Pokémon: I picked up a reborn Eevee at the start of the game

Just because humans don't understand Elvish, does that mean they can outwardly comply but inwardly disagree?

What a wretched cat! If it fell into my hands!

Hmph...

Magic Masked Cat and Xia Chen exchanged a glance. Her intuition told her that this human understood that she was cursing him, but she felt no guilt or remorse.

She snorted and turned her head haughtily, then turned around and walked away with elegant cat-like steps, her long legs clad in black stockings.

Aoki, standing to the side, said quietly, "Adults should learn to see through things but not say them. The diners here actually know that Magical Masked Cat is cursing them, but everyone pretends not to know, and quite a few people even enjoy her insults."

Xia Chen was so numb that he had no expression left.

Sure enough, there must be something wrong with both the humans and elves in this town!

…………

After criticizing these perverts, Xia Chen finally had time to look at today's lunch.

The three dishes Aoki mentioned were finally revealed: grilled rice balls, Padiya seafood rice, Padiya ham, and in addition to the main dishes, there were some side dishes of vegetables and fruits, as well as an unidentified cold soup.

It smells pretty good, but I don't know how it tastes.

"Alright, don't be shy, please start eating."

Thank you for your hospitality.

After the host and guest exchanged polite greetings, the two began to eat.

From a chef's perspective, the dishes here are a bit too strong in flavor, and there are many flaws in details such as the cooking time and ingredients.

From a purely diners' perspective, Xia Chen deserves an 80 out of 100, mainly because it's affordable and reasonably priced, and also quite delicious.

The elves, whose appetites had been spoiled by Xia Chen, were quite picky and ate much slower than usual.

Across from him, Aoki, looking dejected, was eating rice quite quickly. It was unclear whether he was saving time for his lunch break or if he genuinely loved it that much.

In short, the two of them and a group of elves devoured the entire table of food in about ten minutes.

After wiping the mouth of the tree-pillow bear and then his own, Aoki nodded slightly and said, "Thank you very much for having a pleasant lunch with me. Now, I'll head back to the Alliance to continue my work..."

As the conversation turned to work, his voice naturally began to fade.

"By the way, if you're going to the Zero Zone Research Institute, let me remind you not to believe everything you see."

Before parting, Aoki gave a meaningful reminder.

Xia Chen was baffled by this sudden riddle. How did Aoki know that he was going to District Zero? And what did he mean by that?

The former is easier to understand. After all, people don't come to Jinhui Town just to eat, right?

The only thing that could attract a Gym Leader was the entrance to Area Zero.

Aoki is a smart man, so it wasn't hard for him to guess this.

What does it mean to tell yourself not to believe it, especially since it refers to the Zero Zone Research Institute, not the Zero Zone itself?

That research institute has all the questions?

…………

"Senior Aoki, I don't quite understand what you mean. Could you explain it more clearly?"

Confused, Xia Chen pleaded with the riddle teller to reveal the answer to his riddle.

Aoki gave a knowing smile and replied, "That's purely my personal speculation. I'm an official member of the league, so I can't say too much, or it might be considered spreading rumors. But I don't think there's any danger. Anyway, good luck, kid..."

After saying that, he turned his back and waved goodbye, his back view, carrying his briefcase, was desolate yet majestic.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Before he even left the Treasure Canteen, he encountered a trainer who had come specifically to challenge him to a gym.

Aoki sighed and was forced to go to work.

Xia Chen didn't have time to watch a dojo challenge match. Such a competition couldn't give him a true sense of the dojo master's skill level, so it was meaningless.

So he left this very unique "dojo" and headed to the Zero Zone Gate.

A faint voice of resentment could be heard from behind.

"You're quite skilled, challenger. I feel like I'm about to lose..."

"Excuse me, is it alright if I use the techniques that people in the real world are good at?"

"Go, Starhawk, use Endurance!"

"..."

Xia Chen chuckled and shook his head.

What an interesting guy.

------

The Zero Zone Gate is located at the easternmost part of Jinhui Town and is a very magnificent steel structure.

As the only official entrance to the mysterious Zone Zero, it is naturally heavily guarded.

Xia Chen was about three kilometers away on his Guleton when he was stopped by a guard dressed as a giant crocodile with a bone pattern.

“Zone 0 gate ahead. No one may enter without an entry permit.”

Xia Chen rolled off Guleton and explained, "I contacted Dr. Orin from the Zero Zone Research Institute yesterday. You can verify that my name is Xia Chen, and this is my trainer certificate."

As he spoke, he handed over his Dojo-level Trainer Certificate.

The guard checked the witnesses and then took out the communicator clipped to his chest to contact the gate.

After about ten minutes of communication and obtaining all the necessary approvals, the guard finally nodded and let them pass.

The journey then went much more smoothly, so Leighton raced all the way and brought Xia Chen to the gate.

