Elf: Start your slow-paced life after becoming a farmer.

Most Pokémon that have been fed the Secret Seasoning will grow larger, and their movements will cause a huge commotion, making it easier for Carl to spot them.

Getting back to the main point, Carl thought for a moment and then gave the schedule for today.

"What? We're going to be stuck in the scorching desert all day?" Nemo looked at Karl with a puzzled expression.

“No, it’s not going around in circles.” Karl raised an eyebrow and pointed to the Straight Bear, who was “fighting” with breakfast. “We also have the Straight Bear’s help. Its sixth sense for treasures is very accurate. Even if we can’t find the secret seasoning, we can find other good things.”

“Oh! Indeed.” Reminded by Karl, Nemo recalled Straight Bear’s performance last night and had no further objections.

The Straight Bear's "treasure hunting" talent is outstanding; it can always accurately find the most precious treasures in its surroundings.

Shortly after Karl tamed the Straight Bear, it took Karl on a tour of its "treasure trove".

It contains not only evolution stones of various attributes, but also extremely valuable battle items such as Life Orbs and Black Iron Balls.

It can only be said that when it comes to treasure hunting, Straight Bear is the most authoritative figure in Karl's team.

Since the temperature rises extremely quickly in the desert, it is essential for Karl and his companions to get into an air-conditioned off-road vehicle beforehand if they don't want to suffer from heatstroke in the desert.

In the passenger seat of the off-road vehicle, the chubby, purple-skinned boy who had just joined the team yesterday was excitedly looking around at the interior: "Hehehe! (This tin can is so magical!)"

Seeing Gengar's bewildered expression, Carl chuckled and said to the two people sitting in the back seat, "Are you all settled? We're about to set off!"

After receiving a response from the two children, Karl pulled the handbrake, skillfully shifted gears, and accelerated. The off-road vehicle's engine immediately roared, and the vehicle sped across the sand dunes.

……

At noon, Karl drove his off-road vehicle to the vicinity of an abandoned watchtower located in the heart of the scorching desert.

After parking the SUV, Carl led the two little ones and a group of Pokémon toward the watchtower.

Perhaps because this abandoned watchtower was so famous, Carl saw many traces of people who had stayed there after entering the watchtower.

"Master Bear, please prepare today's lunch." Carl released the Martial Arts Urshifu from its Poké Ball, patted it on the shoulder, and said.

"Hoo-hoo. (No problem.)" Martial Arts Master Xiong replied and immediately got to work.

Taking advantage of the short time before lunch, Carl found Gengar, who was planning to explore the abandoned watchtower with Bear.

"Gengar? (What's wrong?)" Gengar looked at Carl with a puzzled expression.

"Gengar, while you're exploring this watchtower, could you please climb to the top and check if any large Pokémon are passing by?"

"Hehehe! (Leave it to me!)" Gengar patted its belly with its little paws, giving it a "you can rest assured and leave it to me" look.

"You mean, you just saw two Pokémon that look similar, both with long noses, but upon closer inspection, they are different, and they are gathering in a certain direction?"

"Hehehe! (That's right!)"

Based on Gengar's description, Carl roughly guessed the identities of these two Pokémon—the Paradoxical Pokémon "Majestic Fang" and "Iron Tracks," modeled after Donphan.

Karl muttered to himself, "Could it be that they just discovered the secret seasoning? Or perhaps..."

In any case, now that the Earthquake Treasure Master's trail has been discovered, Karl naturally won't let this opportunity slip by.

"Pippa, Nemo, let's go right now!" Carl said to the two little ones as he strode towards the outside of the watchtower.

After all three of them got into the off-road vehicle, Carl sent Corviknight into the air to scout out the whereabouts of his Pokémon's starter Pokémon.

Although the Red Desert is a frequent area for sandstorms, Corviknight, which has the Steel attribute, is naturally immune to the effects of sandstorms, which makes it very comfortable in the sky.

Led by Steelraven, Carl, driving the off-road vehicle, soon heard a rumbling sound.

In the boundless desert, two Pokémon, with similar appearances but completely opposite temperaments, faced each other in front of a stone mountain.

"That's... Donphan?" Nemo asked hesitantly, looking at the two Pokémon that were extremely similar to Donphan.

“No.” Piper’s face was so dark it seemed like it could drip water. “They are… ‘Monsters of Sector Zero’!”

Chapter 57 Majestic Teeth: Stop hitting me, stop hitting me, I'll confess everything!

“Monsters from Sector Zero?” Nemo’s voice was filled with undisguised surprise. “Isn’t that just an urban legend? So they really exist?”

“That’s right, the monsters in Sector Zero are real.” Piper said with a deep gaze, “My parents are Pokémon professors who study them.”

The monsters of Zone Zero, or Paradoxical Pokémon, are special Pokémon that appeared in Pokémon Generation IX, "Seven or Purple".

If we further subdivide Paradox Pokémon, we can divide them into "Ancient" and "Future" types. The former only exists in the "Red" version, while the latter only exists in the "Purple" version.

