Chapter 127 – Humanity Has Waited Long Enough! Dark Currents Stir in Haicheng!

Liu Yunshuang had spoken with utmost seriousness. The potential and strength of the Trainers had been proven time and again in battle over the past days.

Even Pokémon like Grotle were now able to hold their own against A-rank death beasts, and with various buff skills in play, just two well-trained Pokémon could easily take down an A-rank enemy.

With such terrifying speed of progress, was there really any need to take the risk ahead?

Su Bai's smile never faded as he glanced around.

In the corner of his vision, his Pokédex species count had officially surpassed 150.

He knew the others still underestimated the true strength of the Pokémon.

In fact, his overall Trainer cultivation progress had already reached 93%!

It was clear now—he had far exceeded the system's required training benchmarks.

While the exact levels of the Pokémon remained hidden, based on that percentage, he could make an educated guess.

At around 65%, Pokémon like Floatzel had reached roughly level 26.

And since level-ups became progressively harder, hitting 93% now likely meant that the average level had surpassed 30!

The first batch of Trainers had absorbed the most experience too.

Grotle's size alone was visibly larger than before. It wouldn't be long before a mass evolution boom occurred among the Pokémon.

And S-rank death beasts?

"Just five S-ranks?"

"Even Meloetta and Diancie alone could wipe them out with ease."

Not to mention his own Normal/Grass-type abilities weren't exactly lacking either...

"Wait?"

"Why should we wait?"

Su Bai gazed at the ominous mist surrounding the distant S-rank death beast nest and grinned.

"Humanity has waited long enough."

"It's time to reclaim the lands that once belonged to us!"

Meanwhile, in Haicheng...

Almost in perfect sync, Su Bai's Trainer battalion and Zhu Jianyuan's Pokémon corps departed for the S-rank nest.

Back in Haicheng, the city had transformed into a sea of Berries.

In the past, during the apocalypse, humans had given up on greenery.

The city's roadside planters were once filled with nothing but weeds.

But now?

Every inch of arable soil had been repurposed to grow Berries.

The City Lord's office had invested heavily, hiring locals to maintain the crops.

Barely half an hour after planting, some Berry trees had already begun to bear fruit.

A child walking by stopped in awe, staring at a plump Oran Berry hanging from a branch.

Beside him, a Slowpoke—its pink body soft and lazy—wore the same hungry expression as its tiny human friend.

"You can't pick that one yet," the boy's mother laughed, scooping him into her arms.

"These are ingredients for making PokéBlocks."

"And Mama knows how to make them now. When it's time to harvest, we'll make some together for Slowpoke, alright?"

"Yay!"

The boy eagerly wiped his drool and broke free from her embrace, rushing over to hug his dazed Pokémon companion.

"Slowpoke, did you hear that?" he whispered, beaming.

"We have to wait! No eating yet!"

"We'll be good boys and wait until Uncle Su and the City Lord come back!"

The young woman gently stroked her child's hair, eyes full of hope.

Her gaze drifted toward the city walls—toward the faraway battlefield.

"May our heroes return safely…"

There were many like her in Haicheng.

Though Pokémon were expensive, they had become a child's best friend.

Most parents, worried for their children's safety in this harsh world, willingly spent all they had to get them a Pokémon.

And now, they waited in silence for the heroes who had left the city.

In this apocalyptic era, humanity no longer believed in gods or deities.

Their only belief… was in the unbreakable spirit of mankind.

Everyone placed their faith in Su Bai and Zhu Jianyuan!

The city was peaceful, filled with unity and quiet hope.

But…

In the shadows of this harmony, a dissonant note was beginning to play.

At the city gates, a figure cloaked in black glared at the passing Pokémon with clenched teeth.

His hand rose to trace the lightning-shaped scar across his face.

This man… was none other than Li Jian, the disgraced S-rank Beast Contracter.

After being nearly electrocuted by Rotom, he had narrowly escaped punishment from the City Lord's court.

But the attack left him hospitalized for weeks.

As a Contracter, he lacked strong physical defenses.

Even though Rotom had held back, its Thunderbolt had nearly ended him.

Had it wanted to kill him, he would not have survived.

"Disgusting stench…"

His nose twitched, and the sweet scent of Berries in the air only fueled his irritation.

Since leaving the hospital, the Haicheng before him had become utterly foreign.

Pokémon now roamed the streets—each more "adorably fake" than the last.

It made him want to kill them all.

Thanks to Pokémon, no one in the city bought contract beasts anymore.

Even the dumbest person could see the difference between the two.

His business was doomed.

Li Jian turned and wordlessly handed over his ID card to the gate guard.

"Open the gate. I'm leaving."

The guard raised an eyebrow in surprise, then looked at the card.

A smirk tugged at his lips.

"Oh, look who it is. Mr. Big-Shot S-rank wants to go out alone."

"Where were you when we were fighting and dying out there?"

"Go ahead and leave. Haicheng doesn't need people like you anymore."

Li Jian's reputation in the city was terrible.

His contract beasts were overpriced, and often went berserk, killing indiscriminately.

In fact, this very guard had lost a close friend to one of Li Jian's out-of-control beasts.

So he felt no need to be polite.

Li Jian's head snapped up in fury.

Never before had he been spoken to this way.

An S-rank Contracter stood at the very top of society, and even if their powers were unstable, they were still feared.

A single word, a single flick of the wrist, and a summoned beast could "accidentally" kill you—and the Contracter would get off with a slap on the wrist.

People used to speak to him with fear and reverence.

This… was new.

"Well? You going or not?"

"Quit wasting my time."

The guard glared at him with complete disdain, unafraid in the slightest.

Their argument drew attention.

More and more passersby turned to watch.

Under the burning gaze of the crowd, Li Jian gritted his teeth and looked away.

He could summon his S-rank bonded beast right now and slaughter everyone at the gate.

But if he did that… even with Haicheng's current indifference to Contracters, he would never accomplish his true goal.

So, enduring the mockery of the guards and civilians, he walked out the gate.

Before leaving, Li Jian paused and looked back at the city—at the Pokémon Center glowing in the distance.

His voice was low, venomous.

"I'll be back… Pokémon Center…"