You're Actually Pretty Strong, Aren't You? (4k)

Mount Coronet's afternoon was not as hot as noon. At this moment, the sunlight was just right.

Luo Chen took some Berries to the backyard, planning to feed the Murkrow again, only to discover that they were all gone.

They had probably gone out to play?

With no other choice, Luo Chen could only put the Berries away.

But unlike before, Gengar floated beside Luo Chen like a little tagalong, constantly looking around with curiosity written all over his eyes.

"Have you never been around here before?"

Noticing Gengar's behavior, Luo Chen could not help asking.

"Gehe."

Gengar immediately shook his head. The Voice of All Things had not worn off yet, so Luo Chen could still understand him.

Simply put, Gengar had never been around here before. He had always lived deep within Mount Coronet.

As for why he had suddenly appeared beside the internet cafe, it was probably because of the tablet incident last time. He had wanted to find someone to help him, so he had left the deeper parts of the mountain.

Right, speaking of that...

"About which direction was the cave where you found that stone? How far is it from here?"

At some point, Gengar had produced a green leaf in his hand. He used it to point toward the distance as he replied.

"Gehe, gehe!"

Luo Chen looked in the direction he indicated. Several hills stretched into the distance in overlapping layers, as far as the eye could see, eventually vanishing into a sea of white mist.

Mt. Coronet was actually enormous, and the depths Gengar spoke of seemed to lie beyond several mountain ranges.

If that was the case, then it was probably impossible to go there for now.

Luo Chen could only put the matter aside temporarily.

Since he was already out today, he should pick some Berries first.

After returning to the area where he had picked Berries yesterday, Luo Chen quickly cleared out the fruits. With Gengar's help this time, the Berries could be placed directly inside Gengar's body. He no longer had to carry back only a small amount like before.

"I should see if there are any new kinds of Berries."

After confirming that the Berries in the area were all the same as yesterday's, Luo Chen planned to search deeper into the forest.

"Gehe!"

Gengar immediately nodded and volunteered to help Luo Chen search.

But obviously, the deeper they went into the forest, the greater the chance of danger.

At that moment, a question surfaced in Luo Chen's mind.

Ever since meeting Gengar, it seemed that he had only asked about Gengar's origins and past. He knew absolutely nothing about Gengar's strength.

He had decided to go out this time because Gengar was by his side, greatly improving his safety. That was why he could visit places he had never gone before and see whether there were any new Berries.

But just how strong was Gengar?

Since he had crossed so many mountain ranges alone to get here, he should have some skill, right?

Should he just ask directly?

"Gengar, how strong are you?"

Yet Gengar looked completely confused by Luo Chen's question.

"Gehe?"

He scratched the back of his head and answered honestly.

[I... I don't know?]

[I usually don't fight...]

Luo Chen: ...

Forget it. Judging from how innocent this guy usually seemed, he really did not look like a Pokémon that fought often.

In that case, for safety's sake, they should just pick some nearby.

"You help me pick some too. Thanks."

He said to Gengar.

"Gehe!"

[Okay, boss!]

"Gehe, gehe!"

[Boss, there seems to be something over there. I'll go check it out for you!]

Gengar nodded repeatedly. Before Luo Chen could say anything else, he had already floated away and vanished into a nearby patch of bushes.

"Don't go too far..."

Luo Chen shook his head helplessly and could only start searching for new Berries nearby on his own.

He slowly moved forward, carefully watching for any movement around him.

However, just as he rounded a massive dead tree, the atmosphere around him suddenly changed.

A distinct aura abruptly enveloped him from all directions, and Luo Chen came to a sharp stop.

He had already realized something, but it was too late.

Accompanied by rustling sounds, four enormous figures slowly emerged from the bushes ahead, to his left, to his right, and even behind him, blocking every path of escape.

They had huge bodies, brown fur, and white ring patterns.

Ursaring.

And there were four of them!

All four Ursaring radiated danger. Their eyes were locked onto Luo Chen as though he were a dangerous intruder.

