Chapter 649: In the Name of the Master

Hu Pa and the others can play all they want.

But they didn't forget to bring back the ingredients they needed.

"Whitey! There are so many tree fruits you like! Super many! More than you can pick!"

It patted the two-toned Gengar's belly with a triumphant thump, like a ripe watermelon, and the Dragon Mecia siblings cheered wildly, shrieking "Hee-yah hee-yah!" nonstop.

Tree fruits I like?

Baimu turned at the sound and saw Gengar's grinning face, exuding both pride and flattery; then the latter grabbed its belly and lifted it upward.

Ripples spread.

A series of ploosh-lah sounds followed, and countless golden Bananafruits, golden Vineberries, and golden Phoenixpears tumbled to the ground, quickly piling into a small mountain radiating golden light.

He stared in shock at the tree fruits, while Hu Pa laughed triumphantly beside him:

"Hee-hee-hee~ Scared yet?"

"Scared…."

The wild Pokémon around them retreated hastily, fearing they might be buried under the collapsing fruit mountain—

But some were clueless, like two Snorunt with the Pickup ability, lured by the golden hue and sweet scent, rushing forward only to find the fruit pile rising higher until the top layer collapsed outright.

"Goo-maa!!"

Both let out startled cries.

Baimu immediately set down his spatula and fished them out of the fruit mountain.

Fortunately, no serious harm was done—these two silly little guys were merely startled, suffering temporary dizziness.

He let go.

The two Snorunt staggered two steps after landing, their swirling eyes gradually clearing.

At that moment,

Poliwhirl returned with water, saw the mountain of golden tree fruits, then glanced at the awkwardly scratching Gengar midair, and snorted through its nose:

"I can't take you guys anymore—play all you want, but there's a limit!"

"It's not you cooking, so why complain?"

Baimu gave it a side-eye.

Yet as he stared at the golden fruit mountain, he still felt astonished.

Could there be a vast natural orchard nearby, bursting with fruit?

Otherwise, how could there be so many?

Perhaps Hu Pa summoned them with its Light Wheel…

He pulled aside Dreepy to ask for details; from the latter's wildly gesturing "hands" and "feet," he gathered that on the other side of the Nibel Plateau's deep valley,

hidden within a mist-shrouded dense forest, there truly was a vast grove of tree fruits.

As is well known,

No matter whether the original prototypes of tree fruits are watermelons, pineapples, or melons, they all grow on trees.

Just as Pokémon, regardless of whether they appear mammalian, amphibian, or avian, mostly reproduce through Pokémon Eggs.

Dreepy said there were many silver fruits there too, but Hu Pa thought Baimu only liked golden ones, so it didn't pick any.

The next-grade Bananafruits…

Baimu fell silent, gazing at the fruit mountain with a headache—there was so much, it would take a whole day just to process it; he asked Poliwhirl if he could take some away.

"Help yourself!"

Poliwhirl filled its large water bucket with its tentacles and walked uphill without looking back.

As a Legendary Pokémon, its usual diet was actually very simple—

Water.

Just as it was classified as a Steam Pokémon, Poliwhirl's entire daily life depended on water resources—even injuries could be healed by soaking in hot springs.

So as long as the tree fruits didn't cause other Pokémon to go hungry, it didn't care how many he took away.

Baimu, watching the golden tree fruits being stuffed back into Gengar's belly, returned to the pot and resumed cooking, thinking another gift for Orei had been added.

According to Shan Ren's report,

At present, the price of fresh tree fruits in Orei remains high.

Due to climate and environmental conditions, only exceptionally resilient plants survive on this land, and fewer than one in ten tree fruit seedlings endure.

As a result, the Rescue Organization has planned to vigorously cultivate native fruit and vegetable seedlings in Orei's northwestern oases, then transplant them slowly to arid regions to gradually transform the local environment.

If they handled this themselves, it would take at least ten years to begin.

So a few days ago, while in the Valley of Creation, Baimu specifically invited the Balza siblings to visit Orei later—they were going to leave for training again in just a few more days anyway.

Wherever they went was the same.

Orei's environment was so harsh—it was perfect for honing their skill of resonating with nature!

To his surprise,

Grandpa Guli strongly supported his suggestion, and even mentioned he would personally visit Orei this year if he had free time.

