[{"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-653":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},2324670,4546,"Chapter 653: Reunion with Lugia and the Giant Charizard","pokemon-the-reemployment-of-a-paldea-former-cham-chapter-653",653,"\u003Cp>Even a million acres of seawater could not hinder the will of the behemoth to appear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First to break the surface was a massive conical horn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it looked pointy and cute on Charizard’s head, on the behemoth’s head it carried a threat capable of piercing through most things with ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, a pair of antennae as thick as power cables unfurled, followed by the head, wings, and half the body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That enormous body, and the unyielding sorrow etched upon its face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was none other than the giant Charizard, long unseen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The waves churned up by the giant Charizard’s ascent nearly brought a light rain to the surrounding area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the sea did not calm after the giant Charizard finished rising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The water stirred again, and a resonant, whale-like cry echoed from beneath the waves as a massive waterspout tore through the surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As its pure white wings spread open, the waterspout instantly dissolved into countless droplets, illuminated by sunlight to highlight Lugia’s flawless, sacred, and untainted form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s been a long time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Luo Mu marveled at how Lugia always made such a grand entrance, he did not forget to greet both Lugia and the giant Charizard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aohhh~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The giant Charizard raised its right arm in response, forgetting that even a gentle wave of wind from its motion was a gale to Luo Mu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It nearly blew Luo Mu off Charizard’s back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, the solid-bodied Charizard stood firm against the gale, preventing any mishap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing its mistake, the giant Charizard immediately hung its head in guilt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after Luo Mu comforted it, assuring it that it was fine, did it stop looking dejected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other side, Lugia—though far smaller in size than the giant Charizard—held an undeniable presence, and its gaze now settled on Luo Mu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When it saw him riding Charizard instead of the giant Charizard, Lugia’s eyes flickered with surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had assumed Luo Mu would arrive riding the giant Charizard again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That way, it could properly assess the giant Charizard’s cultivation progress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if it still couldn’t master its signature move, its control over air currents should have improved dramatically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, it had once poured countless insights directly into the giant Charizard’s mind through battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noticing Lugia’s puzzled gaze, Luo Mu smiled, as if reading its thoughts, and explained: “I left the giant Charizard at home to rest.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s not practical to bring it everywhere—it needs rest too, and sometimes I need to take other Pokémon from the farm out for a walk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though slightly disappointed, both Lugia and the giant Charizard were ancient beings with immense lifespans, so they showed little reaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If we don’t meet now, we’ll meet again next time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had all the time in the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brief pleasantries—no, accurately speaking, Pokémon didn’t have such a concept.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who could use telepathy simply exchanged thoughts; those who couldn’t just let out a roar and nudge heads together—that counted as greeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, whether facing ordinary Pokémon or legendary Pokémon like Lugia, there was no need for elaborate formalities. After greeting, get straight to the point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As agreed, I’ve come to take the giant Charizard to find its companions.” After lowering Charizard’s flight altitude, Luo Mu spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aow?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The giant Charizard’s eyes instantly lit up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had been worried whether Luo Mu still remembered their agreement, even considering whether to remind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had brought it up outright without hesitation!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The giant Charizard was eager to leave, but Lugia gently restrained its movement with psychic force and telepathically said: “Wait a moment—I have something I wish to discuss with him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, the giant Charizard remembered what it had learned while following Lugia recently, blinked, and obediently stayed still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, this matter was important too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After calming the giant Charizard, Lugia flapped its wings and flew before Luo Mu and Charizard, speaking bluntly: “I forgot to tell you why I’ve been moving through these waters. Would you care to listen now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu nodded, curiosity flickering in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his mind, Lugia was the type to stay in one place, never moving. He had wondered before why it kept shifting across these seas, but had forgotten to ask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Lugia wanted to speak, Luo Mu was all ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lugia gathered its thoughts, then spoke slowly: “Have you heard the legend of the Sea Creator—the being who gave birth to all oceans on this planet?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Sea Creator?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu’s brow twitched—he hadn’t expected such a term from Lugia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Sea Creator, as Lugia described, was a legendary Pokémon—the embodiment or creator of the sea itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Hoenn, it was a famed ultra-ancient Pokémon whose passage brought torrential storms and drowned the land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Luo Mu’s understanding, Lugia fell silent for several seconds, then continued: “Recently, the calm slumbering aura of the Sea Creator fluctuated—faint, then nearly gone. Now, it’s so weak I can no longer sense it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That is why I’ve been moving through these waters—to investigate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lugia had no obligation to care about Kyogre’s condition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But its own ocean currents had recently shown irregularities; if the sea’s embodiment was also disturbed, things might spiral out of control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was why Lugia wandered near Kyogre’s territory despite knowing it risked conflict.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just as I have kin, multiple Kyogre exist in the world—but I am certain it is the oldest among them that is troubled.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You humans have more ways to gather information than I do. Do you have any leads on this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lugia stared at Luo Mu, expression serious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given Luo Mu’s strength, he must hold high rank among humans. With humans spread across every corner of the planet, he might possess information Lugia could not access.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Asked so suddenly, Luo Mu fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How should he answer?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kyogre was captured by humans—though the captors were villains among humans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh, and they wanted to control Kyogre to flood the entire planet!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu knew if he said that, Lugia’s opinion of most humans would plummet further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he couldn’t claim ignorance—Kyogre and Groudon’s clash was imminent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was there a need to hide it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu decided not to. He rephrased his words and revealed everything about Team Aqua and Team Magma’s plans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.Hmph.