Gao Tianming's arrival naturally attracted everyone's attention.
Aboard the ship, people curiously watched the group of large, water-blue Pokémon with long necks swimming through the sea, discussing them among themselves.
Chen Mo was no exception.
Looking at these graceful Pokémon gliding through the ocean, he suddenly remembered that time back at Cangqing Mountain when a Ludicolo had ferried him across a lake. He'd ridden on its back, only for both his feet to end up completely soaked.
Back then, he'd already decided—
When I finally make it to the sea someday...
I'm definitely going to catch a Lapras.
That's right.
The Pokémon carrying Gao Tianming toward the ship...
Were none other than a herd of Lapras.
Noticing the curiosity in the livestream chat—and wanting to lighten the mood a little—Chen Mo returned to what he did best.
He began explaining to the camera.
"Lapras is a dual Water- and Ice-type Pokémon."
"Generally speaking, Lapras have personalities somewhat similar to the Milotic we encountered at Chengying Lake. They're peaceful Pokémon that dislike conflict."
"But unlike Milotic, which spends most of its life hidden deep beneath the water..."
"Lapras are much more outgoing."
"They're pure-hearted Pokémon that willingly approach humans."
"As far as we currently know, they're probably the Water-type species that's friendliest toward people."
"When Lapras encounter humans or Pokémon in distress at sea, they'll voluntarily rescue them, carrying them safely on the large shell on their backs until they reach land."
"And that's exactly where their name comes from."
"'Lapras' refers to a dragon that can carry riders."
"Oh, and I mentioned this before..."
"Psychic-type Pokémon are generally far more intelligent than most other Pokémon because of their powerful mental abilities."
"Lapras possess intelligence on par with many Psychic-types."
"They can easily see through human intentions."
"So everyone should keep that in mind."
Many viewers had already fallen in love with Lapras after hearing phrases like pure-hearted and friendly toward humans.
Even without knowing how strong they were...
Their elegant appearance alone had already won countless admirers.
Unfortunately...
Chen Mo's final remark cooled a lot of that enthusiasm.
Experienced Trainers had shared countless guides online.
One point came up repeatedly:
The smarter a Pokémon was—
Especially one capable of seeing through human motives—
The harder it was to earn its trust and capture it.
Many Trainers had suffered greatly because of this.
Of course...
That reaction was exactly what Chen Mo wanted.
Everything he'd said about Lapras was true.
But...
He had intentionally left half the story untold.
There was a reason for that.
In the Pokémon world...
Many species had once been hunted to the brink of extinction by humans.
Among the most famous examples were...
Lapras.
And the Chansey line Chen Mo had encountered on Cangqing Mountain.
The reasons were strikingly similar.
Both species possessed tremendous value.
Chansey were extraordinarily rare healing Pokémon.
Lapras combined great potential with exceptional beauty.
Both were gentle by nature.
And those very qualities had made them prime targets for poachers.
However...
When Chen Mo had introduced Chansey before...
He hadn't hidden their tragic history.
He had openly explained why poachers targeted them.
But the same approach wasn't suitable for Lapras.
The reason was simple.
Although Chansey were gentle...
Generations of hunting had made wild Chansey extremely wary of humans.
The moment they spotted people, they fled immediately.
And if someone attempted to capture them...
They fought desperately.
Even if it meant mutual destruction.
Lapras were different.
It wasn't that they never resisted humans...
It was simply that their resistance was about as effective as a Magikarp frantically using Splash.
They struggled.
But...
It accomplished very little.
That was simply their nature.
They disliked conflict to an almost extreme degree.
Even with their remarkable intelligence...
Even though they could easily see through human intentions...
They still chose to believe in humanity.
After climbing aboard using a ladder, Gao Tianming was immediately surrounded by the townspeople.
Everyone knew about his relationship with Qin Kaicheng and the others.
They all began comforting the young man who had arrived too late for the final farewell.
At the same time...
Marshadow's voice echoed inside Chen Mo's mind.
