Chapter 876: The Radish Meeting

"BEEP-BEEP-BEEP—"

Lei Lei Jiaisi emitted a shrill beeping sound, like a scream.

The next moment.

The sound cut off, swallowed by the blizzard.

All All Baimu said: "Looks like it's frozen solid. Poor kid."

As for Lei Lei Jiaisi, aside from a spiderweb-like puncture wound on its back, its entire body was wrapped in bundled lightning, making movement difficult—but otherwise unharmed.

This guy's monstrous Special Defense speaks for itself; Lei Lei Jiaisi's Special Attack isn't high to begin with, and even with the 【Electric Crystal】 ability, it could never one-shot Lei Lei Jiaisi.

Look!

The golden cross-grid pattern glowed brightly, like a constellation—clearly full of vitality!

As for 【Lightning Cage】…

"Use Heavy Stamp! Pause one breath, then burst out!"

He continued giving orders to the trapped Lei Lei Jiaisi.

THUD!

The ground trembled violently!

A brown-yellow shockwave spread outward from Lei Lei Jiaisi; within the rolling dust, the lightning encircling it twisted under the force of the wave.

"Now!"

"JIKI-JIKI—LEH! JIK! AY!"

Lei Lei Jiaisi suddenly smashed through the dust and escaped the range of the Lightning Cage.

Using type advantages to affect long-lasting moves has been All All Baimu's ongoing research topic since this year.

No choice.

Ash can break Trick Room with Cross Chop, shatter Psychic Terrain with Slash, even dive underground and use Flare Blitz to destroy Toxic Spikes—he has to keep up with the anime version too.

Fortunately, very few people master this ability.

When Lei Ji saw this, it couldn't help but let out a hum of awe, like a Gym Leader or Elite Four member stunned by Ash.

"HUM-HUM-HUM—"

"You've got some real brains!"

All All Baimu replied: "Fighting with your mind is different from fighting on instinct."

Bosco and the others handle this better than Lei Lei Jiaisi; now that Lei Lei Jiaisi has a mind, its response to commands is worse than when it had none.

【Self】 is truly a troublesome thing.

Lei Lei Jiqi and Lei Dagora stared at the calm human youth, each humming softly.

The Poly-Phone didn't translate—meaning it meant nothing.

Or perhaps it wasn't "human" speech at all.

The battle ended.

All All Baimu, the Legendary Pillars, and Lei Lei Jiaisi regrouped.

CRACK.

The frozen grass beneath their feet shattered into fragments, demonstrating the immense power of Lei Lei Jiaisi's "native technique," Freezing Breath.

After the pale white ice mist from the blizzard dissipated.

The spot where Lei Lei Jiaisi had been was now replaced by a massive ice sculpture; mottled ice crystals reflected sunlight, faintly revealing a yellow object inside.

"Why do you insist on this? Times change, eras pass—today's generation surpasses yesterday's. Accept that you're merely second-rate in this age!"

All All Baimu shook his head.

Compared to Lei Dagora, who could communicate and was reasonable, Lei Lei Jiaisi clearly belonged to the type that was hard to communicate with—requiring constant suppression through raw power.

He called it—

Stubborn Type.

These Pokémon are often very high-leveled.

For example, the classic case: Dragonite.

Many Trainers, even those with the strength to subdue such Pokémon, grow disheartened by their stubborn attitudes and eventually choose to release them.

But All All Baimu had already prepared himself mentally before capturing it, and was ready for a long war.

Inside the ice.

Lei Lei Jiaisi, surrounded by the Legendary Pillars, kept humming incessantly; the flashing points on its face outpaced the neon lights of a bar.

Lei Lei Jiaisi and Lei Lei Jiqi showed no reaction; Lei Ji adopted a comical pose as if laughing hysterically; only Lei Dagora quietly turned away.

The Poly-Phone said: "It's calling Lei Dagora a traitor. Yeah, it's swearing pretty badly."

"Hey!"

All All Baimu raised an eyebrow, his voice rising an octave: "You better curse back! Or I'm gonna lose it!"

"LON—"

Lei Dagora hadn't finished its hum when the thousands of troops summoned by the Poly-Phone arrived.

The "thousands" were Gulpin; the "ten thousand horses" were its mount, Salamence.

"KIDOO~~"

After all, the opponent was only one—under these circumstances, Gulpin couldn't possibly tell the other Pokémon to stay back; bringing Salamence was a last resort.

