"If you dare, leave your contact information. We'll fight again later."
Ethan said, unwilling to give up, as the Closed Beta Player trio transferred the money.
"Contact information?"
Jack, who was supervising them to ensure they weren't hiding anything, was all smiles at this moment. He had already guessed someone would ask this kind of question, so he immediately delivered his well-rehearsed excuse with a very cool tone.
"Only victors who have defeated me are qualified to have my contact information. As for the losers, which is all of you, it's enough to know that I am a member of the Pantheon."
"Pantheon?"
The trio froze, looking at each other, their eyes questioning if the others had heard of it, but the result was all headshakes.
Knowing they would have this expression, Jack continued to bluster: "It doesn't matter if you don't know, after all, your level isn't high enough to interact with us. But it's fine; now that our Pantheon has emerged, in the days to come, this world will witness the power of the Pantheon."
This made the trio even more confused.
"Is this a game organization added by DivineTech?" Ethan pulled his companions aside and whispered.
"I don't know," Alex and Lily, the siblings, shook their heads.
"Are you a player?" Ethan tentatively asked Jack.
"Player?" Jack had a bewildered expression, then in the next second, he looked like he understood and said, "Yes. I am a player of life, and the mission of our Pantheon is to control the world and bring peace to it."
Oh, well.
Hearing such a chuunibyo statement, the trio decisively labeled Jack as an NPC.
Because only villainous organizations in games would constantly spout such world-saving rhetoric.
Thinking this, the three of them suddenly started to feel much better.
It's not shameful for a Pidgey to lose to an NPC; it's shameful for a Pidgey to lose to a player.
This NPC's existence must be DivineTech's way of protecting new players in the novice village from being bullied, specifically targeting old players like them who harbored thoughts of robbing new players.
The three of them just happened to run into trouble at this moment.
"Senior, can you tell me how you trained your Pidgey?" At this moment, the Boy with Glasses who had previously mentioned the existence of Closed Beta Players suddenly came over and asked.
As soon as he said this, everyone's eyes lit up, and they all gathered around.
Generally, such a powerful NPC appearing in a certain place must be carrying some kind of game quest.
And this person in front of them, with just a Pidgey, could defeat the final evolutions of the Original Three Starters, so it's quite possible he was here to teach them how to train Pokémon.
"Uh..." Jack, as the person concerned, was stunned. He hadn't really thought about this question.
For such a powerful NPC to appear in this place, it would be truly unreasonable if he didn't carry some important information.
But fortunately, Jack was quick-witted and reacted quickly, immediately concealing his momentary surprise.
"Since you asked, I'll tell you," Jack continued to bluster in an NPC-like tone, "It's very simple. First, you have to eat and live with it, and then train with it. For example, when it practices Hyper Beam, you have to prepare a ton of water and drink and spit it out with it. When it practices Steel Wing, you have to crash into trees with it. When it practices Substitute, you have to practice schizophrenia to help it control its Substitute. When it practices..."
Everyone felt confused before he even finished. Was this NPC talking about training Pokémon?
When practicing Hyper Beam, you have to drink a ton of water with it; when practicing Steel Wing, you have to crash into trees with it; even more exaggerated, when practicing Substitute, you have to practice schizophrenia with it.
What kind of divine training method was this?
However, everyone's confused state didn't last long, as they finally heard an important piece of information from Jack's mouth.
"I caught this Pidgey in Ecruteak City on the full moon night of August 15th."
"Ecruteak City?" Everyone's eyes lit up. Wasn't that the city closely associated with the legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh?
Thinking of this, everyone began to firmly keep in mind the matter of going to Ecruteak City on August 15th. They believed that since the NPC told them this, according to game conventions, there would still be Pidgey with god-like potential appearing in Ecruteak City on August 15th this year.
Jack looked at these people's secretly excited expressions and quickly pursed his lips.
He wanted to laugh, to burst out laughing, almost unable to hold it in.
So, after checking that those three had indeed transferred all the money to him, Jack took a deep breath and said.
