Chapter 8 - At 20, a Pokémon Policeman
Barbara knew that her father and Quinn needed rest, so she didn't disturb them, waiting until nightfall before waking them up after preparing dinner.
Knock, knock.
"Come in."
Barbara pushed open the door and saw Quinn holding a silver bell, her eyes lighting up. "What a beautiful bell! Is it for a pet?"
Quinn put away the Soothing Bell and had a strange expression. "Uh, you can think of it that way."
This was an item Quinn pulled out of the computer—a Pokémon item that would be given to a Pokémon. He felt a bit disappointed that it wasn't a Legendary Egg or a Master Ball.
[Name: Soothing Bell]
[Type: Other]
[Quality: ★]
[Effect: Increases the Pokémon's affection when held.]
[Description: A melodious bell that soothes the Pokémon carrying it, making it easier for the Pokémon to become more intimate with its Trainer.]
The effect was basically the same as in the game. However, what caught Quinn's attention more was the small inscription engraved on the bell—a complex ancient script that the system automatically translated for Quinn.
"Please take care of that child and find him."
Looking at the lump under the blanket, Quinn smiled. No wonder the reward was the Soothing Bell; it was prepared for Manaphy.
However, Quinn had already shared a bed with Manaphy, and his feelings were already soothed. The Soothing Bell felt a bit redundant.
Quinn shook the bell, the pleasant sound calming his restless heart. There was no need to rush; there were plenty of opportunities to earn points in Gotham. He just needed to take it step by step.
He held the bell between his fingers and wondered if it would work on humans as well, or if it was because he was an exception... Just then, Barbara knocked on the door and came in, calling him for dinner.
Initially, Quinn felt a bit uneasy about living with the Gordons, but both Gordon and Barbara treated him like family, and he quickly adapted to the warm atmosphere and became part of it.
After dinner, Quinn volunteered to help with the dishes, which pleased Gordon. He admired tough men, and even more so, tough men who took care of their families.
In the kitchen, Quinn's hands moved swiftly and skillfully as he cleaned the utensils. When Barbara asked about it, he explained that his family owned a restaurant, and he often helped out during busy times. Over time, his skills naturally became proficient.
"In that case, your culinary skills must be excellent," Barbara brushed her bangs to the side, "Can you teach me to cook Chinese food? I've always wanted to try, but it's hard to get started just from watching videos."
Barbara complained, "The chefs in the videos always use vague measurements like 'a handful,' 'moderate amount,' and 'generous amount.' It's hard to gauge how much seasoning to add, so it always ends up too salty or too sweet."
Quinn understood. Even his own father was the same. He had taken a long time to figure out the right measurements for the dishes.
"Each chef has their own habits. I recommend following your instincts and going with what feels right."
Barbara wasn't starting from scratch, and she couldn't make terrible dark cuisine. She supported her chin with her hand, "Following my instincts, will that ruin the original flavors?"
Quinn shrugged, "Let me tell you an open secret—most Chinese food in America isn't real Chinese food, including the ones in Chinatown. If you want to taste authentic Chinese food, you'll have to visit China."
"Including your family's restaurant?"
"Yep, he once made a dish called strawberry sauce tofu. I almost got into a fight with my dad when I first tried it."
Strawberry sauce tofu was a dish created by Quinn's father, a variation of mapo tofu. It looked colorful and vibrant on the outside, but the taste was so watery that Quinn would never forget it.
"Do you have to sabotage your own family's business like this? Your dad must've been furious when he found out."
Barbara giggled. At that moment, Gordon walked in, and she pushed her wheelchair away from the kitchen, leaving plenty of space for the two men.
"Barbara hasn't laughed so happily in a long time. Thank you, Quinn."
Gordon took a beer from the fridge and offered it to Quinn, who declined, stating that alcohol would affect his judgment.
Gordon didn't insist and opened one for himself. "Alcohol helps to relax a tense mind. I used to avoid drinking and smoking, but look at me now."
