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The hidden presence of the Ho-Oh Guard meant that Zhong Hai and the others had lost one avenue for gathering intelligence.
But it didn't matter.
The Knowledge Museum couldn't run away. Through persistent effort, they could eventually get some specific information from the mouths of the Ten Sages.
For example, whether there were any special situations on Mist Island, whether they could affect the outside world, and if so, how they could prevent them.
Sitting idly and waiting for death was never Zhu Xia's style.
The group entered the city. Along the way, they attracted considerable attention from numerous Pokémon, who curiously stared at them.
As Li Xiang moved forward with the group, he secretly observed the surrounding wild Pokémon.
When he saw their physiques, which were significantly different from those in the outside world, and the lively sparkle in their eyes, he understood that they were far superior to the many wild Pokémon he had encountered in the past.
They radiated an aura of civilization and wisdom.
The Ranger Union's stronghold was located by the water, a large, single-story stone building with a considerable area of several hundred square meters.
Compared to the messy, crooked houses around it, it had a more aesthetically pleasing line.
Its style was also more in line with human aesthetics.
However, Li Xiang saw many young Pokémon here acting clingy and mischievous.
The moment they saw the group, their eyes lit up. They rushed over, making cute, chaotic noises, constantly tempting Li Xiang to hand over food.
He almost couldn't resist!
Fortunately, Riolu's look, the one it gave when it saw a scumbag, flashed through his mind just in time, making him pull back from the brink and not give out his rations.
But the other rangers were different. They had already prepared a large amount of Pokémon food.
Their purpose was to distribute it like benevolent child-givers, to win the favor of the Pokémon here.
Pokémon are very pure creatures. If you give them something to eat and they enjoy it, you become good friends.
No one understood this better than rangers.
Of course, the suspicion of being taken for a ride by these little Pokémon couldn't be ruled out.
Upon discovering that Li Xiang had no food to give them, the adorable young beasts ran over to the rangers.
"Ah..."
Li Xiang felt a twinge of regret.
Mo Ye walked towards the stone building. Li Xiang, following the principle of sticking close to the big shots, silently trailed behind.
Inside the stone building, there weren't many modern furnishings.
After all, many things weren't available on Mist Island, and the island didn't seem interested in large-scale trade with the outside world.
At most, they exchanged only essential survival items.
For example, textiles, processed food, various tools, and so on.
Ji Xiang walked in from outside. Seeing Li Xiang, he smiled and asked, "Would you like something to drink? We have juice here, and also plain water. It tastes very good, worth a try."
"If possible, both?"
Li Xiang asked tentatively.
"Of course, it's possible."
Ji Xiang chuckled. "No need to be so nervous. You're a student from Mist City University, right? I should have met your senior."
"You mean... Senior Chao?"
"That's right, the single-name Chao. I think it was the year before last? I happened to run into him."
Ji Xiang carried a wooden tray with water and juice on it.
"Please."
He placed the water beside Mo Ye, who was already sitting on a wooden chair. Mo Ye nodded.
The rangers stationed here seemed to change every three months from the outside, roughly once a quarter.
"That young man was remarkable. Outstanding talent, strong abilities, and a rare Water Folk to boot."
Ji Xiang's face was full of emotion. "Unfortunately, he wasn't interested in being a ranger."
Just how short-staffed are you rangers...
Li Xiang felt powerless to comment on this enthusiasm for recruiting new members. At the same time, another term Ji Xiang mentioned caught his attention.
"Water Folk?"
"Yes, one of Zhu Xia's ethnic minorities. Didn't you cover it in history class? They're the same as the Dragon Folk in Dragon Capital."
Ji Xiang was a bit surprised.
'No, I'm just surprised I didn't know this. Senior Chao actually had such an identity.'
Li Xiang laughed awkwardly twice. Zhong Hai and the others walked in together from outside, looking somewhat tired.
Feeding Pokémon was also a physical task. Especially since those Pokémon would cling to them, constantly climbing and crawling all over them.
"Let's rest a while before heading to the Knowledge Museum."
Zhong Hai waved his hand, pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, then took out a toothpick from the cigarette pack and put it in his mouth.
After saying that, he turned to look at Li Xiang again. "If you want to go out, feel free to do so. You won't be in any danger in the City of Wisdom."
"Uh, no thanks. I'm fine staying here."
Li Xiang silently picked up his cup and took a sip. He didn't want to go out and court death; who knew what might happen?
Hmm?
So delicious!
Li Xiang's pupils dilated slightly. He quickly took a few more sips.
This refreshing feeling, making his whole body feel clear and light, as if all inner restlessness had vanished into a sense of tranquility...
'Mount Quena???'
He picked up the cup containing juice and took a sip, then downed it in one gulp.
It was really delicious!
Wasn't this place really Mount Quena?
Li Xiang asked Ji Xiang for another cup. The latter grinned, recalling how when he first drank it, he felt the same, like he could never get enough.
"The water here is potable. It's rich in various elements that can boost your immunity."
Ji Xiang said in the tone of a TV commercial host.
But in fact, if the water here was really like that of Mount Quena, its immunity-boosting function wouldn't be surprising.
What is Mount Quena?
