Chapter 669: The Gathering of Tianwang

"Furong Tianwang, Queen Boni."

Baimu entered the noodle shop and greeted the two.

Other customers' gazes fell on him; their whispers were quiet, their expressions varied.

As the city hosting the Alliance Congress and the Champion Alliance, its residents were several times more sensitive to related news than those in other cities.

Moreover, the news of Baimu's "withdrawal" had already spread like wildfire.

After all these days, is he still in Caiyou City?

"Aren't you withdrawn? Changed your mind?"

Furong gulped down iced water, and her blunt words left those around her speechless.

Online, most speculated Baimu withdrew because he couldn't defeat the Four Tianwang—if that's truly the case, this remark sounds awkward.

Will they argue… even fight?

The noodle shop customers eagerly slurped their noodles, yet their eyes remained locked on the group.

Yet Baimu merely shook his head and said, "I came with Captain Shi Yuan Zhi; he offered to take me and my friend back to the Orei region."

"Captain Shi Yuan Zhi? Oh! His ship is really interesting! Last time I rode it, I encountered a ghost ship!"

Furong said with a smile.

Queen Boni, having finished her hearty drink, set down her bowl, elegantly wiped her mouth with a napkin, and asked as if no one else were present: "Baimu, are you really not entering?"

"Not entering."

As Baimu prepared to explain further, a Poké Ball at his waist shook violently.

Was it Dracovish… no, was it Dracomesia-sis?

He understood at once, and released the unsuspecting Dracovish; the socially anxious dragon sensed the surrounding gazes and faintly vanished.

But the two Dracomesias inside its core did not vanish—especially Dracomesia-sis, who immediately lunged toward Furong, dressed in southern attire.

"Hee-ya~!!"

She excitedly rubbed her face against Furong's; how could she forget someone who had cared for her so long?

Furong was also surprised: "You still remember me? You've grown so big—looks like Baimu has raised you well!"

"Hee-ya~"

Dracomesia-sis kept cuddling in Furong's arms; Dracomesia-bro circled Queen Boni once, then fled back to Baimu's side.

Her "cold aura" was too strong; Dragon-type Pokémon simply couldn't adapt.

Queen Boni glanced at Dracomesia-bro, then at the ripples in the air, and said: "It seems that Dracovish has fully submitted to you. With such an ability, why not compete?"

"My region needs me more than Sinnoh does…"

Baimu sensed Queen Boni was unusually eager for him to enter; he added: "There will be other chances—the world has more competitions than just the Champion Alliance."

He told the two he had urgent matters, and left with Dracomesia-sis, who clung to him in reluctance but refused to stay overnight with Furong, and Dracomesia-bro, who looked thoroughly bored.

The invisible Dracovish exhaled in relief.

Too many people in such a confined space—he was nearly suffocated.

Furong watched his back and complained: "What a pity—I was really looking forward to battling him. I even asked him to come to Shenshan to visit me, and he never came."

"Orei is important to him. I understand, because I feel deeply about my homeland too," Queen Boni nodded.

She came from a distant land where winter lasted all year round, yet its people were warm and passionate.

The other customers in the noodle shop eagerly withdrew their gazes.

Baimu was clearly familiar with two of Sinnoh's Four Tianwang—women, no less—and had even boarded Shi Yuan Zhi's ship, the strongest of the Four Tianwang; one of his Pokémon might even have come from Furong Tianwang herself.

And their tone of conversation was clearly that of close friends.

Add to that the fact that Queen Boni and Furong had just urged him to compete—how could he possibly be weak? Otherwise, why would the Tianwang keep urging him?

Many could no longer eat; they quickly paid and rushed out to share what had happened in the noodle shop with their friends.

Moments later.

Amid the clamor, nearly half the customers had left the noodle shop.

The shop owner was left stunned.

"Captain! Another bowl!" Queen Boni declared boldly; she loved New Zi Jin City's mixed noodles and Caiyou City's ramen most, and always ate several bowls each visit.

Hearing her voice, the shop owner forgot the fleeing customers and beamed: "Just a moment! Coming right up!"

—

Café.

Man Chong's cousin and the staff once again warmly welcomed Baimu.

"I'm really sorry…"

He glanced at the two Dracomesias, their tails barely visible through the cake, the Shiny Haunter with cheeks puffed from devouring layer cakes one after another, and the mysteriously vanishing pancakes, and sighed.

