Chapter 277: Don’t Make Accusations Without Evidence...Is Being Honest Really That Hard?

The video continued playing.

After winning her second Ribbon in Hearthome City, Hina’s journey settled into an extremely efficient rhythm.

Every time she arrived in a new town, she headed straight to the Pokémon Center to register.

Enter the Contest.

Win the Ribbon.

Spend one night resting at the Pokémon Center.

Then pack up her backpack first thing the next morning and head toward the next destination.

Today, Hina was traveling along Route 205 toward Veilstone City.

Quaxwell was still walking at the very front to scout the way.

Surskit lay on top of its head, occupying the spot where its black bowler hat used to sit.

From a distance, it looked like Quaxwell was wearing a little aqua-blue cap.

Shaymin, meanwhile, was curled into a fluffy ball on top of Hina’s head, occasionally letting out a yawn.

"Our next stop is Veilstone City."

Hina glanced down at the navigation on her Pokédex.

"Ducky, take the fork on the left. The map says we’ll get there after passing through the woods."

Before Quaxwell could respond—

Surskit leaped straight off its head.

It performed a flip in midair, landed steadily on all four little legs, then gave Hina a perfectly formal knight’s bow.

"Sur-sur~" (As you command, Your Highness! This humble Surskit volunteers to serve as the vanguard! Where mountains block the path, I shall carve a road! Where rivers bar our way, I shall build a bridge! Should any villain dare offend Your Highness, one Ice Beam from this humble Surskit shall teach them the error of their ways!)

The tips of Hina’s ears turned red.

She hurriedly waved both hands in front of her chest.

"Y-You don’t have to be so formal..."

"We’re just traveling..."

Surskit raised its head and pointed one antenna toward Quaxwell.

"Sur-sur!" (Master has taught me that the world is treacherous and one must always remain vigilant! Your Highness possesses a kind and benevolent heart, so this humble Surskit must shoulder the sacred responsibility of protecting you!)

Quaxwell fell silent for a moment.

Then it reached out and lightly knocked Surskit on the head with one wing.

"Quax, quax!" (Disciple, scouting the road is your master’s duty. You only just entered the Quaxmen. How dare you overstep your station?)

Surskit clutched its head and rapidly protested.

"Sur-sur-sur-sur!" (Master’s words are mistaken! The ancestral teachings of the Quaxmen state that the capable should take responsibility! Though this humble Surskit possesses little talent, I am still willing to serve with all my strength!)

Quaxwell pushed up its sunglasses.

Then it reached into the backpack—

And pulled out a fly swatter.

"Quax, quax!" (To think you’ve already grown rebellious! This humble duck shall purge its insolent disciple today!)

Surskit immediately fled for its life.

"Sur-sur! Sur-sur!" (Master, have mercy! Your disciple had no intention of overstepping! I merely saw that the road ahead was flat and wished to spare Master the effort of scouting it! Only then did I dare offer my assistance!)

Quaxwell finally put the swatter away.

"Quax, quax." (Very well. Since this is your first offense, your punishment shall be fifty frog jumps.)

Without a word of complaint—

Surskit immediately started doing frog jumps.

Every time it completed one, it shouted—

"Sur!"

"Sur!"

"Sur!"

Its rhythm was perfectly consistent.

The giant screen automatically translates Pokémon speech into subtitles, so everyone watching the livestream can understand their conversations.

[VIP Chat Group]

[Bianca]: Ducky and Surskit’s master-disciple routine is way too funny! But with those two being this lively, Hina must get headaches from them every day, right?

[Johanna]: They certainly are a little too energetic. Their personalities are practically the complete opposite of Hina’s.

[Wallace]: Wait a second. Didn’t Surskit just mention the "ancestral teachings of the Quaxmen"? Wouldn’t that mean Quaxwell isn’t actually the founder? Could the Quaxmen have some mysterious founder we haven’t met?

[Leon]: That’s actually an interesting question. If we use the simplest logic, Quaxwell’s Trainer is Hina, so perhaps Hina founded the Quaxmen? But judging from the way they talk, that doesn’t seem right either.

