Chapter 369

Due to Baimu's strong suggestion.

Zhenya released the Salamence he had just recalled.

"Kaa~"

Fine scales reflected a thin glimmer in the dim cave; the dragon hybrid with shark traits emitted a joyful low growl.

It was clear it was well adapted to this environment, likely even born in the Meteor Falls.

"See these two oval shapes? These are Salamence's sensory organs—they can easily detect disturbances no matter how far away."

Zhenya said with considerable pride: "The mere Team Rocket—"

"Stop! I already know Salamence is powerful—no need to say more." Baimu cut him off, noticing the Psyduck edging closer to his feet to stay away from Salamence's mouth.

"Eh!"

Zhenya's prepared speech was stifled in his throat.

He had intended to pitch Salamence to Baimu, but in the end, the other seemed more focused on Team Rocket—this made him slowly realize something.

Yet Zhenya still couldn't help but wonder, "Baimu, why does it feel like you're afraid of Team Rocket?"

"Not afraid. Respectful."

Baimu shook his head. "Objectively speaking, Team Rocket has persisted for so long in Johto and Kanto without being crushed by the League's prosecutors—this proves their power is immense and deeply hidden. They cannot be ignored."

"Moreover, what I truly fear is the technological power they control… that might sound vague to you."

He gave Psyduck a reassuring glance, stepped back, chose a higher, open spot, and took off his backpack loudly: "Have your Salamence use Dragon Claw on me—preferably target my clothes, since this is among the strongest protective garments currently available."

"What's a protective garment… hey? Wait! That's too dangerous!"

Zhenya froze, instinctively refusing without thinking.

"Don't worry—it's fine. Go ahead, let Salamence attack!" Baimu waved, earnestly saying: "Really, trust me!"

Zhenya muttered: "Even if you say that…"

"I just want to show you the results of technology. Do you believe Salamence's attack can't even break through this garment's defense?" he declared loudly.

"No way! That thin a garment?"

"Make it try!"

"But… alright, Salamence—use Dragon Claw!"

"Kaa…"

Salamence hesitated, glanced at its trainer, saw him nod and give a look, then lowered its body, extended its glowing emerald-green shark fin horizontally, and charged straight at Baimu!

As a supersonic Pokémon, its shark fin generates air blades during high-speed runs capable of slicing trees in half—so it dared not use full power now.

Even with reduced force, the impact remained terrifying.

Boom!

The shark fin struck Baimu squarely on the chest; the Dragon-type energy exploded, sending him flying backward!

Psyduck's figure vanished instantly, dashing toward where the trainer had been thrown—but halted mid-run, its tense face relaxing slightly.

Salamence stood frozen, expression strange—why did the move feel… off?

"Baimu!"

Zhenya shouted in panic, but then saw Baimu flip nimbly backward in a full rotation, his feet landing on the cave wall, then rolling forward to land, rising effortlessly to his feet.

"Huh~ Didn't use full power? Still, it should be clear enough."

Baimu stood up, brushed off the dust, revealing his garment without a single scratch, and smiled at the sulking Psyduck: "See? No harm done."

"Tch!" Psyduck turned its head away.

Baimu helplessly addressed Zhenya and Salamence, whose eyes nearly popped out in shock: "As you saw, Salamence's Dragon Claw didn't inflict much damage on me."

"Huh? Why? That's impossible!"

The young Dragon Tamer could hardly believe his eyes—Salamence's Dragon Claw could shatter rocks! How could it not even scratch a person, let alone fail to damage a single garment?

Zhenya rushed over, gripping Baimu's garment, turning it over and over: "Just this thin layer? Is this real?"

"Facts speak louder than words. This garment, called Lava Armor, greatly dampens the elemental energy and impact force I endure—the remaining force means nothing to me."

He took off the jacket and handed it over: "This is the power of technology. And Team Rocket's technological power is likely no weaker than this—possibly even superior."

Zhenya, holding the garment, had nothing to say.

Clearly, this exceeded his understanding. The rapid advancement of external technology was beyond the comprehension of the isolated Meteor Falls people—total seclusion only made them fall further behind the times.

