Wen Qi thought the journey back would go smoothly—after all, he didn't have any enemies. But as he sped along on his riding goat, eager to get home quickly, his mind wandered. He'd barely rested after returning from the forest before heading into the city again; lately, he'd been utterly exhausted. Once back at the farm, he vowed to lie down and rest for a while—this stretch had been nothing but hard work and fatigue.
Just as Wen Qi's thoughts were drifting, a pale blue figure suddenly shot out of the nearby forest with a "whoosh." Before he could react, something tightly coiled around his neck. Startled, he thought he was under attack by some Pokémon and was about to call for his riding goat's help. But when he glanced down, his gaze froze.
It was small and delicate, its body covered in shimmering scales like a magnificent, finely crafted suit of armor. Its eyes were large and bright, brimming with curiosity and alertness, drawing Wen Qi in irresistibly. He realized it was a Dratini. At that moment, he couldn't tell if this was a pleasant surprise or a shock. He feared it might be a Dratini from Evergreen Forest—if its kin came looking for trouble, that would be disastrous. Excitement warred with hesitation, leaving him torn.
But giving it up was unthinkable. At the auction, he'd thought raising a Dratini would be worthwhile, but the exorbitant price was beyond his reach, and he'd only managed to console himself with sour grapes. Now, with one practically handed to him for free, how could he let it go? Yet, through his system, Wen Qi discovered this Dratini was the very one from last night's auction. That stunned him—hadn't it been bought by the person in Box 1? How did it end up here?
This left Wen Qi bewildered, as if a pie had fallen from the sky. While he was lost in thought, a sudden attack came hurtling toward him. The riding goat had already slipped up when the Dratini appeared on Wen Qi's neck. If that had been an attack, Wen Qi would have been hurt. Earlier, the riding goat hadn't reacted in time partly because the Dratini was too fast and partly because it meant no harm—the goat sensed no malice and let its guard down. But this new attack was brimming with hostility; if the riding goat missed it, it would truly be slacking off.
Before the attack landed, the riding goat dodged with its agile body and swift speed. Though it succeeded, Wen Qi was badly shaken. If not for the goat's quick reflexes, he'd have been hit—if not killed, then seriously injured. Furious, Wen Qi glared toward the source of the attack, determined to see who had struck him. Deciding to hold nothing back, he immediately released his Jigglypuff for protection, with his Scizor standing ready at the front.
Zheng Qian couldn't tell if his luck had been good or bad lately. Good, because he'd secretly snagged the Dratini as a steal; bad, because the burrow he'd used might expose him, forcing him to flee overnight. He planned to hide out in a nearby rural area for a while. He'd only stopped to rest, exhausted from the night's work, and to open the Dratini's Poké Ball to check on it. At first, everything seemed normal—the Dratini was wary but didn't run. But the moment he let his guard down, the Dratini shot off, and Zheng Qian had to chase it with his Sandslash.
The Dratini had intended to escape all along; it disliked the strong smell of blood on Zheng Qian. When it sensed the power of the Evergreen Forest radiating from Wen Qi, it was irresistibly drawn to him. Seizing the moment when Wen Qi wasn't paying attention, it coiled around his neck. The Dratini knew it couldn't flee far, so if it had to choose a trainer, it wanted one it liked.
When Zheng Qian caught up, he saw Wen Qi with the Dratini. Realizing the situation, he saw no choice but to silence Wen Qi, ordering his Sandslash to attack. He thought it was foolproof, but the target dodged, and Wen Qi released two Pokémon, eyeing him warily. Zheng Qian knew a sneak attack was no longer possible. From a distance, he couldn't gauge the strength of the riding goat and Scizor, and seeing how young Wen Qi was, he assumed the kid wasn't formidable. Unfortunately for Zheng Qian, his luck was poor.
As Wen Qi watched, Zheng Qian emerged from the forest with his Sandslash and released a Houndoom. He also had a Fearow, a Flying-type, but it had been injured during a previous wilderness adventure and hadn't recovered yet. Otherwise, Zheng Qian would have flown far away on it instead of trudging on foot for so long. Seeing the opponent's two Pokémon, Wen Qi noted they were only Level 40 Yellow-tier—his own were superior in both level and quality, so he felt no concern.
As Zheng Qian drew closer, he realized his opponent wasn't weak and hesitated over whether to continue the attack. But spotting the Dratini around Wen Qi's neck, his wavering resolve vanished. He spoke up: "Friend, that Dratini on your shoulder is mine. Please return it. The attack earlier was an accident—I thought you'd stolen it. It's all a misunderstanding, and I can apologize."
Wen Qi nearly laughed at the blatant lies. His chuckle made Zheng Qian feel insulted, and he snapped, "Friend, what are you laughing at? I said I can apologize, or even compensate you if needed. Don't push it."
Wen Qi coldly stared at Zheng Qian's pretentious act and said one thing: "I was at the auction yesterday..." At that, Zheng Qian knew the kid knew everything. No wonder he'd laughed so smugly—he'd seen through the lies all along, making Zheng Qian feel like a fool. Enraged and humiliated, Zheng Qian realized that, despite Wen Qi's youth and apparent strength, he'd hoped to bluff his way out. Now, only battle remained.
Wen Qi sensed the shift in the opponent's attitude and knew this wouldn't end peacefully. He had no idea how the black market's Dratini ended up with this man, but it was clearly a secret. Since he now knew too much, he figured he wouldn't leave without settling things. Wen Qi dismounted from his riding goat, with Jigglypuff at his side, while the riding goat and Scizor stood together. The tension between them grew thick, and battle was imminent.