Chapter 647: A Gathering of Mythical Beasts

Nibel Plateau.

The moment All Baimu stepped out of the light ring, he was greeted with an enthusiastic "welcome" from the wild Pokémon.

"No way? It's barely been that long and they've already forgotten all about me?"

He raised his hands in surrender, surrounded on all sides by Buzzwole, Throh, and Claydol, and called out, "Everyone! I'm still the Pokémon that Volcanion personally named Honorary Pokémon of Nibel Plateau, you know!"

Hu Pa tilted its head in curiosity. "You guys don't remember Little White?"

The wild Pokémon all looked blank, but still refused to lower their guard.

Fortunately, it didn't take long.

Accompanied by a rapid pitter-patter of footsteps, Magearna came trotting over from the distance, a hint of anxiety visible on its face.

"Beep beep beep!"

Its two small hands rested beside the opening and closing orb, like a Princess hurrying along while holding up her skirt.

The two Fletchling trailing behind it acted as guards or maids, flapping their wings and chirping loudly, striking a "spare the prisoner—" pose.

"Magearna!"

All Baimu waved at it, secretly heaving a sigh of relief — if possible, he didn't want this reunion to be too awkward.

Speaking of which, back when he dealt with Jarvis, had his presence really been that low?

Not a single one of them recognized him!

Thanks to the Fletchling's shrieks and Magearna's hurried footsteps, the wild Pokémon that had been preparing to attack exchanged glances and, after a moment's hesitation, parted to both sides.

The weaker wild Pokémon that had been hiding also began poking their heads out one after another.

Some of them, who had previously interacted with the Hydreigon and Blissey, finally recognized that this "intruder" was actually the human friend who had once fought the bad guys alongside them.

The Amaura that had been healed by Blissey was also among them.

But before they could make their feelings known—

Magearna, trotting closer, swept past like a gust of wind, then suddenly threw itself into All Baimu's arms.

"Beep beep beep!"

Question: What happens when you're slammed at high speed by a nearly one-hundred-kilogram iron lump?

Answer: Nothing at all!

Don't underestimate the constitution of an Orei native!

All Baimu pressed a hand on Magearna's head and laughed. "Thanks for the warm welcome, Magearna. I'm really relieved you haven't forgotten me."

"Beep beep beep~"

Magearna chirped softly as it pulled free from his embrace, then bowed with elegant poise, releasing fresh flowers from its fingertips as a welcome.

It then turned its head to look elsewhere, searching for other familiar figures.

All Baimu said softly, "I'm sorry, but this time it's only me. Everyone else has things to take care of, so they don't have the chance to come see you for now."

The metal doll couldn't help feeling a twinge of disappointment at those words.

But it didn't show it, merely nodding slightly to indicate understanding. It looked around and raised a hand, signaling everyone to stand down. "Beep beep~"

And so—

The cowering wild Pokémon crawled out from their hiding spots and gathered around All Baimu and Hu Pa, giving them a couple of tentative sniffs.

Confirming that the former was indeed the human friend who had once made so many delicious treats for them, the wild Pokémon unanimously broke into cheerful expressions.

"Ohh~"

"Squeak squeak!"

"Grrrowl!"

They clung to his trouser legs and spun in circles, just like cats begging for treats at a cat café, their earlier wariness completely gone.

The few large wild Pokémon that had been responsible for the encirclement looked awkward — some rubbed their own "bald heads," others pulled their hoods over their faces, striking poses as if they couldn't bear to be seen.

Staying where they were, they didn't know whether to leave or stay.

And they certainly couldn't bring themselves to come forward and get friendly.

Seeing this, All Baimu walked over and gently patted their heads.

"Protecting your companions isn't wrong, but next time don't forget me again! You dummies!"

Even though they couldn't understand a word he was saying—

The goodwill he radiated didn't feel fake, and Pokémon like Buzzwole all heaved a sigh of relief, each breaking into relaxed smiles.

Hu Pa looked around curiously, then suddenly tilted its head up.

"Little White! Some Pokémon are coming!"

A clear, muffled rumble came from the horizon.

Then—

A massive red creature shot toward them at high speed, landing in the distance with a heavy thud like a missile, kicking up billowing clouds of dust.

An irritated telepathic voice came from within the dust.

"I wondered who it was! Is it you again?"

"Come on, the title of Honorary Pokémon of Nibel Plateau wasn't something I made up for myself. It's barely been any time at all and you're already giving me the cold shoulder?"

All Baimu stepped forward and locked eyes with Volcanion as it slowly emerged from the dust.

Sparks seemed to crackle between them.

The next moment—

*Slap! *

Palm and tentacle met in a light strike, producing a crisp sound like a high-five, and man and Mythical Pokémon burst into laughter at the same time.

"Hmph! Welcome back to Nibel Plateau, you unlikable jerk!"

"As long as Magearna likes me, that's enough. Whether that roughneck likes me or not doesn't matter. Right, Magearna?"

"Beep beep beep?"

