Chapter 601: Running Into a Familiar Face Again

"Jie-hi-hi—"

The heterochromatic Gengar looked up at the Weavile leaping into the air and let out several smug, strange cries.

As a Shadow Pokémon, one of its special abilities was freely slipping into shadows; if the shadows were connected, it could zip through them at high speed.

Weavile's reaction and speed were indeed fast — even a sneak attack couldn't land.

But as the Trainer had said earlier, what difference was there between a Pokémon that couldn't fly jumping that high and a living target?

"Strange Light!"

The moment Baimu gave the order, Gengar's eyes lit up with twisted, chaotic light — anyone who glanced at it would grow dizzy and lose all sense of direction.

Mitsuru was frantic, shouting: "Close your eyes! Blizzard!"

"Nao!"

Weavile in midair shut its eyes at once, and a violent snowstorm surged wildly from its mouth.

When two bolts of chaotically colored lightning flew over from Gengar's side, the massive snowstorm actually generated a propulsive force, letting it narrowly dodge the light-form Strange Light and fall off into the distance.

Gengar, dodging the Blizzard, stared blankly from midair.

What just happened?

It could move in the air like that too?!

The Trainer's voice quickly snapped it out of its daze. "Hide in the shadows! Don't give it an opening!"

"Gen!"

Gengar hastily melted into the tree shade.

Weavile landed beside Baimu, glanced at him, then sprinted rapidly toward the tree shade.

This guy's body was light enough, and the wind from the Blizzard was strong enough, to pull off that kind of rapid aerial maneuver.

The so-called "great force makes the brick fly."

But what truly surprised him was how efficiently Weavile responded to Mitsuru's commands.

If it had only been caught recently, Weavile wouldn't have been able to spit out a Blizzard that fast — the rapport between Pokémon and Trainer was often shown when the latter opened their mouth and the former already knew which move to use.

At a higher level, command and move would be issued simultaneously.

Judging by their performance in these exchanges, Weavile and Mitsuru's rapport was actually higher than his and Gengar's, full of the flavor of a hundred battles.

Arrogant, looking down on opponents, yet obediently following the Trainer's commands.

An interesting Pokémon.

Why hadn't it been sent out at the Silver Conference?

Baimu was quite curious about this. His gaze fell on Weavile as it sprinted to the patch of tree shade, and he thought: "I'll ask after it's over. If it has no more trump cards, it's time to make my move."

At the same time.

Mitsuru quickly gave the order: "Blizzard!"

Weavile's cheeks puffed up high, and it suddenly blew a massive wave of snow forward, trying to cover all the shadows blocked off by the big trees.

"Shadow Punch on the nose."

Baimu raised his right hand.

A pair of cunning eyes appeared within the tree shade, and ignoring the incoming Blizzard, it shot two pitch-black shadows up into the sky.

The slender shadows made a wide arc in midair, descending in a curve, and as if they had eyes of their own, slammed hard onto Weavile's nose!

Boom!

"Nao!"

Weavile let out a miserable cry, both claws covering its nose with teary eyes, and instantly couldn't blow out the Blizzard anymore.

Gengar, its body coated in frost from within the shadows, charged out — actually taking the initiative to close in on the nose-covering Weavile, its face full of a mischievous, wicked grin.

"Jie-hi-hi-hi—"

Mitsuru's eyes went wide. "Weavile, hold on! Use Feint Attack!"

Hearing the order, Weavile endured the stinging pain at the tip of its nose, looked forward, and prepared to swing its right claw wreathed in blood-red light — but Gengar had already rushed up to it and slammed its head hard into Weavile's forehead.

Smack!

A crisp sound.

"Hypnosis."

Before it could even feel the pain, Gengar's eyes, right before its face, suddenly turned into a dazzling kaleidoscope, and in an instant stripped away its consciousness.

Weavile's eyes rolled back and without a word fell asleep on the spot.

"Gen!"

Gengar let out a strange laugh, actually opening its huge mouth and swallowing Weavile whole in one gulp, then rocketing up into the sky at top speed, giving Mitsuru no chance at all to recall Weavile.

Baimu continued with the next order: "Nightmare."

High above.

Gengar's eyes lit up with pink light, its body suddenly turned translucent, revealing the agonized-looking Weavile within.

It had clearly fallen into some kind of involuntary nightmare — black energy kept rising off its body, tormenting its spirit.

"Weavile! Wake up!"

Mitsuru gripped the Friend Ball tightly and kept shouting, watching Weavile with deep worry, but powerless to do anything.

Finally.

Gengar flew down from the sky, opened its mouth and spat out the battle-incapacitated Weavile, then clutched its round belly and let out a satisfied, wicked laugh.

"Jie-hi-hi— *burp*!!"

It even burped.

*Clap clap clap. *

All Baimu applauded him.

