Chapter 740: Climate Change

Just a little joke.

Two cries—one big, one small—suddenly rang out from the horizon, and All Baimu immediately raised its slender, serpentine neck and answered in a joyful, ringing voice.

"Chirp—!"

The crowd turned and was startled to see a sheet of smoke-white rain cloud drifting slowly closer on the horizon.

Within the rain cloud.

Two pure-white figures, like giant roc-penguins, rolled and soared, their free and easy bearing fully displaying the legendary wonder and spiritual grace of their kind.

"Your kin have come."

All Baimu could feel All Baimu's excitement.

After being hurt by humans and twisted into a Dark Pokémon, without the sincere communication of a heart of love, it would probably never have been able to trust humans again in this lifetime.

And by that point, only its own kind could help it, and only another All Baimu could give it a sense of safety.

A sense of belonging comes from self-acceptance.

"Chirp!"

All Baimu looked toward Dr. Muyin, urging him to begin the purification as soon as possible so it could shake off the shackles of darkness, cast aside every restraint, and return to the freedom of wind and ocean currents.

It had been far too long since it had been able to do whatever it wanted, heartily and without reserve!

All Baimu tactfully stepped aside, and Dr. Muyin together with the team of assisting researchers immediately activated the purification device.

Hum!

The surrounding lights flared in a riot of colors, and several Graveler, Piloswine, Lickitung, and Pikachu took their places at the various points of the device.

Dr. Muyin explained to All Baimu: "The improved purification device uses sixteen Pokémon of four types that are super effective against All Baimu and that counter one another to form an internal cycle. The purification effect is a hundred times greater than before! This time it will definitely succeed!"

As a special piece of black-tech, the purification chamber has one feature: each Pokémon in the clockwise sequence is super effective against the one before it, and this 'purification rhythm' greatly enhances the effect.

In short, when Piloswine stands in the clockwise position below Graveler, and Ice is super effective against Graveler's Ground, the purification effect is greatly boosted; by the same logic, Water-type Lickitung is super effective against Piloswine's Ground, raising the effect, and so on…

At the same time, these four types are also super effective against All Baimu, providing a further boost.

All Baimu nodded to show he understood.

In no time at all.

The main altar of the purification device began to glow, and musical notes symbolizing the purification rhythm drifted out into the air. On the altar, All Baimu suddenly shuddered, and black lines instantly spread thick across its body.

Its eyes turned blood-red, every plume black as ink, and its whole body gave off an ominous air.

"Chirp—!!"

The musical notes flew into its body, and All Baimu threw its head back in a howl of agony, as if being tortured.

All Baimu knew this was most likely the dark power inside it making its last desperate stand. Though it had no self-awareness, it was like a virus invading a human body and going on the rampage—frantically stimulating the immune cells into making a fierce, last-ditch counterattack.

Mannai stood behind her mother, hugging her Plusle and Minusle, watching All Baimu with deep worry.

Suddenly.

From afar came a melodious warbling, rising and falling like a song, like the surging tide along a shore, and like the great wind howling across the vault of heaven.

Everyone felt their hearts trembling along with it.

"Chirp—"

The Dark All Baimu let out a low, mournful wail, its ferocious expression gradually softening, and then the black aura clinging to its body visibly dispersed.

Calling on the sea to soothe the soul, then…

All Baimu looked toward the distant horizon. The mother-and-child All Baimu had not drawn any closer, but it was easy to see they were watching the Dark All Baimu all the while, lending whatever help they could.

Time passed slowly.

The dark power on All Baimu's body gradually faded away without a trace, and its plumes returned to a beautiful silver-white,

and it had initially thrown off the erosion of the dark power.

"Mrr…"

All Baimu lay prone on the ground, its great jaws opening and closing slightly as if panting, its brow seeming to have just passed through a nightmare.

But Dr. Muyin and the other researchers did not let their guard down. The difficulty in purifying a Dark All Baimu lay in the impossibility of a complete cure—the power of darkness would always, when least expected, reclaim its body.

"Success or failure hinges on this one move!"

Dr. Muyin gravely pressed a certain switch.

The altar's light shifted from five colors to a strange, inky black. All Baimu instantly went rigid as if struck by electricity, and wisps and threads of black aura seeped out from within, clinging to it like vengeful spirits.

"This is it!"

Dr. Muyu shouted, pushing the lever beside him. The inky light instantly transformed back into five colors, and the Pokémon standing at their various points gave off a flood of musical notes that surged toward the black aura on All Baimu in a frantic rush!

The black aura silently twisted into all manner of shapes, but was powerless to resist the effect of the notes.

Until the very last wisp of black aura dispersed.

