Chapter 695: Mobbing the Pokémon

The noise intensified.

Baimu and Helenna exchanged a glance, then bypassed the scattered wild Pokémon peering inward from all sides, approaching the water source.

The water source appeared structurally similar to a well.

For the convenience of the wild Pokémon, N had specifically dug a trough leading downward, allowing the Pokémon to simply operate a device resembling a hand pump to easily draw water.

"Don't act rashly! Everyone, stay calm! What exactly happened?"

Helenna held great authority among the wild Pokémon; merely appearing caused many blocking the path to slowly step back.

Some remained unmoved.

For instance, Baimu's Bonsly and the several Bisharp in conflict with them.

Though surrounded by other Pokémon, Bonsly and the others showed no sign of retreating; the Gulpin perched on its shoulder regarded all Pokémon except its companions with a look of disdain.

A bunch of overreaching fools!

"Auuu—"

The fiercely wild Bisharp felt provoked, baring their sharp fangs aggressively.

The Dragonite's gaze turned hostile; all three mouths opened simultaneously, preparing to roar—

"Stop!"

"Hold."

The two humans present both spoke at once.

Helenna looked at the Bonsly and others whose aura was heavy, faintly radiating danger, and urged: "Let's discuss this calmly—there's no need to fight!"

In the anime, she shared with her unrelated younger brother N the power to understand Pokémon thoughts.

So Helenna knew that although Bonsly appeared unresponsive, it might charge at the Bisharp in the next second.

"Baimu, please help me persuade your Pokémon not to clash with everyone." She turned to Baimu for help.

Baimu shook his head: "I'm sorry, Young Lady Helenna, but I stand by my Pokémon. I can at most prevent them from striking first—and this isn't their fault."

He walked straight over to his Pokémon.

For Pokémon with strong territorial instincts, any Pokémon that settled without permission must be driven away.

Though Bonsly was mature by nature, its lifelong dream had been to claim a great mountain—it simply could not tolerate strangers on its territory.

He frowned: "What was N thinking? He knew this mountain range was Bonsly's territory, yet still moved wild Pokémon in here? Solving the water issue shouldn't have been hard for him."

When Bonsly chose this mountain originally, three reasons stood out—it could grow trees, contained mineral deposits, and had a spring.

Tree planting goes without saying.

Mineral deposits were negligible for most Pokémon.

The spring… Hwangche Town indeed lacked water resources, but groundwater wasn't exclusive to this mountain range—Steelix and others were expert diggers; finding water shouldn't be difficult.

Even from the sheer number of wild Pokémon here—though numerous, a careful count revealed barely a thousand—it was clear there must be other water sources nearby.

Helenna, with a hint of awkwardness in her composure, replied: "N… he doesn't interfere with Pokémon's natural choices. The Bisharp gathered here of their own accord. N did try to dissuade them."

Pokémon's natural choices.

With that, Baimu understood.

These wild Pokémon, for various reasons, had been unable to remain elsewhere; even after being warned not to settle here, they'd simply stayed anyway.

The problem was, N's nature meant he would never resort to force against Pokémon.

Meanwhile, Bonsly was often away, and Steelix, tasked with greening the mountain, was delighted to see so many Pokémon gathering, believing they helped the mountain's greening—too happy to notice anything wrong.

After all, it had no territorial instinct, nor did it regard the mountain as a place off-limits to outsiders.

Steelix, having previously coexisted with other wild Pokémon, was inherently incapable of understanding territorial instincts—and thus could never drive them away.

Of course.

The main issue lay with Baimu.

N had mentioned to him that a certain number of Pokémon had settled near the mountain; though he'd objected, he'd always planned to address it upon returning.

Remote control from Hoenn was ineffective at solving problems; he'd unconsciously forgotten the idiom—accumulated weight becomes hard to reverse.

The wild Pokémon, seeing no true master of the mountain for so long and having participated in greening efforts, naturally developed a sense of home here.

Once they began reproducing, relocating them would become far harder.

If this situation were brought before a human court from his past life, under the legal system across the sea, the mountain might very well be awarded to the settled wild Pokémon.

"…."

Baimu pondered a solution.

