Chapter 1356: Chaotic City

Hotel Z.

A high-rise hotel with its exterior covered in greenery.

"This is our base! There are plenty of empty rooms! You can pick any two, and we'll help you tidy them up!"

Tani was very enthusiastic.

But All Baimu didn't need the help of a few children; his attention was on the Floette beside them.

If he remembered correctly, this should be AZ's Eternal Flower Floette, right?

How come it stayed behind?

Sensing the gaze he sent over, Tani hurriedly explained, "Old Mr. AZ entrusted Floette to us, so now we have to take care of it."

"Hmm?"

All Baimu was stunned for a moment.

AZ had searched for Floette for nearly three thousand years, only to hand it over to others five years after their reunion...

Combined with the changes in the other's appearance and what he said before leaving.

He had a vague premonition.

Watching Tani and the others laughing and talking, All Baimu believed they probably hadn't realized the impending separation.

Everyone entered the door.

Unlike the quaint and dilapidated exterior, the interior of the hotel was ordinary but clean and tidy, with dark red French-style decor giving a sense of security.

Tani took All Baimu and An Xin'er to the third floor.

"This is Mr. AZ's house; only we are living here now, so you can be casual."

Inside the room, apart from the carpet, ordinary wooden beds, bedside tables, and a desk lamp, there was nothing else.

No, there was dust everywhere.

Neither All Baimu nor An Xin'er minded, especially the latter, who took out an apron and mask from somewhere, preparing to start cleaning the room.

Tani and the others wanted to help, but were refused by the two.

"You guys get some rest; you've been tossed around all day."

All Baimu patted Tani on the shoulder, "Although I have many questions, let's leave them for tomorrow."

His voice had a certain indescribable magic, and Tani and the others immediately became sleepy and started yawning.

"That's true, everyone worked hard, let's all rest for a while." Tani stumbled, "Let's talk about anything tomorrow..."

Her eyelids felt heavy, and she left like a walking corpse.

The other children were no exception.

An Xin'er only felt it was strange, "Uncle, what did you do?"

"Just a little hypnotic suggestion, stimulating their bodies to make the reaction that should have appeared slowly take effect quickly."

All Baimu flicked her forehead, causing An Xin'er to cover her head with an "oww" sound, "Why not go home instead of coming here with me?"

Compared to Hotel Z, the house Diantha left for An Xin'er must be much more comfortable.

An Xin'er pursed her lips, "Home is too boring."

She had no intention of hiding her thoughts, because she knew that the young man in front of her could fully understand her feelings.

For All Baimu, his previous assistance was just a matter of convenience.

But in An Xin'er's heart, All Baimu was one of the few people besides her mother who could actively respond to her.

When she was in danger and very helpless, calling All Baimu's name would make him ignore the distance of the parallel world and actively run over to save her.

Even though they had only known each other for a mere few days.

"Boring, huh."

All Baimu glanced at Hoopa flying around the room.

It was hard to imagine that there was such a timid little demon god, simply having no combat power at all.

In the situation just now, it didn't help at all.

Hearing An Xin'er say, it seemed it only worked if it ate donuts...

"You might be able to make friends with Tani and the others; they seem very easy to get along with."

All Baimu gave a suggestion.

If he wasn't mistaken, these four people should be the main cast of the XY remakes.

But which one was the game protagonist?

Tani and Shengcai were both very likely.

One went to the tower alone with the Eternal Flower Floette, and the other gained Zygarde's recognition and completed Mega Evolution with it.

These two things were obviously only things a protagonist could do. Dailuo and Pilu were very standard supporting characters; their clothing and skin color didn't look much like the game's protagonist, and they were responsible for suppressing the rampaging Mega Pokémon and so on.

At a glance, it didn't look like work a protagonist would do.

An Xin'er nodded upon hearing this, "I originally had this plan too!"

But she didn't expect to travel to a parallel world and meet "Mother" and "Uncle."

Hearing her say this, All Baimu suddenly realized that An Xin'er might have been one of the main cast members originally.

Even if she was a bit different in age from Tani and the others.

"Do you know these few?" All Baimu probed her for information.

An Xin'er naturally knew them, "Super Z Team, a very energetic group in Lumiose City recently, especially the newly joined member Shengcai, who is said to be particularly good at Pokémon battles!"

Newly joined? Particularly good at battles?

