A certain commentator once said that if capital has a profit of fifty percent, it will take risks; if it has a profit of one hundred percent, it will trample all human laws; and if it has a profit of three hundred percent, it will commit any crime, even at the risk of being hanged.
And to poachers, monsters were truly treasures bestowed by heaven.
These miraculous creatures could be hunted and killed without violating any laws, and the profits they brought far exceeded those of any endangered animal. If that wasn't a "treasure," then what was?
Of course, every time poachers went up against monsters, their casualties were severe. There were even quite a few cases where entire poaching groups were wiped out.
But then again, people in this line of work had always lived with their heads hanging by a thread. If they were afraid of death, they wouldn't have chosen this path in the first place.
So when Pokémon became an inescapable shadow hanging over the heads of most humans, for certain Pokémon, humans were likewise an inescapable shadow in their hearts.
At the very least, this was true for Elekid.
Humans were terrifying.
"Brother Mo, are you going to make that Pokémon nutrition soup again next?"
At the campsite, Ah Hui watched Chen Mo take out large quantities of Apricorns and Sweet Honey from the back of the off-road vehicle, and immediately guessed his intention.
"Yeah. This kind of nutrition soup is very helpful for Pokémon growth. I usually make a batch for Pichu and Pidgeotto every one or two days."
"Then… can Caterpie eat it too?"
"Yes, it can eat it," Chen Mo replied, "but this particular soup works better for Pichu and Pidgeotto."
Seeing the obvious disappointment on Ah Hui's face, Chen Mo smiled.
"I know you're worried about Caterpie. I actually have another nutrition soup recipe I can give you later—it's effective for Caterpie. It's just that I haven't gathered all the required ingredients yet, like Oran Berries."
"Thanks, Brother Mo."
Ah Hui scratched his head sheepishly.
"I'll figure out the ingredients myself."
"It's fine. In a while, I'll have Pidgeotto collect some berries and Apricorns. It should help you cover part of what you need."
Hearing this, Ah Hui was so moved he didn't even know what to say.
Just then, the usually silent Yi suddenly spoke up.
"The berry you mentioned—Oran Berry—do you have it here?"
The two turned around. In the next instant, even Chen Mo couldn't help thinking holy crap.
Yi was holding up his phone, showing a photo filled with all kinds of berries and Apricorns. Some of them were so unfamiliar that even Chen Mo couldn't immediately name them.
Looking at Chen Mo's slightly dazed expression, Yi asked again,
"So… is it not there?"
"It is! It is…"
Oran Berries were rare, but Chen Mo quickly spotted a grape-like cluster of them in the upper-right corner of the photo.
But—
"Brother Yi… did you guys collect all of these?"
Facing Chen Mo's question, Yi nodded.
"Not just berries. We're also collecting and cataloging other materials that didn't exist in our world before. Just like the berries, we still don't know the functions of most of them."
As he said this, Yi glanced at Chen Mo again.
The implication was obvious.
Realizing this was no longer a topic he should butt into, Ah Hui decisively shut his mouth and quietly sat aside, stroking the Caterpie in his arms.
After thinking for a moment, Chen Mo looked at Yi and spoke slowly.
"Some of these things—I don't know their uses either. But within my abilities, I'll provide whatever help I can."
This was Chen Mo being honest. He didn't mind helping the authorities, but there were simply too many items from the Pokémon world. There were bound to be many things that even he didn't recognize.
For example, the small black bead entrusted to him by Arthurs earlier, which housed part of Zekrom's power—such an item had never appeared in the original Pokémon world.
On top of that, Detective's Eye was completely ineffective on inanimate objects. So when facing Yi's request, Chen Mo could only promise to do his best.
Still, this brief exchange once again made Chen Mo realize that official power was something an individual simply couldn't compare to.
While Chen Mo was still worrying about berries and Apricorns, Yi casually mentioned that some researchers in the Pokémon Research and Response Bureau were already trying to cultivate berries artificially.
"At least now that I'm officially working with the authorities, I won't need to send Pidgeotto out to specifically gather berries and Apricorns anymore. I can just buy them directly."
As the three of them unconsciously concluded a quiet transaction, each continued working while harboring their own thoughts.
Just then—
A cry filled with fear and rage suddenly cut through their concentration.
"Elekid!!!"
It was Elekid.
Pichu was the first to jump off Chen Mo's shoulder and run toward Elekid.
At the same time, Yi turned the livestream back on.
[Damn it, why did the stream suddenly cut out? Bad signal?]
[It was clearly a food stream, and you cut it right at the most critical moment? Nicely done, Mo.]
[This mouse is officially angry now!]
[Wait, look at Mo and Ah Hui's expressions—something happened.]
The camera swept past Chen Mo and Ah Hui and landed on Elekid, who had woken up on the blanket ahead. Sparks crackled all over its body, and terror still lingered on its face.
[Oh, Elekid woke up.]
[Something's off… it looks like Elekid's all bristled up.]
[Probably just morning grumpiness. My little sister looks like that when I wake her up.]
[Maybe it had a nightmare.]
No matter how one looked at it, anyone with eyes could tell that Elekid's current state was not normal.
"Trouble, just as I thought…"
Watching the blanket scorched black by the arcs of electricity bursting from Elekid's body, Chen Mo silently congratulated himself for his earlier decision not to put Elekid in the off-road vehicle. Otherwise, things would really have gone south.
"Pichu~"
As a fellow Electric-type, Pichu wasn't afraid of the arcs dancing around Elekid at all. It walked right up and greeted Elekid in a friendly manner, trying to ask what was wrong.
But just then—
Elekid suddenly sprang up, shot Pichu a cold glance, and shoved it straight to the ground.
"Pichu?"
Caught completely off guard, Pichu fell over, its face full of grievance.
But Elekid didn't spare Pichu another look. Instead, it raised its head and fixed its gaze on Chen Mo and the others standing not far away.
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