Chapter 748: The Bet Agreement

Collected the sixth badge.

The actor was about to leave when a little kid blocked his path.

【You met your admirer, who claims to have watched all your films and has always supported you】

The actor couldn't believe he'd actually encountered a fan; after so long as a box-office poison, he thought he'd disappointed everyone who once believed in him.

The fact that no one recognized him along the way proved plenty.

But he never expected that in Snowflake City, there was a child silently supporting him.

【You heard him anxiously ask if you'd given up acting; you quickly assured him you were facing difficulties and working hard to return to the big screen】

【You heard him say he'd always cheer for you, and you were moved beyond words; when you learned he also wanted to become a movie star like you, you fell silent, unsure how to respond】

After a long while.

In the scene, the actor squatted down and gently stroked the little kid's head.

【You told him that as long as he had belief, he could definitely succeed; anyone could become a great star】

The actor suddenly remembered how he himself had once asked someone if he could become a star like those on screen—back then, his question was laughed at, and his constantly quarreling parents never cared about his thoughts.

Now standing in the same position, the actor refused to douse anyone's hopes, even though he himself had not yet succeeded.

Meanwhile.

He became even more determined to continue down this path.

He firmly believed the little kid wouldn't be the last supporter—he would shed the label of box-office poison and return to the big screen!

【You made a promise with him: one day you would return to the big screen, and he would fulfill his dream of becoming a great star】

【You asked for his name; he shouted loudly that he was called 'Hachi Ku'】

"... Of course."

Baimu saw the little kid's blue hair and had already guessed who it was, though he wasn't certain.

Hachi Ku.

The future Snowflake Gym Leader, a popular movie star.

His notable works include "Hachi Cool Hero," "Bear vs. Snow Fight," "Frozen Bear Crosses the River," "Ice Martial Gate," and "Ice Frost Game," known as the Ice Masked Hero.

After simulating for so long, he finally saw a familiar face.

On the screen.

The actor, holding six badges, pressed forward, facing the Snowflake Wetlands and the cylindrical bridge leading to Route 8.

The bridge occasionally shook; the narrator explained it was due to the subway passing beneath, which surprised Baimu.

Did Unova have a subway this early?

... Didn't the New York subway get built early too?

Crossed the cylindrical bridge.

The actor successfully reached Twin Dragon City, home of the seventh Gym.

【You arrived in Twin Dragon City, a city where past and future intertwine】

With six badges, the actor indeed became famous as he'd hoped; his former dream agency approached him, hoping to sign a contract.

【You declined】

The actor knew he could go further; more importantly, he knew far too few people knew him yet.

【You decided to continue your Gym challenge journey】

The actor heard the Twin Dragon Gym Leader specialized in Dragon-type Pokémon and recalled that Mr. Mime was a Fairy-type Pokémon, so he tried teaching it some Fairy-type moves—

Failed.

In truth, he didn't even know which Fairy-type moves Mr. Mime could learn.

【You consulted every resource accessible to you—found nothing】

"The importance of the internet age."

Baimu thought of the Fairy-type moves Mr. Mime knew; apart from "Teeter Dance," which had been changed from Normal to Fairy, it seemed only "Magic Shine" and "Misty Terrain" remained.

【You decided to attempt challenging the Twin Dragon Gym once】

The actor ultimately couldn't hold back.

The Twin Dragon Gym Leader was the second "familiar face" Baimu had seen so far—Xia Ka; of course, this era's Xia Ka was still young, with the standard white-haired youth appearance.

As a Dragon Master who raised a new Regional Champion, Xia Ka's strength was unquestionable; the difficulty of his Gym in his youth was a leap compared to the previous ones.

The once impregnable multi-layered transparent barriers shattered like cheap ultra-thin glass before Double-Edge Dragon, no matter how many were created—those crimson axes cleaved them effortlessly.

The maze tactic lost its effectiveness for the first time.

More awkwardly, Mr. Mime was Fairy-type but knew no Fairy-type moves.

Yet Double-Edge Dragon's moves of other types still dealt devastating damage.

Fortunately, Mr. Mime knew more than one tactic; through deliberate training, the transparent walls had gained a mirror-like effect—when Double-Edge Dragon approached, Mr. Mime used his astonishing acting to make Xia Ka believe he was right ahead.

In reality.

Mr. Mime stood beside Double-Edge Dragon, hidden behind two reflective walls.

