Pokémon: Start with an Admiral Crab!

"Qibao Valley... this name is quite retro."

Wang Yao stood at the entrance of the valley, unfolding a hand-drawn map of the Seventh Island in his hand, and was studying the notes written by Old Man Yamada on it.

The Seventh Island is quite large, but the entire island is surrounded by steep rocks, with only a narrow valley running from north to south for travelers to pass through.

The island's special terrain makes transportation very inconvenient, and the island's population is therefore limited.

However, as one of the famous attractions on the island, 'Qibao Valley' still attracts many tourists and expedition teams to visit.

It is precisely because of the mysterious valley ruins that the Seventh Island is also called the "Island of Endless Exploration" by outsiders.

"I don't know if there is a suitable place to camp at night..."

Wang Yao put away the map and muttered to himself.

"Let's go, Arbok."

When advancing in this rugged mountainous terrain, Wang Yao still prefers to let Arbok lead the way.

“Crack~ Pop~”

Arbok spat out his tongue and moved forward along the footprints left by the travelers.

"Young man~"

Wang Yao was about to head inward along the entrance of the valley when he was stopped by an older man with a strange accent.

"Ok?"

Wang Yao stopped and looked at the person who came curiously.

The person who called him was a slightly plump, bearded middle-aged man.

He was wearing an old grey expedition suit, a round-top rattan helmet, and followed by a twisting nonsense tree.

Although his clothes were neat, he still looked tired, as if he had just finished an adventure and was still recuperating.

Because when Wang Yao came, the middle-aged man had been sitting on a stone by the roadside to rest, so he didn't pay much attention to his presence.

"I see that you seem to be a very capable trainer. Are you interested in the legendary treasure of Askana?"

The middle-aged man spoke.

"Ascana's treasure?"

Wang Yao frowned, he seemed to have heard this name somewhere.

"Have you heard of it? It is an ancient ruin excavated 1,500 years ago. It is said that if you can unlock the secret of the ruins, you will be able to obtain unimaginable treasures."

Seeing that Wang Yao didn't seem to understand, the middle-aged man continued to explain.

"Hmm...I think I've heard of it before."

Wang Yao finally remembered.

Isn’t this relic the inspiration for Mr. Yamada’s agate carvings?

That ancient civilization that worshipped both Ho-Oh and Lugia... but for some reason it suddenly disappeared into history.

Old man Yamada also explored the ruins for five years, but he only found some ancient stone carvings and murals. The legendary treasure has not been discovered to this day.

"That's just a legend. It's said to be a treasure - but the tourism industry in the Seven Islands has been developed for so many years, and it seems that there is nothing worth looking forward to..."

Wang Yao shrugged somewhat boredly.

He has discovered during this period that the islanders in the Seven Islands like to name beaches and valleys as "treasures" or "treasure places".

This description is somewhat similar to: "This scenery is a treasure given by nature to mankind."

"No - I have done a lot of research, the treasure must be real!"

The uncle shouted as soon as he heard what Wang Yao said.

"Hmm... is that so?"

Wang Yao scratched his head. Sure enough, these relic fans were all the same.

When it comes to treasures left over from ancient times, one cannot help but be fascinated.

"Sorry... I was too excited."

The uncle suddenly stopped and said with a hint of apology.

"Oh, by the way, my name is Xin Zhao, and this is my partner - Nonsense Tree."

Uncle Xin Zhao took off the rattan safety helmet on his head and pointed at Hu Shuoshu and introduced him to Wang Yao.

"Yao... Trainer from Kanto, this is Arbok."

Wang Yao also patted the head of the Arbok beside him and imitated the other party's words to introduce him.

"Crack~"

Arbok stuck out his tongue, poked his head out, and looked at the nonsense tree behind it with some curiosity.

There are not many nonsense trees in Kanto, and it has never seen one before.

It clearly looks like a Grass-type Pokémon, but the aura sensed from its tongue doesn't have the active vitality of a Grass-type Pokémon.

"Nonsense Tree is a Rock-type Pokémon, it just looks like a Grass-type."

Wang Yao noticed Arbok's confusion and began to explain.

He still has some impression of the Pokémon that appeared in the original series.

"Oh~ young man, you really have a wide range of knowledge!"

"Many people thought that the Bullshit Tree was a Grass-type Pokémon when they first saw it."

Uncle Xin Zhao put his hat back on and praised Wang Yao.

"Crack~"

Arbok immediately retracted his head in boredom.

It doesn't like to eat vegetarian food, and the other party is a piece of hard rock.

"You can't be picky about my food - have you been eating too well at the ranch lately?"

Wang Yao could tell at a glance what this stupid snake was thinking.

He immediately pulled Arbok's head over, opened its mouth and looked at its throat.

“Cha…bo…cha…”

(Snakes…are not…picky eaters…)

Arbok pulled the corner of his mouth to defend himself.

Although the food at Windsor Ranch is indeed good, it has always adhered to the "Clean Plate" campaign.

Whether it was live bait or carefully prepared Pokémon food, it was all swallowed in one gulp.

It never saves food for the next day and is the most active eater in the entire ranch.

"?"

A question mark slowly appeared on Uncle Xin Zhao's head.

What does picky eater mean?

"Ahem... Anyway - the treasure is right before my eyes, so I was planning to go to the valley again, but you can see it..."

Uncle Xin Zhao decided to skip this topic and tell Wang Yao directly his purpose.

He had been exploring the valley for three consecutive months and had already vaguely figured out the truth about the treasure.

Unfortunately, I’m old and my body can’t take it anymore, so I had to step down and rest for a few days.

"Whether it's me or the Nonsense Tree... we've both consumed a lot of energy. I'm afraid it will be difficult for us to deal with the wild Pokémon in the valley."

"so?"

Wang Yao felt that this was somewhat familiar.

"So I hope to have a powerful trainer as my helper, as long as it can allow me to search for treasures with peace of mind..."

"I am confident that... this valley exploration will definitely lead to the discovery of the treasure!"

Uncle Xin Zhao said confidently.

"Of course, if I can find the treasure of Askana, I am willing to share it with you."

Xin Zhao is not short of money. In fact, he comes from Feiyun City, a megacity in the Unova region, and runs a luxury hotel in the core area of ​​the city center.

Like a famous rich second-generation in the Hoenn region, treasure hunting and exploration is just his personal hobby.

"Is that so... Let me think about it."

Wang Yao stroked his chin and thought for a while.

He had originally planned to visit the ruins on the island, but he was just going to walk around and see the scenery like an ordinary tourist.

"I only have one week. If I don't find the treasure after one week, I won't be able to continue participating."

After thinking for a while, Wang Yao finally agreed to the other party's request.