Chapter Forty-Three: Gu Chen Town

After bidding farewell to Mr. Qianli, Cheng Cheng set out for Mobai Town. The distance from Chenghua City to Mobai Town was not far, so he decided to go on foot, taking the opportunity to visit Guzhen Town along the way.

After several hours of walking, Cheng Cheng arrived at Guzhen Town. Along the way, he had captured a few Pokémon, earning himself a small sum of money in the process.

Guzhen Town was considered one of the most mysterious towns in the Hoenn region, home to ancient ruins said to be linked to legendary ancient Pokémon. Cheng Cheng was highly intrigued by this, so he decided to explore the ruins. However, before that, he planned to visit the Pokémon Center to heal his team.

Upon arriving at the Pokémon Center, Cheng Cheng entrusted his Pokémon to Nurse Joy. After their check-up, he was about to head to the ruins when he overheard a conversation.

"Mr. Metz, your Pokémon have recovered," said Nurse Joy.

"Thank you very much, Nurse Joy," replied the man.

"You're welcome. Please come again."

Hearing the name "Metz," Cheng Cheng realized this must be the same Mr. Metz who had once explored the ruins with Ash.

"Mr. Metz, please wait a moment," Cheng Cheng called out.

"Who are you? Can I help you?" Metz asked.

"Oh, hello Mr. Metz, my name is Cheng Cheng. I'm a friend of Ash and May."

"Ash and May? Oh, I remember now. And there was a Pikachu as well."

"Yes, I'm good friends with them. I'm very interested in ruins, so on May's suggestion, I came here to take a look. I heard you're in charge of the ruins, so I wanted to ask if I could join you in exploring them?"

"Of course you can. As it happens, I was just about to head over. Why don't you come with me?"

"That would be wonderful. Thank you, Mr. Metz."

"Follow me," Metz said.

Cheng Cheng followed Mr. Metz out of the Pokémon Center and set off in a particular direction. After more than ten minutes, they arrived before a set of ruins. Around the ruins stood several massive stones, arranged as if forming some kind of formation. Amid these stones were scattered piles of rocks, which had likely once been houses.

"These are the Pokémon ruins. Come with me," Metz said.

He led Cheng Cheng through a stone gate, where they encountered a stone stele with four interconnected holes carved into it.

Within the stone chamber, Cheng Cheng noticed many murals on the walls, depicting ancient Pokémon—Aerodactyl, Kabuto, Omanyte, Archen...

However, there was nothing particularly unusual about these murals. Though the Pokémon they depicted were rare, they were not unheard of. Cheng Cheng recalled a place where Kabuto gathered in swarms, but he himself was not especially interested in these Pokémon.

"Come this way," Metz instructed.

Metz placed four differently colored gems onto the stele. At once, a hidden ladder was revealed beneath it, leading downward.

Cheng Cheng followed Mr. Metz down the stairs and found himself before a massive pool of water. The water was perfectly still, betraying no sign of life.

Surveying the chamber, Cheng Cheng saw that except for the enormous pool and the stone walls, there was nothing else of note.

Yet Cheng Cheng sensed there must be something special here. He closed his eyes and used his psychic abilities to probe the area. He detected psychic waves within the cave, as well as traces of another unknown energy, though he could not quite discern its nature yet.

This was the place that linked to the ancient Pokémon—deep beneath the water dwelled ancient Relicanth.

"Besides Relicanth, is there anything else down there?" Cheng Cheng asked.

"The pool seems to connect to the sea. I haven’t been able to explore the deeper areas, and I haven’t seen any other Pokémon," Metz replied.

"I see. Thank you, Mr. Metz. This place is truly fascinating and very helpful to me."

"As long as you like it. But I hope you can keep this a secret. If too many people come here, this place will be destroyed," Metz said.

"Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone," Cheng Cheng assured him.

"Good. Are you leaving now?"

"Yes, I think I should go."

Cheng Cheng realized that with his current abilities, there was little more he could discover here, even though the place did seem odd. He knew he needed to grow stronger before returning. Besides, lingering too long might arouse Metz’s suspicion, so he decided to leave for now.

He returned to the Pokémon Center, spent the night there, and set out early the next morning. Time was running short, and he needed to reach Mobai Town quickly.

After passing through a small forest, Cheng Cheng arrived at Mobai Town, the starting point for many trainers in the region.

