Chapter 256: The Wind and Metronome of Tangcao Town

In the dream, the phantom Yan Di continues its search for the Dream Tree, while the Burning Insect lies dormant in the depths of the Ancient City.

In reality, after spending a full day in Deerchild Town, helping Professor Rowan with research, he also grew close to Touya, Touko, and others.

They exchanged friend links, and these young people even created a group chat called the Unova Joy Club.

Of course, the award distribution could not be overlooked.

These young people connected to the Tree of Dreams will stir great upheavals in Unova in the future—the ancient tree has already foreseen it.

Perhaps some things are truly destined?

『Bond with the Unova Heroes has increased!』

【Obtained: The Ideals and Truth of Heilian and Bailu.】

【Description: This is the knowledge of the heroes’ companions, who have not yet begun their journey, training hard to become excellent Trainers.】

【Effect: Theory Guidance +50%, Motivation +50%; Research Investigation +50%, Self +50%.】

【Description: Your work more easily guides others; by motivating yourself, you can fight nearly even battles against stronger Trainers.】

【Description: You are more likely to encounter unseen Pokémon; when centered on yourself, others find it hard to predict your next move in battle.】

When discussing Plasma Group, the companions had minor disagreements, but overall they still regarded it as a mysterious organization unworthy of attention.

But when they learned that Plasma Group had attacked Professor Rowan and Guang Tai at the Dream Ruins, their opinion of the organization plummeted to rock bottom.

Hmm, attacking people randomly at ruins? This is no ordinary mysterious organization—it must be crushed decisively!

Unova is too free!

When Guang Tai demonstrated how to use the Shining Amulet to switch a Pokémon between its normal and Shiny forms, every companion’s eyes filled with awe and longing—and some Pokémon showed even greater interest!

For instance, Touko’s Tepig, as soon as it recovered, began wagging its tail eagerly, desperate for a “skin package.”

Seeing how eager the little pig was, Guang Tai used the Shining Amulet to re-evaluate it!

I must say, Tepig’s Shiny coloration is truly beautiful—its base form is “Little Golden Pig,” looking exactly like a symbol of fortune, and when it evolves into Emboar, its fiery flames turn into blue-green flames, looking incredibly cool.

“I’m getting more and more eager to get my own Pokémon. Oh no, there’s still a whole year left? Touko is so lucky.”

Bailu complained, but she knew that even if she started her journey next year, her father would still be unhappy—if she left this year, he’d definitely argue fiercely with her.

Professor Rowan focused entirely on researching Deoxys, recording ample data, and also investigating Touko’s Shiny Tepig and Guang Tai’s Shining Amulet, leaving her both amused and exasperated—she had invented the item herself, yet now had to re-study it.

Professor Rowan tugged at her hair: “Ah! No clues at all—is it really psychic energy causing this?”

“Yes, I already said it was psychic energy,” Guang Tai replied bluntly.

Pretty much the same thing!

Touko: “Mr. Guang Tai, are you heading to Revena City next? That’s the largest and most famous entertainment city in Unova! And you can’t miss the Battle Subway—it’s one of Unova’s most fascinating challenge facilities, second only to Unova’s Trials!”

“Unova’s Trials? Ah, you mean the Black Skyscraper and the White Tree Hollow!”

Touko planned to set off immediately after Professor Rowan’s strange research ended; though she also intended to challenge Gyms along the way to help her Pokémon grow, training at the Battle Subway would work just as well.

After all, this isn’t a game—defeating Pokémon in the Battle Subway still grants growth, and the Pokémon there are extremely strong; only by challenging the powerful can you and your Pokémon keep improving.

“I’m just passing through Revena City—I plan to head to the Ancient City first, then either Tsushin City or White Forest.”

Tsushin City’s Tower of Paradise is the second site of Adik’s investigation, and Guang Tai holds the Giant Key—perhaps he can even visit Ross Mountain to see the Giant King.

The reward from the Giant Heart has caught Guang Tai’s attention, and now that Plasma Group is watching him, he urgently needs to strengthen himself further.

Being targeted by such a large organization is like this—Guang Tai even feels that in the future, traveling to other regions will inevitably lead to conflicts with local villainous groups.

