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"Inside the Knowledge Museum, there is indeed a statue enshrining Uxie. The Pokémon there call it the embodiment of knowledge and wisdom."
Mo Ye said softly, "Whether the creation myth is true or not, we'll set aside for now. But Uxie's existence is real—we have verified this."
"Verified?"
Li Xiang looked up.
"Yes. A ranger who entered at the time saw Uxie's soul."
Mo Ye spoke slowly. "Although I haven't seen it myself, and there are no photos, that ranger was mentally stable, spoke clearly, and handled matters reliably. He's now over eighty years old, so his credibility is high."
'Over eighty!'
'Wasn't that the old man from the conservation base? He hadn't retired even past eighty—way too dedicated!'
"Later, we tried sending people in again. At first, we weren't successful. But eventually, with the help of the wild Pokémon in Mist Lake, we managed to get in."
Mo Ye pulled out several photos showing an archipelago that looked like a paradise.
The scenery was beautiful, as if filtered through dozens of layers.
The number of Pokémon was incredible—almost too many to count.
But they were mostly native Zhu Xia species, essentially the same categories from the original world's Sinnoh region.
The various Pokémon modern trainers held were mostly introduced foreign species from the Association.
'Biological invasion, huh.'
But what Mo Ye said was also worth noting.
It reminded Li Xiang of Corviknight. When it had gone to Misty Lake before, it had encountered a Milotic that taught it how to enter.
Unexpectedly, in this secluded paradise, there were quite a few "insiders" willing to let humans in.
"Many things happened in between—too much to cover now. I'll just focus on the key points with you."
Mo Ye brought out another stack of photos, recording a mysterious stone hall. "This is the Knowledge Museum. The Ten Sages use stone tablets there to pass down knowledge."
Then there was a photo of a few rangers in exploration gear happily arm-in-arm with a Slowking, Solrock, and Lunatone, all smiling.
"This is a photo of some of the Ten Sages with the rangers who later entered Mist Island."
"In other words, we successfully established friendships with these foreign Pokémon leaders."
Mo Ye continued, "Mist Island is still semi-closed, but the Ranger Union communicates with them year-round. Rangers often trade with the Pokémon there."
"And in recent years, many humans have been invited inside."
This made Li Xiang think of Senior Abigail. He'd heard her shiny Milotic came from deep within Misty Lake.
Hearing Mo Ye say this now, it highly likely meant her shiny Milotic originated from Mist Island.
"Now, for the most important part. After hearing this, you must absolutely not tell anyone."
Mo Ye looked at Li Xiang with extreme seriousness.
Li Xiang hurriedly tried to say something, but Mo Ye interrupted, "As long as you understand. Spreading what I'm about to say could cause huge trouble."
What could he say? He could only nod.
Mo Ye then said, "Alright, I won't beat around the bush. I'll say it directly—Mist Island, located in a different space, has a time flow different from the outside world."
The words were too straightforward.
Combined with the terrifying amount of information contained within, Li Xiang's muscles instantly tensed, and his pupils slightly contracted.
"It seems you understand the importance of this without me having to say more. Very good."
Mo Ye nodded with satisfaction. "Simply put, Mist Island is a place where time is very disordered compared to the outside.
"Sometimes, one month there equals two months outside. Other times, two months there equals one month outside—roughly a two-fold difference."
'Isn't this just the Mirage Island from the special chapters?!'
Li Xiang clenched his hands. In the special chapters, Mirage Island sometimes moved seven times faster, sometimes seven times slower than the outside.
Ruby and Sapphire used this to gain massive amounts of growth time.
Only Mist Island wasn't as extreme as Mirage Island—just a two-fold difference.
But the strategic significance of this was enormous.
"However, the speed doesn't switch at fixed intervals. When it's slow, it might not switch for half a year. When it's fast, it could switch within an hour. That's its uncertainty."
Mo Ye added another point.
Time switching is uncertain, huh...
Li Xiang gradually relaxed. This uncertainty was pretty troublesome.
If it weren't only a two-fold time difference, you might go in to take a dump and come out to find your childhood friend's granddaughter had already had kids.
Carelessly, it could kill someone through misfortune.
"And inside Mist Island, there are also some special circumstances."
Mo Ye continued speaking, "From the Ten Sages, we learned that inside the different dimension of Mist Island, there seems to be another different dimension."-
Mirage/Phantom Island. (Note: I'm keeping it like this for the time being to avoid confusion with the Mirage Island mentioned earlier in this chapter, the real Mirage Island from Pokemon.)
This term appeared in Li Xiang's mind. He knew it from Incineroar and the others—Uxie seemed to live on this Mirage/Phantom Island.
Sure enough, Mo Ye gave the same answer.
"Mirage/Phantom Island. The Ten Sages call it that. According to them, it's where Uxie resides. Its appearance time is uncertain.
"It could be a few years, or it could be decades. It's the only place the Ranger Union has never explored."
He pulled out more photos, showing the three legendary beasts, and... Volcarona.
