Qian Kaile Forced into Action

That afternoon, Shu Tong went to the club, intending to see whether Zhu Zhixiang would show up.

Because he had learned from Qian Kaile that Zhu Zhixiang was the only one at the club who had a Grimer.

This inevitably gave Shu Tong something to speculate about.

Four days later, his father's Grimer would die because the Mystery Realm at the Wastewater Treatment Plant collapsed.

Seven days later, a Grimer at the club would poison Qian Kaile's Makuhita to death.

And Zhu Zhixiang used a Grimer. He was also the son of the director of the Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Could all of this really be a coincidence?

Shu Tong did not quite believe it. There were no coincidences in this world, only inevitable outcomes that had been arranged in advance.

Unfortunately, he did not see Zhu Zhixiang. Weedle happily spent another afternoon doing Gravity training.

After special training ended, Shu Tong arranged to go to South City Woods with Qian Kaile the next day. His goal was those ten Hondew Berries. Perhaps if Qian Kaile's Makuhita ate them, its resistance to Poison type energy would improve, and its script might change as a result.

"South City Woods is full of Rattata and Oddish. What are we going there for?" Qian Kaile complained.

"To see if there are any decent opponents to battle," Shu Tong said.

"Battling those weak Pokémon won't even give us any battle experience." Qian Kaile waved a hand.

"If you don't want to go, I'll go myself," Shu Tong said.

"Fine, fine, let's go." Qian Kaile sounded helpless.

As Shu Tong walked, he pondered, Hondew Berries should only appear in Mystery Realms. How could they be in a wilderness forest?

Had someone dropped them?

Who could be that careless?

The next morning, Shu Tong and Qian Kaile arrived at South City Woods early. They wandered around for two hours without finding anything unusual.

Qian Kaile complained nonstop.

Shu Tong fell into thought as well. Could this really be Wu Hongzhen's opportunity? Did only Persian have a way of finding it?

He definitely did not believe in such nonsense, because he had once intercepted a Pristine Thunder Stone.

He must have missed something. Otherwise, it was impossible that he had found nothing.

Just as he was puzzling over it, several Caterpie crawled out from a hollow in a distant tree and began climbing toward the top, likely searching for fresher leaves.

When the Caterpies' Pokémon Scripts appeared before Shu Tong, he finally formed a guess.

[Name]: Caterpie

[Attribute]: Bug type

[Ability]: Shield Dust

[Skills]: String Shot, Tackle

[Talent]: Low-grade

[Recent Turning Point]: Pecked and eaten by a Pelipper today

The Pokémon Scripts of these Caterpie were exactly the same. Every one of them would be pecked and eaten by a Pelipper today.

"There don't seem to be any other Pokémon in this forest besides these, right?" Shu Tong asked.

"Of course not. Why don't we just go back?" Qian Kaile said irritably.

Pelipper? Why would a Pelipper appear here? Shu Tong considered it over and over, giving Qian Kaile an air of mystery.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Qian Kaile asked.

"Wait. Hide, quickly." Shu Tong pulled Qian Kaile behind a tree.

"What the—"

"Shh, someone's coming," Shu Tong whispered.

Two people swaggered in through the entrance of the forest. They looked to be in their thirties and wore green camouflage uniforms.

"This time, the organization gave us a chance to enter Cloud Mountain. We need to perform well," one of them said.

"That's right. Only by following the organization can I fulfill my ideals and ambitions. The Pokémon League's brainwashing routine might fool rookie Trainers, but I've seen through it."

"Haha, aren't your ideals and ambitions just keeping young models?"

"Get lost. You're no better. I know you've been lusting after your sister-in-law for a long time."

The two chatted and laughed as they headed toward the Ranger Outpost.

"Hey, aren't those two of the Professional Trainers responsible for sparring at the club?" Qian Kaile said.

"They're from the club?" Shu Tong confirmed again. He had not spent many days at the club, nor had he taken part in any sparring programs or seen anyone else doing so, so he had no impression of the two men.

"If they're Professional Trainers, they should each have two Pokémon. What Pokémon do they use?" Shu Tong asked.

"The one on the left is Sheng Cai. He uses Pelipper and Zangoose. The one on the right is Gong Yingchun, and his Pokémon are Linoone and Furret," Qian Kaile said.

"Can you go say hello to them?" Shu Tong asked.

"What would I say?" Qian Kaile asked.

"Can't you make something up, strike up a conversation, and ramble?" Shu Tong rolled his eyes.

"But I can't lie," Qian Kaile said.

The moment Qian Kaile finished speaking, Shu Tong shoved him out.

"Hey, Brother Sheng, Brother Gong!" Qian Kaile called.

Sheng Cai and Gong Yingchun turned around. "Isn't this Young Master Qian? Why aren't you at the club today? What are you doing here?"

Qian Kaile laughed. "The club was too stuffy, so I wanted to come out into the wilderness and see if there were any powerful Pokémon to practice against. That's why I came out with my classmate."

Shu Tong smiled and nodded at the two men. Since he did not know them, a nod was enough of a greeting.

"This forest has already been cleared by the Trainers Association. There can't be any powerful Pokémon here. Unless you go up Cloud Mountain, but you're not a Professional Trainer, so you don't have the right to apply," Sheng Cai said.

"The two of us are going up Cloud Mountain for special training today, so we won't keep you company," Gong Yingchun said.

"Brother Sheng, Brother Gong, what's the process for entering Cloud Mountain?" Qian Kaile immediately followed them, quickly striking up a conversation.

Shu Tong followed along as well.

"The process is far too complicated. First, you have to apply at the Trainers Association. After your application is approved, you need to register with the rangers. They'll inspect how much you're bringing into Cloud Mountain and how many Pokémon you have. For people like us who aren't state employees, bringing anything out of the mountain is strictly forbidden," Sheng Cai said.

"I see. I really envy you two for being able to enter Cloud Mountain and encounter stronger Pokémon," Qian Kaile said.

Shu Tong looked around to ease his awkwardness. This guy just said he couldn't lie. Now he was spouting nonsense without even blinking.

As they chatted, they arrived at the Ranger Outpost.

Sheng Cai and Gong Yingchun showed their Trainers Association receipts to the two rangers, who then inspected their belongings.

"You even brought a compass? Doesn't your phone have a built-in compass function?" One ranger took a copper-like compass from their backpack.

"We're just worried our phones might run out of power. Better safe than sorry," Sheng Cai said.

"That makes sense. As expected of experienced Professional Trainers," the ranger said.

"Not at all. We're nowhere near as good as you state employees," Gong Yingchun flattered him.

"We're all about the same. We just chose different paths. Release your Pokémon so I can register them, then you can go," the ranger said.

"Sure."

As he spoke, Sheng Cai and Gong Yingchun released their respective Pokémon.