Chapter 344: Boundary Breakthrough (Mega Chapter!)

The evolution of Happiny rendered the Evolution Stone useless.

The considerate one, knowing that continuing to hold onto this thing would be a waste, handed the Evolution Stone over to Porygon without All Baimu knowing.

"Happy!"

"Pory...?"

Looking at Happiny's earnest expression and the gray stone in its hand, Porygon—who understood the Evolution Stone's effect—inexplicably felt a sense of inheritance.

An inheritance from a respectable and adorable senior.

"Pory!"

I will definitely make good use of it!

Porygon, who already deeply respected Happiny, felt a surge of emotion for a moment, and its level of trust in it rose once again, reaching a degree that would make All Baimu jealous.

By the time All Baimu noticed the Evolution Stone had changed hands, it was already time to send Porygon into battle.

The unexpectedly exceeded carrying capacity quickly made him think of the Evolution Stone, and turning to ask Happiny confirmed it. But this fellow really has gotten bold—before, when asked like this, it would one hundred percent lower its head to look at the ground, then rub and rub its little hands together nonstop.

Yet now it dared to meet his gaze.

Though its little hands were still rubbing.

All Baimu was partly caught between laughter and tears, and partly deeply moved. How could he not know that Happiny especially treasured the Evolution Stone he had given, considering it a gift from the trainer, a sign of being highly valued, and would often take it out to polish it during free time.

But upon learning that handing it to Porygon would maximize its usefulness, Happiny unhesitatingly passed it over to Porygon, without even discussing it with him.

Perhaps thinking he wouldn't agree?

"You little rascal..." All Baimu stroked Happiny's fluffy, curled pink hair, and did not ask for the Evolution Stone back from Porygon, instead buying a new one.

Because he knew this was Happiny's own decision, and as a trainer he had to respect his Pokémon's own choices.

From the very beginning.

He had told Happiny to do what it believed was right, and that even a trainer shouldn't interfere casually.

So that afternoon, he went to the department store and bought various colors of yarn and two long needles, and according to the method in his memory, knitted out a nurse cap.

"This is a gift to celebrate your new life."

All Baimu placed the nurse cap on Happiny's head, watching the latter's expression of disbelief and full-faced joy, and said: "Although I can't make you a Pokémon Nurse, a little disguise is still possible... Hmm, it actually looks quite the part!"

"Happy!"

Happiny held the hat on its head, looked at its reflection in the mirror, and was so moved that it threw itself into his arms.

It had never expected the trainer to give it such a big surprise!

A nurse cap knitted by hand.

"Happy~~"

Happiny was reluctant to even wear it, afraid it would get dirty or damaged, and carefully held it in its arms, happily sniffing the familiar scent on it.

Meanwhile.

All Baimu was undergoing "harsh interrogation" from the Pokémon led by Mawile.

Missing Happiny's evolution had already made some of the Pokémon who also valued this companion unhappy, and now the trainer had even knitted a hat for it alone?

Then there was nothing more to say—

I! Want! One! Too!

"Heyu!" "Heyu!"

"Chido!"

"... Pa, Pory?"

"Bo~"

"Gu roar! Gu roar!"

The group of Pokémon suddenly turned to look at Aggron, as if to say why did you shout twice?

Aggron puffed out its chest with full confidence, "Gu roar!"

I was shouting on behalf of Steelix!

The Galarian Luvdisc on the bedside slightly opened its eyes then quickly closed them again; it had never been interested in such matters.

Anyway, what should be there will be there; what's not there won't be obtained by fighting for it.

Galarian Luvdisc had long seen through the worldly affairs.

"You guys..." All Baimu speechlessly held his forehead. Fortunately, he had foreseen this situation long ago, so he had bought a particularly large amount of yarn.

But considering the size issue—besides short scarves and hats, don't even think about other styles.

"You should be thankful that Hoenn's winter probably won't be too cold either." He patted the Double-headed Tyrant's skull, thinking that if it were a region like Sinnoh, the winter would probably be very cold, right?

Double-headed Tyrant was a little puzzled; a child of over a hundred jin did not yet know the taste of cold.

And speaking of the impact after Happiny's evolution.

Besides personality, there was also the issue of size.

Because both width and height had increased, the already not-so-spacious space became even narrower, especially when three Pokémon and one person had to squeeze onto one bed.

Fortunately, Galarian Luvdisc was small enough, which was quite comforting.

But for the harmony of the night, so as not to fall off the bed when turning over.

All Baimu made a bold decision—

To sleep diagonally.

Like a tangram, he found a good method for the residents on the bed that wouldn't cause them to fall off when turning over.

Then the next day, he quickly switched to a room with a double bed.

