Chapter 191

Champion Dawu didn't dwell long on Bonsly's ability to surf.

Anything is possible.

Who says an inland area without water can't learn to surf?

More important than dwelling on those things is leaving this dangerous place.

Fortunately.

They were already close to the ground, no more than a hundred meters up, and with the help of Psyduck and Hypno, escaping was effortless.

Thus, though the water surged quickly, almost no one except Bonsly got wet.

Not long after.

Baimu and Champion Dawu stood on higher ground, beside them Psyduck brushing dust off its body, Cacnea and Bonsly staring in awe, and Hypno lost in thought.

They looked down at the water gurgling up below, each expression different.

The former thought the water would widen the cave entrance, but soon found the flow had dwindled, as if the underground river had run dry.

Some of the water seeped into the earth, while the rest evaporated rapidly under the sun's scorching heat.

This damn weather.

Baimu frowned slightly, feeling it was also important to make the southern region of Oure lush and green, to improve the climate—this relentless sun would surely kill countless fragile plants.

Speaking of which, one interesting thing about the Pokémon world is that a single region contains all kinds of climates, like deserts or icy wastelands.

Champion Dawu walked to the cave entrance and glanced at the dark opening.

"Maybe we hit a tributary, or a shallow aquifer."

"Hmm."

Baimu replied, turning to Bonsly, "Now we have water. The first condition is barely met. What about the ore?"

"As for ore, I think it's already sensed it."

Champion Dawu chimed in with a smile, "You might not have noticed, but at our previous spot, the soil already contained many small particles. Deeper excavation might reveal the presence of that ore vein."

Bonsly nodded rapidly, like pounding garlic.

"So you're very satisfied with this place…"

Baimu could see clearly that Bonsly had fallen in love with this mountain range—even if it hadn't found water or ore, it would've found an excuse.

But this is a mountain range!

He felt a headache coming, hoping Master Liu Ge and the others wouldn't react too strongly.

Seeing the trainer's utterly helpless expression, Bonsly knew it had been granted permission, and immediately began sprinting joyfully across the mountain slopes.

Psyduck had been indifferent before, but seeing Bonsly ecstatic, it couldn't help feeling envious.

"Kichido!"

"... Planting trees is troublesome. Tilling the soil is even worse. Isn't it more comfortable sitting on a chair sipping afternoon tea than enduring this blazing sun?" Baimu crouched down in time to dissuade Psyduck from such naive thoughts.

Maintaining the natural environment of a mountain range is actually quite troublesome.

Psyduck imagined Bonsly watering under the scorching sun, and its earlier emotions vanished instantly. "Kichido."

It held up two fingers to Baimu.

The latter snapped off one finger. "You can't eat that much."

"Kichido!"

Psyduck puffed out its cheeks but relented—one cake was better than none.

On the slope, the excited Bonsly soon vanished beyond sight—it had already scrambled to another area, clearly planning to patrol its new territory.

To prevent this thing from expanding its territory by several more miles, and to define its boundaries, Baimu released Steelix.

"Roar!"

Steelix landed, glanced around, then fixed its glowing eyes on the trainer.

You want me to help dig tunnels?

"Ahem. I need you to give me a lift." Baimu coughed, waving for it to lower its head.

Fine.

Flying? I like that.

Steelix lowered its massive head, letting the trainer step onto it.

Baimu had intended to invite Champion Dawu along, but turned to see he had already recalled Hypno and switched to Shiny Metagross.

He said, "Want a ride?"

"Let's go."

Champion Dawu looked utterly bored.

So.

The two of them spent the entire afternoon flying back and forth across the endless mountains with Bonsly, marking out its territory.

It must be said that the vast unclaimed territory laid before Bonsly was like a massive lump of gold nuggets before a human—easy to dazzle, impossible to resist.

But fortunately, Baimu argued persuasively, preventing Bonsly's territory from expanding further.

"Sigh. I don't even know how to explain this to Master Liu Ge and the others."

He stared at the circle drawn on the electronic map.

