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

Chapter 86 Using Cannons to Shoot Mosquitoes

The "Ocean" sailed on the azure sea for three days.

As the land appeared as a hazy, dark green line on the horizon, the outline of the Padiya region gradually became clear.

A unique energy aura began to waft through the air.

"Genga!"

Gengar pressed its round face against the porthole, its scarlet eyes curiously observing the approaching unfamiliar continent.

Gardevoir sat quietly beside Zhang Jianying, lost in thought. Torterra, feeling seasick, rested in its Poké Ball along with its other companions, who were also tired from the long journey.

The passenger ship slowly entered the busy port of Nyang Quang City.

Unlike the classical or industrial style of Sinnoh Port, the port of Nimbus City is full of modernity and vitality, with brightly colored buildings and various vehicles and aircraft shuttling back and forth.

Trainers and their unique Pokémon dressed in various school uniforms or trendy outfits can be seen everywhere, creating a vibrant scene.

Disembark, pass through customs, and set foot on the land of Padia.

Zhang Jianying did not linger. Following the intelligence instructions, he went directly to a quiet neighborhood on the outskirts of the city marked with a sign that read "Chengcheng Orchard" and found the inconspicuous two-story safe house.

Knock on the door, knocking five times in a specific rhythm.

The door opened quickly, and a man who looked to be around thirty years old, wearing thin-rimmed glasses, and with a refined demeanor like a librarian appeared behind the door.

He was wearing a neatly pressed shirt and khaki pants, and holding a book that was half-read in his hand.

"Hello, who are you looking for?" the man asked, adjusting his glasses in a gentle tone.

"I've come to visit the gardener," Zhang Jianying said, "I've heard that his oranges are of the best quality."

The man smiled gently: "The first batch of this year's harvest has just been completed. Please come in." He stepped aside.

The interior was simply and neatly furnished, filled with a faint scent of books and fruit.

The man closed the door, turned, and extended his hand, his voice steady: "Interpol Padia Division, Albert. Code name: Gardener. Welcome to Padia, Mr. Zhang."

Just call me Zhang Jianying.

Zhang Jianying shook hands with him to indicate that he was welcome.

Albert smiled slightly: "Please have a seat. Let's get straight to the point."

He gestured for Zhang Jianying to sit on the sofa in the living room, while he sat opposite her, his book casually placed to the side.

"The target group this time is not a traditional poacher, but more like a technology-driven criminal network."

Albert pulled up an encrypted screen that displayed scattered information and a few blurry images.

"They are skilled at using modified capture devices, energy jammers, and even briefly simulating the energy frequency of the crystal to lure or control specific Pokémon."

"Their operational pattern is dispersed and rapid, involving hit-and-run tactics. Their primary targets are Pokémon unique to the Padina region or those with aesthetic value, especially those with special Crystal types" or unique ecological niches.

Albert pointed to the map on the screen, where several red dots marked the hilly area north of Brewmaster City, near the edge of the Fuzzy Desert: "Over the past week, we've detected unusual energy signal fluctuations in that area, partially matching the frequencies of several devices known to the criminal gang. Meanwhile, local rangers have reported sightings of suspicious off-road vehicles and strangers at night, and several small Pokémon colonies in the vicinity have experienced unusual disturbances and a few disappearances."

"Therefore, that is likely one of their current temporary bases or areas of activity," Zhang Jianying concluded.

"The possibility is very high."

Albert nodded. "Our men are currently monitoring several other suspicious areas. This newly appeared area will be investigated and confirmed by you and me first. If it's just a small group of peripheral personnel, we'll act accordingly; if it's a larger group or we discover important clues, we'll call for backup immediately."

"Understood." Zhang Jianying nodded. Cautious and efficient—that's very "Interpol."

"This is the latest regional topographic map and a rough distribution of energy monitoring data."

Albert transferred the data to Zhang Jianying's encyclopedia. "And this," he said, taking out a silver device the size of a button.

"A miniature encrypted recorder that can be attached to your Pokémon to collect images and sounds at close range, with the data encrypted and transmitted back in real time as evidence. The effective signal range is 500 meters."

Zhang Jianying took the device and handed it to Gengar, which was floating nearby.

Gengar curiously pinched it with its short claws, then stuck it to the side of its chubby body, leaving no trace.

"There's no time to lose. Let's set off at dusk and take advantage of the cover of night."

Albert checked the time. "You should rest and adjust to the time difference. We'll meet here at 7 PM."

