Chapter 955: The Bald Legion

Phoenix Court?

All All Baimu found it vaguely familiar.

"Phoenix Court… oh, that temple housing the Sacred Flame of the Phoenix!" He remembered.

In the Johto region, a fierce human war once raged, causing massive loss of life and turning the land barren.

Enraged at humanity, the Phoenix descended sacred fire, burning human weapons and reviving the earth and lakes.

Humans reflected on their actions, preserving the remaining flame as the Sacred Flame, stored in a temple named Phoenix Court—

Today, this Sacred Flame serves as the torch for the Silver Conference.

The Cianwood Conference uses the fire of Ho-Oh.

All All Baimu ended his recollection, suddenly understanding.

So the monk was a descendant of Phoenix Court!

Impressive!

Earlier, he had understood why the monk's parents didn't want their son to become a monk; now that he knew the monk's origin, he no longer understood.

From every angle, inheriting Phoenix Court was far superior to struggling elsewhere!

Sigh.

He shook his head and continued watching the simulation.

In the scene.

The monk was participating in the preliminary round.

【You sent out Cyndaquil. Cyndaquil activated the "Solar Power" ability.】

This year's Olivine Conference seemed to have a dearth of talent, with only sixty-some participants; even qualifiers weren't needed, moving straight to preliminaries.

No wonder the Elite Four had to go out and personally mentor promising Trainers at various Gyms.

Standing above the river of history.

Perhaps they thought others were worrying needlessly; in a few years, Jirachi would surely emerge.

But there was also a chance that precisely because of their support, future generations of powerful Trainers in Sinnoh would keep emerging.

All All Baimu, watching the simulation, realized the importance of Trainer talent for any region.

Hoenn's population was already smaller than mainstream regions; it was even more vital to cultivate the new generation quickly.

【You passed the second round of preliminaries.】

The preliminaries posed virtually no challenge to the monk.

In every round, he opened with Cyndaquil, using Solar Power's fiery burst as a fireworks display.

Even if others guessed his tactic, they struggled to stop him.

Cyndaquil's movements were too fluid, too fast!

After three preliminary rounds ended.

The monk had become a favorite among spectators.

But the reason seemed unrelated to his strength; what truly drew the crowd was the two shining bald heads—the monk and Cyndaquil under the sunlight.

The bald boy and his bald Pokémon.

The scene was simply beautiful.

Even the monk's friends couldn't hold back, giggling uncontrollably.

【You felt helpless, but weren't angry.】

Though the monk never intended to gain fame this way, the deed was done—he could only accept it.

On the bright side, a distinctive trait could become his trademark.

The monk didn't plan to become a clown, but he believed a memorable image would make people more willing to listen to him.

【You advanced to the championship finals.】

The quarterfinals began.

Entering the best-of-six Pokémon full battle elimination format, match durations increased, and entertainment value rose accordingly.

The monk revealed more Pokémon.

The powerful Leafeon with Leaf Blade, the Ground-type expert Sandslash, the unflappable Gyarados, the explosive Jolteon that always went off without warning.

Plus a fiercely charging Tauros.

All round-headed, chubby Pokémon matched the monk perfectly—and only made people laugh harder; every time he sent one out, the crowd erupted in laughter and cheers.

This wasn't exactly friendly to his opponents.

Everyone was competing for the first time—why were you so popular?

They didn't even dare think of mocking him, because every bald Pokémon under the little bald head was absurdly strong!

【Your Bald Legion is invincible!】

"Pfft!"

All All Baimu spat out his drink.

Even the narrator was bullying the monk—so much for kindness inviting exploitation…

But regardless.

The monk calmly defeated his quarterfinal opponent.

Without the interference of Mega Evolution or the Legendary Boy, the monk with 【Gifted Talent】 felt like a king returning to his kingdom, his superhuman senses carrying him effortlessly.

【You met your semifinal opponent.】

Semifinals.

His opponent appeared extremely nervous.

Facing the monk's Cyndaquil, he instinctively tried to outmaneuver it with Pelipper for weather control.

Unaware that the Bald Legion already had two Pokémon perfectly suited for rain.

The monk seized the opportunity, deliberately ceding weather control so Jolteon could use Thunder—easily eliminating Pelipper.

Then he sent out Gyarados to absorb Kingdra's Hydro Pump, then used Earthquake to knock it out.

Smooth as flowing water!

