🤗 Please if you find any incorrect names let me know in comments so I can fix them
Lian also breathed a sigh of relief. After helping Qingwu remove the miniature bomb, Lian's debt of gratitude to Qingwu was cleared.
"Thanks, friend. Lend me your Pokémon Analyzer for a bit," Qingwu said, shamelessly familiar.
Less than half an hour had passed, and Qingwu still had enough time to find that prodigal son who was selling off his family heirlooms.
"Go ahead. You know how to operate this machine, right?" Lian yawned, the stone in his heart having been lifted. Sleepiness naturally overcame Lian.
Lian didn't know how many days and nights he hadn't slept, researching during the day and running his shop at night.
According to Team Rocket's rules, the Black Market shop had to be open every day and couldn't be closed for more than four days.
If he exceeded four days of rest, Team Rocket would issue a warning. After three consecutive warnings, the shop would be repossessed by Team Rocket.
After all, these shops had to pay tribute to Team Rocket every month. What if he rested too long and didn't make money?
"I can't take it anymore. If you know how to use the detection device, go ahead. I'm going up to the shop's soft couch to catch some sleep," Lian stumbled out, feeling as if he was about to fall asleep any second.
"Hey, hey, hey, is it really okay to leave me, an outsider, here alone? Aren't you afraid I'm a bad guy? Aren't you afraid I'll tamper with your lab?" Qingwu stretched out his "Erkang hand." One characteristic Qingwu admired most about Lian was his open-mindedness.
Once Lian recognized someone as a friend, he would wholeheartedly help, no matter what that friend said.
This time, Qingwu helped Lian, and Lian considered him a friend, so he naturally wouldn't be on guard against Qingwu.
Qingwu took out his Pokémon and used the Pokémon Analyzer for analysis.
Qingwu currently had a Golbat, an Aron, a Squirtle, a Deino, a Three-Colored Fish, a Snivy, a Magmar, and a Ralts.
By placing a Poké Ball on the Pokémon Analyzer, it would automatically analyze the status of the Pokémon inside the Poké Ball and provide detailed analysis data.
The scanning time for each Pokémon was approximately five minutes.
After each scan, the printer connected to the Pokémon Analyzer would automatically print a report.
When all of Qingwu's Pokémon had been scanned, a thick stack of data had accumulated beside him.
"This detection data is even more accurate than the Pokémon Center's! It's decided, if I ever come to the 897 gold coins again, I must shamelessly come find Lian."
Qingwu was satisfied, flipping through the detection reports one by one.
"Hmm, Golbat's development is extremely good, it just lacks a bit of calcium. Calcium deficiency will affect bone development, so it needs more supplements."
"Aron's test results are similar to what the Pokémon Center analyzed, but the hidden injuries are more than expected. I still need to find some rare treasures to help Aron recover."
"Squirtle, Deino, Snivy, and Magmar's development is extremely excellent, so no further adjustments are needed. Just prepare Energy Cubes as usual."
"The Three-Colored Fish and Ralts are underdeveloped and still need proper conditioning."
Qingwu took notes on the condition of each Pokémon. These Pokémon were the capital for Qingwu's rise, and he had to nurture them well.
After making his notes, Qingwu prepared for his next goal in the Black Market: to find that prodigal son and buy a batch of treasures from him.
Qingwu climbed up the stairs and closed the door to the darkroom.
Just then, Qingwu heard someone continuously banging on the roller shutter door outside, making gasping sounds.
"Shopkeeper, help! Shopkeeper, please save me! I know you're inside, and only you can help me now!" A man's mournful wailing voice came from outside.
Qingwu watched as Lian was awakened, opening his tired eyes, and somewhat irritably said, "Don't mind him, he's just a down-and-out gambler who lost all his family fortune. Now he wants to sell me some junk, calling it family heirloom. He's been bothering me for days. Don't pay attention to him, he'll leave once he gets over it."
Lian put in earplugs, rolled over, and continued to sleep, looking like he could endure it for a while longer.
"Down-and-out, selling family heirlooms"—these words struck Qingwu's ears like a flash of lightning, reminding him, wasn't this the prodigal son he was looking for?
