In the following days, Chen Kai invited Chun Jie, Sun Qian, Senior Lu Yang, and Teacher Ye Gai for a meal.
Teacher Ye Gai made time to come for a meal despite his busy schedule. Naturally, he had many other students, but they hadn't returned yet, so Chen Kai didn't have a chance to meet them.
Of course, his grandparents and uncle also came.
At the dinner table, his grandpa wanted to give Teacher Ye Gai some money, as Chen Kai said Teacher Ye Gai helped with the honey apple, but Ye Gai naturally didn't accept it.
After the meal, Ye Gai continued to be busy. It was said that there was still one spy not caught.
At the same time, the Dipplin had thought of their names these days. They decided to be called Wolong Mountain Big Boss and Wolong Mountain Second Boss. 'Wolong Mountain' specifically referred to their home—this honey-covered apple.
Subsequent brothers could be arranged in order from Third Boss to Seventh Boss, signifying that each dragon could be its own master.
However, the two of them still argued about who would be the Big Boss. They decided to see who had the 'bigger fist' and Chen Kai would be the referee.
Both sides emerged from the honey-covered apple, abandoning defense for a pure damage competition.
Guomi Chong No. 2 had greater strength, excelling at Dragon Tail and Seed Machine Gun.
The original Dipplin was more skilled in special attacks.
The original Dipplin's Dragon Breath was barely resisted by Guomi Chong No. 2's Seed Machine Gun.
But Dragon Breath only needed one exhale, while Seed Machine Gun needed at least three 'seeds' to be expelled.
Guomi Chong No. 2 had just finished a round of Seed Machine Gun when the original Dipplin's next Dragon Breath approached No. 2 without a moment's pause.
Guomi Chong No. 2 braced itself, using a Dragon Tail to block, but the third Dragon Breath was already in its face.
“Boom boom boom!” Three more Dragon Breaths continuously bombarded Guomi Chong No. 2.
The original Dipplin was slightly panting. Chen Kai could tell it hadn't used its full strength and still had reserves.
Meanwhile, Guomi Chong No. 2 was already smoking:
“Honey…” (I surrender…)
Miraidon watched from the side, chuckling and saying, “Three Dragon Breaths shattered the boss's dream; I'm the Second Boss, not the Big Boss!”
Xiao Mei also chimed in:
“Rong, rong, rong, rong” (The Second Boss probably wanted to give up after the first Dragon Breath, but it was in too much pain to speak. The Big Boss thought it was still defiant and gave it three more Dragon Breaths.)
“Alright, I declare the Big Boss the winner. From now on, the Big Boss will be the head commander! The Second Boss must fully cooperate with the Big Boss!”
Chen Kai, of course, couldn't tease the Second Boss anymore. He walked over and comforted it with a grand vision: “Second Boss, don't be sad. Once you successfully master ‘Dragon Voice Encouragement’, you'll have five little brothers! Look at the long term; good days are ahead!”
The Second Boss shed tears of unwillingness and sadness:
“Woo… Honey.” (Woo… Alright.) (T_T)
Later, Chen Kai also set the four main skills for the Dipplin.
Protect, Growth, Dragon Breath, Seed Machine Gun (in preparation for Syrup Bomb, which they would soon learn).
As for the Second Boss, it could practice Dragon Tail in its spare time, just for physical exercise.
When they returned to Sichuan Province, they would formally begin practicing Dragon Voice Encouragement!
Miraidon had guaranteed Chen Kai that it used to be very good at making loud sounds to encourage its own kind, so teaching a Dipplin would be a piece of cake.
On August 22nd, Chen Kai finally met his best friend, Zhang Yongchao.
For more than a week, Zhang Yongchao and his Smeargle had gone to the mountains, claiming to be painting, but in reality, it was a wilderness survival trip.
A normal Smeargle's tail can only secrete one color, so most Smeargle only doodle. Only a very few Smeargle who have practiced for decades can create exquisite paintings.
But when Chen Kai saw the painting by Zhang Yongchao's Smeargle, he was shocked.
The Smeargle had painted an oil painting, depicting a towering, majestic mountain. In the painting, the peaks were stacked, undulating, as if to break through the canvas and reach the clouds.
At the same time, delicate and rich brushstrokes were used to vividly depict the texture and feel of the mountain. The roughness and hardness of the rocks, as well as the lushness and vitality of the vegetation on the mountain, were all fully expressed.
The use of color was even more exquisite. The distant peaks were faintly visible in the hazy mist, appearing in soft blues and purples, giving a profound and mysterious feeling. The nearby mountains, however, were dominated by rich greens and browns, showcasing their grandeur and weight.
Unfortunately, Chen Kai was uncultured and could only blurt out, “Holy cow, awesome!”
Zhang Yongchao's nose almost pointed to the sky: “Right?! Old Chen, Old Liu, Da Vinci is awesome, right?!”
