Lucario had finally been successfully captured.
Though the process was a bit unorthodox, the outcome was something everyone could agree was a win.
No doubt, Lucario would open up new perspectives and growth paths for Xiao Zhang.
As Su Bai glanced across the screens, the rest of the students had already descended the mountain.
The fastest pair—Liu Yunlan and Murong Nan—were already riding their Arcanine deeper into exploration.
Surprisingly, Ding Yue and Li Xiaoyu weren't far behind either.
A closer look revealed that the two had secretly downed some Agility Booster. They were practically flying.
No need to guess where they got them—clearly shaken down from Zhang Qun.
It looked like Ding Yue's inventory would be full of these expensive Awakened consumables for quite some time.
But what truly caught Su Bai's attention…
Was the footage of Wang Tao and Zhang Qun.
They had just started descending the mountain, lagging behind most of the others.
After all, they'd previously relied on stimulant-assisted sprinting, which had put a serious strain on their bodies.
Even with Healing Dew Droplets replenishing their energy, neither of them was in the mood to keep running.
"If someone wants to snatch the reward, let them. If I get it, lucky me. If not—well, that's fate…"
Wang Tao sighed dramatically, holding a Poké Ball in hand as he sat atop his Torterra, slowly making his way down, a cloud of gloom hanging over him.
That last-minute betrayal by his Electrode?
Yeah—he'd lost major face as a Trainer.
"Su Bai was right after all… Capturing and training really aren't the same thing."
He exhaled deeply.
Those words still echoed from Su Bai's class back at Haicheng City No.1 High School.
Not that he'd dismissed them before, but in the heat of the moment, instinct had made him throw the Poké Ball.
Now, the fallout was clear.
For the foreseeable future, gaining Electrode's trust—and figuring out how to train it—would be Wang Tao's biggest headache.
Watching this from the feed, Su Bai chuckled softly.
"Ash had to deal with Pikachu shocking him half to death when they first met…"
Back then, that electric mouse was downright feral—refusing to listen to a word.
And yet… Ash tamed it in the end.
Sure, Wang Tao wasn't exactly Ash Ketchum.
But his Electrode wasn't Pikachu either.
Still, Su Bai had never once underestimated this chubby, foul-mouthed friend of his.
Because hidden beneath that rotund physique…
Was a clever, perceptive mind.
"You made your bed, now lie in it."
That said, given the world they lived in now, Su Bai still didn't recommend Trainers forcibly capturing Pokémon.
This wasn't the Pokémon world.
Here, humans were much more vulnerable.
Their time, stamina, and attention were valuable resources.
Because the faster they improved, the better their odds of surviving in a world swarming with Death Beasts.
Just as Su Bai was silently musing, the screen suddenly flickered.
Rotom popped out from the corner of the monitor, wearing a sly, knowing grin.
The camera zoomed out—switching to a wide-angle, long-lens shot.
The forest ahead of Wang Tao began to rustle violently.
From the shaking branches, a series of half-familiar roars echoed through the trees.
Wang Tao's expression changed instantly.
"Wait a second…"
He stared wide-eyed at the shaking canopy, a hint of terror creeping across his face.
And then—
BOOM!
A huge monkey head burst out of the treetops.
Primeape.
The sour, angry look on its face went blank the moment it saw Wang Tao.
Then—suddenly—it pointed one massive boxing-gloved hand at him and let out a furious screech.
Its fists blurred as it beat the air faster and faster.
The tree branches began shaking wildly.
With a savage roar, Primeape charged straight at Wang Tao!
Behind it?
An entire mob of angry Mankey, eyes blazing with vengeance.
"OH, COME ON!! NOT THESE MONKEYS AGAIN!!"
Wang Tao wailed in disbelief, staring at the horde of irrational, furious monkeys descending upon him.
"Why the hell did I pick this path?!"
"Where's that Agility Booster?! Get it out—NOW!!"
"RUN! I DON'T CARE IF MY LEGS FALL OFF—JUST RUN!!"
"If these things catch us, it won't just be a beating—we're talking annihilation!"
His shrill screams echoed through the monitor.
Moments later, with Rotom playfully zooming the camera around, two panicked figures burst out of the brush.
Scrambling, tripping, practically crying as they bolted away, their legs churning in desperation.
"YOU REMEMBER THIS!! ONE DAY I'LL COME BACK WITH A WHOLE CREW AND MOP THE FLOOR WITH YOU!!"
Wang Tao's indignant howls of rage had the entire Pokémon Center roaring with laughter.
Su Bai, meanwhile, calmly sipped his tea.
"Wang Tao didn't check his route before descending…"
"That's Primeape territory."
"Now that Articuno's gone, the monkeys are back."
"Honestly… he and Primeape might be destined rivals."
Sip.
[Exploration Progress: 65%]
[Recognition of a Tier-2 Legendary/Mythical Pokémon: Complete]
[Current Individual Rankings]
Pei Jingguo
Liu Yunlan
Wang Tao
Ding Yue
Murong Nan
Su Bai glanced over the data floating in the lower-left corner of the screen, sipping his tea.
Several days had passed since the Articuno incident.
During that time, he had taken on the role of commentator—guiding Hai City's audience through all sorts of new Pokémon discoveries.
But as time went on, Pokémon sightings became more repetitive.
Now, he could finally relax a bit and focus on analyzing the data.
Ironically, what he expected to be the hardest—gaining the recognition of a Legendary or Mythical Pokémon—was the first task completed.
Exploration progress was climbing faster than expected too.
Although it had slowed in recent days, the deeper the Trainers ventured, the more rapid breakthroughs would come.
Pei Jingguo remained a force to be reckoned with—leading the individual ranking.
Xiao Zhang, meanwhile, had parted ways with him and was now focused solely on training with Lucario.
In his words, "Aura is already the best reward. Who cares about exploration points?"
So Pei Jingguo charged forward solo—and still took the top spot.
Liu Yunlan and Murong Nan worked together seamlessly, but thanks to Infernape's dazzling performance against Articuno, Liu Yunlan edged ahead to claim second.
Wang Tao, driven by stubborn pride, clawed his way to third.
Oddly enough, Ding Yue and Li Xiaoyu—the so-called "plastic sisters"—seemed to be running out of luck ever since the Articuno battle.
Their progress had stalled.
As for Zhou Xiaofei and Liu Qiaoqiao…
Su Bai tilted his head toward another screen—where a crowd of children had gathered, giggling nonstop.
Ever since the Articuno fight, the two kids had returned to the beach and never left.
They were now just happily playing every day, bringing envy to every child in Hai City.
Their Munchlax stood by the beach, staring longingly at the pot in front of Zhou Xiaofei.
The most strenuous thing the pair had done in days?
Foraging berries and cooking up Poké Puffs.
Su Bai smiled and shook his head.
"Well… they are still kids."
Watching Zhou Xiaofei laugh joyfully on the screen, Su Bai's smile softened.
For him, Zhou Xiaofei wasn't just a student—he was an exceptional employee.
To see him genuinely enjoying a rare taste of childhood?
That was more than enough.
"If only things could stay this peaceful forever… wouldn't that be nice?"
He stretched lazily as Meloetta floated over and gently refilled his cup.
Charizard and Zeraora were still on patrol outside.
Diancie had temporarily taken over Su Bai's observation duties.
He now had a rare moment of tranquility—truly a stolen sliver of serenity.
But in this world…
Moments like this never lasted long.
Zhu Jianyuan came rushing into the room, breathless.
"Su Bai! Something's happened!"
"Someone's here… from Kyoto!"