Chapter 110: The Approaching Flame Emperor!

Nighttime.
Winds began to howl across the sea.
The sky grew exceptionally gloomy, and before long, a heavy downpour began.
The pitch-black deck was empty, save for the wailing of the wind.
Hu Yang sat in the cafe, resting his chin on his hand, staring blankly at the sudden change in weather.
Truth be told, compared to the first time he encountered a storm at sea, his mindset had undergone a massive shift.
He was used to it now. Let it rain; as long as the ship didn't capsize, it was fine.
Hu Yang stretched, put away the book on breeding knowledge in front of him, and stood up to leave the cafe.
Because of the rain, most trainers and tourists on board had retreated to their rooms.
But there were still some who couldn't sleep.
They gathered together for Pokémon battles, showing off the rare Pokémon they had caught in the Hoenn region.
However, most were just Mightyena, Zigzagoon, Shiftry, and the like.
The only two that could be considered rare were an Altaria and a Tropius with bananas growing around its neck.
Like Gyarados and Aerodactyl, Tropius had "dragon" in its name, but it was not a Dragon-type.
Hu Yang suddenly felt that a Flying/Grass-type Tropius would actually suit Lance quite well.
After watching the novices peck at each other for a while, he felt bored and turned back to his room, ready to sleep.
As soon as he closed the door, Gengar popped out of its Poké Ball.
It clung to the small porthole, looking outside, and asked curiously, "Why is it raining again?"
Hu Yang shrugged and released his other Pokémon as well: "I don't know."
Hearing this, Gengar looked back at him and recalled, "I remember when we first took a boat, you were very afraid of the rain."
"You remembered that wrong," Hu Yang retorted, his expression unchanged.
He went to the bathroom to wash up. Just as he turned on the faucet, Gengar floated out of the mirror and asked, "Are you not afraid anymore?"
Hu Yang, holding his toothbrush, mumbled, "Why would I be afraid?"
As he spoke, he glanced at the vacant-looking Cramorant.
Gengar instantly understood what he meant, and the scene from their last voyage flashed through its mind.
With that silly bird around, there really was nothing to fear.
Gengar fell into deep thought.
After brushing his teeth, Hu Yang took out Moomoo Milk from his backpack and fed a carton to each of his Pokémon.
It was said that long-term consumption of this milk would make Pokémon grow stronger.
The line of Pokémon in front of him hugged their cartons and drank with gusto.
Roserade's movements remained as elegant as ever.
Axew sat on the ground, head tilted back, gulping down the milk.
Gengar floated in the air, swallowing the milk, carton and all, in one gulp, then let out a satisfied belch.
Ralts sat beside Hu Yang, swinging its little feet leisurely, holding a carton twice the size of its hands, sucking gently on the straw.
As for Cramorant, Hu Yang fed it himself.
After finishing the last drop, Cramorant seemed to want more.
It tilted its head, staring blankly at the empty carton in Hu Yang's hand.
Seeing this, Hu Yang suddenly felt more like a nanny raising children.
Axew had already evolved once; once it evolved into Haxorus, it would be taller than him.
And Ralts, if it evolved into Gardevoir within two years, would also be larger than him.
Hu Yang imagined the scene in his mind.
Being protected behind a group of Pokémon taller than him...
That really would be a sense of security!
The only pity was that none of his Pokémon were fluffy.
No, if he had the chance in the future, he must catch a large, fluffy Pokémon!
And so, that night, Marshadow saw the image of Hu Yang surrounded by fluffiness in his dream again.
Marshadow: "..."
Fortunately, it didn't have fur.
However.
Marshadow looked up toward the southwest.
As the guardian of Ho-Oh, it could sense the location of the Legendary Beasts.
Suicune was currently in the Hoenn region and had not followed them.
The eccentric Raikou was currently wandering in some uninhabited area.
The guide closest to the Chosen One now...
Was Entei.
And Entei, as it happened, had fur.
Marshadow recalled Entei's temperament.
It was always full of majesty and looked stern, and when it landed from a height, flames would bloom beneath its feet, making it look awe-inspiring.
Marshadow harbored a sliver of fantasy in its heart.
Such an Entei would certainly not be like Suicune, allowing this strange human to ride on its back!
...
August 24th.
The ship officially arrived in the Kanto region.
After disembarking, feeling the salty sea breeze hitting his face, Hu Yang stretched comfortably.
A sign on the pier read, "Vermilion City, the color of sunset."
That's right, this was Vermilion City.
A large port city in the Kanto region, where the famous luxury cruise ship, the S.S. Anne, set off to tour the world.
Speaking of which, Hu Yang had a deep impression of this city.
In the anime, Ash's Pikachu had used its speed advantage here to defeat the Raichu of the Vermilion Gym Leader, Lt. Surge.
After asking a passerby and learning the location of the Pokémon Center, Hu Yang headed there with his backpack.
Using the videophone there, he made a call to the ecological park.
Soon, the call connected.
To Hu Yang's surprise, it wasn't Slowking who answered, but Professor Birch.
He was taken aback and said, "Professor..."
Professor Birch explained with a smile, "I came over to bring food for Slowking today. Slowking is currently feeding the Slowpoke, you can see it in a moment."
As he spoke, Slowking's figure appeared on the screen.
Professor Birch stepped aside, and Slowking asked, "Have you arrived in the Kanto region?"
Hu Yang nodded.
Although they had only been separated for five days, Hu Yang could still feel that a great change had taken place in Slowking.
Sure enough, Slowking said, "Hu Yang, I have finished reading the 'Breeder's Guide,' 'Energy Block Manufacturing Methods,' 'Wild Pokémon Ecology and Attribute Counter-types,' and 'Pokémon Evolution Theory' books you prepared for me. If possible, could you bring back a Berry Blender and an Energy Block Case? I would like to try making Energy Blocks that can improve Pokémon's condition."
Hu Yang: "???"
Hearing this request, he couldn't react for a moment.
Four books in five days? That was too exaggerated, right?
He asked, "Can you understand the content in the books?"
Slowking nodded: "I have learned human language through the instructional videotapes you bought."