“I said Saint, why are you following us?” Xiao Zhi looked at Saint, who had been traveling with them since leaving the Pokémon Research Class, and was speechless. It wasn’t that Xiao Zhi didn’t welcome Saint, but he was afraid that she would call her troublesome best friend. If that happened, Xiao Zhi wouldn’t know where to cry.
Saint looked at Xiao Zhi and said in a speechless tone, “Hmph, don’t worry, money-grubber, I won’t call Cynthia. Seriously, how much are you afraid of her?”
Hearing Saint’s words, Xia, who was standing next to Xiao Zhi, perked up her ears. Who was this Cynthia? And Xiao Gang continued to suppress his urge to cry. Another girl’s name, and this one, Xiao Gang had a dreadful guess. Not only that, it seemed to be connected to Xiao Zhi! Anyway, Xiao Gang didn’t believe Xiao Zhi’s claim of being afraid. As long as he was afraid, it meant there was something going on between them! Champion Kona was an example!
Xiao Zhi helplessly explained to Saint, “There’s no way, can you imagine Cynthia, that girl, she’s got zero self-sufficiency as long as I’m around? It’s terrifying.”
“No way?”
“Haha, I’m not going to comment...”
However, unknown to Xiao Zhi, his dear fiancee, Xiao Ju Er, was on the same flight as Cynthia, chatting and laughing as they flew towards Kanto. At least... on the surface, they were laughing and talking...
“Hahaha, seriously, that guy suddenly sent me a ring. It took me by surprise. I got it on my finger before I even realized it. Look at this, it’s a diamond with a lightning pattern, oh~.”
“Oh, congratulations. But can you lend him to me for a few days after you arrive? You know, I miss the days when he took care of me.”
“It’s like I haven’t been taken care of by him.”
Hmm... very ‘benign’...
Back to Xiao Zhi’s side, the four of them were on their way to Viridian City. However, halfway there, Xiao Zhi suddenly stopped, constantly sniffing the air around him.
“No way, that’s nearby! Sorry, I need to find something. It’s a high-grade medicinal herb! Meowth, Pikachu, come with me. Chansey, you take care of everyone else first.” Without further explanation, Xiao Zhi took Pikachu and Meowth and quickly moved off.
Soon, Xiao Zhi followed the scent to a small hut. He then climbed up to a flower in front of the hut, observing it under the somewhat speechless gaze of the hut’s owner.
“Meowth, give me the Plant Encyclopedia!”
“Did you find something again, Meow?”
Xiao Zhi compared the flower with the encyclopedia, finally nodding with satisfaction. “That’s it, this flower is the missing ingredient for the antidote! I’m so lucky! But now, what I need to do is... Excuse me, do you still have seeds of this flower? I want to buy them.”
The owner of the hut, who was asked by Xiao Zhi, was stunned for a moment, then said, “Huh? Seeds of this flower? No problem. By the way, who are you?”
“Me? My name is Xiao Zhi. I’m a Pokémon Trainer, but I’m also a part-time pharmacist. I make potions.”
“I see. Hello, Xiao Zhi, my name is Xiao Cui. I’m the owner of this hut. I specialize in treating wild Pokémon. If you want those flower seeds, I can give them to you.” Xiao Cui didn’t doubt Xiao Zhi’s identity as a pharmacist. After all, the way he had just observed the flower was proof enough. Only a real pharmacist would be so meticulous and thorough, even going so far as to lie on the ground to observe a possible medicinal plant.
“No, this flower is important to me, so I have to buy it. Now, please tell me how to cultivate it.”
“Okay. But this flower is a bit troublesome to cultivate. That one is the only one that survived...”
After Xiao Cui’s explanation, Xiao Zhi understood the difficulty of cultivating this flower. But then, he came up with an idea.
“Miss Xiao Cui, are you accepting employment?”
“Huh?”
——Dividing Line——
When Xia, Xiao Gang, and Saint arrived at the hut, guided by Gardevoir’s perception, they saw Xiao Zhi chatting with Xiao Cui. Saint took a deep breath and shouted, “You pervert!!!”
Just as Xiao Zhi was about to retort, a loud bang came from somewhere. A giant machine appeared. Seeing the machine, Meowth and Pikachu smiled and exchanged glances.
“Here they come again...”
“Yeah, Meow. My counterpart is really persistent, Meow...”
“Pika...”
As the human and the two Pokémon were complaining, the three members of Team Rocket began their routine...
“If you’re asking sincerely,”
“We will generously tell you!”
