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If it were a giant Kingdra, yawning like that would probably cause earthquakes and tsunamis, since in its lore, a yawn could create whirlpools.
Unfortunately, Dragonite couldn't do that.
"Routine procedure. We can't just ignore anomalies happening right next to us, can we?"
Zhong Hai chuckled as he sat down beside them.
Mo Ye silently found himself a seat, and Li Xiang obediently followed, staying close to him.
"Whatever."
Dragonite yawned, stood up, and with heavy steps, actually started to leave. "You guys chat. I'll find somewhere else to sleep."
Thump, thump, thump.
Its footsteps seemed to shake the very ground. Li Xiang felt the remaining stone bench turn into a massage chair, vibrating incessantly.
The hall's doors were built so high, probably specifically for it. Moreover, this guy really did look extremely sleepy.
Large body, high energy consumption, so it needs more sleep?
Possible.
Li Xiang watched the giant Dragonite walk away. Normal-sized Dragonite might still be considered cute, but one this size only inspired awe in him.
It wasn't really about a fear of giant things; it was simply too big, its presence too overwhelming. Its bio-magnetic field made it hard for him to breathe.
Slowking arrived at the head of the table.
"Everyone, I'll skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point."
The pink Pokémon looked at those present. "Mirage Island is about to appear, but some anomalies have occurred inside. We've lost soul contact with the Great One."
"To stabilize the emotions of the million Pokémon on Mist Island and avoid causing panic, I haven't revealed this."
"Is the anomaly caused by Uxie itself having a problem?"
Zhong Hai raised his hand to ask. "Also, we want to know the whereabouts of the Ho-Oh Guard."
Slowking shook its head. "The anomaly doesn't stem from Knowledge and Wisdom itself, but from other reasons. The specific situation is still unclear for now."
"Furthermore, regarding the location of the Ho-Oh Guard, unfortunately, I don't know where they are. The members of the Knowledge Museum are spread across every Mist Island, yet there are still limitations."
'Good grief, it doesn't know this, doesn't know that.'
Li Xiang's mouth twitched. He internally concluded that this one was definitely the same breed as that mystical Slowking from the movie.
A pure quest giver, just like an NPC.
Of course, mystical or not, they were usually still reliable.
"What should we do?"
Zhong Hai was clearly more patient than Li Xiang and asked softly.
"The same as what you were originally going to do. Enter Mirage Island to explore, and go meet the origin entity of Knowledge and Wisdom."
Slowking reached its hand into the hat on its head and kept pulling something out.
In an instant, crystal-clear diamonds, roughly the size of quail eggs, were produced, rolling around on the stone table.
"These are the credentials for entering Mirage Island. One per person. The closer you get to that Great One, the brighter they glow." Slowking put its hands behind its back and glanced at Li Xiang.
"Young man, take this."
It tossed a diamond over to him.
Li Xiang hurriedly caught it, not quite understanding why Slowking deliberately gave one to him.
Slowking said, "When you see the origin entity of that Great One, it should tell you everything you want to know."
Zhong Hai used a cloth bag to collect the diamonds. There weren't many, aside from the one Slowking had specifically thrown to Li Xiang, only five in total.
Why were diamonds the credentials for entering Mirage Island?
Li Xiang was somewhat puzzled, but a quail-egg-sized diamond was certainly tempting, even if this stuff wasn't as valuable as in his previous life.
"When will Mirage Island open?"
Mo Ye suddenly spoke up, asking a crucial question.
Slowking placed its hands behind its back. "Barring any accidents, two days and nights from now, as the sun rises."
Two days and nights meant about two days. But the fact that an alternate space also had a sun was rather strange.
Slowking paused, then added, "At that time, some crises might arise. To ensure the safety of Mist Island's residents, we may not be able to provide you with much help."
"You're not planning to send anyone into Mirage Island?"
Zhong Hai was stunned. Uxie was, after all, their object of faith. If something happened to it, they wouldn't go in themselves to check?
Besides, how would they find their way without a familiar guide?
"Of course not."
Slowking shook its head. "Among the Council of Ten Sages, three will accompany you inside. The candidates haven't been decided yet."
The Sages of the Knowledge Museum weren't necessarily the strongest, but they were definitely the most suitable as guides.
Every one of them had entered Mirage Island and had an audience with Uxie's origin entity, not just its soul.
"Alright, I understand."
Zhong Hai nodded.
After that, Slowking said nothing more, unceremoniously seeing the four of them out before hurrying off somewhere.
Li Xiang watched its retreating back, wanting to say something but stopping.
It seemed very busy.
On the way back, the three adults discussed things.
Zhong Hai's expression was quite serious. Having dealt with Slowking often, he knew this matter was far less simple than Slowking had let on.
Otherwise, the issue of Uxie losing contact wouldn't result in only three Sages being sent into Mirage Island. Meanwhile, it, the greatest Sage, remained firmly in place at headquarters.
