The next morning, Zhao Feng went to the wilderness as usual to look for opportunities to earn money.
Recently, he had become quite well-off by catching and selling Pokémon, and only then did he understand why so many people became Pokémon hunters—it was indeed a quick way to make money.
He stepped on the damp wild grass, humming a random tune as he walked, the Poké Balls at his waist clinking with his steps.
Just then, Zhao Feng stopped, seeing a group of people confronting each other with swords drawn, even from a distance.
Zhao Feng's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly crouched behind a large tree, covering his face with a black cloth, not daring to breathe.
Peeking through the gaps in the bushes, he saw a red-haired Search Officer on a Dragonite's back in the clearing, glaring at a group of people in white uniforms with a colorful 'A' logo on their chests.
The Search Officer immediately cursed, "Rainbow Team bastards!"
After speaking, he threw out a Poké Ball, and a crimson Gyarados landed with a 'splash,' letting out a roar—this was Gyarados's Intimidate ability. (All opposing Pokémon's Attack stat drops by one stage.)
The leader of the opposing group was a purple-haired man, who also released a three-headed evil dragon, shouting, "Triple Attack!"
The evil dragon's three heads spewed fire, ice, and lightning respectively, striking down on the Search Officer.
The Search Officer calmly shouted, "Waterfall!"
The Gyarados suddenly conjured a large pillar of water, powerfully smashing through the Attack.
The purple-haired man's expression was grim: "It's a Dragon Envoy!"
He turned and shouted to his subordinates, "Quickly, take the Doctor and go! Other Search Officers will be here soon!"
The people nearby immediately responded, "Understood," and nervously retreated with the person.
The purple-haired man then released a Muk, which engaged in a fierce battle with the Search Officer's Pokémon.
Zhao Feng watched from the side, stunned, thinking, *How is this so similar to Doduo and Team Rockets from my previous life?*
He dared not get involved in a battle of this level, so he turned and ran, fearing he would be affected by the battle.
After Zhao Feng ran, he hadn't even left the nature reserve when he heard a series of explosions from behind him.
As he was running, a 'ding' sounded in Zhao Feng's head, and the long-silent system suddenly popped up: "New mission issued! Steal Pokémon from the Rainbow Team or Search Officers. A corresponding quality of Aptitude Enhancement Potion will be given based on the Pokémon acquired. Duration: one day."
Zhao Feng almost choked on his own saliva, stomping his feet on the spot: "This system is trying to push me into a fire pit!"
One must know that any one of those people he saw earlier could pin him to the ground and beat him, and now he was supposed to steal their Pokémon? This was a death wish!
But he gritted his teeth and pondered carefully.
Aptitude Enhancement Potion was definitely a good item, and he didn't know if he would encounter such a mission again in the future.
After constant internal struggle, Zhao Feng stomped his foot and turned back.
By the time he breathlessly returned to the clearing, the battle was already over.
The Rainbow Team was long gone, and only a few tied-up grunts lay on the ground, still cursing.
A group of Search Officers were busy cleaning up the mess; scorched craters and broken branches were everywhere.
Several Golem that had lost their combat ability lay on the ground, clearly having just used Self-Destruct, covered in cracks and emitting black smoke from their mouths.
Zhao Feng hid behind a tree, worried. In this situation, there was no chance to pick up anything.
Zhao Feng could only search around, looking for any Rainbow Team members who might have slipped through the net.
Zhao Feng crouched in the bushes, looking left and right, when he suddenly spotted a figure limping down the slope.
Upon closer inspection, the colorful 'A' logo on the white uniform was still stained with blood—hey! He really caught a lone Rainbow Team grunt!
The grunt was groaning, clutching his stomach. He had probably been injured in the earlier melee and couldn't even run now.
"Weedle, go!" Zhao Feng lowered his voice and released the little fellow from its Poké Ball.
Weedle stealthily crawled along the ground, seizing the opportunity to 'poof' out a Poison Sting.
The grunt was completely unprepared, let out an "ouch," and fell to the ground. Before he could react, Zhao Feng rushed up and tied him up securely with a rope.
He quickly stripped the grunt of all his belongings, his heart bubbling with joy.
Zhao Feng had just tucked the grunt's Poké Balls into his pocket, and they hadn't even warmed up yet, when he heard rustling in the reeds.
Pushing aside the waist-high grass, he saw three injured grunts huddled inside, panting heavily. On the shoulder of the yellow-haired leader perched a dark Golbat, its wings drooping and covered in scabs, yet its eyes were fiercely predatory.
Zhao Feng's heart sank, and his molars ground together—just what he feared!
Before he could turn around, the Golbat flapped its wings with a 'buzz,' and a putrid, fishy wind, mixed with blood foam, surged towards him. The withered leaves nearby were swept down by the wind from the Golbat's wings.
"Poison Sting! Aim for its wings!" Zhao Feng's veins throbbed on his forehead, and his fingernails dug several bloody marks into his palm.
Weedle hissed with a 'sizzling' sound, and three Poison Sting flew out with a 'whoosh, whoosh,' piercing the Golbat, making it spin wildly in the air and emit a sharp shriek.