“To prevent the world from destruction,”
“To protect the world from devastation,”
“To unite all peoples within our nation,”
“To denounce the evils of truth and love,”
“To extend our reign across the land,”
“To seize all Pokémon far and wide,”
“To battle all those who oppose us,”
“To catch them is our real test, to train them is our cause!”
“Jessie!”
“James!”
“We are the Rocket Gang!”
“White Hole, the white tomorrow is waiting for us!”
“That’s right! Meow~~~~.”
Seeing the three Team Rocket members, Xiao Gang shouted, “Team Rocket, what are you doing here?!”
“Hahaha, Meow! Of course we’re here to collect all the Pokémon here, Meow! Super-powered vacuum cleaner, activate!”
As Meowth pressed the switch on the Team Rocket’s machine, a huge vacuum cleaner emerged, starting to suck in everything with incredible force. Xiao Zhi was speechless as he watched the three. “You’re really annoying. Everyone, help the light Pokémon get into the house! Charmander, Pidgeotto, come out!”
“Li!”
“Bi!”
Seeing Xiao Zhi daring to release his Pokémon, Team Rocket increased the machine’s power.
“Kid, this time we’ve prepared a high-powered vacuum cleaner! You’re definitely going to pay the price!”
“That’s right! We’ve been blown away every time. This time, it’s our turn to strike back!”
Seeing the three who hadn’t learned their lesson, Xiao Zhi raised his hand...
“Seeds! Seeds!”
At that moment, a Bulbasaur came to Xiao Zhi’s feet and called out. Meowth translated to him, “Boss, it wants to fight alongside us, Meow!”
“Oh? Is that so? Then, Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf!”
“Seed!”
Hearing Xiao Zhi’s command, Bulbasaur immediately shot out countless leaves. Seeing the Razor Leaf, Team Rocket started to laugh.
“Hahahaha! You’re using Razor Leaf? Kid, are you crazy?”
“Oh~ You really think that’s the end? Gardevoir, use Psychic to control the Razor Leaf! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt to paralyze the machine! Charmander, use Flamethrower, combine with Razor Leaf and burn it! Pidgeotto, use Gust to push the flame vortex!”
“What!” *3
With Xiao Zhi’s commands, Gardevoir took control of the Razor Leaf. Charmander’s flames became even more intense with the help of the leaves. Pikachu’s Thunderbolt paralyzed Team Rocket’s machine. Finally, under Pidgeotto’s Gust, the flame vortex swept across the entire machine, exploding!
Boom!
Jessie: “Darn it! Why is it always like this?!”
James: “I think it’s because the kid is too strong...”
Meowth: “You idiots, Meow, we have to work to pay off our debts again, Meow!”
“It’s such a hateful feeling~” *3
Watching Team Rocket fly away, Xiao Zhi looked at the pile of Rare Candies and said, “Okay, you all did great. It’s about time for you to enter another level. Here, one each. Meowth, Pikachu, you have them too. Beedrill, come out. Your portion will be honey-infused. Bulbasaur, you have one too.”
Then, Xiao Zhi gave all of his Pokémon a Rare Candy, including the Milktank who was responsible for producing milk. As Pidgeotto and the others ate the Rare Candy, something incredible happened. Pidgeotto, Charmander, and Gardevoir all evolved.
Seeing this miraculous scene, Xia couldn’t help but say, “Xiao Zhi, you’re really amazing...”
Saint watched as Xiao Zhi helped his Pokémon evolve and break through. She couldn’t help but admit, “Although that guy can be annoying sometimes, he’s truly amazing.”
While the two were talking, Xiao Zhi’s Pidgeotto evolved into a Pidgeot and entered the Elite Four level. Charmander evolved into Charmeleon and became an Elite. Gardevoir evolved into Gallade and entered the Elite Four level.
After his Pokémon evolved and stabilized, Xiao Zhi looked at Bulbasaur and said, “What do you say, Bulbasaur, do you want to become my Pokémon?”
“Seed!” Bulbasaur looked at Xiao Zhi and nodded, then assumed a fighting stance. Xiao Zhi turned to Charmeleon and said, “Charmeleon, it’s your turn. Now, let your future companion understand one thing, witness your own insignificance, and then climb up! Flamethrower!”
“Roar!”
Crimson flames engulfed Bulbasaur instantly, a one-hit kill!
As Bulbasaur was defeated, Xiao Zhi threw out a Luxury Ball and easily captured it.
Xiao Zhi picked up the Luxury Ball and smiled. “So, I’ve got another partner. Bulbasaur, I’ve caught you.”