Pokémon: Did you play Pokémon today?

Chapter 382 "So what's hidden in here? The big one is coming?!"

"??????"

"You can do that? That's too ruthless!"

"This is hilarious! He knocked her out instantly! There wasn't even a battle scene!"

"Swim Trunks Boy: What did I do wrong? I just wanted to fight, why did you kill me? (Feeling wronged)"

"This is so awesome! Suicune's surfing attack wipes out everyone! I can't take it anymore, I want to play Suicune too!"

Qi Shu laughed so hard he almost fell over, tears welling up in his eyes.

"You're so mean, salted fish sauce!"

"This is called making good use of the terrain."

Bai Zhou was talking nonsense with a straight face.

"Suiki, what else would you do if not play in the water?"

"So much fun! One more salted fish sauce, one more!"

"okk."

The rest of the journey turned into a one-sided "smashing of noobs" by Bai Zhou.

Suigun rampaged recklessly.

When they see someone swimming, they greet them with "surfing".

Upon seeing a ship pass by, he used "Ice Beam" to freeze a path of ice in front of him, and then drifted around the bend on Suicune.

Upon seeing Flying-type Pokémon on the sea surface, gently push them away with "Psychic Power".

Smooth and stylish throughout.

"Awesome! So awesome! This show is amazing!"

"I swear, I'm going to grind the Burnt Tower storyline all night tonight! I'm determined to make Suicune my party member!"

"I want to capture Emperor Yan! I think Emperor Yan is more handsome! More imposing!"

"The Thunder Party is here! Nobody can take it from me!"

"Wake up, have you all forgotten that we need to fight the masked man first?"

"—Shut up, let me dream for a while."

Qi Shu leaned back in his gaming chair, but his eyes remained glued to the smooth, flowing visuals on the screen.

She suddenly felt that even if she couldn't beat the masked man, it didn't seem so bad anymore.

Salted fish sauce.

"Um?"

"Are there any faster or easier guides to encounter the Three Holy Beasts?"

"Yes, I have."

Bai Zhou's voice carried a hint of mystery.

"What? What? Tell me quickly!"

"Don't worry, you'll find out later."

"—You're so stingy! Just reveal a little bit!"

"Not a single detail can be revealed; it's a trade secret."

"Tch! Fine, I won't tell you then! I'm not curious at all!"

The two laughed and bickered all the way, and time flew by.

Before they knew it, they had crossed a vast expanse of open sea.

The scene ahead began to change strangely.

On the sea surface, countless swirling eddies appeared!

The whirlpools varied in size, with the largest exceeding ten meters in diameter and the smallest measuring two or three meters. They swirled on the sea surface, emanating a strange and alluring force.

"Wait, Kiju-chan, there are so many whirlpools in front of you!"

"Really, how come there are so many whirlpools?"

"Watch out! Entering these whirlpools will send you straight back to the Pokémon Center!"

"This setup is incredibly annoying! I tried it once before and was immediately teleported back!"

"Don't go in! You'll have wasted your time. It takes half an hour to get to this nautical chart!"

The sea ahead was covered with countless whirlpools of all sizes, and the current was swift, making it look extremely dangerous.

According to the mechanism mentioned in the comments, this should be the "malice" of a certain game designer.

Entering these vortexes will forcibly teleport you back to the nearest Pokémon Center in the city, directly interrupting your exploration progress.

But Bai Zhou controlled Suijun, constantly weaving through those whirlpools, circling around, but never entering a safe course.

"Salted fish sauce!"

Qi Shu tensed up and asked in confusion.

"Why don't we take the straight line? There's clearly no whirlpool over there; it looks safer and closer!"

"No rush."

Bai Zhou's tone remained calm.

Do you remember what was in your backpack?

"In the backpack?"

Qi Shu opened his backpack and took a look.

"Just ordinary stuff—medicines, Poké Balls, various items—oh right, and the Silver Feather I got before."

"Silver Feathers".

Bai Zhou repeated it, his voice tinged with laughter.

"Do you see that biggest whirlpool over there?"

Qi Shu looked in the direction he pointed.

On the distant sea, a terrifying whirlpool, several times larger than any other whirlpool, was slowly rotating.

The seawater was swept in, creating a deafening roar.

At the center of the vortex was a deep, bottomless darkness.

"Ready?"

"What are you preparing? Wait, the salted fish sauce...you wouldn't be thinking of...?"

Suigun suddenly accelerates!

Before he could finish speaking, Suicune suddenly accelerated!

