Chapter 570: Trying to Escape, Yet Destined to Settle
May 8th, Saturday.
A cool drizzle fell from the sky, creating ripples on the sea surface.
Lu Ye stood on the deck, his black tousled hair fluttering in the sea breeze, the hem of his shirt billowing to the sides.
"Up ahead is Asagi City in the Johto region."
Lu Ye raised his head and looked at the hovering Haunter beside him, pointing with his finger, "See, that’s the lighthouse of Asagi City."
"Gengarrr!" Haunter widened its eyes, gazing toward the misty coastline under the drizzle.
The stone lighthouse stood firm in the rain, its beam sweeping back and forth. An Electivire poked its head out from the watchtower, waving toward the cruise ship’s direction.
The tourists on the deck laughed kindly, and Lu Ye thought to himself, "That must be Ami’s ‘Light’."
Asagi City was governed by Ami, the Steel-type gym leader, and it was also the largest port in the Johto region.
Her Electivire, named ‘Light,’ was responsible for lighting the lighthouse. Marshal’s ship, the Waterflow, also often set sail from here, cruising between Sinnoh, Hoenn, and Kanto.
However, this time, Teacher Lu was not aboard the Waterflow.
He boarded a passenger ship with a special VIP ticket from Professor Samuel Oak.
After all, this trip was to run errands for Professor Oak, so the labor fee needed to be reimbursed.
The May Day holiday had just passed, so there weren’t many passengers. Lu Ye stood on the deck for a while, enjoying the breeze, when Haunter suddenly started vibrating all over.
Buzz, buzz, buzz—
"Gengarrr?" Haunter scratched its head and took out the purple special edition Pokédex with communication functions, activating the virtual projection.
A blue light formed a screen in the air, showing a boy wearing a baseball cap, speaking loudly:
"Hey, Teacher Lu, where are you now?"
The boy’s eyes widened as his entire face pressed against the screen, "Why is Haunter answering the call?!"
"Gengarrr~" Haunter grinned toothily and licked the light beam with its tongue, causing the screen to shake violently.
"Ahem, my Pokédex is usually kept by Haunter."
Lu Ye took the Pokédex and looked ahead, "We’re almost at Asagi City."
"So fast!" A-Jin shouted excitedly, "We’ll set off right away!"
Lu Ye raised an eyebrow, "Don’t tell me you guys are still at home and haven’t left yet?"
"Haha, no way!" Actually, they had stayed up all night playing Pokémon and forgot they were going on a trip this morning.
A-Jin laughed sheepishly, "See you in Kikyo City, Teacher Lu!"
He quickly ended the call, leaving Teacher Lu with mixed feelings.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that being with these reckless guys… would definitely lead to big trouble!
"Still better than teaming up with Ash," Lu Ye comforted himself.
Otherwise, a surprise comeback by Mewtwo could happen at any moment!
Without the physique of a Super Newcomer, such big scenarios required extra caution…
This was exactly why the wise and brave ‘Rainbow Hero’ came to the Johto region seeking Ho-Oh’s protection.
A refreshing breeze mixed with raindrops blew in his face as Lu Ye spotted a slowpoke standing on the beach, looking adorable.
A slowpoke was fishing with its tail, turning its head lazily with a question mark floating above it: "Yadong?"
Teacher Lu immediately felt his mood lighten and said cheerfully:
"No big deal, just treat it as a trip to Johto!"
The Poké Balls hanging at his waist all shook, and Lu Ye shouted:
"Set off! Destination: Slowpoke tail, Ilex Forest specialty green onions!"
"Gengarrr~ (๑`▽´๑)۶"
"Yoji~ (¯﹃¯)"
"Gah! (´థ౪థ)σ"
In the Sinnoh region, Ash was training.
"Infernape, use Flare Blitz!"
In an instant, Infernape’s eyes blazed with fire, and a scorching heat wave rose behind it as it charged roaring toward an Empoleon.
The regal penguin crossed its steel arms to block, but it was still blasted several meters away.
"I give up," the passing trainer said regretfully, recalling the dizzy-eyed Empoleon into its Poké Ball.
"Well done, Infernape!" Ash laughed heartily and hugged Infernape.
The passing trainer smiled and suddenly said, "By the way, since your strength is this good, how about joining the battle festival in Michina?"
"Battle festival?" Ash scratched his head, puzzled, "What’s that?"
"It’s a celebration commemorating how Arceus transformed this place into a fertile land hundreds of years ago."
The trainer smiled, "There’s another legend that says a messenger carrying a thunder beast saved this land back then."
