Chapter 648: Target: Lavaridge Town, Time for Hot Springs!

Meteor Falls.

Xiang Xiang Jiana, still under house arrest, stared in disbelief at the news broadcasting on her phone, and upon seeing that unforgettable, familiar face in the photo, her state of mind fluctuated uncontrollably several times.

What exactly had she seen?

"This has to be a lie..."

The girl's murmuring voice caught the attention of Whismur Jin Po Po, who was dozing nearby.

It lifted its head somewhat perplexedly and looked at her.

"It's nothing; go back to sleep."

Xiang Xiang Jiana patted its head, then, as if doubting the veracity of the news, began searching online.

Unlike other Meteor People, she did not reject such modern conveniences.

Precisely because of this, she did not find her confinement particularly boring.

When idle, she trained with her Salamence and others; when she wanted to relax, she played on her phone; when the battery died, she had her Pokémon use Electric-type moves to recharge it, which also served as practice for move control—quite beneficial.

This too was a necessary part of the cultivation required to become an outstanding Successor.

Yet upon seeing the overwhelming flood of news across the mobile internet, Xiang Xiang Jiana fell silent.

Setting aside the Shiny Rayquaza, which was not the object of the Meteor People's faith—

—why had the Hoenn Rayquaza, the "my lord Dragon God," suddenly appeared in Mossdeep City and become that man's stepping stone!

Xiang Xiang Jiana could not accept such a result at all.

Her mood now resembled that of a zealot who had learned that the deity they worshipped and admired had been shot down from the heavens by a blasphemer: bewildered and furious.

Not to mention that the Hoenn Rayquaza had played the role of "invader" in this incident.

"... I must do something."

Xiang Xiang Jiana shot to her feet with a swish, pacing back and forth within the cavern of her confinement, her heroic face filled with anxiety.

That was the "Sky-Sovereign Dragon," the supreme my lord Dragon God!

She would not permit its existence to be tarnished.

Perhaps most believers think differently from ordinary people; just as before, among the Dragon Clan of Blackthorn City in the Johto region, Xiang Xiang Jiana's first priority had been to obtain the Extreme Speed secret technique by any means necessary, strengthen her own power, and prepare to ascend the Sky Pillar to gain the "my lord Dragon God's" approval.

This time, she believed it essential to deepen the entire Hoenn region's impression of the "Sky-Sovereign Dragon" and make them aware of the "my lord Dragon God's" greatness in saving all living beings.

"Team Magma and Team Aqua seem to have made some recent moves; they must be searching for the whereabouts of Groudon and Kyogre. Decision made!"

Xiang Xiang Jiana quickly conceived a suitable method to make the people of the entire Hoenn region once again clearly recognize the "my lord Dragon God's" mercy.

Of course, she had not the slightest interest in colluding with those villains.

However, making slight use of them was not a bad idea.

"Beneath this vast azure sky, no crime should exist, nor should anything beautiful be destroyed."

"Since they wish to revive Groudon and Kyogre, I will give them a push, and then—let the my lord Dragon God quell everything and utterly annihilate both organizations."

"In doing so, that crisis can also be—"

As her words trailed off, Xiang Xiang Jiana lifted her gaze toward the cavern ceiling, where strands of sunlight were streaming down.

Scooping up Jin Po Po and mounting her Salamence, Xiang Xiang Jiana vanished completely from the cavern.

From the very beginning, confinement had been merely nominal for her.

She had remained confined here for reflection for so long only because she had intended to settle her thoughts for a while.

By now, Rayquaza should have returned to the summit of the Sky Pillar.

Next, all that remained was to stir up turmoil sufficient to catch its attention; thus, the stage would be set.

January 23, Mossdeep City.

On the very day the incident concluded, Ash and his companions had already departed for the next city to challenge its Gym.

That boy had even sworn emphatically that he would claim victory at this Hoenn Ever Grande Conference, refusing to bring shame upon Luo Mu.

His demeanor was such that anyone unaware might assume Luo Mu truly had some connection with Ash.

Luo Mu had chased Ash away with a darkened face.

What a joke; the only thing he needed was for Ash not to go around casually claiming that Luo Mu had taught him for a while.

—Otherwise, suppose one day Ash suddenly acted foolishly again and sang, "Oh no, I forgot Dragon moves aren't effective against Fairy types," or "Oops, Ground types are immune to Electric-type Thunderbolt," and the like.

Luo Mu would never be able to survive in the Trainer or instructor circles.

He could already envision someone pointing at him and saying, "Look, that's the so-called teacher who taught his student to use Dragon moves against Fairy types and Electric moves against Ground types."

