Chapter 486: A Plea After a Thousand Years

After the meeting, Xiao Gang, his face full of worry, found Huo La, his tone a little uneasy: "Huo La, Professor Oak assigned me and Green to be in charge of rebuilding the Paldea Alliance… but I've never handled such a big task before."

Huo La yawned and casually comforted, "I've never saved the world before either; didn't I just get through it step by step?"

"Professor Oak gave you this opportunity for experience on purpose. The Alliance today is far different from before; the future will ultimately have to be upheld by people like us."

Xiao Gang was about to say something else, but Huo La cut him off.

"I still need to go find Paipa. I lost Terapagos this time, so I have to explain it to him in person, even though I gave a heads‑up when I borrowed it originally."

"Alright, go ahead." Hearing that, Xiao Gang stopped worrying about his own matter and nodded in agreement.

The scene shifts to Zhuoyue Gongsi's cafeteria, where Paipa is diligently making a sandwich, his movements both serious and skillful.

Huo La pushes the door open and walks into the cafeteria.

Paipa looks up, sees him, immediately hands over the prepared sandwich and asks casually, "Back already? How's everything going?"

Huo La scratches his head, his face full of guilt, sighs and says, "Alas, Paradise couldn't be opened, but Terapagos… was taken by Loz."

He then recounts the entire confrontation in detail to Paipa.

Paipa's expression shifts from initial surprise to growing solemnity, and finally he lets out a helpless sigh, "I never imagined the former Chairman of the Galar Alliance would end up like this. The mastermind behind Jibeiweng's death turned out to be him."

Huo La looks at him uneasily, "Terapagos got lost; don't you blame me?"

Paipa shakes his head gently, "You've already done your best. If it weren't for you, how could Paldea be cooperating with the Alliance again? Xiao Gang Ge and Xiaoyin probably wouldn't have returned."

"But… you must promise me to bring Terapagos back; it must never become Loz's accomplice."

"Mm." Huo La nods.

On the Flying ship bound for Galar, the atmosphere is heavy and oppressive.

Loz quietly squeezes the Pokeball in his hand, a trace of unmistakable fatigue in his eyes.

Aimeijiao beside him, his face blazing with anger, finally erupts, "Loz! You never kept any of the promises you made to me, and you even caused my grandfather's death! Now I'm disgraced and ruined, and you just fled without a fight, cleanly abandoning everything and running away!"

Loz slowly puts away the Pokeball that held Terapagos, turns to the furious Aimeijiao, and says coldly, "If we don't run, what else can we do? Stay and fight? In the Explorer Team's territory, with just the two of us, what can we use to resist them? You overestimate yourself, and you overestimate me as well."

Aimeijiao frowns and asks, "What about your Gigantamax Copperajah? I remember clearly that Gigantamax is already stronger than ordinary Dynamax, and Dynamax's power is dozens of times that of normal Pokémon; isn't that enough for a battle?"

"So what if it's strong?" Loz replies coolly, "Can a single Gigantamax Pokémon stand against the entire Explorer Team? Moreover, Huo La wields the Space-Time Trio, his trump card is unfathomable; even Spinel must have a hidden ace up his sleeve."

He pauses, "And the Gigantamax you saw is only a Half-finished Product. That Portable Energy Storage Tank's power is very limited; its duration is less than a tenth of a proper Gigantamax. It's enough for a breakout escape, but for a prolonged direct fight it's utterly ineffective."

Aimeijiao is left speechless by that, pauses a moment, then says with panic and resentment, "What should we do now?!"

Loz looks at the clouds outside the window, expression calm, "First, return to Galar. Even without Paradise's crystal, I have other ways to achieve our goal; I just need enough time to lie low and prepare. Once back in Galar, we can safely secure breathing room and time to plan."

On the other side, Huo La watches the video call where Jiecheng looks a mess, hair all frizzed, his face full of helplessness.

"Dad, your hair is a mess like a chicken coop; pay a little attention to your image."

Jiecheng looks nervous, hurriedly scratches his disheveled hair, and speaks at a rapid pace, "Hey, stop fussing over this! The call conditions here are terrible; finding time to call you is already hard enough."

From the other end, faint rumblings and explosions can be heard, the battle noisy and chaotic.

Huo La's mind tenses instantly, his body subconsciously sitting upright, his tone a little tense, "No way, Dad, you're not in the middle of a war over there, are you?"

"You guessed right." Jiecheng glances sideways, keeping watch, "We're currently fighting the Flash Flame Team here. Someone specifically asked me to contact you; we need you to come help."

Huo La's brows knit suddenly; just as he was about to ask for details, the video flickers, and a pure white figure slowly steps into the frame.

Immediately after, a weathered, deep voice slowly sounds, "Huo La…"

The camera pans upward slowly, and Huo La finally sees the newcomer's appearance.

A bright red hat, waist‑length hair, tattered clothing, a towering, upright figure nearly three meters tall, exuding immense intimidation.

"AZ!" Huo La blurts out instantly, recognizing the other at a glance.

AZ's voice carries a distant weight as he slowly says, "You really do remember me; it's been a thousand years."

Huo La forces a wry smile, "For you it's a reunion across a millennium, but for me it's only been a few short months."

"Just a few months…?" AZ's tone tinged with deep melancholy, bearing the loneliness of a thousand years' accumulation.

Jiecheng, unable to wait, quickly interjects, "I'm talking to the tall guy—stop reminiscing, get to the point; we have no time for idle chat!"

Prompted by Jiecheng, AZ regains composure, his expression turning serious as he says into the video, "Huo La, Lysandre plans to activate the Final Weapon. We're locked in a life‑or‑death battle with the Flash Flame Team, doing everything to stop him from seizing the Final Weapon. The situation is critical; we urgently need your help."