Pokémon: Did you play Pokémon today?

Chapter 411 Rayquaza! It really is Master's Pokémon!

Qianli actually had something else he didn't say.

Rumor has it that the giant dragon that spans the sky was summoned by you, right?

But rumors are just rumors, and Qianli will never draw conclusions without concrete evidence.

He has suffered too much from "rumors" in his life.

Bai Zhou raised an eyebrow.

It seems that the owner of the Qianli Pavilion is paying close attention to him.

Dr. Oda Birch chimed in from the side.

"Qianli, Dr. Baizhou has come to ask for your help!"

"What is it?"

"He wants to use your character in the next Pokémon game! Just like the Gym Leaders in Kanto and Johto!"

Qianli was slightly taken aback.

"Me? Appearing in the game?"

"right!

""

Dr. Oda nods vigorously.

"So? Are you in? This is a great opportunity! So many people want it but can't get a chance!"

Qianli did not answer immediately, seemingly lost in thought.

His gaze unconsciously shifted from Bai Zhou's face, swept over his shoulders, and finally settled on Bai Zhou's neck.

There hung a dark-colored ornament there.

It was a young dragon curled up and sleeping, its scales layered upon each other, each one so exquisite it seemed alive.

Those closed eyes, with their soft lines, subtly exuded an indescribable sense of majesty.

lifelike.

It's so perfect it doesn't look like an ornament.

Qianli's pupils suddenly contracted.

His breathing suddenly quickened, and he leaned forward, almost instinctively reaching out to grasp Bai Zhou's arms.

The force was astonishing.

"This—this ornament—"

Qianli's voice trembled slightly, completely lacking the composure he had just displayed.

"Dr. Shirafune! Where did you get that thing on your neck?!"

Bai Zhou was taken aback and looked down at the Fierce Sky Steed that was pretending to be dead in his collar.

It slept peacefully, completely still, without even the tip of its tail twitching.

It seemed completely unaware that someone was asking it.

Bai Zhou: "————"

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

Keep pretending.

"This one—"

"Yes! That's it!"

Qianli's eyes were fixed on the pendant, his tone so urgent it was almost uncontrollable.

"This shape, this texture—except for the color not being black, it is clearly—it is—"

His voice trembled slightly.

"Lie Kong Zuo".

Upon hearing this name, Professor Birch's smile froze on his face.

He already guessed what might happen next.

He had known Qianli for many years and knew how deep this man's obsession with Rayquaza was—deep enough to turn a composed dojo master into the way he is now.

Qianli's gaze was so intense it seemed to burn.

"Dr. Shiraishu, I'm almost certain that the image on this pendant is that of Rayquaza, the legendary sky god!"

His voice was low, yet it carried an excitement that had been suppressed for many years.

Five years ago, the Hoenn League attempted to capture Rayquaza, but the operation failed due to some unforeseen circumstances.

His eyes darkened.

"After that, I took the initiative to take responsibility, resigned from my position as a prospective gym leader, and embarked on a journey to find Rayquaza."

"I went from Hoenn to Kanto, and from Kanto to Johto—then I heard that someone had seen a black dragon in Windfall Castle, so I came back."

He took a deep breath and refocused his gaze on Bai Zhou's face.

"Although this question may be a bit presumptuous, I still want to ask you."

"Was that giant dragon you summoned in Windrise City—really Rayquaza?"

Professor Oda looked at Senri's determined face and couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

He had known Qianli for so many years, and he had never seen him like this before.

The deepest secret that Qianli had kept hidden in his heart was revealed to someone he had just met, without any reservations.

Ash scratched his head, looking like he was wondering, "What's so strange about this?"

Bai Zhou looked into Qianli's eyes, which were burning with obsession, and remained silent for a few seconds.

He actually knew about what had happened to Qianli.

In the original timeline, this man was burdened with responsibilities that were not his to bear because of an accident involving his son Ruby.

At that time, he had just passed the gym leader exam and was full of vigor, ready to make a name for himself in Orange City.

As a result, the Hoenn League's top brass, for some reason, came up with a shocking plan—to forcibly capture Rayquaza.

The reasons, however, are quite plausible.

To prevent Groudon and Kyogre from fighting, the power of the sky god is needed to quell the wrath of the earth and sea.

Bai Zhou always found this absurd.

If you can't handle Groudon and Kyogre, how can you possibly handle Rayquaza?

They are, after all, the Lord of the Sky; if pushed too far, they are even more difficult to deal with than those two.