Luo Chen frowned.

He understood the situation now. He had apparently wandered into the Ursaring's territory by accident.

Considering the territorial instincts of wild Pokémon, even one of them would probably have chased after him. Now there were four.

Moreover, he had likely entered their territory some time ago. They had not attacked immediately because they had been waiting to surround him before making their move.

And now, every route of retreat had indeed been sealed off!

He slowly raised both hands.

"Everyone, I mean no harm. I'm just passing through."

He tried to communicate with the Ursaring while slowly backing away.

However, the Ursaring ignored him completely. Instead, they advanced step by step, low growls rumbling from their throats.

The encirclement grew tighter and tighter. Luo Chen took another step back, only to discover a rock wall behind him.

He had been forced into a dead end!

At that moment, the largest of the four Ursaring let out a roar, raised both arms, and charged straight at Luo Chen!

"Roar!!"

At that critical moment...

Ursaring's charging movement suddenly stopped!

Not only that, but the other three Ursaring around him all froze as well.

The vicious fury in their eyes instantly vanished, replaced by inexplicable fear.

Before Luo Chen could react, the four Ursaring turned and fled into the distance as if they had encountered something terrifying.

They quickly disappeared into the distant woods, leaving Luo Chen standing there in a daze.

What... was going on?

This was Ursaring territory. Logically, there was only one possibility for them to react like that.

They had sensed an even more terrifying Pokémon approaching!

No, he had to get out of here immediately!

Just as Luo Chen was about to leave, a sound suddenly came from behind him!

He instinctively turned around.

Was it here?

However, in the next moment...

A familiar white figure slowly floated around the corner.

He still held that leaf in one hand, along with a deep-blue Berry.

"Gehe!!"

[Boss, I found a Berry!]

Then, noticing Luo Chen's complicated expression, he tilted his head in confusion.

"Gehe?"

[What's wrong?]

Luo Chen froze for a moment. Rather than answering immediately, he quietly waited.

A full half minute passed without any other movement.

So... that "terrifying guy" had been Gengar?

He could not help recalling the first time he had seen Gengar today.

The aura Gengar had released back then had frightened Litwick away from far off and even left Luo Chen unable to move.

Although that had been a berserk state caused by the seal... thinking about it carefully, an aura like that seemed to have nothing to do with the seal itself.

Luo Chen looked in the direction where the Ursaring had vanished, then at the White Gengar grinning foolishly before him.

So this guy...

Could he really be incredibly strong?

"Gengar, have you ever had other Pokémon run away as soon as they saw you?"

Luo Chen took the Berry Gengar had picked and examined it as he asked tentatively.

Gengar paused, tilting his head as he thought.

"Gehe..."

[Yeah.]

His expression became a little dejected.

"Gehe, gehe."

[The Ghost-type companions didn't like me before. Later... nobody would come near me anymore.]

[But I don't know why...]

Luo Chen said nothing and merely fell silent.

His previous guess had been that Gengar had been excluded by his group because he was Shiny. Before Gengar encountered the tablet, that might indeed have been the case.

But afterward, the reason those Pokémon had not dared approach him was probably completely different.

They were simply afraid because he was too strong, right?

So just how strong was Gengar now? If measured by Trainer standards... Gym Leader level? Elite Four level?

At times like this, Luo Chen could not help feeling it was a pity that he had the Internet Cafe Management System rather than the Trainer System.

Otherwise, it might have come with a feature that displayed Pokémon information panels... one glance would tell him Gengar's level.

Forget it. Although he could not determine Gengar's exact strength, at least one thing was certain: he should be quite safe in Mount Coronet's back mountain from now on.

The internet cafe had absolute protection, while Gengar could protect him outside...

Mm, perfect.

Everything that followed went very smoothly. With Gengar at his side, there was not even a trace of a wild Pokémon nearby. It seemed they had all been scared away by Gengar.

