Elf: Who told him to be an investigator!

I heard something unusual.

Just as the man was about to stand up to check the situation, Ze Shu, who had quickly caught up, pushed him down again. Still somewhat dazed, he tried to struggle, but was met with a heavy punch from Ze Shu!

Bang!

"So you dared to ambush us!"

"Stop, stop..."

Seeing him struggling with his hands raised and mumbling something incoherently, Ze Shu punched him again without any hesitation.

Bang!

"You dare hurt my Eevee!"

"Stop, stop... This, this is a misunderstanding!"

The man raised his hands high, and Ze Shu finally understood what he meant. But he didn't let go of him, still tightly restricting the man's movements.

"Speak! What are you trying to do, squatting in my room all this time?!" Ze Shu shouted at the man, then turned to Yukidouji, who looked worried, and said, "Go call Professor Yamanashi. Why are they so slow to react to such a commotion?"

"Yoki——"

Even though he dared not approach Dr. Yamanashi, a "stranger," Yukidouji knew the importance of it all, as it was Sawaki's request.

It mustered its courage earnestly and, with its short legs under its straw hat, trotted off.

the other side.

The fallen Scorpion King, being of a disadvantageous type, was unable to resist Glaceon's subsequent attacks after being hit by the Ice Beam. Its entire body was frozen, making it difficult for it to move for a while.

In an instant.

After Yuki-Douji sprayed "fine snow" at the man, the situation on the field instantly reversed, and completely reversed, leaving the man with virtually no ability to resist.

The man being held down by Ze Shu hurriedly cried out, "This is a misunderstanding! This is a misunderstanding! I, a dignified... sigh. I guessed it, you must have mistaken me for a Pokémon hunter seeking revenge..."

"I'm an investigator! A top-tier investigator! The investigator in charge of subduing those two Pokémon hunters! My name is Xiongzheng!"

Ze Shu tilted his head: "An investigator?"

Xiong Zheng nodded repeatedly: "Let go of me for a moment, and I can produce something to prove my identity."

Ze Shu didn't say anything, just said, "Where is it? I'll come get it."

Xiong Zheng: "..."

He felt this kid had more of an investigator's quality than he did...

Whether it's the decisive attack, the vigilant demeanor after subduing the enemy, or the various reactions displayed throughout the process, he is simply, simply a born investigator!

of course.

Xiong Zheng could hardly believe that there were people in this world who would kidnap children and subject them to relentless, inhumane, and demonic "forced growth" training day and night.

Feeling both helpless and delighted, he exclaimed, "Right breast pocket!"

Ze Shu didn't let go to take it; instead, he used his elbow in a slightly unusual way to squeeze the item out of his right breast pocket.

It is a black badge. It has intricate patterns and an icon whose meaning is unclear.

Feeling Ze Shu's hand loosen slightly as he looked at the icon, Xiong Zheng said repeatedly, "See? Now you should let me go, right..."

After he finished speaking...

Ze Shu suddenly tightened his grip on his arm and said silently, "I don't know him."

Xiong Zheng: "..."

Why don't you just kill me...?

……

Finally, Dr. Yamanashi arrived late and confirmed the man's identity through the badge before Sawaki finally let go of him.

Dr. Yamanashi was apologizing to the other party on behalf of Sawaki.

But Ze Shu said speechlessly, "So why are you squatting in my room, pretending to be all high and mighty and saying all this nonsense? Can't you just come here normally?"

Xiong Zheng was on the verge of tears: "What did I say wrong? What's so inexplicable about me...?"

He was the one who should have been wronged, wasn't he? He even got punched a few times.

Ugh.

Suppressing his inner helplessness, he coughed a few times and said seriously, "Ze Shu, I'm here because there are a few things I need to tell you."

Seeing that the two were alright, Dr. Yamanashi, who was standing to the side, said, "Do you need me to leave? After all, I still have research to do."

"If possible," Xiong Zheng nodded, "I'll leave my Scorpio King in your care, Doctor."

"If anything comes up, feel free to contact me." Professor Yamanashi said, taking Yuzheng's Poké Ball, leaving and closing the door behind him.

Xiong Zhengcai said earnestly to Ze Shu, "First of all, I am here on behalf of the League to bring you the official rewards you received for assisting in capturing Pokémon hunters."

Actually, he volunteered for the role; otherwise, the character would have been Officer Jenny from Sand Town.

As Zeju applied medicine to Glaceon's wounds, he nodded strangely, "What kind of reward is it?"

"I think money is too mundane and useless. So I chose something of higher value for you!" Xiong Zheng stroked his chin. "I heard your Pokémon was Glaceon, so I picked that out for you..."

He took out an item wrapped in cloth from another pocket, opened it, and revealed a corner of an ice cube that shimmered with a crystal-clear light.

Overall, it is an ice block about four or five centimeters in size.

"This is a very high-quality, non-melting ice. Although it's only a small amount, it can significantly enhance the power of a Pokémon's Ice-type!"

Xiong Zheng grunted twice.

The expression on his face seemed to say: Look how good I am to you. I never expected you to be so cruel to me just now! You'd better apologize a few times.

Ze Shu: "..."

To be honest, it would have been better to give him something more conventional. His Glaceon has "Ice Core," which Zeju tested and found to be significantly more powerful.

For him, the effect of not melting ice is actually quite limited.

but.

At least it's a free reward, so for the sake of Pokémon, I'll apologize.

Ze Shu was about to offer a proper apology.

But after a moment of silence, Yu Zhengjian hummed and said, "Fine. I'll give you this unmelting ice if you want. But there's a condition: if you agree to it, I'll give it to you directly."

Ze Shu paused, then changed his mind from an apology to, "What's your request?"

Xiong Zheng: "...Let's talk about that later. The second thing I came here to tell you is something."

He grunted twice more, and just as Ze Shu was about to suspect that he had a taste for eating pig-turned-humans, he said, "You're in trouble!"

"The two Pokémon Hunters you captured are under Hunter J's command. You know Hunter J, right? That ruthless woman is the head of the Pokémon Hunters in the Sinnoh region, with a large group of Pokémon Hunters under her command. She's very cunning. We've launched many operations, but we've never been able to capture her."

"This woman holds a grudge."

"Perhaps she already knows that you ruined her commission to blow up Dr. Yamanashi's research institute and sent her two subordinates to prison."

"So, you're in trouble!"

Then, Xiong Zheng patted Ze Shu on the shoulder, "However, I have a solution..."

He had expected Ze Shu to show a frightened expression, or at least a look of surprise and uncertainty. But to his surprise, Ze Shu simply tilted his head silently.

Rather than saying she was happy, she said softly, "I see..."