Chapter 430: Superpower User

The red light sucked away the negative emotions from Dragonite Balu, and its expression visibly softened.

"Lulu?"

It blinked, looked around as if it wasn't even sure where it was, and only after glancing at Baimu beside it and spotting the food bowl beneath it did it understand its surroundings and situation.

Yet it couldn't summon even a shred of anger.

That one bite from the Frillish had completely zen-ed it out; there was no longer any dissatisfaction or resentment in its heart, only the joy of eating wonderful food.

So it lowered its head and silently picked up bite after bite, chewing slowly.

Affected by its triangular head, the structure of its mouth was rather special — eating too much at once would inevitably cause some to spill out, which had caused it embarrassment earlier.

To be fair.

The food was delicious enough to give it another reason to stay.

Dragonite Balu bore no ill will toward Baimu himself; what it hated was the human part of him, the so-called "hate the house and the crow along with it." It didn't know how to distinguish between individual humans, stubbornly believing they were all the same.

Although, after these two days of interacting with Baimu and Pokémon like Aggron, it had a vague sense that there was no need to be so hostile toward the former.

But once it thought of the things it had experienced in the past, it couldn't help but feel resentful again.

It wasn't until the negative emotions were all absorbed by the Frillish that it finally gained the ability to view its current situation objectively.

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It also had a change of heart toward Baimu, who had captured it.

Of course.

It didn't show it.

It wasn't the type of Pokémon to have an outgoing personality to begin with; rather than expressing itself, it preferred to quietly observe on its own.

"Now is a good time to improve relations!" Emily nudged Baimu with her elbow, winked, and said, "You can communicate properly for at least an hour."

"An hour? That long?"

He was quite surprised.

"Of course, lots of our customers come here because they've had some conflict with each other and don't know how to communicate. Once the negative emotions are sucked away, the conflict naturally resolves and they can talk properly — that's why we're fairly well-known." Emily said so.

What a forced-calm technique.

Baimu glanced at Dragonite Balu, thinking he really didn't know what to say to it at this point.

After all, he didn't even know why it hated humans, so naturally he had no way to counsel it — moreover, he had hoped to use Dragon Heart to complete the communication with it…

Should he ask now?

Forget it.

The Frillish only lasted an hour; if the knot in its heart couldn't be untied within that hour, it might backfire.

"I'd better stick to my own pace," he replied with a smile.

Emily didn't press the matter either, continuing to enjoy the wonderful texture of the glowing dish — one bite and her whole body went limp, she nearly cried.

After quickly finishing her plate, she hurriedly asked Baimu if his family ran a restaurant, and if so, she'd definitely go support them no matter how far it was.

He told her the authentic glowing cuisine was located in Lumiose City of Kalos, a three-star restaurant called "Golduck's Smile," and said he had only learned a smattering from Lokoko's recipes.

"You learned this well just from recipes?" Emily looked down at the glowing dish, then back at the young man before her, her face full of disbelief.

It felt like someone claiming they read a few books and then built a rocket — terrifying.

Baimu smiled without comment.

While the two were chatting.

Pokémon like Aggron were also speaking in low voices, and the focus of their conversation was also Dragonite Balu. Two days had passed since departing from New Zi Jin City, yet they had barely exchanged words with Dragonite Balu a few times — not even Chansey.

Apart from mealtimes, this guy basically stayed invisible at all times, which left even Hydreigon — who had plenty of complaints and was looking for a chance to cause it trouble — completely speechless.

Moreover, it found that if Dragonite Balu was determined to hide and not attack, even though its nose could sniff out the guy's exact location, it still couldn't catch it—

It moved too fast.

Hydreigon had to admit it could do nothing about this guy.

As for the other Pokémon, they also didn't know how to get along with a new teammate who was deliberately avoiding them. At first glance, Galarian Lure Coral seemed similar to it, but one was lazy and the other was avoidant — the two were fundamentally different.

By comparison, the Dragonite siblings Messia were simply too well-behaved. Especially the elder Dragonite sister — everyone liked this sensible little one; the younger Dragonite brother was mischievous, but at least he was lively and cheerful.

Ignore Dragonite Balu?

That wouldn't do.

Everyone was in the same boat, and they didn't know how long they'd be together; the trainer would most likely not agree to such a thing either.

Really troublesome.

Pokémon like Aggron exchanged glances, feeling a tightness in their hearts.

