Chapter 756: Registeel

Inside the salvage vessel.

Baimu and the two others who had descended to explore gathered here; the atmosphere was not dull.

Although they had found no "gate" to the legendary giants mentioned in the braille, having the standard alphabet to assist in deciphering ancient braille meant uncovering the truth was merely a matter of time.

For example, right now.

Professor Suigao was discussing with Asahi and Jian the restoration of ancient texts, seeking errors to correct.

Also participating in the discussion was the friend who had previously helped Professor Suigao with translation.

Baimu stood alone at the edge, isolated from the three wildly discussing others, but he didn't care.

Because the seal on the ancient tomb had been lifted, he was considering whether to bid farewell to Professor Suigao and the others.

If he just turned and left, wouldn't it be awkward if he later encountered them at the ancient tomb?

He had even mooched off their professional equipment and wasted their painstaking efforts to eliminate the sea area maps, yet he had known the answer all along and stayed silent while searching on his own.

Crucially, they had done him no harm—on the contrary, they had warmly invited and cared for him… leaving now would make him seem morally deficient.

Logically speaking.

Baimu's interest in Registeel was far less than his interest in Martial Arts Bear.

But a legendary Pokémon that could be captured without any serious consequences was right before him; to abandon it directly or let someone else capture it would be a great pity…

The same applied to Regice and Regirock.

He hadn't even found their exact locations, and he certainly wouldn't go looking for them—Fengyuan's desert was so vast, how long would it take to find them?

If he truly wanted Regirock, he should go to the Crown Snowfield in the Galar region; there, too, were ruins containing the sealed pillars, and they'd surely be much easier to find than in the desert.

He didn't remember where Regice was either, but it certainly wasn't on land.

An island cave…

With this thought, Baimu's mind gradually cleared.

Better to feel out their intentions first.

He stepped forward, but Professor Suigao reached out first and placed a hand on his shoulder: "Perfect timing, Baimu! We've found why the 'gate' didn't open!"

Baimu: "Huh?"

"The 'gate' actually refers to the seal—the true location of the legendary giants lies elsewhere!" Professor Suigao pointed to the computer screen before him.

The screen displayed a map of Fengyuan, marked with three flashing red dots.

"See these? Based on clues in the ancient texts, we've roughly determined these three locations—near Route 120, Waterway 105, and the Desert Zone 111!" Professor Suigao grew more excited as he spoke.

Baimu's face grew darker with each word.

This was insane—how could they have found it so fast?

Couldn't they have given him a little breathing room? Why so efficient?

Professor Suigao didn't know his thoughts; seeing his serious expression, he assumed Baimu was listening intently and added: "We owe finding these places largely to Doctor Ashita's student."

"Doctor Ashita? Student?"

"Yes—the person who helped us decipher the braille was Doctor Ashita, and his student is deeply interested in finding legendary Pokémon; he taught himself ancient braille to track the legendary giants!"

Professor Suigao's words made Baimu recall one person.

When they captured the Pokémon poacher who had blown up the mountain, they learned of a mysterious website filled with people chasing legendary Pokémon.

One poster, claiming to have self-taught braille, had revealed the coordinates of Lugia and the location of the ancient tomb; Baimu had once messaged that poster, but received no reply—Shi Chendahai.

Over time, he had stopped caring.

Could it be that person?

The world is so small!

Baimu had no reply; beside him, Asahi exclaimed happily: "We're one step closer to the legendary Pokémon! Dream is within reach!"

"Applause!"

He immediately clapped along, his small Mienfoo perfectly mimicking the posture and clapping motion.

Professor Suigao laughed heartily and joined in with two claps.

Jian, who had taken no part in the discussion, stared coldly and addressed Baimu in a formal tone: "This entrance test is now concluded. I will now announce the results—"

Slap!

Asahi sharply slapped Jian on the back, forcibly interrupting him: "Be more genuine! So cold and stiff—it's ugly! Besides, Baimu's performance couldn't have been better, right, Professor Suigao?"

"Absolutely. His collaborative ability using Poliwhirl II and Bonsly, his immediate translation of how to enter the next chamber, and his judgment of the ancient name of Kabutops—all deserve high praise."

Professor Suigao praised him in detail, his gaze filled with approval: "I'm certain you will become a Tracker no less capable than Jian."

