Read advance chapters for both of my work, exclusively on Patreon at - www.patreon.com/Sniperwoof
-----------------
Nighttime.
Mrs. Yin sent news that Lin Feng had successfully obtained his Gligar—without going through the usual tedious steps. With her help, he had skipped most of the process, first winning the Gligar's heart and then officially registering it under his name.
The efficiency was so high it made Li Xiang's heart ache.
He had been fully prepared to film Lin Feng picking up Gligar droppings as future blackmail material.
But fate didn't give him the chance!
How unfair!
With a sigh, Li Xiang checked Song Jie's updates on WeChat. Considering the time that had passed, Song Jie should have already passed his exam, and given his family background, his fourth Pokémon should have been secured right after.
Sure enough, Song Jie had obtained his certification half a month ago. After a week-long "test," he successfully acquired his fourth Pokémon.
A test?
Li Xiang's interest was piqued, and he immediately asked for details.
At first, Song Jie refused, his tone full of reluctance, as if the memory was traumatic, but after being bombarded with incessant messages and a relentless 600-second voice call from Li Xiang, he finally relented.
The so-called "test" was related to his family's company—Jinnan Mining.
As a state-backed enterprise, Jinnan Mining had the authority to mine in the wild, provided they reported in advance and allowed the Pokémon Association to survey the area.
Earlier this year, in March, a mining team discovered a massive deposit of Spark Stones and their associated evolutionary stones—Thunder Stones and Fire Stones—exposed on the surface of a mountain near the border of Jizhou.
The former was a cheap yet precious energy source, akin to oil.
The latter two needed no explanation.
This should have been an incredible windfall. With this mine, Jinnan Mining could expand even further.
But there was a problem—the mountain already had "owners."
According to the Natural Development Act, large-scale mining was prohibited in areas inhabited by wild Pokémon, with violators facing criminal penalties.
Yet another issue arose:
These "owners" weren't native to Zhu Xia.
They were a group of foreign Alolan Geodude, Graveler, and Golem—Rock/Electric-types instead of the usual Ground/Rock.
Spark Stones happened to be their favorite food.
Their numbers were substantial, around fifty, forming a sizable colony.
These Pokémon had taken over the entire Spark Stone deposit, driving away the native Electric-types and monopolizing the area.
Exactly how they ended up here was unclear, but it was believed to have happened twenty or thirty years ago.
This led to a critical question: Were invasive species protected under the Natural Development Act?
The answer?
Unclear.
The Act explicitly prohibited excessive human development in wild Pokémon habitats, but were Alolan Golem considered local wild Pokémon?
Debatable.
Moreover, invasive species were a relatively recent phenomenon, and the laws hadn't been updated to address them yet.
Thus, some argued that since the law didn't forbid it, they could proceed.
They proposed capturing all the invasive Pokémon, and even the Association's surveyors agreed.
At this point, the path forward seemed straightforward.
But then— Complications arose again.
The Rangers, whose duty was to maintain balance between nature, humans, and Pokémon, appeared.
Or rather, they were supposed to have arrived earlier but were delayed.
After assessing the situation, they halted Jinnan Mining's operations and attempted to negotiate with the Alolan Golem.
Their idea was simple: The Alolan Golem had lived on this land for decades, becoming part of it.
The deposit was vast enough that they could share it with humans and other wild Pokémon.
A naive notion.
But it was precisely such naive people who built this world where humans and Pokémon coexisted peacefully.
First attempt: The Rangers were driven out, covered in dust.
Second attempt: Same result.
Third, fourth, fifth…
Despite repeated failures, the Rangers persisted, trying to communicate with these stubborn Pokémon and change their minds.
Finally, in May, the Alolan Golem relented.
They agreed to let humans mine the deposit—on one condition:
The leader of Jinnan Mining had to live among them for seven days and nights, relying solely on themselves without any tools or Pokémon (except for food).
This showed they understood humans to some extent.
The test sounded simple.
In reality, the Alolan Golem lived in an area with scorching temperatures—averaging 45°C (113°F), sometimes nearing 50°C (122°F).
Even in this world, surviving such heat for seven days was brutal.
Three or four days was manageable if you toughed it out.
The real challenge was avoiding illness.
Unsurprisingly, the mining team's executives had no intention of risking their health. To them, the Alolan Golem's "test" was a joke.
Who would humor wild Pokémon? Ridiculous!
Just send some random person to fake it. Would wild Pokémon even know the difference?
But some people would humor wild Pokémon—and forbid such deception.
The Rangers.
If the executives refused to take it seriously, the Rangers would enforce it strictly.
To them, the Alolan Golem's reasoning was clear: They respected strength—whether of body or spirit.
They knew humans weren't physically strong, so they lowered their standards.
If humans wanted the deposit, their leader had to prove their willpower.
Pass the test, and the deposit was theirs.
The Alolan Golem saw this as a gesture of sincerity.
The Rangers agreed—it wasn't a high bar. Just a week of "camping" for some pampered executives.
Was living among Pokémon really so hard?
For the Rangers, no.
But for the executives? Absolutely.
The standoff continued.
The executives refused to send anyone, hoping the Rangers would let them fake it, and the Rangers saw humans as needlessly stubborn over such a small matter.
By late June, Jinnan Mining's higher-ups had enough.
Seeing no compromise from either side, they decided to accept the terms.
They recalled part of the mining team and, after multiple meetings, assigned the task to a group of about ten people—including Song Jie.
Most were descendants of Jinnan Mining's executives, aged 12 to 22, mostly Trainers with far better endurance than middle-aged executives.
Plus, summer break had started—they had free time.
The burden fell on them.
Early July.
The group set out.
What happened next? Song Jie refused to elaborate.
All he said was that in the end, only two people lasted the full seven days—himself and an older participant Li Xiang didn't know.
The rest dropped out early.
As a reward, the Alolan Golem acknowledged them, with one even becoming Song Jie's admirer and choosing to follow him.
Thus, Song Jie "reluctantly" took in a Level 35 Alolan Golem, and that was how he got his fourth Pokémon.
After hearing this, Li Xiang sighed.
Such a scenario could only happen in this world.
In his past life, the Alolan Golem would've been forcibly relocated "for their own good"—or outright captured by the mining company.
Negotiations?
Unthinkable.
An entire mineral deposit? Who wouldn't go crazy over that?
If oil had caused wars, Spark Stones—a new energy source—would be no different.
What did wild Pokémon have to do with it? This was a gift (asset) from heaven (nature) to humans (Jinnan Mining).
Alolan Golem? Scram!
The fact that things had turned out this way was largely thanks to the Rangers' efforts.
But soon, Li Xiang's focus shifted.
In theory, Spark Stones formed due to geothermal activity, where electrical energy was trapped in cooling magma. It was usually found near volcanoes.
But Jizhou… had no volcanoes. Meaning, this Spark Stones deposit had to have formed unnaturally.
Electric… Fire…
Could it be the work of legendary Pokémon? Raikou, Entei, Zapdos, or Moltres battling here?
Unlikely. Their power wasn't enough to alter the environment so drastically.
Then… Zekrom and Reshiram?
...Now that seems plausible!
Zekrom and Reshiram were a fated pair, once even a single entity. With their power, creating an Spark Stone deposit would be trivial.
Traces of legendary Pokémon… How Li Xiang longed to see them.
If he ever gained enough strength in the future, he wanted to chase after these mythical beings—to witness their might and unravel their mysteries.
Only then would his life feel truly fulfilling.
Knowing legends existed yet ignoring them?
That would be unbearable.