https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-525-The-Return-of-the-Motorcycle-Masked-Man-A-Looming-Crisis-as-the-Tables-Turn-/12545443/
Chapter 526: A Hero's Disappearance
Chapter 526: A Hero's Disappearance
The Masked Royal had left the Royal Dome and would not be participating in any more matches.
When Professor Kukui received this news from the Royal Dome's director, he finally understood what the Masked Royal had meant by his words after their match.
"No, I'm just a passerby," the Masked Royal had said.
So he had intended to leave even then?
Recalling the events of that day in the Royal Dome, Professor Kukui muttered to himself, "What a mysterious guy!"
The appearance of the Masked Royal at the Royal Dome quickly caught the attention of people all over the world.
The video of the Royal Battle spread widely on the internet.
At first, netizens didn't realize what had happened.
But soon, people began to take note of the powerful Palkia in the video.
Pokeologists identified it as the very same Palkia that had appeared in the Hoenn Region to stop Groudon and Kyogre!
This revelation caused an uproar online.
"What? The Masked Royal appeared in the Alola Region?! And participated in their local battling scene?"
Countless netizens flocked to the Alola Region, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Masked Royal's face.
Especially those from the Hoenn Region, who eagerly booked flights and boat tickets to Alola to see the hero who had helped them.
However, due to the overwhelming number of people, tickets sold out quickly.
Those who couldn't get boat tickets even rode their own flying or Water-type Pokemon across the sea to reach Alola.
For a time, Alola's tourism industry boomed.
But when they arrived, they found that the Masked Royal had already left.
Just like before, he had disappeared without a trace.
Netizens tried to pressure the Royal Dome's director into revealing the Masked Royal's whereabouts.
The poor middle-aged man was surrounded by enthusiastic fans, leaving him flustered and overwhelmed. In the end, he kept his promise to Naoki and didn't reveal any information.
He only said that the Masked Royal had left alone after the match, and they didn't know where he had gone.
Still, some persistent netizens tried to track the Masked Royal by analyzing clues and video footage.
They watched match after match, listing all the Pokemon the Masked Royal had used, and eventually narrowed down his possible origins.
"The Masked Royal most likely comes from one of these five regions: Galar, Paldea, Kanto, Johto, or Sinnoh!"
The reason was simple: all the Pokemon the Masked Royal used were unique to those regions.
Alcremie was from Galar, Olive from Paldea, and Farfetch'd was originally found in both Kanto and Johto.
As for Palkia, it was obviously a legendary Pokemon from Sinnoh.
Some believed the Masked Royal was a lonely vagabond traveling the world, a do-gooder who helped people in need, just like in the movies.
Others thought he was the heir to a reclusive family, a mysterious and powerful figure.
Speculations ran wild, and the various rumors only added to the enigma of the Masked Royal's true identity.
Some even speculated that the Masked Royal wasn't human at all and that his true identity was Palkia's human form.
However, amidst all these wild guesses, one person noticed something peculiar.
In the Chief's office at the Paldea Pokemon League headquarters, Yaz had her eyes glued to her computer screen, scrolling through a webpage.
She clicked on an image, enlarging a photo of Alcremie and Farfetch'd.
"Hmm?" Yaz narrowed her eyes and turned to Xin Li beside her. "Don't these two Pokemon look a bit familiar to you?"
Xin Li looked over but shook her head in confusion. "I've never seen them before."
"I thought so too," Yaz nodded thoughtfully, knowing that Xin Li hadn't visited that place often.
"What do you mean, 'you thought so too'?" Xin Li furrowed her brows, slightly taken aback. "Chief, have you figured something out?"
"It's just a guess, and it's not certain yet," Yaz shook her head gently, a smile playing on her lips. "I have something I want to confirm, so I'll have to trouble you to handle the League's affairs for a while."
With that, Yaz stood up and left the office. She boarded a private plane and headed toward Naoki's ranch in Shrouding Town.
Xin Li was left alone, silently staring at the pile of documents that needed her attention.
Xin Li: "..."
An hour later, Yaz arrived at Naoki's ranch.
The helicopter landed on the grassy field, attracting a crowd of curious Pokemon.
Yaz hopped out of the silver aircraft with a smile on her face.
