Chapter 27 : Time to beat up noobs!

Orion left Machop in the Pokemon Center and let them work their magic. He returned to the Gym with Rhyhorn and immediately found Cedric who, unknown to him, was just done mentoring Emma and her Meditite.

Orion quickly ran to him and said, "Master, I need your help!"

Cedric smiled and asked, "What help do you need?"

Orion said, "I caught a second Pokemon. I need your help in arranging for its food."

Cedric's smile didn't last as he got a headache. He didn't want to see Orion take excessive risks. Unfortunately, that was exactly what he was doing. He asked, "Which Pokemon is it?"

Orion answered, "A Level 8 Machop."

A helpless look appeared on Cedric's face as he muttered, "Do you have an issue in training Psychic Pokemons?"

Orion put up a sad face and said, "Master, I tried finding a Psychic Pokemon for a long time. Unfortunately, I never found any. If you can arrange one for me, then I'll gladly train it."

Cedric looked at Orion with suspicion and wondered, 'Is this boy born so greedy? Or did something happen for him to become so greedy? The orphanage didn't say anything about him other than him spending a lot of time in the library...'

Cedric had already spent a fortune to buy the Meditite for Emma. Due to its Elemental Punches, its price was much higher than a normal Silver Talent Meditite. Of course, it wasn't something that would put a dent in his finances, but it was still mind-boggling for a normal family.

Besides, the cost of raising Pokemons would skyrocket very quickly as a trainer grew stronger. Cedric had no intention to become the sponsor of two upcoming talented Trainers. While he could afford it right now, all three of them would suffer if Orion and Emma became too dependent on him.

Despite that, Cedric would have considered buying one for Orion as well as a one-time thing, but Sabrina had specifically stated to not interfere with Orion's progress. He said, "Unfortunately, I can't do so. Anyway, I'll buy food for Machop. Fighting type Pokemon food will probably cost 10 thousand Pokecoins every month. Can you pay for that?"

Orion nodded and said, "Yes. I can for a few months. Hopefully, I'll be able to earn more with two Pokemons."

He handed Cedric 20 thousand Pokecoins which were enough for 2 months of food. Cedric was surprised to see Orion having so much. At the same time, he also understood that Orion was probably going deeper into the wild. He accepted the money and said, "Good. I'll arrange for food until tomorrow. Do you need my help in keeping an eye on Machop?"

Orion thought for a bit and answered, "I am confident in handling it but it'll be better if you keep an eye from a distance."

Cedric nodded and said, "Alright. Find me tomorrow then."

He quickly left. Orion turned around as well but a look of confusion appeared on his face. He wondered, 'Considering how dangerous the situation of humans in this world, shouldn't adults give all kinds of help to promising kids?

Even if that wasn't the case, how could anyone say no so heartlessly to a talented cute 8-year-old kid who has been risking his life on a daily basis? Is everyone so heartless or did I get the short end of the stick?'

Orion really was confused. He was confident that his act would be sufficient to get a decent Psychic Pokemon from Cedric. However, he got a very harsh reality check! Forget a Psychic Pokemon, Cedric didn't even offer to pay for Machop's food even when Orion implied that he would have to take greater risks. It almost felt that he couldn't care less about what Orion does outside the Gym.

Unfortunately, there wasn't anything Orion could do about it. Even without helping him further, Cedric still supported him a lot. While disappointed, it didn't change the fact that he was still grateful towards Cedric.

He decided to rest for the remaining day and spent it cleaning Rhyhorn and giving him a massage as it was a good way of making their bond stronger.

The next day, Orion collected Machop from the Pokemon Center. He was informed that Machop was male and was very low on energy due to pushing himself against Rhyhorn. Thankfully, none of his injuries were serious. He would just need 3-4 days of rest before being able to train.

He brought Machop to the Gym and informed Cedric, who had already ensured that Machop's food was stocked in Orion's room.

With all preparation done, Orion entered the training facilities and released Rhyhorn first and then Machop. Machop, who was still very weak, looked around nervously. An unfamiliar location along with the weakness he was feeling caused him to be completely on guard. Soon, his eyes landed on Orion and Rhyhorn, who had captured him.

Orion smiled and said, "You can relax, little guy. No one here will harm you. Come sit with me."

With Rhyhorn next to him and Cedric watching secretly, Orion wasn't scared at all. He sat down on the ground without a care in the world. That eased Machop slightly. However, he was still very much on guard.

Orion said, "Machop, would you like to join my team?"

Machop asked in a slightly confused tone, "Machop???"

Orion smiled and said, "I want to go on a journey across the world. And I want to fight every strong Trainer and Pokemon out there. To do that, I need a team. If you tag along with me, I'll help you become the strongest Machamp ever!"

Orion caressed Rhyhorn's back and said, "You have already seen how strong Rhyhorn is. You'll be that strong soon too with my help. So, are you interested, Machop?"

Machop thought for a few seconds before nodding, "Machop Machop."

Orion smiled and said, "Good. Welcome to the family."

Rhyhorn also became cheerful as he would now have a partner. Orion called back Machop and brought him to his room and fed him. After eating the highly nutritious meal, whatever reservations he had evaporated within seconds.

Meanwhile, Orion thought, 'Level 8… Not high but not bad either. He won't be able to help Rhyhorn much, but having someone to protect me will make my trips much safer. I can finally focus on commanding my Pokemons instead of having to perform parlour tricks to deal with any wild Pokemons that directly target me.

Also, I should be able to use Machop against the new batch of trainers. Though I'm not sure of his talent, his grit is much higher than a normal Pokemon. Hehe, it'd be fun to beat up some new Trainers with my second Pokemon.'