Chapter Forty-One: Superpowers, Nothing Out of the Ordinary

The cafeteria food isn’t cheap, but it’s certainly not expensive either. It sounds like a pointless remark, yet after experiencing it, Zhuyuehan found nothing wrong with it. The ingredients and flavors, while not the absolute best, were definitely among the finest. To put it simply, it was far superior to the last meal he'd eaten at that restaurant in Manjin City. Considering the cost of materials plus labor, the price offered to students was actually rather low. As long as Chenglong enjoyed the meal, that was enough. Even if Zhuyuehan didn’t care for the taste, at worst he could always eat energy cubes. Or rather, energy cubes were all he could make at the moment, and he didn’t have the money to cook for himself anyway.

“What are you staring at?” Zhuyuehan swallowed a mouthful of soup and calmly glanced at the apron-wearing, ladle-holding Machamp. With a single scoop, the food would probably be reduced to powder, provided the ladle was sturdy enough.

“I’ve eaten for a long time, I really don’t waste food—can’t you tell?” Machamp scratched its head and patted Zhuyuehan on the head with another hand. Very good, your appetite—I approve! Among the students I’ve seen, I’d call you the strongest! Chefs always like hearty eaters, unless a customer shows up right before closing time. But as a shift-based cafeteria, Machamp didn’t care about such things. Eaters who don’t waste food and devour it with gusto—Machamp wished there were more customers like that. The spirit of the chef burned bright!

“Machamp’s a great chef,” Zhuyuehan remarked. To be honest, Machamp’s strength was already formidable; cooking offered a chance to hone the finesse of its power. If it wanted to embroider with a spiked club, it could probably manage. A single karate chop might leave no visible mark, but the internal damage would be severe. Chenglong was also eating hungrily; Zhuyuehan wiped the scallion from her mouth, noticing her appetite had grown. A second growth spurt, perhaps? Uncle Liu hadn’t mentioned it.

After the meal, Zhuyuehan’s quick payment earned Machamp a thumbs-up, feeling confident about future sales. Just a few steps outside the cafeteria lay a vast lake, around which various buildings had been constructed. Zhuyuehan noticed some people using their water-type partners to take shortcuts—apparently not against school rules.

“Those with water-type Pokémon have a terrain advantage when racing for dinner after school.” After Chenglong repeatedly promised not to cause trouble, Zhuyuehan climbed onto her shell and drifted slowly with the current toward the dormitory area. Tomorrow’s exam would be handled as it came—he could always use his ‘cheat’ to boost stats on the spot. The variety of species was astounding.

He saw Ducklett and Lumineon—neither native to this region, and there were groups of them. “Gyarados!” The water beside him exploded, and a blue figure shot out, soaring into the sky and roaring at a passing Pidgeot and Staraptor.

“Gyarados? What’s it doing?” Was it trying to compete with those two in speed? Perhaps it was being subjected to justice from the flying-types. But wasn’t that usually the job of Honchkrow and Murkrow? Well, maybe that was a bit of type prejudice.

Zhuyuehan sipped his soda, having picked up some bread and snacks at the cafeteria for energy. “Gyarados?” Gyarados glanced down; Chenglong wasn’t interesting—he’d seen her before.

But then he spotted a white-haired person he’d never seen before. “Why are you staring at me?” Zhuyuehan looked up and waved. The fact that Gyarados could live in the lake meant he could control the “rage” within him. In terms of post-mega evolution attributes, it was probably the evil energy lurking in his bloodline. So it was safe.

Gyarados approached, eyeing Zhuyuehan and tilting his head, like a burly boxer trying to act cute. “You’re not asking for a toll, are you?” Zhuyuehan tossed an energy cube, which landed perfectly on Gyarados’s thick lips—much like those who could balance bubble tea on their chests. “Gyarados.” Not afraid of him? Gyarados swallowed the cube, nodded at Zhuyuehan, and felt the joy of being fed—his affinity doubled. Not only was he unafraid, he was given food—a good person!

“Goodbye.” Zhuyuehan floated away, leaving Gyarados baffled by his behavior. New faces should be trembling in fear at the sight of him, shouldn’t they? And not just the human—even Chenglong wasn’t afraid. If Dragonite knew Gyarados’s thoughts, she’d probably mock him: “You’re just getting started—should I take you home for a real lesson?” Or perhaps he wouldn’t need to go home—Zhuyuehan could tame Gyarados with just a sticky orb.

