Chapter 698: Taming the Wild Dog

After the dispute ended, Helena also took her leave.

Watching her and Sableye disappear into the distance, Baimu wondered whether they still recognized their own human identities.

N probably felt no belonging to the human race; that he never turned into a villainous boss despite his upbringing was already the result of Ash and Pikachu's combined efforts.

"Are there other Pokémon still up the mountain who didn't come?"

He asked the leader of the Rockruff.

The leader glanced at him but gave no response, only extending its bright red tongue to lick its damp fur.

Stinking dog…

Baimu grinned, pointing at the Night Rockruff and saying to Dragonite and the other Pokémon: "Beat it, beat it until it's smoking!"

Helena's gone—why keep pretending now?

He had his own unique method for dealing with these nonviolent, uncooperative wild Pokémon.

But Helena would've surely urged him to stop, so he held back until now.

"Shasong~"

Dragonite and Haunter obeyed, advancing with cold, malicious laughs; Drampa and Dracozolt siblings quietly blocked the Rockruff leader's escape route.

They'd long resented this guy—no strength, no ability, what's he showing off for in front of a Trainer?

Even Rayquaza wouldn't dare be this arrogant!

"Aow—"

The Rockruff leader sensed the malice directed at it and immediately growled a warning at Dragonite and Haunter.

The next second.

Slap!

Its occiput was struck hard by Drampa's tail, sending it stumbling forward; as it turned to look, Haunter's eyes suddenly released a dark glow that locked it in place, immobile.

"Aow?"

"Wang!"

The other Rockruff saw their leader being bullied and rushed to help—but Beartic twisted its long, dragon-like body to block them, looking down at these "puppies."

"Hou?"

Beartic's towering, Shanfeng-like stature made the Rockruff hesitate.

A few dared to try circling around, but when they stepped forward, Beartic stepped too; when they stopped, Beartic stopped too.

They wilted.

Everyone had seen how terrifying Beartic was—some of their companions were still lying down!

Unrestrained, Dragonite began revealing its Dark-type nature, sneering as it whipped the Rockruff leader's face with its tail.

Similarly cruel, Drampa took charge of smacking its occiput.

Slap! Slap!

The Rockruff snarled in resistance: "Aowh!"

Slap! Slap!

The Rockruff grew dizzy: "Aow…"

Slap! Slap!

The Rockruff whimpered softly: "Wu…"

Slap-slap!!

The Rockruff's eyes welled with tears: "Ying…"

Too much bullying for a dog! If you've got guts, make it move even once!

"Shasong?"

Seeing it still defiant, Dragonite's left head nodded toward Haunter; as the black gaze lifted, Dragonite pounced directly onto the Rockruff leader.

The latter struggled frantically but couldn't move, only feeling a vast energy brewing above its head, forcing it to scream in terror.

"Qieduo~"

Gulpin sneered—it had already planned to charge forward and punch this guy if the Trainer didn't lose his temper.

Dog that relies on its master's power!

Baimu walked up to the Rockruff leader and saw it still bound by the lingering effect of 【Black Gaze】; he was momentarily speechless: "Next time I ask you something, answer. Got it? I talk to you nicely and you ignore me!"

He pinched its bony cheek.

With the food allocated by N, gaining weight was impossible—being thin was normal.

"Wu…"

The Rockruff leader dared not even breathe, terrified of the two thugs glaring beside it—and the third unknown thug—nodding frantically at Baimu, afraid of another beating.

"Now that's a good dog."

Baimu patted its head approvingly, then probed the true structure of the Night Rockruff's head—

The black curved horn fused with its white mane had its root at the crown; it felt like solid rock, not keratin.

With its cooperation, Baimu finally understood the precise distribution of wild Pokémon.

Those gathered near the water source mostly needed water; those with no need at all lingered on the mountain or even inside its body.

Exact numbers?

The Rockruff's barren brain had no concept of numbers—no point asking.

He ordered the Rockruff to drive all wild Pokémon down to the mountain's foothills.

So the dogs howled and went.

Since he'd promised to be responsible for their future meals, Baimu wouldn't just bluster—he placed an order with a Pokémon food shop in Hoenn, following the supply list Helena left him—

Although he really wanted to make Pokémon food with his own hands to satisfy their taste buds and make them obedient to him from then on, the sheer volume of thousands of Pokémon was more than he could finish in an entire day.

Unless he knew the Shadow Clone Art.

