Chapter 937

"Uh, thank you all for coming. I, Kujaku, Island King of Poni Island, am unwell and hereby announce my official retirement."

In front of a hundred-inch giant TV.

All All Baimu raised the remote, gave the old man on screen one final glance, and switched back to his favorite morning drama featuring Gulpin.

"I'm done watching—come on!"

"Kichido!"

Gulpin hurried over, clutching a fruit smoothie, and took over the TV it had grown utterly obsessed with lately.

Months passed.

The Platinum Silver Mountain villa was now roughly complete; what remained was exterior finishing and interior decoration.

All All Baimu, adhering to the principle of maximum efficiency, had only painted the exterior walls and renovated the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and a small portion of the living room.

The first few were necessities for life; the living room was a necessity for Gulpin.

Otherwise, the super-sized TV it bought online last week and the large sofa it ordered from the mall would have to be stuck in the bedroom!

Even though the bedroom was large enough—over seventy square meters—it didn't want to do that.

"Better late than never."

All All Baimu sat at the bar outside the kitchen, having just finished a Dual Blue simulation.

The simulation subject was a Pokémon collector from the Sinnoh region, starting with a Pichu and capturing countless Pokémon, then carefully selecting the best to focus on training.

It was practically a Shinji simulator!

But unlike the collectors, who never released their Pokémon, he kept them all at home, just like Gary and Ash.

All All Baimu had always chosen the 【Elite System】 talent; this rare pick of 【One-Man Army】 brought back the feeling of playing games as a child.

He caught a bunch, picked one decent one to keep, never bothered with hatching eggs, and back then there were no Nature Mints or anything like that.

Using this battlefield-deployment method, the collector completed the Lillie Conference championship with sixteen Pokémon total, arranged in three different team compositions.

Then he got brutally crushed by the Elite Four.

That's what happens when you have quantity but not quality.

But the fact that the collector won the Lillie Conference proves he had talent in Pokémon training—too bad he chose the wrong path.

The fixed reward? Memories of the Pokémon he captured.

It truly left him unmotivated.

"Next time it'll almost certainly be orange!"

All All Baimu's focus was on the next simulation—the Blue talent no longer satisfied his appetite.

The more level rewards he had in reserve, the happier he became.

He only waited for the day all his Pokémon ascended together.

As he pondered:

"Happy~"

Happiny trotted over with a steaming bowl of red bean soup.

Inside the soup floated tiny white dumplings shaped like Pichu, each the size of a fingertip, bobbing up and down—adorable.

The kitchen was now Happiny's domain; every day she got new cooking inspiration from Pokémon Sound, satisfying everyone's daily cravings for snacks.

Because she frequently fed wild Pokémon around the area,

Happiny had already earned a reputation on Platinum Silver Mountain as the 【Bodhisattva of Happiness】, even overshadowing All All Baimu, the generous benefactor.

Her charm rivaled that of the universally recognized goddess—Shiny Milotic.

By the way,

The company behind Pokémon Sound had been established, with All All Baimu serving as Creative Director and holding 35% equity.

The remaining 65% belonged to the Aether Foundation.

It seemed All All Baimu got the worse deal, since the software was entirely developed by Multi-Form II.

But from a long-term, business-oriented perspective—given his lack of interest in commercial affairs—directly sharing in the profits was clearly better.

Of course, Lusamine had once mentioned she'd be willing to pay one billion to buy out the software outright.

All All Baimu naturally refused.

Lillie had also secretly sent a message, her words clearly urging him to decline.

To this kind-hearted girl, Pokémon Sound was a product of his hard work, like his own child.

How could he just sell it off!

Seeing Lillie's earnest plea on the chat screen, All All Baimu found it amusing—and yet he felt the purity behind it.

According to current statistics, Pokémon Sound already had over thirty thousand users, 90% from the Alola region.

The next phase of promotion would be a tough battle.

But he believed that once the Multi-Phone and Rotom Phone, two super-smartphones, hit the market, user numbers would explode exponentially.

The next day.

All All Baimu and Happiny boarded the plane bound for Alola.

The Ground Z was likely obtainable through Hapu; the Poison Z would require some luck.

Most Legendary Pokémon remained on Platinum Silver Mountain, simply because Regieleki disliked going out—and so did its two beloved steeds, all naturally homebodies.

The Three Pillars were needed to support the Ohara Trials.

Dragapult was quite envious; it had grown accustomed to life on Platinum Silver Mountain and rarely used its invisibility anymore.

Constantly traveling outside, encountering unfamiliar things, clashed sharply with its social anxiety.

But All All Baimu firmly refused to let it stay behind.

The consequences of Steelix's prolonged stay in Ohara had taught him a deep lesson.

The shy dragon had no choice but to join the group.

With such low status, what could it say?

