You are not allowed to date a trainer.

Chapter 75 Big Cauldron
"Did that ball-shaped sea lion run away?"

"Yes, I saw her, on Mount Tai. She even got me a glass of water." Qin Zhen stood in front of the Doumu Palace, holding his phone, his eyes scanning the busy square in front of him. "I suspect she's hiding near me right now, but I can't find her."

"Okay, I understand." Nie Ping's tone was very calm on the other end of the phone. "I'll tell the breeding bureau later to make one less dinner for the sea lions today."

"Old man? Are you confused? Is this the time to talk about dinner portions? The three great families from the Animal Husbandry Bureau have escaped!"

"Then what should I say now?" Nie Ping asked curiously, "How about reimbursing Qin Zhen for the money he spent on the Poké Ball?"

"Okay...that's not right! I didn't capture the Sea Lion!"

"That is, not yet." The old man sneered. "Qin Zhen, tell me why that sea lion left the breeding bureau?"

"This..." Qin Zhen was choked and felt a little guilty. "It should be to find me... right?"

"That's it, then?" Nie Ping said, "Actually, I don't quite understand why you, Qin Zhen, are so resistant to taming the sea lion. It's clear that both the breeding bureau and the elves involved seem happy to see it happen..."

"Didn't I explain it to you? Because of the vine snake..."

"Qin Zhen, you are a trainer of the new era, not a landlord of the old era. You are conquering Pokémon to expand your team, not looking for a concubine behind your wife's back."

The old king couldn't help but teach Qin Zhen sternly, trying to make him distinguish the difference between "elf" and "wife".

"What does this have to do with finding a concubine?" Qin Zhen blushed. "I'm doing this out of consideration for the harmony of the team..."

"That's all fine." Old Tianwang hummed twice perfunctorily, clearly unconvinced. "A new group of sea lions arrived at the Bureau of Breeding today. I'm going to help them settle down later. If all else is fine, I'll be hanging up now."

The call was hung up. Qin Zhen put down the phone and scratched the back of his head helplessly.

"Have you finished the call?" the fat grandmother asked from behind.

"Yeah." Qin Zhen nodded, turned around, but his eyes suddenly stopped.

His eyes couldn't help but fall to the feet of the fat old woman. A yellow-haired mouse had appeared beside the latter. It was only as tall as a person's calf, with bright eyes, rosy cheeks, and a lightning-shaped serrated tail standing high behind it.

Qin Zhen lowered his head and looked at the rat, his eyes gradually brightening.

Pikachu!
Although he said "cuties are a nuisance", when the electric mouse that accompanied him throughout his childhood actually appeared in front of him, Qin Zhen couldn't help but get excited. He squatted on the spot and waved to Pikachu enthusiastically.

"Little guy, come here~"

This Pikachu was also quite considerate. After looking at Qin Zhen for two seconds, it took the initiative to come over, offering its long ears and small round face to the fat grandma's astonished gaze, allowing Qin Zhen to rub and caress it.

Qin Zhen sat down cross-legged on the spot, holding Pikachu in his arms, happily touching it all over, and at the same time looked up and asked, "Grandma, where did this Pikachu come from?"

"He ran down the mountain." The fat woman looked away from Pikachu. "The Bixia Gym is an electric-type gym. The owner has a lot of electric mice in the mountains, and Pikachu is one of them."

"I've heard that besides Pikachu, there are also positively charged Pikachu and negatively charged Pikachu. At first, I was wondering why there wasn't a single electric mouse on Mount Tai."

"That's because we're still a long way from the Bixia Temple. Once you climb the Eighteen Bends, pass the South Heavenly Gate, and enter the Heavenly Street, you'll find these little guys everywhere." At this point, the fat woman's face suddenly changed. "Wait! Little classmate! It's dangerous! Don't touch Pikachu—"

"Danger?" Qin Zhen raised his head in confusion. "What danger?"

The fat woman's cheek twitched. She looked at Qin Zhen's left hand, which was gently poking Pikachu's cheek, and her right hand, which was holding Pikachu's tail. She was silent for a long time, and finally lowered her eyes, gazing deeply at the yellow-haired mouse in Qin Zhen's arms. "Oh! Pikachu, the electric sacs on your cheeks are so soft! They feel numb! So interesting!"

"Pica~Pica~"

Pikachu turned its back to the fat grandmother and didn't notice the latter's eyes at all. It squinted its eyes, grabbed Qin Zhen's shirt with its little claws, rubbed Qin Zhen's fingertips with its red cheeks, and touched Qin Zhen's wrist with its serrated tail. The expression on its face could only be described as "happy and not wanting to leave".

"Wang!"

A barking sound came from behind Qin Zhen. Qin Zhen paused, let go of Pikachu, who was reluctant to leave, and turned around. Growlithe was sticking out its tongue and wagging its tail at him.

"Catie, what's up? Did you find the sea lion?"

Qin Zhen was a little surprised. Growlithe was the helper he sent to search for the whereabouts of the Scorpion. At the beginning, Qin Zhen did not have much hope. The Scorpion was a water Pokémon, and it was easy for it to wash away the scent with water and avoid being tracked. But looking at the way Growlithe's tail was wagging, it was obvious that it had discovered something.

In response to the trainer's question, Growlithe nodded. She walked forward and bit Qin Zhen's sleeve, motioning the trainer to follow her.

Qin Zhen stood up and followed the puppy forward, finally arriving at the center of the square.

In the center of the square stands a three-legged round tripod over two meters high. It is made of brass and has an inscription on it: "As solid as Mount Tai." A huge round copper coin rises from the tripod with the inscription "Attract wealth and treasure" written on it.

Caterpillar turned around and barked at Qin Zhen twice, then sat down next to the giant tripod.

Qin Zhen tapped the cauldron gently. His fingers landed on the thick metal wall without making any sound. He looked down at Growlithe, pointed at the round cauldron, and asked, "Is the Sea Lion in here?"

Caterpillar shook its head and barked several times.

Qin Zhen didn't understand the dog's barking and could only scratch his forehead helplessly. He thought that after the challenge at the Bixia Gym was over, he should go to Jinguan City and find Lao Gu to study the synesthesia connection course.

At this moment, the Pokéball behind his waist shook slightly, and the voice of Snake Vine sounded in Qin Zhen's mind.

"Stupid Dog said: I smell that bitch in there, but not much, and the smell is still dissipating, so that bitch shouldn't be in here."

Qin Zhen was stunned and quickly asked Caterpillar, "Besides here, are there any other places where the scent of the sea lion remains?"

Caterpillar continued to shake his head and barked twice more.

"No, there is no smell left anywhere except the big pot in front of you, Qin Zhen." Teng Teng Snake continued to translate.

"This is not a pot, but a tripod, the tripod of the ancient deer, which was used for sacrifices in ancient Donghuang." Qin Zhen corrected his little snake. He stared at the big tripod, touched his chin and thought for a moment, and finally took out the Poké Ball of the Vine Snake.

"Teng Teng Snake, can you lend me your whip? Reach inside this cauldron and look around. I suspect the Ball Sea Lion left something in there."

The vine snake landed on the ground and first looked at Qin Zhen with a rather resentful look. Then she stretched out her vine whip and put it into the cauldron. The vine whip swept in the cauldron for a moment, then suddenly stopped and slowly retracted.

But when Qin Zhen saw what Teng Teng Snake took out of the cauldron, he was stunned.

——It was a red beech trekking pole.

(End of this chapter)