He pointed at the full fridge of beer, "I can't live without this damn alcohol anymore."
As he chugged down a whole can of beer, he seemed a bit tipsy.
"tomorrow is your official first day on the job. Have you thought about which department you want to work in? I can arrange it for you."
Unlike the promotion systems in other cities, due to Gotham's unique security situation, Gordon was in charge of all the police department appointments. It was a matter of favoritism, and as long as one gained Gordon's trust, they could quickly get promoted.
The reason behind this was simple. If they didn't want the police department to become a puppet of some gang, there had to be a one-man show, and during Gordon's tenure, that was how things were done.
The Gotham police might not be trusted, and many people might not trust Batman, but everyone trusted James Gordon. He was worth the trust.
And to live up to that trust, Gordon had sacrificed not just himself but also his family.
Facing the olive branch thrown by Gordon, Quinn's answer was, "A beat cop. I want to be a beat cop."
Gordon was very surprised because the position Quinn requested was too low, as low as it could get.
A beat cop was the lowest rank in the entire American police system. They were commonly referred to as "rookies" and were usually responsible for maintaining order and safety in a specific neighborhood, spending most of their time patrolling.
However, this was Gotham, and the situation here was different. With the increasing prevalence of super-powered crime, patrolling the streets had become quite dangerous for beat cops.
To what extent was the attrition rate? Let's put it this way—Gotham's police department had stopped appointing beat cops altogether, as many neighborhoods were no longer under police control.
The Penguin, Black Mask, Joker, and others had divided Gotham into several territories, maintaining a fragile balance under the control of the Court of Owls.
Quinn proposed, "Commissioner, didn't you arrange for me to work with Kevin? I'll start as a beat cop in the same neighborhood he was born and raised."
"Well... since you've made up your mind, I won't say much more."
Gordon's expression was subtle. In Gotham, there was only one beat cop—Quinn. Following the principle of handling work based on districts, the district he would be assigned to was...
The entire Gotham.
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In the white consciousness space, Quinn stood between the water pool and the computer, hesitating.
He currently had 113 points remaining, so he could try another draw. The question was, which pool should he draw from?
Based on the cryptic hints the system had given him, Quinn could discern the differences between the two pools.
On the right-hand side was a water pool, and the draw method was "fishing." It would randomly grant him items and abilities from various world settings, the so-called "Mixed Pool."
On the left-hand side was a computer, just like the storage system used in Pokémon games, which would allow him to "selectively extract" items from the Pokémon world setting, the "Single UP Pool."
Each type of pool had its advantages and disadvantages. The Mixed Pool had extremely high upper and lower limits, meaning he could draw out godly artifacts or mere pieces of junk.
The Single UP Pool, on the other hand, could only provide Pokémon-related items. However, there were many powerful items associated with Pokémon, and anything related to legendary Pokémon would be top-notch.
Arriving at the computer, Quinn opened the extraction interface, pondered for a moment, and typed a line of text.
"Please give me the power to protect everyone."
Since the computer wasn't connected to the internet, Quinn couldn't send this message to anyone. However, he believed that someone would see it.
Moving the cursor to the extraction button, Quinn hit the enter key, and his points instantly dropped to thirteen.
At the same time, a brand-new document box was transported into Quinn's hands.
[Name: Items from the Devon Corp]
[Type: Other]
[Quality: ☆]
[Special Effects: Storage]
[Description: While the Devon Corp was flourishing in Slateport City, one of its employees accidentally lost a document box containing company items during a business trip.
"Whoever picks this up, please return it to me! Waaahhh!"]
"The description puts 'accidentally' in quotation marks... It probably wasn't an accident, but rather someone temporarily 'borrowed' it, right?"
Let's mourn for the poor employee for three seconds. In another world, Quinn would like to return the box, but he couldn't in this case. However, the great being behind the scenes would likely compensate the owner with something else... right?
Quinn picked up the document box and weighed it. It was quite heavy, indicating that it probably contained many items.
