Zhao Feng ran frantically along the path on the outskirts of Xin Yue Forest, his shoe soles burning hot.
He knew this path was the territory of an Oddish colony, whose leader was an Intermediate level Gloom.
Oddish are naturally docile and usually do not actively Attack humans, and as nocturnal Pokémon, this was their active period.
Zhao Feng couldn't guarantee he wouldn't be attacked by Oddish, but in his current situation, he couldn't afford to worry about that.
In this world, even without the support of his previous life's Sky Eye system, the aid of Pokémon greatly improved the efficiency of Alliance Investigators.
Given the efficiency of Search Officers, a team of Search Officers with Arcanine was likely already pursuing him.
Arcanine, as the signature Pokémon of Alliance Investigators, not only has a keen sense of smell but also runs at an unimaginably fast Speed.
Unfortunately, Zhao Feng still lacked experience; he was completely unaware that the incubator he carried had a positioning system, which was undoubtedly a ticking time bomb, ready to detonate at any moment.
After all, he had been a law-abiding citizen for nearly thirty years; he had no experience in this area.
Zhao Feng's already weak body had completely exhausted its stamina from prolonged, high-intensity running.
A strong metallic taste filled his mouth, and with every breath, his chest heaved violently, like a bellows on the verge of breaking down, emitting heavy, wheezing gasps.
“Run, you dead legs, run!” Zhao Feng could only shout internally, his steps never daring to falter.
Just as he was only a few thousand meters from escaping the forest, a furious shout suddenly came from behind: “Alliance Investigator! Stop and submit to inspection!”
Zhao Feng's body jolted, and he was greatly alarmed: How did the Alliance Investigator arrive so quickly?
Gritting his teeth, he turned his head and rushed directly into the deeper parts of the forest.
On weekdays, Zhao Feng often came to this forest to forage for food or gather materials to sell, so he was quite familiar with the Pokémon colonies on the outskirts of the forest.
He remembered a previous incident where he almost died after accidentally entering Ursaring territory, but now he could only gamble, hoping the Ursaring couple could hold back his pursuers.
He mused that if he could provoke a conflict between the Alliance Investigator and the Ursaring couple, he might still have a chance to escape.
Just then, the egg he was carrying suddenly began to shake.
“Is it about to hatch?”
Zhao Feng ran while taking out the incubator, discarding the outer incubator, and pulling out a Poké Ball he had prepared earlier, bought from the black market.
Luckily, discarding the incubator not only freed Zhao Feng from being tracked but also confused the Investigator's line of sight.
A flash of white light, and an orange-red Charmander appeared in Zhao Feng's arms; he happily looked at the newborn Charmander.
But the situation was urgent, Zhao Feng had no time to greet Charmander, so he quickly put it into the Poké Ball he bought from the black market, then stuffed the eggshell into his backpack, and continued to rush towards Ursaring's territory.
This prepared Poké Ball was one he had purchased from the black market because he lacked identification and could not buy Poké Balls from Alliance-certified stores.
However, the advantages were also obvious—although these black market-specific “black balls” were not protected by the Alliance system, they were therefore outside the Alliance's control, not subject to the Alliance's “maximum of 6 Poké Balls per person” restriction, and the ball's functions would not be directly Lock-On by the Alliance system.
Running into Ursaring's territory, he soon spotted a tree hollow, and with a flash of his body, he squeezed inside.
Fortunately, Zhao Feng was too thin, and the narrow tree hollow could barely accommodate him.
Although he had suffered from long-term malnutrition, his genetic foundation was good; Zhao Feng, not yet sixteen, was already 1.75 meters tall and would likely grow to 1.8 meters.
Hiding inside the tree hollow, he calmed his racing heart, quietly waiting for his chance.
When he heard Ursaring's roars and explosions, Zhao Feng knew his opportunity had arrived.
He burst out of the tree hollow and ran frantically in the opposite direction.
When he escaped the forest, Zhao Feng almost cried, muttering, “Words cannot express my gratitude, Brother Bear and Sister Bear. When I become capable in the future, I will definitely return to repay you!”
The poor Ursaring couple were inexplicably invaded in their territory by a group of people and were beaten for no reason.
He dared not stop until he reached Creek Town, where he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He quickly darted into a secluded corner, deftly changed into the casual clothes he had prepared beforehand, and then burned the black clothes.
He had rehearsed this route countless times in his mind, so he was intimately familiar with the port's location, and it wasn't long before he skillfully found his way there.
By the port, a fishing boat with much of its paint chipped away was docked at the shore.
The owner was a lean fisherman; years of sea wind had etched deep lines on his face, his skin was dry and flaky, and his rough hands were covered in calluses.
He grinned, revealing a few chipped teeth, and his eyes showed an honest simplicity, making him seem like a trustworthy person.
