Chapter 817: Ah! Gyarados!

Pokémon-style yangzhi Yangzhi Yangzhi Ganlu.

Use rambutan flesh as the base, blended with mango and peach juice in precise proportions.

Then mix in mint leaves, a certain dried plant seed, sweet honey, and an appropriate amount of moo-moo milk, shaking it up and down ninety-nine times to complete the blend.

The finished product emits a fragrant, irresistible aroma; under sunlight, it glows like flowing gold, with the rambutan flesh resembling pearls of white jade floating in a golden Link Lake, translucent and lustrous.

What a magnificent sight of gold and jade!

Just its appearance alone would be enough to make many customers open their wallets.

All All Baimu gazed at the opposite side, where the smiling Simisage gestured for Gyarados to enjoy it, and couldn't help but feel respect for another culinary prodigy.

Amazing!

Innate beverage saint body—terrifyingly powerful! Beverage immortal!

"Kichido~"

Gyarados didn't overthink like a Trainer; it simply grabbed the reed straw and sucked eagerly.

Gulu~

Sweet fragrance swirled in its mouth, and its eyes sparkled like stars.

So delicious!

Having traveled with its Trainer through so many cities, visited countless bustling malls, and dined at countless restaurants, its palate far surpassed ordinary Pokémon—ordinary food could no longer stir its emotions.

But this yangzhi Yangzhi Yangzhi Ganlu before it…

It was worth it!

"Kichido!"

Gyarados quickly turned its head toward its Trainer and Poliwhirl II, eager for them to taste it too.

The young lady never hesitated to share food; whoever asked received generously, and afterward, if still unsatisfied, she blamed the total quantity for being too small—not the fact that she'd shared it.

Though this wasn't anything particularly praiseworthy, as a Trainer, All All Baimu certainly found it delightful.

All All Baimu and Poliwhirl II each took a small sip.

"Incredible."

"Pari!"

Their reactions were identical.

Gyarados smiled, thrilled to see others praise something it loved—it fully satisfied its desire to share.

Emotional value provided by others was one reason it loved sharing.

It happily pulled out its Trainer's phone from his pocket, waved it in Simisage's surprised gaze, and asked, "Kichido?"

"Yoo… da."

Simisage nodded.

Then.

Gyarados began drinking its beverage while watching a TV drama.

Beside it, All All Baimu felt conflicted—he'd come here specifically to confirm whether the Z Crystal worked, and also to help Gyarados relieve its hidden inner stress through conversation.

But judging by the current situation…

It didn't seem to have any obvious stress?

All All Baimu clicked his tongue. He'd already relaxed, ready to chat with Simisage, yet Gyarados remained completely unfazed…

Was it because he was here?

He glanced at Simisage, happily washing the cups and reed straws, then gave Poliwhirl II a look; after receiving its nod, he stood and walked outside.

Gyarados turned its head toward him, eyes still fixed on its phone screen, "Kichido?"

"Get some fresh air—you can sip slowly, no rush… but maybe put the phone down a bit?"

All All Baimu left those words behind.

He knew that once he left, Gyarados would pause and lock its screen—somehow, whenever he spoke, the young lady always obediently complied.

If he'd stayed, she might've pouted or grumbled a little to show off.

Outside the treehouse.

All All Baimu pulled out his detector; the green dot representing himself and the red dot representing the Z Crystal were perfectly aligned.

The "wild" Z Crystal was right here.

In the future, Simisage would give Mau a discarded Z-Ring—he'd once speculated that Simisage had once been a Trainer.

But it might've just found it.

Still, All All Baimu personally believed that if it had found someone else's Z-Ring, Simisage would've handed it to the Island King.

Most wild Pokémon lack such awareness; Simisage, who runs a bar and cultivates fruit orchards, certainly possesses it—its intelligence and emotional depth surpass many adult Pokémon in this world.

But if it truly was a lost relic…

Then he'd find it harder to ask for it.

As he pondered silently, a massive creature suddenly plummeted from the sky.

Thud!

The ground trembled; grass and dust swirled upward.

"Owu!"

At first glance, it looked like an old man, with a long, curved neck like an arched bridge—a Gyarados emitting a deep, rumbling roar.

"So huge!"

All All Baimu was startled—he'd never seen a Gyarados in person before, and it looked twice as large as the Pokémon Encyclopedia footage.

The creature, seeing him, seemed startled too, tilting its head and blinking its enormous, pupil-less eyes.

The atmosphere was calm.