"When we get the chance to buy it, we'll have an explanation," Champion Dawu said with a smile, his wealthy demeanor unmistakable.

Buy it…

Baimu, whose entire fortune totaled barely thirty million, hesitated—there really was such a thought in his mind.

—

Upon hearing Bonsly's choice, Master Liu Ge did not get angry; instead, he generously said:

"Then I'll leave this mountain range in your hands."

"Huh?"

Baimu blinked. "Me?"

"Yes. From now on, you're responsible for solving the natural environment issues in this region. Don't worry—I'll take care of contacting SiBi City for you."

Master Liu Ge smiled warmly.

Baimu: "... Isn't this a bit too frivolous?"

"Frivolous? Of course not. Improving the environmental governance of the Orei region is a challenge for us too. If you're willing to share the burden, we couldn't be happier."

Master Liu Ge seemed unaware of Shan Ren's plans.

Yet even so, his firm determination to offload this mountain range onto Baimu—no matter what—felt deeply strange.

It could only be said that the Orei region was in ruins, with every aspect appearing crude and hasty.

Since his dream had come true, Bonsly had gone mad, begging Baimu every day to visit the mountain range. Had the Underground City not closed along with the plant shops, it likely would have bought out every tree inside and planted them all on its own mountain.

What a pity.

Even the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice.

First, there were no seeds. Second, there was no suitable soil to make them germinate. All these factors forced Bonsly to temporarily put the environmental transformation of the mountain range on hold.

Bonsly stared at Gaoshan, helpless, and for the first time realized the pain of having too much land.

"Roar~"

"Roaring won't help. We don't have money. If we did, we could transport plants from other regions—add N's Grass-type Pokémon, and we could easily turn this place green. But right now, we don't have a single coin."

"Rebirth: Fighting the Great Wave Era"

Baimu spread his hands.

In fact, if these thirty million were used wisely and planned properly, planting some drought-resistant plants might cover the entire mountain range. But clearly, Bonsly had specific demands regarding plant species.

Of course, there was another way: wait until Shan Ren became county mayor… ah, no, town mayor—and then apply for funding from him for greening projects.

Huang Tie Town and SiBi City were both flush with cash. Just the assets controlled by Elder Ejin, the miser, were enough to make anyone's jaw drop.

But when would Shan Ren become town mayor…?

Anyway, there was no rush now.

"Mountains don't run away. Take your time with it. Even if it takes seventy or eighty years!" Baimu tried to dissuade Bonsly from transplanting the two big trees from home to the mountain range.

This wasn't the World Tree—move it there and it would die within days.

Upon hearing this, Bonsly agreed. The mountain wasn't going anywhere. They could take their time.

The giant beast returned to his optimistic self.

Not long after, Champion Dawu chose to take his leave.

This champion, who had done immense service to Huang Tie Town, departed silently, leaving only one message for Baimu.

"I believe you'll leave Orei soon. I came in haste this time. When we meet again, I'll give you a gift. But don't get your hopes up—by then, you might no longer need it."

What did that mean? Was he planning to give me a Key Stone?

Baimu immediately asked: "Where should I find you? Getten Corporation?"

"No need."

Champion Dawu chuckled. "We'll meet again if fate allows. I love traveling—searching for rare stones, admiring this beautiful world. Perhaps along your journey, we'll cross paths once more."

With that,

the Hoenn Champion drove away.

"Goodbye."

He waved back, and his mood gradually steadied.

He strangely felt Champion Dawu had given him a huge empty promise… but unlike Cang Zhi Lang, the man simply admired him—never belittled him, praised him endlessly.

Key Stones… in the anime world, they're so common that even random NPCs carry a few; yet they're not so common that every Trainer has one.

Even if he didn't get one from Dawu, Baimu still had chances to obtain Key Stones—or even Mega Stones.

"Traveling… it's time to prepare for departure."

He turned back, gazing at Huang Tie Town, now brimming with vitality. A faint pang of reluctance stirred in his heart—but more than that, he felt a deep longing for the outside world.