[{"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-693":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},2324710,4546,"Chapter 693: Rippling Waters","pokemon-the-reemployment-of-a-paldea-former-cham-chapter-693",693,"\u003Cp>Even if somewhat blurry, as if taken in a hurry, the Pokémon in the photo closely resembled Suicune in overall shape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was only similar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least, based on Luo Mu’s experience and his own firsthand encounter with Suicune.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The photo showed a Pokémon that looked like Suicune—but was not Suicune, some unknown species.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not a Ditto in disguise with minor differences, but an entirely different Pokémon altogether.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This made Luo Mu think of Mengleigu, the Pokémon on his farm that often trained its Electric-type moves on the small hill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It, too, bore a resemblance to Raikou in appearance, coloration, and markings—but was distinctly different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could the “Suicune” in the photo, like Mengleigu, be a paradox species?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raikou is Electric-type; Mengleigu is Electric\u002FDragon-type. Given GF’s tendencies, might this suspected paradox species be Water\u002FDragon-type?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu’s thoughts drifted until a mental pulse from Lei Guan Wang jolted him back—he realized Hai Dai had already stood before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those calloused hands waved in front of his face, as if checking whether he had spaced out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey! Showing up unannounced is one thing, but zoning out too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were old acquaintances; Hai Dai spoke without restraint, especially given his own blunt personality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu’s gaze sharpened, and he shook his head apologetically: “Sorry, I just thought I’d seen the Pokémon in the photo before, so I got lost in memory.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this, Hai Dai’s expression turned serious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him, Inspector Junsa of Boping City also rose, stepping forward in her heels to stand before Luo Mu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She first saluted, showing respect, then spoke: “We’d appreciate it if Champion Luo could share the details with us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Everyone present is working to resolve this ‘Steam Incident.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, I’m here for that very reason.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu nodded slightly, exchanged a glance with Hai Dai, and sat down at the empty seat beside him at his invitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu had intended to find a seat for Lei Guan Wang, but it shook its head, conveying through telepathy that hovering behind him was sufficient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was not the type to crave attention or demand special treatment due to its noble status.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Luo Mu sat down, the city hall meeting resumed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps to accommodate him, Inspector Junsa, as the overall incident coordinator, recounted the situation once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The steam dispersion began at six p.m. last night.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Simultaneously, Boping City’s entire water system was affected—water temperatures, normally stable, began rising as if boiling over a roaring fire, and continue to climb even now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As water temperature rose, the steam volume increased accordingly, and many fish and shrimp farms reported mass deaths due to overheating and oxygen depletion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aquatic Pokémon fared better; due to their physiology, they could tolerate the heat unless it reached near-boiling levels, and could retreat to land if needed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“—But I don’t believe the culprit has the power to raise the entire city’s water system to boiling, let alone near 100 degrees Celsius.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After all, releasing that much energy would require boiling every water resource in the city simultaneously—only Legendary Pokémon could achieve such a feat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Junsa paused, her gaze subtly falling on Luo Mu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, she didn’t suspect him—she simply recalled her cousin’s complaint while stationed in Pingdie Town.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Champion’s farm housed a Legendary Pokémon named Ho-Oh, and just before New Year’s Eve, there had been that absurd incident of using Legendary Pokémon to launch fireworks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, the very subject of that complaint sat right before her, and it was hard not to find it amusing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suppressing the urge to laugh, Junsa maintained a serious expression: “Once the steam anomaly spiraled out of control, we launched an investigation to determine its cause.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“—But we’ve made no progress.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No matter what detection methods we used, we couldn’t track down the source responsible for heating the entire city’s water system and continuously emitting massive amounts of steam.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Junsa fell silent, about to speak again, but immediately closed her mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She saw Luo Mu raising his hand, and nodded, signaling he could ask freely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu didn’t hesitate: “My focus might be off, but I still need to know one thing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Please ask,” Junsa said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm.” Luo Mu nodded, his gaze fixed on the aerial map of Boping City pinned to the whiteboard. “What exactly is the structure of Boping City’s water system? Why is it being uniformly boiled?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Luo Mu’s view, unless one traveled location by location, it was impossible to simultaneously boil isolated water sources.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t the “End of the World” of primal Groudon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If so, there was only one possibility left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You asked the perfect question—in fact, we were about to explain this very point.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Junsa took a sip from her thermos, then looked toward the far end of the table, where a middle-aged man in engineer’s attire sat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He understood immediately, stood up, and bowed respectfully to Luo Mu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Champion, I am a descendant of the engineers who designed Boping City’s water system.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“. Hello?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu responded warmly, waiting for his explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The reason Boping City, located in a desert region, could become a water-rich metropolis like Olivine City in Johto is because its entire water system operates via an automated control network.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even the oases near Boping City were created decades ago, as generations of Boping residents channeled water from nearby abundant sources to green the land.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This life-sustaining automated water recycling system lies buried deep beneath Boping City, periodically exchanging and purifying water with connected reservoirs, transforming this place into a thriving aquatic land—a green oasis on the edge of the desert.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The middle-aged man spoke at length.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu extracted one key point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—The entire water supply of Boping City is entirely dependent on the underground automated water recycling system, which circulates water on a schedule.