If only a few dozen wild Pokémon lived here, persuading Bonsly would still be plausible—but now, over a thousand lived here!

Bonsly would never accept that a mountain it hadn't even lived in for a single day was now occupied by so many Pokémon.

He turned his head, pulled on Bonsly, who clearly looked furious, and called the other Pokémon; together they formed a circle and began whispering among themselves.

Helenna sighed regretfully, preparing to persuade the other Pokémon to relocate.

Since N chose to manage all wild Pokémon, this matter was his responsibility; refusing to forcefully evict them was no different from negligent governance.

"Listen to me—"

Though they cared deeply for Pokémon, they weren't so shameless as to help wild Pokémon cling to another's territory.

Besides, they already knew of the rift between N and Shanren; their current position was already precarious—further alienating Baimu would make peaceful life in Orre impossible.

As Helenna was about to speak, Baimu asked: "Are these wild Pokémon completely scattered, or do they have leaders?"

"They're scattered," she replied, puzzled. "Why?"

Baimu didn't answer her. He climbed onto Bonsly's back, stood on its other shoulder, and looked down at all the Pokémon: "Everyone, I regret to announce this—you cannot continue living here! This is Bonsly's territory, and you are merely accidental temporary visitors!"

"Guhhh!! Roar! Thud-roar!"

"Shashang!!"

Bonsly and Dreepy roared at all the wild Pokémon, conveying the Trainer's message.

Helene's expression shifted—simple and clear as it was, such blunt words could easily anger wild Pokémon—

Indeed.

Many wild Pokémon stirred in unrest.

The frontmost few Bisharp were the most agitated, their eyes toward Baimu turning red, until he unleashed a massive Steelix.

"Halo!!"

Steelix didn't fully understand what was happening and instinctively roared at the wild Pokémon surrounding it.

Its exaggerated size brought a stronger deterrent than mere aura; the Bisharp retreated several steps warily.

Then Steelix saw who it had been roaring at, froze for a moment, and looked helplessly at its Trainer.

Baimu temporarily ignored Steelix and continued shouting: "But since you have nowhere to go, I have a proposal—you have the chance to stay, but you must plant trees and improve this environment."

"In return, we are willing to provide you with food, water, and other resources; and once the mountain's reforestation is complete, we can help you improve the environment of the mountain across from here and carve out a suitable home for you!"

He pointed to the distant Dashan.

Mountains here are not scarce; for wild Pokémon, as long as the environment suits them, it makes no difference where they live.

"Gurrr!"

"Shasou!"

The Chatot did their duty faithfully.

Haunter stuck out its tongue, had a sudden inspiration, pulled a loudspeaker from its belly, placed it before Dreepy's mouth, and gave it a thumbs-up.

Dreepy's three heads glanced at it once, nodded approvingly, and roared with all their might.

"Shasou—!!"

The broken loudspeaker boomed deafeningly.

Baimu covered his ears and trembled as he said to Haunter: "Where did you get this loudspeaker? I don't remember buying this!"

"Hehehehe~"

Haunter pressed one ear with its fat paw, grinning wildly, saying it had taken the loudspeaker from Shanren at yesterday's banquet, thinking it would be good for pranks.

Never expected it would be useful the very next day.

Baimu was speechless and gave it a thumbs-up.

His own Haunter has serious potential to become a Doraemon; at this rate, someday anything might be pulled from its fourth-dimensional belly.

"Baimu…"

Helene, covering her ears, stared at him blankly, a look of surprise crossing her face.

It wasn't that she thought him a capitalist who deserved to be hanged—she was simply astonished he had come up with this solution.

Wild Pokémon had long been helping improve the environment, using seeds, seedlings, and grasses obtained from Huang Tie Town to bring life to countless deserts.

Baimu's request was hardly a demand at all.

Moreover, he had voluntarily addressed part of the Pokémon's food problem.

The food distributed by the Rescue Organization was rationed by N according to need, barely enough to fill their stomachs and prevent starvation.

If Baimu could share even a portion—even just a few thousand Pokémon—N would gain some flexibility in allocation.

As for the other mountain…

It would take at least five or six years before they could spare the energy to improve it; Helene knew well that at their current pace, creating a Pokémon paradise would take decades, even centuries.