"Come out, Golbat, help me keep an eye on that man outside." Qingwu wanted to obtain the Life Orb from this prodigal son, but he didn't want to complete the transaction in Lian's shop. If the prodigal son let slip any details, it would surely implicate Lian, and if Lian's identity was exposed, he would certainly be locked in Team Rocket's cage until he died of old age.
Golbat nodded, gently flapping its wings, and slipped out of the second-floor window of the shop. The man outside begged for a while, then stood up and cursed, "What's so great about you? When I get rich, I'll smash money in your faces and make you kneel and call me daddy!"
Qingwu was speechless hearing the prodigal son's words. With such little ambition, he deserved his poverty and destitution. After the man outside muttered a few more words and realized he was getting nowhere, he hurried away.
Qingwu heard the retreating footsteps and the flapping of Golbat's wings.
After leaving a note for Lian, Qingwu also opened the side door of the shop and chased after him. After being given the cold shoulder at Lian's shop, the prodigal son walked towards the market.
This prodigal son was thin, about twenty years old, with a scruffy beard, greasy face, and a pale, somewhat swollen complexion, looking like he had indulged excessively.
He wore a suit, but a strange smell faintly wafted from it, as if it hadn't been washed in days and had soured.
The prodigal son was carrying a black bag, stuffed full, and making clinking sounds inside.
"Should I set up a stall in the market again? Maybe I can sell one or two things." The prodigal son pondered for a moment. He would also have to pay a considerable stall fee, which would make his already tight wallet even more constrained.
The prodigal son opened his black bag and looked at the pile of worthless items.
He had already had these things appraised; the valuable ones had long been sold, leaving only junk.
He felt he couldn't sell them, but these were his only assets. Trapped in a dilemma, the prodigal son suddenly bumped into a Black-robed Man.
"Sorry, sorry," the prodigal son quickly bowed and apologized. The Black-robed Man was likely a ferocious Trainer.
The prodigal son couldn't afford to offend him. The contents of his bag also spilled out onto the ground.
While apologizing, the prodigal son gathered the fallen items into his hands. As he was about to put them back into the bag, a distorted voice came from the Black-robed Man in front of him.
"I'll take these things. Name your price," Qingwu, who was the Black-robed Man in front of the prodigal son, said to him.
Qingwu's intuition couldn't be wrong. He had also heard descriptions of the prodigal son.
Looking like he had indulged excessively and wearing a strange-smelling suit—all these matched.
Upon hearing the Black-robed Man's words, the prodigal son instantly rejoiced. His eyes darted around, ready to name an exorbitant price, when a Golbat flapped its wings down from the sky and landed beside the Black-robed Man.
"Think carefully before you speak. You only get one chance," Qingwu sternly warned. Seeing the prodigal son's eyes dart, Qingwu knew what he was thinking.
Asking for an exorbitant price also required staying alive.
The people around recognized the prodigal son who had been hawking his junk in the Black Market for the past few days. They remained silent, minding their own business. Evidently, the prodigal son's recent behavior had also displeased the onlookers.
The prodigal son felt the pressure from the Golbat. Thinking of the gambling debts he still had to pay, if he couldn't repay them, he might end up at the bottom of a river in the suburbs.
Since it was a dead end either way, he might as well make a bold demand. The prodigal son hardened his heart, instantly overcoming the pressure from the Golbat.
The prodigal son shouted loudly, "One million Alliance Coins!"
Qingwu saw the change in the prodigal son's eyes and knew that his plan had backfired, instead igniting the prodigal son's fighting spirit.
"One million Alliance Coins? Is this prodigal son crazy?"
"He's really audacious to ask for so much. A few days ago, this prodigal son even had someone appraise them, and they were all just junk."
"I heard this prodigal son's gambling debts are nearly a million. He must be desperate."
Everyone present was discussing animatedly. Qingwu looked deeply at the prodigal son, then pulled out an anonymous card from his black robe.
One million to buy a Life Orb was not expensive. To avoid any further complications, Qingwu accepted the offer.
"Damn, I undersold it!" The prodigal son, seeing Qingwu accept the price so readily, knew he had asked for too little. If only he had asked for two million, no, five million.
