Chapter 635: Reunion with the Mailin Bird, Leros City!

The instant he noticed the flower, Luo Mu’s mind overloaded.

No, it really exists here?

The origin of the Eternal Flower begins with a tragedy from this world many years ago.

That was about three thousand years ago.

In the Kalos region, just across the sea from the Hoenn region, a devastating war broke out.

The war caused AZ, the king of Kalos at the time, to lose his Pokémon friend Florges, and unable to accept reality, AZ developed the ultimate resurrection device, using it to revive Florges and grant her eternal life.

This is the origin of Florges·Eternal Flower.

From this perspective, the story seems like a heartwarming fairy tale of a man who found a way to revive his beloved Pokémon and succeeded.

But the name of the resurrection device—“Ultimate Weapon”—reveals that this resurrection was deeply suspicious.

And indeed, it was.

King AZ, having reversed death and achieved resurrection, did not stop there.

He had endured too much sorrow; his anger could not be quelled, and he could not forgive either side of the war—or this world—for harming the Pokémon he loved.

He modified the Ultimate Weapon to be more aggressive, transforming it into the God of Destruction, annihilating everything.

The war ended under the crushing weight of this equalized power.

Due to the influence of the Ultimate Weapon, King AZ, like the revived Florges, gained eternal life.

But Florges soon learned the truth: whether for resurrection or destruction, the cost of activating the Ultimate Weapon was the life energy of countless Pokémon—their lives and sacrifices.

Florges was disappointed in AZ and chose to leave him.

AZ, heartbroken by Florges’s departure, could not die due to his eternal life, and so he embarked on a long journey to find her, beginning his endless wandering.

This is the sorrowful fairy tale of the Kalos region.

The flower on Florges’s hand, now revived, also changed—becoming the “Eternal Flower” before Luo Mu’s eyes.

Unlike other Florges, Florges·Eternal Flower not only raised its total base stats from 371 to 551 but also mastered “Doomsday Light,” the most powerful Fairy-type special attack outside of Z-Moves.

Its base power in the game is a full 140.

Though no Florges were nearby, the Eternal Flower bloomed quietly among the blooms, and everyone assumed it was merely an ordinary flower with slight uniqueness.

Luo Mu remembered that in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, the game’s Sootopolis City did have this easter egg—but he never expected it to appear in reality.

Noticing his pause, Wallace stopped walking, turned, observed for a few seconds, and followed Luo Mu’s gaze to spot the “Eternal Flower.”

As if understanding something, Wallace smiled faintly.

“If you like it, take it.”

“Huh?”

Luo Mu blinked, a look of confusion crossing his face.

You can just pick it?

Using his sharp observation, Wallace noticed Luo Mu’s doubt and did not explain directly; instead, he scanned the surroundings.

Soon, he spotted an elderly couple holding flowers and gestured for Luo Mu to look.

“It’s a small tradition in Sootopolis—people believe that picking a flower near this long-lived tree and caring for it at home lets you share in the tree’s health and longevity.”

“So many people take a few flowers without damaging the field.”

“If you like it, feel free to pick it. The only issue is preservation—but if your Grass-type Pokémon with healing abilities is around, it should have a way to handle it.”

Wallace still remembered the flowers on Hala’s body vividly, so he mentioned it naturally.

“Hala is actually a Fairy-type Pokémon. But you’re right—it does have the ability to preserve flowers.”

Luo Mu explained, then pulled out Hala’s Poké Ball.

“Then please help me preserve it for now.”

As he pressed the button, Hala appeared before him and Wallace, carrying a fragrant scent.

Since Wallace had said so, Luo Mu followed his instinct and used Hala’s ability to preserve floral vitality to pluck the Eternal Flower.

He was genuinely curious about the Eternal Flower and planned to take it back to his farm, transplanting it into the glass greenhouse’s flowerbed.

Then again—

If the Eternal Flower exists in reality, then King AZ must still be wandering somewhere in Kalos.

Perhaps he has already reunited with Florges?

If the Legend series releases properly, after Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the Unova and Kalos regions should follow with their own Legend stories.

Maybe in the Kalos Legend story, AZ could appear as an NPC, completing or continuing his tale with Florges?

For instance, maybe AZ runs a small inn?

As such a absurd idea surfaced in his mind, Luo Mu chuckled—his imagination was truly vivid.

The sightseeing in Sootopolis ended with an extensive explanation of the murals at the pseudo-Awakening Temple.

As the busy Champion of Hoenn, Wallace had taken an entire day off to accompany him—clearly, he regarded Luo Mu as a true friend worth cultivating.

With the Wallace Cup approaching, to avoid distracting Wallace’s focus, Luo Mu told him he planned to leave Sootopolis the next day.

January 20, morning.

Outside the Sootopolis Gym, Wallace’s flashy sports car was parked by the roadside.

Adam, Lusia, and Sebastian stood nearby, bidding Luo Mu a simple farewell.

“To honor your teachings, please look forward to it—I, Lusia, will become the strongest Battle Idol!”

Lusia, eyes sparkling, gripped Luo Mu’s hands as if making a solemn vow.

“.Then good luck?”

Luo Mu replied cautiously, feeling as though he’d somehow corrupted a sweet idol into a battle idol.

After exchanging a few more words with Adam, he boarded the car with Wallace.

With the engine roaring to life, the car gradually vanished from their sight.

Still some distance from the Sootopolis port, Wallace asked curiously, “Where are you headed next?”

Luo Mu didn’t hide it—he told him he planned to soak in the hot springs of Cinderace Town and meet someone in Leros City.