After all, Gyarados was a kind-hearted, approachable Pokémon, known to actively communicate with humans and other Pokémon, and it especially adored innocent, cute children.

Interestingly, multiple records noted that it would defend children it cared for—if a child was bullied, Gyarados would show up at night and use its dragon breath to demolish the bully's home.

Thus,

Gyarados often earned the reputation of the "Righteous Dragon" and the "Child-Friendly Dragon."

Unfortunately, wild individuals were rare; encountering one outdoors was considered lucky.

All All Baimu took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to stroke its fluffy tail and its two yellow banana-like eyebrows, stepped aside to make way, and said:

"Please, go ahead."

"Owu…"

Gyarados's expression softened; it climbed the steps and extended its massive head inside the doorway, leaving most of its body outside.

There was no choice.

Its size made it impossible to fit entirely inside.

But for a Gyarados who came for drinks, just its head was enough.

Inside the treehouse bar.

The quiet Gyarados and the wildly complaining Poliwhirl II were both startled by Gyarados's massive head, quickly turning to look at the owner, Simisage.

If this was a wild Pokémon intruding, they'd have to act.

"Yale~"

Simisage gently pressed down with its hands, signaling the two guests to calm down, then called to Gyarados, "Yale ooda?"

"Owu!"

Gyarados nodded its massive head.

Moments later, a cup of deep crimson berry-juice was placed before it.

Without hesitation, Gyarados seized the wooden bowl, tilted its head back, and drank it all in one gulp, then spat out the bowl like a martial arts hero who'd finished a bowl of wine and shouted, "Excellent!"—sending a powerful gust of breath that blew Simisage's hair wildly!

"Owu!!"

Huh—

Simisage stared blankly, then sighed helplessly, "Yale yale~"

"Kichido~"

Gyarados found it hilarious, covering its mouth and giggling like a proper lady.

Outside the treehouse.

Standing below, All All Baimu saw Gyarados retract its head, expecting it to fly away—but instead, the giant creature approached him.

Then it turned around, presenting its tail toward him.

"Uh… what's this mean?" He was confused—was its tail itchy and wanted him to scratch it?

Gyarados said nothing, merely twisted its long neck to gaze at All All Baimu, then swung its tail up and down like a plush toy.

Who could resist this?!

After a brief pause, All All Baimu glanced toward the treehouse again, then silently reached out his hand.

Huh~

The texture was amazing!

His face showed little expression, as if he were merely scratching an itch—but his delighted, reluctant-to-let-go movements betrayed him completely.

"Owu~"

Gyarados's expression held a touch of tenderness.

A few minutes later.

All All Baimu reluctantly pulled his hand away and said to the Oldwrath, "Thank you… this is for you; I think you'll love it."

He pulled out a fiery red Poké Block.

He remembered Oldwrath loved the bittersweet flavor of Maranga berries—this Poké Block was perfect for it.

Oldwrath sniffed it, curled its thick tongue around it, and swallowed. Its crescent-shaped yellow eyebrows instantly softened, swaying like dancers.

Clearly, it loved the taste.

All All Baimu relaxed. Just moments ago, as he had been scratching halfway, he suddenly realized Oldwrath hadn't come for a tail itch—it had sensed his secret desire to touch its tail, and had approached him willingly.

Oldwrath's subsequent actions confirmed this.

What a divine Pokémon!

Though its appearance gave the impression of youthful age and aged youth, Oldwrath was truly one of the most human-friendly beings.

Whoever says Oldwrath is dangerous—I'll be the first to disagree!

All All Baimu watched as it took off with a thud, feeling deeply at peace.

Suddenly.

A rustling sound came from beside his ear—its source, the treehouse above.

They're chatting! They're chatting!

His eyes lit up. He leapt up the steps to the treehouse's second floor and quietly observed the conversation between Gulpin and Alakazam—

Huh?

He looked at the Poliwhirl babbling nonstop to Alakazam, then at the quiet Gulpin, turned his head, blinked, and looked again.

Still, Poliwhirl was venting—even after changing its posture and trying again.

…What's going on?

All All Baimu opened his mouth, then silently lowered his gaze.

Poliwhirl's chatter meant it had hidden emotions it couldn't bring itself to tell him. At least now it could release them with Gulpin and Alakazam over Yangzhi Yangzhi Yangzhi Ganlu juice—wasn't that a good thing?

If he thought only Gulpin could vent…

That would be absurd.

All All Baimu noticed Gulpin glancing over as if sensing something. He raised a finger, signaling it to stay silent and let Poliwhirl vent fully.