The sky would collapse, wouldn't it?

After Ash and his companions departed, the matter requiring immediate attention was the reconstruction of Mossdeep City, which had been battered into ruins during the fierce battle.

Even the Battle Tower, Mossdeep City's landmark building, had been reduced to rubble by Luo Mu, Luxray, and the Shiny Rayquaza.

However, neither Mossdeep City's several administrators nor the Hoenn region's League authorities intended to hold Luo Mu responsible for this.

The situation of "What exactly did you protect?" did not arise.

The Mossdeep City incident had made nearly everyone in Hoenn aware of Luo Mu; judging solely by his current fame in the Hoenn region, he might temporarily be able to contend with figures of Wallace, Steven, and Drake's caliber.

However, since Luo Mu had absolutely no desire to show his face and accept interviews to consolidate his "popularity," it was foreseeable that after some time, this frenzied atmosphere of discussion would fall back to normal levels.

After all, if the principal party does not appear, no matter how high the popularity, it is all for naught.

Perhaps precisely because Luo Mu's name was now widely sung throughout Hoenn for intercepting two Rayquaza, and in order not to chill the hearts of the people or his own, the blame for the city's post-disaster reconstruction would not fall upon Luo Mu.

Professor Cozmo, having changed into different attire, opened the door and entered the room.

He said to Luo Mu, who was browsing various travel plans and recommendations online, "Your choice was correct; even though two days have passed, quite a few reporters or paparazzi are still lying in wait outside the hotel."

"If you were to show your face and accept interviews, I'm afraid your travel plans would have to be cancelled."

"Indeed."

Luo Mu's finger paused mid-swipe on his phone, and he replied with a somewhat sighing tone.

Leaving aside whether he could or not, he certainly couldn't endure the lifestyle of Cynthia, the Champion and actress from the Sinnoh region.

Having to worry constantly about being photographed and watched by countless eyes, he felt he would sooner or later suffer a mental breakdown.

So after everything concluded, he basically stayed indoors, cooping himself up in the hotel for two full days.

He also took the time to review with Luxray and the others the gains from this experience and the areas needing improvement.

After chatting a while longer about the current state of LaRousse City, Luo Mu asked Professor Lund: "What about those two Deoxys? How do you plan to arrange things for them?"

"What arrangement?" Professor Lund shook his head. "Strictly speaking, I cannot keep them here. Although Deoxys Form 2 has formed a friendship with Xiao Chao, it is even more rational."

"If they remain in this city, sooner or later they will attract Rayquaza, who hasn't given up, back again. Whether it's one or two, it will only bring disaster to LaRousse City."

"Therefore, they left the city last night and should be living somewhere in a corner of this planet now."

Luo Mu stroked his chin, looking thoughtful. "I see."

He had been wondering why the night sky over LaRousse City lit up with auroras again last night; so it was the two Deoxys bidding farewell to the city?

But thinking about it carefully, it made sense.

In the movie plot, even after reconciling with Rayquaza, the two Deoxys still chose to leave LaRousse City.

Now, with the Hoenn Rayquaza beaten off, the plot completely deviated, and the dumplings never even made.

If they had stayed in LaRousse City, they would only summon the recovered Hoenn Rayquaza back again someday.

As for the strength of this Hoenn Rayquaza next time, it was hard to say; given the time span, it probably wouldn't take even a year for it to accumulate enough energy to activate its 'Emperor Organ' and undergo Mega Evolution.

By then, the Mega Hoenn Rayquaza, with its soaring combat power, could even one-shot both Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre with a single Dragon Ascent.

Dealing with two little aliens would be even less of a problem.

Just thinking about having to face that equally troublesome Shiny Rayquaza later with Luxray made Luo Mu feel darkness close in before his eyes.

The two chatted a bit more, and as the conversation neared its end, Professor Lund curiously asked Luo Mu where he planned to go next.

LaRousse City was currently in ruins and needed rebuilding; as its administrator, he was already swamped with affairs and feared he couldn't host Luo Mu properly.

If the other party intended to visit other places in the Hoenn region, Professor Lund felt he might be able to offer some suggestions.

Asked this question by Professor Lund, Luo Mu, who indeed had no immediate plans to leave the Hoenn region and still needed to meet Lugia and the giant Dragonite, pondered for a moment before answering: "Hmm, I suppose I really want to go somewhere relaxing."

"After a great battle, it's time to relax."

"Relax, you say? If that's the case, I have a suggestion. Going there should wash away your fatigue very well."

