Chapter 247

Chapter 247: Chapter 247

"And he’s a powerful Trainer too?" Wallace repeated, narrowing his eyes with interest at Steven’s remark.

"Take a look at Beedrill’s stinger," Steven suggested.

Wallace turned his attention to the Beedrill hovering beside Mike on the livestream.

After looking more closely, he noticed a ring fitted around the Pokémon’s rear stinger, with a brilliant gemstone embedded in it.

"Is that... a Mega Stone?"

"That’s right. I gave it to him," Steven explained. "And judging by the videos he’s shared in his fan group, he’s already learned how to use Mega Evolution."

"I see!"

Wallace nodded thoughtfully.

A moment later, he suddenly clapped his hands together as something occurred to him.

"Oh, I remember now! When I was holding the Wallace Cup in Sinnoh a while ago, Lucian from the Sinnoh Elite Four approached me and asked for an autographed photograph. If I’m remembering correctly, he said it was for Mike!"

"Really? That happened?"

Steven turned toward his best friend in surprise.

"From what I know of Mike, he doesn’t seem like the type to get excited about celebrities."

"Well, perhaps he simply couldn’t resist my good looks!" Wallace replied with a playful raise of his eyebrows.

He looked back at the livestream, studying the Pokémon accompanying Mike.

"Although, now that I’ve seen his team, I have to admit I’m interested. Gengar, Snivy, Hattrem, even Beedrill... all of them look like they’d be excellent Pokémon Contest performers!"

The more Wallace considered it, the more appealing the idea became.

"I really should find an opportunity to ask whether he’d be interested in entering a Pokémon Contest. I’d love to see what he and his Pokémon could come up with!"

Then Wallace remembered something else Steven had mentioned.

"Oh, right! You said something about a fan group earlier. What exactly did you mean?"

"Mike’s fan group, obviously."

Steven took out his phone and opened the group chat to show him.

Wallace leaned over for a look.

"Hey, add me!"

"Sure. Let me see..." Steven tapped through the group settings. "Looks like new members need approval from an administrator now."

He paused when he noticed something.

"Oh, wait. I’m an administrator! Well, that makes things easy. I’ll invite you."

"Thanks!"

Wallace smiled, clearly pleased that he now had another way to follow the interesting young Trainer.

...

Kanto Region — Four Island

Inside a house on Four Island was a bedroom decorated almost entirely in soft shades of pink.

The windows faced Icefall Cave, where ancient ice remained frozen throughout the year.

At that moment, a woman with long, wine-red hair was sitting comfortably on her bed, hugging a Dewgong plushie to her chest.

Her red eyes were fixed on the image projected onto the wall.

It was Mike’s livestream.

The woman was none other than Lorelei, one of the Kanto Elite Four and a renowned specialist in Ice-type Pokémon.

She was actually quite fond of The Wide World of Pokémon.

The series was both entertaining and informative, although she’d always found it a little disappointing that Mike hadn’t released an episode dedicated to Ice-type Pokémon yet.

As luck would have it, today was one of her days off.

After returning from the Indigo Plateau, she’d originally planned to spend the day relaxing in her room and reading manga.

However, just as she was getting comfortable, she’d received a notification that one of her favorite creators had started a livestream.

And the title had immediately caught her attention.

The Mysterious Singing of Mount Coronet.

Curious about what he might be investigating, she’d opened the stream.

The moment she saw the seemingly endless landscape of white snow filling the screen, she became considerably more interested.

After listening to Mike explain the rumors surrounding the mysterious singing, Lorelei fell into thought.

’Mysterious singing coming from a canyon on Mount Coronet?’

The upper reaches of Mount Coronet remained bitterly cold throughout the year, which meant that most of the Pokémon living there were Ice-types.

A Pokémon that lived in such an environment, enjoyed singing, and could somehow use its voice to influence a person’s mind...

’Could it be a Psychic-type as well?’

Lorelei’s eyes narrowed slightly.

’Ice and Psychic... Don’t tell me it’s Jynx?’

As an Ice-type specialist and a member of the Elite Four, Lorelei possessed an extraordinary understanding of Ice-type Pokémon.

There were very few people who could match her expertise in that field.

Although she’d already arrived at a fairly confident answer, she had no intention of spoiling the mystery for Mike.

Discovering the unknown was part of what made Pokémon research and exploration so interesting.

And watching someone else make those discoveries?

Well, that was entertaining in its own right!

Lorelei smiled faintly, reached for a bag of potato chips beside her, and settled into a more comfortable cross-legged position on the bed.

If anyone who knew her professionally could have seen her now, they might have had trouble believing their eyes.