Zhao Feng hurried forward, without a word, reached into his pocket, and pulled out his meager remaining savings.
He spoke in a low voice with the fisherman, confirmed the price, and then Zhao Feng boarded the boat.
As the boat slowly departed the port, its bow sliced through the calm water, creating ripples.
Zhao Feng stood on the deck, feeling the sea breeze on his face, his highly strung heart finally relaxing.
He secretly congratulated himself; his parents had died when he was young, leaving him an orphan with no one to rely on, and he had never obtained identification. Coupled with not being an adult, Alliance Investigators trying to track him would find it akin to searching for a needle in a haystack.
Unless a prominent figure was willing to expend significant human resources to investigate him.
Otherwise, they would only be able to go door-to-door, interviewing neighbors for information.
As long as he reached Sanjiang City, changed his appearance, and rarely wandered around the urban area, he would be relatively safe.
This black boat was not operating legitimately and was not under Alliance supervision. Although he had temporarily escaped danger, Zhao Feng still remained vigilant.
The fisherman uncle had intended to chat with Zhao Feng to liven the atmosphere, but after a few opening words, he saw Zhao Feng remain silent, so he reluctantly closed his mouth and busied himself.
Zhao Feng then thought of another problem, reaching into his pocket; only a pitiful few dozen alliance currency remained.
Thinking of the Charmander that had just hatched in his arms, his heart grew heavier.
Charmander could barely get by on eggshells for one meal, but what about later?
A bottle of the most common Moomoo Milk would cost 200 alliance currency, and this was just the most basic expense, not to mention the massive resources needed for Charmander's future training. Thinking of this, Zhao Feng felt his scalp tingle and a headache coming on.
Several hours quietly passed in torment and apprehension, then the boat suddenly jolted, docking.
“Sanjiang City has arrived,” the fisherman's hoarse voice came.
Sanjiang City is located at the mouth of three rivers. Within the city, there is the Alliance-certified Jianghai Gym. It is rumored that the Gym Leader is an Elite Four-level trainer who plans to challenge for an Elite position this year.
Zhao Feng looked up; Sanjiang City truly lived up to its name as a giant city, with skyscrapers rising in dense rows. Even though it was already past midnight, lights were still shining.
Zhao Feng had no mind for Sanjiang City's bustling nightlife; at this moment, he had only one thought—to find a place to temporarily stay.
After some searching, he finally found an abandoned house.
The house was dilapidated, with not a single intact window. Zhao Feng hurried forward; fortunately, the house was not locked.
Opening the door, he slipped inside, and a stale, decaying smell wafted over him.
The interior was dim and unlit, with debris scattered everywhere, and the walls were covered in mottled water stains.
Zhao Feng paid no attention to these. He quickly inspected every corner of the house, not missing anything, until he confirmed there were no other traces of people. Only then did he let out a long sigh of relief.
He gently squatted down, took out the Poké Ball from his waist, pressed the button, and with a flash of white light, Charmander appeared before him.
As soon as Charmander appeared, its eyes instantly filled with tears, and its tiny body trembled slightly.
After all, it had just hatched and had been confined in a Poké Ball for several hours, making it extremely insecure.
Seeing this, Zhao Feng felt a pang of heartache. He quickly picked up Charmander gently and comforted it softly, “Charmander, I'm so sorry, I've put you through a lot. Are you very hungry? Look, this is your eggshell.”
Saying this, he quickly pulled out the eggshell from his backpack and offered it to Charmander's mouth.
Charmander whimpered and glanced at Zhao Feng, then began to eat the eggshell in large gulps.
Soon, the eggshell was completely eaten. Perhaps feeling secure after eating, Charmander found a comfortable spot in Zhao Feng's arms, closed its eyes peacefully, and soon drifted off to sleep.
Zhao Feng looked at the sleeping Charmander in his arms, gently stroking its head.
“System, claim reward. I'm ready to cheat!” Zhao Feng thought silently.
In an instant, a flood of information poured into his mind. The method for making Intermediate level energy cube “Ember” and the Calm Mind meditation technique were branded directly into his brain like an imprint.
At this moment, a glint flashed in Zhao Feng's eyes. He knew that a way to make money had appeared, but there was still a tricky problem to solve—start-up capital.
Making energy cube required purchasing a Berry blender and collecting the corresponding Berries, which was also a large sum of money.
Ding! Detected that the host already possesses an initial Pokémon. The detection system is now open and can be used to observe the information of Pokémon captured by the host.
At the same time, the second mission is released:
Go into the wild and capture 5 Pokémon.
Mission time limit: One week.
Reward: Issued based on the rarity of the captured Pokémon.
The system's cold electronic voice echoed in Zhao Feng's mind.
Zhao Feng paused slightly, subconsciously turning his gaze to the Charmander peacefully sleeping in his arms.
Just then, a blue light screen suddenly appeared, hovering before his eyes.