Chapter 86: Proof of the King

Two hours later, the White Sea Lion arrived at an exceedingly remote island.

After Gengar quietly took care of the pirate guards, Hu Yang swaggered up onto the shore. He proceeded unimpeded to the deepest part of the pirates’ lair. As he pushed open the door of the secret chamber, he was nearly blinded by the golden light that shot out at him.

The entire room was filled with gold coins and treasures, along with all manner of rare and precious items.

It was the kind of scene one only saw in movies, and this was Hu Yang’s first time witnessing such a spectacle in real life.

Excited, he called out, “Gengar!”

Gengar sighed helplessly, then stepped forward and began stowing the treasure into its own body.

Hu Yang helped out as well. The sheer amount of loot here would suffice for him and his Pokémon for many years to come.

The pirates truly lived extravagantly—gold coins, massive pearls, golden crowns, all carelessly strewn across the floor.

Hu Yang even found a King’s Proof among the pile.

[King’s Proof: When held by a Pokémon and used in battle, it has a chance to make the opponent flinch upon dealing damage. Outside of battle, it can trigger evolution in certain Pokémon.]

This is...

He held up the King’s Proof. Gengar, curious as to why he’d stopped, drifted over to take a look at the somewhat grimy golden crown.

“What is that?” Gengar asked.

“It’s an item that can help Pokémon evolve,” Hu Yang explained.

If given to a Poliwag, it could evolve into a Politoed. And if given to a Slowpoke, it could evolve into a Slowking with greatly heightened intelligence.

In the games, this required a trade to trigger the evolution, but in reality, that wasn’t necessary.

Hu Yang still remembered Misty’s Poliwag—she simply placed the crown on its head, and it evolved instantly.

“Slowking…”

Hu Yang thought of the group of Slowpokes he’d seen on the way here.

Perhaps he could capture a Slowking to bring home.

Slowking was a Water/Psychic type. If Slowbro could be a nightmare for all the physically offensive, hit-and-run Pokémon, then Slowking was a terror for teams lacking physical attackers.

Though Slowking had an advantage in special defense, both Pokémon were solid defensively and could easily fill the role of double shields.

Alternatively, it could be used to set up Trick Room and boost offensive capabilities—overall, a very good choice.

It could also control the field with Scald, Dragon Tail, Thunder Wave, Toxic, Yawn, and Slack Off.

Add Mirror Coat to the mix, and even special attackers would be left utterly frustrated.

Tsk, another devious strategy, fully formed.

There was so much treasure in the room that it took Hu Yang and Gengar half an hour to pack it all away.

Staring at the now-empty chamber, Hu Yang felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

A massive windfall!

Even though he’d known Gengar could store things in its body, seeing it in action was still a marvel to behold.

Watching Gengar, who didn’t seem the least bit uncomfortable, Hu Yang asked, “Can you fit more?”

Gengar replied, “What are you planning now?”

Hu Yang rubbed his hands together in excitement. “I want to check out the other pirate dens.”

The outer seas were so vast—surely there was more than one band of pirates.

If he could pull off a few more raids like this, he could live off a single mission for a lifetime, just like those mercenaries.

Gengar had the same thought, and a sly smile appeared on its face. “Now that’s what I like.”

Thus, from that day forward, the outer seas had a new, inconspicuous little cruise ship.

The ship flew the flag of the Hoenn region, and through a telescope, one could see an assortment of cargo on deck, giving it the look of a typical freighter.

Such a small vessel seemed weak and helpless in the vast expanse of the outer seas.

From time to time, it would suddenly change direction, like a frightened, lost rabbit.

Damn! If we don’t rob it now, when will we?

The pirates could no longer resist. After three days of observation, they mobilized in full force.

On the deck of the White Sea Lion, Hu Yang, upon receiving word, broke into a satisfied smile.

He nodded to Gengar, who instantly vanished into thin air, becoming invisible.

The sailors, too, were brimming with excitement.

They were undertaking a great feat—wiping out the pirates plaguing the outer seas!

In this moment, they forgot their identities and duties, devoting themselves entirely to this righteous crusade.

Their enemies were exposed while they operated in the shadows.

Before anything happened, anyone would have assumed their ship was just easy prey.

The thrill of playing the fool to lure the tiger, ambushing their adversaries—it was intoxicating.

But happy times are always fleeting.

In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.

The calendar moved from June to July.

July 22nd—the height of summer.

Perhaps word had spread, for pirate attacks had become fewer and fewer.

After nearly two weeks without encountering new pirates, Hu Yang began to consider heading back.

However, when he shared this news with the other crew members, their faces filled with regret and realization.

“Huh? We’re going back already?”

“It’s really been that long?”

Hu Yang said, “...Have you all forgotten you have actual jobs?”

He had long overstayed his rental of this ship.

At first, the captain of the White Sea Lion would radio in with updates on their journey.

But as time passed, the reports became less frequent until finally, all contact ceased.

By now, the authorities in Kanaz City probably thought their ship had been lost at sea.

A young sailor, realizing this, sheepishly said, “No worries—I’ve earned enough to buy this ship outright.”

They hadn’t come away empty-handed. After every mission, Hu Yang made sure to share some of the spoils with them.

“How about we just not go back and keep hunting pirates on the sea?” another crew member suggested, unable to let go.

Hu Yang was speechless.

Other transmigrators began their adventures with Team Rocket or as wandering trainers.

But here he was—having been a teacher, now a “pirate” on the high seas.

Looking at the camera hanging from his neck, he mused that maybe he could switch careers to photographer next.

After some discussion, everyone agreed to return to Hoenn immediately.

Hu Yang instructed them to follow the original route back, stopping by Slowpoke Island before heading home.

He returned to his cabin.

Gengar was happily sipping a glass of juice. Seeing Hu Yang enter, Gengar eyed him and, biting down on the straw, remarked, “You’ve gotten really tanned!”

Axew, who was playing on the floor with Roserade, also found this odd. “Axew?” (How come you’ve changed color too? You look weird…)

“Clink…” Roserade recalled when Axew had changed color in the past.

Hu Yang was speechless.

With weather like this, running about at sea all day, it would be a surprise not to get tanned.

The constant sea breeze had made him a lot rougher, too.

“Caw!” Rowlet called out blankly.

“What are you making noise for? Don’t pick up their bad habits!” Hu Yang gently tugged the feathers on Rowlet’s head.

“Axew~” Axew secretly giggled off to the side.

Watching the sunset out the window, Hu Yang decided to teach these three a lesson in color.

That night, while they slept, he made all three of them shiny.