Chapter 651: Battle Against Shi Yuan Zhi

Approaching Meteor Village.

The three-headed dragon speeding forward suddenly slowed, lifting its head to let out a long roar to identify itself.

"Shāsǎng—"

There were many Dragon-type Pokémon in Meteor Village; it didn't want some idiot mistaking it for an intruder and blasting it with a Dragon Breath.

The trainer's still on my back!

Baimu was about to speak to it when he suddenly turned his head backward and saw a cluster of Cottonchicks flapping their wings anxiously toward him; upon seeing his face, they first looked puzzled, then burst into delighted joy and rushed forward.

"Jiūlū!"

"Jiūjiūjiū!"

"Hey~ Long time no see, Meteor Village's Vocal Ensemble."

Baimu beamed as he greeted them; when he'd lived here, the Gardevoir had volunteered to teach Happiny vocal techniques, and over time their bond grew warmer.

He'd even given this group of Gardevoir a nickname—【Meteor Village's Vocal Ensemble】.

Though the Gardevoir didn't understand what "Vocal Ensemble" meant, they somehow felt it was fun, and always responded enthusiastically whenever Baimu called them that.

Surrounded from all sides, with its nose constantly rubbed by cotton-cloud wings, the three-headed dragon couldn't help growling:

"Shāsǎng!"

"Jiūlū~"

The Gardevoir startled and scattered, allowing it to continue flying forward.

Baimu patted the middle head of the three-headed dragon; seeing it snort in displeasure, he murmured, "Idiot! Don't be so harsh with them—come find you guys later!"

He said something to the Vocal Ensemble, then looked downward.

He saw many people standing on the usual landing ground, all looking up; several even waved their hands excitedly back and forth.

It was none other than Chenya and the others who had stayed behind in the village.

Baimu waved back, but his gaze suddenly landed on a thin, white-bearded old man wearing a captain's hat, and he was taken aback.

Shi Yuan Zhi!

Why is he in Meteor Village too?

He should be in Caiyou City preparing for the Champion League by now!

The three-headed dragon flapped its six wings and landed; Baimu, still puzzled, slid off its back and was immediately met by a short old man hurrying toward him.

"Brat! Finally remembered to come back and visit!"

The old man reached out and patted his arm twice with a smiling face.

Baimu returned the smile, "Old Qingliu!"

He was the first Meteor Villager Baimu had ever met, who had given him much help; his first Mega Evolution had also been guided by Old Qingliu.

In other words, Old Qingliu was one of the few elders Baimu knew best in Meteor Village.

He raised his head to greet the other Meteor Villagers; Chenya and the other young Dragon Tamers crowded around, excitedly asking how it felt to win both the Super Show and the League Championship.

Several younger ones grabbed his pant legs, chattering away noisily, even louder than the Gardevoir.

"Big Brother Baimu~ Do you still remember Youzi?"

"Big Brother Baimu! We want to battle you!"

Baimu had no choice but to respond to each of these overly enthusiastic folks one by one.

After much commotion, he finally turned to look at Shi Yuan Zhi at the back of the crowd and respectfully greeted him: "I'm delighted to see you again, Master Shi Yuan Zhi. Your health remains as robust as ever."

"Hmph! You're just as fond of polite words as ever. But I can see you've grown considerably—and found your own people. Congratulations, Baimu."

Shi Yuan Zhi's face was stern, his tone brimming with an imposing dignity that discouraged excessive familiarity.

But in truth, this elder was extremely generous and kind-hearted, passionately devoted to teaching and mentoring juniors, and fond of chatting with those he admired.

"I owe much of that to your help."

Baimu smiled.

From Chenya, he learned that Miss Xijiana had returned after helping crush Team Flare, but soon left again for training and had not yet come back.

No chance to meet her?

He felt a pang of regret; he didn't know when he'd next come to Meteor Village.

Dragon Shrine.

Baimu met with the Dragon Elder, still dressed in a plain long robe; the Elder was overjoyed at his return and held his hand, talking for a long time.

When discussing his future plans, he revealed everything without concealment.

The Elder listened quietly, then gently patted his handback, "It's wonderful that you have a clear goal. The Legendary Rock, the differently colored Rayquaza, Team Flare… Miss Xijiana told me all of it. I understand Meteor Village won't be the end of your journey."

"But whenever you have free time, come back and visit. Everyone in Meteor Village likes you very much—they'll be delighted if you return."