"Only one item can be drawn at a time, so they bundled things up and sent them to me. How thoughtful." Quinn rubbed his hands in excitement.
Next was the thrilling and suspenseful unboxing time.
Quinn opened the box, and a golden light illuminated his face.
"Wow! A Gold Legend!"
Quinn provided his own commentary, expressing his excitement. Before him was one of the items.
[Name: One-time use TM "Swords Dance"]
[Type: Other]
[Quality: ★★★]
[Attribute: Normal]
[Special Effects: Increases the user's attack power by 2 stages]
[Description: A CD that allows a Pokémon to learn the move "Swords Dance." It disappears after use.]
According to the Pokémon calculation formula, each stage represented a 50% increase in attributes, with a maximum of 6 stages, or a 300% increase.
Using Swords Dance once would increase the user's attack power by 2 stages, and after using it three times, the attack power would increase by four times, a straightforward and practical ability fitting of its 3-star quality.
Quinn stuck out his tongue and licked his dry lips. "Since Manaphy and I can communicate telepathically, and the Soothe Bell works on me, then this Move Tutor should also..."
Quinn held the CD and silently activated it. The CD instantly disappeared, and a vast flow of information poured into Quinn's consciousness.
In a dark room, Manaphy, who was sleeping, frowned. It dreamed that it was locked in a glass jar, experiencing the miserable daily life of being poked with needles.
At this moment, Quinn suddenly opened his eyes. Beside him, Manaphy unconsciously moved closer to him, as if sensing the presence of a kindred spirit, and its frown gradually eased.
Quinn felt the changes happening in his body.
"I can finally transform into a Pokémon."
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Chapter 9 - Batman Returns
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"Hal, I'll leave the task of observing the new landing points to you."
"Alright, but why isn't Batman here? Why did you end up being the one assigning tasks, Arthur?"
In the towering space observatory, the Justice League members were exchanging information in the Hall of Justice. Leading the meeting was Aquaman, Arthur Curry. Faced with Hal's protest, Arthur casually replied, "I am the ruler of a country, and I know how to lead a team. Unlike someone who selfishly assigns easy tasks to others and takes on all the important missions for himself."
Superman agreed, "Hal, you always try to handle everything on your own, instead of utilizing all of our strengths. It will exhaust you and reduce efficiency."
Wonder Woman sternly criticized Hal, "Placing warriors in easy battles is an insult."
Hal glanced at the Flash sitting next to him and asked, "Flash, tell me, am I like that?"
The Flash shrugged, spreading his hands, "Sorry, Hal, I don't want to deceive you."
With even the Flash saying so, Hal deflated like a balloon. He murmured, "Arthur, being a king is in the past for you. Don't forget you already gave up the throne of Atlantis."
Arthur smiled and replied, "But the experience doesn't disappear."
"I promise not to be like this in the future..." Hal chose to admit defeat and glanced at the empty seat, whistling.
"The one who loves to call himself a leader isn't here again. What's the reason this time? Another bank robbery in Gotham?" Superman immediately explained for Batman, "He must be busy with something..."
Hal's voice regained strength as he crossed his arms, looking dissatisfied. "I can handle the entire 2814 sector and still make time to attend meetings, yet he can't even manage a small city like Gotham. He's really self-proclaimed leader of the Justice League."
In reality, Hal had long acknowledged Batman as the leader of the Justice League. His frustration stemmed from Batman's repeated absence from the meetings.
Superman, who had remained silent, spoke up, "I've already contacted Batman. There have been two small-scale earthquakes in Gotham recently, and he's investigating the cause."
The Flash was surprised, "Gotham isn't in an earthquake zone."
Superman opened a city model of Gotham and projected it onto the meeting table. "We all know that, so he suspects that the earthquakes are related to what landed on Earth in the first and second waves."
Hearing about Gotham's troubles, the Flash thought of his good friend Quinn and hoped he would be safe. But Gotham had always faced misfortunes; one more incident wouldn't make a difference.
