Chapter 29

Xiao Zhi: "Why is there only one Squirtle? Where are the other Squirtles?"

Misty: "We met Squirtle a year later than Black Xiao Zhi, so I think those Squirtles might not have been abandoned by their owners yet."

Brock: "That must be it."

Xiao Zhi: "I really don't get it. Why did that group abandon their Pokémon! If they didn't like them, why catch them in the first place!"

Paul: "Hmph. How would you know if you like them without catching them? Besides, releasing Pokémon without potential back into the wild is a very normal thing!"

Xiao Zhi: "Normal? That's not normal at all!!!"

Paul: "Hmph. Don't get too full of yourself. Maybe some Pokémon actually wish to be released by their trainers."

Some people are natural rivals. Paul had just spoken for the first time in the chat room and already started arguing with Xiao Zhi.

Misty: "Alright, alright, stop arguing. Can't even that exciting video shut your mouths?"

At Misty's words, the two finally calmed down.

(First update. Guaranteed five updates today. One extra update for 400 review votes, one extra for 20 monthly tickets, one extra for 20,000 flowers! Maximum eight updates! So if you have flowers, monthly tickets, or review votes, go ahead and bury the author with them!)

45: Mysterious Pokémon Appears, Xiao Zhi is Restless!

Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle—the Kanto Trio—have all been caught. Black Xiao Zhi's next stop should be the seaside lighthouse.

Having arrived at the lighthouse a year early, will Black Xiao Zhi encounter that giant mysterious Pokémon?

If he meets it, can he uncover the truth behind the giant Pokémon?

The viewers in the chat room, filled with anticipation, continued watching the video.

【Soft sand, warm sunshine, and a sapphire-blue sea. This is simply a paradise gifted by heaven.】

【"How about we rest here for a few days before moving on?" Misty said this offhandedly, since with a training maniac like Xiao Zhi in the group, she figured he would definitely refuse.】

【Who would have thought Xiao Zhi wouldn't hesitate for half a second and agreed to her request.】

【??????】

【What's going on?! Hearing that Xiao Zhi actually agreed to her request for a vacation, Misty was completely bewildered.】

【"Training also needs a balance of tension and relaxation. Excessive strain isn't necessarily a good thing." Xiao Zhi explained with a smile.】

【He was quite strict in his usual training, but his goal was to make the Pokémon strong quickly, not to turn them into freaks who only know training and battles. Unless it's training or battling, everyone needs to live their lives too.】

【"Hooray!!! Hooray for Xiao Zhi!!! The swimsuit I prepared can finally be used this time!!!" 】

【One day later.】

【"So, Professor Oak, what are you doing here? Don't you have work to do?" Misty asked.】

【"Hahaha. Originally, I was entrusted by Professor Oak to come check on Xiao Zhi. Since you were having a party, I just came along." Professor Oak, wearing beach shorts, stretched his arms. "Indeed, one can't stay in the lab all the time; my bones are about to rust."】

【"By the way." Professor Oak pointed at the "Lucario" who was dominating the beach soccer game, "That Pokémon is Mew, right?"】

【After receiving an affirmative answer from Misty, Professor Oak looked extremely envious. "I really wish I had a Mew to accompany me too."】

【"Stop dreaming in broad daylight!"】

【During the vacation, Xiao Zhi also encountered an amusing incident.】

【A Krabby, only the size of a fist and estimated to be just two or three days old, latched onto him. No matter how much Xiao Zhi shook, he couldn't get rid of it. Helpless, Xiao Zhi had no choice but to catch it.】

【Since he already held six Pokémon, the Krabby was teleported back to the Professor's laboratory.】

【"Do you want to trade the Krabby back? I have a teleportation device at the research institute near the lighthouse." Professor Oak asked.】

【Xiao Zhi shook his head. "Let's forget it. This Krabby's physical condition is a bit poor. It's better to leave it at Professor Oak's lab to recover properly; training later won't be too late."】

【Although both are baby Pokémon, there is a huge difference between a Krabby and a Riolu just after birth. If trained using the same method, the Krabby would likely end up visiting its ancestors in Crab Star within a few days.】

【After the vacation ended, Xiao Zhi originally planned to head straight to Vermilion City, but Oak invited them to stay at the lighthouse for a few days. Xiao Zhi initially wanted to refuse, but Oak threw out a reason he couldn't refuse—near Oak's lighthouse, there was a mysterious Pokémon, a Pokémon unique in the entire world.】

【It was another foggy night. Misty, responsible for observing the sea with a telescope, was already struggling to fight off sleepiness.】

