章 70: Diglett Infestation

Ekans and their evolved form, Arbok, are a notoriously difficult Pokemon to care for. Except for their trainer, they are very aggressive toward other people or Pokemon.

So it was quite surprising to see an Arbok lying down obediently like a child at this time. It hissed comfortably under Suzie's massage. And occasionally, it raised its tail to caress Suzie's arm lightly. Arbok's horrible appearance and slippery body were a nightmare for most women. Well, except for Suzie, the famous Pokemon breeder, and groomer.

Just look at Maggie. She was most afraid of this kind of Pokemon. When she was about one meter away from the serpentine Pokemon, she didn't dare to get closer than that.

Suzie smeared the skin care oil on her hand to clean the Arbok scales. She glanced at Maggie's frightened face and couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"Actually, you don't have to be afraid. Most of the trainer's Pokemon are used to human contact. They are quite smart. As long as you do it gently, they won't hurt you at all, isn't that right, Arbok?" Suzie rubbed the belly of Arbok softly.

"Hiss," Arbok let out a pleasant hiss.

"Miss Suzie, I'm really sorry," Maggie said embarrassedly, ashamed of her conduct just now.

Suzie shook her head and said, "It's fine. It's normal for you to be afraid when you come into contact with a Pokemon like Arbok for the first time. But if you want to be a Pokemon groomer, you have to learn how to accept all kinds of Pokemon, no matter how ugly or scary they look. Remember, you must treat them with care,"

Clap!

"Bravo! That was well-spoken," Ryoichi applauded loudly.

"Huh? Who are you?" Suzie finally discovered there were two unknown men in the room.

Then, she smiled and said, "If your Pokemon need a beauty treatment, please wait for a moment."

"Wait, Miss Suzie. These are my friends. We met on the road just now," Maggie explained from the side.

"I see," Suzie nodded in understanding.

"I'm sorry, but as you can see, I got work to do. I'll talk to you guys later," she smiled apologetically.

"It's fine. Miss Suzie can continue her work. We'll take a look around the shop first," Ryoichi said with a blushing face.

Yeah, Ryoichi had completely fallen for Suzie's beauty. He had stayed in Celadon City for a few days but had never seen such a beautiful woman.

"Hello, I come to pick up my Arbok."

Suddenly, the door of the salon was pushed open, and a figure in a low-cut dress walked into the room.

'Strange? Why does she sound like a man?' Ryoichi thought.

When he saw a person in a revealing dress walking into the salon, he was a little excited at first. But as soon as he heard that deep voice, a chill ran down his spine.

It turned out that the owner of the voice just now belonged to a male. She had long red hair and was wearing heavy makeup. Not only that, the man turned woman had thick hair on her arms and legs.

"Blech!"

Ryoichi quickly went to the dustbin and vomited loudly. Well, it looked like the sight was too intense for this guy. He couldn't hold it down any longer after his expectation was dashed.

'Why did I stay with this idiot," Hisoka smiled awkwardly after seeing the angry look from the trans woman.

"I'm sorry, but my friend ate something wrong today. His stomach isn't well," Hisoka quickly found an excuse for Ryoichi's behavior.

"Humph!" The trans woman curled her lips in disdain. Obviously, she didn't believe Hisoka's lie at all.

"Miss Kelly, I had finished Arbok's spa treatment just now," Suzie walked toward the women. The Arbok was wrapped around her body, hissing in happiness.

"Good boy, did you trouble Miss Suzie today? Come, let's go home."

Suzie unwrapped Arbok from her body and handed it to its trainer.

"You look much more beautiful now, boy," Miss Kelly rubbed Arbok's smooth scales happily. Her previous friction with Ryoichi was quickly forgotten.

...

"Thank you so much for coming to our shop. Have a nice day," Suzie said, bowing slightly.

"Thank you for kind service as always, dear."

Miss Kelly happily paid for her Arbok's spa treatment. When she was about to walk out of the shop, she suddenly stepped on Ryoichi's foot with her high heels.

Amidst the painful scream of Ryoichi, Miss Kelly walked out of the shop, swaying her hips elegantly.

"Fuck! It hurts! Just wait, you disgusting man. I'm going to put you in jail," Ryoichi said fiercely. He was sitting on a chair, rubbing his swollen foot.

Hisoka sighed and patted him on the shoulder, "Just forget about it, dude. And I need to remind you that you are no longer a League Officer. You're just a sewer manager now."

He finished with a mocking tone.

After hearing what Hisoka said just now, Ryoichi immediately deflated like a balloon.

"Guys, this is my master, Miss Suzie."

Maggie pulled Suzie toward her and cheerfully said, "Even though our salon is just a small shop, Miss Suzie is the most a trophy-winning Pokemon breeder. She is often featured among the most popular breeders in many magazines. She is also one of the youngest breeders in the Kanto region, at 20 years old."

Hisoka was slightly surprised by Maggie's introduction. Being able to become a breeder at a young age showed that Suzie was a very talented breeder. To become a Pokemon breeder, you must do a lot of research and learn a lot of Pokemon knowledge. In fact, they can be called a Pokemon researcher with their extensive Pokemon knowledge. Even the high-ranking League executives had to show a lot of respect to her.