The usually cool, sophisticated Ice-type Elite Four member was currently curled up in her pink bedroom, hugging a Dewgong plushie and eating potato chips while watching a livestream.

She looked far less like the intimidating woman people encountered at the Pokémon League and much more like an ordinary homebody enjoying her favorite show.

And she was perfectly happy to keep things that way.

...

Meanwhile, Mike had finally finished chatting with his viewers and was getting ready to continue the expedition.

Before setting off, he glanced toward the area behind them, where Froslass and Snorunt had been secretly following the group.

"Hey, you two! Do you want to come with us?"

Froslass shook her head.

Mike didn’t try to persuade her. He simply nodded and turned back toward his equipment.

Since he was about to start moving again, he asked Rotom to enter his phone and stay close to him throughout the expedition.

That way, he could keep an eye on the livestream comments as they appeared.

Whenever he was too busy walking or filming to read them himself, Rotom could read them aloud for him.

He had to admit that having Rotom around made livestreaming in the wilderness considerably easier.

With the equipment sorted out, Mike and his Pokémon began making their way toward the canyon higher up Mount Coronet.

It didn’t take long for Mike to notice that the terrain had changed.

The large stone they’d passed earlier seemed to mark a natural boundary between the lower and upper parts of the mountain.

Beyond it, the snow was noticeably deeper, with thick layers covering almost every stretch of ground.

Mike trudged forward, leaving deep footprints behind him with every step.

Even with his winter clothing and improved physical strength, walking through so much snow was exhausting.

"Man, this snow is ridiculously deep..." he complained.

Rotom immediately read out a comment from the livestream.

[Red_Dragon_7597: Count yourself lucky! At least it isn’t snowing today. If a snowstorm starts, you’re REALLY going to have a hard time!]

Rotom had barely finished reading the comment when a few white flakes began drifting down from the sky.

Mike stopped walking as he slowly raised his head.

Snowflakes were falling onto his hat and scarf.

"..."

"ROTOM! You and your big mouth! SHUT UP!"

"I was only reading the comments! Does not compute, roto!"

[Cira_Nix: HAHAHAHAHA! Poor Rotom got blamed for something it didn’t even say!]

{Red_Dragon_7597 sent 1 Sky-Piercing Arrow!}

[Red_Dragon_7597: Consider that compensation for Rotom taking the blame for me! Hahaha!]

Mike glanced at the gift notification and immediately changed his attitude.

"Oh! Thanks for the gift, boss!"

Then he turned toward the Rotom Phone.

"Hey, Rotom! The generous gentleman says you’re allowed to speak again."

"Does not compute, roto..."

Mike shook his head, still looking rather amused, before glancing up at the sky again.

Fortunately, the snowfall was light.

"Don’t worry, everyone. It’s only a little snow, so it shouldn’t cause us any trouble. We can keep going!"

With that, he continued toward the canyon.

As they drew closer to the entrance, Mike began to notice something unusual.

At first, he thought it was simply the wind whistling between the surrounding cliffs.

But after listening for a while, he realized there was another sound mixed in with the howling gusts.

Someone was singing.

The voice was faint, almost lost beneath the wind, but it was definitely there.

Mike stopped and looked toward his Pokémon.

Snivy turned her head slightly, listening carefully before giving him a confirming nod.

Beedrill glanced toward the canyon, then back at Mike, silently asking whether he should fly ahead and investigate.

Hattrem, meanwhile, had already closed her eyes.

She extended her psychic power outward, spreading it through the surrounding area like an invisible net so that she could detect anything approaching them.

Over the past several days, she’d continued absorbing the psychic energy contained in the Clamperl pearls Mike had given her.

By now, she’d completely absorbed three of them, and the improvement in her psychic abilities had been considerable.

Mike noticed Beedrill waiting for his answer and shook his head.

"No need to scout ahead just yet. Froslass told us those Pokémon aren’t hostile, remember? We just need to be careful."

Several viewers immediately noticed that he seemed to understand what his Pokémon were communicating.

[NewTrainerHere: Wait, what are they saying? Can Mike actually understand Pokémon?!]

[Ivan_C_4233: First time watching, huh? Mike talking to his Pokémon is just a normal day around here.]

[CSideBRZ: I think it’s because he has such a strong bond with his Pokémon. He can probably understand what they mean without them needing to say anything.]

Mike didn’t bother responding to the comments. Instead, he led Gengar and the others farther into the canyon.

The mysterious singing gradually became clearer.

And then, just as Mike could finally hear the melody properly, something strange happened.

His expression went blank.

For a brief moment, he found himself staring ahead without any awareness of what he was doing.