At the time, she and Babena had felt hopeless, but N had smiled and said, at least it wasn't a completely hopeless endeavor.

Many wild Pokémon continued to stir.

With Bonsly and Dreepy helping translate, they naturally understood the message.

A small number refused to accept it.

After so long searching for and building this new home, giving it up to some sudden newcomer was unbearable.

Most Pokémon's minds couldn't grasp human concepts like first-come-first-served or rightful ownership; they simply felt they had invested in this land and shouldn't be driven away.

Of course.

Baimu's proposal wasn't without appeal, and Helene didn't want them to erupt into violent conflict either.

So the only solution was—

Fight!

In the world of wild Pokémon, whether deciding territory or resolving conflict, everything could be settled through battle—wild and pure.

The Bisharp stepped forward, barking.

Poliwhirl answered: "They say they'll accept, but only if they defeat them."

"Do all wild Pokémon think this way?"

"Looks like it."

"Then let those who want to fight step forward! We're willing to give you this chance!" Baimu's face showed no fear—instead, he grinned boldly.

Bonsly and Dreepy exchanged glances and sneered maliciously.

They might not handle an attack from a thousand Pokémon, but if it was only dozens—or even a hundred—they were not afraid!

Helene's expression changed: "Baimu…"

"Don't worry, Bonsly and the others will hold back, and isn't it common for Pokémon to settle things by strength?" he said with a smile.

Helene wanted to say she was worried about his safety, but considering Baimu's battlefield record, she fell silent.

And on the side of the wild Pokémon—

After a bout of commotion, the wild Pokémon who stepped forward numbered no more than seventy, as Baimu had expected.

Few in number, but entirely reasonable.

Powerful Pokémon were already rare to begin with, even among this group that Pokémon dealers had brought to Ohre.

When they capture wild Pokémon, they don't just consider the energy level — they also consider how popular that species of Pokémon is. And among the factors that truly determine price in the Pokémon market, energy level only accounts for a small portion.

And battle-brave, combat-hungry Pokémon are even rarer. Most wild Pokémon don't have much desire to take the initiative in attacking; if they aren't captured by a trainer, they may go their whole lives without fighting more than a hundred battles.

Hunting?

The anime version of Pokémon doesn't have hunting — only the game version does.

The numerous wild Pokémon scattered apart, leaving enough room for the wild Pokémon participating in the battle.

In an instant.

The surroundings became empty.

The wild Pokémon groups, led by the Lycanroc, each let out howls.

"Awooo—"

"Roar!"

"Since it's decided, go Aggron — show them that you are the master of this mountain!" All Baimu and Mawile leapt down from its shoulder.

Seeing this, Helena hastily said, "You're only sending out Aggron?!"

"If nothing unexpected happens, just it going up is enough."

All Baimu gently took out the Keystone, pressed his finger on it, and softly said, "Shine, silver light — Mega Evolution."

Boom!

Electric light shot forth.

Under the stunned gazes of the wild Pokémon, Aggron was enveloped in dazzling colored light, its appearance transforming at an astonishing speed!

"Grr—roar—"

A thunderous bellow rang out across the heavens.

In a flash.

A silver fortress reflecting piercing brilliance descended. A heavy presence like a mountain, like a peak, kicked up dust and sand along with rolling shockwaves, spreading across the world.

Whoosh!

"Awo…"

The Lycanroc involuntarily raised their claws, their minds shaken and gazes dazed. The sense of crisis that had never been online nearly made their skulls explode at this moment.

Too terrifying!

"Grr-roar!"

Mega Aggron wasn't about to be polite with these guys. Its azure gaze hardened, and without hesitation it leapt up, letting a silver halo envelop it, forming a shining color like a giant light sphere.

Explosive leap—

Heavy Slam!!

Boom!!

Like a shell from a Gustav railway gun, it slammed heavily into the pile of wild Pokémon!

In an instant, countless sand and stones shot skyward, surging outward together with the shockwave, sending a large ring of wild Pokémon flying!

All manner of shrieks and wails rose without end.

Helena stared blankly and said, "Wait — isn't this supposed to be one-on-one?"

"It is one-on-one. It alone, taking on a whole group of them." All Baimu shrugged.