The Mysterious Water Drop

The Swamperts leaned their exhausted bodies against the rock wall, knowing how dangerous this battle had been. Their very homeland had almost been taken by the Sharpedos.

Fortunately, the Swampert leader had used all their strength to withstand the Sharpedo leader's attack and intercept multiple high-level Sharpedos.

Without Qing Wu's support, the Swampert clan would have suffered heavy losses, even if they hadn't lost their territory. It would have taken at least fifteen years to recover.

"Here, eat this to restore your stamina," Qing Wu offered the Swampert leader a Poffin.

The Swampert leader's face showed gratitude as they took the Poffin Qing Wu offered and swallowed it in one gulp.

After a while, the Swampert leader finally felt like they had recovered.

"Right, this is your Pokémon Egg. The situation was urgent, so I put it directly into my backpack. Please forgive me," Qing Wu said sincerely to the Swampert leader, not mentioning anything about taking care of the Swampert leader's child.

However, after receiving the four Pokémon Eggs, the Swampert leader simply blocked them with their hand, gave Qing Wu a meaningful look, and turned away, no longer looking at the Pokémon Eggs.

In the Swampert leader's heart, one Pokémon Egg with blue potential was enough; it was already the next leader.

If Qing Wu hadn't helped the Swampert leader resolve their strange illness, and if Qing Wu hadn't helped protect the clan, the Swampert would never have given up that Pokémon Egg with blue potential.

Qing Wu's help to the clan was too great. Despite the Swampert leader's reluctance, the debt of gratitude was too immense to repay.

Qing Wu excitedly put the blue-potential Pokémon Egg into his backpack.

Pokémon: Mudkip (Blue)
Gender: Male
Level: Unhatched (N/A)
Type: Water
Ability: Torrent
Egg Moves: Ancient Power, Double-Edge
Level-Up Moves: Mud-Slap, Tackle, Water Gun, Rock Smash, Bubble, Growl

"It's a shame it hasn't hatched yet," Qing Wu lamented, looking at the Swampert leader's full list of moves.

If it had stayed with the Swampert leader for a while longer, this Mudkip might have become incredibly powerful.

Qing Wu saw the Swampert leader take off the Mystic Water hanging around their neck and hand it to him, their eyes filled with reluctance to part with the Pokémon Egg.

The quality of this Mystic Water was comparable to a Blazing Orb.

This was the Swampert leader's reluctant maternal love for their unhatched little Pokémon.

Qing Wu solemnly accepted the Mystic Water and said seriously to the Swampert leader, "Don't worry, Swampert. In the near future, when the Mudkip hatches, I will definitely bring it to see you."

The Swampert leader remained silent, only closing their eyes. Qing Wu knew this was a signal to leave.

If he didn't leave now, the Swampert leader's tears might fall.

"Thank you for your help. This is the medicine to cure your strange illness. I made five in total. If you encounter any other Pokémon with the same condition, just have them drink it. These are the Poffins I made; use them sparingly. They should be enough for you for a year."

Qing Wu chattered as he took items out of his bracelet and placed them beside the Swampert leader. He then resolutely walked out of the cave.

At this moment, the Swampert leader opened their eyes, which were filled with reluctance to part with their child.

Beside them, the Swampert leader's husband, a Swampert with green potential, patted the Swampert leader's shoulder.

"Kamo, the child will grow better with that trainer. Don't worry about it." The Swampert leader, like a child, sobbed on the Swampert's shoulder.

When Qing Wu walked out of the cave, the sky after the rain appeared clearer than usual.

The boundless sky brought a refreshing feeling. A rainbow stretched across the azure sky, as if smiling at the earth.

"Let's go," Qing Wu placed his hand on the Golbat's thick leg and flew towards the distance. At this time, the sky was filled with flying Pelippers and Wingulls.

Many Pelippers and Wingulls, upon seeing Qing Wu flying high in the sky, spat Water Guns at him.

These were Pelippers and Wingulls specifically trained by Team Rocket to guard the skies. The Golbat easily dodged the attacks. To avoid angering the Pelippers and Wingulls, it reluctantly landed on the ground and began to walk.

Qing Wu pondered the Pokémon he currently had: Golbat, Kecleon, Squirtle, Deino, Torchic (Egg), Mudkip (Egg).

The Tricolor Piranha was still under consideration, as Qing Wu already had many Water-type Pokémon.

No matter how many Pokémon he had, Qing Wu didn't have enough resources to train them.

However, by sheer coincidence, Qing Wu had just acquired a large number of resources from Cang, many of which were Dark-type Pokémon. Coupled with the essence of an Elite Four-level Sharpedo he possessed, the Tricolor Piranha's potential was not bad.

Considering everything, Qing Wu decided to keep the Tricolor Piranha, holding onto the belief that he could see the dawn if he just persevered.

"Seeking flowers..."

If he couldn't train them in time, the Pokémon daycare would also be Qing Wu's backup, helping him take care of his Pokémon.

Qing Wu planned to treat the Golbat, Deino, and Tricolor Piranha as his Pokémon for his "dark" identity. After all, Deino was not something that could be brought into the light; it was easily targeted by the League, who would then demand its surrender.

Squirtle, Kecleon, Torchic, and Mudkip would be his "public" Pokémon, belonging to the owner of the Pokémon daycare in the Hoenn Region.

After all, most of these Pokémon were from the Hoenn Region and wouldn't attract much attention.

"Amass grain and delay the king; the ancients did not deceive me." Qing Wu now had the Pokémon and just needed time to develop them slowly.

Who was that? Qing Wu suddenly turned his head and saw four trial-takers wearing black robes and masks appearing behind him.

Each of them had three Pokémon standing behind them. To Qing Wu's surprise, those Pokémon had all evolved.

Rattata, Persian, Fearow, Arbok, Grimer, Tentacool.

"We are the Four Swordsmen under Lord Kuraki, ordered to take your head," one of the masked individuals spoke, their voice like a robot's.

"If you want my life, let's see if you're qualified. The trial is almost over, and truly, all sorts of people are showing up. You all want to see my true strength, don't you?" Qing Wu's killing intent surged, and his Golbat had already quietly concealed its presence.

"Besides, Kuraki is a smart man. Even if he wanted to kill me, he wouldn't reveal his name like this. You're overthinking it; this 'blame shifting' tactic is well-executed," Qing Wu analyzed.

When no one was paying attention, a Poké Ball slipped down his pant leg and landed on the ground.

The Poké Ball opened the moment it touched the ground, releasing its Pokémon. It quickly disappeared underground using Dig.

"Rattata, use Rage Fang!"

"Persian, use Swift!"

"Fearow, use Drill Peck!"

"Arbok, use Acid!"

"Grimer, use Mud-Slap!"

"Tentacool, use Supersonic for alert!"

The four men gave their commands, but they didn't expect that Golbat had already quietly approached a Black Robe, slashing its sharp wings towards the Black Robe's throat. However, countless electric sparks flew. With a loud boom, the Black Robe self-destructed, its parts scattering everywhere. Golbat even sustained quite a bit of damage.