Chapter 69: Three Days Apart from a Gentleman

Fire-type Pokémon are popular among many people, largely because those with the Blaze ability can often ignite this trait when facing crises, making a last-ditch effort. This courageous temperament has earned Blaze-ability Pokémon widespread acclaim.

At this moment, Zhao Fang was a victim of such a fiery burst. After Blaze was triggered, Combusken unleashed a charged Flame Charge that wasn’t interrupted by Dreepy’s Scary Face. If Zhao Fang hadn’t quickly instructed Dreepy to dodge, it likely would have been struck.

“Hmm, your Dreepy is awfully fast at running away,” May said, clearly displeased. It was indeed maddening to never land a hit no matter how she tried.

“Thanks for the compliment! Dreepy, use Sucker Punch to approach your opponent, then hit it with Dragon Tail!” Zhao Fang replied cheerfully, giving his command. Dreepy lunged forward, but with its boosted speed, Combusken countered with another Flame Charge just as Dreepy’s tail swept in. The two Pokémon collided head-on.

Dreepy let out a pained cry and staggered back several steps. Zhao Fang could see a faint wisp of fire burning on its body—Dreepy had been burned.

“Dreepy, return.” Zhao Fang decisively switched his Pokémon, applying a burn remedy to Dreepy before pulling out his second Pokéball and sending out his next Pokémon.

With a mighty roar, Gyarados emerged onto the field, its massive form making Combusken look like a stunted chick. Though Combusken had activated its Blaze ability, it stood no chance against a Gyarados with every advantage in type. Before it could even attack, Zhao Fang ordered a Water Pulse, sending Combusken flying and knocking it out of the battle.

“Do you have another Pokémon?” Zhao Fang asked, smiling in satisfaction at the power boost in his Gyarados.

He was no longer the novice of days past. As the saying goes, “Three days apart and you must view a person with new eyes.” Once, Zhao Fang had been trounced by May, but now the tables had turned.

“I… I… Hmph!” May clutched her Pokéball, puffing her cheeks in frustration as she glared at Zhao Fang. Then, with a sharp turn, she stormed off, leaving Zhao Fang momentarily bewildered.

“What… did I do?” Zhao Fang scratched his head, unable to make sense of it all, but he hurried after her. Together, they headed to the Pokémon Center to heal their Pokémon.

“It seems the waters near Kanaz City are almost deserted now,” Zhao Fang said, idly chatting with May as he sat on a bench in the Pokémon Center.

After a prolonged search for the rumored red Gyarados yielded nothing, the crowds around Kanaz City had gradually lost patience for this legendary shiny Pokémon and dispersed. Only a handful of stubborn enthusiasts still lingered by the water.

May said nothing, her expression stern. Zhao Fang scratched his head, then pulled out his Pokédex and showed May the data he had recorded earlier.

“It really was Articuno!” May gasped, covering her mouth in astonishment. Her voice was barely above a whisper, but her eyes were wide with shock.

“Of course! Did you think I was lying?” Zhao Fang nodded fervently. Even just encountering Articuno was a stroke of incredible luck—legendary Pokémon don’t simply appear to anyone.

“Hmph, my dad was right—Zhao Fang, you’re just lucky.” May looked at Zhao Fang with a mixture of envy and jealousy. For reasons she couldn’t quite explain, she started to consider setting out on her own journey.

Helping her father with his Pokémon research was interesting, but traveling seemed so much more exciting, with all kinds of strange and wonderful encounters. Look at Zhao Fang: he’d only been on the road a short while and had already stumbled into so many extraordinary events.

“By the way, May, do you know anyone skilled in programming?” Zhao Fang had no idea his adventures had sparked May’s desire to set out early. He recalled another important matter.

“Programming? What kind of programming?” May looked at him, puzzled. She didn’t understand why Zhao Fang would bring that up.

“Well, I want to develop a little app to install on the Pokédex or a phone, but I can’t program, so I thought I’d ask.” Zhao Fang scratched his head. He’d been toying with the idea of creating a messaging app like WeChat for this world, complete with sticker packs—surely there would be a market for it. Then, mobile games and other related products could follow.

Two hundred thousand League coins was a lot for Zhao Fang right now, but Dragon-type Pokémon always required vast resources. Both Gyarados and Dreepy were voracious eaters, and who knew how much the Amaura would consume?

He needed a steady source of income, otherwise, advancing any further would be impossible.

“I see… I don’t know any programming experts, but the PC storage system for Pokémon was developed by Miss Mayumi. Would you like her contact info?” May pressed a finger to her forehead in thought before finally suggesting a name.

Zhao Fang paused. Indeed, Mayumi managed the Pokémon storage system in the third generation, and in the games, she claimed to have invented it. That certainly qualified her as an expert, but would she be interested in his proposal?

Zhao Fang glanced at the computer in the Pokémon Center—a marvel of technology in the Pokémon world. Pokémon could be stored and even transferred via methods that defied explanation. It was nothing short of miraculous.

Nonetheless, Zhao Fang accepted Mayumi’s contact information and, with May’s help, managed to introduce himself and share his idea.

On the other side of the screen, Mayumi was stroking a Swablu’s feathers. Dressed in loungewear, she looked every bit the intellectual, big-sister type.

“Researching this would be easy—there’s hardly any development cost, since the app you described doesn’t have any particularly complex functions. But launching, promoting, and maintaining it—that’s not something you can solve with just two hundred thousand,” Mayumi replied frankly after hearing Zhao Fang’s proposal.

Zhao Fang paused. She was right, of course. Bringing a new app to market required promotion and ongoing network maintenance, both of which cost money. The Hoenn region was vast—two hundred thousand would barely scratch the surface.

“But I heard from May that you’ve made the acquaintance of Champion Steven? You could always discuss this with him,” Mayumi suggested with a warm smile, pointing Zhao Fang in the right direction.