During the boring flight,

All All Baimu suddenly scrolled to a short video posted by the Rotom Dex—

The long-absent Vermilion Gym battle: the original uncut team's internal fight, Ash versus Misty.

It must have been filmed long ago; All All Baimu vaguely remembered that earlier this year, when he first arrived in Alola, Ash and his friends were on a study trip to Kanto.

Come to think of it,

He'd met so many animated female characters—but never once encountered Misty from the original series.

What a pity.

His childhood filter made him fond of Misty.

If only she'd change her hairstyle—her bob cut in FireRed and LeafGreen looked great; the side ponytail looked weird.

Of course,

Weird hairstyles for female Pokémon characters were an old tradition—like Mallow, whose hairline was enough to make you worry.

The scene shifted to the battlefield.

The Pokémon on both sides were Pikachu and Gyarados; after a round of exchanges, Misty quickly activated Mega Evolution.

But she still couldn't match Ash's strength.

Pikachu's exaggerated movement and evasion skills were one thing—but watching it ride the released electricity to escape the whirlwind, using energy as a stepping platform, left him stunned.

You can do that!?

No wonder Team Rocket chased after it relentlessly—had it been him…

Ash's every wild command can be fulfilled—what's the difference between you and a wish-granting machine?

Happiny's sneeze interrupted All All Baimu's thoughts.

He asked, slightly uneasy: "What's wrong?"

The sneeze of Jigglypuff interrupted All All Baimu's thoughts.

Happiny shook its head, puzzled, rubbing its barely noticeable nose with tiny hands.

Strange.

Why did it suddenly sneeze?

But it didn't dwell on it, quickly turning its attention back to the airplane meal, spearing a piece and savoring it slowly.

"Happy~"

But he didn't dwell on it, his attention quickly returning to the airplane meal before him; he skewered a piece and placed it in his mouth to savor slowly.

Another dish to add to the menu!

Happiny's curls and tiny wings fluttered happily.

Ever since the kitchen was designated its domain, the pink egg dreamed up new culinary experiments daily.

Dishes previously unattainable due to limitations in cooking tools, spices, or ingredients now became targets for its expanding menu.

It had already accumulated over two hundred recipes.

To accommodate this, All All Baimu specially wove it a chef's hat—but Happiny cherished it so much that the chef's hat and nurse's hat now sat together as treasured museum pieces in the cabinet.

—

For this, All All Baimu specially wove another chef's hat for him, but Jigglypuff cherished it too much, causing both the chef's hat and the nurse's hat to become treasured relics in the cabinet.

The long-absent seaside villa.

Melemele Island.

The long-missed seaside villa.

The rental agency sent someone to clean, so the interior remained tidy.

After retrieving his luggage from the belly of the Shiny Gengar, All All Baimu decided to visit Kappu Xiong Xiong.

It's been months since I last saw it—I wonder how it's doing.

I should also check in with Modan; the huge sum of illicit funds sent by Unit Zero probably caused him a lot of trouble.

"Aren't you coming with me?"

All All Baimu looked at the Polywhirl II flying out of his phone.

Polywhirl II grinned sheepishly and shook its head, looking thoroughly guilty.

It's probably off to complain to Jirachi.

Fine then.

He sighed, mounted Salamence, and headed for the outfit bear's den.

Having lived on Platinum Silver Mountain for a long time.

Everyone had grown more at ease, and their dependence on him had lessened.

For instance, Gengar used to follow All All Baimu everywhere without question.

Now it directly went exploring the forest with two little Dratini, never asking if he wanted to come along.

"Sigh."

Even Pokémon grow up and leave.

All All Baimu bent down and stroked the fur along Salamence's neck. "You're still the best."

"Shasong!"

Salamence responded proudly.

Among all Pokémon, only it still kept its unwavering affection, clingy as ever.

The contrast made it stand out all the more.

Hence, lately it had been his favorite—he'd slept with his back pressed against it last night.

Crossing the vast sea of trees.

A short while later.

All All Baimu had arrived beneath the great tree where the outfit bear's den lay.

The Alola region's climate changed little throughout the year, with no distinct seasonal winds; the great tree remained thick and lush.

The Team Rocket trio was gone—probably out selling honey donuts again.

In the Alola arc, they rarely worked odd jobs like before; the money for building robots came entirely from honey donuts.

I wonder how business is going.

"Outfit Bear!"

He shouted into the surroundings, but silence answered.

Neither Outfit Bear nor Drowzee was around; no call could summon them back. There was only one possible explanation.

They went after Team Rocket!

Disappointed, All All Baimu told Salamence: "Forget it. Let's go to Ula'ula Island."

Say hello to Modan, and check in on how Alola Meowth is doing.

"Shasong!"

Salamence shot straight into the sky.

Lately, Trainers rarely patted their heads to infuse power—they only taught moves.