Either it had confidence in Uxie, or it felt that once Mirage Island appeared, it wouldn't be able to spare attention for it.
Based on his understanding of Slowking, Zhong Hai leaned towards the latter being more likely.
But did Slowking have any important matters it was concealing from them?
Probably not.
It had no reason to lie to them. What benefit would there be in sending them to die on Mirage Island?
Some things left unsaid might be because it wasn't certain itself.
Zhong Hai speculated that perhaps before Uxie lost contact with Slowking, it had given it some vague information. Something like Mist Island facing a great disaster.
And Slowking, considering maintaining stability, had to devote most of its energy to Mist Island itself.
The remaining small part could then be used to investigate the truth on Mirage Island.
This way, it made more sense.
After a brief thought, Zhong Hai shared his speculation with Mo Ye and Ji Xiang.
Both agreed.
Li Xiang, listening in, increasingly felt like he was in a world from the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series.
Back at the base camp, those persistent baby Pokémon were still there. Seeing them, they immediately swarmed over, begging to be held and fed.
Unfortunately, none of the four this time were in the mood to play with them and managed to fob them off.
A storm was brewing.
Although adventures were exciting, if an adventure involved the lives of innocents...
That was something the rangers didn't want to see.
After sharing the news with the three who stayed behind, after a brief silence, someone suggested requesting backup from the outside. If it was something major, their manpower was still too little.
Zhong Hai shook his head. "Don't forget, not all the Sages are willing to fully trust us."
While not necessarily hostile, among the Council of Ten Sages, there were those close to humans like Slowking, Mismagius, and Lapras.
There were also those indifferent to humans, like Dragonite, or even wary of them.
They might tolerate a certain number of humans entering Mist Island, but that was also because the numbers were small, still within controllable limits.
But if dozens or hundreds of humans came in, they would start to protest.
Such situations had occurred before.
In past trades, due to an unusually large shipment, the Ranger Union had dispatched more than ten rangers to escort the goods.
Upon entering Mist Island, they faced exclusion and expulsion from some Pokémon.
Ultimately, that trade had to be halted.
It was clear that among the Council of Ten Sages, there were members who adhered to the principle of not having harmful intentions towards others, but also not lacking vigilance against them.
Being overly exclusive towards humans was wrong, but being overly trusting of humans was also wrong.
A delicate balance was struck between the two.
The ranger fell silent.
Gaining the complete trust of a group of highly intelligent beings was incredibly difficult.
They were all independent individuals with different thought processes.
It wasn't like in games where, once your reputation reached "Revered" or "Worshipped," all members would gather around you.
"However, requesting backup in advance is still necessary."
Zhong Hai changed tack. "Let's disclose the information for now and have the Union prepare a team. If something we can't handle happens, they can respond in time."
"In that case, one of us needs to stay outside to receive the arriving companions."
A female ranger stated.
"Besides, there aren't enough diamonds anyway."
Zhong Hai didn't mention the one Li Xiang had, regardless of whether Slowking had given it to him specifically.
"I'll stay. I'm familiar with the changes here, and I can analyze things if any problems arise."
Ji Xiang volunteered to stay, and no one objected.
Rangers weren't the type to pass the buck or modestly defer in the face of major events.
Zhong Hai patted his shoulder. "I'm counting on you, A Xiang."
"Duty calls."
Ji Xiang thumped his chest with his fist.
If you asked which profession in the world was the most pure, when rangers claim second place, no one dares claim first.
This was evident from the fact that, even knowing the danger of going to Mirage Island, they still proceeded step by step and even tried to increase their manpower.
Rangers weren't soldiers, nor did they have the obligation to protect wild Pokémon and humans, nor had they ever requested financial allocations from the Pokémon Association.
But for them, being a bridge between humans and Pokémon was a glorious mission.
A group of people running on passion.
And their deeds moved countless people who loved Pokémon. Without needing donations, large quantities of supplies were sent to them every year.
They generally didn't accept monetary funds.
At noon, Li Xiang had what he considered the most delicious lunch he'd had in years.
Its source was extremely savory ingredients.
They hadn't undergone much processing themselves; the cooking was just simple stewing.
But as it rolled around in his mouth, it gave a feeling of physical and mental comfort and joy.
Like those incredible ingredients described in food novels.
Li Xiang realized his understanding of Mist Island's value was still too one-sided.
Not to mention anything else, just the water source and these food raw materials alone would be enough to make many people scramble for them.
Mist Island would become a contested ground for ambitious people like Sakaki.
By then, the Pokémon of Mist Lake would have no peace.
An innocent man may possess a coveted treasure, which becomes a source of blame.
Li Xiang ate, feeling worried for Mist Island's future.
Beside him, Incineroar and the other Pokémon were wolfing down their food.
Even Riolu, who usually didn't like eating until full, broke tradition and had a third bowl before stopping.
Incineroar and the others ate until their stomachs were round, only able to get up by supporting themselves on the ground.
Aegislash submerged its entire body in a water basin, its single eye glazed over with contentment.