Everyone's expressions turned grimmer. Wonder Woman knew they were all concerned about their own cities. "Let's end the meeting here. Everyone, pay more attention to abnormal occurrences. Hal, your task is especially important."
Hal's spirits lifted; he enjoyed being entrusted with important responsibilities. "Leave matters outside Earth to me. I'll convince the Green Lantern Corps."
Cyborg activated the boom tube channel, and the heroes dispersed. Arthur was no exception. He returned to his lighthouse cottage where he lived.
Pushing open the door, Arthur stopped mid-step. Though the lights were off, the cottage was dimly lit, and his Atlantean senses detected someone inside.
He also smelled the scent of the sea.
"Mera, is that you?"
Arthur held his trident and pressed the switch, revealing an image of the Mediterranean Sea.
"Vulko? Why are you hiding in my home?" Arthur casually sat down next to the Mediterranean Sea projection.
Nudis Vulko, who was always mysterious, looked at the Neptune's Trident in Arthur's hand with a complicated expression. "There's a strong magic aura on the trident, which means you are prepared for battle. What makes you so cautious, my king?"
As soon as Vulko spoke, Arthur knew his purpose. Ever since Arthur had passed the throne of Atlantis to his younger brother Orm, Vulko had been persuading him to reclaim the throne.
"No matter how many times you say it, I won't go back, Vulko. I am the Aquaman of the Justice League now."
"I understand your decision, my king, but I won't give up," Vulko replied, not surprised by Arthur's refusal. He had heard it countless times before, but he wouldn't give up.
Vulko stood up, facing the Mediterranean Sea. Arthur noticed that he seemed to be limping. "My king, I will come again."
Arthur felt helpless. He stepped outside the lighthouse, watching Vulko dive into the sea.
"Vulko walks strangely. Is he injured somewhere? Damn, I should have spent more time talking to him." Arthur had recently seen on TV that the elderly needed companionship.
Vulko plunged into the sea, gazing up at the pitch-black sky above.
"The sky above is even more profound than the Bismarck Sea Trench. This world is undergoing unknown changes. I don't know if Arthur is ready, but I must find that thing for Atlantis."
Dark clouds shrouded the horizon, thunder and lightning filled the air, and raindrops fell in torrents.
Under the pouring rain, Quinn vaulted over the railing, executed a clean and swift knee strike, pinning the robber of the convenience store to the ground. He handcuffed the criminal and escorted him to the police car.
Opening the car door, Quinn pushed him into the backseat, giving him one last kick. "If you don't want trouble, be a good boy."
From the driver's seat, Kevin pointed to three burly African-American men crowded in the back. "That's the third one today. You've already arrested so many people on your first day. You'll attract the attention of the gangs."
Quinn remained unfazed. "Do you think I'm afraid, Kevin? Let me tell you. I am afraid."
"I'm afraid they won't dare to come after me. How can I send them to jail if they don't?"
Kevin pulled out a paper form and started writing. "And what was this one arrested for?"
"Robbery, assaulting an officer, causing intentional harm. Enough to keep him locked up for three to five years." Quinn listed the criminal's charges with ease.
"This one's okay," Kevin said in a hushed voice, "but you didn't need to arrest the one for peeping. Not everyone needs to be caught."
"No," Quinn firmly refused, "there's an old saying in China: Do not refrain from doing good because it seems trivial, and do not commit evil because it appears insignificant. Even if it's a minor wrongdoing, it should be nipped in the bud."
[Successfully prevented a sexual harassment crime, gained 1 point.]
Kevin rolled his eyes. "If everyone in the police department was like you, Gotham Penitentiary would be full within a month."
"In that case, build new prisons or send them elsewhere. Prisons are built to punish criminals. If there are empty cells, it would be a waste of taxpayers' money—only with a sufficient arrest rate can we apply for more funding!"
