Elf: Who told him to be an investigator!

Chapter 49 Fan Club and Flower Garden Town

"Sawaki-kun! That was a really exciting battle!!"

"We're starting to become your fans!"

"Hyōta, hahaha, you didn't expect that, did you!!"

The battle is over.

The miners who were originally in the spectator stands also came down one after another, making noise and laughing loudly. Some teased Hyota, while others exaggeratedly praised Sawaki.

Hearing this, Hyota stared at Sawaki in disbelief, his eyes wide: "You...you guys...know each other?!"

"Haha, Little Piao Tai, Ze Shu is the latest champion of our Black Gold Carbon Cup!!"

The uncles, always eager for a good show, solemnly introduced Ze Shu to Piao Tai.

Hyota: "..."

These guys!!

No wonder, no wonder...

Piao Tai had figured everything out, and couldn't help but feel a bit of resentment towards these older men with their carefree attitude.

But there was still nothing they could do.

After all, in the battle, even ignoring the opponent's overwhelming strength in the third game, his tactics and Pokémon were all cleverly countered by the opponent in the first two games.

It was a decisive and unsurprising defeat.

"You are excellent! I have never met such an excellent challenger as you." Piao Tai commented from the perspective of a gym leader judging a challenger.

"Mr. Hyota is also very responsible as the dojo master," Sawaki commented from the perspective of a dojo prosecutor.

"..."

After a brief and friendly exchange, Ze Shu should leave now, since there's still a so-called 'transaction address' waiting for him to 'investigate'.

The miners were very reluctant to leave.

"Goodbye, Ze Shu! We'll always remember you!"

"Hey, what are you saying! Is Zeqi going to die?! We'll definitely see each other again, right?!"

"That's right," Ze Shu laughed.

He had already put on his thick cycling gloves, waved to the older men, then mounted his Oreo motorcycle, preparing to leave through the tunnel in Black Gold City.

The older men were still calling out reluctantly:

"Remember to collect lots of badges, don't end up like that guy Genta, who only has seven badges and can't even participate in the League Tournament!"

"Sigh! I only skipped the last gym because I wanted to get back to Blackrock City!" Genta protested. "You guys didn't even have as many badges as I did back then!"

"Hahaha—we're also here to get back to Black Gold City."

"Good luck in the Ze Shu Alliance Tournament! We will always support you and be watching you!"

"...Okay!" Ze Shu smiled, waving his hand again, and the six-tailed creature that had climbed behind his neck stretched out its snow-white paws in a very convincing manner: "Ooh~".

Although Zeki doesn't have much of an obsession with the League Tournament, since the most basic wish in the hearts of the older folks is still to see him on the League Tournament stage, then let's travel to places with gyms more often.

boom--

The roar of the motorcycle filled the air, raising clouds of dust as it drove along the mining road. Liuwei once again slipped into Zeshu's clothes, only sticking out its snow-white little head.

Ze Shu suddenly smiled.

Mari in Galar has a shouting squad, and Shigeru has a "girlfriend group" cheerleading squad...

His fan base, however, consists of middle-aged men.

Also good.

……

Accompanied by the roar of motorcycles.

As we left Black Gold City, the roads on both sides became greener, and flowers gradually began to appear.

This means we're getting closer to Huayuan Town, which is Zeshu's purpose for this trip.

"Ooh~~"

The Six-Tails, lying comfortably among Zeki's clothes, yawned. Before the tears that had welled up in the corners of its eyes could fall, they were blown away by the wind rushing towards it at high speed.

It was holding something small, similar to a CD, and it waved it playfully, its face full of curiosity.

"You can't learn this," Ze Shu said with a smile as they drove.

That was the prize he deserved for completing the Black Gold Gym challenge—the TM76.

That is, Stealth Rock, which is a pretty good move.

However, among Sawaki's Pokémon, only Gryphon can currently learn this move.

These TMs are given to trainers by the gym leader after a successful gym challenge, as part of the League's measures to improve the overall strength of trainers in a region.

Unlike in the game, where you can use it on a Pokémon and immediately teach it the skill.

It's not that magical.

The TM here is a real learning machine; it's a storage device that plays video data of the Gym Leader's understanding and insights into the move. You could also call it a secret manual—in any case, it really requires a Pokémon to learn it.

As they traveled, they lost track of how much time had passed.

"arrive."

hum-

The Orle motorcycle stopped, its engine emitting a humming sound of high-speed, overloaded operation.

Huayuan Town is right in front of us.

This town is almost entirely composed of colorful flowers, with the entire hillside bursting with different hues. It's said that these were planted in gratitude to Shaymin, the "Pokémon."

In the dim light, you can see three bees diligently flying among the flowers.

Ze Shu put away the hot exhaust pipe of the Orei motorcycle.

As soon as you enter Huayuan Town.

"Ooh—"

The six-tailed fox's eyes reflected a kaleidoscope of colors, indicating it really liked the place. And then…

"Stop, stop! These flowers need to be protected! Don't just knock them over!"

"Huh?"

He quickly hugged the six-tailed fox that he "liked" to his chest and sighed helplessly.

Look around.

Flower Garden Town is small, almost entirely comprised of a few scattered cottages. However, being a hilly area, it offers plenty of hidden spots that are easy to conceal and go unnoticed amidst the blooming flowers.

No wonder the person who sent the message mentioned this "transaction".

However, there was a problem: Ze Shu didn't know the specific location of the transaction. But he wasn't worried, because he was certain that the original transaction partner—the team leader Sabu—didn't know either.

Given the current lack of information, we can only make some early preparations, and rely more on improvisation when the time comes.

Thinking this way.

Summoning Glaceon and Snorunt, Zeju strolled casually among the beautiful and romantic flowers, inhaling the fragrance wafting in the air, which made him feel much more relaxed.

"Bu-bu-chu~!"

Beside her, Glaceon lightly lifted its tiny feet, strolling gracefully through the flowerbed, marveling at the sights, then sneezing as it inhaled pollen.

"Ooh—"

He held the Ice Vulpix in his arms, preventing it from touching the flower field.

"Yoki..."

At my feet, Snow Child just wanted to follow closely behind, struggling to move his short legs and stumbling along.

Ze Shu smiled and was about to pick up Yukito along with him when he heard a voice coming from not far away.

"Paras, you can't eat this! You can't eat that either! Honestly... don't eat any of it!"

"Pie, pie..."

Looking out from Ze Shu, not far away under a large tree, was the back of a little girl, babbling incessantly with a troubled expression. In front of her was an anxious Paras.

The Paras held a large clump of soil mixed with flowers in one paw, while the other paw dug a hole in the tree branch in front of it, anxiously trying to stick its mouth inside. However, it was stopped by the girl, and its eyes were filled with anxiety.

After thinking for a moment, Ze Shu walked up and asked softly.

"What happened?"