Chapter Eighty-Nine: Credit You One-Third

Wait a minute, terrifying? Zhu Suihan was momentarily stunned. “Big Guy, what did I just say?”

“Gyarados?” The Gyarados glanced at Zhu Suihan in confusion. You just said our species is very scary; that’s not wrong, is it?

If it’s a group of wild Gyarados who haven’t mastered the Heart of Rage, whatever they do tends to cause massive destruction. Not to mention ordinary Pokémon—even if a Pokémon from Dragon Island happens to cross their path, the Gyarados will still charge up for a fight. And it's not even an impulsive act—they simply want to brawl!

“I remember the part about you being terrifying. It’s the sentence before, I think I said something crucial.” With the Gyarados’ temperament, even if they’ve just eaten their fill, a passing Slowpoke would have to get a lick from them before being let go. Or they might just bite the tail off and save it for later as a snack.

Slowpoke tails.

Tail meat, meat?!

That’s it! Zhu Suihan burst out laughing. “Yes, exactly, meat—my train of thought was right!”

In that little movie, the Magikarp wriggling left and right under the waterfall’s current, Zhu Suihan had always assumed it was born with a natural armor; he hadn’t thought much of it. But now, with his thoughts straightened out, he understood.

Forget about natural armor—even if a Magikarp is gifted, that kind of protection needs to be trained. The key lies in that “wiggle.”

If the body lacks even a bit of flesh, pulling off those moves is extremely hard. It’s like throwing a punch—anyone with a bit of training knows you need to use the strength from your waist for maximum effect.

Punching, kicking—it all depends on the coordination of muscles, bones, and flesh working together. Only then is the impact complete.

It’s like a classic arcade fighting game—rookies just mash the buttons, but veterans know how to chain their attacks perfectly for maximum damage.

Having only bones and tendons is like a basic attack.

Muscle is the prerequisite for chaining combos!

Zhu Suihan almost wanted to howl with excitement, but seeing the increasingly worried looks from Lapras and Milk Fairy, he suppressed the urge.

Indeed, I am a genius!

As for my cheat? Well, when I win the championship—or rather, when I finish this project—you can take a third of the credit.

“Big Guy, go and call over that Magikarp I fed the other day.”

Zhu Suihan spoke with excitement. “Also, I need to record your body data again; it’ll benefit you.”

“Gyarados?”

More payment?

Zhu Suihan nodded without hesitation. “More payment—I’ll make you another batch of energy cubes like today’s.”

With a roar, Gyarados was instantly motivated by the promise of rewards and soon brought the Magikarp over.

Hmm, can’t see any difference.

Most people find it hard to tell Joy and Jenny clans apart—except for monsters like Brock. But after enough time, you pick up on the subtle differences.

It’s like a native seeing foreigners—if you don’t spend much time abroad, excluding international celebrities, most foreign faces blur together. There are, of course, those cultural stereotypes at play.

A quick touch and Zhu Suihan had a feel for it.

Magikarp, the Fish Pokémon, with the trait “skin and bones,” excels at survival.

That’s right—for Magikarp, “skin and bones” isn’t a negative description but a fact.

“Koi?”

Is that you, the wealthy patron?

“Hmm, seems to have some intelligence—just hasn’t had much contact with the outside world, so looks a bit dazed.”

As always, no one wants to look at Magikarp, and no one dares to look at Gyarados—yet everyone secretly wants to.

“Good, let me record your body data. You’ll get two energy cubes as payment.”

He’d adjusted the recipe for the energy cubes he’d given Lapras—this water-type version was irresistible.

“Koi!”

Mission accepted!

Munching on the deposit, Magikarp lay flat on the water, letting Zhu Suihan examine him at will.

He recorded the actual data, to be compared later with the standard in the research papers, then adjusted accordingly.

No need for customization, but it had to fit the general condition of today’s Magikarp.

Zhu Suihan saved the data. “Customization is possible—but for an extra fee.”

Gyarados flicked his tail at Magikarp, signaling he could leave.

“Tsk, your body data... never mind, it’s for the Dragon Clan anyway, and they’ve got plenty of powerful Gyarados.”

Zhu Suihan had thought the regional champion-level Gyarados’ data wouldn’t be universal, but thinking of the Dragon’s Den’s situation, this should be representative enough.

“Gyarados?”

I’m strong, right? But that damn Electivire is even stronger. Once I beat him, I can challenge even greater foes.

