-070- Target Sighted (3/3)
"Sorry, Master Lin Mo. Although everything you just said is indeed tempting, I must refuse!" Tong Si hurried to stop Lin Mo from drawing any more grand visions.
Otherwise, Tong Si feared he might lose control and agree without thinking. Once he joined the Elf Association, he would be thoroughly tied down. If the Elf Association asked him to go east, would he ever be allowed to go west?
Tong Si cherished his freedom; he disliked the feeling of constraint.
"Ah... Tong Si, after all my earnest persuasion, you still refuse to join the Supernova Project." Lin Mo shook his head, looking somewhat disappointed.
The two fell silent for a long time, returning to the scene from before. By now, three investigators had arrived.
Tong Si instinctively used his scanning eye to examine the Venusaur.
Venusaur
Level: 50
Potential: Premium
"What! A Venusaur with premium potential?" Tong Si frowned deeply. Glancing back at Master Lin Mo, his feelings grew complicated.
When the subject of maximum levels came up earlier, Lin Mo had shown a hint of sadness. Could it be because of this Venusaur?
Lin Mo didn't notice Tong Si's gaze. After their farewell, Tong Si departed.
Lin Mo watched Tong Si's retreating figure, as if seeing his younger self.
"This little fellow is truly stubborn," Lin Mo murmured to himself.
...
Tong Si did not return directly to the camp. Instead, halfway there, he sought out a secluded spot and released his three elves.
"Electabuzz, Leafeon, Shuckle, are you all right?" Tong Si was worried about his trio, especially Electabuzz and Leafeon. They had clearly suffered significant injuries in the battle against Drapion.
"Beep beep!" Electabuzz was battered and bruised, yet still raised its arm to signal it was fine.
"Ya~" Leafeon squinted, showing it too was badly hurt.
"Chuckle chuckle!" Shuckle appeared and immediately chastised Tong Si. It had been ready to fight, yet Tong Si had returned it to its Poké Ball. Was that a sign of mistrust?
"Sorry, Shuckle. In that moment, I had to recall you. I was afraid you might get hurt," Tong Si explained quickly, recognizing Shuckle's reproach.
After all, Shuckle was a new companion, and Tong Si feared a misunderstanding right at the start.
"Chuckle chuckle!" Shuckle pointed to its shell, as if declaring its own toughness.
"Is that so, Shuckle... Next time there's a chance to battle, I promise you'll fight to the end!" Tong Si stroked Shuckle's head, finally appeasing it.
Then Tong Si produced two powder-blue energy cubes. Though he had some potions bought from the department store, medicine always carried a bitterness and side effects. It was far more reliable to feed them energy cubes. The powder-blue cubes had healing properties.
Electabuzz and Leafeon accepted the cubes and swallowed them whole. Since Shuckle was uninjured, Tong Si didn't give it one. Shuckle had no objections, having already eaten a cube earlier and feeling full.
After consuming the powder-blue cubes, Electabuzz and Leafeon's health and stamina were almost instantly restored, though still short of their peak condition.
"Is it because this is their second powder-blue energy cube today? Or are the cubes limited in how much stamina they can restore?" Tong Si was unsure but noted the flaw in his little notebook.
He recalled Leafeon and Shuckle to their Poké Balls, then returned to camp with Electabuzz.
"Tong Si, where did you go? Why were you gone so long?" Upon his return, Wayne and Qi Bingyuan hurried over, concern evident in their faces at Tong Si's weary look.
"Just went out for a walk. Never mind, let's get some sleep. Tomorrow we still need to catch Pinsir!" Tong Si didn't mention the incident with the Iron Mane Gang.
Seeing he didn't want to talk, the two refrained from pressing further.
The night passed quietly.
The next day, Tong Si took his lively companions to search for tracks of Pinsir.
Originally, Tong Si had accompanied Jiang Tao to Greenleaf Forest. But Jiang Tao, after the Iron Mane Gang incident, had left early. Fortunately, Jiang Tao had captured a Beedrill and was quite content.
They wandered the forest for a long time, but none found any sign of Pinsir.
It had to be said, even in Greenleaf Forest, finding a Pinsir was no easy feat.
Along the way, Tong Si saw many rookie trainers. The Iron Mane Gang members from last night had likely all been arrested by the investigators. How they had entered Greenleaf Forest remained a mystery to Tong Si.
They searched the forest for three days.
Finally, Tong Si spotted signs of Pinsir.
"It's Pinsir!" Wayne, excited, rushed forward.
"Wait!" Tong Si grabbed Wayne.
"What's wrong, Tong Si? Hurry up and capture it, we've finally found a Pinsir!" Wayne and Qi Bingyuan were both anxious.
"Look, this Pinsir seems to be searching for something," Tong Si observed that Pinsir was looking around, staying in place but seemingly in a battle-ready state.
"It's coming!" Tong Si heard a sound.
Suddenly, a Heracross dropped from the trees!
Heracross launched a Horn Attack directly. Pinsir, by contrast, remained calm. As Heracross approached, Pinsir used Seismic Toss!
"Impressive! This Pinsir has real battle talent!" Tong Si assessed instinctively.
"Fantastic, that's the Pinsir I had my eye on!" Wayne was ecstatic.
After Pinsir's Seismic Toss, Heracross, as it fell, managed to use Counter!
"What? It actually used Counter?" Tong Si was surprised.
This Heracross had even mastered Counter—its level must be high!
Tong Si used his scanning eye to check the details of both elves.
Pinsir
Level: 22
Ability: Overconfidence
Potential: Gym Leader
Heracross
Level: 25
Ability: Overconfidence
Potential: Gym Leader
Upon seeing their details, Tong Si couldn't help but marvel.
Both were elves of gym leader potential!
Of course, this didn't mean gym leader potential elves were common. Since arriving in Greenleaf Forest, it was now the fourth day, and he'd only encountered three elves with gym leader potential—including the Shuckle in his Poké Ball.
Over these four days, most elves he'd met had average or common potential; even premium potential wasn't frequent.
...(To be continued)