Chapter 1240: A Turn for the Better (Part 2)

The Meteor People, no matter where they go, will ultimately return to Meteor Village, like fallen leaves returning to their roots.

“Gengaa?”

The altered-color Gengar, who was dozing with a snot bubble, heard this remark and woke up in surprise, reaching its claw to nudge the drooling Hoopa sleeping on its head.

Hoopa turned over and continued to sleep soundly.

It was only when Baimu approached to softly call that the Little Demon God reluctantly woke up and summoned the Light Wheel.

The outer perimeter of the underground arena.

Britto and a group of workers were scattered around resting, chatting with laughter. Seeing their return, they excitedly greeted them:

“Mayor! Boss! You’re finally back!”

“Did anything happen?”

Shanren surveyed the situation within the corridor, noticing nothing amiss, and felt slightly relieved.

Britto shook his head at this, “No, no, nothing at all happened, it’s just that the wait was a bit long, we were quite worried about you.”

Before resting, Shanren had called to inform them they could retreat to the underground city or even to the surface to rest, but Britto refused, citing inconvenience.

He also mentioned that everyone felt the same way.

This showed that the Pyrite Town People’s courage is actually quite large.

And Furong, after confirming with Sableye that there was no unusual movement from Banette in the gap, seemed to become thoughtfully aware.

“What’s wrong?” Baimu asked.

She returned to her senses and said, “It’s nothing, just some questions still unanswered.”

“We’ll know soon…”

Baimu knew that after most of the mysteries were uncovered, the most difficult phase was impending; if Banette couldn’t be persuaded, knowing more inside information would be useless.

Go in hard?

After witnessing the dream scenes, could he still harden his heart to act?

He glanced at Shanren, who appeared to understand his thoughts, silently nodding then shaking his head.

Indeed…

Sometimes there’s no choice.

Baimu adjusted his own emotions, preparing to harshly open the wounds in Banette’s heart.

——

In the underground arena.

Furong stood in the center shaking her bell, with countless Dusclops spinning around her, Dusknoir’s antenna bright like an incandescent lamp.

Suddenly.

The lights dimmed, and when they brightened again, an arena slightly different from reality appeared before Baimu and Shanren.

Gray-purple vortices spun in the sky.

“This is the gap,” Shanren murmured.

Simultaneously, Banette’s large face peeked out from the vortex, it looked at the newcomer Shanren, then glanced at Baimu, disappointedly saying, “None of them are him…”

Baimu took a deep breath and frankly said, “Banette, Long He’s grandfather has already passed away. I know you can’t accept it, but life and death are irreversible; what doesn’t exist can never exist.”

“…You can leave.”

Banette showed no interest in conversation, withdrawing its face.

He continued, “We have a way to let you exit from the Spirit Realm entrance; isn’t it better to come out compared to being trapped here?”

No response.

“We’re not lying to you!”

He held up the wooden token in his hand and shouted, “Look, I’ve obtained his relics and understand your past! I’m his descendant, and I would never do anything to bring him shame!”

Still, no response.

Baimu raised his voice again, “He sacrificed himself to cover your retreat, perishing with the enemy, protecting everything he wanted to protect! Now you’re destroying what he wanted to protect! When you meet him in the future, how will you explain it to him!?”

Still no response.

Shanren opened his mouth, sighed.

Some words only Baimu, as a descendant of Long He, had the standing to say, he was not suited to speak.

Furong gripped the prayer beads tightly, persuading a stubborn Pokémon was challenging, persuading a trainer’s deceased Pokémon even more so.

Humans can at least gradually accept through the passage of time, whereas Pokémon cannot.

She’d seen too many Pokémon unwilling to separate choosing to stay by the gravestone, eventually passing away without drinking or eating; at first, she couldn’t accept, desperately trying to persuade those Pokémon.

Yet it was all in vain.

Her grandmother told her, the greatest kindness a Spirit Communicator can give them is allowing them to stay forever by someone they cherish.

Even if to others, this seems cruel.

And after Baimu continued to persuade without result, he gritted his teeth.

