"This information… really should be kept classified."
Lü Liangpeng let out a long breath and sighed repeatedly.
"It isn't easy for humanity to produce a true genius. If every one of them ended up becoming a Sub-Beast like Kong Xing…"
"Then humanity's future would truly be bleak."
"That's true…"
Rock nodded.
"Actually, because of the powerful spiritual abilities possessed by the Rock family, we've received quite a few invitations from the Apostles over the years."
"But fortunately…"
"The people of the Rock family have always had enough backbone to refuse."
Su Bai glanced at Rock.
Amino had indeed tried to recruit Rock before.
Rock had rejected him without the slightest hesitation.
In this era, possessing too much talent could itself become a liability.
Behind that simple fact lay the blood of countless members of the Rock family.
"This is basically everything I know."
"But you don't need to be overly nervous."
"Kyoto still has a few final trump cards."
"Even I only know bits and pieces about them, though."
"And no matter what, I can't tell you about them."
Rock looked at Su Bai apologetically.
"Besides, the arrival of Pokémon will definitely change this world."
He reached over and gently rubbed the head of the Haunter beside him.
"Of that…"
"I'm absolutely certain!"
..........
"Haunter's evolved form is Gengar."
"It can evolve either through a trade or by using a Linking Cord."
"Both methods require Haunter to reach a certain level of training."
"The Linking Cord costs one thousand Training Points…"
"Hmm…"
"Let me see."
"Your Training Points are barely even at a hundred."
Su Bai patted the machine beside him as he spoke to Rock, who was carrying Haunter.
"Your Haunter's training level isn't high enough yet."
"Once it meets the requirements, just come back and use this machine."
"One thousand Training Points isn't exactly easy to earn."
Rock was about to return to Kyoto.
As the owner of the Pokémon Center, Su Bai naturally had to make sure his customers received proper after-sales support.
Rock looked at Su Bai.
Then, without saying a word, he pulled something out of his pocket.
It was a tangled bundle that looked suspiciously like a USB cable.
"I already have a Linking Cord."
Su Bai stared at the Linking Cord in Rock's hand in astonishment.
"Where the hell did you get that?!"
Rock pointed toward the area beside the TM or Technical Machines.
Several Trainers had returned to retrieve their machines.
"I found someone and bought it from them."
"I don't know when I'll get another chance to come back to the Pokémon Center after I return to Kyoto…"
Su Bai looked over there.
Then he looked back at Rock.
One thousand Training Points was enough to draw from the TM twice.
Still…
If Rock had offered enough money, there would certainly be people willing to sell him a Linking Cord.
Curious, Su Bai tentatively asked:
"How much did you pay?"
Rock smiled and casually waved his hand.
"Not much."
"Just a hundred million."
"..."
Su Bai stared at Rock's completely unfazed expression.
He could only sigh helplessly.
"I know you're rich…"
"But you don't have to drive the prices up like that!"
He had almost forgotten.
When it came to being an absurdly wealthy family, the Rock family wasn't even in the same league as Ding Yue or Zhang Qun's families.
"I didn't have time to bargain."
Rock smiled as he put the Linking Cord away.
To him, money really was nothing more than a number.
"Well then…"
"Goodbye, Boss Su Bai."
"I wish you…"
Rock looked around the Pokémon Center before chuckling.
"May your business continue to prosper."
...........
"Bets are open! Bets are open!"
"Pei Jingguo's odds for the championship are 0.8!"
"Liu Yunlan, 0.9!"
"Wang Tao, 1.1!"
"Ding Yue, 1.5!"
"Murong Nan, 4.5!"
"Xiao Zhang, 25!"
"We only accept Training Points!"
"So take your Federation currency and go somewhere else!"
"Training Points are the only real hard currency!"
"Minimum bet is five hundred Training Points!"
"Pay attention! Pay very close attention!"
"If you don't have five hundred points, don't bother joining the fun!"
Inside the Pokémon Center, beside the TM and not far from the giant screen, a shifty-looking fellow held one arm high in the air as he continuously announced the latest championship odds.
A crowd of Trainers who had returned to rest gathered around him, grinning as they placed their bets.
Zhu Jianyuan glanced over.
Then he looked at Su Bai, who was staring at the screen without the slightest reaction.
"There's only so much a city lord can interfere with inside the Pokémon Center…"
Zhu Jianyuan looked helplessly at Su Bai.
"I may not be in a position to interfere, but as the owner of this place…"
"Don't you think you should do something?"
Old Zhu had already subconsciously placed Su Bai on equal footing with himself.
If anything, he even regarded Su Bai as being slightly above him.
He didn't want to meddle in the Pokémon Center's affairs and risk damaging his relationship with Su Bai.
Su Bai glanced at the lively crowd before turning his attention back to the screen.
"There's nothing to worry about."
"People have had too little entertainment these past few years."
"A little gambling is harmless."
"Besides, letting everyone have some fun like this helps create a lively atmosphere, doesn't it?"
Training Points didn't have an official direct-trading function.
But whenever people wanted to trade something badly enough, they would always find a way.
The TM had effectively become the basic unit of exchange for such transactions.
Humanity's nerves were already stretched far too tightly under the pressure of the apocalypse.
If there was finally something that could make everyone happy for a while, Su Bai had no intention of ruining the mood.
"Whatever makes you happy…"
Zhu Jianyuan looked at the Trainers laughing and enthusiastically joining the betting pool.
He helplessly shook his head.
Yet there was a hint of relief hidden within that helplessness.
During his years as the lord of Haicheng, he had rarely seen a scene like this.
Pure happiness and laughter were more precious in the apocalypse than even the magic cores of Death Beasts.
"Speaking of which…"
"Who do you think is going to win the championship?"
"The time when the results are revealed is in your hands, after all."
"How close are we?"
On the screen, Pei Jingguo's Pawniard was facing a Tauros.
The little Pokémon moved with incredible agility, effortlessly dodging the massive bull's attacks while occasionally jabbing it with its arm.
Pei Jingguo stood nearby with his hands behind his back, watching alongside Doublade.
Su Bai glanced at the progress bar and smiled.
"We should be…"
"Almost there."
At the corner of his vision, the exploration progress panel was displayed.
[Exploration Progress: 79%]
[Recognition from a Legendary Pokémon or Mythical Pokémon: Complete]
[Current Exploration Rankings:]
[1. Pei Jingguo]
[2. Liu Yunlan]
[3. Wang Tao]
[4. Ding Yue]
[5. Murong Nan]
The rankings had barely changed since exploration progress reached 65%.
Liu Yunlan and Wang Tao occasionally swapped places.
But Pei Jingguo's individual exploration progress had left everyone else in the dust.
Meanwhile, somewhere deep in the mountains, Xiao Zhang was sitting with his eyes closed, sensing Aura.
His ranking had already fallen to the very bottom.
"The battle against Articuno didn't exactly make Pei Jingguo stand out."
"Looks like he's really going all out now."
"He acts calm and indifferent on the surface…"
"But deep down, he actually cares quite a lot about his progress, doesn't he?"
Su Bai chuckled.
"These so-called geniuses…"
"They're all pretty tsundere, aren't they?"
The moment his words fell—
Pawniard suddenly raised its arm high.
Then it brought it crashing down onto the Tauros that had failed to dodge in time.
The enormous bull's body slammed into the ground.
At the same instant—
Click.
A strange sound echoed inside Su Bai's mind.
The progress bar…
Quietly advanced from 79% to 80%.
Exploration complete!