It was seven o'clock in the evening, and dusk was falling.

Zhang Jianying and Albert changed into dark civilian clothes for ease of movement and left the safe house.

Albert drove an inconspicuous gray SUV quietly out of Niangguang City and headed towards the northern hills.

After about an hour and a half's drive, they stopped at the edge of a dense forest.

Ahead, the terrain began to undulate, and in the distance, the distinctive ochre-red sand dunes of the Hoh Hoh Desert could be faintly seen.

"The area where the monitoring signal last disappeared is in that valley ahead."

Albert pointed to the depression between two hills ahead, "The vehicles can no longer proceed discreetly. We'll walk."

The two silently slipped into the forest.

The Padia Forest was not quiet at night; the calls of unknown Pokémon could be heard in the distance, and there was a rustling in the grass.

Gardevoir floated beside Zhang Jianying, its eyes slightly brightening, its spiritual perception quietly unfolding, filtering the sounds of nature and capturing any discordant fluctuations.

After walking for about twenty minutes, passing through a thicket of bushes, Gardevoir suddenly stopped, its eyes flashing with blue light.

It stretched out its hand and pointed to a patch of messy grass to its left.

Zhang Jianying and Albert exchanged a glance and cautiously approached.

Under the dim light of Gardevoir's psychic power, they saw several twisted metal parts, broken wires, empty energy drink cans, and compressed food packaging bags scattered in the grass.

The marks are very fresh, probably from just a day or two ago.

"It's one of their usual jamming components," Albert said quietly, picking up a part. "Looks like I didn't look in the wrong place."

Gardevoir continued to sense, and after a moment, transmitted more precise information to Zhang Jianying: about 300 meters ahead, there was a faint energy reaction and three concentrated human life fluctuations, but no other signs of a large-scale ambush were detected.

"Ghost," Zhang Jianying called softly.

The fat Gengar emerged from the shadows, its scarlet eyes blinking in the darkness.

"Take the recorder, approach from the shadows, scout the situation first, and stay hidden. Gardevoir, use Teleport to check the surroundings and make sure no one escapes."

Zhang Jianying gave the order, while simultaneously releasing his own waveguide to expand the detection range and carefully confirm the surrounding area.

"Genga!"

Gengar nodded, its body melting into the shadow beneath its feet, silently darting towards the direction Gardevoir had indicated.

Albert also turned on a portable receiver screen.

The scene initially appeared as a shaky darkness and distorted shadows, but it quickly stabilized.

Through a gap in a patch of low shrubs, you can see a small clearing in the woods ahead.

A modified SUV painted in camouflage was parked in the open space.

A simple sunshade was set up next to the car, under which were a few folding chairs and a small energy stove, with a small pot steaming on top of the stove.

Three men, dressed in disheveled clothes and looking tired and impatient, sat together, cursing and swearing.

Their Pokémon were nearby.

A yellowish-brown jellyfish with dark markings along the edge of its bell is idly poking at the pebbles on the ground with its tentacles.

A graffiti artist, his body adorned with brightly colored warning paint, was idly spraying something onto a tree trunk; a large, muscular Galarian Blocker Bear was yawning listlessly, its ears twitching occasionally.

In the center of the open space, several metal cages were piled up, containing a few shivering hogs and a pair of rag dolls, all looking listless.

Several oddly shaped devices were scattered around, one of which had a flickering screen but seemed to be malfunctioning, and a bearded man was irritably patting it.

"—So, this job was fucking boring."

The bald man spat and poked at the fire with a twig. "We've come to this godforsaken place, in the middle of nowhere, just to feed the bugs."

"Alright, stop complaining."

The tall, thin man, munching on a compressed biscuit, mumbled, "Testing new equipment, isn't that how it always is? Headquarters values ​​this 'Taijing frequency simulation module' a lot; they say it's high-end stuff reverse-engineered from the depths of the Parthian crater. Using it on the trap might lure out some truly valuable creatures."

"A valuable, large piece of equipment?"

The bearded man patting the equipment scoffed, "I doubt it. This wretched place is nothing but sand and trees, and those mystical rural legends."

"Legend? What legend?" The bald man became interested.

"Didn't you hear the villagers around here gossiping?" The bearded man took a sip of water, his tone clearly disdainful.