In Baimu's view, Meteor Village could easily establish a Gym like Vermilion City, strengthening ties with the outside world.

Though the Dragon's Home remained aloof, at least it had the Mayor of Dragon City and a Gym Leader to protect it—and later, Iris, the Unova Champion.

But among the Meteor Falls people, there was no such figure of high standing in the outside world.

"In short, don't underestimate Team Rocket—even just their technology." Baimu patted Zhenya's shoulder solemnly.

Champion Dawu and Lei Gong might handle this, but who knows when Team Rocket will strike, or whether those two giants can arrive in time? Better safe than sorry.

Patrol resumed.

Zhenya quickly recovered from the shock of the Lava Armor and began showing Baimu every interesting spot in the Meteor Falls.

As they chatted, wild Pokémon occasionally passed by in force.

For instance, a few Hoothoots flew overhead, small Rockrugs rolled along the ground, and even herds of Pippi seemed unafraid of them.

"They mainly recognize this garment—they know we won't harm them."

Zhenya volunteered the explanation.

The traditional attire of the Meteor Falls people often bore a scale-like symbol, derived from Latios's markings—Team Aqua and Team Magma also adopted the patterns of Kyogre and Groudon as their emblems.

"What's that pattern on the Elder's shoulders, like seeds and teeth?" Baimu gestured around his neck.

Zhenya thought, then suddenly understood: "Ah! You mean the Inheritor's Cloak? That's an attire only the Inheritor may wear—the Champion Cloak of Hoenn was derived from it."

"Ah~"

He nodded to show he understood.

Soon, as they advanced, the previously babbling water sound grew louder; when they rounded a corner, a massive cave waterfall appeared before them.

Its scale far surpassed those smaller waterfalls they had seen earlier… or rather, this was what a true waterfall should be!

"Here we are! The Longmen Waterfall leading deeper!" Zhen Ya's voice carried a hint of excitement.

"Longmen Waterfall?"

"Yes, look closely at the waterfall."

Under Zhen Ya's guidance, Baimu gazed at the waterfall and immediately saw several brilliant red fish tumbling down from its height, while others flapped their tails and surged upward.

And in the swift, glowing blue river, countless Carp King swam back and forth.

"Whoa!"

Earlier in the river, there were many Mudkip, but here only Carp King remain?

And this behavior…

"The Carp King gather here to swim upstream toward the waterfall's peak; those that succeed are believed to be absolutely capable of evolving into Gyarados!"

Zhen Ya whispered: "Thus, 'Carp Leaping the Longmen'—Longmen Waterfall!"

"I never knew there was such a legend."

Baimu watched the Carp King leaping one after another; he hadn't expected them to have such a habit… it was practically a way for Dragon Tamer to select superior Carp King individuals!

Just go up top and wait for the Carp King guaranteed to evolve into Gyarados.

Suddenly.

He remembered his Shiny Oddish.

Though this is Longmen Waterfall, symbolizing Carp Leaping the Longmen, this thing's evolution is still tied to the Dragon Egg Group Pokémon—it's got to have some connection to dragons.

Besides, the principle of an Ugly Duckling turning into a Swan is the same as a Carp Leaping the Longmen!

This might be a good place to instill confidence in his Shiny Oddish.

Baimu silently noted Longmen Waterfall, planning to return here after finishing patrol with Zhen Ya and let his Shiny Oddish try—surely, with its strength, this waterfall wouldn't be a problem.

"Good, good."

He nodded.

Beside him, Zhen Ya smiled in satisfaction.

The two resumed walking deeper into Meteor Falls, and soon arrived at a place where the ceiling's rock layer was shattered, spilling down many brilliant beams of sunlight.

The meteorite craters on the ground became denser.

What surprised Baimu even more was that in one fairly large crater, a group of orange-yellow, spherical Pokémon resembling the sun were basking in the sunlight.

Yet at the crater's center, a yellow light flickered inexplicably.

"Ah! A new Solrock is about to be born—is it caused by the meteor that fell a few days ago?"

