Pokémon: Start with an Admiral Crab!

"This is……"

Wang Yao took a wooden box from Wu Zhu.

Inside was the mysterious thank-you gift that the islanders had prepared for Wang Yao.

"Open it and take a look. Although this item is not rare, it may not be available in Guandu."

Uncle Wuzhu said in a mysterious tone.

“…Is it a specialty of the island?”

Wang Yao opened the wooden box with doubts.

As the lid was opened, a strange and fragrant smell diffused out.

"Incense burner? And incense?"

Wang Yao looked at the props in the box with some confusion.

The wooden box contained an antique copper incense burner and two neatly stacked piles of incense sticks.

The colors of the two piles of incense blocks are different, so they should be two different kinds of incense.

"During traditional sacrificial activities, islanders would make various incense sticks to pray to their gods and nature."

"Although this tradition has gradually disappeared, the craft of making incense has remained..."

Uncle Wuzhu began to explain.

"These aqua-blue incenses are called 'Sea Tide Incense'. They are very beneficial for the cultivation of water-type Pokémon..."

"Although I heard that a technology company in the Hoenn region has reproduced similar props through modern means, we in the Seven Islands still use the most primitive method and only collect raw materials from the depths of the 'Water Labyrinth'."

Uncle Wuzhu pointed at two types of incense and introduced them.

"And this kind of incense with gold powder is 'lucky incense', which can only be obtained through blessing ceremonies during special festivals. Fishermen on the island believe that lighting incense before going out to sea can bring good luck."

Uncle Wuzhu discussed with other islanders for an entire afternoon, and finally decided to give Wang Yao some gifts that were unique to the Seven Islands and could be useful to trainers.

"Oh... there is such a use for it."

Wang Yao set his sights on "Sea Tide Incense" - it could be good for breeding Pokémon, but he didn't know whether it was true or not.

But in this world, as long as it's related to Pokémon, it's likely to be effective.

As for the "lucky incense"... he just thought it was a psychological effect.

Incense made through a blessing ceremony - isn't that similar to asking a guru to bless you?

"Thanks - this thing is very useful to me!"

Regardless of whether the incense had any so-called magical effects, Wang Yao still thanked the other party first.

Then he closed the box and put it away carefully.

"Hahaha! As long as you like it, Yao!"

In fact, Wu Zhu himself had no idea whether the gift he prepared in such a hurry would satisfy Wang Yao.

As a native islander, he naturally knew the benefits of incense...

But to tourists, this rhetoric of "traditional sacrifices" and "natural blessings" sounds a bit like bluffing.

Fortunately, Wang Yao showed interest in the gift, so it was clear that the thought was not wasted.

"Ah~Uncle~Yao~"

A childish voice sounded behind Wang Yao.

"Xiao Mi - how was it, did you enjoy the party?"

Wang Yao turned around, bent down and touched Xiao Mi's head.

"Uncle—this is for you!"

It seemed like Xiao Mi was specially sent by his mother to come and express his gratitude.

He raised his hand towards Wang Yao and picked up a small palm-sized paper box with a few small flowers painted on it with colored pens.

"Thank you so much for taking care of my daughter!"

"…It's just a small gift, not a sign of respect."

Xiao Mi's mother followed her daughter and expressed her gratitude to Wang Yao.

"Nothing... Xiao Mi is so sensible..."

Wang Yao took the gift box politely.

After completing the task, Xiao Mi immediately ran away laughing - she wanted to continue digging sand castles with her brother Tulong before the bonfire party was over!

"This child...I'm so sorry!"

Xiao Mi’s mother held her face helplessly.

After thanking Wang Yao again, he hurried to find Xiao Mi.

"Little Mi--Little Mini, you can't crawl into the sand pit like your brother Tulong!"

Xiao Mi's mother shouted from afar to her daughter whose "body was half buried in the ground".

After the other party left, Wang Yao also opened the painted paper box and took a look.

"seed?"

Wang Yao took out a teardrop-shaped seed from the paper box.

The seed coat is black but has white markings.

The twisted white lines formed a pattern similar to "?" on the black skin.

"It should be the seeds of some kind of tree fruit, right?"

Considering that there was a lush fruit forest on the neighboring island, Wang Yao was not confused about the type of gift.

"But I'm traveling around the Seven Islands and don't have time to grow the fruit... I'd better plant it in the research institute when I return to Kanto."

Wang Yao put the seeds back into the paper box and put it into his backpack.

……

The bonfire party lasted until late at night, until most islanders began to feel sleepy.

Wang Yao refused the invitation to stay in the hotel run by Xiao Mi's mother, and chose to camp on the beach instead.

Without setting an alarm, Wang Yao woke up at noon the next day.

Fortunately, he was not the only one who slept in - Uncle Wuzhu, who was drunk last night, was still sleeping soundly in bed until Wang Yao finished washing up.

This news was told to Wang Yao by Takuro as a joke. His family and Wu Zhu's family were neighbors, and the deafening snoring could be heard through two walls!

After washing up, Wang Yao did not cook, but took out some fruits from his backpack for lunch.

Eating light food occasionally can also regulate your stomach and intestines.

"Didi-di-!"

"Didi-di-!"

Wang Yao was chewing some fruit when he heard a call invitation on his watch.

“Unknown caller…Who else knows my number?”

Wang Yao looked at the question mark on the caller's profile picture in confusion.

After the video call was connected, the screen flickered for two seconds before finally freezing on a young man in a white research coat.

"Sumio?"

The person who contacted Wang Yao was none other than the researcher Chengfu, who was recommended by Wang Yao to work under Dr. Danbo because of his contribution to the development of the black rhino armor.

I think the other party must have obtained his contact number from Dr. Marble or Manatori.

"Master Ayao! It's me!"

Sumio suppressed his inner excitement and responded respectfully.

"Um...what's the matter with you contacting me? As you can see, I'm not in Kanto right now."

Wang Yao’s background is clearly an island scene.

Moreover, he had already informed Manatori in advance that he would be going out on vacation for the next two months...the organization shouldn't contact him at this time.

"I'm sorry, Master Ayao—to have interrupted your vacation."

Sumio bowed to apologize, then explained with a somewhat excited tone.

"It's like this... The organization is planning to build a new scientific research base in Qidao - I'm following Dr. Bangbo... Ouch!"

As he was speaking, an arm also wearing a white coat suddenly appeared, raised its hand and gave Sumio a slap on the face!

"Idiot—my name is Nanbo! Dr. Nanbo!"

Dr. Nanbo, who had not been seen for a long time, stole the spotlight.