A perfect opportunity arose; the actor instantly ordered Mr. Mime to use the "Headbutt Clamp" he had 【mimicked】 from Double-Edge Dragon, aiming for a one-hit knockout—

Move failed!

An unexpected event occurred.

【You realized Mr. Mime's level was lower than Double-Edge Dragon's; before you could switch moves, Double-Edge Dragon had already spotted Mr. Mime's true position】

A clean, precise Poison Jab instantly knocked Mr. Mime out.

Lost at the final moment.

Even Baimu felt sorry for the actor—energy level didn't mean everything, but sometimes, when energy level was too low, winning was simply impossible.

For the first time, the Pokémon Trainer defeated the Magic Guard after such a long challenge, but the actor's emotions remained remarkably stable.

Young Lady Gothitelle replaced her, sacrificing herself to a Dragon Claw strike, then used her usual overwhelming psychic power to defeat the weakened Double-Edge Dragon.

It was then replaced again, and the opponent to Xia Ka's second Pokémon, Red-faced Dragon, was the Fighting-type specialist, Artificial Cell Egg.

The two Pokémon clashed with Ice Punch against Dragon Claw.

Artificial Cell Egg had truly studied the boxing match tapes—its targeting, combos, and timing were all precise, and with the move 【Self-Recovery】, it had durability, offense, and healing.

Red-faced Dragon couldn't land a single hit and was worn down to death.

Xia Ka seemed equally surprised that his second Pokémon had lost in this manner to the actor, and silently sent out his third, Flygon.

The actor switched in Symbolic Bird.

This time, his strategy shifted from offense to defense; with a combo of Light Screen, Reflect, and Cosmic Power, Flygon could not land any effective damage.

Added to this, Sigilyph's ability 【Miracle Skin】 reduced the accuracy of opposing status moves, causing every status move Flygon used against Sigilyph to miss.

The move that defeated Flygon was Ability Swap combined with Icy Wind.

Losing its Float ability, its speed plummeted, and Ice Wind's wide coverage left it nowhere to escape.

Flygon lost regretfully.

"All at a high level… no wonder they're gifted," Baimu muttered.

The earlier highlights of the Gym battle had belonged mostly to Magic Guard and Gothitelle, making him assume the actor, like him, focused on cultivating just a few.

Now he saw the actor was a well-rounded type—far stronger than him.

Xia Ka's final Pokémon was Latias.

A bird, flying by wings.

As expected, it suffered under Symbolic Bird's Gravity, forced to fight on the ground while Gothitelle rained down psychic attacks from afar; the Psychic-type's ranged advantage was too great, and Latias's firepower too limited—it made no impact at all.

【You defeated Gym Leader Xia Ka and received the Legend Badge】

The actor experienced firsthand how hard victory could be, and realized the Gym Leader's full strength wasn't shown in battle—so he asked Xia Ka for advice on Pokémon training.

At this time, Xia Ka had not yet become the head of the Double Dragon Academy; his advice was for the actor to go to the Training Rock Cave on Route 9.

【You heard he once said legendary Pokémon lived there, training their students, and sometimes their traces could still be seen—without delay, he rushed there】

"Legendary Pokémon? Students? Sacred Swordsmen?"

Upon hearing the word "students," Baimu immediately thought of Keldeo, once summoned by Hu Pa.

Could the actor actually encounter those three Sacred Swordsmen?

He watched the simulation screen curiously.

Unfortunately, both he and the actor had overthought it—the reason legendary Pokémon were called "legendary" was precisely because they were not easily encountered.

Still, the Training Rock Cave was an excellent training ground; its wild Pokémon were generally powerful, beneficial for raising the overall strength and energy levels of Magic Guard and others.

The lesson from Snipper taught the actor the importance of fundamentals.

"It seems trainers are rare in this era."

Baimu had rarely seen the actor engage in roadside battles with other trainers, confirming how scarce trainers were.

The scene shifted.

The actor and his Pokémon—Magic Guard among them—explored the Training Rock Cave, battled wild Pokémon, occasionally met other trainers seeking legendary Pokémon who challenged them, trained normally, and occasionally returned to Double Dragon City for supplies.

It had the same feel as Red's training on Mt. Silver in the Special Episodes.

Unknown how much time had passed.

The actor emerged from the cave with five Psychic-type Pokémon vastly improved; Dugtrio had also found its own path forward during this special training—creating illusions through psychic power.

