Pokémon: Did you play Pokémon today?

Chapter 393 This is what I, Kuiqisi, have sought all my life!

"Wait a minute! I've suddenly realized a huge problem! If Uncle Liu in the game is really trapped in a time rift and can't come back, then who is the Uncle Liu in our reality?!"

"Huh!? That's right! How come I didn't think of that! Uncle Liu in real life is perfectly fine! He even participated in the opening ceremony of the all-around competition a while ago! He's in great spirits!"

"That's normal, after all, it's a game. Some artistic embellishment is reasonable. Could it be that Uncle Liu could really control Ho-Oh and Lugia all by himself? That's too outrageous!"

"It's hard to say—based on my deep understanding of that old scoundrel, he would never create a setting without any basis. If you do your research carefully, you'll find that many story details in the game have clues in reality!"

"Could there be a plot twist?! Liu Bo isn't dead?! It's just that Dante and Qibana didn't notice?! This is terrifying to think about!!!"

"Awesome!!! This is Pokémon!!! This is Salty Teacher!!! I'm fucking blown away!!!"

"————"

Overnight, the entire internet exploded.

Qishu's live stream clips and the recordings of Qibana and Dandi's duo live streams have been watched, analyzed, and parodied by countless people.

The epic battle between Ho-Oh and Lugia, the masked man's identity reversal, Psy's decades-long obsession, and the reunion of the three Lapras —

Each clip was edited into a video and spread wildly on various platforms.

Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver occupied seven of the top ten trending topics.

"#Ho-Oh vs. Lugia#"

"#The Masked Man's Real Identity#"

"#LiuBoChengLong#"

"#Send them home#"

"#SaltedFishOldThiefyyds#"

"#StrangeTreeSaltyFishOldThiefCP#"

"#QibanadantiCP#"

Countless derivative works have sprung up like mushrooms after rain.

Stunningly edited montages, imaginative fan art, frame-by-frame plot analysis, and witty character commentary —

And Liu Bo, the former Ice-type gym leader, has become the focus of public opinion in particular.

His transformation from a "cold and taciturn serious gym leader" to a "masked man who is willing to cross time and space for his beloved Pokémon" has deeply touched the hearts of countless viewers.

A blogger specializing in emotional content made a video titled "Uncle Liu: An old man who spent his whole life regretting his mistakes."

The number of views also exceeded ten million.

The most upvoted comment in the comment section was just one sentence: "He's not a villain, he's just an old man who got lost and wanted to go home."

United States region.

Inside the ancient church of the Plasma Order.

The dim candlelight flickered, casting dappled shadows.

The throne was high above, with a kneeling crowd dressed in uniform white robes below.

Quixote leaned back lazily in his chair, resting his chin on one hand, a faint, ambiguous smile playing on his lips.

A subordinate respectfully handed over an intelligence briefing and began to report something.

"—That concludes the entire storyline regarding the Masked Man in HeartGold/SoulSilver."

"According to our analysis, the masked man in the game is based on the gym owner of Kaji Town in the Johto region, Liu Bo."

"He traveled through time using the power of the shrine, attempting to save the two dragons that fell into the glacier when he was young."

"To this end, he controlled Ho-Oh and Lugia, orchestrated Team Rocket's rebellion, and even sacrificed himself."

After the report concluded, the subordinate bowed his head and stepped aside.

The church fell into a brief silence.

"Oh."

A soft chuckle.

Quixote leaned back on his throne, shifting to a more comfortable position.

The smile at the corners of his mouth became even more pronounced.

To control Ho-Oh and Lugia—what immense power that is!

It has the power to dominate legends and even touch time itself.

This force could have rewritten the landscape of the capital, reshaped the order of the alliance, and even influenced the entire world.

The results of it?

Just for two—no, three, three insignificant Lapras?

For the sake of so-called "partners" and "bonds," things whose definitions are not even clear.

He not only gave up the power that was within his grasp, but he also sacrificed himself.

madness!

Utterly stupid!

In Quixote's view, this was nothing short of a desecration and waste of power, and a great insult to the gifts of the gods.

Liu Bo was nothing but a fool bound by trivial emotions, a pathetic joke.

A stronger desire and a sense of superiority arose within him.

