Chapter 297

Jorgas rarely showed a vulnerable side, but at this moment, as he stroked his Accelgor, a tear actually rolled down his wrinkled eye corner—it was a yearning for the past.

Tears do not just represent sorrow; they also represent memory and being moved!

Seeing the state of the two sages, the emotions of the Team Plasma members who had followed behind also fluctuated violently. Some subconsciously reached for their waists, only to find them empty, or suddenly froze in place after touching an unfamiliar Poké Ball.

They had already handed their own Pokémon over to the organization, to the point that the Pokémon they were using were those of others, while their own were nowhere to be found.

Loss, sadness, confusion, wretchedness—various emotions swirled in their hearts, making their expressions look extremely pained.

"This expression..." Asura noticed the state of the members, and under the influence of Guangtai's power, the old sage found that he seemed to be able to understand the human heart a little bit.

"The chain of pain continues, misfortune keeps adding up, and the ones first shrouded in misfortune are actually us, Team Plasma!"

"So that's it! My confusion is resolved!"

Guangtai: "The disregard for the right to choose, the flaws in empathy, the control of power, the blind spots of human nature, the ignoring of the dignity of life, hypocritical logic. And the lies within the team."

"There is still plenty that you are lacking, but no one can avoid making every mistake, so ordinary people wouldn't consider themselves sages."

"The ecology, habitat, behavior, and moods of Pokémon—even professional professors cannot fully understand all of these, and do you have degrees?"

The two sages looked at each other, and Asura gave a light cough: "I have dual degrees in history and psychology."

Jorgas: "... I... I am truly sorry, I do not have such certificates, but I once studied archaeology. However, not having a degree does not mean my professional knowledge is not up to par. I once held an important position in an archaeological team in a certain region. My work history is solid."

Guangtai suddenly laughed.

"Ahahahaha, this seems quite interesting." Miss Wan Long was also amused and added: "Although you don't have degrees, your love for Pokémon is real, right?"

"That's right, at least our love for Pokémon is real." Asura nodded: "Thank you, the confusion in my heart has lessened. The flaws you mentioned, we indeed have them all."

"In the end, we were too self-centered, knowing only the one, but not the two."

Jorgas stared: "Hey, that's my line."

The tense atmosphere vanished completely; the two old sages faced their own flaws and understood many things!

There was no more confusion in their hearts!

"Ghetsis is somewhat disappointed with our failure. He is busy doing other things now, seemingly heading to East Unova!"

"That's right, it seems to be related to the Abyssal Ruins. We got this news from Zinzolin's mouth. That guy is still immersed in the ideal world Ghetsis promised him, but that guy is not quite the same as us."

The two sages provided important intelligence.

"Ghetsis has always called himself Harmonia, which is an ancient surname. His full name is Ghetsis Harmonia Gropius."

"It is said that the ancient king of Unova had this surname. He must be trying to obtain something from the Abyssal Ruins."

"Lord N has the ability to read the hearts of Pokémon. This might be an important reason why Ghetsis believes he can inherit the title of King of the Abyss."

Asura spoke solemnly: "You said that humans and Pokémon being able to understand each other comes from the power of the King of the Abyss, but someone like Ghetsis certainly cannot obtain this ability. What he wants should be other powers within the Abyssal Ruins!"

Jorgas also had a solemn expression: "At the same time, there has been unusual movement deep in Twist Mountain! We, Team Plasma, sent sages to investigate deeply. This is because Ghetsis has formulated some new plans; he is looking for those with the qualifications of a 'hero'! So now, an exploration of legends across Unova has begun, and Twist Mountain is one of them!"

"This is all the help we can give you. Afterward, we will gather more like-minded people within Team Plasma; we cannot leave just yet!"

Asura shook his head: "To err and not change is to err indeed. Making mistakes is not terrible; what is terrible is making mistakes and not knowing how to repent. That is true stupidity."

Yo!

Guangtai suddenly laughed.

Team Plasma has split ahead of schedule!

But this time, it's not led by N, but by Asura and Jorgas?