All Baimu instantly locked onto Shengcai, raising the probability of her being the protagonist to 80%.

After all, in the Pokémon series, the protagonist is an outsider nine times out of ten.

Locals are few and far between in subsequent versions.

However, it's a bit strange that there would be a game protagonist in the parallel world? Wait, if it's a female, it seems a bit normal again.

In the background of the Pokémon anime, usually the game protagonist is allowed to appear as a female character, such as May, Dawn, Serena, and the like.

It's not that there are no male characters, just relatively fewer.

All Baimu: "Then what about Tani, Dailuo, and Pilu?"

"Tani is also very amazing! It is said that she owed a large sum of money to the Rust Group, and in the end, she walked away unscathed!"

An Xin'er's words made him frown.

"Owed money? Rust Group? Are they a bank?"

"No, the Rust Group is a private group in Lumiose City. I heard people say they privately lend money at high interest."

"..."

All Baimu suddenly became unhappy.

His past experiences made him hold great hostility toward such organizations. In his view, only evil organizations that have turned over a new leaf after being brought to justice are good organizations that can survive.

That is to say, the existence of Team Rocket's trio, plus the fact that Team Rocket's influence in Kanto is deeply rooted, making it difficult to be completely eradicated, led All Baimu to let them off the hook, only leaving them half-dead.

An Xin'er noticed his abnormality and asked cautiously, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just a bit annoyed." All Baimu asked, "What about Officer Jenny? Doesn't she come to manage it? And where did the Elite Four go?"

He knew Clemont wasn't in the gym in this world; if he were, he couldn't have sat by and watched his "home" be dismantled.

An Xin'er explained, "Because of the destruction five years ago, many people left. Now Lumiose City lives with wild Pokémon, and the population is very small."

The Poryphone added, "Yes, I checked some information. Now Lumiose City is no longer the central city of Kalos."

Due to its unique geographical advantage, Lumiose City had always been the central city of the Kalos region, leading to various branch cities.

But now it has been fully represented by a company called Broadstar, becoming a test city in the Kalos region.

Even the tournament venue has been moved elsewhere.

The Elite Four naturally left Lumiose City as well.

Even Professor Sycamore resigned from his position as director and went out to do research with Trevor, one of the XY protagonist group.

The current director of the research institute is Mable.

All Baimu pondered, "This name sounds a bit familiar?"

"A scientist cadre of Team Flare..." the Poryphone whispered.

All Baimu: "... She was released from prison?"

The current situation in Lumiose City really made people a bit confused. It was one thing for a private company to lead urban construction, but what was up with the Kalos high-level officials "abandoning" Lumiose City?

If you don't want it, can you give it to Orre?

All Baimu sighed and released Blissey to tidy up the room with An Xin'er.

Household items were in Gengar's stomach, so the two rooms quickly became cozy.

An Xin'er used the excuse of still being a bit scared to beg All Baimu to stay in her room until she fell asleep before leaving.

All Baimu agreed.

And after the whole hotel quieted down, he quietly left through the front door, preparing to explore the current Lumiose City.

And by the way, properly learn about this so-called Rust Group.

"Please wait a moment."

The voice from behind called him to a halt.

All Baimu turned sideways and found it was the aged AZ, whose aura of death was even heavier than a few hours ago.

AZ said, "May I ask, what are your plans after coming here?"

"Plans? Look around everywhere, stroll around, and then go home." All Baimu realized what the other wanted to say, "I won't stay here for too long."

AZ, who had long expected this, said regretfully, "I see."

"Do you have something you want to say?"

All Baimu asked back.

AZ turned to look at Hotel Z and said, "Those four children are still very immature, but their potential exceeds everyone in the city. I hope they can have a bright enough future."

All Baimu: "... What do you mean by that?"

"If possible, I would like you to guide them." AZ's eyes were shining.

All Baimu was very surprised, "We've only met once; why do you have this thought?"

"Hehehe, because I think there is no one more trustworthy than you."

AZ smiled faintly, "Suddenly arriving in a strange parallel world, yet extending a helping hand without hesitation, the act of disregarding one's own safety and the super-strong ability to act... You should be a Champion, right?"

"Can you tell?"

"I've just seen too many Champions."

AZ shook his head, "In the 3000 years I've lived, only Champions are so powerful, decisive, and kind-hearted."

"Thanks for the compliment." All Baimu was quite receptive.