She spotted Naoki dressed in farmer's attire, wearing a straw hat, an apron tied around his waist, and holding a Slowpoke watering can as he leisurely watered the flowers in the garden.
(End of Chapter)
He turned his head in surprise and asked, "Chief? What brings you here today?"
"It's been a while since I last saw you. I wanted to see how you've been doing," Yaz replied.
As she spoke, her eyes casually scanned the nearby grass, pausing on the sunbathing Pokemon, searching for the one she had come to find.
Naoki was immediately on guard, his suspicions piqued by Yaz's odd behavior.
"Oh no! Yaz must suspect that the Masked Royal in the Alola Region is me!" Naoki thought, relieved that he had prepared for this moment. He feigned confusion and asked, "What's wrong? What are you looking for, Chief?"
"Nothing," Yaz said with a shrug. "I just noticed that it seems like some new Pokemon have joined the ranch."
"Yes!" Naoki directed her attention to the Four Symbols, who were basking in the sun. "Those are the Ancient Tortoise, Ancient Saber, Ancient Jade Fish, and Ancient Stag."
Yaz was intrigued by the extraordinary-looking Pokemon. "They don't look like ordinary Pokemon!"
Naoki nodded. "To be precise, they are also known as the 'Disaster Pokemon.' They date back to the Paldea Kingdom era but were sealed away due to certain incidents."
"Disaster Pokemon..." Yaz was curious, but she didn't forget the purpose of her visit.
"By the way, I have a friend who recently caught a Milank. He asked me to consult with a trainer experienced in raising Milank to learn some training methods. As you're the only one I know with a Milank, I thought I'd pay you a visit," Yaz explained.
She put on an expression as if she truly had such a friend.
Naoki: "...What friend?"
He knew Yaz was putting on an act, but he had no choice but to pretend he didn't know and wore a troubled expression.
"But my Milank is a producer Pokemon! It's not good at battling."
"..." Yaz was speechless. She couldn't keep up the pretense, so she said, "As far as I know, your ranch offers a Finger Pointing Trial led by Milank. And the Milank from the Royal Battle was also very skilled in the Finger Pointing technique."
"Hmm? Could all of this be a coincidence? Wing King, is that you?" Yaz asked.
Naoki: "..."
What else could he do but continue to deny it, arguing that Alola and Paldea were so far apart that it would be impossible for him to travel back and forth in such a short time, and that he had been tending to his flowers at the ranch all this while? But Yaz wasn't foolish; she wouldn't just take his word for it.
Very few people in the Paldea region knew the name "Wing King," and one of them was Yaz, the Chief Champion.
Seeing this, Yaz decided to be direct. "Was that you?"
As far as she knew, only a handful of people in Paldea were aware of the Wing King, including the professor and Naoki. And the person who loved the Wing King so much that they used its name as their alias...
Yaz trusted that Professor Orrin wouldn't do such a thing, nor did she have the time to go out and save the world.
Naoki stubbornly denied, "It wasn't me."
However, seeing this, Yaz had a pretty good idea.
Her suspicions were confirmed, and she felt pleased.
"I knew it! I never expected that the Masked Royal would be a trainer from our Paldea region. Oh ho ho! This is the best news I've heard all week!"
Naoki: "...It really wasn't me."
Yaz raised an eyebrow, suddenly doubting if she had made a mistake.
But when she saw the look on Gourtort's face, she knew she hadn't.
Naoki didn't want to reveal his identity? Yaz was slightly surprised.
Since that was the case, she decided to play along.
"Okay, if you say so."
However, the next moment, Yaz changed the subject and asked, "If Paldea ever faced a situation like what happened in the Hoenn region, you would step in to help, right?"
Naoki was taken aback. To his knowledge, there weren't any dangerous legendary Pokemon in Paldea, and the Paldea League was more than capable of handling any issues.
Seeing his expression, Yaz smiled and said, "It's just an example!"
Naoki sighed in resignation. "Even though I'm not the Wing King, if such a situation were to arise, I think I would offer some assistance."
Yaz was very satisfied with this answer.
"Be careful next time!" Yaz warned. "Otherwise, if your identity is exposed, your fans will swarm this ranch."
(End of Chapter)
Naoki: "...'"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. But speaking of which, today's events suddenly reminded me of something." Ye Ci suddenly said.