"Magearna, don't pay him any attention!"

"What are you talking about? Can you let Hoopa listen in?"

"Who is this guy… what troublesome Pokémon have you brought again?"

"It's Hoopa, you guys met last time. By the way, does the Nebel Plateau have some Forget-Something Grass? How come every one of you has such a bad memory?"

They bickered noisily, walking deeper under the escort of countless wild Pokémon.

That day.

The plateau's long-standing peace was broken once more.

The Pokémon burst into laughter and cheer, lively as if hosting a banquet.

—

A cavern with a wide-open view atop a high cliff.

All Baimu sank more than half his body into the steaming hot spring and let out a long, contented sigh.

"Ha… no wonder everyone likes bathing. I could stay in here for a lifetime…"

"Once you're done soaking, get out! This is my bath!"

Volcanion swept an irritated gaze over the Pokémon that had occupied most of the bath, "Don't you all just refuse to leave!"

"Why so stingy? You ate plenty of that glowing dish just now."

All Baimu gently stroked the big head of the Hydreigon buried against his chest; a Galarian Sun Coral floated belly-up in the water, blowing bubbles.

Beside him.

A Mawile wearing frog sunglasses and holding a juice box idly watched a TV drama on her phone.

A little farther away, Aggron, Porygon2, and Blissey had their eyes closed, savoring the hot spring's warm currents, comfortable enough to nearly fall asleep.

A bit farther still were the shiny Milotic, shiny Gengar, and the Dusclops siblings playing around with Hoopa.

In a corner.

The hot spring had hollowed out into an odd, elongated little pit.

Without a doubt, Volcanion's private hot spring had been occupied by the ruffians led by All Baimu. The only one not occupying the bath—and the largest of them all—was off outside playing with other Pokémon because it didn't like hot water.

"That was supposed to be food for me!"

Volcanion fumed, blasting out a great cloud of white mist.

All Baimu was especially delighted by the scalding water vapor rushing toward him and praised, "Not bad, not bad—there's a sauna to steam in too. Very comfortable."

Hmmm—

The cavern echoed with Volcanion's steam hum, furious beyond measure.

Boom!

A massive column of water shot skyward.

The hot spring became a mess; the sleeping ones jolted awake, the playing ones froze in place.

Hoopa flew about like a headless fly, shouting as it went: "It exploded! The hot spring exploded! Little White! Little Gengar! It exploded!"

Fortunately, the water vapor dispersed quickly.

All Baimu wordlessly lowered his Sun Coral shield. Beside him, Mawile's frog sunglasses were askew, her juice gone without a trace, as she scrambled around looking for her phone.

"Big bro… can you rein it in a little? It was just a joke."

"Hmph!"

Volcanion didn't reply, sulkily fishing Mawile's phone out of the hot spring for her.

Just as this guy had introduced himself in the past, at heart he was a firecracker liable to blow at any moment. Combined with his prickly temperament, he usually lived apart from the other Pokémon of the Nebel Plateau.

At heart, he was still a very gentle guy.

And not long ago.

The Nebel Plateau had just wrapped up a rare banquet.

Head chef All Baimu, with the full cooperation of sous chef Blissey, assistant chef Magearna, assistant chef Gengar, Hydreigon the odd-job worker, and Hoopa the troublemaker.

In just one short hour, they had produced glowing dishes that satisfied the appetites of several dozen Pokémon of varying sizes.

To reward him for his hard work, Volcanion had brought him to the cavern where the hot spring lay, to help him recover his strength.

Who would have thought this guy would call his whole gang of Pokémon over!

Of course.

Volcanion wasn't a stingy Pokémon—everyone soaking together was fine—but he really couldn't stand them playing around while they bathed.

As a Steam Pokémon, the heat inside his body kept him in a half-overheated state most of the time.

In other words, his temper was absolutely volcanic!

"Alright, I'll stop teasing you."

All Baimu spoke up to soothe him at the right moment, then asked, "How's the Nebel Plateau been lately? Many strangers causing trouble?"

The heat inside Volcanion ebbed at the question.

He looked out of the cavern, gazing down at the Pokémon playing with a giant Steelix below, and said softly, "Same as always. Hunters chase the Pokémon, I drive them off with my mist. Occasionally a few stray Pokémon wander in.

"Pokémon trainers… hmph, those people aren't much different from Pokémon hunters—catch whatever they want, abandon whatever they want. I don't have much goodwill toward them either."

"Hahaha, there are still good people among trainers, like Ash and the others."

All Baimu paused, then asked curiously, "Just remembered—did you take my suggestion last time?"

Last time he had told Volcanion to seek help from Princess Jimeiya, intending to borrow the power of the Aozora Kingdom.

Although the Pokémon League was the biggest power under heaven, as an independent kingdom still in existence, finding an excuse to keep poachers and trainers from approaching the Nebel Plateau shouldn't be hard, right?

Baurkeneen fell silent.

As soon as Baimu saw its expression, he knew either it hadn't gone to see Princess Jimeiya, or it had gone and received no satisfactory resolution.