He, Quixote, is about to take control of something greater and purer!

That black and white dragon is enough to divide ideals from reality!

He will lead humanity toward a future of true liberation, conquer the United States, and establish a completely new order!

"Lord Quechis----"

Beneath the throne, a believer looked up in confusion and asked.

"Why are you laughing?"

Quixote instantly suppressed the mocking smile on his lips.

He slowly stood up, his expression solemn and dignified in the candlelight, like a compassionate saint.

"I feel saddened by the foolish acts of those who are blinded by power and wantonly enslave Pokémon."

His voice was loud and infectious, echoing in the empty church.

"Look at what this masked man is doing!"

"To satisfy his own selfish desires, he forcibly controlled the sacred legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh and Lugia! What arrogance and tyranny this is!"

"Humans and Pokémon should coexist peacefully; we should be equal partners!"

"But the Poké Ball—this cold, forceful tool—is the invisible shackle that humans have imposed on Pokémon!"

""

"It symbolizes absolute dominance and control!"

He stood up and spread his arms.

"The world I dream of shouldn't be like this!"

"Our ideal is to break these shackles! To liberate all Pokémon bound by Poké Balls! To restore the world to its true, pure form!"

"Humans and Pokémon should understand each other and coexist freely, not have one side enslaving the other!"

"Only through mutual understanding and respect can we live together on this beautiful planet!"

His voice reached its climax.

"This is Team Plasma's ideal!"

"This is what I, Quixote, have sought my entire life!"

This inspiring speech, brimming with idealism, instantly ignited the passion of all the plasma team members below.

Their eyes gleamed with fanaticism as they chanted Quixote's name in unison, their voices rising in waves.

"Lord Quechis!"

"Long live the Plasma Team!"

"Humans and Pokémon are equal!"

"Release all Pokémon!"

"For liberation! For true peace!"

Shouts echoed throughout the church.

Quixote smiled, opened his arms, and accepted the worship of his subjects.

His gaze, however, bypassed the crowd and landed on the tall, slender figure who remained silent in the corner.

The cheers gradually subsided.

Quixote descended the steps of the throne, walked through the crowd that automatically made way for him, and came before the figure.

"N, my most special child."

He called out softly, his tone completely different from the impassioned speech he had given earlier.

At this moment, he resembled a kind elder, his eyes even carrying a hint of pride and expectation.

The green-haired boy raised his eyes, revealing a handsome face that always carried a hint of melancholy.

"Father."

He responded in a low voice.

Quixote reached out and gently placed his hand on N's shoulder.

"You heard the story about Uncle Liu just now."

N remained silent and nodded.

Quixote's self-illumination is soft and profound.

"I'm telling you this so you can understand—what humans call 'bonds' are often just another way of saying 'control.'"

"Liu Bo thought he loved his dragons, but his love almost destroyed them, and also destroyed himself."

His voice suddenly lowered.

"But you are different, N."

"You are special. You can hear the thoughts of Pokémon, you can truly understand them, so you must understand."

"Those trainers, those who bind Pokémon with Poké Balls, what kind of 'friendship' and 'bond' they claim to have, is utterly hypocritical."

N lowered her eyes and remained silent.

"You are the future king of the Plasma Cult."

Quixote tightened his grip slightly, with an air of approval.

"You will lead us to build a world where humans and Pokémon are truly equal."

"By then, there will be no more Liu Bo, and no more Pokémon will suffer because of human obsession."

He withdrew his hand, glanced at N one last time, turned and walked toward the throne, once again receiving the cheers of the people.

N remained standing in the same spot.

There was an invisible wall separating him from the crowd's fervor.

He looked up, his gaze passing through the cheering crowd and landing on the stained glass windows of the church dome.

It depicts legendary Pokémon—

The Black and White Dragon.

Ideal versus reality.

Czechoslovakia and Lehiram.

"Is it equal?"

He murmured to himself, his voice drowned out by the deafening cheers.

But inexplicably, the story of Uncle Liu that I had just heard surfaced in my mind—

Having mastered two legendary Pokémon, he possessed power sufficient to overturn everything.

But for two ordinary dragons—

Willing to give up everything, even to leave oneself forever in the cracks of time.

My father said that was foolish, an obsession, and the ultimate manifestation of a desire for control.

