[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-pokemon-the-reemployment-of-a-paldea-former-cham":3,"chapter-pokemon-the-reemployment-of-a-paldea-former-cham-pokemon-the-reemployment-of-a-paldea-former-cham-chapter-637":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Pokemon: The Reemployment of a Paldea Former Champion",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2324654,4546,"Chapter 637: Reward Secured, Opponent in Exhibition Match Is an Elite Four Member!","pokemon-the-reemployment-of-a-paldea-former-cham-chapter-637",637,"\u003Cp>In a corner of a street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu, with Pikachu on his head and both arms clutching Sentret and Togepi, glanced left and right like a thief, then exhaled in relief when he confirmed no one was following him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Phew, that scared me half to death.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scene just now was truly massive—almost caused a blockage on the moving walkway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luckily I ran fast; if I’d been surrounded, I’d have had a hard time escaping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, many tourists and residents in Laurus City came here because of the Battle Tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And such a crowd of Trainers has a passion for rare or unseen Pokémon that surpasses ordinary imagination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if not as fanatical as Ash, it's probably not far off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having confirmed he was now “safe,” and checking the time to find he still had some buffer before his meeting with Dr. Lendo, Luo Mu didn’t immediately leave the corner—he set Sentret and Togepi down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze settled on Togepi and Pikachu, whose expressions looked somewhat innocent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While fleeing, Luo Mu had already figured out that Pikachu was likely the cause of Togepi’s drastic change.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But since this transformation was something he’d never seen before, he still intended to talk it over with Togepi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——But before that, Luo Mu lightly tapped Pikachu on the forehead with his finger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t abuse your abilities just because you’re in the mood. Today, you’re grounded from snacks for half a day.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Piiiiii!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Pikachu’s face fell as if the sky had collapsed; he gazed pitifully at Luo Mu, opening his small mouth to reveal his fangs, as if begging.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Luo Mu anticipated his plea and replied coldly: “If you beg, it’s another half-day added.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pikachu fell silent, hanging his head like a wilted eggplant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sentret patted Pikachu’s back, whispering words of comfort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t worry—I’ve got plenty of candy in my tail too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu pretended not to notice Sentret’s behavior and turned his attention to Togepi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With curiosity in his eyes, he asked: “What was that just now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Togepi’s face flushed slightly; he tapped his front legs a few times, hoping Luo Mu would understand what he meant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mean that was your battle form?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu blinked, accurately voicing the thought Togepi wanted to express.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gogogo!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Togepi’s eyes lit up, nodding vigorously like a chick pecking rice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Actually, Togepi’s intended meaning wasn’t hard to guess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Luo Mu had just witnessed him “evolve,” then voluntarily “de-evolve” back into this form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This isn’t some neighboring cartoon world where puppies turn into rats and rats turn into angelic maidens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from temporary Mega Evolution, evolution means permanent growth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But form changes are something else entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With examples like Deoxys, Shaymin, Meloetta, Hoopa, and Kyurem already known, accepting Togepi’s recent transformation became much easier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, he’s the Third Legendary of Paldea—looking like a harmless little turtle certainly lacks dignity and presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That fleeting glimpse of his crystallized shell, adorned with an eighteen-type pattern, carried far more prestige.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wondered whether this Terastallized form was Togepi’s final transformation—or if further evolution was still possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like Kyurem’s 10%, 50%, and 100% forms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In response to Luo Mu’s question, Togepi merely shook his head blankly, indicating he didn’t know the answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his worldview, the battle form was already incredibly powerful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After sorting out this “unexpected bonus” of Togepi’s Terastallized form, Luo Mu didn’t probe further into the mechanism of his transformation—he set off toward the agreed-upon café.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the distance was only a few hundred meters, he didn’t bother stepping onto the moving walkway, and soon arrived at the entrance of [Serpent Bear Coffee].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pushing open the glass door, a pleasant wind chime rang out as a Pokémon resembling a raccoon and badger—mainly brown-furred, with light-brown ringed serrated fur and a raccoon-like “mask” pattern on its face—came forward to greet him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its name is Serpent Bear, a fairly common Pokémon in Hoenn, making up for the fact that [Serpent Bear Coffee] didn’t have a Serpent Bear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Serpent Bear stared with its big, watery brown eyes, politely greeted Luo Mu, then turned and gestured to lead the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, Serpent Bear was the café’s greeting Pokémon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu followed it into the café’s interior, where soft music played.