Elf: Who told him to be an investigator!

Chapter 175 The matter is over, where to go next?

Pillar of the Sky.

"Where is my Dragon God?!"

Higana stared wide-eyed at Zeki, who was riding Articuno back to Sky Pillar.

She took advantage of her dragon god, rode him away, and did something great, but then didn't return Rayquaza. How could she do that!

Ze Shu:

"...—."

He dismounted from the Articuno, patted its icy blue feathers, and then said to Higana:

"Your Dragon God... should be gnawing on a meteorite in the ozone layer right now."

After all, with so many activities, a lot of energy is naturally consumed.

Biting into meteorites might be a way for Rayquaza to restore its energy.

Well, judging from Rayquaza's weakened state when we first met,...

It's somewhat useful, but not much.

But upon hearing Ze Shu's words...

Higana exclaimed in surprise:

"After you've used him, you're just going to abandon my Dragon God and leave him to his own devices?!"

Ze Shu: "..."

What does "use and discard" even mean? Is it that offensive?

However, after her initial surprise, Higana murmured, "But I know everything you've done..."

She turned her head slightly and said, "Thank you!"

Ze Shu: "What?"

Higana exclaimed, "I meant thank you! Thank you for helping the Dragon God, and... my sister, avenge a grudge!"

Ze Shu suddenly realized, "You already know? This news spread so fast!"

Higana snorted, "Of course! Don't let my being a traditional, unsophisticated Meteorite fool you. But, but!"

Little Blue has a cell phone!

Ze Shu:

"......

Higanbana continued, "Now the whole of Hoenn knows about this!"

"Although the people don't seem to know that it was Lord Dragon God who did it."

"However, looking at the victims like the Pokémon Association, Devon Corporation, and Daisuke Corporation..."

"I knew it was you the moment I saw it."

"Although you took the Dragon God away, but..."

"You win, you're pretty good!"

"That's what Xijiana said so 'reluctantly.' But judging from her constant pinching of Gu Niu Niu's ears, she wasn't reluctant at all."

Even a lot of joy was in his heart.

At this moment, Xiao Lan walked over. Unlike Xi Jiana, she wasn't optimistic and instead expressed concern to Ze Shu:

"But, once this is done... I'm afraid it will be bad for you, Zeki..."

Ze Shu shook his head and laughed, "It's alright. I'm not afraid at all. Even if those people hate me, it's just 'impotent rage,' how could it affect me?"

Xiao Lan smiled and hummed in agreement.

She wasn't afraid of being punished or anything.

After all, she could imagine the worst-case scenario—Ze Shu being expelled from the entire alliance or something. But they could still live their lives. After all, they had already left the Masked Base, so what was such a thing?

"So now..." Xiao Lan asked.

"Let's go back to Sinnoh first," Ze Shu said after thinking for a moment. "After all, we have to explain things to that kind-hearted boss."

After saying that, they walked towards the exit of the Sky Pillar in tacit agreement.

They left Higana behind at the Dragon Summoning Altar.

Higana was stunned for a moment, then called out repeatedly from behind Ze Shu, "They're leaving already? What about me? What about me!"

Ze Shu asked, "What?"

Higana cried out loudly and aggrievedly, "What am I supposed to do? You've just abandoned me!"

Ze Shu said, "What do you mean, what should we do? Didn't you see your Dragon God? You fulfilled your promise, you did everything you were supposed to do."

"I...I..." Higanbana cried out, "I want to go to Sinnoh too! I already paid the 'rent'!"

After she finished speaking, her face was full of anxiety.

Ze Shu simply said "Oh":

"Then what are you doing standing there? It's not like you're not allowed to follow."

Spaceship, captain's cabin.

The rudder, transformed from a polygonal beast, is moving autonomously, as seen from the outer window:

The sea of ​​clouds was layered upon layer, both pure white and varied in shape. The blue sky was absolutely blue, even concealing a sliver of green "hiding" within the sea of ​​clouds.

Zeki hung the "Scent Detection Compass for Finding Ragnarok" on the captain's cabin wall. He watched its needle dart around erratically, his expression strange.

The pointer's drastic movements and constant changes in direction... could this mean...?

Rayquaza is circling the spaceship at close range.

It was still hiding, because the sonar inside the spaceship that could scan the surroundings did not detect anything unusual; and given its large size, it was likely that all one could see from the window was blue sky and white clouds, which could only mean that it was well hidden.

But... on the compass, Rayquaza's whereabouts are permanently and completely visible!

Rayquaza probably thinks it's well hidden!

