Chapter 648: Target: Fuyan Town—Let

Meteor Falls.

Xiang Jiana, still under house arrest, stared in disbelief at the news report playing on her phone, especially when she saw that unforgettable familiar face—her emotions surged uncontrollably.

What exactly had she seen?

“This can’t be real.”

The girl’s whispered voice caught the attention of Qiu Niu Niu Xijiana, who was dozing off beside her.

It lifted its head slightly, looking at her with confusion.

“It’s nothing, go back to sleep.”

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

Unlike other Meteor Folk, she had no aversion to modern conveniences.

That’s why, during her house arrest, she didn’t find it boring at all.

When she had nothing to do, she trained her Flygon and the others; when she wanted to relax, she played with her phone; when the battery ran out, she had her Pokémon use Electric-type moves to recharge it—also a good way to practice move control. Quite nice.

This was also necessary training for becoming an outstanding successor.

But when she saw the flood of news online, Xiang Jiana fell silent.

Leaving aside the Shiny Rayquaza—for that was not an object of the Meteor Folk’s faith.

—But why had the Hoenn Rayquaza, the “Dragon God,” suddenly appeared in Laurus City, and become that man’s stepping stone?!

Xiang Jiana could not accept this outcome.

Her current state of mind was like that of a fanatic who had learned the deity she worshipped and adored had been cast down from heaven by a desecrator—confused, furious.

Worse still, the Hoenn Rayquaza had played the role of “invader” in this incident.

“I must do something.”

Xiang Jiana sprang to her feet with a sharp motion, pacing back and forth in the confinement cave, her noble face filled with anxiety.

That was the “Sky-Subduing Dragon,” the supreme Dragon God!

She would not allow its existence to be tainted.

Most believers’ thinking is surely unlike ordinary people’s—just like back in the Dragon Clan of Vermilion City in the Johto region, Xiang Jiana’s top priority had always been to obtain the Speed Secret Manual by any means necessary, to strengthen herself so she could ascend the Sky Pillar and earn the “Dragon God’s” approval.

This time, she believed she must deepen the entire Hoenn region’s awareness of the “Sky-Subduing Dragon,” and make them truly understand the Dragon God’s greatness in saving all life.

“Team Magma and Team Aqua have recently shown unusual activity—they must have decided to search for Groudon and Kyogre’s traces!”

Xiang Jiana quickly thought of a suitable way to make the people of Hoenn once again clearly recognize the Dragon God’s mercy.

Of course, she had zero interest in joining forces with those villains.

But using them slightly? That was a decent idea.

“Under this vast blue sky, no evil should exist, and nothing beautiful should be destroyed.”

“If they want to revive Groudon and Kyogre, then I’ll give them a push—and then let the Dragon God quell it all, and utterly annihilate both organizations.”

“In this way, I can also resolve that crisis.”

As her voice faded, Xiang Jiana looked up at the cave ceiling, where streams of sunlight poured down.

She picked up Xijiana, mounted Flygon, and vanished completely from the cave.

From the beginning, house arrest meant nothing to her.

She had been confined here for so long only because she intended to take some time to reflect.

The Hoenn Rayquaza should have already returned to the peak of the Sky Pillar.

Now, all she needed was to stir up a disturbance significant enough to catch its attention—then the stage would be set.

January 23, Laurus City.

Ash and his group had departed the same day the incident ended, heading to the next city to challenge a Gym.

That kid had confidently declared he would win the Hoenn Grand Festival this time, not letting Luo Mu down.

To anyone who didn’t know, he might have seemed like Luo Mu’s actual student.

Luo Mu had scowled and kicked Ash out.

What nonsense—he only needed Ash to stop telling people he’d taught him anything.

—Otherwise, one day Ash might suddenly blurt out something like, “Oh, I forgot Dragon-type doesn’t work on Fairy-type,” or “Oops, Ground-type is immune to Thunderbolt.”

Luo Mu would be finished in the Trainer world and the teaching world.

He could already picture people pointing at him and saying, “That’s the teacher who taught his student to use Dragon-type against Fairy-type, and Electric-type against Ground-type.”

