Chapter 84: Magikarp Kid, I See You Have a Connection With Me
"Young Man, what's your Name?"
Mr. Blaine was a very kind old man. With a benevolent smile on his face, he asked for Bai Feng's Name.
"My Name is Bai Feng, Mr. Blaine."
Mr. Blaine nodded and said, "Hmm~ a good Name."
At this moment, Grandpa Fu said, "Alright, do you have to make us stand at the Doorway to talk?"
Mr. Blaine glared at Grandpa Fu, then while fully opening the Door, he smiled at Bai Feng and said, "Come in quickly, come in."
Just like that, Bai Feng and Grandpa Fu were led by Mr. Blaine into the House Door.
The furnishings in Mr. Blaine's residence were very simple. Apart from some necessary Daily Necessities, there was almost no special decoration to be seen, except for some large and small Photos hanging on the wall.
All the Photos were group pictures of Mr. Blaine and various Water-type Pokémon. It was clear that he really liked Water-type Pokémon.
Suddenly, Bai Feng saw the figure of another person in a few Photos. It was a little boy about the same age as him...
Just then, Grandpa Fu, who had already sat down on the Sofa in a relaxed manner, asked, "Where's Zhi Mi? Not at Home?"
Mr. Blaine replied, "He went out Fishing. He should be back soon."
Grandpa Fu nodded, then looked at Bai Feng and said, "Zhi Mi is this guy's grandson. He's about the same age as you. You two should get along."
Zhi Mi... this Name...
Before Bai Feng could think further, he heard Mr. Blaine say again, "Zhi Mi should be back soon. I'll introduce him to you."
Bai Feng nodded and was about to speak when he suddenly heard the sound of the Door opening behind him. He couldn't help but turn around to look.
A string of Wind Chimes hung in front of Mr. Blaine's House Door. When the Door opened, it made a crisp jingling sound. As the bells rang, a slender Young Man walked in through the Door.
The Young Man was about the same height as Bai Feng, had short, light golden Hair, and looked very Similar to Mr. Blaine. He was the same Young Man Bai Feng had just seen in the Photo.
Needless to say, he should be Mr. Blaine's grandson, Zhi Mi.
But Zhi Mi... this seemed to be the Name of one of the future Elite Four of the Kalos Region. Bai Feng couldn't tell if they were the same person based on appearance, because this Zhi Mi was still just a young Young Man at this time.
But the characteristics matched: his grandfather was a Water-type Pokémon Trainer and he had golden Hair.
"Grandpa, I'm back!"
The Young Man said as soon as he entered the Door. He then saw Bai Feng standing in the Living Room. He was startled for a moment and stopped his Footstep. After realizing there was a guest, he politely said to Bai Feng, "Hello."
"Hello," Bai Feng replied.
"Zhi Mi, you're back!" Grandpa Fu said happily.
"Grandpa Fu, you're here!"
Only then did Zhi Mi see Grandpa Fu sitting on the Sofa. His tone was familiar, clearly indicating he was very familiar with Grandpa Fu.
Behind Zhi Mi followed a Wartortle. It was carrying an Iron Bucket in its hand and followed obediently behind Zhi Mi, looking at Bai Feng with curious Foresight.
Mr. Blaine looked at the empty Water bucket in the Wartortle's hand and asked, "Still no catch?"
Zhi Mi nodded and said, "No."
Mr. Blaine turned his head and explained to Bai Feng, "Zhi Mi wants to catch a Clawitzer, but he's been to the Seaside several times in a row and hasn't had any luck."
Bai Feng nodded, then heard Mr. Blaine introduce him to Zhi Mi, saying, "This is Bai Feng, Grandpa Fu's Younger Generation. Get along well."
Zhi Mi nodded, smiled slightly at Bai Feng, then looked at Grandpa Fu and said, "Since Grandpa Fu is here, stay for lunch. I'll start the Preparation now."
Grandpa Fu clapped his hands and said, "Okay, I was waiting for you to say that."
Mr. Blaine glared at him angrily and said, "Did you deliberately choose this Time to come?"
Bai Feng found this strange and didn't quite understand what Mr. Blaine meant, but he fully understood when they had lunch.
Zhi Mi finished tidying up his Stuff and was about to go into the Kitchen. Seeing this, Bai Feng said, "I'll go help too!"
Mr. Blaine quickly waved his hand and said, "I'll go, there's no Reason for a guest to help."
Grandpa Fu quickly stopped him and said, "Alright, let Bai Feng go. You come over and chat with me, I have something to tell you."
Hearing this, Mr. Blaine had no choice but to stop preventing it. He found an Apron for Bai Feng. Judging by the size, it should be Zhi Mi's.
