Chapter 1226: Dream of the Underdogs

The spacious yet sweltering arena, the frenzied and distorted audience, shouting until hoarse.

“Chu pei!”

Sharp, black claws clutching the metal bars, it gazes at the fiery battle in the distance.

In the neighboring cage, Pokémon talk about a formidable character who recently arrived.

Formidable character?

A particularly powerful person?

It was slightly interested, but the interest quickly faded.

What does someone else’s prowess matter to it, trapped in this hell? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if it could leave someday?

It curled up in the shadows until the distant shouts grew weaker — the sound of the battle ending.

Soon after.

Footsteps echoed nearby.

It heard the violent shaking of nearby cages, and those usually quiet Pokémon barked loudly, vying for selection.

It didn’t follow suit, after all —

“Eh? Why is there a worn-out doll here?”

“Hehe, sir, this is indeed a rare Ghost-type Pokémon!”

“A Ghost-type Pokémon… Then select it.”

Squeak.

The iron cage door opened, it saw a stick tapping on the surface of the cage, the metallic vibrations making it dizzy.

Hurriedly escaping, it then saw a pair of gentle eyes.

“Oh~ it’s a Banette.” The man smiled.

“Sir, you’ve made a wise choice, you’ll be satisfied!”

——

“You said you just saw a whirlpool, and eyes in it possibly recognize you?”

Furong asked Baimu, who was recounting everything that just happened with a bewildered expression, “That was the Gatekeeper Pokémon! Have you been to the Spirit Realm before?”

He shook his head decisively, “Definitely not, I’ve only been to the Underground City before, going further down usually means not coming back, let alone the Spirit Realm…”

The lower mine is darker than a coal cellar, the Crystal Team Squad Leader who once tried to harm him but failed was abandoned by his superior, everything taken away before being thrown in.

Estimated to have not survived until the Rescue Organization liberated Ore, Baimu heard nothing of him afterward —

Could it be that guy turned into a Ghost-type Pokémon?

No, no, no.

That’s impossible.

“That’s strange, even if the Gatekeeper Pokémon blocked the entrance, one can’t see people and Pokémon in the real world unless it’s a special environment…” Furong mused softly.

Seeing Baimu ready to speak, she quickly explained, “Earlier, it was due to the special timing of the ceremony and the twilight hour, combined with your previous visit to the Spirit Realm that left a lingering aura on you, all of this contributed to your soul temporarily detaching and being seen.

“I’ve told you before, any anomaly must be reported to me, as I’m worried about soul detachment… Was the visit to Mauville City your first time in the Spirit Realm?”

“It was the first time.”

Baimu responded, if there were no memory gaps in his physical body, or if it happened before he had memories, the trip to Mauville City must have been his first encounter with the Spirit Realm.

He thought for a moment and asked, “Is it possible to mistake someone?”

“Possible, but in my opinion, unlikely. Your soul is very special, like a silver-white mountain illuminated by the Sun, revealing light-blue halos, such a unique soul is unlikely for the Gatekeeper to mistake.”

Furong smiled slightly, “Things have become interesting~”

What’s interesting!

Baimu was helpless.

The Pokémon animated world is like that, depending on the writer’s imagination, digging holes without filling them, leaving these unfortunate travelers to taste these bizarre things.

“I’m… going over there quietly.”

He decided to carefully search through past memories.

Could it really be a situation like past and present life, like Ash Ketchum?

Baimu hoped there weren’t too many complex entanglements around him.

Furong watched him go to the side, curious about the Gatekeeper Pokémon’s reason for recognizing him.

A lost soul cannot communicate, but combining snippets of information with what she inquired from Shanren, it wasn’t hard to deduce the Spirit Realm entrance below has been blocked for at least several decades.

Baimu is probably not even twenty yet?

Furong inexplicably developed a detective-like anticipation, eagerly watching the bustling construction site, wishing to dive down immediately.

Nighttime arrived.

Shanren and others brought comforts like snacks and sleeping bags, seeing Baimu sitting on the ground with his head hanging down, asked puzzledly, “What’s wrong with him?”

Furong explained the situation that occurred during the twilight hour.

“Recognized!?”

Shanren jumped in shock, hurriedly asked, “Is he okay, will that Gatekeeper Pokémon harm him?”

Furong waved her hand with a smile, “It shouldn’t be a hostile relationship, if the Gatekeeper Pokémon had hostile intent, Baimu’s reaction would be much more intense. Even if it were, it wouldn’t matter, I will protect him!”

She patted her slightly rising chest.

“That’s good…”

Shanren calmed down.

Furong, being both a professional Spirit Medium and the Four Heavenly Kings of Hoenn, assured safety for sure.

After several hours of searching memories, Baimu ultimately gave up self-checking, anyway it’s just a few hours and the truth will naturally be revealed underground tomorrow.

He took a disposable sleeping bag from Shanren and greeted Furong.

“Good night, Baimu~”

Furong smiled warmly, still energetic despite being surrounded by lost souls, not caring about time differences, even began taking notes.