Chapter Six: Preschool

The reply came from Gu Qingyue, a classmate who’d been in the same class as him for all three years of high school—they’d always gotten along quite well. In his memory, she was a gentle and refined girl, though he wondered if Gu Qingyue in this world was the same.

Opening WeChat, Tang Yi began to message her privately.

“Gu Qingyue, just saw your message. According to the suggestions in the Breeding Center’s handbook, it says you don’t need to enroll in preschool until about a month after hatching.”

A moment later, Gu Qingyue replied with a smile emoji: “The Breeding Center’s handbook hasn’t been updated in ten years; who still reads that, Tang Yi? It’s only been a few days, but you seem to have gotten a bit silly.”

That smile made Tang Yi break out in a cold sweat. Realizing he still knew too little about this world, he quickly asked her for advice: So, when’s the right time to send them to preschool?

Gu Qingyue replied, “My little Fukuda-hime went to preschool ten days after hatching. Your Ralts should be about the same, I think. Never mind, you clearly have no clue—let me recommend a training class for you.”

Gu Qingyue’s birthday was a few months earlier than Tang Yi’s, so she’d already received her own Spirit Maiden. Soon, she sent over a link.

“Spirit Maiden Preschool—Now Enrolling!
Choose from full-day or half-day programs, sign up now for an 8.8% discount!
Our teachers are highly qualified, including trainers who placed in the provincial top 16 of the Spirit Maiden World Cup domestic preliminaries!
Let your Spirit Maiden win at the starting line, and open the door to a broader future!”

At the bottom of the ad, there was a photo of the class’s trainer and her partner Charmeleon—a vibrant, energetic girl who seemed to burn with youthful fire.

The ad gave Tang Yi a strong sense of déjà vu. The tuition wasn’t expensive either; the starting price was 1,000, so with the discount, it was just over 800.

The main purpose of preschool was to teach Spirit Maidens human language and help them adapt to human society, so they could become better partners for trainers.

Tang Yi was tempted. If they could communicate directly, he could chat with Ralts whenever he liked.

He walked into Ralts’s room and found the little girl leaning against the window, her hands cupping her chin as she gazed dreamily at the blue sky outside.

“Ralts, do you want to see the outside world?”

“Ral-ral!” Her ruby-like eyes blinked beneath her green hair.

“Alright, I’ll take you out for a walk.” Tang Yi understood the look in her eyes and made up his mind immediately.

Counting the days, it had only been a week since she hatched, but Ralts was already in a rapid growth phase—she’d gotten noticeably taller and sturdier compared to when she first emerged. There shouldn’t be any problem taking her out.

Every Spirit Maiden’s rapid growth period was different. For instance, most Bug-type Spirit Maidens only took about a month, while quasi-legendary types like Dratini or Bagon could take as long as half a year.

Tang Yi had checked online—Ralts’s rapid growth phase usually lasted two to three months.

Looking at the eager Ralts, Tang Yi couldn’t help but marvel again at this world: in just two or three months, this delicate little girl would grow into a young maiden.

Since they were going out, he’d have to bring her Pokéball. Spirit Maidens weren’t allowed on public buses or subways without being inside their balls, though it was fine to walk with them on the street.

This world had Pokéballs too, and almost everyone kept their Spirit Maiden inside when traveling. The balls provided basic living conditions.

When he bought Ralts at the Breeding Center, they’d kindly given him a standard Pokéball. Even if he had to buy one himself, the price was negligible—though the luxury balls were far beyond what an ordinary family like Tang Yi’s could afford.

He decided to take Ralts to the training class Gu Qingyue recommended. It wasn’t far.

He put Ralts into her Pokéball and headed straight for the preschool.

After forty minutes on the bus, the first thing Tang Yi did when he got off was release Ralts and ask, “How does it feel inside the Pokéball?”

“Ral-ral!”

“Uh, I can’t really understand.” Tang Yi smiled wryly. Clearly, teaching her human language was urgent—this communication gap was a real problem.

On the way, the little girl was visibly curious about the world outside, but also timid. She clung to Tang Yi the entire time, her small hands gripping his clothes tightly, her bangs shading her eyes as she peeked through the strands at the bustling world.

Soon they arrived at the training class, and Tang Yi was stunned by the crowd.

The class Gu Qingyue recommended had a great reputation and excellent value for money—so many people were lining up that the lobby was overflowing.

Most were young trainers like Tang Yi, each with a still-naive Spirit Maiden in tow.

Tang Yi saw girls of all styles and personalities among the Spirit Maidens, quite a feast for the eyes.

Though the staff kept urging everyone to put their Spirit Maidens back in their Pokéballs—the place really was packed—few listened.

After all, gatherings like this were the perfect occasion for trainers to show off.

“My little Charmander-hime mastered Ember just days after hatching!”

“Wow, that’s impressive. But your Charmander’s tail flame looks pretty weak—maybe you haven’t been taking good enough care of her?”

“Hah, nonsense!”

“I still think my Dratini-hime is the prettiest—beats yours in looks and strength.”

“Tsk, I heard Dratini eggs are rare in Qingjiang City. Where’d you get yours?”

“My dad spent over three million to import it from overseas. Dratini eggs are always scarce, and mine even has inherited moves.”

“Rich kid!”

During all this, Tang Yi noticed a few others with Ralts. Unlike the rare Dratini eggs, Ralts were readily available at the Breeding Center and affordable, making them a popular choice for ordinary families.

But even among the same species, every Spirit Maiden’s appearance and personality were completely different.

“Your Ralts seems very shy,” someone said, approaching him. It was a girl about his age, with her own Ralts—her red horn peeking out from her hair.

As fellow Ralts trainers, they instantly found common ground—far easier to chat with than those wealthy kids with Dratini.

“Yeah, she just hatched not long ago. This is her first time outside.”

Tang Yi smiled, gently tugging at the Ralts who was about to bury her face in his shirt, and softly said, “Come on, say hello to your companion.”

He thought that, among her own kind, Ralts might become a little braver.