Chapter 399: Transformer

At the bottom of a gray-brown rocky valley.

Baimu stared at the spinning compass on his phone, then looked up and murmured, "Anomalous magnetic field…"

【Anomalous Magnetic Field】, a mysterious environment that enables Magnemite, Little Chaobei, and Voltorb to evolve—a location in the Hoenn region of the game, New Zi Jin, yet here it exists too.

"So this is Steel Valley."

He gazed at the name assigned to this area on his phone map, recalling the anime episode set here—

Ash and his companions helped a wild Coalossal defeat the leader of Steel Valley, a Steelix, and captured it in a daily side story.

But was this place originally an Anomalous Magnetic Field? The anime only showed Magnemite and Magnemite—how could it have been artificially created?

Could there be an expansion of New Zi Jin beneath our feet?

This place is indeed very close to Zi Jin City.

Baimu glanced at the ground and suddenly remembered that the local top predator here was Steelix—if it hadn't been captured, no one would have expanded New Zi Jin here.

Then again—

He recalled that wild Steel-type Pokémon here were notoriously hostile; any trainer who entered was driven out—why had he walked half the day without seeing a single one?

Could they all have been captured by passing trainers?

Baimu turned to the Poliwhirl nearby, its legs transformed into fine gears, and asked, "Have you sensed anything? Like the electromagnetic waves emitted by Selfdestruct Magnet?"

"Pari!"

Poliwhirl shook its head.

Unlike Sharpedo or Dragonite, it lacked any acute sensory ability—even if Selfdestruct Magnet had emitted electromagnetic waves, it couldn't detect them.

At that moment, as if answering Baimu's question, countless brilliant yellow lightning bolts suddenly shot up from the horizon toward the sky.

Crack!

Boom—!

The sky darkened abruptly, then brightened again; deafening explosions and the crackling of colliding electricity reached Baimu and Poliwhirl's ears.

They exchanged a glance.

"Go take a look?"

"Pari!"

Without hesitation, Poliwhirl transformed into Balance Mode: its angular body sank inward to form two footrests, its tail retracted into its body, its head lifted and elongated, growing rectangular handholds on either side.

This was its self-improved Balance Mode, inspired by Team Rocket's single-person hovercraft—ideal for short-distance travel, but with a major flaw: even with frequent self-regeneration, it couldn't sustain long, placing heavy strain on its stamina.

Once it solved the endurance issue, it would likely become a true Transformer.

"Thanks. Let's go."

Baimu gripped the handholds, and Poliwhirl immediately sped toward the direction of the lightning.

Not long after—

They had drawn near the scene, but what lay before them contradicted expectations: no swarm of Magnemite surrounding an unlucky trainer, no poaching gang using high-tech gear to ruthlessly capture wild Pokémon.

Instead, there were flocks of Armaldo perched on the rocks, numerous Magnemite and Magnemite circling a central point, and at the very center, a battle between Selfdestruct Magnet and Magnemite.

Behind the Magnemite stood a plump, gray-white-haired old man, shouting commands to direct its battle.

Most wild Pokémon were watching this one-on-one fight.

"Again! Thunder!"

As he drew closer, the old man's voice grew clearer.

Crack—Boom!

A thunderbolt of staggering power erupted from the six magnets of the Magnemite, striking Selfdestruct Magnet and causing it to shudder violently, while the residual energy blasted upward into the sky.

"Using an Electric-type move against an Electric-type Pokémon?"

Baimu raised an eyebrow slightly, but then realized: Magnemite, battling its evolved form Selfdestruct Magnet, had little choice—no other moves were effective.

Use a Steel-type move, which it resists fourfold?

As he pondered, Selfdestruct Magnet clattered to the ground, its side eyes turning into spirals, its central red eye dimming.

It had been defeated…

He turned his gaze to the victorious Magnemite—only to see it suddenly glow with brilliant, luminous blue light; under the influence of the Anomalous Magnetic Field, it was evolving upon victory.

But before Baimu could move closer, the ground ahead suddenly cracked with spiderweb-like fissures.

Boom!

A gleaming silver Steelix roared as it burst forth from beneath the earth!

"Roar!"

"Pari!"