The prodigal son was filled with regret at this moment, but there was nothing he could do. Golbat was watching him menacingly, forcing him to accept.
"Wait, I'll offer two million Alliance Coins!" Just as the prodigal son was about to resign himself and take the anonymous card, a disruptor arrived.
Qingwu cursed under his breath.
Qingwu looked up and saw a group of Black-robed Men emerging from the crowd. The leader wore a Pig-face Mask. He was the one who had just called out, and an Electabuzz followed behind him. The Electabuzz's strength was on par with Golbat's.
"Good!" The prodigal son rejoiced inwardly. His savior had arrived. The prodigal son turned the tables, gaining the upper hand.
"Friend, I was about to complete the transaction. Isn't it rude for you to suddenly interfere?" Qingwu abruptly took a step forward, then stumbled over something.
Qingwu secretly looked down and saw an exquisitely made Barbie Doll. The Barbie Doll's eyes were very beautiful.
They glowed purple in the dim light. This was a treasure that had just fallen out of the prodigal son's black bag when he bumped into Qingwu.
Qingwu calmly picked up the Barbie Doll from the ground and held it in his hand.
Qingwu's actions did not attract the attention of the onlookers; they simply thought he had tripped over a stone on the ground.
"Haha, the highest bidder wins! Are you unhappy? You haven't completed the transaction yet, have you?" The Pig-face Mask Black-robed Man taunted Qingwu.
"Fine, then I don't want it. You can have this junk. Your brain might be busy raising a Wailord," Qingwu said, leaving this remark before pushing through the crowd and walking away, looking furious.
"Hahahaha, see that? No one has ever managed to snatch something Grandpa Tiger wants!" The leading Black-robed Man laughed loudly, pulling out two anonymous cards from his arms.
"Take these, kid! Now hand over the goods!" A cold glint flashed in the Black-robed Man's eyes.
It was because he had heard that this prodigal son's ancestors once possessed a Life Orb that Grandpa Tiger was willing to spend two million to buy this pile of junk. If the Life Orb wasn't inside...
Hehe, these two anonymous cards would soon return to his hands.
The prodigal son joyfully accepted the two anonymous cards, then handed the black bag he was carrying to Grandpa Tiger.
"Kid, money for goods, we're even," Grandpa Tiger swept a glance at the prodigal son, then slowly walked away with his men.
He had already inquired about the prodigal son's residence. The person might escape, but the house wouldn't.
"I'm rich! I'm really rich!" The prodigal son looked at the anonymous cards.
The sudden windfall rekindled the prodigal son's previously extinguished gambling urges.
"What if I gamble again?" The prodigal son, possessed by a momentary delusion, made the worst decision.
At this moment, Qingwu walked to a secluded A Quiet Place, Changing the Mask on His Head
the mask, replacing the crying/laughing mask with a grinning one. He also sprayed himself with an odor-eliminating spray to prevent others from using Pokémon to track him down by scent.
As expected, shortly after, a Raticate stopped at the spot where Qingwu had been.
"Grandpa Tiger, that person is quite cunning. Raticate's trail has completely gone cold here," Qingwu's carefulness had saved him trouble. The Pig-faced Black-robed Man was indeed tailing him.
"Forget it, forget it. I originally wanted to ask him why he would buy a pile of junk for a million Alliance Coins, and what he knew. Since we can't catch him, never mind.
You all, break down everything inside here into countless small pieces and see if there's a bead in there," Grandpa Tiger waved his hand, seeing that Qingwu couldn't be tracked, and the crowd dispersed again.
Qingwu moved to another secluded corner and used a dagger to pry open the Barbie Doll's belly.
Indeed, inside was a pearl the size of a ping-pong ball, emitting a pure white glow. Kuang Ming Great Craftsman.
Qingwu believed there would be a Life Orb in the Barbie Doll because he had noticed the doll's eyes were cut from top-grade Dusk Stones, and the material used to make the Barbie Doll was Dratini's shed dragon skin.
With Dusk Stones and Dratini's dragon skin, wasn't it obvious that something precious was hidden inside?
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