Pokémon: I have no choice but to do this old thing?

Chapter 122 The Magikarp's Counterattack, the Dance to Summon the Sun

Three days after the battle, at home in the Scenic Area of ​​Sinnoh.

The afternoon sun lazily spilled across the sea, creating shimmering waves. Zhang Jianying sat on the rocks by the shore, fishing rod in hand, his expression gradually shifting from anticipation to numbness.

"Splash!" 6

Another bright red figure was flung out of the water, tracing a mocking arc in the sunlight.

Article 17 —

Zhang Jianying muttered to himself, listlessly pulling the struggling Magikarp off the energy block bait. "Couldn't you have chosen a different kind? What about a Feebas? A Heart-shaped Fish? Even a Goldfish would have been fine!"

Magikarp flipped in the air and fell back into the sea with a "plop." Before leaving, it didn't forget to slap a spray of water with its tail, which accurately splashed Zhang Jianying's face.

"Hey!" Zhang Jianying wiped his face. "You still dare to lose your temper?"

He took a deep breath and pulled a specially made Water-type Energy Cube from his waist pouch. It was specially mixed with berries and algae, based on what he had heard on a fishing master program, and was said to have a fatal attraction to aquatic Pokémon.

"I heard that some tourists caught an ugly fish in the nearby waters —"

Puzzled, Zhang Jianying scatters handfuls of energy cubes into the sea in front of him. "Why are all the monsters Magikarp here?"

No problem, if you lack the skills, you can make up for it with the materials.

He stared at the sea and thought confidently that if he couldn't catch the ugly fish, it must be because he hadn't prepared enough bait.

The buoy swayed gently on the sea surface. Zhang Jianying held his breath, completely focused. However, ten minutes later...

"Splash!"

Another Magikarp.

Zhang Jianying: "————"

He looked at the Gengar who was fishing with him and felt a wave of weariness.

This round, Ghost-type Pokémon somehow acquired a mini beach chair and is now comfortably lounging on it.

It used its telekinesis to levitate three fishing rods in the air, while holding a chilled juice in one hand and a bag of potato chips in the other.

"Splash!"

Another fish has taken the bait.

With a flick of Gengar's psychic power, the fishing rod automatically lifted, and a heart-shaped pink fish was pulled out of the water—a heart-shaped fish.

"Gagagaga!"

Gengar smiled smugly, took a Water-type Energy Cube out of its bag, and held it to the mouth of the Heartfish.

The Heartfish blinked its big, watery eyes, happily swallowed the Energy Cube, and then spat out a pink Heart Scale from its mouth, gently placing it on the "loot pile" next to Gengar.

The loot was quite considerable, including Heart Scales, Deep Sea Scales, Pearls, and even two small Water Stones.

Gengar patted Luvdisc's head, put it back in the sea, then turned to look at its trainer, its round face showing undisguised disdain.

A trainer who gets hit by a fish that's been caught is a loser.

Zhang Jianying: "————"

He looked down at his empty bucket, then at Gengar's glittering harvest, and fell into deep thought.

He recalled the popular science explanation given by the so-called fishing master on TV.

"Some Pokémon are particularly drawn to Ghost-type Pokémon, especially those romantic Water-type Pokémon like Ludicolo, Sedum, and Milotic—they find Ghost-types to have a 'mysterious attraction.'"

At the time, Zhang Jianying thought the old man was talking nonsense, but now it seems—

"Shouldn't Pokémon be afraid of ghosts like you?"

He couldn't help but wonder, and asked Gengar, "Why are you more popular than me? That doesn't make sense!"

"Genga?"

Gengar blinked, indicating that he didn't know either. This was part of a "barrier-free" exchange between the human and the ghost.

"Splash!"

Another Magikarp has taken the bait.

This time, Zhang Jianying was too lazy to unhook the fish; he simply threw the fish and the rod into the sea.

However, Magikarp nimbly twisted its body in mid-air, slapped his arm with its tail with a "smack," blinked its dazed eyes twice, and swam away.

Zhang Jianying, carrying an empty bucket, stood with one hand on his hip and a complicated expression on his face.

He finally resigned himself to his fate.

"It's boring, it's not interesting at all."

As he packed his things, he muttered, "The Pokémon in this sea are all useless; they ganged up on me, a young man!"

He glanced at Gengar, who was using psychic powers to manipulate the fishing line, pulling up another neonfish from the sea. The neonfish's colorful scales shimmered in the sunlight, and it spat out a deep-sea scale as a "gift."

Zhang Jianying finally broke down.

He packed up his fishing gear expressionlessly, walked over to Gengar, and very naturally took two Heart Scales from the pile of spoils.

