Chapter 471: Stealing Techniques from the Champion

Lvling City.

Champion Dawu's family estate.

The Japanese-style building nestled in the secluded dense forest left Baimu quite surprised.

He'd expected to see something as extravagant and lavish as the European-style architecture of Kojiro's home, but the Zfuki family was unexpectedly quite "traditional"—though of course it was still very large.

Take the guest room he was staying in now, for instance.

"Hmm… at least a hundred-plus ping, right?" Baimu swept his gaze across the spacious room, with the Three-Headed Dragon and the Doduo siblings chasing and roughhousing behind him.

Probably because of age and temperament, these three clearly got along better and often played together.

As for Dodrio Baruto, since it liked to observe from the shadows, it rarely joined in—so every time the Doduo siblings played with the Three-Headed Dragon, it would silently watch from the side—

The scene was bizarre, very NTR.

While Baimu was letting his mind wander, the Doduo siblings suddenly rushed from behind him to his front. He was startled for a moment, then inwardly groaned.

Sure enough.

"Roaaar—"

The Three-Headed Dragon behind him had charged too hard and couldn't brake in time, sending him flying with a Peng and rolling into a heap with the Mawile sitting on a cushion looking at its phone.

Luckily the latter reacted swiftly, protecting its phone at the first instant, sparing its precious treasure from going up in flames.

But after getting up, Mawile was still furious.

"Tsk—Duo—!

"

The Doduo siblings trembled all over and quickly vanished to flee. The Three-Headed Dragon, seeing things going south, tucked its three heads and flew outside—only to be grabbed by the tail by Mawile, who swung it back around like a hammer throw.

The Sun Coral in the corner silently burrowed further into its corner. Happiny and the shiny Milotic tried to step in and stop it, but were sent flying by the spinning Three-Headed Dragon; the vanished Doduo siblings and Dodrio Baruto likewise couldn't escape, caught up in the chaos and sent tumbling everywhere.

The room resounded with bangs and crashes, like a battlefield.

The Bouffalant admiring flowers in the courtyard turned its head for a glance, then helplessly shook its head, thankful it wasn't inside squeezed in with those guys.

"Moo~"

"Enough! All of you, stop!"

Baimu shouted, pulled out his phone, and yelled: "Send them all outside!"

"Pory~"

Porygon2 shot out, its eyes flashing as it triggered Teleport, taking the rowdy bunch of Pokémon away.

Only its range was a bit too wide—even some guy hiding in a corner couldn't escape.

Sun Coral: "Where am I!?"

Bouffalant, who'd thought itself safely out of it, suddenly felt the sky darken overhead. The Pokémon that had been moved away reappeared right above it, stacking like a human tower and crushing it hard at the very bottom, becoming the foundation layer.

"…Moo."

How the hell did this drag me in too?

The other Pokémon that had become sandwich filling or bread also let out complaining cries each, except Mawile, who wasn't among them. It stood proudly on one foot atop Bouffalant's horn. "Tsk-duo~"

A lady must always maintain el—

*Smack! *

Baimu lightly slapped its head, and meeting Mawile's indignant expression, said: "We're guests here! Can you rein it in a little? If you wreck their tatami, won't you be embarrassed?"

Then he gave each of the Three-Headed Dragon's heads a slap too. "Mischievous! Always mischievous! What a big dragon you are already!"

"Roaaar…"

The Three-Headed Dragon looked as wronged as a husky.

Baimu ignored it, pulled the dizzy Doduo siblings out from under Milotic, and woke them with wake-up slaps. "Culprits, not only do you get no dinner, you also have to wash the dishes."

After the beating, he sighed inwardly.

He'd meant to lead by example and quit head-slapping as a punishment that might harm "intelligence," but… sometimes he really couldn't help it!

They just asking for a beating!

Not hitting them wouldn't vent his anger!

"Hyaa…""Hyaa…"

The Doduo siblings exchanged a look, and the sister suddenly smacked the brother on the head.

*Smack! *

It's all your fault! You had to tempt me into flying in front of the trainer!

Doduo sister glared with wide eyes. Doduo brother felt utterly wronged—clearly they'd both acted on impulse at the same time, so how was that tempting?

"Pory~"

The room's Porygon2 was deeply moved. This is what they call "the superiors lead, the subordinates follow."

Sun Coral silently squeezed out from between Dodrio Baruto and Happiny, thinking this should count as a workplace accident, wondering how many days off it could request.

"Baimu? What's going on over there?"

Champion Dawu's call came from afar.

