Chapter 85: The Arrival of Bai Ci

Night had fallen. The airplane pierced through the clouds, reaching an altitude where even most Flying-type Pokémon would never venture. This was a long-haul flight from Unova to Kanto. The journey was not yet halfway complete; nearly everyone onboard was resting, save for a handful of children experiencing their first long trip and a few adults quietly finishing their work.

A beautiful girl with twin buns atop her head and pigtails gazed out the window at the rolling waves of clouds outside.

“What are you thinking about, little Baici?” came a gentle question from beside her. Yew, dressed for once in casual attire, smiled as she spoke.

“I’m wondering what Professor Oak will be like,” Baici replied, turning to look at Yew with a smile. She seemed genuinely curious about the distant, unknown Kanto and the elder who would soon be her guardian.

Yew reached out to pat Baici’s head, laughing softly. “Professor Oak is a very kind old man. They say he was a powerful trainer when he was young, but for some reason, he switched to research, and almost overnight became the greatest scholar of our age.”

Such talent was universally envied. He possessed the strength to be a champion, yet withdrew at the height of his glory to pursue academia, ultimately achieving monumental success in the research field. Professor Oak himself was a living legend.

“I’ve heard people say Professor Oak is tall, elderly but looks surprisingly young. Pallet Town is supposedly full of strong trainers and rare Pokémon. Is that true, Professor?” Baici tilted her head in confusion.

[Absolutely not!!!] Yew’s smile froze.

When the tales of Green and Red were passed around in Unova, those two, along with that distant little town and the old man sitting in the research lab, became figures of myth.

The worship of strength and the spread of rumors are instincts etched in human bones.

“Pallet Town is just a quiet, peaceful village. Most residents aren’t trainers. Professor Oak is a perfectly normal elderly man. Green is a braggart, Red is usually silent but reliable, and Nanami is gentle—if you need anything once you arrive, you can ask Nanami for help.”

Yew spoke to Baici in a voice warm as sunlight.

Listening to Yew, Baici felt a surge of longing in her heart.

“But, Baici, there’s another legend in Professor Oak’s lab.”

Yew’s smile once again piqued Baici’s curiosity.

Baici shot her a look that begged, “Go on, tell me.” Yew’s smile deepened, then she said, “There’s someone named Chen Ou. He’s the youngest professor in our research field right now. Recently, he chose to travel, and has become a formidable trainer as well.”

“Isn’t that the exact opposite path to Professor Oak?” Baici asked, puzzled. Most people reacted the same way. Compared to Professor Oak, who was first a trainer then a researcher, Chen Ou had chosen the reverse—researcher first, then trainer.

But circumstances often dictate such choices.

“That’s correct, but I’m not familiar with Chen Ou. If you have questions, you can ask him yourself.”

Yew truly wasn’t acquainted with Chen Ou. She had lived in Pallet Town for some time while her father collaborated with Professor Oak academically. For the sake of efficiency, her father brought her to live there for a while.

Back then, Chen Ou was still at home, munching fried chicken, sipping soda, and playing games…

Afterward, Yew’s contact with Professor Oak and the others waned. Once she became a professor herself, busy nurturing new trainers and handling various affairs, she had even less time for others.

So when Chen Ou stunned the world at the research summit, she knew less about him than her university classmate Makomo.

Of course, after the summit, Yew started to consciously pay attention to news about Chen Ou.

Thanks to the internet’s reach, even the League’s repeated attempts to suppress information couldn’t prevent Chen Ou from becoming a rising star in their elite circles.

Everyone was curious about the hidden genius in Professor Oak’s lab.

Yew was no exception. Recently, her own research had reached a bottleneck—one connected to the legendary Unovan dragon. So she decided to take advantage of the opportunity to escort Baici to Kanto, and seek advice from the now universally acknowledged expert on legendary Pokémon, Professor Chen Ou.

When she mentioned this to Makomo, her friend insisted she pass along greetings to Chen Ou as well.

The thought made Yew’s head ache. She wasn’t naïve; though not as famous as Professor Sycamore, the renowned “public heartthrob,” Yew had experienced romance. Seeing Makomo’s flushed cheeks, she could immediately sense something was amiss.

But Yew knew that Chen Ou was currently with Sinnoh’s champion, Cynthia.

Her friend was certainly wonderful, but the other party seemed to have no need to pay heed to anyone’s challenges…

[Well, let’s just take things one step at a time. I want to see for myself what charisma Professor Chen Ou possesses, to draw so many outstanding people to him.]

Yew shook her head wearily, not noticing the intense curiosity in Baici’s eyes.

“All right, don’t think so much. The journey is long. Get some sleep. When you wake up, I’ll tell you some things to watch out for and some interesting stories.”

Yew snapped out of her reverie and smiled.

Truthfully, Yew didn’t think she’d be captivated by Chen Ou. She wasn’t particularly interested in the martial types, and someone like Chen Ou—who gave up being a professor to become a trainer—was undeniably a genius, but his restless, fighting spirit was enough for Yew to respectfully keep her distance.

Besides, her father and Professor Oak were peers. Strictly speaking, Chen Ou, Red, Green, and Nanami were all a generation younger than she was…

[Thinking about it like this, I really do feel old…]

Yew smiled wryly.

Baici obediently leaned back in her seat, turning her head to feign sleep. Seeing this, Yew nodded and settled in to rest herself.

She was exhausted, and had no intention of handling any business on the plane.

But Baici, on the other hand, was wide awake, eyes open wide, gazing out the window.

[What kind of person is Professor Chen Ou, I wonder?]

Baici looked out upon the sea of clouds, lost in thought.

P.S. Many thanks to Ink Tears Scar for the generous reward of 500 starting coins! Wishing you good fortune and many blossoms in your life!

P.S.2. This week’s extra chapter rules are the same as last week: 100 recommendations, 10 monthly tickets. Now that we’re on the recommendation list, it’s 100 subscriptions per extra chapter… Seems like I owe 16 extra chapters, paid back six, ten more to go… Let’s take it slow…

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