The two people sat across the table, observing each other.
"I'm quite straightforward when I speak, I hope you don't mind."
Flop was the first to speak, saying seriously, "I don't think your subordinates can successfully tame those three Pokémon, at least not in the next few years."
Baimu nodded, "Indeed, what you said makes sense."
As the other party mentioned, judging from the current state of Otsuka, Cheng Hong, and others, relying solely on power to tame the Mightyena is indeed not promising.
Flop saw that he agreed verbally but showed no reaction, and continued, "In a few years, unless you personally take action to nurture them, you'll otherwise have to keep them in custody, which is a significant expense."
"Right."
Baimu nodded again.
"...So since you understand all this and don't want to sell these Pokémon, why? There must be a reason, right?"
Flop sighed, feeling perplexed by his immovable stance.
"Why... it's actually quite simple, I want to find them a good home."
The young man in front of him said calmly and composedly.
"Uh!"
Flop's eyes widened, making a sound like a goose being grabbed by the neck, "You said..."
"You didn't mishear."
Baimu replied, "I want to find a good home for these three enemy Pokémon, so that they won't have to be bought and sold repeatedly, leading a homeless life."
He knew that such words would be incomprehensible to most people in Pyrite Town, and even many others in different regions.
But that didn't stop him from having this thought.
As a habit of his benevolent heart, encountering something that made him uncomfortable prompted him to take action. These three Pokémon were both a pressure and a motivation, urging him to keep progressing.
If he ever faltered, reviving Da Mu's dream for the backyard would remain just a dream.
"... "
Flop watched the calm and composed Baimu, feeling a bit lost, and couldn't help but ask, "Are you a Pokémon patrolman?"
"What?"
The latter was stunned for a moment, only feeling that the other party had said a word he couldn't understand, which seemed to be some kind of profession.
The downside of being semi-literate is that sometimes when others say something obscure or professional, it's hard to translate it well into a comprehensible form of Chinese.
"Looks like you're not." Flop breathed a sigh of relief, "What I'm talking about is a group dedicated to preserving the balance between Pokémon and the natural environment, which seemingly doesn't exist in the Ore Region."
Ah~ patrolmen.
Baimu noted down the term, equating it to patrolmen, and said, "You do know quite a lot."
"Just been online more often." Flop responded slowly, with an occasional hint of relief on his face, "Since it's like this, things will be easier—principally, I shouldn't reveal my employer, but if he really wants them, and you remain obstinate, then there's nothing more I can do.
"Listen carefully, the person who wants to buy Mightyena and the others is actually one of the bosses behind us and the Evil Dog Team. He's a Pokémon collector who held Ken in high regard previously, and after learning of Ken's death, he wanted to take his Pokémon as a memento."
"Wait..."
Baimu was muddled, "One of the bosses behind us and the Evil Dog Team?"
"Yes. You might have heard before that the Quicksand Team and Evil Dog Team were actually security companies guarding a mine, both subsidiaries of two groups. But later, some changes happened, and those two groups merged, so we are actually under the same boss."
Flop answered slowly, "You might wonder why we, under a single boss, still have conflicts with the Evil Dog Team. Well, it's a long story, you just need to know that even major internal group dynamics aren't monolithic. Moreover, the group only has one demand from us—timely and adequate quantities."
"Mine?"
"Yes, as long as the mine output is fulfilled, they don't care what else we do."
"... "
Baimu's heart was in turmoil, as he never expected these inside stories.
"Back to the original topic." Flop knocked on the table, "This collector boss is extremely wealthy, and in order to allow various Pokémon to thrive better, he even created a massive Eco Park."
As he spoke, he took out his phone and played a breathtaking video akin to the real-life version of Da Mu's backyard.
Low slopes and clear streams, with various Pokémon frolicking, where Rapidash and Dodrio could run freely in grassland-like environments, Politoed sang in ponds, and Lapras lowered its head to rest.
Full of vitality Pokémon, beautiful nature.
"... "
Baimu suddenly felt envious.
However, when a figure suddenly appeared at the lower right corner of the video, just as he tried to see clearly, the video came to an end.
Flop also put away his phone and continued conversing eloquently:
"So you don't need to worry about untrustworthy custody; he has a dedicated care team that will certainly take good care of them. Moreover, he's willing to exchange and adopt them for a fee."
"Exchange, adopt for a fee..."
"You can choose one Pokémon for exchange from a list below and also receive a three million yuan adoption fee, which is already an incredibly good deal."
Flop adopted a tone of envy, "If it weren't for his genuine desire, there's no way he would offer such a price."
There was no doubt that what he said made sense.
They even coined the term "adopt for a fee."
Honestly, Baimu was tempted.
