Elf: Who told him to be an investigator!

Chapter 12: Subduing a Dragon by Smashing and Stunning It

"All right."

He withdrew his hand, confirming that there was no rule in the game where you could get money after battling NPCs. Zeki released Bug Catcher, melted the ice on his two "Generals," and urged him to run quickly towards the Pokémon Center in Sandstone Town.

It seems that earning money by fighting against strangers is not a viable strategy.

Now, Ze Shu misses the thought of another Pokémon Hunter appearing in front of him, so that he could take all the money from him without any restraint or prestige.

"Eevee?" Glaceon blinked at Zeki's troubled face. Then it jumped onto Zeki's shoulder and gently licked his cheek with its cool tongue, as if to comfort him.

But then it raised its adorable head and cried out, "Bu-i!"

"I can go into the forest and find tree fruits to nourish the Zealot tree! I'll sell chilled tree fruits!"

Eevee just saw this at a stall in Sandstone Town, and it was selling like hotcakes. It's confident that if it and Sawaki work together to set up a stall, they'll definitely surpass that stall in popularity!

Ze Shu: "..."

What should be done about the Pokémon that live off tree fruits in the forest, and the old man at that stall?

"It's not that bad yet." He rubbed Eevee's cute head and smiled helplessly.

They were about to head into Zhensha Town.

"Ugh—someone save me—"

Suddenly, a cry for help came from behind. Zeshu paused, startled: "Could it be that some Pokémon hunters are really coming to give me money again?"

Then, together with Glaceon, they walked in the direction from which the sound came.

The cries for help continued and gradually split into two.

After turning a corner, Ze Shu understood the situation at the location of the cries for help. It wasn't the Pokémon hunters he had imagined—instead, two cat-like creatures with their star-shaped tails raised high, along with a chattering bird, were chasing a middle-aged man, circling the tree as they ran.

The cry for help came from the man's mouth. Besides, the noisy bird, while chasing after him, also cackled, "Ooh-ooh~ Someone come~ Help me~ Ooh-ooh~"

There were scattered briefcases on the ground, as well as pieces of clothing torn out by the cat's strange claws.

Ze Shu: "..."

Is this a tribute to the legendary Dr. Birch?

That's terrible.

"Help me—" The man cried out as he circled around and saw Ze Shu standing there. His voice grew louder. "Huff, I, I can't hold on any longer—"

"Eevee?" Glaceon called out in confusion.

"Hmm... High-speed star, I guess," Ze Shu said.

"Buyi—"

Glaceon let out a loud cry, stood up, and with a flick of its ice-blue diamond-shaped tail, several stars converged, accurately predicting the route the two little cat monsters were running in circles.

crackling and popping—

A series of star energy particles struck the two cat monsters.

The two little cat monsters were instantly thrown off balance, their heads spinning, their black and blue bellies exposed on their backs. But the middle-aged man kept running, because a noisy bird was chasing him.

Ibrahimovic was about to gather his high-speed stars again to knock down the noisy bird.

As if anticipating the danger, the noisy bird stopped mid-air. It then swiftly picked up the briefcase from the ground and flew rapidly into the air. As it flew, it continued to call out, "Caw-coo~ Help me~ Help me~"

"Phew... I'm saved..." the man exclaimed, wiping the sweat pouring from his brow, when he saw this scene and his eyes widened. "My bag!"

"Buyi—"

Glaceon used Swift again, and countless stars overwhelmed the noisy bird.

but……

A transparent shield suddenly appeared on the noisy bird, blocking the high-speed star from its body.

"Hold on?"

It's a noisy bird that only knows how to guard its territory.

"Caw caw caw—" the noisy bird made a mocking sound, carrying its prize briefcase in its beak, and spun around in the air.

Ice Eevee puffed up its cheeks in anger.

Ze Shu smiled. "I'll help you get revenge, Eevee."

Then he took out a Poké Ball, aimed it at the noisy bird in the air, and his eyes glowed slightly as he waited for the right moment.

Turn around, kick your legs, thrust your hips, and finally swing your arms!

Full force!

A red and white ball suddenly shot out from the ground below, like a giant's catapult, accurately hitting the noisy bird's body that was thrashing about in the air.

pound!!

With immense force and a powerful backstab, the noisy bird's mocking cry was choked halfway through its sentence before it was stunned in mid-air and then absorbed into the Poké Ball.

Subdued the dragon in one fell swoop, using both smashing and stunning!

The red and white balls didn't wobble at all, and made a "ding" sound in the air.

Without the noisy birds, a briefcase fell from the sky.

Bang!

The briefcase slammed into the head of the middle-aged man, who was still in shock and hadn't noticed its location, making a loud thud and sending his head slamming into the ground.

Ze Shu: "..."

She quickly helped the man to his feet: "Are you alright?"

The man clutched his head, his white mustache twitching in pain. "It's nothing... Ouch, that hurts! Thank you so much for saving me..."

Once the pain had subsided somewhat, he continued, "I... phew... my name is Yamanashi, everyone calls me Dr. Yamanashi. Thank you so much... My research institute is located in Masago Town. You can come to my institute for a visit later... is that alright?"

Dr. Yamanashi?

Zeshu blinked, shook hands with Dr. Yamanashi's outstretched hand, and was immediately gripped tightly by Dr. Yamanashi, who wouldn't let go.

His eyes lit up: "Just now... you didn't even need to battle, you captured that noisy bird with a single ball. I... I've never seen a capture like that before!"

"Uh..." Ze Shu hesitated for a moment, then could only say, "I might be a little stronger..."

"Why were you... being chased like that?" he asked.

"Hahaha..." Professor Yamanashi released Sawaki's hand, scratching his head sheepishly. "I got too excited and wandered into the bushes where those two little cat monsters were..."

"However, that noisy bird seems to have joined in halfway through, wanting to get involved!" Dr. Yamanashi said, slightly annoyed. "It even tried to take my briefcase!"

Ze Shu: "..."

By this time, the two little cat monsters had already run away without anyone noticing.

"Buyi—"

Just then, Glaceon, carrying the Poké Ball containing Chatterbox, approached Zeki. Zeki thought for a moment, took the Poké Ball, and then handed it to Professor Yamanashi, saying, "This... you can handle it, Professor Yamanashi."

The chatterbird wasn't part of his plan, even though it was a rare bird that could learn defensive moves in the wild. But the capture of the chatterbird just now was merely a quick fix by Zeshu, a spontaneous idea to prevent it from flying away.

"Leave it to me? Hmm... okay, I'll handle it properly..."

Zeshu watched as Professor Yamanashi took the Poké Ball and thought for a moment.

He extended his hand in front of Dr. Yamanashi.

Dr. Yamanashi asked in confusion, "This is...?"

All that could be heard was Ze Shu saying earnestly, "Can I get reimbursed? This Poké Ball costs 200 League Coins."