Instead of avoiding the giant vortex as before, it charged straight toward the center, its four hooves pounding the waves!

The screen suddenly went dark.

All sound was removed, leaving only endless darkness and a feeling of weightlessness.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no! Send it!"

"What are you doing, Salty Fish Teacher?!"

"Kiki-chan—!"

"I don't even know what to say."

"I really don't understand what Teacher Salty did. Did he just give away the prize himself?"

However, the expected teleportation did not occur.

The screen lit up again.

A soft blue halo shone around Suicune, like a protective shield, firmly protecting the two people and their pet.

The terrifying tearing force of the vortex was isolated by this halo, and they fell steadily into the depths of the vortex as if riding a sightseeing elevator.

"What's going on? Why didn't I teleport?"

"A bug? That can't be right!"

"Wasn't it said that entering the vortex would teleport you back?!"

"Why?! I was sent away as soon as I went in! Give me my money back!!!"

"Suicune! It must be Suicune protecting us!"

"?"

Qi Shu was also dumbfounded, her beautiful big eyes filled with confusion.

"Salted Fish Sauce—why are we okay? Didn't the comments say we'd be teleported back?"

"A mere whirlpool."

Bai Zhou spoke casually, answering everyone's questions.

"With Water Lord, you can do whatever you want."

"—I was speechless."

"I hate you, Salty Fish Teacher!!! This guide is completely unusable!!!"

"So the prerequisite for this hidden route is that you need a legendary Pokémon to use as your mode of transportation???"

"Got it, I'll go find Suicune now!"

"Hey, you'd better get past the masked man first—"

"Shut up! Let me dream!"

Qi Shu looked at the comments and couldn't help but cover his mouth and chuckle.

It's nice to have salted fish sauce.

"What are you laughing at, Kiju-chan?!"

"We saw you laughing at us!"

"Do you know that this is a blatant betrayal of us?!"

"No! I didn't!"

Qi Shu hurriedly waved his hand, but he couldn't hide the smile on his lips.

After successfully entering the depths of the vortex, the surrounding scenery suddenly changed.

The place is dimly lit, the water is turbulent and treacherous, and there are dangerous undercurrents and whirlpools everywhere.

"Salted fish sauce, what's next?"

Qi Shu asked cautiously, "This place looks so dangerous—"

"Take out the silver feather and follow its guidance."

Qi Shu followed the instructions and controlled Little Qi Shu to take out a silver feather from the backpack.

The silver feathers began to tremble slightly, their tips pointing in a certain direction, and the light flickered accordingly.

White Boat maneuvers Suicune, following the guidance of Silver Feather, nimbly navigating the complex underwater environment.

"Turn left here—okay, there's an undercurrent ahead, Suicune, use your powers to push through—"

"So handsome!"

Qishu watched the Suicune on the screen with such ease that his eyes practically sparkled with admiration.

"I want to raise one too!"

"You can start farming after you defeat the masked man."

"7

"Ugh—don't mention the masked man—"

"Teacher Salty's map knowledge is amazing."

"Nonsense, otherwise how could he be a game producer? How could he not be familiar with the games he makes?"

"I think I've figured it out now. On the surface, Teacher Salty Fish is leading the exploration of the Strange Tree, but actually he's showing off his skills—no, he's showing off to Water-kun!"

"This hidden map is so hard to find! You can't get in without Suicune and Silver Wing."

"So this strategy not only needs Suicune, but also the skills of Mr. Salty Fish ————"

"Excuse me, goodbye."

Finally, after passing through the last turbulent undercurrent, light appeared ahead.

Suigun accelerated, carrying the two of them out of the water!

Whoosh—

Before me lay an island shrouded in thick fog.

The island is covered with lush trees and exotic flowers and plants.

In the distance, there is a towering mountain peak, and a huge cave entrance can be vaguely seen on its waist.

The sky was azure, and the sea breeze was gentle.

It doesn't feel like the middle of a dangerous sea at all; it's more like a forgotten paradise.

"W-Where is this?!"

"I've been playing here for so long, how come I've never heard of this place before!"

"Wait, this reminds me of the unmanned power plant in FireRed/LeafGreen! It's one of those hidden maps that requires special conditions to enter!"

"Yes! It's one of those hidden maps!"

"So what's hidden in here? Is the big one coming?!"

"Could it be that there are legendary Pokémon here too? This island is definitely not ordinary!"

Qi Shu looked at the game map.

Blank.

There are no place name markers or coordinates.

Even the island's outline wasn't shown, as if the place didn't exist in the game world's map data at all.