Successfully resolved the important crisis around him...

Probably?

God knows how big the Two-Headed Tyrant could grow after evolving — its current size is already absurd, far exceeding the average shown in the Pokédex.

He didn't dare imagine how large it could get after evolution.

He only hoped it wouldn't collapse the bed.

—

On the third afternoon after Blissey swept away the gloom and evolved, All Baimu finally got another round of simulator opportunity.

This was the fourth time since the last simulation with the Fragrance Sister.

In theory, a blue talent should appear.

He was somewhat expectant — if, like that time with the Calligrapher, he didn't run into any particularly tough opponents and lucked his way to the tournament championship, then the Two-Headed Tyrant wouldn't be far from evolution.

After all, the champion's level reward is level five!

Double blue talent, double blue talent~

All Baimu rubbed his hands together and called Blissey over again to add a bit of luck to his upcoming talent draw.

Although it wouldn't go "lucky~lucky~," "happy~happy~" was still extremely nice.

Simulator open.

【Choose Your Birth Region ▽】

The first four generations of regions had already cycled through once, which made him silently settle on Unova.

He clicked on gender.

The Fragrance Sister was female; this time it was male… Speaking of which, what's Unova's most distinctive profession? A star? After all, Pokéwood is right there in Unova.

There's a huge movie studio there. Caitlin is certainly a super star of the Kalos region, but if you're talking about a place that can produce more film and television superstars, you have to look at Unova's Pokéwood.

All Baimu clicked on Pokémon with great enthusiasm, then froze.

Jigglypuff?

He still remembered that the Minun that had brought him his first bountiful harvest had a Jigglypuff; he hadn't expected to run into it again as the default Pokémon for this simulation.

Hopefully it would bring him good luck!

All Baimu took a deep breath and lightly tapped his right hand in the void.

A string of talents suddenly appeared.

Fixed Talent:

【☆ Heart-to-Heart (Bond with Pokémon is extremely deep)】

Selectable Talents:

【Choose the Better (Will choose more outstanding Pokémon)】

【Poor Family Background (Burden in raising Pokémon)】

【☆ Limit Break (Pokémon can occasionally burst forth)】

【Sturdy Body (Very healthy)】

"…WTF."

All Baimu fell into a certain silence.

A double blue talent actually appeared — he had only been thinking of setting himself an unrealistic g, who would have thought the dream would come true.

Is this reasonable?

With these few talents, there's no need to think — pick 3 and 4 with eyes closed. Then the three talents combined… Ash? Is that you, Unova Ash?

Too bad the starter Pokémon is Jigglypuff — if it were Pikachu… no wait, Unova Ash made the top eight, right?

He remembered using a baby team in the match and losing to old man Tobias. The latter was also a cheat — first sending out five Pokémon to battle, then at a critical moment letting Riolu evolve into Lucario to complete the comeback.

Thinking about it that way, he'd rather not simulate Ash.

All Baimu quickly selected 【Limit Break】 and 【Sturdy Body】, and clicked to start the simulation.

A light screen swiftly unfolded.

—

【Simulation Start】

In the crude pixel style, a gloomy underground music hall appeared before his eyes, with countless tiny figures waving glow sticks back and forth.

And on the deepest neon-lit stage.

A rather familiar white-haired tiny figure and several NPC tiny figures were holding a passionate rock concert.

"Homika?"

All Baimu blinked, recognizing at a glance that the white-haired tiny figure standing in the center was Homika, the Striaton City Gym Leader of the Unova region, who specialized in Poison-type Pokémon.

Could the simulation subject this time be a member of her band?

His gaze had just been about to fall on the only male on stage — the bald drummer — when he noticed the camera moving upward.

In the blink of an eye, the noisy stage and venue disappeared, replaced by a rest room that looked about the same as a warehouse. A blond tiny figure was stepping on a cardboard box, hugging a round Jigglypuff and trembling.

Hearts kept popping out of the blond tiny figure's head.

【At fourteen, you and Jigglypuff hid in the warehouse of Striaton Gym, secretly listening to idol Homika's songs. You desperately hoped you could be like her — become a powerful Gym Leader, and chase your own musical dream together with Jigglypuff】

Fourteen years old, huh…

All Baimu understood that this guy was probably the subject of this simulation.

A musician?

Let's call him a musician for now.

This one, like the Chef, had a goal he admired and a dream he wanted to realize, but was a year younger than the Chef, so it probably wouldn't be long before he set out on his journey.

Suddenly.

The warehouse door in the light screen was kicked open by someone, and a tiny figure who looked very fierce rushed in, grabbing the musician who was trying to escape with Jigglypuff.