"Thus, the trainer who wins the festival is granted the title of ‘Beast Messenger.’"
He looked at Pikachu on Ash’s shoulder and said, "You and Pikachu have great potential to become ‘Beast Messengers!’"
Ash and Pikachu exchanged glances, clenching their fists, "Alright, the next destination is Michina!"
"Pikachu!" Pikachu flicked its ears.
If Teacher Lu saw this scene, he would surely shout ‘Fooled again!’
It’s you—the unbeatable battle god Ash from the movie openings!
Could this be ‘No one can defeat me in my BGM?’ (Except for the Greninja Execution Theme)
A clear stream wound toward a distant town, Michina, a land of abundance and shade.
The town was decked out in decorations, with geometric upward-tilting architecture, crowned by a majestic palace.
That was the Arceus Shrine.
Absol, known as the ‘Disaster Beast,’ quietly watched the shrine, its eyes flowing with light, reflecting Ash’s receding figure.
Legend says Absol possesses the ability to foresee disasters and appears whenever calamity strikes, thus regarded as a harbinger of misfortune.
It looked indifferent, lifting its head to gaze at the shrine, then at the distant sky.
Absol sensed the arrival of disaster yet felt a strong sense of calm.
It shook its head in confusion before vanishing into the depths of the forest.
In Johto, Kikyo City.
The ancient city was lush with greenery, its architecture radiating a classic charm. In the distance stood the Bellossom Tower, a symbol of Buddhist culture.
Lu Ye sipped hot tea according to local custom, silently staring at the red-haired boy before him, who also sat upright and silent.
"Where’s A-Jin?" Teacher Lu finally asked helplessly.
"Bellossom Tower," Xiao Yin said sparingly.
"Where did he go and what’s he doing?" Lu Ye asked curiously.
Xiao Yin was silent for a long time, expressionless, "Today, the geishas from Ecruteak City came to Kikyo City for a touring performance."
Lu Ye: "..."
He thought Teacher Lu would be angry, but instead, he quietly stood up and walked toward the door.
"What are you doing?" Xiao Yin was stunned.
"I want to watch the geisha dance too."
Xiao Yin: ???
The Kikyo City gym leader was Grimsley, who also had side jobs as a bird expert and league inspector.
He wore a cardigan and looked speechless at the baseball cap-wearing boy beside him.
"Whoa, the geishas are amazing!"
A-Jin cupped his face, eyes sparkling with hearts.
"Bo-ke!" Togebro beside him had the same lustful expression.
The quintuplet sisters dressed in kimonos with hairpins danced gracefully with fans, while five Eevees of different types moved in sync with them.
"Xiaojuan, Xiaomei, Xiaotao, Sakura… They’re all so cute!" A-Jin commented, arms crossed. "Hmm… but my favorite is still Xiaoyu!"
"…You can actually remember all their names?" Grimsley said in disbelief, "Don’t they all look the same?"
"Dummy, you can tell by the Eevee’s types. You’re just a fake fan!" A-Jin said with a sidelong glance.
Grimsley was stunned and sighed, "The Kagura dance is meant to pray and perform rituals. Disrespect might bring the gods’ punishment!"
A-Jin wiped his nose, "Hmph, I’ve seen the one at the Bell Tower before. It’s just a shiny big-beaked Murkrow!"
Grimsley: "…"
Though somewhat blasphemous, Grimsley inexplicably felt this kid had unique talent.
Using egg hatching as an ability… it almost felt unfair to him.
"This is Professor Oak’s eye for choosing Pokédex holders," Grimsley mused.
As the dance neared its end, he asked A-Jin, "Do you know who the other recent Pokédex holder in Johto is, mentioned by Professor Oak?"
"Of course." A-Jin grinned, "It’s Teacher Lu!"
Teacher Lu… Grimsley was suddenly shocked.
The legendary trainer known for multiple rescues in Sinnoh, with numerous champion achievements and anecdotes.
Suddenly, the wooden door behind them opened. Both turned around, and A-Jin smiled broadly:
"Here he is."
Grimsley was slightly stunned, then recovered and stood respectfully:
"I’m Grimsley, the Kikyo City gym leader and Flying-type expert. It’s an honor to meet you, Teacher Lu."
"Not at all."
Lu Ye responded politely, unintentionally sitting down to watch the quintuplet sisters’ dance.
"Is it almost over?" Lu Ye asked.
"Yeah, you’re late." A-Jin said.
"Or rather, someone stood me up," Lu Ye smiled.
