The Battle Club had already been bustling with activity.
But after the appearance of a Shiny Beldum, the crowd grew even larger.
In the end, Beldum emerged victorious, defeating ten opponents in a row.
As for Adrian Sterling, he became an overnight sensation across the internet.
Clips of Adrian commanding Beldum in battle quickly spread across Douyin, attracting millions of views.
The combination of a silver-white Shiny Beldum, Adrian’s strikingly handsome appearance, and his refined aristocratic demeanor immediately won him countless admirers, especially among female fans.
Unfortunately for his final opponent…
Wang Xi had become little more than the backdrop for Adrian’s dazzling victory.
— The online discussion exploded.
“Gardevoir’s Stockings”: Adrian Sterling is ridiculously handsome!
“Attack on Torchic”: A Beldum defeating ten opponents?
That has to be fake.
“Pignite Fried Rice”: That silver-white Beldum…
He must be Elder Xia’s grandson.
They look almost identical.
“Tsundere Snivy”: The Xia Family seriously has incredible genes.
“Invincible Youth”: He’s only strong because of his family background.
Without it, what could he accomplish?
“Pidgeotto on a Narrow Path”: Someone sounds jealous.
“Terrible-Sounding Pidgeot”: Am I wrong?
If I had that kind of background, I’d do even better.
“Butterfree Is Blurry”: Life is unfair.
Some families spend everything just to help their child become a Trainer, while others start with a Shiny Pseudo-Legendary.
— Most comments were harmless.
Others were filled with envy, jealousy, or resentment.
That wasn’t unusual.
Across Xia Country—and indeed throughout the entire world—there had always been tension between Trainers from prestigious families and ordinary civilian Trainers.
Civilian Trainers believed that noble families monopolized valuable Pokémon resources while enjoying advantages they could never hope to obtain.
For someone from an ordinary background, acquiring high-quality Pokémon, rare evolution materials, or precious training resources required tremendous effort.
Even then…
Success was far from guaranteed.
From the perspective of those great families, however, things looked very different.
To preserve their strength and ensure future generations remained powerful, they naturally held tightly to valuable resources.
Both sides had valid reasons.
As a result, their interests inevitably clashed.
— The Xia Kingdom’s government continuously worked to reduce the gap between the two groups.
One important rule stated that in official competitions, a Trainer’s Pokémon could not exceed their registered starter Pokémon by more than ten levels.
This regulation prevented wealthy families from overwhelming newcomers with vastly stronger Pokémon.
It gave civilian Trainers a fairer opportunity to compete.
Numerous support policies also existed.
For example, civilian Trainers received discounts when purchasing Pokémon from breeding centers, as well as reduced prices on many Pokémon-related supplies.
These benefits were determined automatically through Trainer registration records.
As a result, members of prestigious families couldn’t falsely claim civilian status to exploit the system.
— Adrian, however…
Couldn’t have cared less about online opinions.
At that very moment, he was comfortably lying on the living room sofa, lazily scrolling through Douyin.
Floating beside him, Beldum watched the videos with obvious curiosity.
“This man’s name is Xiaoshuai, and the girl beside him is Xiaomei.” “Everyone, welcome to the brand-new season of Wilderness Survival Challenge!” “Thank you all for your continued support.
I’ll always remember your kindness.” “Blaziken!
Use Blaze Kick!” Douyin was filled with talented creators.
There were entertaining Pokémon battles…
Creative challenges…
Beautiful influencers with long legs and dazzling smiles…
And, naturally, an endless stream of Pokémon-related content.
After all…
In this world, Pokémon were the true protagonists.
Everything revolved around them.
— At first glance, it appeared that humans commanded Pokémon.
In reality…
Their relationship was built on cooperation.
Humans nurtured Pokémon, helping them grow stronger.
Pokémon, in turn, used their incredible abilities to earn their Trainers wealth, fame, influence, and power.
Over time, these partnerships naturally evolved into deep emotional bonds.
Unfortunately…
Human greed also existed.
There were people willing to betray their partners, families, lovers—even their own children—for a rare Pokémon or an invaluable treasure.
When enough profit was involved…
Many relationships became meaningless.
Countless teams that entered the wilderness together eventually turned on one another over valuable discoveries.
Profit united people.
But it could just as easily drive a knife into their backs.
In this world…
Anyone might betray you.
Anyone…
Except your Pokémon.
A loyal Pokémon would remain by its Trainer’s side until its very last breath.
It would willingly sacrifice its own life to shield its Trainer from a fatal attack.
Because of that unwavering loyalty, abusing a Pokémon was considered one of the most disgraceful crimes imaginable.
If the Trainer Association discovered sufficient evidence that a Trainer had abused their Pokémon, their Trainer license would be revoked immediately.
Their Pokémon would also be permanently removed from their care.
Every year, numerous Trainers lost their qualifications because of Pokémon abuse.
Within society…
Mistreating a Pokémon was viewed with the same severity as abusing a child.
— “Gardevoir.” While Adrian was completely absorbed in Douyin, he suddenly heard Gardevoir’s gentle voice.
Turning around, he saw her carrying a beautifully arranged plate of freshly cut fruit.
“Second Treasure…
Come eat some fruit.” The eldest sibling, Xia Yan, had always been Gardevoir’s First Treasure.
Adrian was her Second Treasure.
His younger sister, Xia Chuchu, naturally became Third Treasure.
The three siblings had practically been raised by Gardevoir.
Their parents were constantly occupied with work.
After Xia Chuchu was born, their mother left the Sterling Family following a serious conflict with their father and returned to her own family.
From then on…
Gardevoir became everything.
She was both mother and father.
Caretaker.
Teacher.
Protector.
To the Sterling Family, she wasn’t merely a Pokémon.
She was family.
— “I’ll eat it in a little while.” Adrian smiled absentmindedly without looking away from his phone.
“Gardevoir.” “Don’t forget.” “I won’t.” He nodded casually before continuing to scroll through videos.
— Half an hour passed.
After finishing all the household chores, Gardevoir quietly returned.
She looked at Adrian.
He hadn’t moved an inch.
The untouched fruit platter still sat exactly where she had left it.
The warmth in Gardevoir’s gentle eyes slowly disappeared.
An invisible pressure filled the room.
— Adrian suddenly shivered.
“…Beldum.” “Did the temperature just drop?” Beldum looked at him silently before replying with an expression that practically screamed: “Maybe you should look in front of you.” “…In front?” The moment Adrian raised his head…
He froze.
Standing directly before him was Gardevoir.
Still smiling.
Very gently.
Far too gently.
“Mother Gardevoir!” “I’ll eat it right now!” Without wasting another second, Adrian grabbed the fruit platter and devoured everything at lightning speed.
The instant she heard him call her Mother Gardevoir, the trace of annoyance in her heart vanished.
Only helpless affection remained.
She sighed softly.
After all…
She had raised him herself.
If she didn’t spoil him…
Who would?
— “Gardevoir.” “Don’t spend all day on your phone.” “Rest your eyes.” “Okay.” Adrian obediently turned off his phone without the slightest complaint.
Within the Sterling Family, everyone understood one undeniable truth.
The family patriarch might officially be their grandfather.
But inside the house…
The real authority belonged to Gardevoir.
No matter how powerful or influential someone became outside…
The moment they returned home, they obediently listened to Gardevoir.
Otherwise…
They might not even get dinner.
Without question, Gardevoir was the true heart of the Sterling Family.
Give me more motivation!