Chapter 113: Shouldering, Shouldering, Shouldering, Shouldering My Pack~

"Time to slip away. Whatever needs to be done, we'll talk about it when we get back."

Sitting on the back of his Dragonite, the white-haired youth was feeling particularly cheerful. It was quite amusing to mess with Scott, though he had no idea how many Frontier Brains the man had managed to assemble by now. If he gave them time and opportunity to react, it might become difficult to leave later.

After this trip, Zhu Suihan felt his mind had become much clearer. Scott seemed to be a pure battle fanatic; one of his goals in establishing the Battle Frontier was to host grand battles and further promote the popularity of Pokémon battling. Whether it was the Battle Frontier in Hoenn or the Battle Zone in Sinnoh that would come later, they all felt somewhat like chain stores or franchises.

As a powerful information broker, Scott perhaps also harbored the ambition of expanding and strengthening the Battle Frontier, thereby increasing the prestige of the symbols and badges earned by defeating the Frontier Brains. It was precisely because of this mindset that when Ash mentioned to Paul in the Sinnoh region that he had defeated Brandon, the cold and aloof Paul reacted so strongly.

"My rival, who I have defeated, once beat the Pyramid King? No way, I have to go try it myself!"

As for rivaling the Pokémon League Conference, that was likely impossible. Unless Scott could obtain a Sacred Flame from the League to gain legitimacy, the difficulty would be hellish. By the time one reached the higher tiers of the Battle Frontier, the difficulty level was arguably equivalent to the "Top of the Canyon" or "Peak Tournament" of his past life, only without the "actors" and scripted crews. There were no rookies among those who earned a Frontier Symbol, and the challenges weren't restricted by the League Conference's schedule—as long as you were willing to pay, you could challenge them anytime.

Take, for instance, Charizard’s legendary battle, which took place during the Advanced Generation series against Noland, the Frontier Brain of the Battle Factory. It had descended from the sun and absolutely crushed Noland’s Articuno.

"But that’s a matter for the future. Right now, the most important thing is to deal with the King of Pokélantis."

Zhu Suihan had already completed the translation while on the Dragonite's back; or rather, he already knew where the underground ruins were located. When the time came, he would just have to speak up. Doubts? How could there be any? Who knew ancient scripts, him or them?

"Being a living antique is still quite useful at this moment."

As the Dragonite flew, Zhu Suihan played the role of a supportive companion, buffing him, which resulted in a slightly erratic flight path, though the overall speed only continued to increase.

"Dra-nite!"

*My Dragon Island is in dire need of talents like you!*

Upon returning to Ecruteak City, the Dragonite rummaged through its belongings and handed Zhu Suihan a scale that looked somewhat dull in color. Professor Oak’s Dragonite took one look and immediately nudged the white-haired youth with its hand, signaling him to accept it.

"What is this? An entry permit for Dragon Island?"

Professor Oak nodded. "Yes. As long as you have this, no Pokémon will stop you from entering or leaving the island."

"Although it's a bit remote, the strength of Dragon Island is no weaker than that of Blackthorn City or other gathering places for Dragon Tamers. It’s a very valuable item."

Joy-Jing had no interest in this. She patted Zhu Suihan on the shoulder. "Since the location has been confirmed, go and return quickly. Our grade evaluations are already finished, and if you're any later, I'll have to mark you down for truancy."

White-hair: "?"

"Is it really that serious, Dean?"

"Don't talk nonsense. Strictly speaking, this matter should have been handed over to the League. How could I let my student go and deal with this kind of thing ahead of time?" Joy-Jing snorted coldly. "It’s not like those old fogies in the League are all dead."

Zhu Suihan turned serious in an instant. Truancy was a serious matter; the business with the Dark Team was nothing compared to that. He set a small goal: resolve the King of Pokélantis issue within a day, and then deliver the stone orb to the Dark Team!

"I'll head to Pewter City right now. As for this side, I leave it to you, Dean."

The white-haired youth flashed a grin. "Help me build some hype. Just say that a guy named Scrooge stole an important antiquity in Ecruteak City, and issue a warrant."

"Simple. Just let Officer Jenny handle that. As the Dean of the Jenny Academy, I have that much influence." Joy-Jing was dismissive. "Go on, and remember to come back to the academy early."

"Understood."

Once the white-haired youth hurried off, Professor Oak and Pryce looked at Joy-Jing with pity in their eyes.

"Hard work, Dean Jing."

"If you two bastards hadn't sent him to me, would I have to worry about this?!"

Joy-Jing now felt that the academy was a perfect place to seal Zhu Suihan away. She even planned to lock him in the academy, arranging his academic path from student to doctor all in one go. Using riot drills to knock out all the students? A minor issue. Tearing down the Burned Tower and uncovering a long string of Ecruteak City’s historical mysteries? That was a massive problem.

In the future, even if this kid wanted to go out, it was best to throw him into a modernized metropolis like Goldenrod City. A town with legends or deep historical roots? You better submit a report to me before you go! The Joy clan could handle Ecruteak City's problems once, but it would be different if it happened multiple times; people from all regions might start focusing on their students. He was a historical reconstruction machine with an explosive accuracy rate!