"Salted fish sauce! Is this a hidden map?!"

"uh-huh."

"What's inside?!"

Bai Zhou smiled without saying a word.

"Salted fish sauce—tell me!" (6)

Qi Shu started to draw out the last syllable of her voice and act coquettishly again.

"Just tell me!"

"Why don't you go in and find out?"

Bai Zhou remained motionless, but the smile in his voice became even more pronounced.

"Kiki-chan's ability to act cute gets a perfect score from me!"

"Teacher Salty Fish, you're going to be punished by heaven! How can you not be moved by such a cute girl's coquettishness?"

"He's definitely a straight-laced man."

"Don't mind him, Qishu-chan! Let's explore on our own!"

"But to be honest, I'm also really curious about what's inside—"

White Boat maneuvers Suicune to the shore, and the two step onto the island and enter the cave.

The cave was dimly lit and had many branching paths.

Along the way, you can also see all sorts of strange murals.

The mural depicts giant bird-shaped Pokémon soaring over the sea.

"Salted fish sauce, these murals—"

"Strange Tree asked in a low voice."

"It's a record left by ancient people."

Shirashu explained earnestly, "They had seen the legendary Pokémon with their own eyes and carved them on the stone wall, hoping that future generations would remember these beings."

After passing through the last passage, the view suddenly opened up, and we arrived at the deepest part of the Whirlpool Islands.

This is a huge cave space with a raised stone altar in the center. It has an ancient design and is carved with patterns of waves and whirlpools.

It looks like it's from an extremely ancient era.

Directly in front of the altar is a waterfall cascading down from a height, its roaring waters creating bursts of mist.

The strange tree manipulated the little strange tree to walk to the altar.

"Salted fish sauce, is this... for a sacrificial offering?"

"Yes, put the silver feather on it."

Do as the strange tree does.

Little Wonder Tree took the silver feather out of his backpack and placed it on the altar.

Then----

Nothing happened.

"?"

"this one?"

"The feather isn't reacting? Mr. Salty Fish, you must have come to the wrong place, right?"

"We've built up the atmosphere to this point, and you're telling me nothing happened?"

"I took my pants off and this is what you show me?"

Qi Shu was also a little confused and was about to ask a question.

But then they saw Bai Zhou, controlling Xiao Bai, also walk onto the altar.

Then, Xiaobai started dancing.

It was a unique dance, with light steps, elegant gestures, and a certain ancient rhythm.

"Dancing?! Dancing at this hour?! Mr. Salty Fish, are you serious?"

"Wait, this dance—I feel like I've seen it before."

"Now that you mention it, I remember! There's an NPC in a city in the Johto region who teaches this dance, but it costs 5000 coins per lesson!"

"5000?! That's highway robbery! I can't even earn 5000 by training trainers all day!"

"Seriously? Is the game really that detailed? You spend money to learn a dance and it gets used in this kind of situation?"

Qi Shu recognized it too.

"Salted fish sauce! Is this... that traditional dance?!"

"right."

Bai Zhou's voice was tinged with laughter.

"You probably didn't learn it because it was too expensive back then, right?"

"Ugh—how did you know—"

"Because most people would find it too expensive."

'

'

"Normal People"

"Teacher Salty Fish, you know how to be sarcastic."

"So this dance actually works?!"

The dance continues.

Xiao Bai's movements became faster and smoother.

hum!

The silver feather on the altar trembled violently!

It slowly rose and hovered in mid-air, emitting an increasingly intense silvery-white light!

The light grew brighter and brighter, illuminating the entire cave!

A clear, ringing bell echoed through the cave.

Then came the second sound, and the third sound—

More and more bells rang out, as if countless invisible wind chimes were swaying at the same time.

The classical-style background music suddenly burst into play!

The entire cave began to shake!

"W-What happened?!"

The strange tree exclaimed in surprise.

There was no warning, no gradual sound.

The waterfall in front of us suddenly split in the middle!

The water rushed to both sides in panic, crashing against the rugged rock walls and splashing up a cloud of water mist.

Behind this mist lies a vast space that has been hidden for countless years.

A massive, silvery-white figure slowly emerged from that space!

It has a smooth and elegant body, and its huge wings slowly unfold. With each flap, it creates visible vortices in the surrounding airflow.

Lugia!

God of Ocean Currents!

Coming!

It gently landed in front of the altar, its deep eyes quietly watching the two tiny humans before it.

There was no hostility, no pressure.

There was only scrutiny, and a faint hint of curiosity.

The image freezes at this moment.