Bottom-tier trainers in the Pokémon world

The reason I went there was simply to see who would enter the bar's number seven VIP room.

It's not that I want to do anything, I just want to confirm their identity so that I can take some precautions if we encounter them in the future, just in case.

He had read the letter. The contents were very simple, just a string of unmarked numbers, thirteen in total.

He guessed that it might have used some special code or represented another special meaning.

"Black Shark Bar".

Xia Yan glanced at the neon-lit sign, which featured a fierce-looking megalodon.

"Signs like that are enough to scare away a lot of children."

He turned away, pushed open the door, and entered. The ensuing noise and the strong aroma of malt liquor would undoubtedly send many men's adrenaline soaring.

As night fell, the bar was entering its peak business hours.

However, the first thing he saw when he entered the bar was not a scene of debauchery and revelry, but a... huge transparent water tank!

The azure seawater, illuminated by colorful lights, constantly reflects a magnificent halo.

On the high platform next to the water tank, two people stood, roaring with all their might.

Because in this water tank, there are three elves swimming swiftly.

One of the sharks, Xia Yan, looked very familiar; it was naturally one of the bar's signature creatures—a ferocious megalodon!

The other two, which looked much weaker, were an anglerfish and a gunfish.

A chase scene is unfolding.

Clearly, this is the biggest pastime in this bar: to see which of these two sprites will be caught by the Megalodon first.

Meanwhile, the burly men around them, holding huge beer mugs and drinking heartily, had naturally placed bets on both of the elves.

The aroma of alcohol mingled with the stench of sweat. Xia Yan frowned, walked through the noisy crowd, and headed towards the bar.

Before the bartender could speak, he said directly:

"A glass of rye beer."

Because the Orange Islands are located in the south, where it is hot and has long hours of sunshine, the unique rye grown there is an excellent ingredient for brewing.

Not only does it have a pure taste, but it also has a high alcohol content.

If someone who doesn't know any better underestimates the danger of chugging a whole glass of beer, they could very well get poisoned.

"200 Alliance Coins," the bartender said familiarly.

Xia Yan took out two Alliance Coins worth 2 each and exchanged them for a huge glass filled with a dark yellow liquid. Just in terms of the size of the glass, it was more than twice the size of the glass he had been to in the bars before. Drinking this glass in one gulp would be enough to make even a regular beer tough.

"Sir, we're currently holding a Megalodon chase challenge. If you're interested, why not join in?" the bartender said with a smile.

Xia Yan didn't speak immediately. Instead, he picked up his glass and took a sip. The cool, crisp rye beer stimulated his taste buds and mouth. He first felt a slight bitterness, which quickly turned into sweetness, and the aroma of malt filled his mouth.

'Winter and ice-cold beer, that's just perfect.'

He casually wiped the white foam off his upper lip and said, "Lanternfish, 1000 Alliance Coins."

As he spoke, he slammed a stack of banknotes on the bar.

The bartender's eyes lit up, and with a rag, he wiped the table, and the money disappeared.

He immediately said, "The odds for lanternfish are 3 to 1, and for cannonfish it's 1.5 to 1. You're quite bold, sir."

Xia Yan glanced at him indifferently.

'I didn't say that before.'

He didn't pay much attention to the chasing in the aquarium; he just thought that the electric type of the lanternfish might be more advantageous, so he chose the lanternfish.

And that's why he placed the bet.

It was just to cover up certain actions.

He turned around, leaned casually against the bar, and held his wine glass as if watching a chase in a water tank. In fact, his eyes would occasionally glance at the number seven private room behind the water tank, with its door tightly closed.

However, after watching for a while, there was still no movement.

The chase in the water tank, however, seems to be coming to an end.

The relatively "composed" ironfish, with its speed advantage and agile body, darted around the aquarium.

In terms of speed and strength, the lanternfish is slightly inferior, so the odds for the cannonfish are lower.

However, the turning point came when the tarpon tried to use its speed to attack the lanternfish in order to gain a greater advantage.

Before the gunfish could even get close to the lanternfish, the lanternfish, which had been holding back, finally snapped.

The instantaneous release of electricity enveloped both himself and the iron cannonfish.

The result was obvious: the Remora was less resistant to electric attacks and was eventually caught by the Megalodon, which snapped at the surface and lost its ability to fight.

The winner, naturally, became the "dark horse" lanternfish.

Cheers erupted in the bar, accompanied by a barrage of curses.

All sorts of filthy words rose and fell.

"Sir, here is your bonus."

The bartender handed over a stack of banknotes.

Xia Yan waved his hand, "No need, wait for the next round."

"Ok."

While the bar was actively sending out contestants for the next round, Xia Yan noticed a man carrying a wine glass walking towards private room number seven.

"Ok?"

Xia Yan narrowed his eyes.

Just as the man pushed open the door to the private room and saw through the crack that it was pitch black inside, he seemed to suddenly realize something and slapped his forehead.

He turned and walked towards the restroom.

Was drunk?

Or is it... a disguise?

It's hard to say.

But Xia Yan had already memorized the appearance of the man with a scar on his neck.

Regardless of whether it's him or not, be careful if you encounter him in the future.

soon.

The next round of contestants and their respective Pokémon arrived, and amidst cheers and shouts, the two released their Pokémon.

A needlefish and a mud loach.

Both Pokémon trainers wore expressions of confidence.

The needlefish can inflate its body by filling it with air, similar to a pufferfish. However, the long needles on its body are all poisonous, making it difficult for a megalodon to bite.

After the loach appeared, it sank to the bottom of the water tank with a dazed look.

'So you're so confident in the mudskipper, so... its trait is danger awareness?'

It seems that only the "danger prediction" characteristic could make Xia Yan think of the possibility of beating the Thousand Needle Fish.

"Let's crush the mud loach."

Three thousand Alliance Coins were put up again.

"Okay," the bartender said.

Just as a group of people were busy placing bets, the bar door was pushed open again.

However, what entered was not a burly man, or even a single person, but an old man and a young boy.

The old man held the little girl's hand tightly beside him.

The girl shrank her neck, looking timid. The bar environment was indeed too oppressive for her.

"them?"

Xia Yan looked surprised.

He recognized the two people who came in.

Isn't it just the little girl Miyu who lives next door to him on the boat, and the guy who claims to be her grandfather?

What are they doing here?

Their combination naturally made them easy prey for the burly men in the bar.

Chapter Twenty: The Familiar Cage

Watching the old man lead Meiyu to the wall at the entrance of the bar under the watchful eyes of everyone, they saw the old man leading Meiyu.

There were many pirate bounties posted there.

But besides that, it has another function.

That is issuing a commission.

Therefore, the bar specially built a small wooden platform in front of that wall. Once someone stands on it, it means that a request needs to be made.

For many people who make a living from this, it is naturally a valuable job.

Then, we saw Meiyu's grandfather, with a hunched back, walk up to the wooden platform.

He seemed very familiar with the rules of these bars.

As he stepped onto the wooden platform, the once noisy bar suddenly fell silent.

Miyu clung tightly to the old man's clothes, hiding behind him, looking terrified.

"Ahem, my name is Keji," the old man coughed.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, he slowly straightened his back, and several Poké Balls appeared under his rolled-up clothes, causing many burly men with ill intentions to restrain their expressions.

"One rye beer each, my treat."