Speaking of which, Gengar's belly held plenty of gold-quality Aromatic Bananas, Ivy Berries, and Jaboca Berries, but feeding them to this bunch would be too much of a waste.

Such good things should be used to win over other Pokémon.

"Let's continue patrolling the mountain."

Baimu said to Aggron.

Aggron nodded. Too much time had been wasted at the mountain's base, and it was eager to go see the summit — the feeling of having all mountains beneath one's gaze was surely wonderful.

A moment later.

The Lycanroc leader returned with many wild Pokémon, but didn't catch sight of Baimu and Aggron. A question mark flashed across its face.

"Ao?"

"Happy~"

The Blissey that had voluntarily stayed behind to care for the injured Pokémon waved its little hand and considerately explained where the trainer had gone.

"……"

The Lycanroc leader felt quite vexed.

It had hurried down with the Pokémon in such a rush, and you're telling it you went mountain climbing?

What a bully!

It was so angry it gnashed its teeth, and couldn't help but recall the scene of being beaten up by Hydreigon and the others just now, instantly becoming even angrier.

The Lycanroc leader glared with reddened eyes at the Blissey, which was singing lullabies for the young Pokémon and sending them off to sleep.

This one is that human's companion too, right?

It quietly raised its sharp claws.

—Forget it.

The Lycanroc leader snorted and retracted its claws. Picking on other Pokémon when it couldn't beat the main culprit was too shameful for a dog, and besides…

It watched the many Pokémon laughing under Blissey's gentle soothing, and thought this soft-spoken fellow must be different from those bullies.

The lurking Dragapult flicked its tail. The Lileep atop Blissey's head, which the Lycanroc had overlooked, closed its eyes once more.

Meanwhile.

Baimu and Aggron and the other Pokémon arrived at the mountain summit.

Looking back down, the vast land spread out before their eyes.

"I didn't expect that even in the barren Oure region, looking down from a high place has its own unique scenery." He gazed at everything both familiar and unfamiliar.

"Guu~"

Aggron growled in agreement.

The Hoenn journey had not only made it more composed, but had also given it a heart that could appreciate natural beauty.

Porygon2 silently took photos. Gengar tried to imitate Aggron, but unfortunately its brain circuits couldn't keep up with the two of them.

Steelix, Hydreigon, and the Dragapult siblings were playing tag on Shanfeng, looking happy and lively.

Baimu glanced at them, pondering in his heart the reason Shanren's father was looking for him.

To meet?

The probability was high.

If it were truly urgent, they would have come to find him directly or urged him over, rather than specifically having Shanren send a message telling him to come when he had time.

It just so happened that Captain Huoyan and Huo Village had also said Chief Chiyansong wanted to see him, so he might as well handle both matters together.

Baimu gathered his thoughts and asked Porygon2: "Where do you think would be a good place to build a house?"

"Pory…"

Porygon2's eyes lit up, and it displayed a virtual geological survey map on its phone, with several red zones marked as key points.

Recently it had "looked at" quite a bit of architecture-related material, all for this moment.

During the time it had been taking photos just now, it had also directly constructed several plans for modifying the mountain range, complete with villas, artificial waterfalls, artificial lakes, gardens, and lawns.

Baimu looked on with amusement, patted Porygon2's "bald head" in praise, and laughed: "Amazing, truly worthy of being the smartest Pokémon in our team."

"Pory!"

Porygon2 was very happy.

As an artificial Pokémon loaded with artificial intelligence, it had always felt it was a bit smarter than its other companions, but this notion was somewhat asking for a beating, so it had never dared to show it.

Being praised so highly by its trainer now, it felt it had gained recognition.

——

Back at the mountain's base.

Baimu was surprised to find Helianna had come again.

Behind her were several men and women wearing what looked like Plasma Team uniforms, who were unloading cargo from a large hover truck along with several Machoke and Machamp.

Numerous wild Pokémon crowded around drooling, while the Lycanroc barely maintained order, not letting them rush in.

"These are… Pokémon food?"

He asked, puzzled: "Young Lady Helianna, I should have mentioned to N that I'd be responsible for these Pokémon' food, right?"

Helianna saw the situation and said blankly: "Starting today?"

"Of course."

"But if you're buying piecemeal from Iron Town, isn't that a bit troublesome…"

"What are you thinking? How could I possibly get food for them from Iron Town."

Baimu shook his head repeatedly.

Huang Tie Town still prioritizes humans; stores related to Pokémon exist only in the commercial district and primarily serve the Pokémon of visiting Trainers.