"What is it?" Naoki asked, turning to her.
"If you were to bring Rayquaza and Dialga to represent the Paldea Region in the World Championships and the Eight Masters Tournament, you'd undoubtedly win the championship, right?" Ye Ci fantasized.
At that time, they could promote the strongest champion in Paldea to attract more talented individuals to the region.
Oh ho ho! Just the thought of it made one feel happy!
Now was the time for fantasy!
"Stop, stop!" Naoki quickly interrupted Ye Ci's fantasy. "Let's not get carried away. It's just a fantasy."
How could he possibly participate in the tournament with Dialga and a fully evolved Rayquaza? That would be unfair to everyone else.
Ye Ci suddenly felt a twinge of disappointment.
However, it didn't matter as long as Naoki stayed in their Paldea Region!
"By the way, how are things going between you and Kishu lately? Have you thought about when you want to get married?" Ye Ci suddenly asked with a mischievous smile.
Naoki: "...'" Here it comes again.
He smiled back and replied, "We're in no rush, but speaking of which, Chief, you're not married yet yourself!"
Ye Ci brushed off his comment. "That's because I haven't completed my work yet. It's different for you two. I'm really looking forward to that day, and I'll definitely give you a big gift then!"
Naoki believed that he lacked nothing at the moment, so he didn't take Ye Ci's words to heart.
Ye Ci mentioned that if he didn't want to reveal his true identity, the Paldea League would help cover for him.
Naoki gladly accepted Ye Ci's offer.
Ye Ci was busy, and after a brief chat, she boarded the plane and left the ranch.
Naoki was left staring at the azure sky, his mind drifting to Ye Ci's words.
Marriage... marrying Kishu, starting a family of their own, managing the ranch together, caring for their Pokemon, and growing old alongside each other—just the thought of it made him feel content.
Naoki suddenly felt like seeing Kishu.
But before that, wasn't there supposed to be a proposal?
He recalled the romantic proposal Professor Kukui had made to Burnett in the anime.
Since Kishu had taken the initiative to confess, it was now his turn to take the lead.
He decided that after helping Dialga resolve the Arceus incident, he would propose to Kishu!
As for the ring... Naoki thought of the Megastone that Daigo had given him. If so, he could use that stone as the diamond for the ring!
Meanwhile, in the Reverse World...
On the Flowery Empty Island, Dialga lay in a sloth-like pose amidst a bed of flowers, its massive body crushing a large area of blossoms beneath it.
Its eyes closed, Dialga opened its mouth and bit into a berry, the juicy fruit exploding with flavor in its mouth. Dialga's face contorted in pleasure and satisfaction.
In front of it, Rotom Phone floated in the air, excitedly reporting the latest updates.
"Reporting, Lo-Lo-Loto! Your fan base has increased again! In just one day, you gained 1.38 million new followers, Lo-Lo-Loto!"
"According to the current online rankings, we've surpassed everyone and risen to the top spot, Lo-Lo-Loto!"
"Wonderful, Lo-Loto! We did it, Lo-Loto!"
Hmph, Dialga was indeed as popular as ever! Dialga felt proud and arrogant, for it had now become the undisputed number one Pokemon in the world!
"Rotom, read me some of the humans' comments!" Dialga commanded.
"Received, Lo-Loto!"
The Rotom Phone nodded vigorously, sharing in Dialga's excitement.
"This is from a netizen named Cute Pichu: 'Ah, Dialga is so amazing! It's the strongest Pokemon I've ever seen!'"
"Continue," Dialga said, its mood improving. See? Even humans thought so!
"Received! This is from a netizen named One Poke Ball: 'Oh my! I can't believe Dialga is so powerful, and it even uses a Rotom Phone like a human! I'm a new follower, Dialga. Can you post more pictures of yourself?'"
Hmph, this human was bold and presumptuous, demanding pictures on the very first day of following. They didn't know their place, did they? Dialga was not just any Pokemon to be ordered around.
Dialga ignored the comment and bit into a sweet apple, its face reflecting sheer bliss as it lay in the flowers. It closed its eyes again and instructed the Rotom Phone, "Continue!"
"Received, Lo-Loto!"
(End of Chapter)
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