Wen Qi strolled through the Pokémon paradise, greeted by a vibrant and colorful scene before him.
All kinds of Pokémon were present in abundance, yet most displayed ordinary traits. Despite this, Wen Qi did not give up. He resolved to use the system’s power to search for any hidden Pokémon with exceptional potential.
Through the system’s scrutiny, Wen Qi discovered that most Pokémon emitted red and orange glows, indicating they were generally at a mediocre or below-average level of aptitude.
Those radiating yellow light were few and far between, and most were already powerful and mature in age, leaving Wen Qi uninterested in raising them.
His gaze swept across the many Pokémon. Though a green-glowing one briefly flashed by, it moved too quickly for Wen Qi to catch a clear sight of it.
Wen Qi walked slowly along a winding river, where a group of Poliwag and Poliwhirl caught his attention.
However, the number of Poliwrath was surprisingly scarce.
He speculated to himself that perhaps Water Stones were hard to come by, or that the evolved Politoed was not present in this area.
Just then, a thought struck Wen Qi: the top-tier King’s Rock he had seen earlier in the shop. Without hesitation, he spent three thousand points to acquire it.
He also possessed a precious top-tier Water Stone, which filled him with anticipation for capturing a Poliwag.
If a Poliwag evolved into a Poliwrath, it could help with watering and moving heavy loads; if it evolved into a Politoed, it would even lead the entire Poliwhirl group, bringing endless convenience to the farm.
This vision excited Wen Qi, and he decided to carefully search among this group of Poliwag for an individual with superior aptitude.
After a long search, Wen Qi finally spotted a Poliwag emitting a green glow among the group.
He observed closely and found that while this Poliwag was still low-level, around level ten, it was protected by a group of Poliwhirl, clearly holding an important status within the group.
Wen Qi realized this might be the exceptional Pokémon he had been seeking.
However, capturing this Poliwag would not be easy.
Wen Qi noticed that the Poliwrath leader, though only of yellow aptitude, was at a high level of forty, surrounded by six or seven Poliwhirl in their thirties and dozens of Poliwag ranging from level ten to twenty.
If he tried to take it by force, he would likely provoke the entire group’s anger and might even suffer serious harm.
Wen Qi knew that now he had to rely on his wits and eloquence to solve the problem.
He walked slowly toward the Poliwag group, and instantly, the playful Poliwag stopped their activities, staring warily at this uninvited guest.
The Poliwhirl, in particular, tightly surrounded the Poliwag Wen Qi had chosen, clearly protecting it from harm.
The Poliwrath leader stepped forward with heavy strides, his brow furrowed and eyes filled with anger and hostility.
The air around them seemed to grow tense, making it hard to approach. Wen Qi knew he had to tread carefully; provoking the leader could lead to disastrous consequences.
He took a deep breath, calming his nerves while intensifying the use of his Viridian Forest power to emit a peaceful and safe aura.
Sure enough, the Poliwrath leader’s hostility lessened slightly upon sensing Wen Qi’s presence.
Seeing this, Wen Qi knew it was a good opportunity. He walked slowly up to the Poliwrath leader, his riding goat close behind.
This was for his own safety—surrounded by so many Poliwhirl, he needed to ensure he could retreat unscathed if conflict broke out.
“Hello, Poliwrath leader. I’m Wen Qi, a farmer from this village,” he began in a calm tone.
“I’ve come to capture that Poliwag. I know this might be presumptuous, but I promise to take good care of it and help it grow and develop better. I hope you can accommodate me.”
As he spoke, he pointed to the green-glowing Poliwag protected by the Poliwhirl.
The Poliwrath leader fell silent for a moment before speaking: “That Poliwag is my child. I can’t let you take it. It has its own destiny and choices—it’s not something you can just claim.”
His tone was calm but firm and resolute.
Wen Qi understood the Poliwrath leader’s concerns and worries, but he didn’t give up.
He took another deep breath and continued, “I chose your child because its aptitude is truly excellent. If it stays in the group to be raised, it might only reach a level similar to yours in the future. Besides, finding a Water Stone is difficult for you.”
“Even if you find one, its quality might not be guaranteed. But I can prepare a top-tier Water Stone for it. Under my care, it will grow much stronger. And my farm is nearby—if it ever misses the group, it can come back to visit anytime.”
Hearing Wen Qi’s words, a flicker of hesitation appeared in the Poliwrath leader’s eyes.
He was clearly moved by Wen Qi’s speech, yet still worried about his child being harmed after leaving.
Seeing this, Wen Qi knew it was a chance. He slowly pulled out the top-tier Water Stone from his pocket.
It instantly emitted a soft, mysterious glow in his palm, as if containing endless water power.
The moment Wen Qi revealed the top-tier Water Stone, all the Poliwhirl became excited.
They gathered around Wen Qi and the Poliwrath leader, their eyes filled with longing and envy.
Wen Qi took the opportunity to show the top-tier Water Stone to the Poliwrath leader and explained, “This is the top-tier Water Stone I’ve prepared for your child. If it’s willing to follow me, I promise to do my utmost to raise it and make it the strongest Poliwrath.”
The Poliwrath leader stared at the top-tier Water Stone in Wen Qi’s hand, and the hesitation in his eyes gradually faded.
He knew this was a rare opportunity for his child to achieve better growth and development.
Still, he remained uneasy—Wen Qi was a stranger, and he couldn’t guarantee that Wen Qi would truly care for his child.
After deep thought, the Poliwrath leader finally spoke: “How about this? Let’s have a battle. Let me see your strength. If you win, I’ll let you take my child. If you lose, I won’t take your top-tier Water Stone, but you must find me ten mid-tier Water Stones as compensation. What do you think?”
Wen Qi’s heart leaped with joy upon hearing this.
He knew this was the Poliwrath leader’s test and a recognition of his abilities.
Without hesitation, he accepted the Poliwrath leader’s challenge and promised that even if he won, he would still find three Water Stones to give to the leader.
The Poliwrath leader hadn’t expected Wen Qi to be so generous—offering Water Stones even if he won.
It seemed this human was quite decent. If he lost, letting his son follow Wen Qi wouldn’t be a bad choice.