Much like the Dragon-type area before, this section also had many people buying Pokémon and others playing around. Employees were scattered in every corner, waiting for customers to approach.
Wen Qi didn't rush to find an Eevee right away; instead, he planned to take a stroll. After all, the place was vast with numerous Pokémon, and he might stumble upon some overlooked gems.
Keep in mind, these Pokémon weren't tested for aptitude only when you chose them—they all wore badges indicating their quality. Yellow aptitude meant a yellow badge, green aptitude meant a green badge, clear at a glance.
Still, there was a chance of aptitude detection errors.
With that, Wen Qi began wandering through the area with his Arcanine.
And sure enough, there were quite a few Normal-type Pokémon here, since the Normal type itself had a large variety.
Plus, Normal types were only weak to Fighting types, making them quite popular.
Most importantly, Normal-type Pokémon were relatively affordable, which suited people's preferences.
Wen Qi opened his system and walked along, noticing that most had yellow aptitude and weren't his preferred types.
He continued forward, and suddenly, a small Munchlax caught his eye.
This Munchlax had a round, plump body like an adorable furball, with short, soft, and fluffy fur.
Its tiny ears twitched occasionally, as if listening to subtle sounds around it.
A pair of jet-black eyes brimmed with curiosity and innocence, and its endearingly clumsy appearance made one want to scoop it up and hold it close.
The Munchlax sat on a patch of grass, chewing on an unknown blade of grass, its mouth moving nonstop, looking utterly adorable.
Its limbs were short and stout, seemingly chubby yet full of strength.
It wore a badge representing yellow aptitude—not top-tier, but its lively and cute demeanor won Wen Qi's heart.
Wen Qi stared at the Munchlax before him, caught in deep inner conflict.
This Munchlax had already reached level 18, making it quite strong for this area.
However, its yellow aptitude was indeed unremarkable, which might be why it hadn't been bought yet.
Wen Qi knew well that he didn't lack food to raise the Munchlax.
But the fact that Munchlax evolved through friendship gave him a headache.
After all, building friendship was full of uncertainty; he couldn't be sure he'd forge a deep bond with it quickly enough to trigger evolution.
Wen Qi paced back and forth on the spot, his gaze occasionally landing on the Munchlax.
On one hand, the Munchlax's cute and silly appearance truly tempted him. He imagined how powerful it would look after evolving, and anticipation filled his heart.
On the other hand, if friendship never reached the required level, all the time and effort he invested would be wasted, potentially disrupting his plans to train other Pokémon.
Wen Qi furrowed his brow, constantly weighing the pros and cons.
If he bought the Munchlax, he'd have to risk it not evolving; but if he passed it up, he feared he'd never encounter another Munchlax that tugged at his heart so.
This tangled feeling swirled within him, leaving him unable to decide.
The silly little Munchlax soon noticed Wen Qi's conflicted gaze, a flicker of cleverness in its innocent eyes.
As if sensing Wen Qi's inner struggle, the Munchlax decided to take the initiative, hoping to win him over and be taken away.
You see, it had been here for a long time, always yearning for an owner to take it away, but most people just played with it briefly and then left.
This person in front of it seemed to really like it, and might actually take it, so it planned to charm Wen Qi thoroughly.
First, the Munchlax tilted its head, blinked its big, shiny black eyes, and the blade of grass it was chewing fell to the ground.
Then, it took short, stubby steps, moving closer to Wen Qi one step at a time.
Once near Wen Qi, it looked up, flashed an incredibly cute smile, and extended a tiny, chubby paw to gently tap Wen Qi's pant leg, as if saying:
"Pick me, pick me, please."
Seeing Wen Qi still hesitating, the Munchlax's eyes darted around. It turned and rolled joyfully on the grass, messing up its fur into a fluffy mess, looking hilariously adorable and making anyone chuckle.
Then, it quickly scurried back to Wen Qi, letting out soft "whimper" sounds like it was begging.
After that, the Munchlax ran to a nearby fruit tree, jumping up with effort to reach the fruit hanging from the branches.
But its round body couldn't quite make it, and it grew frantic, spinning in circles under the tree while letting out urgent "huff" sounds.
It turned its head, gazing at Wen Qi with pleading eyes full of desperation, a pitiful look that was hard to refuse.
When Wen Qi still didn't give a clear response, the Munchlax simply lay on its back, four paws in the air, exposing its round belly, and kept whining.
Seeing this, Wen Qi couldn't help but laugh. The Munchlax seized the chance to roll over to Wen Qi's feet, rubbing its head against his leg repeatedly.
Next, the Munchlax somehow fetched a small flower from somewhere, wobbled over to Wen Qi, placed the flower at his feet, and looked up at him with eager anticipation.
Its hopeful, ingratiating eyes seemed to say:
"Master, take me away now—I'll be good and obedient."
To further win Wen Qi over, the Munchlax performed a "special trick."
It stood still, clumsily spun a few times, then flopped to the ground with a thud, quickly got up, and grinned at Wen Qi, as if showing off its cuteness and fun side to tempt him into accepting it.
Wen Qi watched the Munchlax, which was pulling out all the stops to please him, and his inner conflict gradually faded.
Its adorable, earnest efforts softened Wen Qi's heart.
Thinking about how, if the Munchlax evolved into a Snorlax, its soft, big belly would be perfect for sleeping on, Wen Qi chuckled out loud.
Plus, Snorlax was powerful and could learn many moves—practically a "move library."
"Maybe the friendship issue isn't so scary. If I treat it sincerely, there's always a way," Wen Qi thought to himself.
The Munchlax was still staring at him with those hopeful, pleading eyes, as if saying:
"Master, don't hesitate anymore."
Wen Qi took a deep breath and finally made up his mind:
"Alright, little one, I'll take you with me!"
He crouched down and gently patted the Munchlax's head.
The Munchlax leaped up excitedly, happily circling Wen Qi while letting out joyful cries.
Wen Qi stood up with a smile and led the Munchlax toward an employee.