Jian, helpless before Asahi, lowered his eyes as both she and Professor Suigao looked at him: "Indeed."

Baimu offered a faint smile.

Professor Suigao suddenly said: "By the way! There are three locations—why don't you three split up? Each take a solo mission. It would also serve as Baimu's next test."

"Understood!"

Asahi and Jian responded quickly.

Baimu felt pleasantly surprised—if they split up, he wouldn't have to strain himself pretending with them.

Knowing exactly where the locations were yet having to pretend to search everywhere, leading them step by step, was a nightmare—and one misstep could expose him.

Professor Suigao is truly considerate.

He couldn't help but feel deep gratitude toward the professor.

The final assignments were chosen by each person; Baimu was not first, yet he was still assigned to the ancient tomb on Route 120.

Asahi excelled with Water-type Pokémon—Route 105 was clearly best for her; Jian, as always, was a self-torturer who chose the desert site.

No need to fight for it—the ancient tomb still fell to him.

It could only be fate.

Night fell.

After dinner, Baimu stood on the deck, letting the sea breeze aid his digestion, with a smiling, heterochromatic Haunter beside him.

"Hehehehe!"

"What's the matter? I don't even have to catch it," he said, pinning down the restless Haunter.

This thing thought it would soon no longer be a "junior," but could rise to "senior," and was grinning like an idiot.

Though the order of joining the team had never affected their lives, nor had anyone ever bullied a teammate over it, the Haunter's intense underlying competitive instinct refused to bear the title of "last."

"Hngha?"

The gray fat one stared, eyes wide with disbelief, at the trainer.

Baimu reached out as if it were obvious: "The mission requires gathering enough information about the Legendary Giants—it doesn't demand I catch it."

"Hngh."

The Haunter landed on the deck, stretched its chubby little paw to grip the trainer's arm, puffed out its cheeks, tears glistening at the corners of its eyes, trembling all over, its expression screaming, "You can't do this—you're cheating!"

Nothing hits harder than the shattering of expectation… no, the shattering of a Ghost's hope.

He laughed heartlessly.

The Haunter instantly knew the trainer was teasing it; its round face was filled with bitter resentment.

Suddenly, it glanced behind, then dove into the shadow with the motion of a diver.

Baimu didn't need to turn to know who had arrived.

"What's wrong?"

He looked toward the slowly approaching Arceus.

Because this guy's pleasant words always came with a sour face, he was naturally disliked by Multipli and other Pokémon.

The Haunter disliked him because it was reminded of Jarvis.

Though there was a fundamental difference in their looks, to the Haunter, being handsome meant nothing—it needed care and warmth.

"..."

Arceus stood with hands in pockets, silent, only speaking when he stood close: "When you returned, you didn't join the discussion about restoring ancient braille—you were thinking of leaving."

Caught already?

But he speaks so bluntly—someone who didn't know might think he'd come to fight.

What a terrible conversational skill!

Baimu silently mocked him, then joked: "What, did you come all the way here to pressure me? You just said I passed—now you're forcing me out?"

"... I know the daytime test wasn't just us evaluating you—you were evaluating us too."

Arceus didn't take the bait; his expression remained utterly calm: "The exploration of the Notice Stone Chamber didn't move you."

Baimu's smile slightly faded as he shook his head: "No, it did move me. Though you speak kindly with a sour face, you can barely count as a good person."

"And Young Lady Asahi is warm and interesting, Professor Suigao is both learned and open-minded, everyone is reliable, no one drags the team down—this team is excellent."

He leaned against the railing, gazing at the moon on the horizon: "If I met you three three years from now—or even two—I might consider joining. But unfortunately… we met too early."

The Dream Project still held no appeal.

But chasing Legendary Pokémon with this reliable team, slowly unraveling the secrets of ancient human civilization—that was interesting.

Arceus fell silent, then after several seconds said: "You are an exceptionally skilled trainer—this truth cannot be denied by anyone."

Huh?

Why the sudden compliment?

Baimu waited for Arceus's next words, his real point—but the man kept talking, then simply ran out of steam.

Silence returned to the deck.

Hidden in the shadows, listening, Asahi complained: "Too timid! When did you become so indecisive?"

