Chapter 89: The Song of the Dragon Rider

Hu Yang replied, "I was the one who did it. Teaching Pokémon new moves is also a trainer's responsibility."

Upon hearing this, Slowking's face showed a thoughtful expression.

Hu Yang had assumed Slowking would accept this answer.

Yet, not long after, it returned from outside and found Hu Yang, who was reading.

Slowking asked with confusion, "That Eevee outside said humans cannot directly transmit move information into a Pokémon’s brain."

Hu Yang was speechless.

"Yes, only I can," he said.

Slowking fell into deep contemplation. After a while, it said, "I understand now. You are a special kind of human."

Having said that, it turned and walked to the window, half-closing its eyes, gazing wisely toward the distant ocean.

Hu Yang inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.

This Slowking was too intelligent. If time went on, it might even become aware of the existence of the modifier...

At that thought, Hu Yang recalled Slowking’s profile card.

[Name: Slowking]
Type: Psychic, Water
Initial Trainer: Hu Yang
Held Item: None
Notes: Calm and composed personality
July 26, 209
Seemingly met on Slowpoke Island, like destiny
Enjoys pondering philosophical questions
Badges earned: None

After finishing his meal, Hu Yang lay back on his bed and continued adding moves for Slowking.

Besides Slowking, he also taught Roserade the moves Leaf Storm and Petal Dance.

Modification complete.

Hu Yang: zzz

In the quiet room, only the faint sound of the wind and the waves from the passing ship remained.

On the deck outside, a group of Slowpokes and Slowbros lazed about, basking in the sun.

Hu Yang had instructed that these Slowpokes were his Pokémon and no one was allowed to touch their tails.

Naturally, the sailors didn’t dare disturb them. On the contrary, upon hearing this, they would spontaneously fish from the sea to feed the Slowpokes and Slowbros.

The journey back to the Hoenn region from the distant outer sea would still take a long while.

Hu Yang didn’t spend every day asleep.

Occasionally, he would bring a few Pokémon to the deck to soak up the sun, feel the sea breeze, and use his camera to capture heart-shaped fish leaping through the sparkling waves.

On the day before leaving the outer sea, the White Sea Lion encountered a group of Lapras passing by.

Lapras, also known as Laplace, is a gentle creature that dislikes fighting and enjoys carrying humans across the sea on its back.

“Lapras!” an old sailor on deck couldn’t help but exclaim, “So rare! I never expected to see them this time!”

“Are they really that rare?” a younger sailor asked.

Hearing this, Hu Yang looked toward that direction.

In the anime, Ash caught a Lapras during his travels in the Orange Islands, riding it across the sea alongside Misty, Brock, and Pikachu.

The old sailor nodded, his expression growing serious:

“Thirty years ago, sailors often encountered them easily at sea.”

“Lapras possess gentle hearts, rarely engage in battles, and often help humans stranded at sea.”

“But precisely because of this, they were heavily hunted, causing their wild populations to plummet. In recent years, it has become increasingly difficult to see wild Lapras at sea.”

At that moment, the Lapras traveling on the sparkling ocean emitted melodious calls.

Their voices merged into a beautiful, harmonious song that drifted over the sea.

They did not approach the White Sea Lion but swam toward the sun, gradually fading from sight until they blended entirely with the blue sea.

Hu Yang looked at the photo in his hand of the playful Lapras on the water, returned to his room, and placed it into the album documenting this journey.

...

August 7.

The White Sea Lion officially returned to the Hoenn region, docking at the port of Mute City.

Hu Yang disembarked with his Pokémon; more than two months had passed since his last visit.

The previous time was spring; now it was summer.

Seeing many people in swimsuits surfing and diving on the beach of Mute City, Hu Yang couldn’t help but feel a pang of nostalgia—the time had flown by so fast.

If relying solely on walking, it would be impossible to traverse an entire region within a year.

Apart from big cities like Canas City and Kenna City, there were countless small towns and wild locations in the countryside.

For example, the Banana Paradise of the Slacking in the anime, the Forbidden Forest where May caught Bulbasaur, and beyond the desert, the Mirazu Kingdom known as Togepi Paradise.

This time in Mute City, Hu Yang’s main goal was to obtain the Fighting Badge.

He glanced at his current Pokémon:

Roserade, Gible, Gengar, Slowking.

Oh, he almost forgot—there was also a Magikarp!

With this lineup, earning the Fighting Badge was no problem.

Gengar, being a Ghost type, was immune to Fighting-type physical attacks.

But using Gengar might turn the match into a one-sided massacre.

After much thought, Hu Yang planned to increase Gible’s battle experience, using the Grass-type Pokémon to level up.

If that didn’t work, he could always bring out the other three.

After an unimpeded journey, Hu Yang finally caught a moment when Grape, the gym leader, was at the Fighting Gym.

Unlike the Orange Islands Gym and Canas Gym, the Mute Gym’s challenge did not involve gym apprentices.

Instead, challengers had to pass through a pitch-black maze-like room, and only those who reached the end earned the right to face Grape.

It was said this rule was designed primarily to test the challenger's courage.

After registering his information with the gym attendant at the entrance, the attendant opened a door for him.

Hu Yang stepped inside. The door closed behind him, sealing out all light, and darkness enveloped the entire space instantly.

Hu Yang: “...”

He had to admit, the pitch-black environment was genuinely intimidating.

No wonder the books he read at school about gyms warned that the Mute Gym was the most terrifying for novice trainers—if you lacked Pokémon with moves that emitted light, it was best not to challenge it.

The room was so silent that he could hear his own heartbeat.

Humans often can’t help but let their minds wander in such environments.

Like imagining monsters lurking in the dark or ghosts hiding under the bed, scaring themselves.

Yet Hu Yang felt no fear.

He released Gengar, letting it guide him forward.

Darkness had no effect on Ghost-type Pokémon; rather, it served as their camouflage.

“You have to hold on tight to me,” Gengar said.

Hu Yang grasped its paw, and with Gengar leading, they moved onward.