Chapter 64: Dividing Turf

After paying back the money to Otsuka, Baimu spent a few relatively peaceful days.

His bond with Bidoof warmed up quickly — from barely any eye contact before to now not only more frequent eye contact but also a gradually increasing number of conversations.

A cheerful smile began to appear on its face; it could voice its own wants right away, and was blunt about things it didn't like.

For example, it really hated the water quality in Iron Town, always saying it had a strange taste.

Not as sweet as the water it used to drink.

And the weather was super hot — staying outdoors a while longer wouldn't make it sick, but the sheer discomfort was enough to drive it to flee into the house or its Poké Ball to escape the heat.

Every one of these little incidents was a good thing.

But they exposed a further problem.

—Baimu's own standing at home might be in danger of dropping.

No way around it: once Bidoof realized its own strength far exceeded Roggenrola and Chansey, its confidence inevitably swelled, and it subconsciously took the lead in many situations.

Even a human who discovered they were stronger than others in many respects couldn't honestly and obediently follow someone else's orders.

Let alone a Pokémon — that "beast" brimming with the light of wisdom, where status is decided by raw strength.

Baimu the trainer was dragged along with it, showing a clear tendency to plunge toward the position of underling.

And once he really became the underling, it would inevitably lead to his commands being refused by Bidoof, who would think itself stronger and its own decisions obviously more forward-looking.

Lost?

That just meant the trainer's supporting work hadn't been done properly.

So when a Pokémon refuses to obey commands, it isn't as simple as "I don't like you so I won't listen to you."

At the root of it all—

It was the gap in Baimu's Pokémon-raising that left Bidoof unable to correctly recognize its own place. If Roggenrola and Chansey could make Bidoof suffer an unbearable loss even when they couldn't beat it head-on—

Bidoof would inevitably develop more respect for its trainer.

In other words, Roggenrola's strength determined whether Baimu, now and in the future, could make more Pokémon — whether powerful or proud — genuinely submit and work for him.

Therefore, the lead on a Dragon-type Pokémon had to be shelved for now.

After all, Dragon Pokémon were creatures whose pride reached the absolute limit, far more troublesome than Bidoof.

First, let Roggenrola reach its final evolution.

So he thought.

——

Morning.

Baimu finally received a summons from his direct superior, Master Liu Ge.

The holidays had been too leisurely, making him almost forget that he was actually someone else's underling, not a trainer living a peaceful life and striving to improve.

"Boss."

"Mm, have you filled all your underling slots?"

Master Liu Ge, sitting in his executive chair, was very casual, telling Baimu to find a seat wherever.

"Not yet. The people I want are all still in training, or simply lying in a hospital bed and haven't gotten up." He shook his head and answered honestly.

Although saying it like that could easily displease Master Liu Ge and make him doubt Baimu's ability, there was nothing to be done about it.

Some people are there, some aren't; no one is no one.

Fortunately, Master Liu Ge didn't mind.

"Then you'd better hurry. The area you're in charge of has already been divided — Copper File Street District 1 and District 2 will both be under you from now on, and collection day is the fifteenth of this month."

"District 1 and District 2?"

Baimu was taken aback.

The streets of Iron Town were similar to city blocks in Western countries, relatively large in area, and mostly roughly square or rectangular.

Copper File Street District 1 and District 2, in terms of profit, were absolutely upper-middle among the blocks the Quicksand Team controlled — entertainment venues of every kind kept popping up, and under normal circumstances it would never have been his turn to take a bite.

How exactly had Master Liu Ge managed to move the original squad out of there and slot him in?

Baimu didn't know, but he understood in his heart that this was probably both an opportunity and a challenge Master Liu Ge had brought him.

Collecting protection money was also a skill.

If you wanted those unruly business managers to pay up while also respectfully stuffing your pockets full, you needed both strength and guts — neither could be missing.

If you failed to cow them, you'd probably only get to gnaw on scraps.

Some bold ones would even shortchange the payment, making the squad leader in charge of the block dip into his own pocket to make up the difference. But such incidents hadn't happened many times — after all, those squad leaders being useless didn't mean the executives above them were made of clay.

Of course.

Once "tattling to the higher-ups" had happened, don't even think about your fellow members looking up to you — for the face-loving Quicksand Team thugs, that was fatal.

"Got it."

Baimu nodded.

Although he didn't count on squeezing money from others for his own use, he also didn't want that lot to pay lip service while scheming behind his back.

You pay what you should pay, and stuff my underlings' mouths full; I'll manage my own affairs — that's enough.

Master Liu Ge quite liked Baimu's straightforwardness, and said with a smile: "Speaking of which, have you met the other squad leaders under me yet?"

Baimu said: "…Not really, just met Brother Flobber. I've been bonding with my new Pokémon lately."

"Perfect then. A lot of them are here today — go out, say hi, get to know them. It'll make running missions together easier down the line."

Master Liu Ge waved his hand, brooking no argument.

He could only agree, and stood up to head outside.

But just as he was about to open the door, a cold flash of light appeared above his head, and he instinctively retreated and looked up.

"Raao!"

A purple scorpion as large as a gargoyle hung down upside-down, blocking the office doorway, waggling its brows and shouting, as if trying to give him a surprise.

It was clearly up to some kind of prank.

Unfortunately, he had sensed it ahead of time and seen through it.

"Scorpion King?"

Baimu instinctively turned his head and saw Master Liu Ge holding his forehead with one hand, looking utterly helpless.

"You... you don't need to pay it any mind, just push it aside and walk out." The latter's voice carried a hint of anger.

He immediately ducked under the Scorpion King's pincers, grabbed the door handle, and slipped out.

And the instant Baimu left, Master Liu Ge's great roar came from inside the office.

"Get over here!"

Smack!

The sound of some kind of collision.

"Reow~"

The Scorpion King's aggrieved cry also drifted out.

It was the first time Baimu had seen Master Liu Ge act so down-to-earth, and he thought that sure enough, no matter how solemn and profound a trainer was, having one goofy Pokémon would completely throw off the whole vibe.

Much like Boss Giovanni, who in countless Meowth fantasies turned into a comedian.

Honestly, swapping the image of Giovanni petting a Persian for one of him petting Meowth still looks pretty weird — but that's because Meowth is just too much of a goofball; that's how comic relief characters are.

He shifted his gaze and looked at the surroundings.

Master Liu Ge's office was located in a small building within an underground city; the overall interior decor was steeped in the atmosphere of a proper company — plain carpet underfoot, gleaming incandescent lights overhead, and the occasional potted plant for greenery.

Even the individual cubicles partitioned off gave off a strong corporate-drone vibe.

Unfortunately, the people sitting in those cubicles didn't really look like corporate drones.

"Everyone, let me introduce you — our new companion — Baimu!"

Before Baimu could take the initiative to greet them, Floette was the first to rise, cheerfully taking on the role of middleman.