But why————

N secretly clenched the hem of her clothes.

Why did he only feel warmth from that story?

"The bond between humans and Pokémon —"

He murmured softly, his voice so low that only he could hear it.

The father's speech continued, and the cheers grew louder and louder.

N seemed to be in another world.

But that story made him doubt for the first time.

He opened his eyes and looked at the figure in front of him who was opening his arms to accept the cheers.

Quixote stood before the throne, watching all this, a genuine smile playing on his lips.

Foolish Uncle Liu.

Once I control the Black and White Dragons and conquer the Unova region.

Then you will know—

What is true power?

Kanto region.

Pallet Town, Professor Oak's Lab.

Warm sunlight streamed through the window and fell on the cluttered desk.

For once, Professor Oak wasn't engrossed in his research. Instead, he leaned back leisurely in an old wicker chair, casually swiping his phone screen.

This is one of the few moments of relaxation he has during the day.

Then, his fingers stopped.

On the screen is a homepage recommendation from a video platform, where a short video clip with an extremely eye-catching title jumps into view.

"The true identity of the masked man has been revealed! A 30-year-old obsession!"

The video has already garnered over a million views, and the comment section is buzzing with activity.

Professor Oak frowned slightly and clicked on the video.

The video is a highlight reel of Chibana and Dante's live stream.

From the masked man's ruthless control over Ho-Oh and Lugia to Lyub's despair as he witnesses Lapras fall from the glacier.

Then, the whole process of sending the dragon home and obtaining the Ice Badge.

The editor is clearly a master; the pacing is just right, and the background music is just the right amount of emotionally stirring.

Professor Oak silently finished reading, remained silent for a long time, and then sighed deeply.

"Why is this kid making the game so sentimental?!"

He knew a little about what happened back then.

Uncle Liu did have a past he didn't want to talk about when he was young, but he never expected that the truth would be like this.

He thought Uncle Liu had already come out.

That old man always had a stern face, never smiled at anyone, and had a "keep away" look to him.

After all, who would have thought that he hid all his gentleness beneath that cold exterior?

It has been hidden for decades.

Professor Oak put down his teacup and looked out the window.

In the yard, several wild Rattatas were peeking out from the grass, while a Bobo landed on the wall to preen its feathers.

He recalled many years ago, when they were all young.

Uncle Liu back then—actually, he could laugh too.

When did that face completely freeze into ice?

It was probably when those two dragons left him forever.

"It's time to call up a few old guys for a get-together—"

Professor Oak muttered to himself, picked up the communicator, and contacted several old friends one by one.

Steel, the Nurturing House Couple, and ———

He hesitated for a moment, but finally clicked on Kikuko's profile picture.

Hmph, let that old woman come or not, he's already notified her.

When I called Uncle Liu, he was patiently brushing the shells of three Lapras by the specially expanded warm water pool in the backyard of the Kaji Gym.

The water flowed gently, and the dragon hummed contentedly.

"Don't move."

He gently patted the largest dragon, his tone as serious as ever.

"You'll get sick if you don't clean it properly."

Chenglong turned her head and rubbed her wet nose against his hand, as if she were being affectionate.

Uncle Liu's lips twitched slightly; it was a smile he rarely showed.

Just then, my phone rang.

He glanced at the caller ID—Professor Oak.

He answered the phone without saying a word, waiting for the other person to speak first.

"Feed? Uncle Liu, it's me."

Professor Oak's voice came through the receiver, tinged with laughter.

"Are you free now? I've invited a few old guys, like Steel, to come over to the research institute for a get-together. Kikuko, that old lady—cough, Kikuko too."

"————Kikuko?"

Uncle Liu's voice carried a subtle tinge; of course, he knew about the old stories between Daiki and Kikuko.

"Don't you two get along?"

"That happened so many years ago."

Professor Oak laughed heartily, his tone carefree.

"Besides, she's definitely interested in your story now. Just treat it as me laughing at you, okay?"

Uncle Liu remained silent for a moment.

Then, she gave a soft "hmm".

Before hanging up, Professor Oak casually mentioned, "By the way, you're a celebrity all over the internet now. Those live stream clips are circulating everywhere, even this old man like me has seen them."

""