Chapter Eleven: Arrival at Hinoki Town

Early the next morning, the guests who had attended the gathering departed, the Breeding couple returned to their home near Manjin City, and even Professor Oak had to catch a flight back to his lab to handle work. He also had to explain to Cuihua why he'd spent so much money on dinner.

“Take care, Grandpa Liu, travel safely.”

Grandpa Liu turned around, gave a glance at Zhusu Han and Lapras, and smiled gently. “Don’t treat me like a frail old man.”

Zhusu Han watched as Grandpa Liu mounted his Pokémon and departed, his right hand unconsciously resting on Lapras’s damp neck. “Don’t worry. If we have time in the future, we can return to Cajin Town to visit Grandpa Liu and your parents.”

Lapras let out a low, rumbling sound, but quickly perked up, full of youthful vigor once more. Like a child on school break, she radiated the excitement of a wild boar just freed from its pen.

Now, Dragon—me—is finally going to show my stuff in the outside world!

“Alright, I need you to stay in the Poké Ball for now,” said Zhusu Han.

Lapras: ?

Zhusu Han chuckled. “It’s not that I’m not taking you along. To get to Azalea Town, we have to head south from Manjin City, along Route 34. Even if you could ferry me by water, we’ve still got Mr. Steel and Chihiro with us.”

There was room enough to ride, but with an elderly man and a young girl, Zhusu Han didn’t want any mishaps on the journey. It was laughable, really—he hadn’t been in the Pokémon world for long, and already he was the top combat power in their little group.

Better to follow the planned route, he thought.

Zhusu Han led the way, with Mr. Steel holding Chihiro’s hand behind him. The three of them arrived at the bus station, ready to take a coach to Azalea Town.

As for why they weren’t using Pokémon transportation—the reason was the same as before.

Cross Route 34, then pass through Oakwood Forest, and they’d reach Azalea Town.

“Good thing it’s not crowded,” Zhusu Han thought, setting down Chihiro’s small bag. His past experiences squeezing onto buses and subways had left him with mild psychological trauma; thankfully, this ride wasn’t like that. No need to worry about being accused of secretly taking photos, either. In fact, if anything, Zhusu Han was the one worried about others taking pictures of him.

Chihiro knelt on the seat. “Han, look, lots of people are sneaking glances at you.”

Her eyes sparkled. “I wonder if, when I grow up, I can be as pretty as you.”

Zhusu Han cleared his throat. “Well, Chihiro, when you’re talking about boys, you should say ‘handsome,’ alright?”

He’d seen himself in a mirror—his looks were hardly effeminate, despite the classic white hair trope.

He gripped the Poké Ball in his hand, exchanging a look with Lapras. Though he didn’t intend to become a competitive Trainer, Zhusu Han was still curious about what moves Lapras knew.

Aside from fire-type moves, Lapras could learn just about anything—even if the power didn’t always match her natural attributes, depending on her training.

Of course, raw stats were just that—numbers on a page.

Even in card games, with fixed values set by rules and limits, a skilled player could still create dazzling combos that almost used up their whole turn, and then one hit would leave the opponent owing them a hundred lives.

Next time he ran into that, he’d advise surrendering right away.

In Pokémon battles, every generation’s rules produced some “meta-defining” teams and individuals—like the strongest, most popular picks in other games.

Even so, there was always a chance of being bested by passionate, skilled players who knew their teams and partners inside and out—precisely and elegantly. If it could happen in games, how much more so in a real world filled with living, breathing Pokémon? The possibilities when paired with a Trainer who was a true “card shark” were endless.

“Han, we’re at Oakwood Forest!” Chihiro exclaimed, full of excitement. “There are so many Pokémon here, and they’re all really friendly!”

“Mm, I see a Caterpie,” Zhusu Han said, pressing the Poké Ball to the window so Lapras could see outside.

“Ugh, bug Pokémon are scary,” Chihiro said with a miserable face. “Really, really scary. But Brother Apen loves them— I just don’t get it.”

Zhusu Han nodded slightly—Chihiro and Misty would certainly have a lot to talk about.

Oakwood Forest, if he remembered correctly, was a place where there was a chance to encounter Celebi. He wondered if that green, onion-headed sprite might be out and about. Bugs or not, to him, they were all Pokémon. If he could meet one, he’d definitely want to touch it first.

Super pervert, ready and waiting!

After getting off at their stop, Zhusu Han surveyed the surrounding environment and followed Mr. Steel toward his home. It was a semi-secluded place—remote, really.

He released Lapras, and upon seeing the scenery along the way, couldn’t help but whistle softly.

