Chapter 550: Reunion

After saying goodbye to Dr. Sai Ge, Huo La returned alone to the Rocket Team Headquarters to the private room that had been arranged for him.

He closed the door, showed no hesitation, and at once took out the gilded Master Ball.

His fingertips brushed the icy, smooth surface of the ball; Huo La gazed quietly for a moment and took a deep breath.

This place is ultimately Rocket Team territory; if there truly hides a danger, even the most thorough defenses might not be complete.

Considering Dr. Sai Ge's attitude throughout, the other party had no malice; it's highly likely he really gave something to himself.

With that in mind, Huo La pressed the Master Ball's switch.

Clack—

The crisp unlocking sound rang out, and a thick purple Smoke Screen instantly surged out, quickly filling the whole room; the hazy mist completely enveloped the surroundings, carrying a faint, lingering chill.

Immediately after, a mocking yet sinister laugh drifted slowly through the sealed room.

"Heh heh heh… old man, I told you last time, if you dare let me out again casually, I'll eat you whole."

Hearing the voice, Huo La not only remained unflustered, but his tense spirit instantly relaxed, and a barely concealed spark of delight and warmth rose in his eyes.

After a long time, he softly called the familiar name: "Old Ghost."

The simple two words instantly halted the cold, drifting laugh that filled the air.

The purple Smoke Screen that shrouded the room suddenly stilled, then surged violently and trembled slightly, as if excited beyond control.

The next second, the mist rapidly gathered and converged; layer upon layer of smoke compressed until it formed a petite ghostly figure, silently hovering in front of Huo La.

The iconic ghostly face now lacked any mockery; its voice trembled with disbelief and long‑missed excitement: "Little Ghost… is that you?!"

Looking at the Gui Si before him, Huo La's brows softened, his heart full of emotion, and he nodded heavily: "It's me, long time no see, Old Ghost."

Gui Si whirled rapidly around Huo La's body, then passed straight through him and emerged from the other side.

After checking several times, it finally spoke with full emotion: "Little Ghost, it really is you! After so many years, you haven't changed a bit."

Huo La smiled wryly: "What's that? Old Ghost, you're still hoping I get into trouble, right?"

Gui Si didn't follow his joke at all, and asked with a hint of puzzlement: "This is Rocket Team territory, how did you release me? What about that old thing?"

"Old thing?" Huo La was slightly taken aback, then instantly realized it referred to Dr. Sai Ge, and shook his head to explain, "You mean Dr. Sai Ge, right? He's still in his Oak Research Institute."

"Tch, I think this old thing is just scared of me," Gui Si snorted haughtily.

Huo La looked at his long‑absent companion, his eyes filled with gentle puzzlement: "How did you end up sealed inside a Master Ball? After I returned I searched for you for ages; even Xiao Gang had no clue of your whereabouts."

Being asked that, Gui Si's smug expression vanished instantly, and his demeanor turned unusually awkward.

After a long silence, it finally, with pent‑up grievance and indignation, explained the reason: "It's all my fault for being careless back then, which led to this outcome!"

As Gui Si slowly recounted the past, Huo La's expression gradually grew strange.

The moment Huo La was swept into Spacetime Turbulence by Sakaki, Gui Si immediately took Xiao Gang and fled the Rocket Team Headquarters; at that time no one pursued them, and the two escaped the danger safely.

After safely delivering Xiao Gang to a secure area, it left alone, returned to the long‑missed Maiden's Gorge, intending to recuperate for a while before secretly slipping back into the Rocket Team later to gather news on Huo La.

But it never expected that after only two short days of stable stay in Maiden's Gorge, Dr. Sai Ge suddenly showed up.

The other party remained silent the whole time, gave no warning or words, and simply raised a hand to fling a Master Ball.

Gui Si didn't even have time to react, let alone any chance to resist, and was captured outright, remaining so until today.

In recent years, Dr. Sai Ge occasionally released it from the Master Ball for experimental research. Yet the Master Ball's confinement is extremely strong; it cannot break free and can only passively be controlled by the other side.

Fortunately, Dr. Sai Ge never intended to harm it, merely occasionally extracting some of its breath and energy for experiments.

Aside from losing its freedom and being confined for years, it suffered no torture or injury.

Gui Si caught sight of Huo La's odd expression, instantly felt uneasy, cleared his throat lightly to mask his embarrassment, and hurriedly changed the subject: "Little Ghost, don't talk about me now. I clearly saw you get swept into Spacetime Turbulence, certain death, so how did you not only survive but become a core figure of the Rocket Team?"

Huo La fell silent for a moment, then sighed helplessly: "That story is hard to sum up in a few words."

Then, he spoke slowly, recounting his ordeal after being swept into Spacetime Turbulence, the issue of the two Arceus, Sakaki's ultimate goal, and his series of astonishing events—cooperating with the League and the Rocket Team, eventually becoming the Rocket Team's successor.

Gui Si hovered in mid‑air, quietly listening to the whole account.

Its expression kept shifting, from initial shock and surprise, gradually becoming oddly astonished, and finally freezing completely, its face etched with disbelief.

After a long while, Gui Si slowly closed his slightly agape mouth, his floating form trembling faintly, and his voice carried a clear quiver: "Little Ghost, your past few years have been far too spectacular, far more outrageous than my dull, confined life inside a ball."

"Spectacular?"

Huo La, both laughing and crying, flopped onto his back on the bed, his whole body drained, full of fatigue and helplessness: "You think it's spectacular, I only feel like I've been suffering the whole time."

To outsiders, the adventure seemed thrilling and full of twists, but only he, who lived it, knows it was filled with torment and helplessness, packed with countless pressures and pains.

The room fell silent for a moment, then Gui Si spoke again, his tone serious: "Little Ghost, what are you planning now?"

Hearing that, Huo La sprang up from the bed, his gaze resolute: "My only plan now is to set you free."

As the words faded, he raised his hand, grasped the gilded Master Ball, and deftly pressed the switch with his fingertips, proceeding step by step.

After only a few breaths, a soft sound rang out, and the Master Ball suddenly cracked open.

At the same time, a gentle white light suddenly enveloped Gui Si, washing clean all the years of confinement.

The light faded, Gui Si hovered in place, his expression unusually complex as he looked at Huo La.

It knew perfectly well that the Master Ball's seal was completely lifted, meaning it had regained full freedom.

Huo La could, by virtue of his control over the Master Ball, keep it firmly at his side and fully dominate it. Yet the other party showed no hesitation from start to finish, returning its freedom without a moment's doubt.

The warmth in his heart spread slowly, Gui Si's form swayed gently, his eyes holding relief and a smile.

Indeed, this is the Huo La he knows, unchanged all along.