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, boiling the water at its source—before it reaches the city—was feasible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu looked at Junsa; she was looking back at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just as you suspected, the source lies underground.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“—But we didn’t discover this through the affected workers. We were alerted by a professor from Orange College.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Junsa said softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A professor from Orange College?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu froze for a second—he hadn’t expected this answer from Junsa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.” Junsa nodded seriously, confirming her words. “And she claims the Pokémon in the photo appeared in Boping City because of her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu: “.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t hold back—he stood slightly and asked: “Then, who is she—?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Her name is Lai He, a history professor at Orange College.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hai Dai shrugged, answering for Junsa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This only deepened Luo Mu’s confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He never imagined he’d hear Lai He’s name here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t Principal Klawell say she was busy with something? Wait—could the thing she was busy with be this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sensing Luo Mu’s expression, Junsa didn’t delay. She laid out the timeline clearly, from her own perspective, once he understood the context.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First came the steam spreading through the city, rising water temperatures—Boping City’s city hall, her police force, and even Hai Dai as Gym Leader had all joined the search for the source.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, other forces tried using Flying-type Pokémon’s “Clear Fog” move to disperse the steam, but with little success.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time passed through the night until this morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A woman—Lai He—appeared voluntarily outside city hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She immediately confessed she was likely one of the culprits behind the “Steam Incident.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon receiving the report, Junsa immediately summoned Lai He.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lai He then revealed how she had caused such a massive disturbance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short: she sought to purify some unknown “Four Calamities” and had been searching for traces of the Legendary Pokémon Suicune.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Suicune’s footprints mostly appeared in the Kanto and Johto regions, she believed traces might exist in the Paldea region as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her persistence paid off—she located the suspected Suicune, though the location was unusual: inside the heavily guarded “Paldea Pit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t explain to Junsa how she did it, but somehow, she found the Suicune-like Pokémon, and led it away from the Paldea Pit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Then, naturally, her primary goal was to use its power to purify the “Sealing Stakes” she had already located.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her first target was a “Sealing Stake” hidden in the mountain above Boping City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But just as this “Suicune” differed from the legendary one in appearance, it lacked the power to purify the Sealing Stakes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, perhaps drawn to Boping City’s water system, the Pokémon slipped from Lai He’s control, silently infiltrating the underground automated water recycling system and taking over the massive reservoir at its source.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It began using that reservoir as a base to transform the entire city’s water system into its preferred environment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lai He, who followed it, could not stop it—forced to surrender, she came to city hall to turn herself in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu: “.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My native language is silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, Hai Dai took over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Based on the clues provided by that girl, we successfully located the Pokémon’s hiding place.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Next was how to subdue or drive it away.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Unfortunately, even with my full strength and Junsa’s team’s help, we couldn’t touch that ‘Suicune.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And now you see the result—we sealed the entrance, returned to city hall, and began strategizing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hai Dai’s face bore unmistakable bitterness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was understandable—he was Boping City’s Gym Leader, its strongest in normal circumstances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he could not stop the very force slowly plunging Boping City into chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, the mayor of Vermilion City, who had remained silent until now, spoke up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We had already planned to seek military aid from the League headquarters, but then—you, Champion Luo Mu—arrived here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could you lend us your help?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course. I came here specifically for this purpose.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having finally understood the reason, Luo Mu rubbed his temples but did not refuse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha! With Brother Luo Mu here, our next operation is guaranteed to succeed!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hai Dai, quickly shaking off his gloom, let out a boisterous laugh and gave Luo Mu’s shoulder two heavy slaps with his palm—big as a fan, capable of knocking a fish unconscious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enduring the force that nearly shattered his bones, Luo Mu asked helplessly: “But before we set out, I have one question.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Please go ahead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Though the whole situation has been explained, why isn’t the one you mentioned as one of the culprits—Lei He—here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Mu wondered: Had that woman already been locked up at the police station?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted to ask her why she’d suddenly pulled off something like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, so that’s what you’re asking,” said Officer Jenny, suddenly understanding. She stroked her chin, thought for a moment, then replied: “Normally, we’d detain Lei He for interrogation later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But since progress in subduing that Pokémon has been slow, and she claimed she might find useful information, I sent an officer with her to the Orange Academy to research relevant texts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By now, they should be returning.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As luck would have it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moments after Officer Jenny finished speaking,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a rapid series of footsteps sounded outside the conference room door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a loud crash, the door was flung open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From beyond the opened door came a voice that, to Luo Mu, was faintly familiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I found it! I found it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That Pokémon isn’t ‘Suicune’ at all—it’s an ancient Pokémon called ‘Wave Water,’ recorded in old texts!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1872,"2026-06-20T17:11:50.049Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","a950982fe20980e4ca8661dcfa131c5c5e18bf91fd4c261c1abd8a38f7c32a89","pokemon-the-reemployment-of-a-paldea-former-cham-chapter-694","pokemon-the-reemployment-of-a-paldea-former-cham-chapter-692",695,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fpokemon-the-reemployment-of-a-paldea-former-cham-cover.jpg"]