Chapter 119: The Great Lake and the Hidden Dragons of the Back Mountain

“Strictly speaking, only you and I have come to terms with being wounded,” Gyarados licked the cream off its body. “Gara.”

Let me correct that—only you are injured, not me.

White-haired one: ?

“I need a reasonable excuse to comfort my tender heart.”

“Gara.”

The combination of these two girls looks promising. I reckon their joint technique could deal a serious blow to the Electrike in the back mountain.

Gyarados realized that this Fairy-type Whirlpool, though not exactly an ultimate move, was more a fusion of two partners who completely trusted each other, blending their skills to unleash an attack powered by both whirlpool and fairy-type energy.

However, the abundant cream within the whirlpool slowed it down, transforming what could have been a sharp, swift current into a muddy trap, more akin to a landslide.

Gyarados thought it might learn something from this. Whirlpool, after all, is something it already knows!

The plan: maintain the whirlpool above its head, then charge down, strike the ground with its tail to unleash an earthquake move, and slightly delay before launching the whirlpool.

“Next up, Electrike! Here comes my landslide whirlpool!”

Zhusui Han pondered for a moment. “So you’re saying you won’t pay me the hardship fee for taking damage alongside you?”

“Gara!”

Let’s keep things clear—don’t try to confuse the logic. This was my own realization!

“As expected of the lake’s king, truly clever.”

Zhusui Han poured an energy cube into Gyarados’s wide mouth.

“I say, why are you still fixated on that Electrike? Haven’t you fought it yet?”

From what I recall, they had planned to watch a battle together, but a series of events kept him away from the academy for a long time.

“Gara.”

Gyarados shook its head. Since receiving the enhancement from the Dragon Gate potion and getting familiar with its new strength, it sought out Electrike and gave it a thorough thrashing.

Originally, their powers were about equal, even though Gyarados often suffered a disadvantage due to type matchups.

When Electrike saw its old friend, it was stunned—until Gyarados, speaking in the same tone, challenged it to a fight. Only then did Electrike realize who it was facing.

Second-stage evolution, huh?

Then it got beaten.

One could say Gyarados vented all the frustrations of being four times weaker in its earlier days, roaring fiercely throughout the back mountain.

But soon, it was beaten as well.

Attracted by the noise, Tyranitar and Houndoom charged in—one attacked with Sharp Stone, knocking Gyarados down, while the other grabbed its tail and threw it over its shoulder.

The scene was brutal; even the exhausted Electrike sitting on the ground couldn’t help but laugh.

“Well done, you two big brothers!”

Zhusui Han:

“You and Electrike, how should I put it, share the similarities of true rivals.”

Not family, no entry in the same door—like the hidden dragons and phoenixes.

Still, even with such an upgrade, Gyarados was thoroughly outmatched by Tyranitar and Houndoom in the back mountain.

Their strength was a bit excessive. Tyranitar seemed like the kind of powerhouse that no trainer had succeeded in taming.

“Losers,” referring to trainers and Pokémon who were tossed out of the back mountain after being beaten by near-godlike monsters and quickly labeled as weak.

“If you can’t beat those two, you could pick a different opponent. After all, Electrike can’t beat you anymore, right?”

“Gara.”

Gyarados shook its head again, explaining Electrike’s mindset to Zhusui Han.

Electrike, ashamed but determined, planned to reinvest the money earned from the academy over these years, purchasing a very expensive evolution enhancement package from Joy Academy.

This included a power amplifier evolving into Manectric, along with high-end custom energy cubes and various elemental resource packages.

Because Electrike was considered a loyal employee over the years, Joy Academy apparently gave a hefty discount.

Even as Manectric, it remained an academy employee—and a single Manectric could power an entire city effortlessly, so the discount was well justified.

“I see, Manectric, huh.”

Evolution, that transcendence of life, indeed brings a tremendous boost. But I wonder if Gyarados can withstand it.

Sliding down Gyarados’s tail, Zhusui Han leapt up like on a skateboard and landed precisely on the back of a Lapras.

“Alright, I need to go wash up first.”

He gently patted Lapras and Alcremie’s heads.

“You two always manage to come up with something new for me. Alcremie’s Sweet Veil illusion was one thing, but how did you think of combining Whirlpool with her?”

“Wuwu.”

Because other moves didn’t cooperate well or produce the damage Alcremie desired.

Lapras’s white mist could actually work with Alcremie’s Sweet Veil and Sweet Scent combo, but that was more for setting the stage.

If successful, it would truly be legendary—enchanting opponents until they staggered.