Actually doing something is always harder than just talking about it.

He had no intention of judging Baurkeneen's decision; he turned the page and asked directly: "Then… have you considered my proposal?"

Relocating all the Pokémon from the Nibel Plateau to the Orei Region was his solution to prevent Princess Jimeiya from being harassed by unfamiliar trainers.

However, due to the crucial factor of attachment to one's homeland, Baurkeneen would find it extremely difficult to make such a decision unless absolutely necessary.

As expected.

It remained silent.

Offering this choice was not difficult for Baimu, but making such a decision was far from easy for Baurkeneen.

Influenced by various factors, many Pokémon are unusually stubborn about certain things—for instance, believing they haven't been abandoned even after being left behind, or smiling despite being attacked.

Put bluntly, they won't give up until they see the Yellow River run dry.

Everything is still under Baurkeneen's control; the thick fog surrounding the Nibel Plateau is enough to drive off most poachers and passing trainers.

So even though it knows Baimu is right, it still cannot make a decision.

"Forget it. I didn't ask."

Baimu didn't want the atmosphere to grow too heavy, as if he were pressuring Baurkeneen into a decision; he waved his hand and stepped out of the hot spring pool.

Water droplets trailed down.

The wind blowing across felt chillingly cold.

He stood at the edge of the cave entrance, gazing outside, and noticed the sky had somehow grown unusually dark.

Churning gray clouds obscured the sun.

It's going to rain!

He lowered his gaze and immediately saw the Pokémon playing in the field had scattered.

They hurried back to their nests, leaving only the Gigalith still looking around bewildered, unsure what had happened.

"Huh?"

The climate of Huang Tie Town had not changed; rain might fall only a few times a year, so Gigalith was not particularly sensitive to the idea that dark clouds meant rain.

It spotted the trainer standing at the cave entrance and floated over using electromagnetic levitation.

"Huu~"

Gigalith thrust its head into the cave, then quickly pulled it back.

It disliked moisture, especially warm moisture.

It had nothing to do with whether it would harm it—purely a physiological aversion, somewhat inherited from its pre-evolutionary form's aversion to water.

This contrasted sharply with Bisharp, which naturally favored water sources.

Baimu patted its head and said softly: "Go to the next cave. I'll join you in a moment."

There were many caves of various sizes along this cliff; Baurkeneen often chose one with a broad view for rest, so it could respond quickly if anything happened below.

"Huu~"

Gigalith slithered into the adjacent cave.

By the time Baimu had dried off and changed clothes, Gigalith had already curled into a large mound, snoring loudly.

He didn't disturb the creature; instead, he went to the front of the cave to set up a tent, foldable table and chairs, and a camping lantern.

Happiny naturally helped out.

Gulpin crawled into the tent with its beloved little pillow and didn't come out again.

Milotic and Bisharp went outside; the former particularly loved rainy weather and planned to swim around the lake.

The latter took on the duty of guardian, preventing Milotic from getting lost in excitement.

Hu Pa, Haunter, and the Dratini siblings were nowhere to be found—probably exploring deep inside the caves; those guys had been noisy nonstop.

Solrock was still in the hot spring; it would naturally surface at mealtime.

Dragonite was responsible for dragging Baimu's feet.

Drapion was responsible for watching.

Baurkeneen, exasperated, approached and watched him fussing about, unable to help complaining: "Can't you just sit still? You're too noisy!"

"What's the rush? Just setting the mood a bit."

He waved his hand.

Boom!

Suddenly, a sound came from outside.

The rain curtain descended.

Baimu sat on the reclining chair, turned on the camping lantern beside him, and its flame-like orange-red glow instantly illuminated the dark cave.

He smiled contentedly: "Camping on a rainy day is truly the perfect private sanctuary."

Though outside the rain was icy cold, he was in a warm, comfortable environment, with ample food and water, and absolute safety.

Happiness was thus established.

Baurkeneen couldn't understand; it lay down nearby, then suddenly turned its head in surprise:

"Princess Jimeiya? You didn't go with those afraid of the dark… well, you brought them all here."

Baimu turned his head and saw Princess Jimeiya not far behind, accompanied by several Pokémon that looked especially cute and timid.

"Bibibi~"

Princess Jimeiya's pink eyes shimmered as it stepped forward slowly.

The small Pokémon following it were bathed in the orange light; their expressions visibly shifted from unease to calm.

"Miyao~"

A gray kitten no bigger than a palm—Miao Miao actively leapt into Baimu's arms, trampling back and forth several times to find a comforting position, then curled up and fell asleep.

The other Pokémon—Xiangwei Miao, Fen Xiangxiang, Zhu Guang Ling, Juan Juan Er—also gathered around him.

Wild Pokémon generally prefer to huddle together, gaining warmth and a sense of security.

"Shasang…"

Dragonite was slightly displeased—its trainer's arms belonged to it alone, at most allowing Sunflora to share.

What right do you have?

Who isn't a baby anymore?