Buying such a massive quantity of Pokémon food might be possible for one or two days, but beyond that, it would be hard to obtain.

He didn't drag it out; he told Helenna frankly, "I asked a friend to send it back using special means. It just saw the message—it should be here any moment."

Time zones are truly frustrating; contacting people in other regions requires picking the right time.

Special means?

Helenna instinctively looked up at the sky, thinking it might arrive by air transport.

The few Plasma Team members helping them exchanged glances, their expressions slightly odd.

They had only heard Baimu's name from N, Babena, and Helenna, never met him in person, and now heard him casually claim to solve the food problem for over a thousand Pokémon through some special method—they didn't know what to say.

Could N be fooled by a braggart?

That seems unlikely…

But soon, they realized Baimu hadn't been boasting.

A glowing ring suddenly opened beside Baimu, and Hu Pa poked its head out, yawning, "Little White~ What do you need Hu Pa to do now? Ugh! It's so hot here!"

"Sorry for waking you," Baimu apologized, pointing to the many wild Pokémon eagerly waiting for food.

Helenna's eyes widened, and the Plasma Team members cried out, "A Pokémon that talks!"

Telepathy and speech are different.

Speech requires a Pokémon to understand language; telepathy only requires transmitting one's thoughts—the difficulty differs vastly.

Like Meowth, who exhausted all its combat potential just to learn human speech and walking.

"What? Hu Pa talks?"

Seeing their stunned expressions, Hu Pa instantly perked up, flying around them, "Scared? Surprised? Hehehehe~"

"Scared!"

"Surprised!"

The Plasma Team members nodded eagerly.

Helenna looked at Baimu with a complex expression: "I never thought you knew a Pokémon like Hu Pa…"

"Otherwise, I wouldn't have the confidence to take responsibility for so many Pokémon's meals," he shrugged.

Of course.

He had no intention of keeping Hu Pa working for him indefinitely; he only needed to solve this immediate emergency. Later, he would arrange for food to be shipped normally.

The prize money from winning both the Grand Festival and the League Championship is substantial, and combined with his savings, it's enough to last until Barza and Ji Meiya grow crops here.

While Hu Pa and Gengar caught up, Barza and Mei Mei Yali stepped out of the glowing ring.

"Baimu, this is—"

"Welcome to the Orre Region, a land in desperate need of revival. Your help is urgently needed," Baimu opened his arms to greet them and introduced Helenna.

Barza and Helenna nodded to each other in greeting.

Mei Mei Yali stared in awe at the crowded wild Pokémon here—such a sight was unseen elsewhere, where wild Pokémon typically lived scattered across distant areas, gathering only rarely.

Yet now, over a thousand wild Pokémon densely populated this barren foothill, staring expectantly at the food being unloaded from the truck.

It reminded her of the people of Kalos during the disaster.

"Brother…"

Mei Mei Yali gripped Barza's arm tightly, biting her lower lip: "We should have come sooner."

Though in reality, the wild Pokémon near the mountains lived quite comfortably—with clean water, food sufficient to fill their bellies, and no safety concerns.

Yet it was enough to stir pity in Barza and his sister, who lived in mainstream regions.

In their view, wild Pokémon should be free to express their nature in suitable habitats, not "find joy in hardship."

"I know. Grandfather would never ignore this if he saw it."

Barza nodded. They had planned to come to Orre later, but this scene made them regret arriving too late.

Baimu had underestimated the impact this scene had on the siblings; seeing their sudden solemn, mission-bound expressions, he blinked in surprise.

A moment passed.

Baimu reached an agreement via the glowing ring with the shop owner in Hoenn and began transporting food.

He dared not buy too much; with Orre's climate and no proper storage, the food would spoil quickly, leaving only Pokémon like Smogogo, Dusclops, and Dustox to eat it.

"Come out, Pokémon food~"

Hu Pa raised both hands, continuously placing food into the holes dug by Onix.

The Wolf Pokémon would guard them.

Baimu learned from Helenna that these Pokémon also helped distribute the food—it surprised him greatly.

He now understood why other wild Pokémon obeyed them.

After noon.

He took Barza, Mei Mei Yali, and Hu Pa to meet Shan Rěn; they had already met during the Dark Lugia incident, so no introductions were needed.

Shan Rěn warmly welcomed the offer of aid from the Genesis Valley.

Upon learning they possessed the special ability to boost crop yields, Shan Rěn became even more enthusiastic.

No surprise.

Orre's agriculture is underdeveloped; food is almost entirely imported!