However.
Those with long legs indeed run fast, Ayana clearly lost twice, yet she got bitten so few times you could count them on one hand.
"Let's go."
He beckoned the others to leave.
As they passed by the spirit world entrance identified by Dragapult, it was already cordoned off, and the faint sound of machines digging could be heard from within.
The faces of the passing residents were indifferent, as if they were used to frequent engineering works.
Have they found a reliable Spirit Medium?
Though Shanren claimed to take care of it, finding a Spirit Medium might not be easy, and con artists like the Rocket Team trio might appear.
The Rocket Team trio's silver tongues even managed to deceive some Officer Jennies.
Luckily, they frequently got carried away with their gloating, or got sabotaged by Musashi's antics.
Baimu shifted his gaze. If worse came to worst, he was ready to ask for Furong's help; the Mauville Hotel incident had already proven her understanding of the spirit realm.
That evening.
Brothers Balza took Hoopa away.
They were planning to discuss it with their grandfather, Grings, and rally the others in the Valley of Creation to come to Ore.
Baimu was glad to see it happen, and after having dinner with Aggron and the others, he once again arrived at the yet-to-be-named mountains, planning to camp overnight.
There was no way to refuse the repeated pleas of the Giant Steelix.
This fellow would coquettishly beg at the drop of a hat, and such a massive body acting coquettish was like the earth-shattering, nearly turning Aggron's beloved flower garden to dust.
"Poor Milotic, rest assured, I've arranged for Steelix to find another water source, and in a couple of days, I'll make a large pond for you."
Baimu shook the Pokeball housing the Altered-color Milotic.
He originally wanted to leave it at the villa, but the Altered-color Milotic was clearly unwilling, preferring to stay in the Pokeball rather than away from its companions.
——
The next day.
Baimu woke up early.
The aroma of the breakfast he made with Blissey wafted far, attracting many hungry Wild Pokémon. Not one to be stingy, he made extra to share.
As expected, he was soon surrounded by even more Wild Pokémon.
Pokémon are simple but not dumb. As Baimu gradually showed goodwill, they naturally couldn't continue to treat him as an enemy.
Especially when he was genuinely offering delicious food!
Many Lycanrocs, who were gnashing their teeth at noon yesterday, were now bold enough to cling to him asking for Poké Blocks.
Howling and wagging their tails like propellers.
Those unaware might even think his Pokémon were trying to act coquettish to their Trainer.
"Rawr rawr!"
Hydreigon, predictably, got jealous and teamed up with Altered-color Gengar to drive off these overstepping creatures.
They didn't even have enough time to spend with the Trainer themselves, let alone let others in!
In short.
Baimu, relying on his "charming" personality and generosity, quickly mingled with the Wild Pokémon in just half a day, leaving Helena, who came over specifically to check the situation, utterly bewildered.
"Why is it always you who comes? Where's Babina?"
He was curious about where the other pink-haired girl was.
Helena looked complicated as she glanced at the Rockruff in his arms, replying, "My sister... she's not very good at communicating, so it's always me and N who come out to interact with others."
Not good at communicating, really.
These two sisters, one calls herself the Goddess of Love, the other the Goddess of Peace, seemed like they were in some adolescent phase.
"Here's the bread we baked, give it a try."
Helena lifted the basket in her hand, uncovering the white cloth to reveal the baguette-like white bread inside.
Baimu tried a small piece, thanked her, and handed it to Blissey, saying, "I'm planning to head to Silicon City, do you need me to bring you anything?"
"N-no need..."
"Alright, see you at noon then."
He said no more, found his hover bike surrounded by many curious Wild Pokémon, and headed southeast.
Helena watched his silhouette, remembering what N said last night—
"The key to overcoming our current predicament may lie with Baimu."
Hopefully so.
Helena sighed. The past six months had been particularly tiring for her, though clearly everyone was friendly, and no one was persecuting Wild Pokémon.
Instead, roaming around combating poachers and saving weak Pokémon was somewhat more relaxing.
Silicon City.
