Bai Chen ended the call with a long sigh.
Sure, losing contact was inconvenient—but it wasn't the end of the world.
After all, this was his first time being teleported by the system. How could he have guessed it would throw him somewhere at random?
"Well, whatever. I'm already here, might as well roll with it. I was planning to visit Galar eventually anyway—guess I'll just take care of things here first."
He shrugged the problem off easily.
A living man wouldn't die from holding it in, right?
Besides, while Nergigante couldn't handle cross-regional flight, he did still have those golden dragon eggs Yoomlana had given him. Sell a piece or two, buy a plane ticket back to Alola—problem solved.
So really, this was just a mild inconvenience, not a disaster.
Pocketing Bea's phone, Bai Chen glanced at her still-unconscious form.
"Since I've got her number now, might as well team up for a while. As the Galar Fighting Gym Leader, she should have some decent connections. If she can help me get my hands on a Dynamax Band, that'd be perfect."
Decision made, he hoisted her onto his shoulder and started toward the nearest city.
That Night — Pokémon Center
"Legendary Pokémon!"
Bea jolted upright from the bench, shouting before she even knew where she was.
Her mind was still replaying that moment—her kick landing clean, yet the "Pokémon" before her didn't even flinch.
But instead of despair, excitement bubbled in her chest.
"Incredible! The true power of a Fighting-type legend! Next time we meet, I'll definitely capture you!"
Her resolve burned bright—until a sudden slurp behind her froze her in place.
She turned slowly… and her jaw dropped.
Right beside her, that same "legendary Pokémon" sat cross-legged—happily eating instant noodles.
Correction: a mountain of instant noodles.
The pile of empty cups stacked beside him easily reached three meters tall.
Bai Chen wiped the corner of his mouth, looked up at her, and said matter-of-factly:
"Oh, you're awake. I got hungry waiting for you, so I grabbed a snack."
Bea stared blankly at the noodle mountain.
"That's… just a snack?"
Her mind reeled.
Wait—what's happening? Did I already capture it without realizing?
Bai Chen, sensing her confusion, sighed and set his cup aside.
"Quit daydreaming. I told you already—I'm not a Pokémon. You can't catch me."
Bea crossed her arms, face serious.
"Then why can you use Pokémon moves?"
"Small-minded," Bai Chen said suddenly.
"...What?"
"I said your vision's too small! There are plenty of gifted people in this world. So I can use a few special abilities—big deal!"
Bea just stared at him, speechless.
"You actually believe that yourself?"
"Of course I do. Why wouldn't I? Besides, can you prove that you're you? Didn't think so."
She inhaled deeply through her nose, fighting the urge to shout, and began rummaging through the backpack Bai Chen had returned to her.
"Fine," she said evenly. "If you're really not a Pokémon, I have a way to prove it."
"Prove it? How?"
She produced a red-and-white Poké Ball, holding it up like a challenge.
"With this. Humans can't be captured by Poké Balls. Let me throw one. If it fails, I'll apologize sincerely."
Bai Chen looked at the Poké Ball, face expressionless.
Then he chuckled softly.
"That's ridiculous. That method won't even—"
He didn't finish. The Poké Ball shot forward mid-sentence.
Bai Chen twisted aside, the ball whizzing past his ear.
"If you're human, why dodge!?" Bea yelled.
"Because you're throwing stuff at me!"
"I wouldn't!"
She lunged, flicking her wrist, sweeping another Poké Ball across the air. Bai Chen stumbled back several steps to avoid it.
"What's wrong with you!?" he snapped.
Bea straightened, stance dropping low, eyes sharp.
"Please—just let me try once!"
"Try my ass! Keep that up, and I will hit you."
"If you're really human, what are you afraid of?"
"Afraid? Look at me. Have you ever seen a Pokémon this handsome?"
"Ditto can transform. So can the mythical Mew. A Legendary Pokémon with shapeshifting? Makes perfect sense!"
And with that, she charged again.
Bai Chen darted backward. She wasn't wrong—Poké Balls couldn't capture humans.
But he... wasn't exactly human anymore, was he?
Monsters could only be caught with Monster Balls, sure—but he wasn't fully a monster either.
He was... something in between. A one-of-a-kind anomaly across all universes.
And if there was even a billionth of a chance that a Poké Ball could catch him?
He wasn't taking that gamble.
Because if it actually worked... that would be beyond humiliating.
After a frantic minute of back-and-forth dodging, Bea finally ran out of Poké Balls.
Her breathing steadied; Bai Chen dusted himself off.
"Just give up already. I told you—I'm human. You can't catch me."
Bea exhaled hard, meeting his gaze squarely.
"Then I'll train harder. Next time we meet, I'll challenge and capture you for real!"
Knowing she had no chance right now, she slung her backpack over her shoulder, preparing to return to her dojo for more training.
"Hold on," Bai Chen called out.
Bea turned warily.
"...You changed your mind? Willing to be caught after all?"
"Sorry, no. But—" Bai Chen scratched his cheek, eyes shifting away. "You do have one chance to earn my friendship."
"Huh?"
Bai Chen pointed toward the towering pile of empty noodle cups beside him.
"See, I'm kind of... short on cash right now. Could you, uh, help me cover these? I got hungry waiting for you and... sort of asked the old lady at that shop to put it on my tab. Don't worry—I'll pay you back later."
Bea blinked.
Then glanced at the noodle mountain.
Then, the kindly old shopkeeper was watching them from the counter.
Her brain stalled completely.
Since when did Legendary Pokémon start buying food on credit...?
This was... way ahead of its time.
If you want to read more, join my Patreon/kazama677
60+ advanced chapters available.
I will drop 1 bonus chapter for every 30 Power Stones.
Bonus chapter for every 20 reviews/comments