Chapter 11: Bai Feng's Starter Pokémon
This was Bai Feng's first time visiting Captain Sanders' Research Institute. As soon as he arrived at the entrance, he saw Mr. Mogu muttering to himself. He was holding something in his hand and pacing back and forth by the door, looking very troubled.
"Mr. Mogu!" Bai Feng called out to him.
Mr. Mogu suddenly looked up and saw Bai Feng standing not far away, carrying a basket. He said in surprise, "Bai Feng, what brings you here? It's been a long time! How have you been recently?"
"It has been a long time. I brought the children to the West District to play today, and I also wanted to come see you," Bai Feng said, walking quickly towards Mr. Mogu. "These are some Berries I grew, specially brought for you to try. Oh, is Captain Sanders in?"
"Thank you," Mr. Mogu glanced at the basket in Bai Feng's hand, then said troubledly, "Sanders is in... but right now he..."
Seeing Mr. Mogu hesitate, Bai Feng asked confusedly, "Did something happen? Do you need my help?"
So Mr. Mogu explained, "We don't need help, but here's what happened..."
It turned out that Captain Sanders had a daughter, about the same age as Bai Feng. Today was her tenth birthday, and also the day she was about to set off on her journey. However, the Starter Pokémon Captain Sanders had chosen for her had a problem.
That Pokémon looked cute, had a gentle nature, and was very rare. Everything about it seemed good, except that it couldn't use any Moves no matter what.
Captain Sanders' daughter had received that Pokémon several days ago. At first, they got along very well. Captain Sanders' daughter even actively took the Pokémon for Special Training every day, and the Pokémon was very cooperative.
However, after a few days, the little girl discovered something was wrong. No matter how hard she tried to teach it, the Pokémon just couldn't use a single Move.
The little girl's burning enthusiasm was instantly extinguished. Her Starter Pokémon was actually defective! So she started throwing tantrums at Captain Sanders and also had conflicts with her Starter Pokémon.
At first, the little girl and the Starter Pokémon only had minor verbal friction, but as the departure date drew closer, their conflicts began to escalate.
Finally, today, their conflict completely erupted.
The little girl demanded that her father give her a different Starter Pokémon, while that Pokémon refused to listen to the little girl's commands at all anymore.
Captain Sanders naturally didn't want to casually swap out his daughter's Starter Pokémon. It wouldn't be good for either his daughter or that Pokémon, so he refused his daughter.
To find out why that Pokémon couldn't use Moves, Captain Sanders specifically took it to a Pokémon Center and asked Nurse Joy for help with an examination. However, the result was that the Pokémon had a Congenital Defect.
Logically, a Pokémon arranged to be given to a new Trainer as a Starter Pokémon shouldn't have problems. But this Pokémon's defect was special; it wasn't a physical developmental defect, but a problem with its Energy Circuit.
The Energy Circuit is the most important and complex part inside a Pokémon's body. Once it has a problem, it's not easy to solve, and Nurse Joy was also helpless about it.
This kind of problem can only be detected by a Professional Pokémon Doctor. Most members of the Breeding Center that breed Starter Pokémon are Breeders, so they naturally couldn't discover it.
This problem was difficult to solve, so Captain Sanders didn't know how to explain it to his daughter when he got home, and even less how to communicate with that Pokémon.
Giving up on a Pokémon would definitely be cruel to that Pokémon, especially since it was just a young one. But he also didn't want his daughter to face setbacks right at the beginning of her journey as a Trainer.
Captain Sanders didn't know how to communicate with that Pokémon, but his daughter was young and acted without as many reservations. She directly announced to that Pokémon that she would be getting a different Starter Pokémon.
Not only did she say it, she also did it. By the time Captain Sanders found out, it was already too late.
Captain Sanders' daughter had asked a friend beforehand to catch a Pokémon for her in the Wilds, and that Pokémon happened to be delivered today.
Although this new Pokémon was not as rare as the original one, it could smoothly use various Moves, and its Talent seemed very good. Captain Sanders' daughter was very satisfied with it and brought it directly home.
But her actions angered her original Pokémon. That Pokémon severely beat the little girl up, then angrily ran away from home.
Captain Sanders was now frantically searching everywhere outside for that Pokémon.