A-Jin’s hairs stood on end as he cautiously glanced at Teacher Lu. Suddenly, his phone vibrated.
Looking down, A-Jin gasped and groaned, "I just got put in the little black room!"
[Group member ‘A-Jin’ was muted by group owner ‘Teacher Lu’ for 24 hours!]
Lance exclaimed, "Oh, today it’s the group owner’s turn to mute people?"
Ami said weakly, "So cruel, A-Jin…"
Lorelei smiled with satisfaction, "Serves you right."
Marshal laughed, "No wonder the chat has been so peaceful lately!"
The girl suggested, "Maybe bribing Teacher Lu could reduce your mute time~"
Kris whispered, "Better apologize to Teacher Lu, A-Jin…"
A-Jin glanced at Teacher Lu, who was analyzing the quintuplet sisters’ five Eevees.
Lu Ye sighed, "My Sylveon is still the cutest…"
"Buu~ o(´^｀)o"
Sylveon gave up the plan to beat all these ‘wild Eevees’ and elegantly extended its ribbons, wrapping around Lu Ye’s arm.
"Teacher Lu." A-Jin whispered, "How about you unmute me? I’ll help you out on this trip."
Lu Ye was stunned, "So you weren’t really helping before?"
A-Jin proudly wiped his nose, "Haha, I’m a star trainer who saves the world!"
Teacher Lu was silent and then extended the mute for another 24 hours.
A-Jin: !!?
The dance ended, and A-Jin clutched his phone in pain. For a chatterbox, being muted and unable to get the ‘Dragon King’ was a disaster.
Xiao Yin tugged on his collar expressionlessly, following Teacher Lu’s steps.
"Not staying in Kikyo City for a night?" Inspector Grimsley asked, trying to persuade them.
"Mainly because we arranged to meet someone in Hinoki Town," Lu Ye said.
Dr. Show, a researcher of ancient texts, was waiting in Hinoki Town for his bodyguard and researcher Lu Ye.
Dr. Show himself felt that since Lu Ye knew the path, it wouldn’t hurt to call him ‘Teacher.’
"I see." Grimsley nodded regretfully, but then saw Teacher Lu suddenly take out a QR code, asking blankly, "What… what is this?"
"Since we’re here," Lu Ye cleared his throat, "let me collect some character Pokédex entries first!"
Grimsley: ???
After saying goodbye to Grimsley, the three formed a team and left Kikyo City, heading into the twilight toward Hinoki Town, famous for the ‘Slowpoke Well.’
Also, Hinoki Town was home to one of the finest handmade Poké Ball craftsmen, Mr. Steel.
Lu Ye rode on Arcanine, following Rotom’s navigation on the road.
A-Jin, wearing goggles, sat on Explosion Boy’s back, yawning while resting his arms, "How much further?"
"Ten minutes," Xiao Yin said, flying midair while holding the head of the Crow leader, manipulating his phone with one hand. "Almost there."
Lu Ye looked at Xiao Yin curiously, "I’ve always wanted to ask, doesn’t holding hands like that hurt?"
"…" Xiao Yin paused, then said, "There are gloves…"
This isn’t about gloves or not!
Your physiques are just absurd—Red can even hang onto Aerodactyl’s claws while flying!
Lu Ye stroked his chin.
But my Turtwig can also launch itself—can’t say others can’t…
"The Pokédex keeps beeping nonstop," A-Jin complained, pulling out the special edition Pokédex.
"That’s the alert sound when Pokédex holders are nearby," Xiao Yin said indifferently.
"I know! I just think it’s too noisy."
"Strange…" Xiao Yin whispered, "Could it be not just a meeting alert, but that another holder is nearby?"
The red-haired boy looked at Teacher Lu, "Teacher Lu, where’s your Pokédex?"
Lu Ye pointed to the floating Haunter ahead, "There, over there."
"Gengarrr?" Haunter floated back to the team, and the alert stopped.
Xiao Yin fell silent.
Haunter was really starting to resemble Teacher Lu… in every sense.
The sun set in the west as dusk fell. Noctowl flapped its wings and flew, while a tail stood rustling through the grass.
Hinoki Town was in sight, passing the famous landmark ‘Slowpoke Well,’ where many slowpokes yawned.
"Teacher Lu." A-Jin suddenly smiled cheekily, "How about you teach me a tactic? It’d help us coordinate during battles."
Recognized by Professor Oak, the ‘Tactician’ Lu Ye was taken aback, "What do you want to learn?"
"Anything! Weather team, Perish Song team—" A-Jin pointed at the red-haired boy, "That expressionless guy has a Kingdra, and Polibro can cooperate with it perfectly!"