Quinn rubbed his thumb and index finger together with a cunning look. "The cost of living in Gotham is much higher than downtown. Patrol officers' salaries are too low. I have to improve our performance to get Commissioner Gordon to raise our pay."
Seeing the constant influx of young officers, Kevin sighed helplessly. Commissioner Gordon assigned him to keep an eye on Quinn to prevent the rookie cop from being tainted by Gotham. However, now it seemed that Gordon had been overly cautious. Quinn had easily adapted to the job.
"Please take them to the police station," Quinn knocked on the car's body.
Seeing Quinn not getting into the car, Kevin recalled yesterday's incident, and his expression changed slightly. "You're not planning to do something dangerous again, are you?"
Quinn waved his hand casually, leaving Kevin with a cheerful silhouette.
"Why would I? I'm terrified."
Terrified of being caught by a sudden Darkseid Omega Beam, Quinn set himself a small goal—to bring the Justice League's Watchtower under his jurisdiction.
Quinn was working hard toward that small goal.
Kevin was born on Flock Avenue, which encompassed half of the neighborhood. According to him, this area used to belong to the Penguins, but it was later taken over by the Black Mask.
However, the Black Mask had been low-profile recently, and even his gang, the "Mask gang / Mask Society," had been seen much less frequently.
"A change in behavior suggests something unusual. An anomaly indicates the beginning of a conspiracy. The Black Mask must be planning something, but it has nothing to do with the storyline from the comics, but surely it involves Manaphy."
Now, Quinn didn't have the advantage of foresight.
Quinn chose to patrol on Flock Avenue for a reason; he wanted to lure the Black Mask out.
Come on! I even deliberately sent Kevin away. Now it's just me. Surely, the Black Mask isn't afraid of a little police officer if he wants to become the King of Gotham?
Quinn strolled around twice, but he didn't see any members of the Black Mask. It seemed they had truly abandoned their base on Flock Avenue.
"If they don't take the bait, then I'll take the initiative."
Under the pouring rain, with his umbrella overhead, Quinn arrived at the spot where he had encountered Edward. The police cordon had been removed, but due to the cracked road, there were few people around.
"Manaphy, do you remember where you were held captive? Lead the way."
Excited, Manaphy swung its two antennae in response. It loved rainy days, but when it heard that Quinn wanted to go to the place with the glass jar, its antennae immediately drooped.
"Manaphy..."
Quinn quickly reassured, "I know you're afraid, but I'm here to protect you, and there might be other Pokémon locked up there. We can rescue them together."
"Manaphy!"
With wide eyes, Manaphy flew behind Quinn and gently pushed him forward.
"No need to rush that much."
Quinn didn't expect such a big reaction from Manaphy. It seemed it really missed its Pokémon companions. But now, Quinn faced a dilemma. What if there were no Pokémon in that place?
Manaphy led Quinn to a fire hydrant; it was from here that it escaped outside. Quinn looked at the building closest to the fire hydrant.
"A private clinic..."
He found the place, but the clinic was already closed. How to get in was the question.
Manaphy flew to the front of the rolling shutter and removed its invisibility, dissolving its body into a blue liquid that flowed through the gap of the rolling shutter.
Quinn's eyes lit up; it was "Dissolve," right? Manaphy actually knew that move. Its level must be at least 30.
Taking advantage of the moment the door opened, Quinn took out the Multi-functional Pokémon Navigator, one of the items he found in the prize box.
[Name: Multi-functional Pokémon Navigator Pro Edition]
[Type: Other]
[Quality: ☆]
[Description: The latest model from Davon Corp, equipped with Pokémon Radar, which can search for Pokémon types within one kilometer.]
He opened the Pokémon Radar, and there were only two points: a blue dot representing Quinn and a red dot representing Manaphy.
"Ah, I need to comfort Manaphy."
As the rolling shutter rose, Quinn successfully entered the clinic and found the entrance to the underground passage. However, before he could react, a Batarang was already placed against his throat, and a hoarse voice sounded in his ear.
"Who are you talking to?"
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