As the two were talking, they saw Captain Sanders returning in a hurry from outside. Mr. Mogu quickly went up to him and asked, "Did you find it?"
"Sigh~" Captain Sanders gently shook his head, then let out a deep sigh.
At this moment, Bai Feng stepped forward and asked, "Captain Sanders, do you need my help to look for it?"
"Bai Feng, you know about it too?" Sanders was a bit surprised to see Bai Feng. "But it's okay, I'll look for it myself slowly. It's rare for you to come here; you must have something to do, right? Go ahead and be busy."
That Pokémon had been gone for quite some time now, and he didn't know where it had run off to. Sanders naturally didn't want to trouble others for help.
'I should go to the Pokémon Center and post a mission to find Popplio,' Captain Sanders thought to himself. Otherwise, it would be too difficult for him to find Popplio on his own; Biyi City is so big.
Every family has its own troubles! Looking at Captain Sanders' weary appearance, Bai Feng felt a little emotional. After handing the basket in his hand to Captain Sanders, he said goodbye and left.
After leaving the Research Institute, Bai Feng happily took the children to play everywhere.
They first went to the Aquarium, where they saw many Water-Type Pokémon. Besides those common in the Kalos Region like Barbaracle, Skrelp, Clauncher, etc., there were also many rare species introduced from other regions, such as the cute and battle-loving Piplup, the glowing and dancing Finneon, the swimming expert Buizel, and so on.
These Pokémon would also perform shows, always making the guests burst into laughter. At this time, guests would feed them the Pokémon Food specifically purchased at the Aquarium.
These Pokémon had been trained beforehand; they wouldn't eat Food you brought from outside. Who knows if the Food you brought is safe or if they'll get sick after eating it?
The children were visiting for the first time and were extremely excited, almost exploring the entire Aquarium.
Next, they went to see the currently popular children's movie. It was a film about the friendship between humans and Pokémon, very touching. Several children cried profusely in the Movie Theater.
Only the well-behaved Limo didn't understand anything and slept soundly nestled in Bai Feng's arms. After leaving the Movie Theater, she became full of energy again, looking here and there, her eyes darting around, almost too busy to keep up.
For lunch, Bai Feng found a Restaurant that wasn't very expensive but was famous in Biyi City and treated everyone to a good meal.
In Xiao You's words, "This is the best meal I've ever eaten!" Anyway, as long as he was happy, everything would become the best.
After lunch, Bai Feng and the others went to Biyi City's largest and most famous Amusement Park. This place was very popular with children and could be said to be one of the liveliest spots in Biyi City.
There were endless entertainment activities inside, and the children were simply dazzled. It was a pity they had limited time and could only pick some of the more famous ones to play.
There were some rides Limo couldn't go on. At these times, Caicaizi always wanted to stay and take care of Limo, but Bai Feng proactively took on this task.
Compared to the few children who were more focused on playing, he wasn't that interested in the Amusement Park. Playing was fine, but not playing wasn't a big deal either.
Limo was usually taken care of by Caicaizi for most of the time. Now that they were finally out playing, Bai Feng hoped Caicaizi could have fun and enjoy herself to the fullest.
Every time Limo saw her older brothers and sisters shouting with excitement while playing, she would follow along, giggling non-stop below, seemingly even happier than if she were playing herself. Sometimes she would wave her arms and legs around, and Bai Feng almost couldn't hold her.
Whenever Bai Feng couldn't accompany the children to play, he would instruct Bai Ye to pay extra attention to the children to ensure their safety.
After leaving the Amusement Park, Bai Feng and the others saw that it was getting late, so they planned to go home. Unexpectedly, they met Officer Jenny on the way to the Station.
Officer Jenny wasn't alone; she was accompanied by several police officers. Each of them was escorting one or two criminals, looking like they were heading back to the Police Station.
Seeing that Officer Jenny was busy, Bai Feng originally didn't intend to disturb her. Unexpectedly, the sharp-eyed Officer Jenny spotted him in the crowd at a glance.
Officer Jenny handed the criminal in her hand to her subordinate, letting the subordinate escort him into the police car, then walked towards Bai Feng herself.
"Bai Feng, what are you doing here? Are you here for something?"