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Interestingly, Serpent Bear didn’t walk in a straight line—he moved in a zigzag pattern, and as he walked, the segmented texture of his fur strangely drew the eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only pity was that although Serpent Bear looked fluffy, his fur was actually short, coarse, and slightly prickly to the touch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu gave up the idea of reaching out to feel it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Serpent Bear led Luo Mu to the counter, where a server then guided him to a private booth deeper inside the café.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dr. Lendo was already seated there, and beside him sat a woman with a dangerous hairstyle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The instant Luo Mu arrived, Dr. Lendo, with his short blue hair, immediately stood up and extended his hand warmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you for accepting my invitation, Mr. Luo Mu!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m Lendo; this is my research assistant, Yuzi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dr. Lendo introduced himself first, to avoid any awkwardness from unexpected circumstances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under his enthusiastic invitation, Luo Mu sat across from them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without immediately diving into the topic, Dr. Lendo continued warmly: “What would you like to drink? Just order.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The server promptly handed over the menu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When entering the café, Luo Mu had already recalled Sentret and Togepi into their Poké Balls; to the two, he appeared as a lone man carrying only a backpack and shoulder bag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu didn’t refuse; after glancing at the menu, he ordered a mocha coffee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the server recorded the order and withdrew, the three began their conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a scientist, Dr. Lendo clearly wasn’t the type to waste time with empty pleasantries before getting to the point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He valued efficiency and jumped straight to the subject.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I imagine Mr. Luo Mu is curious: why, given we’ve never met, did I invite you to Laurus City?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dr. Lendo interlaced his fingers, offering a slightly stiff smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu nodded slightly. “Hmm, the exhibition match was just a cover, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It was at first,” Yuzi added. “But once we learned your identity, we did arrange a genuine exhibition match.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dr. Lendo then explained why he had invited Luo Mu to Laurus City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It was probably last summer—I happened to watch an ice sculpture contest and noticed the sculpture you carved.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It was undoubtedly the Legendary Pokémon of Hoenn, the ancient Pokémon Rayquaza.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My first thought was: why would someone from Paldea know Rayquaza so intimately, down to every scale matching our archived footage exactly?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But I quickly realized—you might have encountered it personally, or had some special experience.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At that moment, I decided I wanted to invite you to Laurus City.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To be safe, I needed to learn more about Rayquaza.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dr. Lendo paused, took a sip of his coffee, and Yuzi smoothly took over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your information was extremely well-protected; it took us considerable effort to uncover your identity beyond being an ice sculptor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s when we conceived the idea of inviting you to Laurus City under the guise of an exhibition match—and put it into action before the New Year.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The exhibition match was indeed arranged; your opponent won’t disappoint you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But the true reason and purpose behind inviting you here—could you accompany us to the research institute?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Directly taking Luo Mu to the institute would have been impolite; after much thought, they chose to first meet at the café, explain part of the reason, then formally invite him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu didn’t answer immediately—he fell into thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He never expected Dr. Lendo had noticed him through the ice sculpture contest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Come to think of it, Mikey also watched the ice sculpture contest, then decided to travel to Paldea on official business—to promote the Super Contests while checking on Ninetales.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Dr. Lendo was taking him to the institute, his reason for seeking Luo Mu was almost certainly tied to the Deoxys core inside the meteorite he held.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——So the question was: should he agree?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Ash and his group were already in this city, according to his memory, the plot was likely about to unfold soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Probably tomorrow, the other Deoxys or Rayquaza would appear in turn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he could still leave now, he was already inside Laurus City—whether he got involved or not seemed irrelevant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, he was already here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unconsciously licking his lips, Luo Mu spoke: “Alright, let’s go see it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the research institute built within an artificial ecological park.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing before the control panel, Luo Mu stared intently at the mysterious green crystal embedded within the extraterrestrial meteorite inside the glass tank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Intense laser light shone upon the crystal, causing it to glow with a peculiar luster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu thought: this must be Deoxys’s core.