Chapter 1067: Meeting Long Zhi Again

From Boro,

All Baimu learned more information.

For instance, the source of the war came from the Diamond Clan and the Pearl Clan, who worshipped the Almighty Sinnoh.

Because of their differences in faith, they incited war, and because they were powerful and unchecked, ordinary people like Boro who were caught in the crossfire had no choice but to flee their homes.

"Diamond Clan... Pearl Clan..."

All Baimu chewed on these two terms.

If he wasn't mistaken, they should be the predecessors of the Diamond and Pearl Clans, and the era he was currently in was even earlier than the storyline of *Pokémon Legends: Arceus*.

After all, *Legends: Arceus* was already close to the modern era, with many technological products.

Boro, however, knew nothing of things like electric wires or electric lights.

So, why had he traveled here, and how could he travel back?

Just as All Baimu was lost in thought, his gaze swept to a strange Pokémon sitting under the eaves outside the door, its two legs swinging casually with its back to him.

Boro seemed to notice, and after weighing his words, he said, "This is a beast I serve; I treat it as my... little daughter."

Little daughter?

So he was raising it like a daughter.

All Baimu wasn't surprised at all; he was more concerned with Boro's way of speaking.

Assuming this was near the ancient Hisui region, how could a refugee mountain dweller have such eloquence?

Given the education level of mainstream regions, was it really this exaggerated in ancient times?

Furthermore, an ordinary rural person had a clean face, with hair braided and groomed, neither messy nor chaotic, and even knew how to boil water to drink tea...

It was simply like an ancient commoner living in a period drama!

His intuition told him that Boro had some issues, and this strange Pokémon he had never seen before might be inextricably linked to the reason he had traveled here.

"..."

All Baimu feigned a sip of tea and asked, "Are there any villages or towns nearby?"

"Villages? Yes, yes! There is one at the foot of the mountain!"

Boro nodded repeatedly, but then hesitated and said, "It's just that the villagers there are extremely xenophobic; you must be careful."

"Thank you for the warning."

All Baimu nodded, then followed the path Boro pointed out toward the human settlement known as Kitakami Village.

And not long after he left,

Boro moved a wooden fence in the backyard, revealing a deep cave.

Deep within the cave, four eyes seemed to be shining brightly.

He stroked the Pokémon beside him and said, "We haven't been to the village in a long time... Do you want to go? Ogerpon."

"Ogerpon?"

Ogerpon raised its head, revealing a pair of eyes that resembled stars.

—

Traveling down the mountain path.

During the journey, All Baimu also encountered many wild Pokémon. When he approached with his presence suppressed, most chose to hide or flee.

It was evident that in places where ancient human activity was frequent, wild Pokémon would not be too ferocious.

"Need to prepare some things."

He collected some materials to make simple medicine and small explosives.

According to what Boro said, the local villagers of Kitakami Village were abnormally xenophobic. He had indeed made up the identity of a traveling merchant, but what if he were exposed?

Of course.

Boro's words couldn't be trusted entirely.

A refugee living alone in the wilderness far from human settlements, accompanied by a strange Pokémon, with extraordinary eloquence and lifestyle habits.

This wasn't the modern world where human civilization was fully constructed!

As for the saying that "harsh mountains and bad waters produce unruly people"...

It was as if he had come from some big city; could they be more vicious than the Orre region under the rule of Cipher?

It was a pity that resources in the mountains were scarce, and after working for half a day, he could only make some beggar-version explosives.

He almost got into a conflict with a group of wild Ariados because of this.

"Sigh... for the first time, I miss modern industry immensely."

He gnawed on a sweet Pecha Berry, beside him lay a fainted wild Ariados.

In the distance.

In the shadows obscured by the treetops.

Dense swarms of wild Ariados and Spinarak were filled with wariness and fear, watching their fallen companion, not daring to approach.

The reason was simple.

This human was too terrifying for spiders.

They had basically seen all the humans nearby, and none were as fierce as this one.

He wouldn't run even when driven away by them, and instead took the initiative to meet them head-on.

Moreover, he could pick up a stick or a rock and beat them until they fled in panic, and could easily dodge their venom and silk shots.

He was simply a monster in human skin!

"Thanks!"

All Baimu tossed the fruit pit and waved at the Ariados, carrying a small bag woven from various materials as he left.

The bag was woven from vines and spider silk, a skill derived from a simulation target known as a craftsman.

Many inconspicuous little skills were a huge help to him right now.

Walking down the small path.

Before long.

After rounding some bare, jagged mountain rocks, the narrow view suddenly opened up.

To the front left stood an ancient temple, and further away were vast fields busy with farming.

Influenced by his stealth skill, it wasn't until he was completely close that an elderly farmer discovered his presence.