The only hesitation lay in the authenticity of these promises, because it seemed too much like a pie falling from the sky, where an average person might be ecstatic, yet he felt there was something off.
It seemed... a bit too urgent.
The collector boss was in such a hurry, he couldn't wait any longer. In fact, if he had delayed for a month, letting him realize how troublesome and expensive the custody was, it would definitely make it easier to negotiate and lower the price.
But he left in the morning and came back in the afternoon.
So anxious?
Either he really doesn't care about the money and just loves Mightyena too much, or...
"Wait a minute."
Flop suddenly got up and walked out to make a phone call, returning half a minute later saying, "I know what you're worried about, so I asked if we could film a short video of those three Pokémon, and they agreed."
Dammit! This is getting more and more suspicious!
Baimu felt his heart skip a beat, but why were these people doing this?
Deceiving Pokémon?
Even three drugged Pokémon would only be worth a million each, he specially consulted various Pokémon stores in the Underground City yesterday, and many shops didn't even want these problematic Pokémon.
Three million adoption fee plus exchange for a Pokémon, it sounds like a good deal.
Could there be secrets about them that I don't know?
Or maybe I'm just being overly suspicious.
Baimu pondered for a long time, realizing he couldn't really refuse. If the other side was really the backstage financier of the Quicksand Team, rejecting them after they've shown goodwill could spell trouble.
Everything he worked hard for could very well blow away with the wind...
"Sigh..."
He sighed, thinking of the Lairon and Chansey playing in the backyard, helplessly saying, "What Pokémon can I choose?"
This admission.
Flop immediately relaxed with relief, "There are many Pokémon you can choose from, some of which even make me envious. And don't worry, we both follow Brother Liu Ge; you think I'd cheat you?"
Saying that, he placed the phone in front of Baimu.
On the screen, there were avatars of various Pokémon, clicking in would show detailed information about each.
He couldn't help but say, "Is there an app like this?"
"Most of the larger Pokémon stores have it, quite common." Flop waved his hand.
Baimu gave him a deep look, then bowed his head, "I hope for a flying ability Pokémon."
The key to the battle with Kenichi was actually sending away the Vibrava, without this guy, Baimu and the Lairon had no chance of winning.
Powerful airborne units are extremely important.
He first skimmed through, seemed like there were recommended Pokémon, marked with a red stamp on the avatar frame.
Ignoring those, there was no sign of a Quasi-God.
He specifically focused on flying attribute Pokémon, and found that besides the Skarmory, the rest were rather average.
As expected.
Pokémon available for exchange could hardly be especially rare.
"If you want flying Pokémon, there are other options." Flop thoughtfully tapped the screen, causing some Pokémon avatars to disappear, "Flying by moves, traits, or special abilities. There are many types, it's just a matter of flight speed."
Baimu nodded, continuing to look further.
Suddenly, he let out a light "Eh."
"This Mawile?"
The screen showed an avatar of a Mawile, marked with a recommended red stamp.
Clicking in and seeing the densely packed text almost made Baimu dizzy.
"Do you need me to translate?" Seeing his discomfort, Flop offered proactively.
He nodded, "Please."
So.
Flop slowly explained the contents above.
Firstly, the recommendation reason—the Mawile was exceptionally strong, though its level wasn't particularly high, its destructive power far exceeded the standard of its kind.
A single punch effortlessly shatters a huge rock, and the massive jaw on its head bites steel like cotton candy, its formidable strength is extraordinary.
It also has a rare [Sheer Force] trait, sacrificing additional effects to greatly enhance the move's original power.
Overall.
Though Mawile is common, this one is considered an unconventional individual, hence the boss collected it. The only flaw might be that after being spoiled for too long, it's slightly temperamental; if its wishes aren't fulfilled, it's hard to obey commands.
And this guy can fly because of the move—[Electromagnetic Levitation], reportedly it flies fast, often driving its caretaker to exhaustion chasing it around the ground.
However, it loves sweets, and coaxing it with treats occasionally makes it behave.
Following this was a list of moves.
After listening, Baimu silently clicked away and looked at the Skarmory, then said to Flop, "I'll choose Mawile."
The Skarmory seemed good by appearance, but regrettably, it had the [Sharp Gaze] trait and was rather small, only 1.5 meters, with a "high age" of 29 years, no possibility of further growth, unable to support his 1.8-meter frame.
It could at most assist flying by grabbing onto a scaffold bar.
But that's just too tiring.
Sixteen-year-old Baimu might still grow taller, hence hoping for a large-sized flying transport, the leader-level stature of two or three meters is necessary.
"Alright, rest assured, it's guaranteed to be exactly as introduced."
Flop feared he might regret, smiling as he spoke.