Chapter 84: The Ancient King of Carps

"Although I know you two are deliberately ignoring me, your acting is a bit too weak. Next time, remember to work on your craft as performers."

Zhusu Han wiped her face, at least now she could see the path clearly.

"I'm going to take a shower. You two go ahead and play."

Once Zhusu Han left, Lapras began cleaning up the aftermath in the courtyard, washing all the cream away with water into the greenery. At least the plants got a bit of nourishment.

"Muu?"

Why couldn't you control that move?

"Milulu."

Milky Fairy shook her head and waved her tiny arms twice. Normally, this move wouldn't last that long, but seeing her trainer motionless, her competitive spirit was fired up.

If the move keeps going and can't be stopped?

No way, I can handle it!

It's only by doing what others can't that you become a true emperor!

And so she crashed and burned.

But even with the mishap, the outcome was still good. Milky Fairy felt her mastery over that move had reached a new level—at least she could keep it up longer than when she practiced secretly.

If she could bury her trainer once more, Milky Fairy was sure she could wield the move with utter proficiency, turning it into a recoil-free cream gatling gun.

If it's not off, is it always on?

Of course! I've kept it running the whole time!

Lapras checked the courtyard, confirming it was spotless before turning to comfort Milky Fairy. Honestly, she had done more than enough.

If this were one of the trainer's stories, you'd already be on par with those prodigies who could lift cauldrons at age three and move mountains at five. Don't put too much pressure on yourself.

As for competitive spirit, Lapras herself didn't really feel it. She didn't like battles, but if she was carrying Zhusu Han and Milky Fairy and enemies appeared, she would definitely fight. In the face of those villainous lackeys the trainer always talked about, she'd go all out, just like she did back in Azalea Town.

Because she had to protect her trainer.

But now, Lapras suddenly realized her trainer might not need her protection anymore—he could even handle fights on his own.

I'm retired now!

Rather than being the household's exclusive water route transport, Lapras was more like a happy, food-loving dragon these days.

What?

Heard the trainer got buried in cream?

Wait, wait, let me spray a Water Gun and join the fun!

"What are you two talking about?"

Zhusu Han came out in a bathrobe, drying his hair.

"To be fair, the process was a bit of a mess, but the end result was good," he said.

That move still had significant flaws, but judging from the energy readings, Milky Fairy's performance owed much to the energy cubes, but far more to her own hard work.

The talk of emperors and mythical fruit beasts was all nonsense Zhusu Han made up—just to give Milky Fairy confidence.

What truly made her strong was her drive and determination, practicing madly with cream even while on the road.

Of course, Lapras and Zhusu Han, both being soft-cushioned vehicles, also played a crucial role.

To stand side by side with the trainer and the leader, and ascend to the peak of the world together—securing the throne of the Dessert Emperor!

To stand beside them, not behind them!

Keep it up!

Zhusu Han rolled Milky Fairy in his hand.

"Maybe one day you'll produce spicy cream."

Don't ask—just know that the flames of willpower are burning.

If this were one of those five-village brawls, there would be a green-suited, watermelon-headed man giving a thumbs-up, flashing his dazzling teeth with a grin.

This is the burning passion of youth!

"Milulu~"

Milky Fairy melted into a puddle in Zhusu Han's palm, a supremely contented squint on her face.

"You cleaned the courtyard, didn't you? Thanks for your hard work."

He set Milky Fairy back on his head and patted Lapras's neck.

"You're reliable. If I ignore the fact you wanted to blast me with a Water Gun just now, you'd be even more so."

"Muu!"

Lapras's tone was serious—how could you ignore something like that? Being reliable isn’t half as fun as giving your trainer a Water Gun blast!

"I only cleaned up the cream on the path after I went inside, and then I showered."

Lapras instantly lost her urge to give Zhusu Han a blast. If the trainer could spot the fruits of her effort with a single glance, then she should protect his hard work too.

Hmm?

Lapras looked at Zhusu Han in shock. "Muu?"

Judging by the time, you managed to clean up and shower in such a short stretch? You're wearing a bathrobe, so you must’ve washed your clothes too. Are you sure you got all that cream off?

"Barring special circumstances, that's the normal speed for a male shower. It's not as exaggerated as they show on comedy channels."

Lapras and Milky Fairy were both curious—what kind of situation would be abnormal?

"Simple. Go train in a water-scarce place for four or five days."

Forget showers—even washing your face is a luxury.

When you return, you’ll find yourself scrubbing under your fingernails with extra care, or you'll look filthy.