Though it could fly, its long-distance speed was nowhere near that of Pokémon with wings.

It was genuinely afraid the battle here would end too quickly, so it had spread the news.

Still, it arrived too late.

"KIDOO!"

Gulpin angrily shoved Salamence's head.

Salamence dared not retaliate.

All All Baimu hadn't expected the Poly-Phone to actually notify the estate; when the two Pokémon approached, he sighed helplessly, picked up Gulpin, and patted Salamence's oversized head as it squeezed into his arms.

"You came all this way for nothing. Really."

He dared come here to tame the Electric Pillar without any Pokémon except the Poly-Phone because he had his own advantage.

Gulpin said nothing, silently staring at Lei Lei Jiaisi, still trapped in the ice, thinking returning empty-handed was pointless.

Why not…

Help this guy out!

Clever Gulpin leapt from its Trainer's arms, glanced at the frost-covered ground, and decided to use the more stable Lei Ji as a platform to punch the ice sculpture!

But it hadn't realized it wasn't the only clever one.

Salamence, too, held the simple belief that coming here for nothing was unacceptable; all three heads opened their mouths and spat out three streams of colorful Dragon Flame, instantly blasting the entire ice sculpture away!

【Dragon Pulse】!

BOOM!

Amid the thunderous roar, Gulpin—nearly knocked over by Lei Ji's recoil—nearly flew into the Dragon Flame.

Luckily, it reacted fast and absorbed the force.

Though Dragon-type energy had no effect on it, being publicly humiliated was itself a special kind of damage!

"KIDOO!"

Angry and ashamed, Gulpin landed and immediately chased after Salamence.

"SHAA—SANG~"

Salamence swiftly ducked behind All All Baimu, whimpering pitifully—only the Trainer could save it now.

Without doubt.

Gulpin was intercepted.

All All Baimu flicked its nose, scolding with a smile: "Always causing trouble! Go back! You two aren't needed here!"

"KIDOO…"

Gulpin scowled, its massive lower jaw looking almost menacing.

But it obediently left.

This time, it chose to fly back on its own.

Slow is fine.

Because riding Salamence again would make it want to punch the thing.

Salamence followed nervously, not daring to fly high or fast back to the estate, afraid Gulpin would get angry again and chase it down.

—The defiant Salamence had long since lost its spirit from being repeatedly beaten.

As long as it lacked a Terastal Pearl, it could never hold its head up in front of Gulpin.

"..."

All All Baimu and the Legendary Pillars watched the two Pokémon arrive in haste and depart in haste, then turned to look at Lei Lei Jiaisi, blasted away by Dragon Pulse.

It had indeed broken free from the ice.

But it lay sprawled on the ground, staring blankly at the white, endless sky, as if soulless.

What a posture of utter despair!

"LON-LON-LON…"

Lei Dagora, seeing its "comrade" in such a pitiful state, strangely felt relieved it hadn't started fighting right away but had instead negotiated with All All Baimu.

"Can we talk?"

All All Baimu asked the Sacred Pillars.

The Sacred Pillars began interacting with Regieleki, only to receive this reply.

"I have nothing to say to my enemies or their subordinates. I will never forgive what you did to me!"

The Multicell added: "It thinks you're an ancient Galarian."

Huh?

All All Baimu blinked, quickly turning to the three Sacred Pillars: "Please, explain to it—I'm not with the ones who sealed it."

"We explained. It won't listen. This thing is as stubborn as a rock—it's convinced that because you're with Regigigas and treat it respectfully, you must be its subordinate."

The Multicell continued: "It doesn't believe Regidrago either. Regidrago has already been labeled a traitor by it."

Damn!

Who would've thought he'd one day be utterly defenseless against accusations!

All All Baimu wanted to use the Sacred Heart to communicate with Regieleki, but for one, the three Sacred Pillars discouraged it, and for two, this device could be blocked unilaterally by the electric pillar.

Was the shit pot now permanently glued to his head?

He suddenly realized the only one who might help him was the Giant King, Regi-Kais, but the projection's attitude toward him was unmistakable.

"Fine. Stay stubborn. Let's see how long you can hold out!"

All All Baimu snorted.

He resolved to punch Regieleki once every day until it learned to reason.

——

Evening.

Kibana sent a message.

He generously agreed to All All Baimu's request to borrow the arena for Gigantamax training, but with one condition—

To spar with him in a Gigantamax battle.

Clearly, Kibana also understood that repeated battles against a strong opponent accelerated growth; progress in actual combat generally outpaced daily practice.

