Chapter 114: Discount? Discount!

"Let's go, Xiao Gang, no more struggling." Huo La lowered his head and sighed, his tone full of helplessness, "It seems that between me and this Snorlax, we still have no fate."

Since I can't catch it by force, I have no intention of wasting effort traveling the world for that Pokemon flute that awakens Snorlax—troublesome, and I might not even find it.

The two of them walked side by side around Snorlax's massive body, and just a few meters after stepping out, a scene under the shade of a roadside tree made Huo La's steps freeze: an old man was guarding a small stall, and in the center of the stall sat an exquisitely carved Pokemon flute; on a nearby wooden board, red paint spelled out a few large characters: Price League Coin.

Huo La: "......" Xiao Gang forced back a smile, patted his shoulder, and said, "Huo La, I think… your fate with Snorlax might not be over yet."

"Damn, this is on purpose, right?" Huo La glared at the flute, then turned his head to glance at Snorlax's outline behind him, finally stared hard at the price on the board, and couldn't help letting out a curse.

The old man slowly lifted his eyes to look at him, then drooped his eyelids again, and continued to curl up in his chair napping, looking utterly relaxed.

Huo La crouched in front of the stall, stared at the old man, and slowly asked, "Sir, you using Snorlax to block the road and then selling a Pokemon flute—does the League know?"

The old man finally lifted his eyelids, his tone as flat as if talking about the weather: "Snorlax is just lying there on its own, it has nothing to do with me. I only sell my flute. Buying or not? If you don't buy, don't block me from doing business."

"Can you give a discount?" Huo La instantly switched the subject.

"Hmm? How much are you offering?" A ripple finally flashed in the old man's eyes.

"500!" Huo La stretched out five fingers.

The old man instantly blew his beard and leered, "No money, then get out quickly! Don't waste my business here!"

"Sigh, my short temper!" Huo La gritted his teeth and clenched his fist.

That old man is too shrewd! Originally Snorlax blocked the road, and coordinating was his responsibility, but instead he turned "solving the problem" straight into a business—his commercial mind is simply unparalleled.

"Let's go, let's go, Huo La, no need to get angry with the old man." Xiao Gang hurriedly grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

After being pulled a few meters, Huo La suddenly stopped, gritted his teeth and said, "No, I can't swallow this."

He turned his head toward the old man meditating under the tree, whispered a command, "Chou Ni, go squat beside that old man's stall, do nothing, just squat."

"Chou Ni~" Chou Ni's figure appeared at once, slowly moving to the old man's chair, and a pungent, stinging stench instantly spread around him—a special odor inherent to Alola Chou Ni, mixed with heavy industrial waste, deliberately released now, its lethality far exceeding Toxic Gas.

"What smell?! So stinky!" The old man sprang up from his chair, pinching his nose and jumping like thunder, "Stinky brat! What are you trying to do!!!"

Huo La looked up at the sky, hands in his pockets, wearing an innocent expression as if "this has nothing to do with me."

"You stinky brat! It's bad enough you disturb my business, but you also release such disgusting stuff to stink me! You… you… you are too much!"

The old man trembled with anger, pointing at Huo La, unable to finish his sentence.

"Huo La… this…" Xiao Gang looked at the farce before him, half laughing, half crying, "The old man is just selling a flute, maybe…"

"This is more than just selling a flute." Huo La instantly turned, speaking righteously, "Selling a flute that awakens Snorlax right next to it is essentially the same as blocking the road and robbing—clearly taking advantage of someone's peril! We must not encourage this trend! Xiao Gang, quickly, contact Officer Jenny, and report that someone is maliciously hoarding key items for profit!"

"No, no, no! I'll give a discount!!!" The old man's voice softened instantly, and he waved his hands hurriedly.

Hearing the word "discount," Huo La immediately took three steps in two, sprinted back to the stall, and waved at Chou Ni, "Chou Ni, step back two paces, don't scare the old man."

Xiao Gang: "......"

"Chou Ni!" The figure immediately moved back half a meter, and the foul smell dissipated by most.

Huo La smiled warmly, helped the old man up, and in a friendly tone asked, "Sir, you said discount? How many percent off?"

"90% price!" The old man said through clenched teeth.

"Chou Ni!" Huo La shouted.

"Wait! 80% price! 80% should be fine!" The old man immediately changed his words.

"Chou Ni, prepare to launch a Sludge Bomb," Huo La said evenly.

"70% price! Can't go lower!" A vein popped on the old man's temple.

"Chou Ni, I think the Deterrent Power of the Acid Bomb is stronger," Huo La mused, rubbing his chin.

"50% price! 50% price!!!" The old man finally broke down, almost shouting it.

Huo La immediately shouted at the Chou Ni who had just raised his arm, "Chou Ni, what are you doing! Put the skill away quickly! Don't hurt this kind old man!"

"I'm really scared of you, you little brat!" The old man blew his beard and leered at Huo La.

"5000 League Coin, you've made a decent profit," Huo La leaned close to the old man, his voice extremely low, "As far as I know, you have plenty of these Pokemon flutes, as if they were worthless, right?"

The old man stared wildly, incredulously sizing up Huo La, then his gaze shifted, and in a hushed, mysterious tone he replied, "Seeing how sensible you are, I won't be stingy. Add another ten percent? Then I won't sell the Sheet Music separately either."

Huo La froze for a moment, staring at the old man in surprise.

The old man cleared his throat twice, then seriously added, "Originally I sell this Sheet Music alone for 5000, consider it a bargain for you."

"Swindler!" Huo La muttered, yet without hesitation pulled out his wallet and paid—the Sheet Music is better than tinkering blindly, so the deal wasn't a loss.

"Take it," the old man cheerfully shoved the flute and the yellowed Sheet Music into his hand, turned and sat back in his chair, resuming his drowsy demeanor.

Huo La flipped open the Sheet Music, skimmed it a few times, roughly grasped the scale, and immediately lifted the flute to his lips.

The next second, a screeching sound exploded, comparable to a saw pulling metal or nails on glass, so sharp it made one's scalp tingle.

Xiao Gang instantly covered his ears, his face contorted into a knot; the old man leapt up from his chair, clutching his ears tightly; even the usually expressionless, robot‑like Chou Ni's limp body trembled slightly uncontrollably, clearly unable to endure this "noise attack."

"Enough, enough! Stop playing!" The old man, unable to tolerate any longer, rushed forward and snatched the flute from Huo La's hands. The screeching music abruptly ceased, and the world finally returned to quiet. He clutched the flute, his face turning blue, "If you keep playing, Snorlax won't wake, and both I and this young man will be driven to an 'eternal sleep' in Ziyuan Town!"