The clever Haxorus guessed the Trainer was probably hoarding something big.

Last time the Trainer hoarded something big, he pushed Bonsly to a level it could never hope to match.

It lost again and again.

Salamence was so desperate it felt like it was growing a third head.

It was meant to be the mighty champion dragon—how could it keep falling to Bonsly's claws?

Now the opportunity had come.

Salamence must seize it firmly!

Who in the world is the true hero?

Observe the Pokémon: Gulpin is arrogant and spoiled, Drapion is inarticulate, Steelix spends all day digging holes;

Happiny is obsessed with cooking, Polywhirl II is lazy, Milotic looks beautiful but is just as dumb as a fool!

The rest—Sunflora, the Dratini siblings, and others—are all trash, not worth a second thought.

Only Gengar has lately been talking to the Trainer about "I want to improve so much," making it a real threat.

So what if it got a Mega Evolution?

Thinking of Gengar's smug face, Salamence couldn't help but bare its teeth.

Good thing even this fatso has moments of slackness—it dared to leave the Trainer's side and go play before the outcome was decided.

Hmph!

Watch it gobble up all this power in one gulp!

Imagining how, not long from now, Bonsly would be crushed by its invincible self, while Gulpin and the rest bowed in submission, and the Trainer hugged it, shouting "Champion!"

Salamence nearly drooled with delight.

Thwack!

"Dude! You're about to fly into the water! Hey!"

All All Baimu sharply slapped Salamence right between its two central heads. The Haxorus, confused, let out weird giggles and started flying lower and lower.

What are you thinking about?

Grown up now? Thinking about finding a mate?

He leaned forward curiously to look into Salamence's eyes; the latter quickly looked away, guilty.

"Shasong~"

"Fly faster. Don't come back after dark."

All All Baimu didn't notice anything odd—he lifted his head.

Wu had said that when Salamence was in heat, its nostrils would flare open like heavy panting.

Its destructive urges would multiply; it'd want to smash and blast everything it saw.

Salamence showed none of these signs yet.

It did smash things—often flew wildly around Platinum Silver Mountain, blasting big rocks into dust.

Occasionally it even challenged wild Pokémon to strength contests.

It had endless energy all day long.

All All Baimu thought carefully, never suspecting Salamence had already set its sights on his level-up rewards.

A moment later.

Above Ula'ula Island.

Salamence flew over the foreign-style Malie City and landed before the police station.

"Again, no one's here?"

All All Baimu saw the police station empty except for a pile of Alola Meowth—he couldn't hold back his frustration.

Two visits, two times empty-handed—what rotten luck!

"Miaow!"

"Mew!"

The Alola Meowth, thrilled to see a familiar face, rushed over enthusiastically—except one, which stared blankly at him, then turned away to groom itself.

It refused to join the crowd.

After dealing with the others, All All Baimu walked up to it and said: "Do you remember me?"

"..."

The Alola Meowth glanced at him, then went back to grooming.

Its aloof demeanor was unchanged.

In truth, it acted this way because it had once fawned over All All Baimu so desperately—only to be rejected and sent away.

It felt deeply humiliated, its dignity shattered.

So the Alola Meowth had decided never to speak to him again.

All All Baimu smiled, pulled out a rainbow-colored Poké Block from his pocket. "A gift for you. Remember to eat it yourself—it's precious."

Poké Blocks look like candy snacks but have special effects: enhancing a Pokémon's charm and adjusting its physique.

They can even serve as emergency food.

Xiao Yao once made 【Xiao Yao's Delicacy #2】, one piece enough to fully satisfy a Snorlax.

The rainbow version was undoubtedly the finest of them all.

"... Mew."

The Alola Meowth wanted to refuse, to show All All Baimu some backbone—but the rainbow Poké Block was too tempting, so it helplessly accepted.

At that moment.

A tapping sound came from outside the door.

All All Baimu turned his head and caught sight of Modan, looking annoyed, with Acela pushing him from behind.

Their gazes met, expressions differing.

Aserola waved happily, "Agora! All All Baimu! Long time no see!"

Modan gritted his teeth and sneered, "You dare show your face, kid! Don't you fear I'll beat you?"

He had barely settled into retirement when, out of nowhere, his account gained over ten billion—sent by Team Rocket!

He nearly came under suspicion of colluding with Team Rocket, especially since he'd spoken with Sakaki these past months!

Fortunately, the misunderstanding arose quickly and was swiftly resolved; once it was clear All All Baimu was behind it, his innocence was restored.

But after all that fuss, his former superior relentlessly pursued him to return to service.

At the very least, serve as headquarters advisor, or train something.

It nearly prevented him from returning to Ula'ula Island.

Advisor?

Advisor my foot!

Enemies meeting spark fury; seeing All All Baimu now, Modan could barely contain himself, his words clenched between his molars.