Bai Feng pointed to the children beside him and said, "Brought them here to play."
Officer Jenny suddenly understood and smiled, praising Bai Feng, "You're becoming more and more like a big brother now." She felt very pleased about this.
Bai Feng told Officer Jenny that he had gone to the Police Station to look for her and that he could now make Money by planting Berries. Officer Jenny expressed her gratitude for Bai Feng's gift and wished Bai Feng's Berry business prosperity.
After that, they said goodbye to each other.
Before parting, Officer Jenny told Bai Feng that a Smuggling Ring had recently arrived in Biyi City, and its members were all vicious. Although their leader and most members had been arrested and brought to justice today, a few had unexpectedly escaped. So she told Bai Feng to be careful when going out recently and never approach strangers casually.
After returning home, the children were still excited and talked non-stop to Director Meili and Dongyu about their day's activities, especially the mischievous Xiao You. He spoke incoherently but made Director Meili laugh heartily.
This outing became one of the most unforgettable memories of the children's lives.
Early the next morning, Bai Feng and Bai Ye picked a basket of Berries, planning to visit Grandpa Fu. The Book he had borrowed from Grandpa Fu earlier had been finished, so he would return it this time and borrow two more he hadn't read yet.
Mother and son walked slowly along the road. Suddenly, a truck sped past them, and the strong wind it kicked up almost knocked them to the ground.
At the same time, something fell off the truck with a "clang". Bai Feng looked closely and saw a Popplio lying crookedly in a cage, clearly injured from the fall.
Popplio? Isn't that a Pokémon unique to the Alola Region? How is there one here?
At this moment, Bai Feng suddenly remembered the Smuggling Ring Officer Jenny had mentioned. Could the people in the truck just now be the ones who escaped?
Bai Feng opened the cage and gently lifted the Popplio out. However, at this moment, the Popplio suddenly woke up. As soon as it opened its eyes, it gave Bai Feng a big slap.
"Slap!"
Bai Feng's head was knocked sideways by the slap. Not only were Bai Feng and Bai Ye stunned, but the Popplio itself was also stunned.
Who is this kid? It clearly remembered being caught by a few big men.
The next second, the Popplio darted out of Bai Feng's arms vigilantly and ran away with all its might. But it was a water creature after all, with fins and a tail but no legs, so its running speed was very slow.
Bai Ye extended a hand, and it was controlled by Psychic and flew back.
"Woo woo woo~~~"
The Popplio struggled non-stop, its body almost twisted into a pretzel, but with its little strength, how could it possibly break free from Bai Ye's Psychic!
Bai Feng endured his cheek, which was a bit sore from the Popplio's slap, and quickly comforted it:
"Popplio, don't get agitated. We're not bad guys. You just fell off a truck and we happened to find you."
"Gardevoir~" That's right, that's right.
Bai Ye quickly echoed: Don't be ungrateful, look how you hit my darling! It hurts my heart, I've never hit it that hard myself.
Only then did the Popplio stop struggling, but its gaze towards Bai Feng and Bai Ye still carried distrust.
"Kid, that Popplio is mine, give it back to me!"
At this moment, a loud shout came. Hearing this sound, the Popplio trembled all over with fright.
Bai Feng turned his head and saw a burly man with a full beard wearing construction clothes glaring at him fiercely.
Not only did Bai Feng not listen to the man, but he also hugged the trembling Popplio into his arms, then calmly questioned the other party:
"You say it's yours? Do you have proof? I say it's mine! How about you call out to it and see if it responds!"
The Popplio buried its head in Bai Feng's arms. Hearing these words, it quietly looked up at him, and a miraculous sense of security arose in its heart.
This person really doesn't seem like a bad guy.
The man was enraged by Bai Feng's words: "Brat, you won't listen to reason, huh? Today I'll teach you who you shouldn't mess with!" Saying that, he took out a Poké Ball, and immediately a Conkeldurr appeared beside him.
"Conkeldurr, give that brat a good beating."
"Roar!"
The Conkeldurr roared, striding towards Bai Feng with the Concrete Pillar in its hand.
At this moment, Bai Ye flashed and appeared in front of the Conkeldurr. The moment the Conkeldurr smashed the Concrete Pillar down, Bai Ye erected a colorful barrier, blocking its attack.