Zeshu shook his head with amusement and walked out of the captain's cabin, only to see Higanbana boasting about his "heroic performance" in front of a group of Pokémon.

"In the blink of an eye, however brilliant and mighty Lord Dragon God may be, he has ultimately fallen for Ze Shu's trick! He pulled out a red strip from somewhere and, with treacherous means, instantly entangled the mighty Lord Dragon God!"

"My poor Dragon God, he was so careless..."

Although Higanbana added a lot of personal touches.

However, the Pokémon watching her talk show were not affected by her personal agenda.

Because the other participants in the incident pointed out that the Six-Tails, which was recalled by Zeju in a few seconds, would raise its head and let out a "roar" every time Xijiana said something, refuting the "facts" in Xijiana's mouth one by one.

The rest of the Pokémon audience were completely stunned.

Whom should they believe?

Of course, it's the Six-Tails that's been praised as a peerless hero!

Evil's eyes sparkled as he listened, wishing he could grab the Thornvine Staff and become stronger to help Zeju smash Rayquaza's head open.

Foam Chipmunk, Potpourri, and Almost Doll are even simpler.

They simply and naturally knew that the Zephyr was even more powerful than Rayquaza, which Higanbana had described as incredibly powerful!

Ze Shu saw this and did not disturb them, but simply intended to pass by.

But Higana became nervous and tense:

"You, you, I, I didn't say anything bad about you, Ze Shu."

Ze Shu blinked and simply said, "Oh, I believe you."

Higana:

·......

This is clearly a lack of belief!

Ze Shu thinks she's an idiot, right? Absolutely!

"Oh, by the way, I have some news for you—" Ze Shu suddenly said, "Your Dragon God seems to have been following us the whole time. He's been circling around my spaceship."

"What?!"

Upon hearing this news, Higana's eyes widened.

She suddenly broke free from the circle of "Pokémon Listening to the Opera" sitting in a row around her, ran to the edge of the deck, looked around, and exclaimed repeatedly:

"Where? Where?"

Ze Shu said, "It's hidden."

Higana still couldn't believe it:

"Why should the Dragon God follow us?"

"Could it be that—"

"The Dragon God is reluctant to part with me, the inheritor of the Meteor Clan?!"

This led me to this guess.

Higana's eyes were shining.

"Oh, you're asking about that?" Ze Shu said thoughtfully. "It's because I didn't give the 'Seven-Colored Meteorite' to Rayquaza, right? That's why it keeps following him. It shouldn't have anything to do with you, a Meteorite Dweller."

"Seriously! Zeki, can't you even let me comfort myself a little?!"

Higana puffed out her cheeks and said angrily.

About a day later, the spaceship departed from the tropical northern Hoenn region and slowly entered the relatively cold southern Sinnoh region.

Ze Shu glanced at the compass from the captain's cabin.

Rayquaza is still following.

However, what started as "lively" and frequent has now become "energy-saving" and far behind.

This seems to be a firm decision...

What should we do if our spaceship gets stalked?

Do what you have to do, and see who can't hold it in any longer.

Thinking this, Ze Shu had just stepped out of the captain's cabin.

I spotted a jet plane in the distance, approaching at an incredible speed. It was close enough to be seen in no time.

That's Garchomp.

It also carried a bamboo orchid on its back.

As she approached the spaceship, she skillfully dismounted from the back of the Garchomp and steadily stepped onto the spaceship's deck. After a few steps, she pulled out a seat and waited patiently for Ze Shu to emerge from the captain's cabin.

She narrowed her eyes slightly, deliberately sighed, and said:

"My dear investigator, you've done something truly significant!"

"Does it have to be so sarcastic?" Ze Shu said helplessly.

Cynthia chuckled and said, "This isn't sarcastic; it's the truth. With the Hoenn Pokémon Association's 'accusations' against you, the bigwigs in various regional leagues probably all know about you now."

"The man who drives Rayquaza and inflicts a 'terrorist attack' on Hoenn."

"Tell me, what exactly happened? I should be able to find out, right?"

Ze Shu said, "What's there to hide?"

"However, the specific details of what happened—" He paused, then grabbed Higana who was passing by, pulled her over, and said, "we'll have to hear it from the 'victim's family.'"

Whether it's her sister or Rayquaza, she should be considered... a family member.

"As for whether it was a terrorist attack, well, if they think so, there's nothing I can do. But I think... since the Hoenn Pokémon Association is so vague and doesn't dare to say anything, we should at least give them some specifics."