Da Vinci was the name Zhang Yongchao gave his Smeargle.
Zhang Yongchao continued, “Although he's injured and can't use skills, I saw something special about him at the mall that day! He's not like ordinary Pokémon!
He loves to paint, and the reason he always runs off is to paint natural scenery! Even without the colors on his tail, he has hands!
He and I have made a pact: I'm going to help him become the best painting Pokémon!”
Chen Kai nodded in affirmation: “That's great!”
“It's just, Old Chen, my parents don't really support me. I can only use my pocket money to take Da Vinci around to paint on holidays,” Zhang Yongchao said, a bit embarrassed.
“I'm sorry, I might not be able to pay back your 8,000 yuan anytime soon.”
Chen Kai waved his hand, telling him not to worry: “Oh, I thought it was something serious! How about this: those 8,000 yuan will be my sponsorship for the world's number one painting Pokémon and its trainer!”
Zhang Yongchao was still a bit conflicted: “That's too embarrassing.”
“When you create a work that you're satisfied with, send it to me. Consider these 8,000 yuan a deposit. Is that okay?” Chen Kai said with a smile, but when Zhang Yongchao tried to say something else, Chen Kai directly cut him off:
“You can't refuse this, okay? You have to have confidence in Da Vinci. You will definitely create works you're satisfied with and become the world's strongest painting Pokémon!
Right, Da Vinci?”
Smeargle, unlike Zhang Yongchao, was not hesitant. Its eyes were firm, and it replied with conviction:
“Smeargle!” (No problem!)
Zhang Yongchao also reacted: “Since you, Old Chen, have so much confidence in us, we will naturally create amazing paintings, and your 8,000 yuan will definitely be worth every penny!”
Chen Kai gave a thumbs-up and said, “I'm looking forward to it!”
In the afternoon, at the training class, Chen Kai saw Liu Jianshan and Scorbunny still undergoing special training. School was about to start, and the training class teachers had intensified the training, making them very busy.
Chen Kai did not disturb them, but from a distance, he saw that Scorbunny could now use Quick Attack! Its progress was still very fast.
The next time he saw him, Scorbunny might have even evolved.
He couldn't help but sigh: Even on Earth, just a few months ago, he never imagined that they could be so serious.
Thus, Chen Kai calculated that most of his affairs in Kyoto were handled, so he booked a flight back to Sichuan Province for tomorrow, August 23rd.
At the same time, prompted by Miraidon, Chen Kai remembered that there was still a purple book to take from the Research Institute.
Iron Bundle also said, “If Chen Kai doesn't go get it, Iron Leaves will definitely rush over and destroy that book.”
But recently, the nighttime searches in Kyoto were very strict, so Chen Kai had no choice but to take a taxi to the shopping mall closest to the Research Institute.
He changed into an invisibility cloak at the mall and walked for a long time before reaching the Research Institute. This time, he was smarter and changed into a pair of old Kyoto cloth shoes! This way, at least they couldn't identify him from his footprints.
Sneaking in through the side door, Chen Kai estimated that the purple book was either in the plant department or in the Research Institute's file room, library, or similar places.
He had been to the plant department once with Zhao Mingzhu, so he had a general impression.
If it wasn't in the plant department, then he would have to spend more time exploring the file room and library.
What Chen Kai didn't know was that the spy 'Vine' was also hiding in the Kyoto Pokémon Lab.
She had used her Ditto to escape that day. That Delibird was simply too terrifying! She didn't think Bai Ling could win, so she took advantage of Bai Ling fighting the invisible man and slipped away.
The facts were just as she had predicted: Bai Ling lost, and now the entire Kyoto was searching for her.
Fortunately, she had previously taken advantage of Section Chief Hu's power in the Research Institute to leave a back door known only to her and Section Chief Hu, as well as a secret room hidden in the old book room.
Section Chief Hu was gone, so no one else knew about this back door and secret room. Plus, with so many security guards patrolling inside and outside the Research Institute, no one would guess that she was hiding there.
She would wait for the storm to pass, then figure out a way to escape.
The only thing that scared her now was that invisible man.
The invisible man had ruined her plans twice already, and each time with precise timing.
Add to that the terrifying Delibird, and Vine hadn't been able to sleep well every night these past few days. Every time she dreamed of the invisible man and Delibird, she would wake up terrified.
Fortunately, as the days passed, the invisible man hadn't found her, and the intensity of the search outside seemed to have decreased, so her state of mind also calmed down somewhat.
That evening, she had just gone to the office next door to eat a few packs of snacks to fill her stomach. She was preparing to get some good rest, planning to try to sneak out of Kyoto the day after tomorrow.
“Tap!” Just then, a strange footsteps sounded without warning.
Vine was startled!
‘What?! What's going on?’