After undergoing a rigorous iris scan and other high-tech checks that Xia Chen couldn't understand, a small door next to the main gate opened, and a guard with an expressionless face led him inside.

Xia Chen looked at the enormous iron gate, which was tens of meters long and wide, with a strange expression, pondering its purpose.

Behind the small door was not a smooth road, but a closed space like an elevator.

The screen thoughtfully played an introductory video about Zone Zero and instructions for entering.

Because there is very little information available about Zone Zero online, this was the first time Xia Chen had encountered this content, so he began to watch it intently.

Chapter 361 Listening to Gu Leton tell the story of the past

According to the video, Zone Zero is divided into four layers: upper, middle, lower, and bottom, each with a different ecological environment and inhabiting creatures.

Each floor is like an extremely large cave. Just how large?

It is said that the Paddy Pit covers nearly one-fifth of the continent's area, and you can imagine the four levels of the pit as the four floors of a building—

Its total area is almost equal to that of the entire continent of Padonia!

However, it wasn't actually that large, because each level had a huge hole leading to the lower level, but the dense clouds made it impossible to see the lower level from the upper level.

Obviously, such a low altitude would not be able to form clouds and fog under natural conditions, so the reason for the formation of this cloud layer that covers the lower layer is very suspicious.

However, this is just one of the less conspicuous aspects of the mysterious Zero District.

The space Xia Chen is currently in is the "elevator" that runs through the entire fourth floor of Zone Zero. According to the guard who accompanied him in, he has the authority to enter any floor.

Ask yourself whether you need to explore from top to bottom on your own, or go directly to the bottom floor where the Zero Zone Research Institute is located.

It is obvious that the deeper one goes, the more paradoxical spirits inhabit, and the closer one gets to the truth of this giant pit.

Xia Chen's purpose in this trip is not to explore the truth, but to find Millerton, so the best option is to explore on his own.

But because he had an appointment with Dr. Orin, he thought about it and decided to go to the research institute first.

Anyway, you're just looking from bottom to top, right?

Once the destination is set, the elevator begins to descend.

Perhaps due to the large fluctuations in elevation, the elevator was moving rather slowly. Fortunately, the surrounding area was made of transparent glass, allowing Xia Chen to enjoy the view of the giant pit and pass the time.

The uppermost level is almost identical to the outside world, with mountains, rivers, waterfalls, grasslands, and all sorts of ordinary spirits.

Because it has never been developed by humans, the scenery here is more natural and beautiful than the outside world.

Then comes the middle layer, where the upper river and waterfalls cascade down to form lakes. Because there is much less sunlight than in the upper layer, the vegetation coverage here is not as high, and the tall trees that are common in the upper layer are relatively rare here.

Another noticeable change is that there are visibly more Paradoxical Spirits here. Xia Chen alone saw Roaring Moon and Iron Thorn fighting each other.

Occasionally, you can also see large fluttering moths crawling on the grass.

A few minutes later, the elevator descended to the lower floor, where natural light was almost invisible. The lighting was provided by dazzling gems covering the floor and a type of Padia-specific sprite called the Crystal Flower.

It's worth mentioning that these spirits are very rare in the outside world, only able to inhabit caves or other dark places, but here they bloom all over the mountains and fields.

Perhaps because the scenery was repetitive and monotonous, Xia Chen felt that the elevator moved even slower after it reached the lower floor.

After another three to five minutes, the elevator finally came to a slow stop.

The final stop, the bottom level of Zone Zero.

…………

As the elevator doors opened, a wave of humid air, completely different from that on the ground, rushed into my nostrils, immediately highlighting the unique characteristics of this place compared to the outside world.

It wasn't that the smell was particularly unpleasant, but because the area was filled with the Crystallight Flower, a dual-type Poison Rock Pokémon, Xia Chen subconsciously felt that the air here was poisonous.

The landscape at the bottom level is not much different from that at the bottom level. Without sunlight, there is no vegetation growing, and the ground is covered with unknown luminous gems and crystal flowers.

In addition, there are many puddles of water that appear out of nowhere.

Looking up, you can see a building made primarily of glowing gemstones—Research Institute Zero, which looks incredibly cool.

However, the reason for using this kind of stone to build the research institute is probably not for anything fancy, but because it's convenient to use local materials—who knows how much effort it would take to transport steel and cement to the bottom of Zone Zero.

The guard who accompanied Xia Chen downstairs saw him to the door and then turned and left, taking the elevator back to the top floor.

Xia Chen successfully entered the research institute after unlocking his iris at the main entrance.

The person in charge of reception was a cylindrical robot, and it was unclear whether its core was Rotom or artificial intelligence.

"Welcome to Zone Zero Research Institute, Dr. Xia Chen. Dr. Orin is waiting for you in Lab Nine."

Xia Chen nodded in response and followed behind the robot, taking in the Zero Zone Research Institute, which was known for its mystery.