Pokémon: Trainers Start as Bounty Hunters.

"What, you want to learn how to make fruit balls?"

After greeting Chie, who was reading and studying, the two walked out of the wooden house.

Seeing Tetsuya looking back every few steps, Abi immediately understood what the other was thinking.

"Ah, no, not really." Tetsuya said, a little embarrassed.

Was I making it that obvious?

He reflected on his actions in private.

It seems I haven't been outdoors for too long; I need to control my facial expressions.

"If you really want to learn, just ask that old man directly."

Abi said lazily.

It's clear that he has undergone a tremendous change since leaving the steel industry.

Not only in their demeanor, but also in the way they address each other, there is a clear difference.

"Um, is that okay?"

Tetsuya was quite tempted.

"There's nothing wrong with that. If you have that talent, that old man would be more than happy for you to learn from him."

Abi shrugged.

"But I also have to remind you, given the old man's personality, if you really want to learn, you probably won't have much energy left to focus on being a trainer."

"That's it."

Tetsuya decisively backed down.

In his view, everything he learns is in order to become the most powerful trainer.

If you delay your trainer progress by learning how to make Ball Balls, isn't that putting the cart before the horse?

Of course, the main reason is that making the fruit balls takes too much time.

Studying is fine.

Putting aside his previous life, Zheye has never been afraid of anyone when it comes to studying in this life.

I'm afraid that after learning the technique, I'll find that it still takes two or three hours to make one spherical fruit ball. That would really be a waste of my life.

Hearing Tetsuya say that, Abi breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time felt a little regretful.

He has a really good relationship with steel.

The old steel structure no longer has much energy to expend.

Finding a suitable disciple is Steel's biggest wish right now.

Unfortunately, in this day and age, the craft of making fruit balls by hand is too tedious and unappealing.

There are many trainers like Tetsuya who are interested but unwilling to spend a lot of time on training.

Abi can understand.

After all, he himself thought the same thing.

Otherwise, his goal wouldn't be to become the strongest Bug-type Pokémon Trainer, but rather the best Ball-shaped Poké Ball maker.

On the one hand, he was worried that Tetsuya would give up after learning a little, thus wasting Steel's effort and investment.

On the other hand, it's also a pity that if Tetsuya had a high talent in this area, the possibility of realizing his wish for steel would be reduced.

"Oh no!"

Ah Bi seemed to suddenly remember something and slapped his forehead.

"I'm so sorry, I have to go and discuss some matters with Miss Officer Jenny and the others this afternoon, so I'll take my leave now."

He said to Tetsuya with an apologetic expression.

"It's alright, it's alright, Master Bi, you go ahead and get busy, I'll just browse around by myself."

Tetsuya quickly responded.

I suppose this is why Abi said he was busy this afternoon.

But then again...

He scratched his head as he watched Abi's departing figure.

Could it be that he's discussing something with Officer Jenny because of that Team Rocket member he discovered?

That would be such a coincidence.

And Officer Jenny reacted very quickly.

"Hmm, shall we go take a look at the back mountain then?"

Looking at the map by the roadside, Tetsuya fell into thought.

On the other side...

Ah Bi, carrying an insect net, rushed to the police station's conference room and pushed open the door.

"I'm sorry everyone, I'm late."

He spoke apologetically to the several Officer Jennys who were looking at him.

“Master Abi, you’ve come at the perfect time.”

Officer Jenny certainly wouldn't be upset that the gym leader was a few minutes late.

After all, according to the alliance's system, all Officer Jenny in their police station are under the command of Abi.

"We were just talking about the Team Rocket that appeared in town."

"That's what Officer Jenny said, sitting in the main seat."

"Have you roughly figured out how many people they are, where they are located, and what their purpose is in coming here?"

Abi took a breath, sat down in her designated spot, and asked Officer Jenny a question.

"It's still unclear, but we've found some traces of them, and the second team is following and investigating."

Another Officer Jenny reported.

This is the power of the league's official channels.

It's no exaggeration to say that if the Alliance hadn't been so indifferent to some of these dark organizations, they wouldn't have had any room to survive.

Even the Rockets at their peak in the future will be the same.

The black market, which previously operated in the shadows, is the best example.

The alliance has only refrained from taking action due to various considerations; if it were to act, it would be a matter of minutes.

"Speed ​​up the investigation and find out who was directing them here. It's best if it wasn't one of those guys."

"And recently, it's been a peak period for cases, so I'll have to keep things busy for a while longer."

Ah Bi's attitude was very gentle.

"clear."

The four Officer Jennys in the meeting room, who looked remarkably alike, replied simultaneously.

"By the way, Master Abi, about the reward for the person who reported it..."

The third Officer Jenny looked at her immediate supervisor.

"Hmm...we'll see after this is over."

If it is indeed a major discovery, the discoverer should be generously rewarded.

Abi responded quickly.

This is also how most cases are handled.

Finding a Team Rocket member eating in a restaurant doesn't offer the same reward as finding one destroying the world.

"By the way, who reported it?"

On a whim, Abi asked.

You should know that the members of the Rockets are like "smell of mud from the sewer".

Although the markings on their bodies were indeed unusually obvious, finding them was quite an achievement.

It is said that the first lesson the Rockets teach their players is how to hide their tracks.

"It's Trainer Tetsuya Tamaki from Tokiwa in the Kanto region."

The name Officer Jenny uttered made Abi involuntarily raise her eyebrows.

“Him,” Abi murmured to herself.

"Does Gym Leader Abi also know this genius trainer?"

Miss Officer Jenny asked with a smile.

"Yeah, we just met. I was late because I chatted with him a bit too much on the way here." Abi shook her head. "I even told him I was busy this afternoon, so I figured he was the one who found me the job."

He also found it quite interesting.

Just now, while I was at Steel's place, I received a call from the police station while Steel was out greeting Tetsuya.

Otherwise, he would have had plenty of time to participate in gym battles this afternoon.

"Report."

A Officer Jenny stood at the conference room door and knocked.

"This is Lin, who is in charge of information transmission for the second group."

Ms. Officer Jenny, knowing that Ah Bi couldn't possibly recognize who was who, gave an introduction.

"Tell me, what new discoveries have you made?"

Abi pointed out.

Officer Salle first saluted, then replied in a very fast voice: "We found traces of Team Rocket members near the Slowpoke Well."

Not only that, they seem to have split into two groups; they've also been spotted on the back mountain.

"The Well of Slowpoke?"

Upon hearing this, all five people who were sitting in the conference room stood up.

This is the town of Huipi.

Slowpoke Well is more than just a tourist attraction.

For the people who have lived and grown up here, this place is their spiritual pillar.

In comparison, the charcoal shops in the back mountain seem somewhat insignificant.

"The Rockets are getting bolder and bolder."

A cold glint flashed in Abi's eyes.

He may be cute, but his skills and fame were earned little by little.

The Rockets' actions were undoubtedly a slap in the face to him.

"I'll go and gather the men right away."

Officer Jenny, who was sitting in the main seat, decisively walked out of the conference room.

Abi did not stop her from talking to herself.

He looked at Officer Jenny, who was originally in the conference room.

"Xi, keep the news within a certain range and don't let the residents cause a disturbance that hinders the operation. At the same time, prepare a plan for handling the aftermath."

"Yes."

The fourth Officer Jenny gathered up the paper and pen on the table and quickly walked out.

"The preparatory action team went to the back mountain to conduct a sweeping search to prevent the other side from luring us away from the mountain."

Team Four is responsible for setting up defenses outside the Slowpoke Well to prevent any Slowpokes from escaping.