Lapras deftly switched on the TV. Milky Fairy leapt down and just as skillfully changed the channel to the League battle broadcasts, watching the fights with relish.

Zhusu Han waved at Lapras. When her big head came close, he spoke while holding an energy detector.

"This thing works well, but it's really just for measuring power in battles. It's hard to use in real combat."

It’s not like a Dragon Ball Scouter—you can’t just wear it on your ear and fight unhindered.

And when the numbers spike, it might get uncomfortable.

"So I'm planning to modify it, so it can be used during battles."

In his mind, Zhusu Han muttered, Redeem the neural controller modification blueprint.

[Insufficient research points; unable to redeem.]

What?

Zhusu Han was surprised—it had been a while since he'd seen the words "insufficient research points." Apparently, his accumulated "achievement points" were still lacking.

"Muu?"

Lapras was puzzled. You’re not really planning to take on all the battle duties yourself, are you?

"No, this is just an emergency plan, mainly for dealing with certain special people. And I don't mean villains."

Zhusu Han explained, "If all goes as expected, we’ll encounter people with those traits more and more in the future. It's good to prepare in advance."

"It's just a pity that I can't even get close to the source material for this plan right now."

At least a lovesick fool gets to see his goddess when delivering breakfast.

Lapras thought it sounded odd. Could it be related to that Dynamax thing the trainer mentioned?

"That? That's none of our business, and there are things designed to handle that sort of power anyway."

Zhusu Han smiled. "Anyway, none of these things are your concern. Someone else will take care of it. I'm just sharing interesting trivia from other regions."

Looks like I'll have to rake in a pile of research points to see if I can get the blueprints I want.

Now he really envied those settings where you could pay to gamble for blueprints. Money wasn’t a problem for him—surely he could spin something useful if he could just try his luck.

"Muu."

Lapras nudged Zhusu Han's shoulder, gesturing at the snacks on the table and the energy cubes made from regular berries.

"Hmm, you mean what Old Yulong mentioned?" Zhusu Han rubbed his chin. "Doesn’t seem quite right. As for why Magikarp has gotten weaker, that's easy to explain—they've put all their evolutionary points into survival, and left everything else behind."

Use it or lose it. If a species survives through several great eras, future generations will definitely notice.

In his memory, there was an anime series where supposedly the strongest Magikarp and Feebas sisters appeared, and Ash challenged them—and lost, apparently.

...

Never mind, Ash losing a challenge is pretty normal.

Able to steamroll the Pyramid King one day, and lose to a newbie Snivy the next. "Divine and devilish in equal measure" fits Ash perfectly.

"We could try a different approach."

Zhusu Han shifted into a more comfortable position on the sofa.

[I want to know how Magikarp lived in ancient times.]

[Research points sufficient. Redeeming now.]

Zhusu Han felt his surroundings blur. When his vision cleared, all he could see was blue.

He was underwater, but couldn't tell if it was fresh or salt.

Zhusu Han: ?

He felt much shorter, and the perspective was bizarre.

Wait, is this first-person viewing?

He quickly realized what had happened, marveling at the new trick his cheat had pulled.

He hadn't expected, beyond the memory-bread method of direct knowledge upload, to actually be shown an ancient short film.

This was the most effective way.

Transform into Magikarp!

Today, I’ll stop being human for a while!

His perspective was locked, but the sensation of the water’s movement told him he was sharing not just sight but physical sensation with Magikarp.

"It feels like having a second body."

Suddenly, Magikarp moved, shooting upward—the movement reminiscent of a Gyarados rocketing skyward, the speed almost identical!

If Gyarados was a sea monster soaring to the heavens, Magikarp was a torpedo beneath the waves!

Boom!

Like a shell from a cannon, Magikarp burst from the water. Zhusu Han felt his mouth open, releasing a thick jet of water that struck a Staraptor carrying a string of berries in its beak!

Zhusu Han: Huh?

Unbelievable—this is Magikarp?

After the surprise attack, Staraptor cried out in pain, dropping the berries, which the hamster-like Magikarp scooped up with its mouth before diving back down.

Staraptor had probably used some flying move to cut off a fruit-laden branch for a snack—and then got intercepted.

While devouring the last berry, Magikarp caught sight of a domineering Kingler out of the corner of its eye. Without hesitation, it whipped its tail, charging over and catching the crab off guard, striking one of its massive claws.

Rules of the wild: a quick hit, but no killing.

Leaving a toll behind was just as good.

Clutching a giant crab claw, Magikarp shared a sense of satisfaction with Zhusu Han—it was obviously a bountiful hunt.

A good meal, followed by a long nap!

...

Zhusu Han: Impressive.