Deep in the nearby forest, Luo Chen found several kinds of Berries he had never seen before. He packed them all up and stuffed them into Gengar's body.

That way, he had enough to make Berry drinks for the next few days. There was no need to go out again for the time being.

But only at this moment did Luo Chen remember something.

No wonder the Murkrow in the backyard had all disappeared after Gengar arrived today... they had all been scared off like this.

But why could he not feel Gengar's aura at all?

Also, when facing Lance's Dragonite today, the other side should have been Champion-level as well. Yet Luo Chen had not felt any particularly powerful aura or pressure.

But when he had faced Garchomp yesterday and the Ursaring today, he had been able to sense the aura radiating from them.

Could Pokémon unconsciously adjust their auras?

It sounded a little strange, but otherwise, he really could not think of any reason for this.

Forget it, no point dwelling on it.

He should head back to the internet cafe first.

After returning to the internet cafe, Luo Chen took out all the Berries he had picked and gave some to Gengar.

Watching Gengar happily hug the Berries and chew on them, Luo Chen realized that he was a little hungry too.

As usual, he picked up an Oran Berry, but then stopped.

Tch, he could not just eat Berries all the time.

He had thought about this before. How nice would it be if he could cook in the internet cafe... otherwise, his cooking skills would be completely wasted.

Mm... wait?

When he had looked through the building section today, had there actually been one?

With a thought, he opened the system panel and selected the facilities section.

As his gaze swept over it, his eyes immediately lit up.

He had remembered correctly. Among the unlocked facilities in the first row, there really was an icon for a kitchen.

[Basic Facility: Simple Kitchen]

[Description: A simple kitchen equipped with basic cooking utensils and a large quantity of seasonings. It can be used to make basic dishes. Dishes made using special materials from the Pokémon world will have additional effects. You may also spend Credit Points in the kitchen to purchase ordinary ingredients.]

[Required Building Points: 3]

After today's settlement, the remaining Building Points on the panel happened to be exactly three. Exchanging them for the kitchen would use them all up.

But as the saying went, food came first.

He chose to build it without hesitation.

The next moment, a flash of light appeared in an empty space behind the bar, and a fully equipped kitchen materialized out of thin air.

Luo Chen went inside and looked around, discovering all kinds of seasonings in the kitchen, along with a refrigerator.

There was nothing in the refrigerator, but once opened, it displayed a panel for exchanging Emotion Points for ingredients.

The prices were not particularly high either. Two pounds of fresh pork ribs only cost one Emotion Point of any color.

After considering it, Luo Chen spent one of his currently most abundant red Emotion Points, and a large box of fresh pork ribs instantly appeared in the refrigerator.

He smiled.

Finally... he could make something fit for human consumption.

Before long, a rich aroma began to drift out of the kitchen...

Meanwhile, in the Kanto region.

It was still that corner of the vast ocean. Beneath the gloomy sky, fierce winds and torrential rain swept across the waters.

On the hidden island amid the ocean, deep within the secret underground laboratory, inside a massive cultivation tank...

The white embryo had changed since last time.

Its outline was clearer than before, with the faint beginnings of limbs already visible. A tail-like protrusion had also grown from its back.

Beside the cultivation tank, countless complex data streams raced across the screens, along with a stable straight line whose meaning was unknown.

A researcher in a white lab coat sat before the control console. He glanced at the embryo in the tank, then carefully studied the data and diligently recorded his observations.

"Activity readings are stable... There are no fluctuations for the time being. Very good."

Just as he spoke to himself, the laboratory door some distance away was suddenly pushed open.

A figure slowly walked in, his features revealed under the light.

He was a tall man in a suit, with a square face and an air of authority and oppression between his brows.

Simply meeting his gaze made one feel pressured without realizing it.

The researcher immediately stood and saluted.

"Lord Giovanni! You're here!"

Giovanni did not look at him. His gaze passed over the entire laboratory and settled on the massive cultivation tank in the center.

"...Report the progress to me."