It's a hidden land located in the Johto region in the Pokémon anime. In the movie "Pokemon: Mewtwo Returns," the flowing water of the Purity River there possesses extremely high nutritional and health value.
Its core area, Clarity Lake, is said to have the best water on the Pokémon planet, capable of quickly calming Pokémon.
The dying Mewtwo was revived thanks to the core source of Clarity Lake.
This Mist Island… was like a hodgepodge.
First the space of the Lake Guardian, then the fog, then the time-warping Mirage Island of Hoenn, and now the mountain spring of Mount Quena.
'If you're that capable, why not move the Tree of Beginning here too!'
Li Xiang silently released Riolu.
Good things should be shared. If there was a water source like Mount Quena here, it wouldn't be surprising to find giant-sized Pokémon here either.
Everything in the universe seeks balance.
If balance is lost, creatures lose their health, and their bodies, emotions, and personalities change accordingly.
The various components in the spring water of Mount Quena maintained a delicate balance, allowing the Pokémon living there to grow up healthily.
Genes are an important factor determining body size, but not an absolute one.
The environment is also a very important reason. If Incineroar and the others could live here year-round, why worry about them not becoming strong?
"Riolu."
Riolu drank the water in small sips. The more it drank, the brighter its eyes became. It was the first time it knew there could be something as delicious as chocolate in this world.
And this thing was just a cup of plain water.
"Drink slowly."
Li Xiang pinched Riolu's chin. The latter squinted its eyes in pleasure.
"You've trained it well, this Riolu of yours."
Zhong Hai, who had nothing to do, spoke from the side. There were a total of five Chief Rangers. Four of them had things to do, and only he sat on the sofa with nothing to do.
Not dedicated at all.
"Because it works hard enough."
Li Xiang smiled. A Pokémon's strength was never a one-sided achievement; it was inseparable from both the trainer and the Pokémon itself.
"Hard work is there, but this guy seems to have a knot in its heart."
Zhong Hai leaned forward, looking at the happy Riolu, squinting as he rubbed his chin. "It's affecting its growth. Logically, with the bond between you two, it should have evolved."
"A knot?"
Li Xiang was slightly startled and exchanged a glance with Riolu, who was equally confused.
He had once predicted he could make Riolu evolve in three years. Now, almost four years had passed, and evolution had only just begun to show signs.
Now Zhong Hai was telling him that Riolu hadn't evolved because its thoughts weren't clear...
"Yes. If I'm not mistaken, it must have experienced something unpleasant in the past."
Zhong Hai rolled up his sleeve, revealing the advanced styler on his wrist, and aimed it at Riolu.
He asked, "Do you mind if I try something?"
Rangers use the capture discs launched from their stylers to transmit their feelings to Pokémon, thereby borrowing their power.
Even Heatran could be "captured" this way.
More importantly, if the user couldn't achieve spiritual connection with the Pokémon, this thing wouldn't work.
It acted as an alternative identification function, a terrifying piece of black technology not inferior to Poké Balls.
"Please go ahead."
Li Xiang realized the importance of the matter and quickly stepped aside, telling Riolu not to move.
Immediately, a spinning top-like device flew from the back of Zhong Hai's hand, encircling Riolu with a ring of fluorescent blue lines.
"Riolu..."
Riolu stared blankly at the light's trajectory, feeling a wave of goodwill washing over it.
The source of the goodwill was Zhong Hai.
"Don't be nervous, relax." Zhong Hai spoke softly.
Riolu closed its eyes and used its Aura to respond.
The process lasted only about half a minute.
Zhong Hai opened his eyes and said, "It seems just as I thought. Your Riolu has indeed experienced some unpleasant things that have deeply affected it."
"It might have been suppressed for some reason, but recently, there's been a trend of it resurfacing."
"Then what should I do?" Li Xiang asked quietly.
Zhong Hai chuckled. "It's very simple, yet also very troublesome. Guide Riolu, help it stop fixating on it, and that's all."
"Hmm..."
Easy to say, hard to do.
"This is your responsibility as a trainer, isn't it?"
Zhong Hai retorted.
What else could Li Xiang say? He could only nod. "Yes, you're right."
"A friendly suggestion. If you're thick-skinned enough, you can ask the Ten Sages for help. If you're bold enough, you can go consult Uxie."
Zhong Hai raised a finger, wagged it, and smiled. "This place is, after all, said to be the dwelling of Uxie, the one who grants humans the wisdom to solve problems."
'That's right! I can also seek out Uxie!'
Li Xiang suddenly realized. Since he was already on Mist Island, how could he not go see Uxie?
Just as he started thinking about when he should go to the Knowledge Museum, outside the door, a Mismagius wearing a witch's hat flew in.
"Friends of the Mist Island rangers, your favorite friend, the Dream Sage who can bring you beautiful dreams, has arrived!"
This Ghost-type Pokémon emitted a long, lively string of words through telepathy.
"Oh my? There seems to be a new friend!"
Mismagius looked at Li Xiang and Riolu. "Hello there, little ones! I am the Dream Sage! Tonight, I will bring you good dreams! Look forward to it! Hahahaha!"
Before Li Xiang could respond, it laughed heartily and shifted its gaze to Mo Ye, who was sitting in the corner and had been silent from the beginning.
The next second.
"Eek!!"
Mismagius's expression contorted in terror!