【You were unfortunately caught red-handed by the people at the dojo. Even though you kept explaining that you weren't there to steal anything, the other party still wanted to drag you to the police station】

【You told him that you admired Homika and wanted to become someone like her, and that you wanted to be a musician too — you really weren't a thief. But all you got in return was a cold taunt: "Someone who picks locks like you deserves to play music?"】

【You had no strength to argue back against his words, fell to the depths of dejection, and gave up trying to defend yourself】

The musician and Jigglypuff in the footage went from struggling and arguing at the start to hanging their heads and no longer resisting later on, with ellipses constantly popping up above their heads — they looked utterly pitiful.

However.

Just as that person was leading the musician out of the dojo, a pixel-art little man with an uncle's appearance suddenly appeared beside them.

The uncle said something to that person, and the musician and Jigglypuff were immediately set free.

【You sensed someone speaking up for you, looked up, and discovered it was Homika's father — a very famous captain of Castelia City, and also, if the rumors were true, a rather well-known actor】

Ah, that's the captain from the game who takes people to Flycloud City!

All Baimu vaguely remembered who this person was.

Then he saw the uncle start having a heart-to-heart with the musician. The latter's emotions gradually shifted from the initial dejection to excitement, with touched expressions constantly popping up on his forehead.

【You learned from Homika's father that pursuing a dream is not wrong — what's wrong is only the way you pursue it. And if you truly want to realize your dream, don't let other people's words influence you】

【You heard Homika's father say that when he first became an actor, he was laughed at by many people while filming. Although his daughter often comforted him, she didn't really support him continuing either. However, he didn't lose heart and kept bravely chasing his dream. Now he's appeared in several hugely famous blockbusters and become a rather outstanding actor】

【You looked at him in admiration, envious that Homika's father had been able to realize his dream】

The scene shifted.

The uncle and the musician arrived at a dim warehouse. The former rummaged through the clutter and eventually fished out a guitar case.

【You received Homika's old, discarded guitar from her father. The latter expressed his support for your dream and told you that when it's time to set out, you should set out — broaden your horizons, the facing world is vast】

The musician excitedly held the old guitar and kept nodding at Homika's father. Nothing could get the blood pumping more than getting an idol's belonging.

He wished he could play a tune on the spot.

Unfortunately, because the old guitar hadn't been maintained for a long time, its strings had unfortunately rusted over, making it completely impossible to play in this condition.

【You expressed your gratitude to Homika's father, bowed, and left with the old guitar and Jigglypuff】

Watching up to this point, All Baimu wondered whether the musician actually had any foundation in music theory. The simulation had been running for quite a while now, and he hadn't seen the musician perform once.

Not even humming a little tune.

Could it be that everything starts from zero?

His gaze followed the musician sprinting down the street, with Jigglypuff bouncing like a ball while keeping pace with the latter. He wondered whether, in that case, the development period would be too long — could a single year satisfy the need to make a name like the chef did?

While All Baimu was doubting.

The musician suddenly rushed into a luxurious house and pushed open the door to a room.

In an instant.

A dazzling array of instruments immediately came into All Baimu's view.

From classical music's harp, violin, and grand piano, to pop music's electronic keyboard, electric guitar, and drum kit — everything was there. The walls were hung with tubas and trumpets, the corners held a sousaphone and a cello, and there was even a triangle!

"Goodness!"

He stared at everything in the footage in shock. If the other party weren't in some kind of private space, he would seriously suspect the musician's family ran an instrument shop.

The next moment.

All Baimu stood straight up from the sofa, drawing curious glances from the Pokémon all around him.

But he paid no attention to them, only staring fixedly at the musician in the light screen — who, after carefully setting Homika's guitar down on the floor, had run to the piano and was playing wildly.

The simulator had no sound.

For a long time now, All Baimu, who had been watching a silent play, had long since accepted this as fact.

But at this very moment.

A pleasant piano melody rang in his ears, and as Jigglypuff hopped onto a high platform and sang passionately into the microphone, a beautiful singing voice also reached him.

【You couldn't hold back your emotions and played wildly, wanting only to use music to express what you were feeling at this moment】

"Is someone playing music?"

All Baimu asked the Pokémon beside him.

From their startled, uncertain expressions and the slow shaking of their heads, it was clear — the piano melody was coming from the simulator itself—

The sound card's been turned on!

Did this thing finally upgrade its system and bring him a new feature?!

Much as he wanted to tell himself that, All Baimu knew perfectly well that wasn't the case. The simulator had simply transmitted the musician's piano piece and Jigglypuff's singing to his ears, that was all.

And in the footage, countless notes and sheet music materialized, leaping out of the piano and swirling around the musician and Jigglypuff.