"You and the King are going to fight at the Celestial Tower, right."

"If you lose, then the number of people who believe in the King and Ghetsis will increase! So, although these words shouldn't come from our mouths."

Jorgas rubbed his chin, the old man's gaze becoming sharp:

"You are the one who suppressed the ancient soul, and you must also be one of the chosen ones. Now that I have personally experienced your power, I am even more convinced of this!"

"So, you must win! In order to win over people's hearts!"

Asura gave a bitter smile: "These words sound like betrayal coming from us, but they are our true feelings at this moment."

"And Lord N, he is about to receive the help of a legendary Pokémon. Of course, it is not the legendary dragon, but it is powerful enough!"

"If you haven't awakened the legendary dragon yet, you must be extremely careful."

"Lord N is not resistant to battles now; he believes that is a way to prove he can be King! This is also the change you brought to him, but this change doesn't seem to be good; rather, it has made the King even more troublesome!"

Perhaps the true King is not Lord N—Asura had such thoughts in his heart, but he did not say them out loud.

Regarding the study of Unova's history, the two of them are the most profound researchers besides Ghetsis.

"What, what? So you already have a battle appointment? A challenge at the Celestial Tower? Sounds interesting, it seems like it could be material for a novel!"

Miss Wan Long's eyes lit up. She was originally a bit disappointed that Guangtai had declined her challenge invitation, but she didn't expect to hear something even more interesting now.

And what Guangtai just did was too fantastical, wasn't it!

Reading Pokémon memories, connecting the hearts of humans and Pokémon—this made Miss Wan Long restless. If the atmosphere hadn't been inappropriate, she would have wanted to bring out her Chandelure!

Mainly to hear Chandelure's evaluation of her!

"Legendary Pokémon?" Guangtai focused on the key point in Asura's words, and the old sage nodded: "That's right." Then he pointed into the distance: "Look, the storm is coming."

"The gods of wind and thunder that are rumored on Route 7 and have also left legends in Mistralton City!"

"Thunder and gale, Thundurus and Tornadus!"

Two of the four cloud gods! These two clouds are always fighting each other, flying around the lands of Unova and Hisui, causing storms and heavy rain!

"To leave here and head to the Celestial Tower, you have to pass through the center of Mistralton City. On the road, Zinzolin is giving a speech."

Asura and Jorgas looked at each other: "We cannot come forward to stop this, so we can only rely on you. This is to continue staying within Team Plasma."

"Zinzolin is different from us. Even if he heard the inner voice of a Pokémon and understood the human heart, he would not turn back. That person is just that kind of existence. He is very loyal to Ghetsis."

"It's okay, leave it to us." Guangtai glanced at Miss Wan Long, who pointed at herself: "Eh? Me?"

"Of course, you are also one of the Unova Elite Four, Miss Wan Long. You have to be responsible for Team Plasma's activities."

"Eh? But they are a legal organization..." Miss Wan Long was a bit troubled, but then she had an idea: "However, if they have illegal behaviors, that's another matter."

"We have content in this regard." Asura took a document out of his bosom: "A year and a half ago, Zinzolin led people to conduct a special 'protection movement' in the south and west of Unova..."

"All planes were unable to take off in this weather."

"... Team Plasma appeared in Mistralton City? I learned from Skyla that this religious group seems to have ill intentions. I'll go handle it."

"They also went to the Celestial Tower?"

"... I understand!"

At Mistralton Airport, a spirited red-haired girl wearing a pilot's uniform greeted the people around her and walked quickly out of the cargo center.

Sure enough, there was construction blocking the street. Some people were swayed after listening to the speech and handed the Poké Balls in their hands to the Team Plasma people, while others were unwilling but were surrounded by Team Plasma people and then forced to hand over their Poké Balls.

"Isn't it pitiful for you to keep your Pokémon in a Poké Ball?"

"Your Dwebble must be very uncomfortable, let it go quickly!"

"Wait a minute! Speeches are not allowed here. You are already on Mistralton City's watch list!"

