Chapter 230: Vent

"What good thing?" Huo La got interested and asked again.

"What thing? Of course it's something that can make your power skyrocket!" Jiecheng's voice was full of a "I'm giving you a bargain" tone, with a deliberately tsundere edge, "I haven't even found anything I can use yet, but I'll let you kid use it first."

Huo La's mind sparked, recalling the Mega Aerodactyl they'd encountered before, and blurted out, "Super Evolution Stone? Or the one for Venusaur!"

"Hey, you kid! You guessed it right, how boring!" Jiecheng's voice showed a hint of resentment, then switched back to a busy tone, "Alright, alright, I won't bother you. I'm busy here— that Mega Aerodactyl we captured earlier still needs me and BuLaTaNuo to study, keeping us on our feet! I'm hanging up, remember to check the delivery!"

A "Click" sounded from the other end of the phone, and the call was cut off.

Huo La held the phone, a smile tugging at his mouth—he wasn't surprised by the result.

Since Father had returned to Kanto, and BuLaTaNuo Bo Shi was obsessed with Mega Evolution, he would surely come back together, and the research on that Mega Aerodactyl, with Father being one of the core forces, would definitely make him the lead researcher. As for why BuLaTaNuo Bo Shi wasn't put in charge... after all, he's a foreigner; even though the League ignores borders, its territories are still divided by nations.

But this sudden big gift was indeed what he needed most right now.

The current situation was strange and unclear; an extra Mega Evolution combat power gave him more confidence.

He stretched lazily, the hunger in his belly growing stronger, and decided on the spot: "First go downstairs to eat something; a full stomach gives strength—can't face those troubles on an empty stomach."

After having dinner in the Pokemon Center's restaurant, Huo La headed straight to Xiaogang Ge's room.

Since they had split yesterday evening, this was still his first time seeing Xiaogang Ge—after all, they had pulled an all‑night study the day before, and waking up it was already afternoon, so they missed most of the day.

He knocked lightly on the door, and Xiaogang Ge's voice came from inside immediately: "Come in."

Opening the door, Xiaogang Ge was sitting at the table sorting training notes; seeing Huo La, he casually closed his notebook, stood, skillfully grabbed the kettle from the table, brewed a cup of warm tea and handed it over: "Just woke up?"

"Hmm, I slept in a daze all day, only now fully recovered," Huo La took the cup, feeling the warm touch on his fingertips, his tense nerves easing a bit, "Last night was exhausting, not just staying up, my brain was about to stall."

Xiaogang Ge sat opposite him, his gaze gentle yet inquisitive: "Tell me, what was the matter with those three from the Rocket Team who came looking for you yesterday?"

Huo La pinched the cup, the bottom spinning twice on the table, silent for a while, then sighed: "Xiaogang Ge Ge, unless something unexpected happens, we're probably facing a big trouble again—one more thorny than any before."

"Hm?" Xiaogang Ge let out a light gasp, his brows slightly furrowed, "How thorny? More troublesome than the Masked Man before?"

"No way it's comparable!" Huo La nodded heavily, no longer hiding, and recounted in full detail to Xiaogang Ge the night's encounter with the Rocket Team Trio, the mystery of the two "Banmu", the reports from the Gastly scouting mission, and his speculation about the "Rainbow Rocket Team".

From the Parallel World setting, to the opponent's control over Mega Divine Beasts, to the crisis Kanto might currently face, nothing was omitted.

After hearing all that, Xiaogang Ge fell into a prolonged silence.

The room was left only with the faint hiss of rising tea steam; his fingertips unconsciously rubbed the tabletop, his expression heavy as if bearing a thousand‑pound burden.

After a long while, he finally spoke slowly, his tone bearing some agreement: "Having Bilan and Xiaoyin stay in Chengdu for now was right. Given Kanto's current situation, it really isn't suitable for them to return and adventure."

"Hm? That's it?" Huo La was taken aback, surprised at Xiaogang Ge Ge's calm response, "Xiaogang Ge Ge, don't you have anything else to say? Like… thinking my speculation is too far‑fetched, or that there's still a chance?"

Xiaogang Ge looked up at him, his eyes full of helplessness, sighing lightly: "What can I say? Even if we rush to tell the League now, do you think they'd believe us?"

He paused, his tone tinged with self‑mockery: "A bunch of villains from Another World who can ride Mega Divine Beasts, and they even formed an organization called the 'Rainbow Rocket Team'… It sounds like a fairy tale to me. If I tell the League, they'll just think I'm spouting nonsense."

Huo La nodded deeply, fully agreeing—he knew the League's nature all too well.

Without concrete evidence, without causing any real damage, just oral speculation—let alone drawing attention, they might not even get past the door, just being dismissed as troublemakers.

"So what now..." Huo La looked at Xiaogang Ge, his tone asking, his brows still bearing lingering fatigue.

"Didn't you arrange to meet those three from the Rocket Team tonight?" Xiaogang Ge pondered briefly, giving the safest answer, "Let's wait until we see them tonight; maybe we can get new clues."

Truth be told, he had no better idea in mind.

Throughout the journey, Huo La made most of the decisions; he merely followed Huo La, doing his tasks and occasionally looking after Huo La.

Today Huo La deliberately knocked on his door, spilling all these woes in one go; rather than seeking advice, it was more that he couldn't bear the pressure and wanted someone to vent to, to unload the weight on his heart.

Xiaogang Ge watched Huo La's tense profile, said nothing more, and silently got up, refilling Huo La's tea cup with Hot Water from the kettle.

The warm steam rose gently, hazing the cup rim and slightly lightening the room's heaviness: "Don't overthink it, you're not a savior, there's no need to shoulder all the burdens yourself. The world's crises have never been solved by one person alone."

Huo La lifted his eyes to him, a bitter smile tugging at his mouth, but he remained silent.

His gaze unintentionally drifted to the front— the translucent system interface only he could see, now quietly hovering in the void.

The system, meant to be the protagonist‑hero's standard gear, a cheat‑enabled golden finger.

But for him, it felt more like an invisible shackle.

Back then, diving headfirst into the Rocket Team's murky waters and getting entangled with Banmu and Mewtwo's fate boiled down to the mission issued by this system, didn't it?

And this mission, delayed for so long and still unfinished, now a Rainbow Rocket Team has emerged, the situation tangled like a knot of dead rope.

Moreover, he always felt this current predicament was somehow inseparable from the system, only he lacked proof.