Wen Qi left with Zhou Zhiwen.
Zhou Zhiwen had been nearby all along, never interrupting Wen Qi and Dr. Chu’s conversation. When he saw Wen Qi emerge, he initially wanted to ask how things went, but on second thought, decided it was better not to know. Wen Qi noticed Zhou Zhiwen didn’t ask, so he didn’t bring it up either. This time, Zhou Zhiwen didn’t return to the farm with Wen Qi but headed straight back to the city.
Before they parted, however, Wen Qi handed him another can of special energy cubes. Zhou Zhiwen hesitated, unsure whether to accept. Seeing him dither like that, Wen Qi didn’t wait for a reply—he simply shoved it into his hands and rode off on his Skiddo back home. Zhou Zhiwen looked at the energy cubes in his arms, touched, and then left cheerfully, clutching them.
Back at the farm alone, Wen Qi began to reflect on his meeting with Dr. Chu, checking for any slip-ups. After thinking it over, he felt his communication that day had been fine. By proactively seeking Dr. Chu as a backer, he made sure Dr. Chu understood that his main goal was to find support. That way, Dr. Chu wouldn’t suspect him of ulterior motives. After all, if he could produce such excellent energy cubes without wanting something in return, why would he come knocking? So Wen Qi’s requests—for a backer and for exam slots—were all meant to put Dr. Chu at ease. If he had said nothing and asked for nothing, Dr. Chu would have doubted his intentions. Asking for nothing—was he just showing off? Sometimes, stating your purpose lets others relax.
As Wen Qi had expected, once he laid out his goals during their talk, Dr. Chu became noticeably more amiable and easier to communicate with afterward.
Back at the research institute, Dr. Chu didn’t head to the lab. Instead, he returned to his private office, closed the door, and sat alone in thought. In his private office, Dr. Chu’s gaze lingered on the energy cubes on his desk, his mind drifting back to the meeting with Wen Qi. In Dr. Chu’s eyes, the young man’s acting wasn’t very convincing. Having navigated the world for years, he’d seen all kinds of people—how could Wen Qi’s little schemes fully escape him? Saying he wanted a backer and exam slots was just a side note; Dr. Chu saw through it clearly—that wasn’t Wen Qi’s ultimate goal.
But Dr. Chu wasn’t angry. On the contrary, he felt more admiration. After all, Wen Qi was young yet had already shown extraordinary talent. Not only was he skilled at making energy cubes, but he also had a knack for raising Pokémon. Dr. Chu had noticed Wen Qi’s Skiddo—its strength was nearly at gym level. To be so capable at such a young age was no small feat, Dr. Chu mused inwardly. Though he still didn’t know Wen Qi’s true intentions, based on the signs so far, the boy meant him no harm. Collaborating with him would be mutually beneficial.
Dr. Chu knew that in this complex world, some things didn’t need to be taken too seriously. Sometimes, a little ignorance was the way to go. Even if Wen Qi wasn’t genuinely pledging allegiance, he was now part of Dr. Chu’s circle. At that thought, Dr. Chu couldn’t help but shake his head with a light chuckle—what an interesting and capable little fellow.
Recalling how Wen Qi made the energy cubes, Dr. Chu’s eyes grew deeper. He felt the process wasn’t as simple as it seemed. Though special abilities were rare, given his status, he knew most of the special ability users in the Alliance. Even others with the same ability couldn’t produce energy cubes of such high quality. This clearly meant Wen Qi had some undisclosed secret—perhaps a unique technique or some unknown inheritance. Dr. Chu sank into contemplation, pondering how to extract more secrets from Wen Qi and better leverage his talents to benefit his institute.
Yet Dr. Chu also understood he couldn’t rush. Wen Qi was smart and sensitive; pushing too hard might backfire. For now, cooperation and trust-building were key, slowly guiding him to share his secrets willingly. After all, Dr. Chu meant no harm. He turned his gaze back to the energy cubes, quietly anticipating their future collaboration. He believed that over time, Wen Qi’s secrets would gradually unfold before him. All he had to do was wait patiently, giving Wen Qi enough space and support.
Dr. Chu slowly stood, walked to the window, and gazed at the view outside. He reflected that after years in research, meeting Wen Qi might be a new opportunity—a chance for a major breakthrough in his work. Though Wen Qi was hiding things, Dr. Chu wasn’t worried. Everyone had their secrets, and as long as they didn’t severely impact their cooperation, he could tolerate it. After all, Wen Qi’s displayed abilities were tempting enough to take a risk.
Dr. Chu took a deep breath, turned, and returned to his desk. He picked up the energy cube, examining it closely, as if seeing infinite possibilities for the future within it.
The scene shifted back to Wen Qi. He couldn’t help but wonder if Dr. Chu believed that he could make those energy cubes only thanks to his special ability. This left Wen Qi uncertain—Dr. Chu was worldly-wise and might have spotted a flaw. But for now, he couldn’t tell Dr. Chu that it was due to the influence of his Turtwig’s skill, using tree fruits grown that way. Dr. Chu might not mind, but others might covet his Turtwig and try to snatch it. That would put Wen Qi in danger. So it was better not to tell anyone the reason; once he grew stronger, it wouldn’t matter if people found out. For now, he had plenty of time, so staying low-key was best.
Speaking of Turtwig, it had recently reached level 38, well past the evolution threshold. Wen Qi felt its foundation was solid enough—it was time to arrange its evolution. Though both Turtwig and Ivysaur had been aided by legendary energy at birth, Ivysaur easily reached deep blue aptitude with minimal care, while Turtwig, despite Wen Qi’s diligent training, still struggled at light blue. The main issue was Turtwig’s poor starting conditions—its aptitude began at light green, while Bulbasaur started at least at cyan. The gap was too vast. No matter how hard Wen Qi tried, it was hard to close that distance. But he would never give up on Turtwig—it was his starter Pokémon, having accompanied him through the toughest times. He was determined to see it through to the end.