The Rayquaza capture plan.

It's a dark history that's absolutely impossible to openly and honestly reveal.

This kind of thing would be perfectly reasonable if it happened to an evil organization. Especially since it's the Pokémon Association that's in charge of maintaining order in a region.

Xijiana was initially bewildered when she was pulled over, but after learning the reason, she immediately clenched her fists and recounted the entire incident in detail. She spoke with tears streaming down her face, leaving Zhulan speechless.

"Like this..." Zhu Lan sighed.

"Thinking about it that way..."

"The Hoenn Pokémon Association seems intent on characterizing this incident as a 'terrorist attack.' They want to emphasize that Sawaki's forced control of Rayquaza was your subjective decision, not Rayquaza's retaliation."

Ze Shu said, "What they said is actually true. It really was my subjective opinion, and it really was me who controlled Rayquaza."

Bamboo Orchid: "..."

No, do you really need to be this honest?!

"Whether it's your subjective opinion or not, once the details of the 'Rayquaza Capture Plan' have been laid out, it no longer matters."

Zhu Lan said earnestly to Ze Shu, "Leave this matter to me. I know you don't want to get involved in these kinds of internal alliance squabbles, so you don't need to worry about it."

"I'll take care of everything for you, and you'll be fine."

Ze Shu blinked and asked, "Are you sure you can do it?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Lan stood up and said confidently:

"I am the champion, the Sinnoh champion. And you are an investigator belonging to Sinnoh, one of my people."

"I won't allow anyone to overstep their authority and punish me on trumped-up charges."

No matter how utopian the Pokémon world may be, strength still reigns supreme.

The Champion is the top trainer in a region. Although the Pokémon Association has the power to manage the entire region and can usually command the Champion, that is only when the Champion is willing to cooperate and has a sense of responsibility.

The power of a champion is considerable. There won't be any ridiculous situations like a champion refusing to accept a GG (Golden Age) and being unfairly relegated to a remote area as a lowly ranger by the Pokémon League or Association.

After hearing Zhu Lan's words, Ze Shu wanted to say: There's no need to be so biased towards Zu. This isn't what you call "fabricated charges."

But Zhu Lan smiled gently.

"You said there were no casualties, right?"

"If this is true, the people of Hoenn might even need to thank you."

"Thank you for allowing Rayquaza to release its hatred for Hoenn caused by the Pokémon Association's wrong actions in such a gentle way. No one died, and not a single person was injured."

"You agree, right?"

"This unfounded obstruction is not difficult to resolve."

Zhu Lan smiled at Ze Shu.

Her smile, usually that of a dignified and mature woman, now appeared playful.

Ze Shu laughed too: "Then I really do have a great boss!"

Zhu Lan nodded reservedly, accepting the compliment, and then said, "You should rest well in Sinnoh during this time. I will let you know the outcome as soon as possible."

Zhensha Town.

Zeshu returned to the place where his journey began.

Higana looked around curiously. "Aside from the mission to save the Dragon God a few years ago, this is my first time visiting another region."

Xiao Lan watched as Ze Shu turned into a "Muckler Doll Shop" and couldn't help but ask him something.

Zeshu let Glaceon nibble on his sleeve and said, "A toy shop is naturally for buying toys."

"I promised Ibrahimovic..."

The owner of the toy shop was still the same woman—simple-dressed yet quite charming. She came out, seemed to recognize Ze Shu, and immediately said, "Young man, are you here to buy an Eevee plushie?"

Ze Shu shook his head and said seriously, "My Eevee said it wants all of Eevee's plushies, at least enough to drown it."

Glaceon was shocked: "Eevee?!"

When did it say such a thing?

It was Zeki who wanted the doll, but he was too embarrassed to say so!

And...do we have to drown its dolls?

Hmm...it seems...it seems pretty good.

Ice Eevee, biting Zeki's sleeve as he led it, was lost in thought.

But upon hearing Ze Shu's words, the female owner of the toy shop's eyes lit up immediately: "Great!"

Before long, it was getting late.

Holding Iceborne and various Eevee plushies that had buried Iceborne, Sawaki slowly walked into Dr. Yamanashi's lab in Sandsun Town. Dr. Yamanashi was very hospitable and even took out his treasured rare candies to share.

"Gag~ Gag~ Sawaki~ Welcome~ Gag~"

The noisy bird sang a welcome message as it flew erratically past Zeshu, as if worried that Zeshu would hit it on the back with another ball and knock it unconscious.

However, as it flew away, a strand of white hair appeared on its claws.