The Apron was sky blue, and it was printed with little white Flowers. It was quite... cute...
When Bai Feng walked into the Kitchen, Zhi Mi was already getting Busy. His movements were skilled and neat; it was clear he often worked in the Kitchen.
What a good kid! Bai Feng exclaimed.
Zhi Mi was also wearing an Apron. It seemed to be the same style as Bai Feng's, even the little white Flowers printed on it were identical, but his Apron was gray.
"Sorry to trouble you," Zhi Mi said to Bai Feng.
The two had just met and neither was good at socializing, so it was inevitably a bit awkward interacting. They didn't know what to talk about and just focused on working, barely speaking throughout.
Bai Feng's cooking skills were average, so he could only assist Zhi Mi, doing things like washing Dishes and getting Stuff.
As Time passed, a richer and richer Fragrance wafted from the Kitchen. Only then did Bai Feng realize how amazing Zhi Mi's cooking Craftsmanship was!
At the same time, he was also somewhat Sure that this must be one of the future Elite Four of the Kalos Region.
Because that Zhi Mi, besides being one of the Elite Four, was also a very famous Chef!
Soon, dish after dish of colorful, fragrant, and delicious Dishes were brought to the table by Zhi Mi and Bai Feng. Seeing this, Grandpa Fu immediately sat down by the table impatiently and started eating, completely not treating himself as a guest.
"Zhi Mi's Craftsmanship is still the best!" Grandpa Fu said with a satisfied look.
Mr. Blaine glared at Grandpa Fu as usual, then greeted Bai Feng, "Sit down, everyone sit down and eat."
Bai Feng nodded obediently, then sat down next to Grandpa Fu.
The table full of Dishes was all very tempting. For a moment, Bai Feng didn't know where to start.
Seeing that Bai Feng wasn't moving, Grandpa Fu pushed a plate of Slowpoke Tail Sashimi in front of him and said, "Try this, this is Zhi Mi's specialty Dish!"
Bai Feng knew that Slowpoke Tails could be eaten. The Slowpoke Tails sold in the Market were all specially raised by Others in Farms, but he had never eaten them before.
Because there are almost no nerves in a Slowpoke's Tail, they don't feel pain even if it breaks, which is Similar to how humans feel when cutting their Hair. Also, because they are particularly delicious, there are specialized Farms that raise Slowpoke and then sell Slowpoke Tails as Food Material.
However, the qualifications for operating such a Farm that raises Pokémon Food Material are very strictly reviewed. The League even has strict regulations on the frequency with which you can cut a Slowpoke's Tail, the Slowpoke's living Environment, the Slowpoke's psychological state, and so on. It's not like you can do whatever you want.
Therefore, the Quantity of such Farms is very small, which also leads to the selling Price of Slowpoke Tails being prohibitive.
It's not just Slowpoke Tails; there are also Petilil's roots, Tropius's Bananas, Gloom's saliva, Steenee's Fruit Flesh, and so on. If you want to raise these Pokémon Food items on a large scale, you must undergo strict control by the League.
The Slowpoke Tail in front of Bai Feng had been cut into Meat Slices of uniform thickness. The Meat was transparent and bright, looking very delicious.
He gently picked up a piece with a fork and put it in his mouth. An unprecedented freshness exploded in Bai Feng's Oral Cavity. It was fragrant, tender, soft, and smooth, without a hint of fishiness. After swallowing, a special Fragrance Similar to a Plant even lingered in his Oral Cavity.
For a moment, Bai Feng couldn't find the words to praise such Cuisine.
At this point, he finally understood why Grandpa Fu had specifically waited until noon to come over. This meal was worth it!
Zhi Mi was clearly only this young, yet his cooking Craftsmanship was already divine, simply astonishing.
Both Grandpa Fu and Bai Feng ate with exceptional satisfaction during this meal.
After finishing lunch, Bai Feng finally remembered the Reason he came today, so he quickly looked at Grandpa Fu.
Grandpa Fu was chatting with Mr. Blaine. After noticing Bai Feng's gaze, he simply signaled him with his eyes to stay calm.
Seeing this, Bai Feng could only follow Grandpa Fu's arrangement.
Grandpa Fu looked at Zhi Mi and asked, "Zhi Mi, are you still going to catch Clawitzer this afternoon?"
Zhi Mi replied, "That's the plan."
Hearing this, Grandpa Fu suggested, "How about letting Bai Feng go with you? I happen to have something to discuss with your grandpa. With the two of you together, the probability of catching a Clawitzer might be higher."
Hearing this, Zhi Mi looked at Bai Feng. Seeing Bai Feng nod in agreement, he said, "Okay, then let's go together."