Poliwhirl, still speeding forward, knew sudden braking risked crashing due to inertia—even if it stopped, it might fling its trainer off; it slowed slightly and fired a beam of icy-blue lightning ahead.

Zippa!

The icy-blue lightning struck the ground, instantly forming an arched ice pathway stretching skyward, connecting to a nearby Gao Po; Poliwhirl rode up the slope, turning sharply to avoid Steelix while slowing down and coming to a safe stop.

It leaned slightly forward to let its trainer land steadily.

Baimu gripped his Poké Ball, staring in astonishment at Poliwhirl.

He had not given any command—this was clearly Poliwhirl's own judgment in the moment.

Without realizing it, Poliwhirl had grown visibly—once a clumsy, blocky Ducklett, now it was so clever and alert.

"Well done! Thank you, Poliwhirl!"

He couldn't help praising it.

"Pari~"

Poliwhirl was delighted—but it did not forget the enemy that had ambushed them—

The great leader of Steel Valley, Gyarados.

"Roar…"

Gyarados turned its head toward Baimu and Poliwhirl on Gao Po, equally surprised by their reaction—it had expected them to be smashed into instantly by such speed.

It took a shallow breath, its Dragon Breath ready to unleash.

Poliwhirl's eyes glowed faintly; 【Texture 2】 was ready.

Armaldo and the three Magnezones had arrived unnoticed, surrounding both of them tightly, their gazes hostile.

Baimu held two Poké Balls in his hands, calm and composed, showing no trace of panic despite being surrounded.

"—Stop!"

A sharp cry interrupted the impending mass battle.

The fat old man who had been commanding stood atop his evolved Explosion, sprinted up to Poliwhirl, and raised both arms shouting, "Stop! Everyone, stand down!"

Seeing this, Gyarados exchanged glances with the surrounding Magnezones and Armaldo, then lowered their battle stances.

Tie Xuan exhaled in relief, about to speak—when a voice came from behind him.

"It really is Mr. Tie Xuan. What are you doing in Steel Valley?"

He turned and said, "That should be my line. Are you alright? Any injuries?"

"No injuries."

"Good. There are danger signs outside Steel Valley, right? Why did you come in? Look how dangerous this is!"

"Danger signs?"

Baimu thought back for a moment, looking at Poliwhirl. "Were there any?"

"Pari."

Poliwhirl shook its head, indicating it hadn't seen any.

"None? Impossible… Which direction did you come from?"

Tie Xuan looked skeptical, but before Baimu could explain, he waved his hand. "Never mind. You're already in—no point talking about it now. I'll take you out later. The wild Pokémon here strongly reject outsiders; if you stay longer, they might attack you again."

He turned and said something to Gyarados and the others.

The wild Pokémon of Steel Valley, led by Gyarados, exchanged glances, then silently turned and left.

Seeing this, Baimu realized Tie Xuan must have a good relationship with Steel Valley's wild Pokémon—perhaps because of the unique magnetic field? Or some small story in the past?

Both possibilities!

"Follow me."

Tie Xuan waved his hand and added, "By the way, my Explosion just evolved successfully. Are you heading to Zi Jin City? I can give you a ride."

"Hmm, thank you then."

Baimu nodded in gratitude.

This place was only fifty kilometers from Zi Jin City, but it was already three in the afternoon. He had intended to push straight through to Zi Jin City before resting; now that a free ride was available, there was no reason not to take it.

The two descended Gao Po and walked along a dusty road. Generous and easygoing Tie Xuan struck up conversation with him.

Explosion and Poliwhirl followed behind, glancing at each other but saying nothing.

"I see. You plan to challenge the Zi Jin Gym? What a coincidence!" Tie Xuan laughed heartily. "You've got good taste! Just don't run into dangerous places next time!"

"Mm."

Baimu merely murmured in response.

After about three minutes of detouring, a hovercar with a Raichu color scheme and abundant Raichu-themed elements came into view.

"How's that? Cool, right? This is my most beloved vehicle!" Tie Xuan said proudly.

"Cool."

Baimu, seeing this unique "pain car," couldn't help but recall the hovercar the Sand Team had assigned him—he'd never driven it, since a hoverbike was more convenient.

He recalled Poliwhirl and thanked it.