Li Xiang looked at the slightly hazy figure of Volcarona on the building. Although there were many Volcarona in the world, he could still confirm this was the same one—the Sun God.
Thinking about it, the wound on his palm, now only a scar remained, inexplicably ached.
He quickly shifted his gaze, focusing on Raikou and the forest environment surrounding it. He wondered if this big cat was the culprit behind the lightning strike that hit that Galarian Meowth.
"These are photos from the last six months, proving that the three Pokémon of Ho-Oh's guard have gathered in Mist City."
Mo Ye said softly, "I suspect Mirage/Phantom Island is about to appear. They're here for the Island."
"Why would they go to Mirage/Phantom Island? Could it be related to the Tower of Dawn?"
Li Xiang asked. Regardless, Uxie had no connection to Ho-Oh's guard.
Besides, the Tower of Dawn was in Dian Prefecture. Wasn't it normal for them to pass through Mist City?
The timestamps on the photos showed the intervals between their appearances were at least over a month.
"What you're saying isn't impossible, but this place is nearly five hundred kilometers from the Tower of Dawn. Moreover, their trajectory is heading toward the location of Mist Lake, not the Tower of Dawn."
Mo Ye shook his head. "Ho-Oh's guard doesn't gather unless it's a major event. Therefore, we believe Mirage/Phantom Island might be about to appear."
Looking at it this way, it did seem plausible.
Mo Ye took a deep breath and said, "The main reason I called you here is to ask if you're willing to go to Mirage/Phantom Island with me."
"Huh?"
Li Xiang was momentarily stunned.
"Regarding safety, I can guarantee it. Mist Island holds many secrets and benefits. Just living there allows Pokémon to grow rapidly—whether in energy level or other aspects.
"Mist University only has one quota per year to stay on Mist Island for a month."
Mo Ye lowered his voice, "Also, I have a special timing device that can distinguish whether time inside Mist Island is flowing faster or slower. If it accelerates, I'll have someone take you out."
A special timing device... Could it be a Sandslash hourglass? That thing used in the special chapters to tell time.
And, Mist University's quota?
Li Xiang couldn't help but look at Bai Wanhua beside him. She nodded.
"The basic requirements are being a team member, third year or above, and passing a series of tests. I've already applied for an extra quota for you ahead of time.
"The old principal is very close to the Ranger Union. This quota was originally obtained back then. I didn't expect..."
Bai Wanhua spoke softly. She had really gone out of her way for Li Xiang, even begging the old principal.
"Have Senior Abigail and the others all been?" Li Xiang asked.
Bai Wanhua nodded. "Su Qian, Chao, Abigail and some others have all been. Among the remaining few, some didn't pass the tests. This year's quota is for Zhao Jie..."
Mist University's team actually had such benefits!
Li Xiang lowered his head in thought, then looked at Mo Ye. "Teacher Mo, why did you choose me?"
He and Mo Ye were unrelated. A place like Mirage/Phantom Island didn't sound absolutely safe.
Especially if it drew Ho-Oh's guard together.
Why would Mo Ye bring a dead weight along?
Actually, he vaguely knew the answer but still wanted to hear Mo Ye say it directly.
It was nothing but back then—
"I appreciate you."
Mo Ye said calmly, "I appreciate you very much. As one of the Elite Four, I have the responsibility to cultivate the next generation. I think you are a very promising person.
"Perhaps, I once thought about giving you some compensation. But now, the reason I want to bring you is simply appreciation—to support the younger generation, the successors."
Being appreciated by the head of the Elite Four, considered a successor—
This was no ordinary special honor.
Even though Li Xiang arrogantly believed he wouldn't be worse than Mo Ye in the future, he still felt a bit excited inside.
After calming down with effort, he asked, "You're not joking?"
"Of course not. The essence of the Tidewater Sword Technique is staying true to one's heart—not speaking words that go against it, not doing deeds that go against it. Let the storms rage; I stand tall and steady. As a inheritor of the Beng Quan, you should know this very well."
Mo Ye glanced at Li Xiang with slight surprise, his expression clearly saying, "How do you not know this?"
Li Xiang was dumbfounded.
"You know I studied Beng Quan?"
"The moment I first saw you, I recognized it. Your posture—the dragon's walk, tiger's stride, sitting like a bronze bell, spine like a twisted cable, eyes naturally glowing. Most importantly, the calluses on your knuckles."
He raised his chin slightly.
Li Xiang raised his own hand, looking at some of the faint oddly shaped calluses worn down by years of Beng Quan practice, silently grumbling internally.
'Master, even you can be wrong sometimes!'
"So, do you agree? If you agree, you can start preparing. You won't need much."
Mo Ye asked.
"Agree! Of course, I agree!"
How could Li Xiang possibly disagree? Even without the time flow difference, the fact that Mist Island itself could allow Incineroar and the others to advance quickly was enough to make him eagerly desire it.
Their current levels were getting slower and slower to raise. Even with good food and good resources, they could barely gain a few levels a year.
Only by going to Mist Island could he truly widen the gap between himself and others in any meaningful way.