"..."
The Lycanroc Leader was feeling pretty upset.
It had rushed down in such a hurry with all those Pokémon, and you're telling it you went mountain climbing?
Too much bullying the dog!
It gnashed its teeth in rage, uncontrollably recalling the scene of being ganged up on by Hydreigon and the others just now, and instantly grew even angrier.
The Lycanroc Leader, eyes reddened, looked toward the Blissey who was singing to the little Pokémon, lulling them to sleep.
This guy is also that human's partner, right?
It quietly raised its sharp claws.
—Forget it.
The Lycanroc Leader snorted and pulled its claws back. Losing to the main culprit and then venting on other Pokémon would be way too disgraceful for a dog, and besides…
It watched the many Pokémon laughing happily under Blissey's gentle coaxing, and thought that this soft and tender fellow should be different from those bastards.
Dragapult, who was secretly watching, flicked its tail, and the Corsola on top of Blissey's head—completely ignored by Lycanroc—closed its eyes again.
At the same time.
Baimu reached the mountaintop with Aggron and the other Pokémon.
Looking back down, the vast land spread out beneath his eyes.
"I didn't expect that even in the barren Ore Region, looking down from high up would have its own unique scenery." He gazed out at everything, both familiar and strange.
"Gu-hou~"
Aggron growled in agreement.
The trip to Hoenn had not only made it steadier, it had also given it a heart that could appreciate the beauty of nature.
Porygon II silently took photos, and Gengar tried to learn from Aggron, but its thought process just couldn't keep up with the other two.
Steelix, Hydreigon, and the Dragapult Siblings were playing chase on the peaks, looking happy and lively.
Baimu glanced at them, pondering the reason Shanren's dad had sought him out.
Just to meet?
The odds were high.
If there were really something urgent, he would either come to Baimu himself or urge him to go over, rather than specifically asking Shanren to send a message saying to come whenever he had time.
Coincidentally, Courtney and Huo Cun had also said that Chi Yansong wanted to see him, so he might as well deal with both matters together.
Baimu reined in his thoughts and asked Porygon II, "Where do you think would be suitable for building a house?"
"Pa-li..."
Porygon II's eyes lit up, and a virtual geological survey map appeared on the phone, with several red blocks specially marked.
Recently it had "looked at" a lot of materials related to architecture, all for this very moment.
During the time it had spent taking pictures just now, it had already directly constructed several mountain-modification plans, with everything from a villa, artificial waterfall, and artificial lake to a garden and lawn.
Baimu watched, amused, and patted Porygon II's "bald head" in praise, smiling. "You're amazing—no wonder you're the smartest Pokémon in our team."
"Pa-li!"
Porygon II was very happy.
As an Artificial Pokémon loaded with artificial intelligence, it had always felt it was a bit smarter than its other teammates, but that kind of idea was a bit asking for a beating, so it had never dared show it.
Now, being praised like this by its Trainer, it felt like it had been acknowledged.
——
Back at the foot of the mountain.
Baimu was surprised to find that Helena had come again.
Behind her were several men and women wearing what looked like Plasma Team uniforms. They were unloading goods from a large hover truck together with a few Machoke, Machamp, and other Pokémon.
Crowds of Wild Pokémon were drooling as they packed the surroundings, while the Lycanroc pack barely managed to maintain order and keep them from rushing in.
"These are… Pokémon food?"
He asked in confusion, "Miss Helena, I should have already told N that I'd be responsible for food for these Pokémon, right?"
Helena froze for a moment and said, "Starting from today?"
"Of course."
"But if you're going to buy retail from Pyrite Town, isn't that a bit troublesome…"
"You're thinking too much. How could I possibly get stuff from Pyrite Town to feed them?"
Baimu shook his head firmly.
Pyrite Town was still primarily human-oriented at the moment. Shops related to Pokémon only existed in the commercial district, and most of their clientele were the Pokémon of visiting Trainers.
If he really wanted to buy that much Pokémon food, doing it for a day or two might be feasible, but over time it would probably become impossible.
He didn't keep her in suspense and frankly told Helena, "I asked a friend to send in supplies from other regions using some Special Ability. They just saw the message, so it should arrive in a bit."
Time zones really were something people could only resign themselves to. If you wanted to contact people in other regions, you had to pick your timing carefully.
Special means?
Helena instinctively tilted her head to look up at the sky, thinking it would be flown in by plane.
The few Plasma Team members who were helping also looked at each other, their expressions a bit strange.
