The next morning, Xiao Zhi and his two companions headed to Mt. Moon together, encountering many Trainers in battles along the way. Dealing with such minor opponents didn't require Li Qingfeng's command; Xiao Zhi alone was sufficient.
Under the relentless advance of the three main Pokémon in the team—Pikachu, Butterfree, and Pidgeotto—the trio finally arrived at the Pokémon Center next to Mt. Moon by lunchtime.
On the way, the group encountered a researcher who was being mobbed by a swarm of Zubat.
Xiao Zhi, ever the helpful one, said, "Pikachu, use Thunder Shock! Try not to hurt the man."
"Pika!" (Understood!)
Pikachu, not having had its fill of battling, immediately unleashed a Thunder Shock. The dazzling light was blinding, and the Zubat, facing an electric-type move that countered them, instinctively fled.
But a large number of them were still shocked!
Xiao Gang seized the opportunity, and while no one was paying attention, he threw a poké ball, hitting the target dead center!
He successfully caught a Zubat.
Xiao Zhi had just remembered about catching a Pokémon, but found that the Zubat was already gone, and he couldn't help but feel dejected.
It brought tears to his eyes, folks.
Li Qingfeng consoled Xiao Zhi, "It's alright, Xiao Zhi. There will be even more suitable poison-type Pokémon for you in the future."
Xiao Zhi wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he felt Li Qingfeng was trying to suppress a laugh when he mentioned poison-type Pokémon.
Never mind, it's not a big deal. His future poison-type Pokémon would definitely be very strong!
Li Qingfeng: Indeed.
The researcher tried to invite them, saying, "Thank you for saving me. Would you like to explore Mt. Moon together?"
"Goo-goo-goo~"
Xiao Zhi's stomach rumbled, and only then did everyone remember they hadn't eaten lunch. The four of them exchanged smiles.
"Would you like to eat with us? And perhaps tell us about the current situation inside Mt. Moon? How about it?" In the end, it was Xiao Zhi who invited the researcher to the Pokémon Center.
As the saying goes, people are iron, and food is steel. Eating and chatting was better than directly entering Mt. Moon. They also learned the researcher's name was Nika.
The four entered the Pokémon Center, planning to solve their lunch problem before entering Mt. Moon.
After ordering, the four of them gathered in a secluded corner. They also asked about the situation in Mt. Moon, and Nika replied, "To be honest, it seems Team Rocket is present in Mt. Moon right now!"
The trio: !!!
"Is that the comedic group that uses poaching as an excuse?" Xiao Zhi asked. His recent encounters with Team Rocket made him feel that Team Rocket wasn't that dangerous.
Li Qingfeng, seeing this, reminded him, "No, Team Rocket is actually a very dangerous criminal organization. Their main areas of activity are in the Kanto and Johto regions. Their goal is to sell Pokémon to earn money."
Xiao Zhi nodded then. Nika had just finished talking about Team Rocket and thought Xiao Zhi was nodding in agreement with his explanation, scratching his head sheepishly.
Just then, the Pokémon Center staff brought the food Xiao Zhi and the others ordered to their table.
Xiao Zhi, smelling the fragrant food, began to eat heartily.
"Huh? What are those two doing in the corner?"
Xiao Zhi, engrossed in his meal, saw two people sneakily walk into a corner. After saying something unknown, one of them angrily left, muttering some Kanto profanity.
Xiao Gang squinted, as if trying to see through the person, and slowly said, "I don't know."
Xiao Xia: ...
Li Qingfeng recalled that in the game, there was an old man selling Magikarp at the Pokémon Center next to Mt. Moon.
'Could that person be here to sell Magikarp…?' Li Qingfeng muttered inwardly.
Whether it was Li Qingfeng's jinx or some other reason, the old man's gaze swept around as if picking out a victim, finally settling on Xiao Zhi.
"Come, little brother, Uncle here has something good to show you. This is a very powerful Pokémon, named the Great Ferocious!" This old man had a full beard and looked completely different from the Magikarp Uncle on the St. Anne. He held a poké ball in his hand.
'This person is selling Magikarp. Right, I should record this and report him later.' Li Qingfeng quickly said. Xiao Zhi nodded, and the Pokédex in his hand had secretly activated its recording function. He loved Pokémon and would never allow anyone to sell them.
Xiao Zhi feigned curiosity and asked, "Excuse me, what kind of Pokémon is this Great Ferocious?"
At this, the old man became excited and spoke voluminously, "The Great Ferocious, a water-type Pokémon, can be used to sweep through the Pewter Gym and the Crimson Gym. It is definitely a core Pokémon!"
Xiao Gang: ?
Well, well, talking about sweeping through the Pewter Gym right in front of him!
Li Qingfeng nodded slightly. The latter half of what the old man said was somewhat correct; after Magikarp evolves into Gyarados, it could indeed be considered a core Pokémon.
Wouldn't you agree, Adu?
Xiao Zhi suddenly remembered that he had a Trainer friend who particularly loved water-type Pokémon, and quickly asked, "Xiao Xia, is the Great Ferocious really that powerful?"
Xiao Xia pondered for a long time, thinking about what kind of Pokémon this Great Ferocious was. There was no Pokémon called Great Ferocious in the Kanto region, but there was one nicknamed Great Ferocious…
Masaka?!
"Uncle, can this Great Ferocious evolve into Gyarados later?" Xiao Xia asked suspiciously.
The old man nodded, "That's right, this Great Ferocious can indeed evolve into Gyarados in the future, and I'm only charging you 500 now. How about it, a great deal, right?"
For a moment, the scene fell silent.
The five of them looked at each other, feeling quite awkward.
Finally, Nika spoke, "Isn't that a Magikarp? Not only are you selling Pokémon, but you want to sell it to us for five hundred? Why don't you just rob us? Aren't you afraid we'll report you?"
The old man waved his hand, saying, "Hah, what Magikarp? Its name is Great Ferocious. Five hundred is already very cheap, you know! If you want to report me, how can you without evidence?"
"You're right." Xiao Zhi nodded repeatedly, then said seriously, "But… Nurse Joy, someone here is selling Pokémon!"
The old man: ???
At these words, Nurse Joy rushed over with Chansey, followed by a group of Trainers.
Nothing else, selling Pokémon is illegal.
Officer Jenny happened to be resting there too. Hearing someone report the selling of Pokémon, she immediately rushed over.
The old man quickly waved his hands, "They're slandering me! I'm a friendly Kanto citizen, how could I do such a thing?!"
Officer Jenny was somewhat troubled; if there was no evidence, she couldn't arrest anyone.
Xiao Zhi remained silent, pressing the recording function on his Pokédex:
"Great Ferocious… 500."
The scene fell silent again, and the final result was that the Magikarp Uncle was taken away by Officer Jenny.
As the informant, Xiao Zhi successfully received a substantial reward.
It's really good, folks.