[Steven]: Is there even anything to guess? Have you all forgotten who supplied Quaxly’s Egg in the first place? The founder has to be Brother Asher!

[Sidney]: I see. So Asher is the true founding grandmaster of the Quaxmen.

[Raihan]: Grandmaster, please accept this disciple’s bow! Let me join the Quaxmen! I want to raise a duck this powerful too!

[Asher]: Get lost. Just because I supplied the Egg, somehow that makes everything my fault?Why don’t you people say I airdropped Shaymin from the sky too? Seriously, don’t make accusations without evidence. Is being an honest person really that hard?

[Tiana]: Exactly, exactly! Stop falsely accusing my dad! Right and wrong will naturally be revealed by the screen. We should— (￣ω￣)

[Asher]: Have you finished filling those craters yet? Don’t forget—no ice cream until you repair them.

[Cynthia]: Tiana! You haven’t even cleaned up the mess you caused, and you’re still sitting there watching the livestream?! Go fill those holes!

[Tiana]: Oh...

The video continued playing.

By the time Surskit finished all fifty frog jumps—

They had arrived at the shore of Lake Valor.

The lake was as still as a mirror beneath the afternoon sun, perfectly reflecting the sky and surrounding forest.

Hina spread a picnic blanket across the grass beside the water.

Then she took out lunch boxes and Pokéblocks from her backpack and began distributing food to each of her Pokémon.

After everyone finished eating—

Quaxwell stood up and stretched.

Then it reached into the backpack and pulled out a small speaker.

It had received the speaker as the prize for winning the Hearthome Collection.

As a hardworking Master Ducky, Quaxwell brought it out every day to practice its dancing.

The instant Quaxwell pressed the play button—

A powerful electronic dance beat exploded from the speaker.

Several Bibarel relaxing near the lakeshore were so startled that they immediately dove into the water.

Quaxwell stood beside the lake and crooked one wing toward Surskit.

Surskit instantly sprang off the grass.

Its four little legs blurred as it raced over and stood at attention in front of its master.

Quaxwell folded both wings across its chest.

Then it began demonstrating the Third Form of the Quax Sect Dance.

Its left foot remained planted against the ground.

Its right foot began sliding backward.

Its body leaned farther and farther forward—

Until eventually, Quaxwell was nearly parallel with the ground.

Its entire body weight was supported by just one webbed foot.

Surskit’s eyes nearly popped out of its head.

"SUR-SUR-SUR-SUR-SUR!!" (Master is mighty! Master is invincible beneath the Arceus!)

Quaxwell sprang upright from the gravity-defying position.

Then it gestured toward Surskit.

Your turn.

Surskit took a deep breath.

Its entire body leaped into the air—

And it fired an Ice Beam directly at the lake.

A circular patch of ice roughly three meters across instantly formed on the water’s surface.

Surskit landed on the ice.

Its four legs began sliding.

One graceful arc after another appeared across the frozen surface as its antennae traced silver trails through the air with every spin.

For the finale—

Surskit sprang off the ice.

It performed a flip in midair and landed steadily in front of Quaxwell.

"Sur-sur!" (This disciple has embarrassed itself before Master! May I ask how much mastery my Quax Sect Dance has achieved?)

Quaxwell pushed up its sunglasses.

"Quax, quax~" (The fact that you sought your master’s opinion pleases me. However, the fact that you altered the Quax Sect Dance without permission does not.)

(Your punishment is another fifty frog jumps.)

Surskit’s antennae immediately drooped.

But it didn’t argue.

It obediently began doing frog jumps again.

Just then—

A faint ripple appeared in the very center of Lake Valor.

Shaymin raised its head from atop Hina’s hair.

Its ears stood completely upright.

Its nose twitched twice.

"Hina!"

"There’s something in the lake!"

...

TL: Yo, chill with the chinesification, bruh. If I wanted to read cultivation novels, I’d go read one.