"If you're going to leave, don't overthink it—Asahi and Professor Suigao will understand," Arceus finally said what he truly meant.

Baimu was surprised he'd come to comfort him—and amused by the quality of the comfort.

"Thanks."

He patted Arceus's shoulder, then looked toward the corner of the cabin ahead—where the other thought he was hidden, but his shadow, bathed in moonlight, betrayed him.

Two people care about your small inner turmoil—how good are you people really?

But.

Arceus's words freed him from the need to fabricate excuses to quit.

—

Cinnabar City.

After leaving the salvage ship, Baimu, under Professor Suigao's guidance, saw the "base."

It looked exactly like a giant drone.

"I'll stay here to assist you remotely—remember, when you find your target, turn on the camera."

Professor Suigao pointed to his chest.

The Pokémon Rotom phone had not yet been released, so filming required attaching a camera to the chest to record the battles with the Legendary Giants.

Arceus and Asahi accepted naturally—they'd clearly done this before.

Baimu, doing this for the first time, checked it multiple times before finally relaxing.

The three parted ways on Route 110.

With clear purpose, he boarded the high-speed train to Ecruteak City.

"Transportation is so convenient."

Baimu watched the scenery blur past the window, pondering which Pokémon to use against RegiSkiro.

The gap in strength between Level 2 Gods is enormous.

There are Landorus, a Legendary Pokémon capable of overpowering Jirachi; Zapdos, which held its own against Ash's Soundwave Dragon; and Suicune and Entei, both powerless against capture nets.

Remember in the game, Regice in the ancient tomb was under level fifty; after catching it, you just dumped it in the PC as storage.

Maybe it's stronger in the anime?

For safety, let's send out Bonsly with its Mega Evolution.

Regice has weak Attack and Special Attack but insane Defense and Special Defense; in the game, its offense relies mostly on Iron Head and Brick Break, then pairs them with Protect, Stealth Rock, Thunder Wave…

Hmm.

In the game.

In the anime, it's even more unpredictable—things like Ancient Power, Metal Claw, Hyper Beam, Electromagnetic Cannon…

You ask why? That's just how Shinji built his team!

As one of the few Trainers who use Legendary Pokémon, Shinji watched the episodes where he battled Ash in the Advanced Generation and then Satoshi in the Pearl and Diamond arcs many times, so he remembers them clearly.

"Inuyama Station, arriving…"

The train's announcement sounded.

Baimu stood up and got off, glancing at his phone's time.

Only two hours had passed since the trio split up; with Gyarados pushing full speed, they could reach the ancient tomb before one in the afternoon—

Fastest Legend!

Well, he certainly wasn't that stupid—he couldn't just head straight for the tomb's location and turn on the camera; that made no sense.

Let's play for two days first.

Last time he came to Inuyama City, he learned the 【Secret Power】 from the Secret Base Master, but in the end, he barely got to use it.

After returning to Oure, he did use it—he dug out a cave on Platinum Silver Mountain that sheltered him from wind and rain.

He had always loved the living environment on Nibel Plateau, where you could overlook the land below.

So.

Baimu spent two days playing around Inuyama City with his Pokémon.

During that time, he went to visit Naki, but she was busy with Gym challenges and they barely exchanged a few words.

As for the other two's progress… no response at all; probably lost in the desert or the ocean?

In any case, he couldn't hold back any longer and began heading toward Route 120.

In an instant.

The familiar rainforest appeared before him, different from his last visit—perhaps because the mudslides were gone.

And the wild Absol, which had made a promise with him to visit often, was nowhere to be seen.

"Digging through the mud, digging through the mud, digging through the mud…"

Baimu hummed a tune, clad in a black raincoat, directing a Gigalith to dig away the mud covering the ancient tomb.

The location was correct—he remembered it precisely.

Come on!

Regice!

Your tomb is about to be unearthed! Are you ready?

He watched as the ancient tomb gradually took shape under Gigalith's relentless efforts, his eyes growing brighter.

"Soo-moo?"

A sudden low growl caught his attention.

Baimu turned his head upward; first came snowy white fur, then a pitch-black face, pushing into his view.

"There you are! Long time no see, Absol!"

He greeted it with a smile.

Absol, recognizing him, nodded happily—it hadn't forgotten the promise.

"Soo-moo~"

Pokémon never break their promises.