This was the Move Reflect, which Bai Ye had learned later.
The few Moves Bai Ye knew before, except for Heal Pulse, were all attack-type Moves. So, over the past year, Bai Feng had specifically had it learn two more defense Moves, Light Screen and Reflect, which are used to defend against special attacks and physical attacks respectively.
The Instructional Videos for these two Moves were found by Bai Feng in Grandpa Fu's library.
As a Psychic-Type Pokémon, it wasn't difficult for Bai Ye to learn these same-Type Moves; it just required continuous practice to master them.
Because it had to endure being surrounded by over a dozen large birds every day, after a year, it would be difficult for Bai Ye *not* to become proficient.
Bai Feng planned to have Bai Ye learn the evasion divine Move Teleport next.
Attack, healing, and defense Moves were now complete, so naturally, a running-away Move was also needed.
Seeing Bai Ye, the man's face showed greed: "I didn't expect to encounter a Gardevoir too. Today is truly lucky! Conkeldurr, catch that Gardevoir as well."
However, as soon as he finished speaking, Bai Ye's body suddenly erupted with dazzling rings of light. The Conkeldurr opposite let out a scream and was sent flying backward.
The Fairy-Type Dazzling Gleam is super effective against the Fighting-Type Conkeldurr. Coupled with the fact that the Conkeldurr itself wasn't very strong, after Bai Ye's single strike, its head tilted and it instantly lost its ability to battle.
One-hit KO!
The man didn't even react. He just stood there with his mouth wide open, staring blankly at Bai Ye. By the time he came back to his senses, Bai Ye had already captured him with Psychic.
After some interrogation, Bai Feng quickly figured out the man's identity. He was indeed a member of that Smuggling Ring, and now only he was left of the group.
This man looked fierce, but he was actually a coward. Bai Feng just scared him a couple of times, and he spilled everything.
Originally, when they escaped from the police, there weren't just three of them. Because the boss had already been caught, they discussed going their separate ways.
Unfortunately, wealth moves hearts.
One of these three was in charge of the Smuggling Ring's finances, which was the man Bai Ye had captured. The Money earned by the Smuggling Ring was usually stored with him first and then distributed among them after the business was concluded.
However, this time, before they could even split the Money, the police came knocking.
Now that the boss was caught and the Money was in his hands, this man had a wicked idea. He thought: if the other two died, wouldn't all this Money belong to him alone?
The boss was gone, and he didn't know if the business could continue in the future. There was a high possibility that he would be unemployed from now on, so he had to seize this opportunity to make a huge profit.
So, to keep the Money for himself, he poisoned and killed his two companions.
Bai Feng encountered the man here because he was in a hurry to take the Money and leave Biyi City. However, the man never expected that he would fall into the hands of a young kid because of his momentary greed.
As for the Popplio, they found it while they were on the run earlier.
This was a rare Pokémon after all, and selling it could fetch a good price. Since they encountered it, there was no reason to miss the opportunity.
Hearing the man say that the Popplio was found, Bai Feng suddenly thought of the Starter Pokémon that had run away from Captain Sanders' house. According to Mr. Mogu, that also seemed to be a Popplio.
He quickly used his Golden Finger to check the Popplio's condition. This really was a Pokémon with a defect in its Energy Circuit. More than half of its Energy Circuit was blocked, no wonder it couldn't use Moves.
The principle behind a Pokémon being able to use Moves is the Resonance between the Origin Energy within its body and the Type Energy from the outside world. Different forms of Resonance create different Moves.
Currently, most of the Popplio's Energy Circuit is blocked, so it naturally cannot store Origin Energy, and even less can it achieve Resonance with the external Type Energy.
In fact, most Pokémon's Energy Circuits are not completely clear; blockages do occur, but the blocked parts are usually minor branches and do not affect the operation of the Energy Circuit.
Popplio's situation is different; too many parts are blocked, completely hindering the Energy Circuit's function.
For example, a Tree. If we cut off some of its branches, it can still survive. Some Trees can even have their entire canopy cut off, and as long as the roots are still there, they can sprout again.
But if you cut it off directly from the root, then it's dead.