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After long silence, Lugia let out a cold, mocking laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected—no matter how many years passed, humans still birthed greedy fools who sought to control legendary power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The information Luo Mu shared fit too perfectly Lugia’s view of certain humans—it felt no surprise at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flood the planet with oceans? Expand the land to cover the entire globe?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ridiculous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, Kyogre and Groudon’s ancient wills could never be controlled by mere humans using human-made tools.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even granting the impossible—that they accepted those two fanatics’ ideals and began expanding land and sea—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within Hoenn, their actions would be stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if some of their kin were weak, their wills could never be controlled—not even if their goals aligned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those fanatics had chosen the wrong path from the start.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After learning more details from Luo Mu, and without caring how he knew so much, Lugia didn’t wait for Luo Mu to speak—it volunteered to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go. The giant Charizard has followed me for a while. Before I enter hibernation, I wish to witness the moment it achieves its goal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lugia flapped its wings, abandoning any further exploration of Hoenn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if those two giants started fighting again, it was none of Lugia’s concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the disturbance grew too great, those responsible would handle them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Lugia said so, Luo Mu happily led the way ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as neither he nor Lugia interfered, the original plot would change very little—no problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After helping the giant Charizard find its companions, Hoenn should quiet down. He could return to soak in hot springs for a few days, then head back to Paldea for Orange Academy’s opening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the waters of Kanto as their goal, the trio—Luo Mu and his two Pokémon—set off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along the way, Luo Mu voiced a long-standing question and asked Lugia’s opinion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While maintaining steady flight, Lugia raised its “eyebrows” at the intriguing news, turning its full attention to Charizard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh? You mean it carries Sacred Fire within?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite the Iron Mask Ninja’s swift search and guidance, Nimo took over ten minutes to reach the edge of the island’s forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s fine, not your fault.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though still cold-faced, Shinji did not scold the Iron Mask Ninja—he comforted it instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to his past self, Shinji, under Luo Mu’s deliberate guidance, now paid greater attention to Pokémon emotions and no longer entertained thoughts of capturing, releasing, or selecting only the strongest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew that even if the Iron Mask Ninja found Nimo at top speed, Nimo’s weak stamina made it a miracle to return within ten minutes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Iron Mask Ninja wasn’t a Pokémon that could carry riders or fly with passengers—no blame was due under such conditions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Shinji’s reassurance, the dejected Iron Mask Ninja instantly perked up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jingxiang also briefly explained to Nimo what she and Shinji had deduced while waiting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh? So Team Aqua’s submarine just appeared over there?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So our next step is to attack and hand them over to Officer Junsa for arrest?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nimo’s focus and thought process were clearly unlike anyone else’s; what should have been a shocking statement had long since become routine to Shizuka and Shinji.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shizuka quickly corrected her dangerous idea: “That could be one of Team Aqua’s mobile bases—no one knows how many members are inside. With such a massive disparity in numbers, we absolutely can’t act rashly!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who dares charge into an evil organization’s base alone without being a Champion?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wait—is Nimo actually serious!?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shizuka widened her eyes, but Shinji neatly filled the gap in her reasoning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides, the submarine has already submerged again. Even if you wanted to find them, you couldn’t.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shinji revealed the cruel reality to the eager Nimo with a blank expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The truth was, none of the three of them had a Water-type Pokémon capable of moving freely in the sea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Shizuka’s Swampert was also a water-dwelling Pokémon accustomed to freshwater habitats; even if Swampert could temporarily adapt to seawater thanks to its Pokémon physiology, it still couldn’t carry all three of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s not Lapras.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for air travel, the same problem applied: none of them had a suitable Pokémon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shizuka’s Armaldo’s back was too smooth, and its size could barely carry two people—one of whom would have to be a small child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Nimo’s Sceptile—never mind that Nimo herself was a motion-impaired idiot, neither Shizuka nor Shinji had the arm strength to hold onto its legs for long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s precisely why they’d arrived on the island by rented boat, not by their own means.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under these circumstances, how could they even think of tracking down Team Aqua’s submarine?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We want to report this to Officer Jenny right away, but after the submarine left, we realized there’s no signal anywhere nearby—likely jammed by Team Aqua’s submarine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she spoke, Shizuka’s expression was weary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right now, both her and Shinji’s phones were out of range, with no signal—clearly Team Aqua had disabled the surrounding communications as a precaution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three of them were effectively stranded on this island.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Either wait three days for the boat to return, or find a way out themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nimo was clearly the latter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wasn’t deterred by the obstacle; instead, she proposed a completely new idea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then we just need to ask for help from wild Pokémon!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the submarine was gone, she dashed back to the campsite, retrieved her backpack, and pulled out a small square box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Teacher Luo Mu said in class: when you’re stuck in the wild due to environmental factors and have no other options, you can try using food or other items to seek help from wild Pokémon!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If we ask wild Water-type Pokémon for help, won’t that give us a way off the island?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nimo’s words left Shinji and Shizuka speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, Nimo was a Rexue  battle idiot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But precisely because of her earnest nature, she paid close attention and remembered every lesson taught by the person she admired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu always shared his own firsthand travel experiences, which had proven useful in countless unexpected moments before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment, the usually cautious Shinji nodded first: “We can seek help from wild Pokémon—but the sea at night is still too dangerous. Let’s act at first light tomorrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If we still can’t find Team Aqua’s trail, we return immediately to Green Ridge City to report it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2092,"2026-06-20T17:11:50.049Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","87560231de2b19ad19d978242775a23d4b57f12814ba425e5893e2b0fe2da9f9","pokemon-the-reemployment-of-a-paldea-former-cham-chapter-654","pokemon-the-reemployment-of-a-paldea-former-cham-chapter-652",695,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fpokemon-the-reemployment-of-a-paldea-former-cham-cover.jpg"]