Chapter 125: Holding Fast to Principles

The three of them cleared up some unnecessary misunderstandings.

Baimu was forced to acknowledge an ancestor.

Everyone was happy.

Awu even stated that after it was all over, he was willing to take him back to acknowledge his ancestors and roots, and figure out exactly where he came from.

Just hearing about it was enough to give one a headache.

"I'll send you back first, and come here again later to carry out the plan." Shan Ren inserted the car key.

"Wait."

Baimu grabbed his wrist and called out to Awu, who was about to get out of the car, "You're going to act with just the two of you?"

"For now, yes. The situation in Iron Town is complicated; the more people who know, the more dangerous it is for us." Shan Ren seemed to understand something. "You want to help us?"

"Mm."

He nodded. "Although I don't know how you manufacture an alibi, there's only two of you, so every aspect is dangerous, right? It's also not very convenient."

"Indeed…"

Shan Ren had no intention of hiding it at all.

Awu's expression, however, changed. "You shouldn't get involved. You're still very young; this matter is too dangerous."

"Then should I just go back and wait for news? Even though you keep saying you won't drag me into it, what if the mission fails? There's only two of you, and I have no idea how much confidence you really have. In short, I don't want to 'sit and wait for death.'"

Baimu gave a perfectly valid reason.

"Besides, I still owe you a favor, and I really can't stand seeing poachers sell other people's Pokémon — there's no reason to stand by and do nothing. My strength might not match yours, but surely fighting isn't the whole of your operation plan, right?"

"Just as you say."

Shan Ren's smile grew even brighter.

However.

Although Baimu truly did despise poachers and truly did want to repay Shan Ren's favor, the biggest reason for joining this dangerous plan was still his unwillingness to give up the lead.

He understood that anything required taking the initiative, just like how he had originally gotten his hands on Aron — if he hadn't gone back into the underground cavern that day, he never would have gained the big monster he had now.

With the opportunity right before his eyes, if he truly chose to shrink back out of cowardice, then the runner-up's reward — an excellent Dragon-type Pokémon — would vanish with the wind.

Baimu had never lacked a spirit of adventure, just as he had dared to rush to the command post to find Lady Ayana after hearing only one side of the story from the female driver, Terry.

A future is carved out by fighting for it!

Awu's expression was very conflicted. Begging Shan Ren to get mixed up in this matter was already the worst possible option; what would it mean to drag a Dragon Tamer's lost bloodline into it?

Yet he also felt the other's reasoning was perfectly valid.

"Alright, that kid has run into far more dangerous situations than you, and knows better how to keep himself safe — stop agonizing over it." Shan Ren stepped out to offer a word of advice, looking at Baimu. "We really are short on help. Are you truly willing to help us?"

"Of course!"

"Then I really couldn't be happier. In that case, let me briefly lay out our plan and ideas."

He described the mission flow as concisely as he could.

When it came to what Baimu could do — there was indeed some, quite a lot in fact.

Setting aside the plan itself, once the plan succeeded, given the auction house's deep background, it would surely seal off all of Iron Town, not letting even a single fly escape.

So Awu and the Zweilous needed a safe place to hide.

Such a place wasn't easy to find; if Baimu was willing to help, it could be arranged at his residence.

Once the auction house's backers found they couldn't locate the culprits, within a few days at most they wouldn't be able to withstand the pressure and would choose to lower the alert level by several tiers. When the dust settled, Awu would be able to find a chance to leave this place.

And without a doubt, the only one capable of sealing off all of Iron Town was a single faction —

The Mayor's faction.

This auction house was run by his family; touching the auction house was tantamount to touching his lifeblood, so it was perfectly normal for him to go crazy.

But upon hearing this, Baimu's expression turned a little strange.

"We're only going after the Zweilous?"

"For now, that's the case."

"Then why not just buy them? Buying them would be much safer, right? If it's a matter of money, I can help too —"

"No, it's not about money."

Shan Ren shook his head. Beside him, Awu's gaze burned, and something like a certain will seemed to flow in his eyes. The former said, "Some principles simply cannot be compromised. Someone steals and snatches other people's Pokémon, and we just spend money to buy them back, and everyone leaves each other alone? There's no such logic under heaven."

"Right, I know spending money could buy them back, but on what grounds?" Awu said righteously. "Not a single cent of that money will go to them. We're going to smash this shop too! Take all the…"

Shan Ren cut him off. "We can't take everything; that would be talking big."

"Uh, hahaha, fair point."

Awu scratched his head awkwardly.

Hearing this, Baimu really wanted to argue with them, to tell them that without strength, compromise was also necessary. If they had enough power to smash the entire underground city, why bother manufacturing an alibi in the first place.

But the moment the words reached his throat, he froze.

What was he planning to do? Convince Shan Ren and the others to give up their principles? Endure for a time and the sea would be wide and the sky boundless?

Impossible.

There was never any way to make the sea wide and the sky boundless. Endure for a time and the more you think about it the angrier you get; take a step back and the more you think about it the more you lose out. For those who held fast to their principles, losing one's principles meant losing one's convictions.

Why did he himself take out sum after sum of money to give back to his hometown? Also to uphold his own principles. If he were willing to compromise, his personal fortune could easily have grown several times over.