The Poisonous Pearl.JPG

Bai Zhou selected a high-end gaming restaurant and sent the location to Zhu Lan.

Don't ask, the answer is that I'm treating you and the meal is free.

By the time Gastly came off the battle platform, Shirazuki had already ordered a free meal.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

A melodious sound, like a clear spring, came from behind me.

Miss Zhu Lan wore a simple yet elegant off-white trench coat, her golden hair shining brightly in the sunlight, still radiant and attracting many eyes in the restaurant.

The Garchomp beside her still exuded a powerful aura, but it concealed its sharpness.

"No, I just arrived too."

Bai Zhou responded with a smile, then took an ice cream from the Gastly in his arms and handed it over.

"I saw the store on the way and bought it on the spot. I didn't know your taste, so I chose the strawberry and matcha combination."

"Thanks."

Cynthia accepted the gift gracefully and sat down elegantly in the chair that Garchomp had specially pulled out for her.

She parted her lips slightly and gently licked the pink strawberry ball at the top. The cool sweetness made her squint her eyes in satisfaction, her eyebrows curving into crescents.

"It tastes great, I really like it."

"It's mainly thanks to this little guy."

Bai Zhou pointed to Gastly, who was trying to curl up into a ball and pretend to be a harmless black ball nestled in his arms.

"It was protected by the cold air the whole way that prevented it from melting."

Actually, the ice cream was bought on purpose and kept warm in the system's storage space on the way. It was only after arriving at the restaurant that Gastly took over the cooling process.

"Oh? Is it that mischievous little guy?"

Zhu Lan leaned forward with great interest and looked into Bai Zhou's arms.

"They're showing great spirit; are you planning to rebuild a team?"

"Crack!"

Exposed from its docile facade, Gastly broke free from White Boat's embrace, floated in front of Cynthia, and made an extremely exaggerated funny face.

Zhu Lan was amused and covered her mouth with a soft laugh, her face flushed like a peach blossom, making her even more charming.

"To be precise..."

Bai Zhou scooped the troublemaker back up, pinched its seemingly insubstantial face, and said in a serious tone:

"This is the first Pokémon I've ever trained."

Zhu Lan rolled her eyes at him with a charming smile, but didn't reply, and it was unclear whether she believed him or not.

Bai Zhou smiled.

He swears to God, he was not lying.

Cynthia finished her ice cream gracefully, then took the exquisite handbag that Garchomp carefully held with its sharp blades, and took out two items from it.

A beautifully packaged, dark blue velvet box tied with a silver ribbon.

An old notebook with a worn cover and slightly yellowed pages.

"Thank you for your help last time. It took me a little while to find the right tool for Gastly..."

Zhu Lan gently pushed the two items onto the table in front of Bai Zhou and introduced them to each other:

"As for this notebook, it's compensation that Professor Oak asked me to give to you."

"take care of?"

Bai Zhou was stunned.

When did I ever take care of Zhulan? How come he doesn't know?

With a sense of doubt, he opened the box.

A round, translucent pearl, gleaming with a deep purple light, lay quietly on the velvet cushion.

The items are different from those in the game I remember.

In reality, items that can provide positive benefits to Pokémon are always precious and scarce.

Bai Zhou took out his phone and took a picture to search for prices.

Product search in progress...

Deadly Poison Orb.JPG

The introduction is as follows:

A strange orb formed from pure poison-type energy, which can poison those who come into contact with it, while slowly nourishing and strengthening the constitution of poison-type Pokémon.

Official league price: -- (Sold out, no further information available)

Bai Zhou gasped, instinctively wanting to decline.

"This is too precious, I can't..."

"This is also a gift I'm giving to Gastly."

As if she had anticipated his reaction, Zhu Lan rested her chin on her hand, leaned lazily against the table, and interrupted his refusal with a smile, turning her gaze to Gastly, whose eyes were already shining brightly beside her.

"Gaz? (Is this offered to me?)"

Gastly paused, just about to be happy, when it seemed to remember something and immediately suppressed its joy, looking up at White Boat.

I asked for his opinion.

It is a good ghost with good manners and integrity. Without the Emperor's permission, it would never accept favors from others without reason.

Even if it really wants it.

Bai Zhou pinched Gastly's seemingly serious face and nodded in agreement with a helpless expression.

Having received the imperial decree, Gastly happily floated out of his embrace and came to the side of the Poison Orb, where it stretched out its thick, red tongue and gently curled it up.

Like an elegant emerald meeting a pink cherry, it began to lick it with reoreoreoreo.

Rich flavor, highly recommended.

Upon seeing this, Bai Zhou let out a long sigh.

What else can we do? As long as the child is happy.

Although I always feel like I'll get stomach problems...

"I will reciprocate."

Bai Zhou solemnly said to Zhu Lan.

"Uh-huh."

Zhu Lan nodded and patted Gastly's head.

Dispelling the urge to immediately book a flight to the Galar wilderness to collect trash and repay a favor, Bai Zhou picked up the worn and yellowed notebook next to the box.

Turning to the title page, several powerful characters come into view.

From Gastly to Gengar—by Agatha Christie.

Ah this...

Professor Oak, you really... I'm going to cry.

As everyone knows, Professor Oak and Agatha Christie, the current Ghost-type Elite Four member of Kanto, are old rivals with a complicated and tangled past.

Professor Oak's willingness to swallow his pride and beg Granny Kikuko for the breeding notes for the sake of this junior demonstrates his importance to Professor Oak.

Even my own grandson, Qinglu, doesn't receive this kind of treatment.

Professor Oak, don't worry. From now on, you'll be my grandfather, and Blue will be my younger brother. I can't guarantee anything else, but I'll definitely take care of you in your old age!

After carefully putting away the box and notebook, Bai Zhou got down to business.

"Based on some scattered intelligence I've gathered, a group of people will be gathering at the Little Wood Spirit Theme Park this afternoon. This might be a good entry point."

He lowered his voice.

"I plan to meet with their leader and see if I can get any useful information about the more secretive local forces out of him..."

Zhu Lan, resting her fair cheek on her hand, gazed at the eloquent Bai Zhou for a moment, then suddenly asked:

"So, is there anything I can do for you?"

This question stumped Bai Zhou, and he broke out in a cold sweat.

Oh no, I forgot about that.

There was no mention of Zhu Lan in his plan, because given Zhu Lan's reputation and strength, she was destined not to be able to infiltrate forces to gather intelligence.

Otherwise, if Zhu Lan appears and the opposing leader recognizes her as the champion, how can the operation proceed?

Fortunately, it wasn't a big deal. It was just a chance for Miss Zhulan to rest and relax. After all, nobody dislikes taking a break.

"Leave this small matter to me. How could I trouble you, Miss Zhulan, to do it personally? You can use this time to do something you enjoy, like shopping..."

Bai Zhou's voice abruptly stopped halfway through his sentence.

Because across from her, Zhu Lan was squinting her beautiful golden eyes, the corners of her lips curving into an extremely gentle and perfect arc.

She was looking at him with a smile.

A familiar chill, one that he had only experienced on the brink of life and death, sent shivers down his spine and up to the top of his head.

Alarm bells rang in his mind, his survival instincts surged instantly, and he changed his story almost at lightning speed.

"I absolutely need Miss Zhulan's strong support! I'm worried that unforeseen circumstances might arise during the intelligence gathering process, and I need your solid tactical support and deterrent guarantee!"

"Really? Mr. Shirafune?"

Zhu Lan remained smiling, her voice rising slightly at the end, carrying a hint of playfulness that was barely perceptible.