So, after resting at Home for a while, Bai Feng and Zhi Mi each carried a Fishing Rod and set off. Because Zhi Mi and his grandpa often went Fishing at the Seaside, they had many spare Fishing Rods at Home.
Zhi Mi was very familiar with the area and quickly led Bai Feng to a suitable Fishing Location.
The Coast here was covered with huge Reefs. According to Zhi Mi, this Environment made it easier for Clawitzer to hide.
Before casting the Bait, Zhi Mi released his Wartortle again.
"When we catch a Pokémon, we can have the Pokémon by our side defeat it, and then we can catch it," Zhi Mi explained.
Then he seemed to think of something and said to Bai Feng again, "Are you a Trainer? If not, I can lend you a Pokémon."
Bai Feng waved his hand and said, "No need, I have one." After saying that, he released his Brionne.
"Si Lai!!!"
The Brionne was very happy to see the Sea. As soon as it came out, it started shouting towards the Sea.
Seeing this, Bai Feng instructed it, "We're going to fish soon, so be quiet, otherwise you'll scare away the Pokémon in the Water, and we won't catch anything."
Hearing this, the Brionne quickly covered its mouth, indicating that it would definitely stay quiet.
Seeing Bai Feng's Brionne, Zhi Mi said with a bit of surprise, "You have a Water-type Pokémon too!"
"Yes, this is a Brionne."
Bai Feng nodded in reply, then introduced Zhi Mi and Wartortle to Brionne. The two Water-type Pokémon even waved at each other.
After all the Preparation was ready, the two began Fishing officially.
Time passed minute by minute. Soon, there was movement on Zhi Mi's hook. Zhi Mi wasn't in a hurry to reel in the rod. Instead, he waited for the Pokémon underwater to struggle for a while before starting to pull up the Fishing Rod.
Soon, the Pokémon underwater revealed its true form. It was an unremarkable Remoraid.
Seeing this, Zhi Mi was a bit disappointed. He didn't even continue his actions and finally let the Remoraid struggle and fall back into the Sea.
Zhi Mi's Fishing skill was indeed impressive. After letting the Remoraid go, he successively caught various Pokémon like Magikarp, Goldeen, Qwilfish, Corsola, and so on, not long after.
In contrast, Bai Feng didn't catch anything.
It was utterly miserable.
However, all the Pokémon Zhi Mi caught were released. His target was Clawitzer, and catching other Pokémon was useless.
Bai Feng didn't actually have any Pokémon he wanted to catch either. He mainly wanted to help Zhi Mi catch a Clawitzer.
Time passed minute by minute. Zhi Mi still had catches from time to time. Although they were all released in the end, it could actually be considered a fruitful harvest.
Bai Feng, however, only caught some dead branches and rotten leaves, which made him feel a bit awkward.
Zhi Mi had clearly already given him Fishing tips, but why were no Pokémon taking the Bait? Was he really that bad? Bai Feng couldn't help but think.
Suddenly, he thought of an idea.
Bai Feng took out his Space Backpack, then took out some Berries from inside. He then used a small knife to chop the Berries and finally threw the finely chopped Fruit Flesh near his Bait.
Zhi Mi looked at Bai Feng in surprise but didn't say much. He sometimes used this Method too, but what he used wasn't Berries, but specially prepared Pokémon Food that Water-type Pokémon liked.
Would Berries really work? Zhi Mi was skeptical.
Facts proved that Berries were indeed useful. To be precise, the Berries Bai Feng brought were useful.
It wasn't long before there was movement on his hook.
Bai Feng was just a Fishing novice. He quickly imitated Zhi Mi's previous actions and soon pulled a Pokémon out of the Water.
He saw that the Pokémon was entirely fiery red, with a pair of golden fins and large, round eyes. It was the most common Pokémon in the Sea—Magikarp!
"Gugugu~"
Hanging on the other end of the Fishing Rod, the Magikarp twisted its Body non-stop in the air, leaving Bai Feng stunned.
He swung the Magikarp back into the Sea. Bai Feng continued Fishing. Since the first Pokémon had taken the Bait, there would Sure be a second, a third, and so on, Bai Feng thought to himself.
Indeed, a second Pokémon quickly took the Bait. Bai Feng was very happy, but when he pulled the Pokémon out of the Water, he was dumbfounded.
It was still a Magikarp...
Then came the third, fourth, and fifth. They were all Magikarp.
Bai Feng wondered, could it be that the combination of Fruit Flesh he casually threw in was very popular with Magikarp?
So he changed to a few different Berries, chopped them up again, and threw them into the Water.
Facts proved that it wasn't because of the Berries, because after a while, the one that took the Bait again was still a Magikarp!
(End of this chapter)