"I don't quite understand what you did this time."
"When we met the Chansey on Cangqing Mountain..."
"Didn't the Bureau issue a special protection order afterward?"
"So why aren't you doing the same thing for Lapras?"
"Well..."
Chen Mo answered without hesitation.
"Marshadow..."
"As a Legendary Pokémon, this may be difficult for you to appreciate."
"But ordinary Pokémon face tremendous pressure just to survive."
"Some species naturally prey upon others."
"Others regard certain Pokémon as mortal enemies."
"We protected Chansey because doing so wouldn't significantly affect the ecosystem."
"But Lapras are different."
"Wild Lapras living in the ocean feed on certain species of fish Pokémon."
"If humans overprotected them..."
"It would seriously disrupt the marine ecosystem."
"I see..."
Marshadow nodded, only half understanding.
Chen Mo simply smiled.
He didn't elaborate further.
Humanity still knew far too little about Pokémon.
Their biology...
Their habitats...
Their population sizes...
Enormous gaps remained in every field of knowledge.
For now...
As coordinators rather than rulers...
Humans shouldn't interfere excessively with Lapras.
Only after gathering sufficient ecological data could appropriate conservation measures be established.
Chen Mo understood that well.
So...
The only thing he could do at this stage...
Was minimize humanity's impact on Lapras in his own way.
Thinking that...
He walked toward Gao Tianming.
The exhausted young man continued politely responding to everyone's encouragement while occasionally glancing toward the place where Qin Kaicheng had disappeared.
"Really..."
"I'm honestly not that upset..."
"Well..."
"That's not exactly right."
"It's just..."
"While riding here on Lapras..."
"I had a lot of time to think."
"And more importantly..."
"I think I actually heard Brother Cheng."
"He told me..."
"I've grown a lot."
"So..."
"Even though I didn't get to say goodbye properly..."
"I don't feel nearly as sad anymore."
"I'm serious!"
"Everything I said is true!"
"Why won't anyone believe me?"
The teenager sighed helplessly.
Just then—
A familiar voice sounded.
"I believe you."
"I believe how you feel."
"And I believe you really heard Brother Cheng."
Hearing that familiar voice...
And seeing Chen Mo walking over...
The crowd naturally parted.
Gao Tianming immediately looked at him as though seeing his savior.
"Teacher Mo..."
"Tianming."
"I'm glad you made it back."
"There are a lot of things I'd like to talk with you about."
"But before that..."
"I have a question."
Chen Mo looked toward the Lapras still floating beside the ship.
"Lapras aren't a common species."
"They migrate across the ocean according to the seasons and ocean currents."
"Based on everything I've investigated..."
"Crescent Moon Town shouldn't lie along their migration route."
"So..."
"Why are they here?"
"Oh."
"You mean that."
Gao Tianming scratched his head.
He glanced at Charmeleon beside him before recounting everything that had happened earlier at the harbor.
The crowd immediately became restless.
Many people turned toward Chen Mo.
Finally...
Mrs. Qin stepped forward.
As Qin Kaicheng's closest surviving family member, she voiced everyone's question.
"Teacher Chen Mo..."
"The one who stopped Charmeleon from evolving..."
"And helped Tianming get here so Kaicheng could let go..."
"Was that the Legendary Pokémon you mentioned before?"
"Mhm."
Chen Mo nodded.
"If nothing unexpected happened..."
"It should be."
"I can't think of any other Legendary Pokémon that would involve itself in this matter."
"Um..."
Mrs. Qin hesitated.
Seeing everyone's curious yet restrained expressions...
Chen Mo smiled.
"This isn't some national secret."
"It's just that..."
"I don't actually know that much about this particular Legendary Pokémon either."
"But since everyone wants to know..."
"I can at least tell you a little."
"Manaphy."
The entire ship fell silent.
Everyone listened attentively.
Standing among the crowd, Chen Mo calmly explained,
"According to legend..."
"Manaphy was born in the icy depths of the ocean."
"Nearly eighty percent of its body is composed of water."