He did normally restrict snacks, especially greasy, sugary ones.

But these guys were making him look terrible—like he abused his Pokémon every day!

"No problem—you're the champion who left photos here; free meals are mandatory!"

Man Chong's cousin smiled brightly.

At that moment,

she glanced aside, stepping back as she said: "Your friend seems to have arrived. Enjoy your meal—call me if you need more."

Baimu turned and saw Huang Mao Dazhuang standing at the end of the street, hands in pockets, hunched over, radiating a rowdy, shady aura.

Behind him trailed a muddy-brown gangster crocodile, its demeanor nearly identical to his.

When their eyes met, Dazhuang's face flickered with panic; his hunched back straightened instantly, his expression turning serious.

"Boss!"

He waved his hand cheerfully.

Baimu nodded in response, not caring about the guy's earlier thuggish demeanor—some habits were simply hard to shake off in a short time. "Didn't Cheng Hong and the others come with you?"

"We all split up. Look! How's this Gangster Croc? I traded a Marill I happened to catch for it!"

Otsuka said proudly.

He'd always liked Ground-types, and of all things chose Rollout as his signature move—trading a Marill for a Croagunk was standard practice.

Baimu had trained his Pokémon for so long and had never traded with anyone.

He just couldn't bear to let any of them go.

"Not bad. Suits you well." He glanced at the Gangster Croc, which seemed to be eyeing the cake on the table, and absentmindedly patted Gengar's rear.

"Hn?"

Gengar, with cheeks bigger than its eyes, looked bewildered—then followed its trainer's gaze to the Gangster Croc and smiled, inviting it to join the feast.

The Gangster Croc was initially shy, frequently glancing at its trainer.

Only after seeing its trainer nod did it eagerly grab a cream puff and bite into it.

"Wow!"

Otsuka sat down eagerly and shared his recent experiences. "Boss! These past two days I challenged a gym—pathetic! Back home, even a squad leader's stronger than that! Is this guy even a gym leader?"

"Idiot. They used low-level Pokémon because they saw you had no badges."

Baimu shot him a glance.

While chatting casually,

the remaining few arrived one after another; from the different Pokémon they brought, it was clear each had made gains during this time.

After all, outside the Oure region, Ground-type Pokémon didn't need to be bought, nor did you need to beg or trick anyone—just spot one, throw a Poké Ball, and catch it.

Baimu noticed the others now looked more like ordinary young trainers compared to when he first met them, and nodded in satisfaction.

Now that he thought about it, people from Oure always carried a heavy, burdened air.

The environment had such a profound impact.

He took a sip of coffee and informed everyone of his plans, asking for their thoughts.

Before traveling through mainstream regions, they might have been desperate to bring him back—but now they'd been traveling over two weeks and had seen the glittering world; they might not want to leave so soon.

Yet.

"Elite Four? Will the Hoenn Elite Four take us back?"

"Are the Elite Four really strong?"

"Of course they're strong! Far stronger than the old boss of the Sand Team! Not even in the same league!"

"Baimu, you fought one of the Elite Four, right? Did you win?"

The group chattered excitedly.

Cheng Hong had always been Baimu's blind admirer and still was—he believed that even though the Elite Four were powerful, they'd still lose to his boss.

"You've got a lot of faith in me—but yeah, I won."

Baimu nodded helplessly. "Aren't you planning to stay longer in Hoenn?"

Otsuka and the others shook their heads decisively. "We came here solely to bring you back. Even if we want to travel, we must first take you home—otherwise we can't face the others."

They refused to let him return alone and insisted on accompanying him.

Baimu could only nod. Seeing the table of desserts completely devoured by the Pokémon, he stood up. "Alright, let's report aboard first. You guys be sharp—remember to be polite. Don't just shout 'Boss'… calling 'Big Brother' is fine, but better still, use their official titles."

"Yes!"

The group's loud response startled passersby.

Moments later.

On the Stormrage.

Ryoko was startled by the row of young men bowing their heads and shouting "First Mate!"—he turned to Baimu. "Th-these are your friends?"

"Oure specialty. Don't mind it."

Baimu patted his shoulder.

Otsuka and the others, realizing they'd frightened the man, quickly apologized in unison.

Ryoko, amid the crew's laughter, slapped his forehead. "Alright, alright, stand up straight already."