Dr. Muyin's taut body relaxed. "Ha…"

He had always suspected the dark power would actively retreat and hide somewhere, so he had specially developed an induction device to lure out the hidden black aura.

Fortunately, the dark power, stubborn as it was, had no self-awareness—otherwise they would have had to play hide-and-seek with it.

Afterward.

Dr. Muyin turned the induction device on and off several times, repeatedly checking the purification meter that detected dark power, confirming that no more black smoke drifted out and that no trace of black could be seen on the meter.

He looked tensely at All Baimu.

"Chirp—!!"

A high, ringing cry.

A gust of wind slammed into them. The silver giant broke free of the altar and shot straight up into the clouds, wheeling in a dance-like spiral high above, its beautiful wings gleaming in the sunlight.

"Chirp…"

It spread its wings wide.

*Slap! *

The bright silver light burst apart into countless fragments, and everyone present—both humans and Pokémon—found their vision blurring for a moment as moisture quickly gathered in their nostrils.

It was water vapor.

The surrounding air suddenly became incomparably fresh and alive, as if infused with something wonderful. Every breath was exceptionally intoxicating, as though one could feel the very essence of life.

At some unknown moment.

Smoke-white rain clouds had gathered over the sky above the research institute. All Baimu raised its slender, serpentine neck and let out a song answering the distant cries of its kin.

"Wooo—"

A heart-soothing drizzle fell, yet carried not the slightest chill; instead, a warm current could be felt.

"It sounds like something is speaking…"

One researcher heard a vague voice and looked around in bewilderment.

The others shared a similar impression.

All Baimu stood in place, his perception clearer than anyone else's present—

He "heard" the cheers of the wind and the rain.

Unbelievable.

Two things that had only ever been given life in works of literature were now continuously emitting their own "voices," celebrating as a being born of nature once again embraced freedom.

"It worked…"

All Baimu murmured to himself.

As the officiant of the purification ritual, Dr. Muyin excitedly announced at the top of his voice:

"Everyone! We did it! We have completely resolved the case of the Pokémon said to be impossible to purify!"

According to the original plan, at least two more weeks of observation were still needed, but Lugia's behavior differed from every previous purification, and the strange phenomena in the environment convinced Dr. Muyin—

The purification ritual had succeeded!

The researchers stared blankly at him, then looked up at the Lugia soaring freely in the sky, and let out excited cheers one after another.

"Wonderful!"

"It finally worked!"

"I'm going to open the champagne right now!"

"Isn't it a bit early? I mean, let's observe for two more days… alright! This really is worth celebrating!"

The repeated failures to purify Dark Lugia were not only a thorn in Dr. Muyin's side that kept him up at night, but also a stain on the lives of every researcher who had taken part in developing the purification chamber.

Until this very day.

They had finally overcome this hurdle!

Everyone laughed and cheered, not minding at all that the rain had soaked their collars. Mannai volunteered to fetch the celebration props prepared in advance, with Plusle and Minun bouncing along on either side of her.

Only All Baimu was still looking up at the sky.

Dr. Muyin noticed him, his smile fading slightly as he stepped forward and asked: "All Baimu, what's wrong?"

All Baimu said: "Lugia, it—"

Before the words had finished leaving his mouth.

High in the heavens, Lugia beat its broad, hand-like silver-white wings and flew off into the distance, stirring up a gale mixed with rainwater that sent everyone's hair flying wild.

The people instinctively raised their hands to shield themselves, the hems of their clothes flapping loudly in the wind.

By the time they came back to their senses, Lugia had vanished without a trace along with the mother-and-child pair hidden in the rain clouds on the horizon.

It left?

Without even saying goodbye?

The people exchanged glances, unable to believe that Lugia had simply up and left just like that.

Dr. Muyin, however, took it in stride, and said with a smile to everyone: "This land of Orei held it captive for too long. Wanting to leave early and return to the embrace of the sea is perfectly normal! Besides, we didn't develop the purification chamber to earn Lugia's gratitude!"

At these words, the researchers nodded in agreement one after another.

The purification chamber was born out of resistance against Team Shadow's anti-human acts, and even when Dr. Muyin was later abducted and tortured by Team Shadow's people, he never opened his mouth.

Their ideals were not so cheap as to lose their luster just because they lacked a Pokémon's gratitude.

Therefore, although the hasty parting with Lugia left them with a sense of regret, finishing the purification of the last Dark Pokémon was still something worth celebrating.

All Baimu glanced at the horizon and felt the matter wasn't that simple.

Lugia had promised to make it rain together with that mother-and-child pair, and he trusted the fellow wouldn't go back on its word—so the most likely explanation was that it had gone to the deep-sea currents, to experience the long-missed "great artery" of the planet.

It might even have gone off to make it rain.

"Big Brother All Baimu, hurry over! My mom's pineapple pie is delicious!"