After lunch.

The rain outside had completely stopped; the air was thick with damp mist, and a deep breath was full of freshness.

Baimu mixed Hydreigon's fur with various herbs and casually tried a special fragrance called "Spirit-Stirring Incense" from the recipe manual — unfortunately, the final product wasn't quite wonderful.

The smell was strange.

A bit like fermented Oran Berry, with a stuffy feeling to it; he couldn't see where the "spirit-stirring" effect came in.

A failed product.

He exhaled a breath of stale air. The manual said using fur from a Pokémon fierce enough in temperament would do, but clearly not every fierce Pokémon worked.

"Still have to find the specific kind from the recipe…"

He muttered softly, tidied up the dishes, cleaned the kitchen, and prepared to take his leave.

"Next time you come, remember to call me in advance — I'll definitely set aside a private room just for you!"

Emily stood at the front door, saying goodbye to Baimu along with many reluctant Frillish; in just half an hour, these Pokémon had been won over by his cooking.

"Definitely, definitely."

The latter replied with a chuckle, and after stepping out past the inn's outermost iron gate, his gaze drifted around the surroundings.

Not long after finishing the meal, the Dragapult vanished into stealth, and even when he tried to recall it into its ball, he couldn't find the Dragon-type.

At first he thought the fellow had calmed down and seen reason, preparing to abandon the two Dreepy and slip away. It wasn't until he smelled the fragrance he had deliberately left on that fellow, and noticed the Dreepy brother also going stealth and calling out nonstop nearby, that he realized the fellow was right there.

Don't want to go back inside the Poké Ball?

Understandable.

After all, being so free to go wherever it pleased before, yet now having to squeeze inside a single Poké Ball — comfortable as the environment may be, the crampedness is unavoidable.

It's just that the Dragapult sister looks very unhappy, and feels that compared to the Dragapult, she needs a mouthful from a Banette even more to calm down.

Too bad the Banette are all full.

——

Four in the afternoon.

All Baimu walked past the Weather Institute with its tightly shut doors and arrived at the outskirts of Fortree City.

The first thing to catch his eye were the many magnificent towering trees, roughly estimated to be anywhere from dozens to over a hundred meters tall, with numerous large and small treehouses built among them, connected by plank bridges — a sight that left one in awe.

However, Fortree City wasn't only treehouses; normal reinforced concrete buildings existed as well, just fewer in number, scattered sparsely throughout the city.

But the most eye-catching of all was, without question, the enormous trapezoidal building in the city center that resembled a pyramid —

Fortree Gym.

The gym's specialty was its open-air battle field, located at the very top of the trapezoidal building, where Winona could let challengers experience what it meant to be an 【Elegant Dancer of the Sky】.

"The Hoenn region's environment is really nice."

All Baimu watched the people moving back and forth among the treehouses, smiling on their faces with not the slightest discomfort, as well as the wild Bug-type Pokémon that could be seen everywhere and weren't afraid of people at all, and felt an inexplicable trace of envy.

From the journey so far, whether it was Littleroot Town, Rustboro City, Petalburg City, or the Fortree City before his eyes, all were very suitable for people to live in.

And while the Hoenn region's land was admittedly not as vast as other regions, in terms of livability it far surpassed some regions that had nothing but land area yet exceptionally harsh climates — such as the Orre region.

As long as they worked hard to improve the environment, the Orre region could definitely become livable too!

Porygon2, as if knowing what he was thinking, offered a word of comfort from the phone.

"... Indeed, we have to work hard." All Baimu nodded. He knew Porygon2 wasn't feeding him useless chicken soup, but truly believed so.

For a virtual Pokémon, as long as it could update data in real time and obtain energy replenishment, even a hundred or a thousand years might pass with it still burying itself in work.

After all, Porygon2's original design purpose was to develop other planets so that humans could migrate, so he could completely believe that as long as the order was given, even a hundred years after his death Porygon2 would still be working hard to improve the Orre region's environment.

The stealthed Dragapult, hearing the content of their conversation, couldn't help but have a question mark flash above its head.

Environment? The Orre region?

They seem to be talking about something incredible — do you know?

It quietly asked the Dreepy brother on its head.

"Hiyah!"

The Dreepy brother happily told it that it didn't know.

Dragapult: "..."

If you don't know, what are you so happy about? Did it pick the wrong partner?