A classical music player… worshipping a pop-rock musician?

All Baimu's expression turned a little odd, and he then discovered the musician wasn't limited to just one instrument. After finishing the piano, the latter quickly moved to the harp, then ran over to the violin and the cello.

After trying nearly every instrument in the room, the musician lay on the floor gasping for breath, and Jigglypuff was equally exhausted, panting hard — its extremely stretchy body going big-small-big-small.

"This guy… damn, a musical prodigy? Does he have perfect pitch?"

All Baimu couldn't help muttering.

After all that fuss, another unrecognized talent just like the chef.

Unfortunately, his own sense of appreciation wasn't refined enough to tell whether the pleasant melody just now was truly the musician's original composition, nor could he determine whether the musician merely dabbled in many instruments or was genuinely proficient in all of them.

He watched the musician skillfully repairing Homika's old guitar, transforming it from its original worn-out appearance into something brand-new, and felt the latter possibility was more likely—

Perhaps such an existence couldn't have existed in a previous life, but in the world of Pokémon, anything was possible.

【You looked at the refurbished guitar before you and resolved to set out on a journey. You would ascend the pinnacle stage of Unova Trainers, the "Higaki Conference," together with Jigglypuff, and perform your songs there to realize your musical dream】

【You chose this old guitar from among the many instruments, because you knew that your story would truly begin from this moment】

Hmm?

Realizing a musical dream at the League Conference? How would that even work?

All Baimu was puzzled, not quite understanding whether the Musician actually wanted to participate in the Cypress Wall Conference, or was going to provide the accompaniment for its opening and closing pieces.

Could it be that he planned to play the guitar while commanding his Pokémon to attack?

That would be pointless too — the venue would be so noisy, could he possibly play a sound-wave attack on his guitar and make the audience listen to his performance?

At most, he could only be like Shoji.

All Baimu recalled that in the anime's Diamond & Pearl arc, there was a Pokémon bard who was a rival to both Ash and Dawn, having participated in both the League Conference and the Pokémon Contest, carrying a harp and traveling the world with a host of Pokémon.

Unfortunately, he only made it to the Top 64, because he lost to Ash, who was in peak condition at the time. Diamond & Pearl was also the last conference where the latter called back his former companions to compete — Shoji really had no cause for complaint about his loss.

He watched the Musician's appearance as he carried his guitar case and backpack, with Jigglypuff in tow.

Associating it with the real-world country that Unova was based on, he suspected this guy was about to pioneer "country music" within pop music. Speaking of which, did the Pokémon world even have country music…

All Baimu had just been about to search for it when his hand froze in place.

If the Musician really did pioneer country music, then searching now would definitely turn something up.

Forget it.

He'd better keep watching the simulator content.

In the footage.

The Musician left Tsuwai Town with Jigglypuff and arrived at Route 20.

【You decide to set your first goal on the easternmost Cypress Fan City, where you will obtain your first Gym Badge】

If All Baimu remembered correctly, the Gym Leader of the Cypress Fan Gym was the main rival from the Black & White versions — Black Lotus, who had also appeared in the anime, and by the time he showed up, he was already a teacher at the Cypress Fan City Academy and the Gym Leader.

His combat power should be quite strong.

As he pondered, music and singing once again drifted from the simulator.

He looked over and saw the Musician holding his guitar and singing along with Jigglypuff, the two of them walking along the forest path in high spirits, as if they were out on a picnic.

【You arrive in a secluded jungle, where the beautiful sight of sunlight filtering through the leaves onto the ground stirs your heart, and you immediately begin to play your guitar. Your joyful and pleasant singing quickly draws many wild Pokémon to gather and watch】

【You do not feel panicked, and even wave to them in a friendly manner, continuing to sing】

From All Baimu's impression, the Musician and Jigglypuff really did sing well — although he couldn't make out what kind of melody it was, he could hear a sense of joy in the singing.

Even he, separated by a screen, felt this way, let alone the wild Pokémon who were actually there.

Almost all the wild Pokémon, upon hearing this singing, would show happy smiles, and quite a few even tried to make their own sounds, as if attempting to join in the performance.

Seeing this, the Musician simply stopped, sat down on a large rock, and continued singing.

Unfortunately.

There were also those who did not like this singing.

Just as the wild Pokémon were either listening intently or taking part, an enraged Scolipede charged out and violently drove the other wild Pokémon away.

The Musician and Jigglypuff did not panic, maintaining their own rhythm as countless notes leapt out and circled around the Scolipede.

Then.

The Scolipede actually lay down on the ground and fell asleep.

"So he really does fight by singing! Giligili eye?" All Baimu couldn't help but quip at the sight.