“Grandfather Long He wanted to return to his hometown until the day he died! He wanted to take you back to Meteor Village! But what did you do? You let the only thing that could prove his identity, the Dragon Token, be given to someone else! He couldn’t go back even until his death! Decades without a word!”

Rumble!

A pair of blood-red eyes appeared in the whirlpool.

Baimu shouted, “He went back to the most dangerous place for you! But you not only didn’t let him return to his hometown, you made it so that his companions from the hometown would never see him again! He treated you as a treasured partner! He wanted to travel together with you!”

“…”

Banette stuck its head out again, but surprisingly, its face didn’t show much anger.

“Are you his descendant?” it asked again.

“…Yes.”

Baimu didn’t understand why Banette said this, and pressed on, “Believe me, we can definitely rescue you from the entrance of the Spirit Realm! If he really comes back to life, how would he find you in the gap between the Spirit Realm and reality?”

This sentence touched Banette.

But.

Its gaze suddenly dimmed, and its zippered mouth opened, letting three odd Pokeballs fall out.

Below, Furong quickly caught them, and Baimu recognized them as the old-style Pokeballs held by Long He.

He hurried forward because all three of Long He’s Dragon-type Pokémon were forced to return to the Pokeballs due to serious injuries, and their condition over these many years was unknown.

Undoubtedly.

Pokeballs are high-tech products evolving generation after generation, from the fruit and jade products in “Legendary Arceus” to the current fruit plus composite materials.

Modern Pokeballs have special powers to maintain the constant state of Pokémon, allowing them to live inside without eating or drinking, like James’s Carnivine as evidence.

Whether old-style Pokeballs have such powers is unknown.

Furong also understood this but didn’t know how to open them.

“Turn the nut on top three times.”

Baimu took one and demonstrated it to her, making rusting-like squeaking noises, followed by Shanren opening another one, and Furong opened the third by copying.

Bang bang bang!

Three beams of white light flew out as the old-style Pokeballs began, transforming into Salamence, Altaria, and Flygon, the three Dragon-type Pokémon.

They lay motionless on the ground, their life or death unknown.

Baimu urgently released Blissey to help check their injuries and called Hoopa to see if it could open the door to the real Pokémon Center here.

The weary Hoopa sensed the tense atmosphere and quickly became alert.

It glanced at the worried-looking Baimu and loudly said, “Leave it to Hoopa! If Xiaobai wants, Hoopa can definitely manage it!”

Golden light shined, the Light Wheel opened.

Gengar went inside first to check, confirming it was indeed the Pokémon Center and came back to report.

Blissey also confirmed the three Dragon-type Pokémon were not dead, currently in a sleeping state.

Dusknoir quickly used Strong Mental Will to send them to the Pokémon Center, while Shanren explained the situation to Miss Joy.

During this time, Banette stared at Hoopa’s Light Wheel.

Baimu saw the three Dragon-type Pokémon being taken by Miss Joy for treatment, feeling relieved; he raised his head and continued to speak to Banette, “Next, we need to—”

“What is that thing?”

Banette interrupted him, eyes locked on the Light Wheel.

He replied, “This is Hoopa’s Light Wheel; as long as it can understand, it can take you to any corner of the world and find anything in the world. We went out to find Hoopa before.”

“Hoopa… I want it to find your grandfather.”

Banette spoke very straightforwardly.

Baimu paused for a moment and said, “Grandfather is already—no, you come out first, and I’ll have it help you find!”

He immediately stopped his words, bargaining with Banette.

“You have it find first!”

Banette was unwilling.

Honestly.

Baimu was a bit tired, understanding Banette’s reluctance to accept Long He’s passing, but persuading this fellow to accept reality was extremely difficult.

He looked at Furong; if it weren’t for how hard it was to bring the Four Heavenly Kings here, he would actually be more inclined to play the long game.

Visiting Banette more often will surely touch it someday.

Or…

Should they withdraw for today?

“Baimu dear…” Furong saw his intentions and was about to speak when the deep voice of Banette came from above.

“Your grandfather is not dead! A Pokémon promised me it would save him!”

Ah!?

Baimu and Furong looked up simultaneously, incredulous.