But the league's top management clearly doesn't think so.

They mobilized a large amount of manpower and resources to lay a tight net in the area where Rayquaza was found, and successfully used the power of technology to temporarily trap Rayquaza.

But what about the results?

The arrogance and terror of the Sky Throne far exceeded their imagination.

The sky god didn't even bother to take it seriously, easily tearing open the restraints.

But what truly caused the plan to collapse was not Rayquaza itself.

It was a child.

Ruby chased away a "wild" Salamence in order to protect Sapphire.

The Salamence fled in a panic, crashing headlong into the area where the League was trapping Rayquaza, creating a breach in the blockade.

Seizing the opportunity, Rayquaza vanished into the clouds in an instant.

The encirclement and capture plan has completely failed.

The league leadership needs a scapegoat.

They dared not admit that their plan was wrong from the start, nor that their strength was simply no match for the legendary Pokémon.

So they pinned the blame on Qianli.

Bai Zhou had no idea what Qianli was feeling at the time.

But Qianli silently took all the blame in order to protect Lubi.

The man offered no explanation and made no argument.

He silently handed over the Gym Leader's badge, took the blame for all the crimes that were not his responsibility, and embarked on a journey to find Rayquaza.

This search lasted for several years.

To protect his son, he spent several years trying to make up for a mistake he had never made.

Bai Zhou looked at the determined man in front of him and thought that this man was quite to her liking.

At least, he's a responsible person.

After a moment's thought, out of respect for Qianli, he decided to answer truthfully.

"Yes."

Bai Zhou's voice was calm as he gave a specific answer.

"During the Wind City incident—I did summon Rayquaza and successfully commanded it to fight against Lugia, the god of ocean currents, who had gone berserk."

He did summon and command Rayquaza, but whether it was the one that Thousand Miles had been searching for all along is hard to say.

But since they're all Rayquaza, they're all the same.

The dojo fell silent.

Dr. Birch was completely stunned. He never expected Shiraishu to admit it, or rather, he couldn't believe it.

He certainly knew about Rayquaza, and he understood what Rayquaza meant better than most people.

That is the god of the sky.

It is a legend that the Hoenn League tried its best to capture it, but still could not subdue it.

It is one of the most advanced creatures on this land.

And such a being—is actually being willingly commanded by people?

He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

Qianli froze on the spot, only his pupils trembling violently.

He had been pursuing the Sky Throne for so many years, and he knew its arrogance and power better than anyone else.

He even once thought that it was just a fantasy he could never reach.

Such an existence... — Unbelievable —

"impossible----"

He muttered to himself, his voice hoarse and forced out from deep in his throat.

"How could Rayquaza possibly be subdued by anyone?!"

"It's not about subjugation."

Bai Zhou corrected, "It's recognition; we are equal partners."

Qianli was stunned.

Recognition? Equality? Partnership?

The existence he has been searching for for so many years is actually willing to acknowledge a human?

If Rayquaza can recognize humans, then what about the Alliance's attempt to forcibly capture Rayquaza back then?

At this moment, Satoshi, who was standing next to Kazuma, finally couldn't help but speak up.

"Rayquaza! It really is Master's Pokémon!"

He scratched his head, his expression innocent and naive.

"Pikachu and I even battled it! Although we lost in the end—it was a really fun battle!"

Pikachu nodded in agreement, gesturing something in the air with its little paws.

"Pikachu, Pikachu!"

Qianli: "————"

Dr. Little Birch:

The way the two looked at Ash suddenly became very strange.

He's fought against Rayquaza? And he felt good about losing? Just who is this kid?

After a long while, Qianli slowly released Bai Zhou's arm and took a step back.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, seemingly trying to calm the turmoil in his heart.

When he opened his eyes again, his gaze had returned to calm, but deep in his eyes was an indescribable bitterness.

"Dr. Shirafuru————"

He opened his mouth, as if he wanted to ask a lot of questions.

I'd like to ask where he met Rayquaza and how he gained Rayquaza's approval.

I want to ask him where the answer he has been searching for all these years is.

But he swallowed those words back down.

Dr. Shirazuki is the hero who saved Wind City, and also a trainer recognized by Rayquaza.

He cannot, and has no right to, pry into other people's privacy excessively.

The accusations he has borne over the years, and his pursuit and persistence over the years, are all his own choices.

The fact that the doctor could say these things to him already showed him immense trust.

After a few seconds of silence, he spoke, "Dr. Bai Zhou, I have a favor to ask."