Zhen Ya let out a low exclamation, pulling Baimu to a stop and whispering: "Don't disturb them. Normal Solrock are gentle, but when a new companion is born, they become fierce—and they're especially powerful under sunlight."

"Oh?"

The latter's expression turned curious, mainly intrigued by Zhen Ya's description of Solrock's birth—even in the games, genderless Pokémon can still breed with Ditto.

【Honestly, I've been using Yeguo Reading lately to read books and catch up on updates, with source switching and a variety of reading voices; it's available on both Android and iOS at. yeguoyuedu.】

But from a real-world perspective, many genderless Pokémon struggle to find a Ditto partner—so how do they reproduce?

Baimu really wanted to get closer to see what was happening in the crater, but Zhen Ya repeatedly warned that getting too near would result in being chased down.

Forget it.

Better to heed advice and eat well.

He and Zhen Ya observed from a distance.

They saw the Solrock surrounding the crater absorbing sunlight, then suddenly shooting a ray toward the yellow light within the pit.

Soon after.

The yellow light was replaced by white light; a smaller Solrock flew out of the crater, and the other Solrock, delighted, spun in place.

"... That's it?" he asked softly, turning his head.

"Yes."

Zhen Ya nodded. "Whenever certain special meteorites fall, they gather around them during the day, emit a certain light to give birth to a new companion—but not every attempt succeeds."

"Special meteorites… so they're Pokémon born from meteorites?"

"No, Pokémon that use meteorites to be born. Wait until they leave, then we'll go take a look."

No sooner had he finished speaking.

The Solrock seemed to have noticed Zhen Ya and Baimu—their Lucario and Gyarados were quite noticeable—but they didn't attack, merely left quietly.

The two were then able to approach.

Baimu immediately saw a dull gray stone lying at the crater's center. "... A meteorite?"

"Correct. There should be a Sun Stone inside," Zhen Ya said, stepping into the crater and pulling out a hammer from somewhere, striking the meteorite's surface with a loud bang.

"Wait—"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Zhen Ya treated the meteorite like blacksmithing, brutally smashing it until the outer layer cracked open, revealing an orange stone shaped like the sun inside. "As expected, there's a Sun Stone—here!"

He tossed it to Baimu. "You need this more than I do. Consider it a greeting gift."

The latter caught it quickly, nodding with a complex expression. "Thank you… but won't hitting it so hard damage the stone? Aren't you worried?"

"What? We always do it this way."

Zhen Ya scratched his ear, confused.

Baimu: "..."

I always feel that if this conversation were recorded and played for Champion Dawu, his fondness for the Meteor People would drop several levels. That man treats stones like his wife!

"In short, Sunrock uses meteorites containing Sunstone to bring forth new companions; similarly, Moonstone uses meteorites containing Moonstone to bring forth new companions—but their activity times are all at night." Zhenya leapt out of the pit.

"I've learned something new."

Baimu nodded. The world of animation was truly miraculous—even the origins of Sunrock and Moonstone were so incredible.

Seeing Baimu lost in thought, Zhenya suddenly grew wary, patted his back, and said, "Come on, come on—we're almost at the Dragon's Nest! That's where dragons especially love to gather!"

"Alright!"

Baimu was indeed drawn in by the words "Dragon's Nest."

In the game, Meteor Falls was only divided into inner and outer sections, upper and lower layers—there was no such place as the Dragon's Nest. But just as the Dragon's Den in Yanmo City had no Dragon Sacred Ground, this must be a special location existing only in the animation's background.

Yet the Dragon's Nest was nowhere near as close as Zhenya claimed—they wandered for over twenty minutes before finally reaching a glowing cave entrance that seemed to lead outside.

The two stepped inside, and their eyes were instantly blinded by white.

As their eyes gradually adjusted to the sunlight, Baimu lowered his hand and revealed a stunned expression.

"This is—"

Before them lay a lush forest that completely covered the meteorite crater, with swift rivers winding around it, flowing in from waterfalls farther away.