Zhu Suihan attached the energy detector to Gyarados’ back.

“By the way, besides Electivire, are there any other heavy hitters in the back hills? You sound pretty wary.”

“Gyarados.”

Electivire is only mid-upper tier. There are stronger ones—some are humans’ partners retired in the hills, some are natives.

“Natives? Tell me about two of them?”

“Gyarados.”

There’s a powerful Tyranitar—I challenged him once, but got swatted down with a single blow.

Gyarados looked visibly annoyed. “Gyarados, Gyarados.”

There’s also a mighty Typhlosion—he can withstand my Hydro Pump, charge through the impact, and wrestle me head-on.

Zhu Suihan: ?

Wrestling?

Very well, so that’s a thing. Typhlosion—or, really, all the Gen II starters—never get much love compared to Tyranitar and the like. The only one who stands out is the Hisuian Typhlosion, who went from a lively youth to a sinister, enigmatic beauty.

In Scarlet and Violet, Typhlosion’s design is a letdown—the fire on his shoulders looks pasted on.

In reality, those flames could look amazing. Whether as a fiery cape like Lance’s attire or enveloping the whole body in battle, the special effects could be incredible.

A true fighter’s passive ability—Battle Aura Armor!

“Thanks. I’ll deliver the energy cubes tomorrow. If I have time, how about I come watch your fight?”

Gyarados fell silent. Whether to have an audience was a serious question.

If he won, he could bask in glory and show off in front of Zhu Suihan.

But if he lost, he’d have to drag his tail back to the lake in shame.

“Gyarados.”

Fine, if you have time, you must come! With the energy cubes’ help, I’ll train hard these next two days and give Electivire a real surprise!

After collecting the data, Zhu Suihan took Lapras and Milk Fairy back to the dormitory. The two little ones were having a serious telepathic conversation—basically, just exchanging looks.

Aren’t you good at singing? Why not use it on the trainer?

I was thinking the same, but did you forget trainers are immune to moves?

Milk Fairy: ?

That’s right—so if the trainer insists on pulling an all-nighter, there’s nothing they can do?

Lapras nodded silently. For now, that did seem to be the case.

“What are you two thinking about?” Zhu Suihan looked back. “Don’t worry, I won’t work all night. I have a whole week to study this.”

“Lap?”

“Milulu?”

Trainers really can read minds!

“I can’t read minds, but I know you care about me.” Zhu Suihan smiled. “Thanks to modern technology, everything I need is available—it’s a huge help for my research.”

Not to mention, as long as you’re willing to spend, all the necessary supplements are easy to buy.

Research costs are even less of a concern.

“The Dragon Clan will cover it. If they want exclusivity, that’s another price entirely.”

The next day, Zhu Suihan arrived at the academy’s research lab and started the first phase of his experiment.

Now that he understood the problem, the next step was just to prepare the right formula.

Luckily, it wasn’t a complicated illness—just a matter of nutritional supplementation, or this stage would take ages.

He magnified the anatomical diagram of Magikarp from the thesis and, relying on memory, marked key points on the screen.

Strictly speaking, Magikarp can build muscle, but stimulating that growth requires a detailed plan.

Supplements for internal use, topical medicines, and, if needed, massages to relax Magikarp’s body, ensuring overly rigid bones wouldn’t hinder muscle development.

For a heavy smoker, an hour without a cigarette brings withdrawal.

Magikarp is much the same—even beneficial changes to their bodies might meet resistance; they’ll want to maintain the status quo.

“Internal use, topical application, massage—and finally, a soothing environment, which can be artificially created.”

Just like how ranches play music for livestock.

Whatever the reason Magikarp ended up this way, the first step is to help them realize that times have changed; the mindset must change too.

Little fish, the era is different now!

No need to live in fear, no need to worry about survival—grow stronger and continue challenging the wild!

Zhu Suihan checked the ingredient list. Besides some commercially available supplements, the main component was berries for stamina recovery.

Only he knew the exact proportions; he could even toss in some harmless, nutritious ingredients to confuse competitors.

Other trace element supplements could already be handled. He remembered Bugsy making special bug-type nutrients for his team—there’s no reason the Dragon Clan couldn’t do the same.

In short, Magikarp’s situation was like an elderly person with declining energy, and Zhu Suihan’s task was to use medicine to replenish that vitality.