The most famous resident of Mobai Town was Professor Birch, the most renowned professor in Hoenn.

As he searched and asked for directions, he finally arrived at a large research institute. He climbed the steps and knocked on the main door.

Knock, knock, knock.

Cheng Cheng knocked for a long time, but no one answered. After a while, a green-haired man opened the door.

"Can I help you?"

"Hello, my name is Cheng Cheng. I'm here to see Professor Birch."

"I'm Joshua, Professor Birch’s assistant. I’m sorry, but the professor isn’t here at the moment."

"I see. Do you know when he’ll return?"

"May I ask what you need him for?"

"I have a letter for Professor Birch, and I also need his help with something."

"Professor Birch is out investigating in the back mountain. Please wait here."

"The back mountain? May I go look for him?"

"I suppose so. He’s been out a while and should have returned by now. Perhaps he’s run into some trouble. I can’t leave right now, so would you mind checking on him?"

"Of course, I’d be happy to."

Cheng Cheng set out for the back mountain, which was at least ten times the size of the Cheng Cheng Ecological Park, with lush trees and dense grass—an ideal place for Pokémon to live.

"Come out, Chimecho. Use your Psychic Wave."

Cheng Cheng called on Chimecho to search for Professor Birch using its psychic waves.

"Any luck?"

"Chime~"

Chimecho hadn’t found him yet, suggesting they were still some distance apart.

Cheng Cheng pressed on, and after ten more minutes, Chimecho finally sensed a human presence.

Guided by Chimecho, Cheng Cheng soon spotted Professor Birch up in a tree. At the base of the tree were two or three Mightyena and seven or eight Poochyena. It seemed the professor had run into a pack of wolves.

"Chimecho, use Psychic Wave."

Chimecho unleashed a psychic wave, driving away all the Poochyena and Mightyena.

"Are you all right?" Cheng Cheng called up to the professor, watching as Professor Birch slowly climbed down.

"I’m fine now, thank you so much."

"By the way, who are you? What brings you here?"

"My name is Cheng Cheng. I came to ask for your help. I went to your lab, and your assistant said you were here, so I followed."

"I see. I can’t thank you enough. If you hadn’t come, I don’t know how much longer I would have been stuck in that tree."

"Professor, you must have powerful Pokémon. Why didn’t you drive away the Poochyena yourself?"

"Well... I forgot to bring my Pokémon today. But enough about that—let’s head back."

"Certainly."

Cheng Cheng followed Professor Birch back. After half an hour, they returned to the lab.

"Thank you so much for today."

"Professor, I told you, there’s no need to thank me—I just happened to be here."

"You mentioned you needed my help. What is it?"

"Well, I’ve opened a breeding house and need some sources for Pokémon eggs and Pokémon. I went to see Mr. Qianli, but he couldn’t help, so I came to you. Also, here’s a letter from Mr. Qianli."

Cheng Cheng handed Professor Birch the letter.

"I understand now. So your breeding house specializes in a single type—and a rare one at that, Psychic. Securing a steady supply won’t be easy."

"Is it impossible?"

"There is a way. I have a friend who runs a huge Pokémon breeding facility. I can contact him and introduce you, then you two can discuss the details."

"That would be wonderful. Thank you so much, Professor."

"No need to thank me—you helped me out as well. Come with me."

Soon, Professor Birch contacted Mr. Tianzhi via videophone. He briefly explained Cheng Cheng’s situation, and then Cheng Cheng and Mr. Tianzhi discussed prices and other details.

Thanks to Professor Birch’s help, Cheng Cheng reached a verbal agreement with Mr. Tianzhi at a favorable price. In the next five days, Mr. Tianzhi would provide twenty Psychic-type Pokémon and fifty Psychic-type eggs. Thereafter, every month, he would supply Cheng Cheng with ten Psychic-type eggs and five Psychic-type Pokémon.

With these Pokémon, Cheng Cheng could rely on his ecological park for self-sufficiency, ensuring the success of his breeding house.

He also discussed the types of Pokémon available. Most of Mr. Tianzhi’s Pokémon were Natu, Ralts, Spoink, Exeggcute, and Girafarig.

Although these were all native to the Hoenn region, Cheng Cheng was nonetheless very satisfied.

And so, Cheng Cheng’s second task was successfully completed. Afterward, he bid farewell to Professor Birch and set off for Chenghua City.