The sky was falling, for heaven’s sake.

After Ash and his group left, the immediate task was rebuilding Laurus City, which had been reduced to ruins during the battle.

Even the Battle Tower, Laurus City’s landmark, had been turned into rubble by Luo Mu, Raichu, and the Shiny Rayquaza.

Yet neither Laurus City’s administrators nor the Hoenn League authorities held Luo Mu responsible.

The usual “What did you even protect?” accusations never came.

The Laurus City incident had made nearly everyone in Hoenn aware of Luo Mu; in terms of fame within Hoenn, he might now temporarily rival Milotic, Wallace, and Wallace’s peers.

But since Luo Mu had no intention of appearing publicly to boost his “popularity,” it was foreseeable that this frenzy would eventually settle back to normal levels.

After all, if the main figure never shows up, no amount of hype matters.

Perhaps precisely because Luo Mu’s name—his feat of intercepting two Rayquaza—was widely sung across Hoenn, the city’s post-disaster reconstruction burden was spared from falling on him, to avoid disappointing the people or him.

Dr. Lendo, dressed in new attire, opened the door and entered the room.

He said to Luo Mu, who was browsing travel plans and recommendations online: “You made the right choice—even two days later, there are still reporters and paparazzi waiting outside the hotel.”

“If you show up for interviews, your travel plans will have to be canceled.”

“Yes.”

Luo Mu paused his phone-swiping, sighing slightly in response.

Not to mention whether he could or not—he simply couldn’t endure the life of the Kalos Champion, Karina.

Constantly worrying about being photographed, watched by countless eyes—he’d go insane eventually.

So since the incident ended, he’d basically stayed locked in his hotel room, holed up for two full days.

He also reviewed the lessons learned from this battle and areas needing improvement with Raichu and the others.

After chatting a while longer about Laurus City’s current state, Luo Mu asked Dr. Lendo: “What about those two Deoxys? What are you planning to do with them?”

“What planning?” Dr. Lendo shook his head. “Strictly speaking, I can’t keep them. The second Deoxys may have bonded with Little Mewtwo, but it’s also far more rational.”

“If they stay in this city, they’ll inevitably draw back the stubborn Rayquaza—whether one or two, they’ll only bring disaster to Laurus City.”

“So they left the city last night. They’ll probably live out their days somewhere on this planet.”

Luo Mu rubbed his chin, thoughtful. “I see.”

That explained why Laurus City’s night sky had glowed with auroras again last night—it was the two Deoxys bidding farewell?

But thinking about it, it made sense.

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

Now, with the Hoenn Rayquaza driven off, the plot completely derailed, and the dumplings never made…

If they stayed in Laurus City, they’d inevitably lure back the healed Hoenn Rayquaza one day.

The Hoenn Rayquaza’s power this time? Who knows—it might take less than a year to gather enough energy to activate its “Heavenly Emperor Organ” and Mega Evolve.

At that point, the Mega Hoenn Rayquaza could obliterate Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre with a single Dragon Pulse.

Sweeping aside two tiny aliens would be child’s play.

Just imagining he and Raichu would later have to face the equally troublesome Shiny Rayquaza, Luo Mu felt his vision darken.

After chatting a bit longer, as the conversation neared its end, Dr. Lendo curiously asked Luo Mu where he planned to go next.

Laurus City was in ruins, and as an administrator, he was swamped with duties—he likely couldn’t host Luo Mu well.

If Luo Mu intended to visit other parts of Hoenn, Dr. Lendo thought he might offer some suggestions.

Asked this, Luo Mu—who had no intention of leaving Hoenn immediately and still needed to meet Lugia and Dragonite—paused, then replied: “Hmm… I’d really like to go somewhere relaxing.”

“After such a battle, I need to unwind.”

“Relaxing? If that’s the case, I have a suggestion. Going there should wash away all your fatigue.”

Dr. Lendo smiled, summoned the smart room butler robot Cube, and had it display a series of photos.

“This place is near Route 112, a small to medium-sized town.”

Pointing to the location on the map, Dr. Lendo enthusiastically introduced it.

