Chapter 198

Choosing a new Pokémon must take the current team's overall composition into account.

From a game perspective, the current team includes two slow physical tanks, one slow special tank, one developing slow physical attacker, and one developing medium-speed special attacker.

Combined with the team's type matchup gaps, acquiring a fast or extreme-slow special attacker capable of creating space is crucial, with Grass, Ghost, Psychic, and Fairy types being top priorities.

But realistically, given the absurd attack frequency in anime high-level battles and the exaggerated move power that randomly strikes you out of nowhere, when you realize there aren't many opportunities to switch, you must ensure this Pokémon can either switch out or hold its ground.

Choosing becomes complicated.

Baimu agonized for a long time but couldn't pick a suitable Pokémon; worse, the Pokémon clues were entirely random—once you settled on one, it might not meet your needs.

If a Pokémon appeared that contradicted your plan, would you take it or not?

The clues wouldn't force him to catch that specific Pokémon, but they always carried a sense of fate, tormenting him deeply.

"Choose between Ghost and Psychic."

After much thought, Baimu suddenly realized he had more to consider.

Such as various challenges he might face while traveling, leading him to conclude that Pokémon of these two types were vital.

Ghost types guarantee he won't be haunted during outdoor camping, constantly safeguarding his safety; Psychic types, due to greatly enhanced mental power, become universally useful—whether facing danger or villains, they prove exceptionally effective…

It must be Ghost.

He suddenly made up his mind, primarily because Ghost types are numerous and can mostly learn Psychic-type moves, possessing mental strength comparable to Psychic Pokémon.

As for defending against real ghosts—that's just a bonus effect, something Baimu barely noticed, an extra, yeah, totally real.

Use the newly acquired clue.

The next moment.

The clue appeared clearly before Baimu's eyes—

【You must board the Goddess Mnase cruise ship before 3 PM tomorrow to participate in the Fishing Tournament】

Goddess Mnase? Fishing Tournament?

Baimu blinked, opened his phone to search the name, and quickly learned the Goddess Mnase was a luxury cruise ship owned by a wealthy individual from Hoenn, ranking fourth globally in size with a passenger capacity exceeding ten thousand.

He didn't know the passenger capacity of the previous life's super cruise ships, but just looking at the phone images was enough to grasp how terrifying it was.

Further checking revealed the Goddess Mnase was currently anchored off the coast near the Orre region, and tickets were available online.

Could this be a scam?

Baimu hesitated, then decided to ask Shan Ren, the rich guy who'd traveled before.

"The Goddess Mnase near Orre? You're incredibly lucky—these super cruise ships attract tons of Trainers, and you can encounter Pokémon from all over the world aboard. Let me check the tickets for you…"

Shan Ren chattered nonstop on the other end; Baimu had no chance to reply.

Not long after.

"Done—I bought you a world-pass ticket. You can disembark anywhere you like. When you reach Qinggang Harbor, call this number—someone will pick you up no matter how late it is."

Shan Ren kept rambling, "Hey, remember this…"

Baimu quickly jotted down the string of numbers, then asked, "How do I transfer the money to you?"

"The organization will reimburse you!"

"Huh?"

"Just kidding. This ticket is my little gift celebrating your journey into the future. But seriously—have you considered winning a Grand Championship? Then your future Pokémon training expenses could be covered by Rainbow Team, and no one would dare say a word."

"Grand Championship… I've thought about it, I'll try my best—I won't make any promises."

"By the way, where's your first stop?"

"Hoenn."

Baimu replied without hesitation: "I chatted with Ryujin on Pokémon Comm; he said after Latios gained freedom, it flew toward Hoenn."

—

In the anime world, Latios is not unique.

Even ignoring the parallel-world movie versions, this holds true.

The sea god Latios of the Orange Islands, the mother-and-child Latios of the Whirl Islands, and the Latios that once appeared at the port of Celadon City, carrying Ash on his adventure.

The extremely high repetition makes tracking that Dark Latios difficult, but there's still a chance to encounter it.

Baimu had searched for Latios sighting reports; after filtering out obviously fake images and messages, he found one report from Hoenn.

The poster was a diver who, while cleaning ocean debris with a Gyarados, saw a massive dark shadow drift past a crevice—he first thought it was a Whiscash, then noticed its silvery surface.

He also attached a video recorded by his helmet camera.

Clearly visible was a hazy giant form gliding through the dark ocean floor, along with a fleeting flash of silver light.

Therefore, whether to follow Champion Dawu's footsteps or to wait at Meteor Falls for his origins to be revealed, a trip to Hoenn was essential.

Night.

After fourteen hours of travel, the journey finally ended.

Baimu had previously booked a hotel, but it might now be useless; he asked the slightly sleepy Tairy, "What are you planning to do next? If you don't have a place to stay…"

"Don't worry about me—I'm here to find someone."

Tairy waved his hand.

Baimu couldn't help but be curious, "Find someone?"

"Yes, Lady Ayana's father—he was originally an official in Huang Tie Town, retired and moved to Qinggang Harbor to live in seclusion. I came here specifically to find him."

Tairy yawned.

"With eyes like that, you're barely awake—go sleep first," he said, fearing this woman might crash her vehicle mid-journey, and forcibly persuaded her to rest.

Once he heard her thunderous snoring, Baimu called the number Shan Ren gave him.

"Hello?"

"Is this Mr. Baimu?"

The other party seemed to have been waiting for him all along, seeing through his identity in a single sentence, "You've already arrived at Qinggang? May I ask where you are, so we can come pick you up."

"I'm at…"

Baimu was somewhat surprised by the other party's warmth. After reporting his location, within five minutes he saw a hovering sedan driving toward him.

Once he got in, he learned that this car was the one the Eros Milotic specially used to pick up premium members.

Hearing this, how could Baimu not know that Shanren had used his money power.

A local big spender is just different.

He sighed for no reason, recalling the thirty million in his card and feeling utterly miserable about it—he had to find a way to make money. At the very least, he needed to secure financial freedom, so he could train his little spirits without any worries.

*Against the Gods*