"Yuki! Get behind me!"

Skyla immediately stopped Team Plasma's activities and also pulled back those who were wavering. Seeing Skyla appear, these people seemed to have found their backbone!

"Miss Skyla! Thank you, I, I don't want to be separated from my Pokémon!"

That was a Youngster, and his younger sister was also hugging her brother tightly at this time.

And the person in charge of the speech in the city was Sage Zinzolin, who had a signature center-parted hairstyle. He squinted his eyes and was not flustered in the face of the Gym Leader's intervention.

"We are a legal organization. You can't put us on a watch list just because we haven't done anything, right? Is Mistralton City going to discriminate against us Pokémon protectors?"

"We are just persuading people to liberate Pokémon and not let them stay in narrow, pathetic Poké Balls! Letting them gain freedom is the best way!"

Although it was not racial discrimination, professional discrimination was also a sensitive topic. Zinzolin sneered, but Skyla waved her hand: "You have already conducted activities here before, right?"

"A year and a half ago, the Purrloin protection movement—no, it should be called Purrloin hunting, right."

"At that time, this activity spread from the south of Unova to here in a short time. The activities you conducted here caused many people to abandon their Purrloin, but later those Purrloin disappeared. According to the investigation by the Ranger Union, these Purrloin did not affect the ecology near Mistralton City. This is very abnormal, right?"

Skyla still remembered the incident that happened in the west and south of Unova at that time. That was probably the time when the organization Team Plasma first appeared. This organization did a big thing as soon as it was born.

"Well, the Aspertia City Purrloin protection movement, indeed, that activity was not mature enough on our part. Some members who could not understand our intentions appeared in the middle and did harmful things to the people of Unova, but those people have already been punished by us, and the Unova League has also arrested them. Those Purrloin... they returned to nature, didn't they."

"There is no such thing at all. Those Purrloin disappeared. This is the conclusion reached by the Ranger Union after an ecological survey." Skyla's expression was very serious: "You captured those Purrloin!"

"There is no such thing! How could we do such a thing? Don't slander our legal organization."

Zinzolin denied it flatly, but a trace of displeasure appeared at the corner of his mouth.

The Ranger Union is really troublesome. They are good at ecological surveys and are all over Unova. They will also be investigated when transferring Pokémon and releasing Pokémon. Not only religious groups, but those Pokémon hunters are also often wanted by Rangers!

So...

A sharp-minded kid is really annoying!

"So humans are always like this, thinking they can understand the pain of Pokémon and speak for them. You are the Gym Leader here, Miss Skyla, right? In your usual training, you often force your Pokémon to do things, right? But have you really understood the heart of your Pokémon?"

"The so-called understanding of trainers is just shallow self-righteousness!"

"That's not necessarily true."

Guangtai and Miss Wan Long arrived at the noisy scene. To leave Mistralton City, one must pass through here, so they saw this scene.

Just like what Asura and Jorgas said, Zinzolin was in charge of the speech here. Among the Seven Sages, Zinzolin was also the most loyal to Ghetsis.

Guangtai walked to the Youngster's side and saw the Dwebble in his hand, so he stepped forward to stroke this Pokémon and held the child's hand at the same time.

The emotions of the Pokémon began to be transmitted instantly. The Youngster looked at Guangtai in surprise, and then looked at the Dwebble in his arms in disbelief!

"Dwebble! I can hear your voice!"

"Crust!" Dwebble also waved its small pincers, feeling very incredible, but then it swung its body full of joy!

Being able to communicate with one's partner without language barriers—what kind of power is this?

"Oh, I understand! You think these people are annoying, and we agreed to take you to walk the log bridge on Route 7 tomorrow! I haven't forgotten! We'll see who finishes the whole course first then!"

"Crust! (It will definitely be me who wins!)"

"Well? What's going on?" Zinzolin squinted his eyes, his expression full of surprise. Just now, his words almost made these people "voluntarily liberate," and maybe even a Gym Leader would be added to his battle record! What a glorious achievement this is! Ghetsis would definitely look at him differently and raise his status above the other sages!