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It certainly looked unusual—at least nothing like something native to this planet; Goh would probably get so excited he’d raise a flag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——Then again, he might have already seen it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dr. Lendo and his assistant Yuzi were demonstrating how laser irradiation could trigger Deoxys’s regeneration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the output power still fell short; there was still a long way to go before providing sufficient energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu remembered that Deoxys’s consciousness was actually awake, and it interacted with Dr. Lendo’s son, Chao, using visible light spectra resembling auroras.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was also the key to stopping the later conflict between the other Deoxys and Rayquaza.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu had no intention of interfering with the specific plot developments; just going through the motions would naturally lead to a happy ending where everyone got dumplings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His attention remained mostly fixed on what Dr. Lendo had told him upon his arrival at the institute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, the doctor seemed worried that awakening Deoxys’ regenerative abilities might once again attract Rayquaza, who had shown inexplicable hostility toward Deoxys four years ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted to learn something about Rayquaza through Luo Mu, the Trainer who had allegedly encountered it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—It was an incredibly simple and straightforward request; had Dr. Lendo raised it earlier, Luo Mu could have made this trip without getting dragged into the movie’s plot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The request was too simple for Luo Mu to refuse, so he shared with Dr. Lendo the reason behind the strained relationship between Rayquaza and Deoxys.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rayquaza regarded the sky—or rather, the planet’s atmosphere and ozone layer—as its own territory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To Rayquaza, Deoxys, arriving from outer space without invitation, was an invader.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of this, Rayquaza developed hostility toward Deoxys; and given Rayquaza’s nature, if it sensed Deoxys’ presence, it would likely make a special trip to launch another direct attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This news was far from reassuring to Dr. Lendo; he was already considering slowing down Deoxys’ awakening to first prepare defenses against Rayquaza’s potential assault.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu merely smiled and said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether or not defensive measures could be built in time was beside the point—Dr. Lendo readily handed Luo Mu the “payment” he requested: a USB drive containing a simplified version of the “City Management System” program.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dr. Lendo was one of the developers and administrators of Larus City; though he couldn’t provide the core, fully refined management system, his own simplified version was perfectly functional.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also warmly told Luo Mu that if he encountered any technical issues, he could reach out to him anytime for help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu’s impression of Dr. Lendo was now firmly set.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—He was a huge, kind-hearted old man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the two chatted cheerfully, Yuzi, who had been recording data nearby, noticed the screen above and said, “Dr. Lendo, look at Xiao Chao…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dr. Lendo turned around and immediately widened his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How could there be a Pokémon battle?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His own son had developed a psychological aversion to Pokémon after the incident four years ago—how was he now appearing in the Battle Tower and participating in a battle?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu followed Dr. Lendo’s gaze and raised an eyebrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh, so he’s already teamed up?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Chao’s partner was, unsurprisingly, Ash—since it was a Double Battle, two Trainers needed to coordinate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their opponents’ Pokémon were, as expected, Charizard and Squirtle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ash sent out the veteran Pikachu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, Xiao Chao had never trained any Pokémon, leaving him frozen in place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps too eager to battle, Ash simply lent his own Pokémon to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu had expected it to be Blaziken, since in the movie Ash lent Coalossal—but the actual Pokémon that appeared was Shiftry, already evolved from Basculin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To put it simply, though the Pokémon that appeared had changed, the outcome remained the same: their coordination was completely off, resulting in them being overwhelmingly dominated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to this farcical battle, Dr. Lendo’s reaction beside him was far more interesting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—The moment the father saw his son throw out a Poké Ball, tears welled up in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He muttered something about his son finally being willing to engage with Pokémon again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Dr. Lendo regained his composure and saw the battle nearing its end, he directly invited Luo Mu to head to the Battle Tower together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted to greet his son, and also go over the evening’s exhibition match schedule with Luo Mu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu had no objections; since they’d made plans, might as well have a battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, he was a little curious—who Dr. Lendo had arranged as his exhibition match opponent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dr. Lendo smiled proudly and said, “After learning you’re a Champion-level Trainer, I changed the invitee.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“—If it’s him, he should be a worthy opponent for you, wouldn’t you say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, Dr. Lendo revealed the opponent’s name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Genji, one of the Elite Four from Hoenn.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2270,"2026-06-20T17:11:50.049Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","28d986b5953b6d37e1d3a12862b2e9aa9ba7981a752c47671bb2258806ad6b4f","pokemon-the-reemployment-of-a-paldea-former-cham-chapter-638","pokemon-the-reemployment-of-a-paldea-former-cham-chapter-636",695,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fpokemon-the-reemployment-of-a-paldea-former-cham-cover.jpg"]