Since that great being had instructed him to conceal his identity, Chen Shi decided to use a false name.
As for why he chose the name Qiu—
There was no particular reason.
He simply liked autumn.
Nio was an intelligent man and could tell that the name was probably false.
However, he did not ask any questions and simply accepted it.
Afterward, Chen Shi rose to his feet.
"I still need to look around outside. I may not return until later."
"Just continue with whatever you need to do."
"Once I'm back, I'll go find Shate."
Nio stood up as well.
"I'll see you out."
"No need. I can leave on my own."
With that, Chen Shi opened the door of the wooden hut and stepped outside.
Several tribespeople happened to be passing by.
The moment they saw him emerge, they all revealed expressions of fear and reverence.
Chen Shi considered greeting them, but ultimately decided against it.
Instead, he took out Metagross's Poké Ball and opened it.
"Metagross, let's go take a look around."
"Meta~"
Metagross paid no attention to the surrounding people.
After lifting Chen Shi onto its head, it immediately flew off in a chosen direction.
Once they had disappeared from sight, Nio slowly stepped out of the hut.
The nearby tribespeople immediately crowded around him.
"Grandfather Nio, what happened?"
"Why did that lord leave? He didn't make things difficult for you, did he?"
"Grandfather Nio, what kind of magical beast was that just now?"
"It looked terrifying!"
They seemed to have endless questions and all began speaking at once.
Nio raised his cane and struck the ground firmly.
Everyone immediately fell silent.
He swept his gaze across the crowd and spoke in his aged voice.
"That lord is called Qiu."
"He is not an evil person."
"He only left because he wishes to explore the surrounding area."
"He did not make things difficult for me either."
"And... Lord Qiu said that after he returns, he will teach Shate how to subdue magical beasts."
The announcement was like a massive stone crashing into a calm lake.
An uproar instantly erupted.
"What?! Is that true?"
"Why would Lord Qiu be willing to teach us such precious knowledge?"
"That's right, Grandfather Nio. The knowledge of subduing magical beasts is incredibly valuable."
"Is Lord Qiu truly willing to share it with us?"
"I remember Grandfather Nio saying that even the people of the great tribes refuse to teach others such knowledge."
Discussion immediately broke out again.
Clearly, none of them could quite believe it.
"Silence!" Nio reprimanded.
At his shout, everyone immediately quieted down and stood obediently in place.
Nio sighed.
"Lord Qiu does not come from one of the great tribes."
"He is even more powerful than the people of those tribes."
"The knowledge of subduing magical beasts may be unimaginably precious to us, but to Lord Qiu, it may be nothing remarkable."
"Also, Lord Qiu may remain here for some time."
"Hurry and clean out a suitable house for him."
Nio paused, then emphasized his next words.
"Lord Qiu's arrival may be an extraordinary opportunity for our tribe."
"While he is here, all of you must treat him with the utmost respect."
"Do you understand?"
Everyone nodded repeatedly.
They were not fools and naturally understood what Nio meant.
Someone as mysterious and powerful as Lord Qiu might casually give them something or teach them a little knowledge—
And either would be beyond anything they had ever dared imagine.
...
"Damn it. Where the hell are the Draconids?"
Inside Meteor Falls, Chen Shi watched Metagross defeat a Lunatone and couldn't help complaining.
He had already spent seven or eight hours searching, yet he had found no trace of the Draconid people.
The routes here were also completely different from those one thousand years later.
He had already gotten lost twice.
Most importantly, there were far too many Pokémon inside Meteor Falls.
Every short distance, he encountered one—
Sometimes several at once.
Chen Shi had practically fought his way through the entire place.
Who could endure that?
After searching for another hour without finding the Draconids, Chen Shi finally gave up.
"Metagross, we're heading back."
"I'm done looking."
"Meta~"
Metagross responded, lifted Chen Shi onto its head, and began flying toward the exit.
Just as they were about to leave Meteor Falls, a series of frenzied roars suddenly came from outside.
They sounded somewhat like the roar of a Dragon-type Pokémon.
"Let's go take a look."
Chen Shi spoke calmly.
The sound was coming from just beyond the exit.
As long as they intended to leave today, they would have to pass through there anyway.
"Meta!"
Without hesitation, Metagross flew straight out of Meteor Falls.
Only after emerging did Chen Shi realize that he had spent far too long inside.
Night had already fallen.
"Roar!!"
The crazed bellow rang out once again.
Chen Shi turned toward the sound.
Not far away, a Salamence at the early quasi-Elite level was roaring furiously at the sky.
It seemed to notice them and suddenly whipped its head around.
The next instant, Salamence attacked without warning.
A thick Flamethrower erupted from its mouth.
Chen Shi frowned.
"Metagross, dodge."
"Dragapult, deal with it."
Metagross swiftly shifted to the side and avoided the flames.
At the same time, Dragapult emerged from Chen Shi's shadow.
Chen Shi suddenly remembered something and quickly warned,
"Right—don't use Phantom Force under any circumstances!"
This was not the era one thousand years later.
Giratina did not know him yet.
Using Phantom Force risked drawing its attention.
Dragapult's body trembled.
It abandoned the Phantom Force it had been about to use and switched to Dragon Darts instead.
Bang! Bang!
Two sharp bursts rang out as the two Dreepy were launched in an instant.
Ever since Dragapult had advanced to the Elite level, it had become capable of firing Dragon Darts without any buildup.
The launch speed had also increased tremendously.
An early quasi-Elite Salamence clearly lacked the ability to dodge them.
"Roar!"
Struck by both Dreepy, Salamence released a howl of pain.
With only one attack, it understood that the opponent before it was beyond anything it could defeat.
It had truly provoked the wrong enemy this time.
Feeling the intense pain in its chest, Salamence gritted its teeth and flew unsteadily into the distance.
I can't fall here.
I still haven't found my child.
I have to find my child.
Chen Shi looked surprised when he saw Salamence attempting to flee.
"It still hasn't lost consciousness?"
Dragapult was an entire major level above Salamence.
Dragon Darts was also super effective against it.
Under normal circumstances, Salamence should never have remained conscious after taking that attack.
"This Salamence has incredible willpower," Chen Shi commented.
"Draga~"
Dragapult nodded lightly.
It had not held back at all.
That attack had been delivered at full strength.
For Salamence to withstand it without fainting demonstrated an astonishing level of determination.
Chen Shi's interest was suddenly piqued.
"Metagross, Dragapult—let's follow it."
"I have a feeling this Salamence isn't ordinary."
...
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