Chapter Forty-Four: Journey to the Pokémon Outpost

Cheng Cheng did not linger long in Moba Town. After finalizing the contract to purchase Pokémon, he departed. Passing through Ancient City Town, he returned to Orange Blossom City. Upon arrival, Cheng Cheng didn’t immediately board a plane to leave; instead, he decided to pay another visit to Mr. Qianli, to thank him once more for his help. After all, the excellent channel Cheng Cheng had acquired was largely thanks to Mr. Qianli’s recommendation.

Cheng Cheng arrived again at the Orange Blossom City Gym, and as he entered, he saw Mr. Qianli training a Slakoth. Cheng Cheng knew that Mr. Qianli’s ace Pokémon was a Slaking, and most of the Pokémon he owned belonged to the Slakoth line.

Cheng Cheng refrained from disturbing Mr. Qianli’s training, hoping to glean something from his methods. Mr. Qianli was instructing Slakoth in the use of the powerful move “Slash.” It was a high-damage skill—Cheng Cheng’s Mr. Mime had previously suffered greatly from its impact.

A wooden post stood before Slakoth, and Mr. Qianli directed it to repeatedly use Slash against it. From the system’s database, Cheng Cheng had learned that Pokémon usually didn’t master Slash until they evolved into Vigoroth. He hadn’t expected Mr. Qianli to teach it so soon.

This particular Slakoth was of high quality, reaching the green grade. Becoming a Gym Leader certainly came with abundant resources, and Cheng Cheng felt a growing desire to become a Gym Leader himself.

Half an hour later, the wooden post was split apart by Slakoth, proving that Mr. Qianli’s training methods were indeed formidable. His Pokémon had mastered the move ahead of time, and it was no wonder he was hailed as a candidate for the next Elite Four.

“Cheng Cheng, you’re here.”

“Uncle Qianli.”

Mr. Qianli had noticed Cheng Cheng long before and had subtly revealed some training techniques to him.

“How did it go?” asked Mr. Qianli.

“It’s thanks to you, Uncle Qianli. Professor Otamaki has resolved my problem, and now the Pokémon supply for the nursery is secured.”

“That’s good. Are you heading back now?”

“Yes, I plan to return to Verdanturf City this afternoon.”

“In that case, stay for lunch!”

“Thank you, Uncle Qianli.”

“No need to thank me. May and Max will be delighted to know you’re staying for lunch. They’re in their room; go play with them!”

“All right, Uncle Qianli.”

Following Mr. Qianli’s directions, Cheng Cheng arrived outside a room.

Knock, knock.

“Come in.”

Cheng Cheng opened the door and saw May and Max watching a television program.

“Cheng Cheng, you’re here! How did things go?”

“It went well, thanks to Uncle Qianli. Everything is settled.”

“That’s great! Come watch this TV show—it’s Professor Oak’s special lecture on Bulbasaur.”

Cheng Cheng glanced at the television; indeed, it featured Professor Oak, the most renowned Pokémon scholar in Kanto and perhaps the entire Pokémon world. Cheng Cheng sat down to listen to the lecture. Though Bulbasaur wasn’t a Psychic-type, he still found much to learn in Professor Oak’s talk.

“What will you do next?” May asked.

“After I return to Verdanturf City, I’ll focus on expanding my nursery, making it thrive. Afterward, I’ll continue studying Pokémon breeding, striving to become a top Pokémon breeding master as soon as possible. How about you?”

“I’m heading to the Johto region to participate in the Pokémon Contest. I’ve decided to leave tomorrow.”

“I see. Well, good luck! I hope you win the Contest.”

“Of course!”

That afternoon, Cheng Cheng boarded a plane back to Verdanturf City.

The first thing he did upon returning to the nursery was to check on the renovation of his backyard. Now, it was more accurate to call it Cheng Cheng’s ecological garden, as it was nearly completed. The entire area was divided into several sections, each with its own features. Cheng Cheng believed most Pokémon would adapt well.

He released all his Pokémon, and upon seeing their new environment, they became excited and eagerly explored their new home together.

Returning to the nursery, Cheng Cheng gathered some tools and, with Aid, planted all the berry seeds he had acquired in designated areas. He purchased berry rapid-growth potions from the system store and waited for the berries to mature.

