The black market hadn't opened yet, so Wen Qi and Li Xiang could only wander around the general market for now.
Wen Qi and Li Xiang walked ahead, followed by their Skiddo and Charmeleon. The two in front chatted cheerfully, but the Charmeleon behind was barely holding back from cursing out loud. Though the Skiddo beside it was a Grass-type Pokémon, which it had a type advantage over, the Skiddo's Elite-level aura pressed down on the Charmeleon relentlessly. Pokémon farther away might not feel it as strongly, but the Charmeleon, standing right next to the Skiddo, found this aura utterly unbearable. After all, the Charmeleon wasn't the Skiddo's partner, and while the Skiddo bore no hostility toward it due to Wen Qi and Li Xiang's relationship, the natural Grass-type aversion to Fire-types was unchangeable. Unconsciously, its aura pressed toward the Charmeleon, and the Skiddo itself was completely unaware of this.
Though the Charmeleon was quite uncomfortable at the moment, its pride as a Fire-type Pokémon wouldn't allow it to yield to the Skiddo or tell Li Xiang about it. So, the Charmeleon was essentially suffering in silence to save face. It glared at Li Xiang, who was chatting happily with Wen Qi up ahead, grinding its teeth in frustration.
Li Xiang, completely oblivious to the Charmeleon's plight, strolled through the market with Wen Qi, making idle conversation. While this general market didn't have anything particularly rare or valuable, it was indeed vast, filled with a dazzling array of goods and plenty of interesting trinkets. Wen Qi spotted several stalls selling Pokémon plushies, which looked genuinely impressive—some were so lifelike that if they couldn't move, they'd be indistinguishable from real Pokémon.
Seeing these plushies reminded Wen Qi of his own Pokémon. He hadn't given them anything in a long time, so he bought a small plushie for each of them. These plushies weren't cheap; each was made from special materials. For instance, the Poliwag plushie was waterproof, while Fire-type plushies were usually the most expensive because they required fireproof materials, making them costlier.
Seeing Wen Qi buy some, Li Xiang got three for his Charmeleon—one each of Charmander, Charmeleon, and Charizard—and handed them directly to it. But Li Xiang found it strange: why was his Charmeleon looking at him with such a bizarre expression, almost as if it wanted to tear him apart? Still, Li Xiang figured he must have misread it—his own Pokémon wouldn't have that kind of look. It had to be a mistake.
As Wen Qi secretly stuffed the plushies into his space backpack, he quietly sent them to his Pokémon in the small world. When his Pokémon saw the plushies that looked exactly like them, their eyes sparkled with joy. They gently cradled the plushies, as if meeting long-lost loved ones. Every detail of the plushies felt intimately familiar, and they chirped happily, showing boundless delight. Even the usually aloof Scizor couldn't hide its joyful expression. It seemed they really loved these plushies.
Wen Qi thought that in the future, he should make time to buy them more things to cheer them up.
After wandering for a long time, it was dinner time. The market was bustling with people, and since the black market was below, the area was packed with hotels and restaurants. Wen Qi and Li Xiang, seeing it was getting late, decided to grab dinner first before heading down to the black market together.
After dinner, Wen Qi noticed the market was still teeming with people. There was a night market here too, drawing even larger crowds. This might be what they meant by "the greatest hermit hides in the city"—the more people, the easier it was to blend in and the safer it was. Though many knew about the black market and many visited it, it was still a gray industry with the risk of being raided, so having all these people as cover made escape easier later.
In truth, the city officials were well aware of the black market's existence. The largest shareholder in this black market was the city government itself; without that backing, it wouldn't have grown so large. Wen Qi noticed guards at the underground entrances. The underground black market was a labyrinth with many exits, naturally for safety reasons.
Wen Qi and the others, wearing pre-prepared masks, arrived at the entrance. Though there were guards, they seemed to be just for show—basically no restrictions on entry and no fees required. The black market's main revenue came from auctions and taxes on vendors selling there. There was no charge for visitors, as not charging attracted more people, leading to greater profits. Still, there was a basic requirement: one had to own a Pokémon, which kept minors out—a rule set by the officials.
Wen Qi felt it was inconvenient to keep the Skiddo out, as its strength made it too conspicuous. To stay low-key, he recalled the Skiddo and sent out a Venonat, letting it climb onto his shoulder for protection. Li Xiang, seeing Wen Qi put away the Skiddo and release a Venonat he'd never seen before, noted that while it looked much weaker than the Skiddo, its strength surpassed his Charmeleon's. Li Xiang hadn't expected Wen Qi to raise a Venonat, and to such a high level.
This was Wen Qi's first time at the black market. As he passed through the underground entrance, he saw many people entering from this spot alone. After walking through a dimly lit tunnel, he arrived at a massive square. Stepping into the black market, a mix of metallic, dusty, and strange spicy scents hit him, sharply stimulating his sense of smell. The walls around him were uneven, covered with traces of age and stains from unknown liquids. Faint lights flickered in the narrow passages, casting mottled shadows that made the whole space feel eerily deep and mysterious.
In the market, all kinds of Pokémon were placed on crude stalls—some trapped in rusty cages, others huddled in dark corners, their eyes filled with fear and helplessness. They emitted various auras, some fresh like green grass, others carrying a nauseating stench. Traders moved through the market, their figures blurry in the dim light. Their conversations were low and secretive, as if conducting some shady deal. The air was thick with tension, as if a fierce conflict could erupt at any moment.
In this underground black market, Wen Qi's first impression was the absence of rules and morality—only the exchange of interests and the satisfaction of desires. This was the dark side of the Pokémon world, a realm full of unknowns and dangers. Coming here for the first time, he hadn't expected that a black market would, after all, be a black market—how could it ever be as bright and polished as the market above?