Wen Qi noticed how easygoing the leader of the Flying Mantises was, and those sneaky thoughts of his immediately resurfaced.
Earlier, he had been thinking about whether he could trick a few Flying Mantises into coming back with him, but he had assumed the leader was too aloof and hard to fool, so he had almost given up on the idea. Now, seeing that the leader was actually quite gentle, those little schemes came back to life.
Forget it, I’ll just go for it—what’s the worst that could happen?
“Honorable leader of the Flying Mantises, I have a request. I was wondering if I could take some Flying Mantises back to work on my farm.”
The Flying Mantis leader was stunned by this. Why would he suddenly want to take other Flying Mantises away?
Seeing the confusion on the leader’s face, Wen Qi quickly explained:
“I’m a farmer. My farm’s tree fruits are about to ripen, and the place is huge. I need some strong Pokémon to patrol it. I really admire the coolness and strength of Flying Mantises—I think they’d be perfect for the job.”
“I don’t need anything too powerful; ones around level thirty-something will do. I can provide food and arrange training for them. I’m also an advanced breeder.”
“They’d just need to patrol the farm every day—nothing else. They can come back home anytime they miss it. I won’t restrict their freedom at all.”
This time, the Flying Mantis leader finally understood what Wen Qi meant. After mulling it over, it realized this actually seemed like a good deal.
Its own child had already gone with him, so it wasn’t worried about Wen Qi mistreating any Flying Mantises that went along. Plus, Wen Qi was an advanced breeder who could offer training, and most importantly, he could provide food—something wild Pokémon valued most.
Thinking about it this way, it was basically like going out for training with room and board covered, with just a bit of patrolling on the side. That was a fantastic bargain.
Still, the leader decided to ask the Scizor some questions. After all, that was its own child. Though communication was a bit rough, the Scizor answered earnestly, without exaggerating just because Wen Qi was its trainer—it stuck to the facts.
Once the leader had a clear picture, it called over some of the nearby Gym-level Flying Mantises to discuss.
Wen Qi tactfully stepped away, not eavesdropping on their conversation.
The leader explained Wen Qi’s proposal to the Gym-level Flying Mantises and asked for their opinions. Some weren’t too keen, but since the leader agreed, they went along with it. Besides, Wen Qi wasn’t asking for many—just a handful compared to the hundred-plus Flying Mantises in the territory.
In the end, they decided to send eight Flying Mantises, ranging from level 30 to 40, all with yellow-tier potential. As for the green-tier ones, they weren’t about to part with those.
When Wen Qi found out, he didn’t mind. After all, he wasn’t capturing these Flying Mantises—they were just coming to work as helpers. As long as they were strong enough, that was fine.
Soon, evening arrived. Wen Qi figured he wouldn’t make it back today, so he set up camp nearby.
The Scizor had already been sent back to the small world to rest—it had been completely worn out today.
Just as Wen Qi was busy setting up camp, the five Flying Mantises that the Scizor had beaten earlier came over.
It was the Venomoth that noticed them first and quickly called Wen Qi over.
Seeing them, Wen Qi said, “Are you here to see the Scizor? Sorry, it’s still resting right now and can’t meet you. But it can tomorrow—how about then?”
He guessed wrong, though. The five Flying Mantises all shook their heads in unison.
That piqued Wen Qi’s curiosity. If they weren’t here for the Scizor, were they here for him?
The leader, a level 43 Flying Mantis, looked at Wen Qi and said, “We heard you’re the Scizor’s trainer. Can you tell us how it evolved and why it got so strong so fast?”
Wen Qi’s head started to ache when he realized they were asking him these questions. He could talk about the evolution, but the rapid strength gain was his secret—no way he was telling them that.
Seeing him stay silent for so long, they thought he didn’t want to share, and their faces fell with disappointment.
Just then, Wen Qi spoke up: “The Scizor evolved because it used a Metal Coat item. That’s pretty rare in the wild, but you can find some in the human world.”
“But after evolving, its base stats don’t increase—only its attack power goes up. Its speed drops, and it becomes four times weaker to Fire-type moves. I doubt you’d be okay with that.”
The five Flying Mantises exchanged glances at this revelation. They hadn’t expected evolution to come with so many downsides.
Then, the smallest but sharpest-looking Flying Mantis noticed something off.
“Wait, that doesn’t add up. You said speed would decrease, but that Scizor earlier—even though it was stronger than us—was way faster than a normal Gym-level Flying Mantis.”
The others thought back and realized it was true. The Scizor’s speed hadn’t slowed down at all—it was even faster.
Feeling their stares, Wen Qi’s scalp tingled. He quickly said, “That’s how normal evolution works. But I used a very rare special Metal Coat that’s fireproof and half the weight, plus some other items to make it even lighter. That’s why its speed is so high.”
“These things are incredibly rare even in the human world, so don’t get any ideas. I don’t have a second set.”
Hearing there was no hope, their briefly excited moods deflated again.
Just as Wen Qi thought they were done, another Flying Mantis spoke up: “Wen Qi, can we come to your farm with you? We want to receive your training. Is that possible?”
Wen Qi’s heart skipped a beat—not from excitement, but from shock. If the Flying Mantis leader found out, it would think he was trying to poach the backbone of their group.
These five young Flying Mantises weren’t old, but they were well-developed and all at the Elite level—the future hope of the group. If Wen Qi took them and something went wrong, the group might face a gap in generations.
So, Wen Qi was sure the leader would never allow it.
He glanced around, relieved that no other Flying Mantises had overheard, and let out a big sigh.
“It’s not that I don’t want you guys. You’re the future of your group! The leader would never let you come with me, so don’t even think about it. It’s getting late—you should head back.”
The five Flying Mantises looked at each other, finally realizing Wen Qi was right. The leader definitely wouldn’t allow it. They drooped like frostbitten eggplants, utterly deflated.
As the sky grew darker, they knew they couldn’t keep bothering him. Dejectedly, they left Wen Qi’s camp.