"There's a legend about three treasures that lived deep in the northern mountains in ancient times," something like a Gokuzan, a Yuzuriha, and a Jiji? I can't remember exactly, but it was a story about three revered Pokémon wearing tattered masks, protecting the peace of a region—a really old-fashioned tale."

The tall, thin man continued, "There's something even more mysterious. They say there's a place called 'Northward Township' haunted by evil spirits, causing widespread panic. Later, a masked hero sealed it away."

The tall, thin man paused, then continued, "If you ask me, all these ghost legends are nothing more than ghost-type Pokémon causing trouble, or ancient people scaring themselves. Where do ghosts come from in this world? There are only people who pretend to be ghosts and people who can actually touch Pokémon!"

The bald man laughed heartily: "Exactly! What kind of weird Pokémon haven't we seen in this line of work? Ghost-type? We catch them and sell them for money! Protecting the peace of the region? That's laughable. Pokémon are just tools, aren't they? We use the strong ones, sell the weak ones, and the rare ones—they're even more valuable!"

A glint of greed flashed in his eyes. "If there really is some kind of 'treasure companion' or 'evil spirit,' if we catch one, we'll never have to worry about food and drink again for the rest of our lives!"

"Save your breath," the tall, thin man said, pouring cold water on his enthusiasm.

"Can legends be taken seriously? Instead of wasting time on that, why not figure out how to fix this broken trap? It was supposed to simulate crystal fluctuations to attract rare creatures! All it catches are roadside bastards like pigs!"

The bearded man seemed unfazed: "The boss said this trip is mainly to test the equipment's stability and also to collect some travel expenses."

"Even if there were a big fish, it wouldn't be the three of us who would be watching the equipment."

"The signal is terrible in this godforsaken place, and orders from headquarters only come every few minutes. I heard that the second squad on the east side had a mishap a couple of days ago, ran into some tough nut to crack, and almost got wiped out. We'd better be careful; things seem a bit tense these days."

"What are you afraid of? We're in the middle of nowhere, and the jammer's still on. Even if someone gets close—hmm?"

The bald man suddenly paused, listened intently, and asked, "Did you hear any strange noises? It sounds a bit buzzing?"

The tall, thin man and the bearded man also stopped what they were doing and looked around in confusion.

Just then, Zhang Jianying, who had been watching the scene, decisively gave the order and raised his bracelet, the Key Stone flashing: "Gardevoir, move! Knock out a few Pokémon!"

At the same time, he contacted Gengar via waveguide: "[Hypnosis] Take down those three people!"

The shadow at the edge of the open space shifted slightly.

The next moment—

Gardevoir appeared without warning above the open space!

Its hands were clasped in front of its chest, its eyes were closed, and its pale blue spiritual energy suddenly surged!

Enveloped in the light of Mega Evolution, Gardevoir, evolving into the Black Queen, had already completed its status enhancement—[Meditation]—almost the moment it appeared.

A powerful superpower descended as if it were a tangible force! The three previously lazy Pokémon instantly bristled!

The blocking bear was the first to react, roaring as it was about to pounce. Tu Biaoke also raised his spray gun-like fingers, and the tentacles of the terrestrial jellyfish glowed with grass-type energy.

However, it was too late.

Mega Gardevoir's eyes flashed with blue light!

The invisible psychic blade of mental shattering precisely split into two! One struck Tu Biao Ke like a heavy hammer, while the other cleverly bypassed the Dark-type Barrel Bear and bombarded the center of the Terrestrial Jellyfish's umbrella!

At the same time, the crescent-shaped beam of lunar power arrived first, carrying a cold yet deadly moonlight, and slammed head-on into the roaring, charging blocking bear!

Bang! Bang! Splat!

Tu Biaoke was slammed into the tree trunk behind him by an invisible force of thought, and saw stars.

The terrestrial jellyfish let out a muffled cry, its bell dented from the blow, and collapsed to the ground.

The blocking bear was the fiercest, managing to charge a few steps closer despite the [Moon Power], but the moonlight exploded on its body, with remarkable effect!

Its massive body swayed, it let out a low growl of resentment, and then crashed to the ground.

All three Pokémon were unable to battle within two seconds of Gardevoir appearing!

The three poachers only realized what was happening the moment the Pokémon was attacked, and were just about to reach for their weapons.

"zzZZZ——"

An invisible and intangible energy, yet carrying a strong drowsy fluctuation, quietly arrived and accurately struck the three of them.

