Chapter 1087 - 653: Battle Against Genji (Part 2)

Chapter 1087: Chapter 653: Battle Against Genji (Part 2)

Originally I thought that with a construction period of about three months, the Meteor People would at most put up a single-story little house, taking up maybe a hundred square meters at most, possibly even just a wooden structure.

But the two-story villa in front of me is clearly brick-concrete, and the interior area of the first floor might well exceed three hundred square meters!

The second floor is a bit smaller, probably only half the size of the first.

All together it adds up to over five hundred square meters!

Isn’t this a bit too indulgent?

No, that’s not it.

How are you Dragon Tamers this good at building houses? Can you really get this done in three months?

"How is it?"

Zheng Fang stood there, hands on hips in pride, and the few people beside him were doing the same, very satisfied with someone’s look of shock.

He said, "Told you we’d finish the interior for you, nothing’s missing! You can move in right away! Water and electricity are all connected! We even ran the internet cable for you!"

Baimu tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Such a huge place, and I’m living here alone?"

"Don’t you still have your Pokémon? Since you like bringing them into the house, we specifically made it this big for you."

Zheng Fang patted his shoulder.

Most Meteor People like raising their Dragon-type Pokémon outdoors, not because they’re unwilling to let them in the house.

First, most Dragon-type Pokémon are huge and can’t move around freely in houses sized for humans.

Second, Dragon-type Pokémon themselves prefer staying in wide-open spaces; at most they need a spot that can shelter them from wind and rain.

To them, a hundred-square-meter house doesn’t feel much different from a slightly bigger cage.

If Hydreigon didn’t especially love clinging to Baimu, it’d be dying to find somewhere less cramped to rest; a bedroom environment is only suitable back in the Deino stage.

By the time it’s a Zweilous, that kind of space is already unbearable.

"Everyone really put their hearts into this."

Baimu was genuinely moved.

Why does Aggron always like running out to the balcony at night?

Its love of staring at the moon and the cramped hotel room don’t conflict at all, and a bathtub is hardly a good living environment for Altered-color Milotic.

Some problems on the road are unavoidable; you can only put up with them for the time being.

Everyone stepped into the house.

Just as Baimu imagined, the interior was very spacious with barely any furniture or decorations, and the ceiling height was easily over five meters, enough for Aggron and Hydreigon to move around freely.

Zheng Fang couldn’t wait and pulled him over to a large wooden door. "Check this out! You’ll definitely like it!"

Shff!

The door slid open.

A Japanese-style dojo with wooden flooring appeared before his eyes.

Seeing this, Baimu finally understood why the first floor was so huge—turns out they’d built a little Japanese dojo in here!

The decor was identical in style to the Dragon Temple.

That Neon vibe is really strong...

"Not bad."

He nodded, not having the heart to pick apart Zheng Fang’s thoughtful gesture; after all, this was a house the guy had managed from start to finish.

The villa’s layout was very simple.

First floor: living room, dojo, kitchen, bath and toilet. Second floor: two bedrooms plus a bathroom.

Zheng Fang openly pointed to the smaller bedroom. "This can be for your future kid. If you have a lot of kids, you can just tear open the roof and keep adding levels, or expand outward, whatever works."

Meteor Village doesn’t have any housing authority; you can toss houses around however you like and no one will care.

"That kind of thing is way too far off."

Baimu shook his head.

Zheng Fang and the others didn’t stay long. They hauled away a few little brats who were asking questions about everything under the sun and let him rest for a bit; in the evening everyone was going to hold a banquet to welcome the two of them.

Genji wasn’t one of the Meteor People; that was something Baimu had known for a long time.

Genji’s bond with the Meteor People started when, in his youth, he was saved by a wild Dragonite and swore to become a Trainer, then came to Meteor Village to challenge the powerful Dragon Tamers here.

After going back and forth a few times, a deep friendship formed between the two sides.

Now, as the captain of a large ship, Genji often returns to Meteor Village to wander around whenever he comes back from sea; this time was no exception.

Before heading to Ever Grande City to participate in the Champion Alliance, he planned to drop by and catch up with old friends.

He hadn’t expected to happen upon Baimu.

With that younger Trainer on his mind, he had tea with the Dragon Elder, then went looking and followed the trail to Baimu’s house. Through the open door he saw all the lively Pokémon inside.

