Chapter 172: The Ideal Realm

After a period of conversation.

Babena and Helena fell silent.

Baimu watched them both with some unease; though they were not as radical as N, they were steadfast Pokémon rescuers who had protected countless injured Pokémon.

"So this region has similar technology too…"

Babena, with her pink hair, sighed.

"Those with ill intentions seeking to seize Pokémon's power is nothing new."

Helena, with her rabbit-eared hairstyle, remained calmer, "But in this world, there are also countless people who truly love Pokémon and value emotion."

She bowed her head slightly to thank Baimu, "Thank you very much for telling us this. But for this matter, for you to tell N directly carries far more weight than us relaying it."

"Yes, please." Babena also bowed her head.

This…

Baimu scratched Bigjaw's head, as it squirmed impatiently, "Alright, I'm off then."

He rose cleanly to his feet and placed Bigjaw back in its original spot.

"Kichido!"

Bigjaw frowned; though it wanted to keep learning from Babena and the others, its Trainer's condition truly troubled it.

After much thought.

"Kichido."

It bowed to Babena and the others, and to the Pokémon, then sprinted after Baimu.

Watching this, Babena and Helena could not help but smile—what was it that kept them committed to building an ideal realm of harmony between humans and Pokémon?

It was right before their eyes.

Humans and Pokémon relying on each other, understanding each other—is there anything more beautiful than this?

The backyard.

N was conversing with countless Pokémon.

Not Baimu's, or Wu's, or his own Pokémon—but those he had bought out of the dungeon yesterday.

In principle, N did not wish to engage in monetary transactions treating Pokémon as goods, but to avoid burdening Baimu, he had no choice but to pay for them.

He had no shortage of money.

After the Plasma Team's downfall, much of its property was seized by police, but even more remained as inheritance to N, the adopted son of its leader.

N used this capital as his starting fund to launch his Pokémon rescue operations, spending the money earned from Pokémon on Pokémon itself—returning to a proper path.

As a man who could understand Pokémon language and perceive their inner thoughts, N needed only a few brief words to establish strong bonds with them.

Fortunately, Baimu had obtained more keys to the Sand Group officials' residences from Master Liu Ge, preventing the house from becoming overcrowded.

Of course.

N was not foolish enough to keep buying Pokémon endlessly; once they reached the limit of what they could care for, he stopped, and told Baimu that these Pokémon would become the force to make Ore better.

slkslk.

"N."

Baimu interrupted N's conversation with the Pokémon.

The Pokémon, upon seeing him arrive, eagerly rushed over with smiles; after N's explanation, they now understood where their delicious food had come from.

So the moment they saw Baimu return home, they immediately pounced on him, begging for more treats.

"It's not mealtime yet! Not even close!"

Baimu was pinned under several fluffy Rapidash for a long time, unable to rise—his limbs occupied by other Pokémon—he laughed helplessly and called for Bonsly's help, "Boss! Give me a hand!"

"Roar!"

Watching from the side, Bonsly heard Baimu call it by its nickname and immediately pushed the Pokémon aside, rescuing Baimu from the sea of cooking machines.

Bigjaw, who had been about to intervene, puffed out its cheeks, then pouted and leapt onto Bonsly's shoulder.

This spot was its exclusive throne—and it was fortunate that Bonsly was large enough.

"Hahaha, looks like everyone really likes you," N said, delighted, for he could feel the genuine kindness from the Pokémon.

"Cough, cough, too much enthusiasm isn't good."

Baimu brushed off the fur clinging to him, "Anyway, I have something important to tell you—let's go over there."

He pointed to two chairs beneath the eaves.

The two moved there.

"Mountain Plum may have told you who our enemy is, but perhaps not in detail about the technology they control…" Baimu took a deep breath and told N about the Dark Pokémon.

N's brow furrowed the moment he heard of technology used to seal Pokémon's hearts, turning them into soulless battle machines, and never relaxed afterward.

And when he learned that the Dark Pokémon technology had appeared for the third time on this land, he clenched his fist tightly.

"... That's the situation."

Baimu watched N carefully.

N's expression shifted gradually—hatred, hostility, pain—until finally, he sighed wearily, turning his head to gaze blankly at the sky, "Humans always find new ways to persecute Pokémon."

"Yes."

Baimu had to admit that even in the Pokémon anime world, there were no shortage of people who tormented Pokémon.

They often appeared as Ash's enemies in every region.

"You say an ideal realm of harmony between humans and Pokémon can truly exist?" N rested his chin on his right hand; whether due to his bloodline or not, his skin was extremely pale, his entire being glowing, radiant.

"Of course it can."

Baimu did not hesitate, "Because this ideal realm excludes trash—and needs no trash to join."

"Trash, huh…"

N smiled and said, "Looks like in this respect, you're far more determined than I am."

"That's because I don't carry as heavy a burden as you. My wish is to send Oure forward toward a better future, so that I can set out traveling without any worries."

He suddenly saw Chansey walking over carrying two cups of drink, hurried up to take them, and prevented a nearby Alolan Exeggutor from knocking it flying. "The world is big and vast. The internet says humanity's footsteps have basically covered this whole planet, but I don't buy it."

"Indeed, the world is big and vast."

N took the drink from Baimu and thanked him, then patted Chansey on the head. "Thank you."

"Lucky~"

Chansey let out a cheerful cry.

N took a small sip of the drink. He wasn't the type to be greedy with food, he just didn't want to disappoint the Pokémon that was eagerly waiting for feedback. "Mm~ it's delicious."

"Lucky!"

Chansey's smile grew even warmer, and when it looked at Baimu, it received the familiar head-rubbing technique.

N's touch was certainly gentle, but only when its own trainer rubbed it did it feel especially good!

Satisfied Chansey turned and ran off, and a group of Pokémon followed after it, because in their memories Chansey was also the one in charge of feeding them.

"Don't feed them!"

Baimu called out, to prevent Chansey, who had mastered Toxic, from being unable to resist the Pokémon pestering it and starting to feed them.

That shout also caught the attention of Dreepy. This little husky had run from far away, leapt into Baimu's arms, then bit his palm and started licking it.

A smile had appeared on N's face at some point, and he said:

"Why not start with Oure."

"Huh?"

Baimu turned his head back in confusion.

"An ideal land where humans and Pokémon coexist, starting from this stretch of land with no native Pokémon."

N said softly, "Granted, this place is barren, but the population is sparse, and there are vast tracts of land we can build on, where Pokémon persecuted by humans can rest and recover."

Baimu asked carefully, "For real?"

"Of course it's real."

N replied, "How to properly settle the rescued Pokémon has always been a tough problem. The nature reserves set up in many regions are already saturated, and we can't just release them into the wild.

"Oure is quite suitable, and it can give those rescued Pokémon a place to belong. They… can never go back."