Chapter 520: Waterwheel Town

"The hero's end..." Paipa sighed softly.

Bilan turned their head, gave him a glance, and softly retorted, "Strictly speaking, he doesn't count as a hero, does he."

"Whether he's a hero or not is no longer important," Huo La began slowly, his tone tinged with regret and lament, "It's just a pity about this thousand-year-standing Galaxy Team Headquarters."

Mixed emotions welled up inside him.

Since the Xicui Era, the Galaxy Team had already existed, and when he returned to the world again and saw that imposing headquarters building with his own eyes, he still felt a surge of emotion.

But now, the once-magnificent complex has turned entirely into ruins, with shattered walls everywhere, inevitably evoking regret.

"Huo La..." Bilan sensed his dejected tone and gently comforted him.

"I'm fine, just a bit sentimental," Huo La shook his head, steadied his mood, and quickly returned to business, "By the way, what's the latest news from Xiaoyin?"

Bilan replied seriously, "Hmm... in Hoenn, the clash between Shui Wu Tong and Chi Yan Song hasn't ceased. However, Xiaoyin reported that the two's condition is quite off."

"Off?" Huo La asked immediately, "What's strange?"

"Xiaoyin said that Chi Yan Song and Shui Wu Tong are clearly at odds, like water and fire, constantly clashing, yet he has personally witnessed them meeting privately and staying together several times."

Paipa was instantly stunned, his face full of doubt, "What's going on? They fight to the death—could their previous rivalry have been a performance?"

Huo La was silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head, "It shouldn't be a performance. Though we haven't gone to Hoenn ourselves, we've seen the circulated battle footage; both sides used genuine killing moves without any restraint, impossible to fake."

"Huh? Then what exactly is happening?" Paipa was completely bewildered.

"I have a hypothesis," Huo La said, his gaze deep, slowly revealing the key, "Most likely, the Shui Wu Tong and Chi Yan Song of our world are clashing and tugging with their counterparts from the Rainbow Rocket Team."

"So that's it!" Paipa realized, "No wonder the battles never stop, yet we see them together; it's because two people from different worlds are intersecting in combat!"

"This is just my speculation; the exact truth can only be confirmed by going to Hoenn in person," Huo La said, leaving the possibility open.

Paipa asked immediately, "Then shall we set off for Hoenn right now?"

Bilan raised a hand and lightly tapped his head, helplessly saying, "Didn't we just finalize the plan last night? We're heading to Galar first; how could you forget?"

Paipa slapped his forehead, smiling awkwardly, "Look at my memory."

He then asked curiously, "By the way, Chi Hong Ge isn't traveling with us; did he go ahead to scout the frontier?"

Huo La gently shook his head, explaining the arrangement, "No. This time I asked him for something else; he should have already found Ash."

"Find Ash?" Bilan looked at Huo La with a puzzled expression, not understanding why he suddenly sent Chi Hong Ge to look for the other party.

Huo La lightly shook his head, his expression calm, "Some matters aren't convenient to elaborate on now."

Seeing his reluctance to speak further, Bilan wisely did not press.

She patted the broad back of the rideable Lapras and hummed a light, cheerful tune to herself.

Time slipped by quietly, and two days passed in an instant.

The group traveled around and arrived smoothly at Waterwheel Town in the Galar Region.

It is a bustling, prosperous port town, with shops lining both sides of the streets, endless streams of people, and a vivid, lively atmosphere.

Under Luozi's governance, Galar has changed its old ways in recent years, shedding its closed, conservative stance, and instead vigorously developing foreign trade, gradually becoming the most prosperous trade hub in the entire Pokemon World, a world-class commercial center.

Upon landing, Bilan was instantly drawn by the lively streetscape, eyes sparkling, face beaming with excitement.

"Wow! Huo La, look! Someone's doing a fire-breathing performance on the street!"

"Oh my, this place even has specialty foods from Sinnoh and Kanto!"

"Look, look! That's the Flash Flame Ace, how cool!"

Watching Bilan's starry-eyed, enthusiastic expression, Huo La gave a helpless smile.

He turned to Paipa beside him and teased, "Do you want to wander around too? You might find plenty of new materials, perfect for making sandwiches."

Paipa immediately scratched his head, showing a simple smile, eyes full of anticipation, "I've been wanting to stroll around and look for ingredients!"

Huo La spread his hands and arranged, "Then you all can explore freely; we'll meet later at the Pokemon Center."

"No problem!" Paipa replied cheerfully.

Waterwheel Town, Pokemon Center.

Although Galar, under Luozi's leadership, has broken away from League jurisdiction and become independent, the Pokemon Center network across regions remains intact and undismantled.

Benefiting from a sound governance system, it still maintains a clean, stable appearance, consistently providing services to Trainers with orderly conduct.

Huo La handed all his Pokeballs to Nurse Joy for handling, awaiting the Pokemon's routine treatment and care.

He then went to the lounge, sat down, ordered a warm coffee, casually picked up the latest local Galar newspaper, and quietly read through, learning about the region's current affairs and local developments.

The newspaper's content was dense, covering trade development, town construction, arena events, and many other details; Huo La read it especially attentively, trying to catch any abnormal trends between the lines.

As he was immersed in the newspaper, a shadow suddenly loomed over, covering the light that fell on the paper.

Huo La paused briefly, set the newspaper down, and looked up.

Standing before him was a young girl.

She sported a sleek orange high ponytail, wore a crisp brown long coat, her hair color bright and striking, with red-rimmed glasses perched at her temples, exuding a dashing, lively aura, highly recognizable.

The girl, upon recognizing Huo La's face, instantly lit up with surprised joy in her eyes, a blend of astonishment and delight, and without hesitation, plopped straight onto the empty seat opposite Huo La.

In a bright and sincere tone, "Huo La!"