He then went up to the second floor and submitted Task Two.

“Ding. Congratulations, host, for completing Task Two.”

“Congratulations, host, you have earned one entry pass to the Psychic-type Pokémon Habitat, valid for one day.”

“System, what does this entry pass mean?”

“It’s just what it says, host. Honestly, you’re not very clever if you can’t figure this out.”

“Can’t you explain a bit more?”

“To help you acquire more Psychic-type Pokémon, you can use the entry pass to be directly teleported by the system to the Psychic-type Pokémon Habitat. There are many Psychic-type Pokémon there.

Of course, the destination is random, so even the system doesn’t know exactly where you’ll be sent, but there will be plenty of Psychic-type Pokémon. During this time, you can capture as many as you wish. When time’s up, you’ll be automatically teleported back.”

After the system’s explanation, Cheng Cheng understood—he needed to prepare thoroughly before setting out.

He had few Poké Balls left, so he needed to buy more. Since the time allotted was one day, he would need food and medicine, and some tools for self-protection, just in case the system sent him straight into the lair of a powerful Pokémon clan.

After a day of preparation, Cheng Cheng set off with Chimecho, Mr. Mime, Lunatone, Kirlia, and Slowpoke.

“System, use the entry pass to the Psychic-type Pokémon Habitat.”

“Ding. Host is activating the entry pass. Teleporting now. Sealing host’s senses.”

Soon, Cheng Cheng felt nothing at all—a rather unpleasant sensation. After a while, he heard the system prompt; his senses returned, and he found himself in a forest. It was not much different from an ordinary forest, but it was quieter than Verdanturf’s woods, with no sound at all. The silence warned Cheng Cheng of lurking danger—perhaps powerful Psychic-type Pokémon were nearby.

He took out his communicator, but found no signal. He couldn’t determine his location or direction, so he picked a path and began to move forward.

Cheng Cheng released Chimecho to be ready for emergencies and advanced carefully through the forest. All around was silence; he saw no Pokémon. He walked for half an hour without spotting a single Pokémon, which struck him as odd. Even if there were powerful Psychic-types, there should not be none at all.

Suddenly, Cheng Cheng sensed a disturbance—psychic energy?

He quickly released his own psychic power to probe the surroundings and discovered many psychic fluctuations. He understood then: these Pokémon were hiding from him, and he’d need to use his own psychic abilities to find them.

Using his psychic power, Cheng Cheng searched for their locations and soon locked onto a Pokémon, advancing quickly. He soon saw it—a Kadabra.

“Go, Chimecho, use Psywave!”

Before the attack could reach it, Kadabra vanished—Teleport, how troublesome.

Cheng Cheng used his psychic abilities to locate Pokémon again, and tracked down the same one, only for it to escape with Teleport once more. Psychic-type Pokémon were indeed difficult to capture; with Teleport, it was nearly impossible.

Cheng Cheng realized that relying solely on Chimecho’s power was not enough, so he released Lunatone as well.

Soon, using his psychic abilities, Cheng Cheng found another Pokémon—a Kirlia.

“Lunatone, use Psychic!”

Kirlia tried to flee, but Lunatone’s Psychic move held it fast.

“Chimecho, use Yawn!”

Chimecho’s Yawn hit Kirlia, causing it to grow drowsy.

“Lunatone, keep it restrained with Psychic.”

With Lunatone and Chimecho working together, Kirlia had no chance to escape.

“Go, Poké Ball!”

Cheng Cheng threw a Poké Ball and successfully caught Kirlia.

Afterward, he used the same method: Lunatone or Chimecho would use Psychic to restrain the target, then another move to incapacitate it, followed by capturing it with a Poké Ball. Time quickly passed, and night fell.

As darkness settled in, Cheng Cheng’s harvest was impressive—he had caught eighteen Psychic-type Pokémon.

He observed that these Psychic-types were rarely social and seemed not very aggressive, so he felt safe enough to light a fire and cook some food for himself.

Suddenly, Cheng Cheng sensed a powerful wave of psychic energy. He focused on it and saw that this psychic force was rapidly approaching him. He alerted Chimecho and Lunatone to prepare for battle; the newcomer might not be friendly.

This Pokémon radiated immense pressure, clearly a formidable opponent. Cheng Cheng braced himself, ready to respond to any attack.