No one understood weather tactics better than the monk!

Of course, his true strength lay in timing—weather had little to do with it.

【You advanced past the semifinals.】

The monk's pace through the conference was faster than any of All All Baimu's previous orange simulators.

He checked the time: less than ten minutes had passed, and he was already in the finals.

Though partly due to the Olivine Conference's low participant count, this also proved, in a way, the monk's strength.

His final opponent was a young man in his twenties.

He took the monk seriously, sending out only Pokémon with exceptional defense.

He planned to play it safe, matching the monk's endurance, waiting for the weather to fade, seeing who could outlast whom.

Unfortunately.

He still didn't understand why the monk was so strong.

The longer the battle lasted, the more the monk could spot openings; while prolonged labor prevented him from matching Pokémon in raw power, it sustained his razor-sharp senses.

【You spotted an opening.】

When Leafeon's Leaf Blade found the gap, a critical hit took out Sudowoodo.

The Bald Legion sounded the horn of victory.

Using Cyndaquil as the offering, Sandslash, Gyarados, and Tauros swept through opponents, culminating in Jolteon's final fireworks of triumph.

【You defeated your final opponent and won the Olivine Conference championship.】

Olivine Conference Champion!

All All Baimu silently applauded, his expression growing serious.

He knew the battles ahead were the real test, directly determining the reward tier.

Yet.

The Champion League did not begin as he expected.

【You returned to Cerulean City, shared the good news with the abbot, and told him you had spread awareness of the Phoenix, natural law, and meditation.】

The abbot was deeply pleased, moved by the monk's perseverance.

【You heard him ask your plans for the future; you told him you would continue spreading the teachings of Phoenix Court.】

The monk's parents listened silently, their faces only showing ellipses, offering no opinion.

His extraordinary achievements had long surpassed anything they could comment on.

The Pokémon anime world bloomed with diversity.

Yet in every Pokémon-related industry, battling remained the brightest jewel in the crown.

After the call ended.

The monk, brimming with excitement, prepared with his friend to head toward Iron Island.

But two days later, an elderly man suddenly visited, claiming to be an old friend of the abbot.

【You learned the old man had come to provide you with final emergency training.】

The elder was a retired Sinnoh Elite Four member, summoned by the monk's grandfather—the abbot—to assist the monk before the Sinnoh Champion League.

The monk was deeply moved.

This isn't just a symbol of Grandpa's help—it means the abbot has officially recognized his propagation of the Feraligatr Temple's teachings!

Monastic life is the monk's obsession.

How could he possibly give it up?

As friends who had always supported the monk, they also grew rapidly under the guidance of the former Sinnoh Elite Four.

The scene shifts.

【You've returned to Celadon Island, here to challenge the Champion League】

The fully prepared monk advances toward the summit!

Unlike the Unova Champion League, the Sinnoh Elite Four have a fixed challenge order.

The monk's first opponent is a middle-aged man.

This Elite Four member is friendly and gentle, yet specializes in explosive Fire-type Pokémon.

Though this seems disadvantageous against the monk's sun-based tactics, as previously mentioned, the monk remains incredibly strong even without weather conditions!

The Ground-type secrets taught by Koga were fully demonstrated.

His most common strategy involved using Dig to evade the opponent's key moves.

Since Dig was used purely for evasion rather than offense, spraying into the hole was useless—whenever the opponent tried, the monk would have his Pokémon exit the ground first.

Moreover, he had his Sandshrew secretly tunnel beneath the battlefield.

Only at the final moment, when the last remaining Pokémon—Mamoswine and Magmortar—charged each other, did he trigger Earthquake to collapse the weakened floor, creating an unprecedented massive crater!

The entire battle's carefully laid plan left the opponent stunned; the monk and Mamoswine seized that instant to finish the first battle with Stone Edge.

【You won】

The monk actually won with great difficulty.

In the simulation, all Sinnoh Elite Four except Koga were middle-aged or elderly, possessing experience no young Elite Four could match.

【You're challenging the next Elite Four member】

The second one is even older.

She's an elderly woman who uses Dragon-type Pokémon.

Shiromi instinctively thought it was the old dragon lady from the anime, but felt the age might not match.

This model in the simulation was at least a sixty-something elder.

Thirty years after Ash's journey, would the Dragon Grandma be ninety?

Though it's not impossible.

In the scene.