"Pidgey, Fly."
As he spoke, under everyone's gaze, Jack grabbed Mew's slender ankle and flew up and down, away from New Bark Town.
"What a miserable Pidgey," someone couldn't help but exclaim.
The rest of the people nodded one after another.
A Pidgey the size of a human head, carrying such a burly owner flying away from New Bark Town, it really was hard on it... Pidgey finally flew into the forest with Jack.
As soon as they entered the forest, Jack had it put him down.
After getting down, Jack leaned against a tree, dispelled his transformation, and burst out laughing.
Mew also dispelled its transformation, returning to its original form, and stood by, looking at its master with confusion.
It didn't quite understand Jack's humor.
"Master, where are we going next?"
When Jack had finished laughing, Mew communicated with telepathy.
"Mew, do you want Pokémon friends to play with you?"
Jack asked, rubbing his stomach, which ached from laughing.
"Yes, of course, I do."
"Very good, then we'll go back to the professor to get a Pokédex first, and then we'll start finding legendary Pokémon to be your friends, like Ho-Oh, Lugia, Mewtwo, and so on," Jack said enthusiastically.
Collecting legendary Pokémon, that was the dream of every Pokémon trainer.
"Master, they won't play with me."
But Mew shook its head when it heard this.
"Their temperaments are very arrogant. If I enter their territory, they will drive me away."
"You don't have to worry about that. Your master, I, am very powerful. As long as we encounter..." Jack waved his hand, but halfway through, he suddenly stopped and turned back, saying, "Do you mean you've encountered other legendary Pokémon? Can you tell me where?"
"I once encountered a Pokémon on a small island that was made from my genes. It was leading its companions in battle against others, and when it saw me, it just attacked. It was so fierce, so fierce."
Mew recalled with a look of disdain.
"Mewtwo, Brother Mew!" Jack exclaimed excitedly when he heard this.
Who else could be a Pokémon created from Mew's genes besides Mewtwo?
However, his excited reaction caused Mew's displeasure, and it pouted, looking at him angrily.
Jack quickly coughed twice and corrected himself: "Oh, no, it should be called Little Brother Mew. Compared to you, Mew, Mewtwo is just a little brother, not worth mentioning."
Although he said that, Jack couldn't help but add another sentence.
"After that fight, do you know where it went? Don't worry, if we get a chance to encounter it again, Master will definitely teach it a lesson and make it call you Daddy."
"After that battle, it left with its companions, and after that, I don't know where it went."
Upon hearing this, Jack smacked his lips, feeling dull. Not knowing where it was, wasn't that the same as not saying anything?
"What other legendary Pokémon have you encountered?" Jack asked, still not giving up.
"On my way playing, I encountered a Pokémon whose body shone with colorful light, and wherever it flew, a rainbow would form. Others called it Ho-Oh."
"Then do you know where it is?" Jack became excited again.
Mew shook its head: "I don't know, I just encountered it on the way."
Jack once again smacked his lips, feeling dull, and then, still not giving up, he asked again.
Mew closed its eyes, thought for a moment, and then suddenly said a minute later.
"I once saw a guy in the Hoenn region called Rayquaza. It seems to live in a place called Sky Pillar. I once went there to say hello to it, but it was so rude and ignored me completely."
"My brother Ray!" Jack became excited again, but in the next second, he saw Mew once again pouting and looking at him with jealous eyes.
He could only once again righteously say: "Cough... You're right, how rude! Not even responding to a greeting, it's outrageous! Who does it think it's talking to? Don't worry, Mew, when Master catches it in the future, I'll definitely teach it manners and make it call you Big Brother when it sees you."
Mew nodded in satisfaction.
"Are there any other legendary Pokémon?" Jack asked, rubbing his hands.
Unfortunately, all the other legendary Pokémon Mew mentioned were ones it encountered while playing, and their specific dwelling places were unclear, so it could only be left at that.
Jack, having returned to his original form, went back to New Bark Town to get a Pokédex and some equipment from the professor, and then, with Mew, began his journey.