"Lure the opponent into attacking for the sake of victory, then actively receive the move and counter"—this was his most frequently used tactic, from Bossgodora down to Gengar, all of them had mastered it well.

The reason was that he never recklessly took a hit.

For Gengar, Weavile's Night Slash and Blizzard were two completely different kinds of moves; the latter could be traded blows with and had a high probability of winning, while the former, if traded, had a high probability of dropping dead on the spot.

Manchu naturally understood this point as well, but Gengar's ability to merge into shadows and the Dazzling Gleam forced him to adopt long-range, wide-area attacks.

The resulting "stagger" allowed Gengar to skillfully strike the weak point, bringing about a true stagger.

Therefore.

He had walked step by step into the trap All Baimu had laid.

Actually, breaking it wasn't difficult—switching Pokémon earlier would have done it—but Gengar still had a Mean Look waiting for Weavile over there.

So don't think Weavile had the type advantage; in reality, without bringing out something special, its fate had been sealed from the very beginning.

"Growth has once again been proven."

From Manchu, this trainer who once went back and forth with him, All Baimu clearly felt the enormous gulf in his own strength.

Not just the strength of his Pokémon alone.

And Manchu himself had an even clearer sense of All Baimu's growth.

"Amazing, you're really amazing! All Baimu!"

He said somewhat excitedly.

If even the newly captured Gengar possessed such stunning power, then what about the other Pokémon?

Manchu couldn't wait to pull out the next Poké Ball.

All Baimu likewise prepared to switch, "Hm?"

He paused for a moment, reached out to Manchu and said: "Wait, I have a call to take."

"…Okay."

Manchu's throwing motion stalled.

Gengar, floating around like a balloon, flew toward the trainer, curiously pricking up its ears to eavesdrop on the conversation, even though there might be some things it couldn't understand.

Several minutes later.

All Baimu hung up the phone with a strange expression, "Sorry, the battle may have to end here. Officer Jenny contacted me to do the Torch Runner training."

"Eh?"

Manchu was stunned.

——

The outskirts of Sanyou City.

The temporary Sacred Flame storage facility.

All Baimu, who had hurried over, and Manchu together saw Officer Jenny waiting at the door.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Officer Jenny. All Baimu reporting in."

He took out his Trainer ID card and apologized to her.

Officer Jenny didn't take it, smiling: "I recognize you even without ID. Come in. This time I'm just telling you some things to note about the Torch Runner, no need to be nervous."

She led the two of them into the storage facility.

Manchu was somewhat excited, causing All Baimu to glance at him repeatedly.

"Wait, didn't you see the Sacred Flame at the Bai Yin Conference… or at the Sanyou Conference before?"

"No! This is my first time seeing the Sacred Flame up close."

He said in a low voice.

Earlier in the park, when All Baimu said he was going to be a Torch Runner, Manchu had gotten especially excited, not even wanting to finish the battle, hurriedly urging him to come over for the training.

If the Torch Runner position weren't also part of the Negai Berry marketing plan, All Baimu would really have had the impulse to give the spot to him.

Inside the storage facility.

The first thing the two of them saw was the flame in the brazier, the orange-red, bright yellow, and blazing white three colors intermingling as it burned fiercely.

"Moltres's Sacred Flame~"

Manchu was instantly captivated by it.

All Baimu was silently speechless, only feeling that this three-colored flame was truly somewhat peculiar; ordinary flames also had three colors, but unlike this one, they weren't clearly divided into three distinct parts.

Moltres's flame, huh?

Unlike the Bai Yin Conference which used the Ho-Oh fire preserved in the Ho-Oh Shrine, the Sacred Flames for the Quartz Conference and the Sanyou Conference all came from Moltres.

If one were to say what difference there was between the two, there really didn't seem to be any.

Apart from Pokémon moves being able to use this thing, the Sacred Flame was purely a symbol, representing a certain spirit of perseverance, as well as a charm praying to the gods for the safety of the competitors and their Pokémon.

"All Baimu-kun, come over here."

Officer Jenny picked up the torch placed to one side, handed it to All Baimu, and softly explained the things to note when passing the Sacred Flame in a couple of days, and so on.

A total of four people were participating in this Sacred Flame relay.

Two were in charge of the city road sections, two were in charge of the section from the city to the venue.

As expected, All Baimu was the final leg, and would receive the most attention. Officer Jenny advised him not to feel too much pressure; they would dispatch police officers to follow the entire way, and there would be response measures if anything went wrong.

Pressure?

He really didn't have any.

As long as Team Rocket didn't pop up to snatch the Sacred Flame, this kind of formality activity was definitely stable.

He glanced at Manchu, seeing his expression of being so serious he even wanted to take notes with a notebook, and felt quite helpless.

Just how much does he like the Sacred Flame?

Why?

All Baimu took the chance while Officer Jenny was holding the torch and asked directly.