Located in the southeast direction of the Ore Region, its environmental conditions were even harsher than those of Pyrite Town.
But it had transformed into an oasis in the desert thanks to the great efforts of those who came before.
Baimu had never been here before, and at the first sight of Silicon City's general appearance, he almost suspected he had accidentally arrived at Carlos's Desert City.
This is nothing like what's on my phone!
Not only were there towering skyscrapers, but the canals that originally surrounded the city-state had also turned into wide rivers, vast swathes of drought-resistant plants covered the land, much like many cities in the outside desert.
If Pyrite Town is a steampunk style, then Silicon City is Mediterranean style.
"Father is indeed the father."
He couldn't help but think this.
He remembered that Shanren's uncle named Dennis once was his top supporter, providing considerable startup funds for his initial life.
Now looking at it, not only does he have money, but he also has incredible talent.
No wonder he became the leader of the Rescue Organization.
And since Dennis had more resources at his disposal, he definitely couldn't let Silicon City develop worse than Pyrite Town.
Or rather.
Silicon City was never worse than Pyrite Town.
Despite being in the same region, even when the Shadow Team hadn't been destroyed, the life in Silicon City was unimaginable yet deeply desired by the people of Pyrite Town.
In Baimu's memory, some ruffians in Quicksand Team referred to Silicon City as the Holy City.
They said only the wealthy and scholars lived there, and people like them were unworthy of going there.
Thinking back now, it seems a bit absurd.
As the hoverbike approached, a patrol car stopped him.
Unlike Pyrite Town, which used the Rainbow Team to replace the police department, Silicon City used actual officers dressed in uniforms identical to those outside.
"Hello, please show your identification."
The leading officer saluted.
Baimu handed over his Trainer Card and was quickly allowed to pass.
He was just advised to slow down; the mixed district of new and old city in Silicon City had a more complex road environment.
"Okay."
Baimu nodded, just as he was about to rev the engine and continue forward, he spotted a "familiar" person riding a police motorcycle from afar.
Miss Jun Sha!
He looked in surprise at the tall, blue-haired woman officer who bore a 99% resemblance to her sisters, wondering if Silicon City had successfully recruited Miss Jun Sha.
Alright, perhaps that wording is too impolite.
But Baimu was therefore a bit curious; if Pyrite Town also invited Miss Jun Sha, wouldn't she join the Rainbow Team?
Wow!
That's kind of exciting!
He nodded and smiled at Miss Jun Sha, who caught his courtesy in the corner of her eye and reciprocated with a polite smile.
"Captain, do you know him?"
The officer curiously asked as he watched Baimu drive away.
"Looks a bit familiar..."
Miss Jun Sha squinted her eyes and suddenly exclaimed, "Ah! I remember now! Isn't that Baimu? My cousins in Hoenn all adore him! They often talk about him in the group chat—"
She stopped abruptly, realizing she was about to talk about family privacy, she felt embarrassed to continue.
And the officer, having seen the Trainer Card earlier, became even more curious.
On the other side.
Baimu was already in the old town district.
The buildings in the old district of Silicon City were predominantly white, looking like a pure white expanse, with the sun reflecting spots of bright silver light, and every street had canals with clean flowing water.
There were even Water Attribute Pokémon swimming around!
"This is indeed different from Pyrite Town..."
He thought to himself, Pyrite Town emphasizes breaking to rebuild, with most of the old and broken streets completely dismantled and now mostly new buildings.
Silicon City was different.
It still preserved some of its characteristic architecture, distinctly separated from the skyscrapers of the new city.
There were also more Pokémon on the streets than in Pyrite Town, as if truly achieving a harmonious coexistence between humans and Pokémon.
Baimu was quite curious if N had ever been to Silicon City.
He drove all the way to the agreed location, just about to contact Shanren, when an unusual sensation suddenly came from behind.
"Hmm?"
He turned his head, only to see a middle-aged man in a suit and tie smiling and reaching out to pat his shoulder.
Both were momentarily stunned when their eyes met.
"You are..."
Luozi!?
Baimu almost blurted out.