It possessed the unique ability to alter an opponent's memories by infusing psychic energy; though achieving such a complex effect in actual battle was pure fantasy, using it to induce visual misperceptions in opponents was possible.

The narrator stated Dugtrio had tested this ability on wild Pokémon multiple times—with zero failures.

【You head toward the next city and begin searching for your sixth Psychic-type Pokémon】

The actor traveled east, crossed Route 11, and arrived at Village Bridge.

The houses fused seamlessly with both sides and the bridge deck fascinated the actor.

He lingered briefly, asking locals if any wild Psychic-type Pokémon lived nearby; receiving a negative answer, he pressed on to Cagome Town.

【You heard villagers speak of a strange meteor legend, and that in the Giant Cave to the northwest, someone had once seen Sun Stone and Moon Stone】

Finding his target, the actor ignored the villagers' warnings and headed straight for the Giant Cave.

Giant Cave…

Lei Mu?

It couldn't be that easy to encounter it—and wasn't Lei Mu in the anime located in an abandoned mine?

Baimu recalled the environment of Lei Mu in the movie, then suddenly realized the era of Xiao Zhi's travels likely differed from the actor's by decades.

Perhaps Lei Mu had changed its habitat during that time.

After all, he remembered Cagome Town later hosted the Pokémon World Championships Junior Cup—Lei Mu's legend must have drawn countless trainers to the Giant Cave for adventure.

The facts proved:

Baimu's guess was correct.

The actor truly encountered Lei Mu at the deepest part of the Giant Cave.

【You stare in shock at the fearsome Pokémon before you, wanting to capture it with a Poké Ball—but your subconscious tells you it is extremely dangerous】

The pixelated Lei Mu looked harmless—ignoring the frost beneath its feet.

The actor hesitated for less than a second, then turned and fled; his goal was to revive his acting career through his identity as a trainer, not to die for a legendary Pokémon.

Fortunately, Lei Mu showed no intention to chase him, and the actor exhaled in relief.

【You dare not venture deeper into the cave, but are glad to have discovered a surprising find in the underground forest】

The wild Pokémon the actor found was Metang, the pre-evolved form of Metagross.

This Pokémon was undoubtedly more ideal than Sunflora and Moonstone; without hesitation, he launched a capture operation, and thanks to the new triple transparent wall ability of Mr. Mime, Metang was successfully caught.

【You caught Metang, and a UFO appeared alongside Dugtrio】

What the hell is a UFO!

Although its appearance did resemble one, the Pokémon world's UFOs were clearly designed after Metagross and Metang, but this is just too…

Baimu had no energy left to complain about the actor's utilitarian attitude toward his acting career.

Leave Giant Cave.

Since he still lacked one badge, the actor crossed mountains and rivers to reach Qinghaibo City.

【You arrived at Qinghaibo City, whose symbol is a calm, still sea surface】

He immediately began the Gym challenge.

The Gym Leader was a female trainer specializing in Ghost-type Pokémon, whose first Pokémon was a male Plusle.

Due to the unusually specific battle terrain—land interspersed with pools—the actor sent out Cell Egg to fight.

At a type disadvantage, he prepared himself for suppression.

However.

Plusle's Shadow Ball was far weaker than expected; Cell Egg endured it without serious damage, while Plusle could not withstand its Thunder Punch—after three strikes, it was rendered unable to battle.

【You realize that through intensive training, your strength has surpassed that of an ordinary trainer】

Mr. Mime, Dugtrio, and Metang took the field in sequence; the first two easily defeated their opponents, proving the actor's strength was truly no longer what it once was.

Metang endured a hard battle, but thanks to the actor's increasingly refined battle experience, he ultimately prevailed.

【You defeated the Qinghaibo Gym Leader and received the Qinghaibo Badge】

【Your Metang evolved into Metagross】

Metagross's evolution symbolized the maturity of the actor's team; the eight badges in his possession now meant he could prepare for the League Conference.

【You returned to Pokémon Hollywood; with eight badges, your wish was fulfilled, and you received numerous offers for major supporting roles】

The actor remained unsatisfied, or rather, these petty gains were not worth his lingering attachment.

He went to a top-tier talent agency in Hollywood, boldly wagered his final League Conference results against the company executives, and signed a contract.

【You resolved to give it everything you've got】