Who needs a girlfriend when you have Pokémon?

if it is like this……

"...Young man Luo Wei, can I trouble you with something?"

"?"

President Zvoich walked to his office, opened a drawer, and took out a tightly sealed glass block containing a chip the size of a fingernail.

Then, President Zvoich placed the glass brick into an inconspicuous gray-brown box and solemnly walked up to Rowe.

"Could you please have Rowe deliver this chip to the Kusnogi Shipyard? The shipyard is in Kaina City, so it's definitely on the way..."

"Oh, such an important job..."

Without even asking, Luo Wei could guess that this chip was definitely related to the submarine engine from before, and was probably the important main control chip.

Such an important item was entrusted to Luo Wei for safekeeping?

"...If we were to entrust it to a trainer under our Devon Corporation, we might be targeted. However, if it's done by you, young man Rowe, you might be able to deliver it safely. As for commissioning it to the League... according to Teacher Du Juan, your strength is already on par with the League's elite trainers. I think you are more than capable of handling this commission."

Chapter Fifty-Eight: Target - Martial Arts Town

According to Du Juan, Rowe's strength is already comparable to that of elite trainers in the league. More importantly, Rowe is still in his "growth stage" and has a lot of potential to be developed.

Compared to those seasoned veterans whose abilities are already set and whose careers are probably over, newcomers like Luo Wei clearly have more potential.

While it's true that not everyone can be like the legendary trainer Red, who broke through the Indigo League and won the championship at the age of ten, among the young people, Lowe's strength can definitely be considered among the top.

From this perspective, as long as Luo Wei progresses at a normal level, he will at least be a gym leader-level fighter in the future. Such a strong potential talent is definitely worth nurturing.

While it's possible to assign this mission to an elite trainer from the League, considering that the two sides aren't actually that far apart in strength, sending Rowe directly would be more discreet.

Rowe made a few perfunctory excuses before agreeing, since it was part of the main storyline. Besides, Rowe still had the Sun Flute that Lillie had entrusted to him for safekeeping in his backpack, so he figured he might as well take the burden.

"Thank you. Of course, such an important request... we can't just ask Brother Luo Wei for help without any real promises. You mentioned earlier, brother, you're interested in the ancient legends, right? In that case, you can first go to Wudou Town. There are some ancient-era murals in the ruins and caves there, and then..."

At this point, President Zvoich paused, a hint of pride in his voice, "My son is there right now. I'll contact him; as a trainer, he should be able to give young Brother Rowe some guidance..."

These words moved everyone present, for no other reason than that President Zvoich's son was extremely famous.

This is not a secret in itself, but rather something worth publicizing. Just like Luo Wei's father is Qianli, he has never shied away from the fact that "my father is the curator".

Mr. Zvoich's son is named Zvoich Daigo...

...Besides being the eldest son of the Devon Group, he has another, more widely known identity that is enough to separate him from the identity of "the son of the president of Devon Company".

Steven Shivgeny, known as the "Steel Prince"... is the champion of the Hoenn region Pokémon League!

Even though it's not a tangible material reward to have the favor of such a powerful figure, the very fact that you've established this connection will bring far more benefits in the future than a substantial sum of money.

Given Luo Wei's talent, he will certainly not lack money in the future; what's important is his connections and network of relationships.

Connecting with champions and Devon Corporation is a valuable intangible asset, and Devon Corporation is happy to associate with trainers with potential.

Let's assume this is a mutually beneficial deal, so Lowe readily agreed.

Of course, the compensation was already sufficient at this point, but President Zvoich clearly felt that this level of compensation lacked substance and was still somewhat lacking.

Then he took out something else.

"This is also a new product that our company has just jointly developed with Silver Company. It will definitely come in handy for Pokémon Trainers..."

Luo Wei spotted the device that looked like a VR headset and immediately recognized it…

...Learning device!

Needless to say, this thing is indeed very precious, and the reward is quite generous.

