Chapter Ninety-Four: This White-Haired One’s Thoughts Are Dangerous

"By the way, you said you were training yourself in Viridian Forest, but I heard the danger level of that place keeps rising. Why are there still poachers?" As they walked, Wataru paused to consider how to explain concisely, then spoke.

"The area of Viridian Forest is constantly expanding, so naturally its danger level rises too. The Rocket Group is behind this, and the leader of the Viridian Gym is just giving back to his hometown."

"There are different kinds of poachers. The stronger ones venture deeper in, while the weaker ones linger around the outskirts. I've run into both, but none have beaten me."

Alright, those idiots were just unlucky to run into Wataru.

Zhuyuehan was curious. "The Gym Leader is Sakaki, right? Doesn't he do anything about it?"

"Of course he does. The number of poachers he's caught could fill two prison camps, but there are still strange individuals who never tire of trying." Wataru was helpless. "As for why there are so many poachers, to be honest, Sakaki is part of the reason."

"If I'm not mistaken, Sakaki is also a bearer of the Viridian Power. The Rocket Group's efforts to expand the forest and protect the environment make sense in that context."

"But to outsiders, the Rocket Group's meteoric rise and Sakaki's strength are all tied to Viridian Forest."

Zhuyuehan paused, then mused, "Let me guess—they believe there's some kind of treasure deep within Viridian Forest, and that Sakaki is just a lucky guy who got a piece of it?"

As for expanding Viridian Forest? That's simple: it's like adding labyrinths and mazes where the treasure is hidden, with the Pokémon living there as the best guardians.

Sakaki, that crafty thief, you actually want to keep all the treasure in Viridian Forest for yourself!

"Exactly." Wataru smiled wryly. "Even though the Rocket Group and the League have explained the real logic behind all this, saying that the so-called treasure rumors are false, whether people believe it or not is up to them. That's the poachers' problem."

"But in a way, it's not so bad. The more desolate prison camps lack manpower, so Sakaki has made a solid contribution to the League's frontier development."

They're all adults; everyone has their own judgment, but whether that judgment is correct is another matter.

Like these poachers who are convinced there's treasure in Viridian Forest—they rack their brains, never realizing that the forest itself is the treasure.

"Now, almost no one believes the old legend that every ten years someone inherits the Viridian Power. The most famous rumor now is Sakaki's Treasure."

Wataru shook his head. "Still, Sakaki's understanding of the Viridian Power is ahead of everyone else's. You could even say he's the Lord of Viridian."

"What do you think of my current strength?" Wataru asked.

Zhuyuehan blinked. "I don't know much about battling, so I can't give you much of a comparison. All I can say is you're not as strong as Elder Li or Professor Oak."

Wataru was momentarily at a loss for words.

"Not many people are, to be fair," he explained. "If I went all out in a full team battle, even though I don't have that many partners yet, I could match some of the younger Elite Four-level trainers."

"But if the battle is in Viridian Forest, with the same power gap, my Dragonite could take on four at once."

Zhuyuehan: ?

"That much of a difference?"

Wataru nodded. "Yes, it's that extreme. The boost Viridian Forest gives people like us is terrifying—that's Sakaki's doing. If I left, I wouldn't get as much external enhancement, but overall, my strength would still jump up a level."

"Once, in a part of Viridian Forest, I ran into a poacher at the Champion level. My Viridian Power had just awakened, and with the double boost, Dragonite finished the battle with a single Dragon Pulse."

There's a misconception here—some people think that if you've reached Champion level, you could make more money battling rather than poaching.

But the truth is, they didn't start out as Champions—they reached that level after years of shady work. Their criminal records could probably fill a paper amusement park. At that point, it's impossible to go straight; they just keep doing what they know until they're old or caught.

Of course, whether "going straight" means being arrested by Officer Jenny or disappearing into obscurity depends on luck.

Zhuyuehan mulled this over, gaining a clearer sense of Wataru's strength.

The red-haired, caped man before him hadn't yet reached the ultimate "Dragon Champion" state. His power had just touched the threshold of the Elite Four, but not for a whole region.