For a moment it regretted its choice, but thinking it over, the only type willing to become the partner of a Dragapult like itself was one as carefree as this little fellow.

A clever type like the little fellow's sister was clearly very resistant.

The Dragapult used its slightly sleazy squinty eyes to look at the Dragapult sister on All Baimu's head. The latter, as if sensing its gaze, suddenly raised her head and looked around.

It immediately shifted its gaze away.

This Dreepy was one it truly couldn't handle, yet it still hoped the former could become its partner.

So it was terribly conflicted inside.

The Dragapult followed behind All Baimu, not daring to get too close, yet not staying too far away either.

In an instant.

The group of people and Pokémon arrived at a Pokémon Center built in the style of a treehouse beneath a towering tree, and looking around, even the Poké Ball emblem on the roof turned out to be made of wood.

But once he went inside, he realized only the outer facade was wooden; the interior was still reinforced concrete construction.

After the routine checkup, All Baimu checked into a nearby treehouse hotel, and specifically chose a ground-level treehouse near water, to avoid Aggron crushing the wooden floor.

A bunch of Pokémon flew out of their Poké Balls, curiously looking at the surroundings.

It was their first time staying in a house that was almost entirely wooden.

"Guujii~"

Aggron stepped on the carpet, heard the wooden floor below creak, and sweat unconsciously seepped down its forehead — it felt it might stomp through the wooden floor.

"Parry!"

Porygon2 nearby, seeing this, flew over to it and told it the floor's strength was absolutely sufficient, to step with peace of mind.

Only then did Aggron begin to move slowly.

The Dragapult hid in a corner; the Dreepy brother on its head had long gone out to frolic, leaving it alone to hide and observe everything before it.

This made it feel very at ease.

On the other side.

All Baimu had finished packing his things, and was just wondering whether to first go book a gym challenge or go buy dinner ingredients, when he suddenly noticed the simulator's countdown had ended.

This was a normal simulation, the third since the last blue-talent simulation.

The content and process were usually fast, after all the simulation subject sometimes couldn't even collect all the badges.

Hmm...

Let's just finish the simulation first.

He sat down; he'd been hurrying on the road for so long, and indeed should rest a little.

【Choose your birth region ▽】

Since it was a normal simulation, the region didn't matter, so he closed his eyes and picked the Kanto region.

He tapped open gender.

Male.

He tapped open the Pokémon column.

Since in the last simulation he hadn't been able to enter the League Conference, there were no Pokémon to choose from.

All Baimu's expression didn't change as he quietly tapped open Talents.

Fixed Talent:

【Sickly and Frail (Health condition is not optimistic)】

Selectable Talents:

【Impoverished Background (Raising Pokémon is a burden)】

【Psychic (Can use Psychic powers)】

【Never Abandon (Will not give up on Pokémon)】

【Sentimental (Mental state easily shaken)】

"——WTF!?"

He widened his eyes, then hurriedly rubbed them, checking whether his eyes were playing tricks on him, but the unchanged text on the simulator confirmed he wasn't seeing things.

【Psychic】!

……But it's white?

For a god-tier talent like this, why would it be white? Not to mention purple or orange, shouldn't it at least be blue?

It feels like there's something fishy going on.

All Baimu glanced at the other talents, found there was nothing else worth picking, and directly selected 【Psychic】 and 【Never Abandon】.

He pressed Start, watching the light screen with some anticipation in his heart.

Anyway, it's just a normal simulation — no matter how far he got, it'd be a gain.

——

【Simulation Start】

The familiar pixel-style opening.

But the content of the scene — or rather, the background — felt quite familiar to All Baimu.

"……Goldenrod City?"

Looking at the bustling metropolis even in pixel style, he wondered whether the subject of this simulation might be Sabrina's father or mother?

Sabrina definitely wouldn't be sickly and frail — she'd already mastered Psychic powers with ease as a child — so it could only be someone else.

The scene drifted all the way, finally freezing at the entrance of a building that looked like a gymnasium.

A little figure wearing a black greatcoat came out carrying big and small bundles, glancing back from time to time.

【At twelve years old, you received a dismissal notice from Goldenrod Gym Leader Sabrina. Sabrina stated that from now on the Goldenrod Gym would get on the right track and no longer needed Psychic apprentices. You feel very confused about this】

Dismissing apprentices?

Is this what happened after Ash brought Haunter and made Sabrina break down laughing?