The bald man's hand, which he had only raised halfway, fell limply to his sides, his eyelids drooping. The tall, thin man stared, mouth agape, his expression one of utter astonishment, but his body slid limply off the chair. The bearded man didn't even have time to stand up before his head lolled to the side and he slumped onto the folding table.

The snoring started almost simultaneously.

In the open space, apart from the bubbling sound of soup boiling in the pot and the natural sounds of the forest in the distance, there was complete silence.

Mega Gardevoir landed slowly, reverting from its Mega form to its original appearance.

From the shadows, Gengar sneakily emerged, made a face at the three drooling sleeping creatures, and then gave an OK sign to the camera.

In the distance, two people are preparing to throw more Poké Balls:

Albert looked at his colleague with a complicated expression, while Zhang Jianying spread his hands innocently.

The two emerged from behind the bushes where they were hiding and came to an open space.

Looking at the unconscious Pokémon and the three fast-sleeping poachers, and then at the composed Gardevoir and the grinning Gengar, they were all speechless for a moment.

Zhang Jianying's [Wide Area Defense] that he had prepared for the Earth Platform Turtle never got a chance to be used.

The baby dragon scratched at the side of the Poké Ball in dissatisfaction; it hadn't even made its appearance yet!

"Uh—well done, extremely efficient."

Albert pushed up his slightly slipped glasses, his tone carrying a hint of oddness.

He has worked in the industry for many years and has experienced all kinds of actions, but such an efficient and quiet solution is indeed rare.

"Indeed—it went more smoothly than expected."

Zhang Jianying shook his head with some emotion and stepped forward to examine the captured Pokémon.

After confirming that they were only frightened and not injured, I opened the cage and fed them some common medicine and berries. The Pokémon cried out in gratitude and quickly regained their spirits, then ran swiftly into the depths of the forest.

Next, he and Albert skillfully used the special straps provided by Interpol to tie the three poachers up like dumplings. Gengar even enthusiastically brought out Torterra and used the "Grass Knot" vines to tie the three people and their Pokémon up like dumplings, ensuring that everything was safe.

"Gengar, Gardevoir, expand the perimeter and make sure there are no other accomplices nearby," Zhang Jianying ordered.

The two Pokémon nodded and instantly disappeared into the shadows.

Zhang Jianying and Albert began searching the SUV and the scattered equipment.

They found several "traps" in varying degrees of damage, an electronic notebook containing scattered transaction information and contact details, as well as several empty Poké Balls and capture devices.

There wasn't much valuable information, but it was confirmed that this group belonged to the outermost testing/collection team.

"Looks like they're just small fry."

Albert was slightly disappointed, but then became serious again. "However, the equipment and technology they used are indeed more advanced than those of ordinary poachers, so there must be technical support behind them. And their mention of the second team's 'failure' and 'tight security' indicates that our crackdown is already having an impact, and also shows that their activities in Padiyaa are more active than expected."

Gardevoir and Gengar quickly returned and confirmed that there were no other humans or unusual energy reactions within a one-kilometer radius.

Zhang Jianying contacted the support team arranged by Albert.

Less than half an hour later, a small, highly silent aircraft landed quietly. Several Interpol officers in plainclothes quickly took away the three still unconscious poachers and all the evidence. The scene was soon restored to normal, as if nothing had happened.

"They will conduct preliminary interrogations overnight, hoping to uncover something useful, such as their direct superiors or more specific activity plans."

Albert said to Zhang Jianying, "You've had a hard day. Let's go back to the safe house and wait for the interrogation results before deciding on our next move. This area can be marked as 'cleared' for now."

Under the cover of night, the two quietly returned.

The first battle was a resounding victory, almost child's play.

But Zhang Jianying and Albert both knew that this was only the tip of the iceberg when it came to Lake Padia.

The real "big fish" is still hidden in a deeper corner.

Back at the safe house, Albert went to handle follow-up communications and reports.

Zhang Jianying then calmed down the Pokémon that were getting a little carried away because they didn't get a chance to compete, and prepared a midnight snack for all the Pokémon.

Before going to sleep, he glanced at the Pokédex that was quietly charging. Garchomp's portrait was still lit up on the screen.

He thought for a moment and replied simply: "Arrived safely, everything went smoothly. The stars are very bright in Parthia at night."

A moment later, the Pokédex lit up slightly. There was no new information, but a small "read" mark appeared next to the Garchomp icon.

Zhang Jianying smiled and turned off the lights.

The night sky over Padida outside the window is filled with stars that seem almost within reach.

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