Chapter 36: The Cute and Charming Villains

Sitting in the central park of Mauville City, Zhao Fang chose not to visit the Pokémon Center. Professor Birch had told him he would bring treatment equipment to check on Gyarados and assess the physical toll taken by its bond phenomenon in advance. Although Zhao Fang had already consulted Nurse Joy and learned that Gyarados was essentially fine aside from some physical exhaustion, Zhao Fang simply could not wait.

Dreepy and Amaura had already received treatment, but Charmander stubbornly insisted on coming out to train. It seemed the recent battle had left a profound impact on Charmander, and the little fire-type was truly pushing itself with the mindset that as long as training did not kill it, it would train to the death.

Before long, Zhao Fang spotted Professor Birch, though this time the professor had not come alone. He brought along a researcher. As soon as they dismounted their flying Pokémon, Professor Birch hurried over, exchanged a few words with Zhao Fang, and then immediately took Gyarados's Poké Ball to the equipment for a comprehensive scan and treatment.

"This Gyarados of yours is truly unique. I watched the recording as I was coming over; that form of Gyarados is something we are seeing for the first time," Professor Birch said, sitting beside Zhao Fang with an excited expression.

Zhao Fang was somewhat speechless. Weren't Professor Birch and the others being a bit too impatient? Besides, Zhao Fang had no idea whether he could consistently master the bond evolution with Gyarados. After all, the fact that Gyarados had achieved it earlier was purely a matter of extreme coincidence, and Zhao Fang had no clue how to trigger it again.

Surely it couldn't be like in the video games, where one had to defeat an enemy just to trigger a bond evolution? If so, what kind of bond evolution was that? It might as well be called "defeat the enemy and grow stronger through evolution."

Zhao Fang voiced his concerns to Professor Birch, who nodded upon hearing them, having naturally considered the issue himself.

"I've communicated with Professor Sycamore from the Kalos region. Even in Kalos, where it was discovered, bond evolution is still a subject under research. Based on the experience we've shared so far, a Pokémon wishing to achieve bond evolution needs to share a profound bond with its trainer. Then, when the hearts of the Pokémon and the trainer synchronize, a bond transformation occurs, changing them into an entirely new form," Professor Birch explained patiently. The moment he saw the footage, the Kalos region was the first place that came to his mind.

Zhao Fang nodded. This was essentially similar to Ash's Greninja and its bond evolution.

"However, very few trainers are able to achieve bond evolution, and the process places a heavy physical burden on the trainer. Furthermore, the exact conditions for bond evolution remain elusive, so the data from over there is not yet very comprehensive. As for your Gyarados, we'll have to wait until it recovers to examine its specific situation," Professor Birch added. Recalling the accelerating heartbeat and the terrifying sensation of near-death during the battle, Zhao Fang knew that bond evolution was indeed far from easy.

Just as Zhao Fang was chatting with Professor Birch, his peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of the pedestrians in the park.

There were quite a few tourists in Mauville City's central park, which was normally nothing unusual. However, what caught Zhao Fang's attention was a duo—no, a trio, to be more precise.

Their highly recognizable hair colors, their deliberately altered outfits that still failed to conceal their identities, and that feigned-ignorance Meowth all allowed Zhao Fang to instantly recognize who they were.

The cute and charming villains, Jessie, James, and Meowth!

"Why are these three here?" Zhao Fang felt a bit bewildered. He looked around but did not spot the familiar figure carrying Pikachu. For some reason, Zhao Fang had the distinct feeling that these three kept glancing over at him furtively from time to time.

"Surely their target isn't me, is it?" Zhao Fang shook his head. Probably not. After all, Jessie and James were major supporting characters who traveled alongside Ash, and calling them main characters wouldn't be too much of a stretch. Moreover, despite constantly coming up with elaborate inventions, their competence remained rather questionable; their evil schemes almost never succeeded, and they frequently ended up helping Ash instead.

Thus, why this trio constantly failed their missions yet managed to retain the employment of Team Rocket's boss, Giovanni, remained a baffling question. Of course, there was no need to take the anime too seriously.

"Your Gyarados suffered some muscle damage and tearing caused by electrical stimulation, but everything has healed completely after treatment. There are no other issues, though its physical stamina was heavily depleted," Professor Birch said, handing over the medical report for Gyarados.

Zhao Fang nodded. He naturally trusted the competence of Professor Birch and his team.

Following that, Zhao Fang boarded a Pidgeot alongside Professor Birch and flew toward Littleroot Town. As they took to the sky, Zhao Fang glanced down and saw Jessie and James frantically stamping their feet in frustration below, leaving him somewhat perplexed. Could these characters actually have been after him all along?

Despite his confusion, Zhao Fang let the matter go and focused on riding the Pidgeot.

"I feel like I've forgotten something," Zhao Fang muttered, scratching his head.

Meanwhile, May stood at the entrance of the cram school, her expression growing darker and gloomier by the second. She checked her phone repeatedly and paced back and forth in agitation.

"Could this guy have forgotten about me?!" May gritted her teeth.

When Zhao Fang arrived in Littleroot Town, he was immediately dragged into the laboratory by Professor Birch. The professor ushered Zhao Fang in and seated him in front of a large screen. The screen flickered, revealing the figure of Professor Sycamore from the Kalos region.

After conversing with Professor Sycamore for a while, Zhao Fang finally understood why Gym Leader Wattson had mentioned that if managed well, Zhao Fang could actually make a profit. Professor Sycamore had proposed extracting ten milliliters of Gyarados's blood for research. Naturally, it wouldn't be free—it came with financial compensation. Even the blood of Gyarados in its bond-evolved state was required, commanding an even higher price.

Professor Birch chimed in to explain some of the professional details to Zhao Fang. Following the discussion, Professor Birch gave Zhao Fang a summary of the agreed terms.

Professor Sycamore was willing to pay a price of ten thousand Poké Dollars for ten milliliters of Gyarados's blood, while blood from Gyarados in its bond state would fetch twenty thousand Poké Dollars. This was already a very fair and generous price.

"Of course, we have several researchers in the Hoenn region who are also quite curious about this. I'll help you coordinate and handle the fees, and you can rest assured regarding Gyarados's safety," Professor Birch told Zhao Fang with a cheerful smile.

Zhao Fang nodded. Looking at Professor Birch's smiling face, he finally remembered what he had forgotten.

"I'm doomed..." Zhao Fang could already vividly picture May's furious expression.