"I won’t." Xiao Yin replied coldly.
"Hey, we’re partners!" A-Jin said seriously.
Xiao Yin silently looked away and fiddled with his phone.
Lu Ye smiled like Aunt Lorelei and cleared his throat, "Honestly… even if I taught you, you wouldn’t get it."
A-Jin was stunned.
"Everyone has tactics suited for them."
Lu Ye encouraged, "As for A-Jin, just keep being the model of the relay team!"
"Mo-model?!"
A-Jin’s eyes widened unexpectedly, then he chuckled, "I knew it—I still have some tactical skills!"
Xiao Yin: "…Idiot."
A-Jin: "Hey, I heard all that!"
Amid the chatter, the group arrived at Hinoki Town. The famous Unown Ruins were not far away.
At the agreed location, Lu Ye met Dr. Show, the ancient text researcher.
"Long time no see." Dr. Show shook Lu Ye’s hand firmly, sighing, "Your recent publication on ancient linguistics has benefited me immensely!"
"Haha, not at all, I just translated some things casually." Lu Ye said modestly.
Dr. Show: ???
Indeed it was simple, just pen and paper, but that wasn’t the point now.
According to Dr. Show, this expedition required going deep inside the Unown Ruins, with a high possibility of attacks from unknown totems.
"We’ll need your help then." Dr. Show looked at Xiao Yin and A-Jin.
Xiao Yin silently crossed his arms, while A-Jin grinned, "No need to rely on us, Teacher Lu is still a champion trainer!"
Dr. Show was stunned, looking at the serious Teacher Lu.
"Rumor." Lu Ye said, "But my girlfriend is."
"I see." Dr. Show sighed in relief, but something felt off.
Your girlfriend is a champion? That means…
Dr. Show was hit hard emotionally but calmed himself and said:
"Ahem… Our plan is to start tomorrow morning. Tonight is mainly for surveying the surrounding environment."
"Notably, deep inside the Unown Ruins, there’s another ruin, which requires us to…"
"Wait!" Lu Ye interrupted, "What did you say? Another ruin?!"
Dr. Show was stunned but nodded, "Yes, it’s recorded in Johto legends—a sacred capital ruin dedicated to Arceus."
In an instant, Teacher Lu’s expression changed slightly, feeling a familiar chill down his spine.
Fooled. This time, he was seriously fooled!
So this was a trap within a trap?
Who had the time and appetite to build an Arceus shrine in the Johto region—
As if not placing my ‘Big Mouth Bro’ (scratch that)… Ho-Oh bro in their eyes!
Could this be the plot of HeartGold/SoulSilver that I happened not to trigger?
Lu Ye silently looked at A-Jin.
"Why are you looking at me like that all of a sudden?" the baseball cap boy was stunned.
"Nothing." Lu Ye shook his head and sighed deeply, "I just want to be alone for a while."
"Of course, no problem." Dr. Show smiled, "We’ll set off tomorrow morning."
"Don’t worry, we’re only investigating the stone inscriptions and unknown totems. Nothing else will happen, haha!"
Lu Ye: "…"
Hopefully.
Night fell.
The owl-like Hoothoot perched on a treetop, calling ‘Hoo hoo.’
Hinoki Town’s gym leader, Apen, hosted Teacher Lu and the others, blushing as he refused the bottle of alcohol offered by A-Jin.
"I-I don’t drink!" Apen said, face reddening.
"Constantly offering drinks to girls isn’t very appropriate," Dr. Show said.
"But I’m a boy." Apen said.
The baseball cap boy hugged Apen’s delicate neck and laughed heartily, "Then we’ll drink together!"
Xiao Yin kept a straight face and looked at the gloomy Teacher Lu.
"You don’t seem very happy."
"Because Ash just sent a photo." Lu Ye sighed deeply.
Xiao Yin was stunned and opened the chat group.
[Ash: I just won the Michina Battle Festival championship! (Photo)]
Everyone congratulated him. Brock squinted his eyes, "Indeed, that’s a very prestigious award."
Ash scratched his head and smiled, "Hehe, I don’t know why, but I was in great form today!"
Michina… the site of Arceus’s shrine, said to be where Arceus’s incarnation descended.
In other words, this was the setting for the opening scenes of the movie series, where ‘Master Ash’ rampaged…
Teacher Lu’s breath caught, a familiar suffocating sensation rising in his chest.
This move, this move was a double-threaded backstab.
Trying to escape, yet destined to settle!