Beside him, Tie Xuan retracted Explosion and said, "Your Pokémon is called Poliwhirl, right?"

"You know it?"

Baimu was surprised—he was used to people having no idea what Poliwhirl was; occasionally meeting someone who recognized it still startled him.

Tie Xuan burst out laughing. "Of course! When I helped rebuild part of Zi Jin City, I considered integrating Poliwhirl into the city management system with Professor Akiba—but we ultimately abandoned the idea."

"Abandoned it? Why?"

"Because we found a more suitable Pokémon."

Tie Xuan tapped the car door—no handle, no key—and the doors on both sides opened automatically.

At the same time, a slightly electromagnetic voice rang out: "Welcome back, Mr. Tie Xuan~"

"That voice is—"

Baimu's heart stirred; he leaned forward to peer inside, and immediately saw a familiar orange-red face on the central display screen: "Rotom!?"

"That's right!"

Tie Xuan climbed in, flashing a set of bright white teeth. "Rotom's intelligent control system—perfect for an Electric-type Gym Leader like me, right?"

"That's true…"

He had to agree with the man's claim.

But don't take it to heart that Poliwhirl lost to Rotom or whatever.

Baimu sat in the front passenger seat, gently shaking the Poké Ball containing Poliwhirl, thinking how strong the scriptwriters' censorship must be—even Tie Xuan's ideas had been interfered with.

But…

"Why didn't you choose artificial intelligence back then?" he asked curiously.

In this animated world, artificial intelligences were highly advanced—from Hitron's robotic avatar Hitronite down to Jel's virtual intelligence in the Ice Flower Bouquet, and even high-tech robots in advanced cities.

"Artificial intelligence?"

Tie Xuan, gripping the steering wheel, paused at the words, then understood: "Ah! Baimu, you might not be from Faron, so you don't know about the artificial intelligence unrest in Laurus City. Though I personally hope to use artificial intelligence, others in Zi Jin City have reservations."

Laurus City?

Baimu's mind quickly recalled the details about Laurus City.

Simply put, Deoxys One wanted to reclaim its companion Deoxys Two, but its descent from the sky angered Latios, and the three caused chaos in Laurus City, accidentally damaging its intelligent defense system, which triggered a rebellion among the AI boxes.

Of course, it was eventually resolved thanks to the efforts of Ash and several side characters.

But this incident made others distrust artificial intelligence... Can you trust Pokémon but not artificial intelligence?

Tie Xuan seemed extremely proud of the 【Rotom City Management System】, and along the way he continuously explained its features to Baimu.

The Polywhirl inside the Poké Ball initially paid no attention, but as it listened, it began to grow annoyed.

After all, Tie Xuan had specifically mentioned that Polywhirl had once been considered.

If he hadn't mentioned it, Polywhirl wouldn't have felt anything at all.

Agitated, Polywhirl caused the Poké Ball to tremble slightly.

Seeing this, Baimu politely responded to Tie Xuan's words while placing it deep inside his backpack, wrapped in a 【Mao Jin】, so it wouldn't hear anything—

He couldn't exactly fight Tie Xuan, could he? The man was still driving.

He could only shut his ears and ignore it.

——

Tie Xuan's car was moving fast.

Even though most of the journey passed through dense forests, it took less than an hour before Baimu saw the blurred outline of Zi Jin City.

Clearly, this had much to do with the control capabilities of 【Rotom】.

Like most bustling cities, Zi Jin City had many tall buildings, but unlike others, at its very center stood an enormous figure-eight-shaped structure.

If one were to describe it, calling it a small walled city would be entirely accurate.

"The... Zi Jin City within Zi Jin City?"

Baimu murmured softly.

Tie Xuan said with immense pride: "Exactly! This is the Inner Zi Jin, built according to my original plan—a brand-new Zi Jin City! The City of Joy!"

Undoubtedly, the figure-eight-shaped structure before Baimu was precisely the Zi Jin City from the game, but given the massive population depicted in the anime, the tiny Zi Jin City from the game could never accommodate so many people.

So it became something like a civic center building—still enormous, but now clearly more reasonable.

And the 【Rotom City Management System】 that Tie Xuan mentioned was precisely what managed this super-large structure.

"This is amazing."

He could not hide his awe.