Zheng Qian’s eyes gleamed with a cunning light. In his mind, it was as clear as a mirror—striking first in battle often secured the advantage. Without hesitation, he issued his command:
“Houndoom, use Flamethrower!”
Houndoom immediately opened its jaws wide, spewing forth a torrent of searing flames. The fire coiled through the air like a ferocious dragon, roaring as it lunged straight at the opponent. The moment the flames erupted, the surrounding air seemed to warp from the heat, a testament to the attack’s immense power.
At the same time, Sandslash swiftly burrowed into the ground. Its movements were lightning-fast and incredibly agile, tearing through the dirt with ease and forming a deep tunnel in an instant. Its goal was clear: to lie in wait for the perfect moment to strike a fatal blow from ambush. These were tactics Zheng Qian had used time and again with great success, and Sandslash knew exactly what to do without needing explicit orders. Typically, Houndoom would launch a frontal assault while Sandslash attacked from underground—a strategy that had proven nearly foolproof and highly effective.
However, Wen Qi was not intimidated by Zheng Qian’s tactics. Calmly and collectedly, he observed the battlefield and gave orders to Scizor and Gogoat:
“Dodge quickly, then Scizor, close in on Houndoom and use Fury Cutter. Gogoat, use Earthquake.”
Scizor flickered, nimbly evading the oncoming flames. It moved like a bolt of lightning, darting across the battlefield at a speed too fast for the eye to follow. Gogoat also displayed remarkable agility, effortlessly sidestepping the fire attack before executing Earthquake as commanded.
The ground began to tremble violently. Sandslash, trapped underground, had no way to escape and was knocked unconscious by the shockwaves.
By then, Scizor had already appeared before Houndoom like a phantom. It gave the opponent no time to react, immediately activating Agility. Its form blurred as it zipped across the field, dazzling to behold. Then, with a sudden halt, it unleashed a fierce combo attack on Houndoom. Slash, heavy blow, rapid strikes—each hit carried immense force. Houndoom had no defense against this relentless assault and was ultimately cleanly taken down in a single decisive blow.
Seeing this, Zheng Qian’s eyes flashed with shock and reluctance. He never imagined his tactics would be so easily dismantled, nor that his Pokémon would fall so quickly. Wen Qi, meanwhile, watched the battlefield with a cool gaze. Unsure if Zheng Qian had any other Pokémon in reserve, he remained on high alert to guard against a potential sneak attack.
Though Zheng Qian appeared outwardly calm—his expression unchanged even after two of his Pokémon were defeated—inside, he was as frantic as an ant on a hot pan. He hadn’t expected Wen Qi to be this formidable. If Sandslash’s loss was due to his failure to anticipate Gogoat’s Earthquake, then Houndoom’s defeat was even more shocking. He was somewhat familiar with Wen Qi’s Scizor, having spent enough time in the bounty hunter world to know a thing or two. Scizor was a rare Pokémon, but he’d encountered and fought one before. Yet Wen Qi’s Scizor moved at an absurd speed—even faster than the Scyther he’d faced previously. Before his Houndoom could even react, it had closed the distance and taken it down with a combo, which was the hardest pill for him to swallow.
Now, despite his forced composure, if he couldn’t produce another Pokémon, he’d soon be exposed. Wen Qi watched Zheng Qian’s posturing, expecting some surprising move, but it seemed the man had exhausted his tricks. At this point, Wen Qi felt conflicted. Should he finish him off for good, or let him go? Having come to this world not long ago and being an ordinary person in his past life, Wen Qi honestly found it hard to bring himself to kill someone. But letting Zheng Qian go didn’t seem right either. He glanced down at the Dratini still coiled around his neck—because of this little one, he couldn’t afford to spare him. If he released Zheng Qian, news of his Dratini would likely spread quickly, inviting a flood of danger and attacks.
Wen Qi first sent out Sandshrew to dig up the unconscious Sandslash from underground. Zheng Qian, seeing his fainted Sandslash and Houndoom, knew he had to make a choice: either use his injured Fearow to fight to the death or flee with it. Though the Fearow was hurt and couldn’t fly far, there was still a chance to escape.
At that moment, Wen Qi walked up to Zheng Qian and said, “I take it you have no more Pokémon left. If you’ve got any trump cards, you’d better use them now, or you’ll lose your chance.”
Zheng Qian’s hand crept into his back pocket, gripping the Fearow’s Poké Ball tightly. He was tense and hesitant. Wen Qi noticed the movement and knew Zheng Qian hadn’t given up resistance. He gave Scizor a look. In a flash, Scizor appeared behind Zheng Qian, knocking the hand away. The Poké Ball fell to the ground. Wen Qi picked it up and saw a Fearow inside—he knew this was Zheng Qian’s last hope. With that hope crushed, Zheng Qian was now like a fish on a chopping block, completely at Wen Qi’s mercy.
Seeing that Zheng Qian was still pulling such tricks even in this state, Wen Qi realized the man was no good. Letting him go would only bring endless trouble later. With that thought, Wen Qi steeled himself and said to Venonat, “Use Sleep Powder.”
Zheng Qian had been planning to feign surrender and play along with Wen Qi, but he never expected Wen Qi to directly attack him with a Pokémon. Before he could even utter a plea for mercy, Venonat’s Sleep Powder had already knocked him unconscious.
Wen Qi had Sandshrew dig a hole and buried Zheng Qian inside. As for his remaining Pokémon, Wen Qi didn’t try to capture them. Having killed their trainer, taming them would be far too difficult. Still, these Pokémon held some value—he couldn’t use them himself, but he could later sell them on the black market. Killing them outright didn’t sit right with him, and releasing them was out of the question, as it could expose him. The black market was the best option.
After finishing, Wen Qi had Gogoat use Grassy Terrain to erase the battle traces, then sprayed some scent-neutralizing agent before riding Gogoat away in haste. Not far off, he stopped in a secluded spot. He wasn’t in a rush to return; instead, he focused on the Dratini around his neck. This little one needed to be dealt with first. Carrying it around openly would be a huge problem if others spotted it. The black market had just lost one Dratini, and now Wen Qi had one—it would be too easy for people to connect the dots. Once some time passed, the Dratini evolved, or the attention died down, he could use it openly without worry.