Data Eye (Please Bookmark, Vote, and Send Monthly Tickets!)

Jiang Jing said in surprise, "Isn't that obvious? Of course I want it. How much are you planning to sell it to me for?"

Liu Bin's eyes shifted as he said, "The official flagship store price for the original Pokédex is currently 6,999 yuan."

"Since it's secondhand and has been used for several years, I'll sell it to you for 2,000."

Jiang Jing shook his head. "Too expensive. With all these years of friendship between us, do you really have the nerve to charge me that much?"

"A secondhand original Pokédex on Xianyu only costs 1,500. How about this? I'll pay 1,400."

Liu Bin clapped his hands. "Damn, you really know how to haggle. Hell, mine isn't like the ones on Xianyu. Those are all battered junk, and nobody knows what's broken on them. That's why they only sell for 1,500."

"Mine's been well maintained. Every function still works, and it looks brand-new from the outside. You actually have the nerve to offer 1,400."

Jiang Jing said, "You already have a new one anyway, so just sell the old one to me cheap."

Thus, Jiang Jing spent several more minutes fiercely negotiating with Liu Bin. In the end, Liu Bin could not take it anymore and waved his hand. "Fine, 1,400. Just 1,400. Consider it a loss-making deal."

Jiang Jing said, "That's more like it. Come on, let's eat some barbecue."

Liu Bin took a huge bite out of a meat skewer, venting his frustration.

It was already past nine after they finished the barbecue, and Liu Bin planned to stay behind to help out at the barbecue restaurant.

Jiang Jing took the bus home by himself.

On the bus, he took a red, square-shaped device from his shoulder bag. It resembled a game console.

When he flipped it open, there was a black screen on top and four buttons beneath it. This was the legendary original Pokédex, also known as the first-generation Pokédex.

It was the first-generation Pokédex released in Hua Nation in the year 2001 of the New Alliance calendar.

It was extremely similar to the Pokédex from the games and anime of his previous life, and its functions were much the same.

Whenever one encountered an unfamiliar Pokémon while traveling, they could activate the Pokédex camera and point it at the Pokémon, and its detailed information would appear.

However, the first-generation Pokédex had different data in every country, covering only the Pokémon found within that country.

Its database was incomplete, and it only came in Chinese, with no versions in other languages.

When this Pokédex had first come out, it sold for 30,000 yuan each. The price was outrageously high, but the people who bought them were all wealthy and did not think it was expensive at all.

Moreover, supplies were limited. They sold out as soon as they were released, and anyone who wanted one could only pay an even higher price to scalpers. Ordinary people could not buy one at all.

It was only after production increased and newer versions were gradually developed that the price came down.

Jiang Jing had originally considered buying a secondhand Pokédex himself, but he had thought it was too expensive and not worth it, so he never bought one. He had not expected to get one today, and the price was within what he could afford.

He knew that Liu Bin had not intended to sell it for much in the first place. He had merely said he was selling it cheap.

"Hm?"

He felt a warmth in his chest. Looking down, he patted his chest, and suddenly, his consciousness seemed to be pulled once more into a void containing nothing but a massive Colorful Bead.

Gray currents swirled around the bead. A stream of seven-colored light flowed out of the Colorful Bead like water, coursing through his body and into the Pokédex in his hand.

The black screen suddenly flashed, then powered on by itself. An image of Charmander, complete with detailed information, appeared on the screen.

Then it flashed and switched to Bulbasaur, then Pikachu, then Pokémon after Pokémon in rapid succession. The speed grew faster and faster, like a slideshow, until his eyes began to blur.

It kept accelerating until he could no longer make out which Pokémon appeared in the next image.

A storm raged in Jiang Jing's heart, but outwardly, he showed no reaction at all. He remained calm as he stared fixedly at the Pokédex in his hand. He had a feeling that something extraordinary was about to happen.

He was sitting alone in the last row of the bus. There was no one around him, and only three people sat farther ahead. No one noticed the strange occurrence on his side.

The Pokédex's abnormal behavior lasted five minutes before ending. The screen instantly went dark, as though it had crashed.

The next instant, Jiang Jing felt an extremely peculiar stream of energy surge out of the Pokédex at incredible speed, shooting toward his forehead before he could react.

It slammed into his brain with a bang.

For an instant, it felt as if his head had been struck brutally by a heavy hammer.

The sudden pain made his vision go dark, and his consciousness plunged into agony. His mind went completely blank.

Everything had happened too suddenly for him even to cry out. He could only grip his seat tightly, trying to ease the pain.

Amid the agony, countless memories involving Pokémon surfaced one after another in his mind. The anime, games, movies, special manga chapters, and all the Pokémon knowledge of this world flooded in like fleeting scenes.

He did not know how long it took, but eventually, the memories ended, and the pain disappeared.

Jiang Jing opened his eyes and regained consciousness. Looking at the driver and passengers in front of him and hearing the broadcast by his ear, he felt as though a lifetime had passed.

He remained dazed for thirty seconds before finally coming back to himself. He had only one thought: Damn, this really feels like a dream.

He took out his phone and checked the time. Only fifteen minutes had passed.

The unexpected change made him feel that his body had undergone some unknown transformation. He had no idea what exactly had changed and could only wait until he got home to investigate. Right now, he needed a moment to recover.

After a while, the bus arrived at his stop, and he got off unsteadily.

After walking slowly for some distance and breathing in the air, he felt much better.

When he reached the entrance, under the streetlights, an elderly man around sixty with graying hair, dressed in brown casual clothes, was walking ahead with a Growlithe trailing behind him.

Jiang Jing greeted him, "Grandpa Lin, back from your walk?"

Grandpa Lin turned around, saw that it was Jiang Jing, and smiled kindly. "Xiao Jing, you're back? I haven't seen you these past few days."

Jiang Jing smiled. "I only came back yesterday and haven't gone out much."

Grandpa Lin had already retired. He had previously been a Chinese teacher at Rongcheng No. 6 High School and had taught for decades. After retiring three years ago, his children had bought him a Growlithe to keep him company because they were afraid he would be lonely.

Grandpa Lin also loved this Growlithe dearly, treating it like a treasure and taking it out for walks every day.

The two chatted as they walked forward. Suddenly, Jiang Jing felt a warmth in his eyes.

When he looked at the Growlithe frolicking ahead, a green panel appeared before his eyes, rapidly filling with text and numbers.

He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him and vigorously shook his head, but nothing changed. The text and numbers were still there.

He slowed down and examined it carefully.

Pokémon: Growlithe

Type: Fire

Talent: ★★

Level: LV16

Ability: Intimidate

...What was this? A data panel?