Right after, the Hoenn Champion in kimono appeared at the end of the engawa. The haori patterned with deep blue stripes matched his silver-blue hair quite well, radiating the air of a refined gentleman.

Baimu was taken aback. "Aren't we going into the mountain?"

"This works just as well, it's very comfortable and easy to move in. Want to try it?" Champion Dawu smiled relaxedly, then glanced at the Pokémon tower not far away with some surprise.

The two had agreed on the road to visit the back mountain occupied by Champion Dawu's two Bouffalant, to pass on experience to the big fellow for managing his own territory in the future, as well as battle experience.

"No need."

Baimu shook his head. He'd never had much interest in clothes so loose they'd hinder movement—if the other guy found it easy to move in, that was just because he was used to wearing it.

Champion Dawu didn't press it, just invited him to the front hall for lunch—the Pokémon were welcome too.

Hearing that it was mealtime, the stack of Aggron piled into a small mountain quickly disassembled.

The Sunflora, which had been drifting halfway, silently turned around and swayed over to sit on All Baimu's head like a stone hat. Seeing the throne occupied, the brothers and sisters Dragonite and Mega Sceptile could only settle for the next best thing and chose shoulders as their landing pads.

Since there was no dinner, they had to eat more at lunch!

——

After lunch.

All Baimu set down the Dragonite and Mega Sceptile siblings, whose bellies were puffed up like tennis balls, instructed Blissey to watch over the two of them, and headed up the mountain with Aggron and Hydreigon.

The latter shamelessly insisted on coming along, and he couldn't win the argument, so he had to agree.

The group of people and Pokémon walked along the rugged bluestone steps.

"I haven't been here in a long time."

Champion Dawu, leading the way, had a nostalgic look on his face. When he was Champion, the weight of responsibility kept him from coming back; when he wasn't Champion, he was running all over the world collecting stones, so he still didn't come back.

And as familiar scenes came into view, memories buried deep in his heart gradually became clear, and images of past play and mischief with Aggron and Skarmory kept surfacing.

The fatigue accumulated from months of busy running about instantly faded quite a bit.

Can you find something by stubbornly searching just because you can't find it?

One must maintain a calm heart.

Champion Dawu settled his mindset, and stopped dwelling on the fact that he hadn't been able to gather the information he craved from the heart of the universe. He only felt that he truly hadn't come to the back mountain in vain this time.

In front of him, the familiar Aron hopped and skipped up the steps like a rabbit.

The more All Baimu watched, the cuter he found it.

"Look, you used to walk just like that when you were little, pitter-patter." He turned around and said with a smile to Aggron.

"Guu roar……"

Aggron didn't know how to respond to this teasing.

It really didn't remember what sound it made when walking before, but now it was very clear—thump thump thump.

Fortunately, it didn't need to respond. Hydreigon's strong desire to show off drove it to pester its trainer, asking what sound it made when walking as a child.

"You dummy, you haven't grown up at all! Just getting taller doesn't count!" All Baimu pinched Hydreigon's face, gently shaking it up and down so its head swayed along.

"Sha roar……"

"Hahaha, your relationship with your Hydreigon is still this good." Champion Dawu beside him let out a friendly laugh, and thought again of his own Armaldo.

That guy was this clingy with him too. Every time he hugged Lileep, it would get jealous and tug at his clothes.

Thinking about it this way, it seemed every trainer's team had a little attention-seeker.

They arrived at the halfway point of the mountain.

Champion Dawu and Aron turned a corner and didn't continue upward.

And after passing through a patch of dense thicket, a clear mountain spring appeared before everyone's eyes.

"Guu roar~"

A look of pleasure appeared on Aggron's fierce face. Although it was a Water-weak Pokémon itself, every time it discovered these flowing springs on high mountains, its heart couldn't help but rejoice.

High mountains! Flowing water! Dense forests!

—Aggron's paradise~!

It didn't wait for All Baimu to speak before walking toward the mountain spring. But just as it approached the corner of the giant boulder by the stream, an Aggron nearly its own size burst out.

"Guu roar!"

The other's voice was slightly sharper than its own, but its horns were more than twice as long, signifying it was far older.

Of course.

In terms of thickness, Aggron wouldn't lose to it.

The two metal dinosaurs faced off from a distance. Their innate territorial instincts surged into their minds, causing them to each assume an attack-ready stance, clearly with the intention of charging at each other and clashing—

"Aggron!"

"Big monster!"

Two voices interrupted the tension between them.

The opposing Aggron turned its head and clearly saw its own trainer and its younger brother Aron standing not far away, accompanied by a black-haired human boy and a black creature that also looked like it wouldn't be easy to mess with.