"Old man—"

"Ugh! A ghost! A ghost!"

The old farmer fell into the field in fright, splattered with mud, and crawled backward in terror.

Seeing this, All Baimu silently restrained his aura and deactivated his stealth.

And the farmers nearby, hearing their companion's shouts, immediately gathered toward this side, holding various sticks and clubs.

"Where's the ghost? Where's the ghost? Let me see where the ghost is!"

"It must be those two from down the mountain again!"

"Grab your weapons!"

Accompanied by strange local dialects, All Baimu was soon surrounded by a group of people.

He said calmly, "I am a traveling merchant who unfortunately fell into misfortune and arrived at your precious land. Is this the hospitality of Kitakami Village, shouting and killing?"

The farmers held their clubs, looking at each other in confusion.

"Not a ghost?"

"So tall! And not those two from the mountain!"

"This bird-man is jabbering something... Ugh! He looks so fierce!"

"Call the village chief! Go call the village chief!"

They spoke one after another, sending a young man to call the village chief, while the rest continued to watch All Baimu vigilantly, while helping the old farmer up from the field.

Among them, an old farmer with white hair and beard said, "Hey! Where did you come from! What are you doing here in our place?"

"..."

All Baimu realized that the people opposite hadn't understood a word he had just said, so he described his encounter and identity in a slow, deliberate tone.

As for where he came from...

"Hoenn."

Hearing this term, the farmers were filled with confusion.

"Hoenn? Have you heard of it?"

"Never heard of it! I only know there's a big place to the south called Kanto?"

"It's Kanto, you idiot!"

"..."

All Baimu listened with black lines on his forehead, reminding them that it was a place even further south than Kanto.

At the same time.

The village chief of Kitakami Village was called over.

This was an old man who might only be about 1.4 meters tall. He squinted at the tall and sturdy All Baimu.

"This distinguished guest, where do you come from?"

"Greetings, Village Chief."

He performed an ancient ritual, which he had learned from a simulation target—an archaeologist—and repeated his self-introduction.

The old man returned the ritual, examining his attire, and said in a hoarse voice, "I dare not accept the title of 'Chief'; just call me 'Old Man'. The people of the countryside are unrefined in speech, so please forgive me, distinguished guest. May I ask if you are traveling alone?"

"What do you mean by that, Old Man?"

"At noon, a dragon carrying a youth came seeking help. We have settled them in a room; are they perhaps your companions?"

"A dragon?"

All Baimu was slightly startled, and immediately said, "Please take me to see them!"

The village chief gave a nod after scanning the crowd, and said, "Very well, please follow me, distinguished guest."

He was then led into the village.

Many children were peeking from the shadows along the way, but there weren't many Pokémon, which showed that before the invention of the Poké Ball, it was difficult for humans and Pokémon to form cooperative relationships.

In front of a small wooden house.

The two saw a massive orange-yellow figure.

The village chief said, "With this dragon guarding the youth, we dare not approach casually. Distinguished guest..."

Before he could finish, All Baimu had already excitedly stepped forward and shouted:

"Dragonite!"

"Oh?"

Dragonite slowly turned around, and when it saw the familiar All Baimu, it flew over excitedly, hugging him and crying out incessantly, "Oh oh!"

Seeing this scene, the village chief knew that this traveling merchant and the youth were in the same group.

A traveling merchant who could command a legendary dragon monster...

He squinted, feeling a sense of vigilance in his heart.

After all, All Baimu claimed to have been attacked by a ferocious monster, which was how he ended up in Kitakami Village.

What kind of monster could defeat a dragon?

There must be a hidden story!

Even if he took a step back, if such a powerful monster existed, wouldn't it be a disaster for Kitakami Village if they were led here?

While the village chief was pondering, All Baimu gave the village chief a firm response and entered the wooden house.

Inside the cramped space lay a simple straw mat, and Long Zhi was lying on it, unconscious.

All Baimu checked his condition.

"Hmm... it should just be a short-term unconsciousness caused by external force; there's no problem. I'll feed him some medicine."

He smiled, signaled Dragonite to be at ease, and took out some homemade herbal medicine to feed Long Zhi.

Then, he checked Long Zhi's belongings, and was speechless when he saw the remaining five Poké Balls and several empty ones.

They were both travelers, so why did Long Zhi come with equipment?

All Baimu walked out of the wooden house, and seeing the village chief still waiting, he said, "Thank you for your help, Old Man; I am deeply grateful!"

"Haha! It's nothing! You have come from afar, and you must be hungry, right? It just so happens that Kitakami Village will be holding a harvest festival in two days, and this is the time of harvest, so why not stay for a while? Let us treat you!"