The purpose of sending the learning device is obviously to help Rowe better train Pokémon, which can also be considered a form of indirect resource investment.

Even the most precious device is nothing more than a truly excellent potential stock. This deal is definitely a win-win situation no matter how you look at it, which is why President Zvoich was so generous.

"If you need anything else, feel free to contact us anytime. Poké Balls, healing sprays, evolution stones, TMs... we can help you with all of these!"

"Thanks in advance!"

Since he had already agreed to help, Luo Wei naturally accepted all the benefits without hesitation, as the help was all practical and useful.

Next, we'll discuss the specific itinerary...

"...As for the route, we can go to Martial Arts Town first. There are dojos there that you can challenge. We can also take a detour to confuse those villains."

President Zvuch's proposal sounds quite reasonable. Slateport City doesn't have its own gym, while Dew Town, although just a small town, has a gym leader.

Luo Wei went to Dew Town first, which was a good opportunity to challenge the Gym Leader. At the same time, he took a detour instead of going directly to Slateport City. This made it seem more misleading and gave the impression that he had simply been passing by and helped out, and had no connection to the whole matter.

Luo Wei had no objection to this arrangement; the only remaining question was how to get to Wudou Town.

Dewford Town is a small island located in the southern sea of ​​the Hoenn region, separated from Rustboro City by a stretch of sea, and it is definitely inaccessible by land.

If you want to take a boat, there are no large docks or regular boats around here, only a small dock near Orange Blossom Forest.

At this point, the elderly Hachi, who was also present, smiled.

"Haha, this is easy, leave it to this old man. If it weren't for you saving me and Xiao Pi before, who knows what would have happened. Don't worry, although I haven't been to sea for several years, my skills are still there. I guarantee I'll get you safely to your destination!"

Lowe was naturally very reassured about this. Hatch was indeed one of the best captains, with absolutely superb sailing skills. Otherwise, the Kusnogi Shipyard and Devon Company would not have hired him as a technical consultant.

He thanked Rowe for his previous assistance, which was of course the best thing that could happen.

"The old man's boat is docked at the pier next to Orange Blossom Forest. It'll only take half a day to get there. How about it, kid?"

"Yes, we can leave anytime~"

Luo Wei had rested enough by now. Since he had covered most of the story in this area, it was time to head to the next location. The dojo in Fighting Town was a good target.

Considering his own precedent of challenging the Kanaz Gym, Rowe guessed that his father had probably already informed all the Gym Leaders in advance, so this time the Gym challenge would most likely be against a serious Gym Leader.

However, Luo Wei had no objection to this; the stronger the opponent, the more interested he became.

Moreover, Fighting Town is a Fighting Gym, and since it's a Fighting Gym... then Kirlia, a Psychic-type and Fairy-type, has a lot of room to shine.

and so……

Let's set off! Our destination this time is Martial Arts Town!

Chapter 59 Who can resist a fluffy big cat?

After bidding farewell to President Zivucci and Miss Dujuan, Rowe and Old Man Hachi embarked on their journey to Martial Town.

Along waterways 104, 105, and 106, a small speedboat cuts through the waves, speeding across the azure waters.

As Luo Wei leaned against the deck railing, gazing at the boundless expanse of water and sky, he couldn't help but feel an urge to shout out loud.

Fortunately, it wasn't the first time Lowe had seen the ocean, so he managed to suppress his excitement. But he still had to admit that he felt a strong sense of awe in the vastness of the sea.

then……

"Haha, is there any need to be this afraid?"

When Luo Wei turned around, he saw the masked cat clinging tightly to his waist, its entire body pressed against his back, its eyes closed, emitting a cute, mournful cry.

It's not surprising that they would react this way, since this is probably the first time Masked Cat has ever seen the ocean. Even the wild New Leaf Cats mostly live in grasslands and forests, far from the sea.

Not to mention that Lowell's Masked Cat was bred by the research institute from a young age and has hardly had any contact with the outside environment since it was an egg.

