So charming, you want me to raise Pokémon?

Chapter 35 Free Bodyguards

"Name."

"Wei Xin".

"age?"

"nineteen……"

In the police station, Wei Xin, who was giving a statement, sat upright, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. It wasn't because Miss Officer Jenny had used a memory-restoring technique on him, or perhaps a honey trap.

Instead, he was alarmed to find himself completely unaware that he had walked right in front of the vicious, starving suspect, Pokémon Hunter J.

If he were alone, or if this weren't the Pokémon world, Wei Xin might regret not slapping J's takeout away and standing on the moral high ground to criticize this Pokémon dealer.

"You must be Little J."

"Haven't seen you for a while, how come you've become so pathetic? You even have to steal other people's takeout to survive."

As Ralts' trainer, Wei Xin felt a wave of fear. Fortunately, J's equipment and Pokémon were lost, and J was wary of Officer Jenny, so she didn't dare to really do anything to him.

Otherwise, the consequences would be disastrous.

Who posts red-named players at the fountain entrance?

"If you encounter the suspect again in the future, or if you have any information about the suspect, please be sure to report it to us immediately," Ms. Officer Jenny said solemnly.

Impossible, doesn't exist, don't talk nonsense.

I never want to see her again in my life.

If Rosamina is a star standing in the spotlight, in the open, every move she makes can be observed, she will also be hesitant to act against the school and research center because of the power behind her.

Pokémon hunters are like rats in the gutter; you can never predict when they'll crawl out of the sewer and take a vicious bite.

Until Pokémon Hunter J is caught, there will be a Damocles' sword hanging over Wei Xin and Ralts.

After confirming with Officer Jenny that the information provided would not qualify for the prize, Wei Xin sighed, took Ralts' hand, and walked out of the police station.

"Maybe Ralts and I need a bodyguard," Wei Xin murmured.

In the city, Miss Officer Jenny is always able to arrive at the scene immediately, but she usually arrives at the scene after the fact, and unless a rabbi is present, she cannot prevent the crime from happening.

"Where can I find a capable, affordable bodyguard who can protect me 24/7?"

Although Wei Xin currently has a job at a research center and earns a decent salary each month, he clearly cannot afford a bodyguard capable of taking on top Pokémon hunters.

In the original series, Pokémon Hunter J's Salamence, in terms of destructive power alone, was at least at the level of a Gym Leader, if not an Elite Four member.

Tell the school?

The school probably wouldn't care, and Wei Xin didn't think he was that valuable to the school.

Professor Li probably couldn't do anything about it either. If an academician were threatened, not only the university, but even the country might be alarmed.

If an academician trips and falls in front of your house today, the surrounding streets will have to be rebuilt.

But an academician who's only taken on a student a couple of days ago wants a bodyguard? At best, he'll recommend a decent grave.

How about we find an opportunity to put on a show with Professor Li and then frame J?

That seems a bit too extreme.

"Mobe!"

Just as Wei Xin was feeling troubled, a small yellow hand tugged at his trouser leg.

Wei Xin looked down and saw it was Mary's Morubek.

"Morbeko, what are you doing here?"

"Mobe Mobe!"

"You want me to go with you? To find Mary?" For some reason, Wei Xin felt that he suddenly understood what Morubek meant.

"Mobe!" Morubek nodded, turned around, and gave Wei Xin directions.

Following Morubek, Wei Xin walked all the way to the park next to the school.

At the edge of the field of vision was Mary, wearing a green school uniform, sitting on a park bench, staring at her account balance which was almost zero, her brows furrowed, sighing.

With only this much money left in my account, how am I going to get through this month?

Are we going to ask our brother for living expenses?

[But it's already difficult for my brother to run Spike Town; we should try to figure out a solution ourselves first.]

Meanwhile, Mary's stomach was making very unpleasant rumbling noises because she hadn't eaten breakfast or lunch.

Let's find Morbeco and the others somewhere to eat first.

"Speaking of Morpeko, I hope she hasn't run away again."

Wei Xin bought four bottles of hot milk tea from a vending machine by the roadside and gave them to Ralts and Morbeco. He then quietly went around to Mary's back and pressed the milk tea onto Mary's cheeks, which were red from the cold wind.

"What on earth happened that even the idol of Galar, Miss Mary, can only sigh and lament?"

The sudden sound in her ear and the warmth on her cheek startled Mary, who was sitting on the bench without any warning. She turned her head and saw Wei Xin, who was standing on her shoulder with two bottles of milk tea in his hand, standing behind her.

"Wei Xin." Upon seeing the familiar face, Mary couldn't help but show a look of surprise and delight.

"What are you doing here, Morubek? Have you caused trouble for others again?"