But this was an Intermediate level Pokémon. With a fierce flap of a single wing, it conjured a wind pillar the size of a bowl, which 'boom' violently sent Weedle flying, hitting a tree trunk with a thud.
"Oh no!" Zhao Feng's heart almost leaped into his throat.
Flying-type is strong against Bug-type, and this Gust skill also received a same-type Attack bonus, which was absolutely fatal for Weedle.
Yet Weedle stubbornly propped itself up and got back on its feet.
"String Shot, entangle it!" Zhao Feng yelled, his voice cracking.
Silver threads entangled the Golbat's damaged wing like a fishing net. While it struggled, several more Poison Sting viciously embedded themselves into its flesh.
The Golbat thrashed wildly in the air from the pain, but with its wings injured, it couldn't exert its full strength.
Weedle seized the opportunity to dart around, using Poison Sting and String Shot alternately. In just a few rounds, the Golbat convulsed and fell to the ground, losing its combat ability.
Seeing this, the three grunts turned pale and bolted into the woods.
"Stop!" Zhao Feng drew his short knife and brandished it, the blade glinting coldly in the sunlight. "Weedle! If they run again, shoot Poison Sting and cripple their legs!"
Seeing this, the three had no choice but to stop and surrender.
Silver threads like lightning wrapped around the three men's ankles, tying them up like zongzi and throwing them into the muddy ground.
After Zhao Feng had looted the three men's belongings, the yellow-haired man collapsed on the ground, wailing, "Big brother! Who exactly is the Rainbow Team here?!"
The other two joined in the crying and wailing, their faces smeared with snot and tears.
"I specialize in robbing the Rainbow Team!" Zhao Feng hummed a tune as he stuffed the spoils into his backpack, and casually sprayed Potion on Weedle, treating its wounds.
Zhao Feng tightened the ragged cloth over his face, making sure not even his eyelids were exposed, and then ran like mad.
An hour later, a masked man burst into the dilapidated house.
Zhao Feng slammed the door shut with a 'bang,' exhausted and panting heavily in the corner.
After resting for a while, he took out the items he had stolen to count them.
First, there were several black cards. He didn't know how much money was in them, but he felt a chill just looking at them—if he used these, Team Rockets might trace him.
Gritting his teeth, he directly lit a fire and burned the black cards to ashes.
Looking at the Poké Balls, there were a full five of them, not counting the empty ones!
Zhao Feng quickly called up the system to check, overjoyed—an Intermediate level Golbat and Fearow, and this Fearow actually had the Sniper ability! (When a Pokémon with the Sniper ability lands a critical hit, the damage is 1.5 times the critical hit, which is 2.25 times the damage of a non-critical hit.)
Among the remaining three, which were of beginner strength, there were two Rattata and one Spearow.
Zhao Feng rubbed his chin, chuckling, and muttering, "Heaven is blessing me."
If it weren't for the Rainbow Team grunts he encountered today, each carrying Pokémon that were either low on health or had lost their combat ability, how could he have had such smooth sailing?
Speaking of that Golbat, if its wings hadn't been injured, Weedle's small body would have probably been blown into the sky by its Gust skill long ago.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but squat down and pat Weedle's head: "Little guy, thanks to your hard work today, when I get the Aptitude Potion, you'll be the first to drink it!"
Zhao Feng rubbed his hands, his heart pounding, and clicked the system's submit button with determination.
A blue light flashed, and a line of small text appeared in the reward section—Blue Quality Aptitude Potion!
It could increase a Blue Aptitude Pokémon's Individual Values by 5 to 10 points!
He turned to look at Weedle, who was gnawing on a berry nearby. Well, this reward was clearly tailor-made for it!
The acquired Potion was in a mini test tube, half-filled with a transparent blue liquid.
Zhao Feng didn't hesitate for a moment, prying open Weedle's mouth and pouring it in.
The little guy swallowed the Potion with a 'gulp,' feeling a warmth spread through its body.
"How is it? Do you feel anything?" Zhao Feng wanted to press his face against Weedle's.
But the little guy blinked its black-bean eyes, its antennae swaying in confusion.
Zhao Feng scratched his head anxiously, then suddenly slapped his forehead and quickly brought up the attribute panel.
Weedle (Shiny)
Rank: Beginner Peak
Gender: Male
Type: Bug, Poison
Ability: Run Away (Always able to escape from wild Pokémon.)
HP: 16
Attack: 31
Sp. Atk: 16
Defense: 19
Sp. Def: 22
Speed: 31
Total: 135 / 186 (Blue)
Skills: Poison Sting, String Shot, Bug Bite (not mastered)
Shiny Talent: Speed and Attack base stats each increased by 50
Looking at the numbers flickering on the panel, Zhao Feng nodded with satisfaction.
Although it didn't reach the full 10 points, this 7-point increase was quite good. Attack increased to its maximum value, and other attributes also saw a small increase, bringing the total Individual Value to 135, just 5 points short of Purple Aptitude.
Looking at the line "Blue Aptitude" again, Zhao Feng's eyes lit up, and his mind was buzzing with calculations: "If I get another bottle, I can push the little guy to Purple Aptitude."