Chapter 120: You Underestimate What Lies Behind Me

"And here's this, this Skill Machine is yours as well," Li Jia said, pulling a silver metal box from her pocket and handing it over.

Huo La took the badge and the Skill Machine, his fingertips brushing the pattern on the device's surface—it was the Grass‑type staple "Mega Drain."

This skill was perfect for a Bulbasaur, both offensive and sustaining, a quite practical gain.

At that moment, Bilan hurried down from the audience seats, swinging his arms and frowning as he teased, "Huo La, your tactics are just disgusting! Throwing Chou Ni is one thing, but also using Poison Gas and an explosion—this is a Grass‑type Gym! What if the fire gets out of control and burns all these flowers and plants?"

Huo La didn't retort—Poison Gas combined with a massive fire blast was indeed extremely risky, but battles already demand an all‑or‑nothing gamble, and the result had indeed exceeded expectations.

"Don't worry, we've been prepared for this level of danger," Li Jia said with a laugh, smoothing things over in a relaxed tone. "We've dealt with many Fire‑type Trainers before, and since the Gym is full of flowers and plants, the fire‑prevention systems are the best in all of Yuhong City; that little explosion barely made a ripple."

She paused, then sighed helplessly, "It's just my Meili Hua; she'll probably need to recuperate in the breeding box for a while." Though her words carried regret, there was no hint of blame.

"Alright, let's head out first; we can go to the Pokemon Center together," Li Jia turned toward the doorway, then looked back teasingly, "I still need to check on your partner; if we don't pull him along soon, he'll probably clear out all the perfume shelves in my Gym."

"Okay, Miss Li Jia," Huo La replied, then turned to Bilan, "I have something I want to discuss with you alone; we'll head to the Pokemon Center to find you later."

Li Jia gave the two a knowing glance, smiled and pushed the door open, leaving the space for them.

"Why are you blocking me?" Bilan asked, puzzled, as the door just closed.

"It's about Xiao Gang," Huo La said seriously. "He's been asking me on the road what I'm investigating; I want to be honest with him about what I can share—keeping it hidden now just makes it harder to act together."

Bilan raised an eyebrow, teasing deliberately, "Oh? Tell him you're a member of the Rocket Team?"

"More than that," Huo La added. "I also have to say that both you and I are 'Masked Child', constantly opposing the Rocket Team from the shadows."

"Tsk, honestly, I still don't get it," Bilan dropped the joking tone, his voice taking on a probing edge. "Is your Rocket Team status actually that of an undercover? If I say you're an undercover, you have little contact with people at Rocket Team Headquarters; if I say you're not, you constantly clash with the Rocket Team, which is completely different from those riff‑raff who only steal Pokemon."

"Heh, if I were a 'proper' Rocket Team member, I'd have grabbed you right away and handed you over," Huo La replied half‑jokingly, his tone firm. "When being honest with Xiao Gang, emphasize the 'Masked Child' stance and downplay the Rocket Team affiliation for now, so he won't worry."

"Fine, just tell him part of it," Bilan nodded in agreement, then added as a reminder, "But let me be clear first: not just anyone can join the 'Masked Child'."

"The 'Masked Child' are that strict? I thought it was just the two of us," Huo La said half‑jokingly. From his recollection, the Masked group numbered more than just Bilan, but compared to the Rocket Team they were still far fewer.

"Two people?" Bilan scoffed, his gaze suddenly turning complex, "You really underestimate the forces behind me."

"Tell me?" Huo La asked curiously.

Bilan opened his mouth, but only shook his head, his expression noticeably forlorn: "…Forget it, you'd better not know too much; the more you know, the more trouble there is."

"Alright, I'll go pull Xiao Gang first. While I'm at it, I'll ask Li Jia Jie if she has any good‑quality hidden Leaf Stones," Huo La said, not pressing further, and turned toward the doorway.

Watching Huo La's departing silhouette as he pushed the door, Bilan let out a soft sigh, standing silently in place, his thoughts unknown.

Outside, just as he entered the hall, he saw Xiao Gang clutching three or four perfume gift boxes, haggling with a green‑haired older sister, his satchel already bulging like a ball.

Huo La helplessly pulled out a Pokeball containing Bulbasaur: "Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip to pull him over."

"Bulbasaur~" The emerald‑green Vine Whip shot out instantly, precisely wrapping around Xiao Gang's waist; with a gentle tug it dragged him away from the shelf. Seeing Xiao Gang's reluctant expression, Huo La inexplicably felt a surge of satisfaction.

"Li Jia Jie, sorry to make a fool of you; that's just how Xiao Gang is," Huo La apologized awkwardly.

"It's fine; he's a big client of our Gym," Li Jia laughed, her eyebrows curving. "I glanced at the bill; his spending just now is probably heading toward 20,000 League Coins."

Huo La heard that, holding his forehead and almost losing his balance—how could he have spent 20,000 already? This is insane!

He quickly changed the subject, lest Xiao Gang's "generosity" shock him again: "Li Jia Jie, may I ask if you have any hidden Leaf Stones? I'd like to buy one."

"Leaf Stone?" Li Jia seemed surprised, then caught on, "You have a Grass‑type Pokémon that needs to evolve?"

"Yes, it's the Bulbasaur seed I brought when I left; it's now evolved into Bulbasaur, and it's almost at the evolution threshold again," Huo La nodded, explaining.

Li Jia smiled knowingly, "You want to evolve with an Evolution Stone; looks like you accept the notion that Evolution Stones can give Pokémon greater power."

"Yeah, after all, you can clearly feel the difference in actual breeding," Huo La replied—the system panel plainly displayed the stat boosts after evolution, giving him no reason not to believe it.

"Sure, I actually have a few decent Leaf Stones hidden away; I got them from previous finds," Li Jia replied cheerfully. "I'll have the staff bring them to you later; as for the cost, don't worry—I'll sell them to you at cost price. I personally favor natural evolution, so I keep these stones just for fun; aside from Pokémon like Meili Hua that need special Evolution Stones, they're rarely needed."

Meili Hua is the result of evolving Gloom with a Sun Stone; if it evolved naturally, it would become a Bawanghua, showing that Li Jia is already very tolerant of "special evolutions."

Huo La felt a warmth in his heart and promptly thanked her.

The market price for a Leaf Stone is around 50,000, with costs roughly 20,000–30,000 depending on the grade; Li Jia agreeing to sell at cost is already a substantial concession.