Of course, based on the scene Karl was seeing, it was not difficult to draw a conclusion—the ancient species and the future species coexisted in the Padia Crater in the real world.

The unique thing about Paradox Pokémon is that they are only found in the Padia Crater, cannot reproduce by any means, and have only one form.

In fact, the earliest Paradox Pokémon can be traced back more than two hundred years to the Book of Red and the Book of Purple written by an explorer named Haze.

In the main storyline of the game, the protagonist learns from Orin AI and Futu AI that all the paradoxical Pokémon in Zone Zero were captured from past and future timelines and placed in Zone Zero by them through a time machine.

This leads to a paradox: Orin and Dr. Fortu became fascinated with paradoxical Pokémon because of the Book of Crimson and Purple, which led to their idea of ​​building a time machine.

But if there were no Paradox Pokémon in the Padia Crater before that, how could Haze have written the Book of Crimson and Purple?

Of course, the above "paradox" may just be a "minor mistake" by GF, but in the real world, there must be some unknown connection between them.

If given the chance, Carl might try to uncover the secret behind it, but for Carl at the moment, obtaining the secret seasoning is what he should be focusing on.

Through his sand-proof goggles, Karl observed the two Pokémon facing off not far away.

In the game, due to consuming secret seasonings, most Master Pokémon possess enormous bodies that far exceed those of their counterparts.

Judging from the size of these two Pokémon, they most likely haven't consumed the Secret Seasoning yet.

However, according to Carl's understanding, Future Species are more rational than Ancient Species, and they will not waste energy on battling other Pokémon unless necessary.

In other words, the reason these two Pokémon are confronting each other here may be to fight over ownership of the secret seasoning.

After confirming everything, Carl beckoned to Straight-Up Bear: "Straight-Up Bear, once the battle begins, go find the secret seasoning nearby. I'll have Master Bear protect you."

"What about me and Pipa?" Nemo asked excitedly as she stepped forward.

“Hmm… if you’re more interested in the secret seasoning, you can come with the Straight-Up Bears.” Carl said, glancing at Nemo, who was beaming with excitement, and added, “If you’re more interested in these two, you can choose to stay with me.”

In fact, Carl knew very well that Nemo was clearly more interested in the two paradoxes in front of him than in the secret seasoning, while Pipa was more interested in the secret seasoning.

As Carl expected, Pipa and Nemo chose to go with Straight Bear to find the secret seasoning, while Nemo chose to stay behind.

Just as the three were talking, Xiong Weiya, who was confronting Tie Zheji, suddenly made a fierce move.

In the game, Iron Tracks, with its Steel/Ground type, is more favored by battlers than Majestic Teeth. Its base Speed ​​stat of 106 and Quark Charge ability allow it to have decent attack power even after surpassing the 100 Speed ​​threshold.

On the other hand, Majestic Fang, despite having a base Attack and Defense stat of 131, has a mediocre Speed ​​stat that makes it mostly a defensive Pokémon.

Unfortunately, in the internal battle between these two Pokémon, Majestic Fang's Fighting type is effective against Iron Tracks' Steel type, and Majestic Fang can also learn Close Combat, a powerful Fighting-type move.

Therefore, assuming both sides are of equal strength, Iron Tracks is highly unlikely to defeat Mighty Fang.

And just as Karl had predicted, the moment Majestic Fang set off, brown Fighting-type energy surged from its body, and then it crashed violently into the iron tracks.

Upon seeing that this "brute" who looked somewhat similar to himself was using his full strength from the very first move, Iron Tracks' brain quickly analyzed that its chances of winning the fight were only thirty percent.

Now, a hundred stellar days have passed since it escaped the giant crater, and its energy reserves are almost depleted. If it loses this battle, it will not only consume a large amount of energy, but may also face the risk of disintegration.

After analyzing the pros and cons in his mind, Tie Zheji coldly glanced at Xiongweiya charging towards him, recorded its appearance in the database, and then without hesitation curled up his body and rolled towards the escape route it had planned.

After seeing the cold, iron lump slink away, Xiongweiya snorted coldly, his clear yellow eyes filled with disdain.

In Majestic Teeth's view, a Pokémon that even avoids battle is not worthy of being its opponent.

Just as Majestic Tooth turned around, intending to go somewhere to enjoy its "spoils," it caught a glimpse of a familiar figure in the sand dunes beside it.

The moment he sensed the presence of the winged machine, Xiongweiya immediately became alarmed.

But when the majestic tooth saw that the monstrous Zhenyifa, who had been rampaging through the Padia crater, was actually being held in the arms of a human, it exhaled a puff of hot air from its long nose and looked at Zhenyifa with disdain.

"?"

Zhenyi also noticed the disdain in Xiongweiya's eyes. Although it didn't understand why this chubby guy would look at it like that, it was a little angry, so the consequences were serious.

Before Karl could react, Zhenyi used a stealthy attack and disappeared from Karl's arms.

The next moment, a cute little flapping wing appeared above Majestic Fang's head, and the Shadow Ball was instantly launched, slamming hard into Majestic Fang's body.