Then a familiar sound suddenly echoed through his mind.

The distant call of a Wyrdeer.

The blessing he’d received from the Wyrdeer clan immediately brought him back to his senses.

Mike blinked, looking around in surprise.

’Whoa... That was close!’

He hadn’t expected the singing to affect him so quickly.

’If it weren’t for Wyrdeer’s blessing, I might actually have lost consciousness just now!’

The livestream chat was already going wild.

[Sir_Yabas_III: I HEAR IT! MIKE, I CAN HEAR IT! THERE REALLY IS SOMEONE SINGING!]

[JomaTan: HOLY CRAP! There really is a song coming from inside the canyon?!]

[Yopleasee: I’M SCARED! I THOUGHT HE WAS JUST MAKING UP A SPOOKY STORY!]

[19SARD99: Am I the only one worried that Mike might get hypnotized by the singing, just like those other people?]

Watching from her bedroom on Four Island, Lorelei smiled when she heard the familiar voices coming through the livestream.

Just as she’d suspected.

’It really is Jynx.’

Meanwhile, at Sinnoh League headquarters, Lucian was watching the screen with growing concern.

He’d already heard enough about the previous incidents to know that the singing wasn’t something Mike should take lightly.

In fact, Lucian had been prepared to call for assistance at any moment.

When Mike first started making his way toward the canyon, Lucian had already arranged for personnel from Rondo Town to remain on standby at the foot of Mount Coronet.

If anything happened, he wanted them ready to move immediately.

Fortunately, Mike appeared to have recovered from whatever had affected him.

"Don’t worry, everyone."

Mike looked at the screen and saw just how many people were expressing concern for his safety.

The messages left him feeling unexpectedly warm inside.

He smiled reassuringly.

"I think I’ll be all right. Maybe it’s because Hattrem is with me, or maybe it’s because I helped bring Wyrdeer back into the modern world and received a blessing from its clan. Either way, I’ve noticed that my resistance to psychic attacks is actually pretty high!"

[Genie_Unshackled: Psychic resistance? Wait, that’s a thing?!]

[Akabara: WHAT?! Shouldn’t you be worrying about poison resistance instead?!]

Mike stared at the second comment.

"Akabara!"

He pointed directly at the screen.

"Mods! Are there any moderators watching? MUTE THIS GUY FOR HALF AN HOUR!"

The chat burst into laughter.

Mike waited until a moderator had actually muted Akabara before continuing as though nothing had happened.

"Anyway, you guys can hear the singing too, right? Is everyone watching at home feeling okay?"

[Troll3r: I feel fine. Honestly, the singing just sounds kind of nice.]

[B_l_u_e: Yeah, it’s actually really pretty!]

Mike nodded thoughtfully.

"In that case, there must be some kind of psychic power mixed into the singing. If that’s what’s happening, then I think I have a pretty good idea which Pokémon we’re dealing with."

A smile spread across his face.

"Come on! Let’s go take a look!"

Before moving farther into the canyon, however, Mike made sure to check on his own Pokémon.

He didn’t want any of them to be affected by the song without him realizing it.

Glameow had already returned to her Poké Ball.

She knew Mike had plenty to deal with while livestreaming and had decided not to make things any more difficult for him.

Gengar shook his head when Mike asked how he was feeling, clearly unaffected.

Beedrill’s willpower was remarkably strong, and he showed no sign of being influenced by the singing either.

Hattrem possessed a natural resistance to psychic interference, so she wasn’t having much trouble.

As for Snivy...

When Mike looked toward her, she tilted her head to the side and deliberately showed him one of her ears.

There was an earplug tucked neatly inside.

Mike blinked.

Then he laughed.

"Now THAT’S clever!"

Snivy smiled happily at the compliment.

The viewers, of course, immediately seized the opportunity.

[NihilNeko: AAAAAH! SNIVY IS SO CUTEEE!]

[SnivyIsMyQueen: SNIVY! I WANT TO BE WITH YOU FOREVER!]

[GrassTypeRomantic: OHHH~ MY BEAUTIFUL SNIVY~!]

Mike ignored the increasingly enthusiastic declarations of love and continued deeper into the canyon.

As they moved forward, the singing grew louder and clearer.

Mike also began changing the way he walked.

His steps became slower and lighter, and he started using the surrounding terrain to conceal himself as much as possible.

He didn’t want to disturb the mysterious Pokémon before he’d had a chance to observe them.

Eventually, he spotted several indistinct figures moving in the distance.

Mike immediately crouched behind a large boulder.

After taking a moment to settle himself, he sat cross-legged behind the rock, pulled out his camera, and hung its strap around his neck.