Baimu was overjoyed.

In terms of resonating with nature and awakening plant vitality, Guli—who had once borrowed the Source of Life from Arceus—was unquestionably a master-level expert.

Shan Ren would surely be thrilled then.

Shortly after,

Enough rations to feed the plateau Pokémon for about a week were prepared.

"Phew~"

Baimu wiped sweat from his brow, had Happiny and Magnezone distribute the portions in bowls, and packed the rest into leaf bundles for storage in the cave.

Later, when Mahijana distributes everything uniformly—

It's unlikely they'll last a week; the Pokémon on the plateau have an extremely strong appetite, giving the impression they must fatten up before winter.

But…

Crunch-crunch~

Munch-munch~

Baimu watched the Pokémon sit in a large circle, chewing their food loudly, their faces filled with happy smiles, and his own mood naturally relaxed.

He was about to go find an empty spot when a voice came from beside him.

"You've worked hard, human boy. Please also thank your companions on my behalf."

Huh?

Really?

Baimu turned his head in utter shock, unable to believe he had received such consideration from Poliwhirl, that stubbornly proud creature.

In the original movie, after everything they'd been through, it had never once spoken a word of concern to any human—it simply took help for granted and couldn't bring itself to say thanks.

So it had forcibly invented the title of "Honorary Pokémon of Nibel Plateau" to express gratitude.

And now…

Poliwhirl felt insulted by the human's gaze and grumbled, "Why are you looking at me like that? I'll knock you flying if you keep it up!"

"Don't get worked up—I'm just not used to you being so polite."

Baimu grinned, walked over, and sat beside it, teasing, "Honestly, if it weren't for your deep voice, I'd almost think Mahijana was speaking."

"You—"

Poliwhirl's tentacles on its back hissed steam in anger, but upon noticing Mahijana watching this side, it abandoned the idea of beating the human and sighed helplessly, lowering its head to eat its food.

After only a few bites,

it rumbled, "Regardless, since you returned to Nibel Plateau to play with everyone and went through so much trouble preparing all this food, we must thank you."

Although Poliwhirl had given no answer during the hot spring bath yesterday, it knew Baimu's arrival this time was largely due to concern for Nibel Plateau's current state.

The proposals he made were never spoken lightly.

"Don't be so formal—I'm one of the Honorary Pokémon myself. Besides, making food to feed humans and Pokémon is my hobby; hearing others praise my cooking brings me spiritual joy."

Baimu said casually.

Poliwhirl glanced at him and grew even more convinced this human was strange.

But perhaps it was precisely this strangeness that gave him qualities utterly unlike ordinary humans.

"Stay a few more days."

It took a deep breath and uttered words it had once never imagined possible: "Mahijana… and everyone else really like you. The plateau hasn't been this lively in a long time."

Heaven knew how much courage it had mustered.

Baimu was equally astonished to hear Poliwhirl's plea—he remembered how, when Ash had come, it had driven him away without a word.

"I really like it too, but I can't stay." He smiled gently at the stubborn giant Pokémon and whispered, "I still have other places to go. Once everything's done, I'll be able to return home…"

"Home?"

"Yes—the place I told you about: Huang Tie Town in the Ore Region. After traveling so long, I should go back and see it."

Baimu squinted, as if warm, familiar breezes brushed his ears, occasionally carrying fine grains of sand against his face.

"…."

Poliwhirl watched his expression and suddenly grew curious about what the Ore Region was truly like.

Unfortunately, this meant there was no way to keep him anymore.

It bowed its head and continued gnawing on the food emitting a faint glow, a feeling of something—perhaps regret, perhaps sorrow—swelling in its chest.

Poliwhirl did not know this was the ache of parting from a friend.

After the meal.

Baimu quietly informed Mahijana that he and Bisharp and the other Pokémon were preparing to leave; he had intended to hide it from the other plateau Pokémon, but they found out anyway.

Compared to the last time they had left with Ash and the others,

this time nearly every Pokémon showed signs of reluctance, for having experienced parting once before, they now understood how hard reunion was.

But to offer their blessings to Baimu and Bisharp as they continued their journey,

the plateau Pokémon accompanied them all the way to the edge of the flower field, then waved goodbye with unmistakably human-like gestures.

"Roar!"

"Miaow!"

"Koubei!"