"Roar--"

Majestic Fang lay on the ground, letting out a painful roar. Before it could get up and retaliate, Shadow Orbs rained down on it.

Zhenyifa's shots were incredibly precise, each Shadow Ball hitting just the right spot to hurt Xiongweiya, but not enough to knock him unconscious.

Under the relentless onslaught of the Winged One, Majestic Fang began to wail incessantly. Even without Espeon's translation, Carl could tell that Majestic Fang seemed to be begging for mercy from the Winged One.

"Sigh, of all people to mess with, he dared to provoke Zhenyi Fa. Now he's got what he deserves!" Karl said gloatingly.

Chapter 58 Majestic Teeth: I'll just go with him.

After giving Xiongwei a good beating, Zhenyi flew back to Karl's arms, feeling refreshed, and buried her head in Karl's chest.

Carl patted Zhenyi's head reassuringly, then slowly walked up to the majestic tooth and looked it over.

It must be said that there are differences between Paradox Pokémon. Although both Majestic Fang and Iron Tracks are Paradox Pokémon based on Donphan, Majestic Fang is more to Carl's liking in terms of appearance.

However, Carl did not follow his usual practice of treating the wild Pokémon that had been injured by his own Pokémon.

This wasn't because Carl wanted to pry information about the secret seasoning from the majestic teeth, but because of the nature of Paradox Pokémon.

Based on the information available, Paradox Pokémon have a very different mindset from modern Pokémon.

For example, the Iron Track that just confronted Majestic Fang—if any Pokémon of similar strength were in its situation, they wouldn't so wisely choose to leave.

This shows that the minds of future species are closer to those of cold machines, prioritizing efficiency and profit above all else.

The ancient species, represented by Majestic Fang and Winged Hair, have minds closer to wild beasts. In their world, there are only two types of Pokémon: those that can be defeated and those that cannot.

It's worth noting that although Karl's Winged Hair is usually cute and adorable, like a rather peculiarly shaped dreavus, it doesn't exhibit the unique characteristics of an ancient species.

But in reality, Karl knew very well that when he first met his sister, she also had that unique ancient species aura. However, as she stayed by Karl's side for longer and longer, that recklessness gradually subsided.

Therefore, Carl could not be certain whether the magnificent tooth before him possessed the intelligence to communicate with humans.

If not, even if Karl did want to subdue it, he would have to consider the potential dangers that would follow.

Fortunately, my sister Fa was strong enough; she beat Xiongweiya until he lost the ability to move, but she didn't actually knock him unconscious.

Carl took another step forward, now just a step away from the majestic tooth, but his expression remained unchanged.

Because Karl knew that even if Majestic Fang suddenly attacked, the Winged Hair in his arms could knock it unconscious before it could harm him.

"You came from that place, didn't you?" Carl said in a flat tone.

Upon hearing Karl's words, Majestic Tooth's pupils contracted, clearly indicating that it could understand what Karl was saying.

Karl had clearly noticed this detail as well: "You've realized it too, haven't you? You have a more mature mind than those barbaric kin."

"But that's precisely why you won't find any Pokémon you can communicate with in that place."

"That's why you escaped from that place, am I right?"

Majestic Tooth stared intently at Karl. After a while, it nodded laboriously, then shook its head.

Seeing this, Carl raised an eyebrow: "Oh, I see. Did you run into that big red guy?"

Majestic Tooth's eyes widened suddenly, its expression as if to say: How did you know?

Nemo, completely bewildered, couldn't help but ask Carl, "Carl, what did you mean by those words?"

"Well, you can think of it this way: most of the 'monsters' living in Zone Zero don't have the intelligence to communicate with them. Compared to Pokémon, they are more like some kind of uncivilized beasts, or machines."

"So, they're dangerous?" Nemo asked thoughtfully.

“You could say that, otherwise President Yeci wouldn’t have ordered the closure of Zone Zero.” Karl paused. “As for that big red thing, it’s called the Winged King in Hai Zhe’s Book of Zhu.”

"Legend has it that it can crack the earth with its fists, making it a Pokémon a level above Zapdos."

"For more specific information, perhaps we can ask Pipa; he probably knows more about the monsters in the Padia Pit than we do."

After saying that, Carl turned to look at the majestic tooth lying on the ground: "So, big guy, you now have two choices."

Upon hearing Karl's words, Xiongweiya snapped out of his shock, a complex emotion flickering in his clear yellow eyes.

"The first option is to return to the Paddy Pit, to that barbaric place."

Meeting the resistant gaze of the majestic Fang, Karl continued, "The second option is to become my Pokémon, and then you can come with me and see the outside world."

After hearing all the options, Majestic Fang looked conflicted. It really didn't want to go back to the place that made it feel lonely and oppressed, but it also didn't want to give up its freedom and become the Pokémon of the human in front of it.

Carl wasn't in a hurry. After explaining the two options, he quietly held the winged machine and waited.

However, the winged machine in Karl's arms didn't have much patience for the majestic tooth.

In Zhenyifa's opinion, it was a blessing that Majestic Tooth could become Karl's Pokémon, and it dared to hesitate.