【"Professor Oak, did you drag us here just to do manual labor?"】

【These past few days, they had only been ordered around by Oak; as for the mysterious Pokémon, they hadn't even seen a shadow of it.】

【Facing Misty's doubt, Oak cried out his innocence. He wanted to repay the three for letting him see Mew, which was why he invited them to the lighthouse to search for the mysterious Pokémon.】

【His heart was entirely sincere.】

【"Shh, quiet. Something is approaching." A wolf-like instinct told Xiao Zhi that a creature was approaching the lighthouse, and it was a quite terrifying creature.】

【Half a minute later, a mysterious Pokémon the size of a mountain appeared in the waters near the lighthouse.】

【A rough observation showed that this Pokémon was at least 50 or 60 meters tall. Its mountain-like body brought a mountain-like pressure.】

【Misty, Brock, and Oak were now unable to make a sound. Their gazes were fixed straight on the giant object in the sea, unwilling to look away for even a second.】

【"Ah!!! Why is there fog today!!!" Misty was about to explode.】

【If there were no fog, they could have taken a closer look at the true form of the mysterious Pokémon.】

【"On nights without fog, the mysterious Pokémon does not appear. It deliberately chooses foggy nights to appear, probably to hide itself." Professor Oak guessed.】

【"Sob sob sob, my heart is itching like it's being scratched by cat claws." Misty wanted so badly to tear away the hazy veil of the mysterious Pokémon, but unfortunately, she had absolutely no ability to do so.】

【Misty did not have the ability to tear away the veil, but someone present did. Coincidentally, he also wanted to see the true form of the mysterious Pokémon.】

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46: Giratina, Mysterious Pokémon Appears! (Requesting Flowers and Review Votes)

【Ding!】

【Entering the prize guessing segment.】

Just as Xiao Zhi in the video was about to act, the viewing system stopped the video and began the questioning segment.

【Question: What is the true identity of the mysterious Pokémon?】

【A: Groudon.】

【B: Gigantamax Duraludon.】

【C: Ancient Gengar.】

【D: Dragonite.】

【E: Regigigas.】

【F: Ditto.】

The moment the answer segment began, the chat room instantly became noisy.

Cynthia: "I now seriously suspect the system is mixed in among us, eavesdropping on our discussion. Options A and B are both things we talked about earlier."

Caitlin: "Groudon and Gigantamax Aggron have both been ruled out, so the correct answer should be among C, D, E, and F."

Sird: "E. The true identity of this black shadow must be Regigigas. Only Regigigas has such astonishing oppressive force and a mountain-tall body."

Steven: "Regigigas? The legendary Pokémon said to be able to drag a continent?"

Sird: "That's right. Trust me, I won't let everyone down."

Granny Agatha: "I'll pick C, an ancient Gengar. The latest research shows that Pokémon from the ancient era were all giant-sized, and combined with the mysterious Pokémon's trait of appearing at night and in heavy fog, its true identity must be an ancient Gengar!"

Gary: "Why not pick Ditto? That's the most normal answer, right? What ancient Gengar, what legendary Pokémon Regigigas — these are all too far-fetched. How could you run into such bizarre Pokémon so easily? In my opinion, the true identity of this mysterious Pokémon is just a Ditto that likes to play pranks."

Professor Oak: "Gary's analysis does have a tiny bit of reason to it this time. I'll also pick F: Ditto."

Lance: "But, why do I feel like this guy looks a bit like Dragonite?"

Steven: "Lance, are you drunk? Is your Dragonite that big?"

Bruno: "Could it be caused by the Pythagorean theorem?"

Lorelei: "You mean a mirage, right? But don't mirages usually happen in the desert?"

Caitlin: "It's really too hard. I'll toss a die and pick one at random."

Amid everyone's discussion, the answering time ran out completely.

The paused video began playing again.

【Ash took the Poké Ball of his Pidgeot from his waist and summoned Pidgeot from the Poké Ball.】

【"Pidgeot, Defog."】

【The move Defog was originally used in battle to clear the opponent's Light Screen, Reflect, Mist, and the like, but it worked perfectly well here too.】

【Pidgeot spread its wings and beat them frantically. A huge wind swept in quickly, slowly blowing the fog on the sea surface away.】

【Pidgeot tried very hard — its wings were beating so fast they were almost smoking — but the fog cleared only within about 5 zhang, which converts to roughly 15 meters. That was far from enough.】

【"Good work, Pidgeot." Ash recalled the dejected Pidgeot, who was upset at failing the task, into its Poké Ball, then turned to look at Mew. "I'm counting on you."】

【"Mew~"】

【Sigh, it still needs you to step in. This family would fall apart without you sooner or later.】