"Yes!"

Baimu nodded in agreement.

The Dragon Elder smiled warmly and said, "Have you seen your house yet? It was fully completed just last week—I'm sure you'll love it."

House? A house!

He suddenly remembered: before leaving Meteor Village, the elders had banded together to build him a house as thanks for driving away the Team Rocket gang.

That Chenya guy even promised to send progress updates—but after two days, he stopped.

That's why Baimu had completely forgotten about it until now.

The Meteor Village house.

A quiet anticipation stirred in his heart; he was about to find Chenya and ask them to guide him there when he realized they had already been waiting for him.

"Come on! Let's go see it! I guarantee you'll be thrilled!"

The crowd surrounded him and led him toward the northern part of the village.

Not long after.

At the end of a smooth cement road, Baimu saw the house the Meteorites had built for him—

"I…"

He stared, dumbfounded, at the two-story villa before him, its footprint substantial, then turned to Chen Ya and the others, who beamed with pride, and whispered, "You're sure you didn't bring me to the wrong place?"

He had expected a three-month construction period to yield at most a single-story cottage, no larger than a hundred square meters, possibly even wooden.

But this two-story villa was clearly brick-and-concrete, and the first floor's interior area likely exceeded three hundred square meters!

The second floor was smaller, roughly half the size of the first.

Altogether, it surpassed five hundred square meters!

Isn't this too reckless?

No.

How are you dragon trainers so good at building houses? Could even the master craftsmen finish this in three months?

"How's it?"

Chen Ya stood with arms akimbo, triumphant; several others beside him did the same, thoroughly pleased by the man's astonishment.

He said, "I told you everything inside is fully furnished—nothing's missing! You can move in right away! Water, electricity, all connected! Internet cable's already laid!"

Baimu tugged at his lip. "I'm supposed to live here alone?"

"Aren't you bringing your Pokémon? We made it this big because we knew you like keeping them inside."

Chen Ya patted his shoulder.

Most Meteorites prefer keeping their Dragon Pokémon outdoors—not because they refuse them entry.

First, most Dragon Pokémon are enormous; they can't move freely in houses built for humans.

Second, Dragon Pokémon naturally prefer open spaces, needing only shelter from wind and rain.

To them, a hundred-square-meter house is no different from a slightly larger cage.

If not for its particular fondness for clinging to Baimu, Three-Headed Dragon would gladly seek a less cramped place to rest—bedrooms suit only single-headed Dragon stages.

Even the Two-Headed Tyrant stage finds it unbearable.

"You've all thought of everything."

Baimu was deeply moved.

Why does Bonsly always prefer to go out onto the balcony at night?

Its love for the moon and the cramped hotel room aren't conflicting—bath tubs aren't ideal living conditions for Shiny Milotic either.

Some problems on the journey are unavoidable; one must simply endure them for now.

Everyone entered the house.

Just as Baimu imagined, the interior was spacious, devoid of furniture or decorations, with ceiling height likely exceeding five meters—enough for Bonsly and Three-Headed Dragon to move freely.

Chen Ya eagerly pulled him to a wooden door. "Check this out! You'll love it!"

Shhh!

The door slid open.

A Japanese-style dojo, its floor laid with wooden planks, came into view.

Seeing this, Baimu finally understood why the first floor was so large—they'd built him an entire Japanese-style dojo!

The interior design matched exactly that of the Dragon Shrine.

So much neon vibe…

"It's fine."

He nodded, not wanting to spoil Chen Ya's thoughtful effort—after all, this was their fully managed project.

The villa's layout was simple.

First floor: living room, dojo, kitchen, bathroom, toilet. Second floor: two bedrooms plus a toilet.

Chen Ya waved generously toward the smaller bedroom. "This can be for your future children. If you have more than one, just remove the roof and add another floor, or expand outward."

Meteor Village has no construction department—people can build however they like, no one interferes.

"That's too far off."

Baimu shook his head.

Chen Ya and the others didn't stay long; they dragged away the curious kids so Baimu could rest, planning a banquet that evening to welcome the two.

Shi Yuan Zhi was not a Meteorite—that much Baimu had known from the start.

His connection to the Meteorites began in his youth, when he was rescued by a wild Dragonite and swore to become a trainer, then came to Meteor Village to challenge its strongest dragon trainers.

Over time, a deep friendship formed between them.