She wondered if that certain monkey had forgotten about the Bell Tower. A few days ago, there were people blocking the roads around the Bell Tower. Whoever saw Zhu Suihan was told to block him immediately, never giving him a chance to speak. The Burned Tower was already finished, but if something happened to the Bell Tower, the pressure on Ecruteak City and the League would absolutely skyrocket.

His appetite rivaled a Snorlax, and his personality was more headache-inducing than a Primeape or Vigoroth. This kid was truly a monkey!

Joy-Jing sighed. "So, it's better to just let him be a well-behaved student." When the white-haired monkey was a student, he could at least do some research beneficial to the League, but once he was let out of the academy, it was truly earth-shattering and impossible to stop.

Pewter City, implying the color of solid, rock-hard gray. It was geographically located between Viridian Forest and Mt. Moon, and it was home to a Gym Leader even more famous than the city itself. A fanatic for beautiful women, a lust-crazed demon who fell in love with every girl he saw, a man whose eyes could turn into hearts at any moment. The leader of the Pewter Gym, wielder of the Boulder Badge, the rock-steady Brock.

"But to be honest, if Sakaki continues to expand like this, Pewter City might just be swallowed up by Viridian Forest in the future."

Then there was Mt. Moon, a place famous for falling meteors and wild Clefairy, as well as its incredibly rich mineral resources. It was said that the meteors turned into Moon Stones and were buried deep within the soil. Mineral lovers and fossil enthusiasts should both love this place.

"Alright, let's just pick a spot."

Although he was curious whether Brock was the "lust-crazed" version or the "Special" manga version, Zhu Suihan decided to get down to business. Getting down to business, commonly known as spreading a map in the middle of a remote mountain forest and rolling dice against the scale.

"Hmm, one kilometer forward, five hundred meters to the left. That settles it."

Lapras and Milcery had no objections and felt this was the correct answer.

"Speaking of which, does the Pokémon world have tomb raiders? If so, what they dig up might be things from the Dark Ages."

He had Lapras fire a Hydro Pump at the ground. As Zhu Suihan looked at the tunnel design, which was no different from the one in the Hoenn region, he was certain he had found the right place.

A stone door, and a mechanism with Pikachu and Jynx statues on the pillars? Just blast it open. What was the big deal? His Dragonite just didn't like to do the dirty work, not that it couldn't.

Another Hydro Pump blasted through the final gate. When the dust settled, the interior decor came into view. This time, there were no gold or jewels everywhere; there was only a simple room with ancient scripts and a throne, and on the throne sat a stone orb. It had the comical air of someone who, even after fleeing to a desolate desert, still insisted on decorating their cave like a palace.

In front of the stone orb were two lines of ancient script. If his memory served him right, the meaning of these lines was similar to the instructions for the Purple Gold Gourd of Taishang Laojun. If someone shouted this at the soul of the King of Pokélantis, who had already emerged, he would be sucked back into the stone orb.

*Light, emerge from the darkness.*
*Light, emerge from the darkness and return to the darkness; darkness, emerge from the light and return to the darkness.*

"Time is tight and the task is heavy, so I won't stand on ceremony."

Zhu Suihan slapped the stone orb. "King of Pokélantis, let's make a deal."

The soul inside the stone orb: "???"

Did he encounter a ghost? The stranger's cavalier touch filled him with ecstasy, but he found he couldn't possess the person, which was strange. Then, this commoner in front of him called out his identity, which frightened the King of Pokélantis. Weren't the rumors spread by his loyal subjects that the orb contained the power of Ho-Oh?

"Answer me, or I'll throw you into the deep sea. There aren't many humans down there for you to possess." The most likely outcome was being picked up by Manaphy or Kyogre as a toy.

*Commoner, what do you want to do!*

"I am no commoner, you fool." Zhu Suihan imitated a standard villain's laugh. "Heh heh heh, I am not like a fool like you, having to seal myself in a stone orb and needing to use little tricks just to see the light of day again. My kingdom is ten thousand times more powerful than your Pokélantis!"

The King inside the orb: "!"

*Tell me, what do you want me to do?*

"Heh heh heh, smart fellow."

Zhu Suihan grabbed the stone orb with satisfaction and left. After exiting, he had Lapras destroy the entrance to ensure no one could come directly in.

"A brainless little guy is blocking my path. I need you to go and cause him some trouble." Zhu Suihan tapped the stone orb. "As long as you can destroy that little idiot's foundation, you will be free. Of course, until then, the stone orb will be kept by me."

*That simple?*

"It's not simple at all. At least in this era, his strength is such that even the current kingdom couldn't wipe him out in one fell swoop."

The King of Pokélantis inside the orb was ecstatic. Good, the more powerful the faction, the better!

*I agree!*

Not only could he fulfill the agreement, but when the other party came to "verify the results," he could mobilize his men to capture the guy and then completely destroy this stone orb! The King of Pokélantis had naturally put Zhu Suihan in a specific status bracket; in order to rule the world, he wouldn't feel any gratitude for this "life-saving" grace. If the guy hadn't remembered he was useful, he might still be waiting in the stone orb for that ethereal, slim chance!

*Heh heh heh, let's see whose methods are more despicable!*