Mannai's call brought him back to his senses, and also caused the odd-colored Gengar hiding in his shadow to poke its head out.

"Slurp~"

The grey fatty licked its lips greedily.

Just like Mawile, it was especially fond of sweet foods—a fellow "sweet-destroyer" on par with Mawile. The difference was that it ate fast and ferociously; once its gaping maw opened, it swallowed things whole, making one wonder whether it actually tasted anything.

Mawile, on the other hand, was particular about chewing slowly and carefully—twenty chews on the left side, then twenty on the right—and liked to wash it down with a cup of black tea.

The total amount the two ultimately ate usually ranged from half a jin to one jin.

Mm.

Gengar was the one that ate less.

——

The guess had been verified.

When All Baimu and Gengar were sharing the pineapple pie, Porygon2, who had zero interest in pineapple pie, transmitted an important message.

Shortly after, Dr. Muyin also received the news and switched on the television in surprise.

On the screen, a news anchor Young Lady was standing beside a massive display panel, speaking in a measured tone:

"According to reports, the southern part of the Ore Region has been hit by the heaviest torrential rain in a millennium of recorded history. The affected areas include Silicon Beryllium City, Pyrite Town, Realgar Town…"

She rattled off the names of more than a dozen human settlements in one breath, covering the entire southern half of the Ore Region!

"Residents of all cities are advised to stock up on essential food, secure doors and windows, and be mindful of safety when going outside. Do not linger outdoors unless absolutely necessary…"

The south!

A torrential downpour!

A group of researchers stood dumbfounded. Mannai blurted in astonishment, "Lugia? Lugia went to the south to make it rain?"

"I'm afraid it's not that simple."

Dr. Muyin's expression grew grave. Then a faint tremor rose from beneath his feet.

An earthquake!

Someone immediately urged everyone to run outside to the open ground, while others tried to save important data but were stopped. Amid the clamor, a crowd of people made it outdoors.

Surprisingly, the quake stopped not long after.

All Baimu pulled out his phone and had Porygon-II search for the epicenter. The answer came back that earthquakes of roughly magnitude two to three had occurred across the entire Ore Region, with the epicenter suspected to be beneath the sea.

At the same time, a tidal surge and rising sea levels appeared at Qinggang, causing some commotion.

What on earth is Lugia trying to do?

Forcefully reshape the Ore Region's natural environment using deep-sea currents?

That couldn't possibly be it.

Perhaps it simply wanted to bring more water to the parched parts of the Ore Region, and had unleashed the kind of mighty power only a legendary Pokémon possesses.

Way too eager…

The moment it broke free from the grip of dark power, it couldn't wait to rush off and make it rain.

Does it have some kind of obsession?

All Baimu had no idea what expression to make. He thought, hopefully this downpour won't be too extreme—if it drowns his saplings, there'll be nowhere to cry.

Everyone returned to the lab and resumed the celebration while watching the news.

Fortunately, once the earthquake ended, no other trouble cropped up, and the storm clouds blanketing the southern Ore Region showed no sign of drifting northwest.

During this time, Shanzhen had called to ask whether Lugia was behind it—

Who else could it be?

Not long after.

Hu Pa came knocking to fetch him back up the mountain, saying Balza needed his help to rescue the saplings and crop seedlings that would likely drown if left unattended.

All Baimu stepped into the light ring wearing a raincoat, and the next second went splat as he stepped straight into a mud pit.

"…"

He looked up at the sky, black and heavy overhead. The northern Ore Region was bathed in sunshine, while over Platinum Silver Mountain the light was nearly gone.

Soon.

He couldn't spare any more attention for observation, because he saw a pack of Boldore—wait, Lycanroc—actually braving the pouring rain, working in groups to dig drainage channels.

Furious, he promptly drove the lot of them into the mountain cave.

For Pokémon that are weak to Water-type, if they have no special circumstances of their own, it's entirely possible they could die from being soaked!

"Everyone inside! Leave it to me!"

All Baimu shouted at the top of his lungs and sent out Aggron, using Mega Evolution to change its typing, then dug a series of drainage channels with Dig.

He himself ran off to find Balza and Mei Mei Yali to rescue the tender seedlings they had planted in recent days.

"This rain came on way too suddenly."

Balza was utterly helpless.

They'd only just adapted to the Ore Region's dry climate, and were just starting to feel happy about Lugia and its offspring dropping by for the occasional light rain—when suddenly a torrential downpour came crashing down.

All Baimu twitched the corner of his mouth. He was now very concerned about the situation in Pyrite Town.

Can Pyrite Town's drainage system hold up against a downpour of this scale? Lugia is going to do a good deed and turn it into a disaster!

Climate change shouldn't be this violent either!