Now, as captain of a great ship, Shi Yuan Zhi often returns to Meteor Village after voyages, and this trip was no exception.

He intended to reconnect with old friends before heading to Caiyou City and entering the Champion League.

He hadn't expected to run into Baimu by chance.

Thinking of this junior, he finished tea with the Dragon Elder and wandered here, finding Baimu's house, where through the open door he saw many lively Pokémon inside.

He fell silent for a moment, lowering his hat's brim, about to enter—when Baimu's voice sounded beside him.

"King Shi Yuan Zhi?"

Shi Yuan Zhi turned his head and saw the man wearing a white apron, each hand holding a bucket of water and a cloth, saying, "I guess I came at a bad time."

"No, no, I'm just cleaning up a bit—please come in."

Baimu set down his supplies, wiped his hands on the apron, and smiled as he gestured Shi Yuan Zhi into the living room.

He poured himself tea, and prepared for Shi Yuan Zhi a cup of hot milk with sugar.

"I heard you prefer MooMoo milk—I took the liberty of preparing some for you. Please enjoy."

「……」

Shi Yuan Zhi looked at the warm milk handed to him with surprise, took a sip, and raised his gray-white eyebrows even higher.

Though adding sugar to milk seemed simple, he was extremely particular about the temperature of the milk and the amount of sugar.

This cup made by Baimu unexpectedly tasted just right to him.

"I didn't expect you to possess such excellent cooking skills—very impressive."

Shi Yuan Zhi offered praise without restraint, just as he would point out flaws in Xiao Yao's performance in Grand Contests—he was no rigid old man. "The milk is delicious. You've put thought into this."

Baimu smiled. "I'm glad you're satisfied."

Happiny walked over with a clatter, placed the snacks on the table, then quickly withdrew to avoid disturbing the guest and the Trainer's conversation.

The other Pokémon huddled in different corners, watching curiously.

Shi Yuan Zhi's gaze swept over them, then he asked:

"Baimu, I hear you're not planning to enter the Hoenn League Championship?"

"... Yes."

Baimu was initially surprised the elder would bring this up, but then wondered if Shi Yuan Zhi had taken an interest in him?

He wanted to know why he wouldn't participate.

Of course.

Shi Yuan Zhi asked directly: "May I ask your reason?"

"Of course. It's not something hard to speak of." Baimu frankly told him about his and Shan Ren's plans.

Shi Yuan Zhi fell silent for a long time, took another sip of milk, then said: "Baimu, I have no intention of criticizing your decision with Mayor Shan Ren, and I understand how important this is to you.

"But I still say the League Championship is an excellent platform for growth—battles against the Elite Four and the Champion will help you realize what you most lack right now. To give up such an opportunity is a great waste."

"Life is never perfect. Some opportunities, once missed, are indeed regrettable—but for a clearer goal, one must make sacrifices."

Baimu smiled, showing his teeth.

Shi Yuan Zhi looked at his open demeanor, drained the milk, and said: "Then, Baimu, how about a Pokémon battle with me?"

"A battle? But aren't you still preparing for the League Championship..."

"Just a friendly match. I'm sure it will serve as good warm-up for my Pokémon." Shi Yuan Zhi's voice was rough, his tone carrying undeniable authority.

Baimu, of course, welcomed this eagerly.

He looked at Shi Yuan Zhi with complex feelings, understanding that the Sky King likely wished to give someone unable to enter the League Championship a chance to gain experience through a battle with a King.

A Trainer's and Pokémon's strength is generally built through one battle after another.

Yet.

Whether this battle might affect Shi Yuan Zhi's participation in the League Championship remained unknown.

"It would be my honor!"

Baimu, knowing the man's mind was made up, accepted decisively.

A faint smile touched Shi Yuan Zhi's lips. "Good. Come with me to find an open space outside."

The two stepped outside.

The Pokémon followed closely behind.

When they found a sufficiently wide open area, word spread through Meteor Village that Baimu would battle Sky King Shi Yuan Zhi.

Many people rushed over to watch, and Pokémon came too.

Shi Yuan Zhi acted as if he saw no one around, and said: "The match will be a best-of-three, no restrictions on switching Pokémon—ending only when one side's Pokémon all lose their ability to battle. What do you say?"

"Agreed!"

Baimu knew this was the format used before facing the Champion in the League Championship—a best-of-three to determine who advances to face the Champion's full team.