"Hmm—it's time," he said to Gengar in a serious tone. "It's time to cook for the little guys. Don't take too long."

After saying that, he turned and walked home without looking back.

His back was resolute, his steps firm. What, you're saying I'm in the Air Force? Absolutely not in the Air Force.

I will never be an air force pilot in my lifetime.

Gengar pushed its sunglasses down with its short arms, glanced at the trainer's departing figure, pursed its lips, and continued to lie on the beach chair.

With a thought, the fishing rod automatically cast its hook, the juice automatically floated to its mouth, and the potato chips from the bag lined up and flew into its mouth.

This is life.

As night fell, the gentle rhythm of the waves filled the air.

Zhang Jianying and Gardevoir carried the freshly prepared Pokémon food towards the orchard. Before they even got close, a strange and strong smell wafted over.

"...

""

Zhang Jianying silently took out a mask and put it on. He touched the two stones in his pocket, thinking, "I'll settle this today, otherwise those wild little guys will probably run away from home."

Gardevoir also used its psychic powers to create a thin barrier around itself, blocking out the scent.

Before we even reached our destination, a group of wild Pokémon swarmed around us.

The two Lulili covered their noses with their round, big tails, blinked pitifully, and pulled Zhang Jianying's trouser legs deeper into the orchard.

They would occasionally turn around and gesture with their eyes to a figure hiding behind a tree in the distance.

Shuttlecock Cotton couldn't wait any longer and floated to Zhang Jianying's pocket, rummaging around inside with its little hands. It had already smelled the evolution stone!

Zhang Jianying squatted down, picked up the two Lulili in one hand, and then touched the soft cotton ball on the head of the shuttlecock: "Don't worry, don't worry, I'll take care of it right away."

He looked up and saw several Oddish grasses forming a circle, carefully protecting the timid figure in the middle, a Gloomy.

The stinky flower had its back to everyone, its flower bud tightly closed, clearly trying to control the spread of its scent. But judging from its slightly trembling shoulders, the little guy was quite disappointed.

Zhang Jianying recalled the scene when she returned home the day before yesterday.

That night, the moonlight was beautiful, and several Oddish were performing their usual mysterious dance in the orchard clearing. One of them was dancing with particular passion, and suddenly its body emitted an evolutionary white light.

The wild Pokémon excitedly gathered around, ready to congratulate their friend immediately. Zhang Jianying also quickly raised his Pokédex, wanting to record this natural evolution under the moonlight.

however--

When the white light faded, the Gloomy Flower reappeared in the same spot.

The next second, an intensely strong odor burst forth.

"Pfft!" "Pfft!" "Chirp!"

The Pokémon that had been watching scattered like birds, not because they didn't want to congratulate, but because the smell was just too overwhelming. Even Zhang Jianying couldn't help but take two steps back and quickly hold his breath.

The Gloom, which had been happy about its evolution, was stunned when it saw its surroundings suddenly empty. It lowered its head, and the flower bud on its head drooped listlessly.

At that moment, Zhang Jianying rushed forward and, enduring the smell, squatted down next to the stinky flowers: "Don't worry, they don't dislike you, they just can't stand the smell right now. I have a way to help you solve this problem."

That evening, he contacted Daigo.

[Zhang Jianying: Daigo-san, do you have any Sun Stones and Grass Stones? I'd like to buy two.]

[Daiwu: Oh? Is it for Pokémon evolution?]

[Zhang Jianying: Yes. One of my Oddish at home evolved into Gloom, and the smell is bothering other wild Pokémon. I'm thinking of evolving it into Bellossom or Vileplume.]

[Daigo: Understood. I happen to have some in stock, and it will be delivered to your door tomorrow via Dragon Express. Just wait for good news.]

Pulling herself out of her thoughts, Zhang Jianying walked over to the Stinky Flower.

He handed the two Azur Lanes to Gardevoir, then took out two evolution stones from his pocket: a Sun Stone that shone with a warm golden light under the moonlight, and a Grass Stone that radiated a vibrant green glow.

"Come on," Zhang Jianying opened the encyclopedia and brought up images of the two evolutionary forms. "Take a look and see which form you prefer."

On the screen, on the left is a beautiful flower, wearing two bright red flowers on its head and a skirt made of green leaves and petals, elegant and beautiful; on the right is a giant lily, with huge flowers that almost cover its entire body and emit a strong pollen.

The stinky flower leaned closer to the screen, its big eyes blinking.

It looked to the left, then to the right.

Finally, without hesitation, it stretched out its little hand and pointed to the image of the beautiful flower.

"Want to evolve into a beautiful flower?" Zhang Jianying confirmed.

