Chapter 186

Huang Tie Town had not seen rain in a long time.

Undoubtedly, this was the work of the Dragon Tamer squad.

They dispersed the acidic substances hovering above Huang Tie Town to uninhabited wastelands and summoned clean rain clouds to wash over the land, now resembling ruins.

The heavy rain slowly extinguished the fires that had broken out everywhere and revived hope in the hearts of Huang Tie Town's civilians.

The trainers held in high esteem by the civilians would never do such things, for these people only cared for themselves and only stepped in to fill their own losses when their interests were harmed.

But the Rescue Organization was different.

Its members came not only from among them, but were not all tall, strong men or women—even the short or physically weak were members of the Rescue Organization.

Once-bustling underground mines and former thriving underground cities had all been shut down; even gambling dens and entertainment shops on the surface were not spared.

The smelting plants and mines, which once demanded at least sixteen hours of work per day, now operated for only eight hours, and wages had not dropped—they had risen.

They no longer needed to pay exorbitant tribute or "taxes"; the new taxes were laughably low compared to before.

Moreover, the Rescue Organization would help rebuild collapsed homes at extremely low prices, provide free medical treatment, rescue their families buried under rubble… even compel former powerholders to build houses for them.

What delighted them even more was that Pokémon, once unimaginably distant, were now appearing beside them, helping them just as humans did.

Of course.

Most importantly of all, they could finally eat their fill.

They could reclaim what rightfully belonged to them.

What had once been the exclusive privilege of the powerful—the seizing of land from the rich and its redistribution—was now theirs to claim.

But not everything went smoothly.

For the civilians, the Rescue Organization's demand that everyone learn to read was simply too much to ask.

Reading was not, they initially believed, a necessary survival skill—but as every job offered by the Rescue Organization now required literacy, their view changed.

For instance, they were required to track precisely how many characters they had learned after just a few days of lessons, forcing them to struggle through learning strange, unfamiliar shapes.

So they wouldn't lose the coveted job opportunities.

Under the cleansing rain, Huang Tie Town had been reborn with fresh vitality.

But at this moment.

Baimu was enduring an extremely awkward scene.

The wooden sign he had made was being studied by a group of people in cloaks, while Awu bounced around beside him, interjecting with jokes and opinions, making it hard for Baimu to focus on his conversation with Champion Dawu.

"Looks like I didn't pick a good time."

Dawu didn't mind Baimu's frequent distraction—it was merely post-meal small talk—and chuckled: "Still, thank you for your thoughtful hospitality."

To welcome these guests who had come from afar to lend aid,

Baimu temporarily bid farewell to the trainers and became a full-time chef, personally preparing an abundance of delicious dishes to repay them.

For Dawu and the others, eating such delicious food after battle was enough to lift their spirits.

"No, no, no—compared to Champion Dawu's help, a single meal means nothing."

Baimu quickly waved his hands.

Shi Yuan Zhi had gone to rest after the meal; though still physically sturdy, forcing an elderly man to fight for so long was still a heavy burden.

But according to Shi Yuan Zhi's crew, the old man was less accustomed to prolonged time on land than to battle fatigue, and Huang Tie Town, being a barren inland with no seawater or vegetation, simply needed rest.

Baimu believed them.

"Alright, don't mind me—Huang Tie Town may be desolate, but the atmosphere of Pokémon and humans working together is truly wonderful."

Dawu stood up, as if planning to take a walk. "Besides, I've heard this place produces all kinds of metals—do you have any precious stones I might seek? My collecting urge is driving me to explore the mines."

With that,

the Champion departed; his simple attire suggested he had planned this all along.

Baimu wanted to follow him but had to stay put, watching the Dracovish gnaw on his right hand while using his left to stroke its scales.

Because every time he tried to move away, Awu would suddenly shout, "Baimu, where are you going?"—causing all the Dragon Tamers to turn and stare.

Terrifying.

Back on the sofa, the Gulpin beside him was drinking black tea.

No one knew who had slipped these cans into the rescue supplies, but several had been dumped at Baimu's home by Shan Ren—

the giant beast had smelled the scent of dried plants and thought some idiot had brought his tree inside to burn, rushing in frantically—only to discover it was tea leaves.