All All Baimu was more than happy.

Training and combat complement each other to master a new power quickly.

Just like Z-Moves.

Using them requires perfect timing—unless you blast off the moment you enter, you rarely get another chance to strike a pose or Swords Dance for one.

After settling the arena borrowing matter,

Kibana also asked about Regigigas.

He had been forced to withdraw mid-battle and only saw the aftermath on his phone; upon learning the strange Pokémon inside the golden coffin was Regigigas, he immediately recalled All All Baimu's earlier inquiries about the treasure vault.

Kibana: 'You knew the coffin contained Regigigas all along?'

All All Baimu: "Not at all. I was just guessing. You might not believe it, but I have a mystical connection with it—that's why I came to Quanguan City and casually joined the Battle Festival."

Kibana: '…'

The black guy was stunned.

He couldn't tell if All All Baimu was joking.

But in the end, Kibana accepted the explanation—All All Baimu hadn't stolen the coffin, nor had he livestreamed to fool the world.

How could someone who set up a conspiracy remain behind after succeeding—and even come to borrow an arena for Gigantamax training?

Kibana then asked: 'May I ask why you're seeking Regigigas? Do you want it as an ally?'

All All Baimu: 'I want it to start a tree-planting project. My hometown's environment is terrible. Humans can manage with technology, but wild Pokémon simply can't survive. I want it to create a suitable habitat for them.'

Kibana: 'You… are truly great.'

All All Baimu: 'I'm not the great one. I'm just honoring a promise I must keep.'

After typing.

He put down his phone. Regigigas had just finished eating the last Vampiric Bite of its vegetable roll.

'Minister, how many more days must I remain here?'

'About three or four days, Your Majesty. I know you wish to find your beloved steeds, but locating them requires extensive preparation. After such a long separation, have you decided where to begin?'

All All Baimu asked calmly.

Regigigas hesitated: 'I… I could lure them with food they love!'

It stared at the empty plate, struck by a sudden idea.

Yes.

It remembered its steeds loved a certain crunchy food.

With the believer's abilities, such food could surely be found and processed like this—enough to make the steeds obey it again!

Regigigas turned to All All Baimu, eyes gleaming: 'Minister! My steeds love to eat…'

'Your Majesty, your description is too vague. Why don't we visit the vegetable market tomorrow? The variety there will satisfy you—surely we'll find the food you seek.'

All All Baimu knew exactly what Spiritomb and Snowbelle needed, but he had no intention of saying so outright.

After all, taking Pokémon out for walks boosts affection!

'…'

Regigigas grew increasingly certain All All Baimu lacked genuine reverence for it.

In the past,

it merely had to state a desire—and its followers would rush to fulfill it, without needing to lift a claw.

Superficial devotion!

Sigh. Superficial devotion!

Considering this man was its only believer, beloved guard, source of delicious food, and current protector,

it endured.

One day soon—

Regigigas was about to mutter a threat in its mind, but realized it had no idea how to punish All All Baimu after regaining its power.

It had never harmed its own believers—only ever shown its fangs to enemies.

So,

after much thought, it decided that once restored, it would earn All All Baimu's sincere cry of "Your Majesty" through deeds—not as some playful nickname.

Time shifted to the next day.

All All Baimu brought Regigigas to the vegetable market.

But barely two minutes inside, the King of Abundance tugged at his sleeve, unable to bear it.

'M-Minister, I wish to rest.'

The reason: many had never seen it—some peered silently, others took photos, and some even approached to ask what Pokémon it was.

In Regigigas's era, this was utterly incomprehensible.

Back then, humans and Pokémon were separated by a barrier; only a few broke through to gain Pokémon's aid.

Nothing like now, where people's eyes lit up green at the sight of a Pokémon.

"Your Majesty must learn to accept the new age. With me here, no one will harm you." All All Baimu picked out carrots—Regigigas's original form was a Crowned Deer and rabbit, so naturally it loved carrots.

He said: 'Don't forget our purpose here, Your Majesty, while worrying about others' stares.'

'…'

Regigigas sighed helplessly, forcing its attention back to the vegetables.

Soon,

it spotted its target.

'Minister! This one!'

Regigigas stood before a stall selling round radishes, studied them closely, then shook its head: 'Just similar in shape—probably the same species!'

The radishes Spiritomb and Snowbelle loved must grow only in the Crowned Snowfield.

One land nourishes its own.

Horses are no exception.