Have You Eaten Yet (Black History)

(The two chapters marked as black history were written very awkwardly in retrospect. You can skip them if you wish, it won't affect the rest of the story.)

Verde never imagined that he would be able to learn new things at his age.

The man named Sakaki, commanding a monster that resembled a hornet with two giant stingers on its forelimbs, toyed with his Pikachu.

After a brief adventure with Pikachu, he believed he had become Pikachu's tacit partner, able to command Pikachu in battle with perfect synergy, hitting wherever he pointed, always victorious.

But Sakaki, that man, shattered his confidence.

[Beedrill used Protect!]

[Pikachu used Iron Tail, the attack was blocked!]

[Beedrill used Toxic Spikes! The field was covered in Toxic Spikes, Pikachu is poisoned!]

[Beedrill used Agility! Its body became lighter!]

[Pikachu used Thunderbolt! It missed Beedrill!]

Sakaki seemed to be able to predict the future, completely anticipating the moves Pikachu would use!

And as if to show off, every time he commanded Beedrill to use a move, he would shout it out loud, as if afraid others wouldn't know what the next move was.

Yet, even so, Pikachu couldn't win.

[Beedrill used String Shot, Pikachu is entangled!]

[Beedrill used Poison Jab! Pikachu is unable to battle!]

"Pikachu!"

Verde rushed over, his heart filled with anxiety, and held the unconscious Pikachu in his arms, at a loss for what to do.

He should be healing Pikachu now, but he didn't know any healing magic, and he had run out of Healing Potions earlier.

He had never felt so powerless.

"Use this,"

Gong Qiying appeared before him at some unknown time and tossed a uniquely shaped small bottle.

"What is this?"

"Healing Potion. Spray it on an injured Pokémon, like this." He sprayed the Healing Potion onto Pikachu, and after a short while, Pikachu slowly stirred. "See? It's recovered."

Verde didn't speak, holding Pikachu tightly in his arms. After a moment, he finally said:

"Thank you."

Although Gong Qiying had injured Pikachu, he then threw over a strange healing item, leaving Verde utterly confused about the man's intentions.

However, there was one thing he understood clearly: Gong Qiying had definitely held back. The command talent he displayed was unparalleled, and Beedrill's strength was terrifying.

No matter how angry Verde was, he wouldn't be foolish enough to clash with Gong Qiying. Nobles valued making many friends, especially the House of Bede, which survived through business. His former arrogance was merely because he hadn't met anyone worthy of his deference, coupled with being spoiled.

But there was still one thing he absolutely had to complain about—

Your Beedrill might be strong, but what does it have to do with Caterpie!

Are you trying to say there are no weak bugs, only weak Trainers! And what makes a Trainer a strong person anyway? It sounds like a beast tamer.

Even if I were the best at training monsters, I couldn't possibly use a Caterpie to defeat a Beedrill!

"It seems he's not an idiot," Gong Qiying nodded inwardly and said, "Although I don't know why Pikachu chose you, you still need to work hard as a Trainer, otherwise, you won't be able to bring out the Pokémon's potential."

"I've had my fill of battling. We'll meet again,"

Gong Qiying waved his hand, recalled Beedrill into its Poké Ball, and turned to leave.

"Um, please wait a moment!"

Verde quickly called out to him and asked, "Excuse me. You seem very knowledgeable about monsters like Pikachu. Could you please explain what Pokémon are, and what Trainers are? Why are these monsters so human-like?"

"Too many questions,"

Gong Qiying feigned impatience and picked at his ear.

"I'll give you a reward! Could you please visit my House of Bede manor after leaving the Dungeon!"

Verde estimated the time, realizing it was close to the Dungeon's closing time, which was why he extended the invitation.

"Forget about your manor. I don't have time to run around,"

Gong Qiying also sensed the time and smiled slightly. "It's getting late. If you want to know more about Pikachu, come find me here next time. I'm always here. If you want to see me, have Pikachu use Discharge."

"Okay, okay."

As Verde agreed, loud and melodious bells rang out. His vision suddenly blurred, and he felt the world spin. When he opened his eyes again, he had already been expelled from the Dungeon.

"Ah, I made it out alive."

He pinched his face, still feeling a bit unreal.

But the sensation of Pikachu in his arms was incredibly real.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you actually brought it out!?"

Gong Qiying returned to his zombie appearance and placed the Poké Ball containing Beedrill on the table.

After the recent incident, he had reached a conclusion—

Fried Fish was incredibly satisfying.

Gong Qiying, oh Gong Qiying, how could you have fallen so low as to bully even a novice? Were you still a person of noble character like this!

Hee hee hee hee, this is just the kind of person I am!

Gong Qiying figured it out. Fried Fish was satisfying for a moment, and constantly Fried Fishing was constantly satisfying. He had already piqued Verde's curiosity, so he wasn't afraid he wouldn't come.

Once Verde returned and spread the word, many people interested in Pokémon, these intelligent monsters, would likely flock to Sain Underground City, bringing another wave of traffic.

Speaking of traffic, his Mental Power today was a bit less than yesterday.

Adventurers with insufficient strength dared not set foot here anymore, and the miners were unwilling to risk their lives coming in. He'd probably have to increase their wages for them to continue working.

Gong Qiying had already figured out what these miners were doing. It turned out they were after a type of Ore called "Bloodstone."

This Ore was a specialty of Sain Underground City, but it couldn't be converted into Mental Power for secondary use. Even if he changed the terrain, he would still need to find a place to dump these Ores.

Originally, he just put them in the lower mine tunnels because he had nowhere else to put them. He hadn't expected people to come specifically for them.

Therefore, tonight's plan would involve reorganizing the distribution of Bloodstone Ore. He couldn't just dump it all in the lower levels; he needed to leave some for the upper areas to attract miners.

Besides that, the various facilities in the underground city needed some polishing. Gong Qiying had his eye on a few novel items, and the Mental Power he'd earned today was just enough.

To be honest, despite the substantial daily income, after deducting the maintenance costs of the underground city, and then fixing a bit here and a bit there, summoning a few new monsters, he'd be surprised to find—

Where did all my Mental Power go???

He desperately needed more people, more people to die here!

"I hope the arrangements from the past few days will be effective,"

Weapons with innate Battle Skills, new monster species, frequent underground city mutations—once these topics fermented, surely some busybodies would come to explore.

Late at night, in Bed City, a dark alley.

"Old Jack, oh Old Jack, I finally caught you."

Facing pursuit from several burly men, Jack was ultimately forced into a dead end.

And the one who appeared was the person he least wanted to see—Sackman!

"G-good evening, have you eaten?"

Jack forced a smile.

Good thing I caught up with the update, phew.