Hisoka was naturally very willing to know such a talented breeder. Sometimes, having extensive personal connections can play a more significant role than money.

Hisoka was interested in forging a relationship with Suzie. After all, both of them specialized in Pokemon studies. They had a lot of knowledge to exchange with each other.

After pouring a cup of coffee for Hisoka, they both sat on the sofa and chatted with each other, sharing their experiences.

"Miss Suzie, can I ask you a question? Is there any way to make a Pokemon more confident?" Hisoka asked.

Suzie took a sip from her cup and said, "Well, it depends on the Pokemon. Can you tell me more about it?"

"I'm not sure if you know about it, but I have a Pokemon called Feebas from the Hoenn region. And she was having some problems due to her appearance. I tried many ways to cheer her up, but they barely did anything," Hisoka answered, slightly frustrated.

"Hmmm," Suzie nodded, deep in thought.

"I don't know anything about Feebas, to be honest. But I can recommend something for you," she replied.

"What is it?" Hisoka asked eagerly.

"There's a shop in Celadon City that sells perfume. You can go check it out later. The shop sells a particular perfume made from Gloom's nectar that can make Pokemon feel brave and confident. You have to use it sparingly, though," Suzie advised.

The talk was quite enjoyable. Hisoka had rich Pokemon knowledge. He also had many unique insights on Pokemon training. Suzie also found some of them were worth trying out.

...

Ryoichi lowered his head in frustration. If you asked him to catch someone, he could do it without much effort. Unfortunately, his knowledge about Pokemon breeding was superficial at best. He wasn't a jack of all trades like Hisoka, who dabbled in many things.

The jeep slowly drove on the street. Hisoka was sitting at the back, enjoying the clear sky. In his hand was a small box filled with a dozen glass vials.

The perfume extracted from Gloom's flower and nectar was developed by Erika, the Gym Leader of Celadon City. The price wasn't low. It cost him 20,000 dollars just for a box.

As one of the most economically developed cities in Kanto, the resident of Celadon City had a high daily consumption. This famous perfume was considered a luxury item in the city. Even though it was pricey, a lot of people still bought it just to boost their Pokemon spirit.

The reservoir construction site was located on the edge of the forest in the eastern direction of Celadon City, right in between Saffron City and Celadon City.

After about three hours, a mountain suddenly appeared in their view. The half-finished dam was located on the side of the mountain. If this dam was successfully built, this reservoir would be able to supply water to the surrounding town.

Screech!

Ryoichi suddenly stopped the car violently. Hisoka was pushed forward slightly due to the sudden inertia. Meanwhile, slammed on the mirror due to the sudden brake.

With swollen nose, Ryoichi got out of the car. When he rested his eyes on his tire, he couldn't help but curse loudly. Its tire was stuck in a pothole.

"Damn! It's Diglett again. I can't take this anymore," Ryoichi took a deep breath, calming himself down.

The Diglett infestation was actually caused by an excessive number of Diglett. They had dug many holes in the ground, making it brittle. They also had caused significant damage to the reservoir, which took a lot of time and money to repair.

According to the research paper published by Professor Oak, a small number of Diglett indeed can promote the growth of crops. However, once they pass a certain number, these helpful Diglett would become a nightmare for everyone in the vicinity.

"Fuck!" Ryoichi cursed.

There were too many potholes on the ground. This was the third time the jeep got stuck in a pothole.

"We can only walk from here. I don't think we can reach there by car," Ryoichi shook his head helplessly.

Hisoka got out of the car and walked around the surroundings, waiting for fo Ryoichi to park his car. A few minutes later, he found a hole dug by Diglett.

Then, Hisoka took out a few metal rods and inserted one of them inside the hole.

"Firstly, to solve the Diglett infestation, we must know how many Diglett are there in this area. Diglett usually lives in a group. Generally speaking, each group has a Dugtrio as the leader. I think we should leave around two to four groups so that they would not damage the land any further. Then, we'll move the rest away from this area," Hisoka explained.

"Why don't you try being an officer? I think you are much more suited to be an officer rather than a hunter," Ryoichi shouted excitedly.

"Yep, I think so too," Hisoka nodded sagely.

"So that's why I said I want an Officer badge from the League back at S.S. Anne," Hisoka added.

Hisoka had this idea purely because he wanted to have an official identity from the League. The Officer badge also could provide him a lot of conveniences during his journey.

Hearing what Hisoka said just now made Ryoichi shake his head in embarrassment. He had already been demoted by the League. And his chief, Matthias, was laying low until the S.S. Anne matter subsided. Let alone helping Hisoka. He can't even help himself right now.

Hisoka handed a few metal rods to Ryoichi, saying, "Let's get to work. Can you put this inside the Diglett's holes? Oh yea, one more thing. Make sure they are ten meters apart from each other."

"What about you?" Ryoichi asked, trying to hold the heavy metal rods in his hands.

Hisoka opened his laptop and said, "What else I'm going to do. Of course, I'm going to work."

...