Professor Lund smiled, summoned the smart room butler cube robot waiting in the hotel corner, and had it display a series of photos.

"This place is near Route 112; it's a small to medium-sized town."

Pointing to the location shown on the map, Professor Lund introduced it enthusiastically.

"Its name is Lavaridge Town; it's quite a famous town in the Hoenn region."

"Lavaridge Town sits at the foot of Mt. Chimney; due to geothermal activity, there are hot springs with scalding water that not only wash away all fatigue but are also rumored to cure diseases."

"Many elderly people from the Hoenn region live there or visit frequently, and there are even rumors that some Ice-type Trainers specifically go there to challenge and temper their limits."

"Also, Lavaridge Senbei are a local specialty there; if you're interested, you can try digging for stones in Mt. Chimney behind the town; you might even unearth some rare minerals."

It had to be said that Professor Lund's recommendation perfectly matched Luo Mu's needs.

The only issue was that Lavaridge Town was far from the numerous seas of the Hoenn region, located deep inland.

If he really went there, his preparations to summon Lugia and the giant Dragonite would probably have to be delayed by a few days.

After all, there was no problem with summoning them anytime; neither of them was in a hurry, and Luo Mu was even less so.

It was better to first provide healing and relaxation for his Pokémon after the great battle.

Having already considered going to Lavaridge Town, Luo Mu readily accepted Professor Lund's recommendation and planned to depart for Lavaridge Town the next day.

"Although Lavaridge Town has mixed-gender baths, it also has hot springs with separate bathing areas for men and women. But you probably prefer bathing together with your Pokémon, so you'll need a larger hot spring pool that ensures privacy."

"If you trust me, I know a friend who runs a hot spring inn in Lavaridge Town; they should have a hot spring that meets your requirements."

The next day.

Under Professor Lund's arrangement, Luo Mu boarded a train within LaRousse City destined for a city near Lavaridge Town.

Even though Lavaridge Town, as a famous tourist city in the Hoenn region, had no direct rail service, the distance was actually not much different from going directly to Lavaridge Town.

Soon, the train arrived at the station, stopping at Kamabi City, which differed from Lavaridge Town by just one character.

Standing on the platform, one could faintly see through the gaps in the buildings the sleeping Mt. Chimney in the distance, along with the cluster of buildings of Lavaridge Town at its foot.

Although Mt. Chimney was dormant and hadn't erupted for many years, it continued to drift volcanic ash, covering the mountain foot and roads with a layer of distinct color.

Even standing here in Kamabi City, one could clearly see the difference in color over there.

Most of the disembarking passengers around were dressed as tourists; they walked in pairs or small groups, looking forward with anticipation toward Lavaridge Town, eager for its hot springs.

Since he had never appeared in public from start to finish, and with the help of Miss Miss Junsha and Professor Lund, his image data had also been kept confidential.

Luo Mu, standing by the platform gazing into the distance, did not attract much attention; the tourists simply took him for someone traveling alone.

Terapagos curiously poked its head out of the satchel, only to be startled by the Delibird lurking behind it, immediately shrinking back inside.

"Don't scare the child."

Rubbing Delibird's head, Luo Mu scolded it lightly but firmly.

Then, he also began to move with the crowd toward Lavaridge Town.

Along the way, he asked curiously: "Has Delibird ever soaked in a hot spring in Lavaridge Town?"

Since Delibird had been wandering around the Hoenn region for several months, Luo Mu figured it must have experienced it already.

Sure enough, Delibird nodded directly.

"Deli!"

It had soaked in natural hot springs with some wild Pokémon in the forests near Lavaridge Town!

Even though it was an Ice-type Pokémon, Delibird felt it didn't dislike hot springs; in fact, it found soaking in the water truly comfortable, as if its very soul were being purified.

Walking from the outskirts of Kamabi City to Lavaridge Town would take quite a considerable amount of time.

Many tourists chose to ride mount Pokémon, allowing them to enjoy the scenery along the way.

After all, they were here to travel, to relax their weary bodies and minds, not to engage in some extreme physical training.

Luo Mu was no different.

The mount Pokémon was a specialty of the Hoenn region, named Camerupt.

The rock-like humps on its back felt somewhat uncomfortable to sit on, but fortunately, these Camerupts specialized in this trade were all equipped with saddles.

After riding the Camerupt for some time, swaying all the way.

As gusts of breeze carrying a scent of sulfur brushed past his nose, Luo Mu realized he had entered the area of Chimney Mountain, the largest volcano in the Hoenn region.

Lavaridge Town, famous throughout the Hoenn region for its hot springs, was also just around the corner.

(End of Chapter)