It was noon in Paris, and the sun lazily cast its rays upon the streets and alleys, gently draping the romantic city in a thin golden veil.
In the flowerbeds along the street, colorful flowers bloomed freely, their rich fragrance intertwining with the pervasive scent of coffee in the air, creating a unique and captivating aroma.
Chen Kai had just woken up and was strolling leisurely through the streets of Paris with Miraidon.
Miraidon tilted his head slightly, looked at Chen Kai, and asked, "Xiao Kai, do you have any ideas on how to get to the Vosges Mountains?"
Chen Kai looked up slightly, his eyes filled with certainty, and with a smile, he said, "Last night, Thomas showed me the way, which gave me an idea. We can spend some money and find a French tour guide who speaks Chinese, and have them take us directly to the Vosges Mountains.
This way, Nisus Company won't be able to track our movements for a while, nor can they trip us up.
When we return, we'll settle the score with them."
Miraidon nodded repeatedly after hearing this: "That's a good idea. But where do you plan to find a tour guide? You're not familiar with Paris either."
The two walked along the street, and Chen Kai continued, "Hehe, I checked. The street ahead is the Louvre, a tourist attraction in Paris, and there must be many tour guides at the entrance of the attraction. If we pay more, we can definitely find someone willing to take us to the Vosges Mountains, which will make it even harder for Nisus Company to determine our route!"
After speaking, Chen Kai actually saw a hint of surprise on Miraidon's metallic face.
After a moment, Miraidon said, "That's great! Are you going to become a genius like Xiao Mei too!"
"That's a given," Chen Kai replied unhappily.
Xiao Mei, who was following behind, heard this and was a bit displeased:
"Dragon~" (What do you mean by that! I'm a genuine genius! Much more amazing than Master!)
"I'm a trainer; if you're so amazing, it's all because I raised you!" Chen Kai retorted to Xiao Mei.
Xiao Mei indignantly came closer and said:
"Dragon~" (I'm naturally intelligent, alright!)
Chen Kai was not to be outdone: "That's also due to my excellent guidance."
The Second Boss in the Poké Ball couldn't stand it anymore and honestly said:
"Mi..." (Master, you didn't really teach Xiao Mei anything...)
They arrived near the Louvre, playing and bickering all the way.
Just as Chen Kai was about to refute the Second Boss, his peripheral vision caught sight of a familiar face, and he walked up to greet him: "Oh, Thomas."
Thomas and his Rattata were looking a bit downcast, but they turned around at the sound, and seeing Chen Kai, they smiled and said, "It's you, Chen Kai. Are you here to visit the Louvre?"
"No, I came here to find a tour guide. By the way, what are you doing here?" Chen Kai asked.
"Sigh..." Thomas sighed, then asked somewhat awkwardly, "Chen Kai, if you need a tour guide, do you think I could do it? I'm quite familiar with Paris."
Chen Kai was a bit puzzled. Last night he wanted to give Thomas a hard-earned fee, but he refused. Why was he now actively offering to be a tour guide?
Thomas saw Chen Kai's doubts, hesitated for a moment, but still explained:
"My brother was injured and hospitalized last night, and he needs medical expenses, but we don't have enough money, so I came here to see if I could earn some money by being a tour guide.
Unfortunately, many people, once they see my skin color, are not very willing to let me be their guide."
As he spoke, Thomas seemed to feel he had said something wrong and quickly added:
"Chen Kai, don't think that just because I haven't been in Paris for long, I'm not familiar with it; I'm very familiar with Paris and won't be worse than other guides!"
Chen Kai naturally had no objection: "I believe you're definitely very familiar with Paris. But I need a tour guide to take me to the Vosges Mountains in France; just getting there is fine. Can you do that? Of course, I'll pay you more!"
Thomas pondered for a while and asked, "Chen Kai, how do you plan to travel to the Vosges Mountains?"
Chen Kai pointed to Miraidon: "It will carry us there."
Thomas nodded: "As long as you don't mind, I can lead you to the Vosges Mountains. I know some shortcuts that are faster, and the scenery is also very unique."
Then, he awkwardly said, "It's just...could I get an advance on my tour guide fee? Oh! Of course, I will definitely take you to the Vosges Mountains properly, it's just...my brother is still waiting for treatment in the hospital."
Chen Kai readily replied, "No problem!"
Seeing Chen Kai agree, Thomas asked somewhat uncertainly, "I estimate it will take one or two days to go to the Vosges Mountains, so how about two thousand? Is that okay with you?"
Chen Kai had done his homework before coming; a normal eight-hour workday for a tour guide costs over a thousand, and he needed Thomas to lead the way for a longer time, so Thomas's quoted price was clearly too low.
Since they happened to meet so coincidentally, he decided to help if he could, so Chen Kai asked, "How much more does your brother's medical bill need in total?"
Thomas sighed again: "Still about thirty thousand."
Chen Kai did some quick calculations. He still had some money left after helping Big Boss buy two skill learning machines last time, so he generously said, "There's a saying in Dragon Country: 'No discord, no concord.' We had an encounter last night. Let me pay your brother's medical expenses first, and then you can guide me."
Thomas quickly waved his hands in refusal, gesturing eagerly in the air, his eyes filled with gratitude yet tinged with stubbornness: "No, Chen Kai, how can that be? I can't let you bear this expense for me."
Chen Kai could even see his dark face turn crimson, and beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks.
Chen Kai, however, was firm: "Thomas, I'm just helping you pay in advance, and right now, saving your brother is urgent, let's not delay!"
With that, he pushed Thomas forward without question.
Thomas still wanted to decline, but Chen Kai's strength was surprisingly great, and his attitude was resolute.
Finally, Thomas stopped struggling, tears of emotion sparkling in his eyes.
Upon arriving at the hospital entrance, the crowd was larger than imagined. Chen Kai waited in line for quite a while before finally paying the medical expenses.
The staff at the Paris hospital, seeing that Thomas had paid and completed the procedures, smiled and said, "You can take the patient for treatment now."
Thomas looked at Chen Kai, his lips moved, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he just tightly gripped Chen Kai's hand, his eyes red, and his voice trembling as he said:
"Chen Kai, thank you, thank you so much, I will wholeheartedly take you to the Vosges Mountains after this."
At this moment, Chen Kai appropriately asked, "You're welcome. By the way, why was your brother injured and needing treatment?"
Thomas hesitated for a moment, but decided to tell the truth: "I...I only found out this morning that my brother's so-called job was actually in a gang. Last night, he was frozen by an opposing faction's Pokémon in the gang."
"Ah!?" Chen Kai and Miraidon were both stunned.
Thomas continued on his own: "I heard that the opponent was incredibly strong, no one saw their figure, and even the powerful gang leader disappeared. Everyone speculates he was silenced."
Chen Kai couldn't help but cover his face, and Miraidon also turned his head away. They both knew in their hearts that Thomas's brother was hospitalized because he was frozen due to their actions last night.