"It just means being able to let Pokémon and humans understand each other and communicate without obstacles." Miss Wan Long walked over and showed a strange smile to the bewildered Zinzolin: "Zinzolin, one of the Seven Sages of Team Plasma, the initiator of Purrloin hunting, those Purrloin are now being used by Team Plasma people, right?"

"And you are suspected of endangering public safety and the personal safety of Unova residents. Investigations show that you used illegal kidnapping and control methods at that time..."

"What? Don't slander us!" Zinzolin of course denied it flatly, but Miss Wan Long raised her hand: "Whether this happened or not, let's just ask the Pokémon and we'll know! Your members are carrying those Purrloin, right? And many of them have been trained by you to evolve into Liepard."

"Ask the Pokémon? Pokémon can't talk..." As soon as Zinzolin said this, he immediately noticed Guangtai's actions. At this time, not only Yuki, but more people suddenly felt the emotions and voice of that Dwebble. With a clatter, the place exploded like boiling water, and even some people in Team Plasma shouted: "I heard the voice of a Pokémon! It's... it's insulting me!"

"This is a kind of superpower. I can connect the emotions of Pokémon with humans, so what Pokémon are saying, you just need to connect and you'll know."

Guangtai answered as a matter of course, making Zinzolin panic instantly!

What is this?

How can there be such a superpower! Never heard of it!

Don't psychics just use telekinesis and then act as human demolition squads? The new Unova Elite Four is just a human bomb!

Talking to Pokémon, reading the hearts of Pokémon—doesn't only the King possess this power!

"Well..." Zinzolin clenched his fists tightly. Of course, he didn't dare to release those Purrloin here, and what surprised him even more was that Miss Wan Long actually knew that he was the one who led that incident?

The whereabouts of those Purrloin, even the Ranger Union couldn't investigate. How did this little girl find out?

Failed! This speech activity in Mistralton City failed again! The previous activity in Nimbasa City was also him, and that time was also a failure...

Where can I put my face!

"This is a trick! There can't be such a superpower! What are you covering up!" Zinzolin directly denied the facts and pointed at Guangtai: "Since you are a Pokémon trainer, then let's use a battle to decide who is right!"

"Although I don't like this behavior of hurting Pokémon, let me guide—no, let me correct your wrong fantasy! There is no superpower that can connect with Pokémon; only those truly chosen have that power!"

Guangtai: "That only shows that your understanding of the world is too narrow. I didn't expect a sage to personally request a battle. Fine, let me feel the voice of your Pokémon."

Zinzolin was stunned for a moment.

This way of speaking...

Damn it, is he imitating the King of Team Plasma!

By the way, this guy in front of me looks familiar, seems to have seen him somewhere...

"Let me shatter your fantasy! Cryogonal, use..."

Zinzolin summoned his Pokémon. As soon as that hexahedral crystal Pokémon appeared, the shadow of a much larger dragon-type Pokémon suddenly appeared and loomed over it!

Flamethrower!

The raging fire instantly engulfed Cryogonal. That Pokémon was defeated cleanly and neatly, and Zinzolin himself was directly hit by a headbutt!

The huge crystal on the dragon's head erupted with powerful impact, sending him flying directly into the Team Plasma members. While Zinzolin vomited blood, he saw that giant dragon full of oppressive force, and he roared in disbelief:

"Impossible! It's actually the legendary dragon?!"

At this time, the pendant on Guangtai's chest began to emit light, but the next moment, a black shadow appeared beside Zinzolin and took him away directly!

"What are you doing! I lost face and must get it back, that guy is a dangerous factor!"

One of the Shadow Triad warned in a low voice:

"The King is waiting for the legendary friend. He is about to gather people's hearts in front of everyone. Don't do embarrassing things at this time."

"If the hearts of Mistralton cannot be gathered because of your failure, then you have committed a huge mistake! The battle at the Celestial Tower is about to begin!"

(End of chapter)