"……Guu roar?"

It tilted its head, looking at the big monster before it.

Not here to steal territory?

"Guu roar."

Aggron came back to its senses from instinct and returned to its originally gentle and reserved demeanor. But its gaze passed over the fellow before it and discovered another one behind the giant boulder.

Slightly smaller in size than itself, but with horns as long as the one before it.

How could it not know these two were the ones its trainer had told it about—the true masters of this mountain underfoot, both dwelling here together.

Fine mountains, fine water, fine woods, and a companion……

Tch.

Boring.

This place isn't even as big as its own mountain range.

"Guu roar." Aggron suddenly really wanted to go back and take a look—to see its territory, and its hardworking Steelix subordinate who toiled away reclaiming wasteland……no, subordinate sister.

It slowly walked back to its trainer's side.

"What's wrong?"

All Baimu keenly sensed its low mood, assuming it was upset from losing the horn-length comparison, and reassured it: "It's fine. In a couple of years you'll be way more impressive than it! Today we're here to learn management techniques! Learn from the barbarians to subdue them!"

This is the confidence of someone with cheats.

Champion Dawu is certainly powerful, but Aggron is ultimately not his ace. His own big monster beating that Aggron of his — what's so strange about that?

If we're going to fight, we fight Metagross! If his Pikachu can do it, my big monster can too!

"Gugou~"

Aggron only understood half of it, and had no idea what was going on in its Trainer's heart, but it really was comforted, and its mood instantly recovered.

Meanwhile.

After petting both Aggron, Champion Dawu also conveyed his request.

The two, hearing this, naturally had no objection — as long as they weren't here to seize territory. Two Aggron sharing one mountain was already crowded enough; add one more, then wait for Lairon to evolve, and four Aggron piled together — what could they even do?

Play mahjong?

"All Baimu, I've already talked it over with them." Champion Dawu turned back and said.

"I'm deeply grateful! Dawu-san!"

All Baimu patted his big monster's arm to signal it over, then hurriedly expressed his thanks.

"No need for that, it's just a small thing."

Champion Dawu was all smiles. He might previously have regarded All Baimu as merely a junior with ambition and potential who needed care and attention. But as the two of them exchanged views on all manner of gems, meteorites, and fossils, and gifted each other presents, he had already come to see him as half a friend.

The kind that could develop further.

Hearing this, All Baimu stopped being polite and silently cheered Aggron on.

Although when it comes to managing a mountain, learning from human scientific management experience would be better, but unfortunately Aggron is also illiterate — it can't even make out some of the terms, so what do you expect it to learn?

Better to learn from Champion Dawu's Aggron… and pick up one or two moves along the way. After all, imitating Vanilla fills the belly!

Mm, the latter is definitely not the main purpose.

Having resolved the matter with the few Aggron.

The two set off for the mountaintop once more, chatting as they went.

During the conversation, the matter of the last Meteor Falls incident with Team Rocket came up, and Champion Dawu expressed regret at not being able to help him catch those lurking Team Rocket members.

"But I also have to thank you. If you hadn't acted as the middleman, I would surely have been dawdling on the spot for a long time." Champion Dawu suddenly changed the subject.

All Baimu didn't understand.

Champion Dawu explained: "You must have heard from Celosia that the Devon Corporation wants to use the Key Stone and Mega Stones to create a kind of clean energy. And after looking through some materials and records, and consulting the People of the Meteor, I discovered that the Hoenn region is also hiding a legendary giant stone said to be the source of Mega Evolution."

Holy shit?

The main plot of XY?

He swallowed his saliva without changing his expression. "A legendary… giant stone?"

"That's right. According to ancient epic records, thousands of years ago Kyogre and Groudon once ran rampant across the Hoenn region, so the People of the Meteor stood upon the legendary giant stone and summoned Rayquaza, causing it to Mega Evolve and stop the two frenzied super-ancient Pokémon."

Champion Dawu paused, then shook his head. "But unfortunately, after that incident, the legendary giant stone vanished without a trace. The current elder of the People of the Meteor says that, according to their ancestors' records, the giant stone disappeared into thin air and cannot be found."

Disappearing into thin air is possible — it happened in the anime — but being impossible to find…

All Baimu recalled that Champion Dawu and Alain ultimately found the legendary giant stone in some ruins, and figured there was a fifty-fifty chance that the elder simply didn't want to say, and the other half that some other group had gotten hold of the legendary giant stone and built ruins to seal it away.

"This time, when I returned to Sootopolis City, I wanted to use the satellites to help search for it, but sadly still without result." Champion Dawu spread his hands helplessly.