Baimu tried brewing a few cups; almost no one would drink a second one, except Gulpin, who fell in love with its rich flavor and claimed it as his own, begging Baimu to brew it for him daily.

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This small request was no trouble for Baimu to fulfill.

"Sigh… I should've gone to find N."

N and his two sisters were still caring for Pokémon—tens of thousands had been rescued—and he was determined to find them proper homes, rather than keeping them locked in Poké Balls forever.

But given Huang Tie Town's current environment, housing Rock, Ground, Steel, Fire, and Grass-type Pokémon was barely tolerable; Ice, Bug, and Water-types found it hostile.

Moreover, Pokémon possessed complex, multiple types.

Establishing a Pokémon sanctuary with diverse environments was imperative.

Of course, such a project was enormous and couldn't be completed in a day or two; N knew well that even with Pokémon's help, building such a place alone was impossible, so he had actively encouraged Pokémon to assist Huang Tie Town's people.

In the future, the people of Huang Tie Town would repay the Pokémon.

As long as Shan Ren was around, Baimu believed the people of Huang Tie Town would never be ungrateful.

Baimu also blessed this man who had found his life's purpose, and firmly believed he would create a beautiful kingdom where Pokémon could thrive and rest in the Orre region.

As he pondered,

the Dragon Tamers drew closer.

One of them smiled and asked: "Where did you get this sign from?"

"Something my father left me."

Baimu had no idea whether these people had noticed the badge was newly made, but he bit the bullet and insisted someone had given it to him, and that he himself didn't know anything about it.

He couldn't exactly say he'd made it himself, could he? That would be even harder to explain.

"When your father gave you this thing, did he ever mention your grandfather or your ancestors?"

The man continued asking.

Baimu shook his head each time. "I was still very young back then, I really can't remember. Is there something wrong with this badge?"

The group of dragon tamers exchanged glances, then said: "We've found that this badge's history is at most no more than twenty years, but this style… is indeed from over a hundred years ago."

"—How much?"

He was stunned.

"A hundred years ago." Someone, thinking he hadn't heard clearly, said, "The People of the Dragon have always been accustomed to spreading their branches all over the world, so it's actually not that strange for someone to have come to the Ore Region…

"We've contacted people inside Meteor Falls to cross-check the genealogy, and indeed over a hundred years ago many dragon tamers left and never came back, so presumably your ancestor was among them. As for this badge, it's likely that after your father broke the old one, he had a new one made."

The group of dragon tamers burst out laughing.

How the hell did they manage to patch that together?!

Baimu was dumbfounded, not quite understanding why the other side was using the premise that he was a descendant of the People of the Dragon to deduce all this, and even patching up the loopholes themselves.

"So I can't be counted as a hundred-percent People of the Dragon, then?" he asked tentatively.

"Not at all. The People of the Dragon don't fuss over any of this blood-purity nonsense — as long as you're a descendant of the People of the Dragon, you can call yourself a dragon tamer or a Person of the Dragon."

An elder chuckled, looking at the single-headed dragon. "You've raised this single-headed dragon quite well — strong limbs, sturdy build, and the key thing is it can control the force of its bite. For a Dragon-type Pokémon, that's no easy feat."

"Indeed."

"This white hair… it's been dyed on, isn't it?"

"You only have one Dragon-type Pokémon, right? Remember to catch a few more — only then can you truly be called a dragon tamer!"

"If you don't mind, come find me at Meteor Falls sometime in the future. I still have a few Dragon-type Pokémon at home — I can entrust them to you to raise."

These people, one after another, completely cemented Baimu's bloodline and origins.

Baimu responded with an awkward laugh, his little heart thumping wildly, while Ah Wu beside him was still shouting, "Haxorus! How can a dragon tamer not raise a Haxorus! Look at these sharp big tusks, look at this powerful big tail — can any other Dragon-type Pokémon compare?"

"Good lad! I just love dragon tamers as wild as you! Let's have a match with my baby!"

Onlookers, hearing this, took out their Poké Balls one after another and released various Dragon-type Pokémon to compete.

Some even brought out Gyarados and Charizard to compare — the house was almost too small to hold them all.