The village chief laughed heartily, taking the initiative to treat him.

All Baimu didn't refuse; such a banquet was undoubtedly a great way to gather information.

At the village chief's house.

He saw a table of dishes with a very ancient atmosphere.

Many fruits and vegetables looked like modern ones, but the taste was completely different from modern times.

At the banquet were not only the village chief but also many influential figures in the village.

They had originally wondered why the village chief wanted them to accompany a mere traveling merchant, but upon seeing the real person, they realized that this was likely no ordinary merchant.

The dragon monster mentioned by the village chief later made them even more astonished.

At the banquet.

All Baimu found that while he was probing, the village chief was also beating around the bush, asking about his detailed background and encounter.

"... To tell you the truth, have you heard of the Sea Monster?"

"Sea Monster?"

"That's right. This monster is like a giant fish, several miles long, with wings that can fly. When it appears, it brings torrential rain! Flooding hundreds of miles! Turning flat land into a swamp!"

He used wine to draw the appearance of Kyogre on the table.

A group of people surrounded it, and their faces changed color as they looked at the lifelike Kyogre.

The village chief's hand holding the wine cup trembled slightly, "Does... does this monster come ashore?"

"Old Man, rest assured, the Sea Monster only ravages the sea and rarely comes ashore." All Baimu chuckled.

Then he described some strange tales, interspersing the figures of various legendary Pokémon, broadening the horizons of the Kitakami villagers present.

Naturally, the conversation turned to the northern continent.

"There is a god in the north, known as the Almighty Sinnoh, the master of all things..."

Just as All Baimu was speaking eloquently,

Someone opened their mouth and said, "Hey? Those two hairy people on the mountain, they seem to have come from the northern continent too, right?"

The lively banquet suddenly fell silent.

The village chief scolded angrily in the local dialect, "Why are you talking so much?"

All Baimu feigned curiosity and asked, "Hairy people? Are there also people from the northern continent here?"

"... Distinguished guest, you may not know, but last year, hairy people brought a strange person to this place, claiming to be lost. We found them very suspicious, so we drove them to the mountain."

The village chief spoke with the tone that it wasn't that they weren't friendly, but that Boro was the problem.

And in his words, xenophobia was more akin to racism.

Boro's high nose bridge, deep eye sockets, and thick, slightly curly hair were all once considered by them to be demons.

If it hadn't been for a little bit of communication, learning that he came from the northern continent, they would have long since beaten him up the mountain with clubs.

All Baimu was treated with hospitality mainly because their appearances were similar.

It had something to do with his temperament, eloquence, and Dragonite, but not that much.

"..."

He was speechless.

This kind of thing wasn't impossible to understand.

In ancient China, Russians and Europeans were called Rakshasas and Red-Haired Ghosts.

The Pokémon world certainly had more Pokémon, but in ancient times, it might not have been much stronger than the previous world...

"Distinguished guest, rest assured, how can those hairy people compare to you? Kitakami Village always welcomes outside guests."

Someone thought All Baimu's silence was worry and explained with a loud laugh.

Others followed suit.

Only the village chief looked at him with some contemplation.

At this moment.

Someone ran in from outside, shouting, "That youth is awake! That youth is awake!"

Hearing this, All Baimu immediately stood up and went outside. When he walked out the door, he found many young people and children hiding under the window eaves, and when they saw his gaze, they immediately pretended that nothing had happened.

He withdrew his gaze and walked quickly to the wooden house.

He saw the orange-yellow massive figure holding his head. Long Zhi, supported by Dragonite, was looking around in confusion, and only when he saw All Baimu did he regain his spirit.

"All Baimu! You're here too!"

"Long Zhi, are you okay?"

All Baimu supported him with concern, and said to Dragonite in a low voice, "Don't let strangers get close to us; drive them all away."

"Oh!"

Dragonite nodded and flapped its wings to drive away the Kitakami villagers who were approaching.

Seeing this scene, Long Zhi was puzzled, "All Baimu—"

"Don't speak yet; listen to me."

All Baimu slowly explained the current situation, and repeated what he didn't understand.

Long Zhi, who was gradually regaining his spirit, had a look of surprise.

Time travel?

It was even more exciting than when he fought Cipher to save his father.

It was just a pity that he didn't know why he was especially weak right now, even though such an interesting thing was happening, he couldn't feel happy at all.

And looking at him,

All Baimu was thinking about another thing, "How long have you been here? Why were you injured?"

"Ah? I don't know." Long Zhi said blankly, "I just remember a red Pokémon attacking me and Dragonite, and then throwing us down from somewhere..."

A red Pokémon?

It couldn't be Koraidon, could it!

(End of chapter)