Chapter 81: Harpoon Hero

Chapter 81: Harpoon Hero

Subsequently, Celebi quietly revealed the truth.

"After you suddenly disappeared, some of your Pokémon developed an extreme hostility towards us. The most radical among them was your Gengar. Later, in his quest for revenge against Mythical Pokémon, he even participated in forming a global terrorist organization named the Stitched Shadow Army after peace had arrived."

"I cannot observe his past, but I was able to see the establishment of the Stitched Shadow Army. Also, the individuals who attacked you on the ship earlier were members of the Stitched Shadow Army."

"What?!"

Only then did Arthur finally learn the true identity of the culprits behind the cruise ship hijacking.

He never imagined there was such a layer of history and fateful connection intertwined within this incident.

He grabbed Celebi and pulled her closer, "Is my Gengar still alive?!"

"Ow ow ow, you meanie! You pinky swore you wouldn't bully me! He should still be alive. The Alliance has also had a warrant out for his arrest for many years, but to this day, no news of his capture has ever been released."

"Besides, I can't observe any part of his past. If he were dead, this kind of shielding should have been lifted."

Hearing that Gengar was still alive, Arthur finally let out a sigh of relief and released the little creature, then spoke in a low, serious voice.

"Take me to find him. Since you can observe so many things, you should have a way to know the location of the Stitched Shadow Army's base, right?"

"Eh???"

"What 'eh'? Aren't we bound by life and death now?"

Arthur once again scooped her up into his hands, pinched her cheeks on both sides, and pulled outwards forcefully.

Her oval head was quickly stretched into an elongated shape.

It had to be said, the texture felt quite good, somewhat addictive even.

"Why are you dragging me into this? I don't have any powers now, wuwu..."

Celebi tried hard to prove that she was currently just a pitiful, weak little freeloader who could only eat.

"Heh! Whose fault is this whole situation anyway? Weren't you the one who exiled me?!"

"Wuwu, but that was also because you humans invaded our homes first!"

This kind of argument was destined to lead nowhere.

Arthur didn't believe the Alliance's expansion back then was wrong, but neither could he completely turn a blind eye to the harm suffered by the wild Pokémon.

Therefore, his approach back then had been to disregard right or wrong and simply act as a pure combatant.

While the other two factions of Elite Four members constantly debated policy issues, he consistently only asked when, where, and the mission objective.

Perhaps it was precisely because of this purity that his strength increased faster than anyone else's.

But correspondingly, purely focused individuals also tend to be more persistent about the things they care deeply about.

"Take me to find Gengar! Find all of my Pokémon that are still alive. If some of them have passed away, then at the very least, like with Lapras, take me to witness the traces of their lives, let me see their endings!"

"Otherwise, don't expect me to accept your so-called peace so easily!"

Whether the current peace was good or bad, Arthur had no inclination to judge.

Perhaps the Skyspire Alliance could have gained more if the war had continued back then.

But equally, Arthur also knew that some dangerous voices had already begun to emerge within the Alliance at that time.

Human desire has always been boundless and without bottom lines. Back then, there were plenty who advocated using their advantage to wipe out all surrounding wild Pokémon, or even simply launching a world war.

It was also possible that if the war had continued to spiral out of control back then, the Skyspire Alliance might have faced utter ruin.

Such counterfactual scenarios that didn't actually happen... nobody could say for sure...

Arthur had always considered himself merely a combatant. Even after achieving the rank of Elite Four member, he remained part of the neutral faction, holding no strong policy stance.

There is no right or wrong on the battlefield, and combat personnel don't need to contemplate right and wrong excessively.

That was how he had taught his disciples back then, and it was how he himself lived.

Therefore, as long as the Skyspire Alliance remained strong, he could accept the current peace with relative calmness.

This was something perhaps the other two Elite Four members who died for the Alliance could never have done, no matter what.

However—

The premise was that he absolutely had to know that his past partners were living well.

An ending like Lapras's was the bottom line he could accept.

At least in the new era that followed, Lapras was able to retire safely from the battlefield and enjoy everything she deserved.

The battlefield has always been cruel; simply surviving and returning from that hell is itself a form of happiness.

During his more than ten years of military service, Arthur had also lost several important partners. Even after reaching the pinnacle as an Elite Four member, he had experienced the grief of a Pokémon dying in battle once.

That Lapras could live safely until the end of the war, no longer having to suffer through hails of bullets and bloody storms, being respected by others and enjoying her later years in peace—Arthur could accept this ending.

But if even this much couldn't be achieved, then there was truly nothing left to discuss!

"Wuwuwu, okay, okay, I'll take you to find Gengar then..."

In the end, whether it was a victory of willpower or a victory achieved through face-stretching, Celebi pitifully agreed.

Arthur finally released her cheeks.

The angry Celebi immediately flew up above his head, aggressively posturing as if to knock him on the head. But after they stared at each other for two seconds, she surprisingly didn't dare to actually strike out...

"Just... just this once, I'll reluctantly help you, okay? It's because I'm a kind Pokémon."

Celebi turned her head away, forcibly using "kindness" to mask her pragmatic decision to yield.

"Let's be clear first, observing spacetime now requires me to borrow your body's energy."

"I know. It just means I can't get a girlfriend for a while, right? That's a small problem."

"Additionally, I also require the latest model PS5 console."

"What does that have to do with observing spacetime?"

"Nothing, but I just want it!"

"..."

Celebi stated this with such righteousness that, for a moment, Arthur was left speechless.

I have never encountered such a shameless Pokémon!

Fortunately, the next moment, Celebi delivered some good news.

"Relax. I observed earlier; you're going to receive lots and lots of money after you return this time."

"You ruined the Stitched Shadow Army's plan and indirectly saved many people on the ship. They will all thank you when you get back."

"Plus, your live stream absolutely exploded. People over there are calling you the Harpoon Hero now."

"Uh..."

Although most of the news was good, that final nickname, "Harpoon Hero," almost made Arthur lose his composure.

Damn it, which little smartass gave me that nickname?!

What he didn't know yet was that, thanks to him, sales of identical harpoons were currently booming online.

Someone had even written a letter to the World Pokémon Competitive Committee, suggesting that the harpoon be officially recognized as an exclusive item for the move "Fling," applying for its approved use in official league matches...

Of course, this suggestion was unsurprisingly rejected by the tournament organizing committee, but that didn't stop the harpoon meme from continuing to explode in popularity.

At this moment, he could never possibly imagine the scene that awaited him upon his future return: his own fans spontaneously gathering at the docks to welcome him, each person holding a long-handled harpoon...

That image was too beautiful; one dared not even imagine it...

(End of Chapter)

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