Precisely because of this, though many Gym Leaders and Trainers say he is strong, Guang Tai does not truly believe he is invincible.

As this world’s Sakamoto once said—just to be clear, no matter how strong someone is, they can still lose a battle.

That line was spoken by Sakamoto during the game’s World Championship, when he had already lost his position as Team Rocket’s leader and become a seasoned Trainer focused solely on battle, pursuing his original intent and constantly growing stronger—hence he said it, and afterward added, “I hope to battle the protagonist again somewhere else.”

But in this world, Team Rocket, though crushed several times by Red, Ye Zi, A Xiang, and Qin Yin, has not vanished—it still exists in Kanto and Johto, merely shifting from public activities to covert operations, and remains a cross-regional super-corporation on the global market.

It’s just that Sakamoto himself still broods over his defeats, which is why he has recommenced his path of cultivation.

Ah, now that I think about it—this is a timeline where both Red and Ye Zi exist, and if there’s also the time-traveling Celebi plot, then A Xiang followed up by beating Sakamoto again, so he was probably beaten three times in quick succession; his Dao heart shattering is normal—Kanto doesn’t raise idle people.

So this world’s Sakamoto is walking only “half the game route.”

“Oh, you’re going to challenge Unova’s Trials? Hmm, though I really want to go too, I’ll train at the Battle Subway first!”

“I’ll start from Route 1 and take one step at a time toward Revena City! Along the way, I’ll capture plenty of companions!”

“By the way, buying enough items from you is a must!”

Touko highly values these items, especially the Aura Band—Guang Tai never expected her to be so fond of it, and it even triggered directly in previous battles; perhaps this battle girl really has great luck?

But Touya, Heilian, and Bailu haven’t started their journeys yet, so battle items hold little meaning for them—but to study them carefully, they still bought many useful things from Guang Tai’s backpack.

Bailu focused on medicines; Guang Tai recommended Max Revive and Revival Herb to her.

Heilian focused on theory; Guang Tai recommended the Red Card and Discerning Series to him.

Touya focused on tactics; Guang Tai recommended…

“The Charm of Courage, the Charm of Toughness.”

Touya selected two charms.

One boosts confidence and removes negative status effects; the other reduces damage from any source—excellent items for Pokémon battles, and effective for humans too.

“Usually, Brave Eagle should pair with better items, like the Life Orb, but unfortunately, my Life Orb is non-saleable.”

“So, aside from the Life Orb, you can use the Discerning Series to boost its output, or…”

Besides, the Life Orb is such a large orb—it can’t be carried by Brave Eagle, and it’s not like a Mega Stone you can just tie anywhere; the orb is much bigger than a Mega Stone.

And since Brave Eagle fears Rock-type moves, a suitable item would also be Thick Boots.

Guang Tai believes he can now craft Thick Boots and Assault Vest—after all, if he can make the Al set, these two are nothing; but the Al set requires many Release Jewels, and he’s currently busy gathering them.

Release Jewels are universal items—gather as many as possible!

Of course, there’s another newer option.

Guang Tai handed Touya a bundle of Strong Herbs, all plucked from the back of a Turtwig.

“Strong Herbs are rare on the market—they allow Sky Attack to be released instantly!”

“Unova doesn’t seem to excel at cultivating herbs.”

In the game, most people don’t carry Sky Attack—it requires charging, wastes an item slot, and risks missing.

But in real battles, Sky Attack is undoubtedly a powerful move! Guang Tai has already experienced its strength in previous fights.

On the other side, Professor Rowan’s research on Deoxys was essentially complete.

One day was enough for a professional professor to extract useful data through instruments; she had already conducted preliminary research at Shinmu’s lab and added further projects upon returning to Deerchild Town.

Professor Rowan also recorded detailed data on every Pokémon Guang Tai carried—each investigation only deepened her curiosity.

『Bond with Professor Rowan has greatly increased! Though your acquaintance is brief, you share the same spirit, having endured many events together—you can truly call each other close friends.』

“There remain many mysteries in the study of cosmic forces: Psychic and Fighting energies, along with Rock energy, can trigger cosmic power; ancient regional forms vanished due to climate change; the Legendary King’s form, granted by deities, relates to Sinnoh’s myths.”