Countless Dragon-type Pokémon played here: fully evolved Flygon, Dragonite, and Kingdra; as well as Bagon, Shelgon, and Horsea—even Pokémon from later generations like Aggron were present.

Of course, there were also some that weren't Dragon-type at all.

Legendary Dragon-type Pokémon from every generation played here carefree; upon seeing the two, they first grew cautious, but upon recognizing Zhenya's attire, they relaxed.

The Meteor People and the wild Dragon-type Pokémon of Meteor Falls had coexisted for thousands of years, and were thoroughly familiar with each other—no one would attack without cause.

【Dragon's Nest】.

A perfect paradise for dragons unfolded before Baimu's eyes.

It was utterly unlike the barren, treeless, boss-lair-like scenes he had imagined.

It was as beautiful as the Dragon Sacred Ground.

It seemed nestled within a valley.

"How's that? Isn't it amazing?"

Zhenya beamed at Baimu. No one could remain calm upon seeing the Dragon's Nest—ordinary people couldn't, let alone Trainers. He was sure Baimu would now be itching to pull out a Poké Ball—

Huh?

He didn't pull one out!

Zhenya stared in shock at Baimu's perfectly restrained hands—more astonished than when he'd seen the Lava Armor. He couldn't imagine a Trainer who could hold back.

The ancestral records had already confirmed Baimu was a Meteor Person. Clearly, this man possessed an incredibly unyielding will!

Terrifying. What a terrifying man!

Meanwhile, on the other side, Jynx quietly tugged at Baimu's sleeve. "Kichido."

Calm down—your heartbeat's as loud as thunder.

"Sss…"

Baimu inhaled quietly, calming his racing heart. He had decided: he would use his clues inside the Dragon's Nest.

He could pick any Dragon-type pseudo-legendary!

"I-I-I'd like an introduction?"

He turned to Zhenya, who looked stunned yet slightly disappointed, and asked, "There must be many non-wild Pokémon inside the Dragon's Nest, right?"

"Ah, yeah."

Zhenya nodded. "Some of these Dragon Pokémon were left behind by deceased elders. They wanted to live and breed as close as possible to Trainers. The Dragon-type Pokémon you see, which outsiders think aren't native to Hoenn—all came this way."

"I understand."

Baimu nodded.

In the animation, people are alive—so they bring back Dragon-type Pokémon from other regions. After breeding, these Pokémon caused many Dragon-types to appear in the Dragon's Nest that shouldn't exist in Hoenn.

That's normal.

Even Shun used the Super Wish to capture a Shiny Aggron from the Johto Islands; and Wally used Salamence in the Eight Masters Tournament. Surely they didn't release their Pokémon back to their native habitats after death?

In the end, those foreign Pokémon reproduced in new lands and gradually spread.

Some, altered over time by environmental factors, may have become known as regional forms.

Then—

Zhenya took Baimu on a tour of the Dragon's Nest, trying to spark his interest in Dragon-type Pokémon—but the latter remained stubbornly "calm."

Zhenya sank to his knees in a defeated pose, muffled, "Baimu, I've rarely truly admired anyone in my life—but you, I admire you!"

Baimu: "???"

Not long after—

Having inspected every corner of the Dragon's Nest,

Zhenya went to ask the familiar Dragon-type Pokémon.

When they confirmed no strangers had intruded, he gave them another warning, then finally relaxed slightly.

Baimu's words had stuck with him—Zhenya himself knew human technology could sometimes overcome Pokémon defenses.

When they reached another cave entrance,

"Let's go—the old village is just ahead."

Zhenya pointed ahead.

Seeing the scene of the Dragon's Nest, Baimu could already guess what the Meteor People's former village must have looked like.

Indeed.

Beyond the tunnel, before him appeared a scene as lush and melodious as the Dragon's Nest—numerous ancient, intricate single- or double-story Japanese-style buildings stood scattered about, though years of abandonment had left them desolate.

At the center of the village stood a massive shrine far larger than the Dragon Shrine of Liuxing Village, its torii gate and the enormous statue of Litongzuo before the entrance covered in the marks of history.