Zhou Zhiwen didn't head straight back to the city. Instead, he came to Wen Qi's place, originally intending to probe further about the dominant Venusaur.
However, the unexpected turn of events with Charizard getting injured and then turning misfortune into fortune—though Charizard had nearly died from its injuries earlier, after receiving Wen Qi's compensation, not only did its wounds heal, but its level also increased—left Zhou Zhiwen feeling too embarrassed to stay any longer.
As for the questions he had planned to ask, he decided to drop them. After all, he was just a minor player in this whole affair. He would simply report what he had seen of the dominant Venusaur to the squad leader and leave the complicated issues for the squad leader to worry about.
This time, Zhou Zhiwen released Arcanine again, mounted it, and hurriedly left the farm, heading toward the city.
Wen Qi watched Zhou Zhiwen's retreating figure, fully aware that Zhou Zhiwen must have been harboring many questions.
Fortunately, the battle between Scizor and Charizard had interrupted everything. Otherwise, if Zhou Zhiwen had pressed him with questions one by one, Wen Qi wouldn't have known how to answer all those complicated inquiries.
As for why Zhou Zhiwen hadn't asked about the source of the Fire Essence Fragment, Wen Qi understood—it was indeed a difficult question to bring up.
After seeing Zhou Zhiwen off, Wen Qi quickly recalled Scizor into the small world, using its power to heal it.
Once he had arranged for the Scyther and other Pokémon to train on their own, Wen Qi left and returned to the villa.
Wen Qi noticed that the shop still had essence fragments, which were not only cheap but also effective.
Although using these fragments couldn't improve a Pokémon's aptitude, they could raise its level, which was crucial for Wen Qi.
Take his Dratini, for example. It had been eating a lot and training hard lately, yet it had only gained one level, currently sitting at level 29—just one level away from evolving.
Wen Qi didn't want to wait any longer and decided to give Dratini a Dragon Essence Fragment first.
Although pseudo-legendaries grew slowly and required a lot of energy, a single fragment had healed a Gym-level Charizard's injuries and raised its level. It should be enough to boost Dratini by one level.
With that thought, Wen Qi immediately entered the Dragon Island within the small world.
There, he saw the Noibat following behind Dratini, still in its infancy at around level four. It would probably take a few more days to reach level six and leave its infant stage.
That noisy Noibat—Wen Qi simply couldn't control it.
When he had taken care of it before, it kept making a racket, buzzing in his ears until his head throbbed.
Eventually, unable to bear it any longer, he handed it over to Dratini to look after.
At first, Noibat thought its constant noise would make Dratini give in to it.
But it was sorely mistaken—Dratini wasn't swayed by its antics at all.
This infuriated Noibat, and it started crying nonstop.
In the end, it annoyed Dratini so much that Dratini didn't hesitate to give Noibat a thorough beating.
Strangely enough, Noibat, which had been impossible to soothe before, became docile and well-behaved after a few beatings from Dratini. Now it was incredibly obedient, following Dratini around all day like a loyal little sidekick.
When Wen Qi later learned about this, he couldn't help but marvel at how everything has its match.
The Dratini training nearby and the Noibat playing off to the side noticed Wen Qi's arrival.
Dratini and Noibat quickly rushed over to him, both utterly fond of Wen Qi.
Dratini had chosen Wen Qi when it tried to escape before, showing its deep affection, while Noibat, having been delivered by Wen Qi, was also extremely attached to him.
Seeing him, they both greeted him warmly.
Wen Qi enjoyed their company too. After playing with Dratini and Noibat for a while, he called Noibat over to stay by his side and then took out the Dragon Essence Fragment for Dratini to use.
Strangely, the essence taken out in the small world didn't have the dazzling, eye-catching effects it had in the outside world; it only revealed its extraordinary nature.
Wen Qi figured it was due to some suppression within the small world.
He told Dratini that using the Dragon Essence Fragment could speed up its growth.
Dratini, eager to grow quickly and evolve, wanted to help Wen Qi.
Wen Qi handed the Dragon Essence Fragment to Dratini, who took it carefully, its eyes filled with anticipation and determination.
It gently placed the fragment into its mouth, and instantly, a surge of powerful energy coursed through its body.
Dratini's body trembled slightly, its scales shimmering with a strange light, like brilliant stars in the night sky.
It closed its eyes tightly, striving to absorb the energy, as if undergoing a grueling cultivation.
After a while, the light gradually faded, and Dratini opened its eyes, revealing unmistakable excitement, its gaze shining like two bright gems.
It joyfully swam in place, faster and more agile than before, like a streak of lightning.
The aura it emitted had grown much stronger. Having been at level 29, it had successfully risen to level 30.
It let out an excited roar at Wen Qi, loud and passionate, as if showcasing its growth and progress to its master.
Then, it flapped its wings and soared into the air, circling a few times with light, graceful movements, like a fairy dancing elegantly.
After landing, it nuzzled affectionately against Wen Qi's leg, expressing its joy and gratitude, like a child seeking comfort.
Seeing Dratini had reached level 30, Wen Qi knew it meant Dratini would soon be able to evolve.
He noticed Dratini's aptitude was still cyan, though close to deep cyan, but not quite there yet.
Once Dratini got used to the energy within its body, he planned to use the intact Dragon Essence he had before in one go. That should raise its aptitude to deep cyan and boost its level a bit, accelerating Dratini's growth.
While Wen Qi waited in the small world for Dratini to acclimate to its new energy,
Zhou Zhiwen, riding Arcanine, had already returned to the search team.
Before heading back to the team, he first went to the Pokémon Center to treat Arcanine and Ninetales.
In the forest earlier, they had sustained some injuries, especially significant stamina depletion.
But most importantly, he needed to check on Charizard.
Though it had been healed by Wen Qi's Fire Essence Fragment, Zhou Zhiwen still felt it was better to have it examined for peace of mind.
Soon, Arcanine and Ninetales were both treated. They had only minor injuries, with the main issue being stamina loss.
As for Charizard, the nurse told Zhou Zhiwen that it was very healthy, even sturdier than the average Pokémon.
The nurse also suggested that Zhou Zhiwen could train Charizard more recently to further enhance its strength.
Hearing this, Zhou Zhiwen finally let out the breath he had been holding.
Though he knew the Fire Essence Fragment was miraculous, he had never used one before and didn't know its exact effects, so he had still been somewhat worried.
After the check-up confirmed everything was fine, he was finally at ease.