AZ exhaled gently, "If possible, please guide them before you leave. With your help, they will definitely be able to build Lumiose City into something more beautiful."

All Baimu: "Fine, but I can only say I'll try my best. I'm not someone good at teaching."

"Thank you for your generous help." AZ bent down, and his already hunched body became even "shorter."

Following that, he silently disappeared into the darkness.

All Baimu didn't verify with AZ that he was about to die; after all, in this brief exchange between the two, everything had already been explained.

Does even the longest-lived person eventually have an end?

To be honest, if it were All Baimu, he certainly wouldn't be reconciled. Having finally found Floette, not to mention living for a few more years, at least he should send the other off first.

Sometimes, watching the person you cherish pass away, living will be more painful than death.

All Baimu didn't want his Pokémon to be sad; he prepared to live for a long time, until he could send them off.

What? Legendary Pokémon can't die?

Then it would be good if he couldn't die either.

"Heh."

All Baimu laughed at himself; recently, he really had been having some inexplicable beautiful dreams every day.

Riding Hydreigon to a high place.

Is the future Lumiose City at night actually quieter than the past?

Maybe it's because the residents have all been guided away.

All Baimu looked out at the ruins in the distance, appreciating the different style of the future Lumiose City.

He found that many areas were blocked by green fluorescent walls.

The Poryphone said, "This is the holographic projection isolation technology manufactured by Broadstar, which can limit the range of wild Pokémon and prevent them from causing harm to the surroundings."

"Holographic projection to block Pokémon?"

All Baimu's expression was strange.

So-called holographic projections are nothing more than fake objects, and wild Pokémon can be fooled...

Well, you can't have too many expectations for these uncultured guys.

Looking down at the future Lumiose City from above the sky.

The overall change is actually not obvious.

The circular super-large city is divided by the color of the top of the buildings into—Emerald District, Azure District, Rose District, Garnet District, and Topaz District.

The Poryphone found the address of the Rust Group, "This organization is so arrogant! They even have an official website!"

"Go over and take a look!"

All Baimu patted Hydreigon's neck.

Soon, they arrived at the Azure District in the southwest of Lumiose City, and the headquarters of the Rust Group... or rather, the office, was quite obvious.

Its overall style was out of place with the surrounding buildings, having a sense of neon yakuza.

Especially the bamboo forest planted at the wall and entrance, plus the standard flags.

The style of Yakuza was overflowing.

"No wonder they lend money at high interest." All Baimu let Hydreigon land.

He didn't intend to avenge Tani and the others; he was just annoyed by this kind of organization that would send people to "hell."

Since he was annoyed, he certainly had to find trouble for them.

Having already become a Champion, he naturally could do whatever he wanted.

The Rust Group office was brightly lit, and noisy sounds kept coming from inside. Listening for a few sentences, All Baimu found they were actually celebrating.

"Everyone worked hard! Today is another day of successfully protecting Lumiose City!"

A slightly familiar voice entered his ears.

All Baimu crossed the open door, came to the first floor and found no one, so he went to the second floor.

In a spacious room on the second floor, under the bright lights, a large number of people in black suits were drinking and having fun.

Among them, the handsome guy with glasses seen in the holographic projection earlier sat in the main seat at the front, next to a fat man with a strange hairstyle.

They were full of smiles until they saw All Baimu, who had broken in rashly.

The person closest to the door scolded dissatisfiedly, "Where did you come from—"

"Shut up!"

The handsome guy with glasses in the main seat stopped the subordinate's words. Others might not recognize him, but he did.

—The unknown person from the parallel world who helped everyone solve the Eternal Flower Floette.

Uba said, "What is the reason for your sudden visit? If there is anything you need from our Rust Group, just speak up."

He didn't want to offend a guy of unknown origin, especially since the other was particularly powerful.

All Baimu smiled slightly, "I do have a need. May I take a look at your account book?"

As soon as this sentence was said, scolding sounds rose around him.

"How dare you!"

"Who sent you here!"

The members of the Rust Group were furious; no one could turn a deaf ear to such words.

Look at the account book?

Who are you?

All Baimu was not surprised by the attitude of this group of people. He looked at Uba, who was frowning, sighed and said, "If soft doesn't work, then we can only go hard."

When did you ever go soft!

Uba roared inwardly, his face extremely ugly. ===== CHAPTER 1357 =====