So-called breeders, aside from running breeding houses, probably also do things like this.

Flutter, flutter...

A few Taillow swooped in, launching an attack on the Beautifly perched on Stephen Clark's shoulder. Stephen Clark was already used to this kind of thing. Taillow and Wurmple are natural enemies—even after Wurmple evolves, this situation doesn't change.

If these two kinds of Pokémon are on opposing sides, a confrontation like the one before him is bound to happen, unless both are captured and, under the trainer's guidance, their relationship can be slightly improved.

The four Taillow flying over had their beaks gleaming with white light as they charged at Beautifly and Stephen Clark, using Peck—a very basic move. Without thinking much, Stephen Clark immediately instructed Beautifly to defend.

A silver whirlwind laced with Stun Spore was whipped up by Beautifly, directly blocking the four Taillow's advance. The level difference was just too great. Seeing the Taillow struggling to flap their wings, Stephen Clark and Beautifly didn't linger and left the area right away.

Taillow don't know the meaning of hardship. If Stephen Clark and Beautifly had stayed, they would have faced endless attacks.

"Nice job, Beautifly."

Stephen Clark, who had quickly run to another fork in the path, praised Beautifly. Over these past days, Beautifly had helped him a lot, especially with String Shot, which had gotten Stephen Clark out of trouble many times.

"Gugu~"

Letting out a gentle cry, Beautifly seemed very happy with Stephen Clark's praise.

"Let's keep moving." Dusting off his clothes, Stephen Clark felt that they were not far from Slateport City. To be honest, Stephen Clark was really craving a big meal right now. It didn't have to be anything fancy—just a hot meal would be enough.

After gnawing on dry rations and berries for several days, Stephen Clark was already getting tired of it. He regretted not bringing cooking utensils along.

...

"Strange, why is there an Electrike here..."

Suddenly, a small dog-like Pokémon appeared in Stephen Clark's field of vision. Its body was mostly green, with yellow markings on its face. Clearly, it was an Electrike.

Looking at the dazed Electrike, Stephen Clark shook his head. Electrike was considered a rare Pokémon, and its evolved form, Manectric, was also quite good. Unfortunately, with Stephen Clark's current finances, he simply couldn't afford to take care of a second Pokémon.

Besides, he didn't have any spare Poké Balls.

So, the appearance of Electrike only made Stephen Clark a little surprised. He didn't regret it, though. His own situation meant he couldn't capture too many Pokémon—he simply couldn't take good care of each one.

High potential and easy to care for—these two criteria summed up Stephen Clark's current standard for capturing Pokémon.

If Stephen Clark wanted to achieve something, he not only needed exceptional knowledge himself, but his Pokémon couldn't be too weak either. Otherwise, how could he talk about giving everyone at Qinggu House the ability to pursue their dreams?

Letting everyone at Qinggu House have the right to choose their own lives was Stephen Clark's greatest wish. He already regarded Qinggu House as his family, and everyone there as his relatives. He truly didn't want them to drift through life aimlessly.

But Stephen Clark also knew how difficult this was. Compared to just keeping Qinggu House, an orphanage, running, this was ten times—no, even more—difficult. Providing so many children with excellent conditions was never going to be easy.

Stephen Clark was no longer that naive newcomer. Even just qualifying as an ordinary trainer cost a hundred thousand yuan, which was already a huge expense for Qinggu House over a long period.

And that's just the basics. Beginner Pokémon, the cost of caring for them, medical expenses, and so on—all of it required money.

So even a well-off family wouldn't dare say they could support so many children to become trainers and boldly pursue their dreams and lives.

But Stephen Clark planned to work hard for it. Qinggu House was Grandma Oran's life's work, and Stephen Clark had always deeply respected the elderly woman who cared for him so attentively.

That's why Qinggu House had always been precious to Stephen Clark. Besides, in his view, his dream was not just wishful thinking.

Stephen Clark just wanted to give himself a goal, a motivation.

Every time he thought of his responsibilities, Stephen Clark would sigh deeply, then recall the protagonists from the novels he'd read—each one carefree and unburdened, which made him envious.

"Call it wishful thinking if you want, but in this life, you have to give it your all. Don't you think so, Beautifly?"

Walking around the Electrike and along the forest path, Stephen Clark looked up at the sunlight in the sky and smiled. He firmly believed that if life didn't have a clear goal, then what was the point of living? So even if others thought it was something that could never succeed, he still wanted to give it a try.

"Gu?" Beautifly, fluttering beside him, let out a puzzled cry, not understanding what Stephen Clark was saying. This made Stephen Clark burst out laughing.

Chapter 6 Slateport City

Slateport City is a large city in the southern part of the Hoenn region.