Hidden Plot

"Manager Lin, you wanted to see me?"

Arriving at Manager Lin's office, Ye Lan sat down with a smile and looked at Manager Lin, who had his eyes closed in thought. "What is it?"

"Whew... First of all, congratulations on being stopped at fourteen straight wins."

"And I have to thank Manager Lin for taking such good ca—"

Before Ye Lan could finish the word "care," his smile stiffened as he prepared to offer some polite pleasantries.

Huh? Maybe he had misheard, but that did not sound like a compliment just now!

"Ahem. You're Liu Yan's student, so it's only right that I look after you."

Since Manager Lin did not continue the previous topic, Ye Lan acted as though nothing had happened.

No matter what, Manager Lin had indeed taken very good care of him over the past month.

"Let's put that aside. Do you plan to exchange the points you won from the battles for a pseudo-legendary Pokémon Egg?"

Ye Lan had been about to say that he intended to exchange them all for Pokémon items, but his usually sharp eye caught something. Manager Lin, who was normally smooth and composed in handling matters, actually seemed a little nervous when he asked that question.

"Well, I do want a pseudo-legendary Pokémon Egg. But as you know, Manager Lin, pseudo-legendaries take a long time to raise, so I'm still considering it." After thinking for a moment, Ye Lan gave an ambiguous answer.

"Ye Lan, I know young people like you all aspire to the strength of pseudo-legendary Pokémon, but raising one requires an enormous amount of resources."

"You've only just caught two Pokémon, and you don't have a family backing you. Raising a pseudo-legendary would be far too difficult."

Manager Lin came out from behind his desk and patted Ye Lan's shoulder earnestly. He continued, "Uncle Lin has been through it before. Listen to this advice from Uncle Lin: for a rookie Trainer, being practical is the most important thing!"

"Oh, Manager Lin, those words really spoke to my heart!"

Seeing Ye Lan nod in agreement, Manager Lin eagerly pressed, "Then, Ye Lan, you intend to..."

"Then I should exchange them for a pseudo-legendary Pokémon Egg even more! Think about it, Manager Lin. If I take the egg to trade with those great families, I can definitely get far more types of resources than what's on the Battle Arena's exchange list!"

"Thank you so much, Manager Lin. After hearing you say that, I've finally made up my mind. I'm exchanging them for a pseudo-legendary Pokémon Egg!"

At that, Manager Lin nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. Just as he was about to say something else, the office door was suddenly shoved open with a bang.

"Enough! Ye Lan, as long as you don't exchange for that pseudo-legendary Pokémon Egg, name your terms. As long as they're within what our Battle Arena can accept, anything goes."

Outside the door, a fat man in a suit strode into the office with his belly thrust out. Two middle-aged men who looked shrewd at a glance followed behind him.

The newcomer was none other than Ouyang Sheng Tian.

This was also one of the reasons Ouyang Sheng Tian was considered such an oddity.

His father, Ouyang Tian, had once run with gangs in his early years. Even now, despite his age, the old man still bore the lines of the muscles he had built back then.

Ouyang Tian already had a rough, fierce face, and with the scars left from those years, he exuded a savage air.

But what about Ouyang Sheng Tian? They said a tiger father would not have a dog son, but nobody said he might have a piglet instead!

Ouyang Sheng Tian had had a chubby baby face ever since he was born.

Not only that, he had no interest whatsoever in Pokémon. Other than loving money, his only passion was food.

The fact that he had truly turned a pseudo-legendary Pokémon Egg into scrambled eggs and fried rice after saying he would do so showed just how much Ouyang Sheng Tian loved eating.

When Ouyang Sheng Tian was very young, Ouyang Tian repeatedly tried and failed to prove that this "piggy bank" was not really his son. In the end, he could only helplessly accept reality.

"And this is?" Ye Lan did not quite understand the situation, so he turned a questioning gaze toward Manager Lin.

For some reason, it felt as if his insistence on exchanging for a pseudo-legendary Pokémon Egg had triggered some hidden plot.

"This is the young master of our Jindu Battle Arena, Ouyang Sheng Tian."

Ye Lan's eyes lit up at those words.

Ouyang Sheng Tian seemed to be the person with the most authority here. Then his offer to name a condition was not just a joke?

"I want my points doubled. I wonder if..."

"Impossible." Ouyang Sheng Tian rejected it without even thinking.

"The total points you've earned exceed fifteen hundred. If we doubled them, you could exchange for nearly all of our resources aside from the pseudo-legendary Pokémon Egg."

"Would our second-floor Battle Arena even be able to stay open while we restocked?" After saying that, Ouyang Sheng Tian dropped heavily onto the sofa, making the entire sofa shake violently.

"Then what kind of conditions can the young master accept?" Seeing that Ouyang Sheng Tian was genuinely considering his offhand joking request, Ye Lan understood that the other party was at least reasonable. Naturally, he had to leave him some room as well.

Ouyang Sheng Tian waved a hand, and one of the middle-aged men waiting nearby stepped forward. "We have two proposals. First: we will purchase all the points in your possession at a price fifteen hundred higher than the exchange rate."

"Second: only half of your current points may be used for exchanges. As compensation, we will introduce you to Huang Yuntian, the Gym Leader of the Jindu Grass-type Gym, and have you study at his Gym as an apprentice for one month."

After hearing the middle-aged man's explanation, Ye Lan understood that they had clearly come prepared after investigating his background.

Both choices were extremely appealing to Ye Lan.

First was the first option. Purchasing all of Ye Lan's points for two thousand five hundred was not a loss for him. The value of Battle Arena points normally fluctuated within that range.

Moreover, Ye Lan would be more than happy to receive a large sum of money all at once.

His parents were ordinary people, and they had already sacrificed a great deal to help him become a Trainer. Sooner or later, he would have to set out on a journey.

Leaving behind some money so his parents would not have to work so hard would also ease some of Ye Lan's worries.

As for the second option, it felt like a pie had fallen from the sky.

Only after staying in Jindu for quite some time had he learned that Huang Yuntian, the Grass-type Gym Leader, was not merely a Gym-level Trainer. Rumor had it that among his main team, some Pokémon had already broken through to the quasi-Elite level!

The chance to become the apprentice of such a Trainer was something countless great families desperately wanted, spending huge sums of money and pulling every connection they could find.

Even if a family disciple achieved nothing under him, merely establishing a connection with Huang Yuntian would still be worthwhile.

Such an opportunity was not something Ye Lan's meager Battle Arena points could buy.

Meeting Ye Lan's puzzled gaze, Ouyang Sheng Tian merely smiled without confirming or denying anything.

"Ye Lan, you're a smart person. It seems you already have your answer. Then let's discuss the details of the second option..."

"He agreed to our terms?"

"Of course, Dad. Our terms were reasonable to begin with. He wouldn't lose anything, so naturally he agreed."

By the window of the second-floor office, Ouyang Sheng Tian watched Ye Lan's departing back, seemingly lost in thought.

"You trust him that much?" There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment before a voice sounded.

"Dad, I may not be interested in becoming a Trainer, but I've always had a good eye for Trainers."

(Thanks to the reader for the tip. An extra chapter for reader "North City Pikachu"—you're so generous!!!)