamed buns—and yeah, throw in a couple of fried dough sticks too."
Lovy's 'Dubai-style' ordering raised a few eyebrows.
At first, the owner thought he was ordering for a group.
Only when they saw the Little Snorlax behind him did it all make sense.
For a Snorlax-sized appetite, this much food wasn't excessive—if anything, it was a bit light.
Lovy and Little Snorlax sat across from each other.
Little Snorlax grabbed a steaming bun and aimed it straight at its throat.
"Careful, it's hot! And chew slowly!" Lovy quickly stopped it.
"Snorr…"
Little Snorlax looked reluctant, drooling as it stared at the meat bun.
Its status panel read: [Disappointed, Craving, Impatient].
"Eating hot food too fast can cause esophageal cancer! And if you get sick, you won't be able to eat anything!"
Lovy tried to sound serious.
Though Snorlax has a naturally strong digestive system, when treated like a child, it was hard not to nag a little.
"Snor… Snorr?"
The mention of not being able to eat caused visible panic in Little Snorlax's eyes.
Status: [Panicked, Craving, Impatient].
"Oh boy… this guy really doesn't fear boiling water."
Lovy gave a helpless smile and waited until the bun cooled a little before letting Snorlax eat it.
Under his watchful eye, Little Snorlax reluctantly chewed it a couple of times before swallowing.
But then—its eyes lit up.
"Snorr?"
It had finally realized—
Chewing actually made the food taste even better!
Status: [Surprised, Craving, Eager]
"There's just no winning with you."
Lovy sighed and chuckled.
After breakfast.
At a nearby stadium with a rubber running track—
Lovy and Little Snorlax went for a walk and then began one of the three pillars of physical training: endurance training—
Long-distance running.
An hour later, Lovy was drenched in sweat, and Little Snorlax was sprawled flat on the ground, exhausted.
No doubt, Pokémon were physically superior to humans.
But Little Snorlax's heavy body and fat were natural burdens.
"So tired… huh, Little Snorlax?"
Lovy lay down beside it.
Sprawled on the ground, gazing at the sky, his whole body buzzed with heat and energy. He didn't have to think about anything. It felt amazing.
Then came a floaty sensation.
In a daze, he seemed to see tiny glowing particles drifting in the air—some even merging into his body.
"This feeling… is this Pokémon energy? Maybe this is one of the perks exclusive to humans in this Pokémon world."
Nearly 2 p.m.
Lovy now sat, fully refreshed, at his computer, preparing for his afternoon livestream.
But at the moment, he was researching—
Information about Pokémon energy in this world.
(Brief detour—returning to treasure appraisal plotline soon. Thanks for your support and votes!)
Unlike what we know from Pokémon anime and games—
In this world, there exists a substance called Pokémon Energy.
The glowing particles Lovy saw during his training were exactly that.
The reason Pokémon could use incredible powers—fire, water, electricity—was all thanks to the presence of this energy.
There's even a hypothesis that Pokémon themselves were born from Pokémon Energy—though this remains unproven.
Originally, Pokémon were even referred to as "sprites" or "Pocket Sprites," and some people still use those terms.
Pokémon are exceptionally efficient at absorbing and using this energy. They store it as Pokéforce, which is consumed when they use abilities.
For example, Little Snorlax's Rollout—the special energy powering it was its Pokéforce.
Right now, Lovy was more interested in what Pokémon Energy could do for humans, and how it could be used or transformed.
In this world, humans benefit enormously from Pokémon Energy.
Thanks to it, people are generally healthier and live longer.
And when humans exercise and push their physical limits, their sensitivity to Pokémon Energy increases—they absorb more.
That's why Lovy could see the floating particles only after exhausting himself with running.
Moreover, since Pokémon are naturally good at absorbing and storing energy, when they train, they draw in even more—raising the ambient energy level.
At such times, if humans train alongside Pokémon, they too absorb more of this energy.
In other words: this world encourages human-Pokémon co-training.
That's why professional trainers often have incredible physiques—some can even hold 20–30 kg Pokémon with one hand.
Generally, the stronger a trainer's Pokémon, the stronger the trainer becomes as well—mentally and physically.
It's like Pokémon give back to their trainers, in a way.
"So that's how super rookies make sense," Lovy mused.
"If you constantly train with powerful Pokémon, even humans can grow incredibly strong. Though, of course, not as strong as Pokémon themselves."
He nodded to himself.
"Training is absolutely essential. Even if I don't need to battle, both for my sake and Little Snorlax's health, we must keep training."
"Also—people are already trying to develop machines that can harness Pokémon Energy? That's interesting… if they succeed, it could change the entire era!"
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