"It is a Pokémon naturally beloved by the sea itself."
"Yet despite being born amid darkness and cold..."
"Manaphy isn't cold-hearted."
"Quite the opposite."
"It possesses an exceptionally gentle personality."
"It also has the miraculous ability to communicate heart-to-heart with any living being."
"Especially Pokémon that dwell within the sea."
"They instinctively trust Manaphy."
"And because of that..."
"Beloved by the ocean..."
"And cherished by every creature living within it..."
"Manaphy is known throughout the world by a famous title—"
"The Prince of the Sea."
The moment those words were spoken—
Whether aboard the ship...
Or watching through the livestream...
Everyone's attention sharpened.
"Mana..."
High above the ship...
Hidden completely by the sea and invisible even to Marshadow's senses...
The real Manaphy quietly watched everything unfold.
Listening to Chen Mo casually reveal its identity...
It couldn't help feeling a little surprised.
But after thinking it over...
The surprise quickly faded.
After all...
This human was both...
The Hero chosen by the Dragon of Ideals.
And...
An Aura Guardian not seen for ages.
Someone like that knowing a few of its secrets...
Was hardly strange.
Still...
Manaphy looked puzzled.
More precisely...
It was staring at the shadow beneath Chen Mo's feet.
Because of its close relationship with Lugia...
Manaphy was quite familiar with Ho-Oh's circle of Legendary Pokémon.
And among Legendary Pokémon...
The Trial of the Rainbow Hero was famous.
It recognized the Pokémon hidden inside Chen Mo's shadow almost immediately.
That cautious guardian protecting him with its power...
Could only be Ho-Oh's Guide of Shadows—
Marshadow.
Which was...
Very strange.
Long ago...
Manaphy had once met someone participating in the Trial of the Rainbow Hero.
It had spoken with them.
It had personally sensed the unmistakable aura bestowed by Ho-Oh.
But...
Chen Mo possessed no such aura.
As for the Dragon of Ideals...
Manaphy had never met Zekrom.
Nor had it ever met another Hero of Ideals.
Yet...
Thanks to the internet...
News that Chen Mo was the Hero of Ideals had already spread everywhere.
Even in Crescent Moon Town...
The residents had talked about nothing else.
Manaphy already knew...
The Hero of Ideals had reappeared after a thousand years.
Therefore...
The moment Chen Mo arrived in Crescent Moon Town...
Manaphy had noticed him.
Or rather...
It had been impossible not to notice him.
Without exaggeration...
Manaphy had identified Chen Mo immediately.
And made one decision at once.
Stay far away.
The reason was simple.
In Manaphy's perception...
Chen Mo continuously radiated a powerful Legendary-level aura.
It wasn't his own.
It was a mark.
A warning directed at every other Legendary Pokémon.
This human belongs to me.
...Whoever had left that mark...
Was clearly an extremely possessive Dragon.
Manaphy's thoughts churned.
"I've heard..."
"The Dragon of Ideals hasn't appeared for nearly a thousand years."
"Perhaps something happened to its true body..."
Well connected among both humans and Pokémon...
Manaphy knew many secrets unknown to either side.
Putting everything together—
A Hero chosen by Ideals, apparently traveling alone because the Dragon itself was absent.
A Marshadow carrying Ho-Oh's will...
Whose duty was to select and test future Rainbow Heroes.
One human.
One Legendary Pokémon.
Traveling together.
And apparently quite close.
Manaphy understood perfectly what Ho-Oh looked for in a Rainbow Hero.
Judging from Chen Mo's actions aboard the ship...
Helping Manaphy without exposing it.
Carefully moderating how he introduced Lapras.
Everything...
Perfectly matched Ho-Oh's standards.
And then...
There was that possessive Dragon of Ideals...
Countless possibilities flashed through Manaphy's mind.
Its eyes sparkled.
It stared intently at the young man below.
Its emotions surged like a storm-tossed sea.
"...Th-This..."
"...This is getting interesting!"
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