Bai Zhou felt a little uneasy under his gaze.

"you say."

Qianli looked directly into Baizhou's eyes and said, word by word, "I want to fight you."

"I want to see just how far I am from Rayquaza's trainer."

"Or rather—"

He paused.

"I want to see if what I've been pursuing all these years has been worth it."

"Oh, this—"

Bai Zhou was in a dilemma and instinctively wanted to refuse.

He's just a PhD student with practically zero combat power!

Although his Pokémon are all extraordinary, that's all due to their own abilities and has little to do with him as their parent.

But looking into Chisato's longing eyes, and then at Professor Birch's winking and suggestive expression hinting at "character authorization"—

Bai Zhou sighed and shrugged resignedly.

"Alright."

He never expected that he would be chased down and challenged by his father right after he finished disciplining the other man's son. He was getting his comeuppance.

Qianli's eyes lit up, and a smile finally appeared on his tense face.

"But let's make this clear beforehand!"

Bai Zhou quickly added, holding up three fingers and waving them.

"Friendly match! Choose three out of six for singles! Keep it brief! No hard play allowed!"

"certainly!"

Qianli nodded, his smile deepening.

"We'll follow the rules of the gym challenge: the match ends when all of one side's Pokémon are unable to battle."

Xiao Zhi was jumping up and down with excitement.

"Great! Master is finally going to make a move! Pikachu, can you see that?!"

Bai Zhou rolled her eyes at him, annoyed.

"What are you so happy about? It wasn't you who hit him."

Ash chuckled and grabbed Pikachu, running towards the audience seats.

"Pikachu! Let's go watch Master show off his skills!"

"Pikachu!"

Bai Zhou shook his head, stretched his neck, and walked to the other side of the field.

Just right.

Although the little guys train every day in the dream space, a dream is still a dream, and real combat is always the only standard to test their strength.

Qianli is indeed a formidable opponent.

In the entire Hoenn region, apart from the two champions, Steven and Wallace, he is probably the strongest, on par with the Elite Four.

Bai Zhou stood at one end of the field, looking at Qianli on the other side.

Sunlight streamed in through the windows high up in the dojo, casting a bright band of light between the two.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony."

Qianli nodded, took a Poké Ball, spun it in his hand, and then threw it.

"Come out, Starhawk!"

A flash of light appeared, and a large, brown-black eagle-like Pokémon stood with its wings spread in the field.

It spread its wings, its wingspan almost spanning half the battlefield, and its sharp eyes, like two beams of cold light, were fixed on the trainer opposite it.

Its imposing presence unreservedly showcases its absolute strength.

Bai Zhou narrowed his eyes slightly.

The first Pokémon that Senri sent out was not the Slaking family that he had expected.

This shows that he took this challenge very seriously and did not hold back at all just because it was a friendly match.

Judging from the aura and condition emanating from the Mk Eagle, this should be one of the main forces of the Thousand Miles Army, and its strength should not be underestimated.

He swept his hand over the Poké Ball at his waist and began to think about which Pokémon to start with.

The shadow beneath my feet suddenly began to wriggle.

Gengar poked its head out, its two huge eyes staring at him longingly, its chubby face screaming "Pick me! Pick me!"

Bai Zhou glanced down at it, then decisively ignored its longing gaze.

Based on the current team rankings, without using the Slate item, Prince Gengar possesses the strength of a regular champion mainstay, leading the team by a significant margin.

In the dream world, its level is as high as 72, which is comparable to Steven's Metagross in reality.

Moreover, it has rich practical experience and its attributes directly counter normal types, so it's really not appropriate to use it to bully Qianli.

He pressed Gengar back into its shadow.

The Gengar in the shadows let out a muffled groan of grievance and twisted unhappily.

Bai Zhou glanced at the Poké Ball on his waist again.

The team's second-ranked unit is Milotic, which recently evolved.

Although the training time in the dream world was not very long and the level was only 64, the presence of the Overlord's aura was enough to allow it to go head-to-head with the Elite Four level ace Pokémon.

The third and fourth are the head maid and the little brother in the family, respectively, at level 42 and 40, barely reaching the level of a main force in the dojo.

However, when it comes to dealing with an unconventional gym leader like Senri, their raw strength is still slightly inferior.

As for the mischievous Growlithe?

Because I joined the team the shortest time and have the lowest level (only level 38), I need more time to grow.

Thinking only takes a moment.

Bai Zhou's hand finally stopped on the diving ball.

"I choose you, Milotic."