Chapter 50: The Heavily Wounded Handsome Man

Chapter 50: The Heavily Wounded Handsome Man

Xia You didn't know much about perfume, but he knew that following a professional's advice would never go wrong.

At that moment, Lati took out a sample of the perfume she had bought for Naz, rolled up her sleeve, and sprayed a little on her wrist.

"Come and smell it. Doesn't it smell lovely?"

Glancing at her fair and smooth arm, Xia You leaned in to take a light sniff. Sure enough, he caught a pleasant fragrance—fresh and not at all pungent.

But beyond the scent of the perfume, there was also a feminine fragrance that made his heart race.

This scent was different from Naz's, which indirectly reflected the distinct personalities of the two girls.

Lati smiled and said, "You can't buy this perfume anywhere else besides our shop; it's one of our unique blends."

Clearing his throat, Xia You said, "Alright, I'll take these four perfumes. Please wrap them up for me."

After paying, Xia You bid farewell to Lati and left the perfume shop. He intended to contact the handsome man, but his calls repeatedly failed to go through.

Strange. Didn't he say he wanted to meet once Xia You arrived in Celadon City?

However, remembering his mysterious identity, Xia You didn't take the matter to heart.

Perhaps he was on some kind of mission.

As for the Gym Leader, since Lati was currently in the perfume shop, even if he went to the Celadon Gym, it would be futile; he wouldn't be able to challenge her.

After thinking for a moment, Xia You turned toward the Celadon Game Corner.

Since he had nothing else to do, he might as well go there to pass the time.

The Celadon Game Corner was located in the southeast of the city. When Xia You saw it with his own eyes, he discovered that its scale was far larger than in the games. It didn't just have hotels and restaurants, but even a cinema and several dance halls!

People were constantly coming and going in the Game Corner. There were not only groups of young people but also many middle-aged individuals. Looking inside, there was a vast variety of claw machines, arcade games, slot machines, dance machines, balloon guns, and Pachinko—it looked incredibly lively.

At the counter, he bought a dozen game tokens. Just as he was about to walk toward a claw machine, his attention was suddenly drawn to a nearby stall.

The owner of this stall was just an ordinary middle-aged man, and the goods he was selling were rows of Pokémon masks in various styles.

"Boss, how much for that mask?"

Xia You reached out and pointed to a half-finished Gastly mask.

The upper part of this mask was identical to Gastly's deep purple face, capable of covering most of the wearer's face, while the lower part had a gap that allowed the wearer's mouth to be exposed.

"You certainly have an eye for quality, customer," the shopkeeper introduced. "This mask is my prize possession. Not only is it very sturdy, but the eyes are also made of glass. When you wear it, your vision won't be obstructed at all. It usually sells for 300 yen, but today it's on special—I'll give it to you for 250."

"That number..." Xia You frowned and began to haggle, "Will you take 100?"

"You must be joking, customer. 250 is already a very cheap price," the shopkeeper said with a sincere expression, appearing as though he would never budge.

Xia You shook his head slightly and employed an old trick, turning to walk away without looking back. Seeing this, the shopkeeper hurriedly lunged forward to pull him back.

"Alright, alright! I see we are destined to meet. How about you add a little more and I'll sell it to you for 150?"

Xia You laughed inwardly. This trick really worked every single time.

However, his face remained unmoved. He merely pulled out a hundred-yen note. Seeing this, although the shopkeeper sighed, he quickly and deftly took the money and stuffed the mask into Xia You's hand.

His speed was so fast that Xia You couldn't help but wonder if even that hundred yen was an overpayment...

After leaving the stall, Xia You placed the Gastly mask into his backpack and stored it carefully.

Ever since he had revealed Zapdos at the Silph Co. last time, Xia You could clearly feel that showing his true face made it easy to attract unnecessary trouble. Although this mask was simple, it could effectively mask his identity, greatly reducing his chances of being exposed.

He took out the game tokens and dropped them into the claw machine. Just as he was concentrating intently, several pairs of eyes outside the Game Corner fixed upon him simultaneously.

"Hey, hey, are we really going to attack him?" James asked in a low voice, hiding in a telephone booth. Beside him, naturally, were the inseparable Jessie and Meowth.

"Of course! This is the Boss's order," Jessie nodded. "Besides, didn't we abandon that brat and his Pikachu and rush back to Celadon City specifically for this person?"

"But..." James hesitated, "He's actually a really good guy. Didn't he help us escape from the bottom of the sea last time? If we do this, won't we be ungrateful?"

"Idiot, we're villains! How can you say such things!" Meowth jumped up and gave James a sharp scratch on the face.

"Ow! My face!" James collapsed in pain but quickly scrambled back up. "But the place he's heading to is the entrance to our secret base. Are we really going to act here?"

"Of course we can't act here!" As the true leader of the trio, Jessie made the decision. "We'll wait until he leaves the Game Corner, then we'll find an opportunity to strike!"

...

After having a good time in the Game Corner, Xia You was about to leave with his two claw machine trophies when he suddenly received a message.

The message was from the handsome man, and aside from a location pin, there wasn't even a single word.

What did this mean? Was he supposed to meet there?

Feeling wary, Xia You followed the location, walking toward the edge of the city until he stopped in front of several warehouses near the freight train station.

It was quiet here, with not a soul in sight. Aside from the occasional passing freight train, there was no other sound.

"Haunter, go check the vicinity. Kirlia, stay on alert."

Xia You gave a soft command and immediately put the mask he had just bought over his face.

He really hadn't expected that this mask, which he had only just purchased, would be put to use so quickly!

Before long, Haunter returned and shook its head at Xia You.

"There's no ambush, but there is a heavily wounded person in that warehouse ahead!"

A heavily wounded person?

Xia You froze. Knowing that Haunter had not seen the handsome man and did not know what he looked like, he nodded and, following its guidance, soon arrived at the door of a damaged warehouse.

The warehouse door was already broken, the iron gate left ajar, and to his surprise, there was a trail of blood extending from outside the gate deep into the interior.

The bloodstain was exceptionally striking, and the heavy scent of blood seemed to be constantly telling a story.

(End of Chapter)