"We were just doing business here and bumped into each other," Wei Xin said with a smile as he handed the milk tea to Mary. "Let's get back to what happened earlier. What made our Miss Mary so embarrassed?"

"I..." Marie hesitated, unable to finish her sentence.

If I say it directly, won't I seem stupid and dumb? I'm an idol, after all.

Before Mary could think of what to say, Wei Xin continued, "Let me guess, Mary ate beef stewed in a pressure cooker at my house last night, and this morning there was an explosion in the dormitory on the North Campus."

This made things even worse for Mary, who was already struggling financially, and she was even worried about how to make ends meet this month.

Furthermore, considering that Mary is a foreign student and has no knowledge of Donghuang culture.

Therefore, we can conclude that...

"The process of solving the problem is omitted. Mary, did you cook something in the pressure cooker this morning and then the pressure cooker exploded? You didn't use a pressure cooker to cook mung bean porridge, did you?"

If the mung bean skins are not properly handled when cooking mung bean porridge in a pressure cooker, they can block the vent and cause the pressure cooker to explode.

"How did you know?" Mary took a sip of milk tea, feeling warm up, and asked in surprise, "Actually, it was red bean porridge."

If it weren't for Morpeko's quick reaction, jumping in front of me and using Protect to stop the pressure cooker from exploding, I'd probably be in the hospital right now.

If I end up in the hospital, will I be able to afford the medical bills?

"The dormitory exploded, which means, Mary, you have nowhere to live now?" Wei Xin asked, barely suppressing the slight excitement on his lips.

What a coincidence! I'm staying in a double dorm room, and it's quite spacious.

"It's okay, I can stay in a hotel," Mary said, trying to sound strong. Although she was penniless, she was still destitute after paying compensation for the dormitory.

"Are you sure? Hotels in Shanghai aren't cheap." Wei Xin placed his phone in front of Mary, showing the prices of hotels around the school.

"The lowest price is still 1,000 a night. Um, you can get a 20% discount with a student ID, and a 30% discount for student couples."

After all, it is an international metropolis.

"So expensive!" Mary was shocked by the price.

Even the most expensive hotel in Spiketown only costs three hundred dollars a night.

Wasn't it said that Donghuang was just a developing country?

Should I just find a bridge underpass to make do?

"Since Mary has nowhere to stay, I have a way to temporarily solve your problem, at least so you won't have to sleep in the open," Wei Xin said.

He remembered that Marie was considered a star trainer in Galar and was quite capable.

Q: Would you be willing to let Marie live with you and be your bodyguard, but in return, you would have to take care of her and her Pokémon's daily life?

A: How about I take a bite of that stinky mud?

Upon hearing this and looking at Wei Xin's face, Mary couldn't help but recall the comics she had seen online not long ago, as well as the ways that some homeless, pretty female students made money that netizens had been talking about. Her face instantly turned red.

"You don't want to be with me..." Mary shook her head vigorously, "No, not that kind of thing..."

As if betrayed, Mary puffed out her cheeks angrily: "I thought...we were friends."

Why do you have such a good imagination?

If Wei Xin weren't worried that what was in Marie's mind would affect Ralts, he really wanted to use Ralts's telepathy to see what was going on in Marie's mind.

Besides, am I the kind of person who gets lustful at first sight?

"Of course we are," Wei Xin chuckled. "Actually, I've run into some trouble and wanted to hire you, Mary, as my temporary bodyguard. Could it be that my words caused Mary some strange misunderstanding?"

"Bodyguard?" Mary's expression froze. The thought of the dirty things in her mind earlier made her face turn from rosy to warm red, and white steam even rose from her black hair.

"Hmm, Pokémon Hunter J, have you heard of her?"

Although for Wei Xin there was no better option than inviting Mary to be his bodyguard, he still chose to be honest and let Mary make her own choice.

"Pokémon hunters." Pokémon hunters have a notorious reputation among trainers. Back in Galar, Marnie had fought against these guys.

"So how will the compensation be calculated?"

[They're friends after all. As long as I have enough money to eat with my Pokémon, that's enough.]

"I'm just a student, I don't have much savings," Wei Xin said, shrugging.

"So the only conditions I can offer are that Marie provides three meals a day and accommodation during the time she serves as my bodyguard. If we do encounter a Pokémon hunter, I will pay her an additional fee."

"Three meals a day? You made them yourself? The same as last night."

Upon hearing this, Mary recalled the beef she had eaten last night and involuntarily swallowed.

It would be nice to be able to eat this every day.

"I'll provide three meals a day, and I'll cook a variety of dishes. I'll also take care of your Pokémon's meals, except for Snorlax, of course."