So he asked, "What do you mean by a bargain? What's so special about this Growlithe? As I recall, this Growlithe's Fire-type moves are pretty weak."
Although Wen Qi couldn't reveal anything about the Growlithe being connected to a legendary Pokémon, nor mention its aptitude, he still wanted to show off a bit about the bargain to someone he trusted. Wen Qi casually said, "The Growlithe's issue is resolved, its aptitude has improved, and the power of its Fire-type moves has increased by twenty percent."
Zhou Zhiwen didn't react at first, brushing off Wen Qi's offhand remark. But a few seconds later, he suddenly snapped to attention and exclaimed loudly, "Resolved? You're saying you resolved it? Not only did its aptitude improve, but its Fire-type power went up by twenty percent? Are you sure you're not joking?"
Wen Qi didn't speak, just shook his head, meaning it was no joke. Seeing Wen Qi's affirmative response, Zhou Zhiwen didn't know what to say. He wanted a bargain like that too. But Zhou Zhiwen also understood how hard it must have been for Wen Qi to solve this problem, let alone improve the Growlithe's aptitude and boost its Fire-type moves—how difficult that must have been.
At that moment, Zhou Zhiwen looked over at the young man innocently tidying up the dining table. He realized he couldn't figure this young man out at all. You never knew his limits or how many abilities he had yet to reveal. After all, anyone who could run an auction in the black market was no simpleton. Problems they couldn't solve, Wen Qi had fixed. If the auction house found out, the consequences would be unimaginable. Zhou Zhiwen decided not to ask any more questions and let this secret stay buried deep in his heart.
Wen Qi noticed Zhou Zhiwen spacing out and didn't know why. But since the dishes and utensils were on the table, he called Zhou Zhiwen over to eat. They had a simple lunch, and after eating a bit, Wen Qi had the Venomoth clean up and wash the dishes. Zhou Zhiwen saw another Venomoth, its aura indicating it was a high-level Pokémon. Having seen so many, he wasn't too surprised anymore. Wen Qi's records had listed a Venonat before, so this was likely its evolution, which seemed normal. Still, he grumbled internally, "Are you kidding me? Did your Pokémon grow up on fertilizer? Evolving this fast in such a short time—it's totally unscientific." But compared to Wen Qi's Turtwig, this was actually normal. This Venomoth was only strong in psychic powers; everything else was average. It was indeed an ordinary Venomoth, but a great "Psychic-type" Pokémon. Even though he was a Fire-type trainer, he'd want one like this with a Psychic attribute.
Wen Qi brought a box out of his room and handed it to Zhou Zhiwen. Without looking, Zhou Zhiwen knew what was inside. Opening it, he saw six glass jars: three basic, two intermediate, and one advanced. He opened his phone and transferred over five hundred thousand to Wen Qi. This transaction, after material costs, didn't lose Wen Qi money but didn't earn much either—it was just to repay and build goodwill with Zhou Zhiwen. After getting the items, Zhou Zhiwen didn't linger and left quickly.
Wen Qi had things to do too, so he didn't insist on him staying. But before leaving, Wen Qi specifically asked Zhou Zhiwen where in the city to buy household Pokémon. Zhou Zhiwen recommended a place called Chunhua Household Shop in the west of the city, where Pokémon could be rented or bought. It was a bit pricey, but the service was the best.
After seeing Zhou Zhiwen off, Wen Qi pondered whether to buy one now or wait until he returned to the farm. Then he thought, he had no Pokémon to take care of here and couldn't rely solely on the Venomoth for cleaning. Plus, cooking every day was a hassle. He decided to check out the household shop first. If there was a good one, he'd buy it early and enjoy it sooner.
Wen Qi found that his place wasn't far from the household shop. Thinking he'd walk off his meal, he didn't take the Gogoat. The Growlithe in the yard, seeing its owner about to leave, kept circling Wen Qi. Wen Qi understood what it meant. After a moment's thought, he decided to bring the Growlithe along. It rarely went out, so a walk would do it good. Seeing Wen Qi didn't refuse and even took it out, the Growlithe was overjoyed. Along the way, it stopped and started, running ahead of Wen Qi one moment and circling him the next, full of joy.
Passersby saw the Growlithe and were envious, as Pokémon like Growlithe rarely appeared around ordinary people. Most Growlithe, once hatched by the League, were immediately sent to departments like the police, military, or search teams. Very few leaked out, making them harder to find than typical starter Pokémon in regular breeding houses. If Wen Qi hadn't been lucky last time, with his limited funds, he couldn't have bought a Growlithe at all. Although the Growlithe drew a lot of attention, being in the city, there was no real danger.
After walking less than half an hour, Wen Qi arrived at the Chunhua Household Shop. The shop was quite large, and seeing the name "Chunhua," he knew it must be something special. Inside, two Audino stood on either side, bowing to welcome him. One led him further in. Wen Qi watched the bustling hall, full of people. This shop offered both Pokémon and human household services. Not everyone preferred Pokémon for chores; some hired humans. But humans could only be hired, not bought like Pokémon.
Wen Qi scanned the area and saw many household Pokémon coming and going, available for selection. He spotted many suitable ones: Indeedee, Audino, Clefairy, Wigglytuff, Machoke, Mr. Mime, Leavanny, and more. He approached a counter and sat down. The employee, seeing Wen Qi, didn't look down on him for being young and directly asked, "Sir, do you need a human nanny or a Pokémon nanny?"
Without hesitation, Wen Qi said, "Pokémon." The employee continued, "Do you have a specific Pokémon in mind, sir? We have all the common household Pokémon here." Wen Qi recalled seeing an Indeedee outside and asked, "Do you have Indeedee? I saw one in the hall earlier." The employee, hearing his request, replied, "Sir, we currently don't have any Indeedee in the shop. The one you saw in the hall was likely reserved by someone else. As you know, Indeedee is quite popular and usually gets snatched up as soon as it appears. If you want one, I can put in a reservation for you, but it typically takes about half a year for news. So, sir, would you like to reserve one? The reservation fee is three hundred thousand."
Hearing it would take half a year and cost three hundred thousand just to reserve, Wen Qi immediately lost interest. If he waited that long, his Bellossom at home would probably kill him. So he said, "Forget it. Bring over some Audino and Mr. Mime for me to see."