Although this analogy isn't perfectly accurate, that's the general idea.
Bai Feng could solve Popplio's situation. His Golden Finger originally had the effect of clearing Pokémon's Energy Circuits. He usually helped Bai Ye clear the blocked parts of its Energy Circuit.
But its blockage situation was too severe. It couldn't be cleared in a day or two; it would require a lot of time to slowly process.
While Bai Feng was using his Golden Finger to examine the Popplio's body, it felt warm all over. An indescribable sense of exhilaration surged from within its body outwards.
This was a feeling the Popplio had never experienced before.
When Bai Feng took his hand away from the Popplio, that warm feeling immediately disappeared, and a sense of loss and regret rose from the bottom of the Popplio's heart.
Having clarified the identities of the man and the Popplio, Bai Feng directly called Officer Jenny and Captain Sanders.
Officer Jenny arrived on a motorcycle, very quickly. Seeing the man who had fainted on the side, she said, "He is indeed one of the three who escaped. Thanks to you this time!"
Bai Feng waved his hand and said, "It's nothing, everyone is responsible for fighting crime!"
"Everyone is responsible for fighting crime..." Officer Jenny repeated the phrase, feeling that what Bai Feng said made a lot of sense. She praised Bai Feng, "Good, you have awareness. But there will still be rewards. This person is a Wanted Criminal, and the police have a Bounty on him. I will help you apply for it when I get back."
"There's a reward too?" Bai Feng was surprised, not expecting such a pleasant surprise.
"Of course. By the way, did you subdue this person by yourself?" Officer Jenny glanced at the Conkeldurr lying next to him, then looked at Bai Ye and said, "It seems you have a lot of Talent as a Trainer. You haven't been gone long, but I feel like Bai Ye has gotten much stronger."
Bai Feng humbly waved his hand and said, "No, no, it's not that I'm capable, it's that Bai Ye itself is capable. It trains very, very hard every day."
Officer Jenny nodded and didn't say anything more, but looked at the Popplio in Bai Feng's arms and said, "How are you going to handle this Popplio? Do you want me to help you send it to Captain Sanders' Research Institute?"
Bai Feng replied, "I've already contacted Captain Sanders. He should be here soon."
"Is that so? Then I'll leave the Popplio to you. I'll take this guy back to the Police Station first," Officer Jenny said, pointing at the man on the ground.
After Officer Jenny left, Bai Feng and Bai Ye returned home, planning to go to Grandpa Fu's place in the afternoon, because he had arranged to meet Captain Sanders at the Blue Bird Orphanage.
Not long after mother and son arrived home, Captain Sanders drove over. After confirming that the Popplio was indeed the one lost from his home, he sincerely expressed his gratitude to Bai Feng.
However, when he reached out to hug the Popplio, the Popplio dodged away, unwilling to go back with him no matter what.
At this moment, Bai Feng suddenly spoke up and asked, "Captain Sanders, after you take Popplio back, how do you plan to settle it?"
The Popplio also looked at Sanders with a scrutinizing gaze: 'Yeah, how are you going to arrange me? I don't want that awful daughter of yours!'
Hearing Bai Feng's words, Sanders paused. He actually didn't know how to settle the Popplio.
His daughter was unwilling to accept the Popplio, and while he didn't mind raising it himself, judging by the Popplio's attitude, it probably wouldn't accept it, especially since he wasn't a Trainer.
As for handing it over to someone else for Breeding, the Popplio couldn't learn Moves. Which Trainer would want it?
It was truly a headache!
Looking at Captain Sanders' troubled expression, Bai Feng suggested, "How about you entrust it to me? I'm willing to pay Money to buy it."
This opportunity couldn't be missed. Popplio was a very rare Pokémon. If he missed this chance, it would be difficult for a child from an Orphanage like him to encounter one again.
Even if he became successful in the future and had the means to get a Popplio, how long would that take? Three years? Five years? Or ten years?
Too long!
Moreover, with Popplio, wouldn't he no longer have to worry about watering his Berry Trees in the future? If he gets a chance to teach Popplio Rain Dance later, it would be perfect!
As for its physical defect, that was no problem at all!