“Gyarados—there used to be one flying overhead, and catching him was quite a challenge.” And that damned equipment drop mechanism—he’d suffered plenty during his impoverished days. After experiencing the MMO-like “faint and lose items” mechanic of Arceus, Zhuyuehan could only say it made his heart bleed. As for gifts from Beishang, he hadn’t tried, mainly because it was too much trouble.

The Chenglong ferry docked at the shore. Zhuyuehan stretched his shoulders, went inside for a bath, and prepared for a good night’s sleep before tomorrow’s exam.

“Woo-woo!” Zhuyuehan was still drying his hair when Chenglong burst into the bathroom, holding his phone in her mouth. “Who’s calling me now?” Zhuyuehan paused and took the phone. “Hello?”

“Do you want that module?” “Nazi?” Zhuyuehan was surprised. “The psychic module—you’re asking if I want it?” “Yes. After looking at how the psychic module is made, I’ve had some new ideas.” Nazi had a pink-purple lure module floating above her palm, its casing shining faintly like jade.

“If a powerful psychic injects their abilities to enhance it, the effect would be even better.” “For psychic apprentices, carrying this module not only brings them closer to psychic Pokémon, it can also speed up their entry into psychic abilities.” So humans are another kind of Pokémon? Lure modules work on humans too?!

Zhuyuehan asked, “So you’re asking if I want it because you have extras?” “I’m organizing an event and wanted to see if you’d come.” Nazi said, “Just like your bug and flying-type lure modules, I plan to contact psychics from all over for an internal exchange.”

“Don’t worry—with my reputation in the circle, it’ll be easy.” Zhuyuehan felt puzzled. “What does this have to do with me? I’ve already sold everything to you.”

“No, from my perspective, the lure module now helps psychics and apprentices even more, so the payment I gave you was less than it should have been.” Nazi said frankly, “If you come to the event, even if your talent is lacking, I and several others could help you gain considerable psychic abilities.”

Zhuyuehan: …

Several others—could that be the legal loli from Unova? If she could find an outlet, it would be a great help for Caitlin. But that earlier slip was interesting. It felt like the household would fall apart without Alakazam, and the PR staff should pay respects to him. Having an old monster like Alakazam as department head was far more reliable than Nazi!

“No thanks, I’m not interested in psychic abilities.” Are you kidding? I’m already immune to all spells—Nazi isn’t one of the three mushrooms, she couldn’t help me awaken psychic powers. Alakazam: !!

Oh no, something big’s happened! Nazi’s face gradually showed a “you’ve caught my attention, man” smile—the kind usually seen on someone holding a knife ready to stab you.

“Let me confirm again: you’re not interested in psychic abilities at all?” “Psychic abilities aren’t that rare—why not help me awaken the everlasting power?” Nazi’s smile froze. “You know about the everlasting power?” “Is that so strange?”

Alakazam breathed a sigh of relief, as the topic calmed Nazi’s mental fluctuations. “Honestly, the everlasting power depends on the person but isn’t limited by talent, unlike psychic abilities.” Zhuyuehan held the phone with one hand and poured juice for Chenglong with the other.

“In essence, psychic abilities and aura are similar, and both depend on talent.” Talent and heart are entirely different things. Nazi asked, “You really know a lot—are you a fellow practitioner?” “No, I’m just an illiterate who hasn’t officially started school.” Zhuyuehan laughed. “Money and goods are clear—you don’t owe me anything. I appreciate your kindness, but I really don’t need that power. Thank you.”

“That’s all—I’ll probably have to get up early for the cafeteria tomorrow. Goodbye.” He hung up. Alakazam took the phone from Nazi, relieved it hadn’t exploded from psychic force; his emotions were stable.

“Not interested in psychic abilities?” Nazi glanced at Alakazam. “Seems our approach doesn’t work—but I didn’t expect it to fail for this reason.”

Nazi’s curiosity, Alakazam tried his best to satisfy. With the psychic module’s unexpected effects, they’d devised this method. The script was ready—no matter what reason Zhuyuehan gave for refusal, Alakazam had prepared ample counterarguments and temptations.

But he’d never considered such a definitive reason—Zhuyuehan simply wasn’t interested in psychic abilities.

“A newly-enrolled researcher, white-haired, named Zhuyuehan.” Finding someone like that wouldn’t be hard; he stood out.

[Psychic abilities are not rare powers]

Nazi’s expression was confused, with a hint of defiance in her heart. As someone who could turn people into dolls with her powers, Nazi had always been proud—perhaps even indulgent—of her abilities. But in front of Sakaki, she couldn’t be indulgent; his everlasting power was even more extraordinary, virtually a perpetual motion machine.

“He seems to think that those with abilities are no different from anyone else.”