Chapter 20 Dispersing Roger’s Doubts

“Sigh, let’s put it away for now. Magikarp has already eaten, and I still have to pay a visit to Mr. Norman.” Zhao Fang let out a soft sigh. The Mist Lotus Fruit would certainly be used up, but only later in the afternoon. He’d already decided what dish he’d prepare with the fruit.

When Zhao Fang returned to the Normal-type Gym, he happened to see a boy with light green hair peering eagerly out the window of the neighboring house. As soon as the boy noticed Zhao Fang’s gaze, he quickly ducked back and even drew the curtains.

“That must be Hikaru.” Zhao Fang was fairly certain, given how striking that hair color was. He had a feeling Hikaru was probably a psychic, much like Sabrina—otherwise, it was hard to explain why Ralts would take such a liking to him, not to mention his exceptional talent with Psychic-types.

Though curious about Hikaru’s possible powers, Zhao Fang had no intention of going over to ask. According to the game’s setting, Hikaru would only muster the courage to approach Norman for a Pokémon after Yu Shu arrived in Petalburg Town, and then set off to catch his own starter.

“Are you here to challenge the Gym?” As Zhao Fang finally entered the queue for the Normal-type Gym, a kindly young lady greeted him with a gentle smile.

“Oh, no, I’m Zhao Fang from Petalburg Town. I’m just here to visit Uncle Norman,” Zhao Fang quickly waved his hands. He had no intention of battling—why subject himself to that?

“The Gym Leader Norman? I’m sorry, but he’s away on League business and won’t be back until next week.” The young woman shook her head apologetically.

Zhao Fang wasn’t disappointed at all. Gym Leaders weren’t always waiting in their Gyms for challengers; they had their own responsibilities, League assignments, and sometimes even participated in rescue operations. It was all perfectly normal.

With that in mind, Zhao Fang left the Normal-type Gym. Since his plan to visit Mr. Norman had failed, he now needed to focus on resolving the issue with Roger.

If he couldn’t allay Roger’s suspicions, it would be nearly impossible to spend time bonding with Dreepy. To throw Roger off, Zhao Fang decided to behave himself and keep a low profile for a few days.

So Zhao Fang spent three more days in Rustboro City. During that time, he found a job at a café, earning 260 League coins over three days—a perfectly ordinary wage for a regular person.

Each day, Zhao Fang used up the crystal card Roger had given him, buying a Mist Lotus Fruit daily. The fruit’s effects were remarkable. The sparerib soup Zhao Fang made with it could raise Magikarp’s base stats by one point—no small feat.

During these days, his bedroom was searched three more times, but Zhao Fang pretended not to notice.

“Zhao Fang, here’s your pay for today. Will you be working tomorrow as well?” The café owner, Mr. Connor, was quite fond of Zhao Fang. If Zhao Fang hadn’t planned to become a Trainer, Connor would have gladly kept him on as a regular employee and perhaps trained him to be a barista.

“No, thank you, Mr. Connor. I’ve saved up a bit, and I plan to continue my journey. I want to challenge the Rock-type Gym in Kanaz City.” Zhao Fang declined with a cheerful smile.

Cafés were places where people chatted and news traveled fast. While working, Zhao Fang heard that the wealthy Galarian merchant had left Rustboro City earlier that morning.

He didn’t quit immediately upon hearing the news, but finished his shift before deciding to set out on his travels again.

He’d already discarded the crystal card, having spent all the money on it, and suspected Roger had left some trick on it.

Yesterday, while serving customers, Zhao Fang waited on an alluring woman who, pleased with his service, gave him a cute accessory as a tip.

Upon receiving it, Zhao Fang immediately realized the merchant hadn’t dropped his suspicions; the accessory concealed both a listening device and a tracker.

He even suspected those who came to the café to say Roger had left the city were Roger’s own agents, which was why Zhao Fang resolved to wait until the next day.

...

“Where did he go?” In a luxury car outside Rustboro, Roger lay sprawled across the seat, stifling a yawn.

“Boss, he returned to the inn and hasn’t moved since,” answered the COS Terminator’s bodyguard promptly.

“Tch, so the brat really didn’t get my goods... What about those two Team Aqua scum?” Roger irritably ground his cigarette into the leather seat, burning a large hole.

“Our informant said he overheard them talking about ‘doing it on purpose to disgust others,’ something along those lines,” the bodyguard replied respectfully, keeping his head low. He had no desire to know what a burnt hand felt like.

“Hmph! Those two thought they could fool me? They cost me millions in League coins! I hear they’re headed for Prison Island? Tell our contact there that I want their names on the accidental death list next month!” Roger’s fists clenched in fury. That was millions of League coins, after all!

Worse, those two had lost his precious Dreepy. Now he would have to spend even more money importing a Dragon-type Pokémon from Galar. He wasn’t even sure if an ordinary Dreepy would satisfy Mr. Lance.

“Let’s go. No need to waste any more time on that pauper.” Roger pulled another cigar from his pocket. He had no intention of lingering in this miserable place—Kanto was the real priority now.

...

The next morning, Zhao Fang deliberately dropped the accessory into the water, feigning carelessness. He had no intention of keeping it—how could he travel otherwise? He might as well apply to become a travel streamer.

That day, the strand of hair he’d wedged in the doorframe hadn’t been disturbed, making Zhao Fang think Roger had indeed given up monitoring him.

Still, out of caution, Zhao Fang left the inn and waited for several hours before finally convincing himself that Roger had truly abandoned his suspicions.

“I wonder if Dreepy is still out there,” Zhao Fang muttered to himself. What worried him now was that someone might have already caught Dreepy in the wild. If that happened, he’d be devastated.