“Its name is Fuyan Town—it’s quite famous in Hoenn.”

“Situated at the foot of Chimney Volcano, its geothermal activity creates hot springs that not only relieve all fatigue but are also rumored to cure diseases.”

“Many elderly in Hoenn live there or visit frequently; some Ice-type Trainers even go there specifically to test and hone their limits.”

“And Fuyan Biscuits are a local specialty—if you’re interested, you can even go behind Chimney Mountain and dig for rocks—you might even uncover rare mineral deposits.”

Dr. Lendo’s recommendation perfectly matched Luo Mu’s needs.

The only issue was that Fuyan Town was deep inland, far from Hoenn’s many coastlines.

If he truly went there, his preparations to summon Lugia and Dragonite would have to be delayed a few more days.

But since summoning them anytime was fine—they weren’t in a hurry, and neither was Luo Mu.

First, let his Pokémon recover and relax after the battle.

Luo Mu, who had already considered going to Fuyan Town, accepted Dr. Lendo’s recommendation and decided to depart for Fuyan Town the next day.

“Fuyan Town has mixed-gender baths and separate-gender baths, but you’d probably prefer bathing with your Pokémon—so you’ll need a large, private hot spring pool.”

“If you trust me, I know a friend who runs a hot spring inn in Fuyan Town—he should have a pool that fits your needs.”

The next day.

Under Dr. Lendo’s arrangements, Luo Mu boarded a train directly within Laxi City, headed for a city near Zhazhen.

Although Zhazhen, a famous tourist city in the Hoenn region, had no direct train service, the distance was hardly much greater than going straight to Zhazhen.

Soon, the train stopped at Zhahuo City, whose name differed from Zhazhen by only one character.

Standing on the platform, Luo Mu could faintly see through gaps in the buildings the dormant chimney volcano in the distance, along with the cluster of buildings at its base in Zhazhen.

Although the Chimney Volcano had been dormant for many years without an eruption, it still continuously rained down volcanic ash, coating the mountain’s base and roads in a different hue.

Even from Zhahuo City, the color difference was clearly visible.

Most passengers disembarking were dressed as tourists, walking in small groups toward Zhazhen, their faces filled with anticipation for its hot springs.

Because Luo Mu had never appeared in public, with the help of Officer Jenny and Dr. Lendo, his image data had been kept confidential.

Luo Mu, gazing from the platform’s edge, attracted little attention; tourists simply assumed he was a solo traveler.

Too-Lu-Ba-Ge-Si curiously poked its head out of its satchel, then was startled by a lurking Mime Jr. behind it and immediately pulled back.

“Don’t scare the child.”

Luo Mu rubbed Mime Jr.’s head and gave it a light scolding.

Then he began walking with the crowd toward Zhazhen.

Along the way, he asked curiously, “Has Mime Jr. ever soaked in Zhazhen’s hot springs?”

Since Mime Jr. had been wandering the Hoenn region for months, Luo Mu assumed it must have tried them by now.

As expected, Mime Jr. nodded immediately.

“Great!”

It had soaked in natural hot springs among wild Pokémon in the forests near Zhazhen!

Even though it was an Ice-type Pokémon, Mime Jr. found it didn’t mind the hot springs—on the contrary, it felt incredibly comfortable, as if its soul were being purified.

Walking from the outskirts of Zhahuo City to Zhazhen took a considerable amount of time.

Many tourists chose to ride Pokémon mounts to enjoy the scenery along the way.

After all, they were here to travel, to relax their weary minds and bodies—not to undergo extreme training.

Luo Mu was no different.

The mount Pokémon native to the Hoenn region was called Camerupt.

Its rocky hump felt a bit hard on the buttocks, but fortunately, all these specially trained Camerupts had saddles installed.

After riding the Camerupt for a while, swaying back and forth,

As a breeze carrying the scent of sulfur brushed past his nose, Luo Mu realized he had entered the territory of Chimney Mountain, Hoenn’s largest volcano.

Zhazhen, famed throughout Hoenn for its hot springs, was now just within reach.

(End of Chapter)