In short, Wataru might manage a mid- to high-ranking position among League investigators or Interpol, but he's still a step away from becoming an Elite Four member.

However, once he has six partners and his team is fully developed around natural weather strategies, that threshold will be meaningless for him.

"By the way, aren't we forgetting something?"

Wataru suddenly said, "We've talked so much, but we haven't said a word about the potion you developed."

"I did mention it," Zhuyuehan smiled. "I already told you Magikarp is a compressed file. I'm not great at naming things, so I plan to call the potion 'Leap the Dragon Gate.' It's related to Magikarp's habits."

"Jumping upwards might be their own decompression program, just not a very effective one—it's too difficult."

No matter what causes the compression, trying to decompress on their own is fighting against the laws of nature—a daunting task.

Leap the Dragon Gate: from weak to strong, Magikarp will master their rage and become dragons who can bring calamity to their enemies.

[Medicine successfully named: Leap the Dragon Gate]

"It's a shame, though—the potion is perfect except for one thing: the cost can't come down."

That's the only part Zhuyuehan regretted. While ordinary trainers could afford it, it's not something you could buy cheaply.

Wataru was puzzled. "Why would you need so much?"

For someone with a family, like him, raising a whole army of Gyarados as family guards is just a matter of investment. But Zhuyuehan had no family, not even relatives in the true sense. What would he do with so much potion?

Zhuyuehan stroked his chin. "Nothing in particular. When I was researching the potion, I had a thought."

"If the cost allowed, I'd find a place like a river mouth, where water flows everywhere, and pour in truckloads of potion to artificially nurture even stronger Magikarp and Gyarados."

"If the potion acts as a human-made law of nature, like a greenhouse, it should have positive effects on most Magikarp."

As everyone knows, the relationship between anglers and fish is a straightforward exchange—feed and sacrifice.

Bags of bait are tossed in to attract fish, and the only price is for the whole school to 'sacrifice' a few members.

From the point of view of species survival, it's truly 'give myself to save the many.'

"A world like that would be more interesting. Unfortunately, the cost is too high—my savings can't support it."

Wataru's mouth twitched uncontrollably.

"My advice is not to do it. Making Magikarp stronger is one thing, but mastering Rage is another."

The logic here isn't that getting stronger automatically lets them master Rage. It's not a passive skill that unlocks at a certain level—it's an advanced technique that takes real honing to grasp.

It's as difficult as mastering a complex combo move, and it would massively power up Gyarados. Wataru spoke earnestly, feeling more exhausted than when talking to his clanmates who always wanted to challenge him.

"Trust me, if you actually did that, before long we'd be speaking through a glass wall, with 'Reform and Start Anew' written above. I'd be on the outside—you'd be inside."

Joking aside, the potion's effects aren't limited to Magikarp. If you gave it to already lawless Gyarados, who knows what would happen.

There's nothing wrong with wild Pokémon thriving—nature in the Pokémon world is strong enough to support even non-native species. But that doesn't mean having a horde of powerful, wild Gyarados would be harmless.

If you just scattered some potion while traveling, that's like forming a bond of friendship—you never know where you might meet that Magikarp or Gyarados again.

Maybe one night, as you pass by a body of water, a Magikarp or Gyarados will break the surface in the moonlight to meet you again.

But what Zhuyuehan described was 'truckloads' of potion. That's different.

That's called poisoning.

You'd definitely be picked up by Officer Jenny for that. And if the potion really spread through the waterways to other regions, Interpol would get involved.

"You're right," Zhuyuehan said seriously. "But what if I did it secretly? For example, I could put a lot of potion in my space backpack, travel around in a camper van, and add small amounts in different places."

"With the dilution from water, it shouldn't cause much trouble. And as a student traveling during the holidays to relieve study stress, who's going to question me?"

Wataru: ...

Does the clan have anyone in the League's investigator division? When he got back, he definitely needed to tell them to keep an eye on this white-haired lunatic.

No, if the family wanted to groom him, Wataru would absolutely apply for a post in the investigator division!

This guy's ideas were dangerous!