Pokémon: Encounter

The city of Tabu is the largest and most prosperous city in the southern war development area.

The next target in the south is the city of Tabu, where a facility called the Battle Dome is located.

"Go through this village and you will see the tall buildings in Tarbes!"

"That's where you young people yearn for."

Standing in front of a watermelon stall, a white-haired old man sat under an awning, leisurely waving a palm-leaf fan, and enthusiastically pointed in the direction of the south.

"Thank you, sir! You really helped me a lot~!"

Nan Fang, who was a little directionally challenged, bowed to the old man with gratitude.

"Hey~what's the big deal!"

"Hey young man, you look so sweaty. Come here! If you don't mind, sit next to me and relax. I'll cut you a piece of watermelon!"

Before Nanfang could refuse, the old man cut a large piece of juicy red watermelon in front of Nanfang.

"Okay! Then I'll take advantage of you and cool off here!"

As he said that, Nan Fang took the watermelon, sat down next to the old man and started eating it.

Wow! So sweet!

"Young man, you look like you are from another place, a traveling trainer?" The old man also picked up a piece of watermelon and chatted while eating.

"Well, I grow flowers. I'm on a challenge trip in South Island right now." Nan Fang answered without hesitation.

"Planting flowers..." The old man paused and gradually fell silent.

Nan Fang sensed something was wrong and thought to himself, "What bad luck!" Could it be that he had run into an extremely stubborn person? Damn! Would this old man blackmail me with a watermelon just because of this?

Nan Fang quietly raised his head and secretly glanced at the old man next to him, and suddenly he was stunned.

It was because at some point, two lines of tears had already flowed down the old man's wrinkled face.

He didn't sob or whimper, just stared into the distance silently.

"Alas, I am old, I am old, I really can't stand listening to this anymore."

After a long while, the old man came to his senses and wiped away the tears from his face with a smile.

It turns out that this old man was originally a flower grower. But because of the social unrest and war decades ago, his mother had no choice but to bring him, who had just started to remember history, to remarry a businessman from South Island and move here.

As they were outsiders, the mother and son were inevitably ostracized and bullied by the locals. Although his stepfather was very wealthy at the time and tried his best to protect him, his mother could not bear the mental torture. His mother, who was already physically weak, left him, who was only a few years old, and died in tears.

Although the old man was the only male in the family at that time, he was not of wealthy merchant blood after all.

After the wealthy businessman married another woman, the old man, who was already sixteen years old, packed his bags and quietly left this sad place.

At the end of the story, the old man found a place where he took root, sprouted, and spread out.

It turned out that this was a person from a foreign land who had difficulty returning home.

It's corny, but so true.

I wonder how many strangers like this old man there are in the entire South Island.

"Don't worry, uncle. Soon, this will be your real hometown. That's why I came here."

Nan Fang stood up and cleaned up the melon peels on the table.

The old man was slightly stunned. He didn't know why, but he felt that Nan Fang was right. The trust that came from him made him feel at ease.

"...good...!"

When they packed their bags again and were about to say goodbye to the old man in the south, two young men in suits and sunglasses suddenly appeared in front of them from nowhere.

Nan Fang could sense that the other party's eyes were fixed on him.

"Boss, does your melon stay ripe?"

The man standing on the left looked at the old man and suddenly spoke.

The old man was slightly stunned. "It's cooked! Of course it's cooked! Otherwise I can't put it out to sell?" The old man was a little surprised and said after he reacted.

"What if you're not familiar with them? How can you be responsible?"

The man standing on the right asked next.

"Hey! Are you trying to cause trouble on purpose?"

Nan Fang took the initiative to stand in front of the old man. This scene... a dead memory...

"How much is this melon?"

The old man reached out his hand and gently pushed Nan Fang aside, "Young man! Don't be impulsive! Let me do it!" The other party obviously had bad intentions, and the old man didn't want Nan Fang to be implicated.

"Two cents a pound! Hehe! It's very cheap! Each one is very sweet!" The old man introduced enthusiastically.

"Hey, is the melon rind made of gold, or are the melon seeds made of gold? Two cents for it?" The man on the left laughed.

The old man suddenly couldn't understand what this sentence meant.

If he remembered correctly... in the city of Tabu, a watermelon like his with thin skin and fresh flesh seemed to cost nearly three yuan per pound...

“Please… Even if you are looking for trouble, please do it in a professional way… This will really make the person behind you look stupid…”

The South couldn't stand it anymore.

Throughout the whole situation, although the two men were asking questions to the old man, their eyes were always looking towards the south.

It is obvious that he came to the South on purpose.

"We are just asking you, is this melon ripe?"

The man on the right spoke in a heavier tone, looking at Nan Fang and speaking word by word.