Gulpin nodded in understanding.

The smarter the Pokémon, the more it thinks—and the heavier its heart.

No matter how friendly the atmosphere, over time, small grievances accumulate—things that bother Poliwhirl just enough to linger, but not enough to anger it.

Then it holds them in.

Holds them in, holds them in, until they can no longer be contained.

Poliwhirl is a living being—its vibrant life and independent mind ensure it can never fully share All All Baimu's thoughts.

Even humans sometimes get stuck in their own heads—how much more so for a partner?

Back on the ground.

All All Baimu rubbed his neck.

Though he strove to treat them equally, ensuring they were all happy daily, there were still shortcomings—so much so that, blinded by his own involvement, he never noticed them.

How could he reflect further?

After all, Arceus had spent ages shaping only a human.

"What a wonderful place."

He murmured.

Letting Poliwhirl vent now means less damage when it finally explodes.

—

He witnessed two more groups of wild Pokémon come and go.

All All Baimu returned to the treehouse and quietly asked the slightly awkward Poliwhirl, "Did you say anything?"

【Nothing…】

Just now, after the toy duck's endless monologue, Poliwhirl realized it had spoken the whole time—Gulpin and the Bonsly from last time hadn't uttered a single word.

It began to wonder if it was too petty.

Hearing this, All All Baimu turned in surprise to look at Gulpin, whose eyes sparkled, mouth still clutching what must have been its fifth cup of Yangzhi Yangzhi Yangzhi Ganlu.

Adorable.

He couldn't help but smooth Gulpin's bangs.

Once, touching her bangs would have earned complaints—but now, she had grown utterly accustomed to this small gesture.

Such is the power of time.

No worries… is fine too.

With Mega Evolution, All All Baimu could achieve perfect harmony with Gulpin—then he could carefully ask her thoughts.

All All Baimu turned his gaze away, thought for a moment, then said to Alakazam, who had just brought over a cup of Yangzhi Yangzhi Yangzhi Ganlu:

"Forgive my boldness—do you know where I might find a Z-Crystal not under any Alpha Pokémon's control?"

Past experience told him to be direct with Pokémon. Alakazam was intelligent, yes—but it was still a Pokémon.

Indirectness would be pointless.

Alakazam instinctively glanced at the Z-Ring on All All Baimu's wrist.

All All Baimu continued: "To be honest, I'm trying to collect all types of Z-Crystals. I've been participating in the Island Challenge, battling Alpha Pokémon. So far, I've gathered eight."

He showed the box he used to store Z-Crystals—originally wooden, now wrapped in kitchen aluminum foil.

The detector's manual stated wrapping Z-Crystals in foil effectively blocked detection.

"Oh my…"

Alakazam turned, washed its hands, pulled out a small wooden box from behind the bar, and retrieved a Z-Ring.

On the Z-Ring, a pink Z-Crystal was covered in dust.

Alakazam gazed at it with warmth. "Oh my~"

"You have a Z-Ring and Z-Crystal too?"

All All Baimu asked, feigning surprise: "Did you… once have a human Trainer partner?"

Lost in memory, Alakazam looked up, bewildered, then laughed softly. "Oh my~"

Poliwhirl explained: 【Alakazam says this Z-Ring and Z-Crystal are its own—not from any human Trainer partner.】

Its own—

Ah!

All All Baimu realized a possibility, eyes widening slightly.

But before he could speak, Alakazam, as if sipping Yangzhi Yangzhi Yangzhi Ganlu, began telling the story of the Z-Ring.

"Oh my…"

Once.

Alakazam was not as serene as it was now. Possessing intelligence rivaling humans, it wanted to do something different—like…

Using a Z-Move alone!

It attempted to replace the Trainer entirely, performing the Z-Swords Dance by itself to achieve full autonomy over the Z-Move.

But sadly, despite its immense effort to obtain the Z-Ring and Z-Crystal, the bold idea ultimately failed.

Z-Moves require both human and Pokémon to activate.

Heartbroken, Alakazam sealed the Z-Ring and Z-Crystal beneath the bar, where they remained until today.

Alakazam gently removed the Z-Crystal, placed it on the bar, and pushed it toward All All Baimu. "Oh my oda!"

"This…"

All All Baimu suddenly hesitated to take it.

He had planned to decline if it belonged to a deceased Trainer—but he never expected this.

He couldn't take it! This was Alakazam's youth!

"Oh my~" Alakazam saw his hesitation, smiled, and shook its head.

Poliwhirl translated:

【Use it well.】