“Mr. Steel, I didn’t realize you were a berry tycoon!”

All around were berries, and as they drew closer to the house, the variety and colors of the berry trees increased. Round, multi-colored berries everywhere.

Of course, these weren’t for eating—at least, not without special machines to juice them.

They were berries, but special ones—used as materials for making Poké Balls.

Apricorns.

Different colors made different specialty balls: green for Friend Balls, pink for Love Balls, and so on.

“Haha, I planted these when I was young—it’s been many years now,” Mr. Steel laughed heartily. “Every so often, some little ones come to pick berries, and sometimes they even eat the apricorns.”

Chihiro giggled. “Besides the townsfolk, lots of wild Pokémon come to this grove for food—it’s really fun.”

Lapras didn’t react much—she was the little princess of Cajin Gym, after all, and her experience far surpassed Zhusu Han’s.

“Alright, Chihiro, go get a room ready for Han to stay in,” Mr. Steel said, smiling. “Han, I don’t have a computer here, but there’s an electronic lab in town if you need to look things up. Once you’re familiar with the area, I’ll write a letter for you to take to the Azalea Gym—Apen will help you out.”

Having friends in high places certainly made life easier.

Zhusu Han nodded, then pulled out some essential items from his incense burner. If nothing else, his outstanding luck was indeed a blessing—at least for now, he didn’t need to worry about spending money on daily necessities.

Chihiro bustled about happily, bringing warmth and life to the household. Luckily, this was the Pokémon world; while the house wasn’t palatial, there was enough space for Lapras to move around freely, and she could even sleep in the same room as Zhusu Han.

“Han, you must be hungry. I’ll go make—” Chihiro froze. “Uh, I think I forgot… We don’t have enough food at home.”

“No worries, I’ll go shopping,” Zhusu Han replied. He wanted to test his luck again, to see what triggered it.

It couldn’t be something like “Mall Destroyer” as a passive skill, could it?

“I’ll come too!” Chihiro chimed.

Mr. Steel sat at his forge, smiling as he watched Zhusu Han and his chattering granddaughter head out. He felt very satisfied with his decision.

“Lapras!” At the supermarket, Lapras stared intently at a box of spicy curry powder, firmly pressing her head against Zhusu Han’s shoulder to stop him from moving.

“Spicy?” Zhusu Han looked at her. “If I remember right, Grandpa Liu always gave you sweet food.”

Lapras was full of confidence—now that she could travel alone, she wanted to try something spicy!

“Alright, we’ll get a box. Worst case, I’ll eat it,” he said, indulging her small request. He glanced over at the mechanical section where the Pokéblock Maker was displayed, subconsciously touching his incense burner.

[Research Points: 20]

Strange, he’d run into quite a few Pokémon along the way and learned a lot from Professor Oak and the others, and this number kept going up for no obvious reason.

Take that Gengar who joked around, only to be taken down in turn.

Could the Pokéblock machine be redeemed as well?

[Research Points sufficient. Redemption available!]

Excellent—no need to overthink it.

Zhusu Han bought one decisively, intending to take it home and take it apart.

Then, the supermarket owner cheerfully released a Machoke from his Poké Ball, offering to help carry the goods—for free.

Machoke flexed his arms. “Kuwei!”

Lapras lifted her head proudly. With her here, how could a few groceries possibly require…

“No need, I can do it myself,” Zhusu Han said, hoisting the big bag onto his shoulder. “Thanks, boss. I’ll be a regular, so you might want to stock up more.”

The owner and Machoke were left speechless.

“Kuwei!” Machoke was astounded—there was a Pokéblock Maker in that bag, and not the portable kind sold in big cities!

The owner waved to Chihiro as she waved back, then glanced at Machoke. He remembered—Apen, the Gym Leader, had mentioned that some people in this world were incredibly strong. The Azure Gym Leader, Bruno, apparently sparred bare-knuckled with Machoke every day.

The owner left the counter, helping Machoke tidy the shelves.

“Looks like our little town has a new resident. But shopping with Chihiro… Whether he’s Mr. Steel’s illegitimate son or grandson, the ages don’t quite add up.”

On the way home, Chihiro’s face was all smiles as she hugged a pile of snacks.

“You got your snacks, but you have to eat proper meals every day or I’ll confiscate them,” Zhusu Han warned.

He fed Lapras a Berry Cream Cookie. “Lapras, I’m giving you the task of making sure Chihiro eats well.”

“Lapras!” No problem!

After dinner, Zhusu Han rolled his shoulders and returned Lapras to her Poké Ball.

“Let’s go out for a stroll,” he said, intent on finding a place for Lapras to practice her moves.