The endless barrage of Meteor Showers made the monk sweat—while he could make his Pokémon dodge such wide-area attacks, it demanded intense concentration, placing enormous strain on his willpower.

Had it not been for the mental discipline cultivated through years of meditation, he might have already felt dizzy.

【You try to calm yourself and ignore the Meteor Showers】

In desperation,

the monk suddenly sat down on the ground and began meditating in zazen posture.

Though his eyes remained open, the familiar pose restored his clarity and focus.

His bald Pokémon seemed to enter the resonance state described long ago by Genji.

His bald Pokémon also seemed to have entered the resonance state that Genji mentioned long ago.

"It's bursting… "

"It's bursting…"

Shiromi's eyes widened.

Keep in mind that in the simulator's settings, bursting is a blue talent—【Limit Break】.

No way, dude?

Wait, seriously?

And it comes with a hidden talent too!?

In the scene,

with the resonance state enhancing them, the bald human and his bald Pokémon became one mind, achieving an unexpected victory!

The "Dragon Grandma" soon weakened, affecting her Dragon Pokémon, and the match drew to a close.

【You defeated the second Elite Four member】

As is well known,

bursting is always followed by a decline, and the monk and his Pokémon were no exception.

The drawback of training only six Pokémon became glaringly obvious.

Before Koga even truly exerted herself, the monk's Pokémon began collapsing one after another.

【Your Champion League journey ends here—but you feel no regret, for you've fully demonstrated your strength and conviction】

The Flame of Ho-Oh burns fiercely, never extinguished, endlessly enduring.

The background darkened.

Immediately after,

a series of illustrated scenes appeared, each with narration.

【You apologized to the elder who trained you, but he praised you enthusiastically】

【Your meditation became wildly popular across Sinnoh; one day, during a TV interview, you received an invitation to join the Sinnoh Elite Four—and you accepted】

【You spent over twenty years as part of the Sinnoh Elite Four, helping countless Trainers and spreading the teachings of Ho-Oh】

【Your deeds made Ho-Oh widely known, and the Sinnoh League officially declared the day you arrived in Sinnoh as Ho-Oh Day】

【You stepped down from your position as Sinnoh Elite Four and returned to your hometown in Kanto, inheriting the abbotship of the Ho-Oh Temple from your grandfather】

The scene froze.

A gentle middle-aged monk stood before an ancient temple with two middle-aged men, surrounded by a joyful crowd of Pokémon, all laughing heartily.

Behind them, the Flame of Ho-Oh blazed brightly, and its statue seemed to smile.

【Simulation ended】

"Ha…"

——

The monk simulation was quite interesting—just imagining the bald squad made him smile.

The monk was also lucky.

He met two friends who helped him grow.

His bold step brought him the best possible reward.

He met two friends who helped him achieve his goals.

It was Yamato's unwavering backing that allowed him to freely explore the world.

He needed to find a way to repay this guy.

It was precisely Shanren's solid backing that allowed him to roam freely outside.

【Fixed Reward: 9 TM (selectable type)】

【Fixed Reward: Monk's Zazen Meditation – Morning Session (replayable)】

【Fixed Reward: Gloom's Leaf Blade Memory – Perfect Accuracy (replayable)】

【Choice Reward One: Raise any Pokémon by seven levels (under lv90)】

【Choice Reward Two: Clue to a Legendary Pokémon (only for species with 600 or lower base stat total)】

……

【Reward Option One: Raise any Pokémon by seven levels (below lv90)】

Seven levels!

Winning two Elite Four members grants seven levels?

【Reward Option Four: Retain the 【Kind-Hearted】 talent for the next simulation round】

His dream of having everyone at level 90 is getting closer!

Can you get a seven-level reward just by defeating two Elite Four members?

Finally!

Finally, another useful fixed reward!

What made him even happier was that the fixed reward definitely included Zen Meditation—it's essentially an extra blue talent.

He'd share unused moves with Yamato's Pokémon.

With this thought,

he called Yamato: "Hey! Free? Bring your Pokémon—I'll give them a power boost!"

There was a long silence on the other end, then: "... You know I'm entering the tournament?"

At this thought.

"I know? I didn't know! Wait—you're entering the tournament?!"

The newly appointed president of the Orre League is entering a tournament?!

Shiromi froze.

"I know? I don't know anything… wait! You're entering the tournament!?"

The incoming president of the Orre League is entering the tournament!?