"This, this, this... of course it's ripe! I'm running a fruit stall and I can't sell green hands to you!" The old man quickly stood up and pushed Nanfang back with all his strength. He still wanted to protect Nanfang as much as he could.

"Just ask you guys whether you want it or not!" Nan Fang said angrily.

"If the inside of your melon is ripe, we will definitely take it. If it is not ripe, just swallow it." The man on the left continued.

Nan Fang decided to go all out. He immediately bent down, picked up the machete on the table and stabbed the man on the left!

"Are you pretending to be strong in front of me?"

Nan Fang's sudden action scared the old man nearby.

Although Nan Fang looks furious, he is actually holding back and the other party won't let him hurt him directly.

Nan Fang just found a reason for them in advance and asked them to take him away from here quickly.

Whether it was out of boredom, probing, or something else, the people behind them definitely wanted to talk to him. But Nan Fang didn't understand why they chose this method.

But the old man is innocent.

It was just as the South expected.

The man on the left was very skilled, and he took the machete from Nanfang's hand with one step. The man on the right followed closely, grabbed Nanfang's right arm with both hands, and used a grappling move, Nanfang could only surrender obediently despite the pain.

"We now suspect that you have murderous intent. Come with us to the police station."

The man on the left said calmly.

"Stop, stop, stop...! You guys! You guys are just looking for trouble! I have surveillance cameras here! I'm also going to go to the police station and sue you!"

The old man was filled with righteous indignation and abandoned his stall to rescue the South.

"It's okay, uncle! I have status, they dare not do anything to me."

"Don't worry, sir! Just wait for my good news in a few days!"

"Thank you for the watermelon! It's so sweet!"

"Next time, just sell it for three yuan a pound!"

Nan Fang calmed the old man down and was dragged away by two men. The old man had no choice but to pray that Nan Fang would be safe.

We walked out of the village and came to a small path in the forest.

"That's almost it."

"Do you think you can control me so easily?"

Nan Fang was held by the arms by two people, but they ignored him and walked forward without saying a word.

"Tsk, what a hassle..."

Three minutes later.

"I'll let you pretend to be strong with me!"

"Let you guys pretend to buy melons with me!"

"Let you follow me, Sarilang!"

"Grass (a plant)!"

"Are you still pretending? Huh?"

The two men lay on the ground, and Nanfang stacked them up like a "Arhat". Nanfang sat on the top leisurely, patted the man's cheek and asked with an "evil smile".

They were completely confused. No one had ever told them that this person was such a good fighter?

They are the two best bodyguards around Lord Hills!

You have to know that Nan Fang, who has experienced Bai Ruoruo's transformation from violence to gangsterism since childhood and has been "poisoned" by her for more than 20 years, does have some abilities.

But Nan Fang himself was also a little surprised.

Just now, I seemed to be more responsive and stronger than before? When did this start?

After thinking about it to no avail, Nan Fang could only attribute it all to the various blessings he received from the beast masters. Maybe, he was just luckier~

"Tell me! Who sent you here!?"

The man clenched his teeth and remained silent.

It was not to steal Pokémon, and it was not to kill himself. Based on these two points, Nan Fang had already judged that the other party was most likely just an ordinary person. But what was his purpose?

Knowing your trip to the Battle Frontier is basically equivalent to knowing the purpose of your trip. Then the answer is almost the same.

"Are you really stupid or are you just pretending to be stupid..."

"I didn't say I wouldn't go with you. When we get there, won't I be able to see the person behind you?"

"Won't I know by then?"

"It's just to find out the other party's identity in advance, what's the big deal?" Nan Fang persuaded.

"Really?"

"Will you really stay with us?" the man asked uncertainly.

"Don't worry, it's more real than pearls!"

"After all, I probably have an idea in my mind, I just want to confirm it."

"Yes... Lord Hills..."

Hills?

Who is it?

Nan Fang showed a puzzled expression.

"The people above?"

"Not really, but... he has some status... Currently... he is a celebrity... We are just his bodyguards, and we don't know anything more."

Ah? Celebrity? Are you crazy?

Nan Fang stood up and let go of the two bodyguards.

"lead the way."

Nan Fang said softly.

The two bodyguards dusted themselves off, looked at each other, then looked towards the south, then lowered their heads and turned to walk to the front.

"Wait a moment!"

The two of them shuddered.

"Call me Brother Qiang!"

The two looked at each other.

"Um!?"

"Qiang...Brother Qiang!"

"Well, I'll go buy a few carts of watermelons from that old man. That'll be compensation for his mental damage."

"I'm protecting the watermelon stand! Got it?"

"I know...I know..."

Not long after, the old man was surprised to see three trucks coming to him to buy goods and filling them up with watermelons.

A relieved smile appeared on the old man's face.

Of course, it’s calculated at three yuan per kilogram.