But the future Dessert Emperor needed a skill that could deal damage for some small experiments.

“Let me guess, you’re going to make me tank it again, right?”

Alcremie chuckled mischievously, flying from Lapras’s head to Zhusui Han’s face, nuzzling his cheek.

Trainer cuddles!

“Heh, I knew it.”

“Milou~”

This is also to save our family expenses, right, Trainer?

Alcremie bore the look of a Financial District vampire.

It’s known that our trainer can absorb elemental energy to fuel his actions, and I consume energy when experimenting with new moves.

So if I direct this move at the trainer during experiments, doesn’t that save us some money on energy replenishment?

Zhusui Han: ?

“You really are a little genius.”

The white-haired one placed Alcremie on his head. “We’re not that broke yet—looks like you just want to hit me.”

“Milou, milou~”

Alcremie obediently tidied up the messy white hair of Zhusui Han.

How could that be? I love the trainer most!

“Truth or lie?”

Alcremie suddenly became smug, hopping back onto Lapras’s head and making a face at Zhusui Han.

“Milou!”

Both truth and lie. Now go grasp the divine decree of your Dessert Emperor, Trainer!

“With your level of education, and calling it a divine decree—what are you thinking?”

Zhusui Han grabbed an energy cube to feed the two little ones before heading into the bathroom to shower, chuckling at Alcremie’s earlier face.

The lie means she’s just looking for an excuse to get back at the trainer later.

The truth is, she really likes this trainer and also adores Lapras, the big sister.

Hmm, gotta work hard to earn money!

Fatten these two little ones up some more!

I noticed the Pokémon in the great lake reacted quite well today. Once Alcremie grows stronger, maybe there’ll even be a scene where the Dessert Emperor manifests before everyone and bestows blessings.

This is the Dessert Emperor’s caloric bomb—just one cream shot can replenish a vast amount of nutrients!

Zhusui Han thought about the women he knew and realized there weren’t many suitable candidates for such antics.

In the future, if any female tastes Alcremie’s cream shot, afterward they could give a mysterious, inscrutable look and scare people off.

“It’s poison, I’ve poisoned you.”

The calorie content is terrifyingly high. If you don’t want to turn into a Snorlax, you’ll need to exercise even harder!

An ordinary person can become a navy admiral with 200 times the effort. You just need a bit more exercise to get back in shape!

If you plan on that, maybe figure out an escape route in advance.

After showering, Zhusui Han took the two little ones to eat. Chewing rice, he felt a life rhythm completely different from before.

But that was how it should be—running around was better left to future champions.

If those two in Hoenn start fighting again, he’d go help Steven with medical aid.

Dying from overwork after 22 days of fierce battles in the Hoenn league—that’s a tragic way to go.

I’m quite curious how Steven replenished his energy during those 22 days; maybe he truly fought while hooked up to an IV drip.

What a tough guy.

In an early special episode, there was a small detail that Steven had an eye disease, but with Devon Corporation’s technology, that would only be a minor issue.

If it couldn’t be solved, then there’s no hope. Steven and his father had better stop messing with fossils and start chasing legends like Team Dark.

Let Entei breathe some sacred flames on you and see if that helps.

“Wuwu.”

Lapras nudged Zhusui Han, eyes glancing elsewhere.

“What’s wrong? Wait—Director?”

Joy Nette came over carrying a tray.

“Surprised to see me eating in the cafeteria?”

“A bit surprised. I thought the director and the others had special meals.”

“No special meals here. The academy’s cafeteria has top-tier facilities. It’s been quiet these days, so I can take a few extra steps to eat here.”

Joy Nette glanced at the crowded table full of various trays and containers.

“Maybe you didn’t notice me before because you were too focused on your food.”

“Cutting to the chase—you don’t have classes this afternoon, right?”

Joy Nette put down her tray. Alcremie floated over obediently, and after the director nodded, it crafted a cream sculpture of a happiness egg in her milk.

“Thank you, Alcremie. You’re a good child.”

Indeed a good child, but judging by the trainer’s personality, whether that brings peace of mind is another matter.

“No classes. Director, do you have something planned?”

“Yes, join a club.”

Joy Nette said smoothly, “Whether it’s the battle club or student council, it’s up to you, but you must join one. Understood? It’ll add points to your year-end evaluation.”

Joy Nette had made up her mind—better to keep Zhusui Han busy inside the academy than letting him stir up trouble outside.

Ordering him to join a club and spend some time there would also encourage more interaction with others.

(End of chapter)