The stinky flower nodded vigorously, and the bud on its head released a little more scent due to the movement, which startled it and made it quickly tighten its head.

Zhang Jianying smiled and handed the Sun Stone to Gloom Flower: "Let's begin then."

Gloom took a deep breath and then gently cupped the Sun Stone in her little hands.

"Buzz"

A warm golden light surged from the Sunstone, quickly enveloping Gloom's body. The evolved white light was brighter and softer than before.

Two Azur Lane hopped off Gardevoir's arms and skipped over to Orb of Evolution, their eyes sparkling. Jumpluff also floated down, waving its cotton ball arms as if cheering them on.

The walking grasses formed a circle, their leaves swaying gently.

Under the moonlight, the evolutionary light cluster gradually changed shape. Its originally short body began to elongate, and the flower bud on its head slowly bloomed.

The light dissipated.

The beautiful flower reappeared in the same spot.

It looked down at itself, its skirt of leaves and petals swaying gently in the breeze, and two bright red flowers on its head emitting a fresh fragrance. It tried to raise its hand, its slender fingers appearing exceptionally graceful in the moonlight.

"Li~" Beautiful Flower called softly, her voice clear and melodious.

The wild Pokémon swarmed around instantly, and this time none of them covered their noses and ran away. Two Azur Lanes happily rubbed against the hem of a Bellossom's skirt, while a Cotton floated onto its head and gently landed on a red flower.

The walking grasses were even more excited. They surrounded the beautiful flower, and their leaves began to sway rhythmically, a signal to invite her to dance.

The beautiful flower smiled.

Under the moonlight, she gently tiptoed, raising her hands gracefully. The petal-like hem of her skirt swayed slightly with her movement, making a crisp, melodious sound when they touched each other, like tiny bells.

The two small flowers on the top of the beautiful flower also began to emit a richer fragrance.

The walking grasses danced along, their dance mysterious and ancient, their leaves tracing soft arcs in the moonlight.

Zhang Jianying quickly picked up the illustrated guide and recorded this amazing scene.

Before helping Gloom evolve, he contacted Professor Yamanashi to ask if there would be any negative effects if a newly evolved Gloom were to evolve again using an evolution stone.

After Dr. Yamanashi confirmed that there would be no problem, he chose to immediately evolve the Gloom.

"According to Dr. Yamanashi..."

He whispered to Gardevoir, "When a group of beautiful flowers gather together and do the same thing, it's a ritual to call upon the sun. Even though there's only one now, the dance itself is beautiful."

Gardevoir nodded gently, its long, sky-blue hair swaying slightly in the night breeze. It watched the Pokémon dancing gracefully under the moonlight, a tender smile appearing in its eyes.

After jumping for a while, Meilihua stopped and walked up to Zhang Jianying.

He held his hands to his chest, blew gently, and a few fragrant petals drifted into Zhang Jianying's palm.

"Is this for me?"

Zhang Jianying smiled, "You're welcome. I'm just happy to see you so happy."

He folded the petals and gestured to Gardevoir.

Gardevoir gracefully lifted the food basket, used its psychic powers to evenly distribute the Pokémon food into several small bowls, and gently placed them on the ground.

"Come and eat," Zhang Jianying greeted. "Tonight, I've added your favorite sweet treats."

The wild Pokémon cheered and gathered around.

Under the moonlight, the orchard was filled with a warm and cozy atmosphere.

Beautiful Flower sat next to Zhang Jianying, eating small bites of food. Every now and then, she would look up at the human who had helped her solve her problem, her eyes filled with gratitude.

Looking at the harmonious scene before him, Zhang Jianying thought to himself that things at home had been mostly settled, and his friends were recovering well.

It's time to set off for Carlos.

Go to Miare.

Go find the champion who said he would give him "special private training".

He touched the petals of the beautiful flower in his pocket, a hopeful smile spreading across his lips.

Special training ah ————

Hmm, I suddenly feel more confident about the league tournament. This shouldn't count as sneaking in, right? After all, I'm the man who beat Kyogre to a pulp alongside two champions. This special opportunity I earned myself, how can it be called sneaking in!

Add to that the already established teams, and it's like fighting baby monsters.

Although we may encounter a formidable opponent like Darko in the League Tournament, judging from his own statement that he lost to Daigo, even if he does manage to capture Heatran, his strength shouldn't be too outrageous.

That's right, I'm going to become the Sinnoh Champion! What Elite Four? Just beat the League!

Under the moonlight, Bellossom led Oddish in a graceful dance, while Gardevoir looked at its trainer, whose mind was full of abstract thoughts, and sighed helplessly.