Vine pressed herself against the secret room door, listening carefully. For a long time, there was no sound. She breathed a sigh of relief, thinking:
‘Maybe I'm just too tense. An illusion, it's an illusion.’
“Tap, tap, tap,” the footsteps sounded again. There really was someone wandering around the old book room in the middle of the night!
Immediately following those chilling footsteps, the rustling sound of books being searched quietly joined in. “Whoosh, whoosh,” the sound of pages being rapidly flipped, stood out as particularly abrupt and grating in the dead silence of the environment.
Vine tried to look into the old book room through a miniature peephole in the secret room, but within the dark old book room, she couldn't see any figure.
But the mysterious sound kept stimulating her nerves, each one like a demon's whisper.
At this moment, Vine's breathing became increasingly rapid, as if each inhale would burst through her throat. Her heart pounded violently, as if it would leap out of her throat at any moment. Cold sweat uncontrollably poured out, instantly soaking her back.
She remembered Mu Li's last words to her, saying that she wouldn't be able to escape.
This series of terrifying sounds intertwined with Mu Li's last words, like an invisible net, trapping her tightly, mercilessly dragging her into an endless abyss of terror, leaving her deeply mired in despair and helplessness, unable to extricate herself.
She couldn't take it anymore! She still had her last two Pokémon, Carnivine and Gourgeist. She wasn't completely defenseless!
She burst out of the secret door, throwing two Poké Balls, wanting to face her fear head-on.
But when she saw the bizarre Delibird that appeared out of thin air, she broke down.
She abandoned her Pokémon, screaming and running away.
Gourgeist and Carnivine were dumbfounded, completely unaware of what was happening, and could only follow their trainer and run.
The Research Institute guards spotted Vine but couldn't stop her in time.
She hoarsely yelled, “Carnivine, Gourgeist, Seed Bomb! Seed Bomb! Seed Bomb!!!!”
Two professional-level (level 50+) Grass-type Pokémon indeed prevented the surrounding guards from getting close to her for a while by exploding the area.
After all, the guards were also afraid of a madwoman.
“Ah, it's finally over, I'm exhausted.” Outside the Research Institute, a cowboy in a denim outfit stretched, muttering complaints.
The person who arrived was Ban Pu, the Normal-type Gym Leader Chen Kai knew.
However, he wasn't as happy now as when he met Chen Kai. His tanned face was filled with fatigue and dissatisfaction.
Ever since that idiot Bai Ling had an accident, he had been working overtime until midnight every day, with no rest, just to catch the last spy.
But now it was finally over, and he could go back to happily running his ranch.
He patted a brown Bibarel next to him.
“Bibarel! Swords Dance, use Waterfall on those two Pokémon. Be careful not to let that golden-haired woman die.”
Bibarel tilted its head, pondering how to accomplish what Ban Pu had said.
Its mouth was slightly open, making a sound, and its two large front teeth were particularly prominent, like two small door panels, adding a unique charm to its cuteness.
“Bibarel!” (I got it!)
It spun around, and a faint red glow appeared on its body.
It seized the opportunity, and with a strong push from its short legs, it leaped dozens of meters! Transforming into a torrent, it charged into the crowd.
In mid-air, Bibarel swung its two paws, striking Carnivine and Gourgeist with tremendous force.
With two loud “bangs,” Carnivine and Gourgeist were heavily slammed to the ground by the water stream. Bibarel held one in each hand, rendering them immobile.
Unlike its adorable appearance, Bibarel's attack had immense power. The water stream struck the ground so hard that it couldn't withstand it, and deep cracks spread outwards.
Its small body seemed to contain endless power, leaving people amazed.
Vine was also sent flying a meter by the splashing water, falling to the ground in a disheveled state, but she still refused to stop: “Ah!! You two, get up! Use Seed Bomb to blast it open!”
Ban Pu picked his ears, finding it a bit noisy: “Use Yawn, make her quiet down.”
Bibarel, holding one Pokémon in each hand, turned to look at the blonde woman, exhaling a breath. Soon, the frantic woman fell unconscious.
Ban Pu breathed a sigh of relief: “Ha! Finally finished. The rest is up to you guys. I'm off work. Let's go, Bibarel.”
The guards locked the two Pokémon into Poké Balls. Pokémon that commit crimes because of their trainers, after review, are mostly released into deserted wildlife sanctuaries.
As for Vine, she was tied up and would face her rightful judgment.
One guard sighed, “Gym Leaders are still fierce! One punch solves it.”
But another guard disagreed: “You heard about that Dragon-type Gym Leader, right? He was beaten half to death on Fifth Ring Road. If you ask me, the strong one is still Gym Leader Ban Pu. His title is 'All-Rounder'! There's nothing he can't do!”
At this moment, an invisible man, sneaking out with a purple book, overheard the guards' conversation.
He thought to himself: Gym Leader Ban Pu went easy on me during our battle, not just a little bit!