Then he carefully climbed around the boulder and moved farther forward until he had a clear view of what lay below.

At the bottom of the rocky slope, a group of slender figures were singing and dancing together.

They wore what looked like beautiful red dresses, with long, bright blonde curls framing their faces.

Their movements were graceful, and their voices carried clearly through the cold mountain air.

From a distance, the sight was genuinely captivating.

The beautiful singing, combined with the elegant movements of their dancing, made it easy to understand why someone might become enchanted by the scene.

The livestream viewers finally got a proper look at the mysterious Pokémon.

And one particular viewer immediately lost his mind.

[FILLER_OF_BLOOP: I KNEW IT!!! IT’S YOU! MY WIFE!!!]

[Yin_Yang_of_Cliff: WHOA! So they were Jynx all along!]

[Darkph30nix: They can sing AND use psychic powers! Of course! It had to be Jynx!]

[IceDoesntUnderstandMyHeart: Jynx has always been one of my favorite Ice-type Pokémon.]

For a moment, that last comment seemed perfectly ordinary.

Then someone recognized the username.

[Makenzie_Stancer: WAIT, WHAT?! ISN’T THAT LORELEI FROM THE KANTO ELITE FOUR?!]

[Althiemeus: NO WAY! LORELEI IS WATCHING MIKE’S LIVESTREAM TOO?!]

[PleaseDontFreezeMe: MISS LORELEI! COULD YOU GO A LITTLE EASIER ON ME NEXT TIME I CHALLENGE YOU?!]

The chat immediately erupted as more and more viewers recognized Lorelei’s account.

Mike noticed the commotion and raised his eyebrows.

’Lorelei?’

’As in Lorelei of the Kanto Elite Four?’

The image of a beautiful, cool-headed woman immediately appeared in his mind.

He still remembered his first time challenging the Pokémon League in the games.

Lorelei’s team had given him an absolutely miserable time, and he’d struggled quite a bit before finally managing to get past her.

As far as Mike knew, the Kanto region currently didn’t have its own Champion.

He’d heard that the four members of the Kanto Elite Four were evenly matched in a way that prevented any one of them from decisively establishing themselves above the others.

Because of that, major League affairs were handled by Lance, the Champion of Johto.

Of course, things had been different in the Pokémon Adventures manga. In that continuity, Kanto had produced two Champions.

Unfortunately, when Mike first arrived in this world, he’d gone out of his way to verify whether those two people existed here.

They didn’t.

While he was thinking about all that, another message appeared from Lorelei.

[IceDoesntUnderstandMyHeart: I’m a fan of Mike’s too!]

Mike looked at the comment in surprise.

’Seriously?’

He’d always imagined Lorelei as the kind of person who was extremely cool and difficult to approach.

And someone like that was actually a fan of his videos?

’That’s... kind of surprising!’

Then his attention returned to her username.

IceDoesntUnderstandMyHeart.

Mike stared at it for a moment.

’Ice Doesn’t Understand My Heart...?’

For some reason, it reminded him of those painfully dramatic usernames people used to have on the internet years ago.

Something like xX_N0_0ne_Und3rst4nds_Me_Xx.

’Wow... That’s...’

’That’s one seriously old-school cringe username!’

Mike blinked a couple of times, suppressing the urge to laugh.

Still, he wasn’t about to make fun of an Elite Four member’s username while she was watching his livestream.

Instead, he greeted Lorelei politely before lifting his camera and returning his attention to the Jynx below.

He spent some time filming their singing and dancing, carefully recording the beautiful movements of the entire group.

Once he’d captured enough footage, he put the camera away.

Naturally, some of the viewers immediately began making suggestions.

[FILLER_OF_BLOOP: MIKE! WHY ARE YOU JUST WATCHING?! GO DOWN THERE AND TALK TO THOSE BEAUTIFUL JYNX!]

[ZhourongHephaestus: Seriously! What a perfect opportunity! Go down there and have a nice, meaningful conversation with them!]

[FILLER_OF_BLOOP: COME ON! AT LEAST GET ME SOME CLOSE-UP PHOTOS!!!]

Mike ignored the comments.

Instead, he concentrated on listening to the Jynx’s singing.

Now that he was close enough to hear them clearly, he noticed something interesting.

There were several voices overlapping, giving the melody a somewhat chaotic quality, but the sound itself was remarkably beautiful.

The singing almost resembled human speech.

He could hear the rise and fall of individual syllables, and at times it genuinely sounded as though the Jynx were speaking a language he ought to understand.

Yet no matter how carefully he listened, he couldn’t make out the words.

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