Have You Eaten Yet? (Black History)

Vierde had never imagined that he could still learn something new after living this long.

That man named Sakaki commanded a monster resembling a wasp, with two enormous stingers on its forelegs, and toyed with Vierde's Pikachu as if it were in the palm of his hand.

After their brief adventure together, Vierde had considered himself Pikachu's perfectly synchronized partner. When commanding Pikachu in battle, they had been of one mind, striking wherever he pointed and winning every fight.

But Sakaki—that man—had shattered that confidence.

Beedrill used Protect!

Pikachu used Iron Tail! The attack was blocked!

Beedrill used Toxic Spikes! Toxic Spikes littered the field, and Pikachu was poisoned!

Beedrill used Agility! Its body became light and nimble!

Pikachu used Thunderbolt! It missed Beedrill!

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

And as if he were showing off, he loudly called out every move he ordered Beedrill to use, as though afraid others would not know what came next.

Even so, Pikachu still could not win.

Beedrill used String Shot! Pikachu was bound!

Beedrill used Venoshock! Pikachu could no longer fight!

"Pikachu!"

Vierde rushed over in a panic and gathered the unconscious Pikachu into his arms, at a complete loss for what to do.

Pikachu needed treatment now, but he did not know Healing Magic, and his Healing Potions had already run out earlier.

He had never felt so powerless.

"Use this."

Gong Qiying had somehow appeared before him and tossed down a strangely shaped little bottle.

"...What is this?"

"A Potion. Spray it on an injured Pokémon, like this." He sprayed the Potion over Pikachu. Before long, Pikachu slowly came to. "See? It recovered."

Vierde said nothing and held Pikachu tightly in his arms. Only after a while did he speak.

"Thank you."

Although Gong Qiying had injured Pikachu, he had also thrown over a strange healing item. Vierde could not understand what this man had come here for.

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

No matter how furious Vierde was, he was not foolish enough to clash with Gong Qiying. Nobles valued making friends far and wide, especially the Bede Family, which survived through business. His former arrogance had merely come from never meeting anyone worth bowing his head to, along with being spoiled rotten.

But there was one thing he absolutely had to complain about—no matter what, he had to say it--

Your Beedrill may be strong, but what the hell does it have to do with Caterpie?!

Are you trying to say there are no weak bugs, only weak trainers?! And what kind of strong person is a trainer supposed to be? It sounds like a beast tamer.

No matter how good I am at training monsters, there's no way I could use a Caterpie to beat a Beedrill!

So he was not completely brainless after all. Gong Qiying nodded inwardly and said, "Although I don't know why Pikachu chose you, you still need to work harder as a trainer. Otherwise, you won't be able to bring out Pokémon's potential."

"I've had my fill of battling. Farewell."

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

"Um, please wait!"

Vierde hurriedly called after him. "Excuse me... You seem to know a great deal about monsters like Pikachu. Could you explain what Pokémon and trainers are? Why are these monsters so intelligent?"

"That's too many questions."

Gong Qiying put on an impatient expression and dug at his ear.

"I'll give you a reward! Could you come to the Bede Family estate for a talk after leaving the dungeon?"

Vierde estimated that it was nearly time for the dungeon to close, which was why he made the invitation.

"Forget going to your estate. I don't have time to run all over the place."

Gong Qiying had noticed the time as well. With a faint smile, he said, "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."

Just as Vierde agreed, waves of deep, resonant bells rang out. His vision suddenly blurred, the world spun around him, and when he opened his eyes again, he had already been expelled from the dungeon.

"Ah, I made it out alive."

He pinched his cheek, and it still felt a little unreal.

But the feel of Pikachu in his arms was incomparably real.

"Hey, hey, hey, it really came out with me?!"

Gong Qiying returned to his Living Dead form and placed the Poké Ball containing Beedrill on the table.

After what had just happened, he reached a conclusion--

Bullying newbies was really damn satisfying.

Gong Qiying, Gong Qiying, how had you fallen this low? You're even bullying beginners. Can you still call yourself a person of noble character?

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

Gong Qiying figured it out. Bullying newbies felt good for a moment; bullying them forever felt good forever. He had already stirred Vierde's curiosity, so he was not worried that Vierde would not return.

Once Vierde went back and spread the word, plenty of people interested in intelligent monsters like Pokémon would probably flood into Zane Dungeon. Then another wave of visitors would arrive.

Speaking of visitor traffic, today's Spirit Power was a little lower than yesterday's.

Those adventurers who lacked strength no longer dared set foot here, and the Miners were likewise unwilling to come in and die. He would probably have to raise their wages if he wanted them to keep working.

Gong Qiying had already figured out what these Miners were here for. It turned out they were after a kind of ore called Bloodstone.

This ore was a specialty of Zane Dungeon, but it could not be converted into Spirit Power for secondary use. Even if he altered the terrain, he still had to find somewhere to dump the ore.

He had originally put it in the lower mine simply because he had nowhere else to store it. He had not expected people to come specifically for it.

So tonight's work required replanning the distribution of Bloodstone ore. He could not just stuff it all into the lower levels; he needed to leave some in the upper areas too, to lure the Miners inside.

Besides that, the dungeon's various setups needed further refinement. Gong Qiying had his eye on several novel things, and today's Spirit Power income happened to be enough.

Honestly, although the daily income looked quite impressive, once dungeon maintenance costs were deducted, then he built a little here and a little there and summoned a few new monsters, he would be astonished to discover--

Where did all my Spirit Power go? How did I spend it all???

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

"I hope the arrangements from the past few days work."

Weapons with their own Weapon Skills, new varieties of monsters, a dungeon that mutated frequently... Once those topics fermented, surely curious troublemakers would come investigate.

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

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

Facing the pursuit and blockade of several muscular men, Jack was eventually forced into a dead end.

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

"G-good evening. Have you eaten yet?"

Jack smiled awkwardly.

Good thing I made it in time for the update. Phew.