Chapter Eighty-Five: The Maiden's Invitation

After hanging up on Caibean, Su Yi reached out to Master Ma, curious about what business the old trainer might have with him.

“Master Ma, sorry I’m only returning your call now; I was in a place without service earlier.”

On the other end, Master Ma breathed a sigh of relief. “Su Yi, you need to pay more attention to your own safety sometimes.”

Su Yi chuckled. “I know, but with my companions around, there’s not much danger.”

“So, what did you need from me?” he asked.

“Well, we recently advertised the dojo, and now there are more students coming in,” Master Ma explained. “But lately, some students have reported sightings of a huge yellow-green lizard Pokémon in the Cool Wetlands and Focus Forest of Armor Island. Some were even injured because of it.”

“From their descriptions, it sounds a lot like your Dire Hydragon. I wanted to ask if you knew anything about this.”

Su Yi frowned, then suddenly remembered. “It definitely isn’t Dire Hydragon. I met a Zorua in the Focus Forest before—it learned how to transform into Dire Hydragon. That troublemaker must be the cause.”

Master Ma was enlightened. “Ah, Zorua! Yes, there are such Pokémon on Armor Island, and they love to play tricks on people by nature.”

“Though a few students were hurt, it was only from being startled and falling down—so this is just one of its pranks, not an actual threat.”

“I understand. If it’s only a prank, then let it serve as a trial for the students. After all, only those who remain calm in the face of danger can become capable trainers.” Master Ma seemed to have thought of a good training method and laughed.

“Don’t scare all the students away,” Su Yi cautioned.

“No problem, Su Yi! You should come back to Armor Island and visit sometimes,” Master Ma replied with a smile.

“I will,” Su Yi promised.

Before leaving Galar for Hoenn, he had to return and say farewell.

After finishing his call with Master Ma, Su Yi dialed another number.

“Auntie, I’ve found a fossil.”

Moshi: “…”

…

In a cluttered, small laboratory in Origin Town, Su Yi carried in the enormous fossilized remains of the Serpent King Dragon.

“What Pokémon’s remains are these? It must have been huge in life! This is an unprecedented discovery!” Moshi exclaimed in awe.

“First things first, don’t rush to revive it with the machines. Check if revival is possible, and what condition the revived creature—or Pokémon—will be in. Let me decide,” Su Yi emphasized.

“Alright.” Moshi scraped some bone powder off with a blade and placed it among a cluster of instruments, then began working busily.

Su Yi glanced at his watch. He had promised to meet Caibean, and couldn’t afford to delay too long.

“How long will this take?” he asked.

“Well… the condition of your fossil seems very complicated, quite different from what I’ve studied before. Fascinating!” Moshi said, clearly intrigued. “Let me do some more research.”

“How about you wait for my notification before coming back? If you’re worried about the fossil, you can take it with you; I have enough bone powder to study.”

“Alright,” Su Yi agreed, carrying the fossil out of the lab and storing it in his inventory. He had a feeling things wouldn’t go smoothly.

…

The Fighting-type Gym was a massive arena, visible from every corner of Origin Town as its iconic structure.

Su Yi quickly found his way there.

“It’s so big and tall, meow! Even bigger than the arena at Star Fortress!” Dewgrass looked up in amazement.

Whenever Gym challenges took place here, the place was packed to the rafters, voices booming everywhere.

It had to be said—the Galar Gym battles, in terms of spectacle, far surpassed those of other regions. Every Gym Leader enjoyed greater exposure and popularity because of it.

“Getting closer, I can feel the grandeur of this arena. It makes me want to give my all on such a stage,” Su Yi mused.

“You’ll have your chance someday,” a voice called out.

“Caibean?” Su Yi turned toward the sound—and was instantly stunned.

The girl who usually wore her crisp trainer uniform had today donned a fresh, casual outfit. A white short-sleeved shirt paired with a black skirt—simple yet bursting with youthful energy, a stark contrast to her usual seriousness and composure.

“What’s wrong? Does it really look strange for me to dress like this?” Caibean, seeing Su Yi’s stunned expression, nervously pinched the edge of her skirt.

Su Yi came to his senses and smiled. “No, I think it looks great.”

“R-really?” Caibean pursed her lips and fidgeted with her hairband.

Su Yi grinned, framing his cheeks with his hands. “What did I say last time? Girls look prettiest when they smile—smile, smile~”

“Meow!” Dewgrass mimicked Su Yi’s gesture, smiling sweetly. The sight was impossibly cute.

“Pfft~” Watching the pair, Caibean covered her mouth, her face breaking into a smile.

“Sorry I didn’t return your call sooner. To repay you for your help on Armor Island, let me show you around Origin Town today,” Caibean offered.

“Then I’ll leave it to you,” Su Yi replied with a smile.

…

Last time he came to Origin Town, he’d only hurried through a small part of the market; the vast town still held much to explore.

Passing through blocks of low, two-story houses, they arrived at a bustling market.

People were selling all kinds of goods, exchanging information and Pokémon, arranging expeditions to ruins and more.

It felt very much like a gathering of adventurers and trainers.

“Here, you can sell rare items for a high price to interested buyers, and sometimes even find a few treasures yourself,” Caibean explained, pointing to a stall. “If you don’t want to waste time selling, you’ll get a fair price over there.”

Su Yi approached and asked the stall owner in a white shirt, “Do you buy pearls?”

“First time here, eh? We buy anything valuable, as long as it’s rare and novel,” the owner replied with a smile.

Su Yi pulled out a large bag from his backpack and thumped it onto the table.

“I mean, will you buy all of these?” He opened the bag, and the pearls inside caught the sun, shining brilliantly.

For a moment, the bag of pearls perfectly illustrated the meaning of “luxury and splendor.”

“Oh! Such large pearls, and fine quality—these must come from the depths of the sea!” the owner exclaimed.

Looking closely, each pearl was at least the size of an Orange Berry, smooth and round, of excellent quality. Each could be crafted into a beautiful piece of art—far superior to the common marbles sold on the market.

And it was a whole bag—where could these have come from?

“How beautiful! Did you get all these on your adventures?” Caibean asked in amazement.

The quantity was astonishing.

Su Yi just smiled: nothing special, he’d simply cleaned out Zizi’s entire stash.