Manchu said shyly, "When I was little, my constitution was really bad, so I had to go to Greenfield Town to recuperate. Back then, watching the Torch Runners on TV, how they could hold the torch and run over ten kilometers with a smile without the slightest effort — I especially admired their physiques."

After all that fuss, it still comes down to his body.

He asked again, "So how far can you run in one go now? A few dozen kilometers?"

Manchu's movements stiffened. "I-I don't know… but last time I walked from Edge Vermillion City to Full Gold City without taking any transport! All on foot!"

The green-haired boy looked especially proud.

"…Get up early tomorrow and run with me." All Baimu patted his shoulder.

Not taking transport to the next city and bragging about it — are you even a human from the Pokémon world?

Ash can even use Agility!

Are Orange League natives really that different from the real newcomers?

Manchu turned his head aside and agreed somewhat guiltily, "D-don't expect too much from me, okay?"

"No worries, you're cured now anyway. Training won't kill you."

He laughed brightly.

After explaining the key points the Torch Runners needed to note, Officer Jenny informed them of the exact time for the torch relay, then let the two leave.

It happened to be when All Baimu went to register at the Pokémon Center in the competition grounds.

The two rushed over by car without stopping.

It was five in the afternoon.

The horizon already showed signs of sunset and dusk.

But the tournament grounds were still very lively — looking from afar, countless trainers and sightseers were bustling about in every corner of the venue.

Several years had passed.

The venue of the Lily of the Valley Conference still looked much the same as when Ash had participated.

It was still that multi-layered, 回-shaped complex of buildings, built on an artificial lake, like a giant fortress.

Between the roads leading in all directions, there were a total of fifteen small venues, five medium-sized venues, and one central Jin Zita-shaped venue — multiple structures rising layer upon layer.

The Pokémon Center at the entrance looked like a Gao Ta, with golden Poké Balls on top.

Manchu's face was full of nostalgia. "I never thought I'd get to come back here — the Lily of the Valley Conference."

"The way you talk, as long as you're willing, you can come anytime, right? The venue is used normally too, isn't it?" All Baimu said, very much killing the mood.

The soft-natured Manchu didn't argue with him, and said gently, "Our unfinished battle — let's save it for the conference in the Oure region."

"Huh?"

He glanced at Manchu in surprise. "You're going to Oure too?"

The latter nodded. "Actually, I'd already decided before entering the Silver Conference — no matter what result I got, I'd go to Oure. I believe after this Lily of the Valley Conference ends, there'll definitely be more people with the same idea as me."

Manchu's eyes burned with a certain fighting spirit as he spoke.

Seeing this, All Baimu couldn't help but chuckle lightly. "Then you'd better think it through. It's easy to get in there, hard to get out. If you lose too badly, don't blame me for dragging you off to plant trees."

"No problem! I can plant as many as you want!"

Manchu said full of confidence, but his expression quickly softened again.

If even someone with All Baimu's constitution says the Oure environment is harsh, just how terrifying is that place?

He'd previously searched for pictures of the Oure region online, and all he got were endless deserts, badlands, and sand dunes.

Is the whole place really like that?

Having just spoken those bold words, Manchu's heart was now beating like a drum.

A short while later.

All Baimu finished registering at the Pokémon Center in the competition grounds. He glanced at the Lily of the Valley Conference guidebook Nurse Joy had given him — it recorded in detail the locations of various specialty restaurants.

Of course, other places like shopping malls and hotels were also listed — a complete travel guide.

Manchu also took out a Lily of the Valley Conference guidebook from his bag.

The two guidebooks were quite different.

"Looks like they've updated a lot over the years… I'll introduce you to some people tonight."

He said casually, then suddenly seemed to sense something and looked out the floor-to-ceiling window into the distance.

Where his gaze reached, a crowd had gathered in an uproar.

Manchu asked, puzzled, "Did something happen?"

"Not sure, but something familiar seems to be over there." All Baimu frowned — the sudden feeling left him a bit unsettled.

He walked toward it, and Manchu hurried to follow.

As the two approached, two Chansey nurses pushed a stretcher cart past them from behind, running in a frenzy, calling out "Lucky, lucky" all the way.

It sounded just like an ambulance siren.

The crowd was forcibly pushed aside by those two Chansey nurses.

All Baimu managed to see a brown-skinned girl, her hair black, thick, glossy, and waist-length, dripping wet all over, trying to make another pale-faced girl spit out water.

Once the two Chansey nurses arrived, she quickly handed the girl over to them.

"There shouldn't be any major problem — she just accidentally choked on some water."

The brown-skinned girl made her judgment with confidence.

Suddenly.

She raised her head and met All Baimu's gaze as he looked her way, and excitement quickly spread across her face.

"All Baimu——!!"

Alice raised her right hand, waving and shouting, drawing countless people's attention.

"..."

Baimu, wearing a face mask, looked a little dark-faced.