Second Place (Runner-Up): ¥10,000 shopping card, one Super Ball, two bottles of healing potion.Third Place: ¥5,000 shopping card, three bags of 2kg common Pokémon food.Fourth to Sixth Place: ¥2,000 shopping card, five bottles of Moomoo Milk.
Damn, those rewards are pretty generous, Kyron thought, his heart stirred with excitement.
After just a few seconds of consideration, he made up his mind—no matter what, he had to enter the Suicune Cup Pokémon Challenge.
And he needed to inform Liu Bin too. If they both entered, their chances of winning would increase significantly.
At that moment, voices from nearby discussions reached his ears.
"The second Suicune Cup already, huh? I participated in the first one last year. Didn't win anything, but had a lot of fun. I'm joining again—would be nice to win something this time."
"These prizes are too small. Not even enough to cover a month's expenses. I'd rather enter a different tournament where the rewards are better."
"I'm definitely entering! Mom, let me borrow your Psyduck—I'll win the championship and show you!"
"Maybe I should join too. I've only had my Pokémon for a month, but who knows, maybe I'll be number one?"
"Honey, maybe you should sign up too. A ¥20,000 shopping card is a lot—we could buy so many treats for Fluffy."
…
For ordinary people, the prizes were pretty appealing. But to more experienced Trainers, it might not be enough to be worth their time.
Kyron listened for a bit, then continued walking deeper inside. The registration process had already been announced: scan the QR code, enter the official WeChat account, fill out your info, and you're in.
In just a moment, he had signed up.
Now for the real reason he came—he needed to buy food for his Aron.
Aron, a Steel/Rock-type Pokémon (and also Ground-types), feeds primarily on minerals.
In other words, they survive by eating rocks—but not just any rocks. The type and quality of the minerals matter a lot. Pokémon food designed for Steel, Rock, or Ground types often contains mineral elements tailored for their digestion and health.
Each area of the aisle had signs indicating the type of product sold.
First up was the Poké Ball section. Rows of various balls lined the shelves.
Red-and-white Poké Balls were the most common, along with Great Balls, Safari Balls, Net Balls, Dive Balls, Nest Balls, and a few less common ones.
Red-and-white balls were the cheapest at ¥200 each. A Great Ball cost ¥1,000—a fivefold price jump. For a regular family, this was steep, not to mention the ultra-expensive ones like Safari Balls or Heavy Balls.
It was a stark reminder of the gap between people—richer than rich, poorer than poor.
Kyron, not daring to linger in this high-end section, quickly moved on.
Next stop: the Pokémon Food section, the most crowded area. After all, food is a Pokémon's lifeline. No food, no survival.
The shelves were mostly stocked with regular food—suitable for all Pokémon—with many different brands to choose from.
But Kyron had a clear goal. At the very least, his Aron deserved low-tier Steel-type Pokémon food.
Once food is categorized by type, the price skyrockets.
Pokémon food is classified into four tiers: Pet Grade, Low Tier, Mid Tier, and High Tier.
Pet Grade is for casual owners. Low Tier is meant for professional Trainers.
At the Steel-type shelf—colored in various shades of gray—Kyron found what he needed:
Steel-type Low Tier Pokémon Food, 2kg — ¥199
He winced. Almost ¥200 for one bag. How long will that even last?
Next to it, the Mid Tier version: ¥599.
"Yeah, nope," Kyron muttered. "Can't afford that."
He settled on two bags from a brand called "Snorlax," grabbed them, and moved on.
Aron also needed minerals—not just food. Wild Aron eat raw ore, so domesticated ones should too.
Next to the food was a counter with various minerals, priced by weight.
Kyron didn't know much about ore quality, so he grabbed three types of cheap iron ore and measured out 50kg of each.
The ore cost about ¥1,485 per ton. He couldn't possibly take that much home, so 150kg total would have to do.
He dropped all the items—food, ore—into his cart, then added five bottles of Moomoo Milk.
At the checkout, most customers were buying basic Pokémon food and Poké Balls, not the fancy stuff.
One person ahead of him had picked out too many expensive items, and had to return some, walking away frustrated.
After waiting 5-6 minutes, it was Kyron's turn.
2 Bags of Steel-Type Food: ¥398150kg Ore: ¥222.755 Bottles of Moomoo Milk: ¥100Total: ¥720.7510% Discount: ¥648.68
Kyron winced, heart aching a little as he paid. His wallet suddenly felt lighter—and this didn't even include Energy Cubes.