Zeshu blinked and looked at Dr. Yamanashi, who seemed used to it.

Now that I think about it carefully...

Dr. Yamanashi's white hair is much thinner than when I first met him!

The noisy bird, however, had clearly become quite fat.

Although Zhu Lan said she would tell him the outcome, Ze Shu didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

Sawaki only stayed at the Yamanashi Research Institute for two days.

Then Zhu Lan appeared before him.

Things went surprisingly smoothly.

This was the first thing she said to Ze Shu when they met.

As she spoke, she glanced at Ze Shu with a strange look and continued, "The chairman of the Hoenn Pokémon Association has been dismissed and is under investigation. He may face severe punishment in the future."

Ze Shu asked, "Did you handle it so quickly?"

Zhu Lan replied, "Yes."

"After all—" Zhu Lan looked at Ze Shu with a strange expression, "How could you not be happy to have so many people supporting you?"

"The Elite Four member from Kanto, Grandma Agatha, Elite Four member Lorelei, and Champion Steven from Hoenn..."

"Even Liu Bo, the most senior gym leader in the Johto region where the Pokémon Association's research building was located, who had been silent for a long time, took the initiative to speak out in your defense after hearing about this incident, and there are also...:"

Ze Shu: "..."

No! Who did he hear?

Uncle Liu?

Stop messing around!

Ze Shu sighed inwardly.

He didn't believe that Uncle Liu was "protecting his son".

This also means that Uncle Liu has noticed him.

Zhu Lan continued, "The victim, Dewen Company, also unusually remained silent, seemingly wanting to silently bear the losses; as for the other victim, Da Zijin Company... well, they didn't attend that discussion, after all, they've already gone bankrupt."

"This matter is pretty much settled now."

Ze Shu sighed, "Thank you."

Cynthia smiled and shook her head, saying, "You don't need to thank me. You saved the Sinnoh region back then; we Sinnoh should be thanking you. In any case, Sinnoh is your home."

Ze Shu blinked and said, "Does it have to be so cheesy?"

Zhu Lan smiled and said, "Is it cheesy? It's not so bad. These are my true feelings, you know."

However, as if she had thought of something, Zhu Lan's expression turned strange, and then she sighed:

"However, despite the fact that the matter is now closed, Hoenn still has one more request for you."

Ze Shu was stunned for a moment: "What?"

Zhu Lan said, "They think you have too much free time."

"They think you went to Hoenn for no reason without any investigation assignments, and that you're too idle as an investigator, so they're demanding that they find you another job."

Ze Shu asked, "What kind of request is this... So you agreed?"

Zhu Lan said, "My original intention was to let you become a teacher at Masago School and take a good rest for a while. I heard that you used to be a teacher at this school."

Ze Shu caught the blind spot: "Your original intention?"

"Yes." Zhu Lan nodded earnestly, "That was my intention."

Ze Shu: "So now..."

"Remember what I just said? A lot of people are supporting you—" Zhu Lan said with a strange expression, "including that guy Ye Ci."

"You know her, right? She's the champion of the Paradis Pokémon Association and also the chairperson of the Paradis Pokémon Association, holding both positions."

Ze Shu listened, his eyes widening in disbelief, and said:

"You're not going to sell me to the Parthian Union to work illegally, are you?!"

Just think about how Aoki looks, like he could die at any moment...:

Forget it! I don't dare to think about it!

Zhu Lan said with a embarrassed expression, "I initially thought you knew Ye Ci, but after chatting with Ye Ci after the meeting, I realized..."

Ze Shu said, "I don't know Ye Ci at all!"

So you just realized this was Ye Ci's "conspiracy"!

Zhu Lan turned her head away shyly before saying:

"However, this job shouldn't be considered 'illegal work' as you described."

"You know that famous academy in Padia, right?"

),

Ze Shumei asked, "Grape Academy? Orange Academy? Does this mean I have to go there...?"

Zhu Lan replied, "To be a teacher."

"Listen to what Ci said."

"A while ago, there was an incident of 'school bullying' at the academy. The principal was dismissed, and most of the teachers were also found to have neglected their duties. Now there's a severe shortage of teachers, so they used some underhanded tactics to get you, a Special Class Investigator who can command Rayquaza, to be demoted to a teaching position."

"—These are Ye Ci's original words."

"She also told me to tell you: I'm sorry for using a little trick, but Mr. Ze Shu, Padia will definitely not let you down."

At this point, Zhu Lan's face showed signs of strain.

Isn't this blatant poaching?!