He fell silent for a moment, pulled his hat brim down and was about to step in when Baimu’s voice sounded beside him.

"Heavenly King Genji?"

Genji turned his head slightly, seeing the other wearing a white apron, an iron bucket full of clean water in each hand along with rags. He said, "Looks like I’ve come at the wrong time."

"Not at all, I’m just doing a bit of casual cleaning. Please come in."

Baimu set down what he was holding, wiped the water off on his apron, and smiled as he gestured Genji into the living room.

He poured himself a cup of tea, and for Genji he prepared hot milk with sugar added.

"I’ve heard you’re fond of MooMoo Milk, so I took the liberty of preparing a cup for you. Please enjoy."

"..."

Genji looked at the warm milk being handed over in obvious surprise, then took a sip, and his gray-white eyebrows rose even higher.

Don’t be fooled by how simple milk with sugar sounds—he’s very picky about both the temperature of the milk and the amount of sugar.

This cup Baimu made was unexpectedly just to his taste.

"I didn’t expect you to have such excellent cooking skills. Very good."

Genji was never stingy with praise, just as he’d point out problems for Xiaoyao in the Gorgeous Competitions; he’s absolutely not some stiff old man. "The milk is very good. You’ve been thoughtful."

Baimu laughed. "As long as you’re satisfied."

Blissey waddled over, placing the snacks in its hands on the table, then quickly retreated so as not to disturb the conversation between the guest and the Trainer.

The other Pokémon tucked themselves into different corners, watching curiously.

Genji’s gaze swept over them, and he asked:

"Lord Baimu, I’ve heard you’re not planning to participate in the Hoenn Champion Alliance?"

"...Yes."

At first Baimu was surprised why the old man would bring that up, then he realized Genji might have taken a liking to his talent?

He wanted to hear the reason for not participating from Baimu himself.

Sure enough.

Genji asked directly, "May I ask your reasons?"

"Of course, it’s not some shameful matter." Baimu calmly told him about his and Mayor Shanren’s plans.

Genji listened, then fell silent for a long time. Only after another sip of milk did he speak. "Lord Baimu, I’ve no intention of interfering with the decision between you and Mayor Shanren, and I can also understand how important this is for you both.

"But I still want to say that the Champion Alliance would be an excellent platform for growth. By battling the Four Heavenly Kings and the Champion, you can clearly feel what you’re currently lacking most. It’d be a real pity to give up that opportunity."

"You can’t have everything in life. Some chances are indeed a shame to miss, but for the sake of clearer goals, you’re forced to make trade-offs."

Baimu grinned, showing his teeth.

Genji looked at his open and relaxed expression, drained his milk and said, "In that case, Lord Baimu, how about you have a Pokémon battle with me?"

"A battle? Aren’t you still preparing for the Champion Alliance..."

"We’ll stop short of going all out. I believe for my Pokémon, this will be a fine warm-up match." Genji’s voice was rough, his tone carrying a kind of undeniable authority.

Baimu was naturally more than happy to accept.

He studied Genji with a complicated look, understanding in his heart that Heavenly King Genji likely wanted this younger Trainer who couldn’t participate in the Champion Alliance to gain more experience through a battle with a Celestial King.

The battle power of Trainers and Pokémon alike is generally accumulated bit by bit through one match after another.

However...

Whether this match would affect Genji’s performance in the Champion Alliance, that was impossible to say.

"It would be my honor!"

Baimu knew full well that the other’s mind was made up, and he answered without hesitation.

A faint smile appeared at Genji’s lips. "Very good. Come with me outside; let’s find a wide enough field."

The two stepped out.

The Pokémon followed closely behind.

By the time they found a sufficiently spacious clearing, the news that Baimu was going to battle Four Heavenly Kings Drake had already spread through Meteor Village.

A huge crowd gathered to watch, and Pokémon came flocking in as well.

Genji acted as if he hadn’t noticed the people around them at all. He said, "We’ll use a three-round format. There’s no restriction on switching Pokémon. The match ends when one side’s Pokémon all lose the ability to battle. What do you think?"

"Sounds good!"

Baimu knew this was the format used before battling the Champion in the Champion Alliance: a three-on-three to decide the final Trainer who’d face the Champion’s full team.