Hearing Bai Feng's words, Captain Sanders looked up in surprise: "Didn't you hear from Mr. Mogu about this child's problem? It can't learn Moves!"
Hearing this, the Popplio's originally furious demeanor immediately became dejected. If it weren't for this problem, it wouldn't have just beaten that brat when it ran away from home; it would have beaten that cheap dog too!
Seeing this, Bai Feng stroked its head, then said to Captain Sanders, "I know that, but I don't mind."
"But..." Sanders was very hesitant, "You say you don't mind now, but what if you regret it in the future? What will happen to this child?"
Bai Feng shook his head and guaranteed, "I won't, please rest assured."
Captain Sanders saw that Bai Feng's tone was sincere and felt that this was indeed a very good solution, so he agreed.
Bai Feng currently only had sixty thousand, which wasn't enough to buy a Popplio, so he was thinking of discussing with Captain Sanders whether he could pay the remaining Money later.
However, Captain Sanders waved his hand and said, "You don't need to give me Money. I already feel very sorry for this child. If you give me Money now, it will make me feel too greedy."
Hearing this, the Popplio immediately wore an expression that seemed to say, 'At least you have some conscience.'
Looking at the Popplio's appearance, Bai Feng thought confusedly: 'Didn't Mr. Mogu say Popplio's nature was very gentle? It doesn't seem that way to me...' (Popplio: I've suffered such a great grievance, isn't it normal for my nature to change drastically?)
Since Captain Sanders was unwilling to accept Money, Bai Feng didn't try to pretend to be rich. He didn't have much Money to begin with, especially since he was still in the initial stage of his venture!
After deciding Popplio's fate, Captain Sanders drove away from the Blue Bird Orphanage alone.
"Popplio, from now on, we are family. Please take care of me." Bai Feng extended his right hand towards the Popplio.
The Popplio looked at Bai Feng, its eyes showing some hesitation. With its previous experience, it didn't know if Bai Feng could be trusted.
Seeing the Popplio's conflicted expression, Bai Feng continued, "If you're worried that I'll abandon you because of your physical defect, you're overthinking it, because I have a way to help you solve this defect."
Hearing this, the Popplio's eyes lit up.
"Woo?" Really?
"Gardevoir~ Gardevoir~ Gardevoir~ Gardevoir~" Of course it's true! My darling is so capable, what's this little problem of yours!
Before Bai Feng could speak, Bai Ye interjected. In its heart, its darling son was omnipotent.
The Popplio was still very simple-minded. Hearing Bai Ye's assurance, it no longer had any doubts and excitedly placed its fin on Bai Feng's hand.
"Woo~" Please take care of me!
From then on, Bai Feng had his first Pokémon.
Since he had already decided to go to Grandpa Fu's place in the afternoon, Bai Feng didn't go out again after Captain Sanders left. Instead, he performed the first Energy Circuit clearing session on the Popplio.
He placed his hand on the Popplio's belly, controlling the Golden Finger Energy to penetrate into the Popplio's Energy Circuit little by little, intending to destroy the Impurities blocking the Energy Circuit bit by bit.
The Popplio's Energy Circuit starts from its throat and ends at its tail. Because the blockage was too severe, the Energy inside could not form a cycle, and the Origin Energy would be bounced back to the starting point every time it flowed halfway.
Also because of this, the Popplio's Energy Circuit could not absorb Energy from the outside world on its own, thus increasing the accumulation of its Origin Energy.
What Bai Feng had to do was use his Golden Finger Energy to activate the small amount of Origin Energy within the Popplio's body, letting it break the Impurities, and then the Golden Finger Energy would dissolve the Impurities.
Popplio's Energy Circuit structure was much simpler than Bai Ye's, so the operation difficulty was actually not great. The only thing needed was patience.
While Bai Feng was clearing the Popplio's Energy Circuit bit by bit, the Popplio felt a tingling sensation all over, like a current flowing through its entire body, which felt a little strange but also very stimulating.
An hour passed in the blink of an eye. Bai Feng felt it was enough, so he withdrew the Golden Finger Energy and then asked the Popplio:
"Popplio, how do you feel?"
"Woo~ Woo~"
The Popplio clapped its fins happily, completely convinced that Bai Feng could solve its defect.
(End of Chapter)