“Leros City? That’s a famous city in Hoenn—many people visit it.”

“The hot springs in Cinderace Town are legendary too.”

“But you’re sure you want to participate in the Battle Tower exhibition match?”

Wallace rubbed his chin, speaking with quiet depth.

He knew a senior member of the League had recently planned a trip to Leros City.

“The exhibition match isn’t the point. Besides, joining one won’t change anything.”

Wallace didn’t understand the nature of the exhibition match—but Luo Mu did.

Leaving aside who he’d be fighting, in Luo Mu’s view, the fact that someone had invited him—a trainer from Paldea—to Leros City couldn’t be just for the match.

There was likely a deeper reason—the exhibition match was just a cover.

Either way, once he reached Leros City, he’d find out.

Luo Mu was also genuinely curious about the city—it was said to be entirely managed by artificial intelligence.

Dr. Lendo, who invited him, was one of its administrators.

Though his own Ecological Egg was still far from completion, that didn’t stop him from learning about Leros City’s management system.

If useful, he might even find a way to obtain detailed information—or even the core program itself.

After all, after receiving the USB drive from Adik, Luo Mu had reviewed its contents.

The Ecological Egg’s operation relied on an excellent central control system, but the USB drive contained only the construction blueprint—the core program of the central control system, even Adik couldn’t give him.

But perhaps he could get a look at Leros City’s system.

Pure “artificial intelligence” is still unreliable—not just because of classic sci-fi tropes of AI rebellion, but because in the movie “The Sky Piercer,” Leros City’s system malfunctioned.

It caused countless AI boxes to go berserk, even burying Rayquaza alive.

—He’d need to take its strengths and combine them with his own envisioned Pokémon management system, like Rotom or Porygon.

The sports car drove all the way to the Sootopolis port.

Due to the Wallace Cup, people flooded into Sootopolis through the port, while those leaving were rare.

Thanks to this, after promising to stay in touch and call Wallace if he encountered any problems in Hoenn, Luo Mu boarded the ferry without hindrance.

His next goal was simple.

First, take a boat to Aqua City, then board the sea-crossing elevated train connecting directly to Leros City, entering the city via the official route.

After all, as an AI-managed city, entering Leros City without proper identification was impossible.

Moreover—

According to the Black Ball’s locator, the Mailin Bird was currently near Leros City.

He could finally meet it again.

It had been months since their last meeting in the Johto region; even though he regularly exchanged items via the Black Ball, he still missed it.

The fact that the Mailin Bird, usually trailing Ash’s group, was near Leros City made him slightly uneasy.

—Did my own bad luck actually come true?

January 21.

Under the blazing sun, the train sped along the sea-crossing elevated track, while flocks of Wingull—common in Hoenn—soared beside it, as if following the train.

In the spacious, low-density business-class carriage, beside Luo Mu sat the Mailin Bird, curiously peering out the window.

Alongside it were Togedemaru and Victini.

Two “country bumpkin” Pokémon, both feeling a quiet awe toward the high-tech metropolis drawing nearer.

The utterly different kind of prosperity was something they had never seen before, truly exciting the Pokémon.

After arriving in Waterfall City by ferry last night, Luo Mu rode on the back of Ho-Oh and picked up the Mime Jr. in a small city not far from Waterfall City.

It had been months since they last met, and Mime Jr. had grown much stronger than during its time in Saffron City—he had no idea how it managed that.

Was it using Ash and his group, whom it kept “accidentally” bumping into, along with the Team Rocket trio as free experience?

But Mime Jr. also mentioned it hadn’t encountered Ash’s group in nearly a week, and had no idea where they’d gotten lost again—this slightly eased Luo Mu’s tension.

Anyway, as long as they weren’t around, it was fine.

That way, his journey to Lavaridge Town should pass smoothly and safely.

Judging by the timeline, they should soon encounter Team Aqua and Team Magma causing trouble, and Groudon and Kyogre awakening.

It was quite fortunate that he could simply miss this entire plotline in Lavaridge Town.

——Until the train pulled into a certain station, Luo Mu had thought exactly that.

The train continued moving, but from the carriages behind, several familiar-sounding voices began discussing something.

Among them, the repeated “Pika pika” made Luo Mu’s hair stand on end.

——No way, am I really this unlucky?

Compared to Luo Mu, who felt like giving up on life, Mime Jr.—who was interacting with the two “younger ones,” Buneary and Togepi—immediately recognized who was in the back car, thanks to years of experience dealing with this group.

The brat, Pikachu, Brat #2, the Hoenn girl, and Brat #3.

How did this crew of calamities end up here too?

In Mime Jr.’s view, Ash’s group, who caused trouble wherever they went, was far more ominous than any “cursed beast” whispered about in Hoenn legends.

Running into them was definitely not a good thing.

“Heh~”

Mime Jr., already accustomed to this, patted Luo Mu’s head and tried to comfort him, urging him to be strong.

Meanwhile.

Above the speeding train, even higher than the sky itself.

Against the vastness of the cosmos, a black dragon’s silhouette freely soared through space.

——After being lost for so long, Rayquaza finally confirmed its current location.

Hoenn, or rather, the territory currently overseen by its junior.

That thing held a grudge, and there was no clear hierarchy among Rayquaza; though Rayquaza wasn’t afraid of it, it still planned to fly straight through Hoenn from space to avoid conflict with its junior.

——But plans never keep pace with change. Just as Rayquaza flicked its tail to leave.

It suddenly sensed, beneath it, the unmistakable aura of a human it could never forget—and desperately wanted to find for revenge!

Rayquaza immediately narrowed its eyes.

(End of Chapter)