Have You Eaten? (Black History)

Vierde had never imagined that he could still learn something new at this point in his life.

That man named Sakaki, commanding a creature resembling a hornet with two massive stingers on its forelegs, toyed with his Pikachu as if it were a plaything.

After his brief adventure with Pikachu, he had believed himself to be its perfect partner, commanding it in battle with a seamless connection—point where he aimed, strike where he willed, invincible.

But Sakaki. That man shattered that confidence to pieces.

[Beedrill used Protect!]

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

[Beedrill used Toxic Spikes! The field is scattered with Toxic Spikes, Pikachu is poisoned!]

[Beedrill used Agility! Its body became lighter!]

[Pikachu used Thunderbolt! It missed Beedrill!]

Sakaki seemed able to foresee the future, completely predicting every move Pikachu would make!

And as if showing off, he shouted out each command for Beedrill's moves, as if afraid no one would know what was coming next.

Yet even so, Pikachu still couldn't win.

[Beedrill used String Shot! Pikachu is entangled!]

[Beedrill used Venoshock! Pikachu is unable to battle!]

"Pikachu!"

Vierde rushed over frantically, scooping the unconscious Pikachu into his arms, momentarily at a loss.

At this moment, he should heal Pikachu, but he didn't know Healing Magic, and the Healing Potions had been used up earlier.

He had never felt so powerless.

"Use this."

Gong Qiying appeared before him at some point, tossing down a strangely shaped little bottle.

"...What is this?"

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

Vierde said nothing, clutching Pikachu tightly to his chest. After a moment, he spoke:

"Thank you."

Though Gong Qiying had injured Pikachu, he had also tossed over a strange healing item, leaving Vierde unable to figure out what this man was really here for.

But one thing was clear: Gong Qiying had definitely held back. The commanding skill he displayed was unparalleled, and Beedrill's strength was terrifying.

No matter how angry Vierde was, he wouldn't be foolish enough to pick a fight with Gong Qiying. Nobles valued making friends widely, especially the Bede Family, whose survival depended on business. His past arrogance had only been because he'd never met anyone worth bowing to, coupled with being spoiled.

But there was one thing he had to complain about, no matter what—

Your Beedrill might be strong, but what the hell does that have to do with a Caterpie!

Are you trying to say there are no weak bugs, only weak trainers?! And what's a trainer supposed to be anyway, some kind of beast tamer?

Even if I trained monsters like crazy, there's no way I could beat a Beedrill with a Caterpie!

So this one isn't brainless after all, Gong Qiying thought to himself with a nod. "I don't know why Pikachu chose you, but as its trainer, you still need to work harder. Otherwise, you won't bring out a Pokémon's potential."

"I've had my fill of battling. Until we meet again."

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

"Wait, please!"

Vierde quickly called out to stop him, asking, "Excuse me... You seem to know a lot about creatures like Pikachu. Could you explain what Pokémon and trainers are? Why are these monsters so intelligent?"

"Too many questions."

Gong Qiying feigned impatience, picking at his ear.

"I'll give you a gift of thanks! Please, after you leave the dungeon, come to my Bede Family estate for a talk!"

Vierde guessed the time was nearly up—the dungeon would close soon—so he extended the invitation.

"Forget your estate. 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."

"O-okay."

As Vierde agreed, a resonant, melodious bell tolled. His vision blurred, the world spun, and when he opened his eyes again, he had been expelled from the dungeon.

"Ah, I made it out alive."

He pinched his cheek, still feeling a bit unreal.

But the sensation of Pikachu in his arms was all too real.

"Hey, hey, hey, I really brought it out!?"

Gong Qiying reverted to his undead form and placed the Poké Ball containing Beedrill on the table.

After what just happened, he reached a conclusion—

Fishing for noobs is really satisfying.

Gong Qiying, oh Gong Qiying, how have you fallen so low, even bullying beginners? Are you still a person of noble character?

Hehehehe, this is exactly the kind of person I am!

Gong Qiying had figured it out: fishing for noobs feels great once, and fishing for noobs feels great forever. He had already piqued Vierde's curiosity, so he wasn't afraid he wouldn't come.

Once Vierde went back and spread the word, plenty of people intrigued by Pokémon—intelligent monsters that understood humans—would likely flood into Zane Dungeon, bringing another wave of foot traffic.

Speaking of foot traffic, today's mental energy was a bit less than yesterday's.

Those adventurers lacking strength no longer dared to set foot here, and the miners were unwilling to come in and die either. He'd probably have to raise their wages to get them working again.

Gong Qiying had finally figured out what these miners were after—it was this ore called "Bloodstone."

This ore was a specialty of Zane Dungeon, but it couldn't be converted into mental energy for secondary use. Even if he altered the terrain, he'd still have to find a place to dump these ores.

Originally, he'd just stuffed them in the lower mine tunnels because there was nowhere else to put them. He never expected people to come specifically for them.

So tonight's work would have to redistribute the Bloodstone ore deposits. He couldn't just cram it all in the lower levels anymore—he'd leave some in the upper areas to lure the miners in.

Besides that, the dungeon's various setups still needed polishing. Gong Qiying had his eye on a few novel gadgets, and today's mental energy income was just enough.

To be honest, even though the daily income looked impressive, after deducting the dungeon's maintenance costs, fixing a bit here and patching a bit there, and summoning a few new monsters, he'd be shocked to find—

Where did all that mental energy go? How is it all spent???

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

"Hopefully, the arrangements from the past few days will pay off,"

Weapons with built-in battle skills, new monster species, a frequently mutating dungeon—once the buzz spread, surely some busybodies would come to explore.

Late at night, Bede City, a certain pitch-black alley.

"Old Jack, old Jack, I've finally got you,"

Surrounded and chased by several burly men, Jack was eventually cornered into a dead-end alley.

And the one coming for him was the person he least wanted to see—Sackman!

"E-evening, good evening there, had dinner yet?"

Jack said with an awkward smile.

Good thing I caught the update, whew.