“Summarized: cosmos, climate change, deities—plus my earlier belief that human activity also causes certain Pokémon to appear, along with geological movements…”

“Thank you for your help—my research has made great progress… Ah, this is a small token from me—give it to Deoxys!”

Professor Rowan handed over a small item shaped like an egg.

【Item: Lucky Egg.】

【Description: An egg brimming with happiness. The Pokémon holding it gains slightly increased experience. Experience +50%.】

【Effect: The Pokémon holding the Lucky Egg grows faster.】

“This is a rare item occasionally found in nature. Research shows it cannot hatch—it contains mysterious power. Sometimes, weak Pokémon carry it to evolve quickly; it accelerates Pokémon growth.”

“Deoxys is powerful, but its growth rate is low, manifesting as short battle durations. Though your potions help, I believe this Lucky Egg will benefit it too.”

“Ah! And these too!”

Professor Rowan pulled out a box of capsule-like items—about twenty of them.

【Item: Prism Energy.】

【Description: A universal artificial energy that any Pokémon can absorb.】

【Effect: When held by a Pokémon, it acts as any type of energy.】

“These are Energy Capsules—a newly developed item that replenishes a Pokémon’s battle energy. I tested them—they extend Deoxys’s active time outside its Poké Ball.”

They resemble “Drive Energy” in appearance—energy capsules all look roughly the same.

Guang Tai was delighted: “Thank you, Professor Rowan—these items are very useful for Deoxys.”

Professor Rowan: “Don’t mention it—I should thank you. These past days, you helped settle various incidents and assisted me and Shinmu with research.”

Meanwhile, the Master Ball floated, drawing everyone’s attention.

“A Pokémon from the Celestial Heaven—how fascinating! Is there a world of Pokémon beyond the cosmos?”

Touya and the others began imagining the cosmos, enthusiastically asking what Deoxys’s homeland was like. The young boys and girls, filled with dreams of the future and the stars, remained endlessly enthusiastic and eager to embrace all new things, turning them into their own strength.

After bidding farewell to Professor Rowan, Touko, Touya, and others, Guang Tai set off on his journey first—his first destination: Tangcao Town.

Lush vines are proof of prosperity, and the town’s unusual, undulating terrain offers beautiful vistas.

Tangcao Town also has a Battle Club operated by the East George family, but Guang Tai has no interest in it.

In the game, the two musicians live in a room on the upper-right staircase, playing piano and jazz drums; if you speak to them, the protagonist is asked if they’d like to hear a performance—if yes, the speaker adds their musical piece to the town’s background music.

“Though I’d like to visit, I don’t even know their names…”

The two musician NPCs in the game have no visible names; Guang Tai could only follow his memory to the highest point of Tangcao Town—and there, he found the music house.

As for music he knows—excluding the background tracks from the GB player—he only knows one ancient song.

And this ancient song differs from the version in Fushimi Café—it is pure, ancient music.

So rather than visiting them, better to let them come to him.

Let’s try.

Guang Tai took a carved instrument from his backpack—a flute, a replica made for carving the Divine Gate Flute.

Play the ancient song on your flute—at the highest point of Tangcao Town!

Miss Yangkui once said in the game that every time she passed through Tangcao Town, it reminded her of a melody she didn’t know who had played.

When the sound of the ancient song echoed across Tangcao Town, the two musicians inside the Music House, who had been struggling with their sheet music, heard the melody at once. They stopped, listened, their expressions shifting from curiosity to excitement, fully absorbed in the ancient melody.

The wind and plants of the entire Tangcao Town seemed to come alive under the melody, carrying the serene ancient sound far into the distance.

“Deep brown memories surging in my heart, my weary soul has been healed—your melody is utterly beautiful! Please, play with us!”

The door of the Music House opened, and the two musicians stepped out excitedly, arriving at the edge of the platform to invite Guang Tai to join them in a duet!

“Ah, sorry, let me introduce myself—I’m Bamboo Beat, the jazz drummer, and this is Baihe Xian, the pianist!”

“Actually, lately we’ve felt unable to play music well anymore—how to put it? We’ve hit a creative block. We were planning to go out into the wild, listen to more Pokémon sounds, to find inspiration for our playing—but we never expected to hear such a soul-stirring melody today!”

(End of Chapter)