With two heavy bags in hand, Kyron headed home. Strangely, he felt light as a feather.
Since Pokémon became part of reality, human physical fitness had improved dramatically. The limits of human potential had been broken.
Today's average young adult, with some training, could reach the level of a former national athlete.
Some were so gifted they could brawl with Pokémon themselves—beasts in human form.
So carrying 150kg of ore and supplies? Nothing.
Less than three minutes after Kyron left, two girls entered the Azure Pokémon Supermarket. They were slim, attractive, and fashionably dressed.
One, wearing a pink dress, pointed at the banner. "Look, a competition! The second Suicune Cup."
Her friend, eyes gleaming, said, "I remember you wanted to join last year. Now that you have a Pokémon, wanna give it a shot?"
"¥20,000 is a bit modest, but getting some battle experience sounds fun. Let's just hope there are worthy opponents. Otherwise, it's no challenge."
Nearby, two more people were chatting.
A chubby teen grinned and said, "Boss, this supermarket's hosting a Pokémon tournament. Wanna enter?"
A sunglasses-wearing, streetwear-clad teen scoffed. "These rewards? Barely enough for pocket change. But hey, if I'm bored, maybe I'll show up and wipe the floor with some noobs."
"Sign us both up," he added. "Let them learn what a real Trainer looks like."
"Got it, boss."
—
Back at home, Kyron opened WeChat and tagged Liu Bin, sending him the competition's info.
Kyron: "Hurry and sign up for the Suicune Cup. We'll enter together."
Liu Bin: "On it. This prize is too good to miss."
"Damn, just realized—being a Trainer is expensive. I spent ¥1,000 yesterday on food and milk alone."
"That used to be my entire monthly allowance—and it's just for one Pokémon! This is only the beginning. What the hell do we do after this?"
"That's why we have to win. I swear I'll get top 3—nothing will stop me."
Kyron put down his phone and picked up Aron.
It felt a little heavier. Still had that same tough armor-like skin.
Aron stretched on his chest, snuggling close. Still young, it liked staying near him.
A moment later, it leapt to the floor and spotted a wooden post tied with a punching pad.
Kyron had built that himself for boxing practice.
Suddenly, Aron charged at it full speed—BAM!
Kyron jumped in shock. "What happened?!"
Aron got knocked back and landed on its butt, looking dazed but determined. It wanted to go again.
BAM! The pole shook violently.
Kyron rushed over, picked it up, and asked, "Aron, what are you doing?"
Aron pointed at the pole, then tapped its head, pawing at the air, making whining sounds.
Kyron blinked. Is it saying… it wants to headbutt the post?
Weird habit… but it seemed to enjoy it. Who was he to say no?
He lowered the pad and let Aron go again.
It charged forward, slammed its head, and got knocked back—again. But it happily climbed back up to try again.
Curious, Kyron opened Douyin(Something like Youtube) and searched "Aron."
The first result was a training room with a burly middle-aged man in a black training uniform, standing next to a far more formidable-looking Aron.
His username: Steel Gym Leader – Chen Feng, Rong City
Verified, with 3 million followers and 160+ videos. The one Kyron watched had over 600,000 likes and 250,000 saves.
Video Title: Aron (Part 1)
Chen Feng spoke:
"Hello, everyone. Today's topic: Steel/Rock-type Pokémon—Aron."
"Aron: Steel/Rock-type, Armor Pokémon. Common abilities: Sturdy, Rock Head."
"Evolution line: Lairon → Aggron → Mega Aggron."
"Arons eat minerals. They often headbutt rocks to toughen their armor."
"So if you see your Aron headbutting walls or hard objects, don't panic."
"Let them do it—it strengthens their defense and helps train the move Tackle."
"This is their natural behavior. Don't suppress it—encourage it."
Then the video cut to a demo.
Chen Feng shouted: "Aron, use Tackle!"
His Aron lowered its body, then launched forward at terrifying speed. Its shiny metallic head gleamed as it smashed the wooden target in half. Aron stood tall, unharmed.
Kyron's eyes lit up. "Amazing…"
He immediately followed Chen Feng.
Watching his own Aron repeatedly slam into the target with glee, Kyron realized: So that's its habit.
He recalled that Aron's earliest known moves are Tackle, Harden, and Mud-Slap
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