"Chirp-chirp!"

The chorus of cries echoed like a farewell salute, lingering in their ears long after the figures vanished, as if to be carved into their hearts.

Yet.

Parting was not over.

—

Liuli City

Baimu suddenly appeared in a corner of an alley, startling two Wingull perched on a power pole, who flapped their wings and flew off.

"Thank you so much, Hu Pa, for everything these past days."

"I had so much fun too! Goodbye, White! Don't forget to come visit me again! I'll miss you and Xiao Geng and the others!"

Hu Pa waved cheerfully from within the glowing circle.

It wasn't worried they'd never meet again—even if Baimu became too busy to find it, it could always go find Baimu!

Distance was no problem for it.

The halo slowly faded away.

Baimu exhaled a long breath, checked his surroundings, put on a baseball cap and sunglasses, and walked toward the Liuli Gym.

The second-to-last stop before going home.

The contest was over.

A new year was about to begin.

If he didn't visit the dojo to see Mi Ke Li now, he wouldn't get another chance until year's end—this man was extremely busy, serving as both a Showdown Master and a Gym Leader, busier than most Champions.

Unexpectedly, when Baimu stepped into the dojo, the old butler told him that all three generations of the Liuqi family were away.

"The master is on tour in the Galar region, Master Mi Ke Li was called away by the Contest Bureau for a meeting, and Miss Liuqi is preparing for a TV program on Zi Jin Television…"

Good grief, it's only the start of the year, and each one is busier than the last!

He groaned, pressing his forehead in frustration—he never imagined he'd come all this way for nothing.

Suddenly.

The old butler handed him a letter.

"Master Baimu, this is what the master instructed me to give you."

"Thank you…"

Baimu paused, watched the butler bow slightly and step back, then opened the envelope and began reading.

The first thing he saw was elegant, flowing calligraphy in fountain pen.

The content was brief, yet it recorded Adam's inner reflections while teaching him Showdown techniques, Milotic breeding methods, and Trainer knowledge.

From the joy of meeting him to the regret of realizing it was too late.

From the helplessness of being unable to pass on his legacy to the pride of witnessing his radiant glory.

The Adam in the letter was utterly unlike the elegant, composed gentleman who always maintained his dignified posture—he described a tangle of complex emotions.

His inner turmoil lay bare on the page, as if whispering to him face to face.

Every line overflowed with expectations for his future, believing he would surely overcome all obstacles and become the person he aspired to be.

Undoubtedly.

The one who wrote these words was not the legendary Adam of the Showdown world, but a teacher facing a student with great ambition.

The paper was heavy, and burning hot.

Baimu stared at Adam's signature in the lower right corner, his breath trembling for an instant—he briefly wanted to stay here and inherit this ancient Liuli Gym.

But he had already made a vital promise to someone else.

"…."

He remained silent for a long time, signaled with his hand to summon Gengar, fetched a small wooden box to store the letter, then took out paper and pen, thought for a moment, and wrote a reply.

Since arriving in Hoenn—no, since coming to this world—he had asked countless people questions through various platforms.

Their social status varied, but one thing never changed: no matter what question he asked, these selfless people always patiently helped him answer.

Even Xiao Gang had sacrificed his rest time to teach him how to breed Steelix.

Among these people, Adam and Mi Ke Li had spent the longest time teaching him—three full months, spanning the Mi Ke Li Cup, the Showdown Grand Festival, and the Caiyou Contest.

During those three months,

they devoted most of their personal time to teaching him everything they could.

The debt of instruction from both men left Baimu utterly at a loss for how to repay them; when he picked up his pen, he didn't know how to express his gratitude.

The paper was short, but the feeling was long.

In the end, he wrote very few words—after all, no matter how much he wrote, gratitude could never be fully expressed.

But Baimu knew: beyond becoming the Hoenn Champion and World Champion, he now had one more thing he must do—perhaps even a mission.

He would become a teacher.

Like all those who had taught him, he would pass on what he had learned to kind-hearted people whose talents had been stifled by circumstance.

Only then would he be worthy of those who had taught him.

Baimu sealed the letter, entrusted the old butler to deliver it to his master Adam, and sent a similar message to Mi Ke Li via Line.

A few minutes later.

Vibration.

He received a reply—only two words:

"Elegant!"