He'd served Shi Yuan Zhi for years and seen all kinds of people—but now he didn't know how to interact with these guys.

These young men had just gone off with Baimu to greet other crew members, and he genuinely admired them.

Yet.

Ryoko actually liked them—strong-built, loud voices, and polite.

After a brief thought, he stepped forward. "Would you be interested in working as temporary sailors? From today until you disembark."

"Sailors?"

Otsuka and the others exchanged glances—the word "sailor," nearly nonexistent in Hueti Town, was beyond their understanding.

Ryoko quickly explained.

He also listed the benefits: seeing more scenery, strengthening willpower and physique, and making Pokémon stronger.

Everyone looked at their boss, Baimu.

Baimu glared. "Why are you looking at me? He's asking you!"

"Ah! Oh oh oh! Okay okay!"

They quickly agreed.

The main reason was the last point—Otsuka and the others, the more they learned about the outside world, the more clearly they understood which direction Baimu was heading.

They didn't want to be "left behind," so they pushed themselves to the limit trying to keep up with him.

The first mate said that being a sailor could make Pokémon stronger, so they naturally wouldn't refuse.

"Perfect! Since today's here, let's start today!"

Ryoko excitedly called the crew over to bring the new recruit aboard; whenever a new member joined, he always assigned them a senior, and Otsuka and the others were no exception.

Baimu, seeing this, quietly asked whether it wasn't unwise to assign a new sailor without Shi Yuan Zhi's approval.

Ryoko replied that nearly all the trainers who joined in the past two years had been recruited by him, and Shi Yuan Zhi hadn't invited anyone aboard in a long time.

He had the authority to assign new sailors.

"That's good." Baimu nodded, realizing he'd overthought it—after all, the first mate had served Shi Yuan Zhi for so long; how could he act recklessly?

"Would you like to try too?"

Ryoko invited.

He shook his head and pulled out his phone to check the time.

Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind.

"Baimu-kun!"

Baimu paused, then realized something and looked down at the ship—there stood Champion Dawu, dressed in a black suit, one hand on his hip, smiling at him.

"Champion Dawu!"

He happily stepped off the ship. "Did you come by boat too?"

Dawu stepped aside to reveal a high-tech speedboat. "I first flew back to Ryugan City, then took this speedboat over. I never expected to see you on Shi Yuan Zhi's ship."

Baimu replied, "It was pure chance—I met Shi Yuan Zhi, and the captain kindly offered me a ride. The competition starts this afternoon, right? Aren't you worried about being late?"

"No rush. Besides, my car's already here. Want a lift?"

Dawu smiled faintly.

Baimu, eager to witness the Champion League firsthand, wouldn't refuse—but before accepting, he needed to ask Otsuka and the others; the chance to watch the Four Guardians and Champion battle live was rare.

To his surprise, they had no interest.

They'd rather wait until Baimu competed to cheer for him than spend time watching unfamiliar Guardians and the Champion fight.

"Pigs won't eat fine bran…"

Baimu was so annoyed his liver ached; he got into Dawu's waiting car alone.

On the way to the arena.

Dawu, like Queen Boni, felt regret that someone had abandoned the Champion League; battling them had long been the desire of the Hoenn Champion.

But since Baimu didn't bring it up, Dawu didn't dare mention it either—otherwise, it might seem like he was bullying a rookie trainer.

"There'll be a chance. There'll be a chance."

Baimu now looked forward to the Pokémon World Championship with great anticipation.

Then, changing the subject.

The two discussed the Super Rock deposit in the Icebound Cave, whose reserves far exceeded normal levels—but mining it required careful consideration.

Too many wild Pokémon lived in the Icebound Cave; indiscriminate mining might damage its natural environment and ecosystem, and they were currently discussing mining methods.

"The Kalos Alliance refuses to contract us. Getten Company is clearly outstanding in mining—they could absolutely complete the task."

Dawu was helpless; for a rock fanatic, holding a treasure he couldn't mine was agonizing.

Baimu could understand the Kalos Alliance.

It was simply a sovereignty issue.

Dawu might be merely the heir of Getten Company, but he was also the Hoenn Champion—his status made the Kalos Alliance unwilling to entrust matters within their own jurisdiction to Dawu's side.

Not long after.

The arena arrived.

Countless fans of Dawu and spectators surrounded the car, blocking all passage.