They had only ever heard Baimu's name from the mouths of N, Babina, and Helena, never met him in person. Now hearing him say he'd use some kind of special method to solve the food problem for thousands of Pokémon, they suddenly didn't know what to say.
N getting duped by a boaster?
Doesn't seem likely…
But very soon, they realized Baimu really wasn't bragging.
A ring of light suddenly opened beside Baimu, and a yawning Hoopa poked its head out. "Xiaobai~ need Hoopa's help again? Ooh! It's really hot here!"
"Sorry to disturb your sleep. I want you to help me transport some food." Baimu apologized as he pointed at the many Wild Pokémon crying out with hunger.
Helena's eyes widened, and the Plasma Team members cried out, "A talking Pokémon!"
Telepathy and speaking are not the same thing.
Speaking requires a Pokémon to understand language, whereas telepathy only needs to convey one's own thoughts. The difficulty between the two is worlds apart.
Like Meowth, who exhausted all its combat potential just to learn to walk like a human and speak human language.
"What? Hoopa can talk?"
Seeing the shocked looks on their faces, Hoopa perked right up and flew around them in circles. "Scared you, huh? Jumped, did you? Heeheeheehee~"
"We're scared!"
"We jumped!"
The Plasma Team members hurriedly nodded.
Helena said to Baimu with a complicated expression, "I didn't expect you to actually know a Pokémon like Hoopa…"
"Otherwise I wouldn't have the confidence to take responsibility for feeding so many Pokémon." He shrugged.
Of course.
He had no intention of making Hoopa work for him all the time, just planned to put out the immediate fire; afterward he would still contact people to transport food normally.
The prize money from his double championship in the Gorgeous Competition and the League Conference was rather generous, and with his savings added in, it was enough to last until Balza and Mei Yali managed to grow all sorts of crops here.
While Hoopa was catching up with Gengar and the other Pokémon, Balza and Mei Yali also walked out from the light ring.
"Baimu, this is—"
"Welcome to the Ore Region, a land where everything is in ruins and waiting to be rebuilt. It urgently needs your help." Baimu opened his arms to welcome the two of them, and introduced Helena.
Balza and Helena nodded to each other in greeting.
Mei Yali stared in shock at the Wild Pokémon crowded together here. This kind of sight couldn't be seen in the outside world—Wild Pokémon habitats were mostly scattered all over, and only in rare cases did they gather.
Yet right now there were at least a thousand Wild Pokémon packed densely along this barren mountainside, all staring eagerly at the food being unloaded from the trucks.
It reminded her of the people when Carlos was struck by disaster.
"Big brother…"
Mei Yali gripped Balza's arm tightly and bit her lower lip lightly. "We should have come earlier."
Although in fact, the Wild Pokémon near the mountain range were living quite comfortably: clean water, food that wasn't abundant but was enough to fill their stomachs, and no need to worry about safety.
But it was enough to stir pity in the hearts of siblings who lived in the mainstream regions.
In their eyes, Wild Pokémon should be able to unleash their nature in habitats that suit them, not "making the best of a bitter life."
"I know. Grandfather wouldn't turn a blind eye to this either if he saw it."
Balza nodded. They had originally planned to come to Ore after some time, but the scene before them made them regret coming so late.
Baimu had misjudged how much impact this scene would have on the siblings. Seeing them suddenly wearing such a solemn, burden-of-a-mission expression, he couldn't help blinking.
After a short while.
Through the light ring, Baimu reached an agreement with a shop owner far away in Hoenn and began transporting food.
He didn't dare buy too much. With Ore's weather, if there wasn't a proper storage environment, the food would quickly rot and spoil. By then it would mostly only be fit for Muk, Trubbish, Garbodor, and similar Pokémon to eat.
"Come on out, Pokémon food~"
Hoopa raised both hands high and kept placing food in the holes Onix had dug.
The Lycanrocs would be in charge of guarding.
From Helena, Baimu learned that they were also helping with the food distribution work, which surprised him quite a bit.
It also gave him a clearer idea why the other Wild Pokémon listened to them.
After noon.
He took Balza, Mei Yali, and Hoopa to see Shanren. They had met back when Shadow Lugia appeared, which saved them the process of getting to know one another.
Regarding the Valley of Creation's plan to aid Ore, Shanren expressed a warm welcome.
And upon learning that they possessed a Special Ability to boost crop yields, Shanren immediately became even more enthusiastic.
There was no helping it.
Agriculture in Ore was underdeveloped, and almost all its grain had to be imported from outside!