She naturally had no chance to touch the sea; this was her first time directly experiencing such a breathtaking view, and she was immediately awestruck.

Especially now that I'm on a speedboat, surrounded by a vast expanse of blue waves, if I'm not careful... and fall into the water, I'll be left with no one to call for help.

...This instinct of fear, imprinted on the DNA of organisms, will cause people and animals to instinctively feel fear when they first come into contact with this environment.

After all, those who do not know how to respect nature were basically eliminated by the power of nature hundreds of thousands of years ago, and had no chance to leave their DNA to the present day. The prerequisite for survival is to maintain sufficient respect for nature.

Of course, Lowe's fearlessness wasn't because he was unaware of the power of the sea; he simply trusted the old captain Hatch's abilities.

After all, he used to sail the oceans and navigate major shipping routes. What storms and waves hasn't he seen? This route is basically still in coastal waters, so for the old man, it's just a day trip.

Furthermore, there are many trainers in the nearshore waters, and professional rescue teams patrol the regular waters 24 hours a day. Navigators have emergency call functions, so they can call for help immediately in the event of a maritime disaster.

More importantly... there are also rescue teams of Pokémon specially trained by the League in the sea, patrolling on land, sea and air at any time. Even among wild Pokémon, there are many that will take the initiative to rescue humans and Pokémon in times of crisis.

Even in the deep sea, which has been inaccessible to humankind, a new type of submarine is now being developed jointly by the Kusnogi Shipyard and Devon Corporation. It is believed that once this project is completed, humankind's exploration of the ocean will reach a new level...

Because of the abundance of insurance, Luo Wei felt there was nothing to worry about. The accidental death rate in this world was incredibly low. Basically, as long as you didn't deliberately court death and traveled on regular routes, there was a 99% chance of nothing going wrong.

Even if that one percent accident does occur, the rescue team can still get the person out of the water immediately...

Rowe knew all this, but Masked Cat was clearly not used to it. Even though Rowe told her it was okay, instincts weren't so easy to overcome.

Although Meowth is a Grass-type Pokémon and theoretically shouldn't be that afraid of water, it is still a cat after all. Moreover, the claim that it is not afraid of water depends on the dosage. As we all know, talking about toxicity without discussing dosage is just being irresponsible.

Even if it's not afraid of water... as long as it's not a Water-type Pokémon, falling into the sea is a certain death sentence...

As we all know, when faced with such frightening situations, people instinctively reach for a "lifeline," which is the thing they feel is most trustworthy and safest around them.

So, Masked Cat clung tightly to Luo Wei's waist, refusing to let go no matter what Luo Wei said or did, just shaking its head like a rattle drum.

Moreover, it wasn't just Masked Meow; Kirlia was the same. Although she wasn't as afraid of the sea as Masked Meow, she still clung tightly to Rowe, refusing to leave his side.

"Haha, I just can't do anything with you guys~"

Of course, Rowe could put them all into Poké Balls, but after thinking about it, he realized there was no need. Besides, he started out just for the novelty, but after a while, just looking at the sea really didn't have much appeal.

After all, barring any unforeseen circumstances, all you can see in all directions is water, so there's really not much scenery to admire.

At that moment, Rowe called Masked Meow and Kirlia back to the cabin.

Back in the cabin... unable to see the seawater anymore, Masked Cat finally calmed down. Then, seemingly remembering how scared she had been earlier, she felt incredibly embarrassed and, blushing, patted Rowe's chest hard.

"Haha, it's alright, it's alright~"

Lo Wei wasn't bothered, since the masked cat obviously hadn't used much force. Its soft, fleshy paws, with their claws retracted, felt soft and comfortable against his skin, not painful at all.

After letting her pat him twice, Luo Wei simply pulled her into his arms and gently patted her back. "Don't worry, no matter what... as long as I'm here, everything will be alright~"

With just one simple action, Masked Cat immediately felt completely at ease, nestled in Lo Wei's arms, and closed its eyes in relaxation.