"I wonder what you can offer me, sir?" Zhang asked with a smile.
"I can offer many things, but it all depends on what you want," Li Zhifeng replied, also smiling.
"What I want?" Zhang's brow furrowed slightly before he spoke softly. "I want to buy precious move machines, as well as Mega Stones."
"I don't suppose you have a channel for acquiring them? I can pay the seller in gold."
Some move machines, like the one for Dragon Dance, simply couldn't be bought on the open market. Mega Stones, which enabled Pokémon to Mega Evolve, were even rarer and treated as monopolized, strategic resources.
"The move machines, I can help you with. But the Mega Stones… that I cannot do," Li Zhifeng said after some thought. "After all, those are items that trigger Mega Evolution. Even for me, they are incredibly difficult to obtain. They are much like the Tera Orb you now hold; only Gym Leaders and members of the Elite Four have regular access to them."
"Then it's a pleasure to cooperate with you, sir. I won't forget this favor," Zhang said, looking at Li Zhifeng with a grateful smile.
"You're welcome. We are both getting what we need," Li Zhifeng replied cheerfully. "Just don't forget about this old man when you make it big in the future."
He produced a VIP card forged from gold and handed it to Zhang. "This is my VIP card. You can present it at any Pokémon Center to purchase those restricted move machines. In addition, you can use it to exchange equivalent valuables, like gold or rare berries, for cash."
"Thank you, sir," Zhang said, accepting the VIP card.
Even without a way to buy Mega Stones, a channel for purchasing rare move machines was still a massive gain. A Pokémon's strength was largely defined by its skills; the more it learned, the stronger it became. Most importantly, Zhang now had a way to convert his gold into currency.
"My name is Li Zhifeng. You can call me Dr. Li," the man said. "Alright, Zhang Tian, I hope to see you at the rookie tournament." With a wave, he turned and departed.
Zhang then took out his phone and began researching the second gym.
"A Water-type gym. I can use Tobi-Kadachi for that," he mused, looking over the gym's information.
Following his match, both Bea and Cynthia won their own battles with ease. Although all their opponents were at the Gym Leader tier, the Rock Gym's defenders were clearly no match for trainers of their caliber.
"That was really easy! It's a shame I didn't get to fight Mr. Shilong himself. I'm so jealous of you!" Bea said as she joined Zhang, letting out a sigh.
"You'll get your chance when you reach the Elite Four level," Cynthia said nonchalantly, enjoying a small dessert.
"She's right," Zhang nodded in agreement.
"By the way, Zhang, where did you catch that Pokémon that looks like a Tyrannosaurus rex? I really want one!" Bea looked at him, her eyes shining with excitement. It was obvious she had taken a strong liking to the Brute Dragon.
"I caught it in a cave, but I never found a second one, so I can't help you," Zhang said, shaking his head.
He wasn't lying, but he wasn't telling the whole truth either. He could turn monsters into Pokémon and capture them because of his system. A normal person, even with Poké Balls, would be helpless. Therefore, there was nothing he could do for Bea.
"That's a shame," Bea said, her shoulders slumping in disappointment.
"Don't be discouraged, Bea," Cynthia comforted her. "New Pokémon are discovered every year. Maybe it won't be long before more Pokémon like the Brute Dragon start appearing."
"You're right!" Bea's frustration vanished, replaced by a hopeful look.
"Zhang, the Rock Gym has a dedicated training ground for Rock-types. We're planning to stay and train here for half a month. What do you think?" Bea asked.
"No objections. I was planning on training for half a month myself," Zhang nodded.
One of the perks of defeating a gym was the right to use its specialized training facilities for free for two weeks. It was a pity Zhang didn't have any Rock-type Pokémon, otherwise, this place would have been perfect.
Before heading to the training grounds, Zhang exchanged all 1,050 of his gold coins for move machines.
Ten days passed in a flash.
After ten days of intense training fueled by monster meat, the results were almost unbelievable. Zhang's Arzuros, Great Izuchi, Pidgeot, Tobi-Kadachi, Escuregot, and Rathian had all reached level 49, as if they were on steroids. The effects of the monster meat were truly remarkable, like consuming endless stacks of Exp. Candies.
His Brute Dragon and the Crimsondog Beast broke through to level 50, officially reaching the strength of the quasi-Elite Four tier. His Rathalos gained one level, reaching level 59. Meanwhile, his Gardevoir, Feraligatr, Gengar, and Arcanine all reached level 46, firmly entering the Gym Leader tier.
However, despite the incredible results, he had completely run out of Rathian meat.
"Feeding them is getting harder and harder," Zhang sighed. The Rathian had provided a substantial amount of meat, far more than the Ludroth he had hunted before. But his team had also grown, and powerful creatures like the Brute Dragon, Rathian, and Rathalos were not light eaters.
"It's time to go back to the Monster Hunter world. We're out of food."
He sent a message to Bea and Cynthia, telling them he was going into seclusion for a few days. Then, he closed his door and activated the traversal system.
Zhang appeared in his room back in the Monster Hunter world. He made his way to the guild office.
"Zhang, you're finally back! I haven't seen you in eleven days," Hinoa said, a hint of resentment in her voice. She was clearly upset he had been gone for so long without visiting. "How was your training?"
"I'm here now, aren't I?" he smiled. "Besides, I brought you plenty of storybooks."
He raised his hand and produced several books. He had written them himself in the script of the Monster Hunter world. Perhaps due to his Pokémonization, his learning ability was off the charts; it had only taken him half a day to master the local language, allowing him to write the books.
"Thank you, Zhang!" Hinoa accepted the books, her face lighting up with joy.
"My training has been very effective these past few days," Zhang said. "I can now hunt monsters on the level of a Rathalos."
"You can hunt a Rathalos?" Hinoa was shocked. She hadn't expected his growth to be so rapid. In just over ten days, he had become stronger yet again. It was truly astonishing.
"That's right," Zhang nodded slightly, then changed the subject. "Has the turf war between Magnamalo and Bazelgeuse affected Kamura Village?"
"Not yet, but many other villages have been impacted," Hinoa replied. "If you're looking to take on a quest, I have a suitable one right here."
She took out the quest board and handed it to Zhang. He took it and read the details.
Quest: Hunt a Velocidrome
Mission Briefing: Displaced by the conflict between a Tigrex and a Deviljho, a Velocidrome and its pack have left the Shrine Ruins and appeared near Qingyu Village, where they have been preying on the villagers' domesticated Pillbirds.
Reward: 21,000z