Elf: Who told him to be an investigator!

Chapter 33 Dojo Inspector?

Real sand forest.

Upon learning that Ze Shu was leaving, the foam squirrel looked worried and squeaked.

The outside world is dangerous!

Ze Shu chuckled and ruffled its head: "You're the one who should be more worried, Foam Squirrel. If you really encounter Pokémon Hunters or something, remember to run far away, or better yet, go straight to the Yamanashi Lab for help. You should know where it is."

However, it's unlikely that you'll encounter Pokémon hunters again in this area.

Since taking advantage of Zeju's help, a large number of Pokémon hunters have been arrested here. Officer Jenny has increased patrols in this area, with patrols every hour even at night.

However, upon hearing Ze Shu's words, the foam squirrel's cute head puffed up: "Squeak!"

"Alright, alright. Here, this is a gift for you."

Ze Shu took out a small gray-white scarf and carefully wrapped it around the neck of the foam squirrel, folding and weaving it. Soon, a foam squirrel wearing a small scarf appeared in front of Ze Shu.

Combined with its clean and tidy fur, it's absolutely adorable.

The foam squirrel blushed. It lowered its head, its small hands carefully touching the little scarf around its neck, lost in thought.

"It looks amazing." Ze Shu laughed. "If I didn't not have my own house, I would want to tie you up, Foam Chipmunk, and have you clean my house every day."

Who knows, maybe one day I'll save enough money to buy my own estate. Ze Shu held onto that hope.

However, the foam squirrel's face puffed up again.

It got angry.

"squeak!"

I just asked it to help with cleaning, why did I need to tie it up!

Although it was angry, the foam squirrel's eyes also held a hint of anticipation.

"Okay."

Scratching the foam squirrel, Ze Shu looked at the little monsters, Bud and Shy Bud, who had run up to him, and smiled, "You have gifts too."

He gave the Buddlejaws a large blanket to keep them warm. After all, Buddlejaws are extremely sensitive to temperature and shiver with cold every winter. Perhaps this blanket will make the Buddlejaws more comfortable during the winter.

The buds tried it out and were so happy that they couldn't close their petals, releasing a little fragrant pollen.

However, Ze Shu quickly dodged away.

After all, he knew that the pollen of the mimosa bud contained a mild toxin that could cause people to sneeze incessantly.

Then there's the pot, no way. Ze Shu brought it a specially bought drying stone that can keep its whole body dry, so it no longer needs to keep shedding tears to expel the water from its body.

Even Patchlitz, who was standing on the treetop holding a handful of fruit, received a fruit basket from Ze Shu.

Finally, after searching high and low, Ze Shu found the tree, which was trying so hard to disguise itself as a tree, by the lake. Even though it was covered by grass, it was still very obvious that it wasn't a tree.

and so……

Ze Shu took out a ghillie suit and put it on: "Thank you for guiding me back then."

The tree didn't react at all.

Ze Shu didn't care.

I took out my camera and, using the 'ghillie' dressed in its 'ghillie suit' as a backdrop, took a photo with the bubble squirrel, Pachirisu, Beanstalk, and Buddleja officinalis, and we all had a lot of smiles on our faces.

Until Ze Shu left.

The tree, now draped in a ghillie suit, looked at the "clothes" covering it, making it look more like a tree, with great wonder and excitement. Filled with gratitude towards the Ze Tree, it—

They're taking their role as trees much more seriously now!

……

Have you ever seen a tree dressed in a ghillie suit?

There is one right next to Xinqi Lake.

……

Saying goodbye to the Pokémons amidst their reluctant gazes in the Sand Forest, Sawa returned to the research lab.

Professor Yamanashi handed over a Pokédex: "You'll probably need this when you go out."

Ze Shu accepted it with gratitude.

Investigator Yuzheng handed over a top-quality Awakening Stone: "Use this, and your Snow Child will definitely be very powerful after it evolves."

Ze Shu accepted it without hesitation.

This was something he specifically applied for from the Alliance after solving the "Xinqi Lake Explosion Case." In less than two days, the Alliance delivered the reward directly, along with 100,000 Alliance Coins to Ze Shu.

Even Ze Shu, who was originally a "Junior Investigator," was promoted directly to "Intermediate Investigator." It's worth noting that it usually takes two to three years for an investigator to be promoted.

This is comparable to the treatment given to the "Dragon Crossing" back then!

No, it was even more exaggerated than "Dragon Ferry" back then. After all, Ferry didn't do what Zeki did—he had only been an investigator for a few days when he led the investigation of a major case and was promoted directly.

It is evident that the Alliance attaches great importance to Ze Shu, this rising star investigator.

After all, just looking at the files on the "Xinqi Lake Bombing Case," Ze Shu's 90% contribution is already captivating. Not to mention, even Champion Zhu Lan takes the "Xinqi Lake Bombing Case" very seriously!

She could sense that an unusual conspiracy was brewing. It wasn't just a simple matter of someone eyeing the "Legend of the Lake" Pokémon; rather, it was a larger conspiracy orchestrated by some organization.

So Ze Shu arrested the Galaxy Team executive, Huo Xing, thus disrupting their operation, which made Zhu Lan very relieved.

Xiong Zheng hugged Ze Shu: "Haha, don't get cocky. Even though the Bamboo Orchid Champion admires you a lot."

"But as far as I know, your only fighting force is Glaceon. Don't get involved in too many dangerous activities; focusing on developing your strength is the right thing to do," he said. "Have you thought about what to do next?"

"Let's go to Mt. Coronet, and then travel around Sinnoh," Sawaki shrugged. "To broaden my horizons."

"In that case," Xiong Zheng chuckled, "I have a very easy job here that's perfect for you."

"What?"

"Dojo inspectors," Yuzheng said, "the kind that work behind the scenes."

Seeing Ze Shu's puzzled expression, he continued, "You see, your Pokémon need to battle to grow. And going to different regional gyms to challenge them is something every trainer who embarks on this journey has to do."

"What you need to do is, from the perspective of a normal challenger, monitor whether the gym leader is neglecting their duties when you are challenging a gym."

"For this responsibility, our investigators are responsible for covert evaluations, while the international police department is responsible for open evaluations."

"How was it? Pretty easy, right?"

Zeki said helplessly, "My journey isn't aimed at the dojo."

Zeki wasn't particularly obsessed with getting badges or participating in the league tournament.

However, Ze Shu accepted the role of 'Gym Inspector'. After all, he would receive a sum of League Coins for each gym he 'inspected,' something he couldn't refuse at the moment.

If the dojo owner is caught neglecting his duties, an even larger sum of money will be deposited into his account.

This made Zeki think that he might as well just report the head of the Binhai Dojo, Minato Namikaze, directly to the higher-ups.

"Let's make this clear first," he said. "I probably won't challenge all the gyms. I'll just say that if I happen to be in a city during my travels, I'll challenge that gym there."

"Of course." Xiong Zheng smiled helplessly.

"The League is worried about tiring you out now, our Sinnoh Investigator Rising Star."