Pokémon the Movie: The Journey of a Slate

Chapter 378: Failure of Speedrunning the Road to Championship

At noon, the rising sun cast a golden red hue on the majestic branches of Mount Tianguan that were faintly visible in the distance. The lush green forest whispered in the breeze. At the end of a mountain path that had been polished very smooth by the years and the footsteps of countless trainers was the entrance to the Champion's Road, the trial ground leading to the final hall of the Sinnoh League.

Outside the cave entrance, Mary stood quietly, her back to the deep cave and her face towards the winding mountain road they came from. There were many elves coming up there, and the girl would occasionally throw some food over there.

The warm sunlight shines through the leaves, outlining her slender and upright figure.

The sea breeze had long been replaced by the mountain breeze, which blew on the girl's hair and dress with a hint of grass and soil, reducing some of the summer heat. Morubek on her shoulder seemed a little anxious, his little paws restlessly pulling at her collar, his bright eyes staring intently into the depths of the dark cave. Mary gently stroked Morubek's back to comfort her.

The girl and Aislo, who set foot on the championship road in the early morning, had an agreement that they must meet at the entrance of the cave at noon.

Time passed quietly, and the surrounding elves came and went in waves. Finally, light and regular footsteps came from the depths of the cave. A figure walked out slowly on the gravel at the edge of the cave. That person was Aislo.

The young man didn’t look embarrassed, but his hair was a little messy and his body was covered with some of the damp dust peculiar to the cave. However, his eyes were still as bright as stars, but now they were filled with a kind of... helplessness?

"A Luo!" Mary immediately went to meet him, and Molubeko instantly perked up, "Mobe Mokobe!"

"Mary, have you been waiting for a long time?" Aislo smiled and naturally reached out his hand to brush away the hair that was blown to the girl's cheek by the wind - he had wiped his hands before coming out, so there was no dust on his hands.

"Not long." Mary shook her head, then leaned her cheek against the boy's palm and looked at him carefully. "How was it in there? Did it go well?"

Aisiluo's expression became a little subtle. He looked back at the dark cave entrance and said in a tone that was a bit amusing and helpless, "Well, how should I put it... It's not quite what I imagined."

"Oh?" Mary tilted her head slightly, showing a curious look. Morube also tilted her little head and made the same gesture.

"It's very dark inside, and the roads are complicated, with many forks." Eslo organized his words, "But I didn't meet any trainers, not even one."

Marie was a little surprised, "Are there no trainers in the Champions Road?"

"At least I didn't encounter any on the road I went in. There were quite a few simple traps." Eslo spread his hands. "The ones I encountered were all wild Pokémon that live here. They are... indeed very strong." He paused, and the helpless and slightly gentle expression on his face became more obvious. "But they don't seem to want to fight with me."

"Don't want to fight?" Mary was slightly stunned, but she quickly realized that this situation was not strange.

“Yeah.” Aislo nodded, as if recalling the situation in the cave. “When I first entered, I could still sense some vigilance and scrutiny, but before I could get too close, the little guys hiding in the dark, like Rhydon, Armored Bird, Onix, and even a very powerful Dragonite, all appeared… They didn’t attack, but instead came over and rubbed their heads against my hands, or circled around me curiously. There was a Nidoking that was like a big dog, insisting that I touch his head… Anyway, they were like they had seen some particularly close friends, and they just wanted to play with me, with no intention of fighting at all.”

To this day, Eslo still remembers the scene in the cave. The Murkrows on the top of the cave stopped making noise and just stood quietly on the stalagmites watching him. The Geodude rolled to his feet and stopped moving, just gathered around the leader of his own tribe... Although similar situations have occurred in various elf gathering places before, this is the first time that the elves are so powerful and on such a large scale.

Mary listened quietly. The boy who was transformed from a stone slab naturally had an indescribable affinity and attraction. The trial of the road to championship was a difficult battle test for other trainers, but for Eslo, it was like visiting a passionate Pokémon theme park.

"So..." Mary couldn't help but raise the corners of her mouth slightly, "You went in here just to be favored by the Pokémon?"

“Don’t use such weird words.” Aislo rolled his eyes. “It’s almost the same though. I tried to guide them in the battle, but they either pretended not to understand or just rolled around on the ground… maybe it has something to do with the number of trainers they’ve faced.”

Aislo held his forehead with his hand. He felt that he had wasted the whole morning on socializing, forcing his little ones to go and train on their own.

"It seems that the difficulty of the Champion's Road is a bit special for you." Mary smiled, but then she became serious, "So what are you going to do next? Are you going to try again?"

Aislo looked into the cave, "Well, let's go in again. But this time I won't delay any longer. I plan to come out directly from the other end."

Although the elves are cute, Esloko has not forgotten Sirona's challenge, and... The boy glanced at the girl beside him inconspicuously. He knew that it was not long before the other party left.

Mary nodded: "Okay, then I'll wait for you on the other side?"

"Ah."

After a short rest, Aislo turned around again and stepped into the entrance of the Road to Championship. With a clear goal in mind, his pace was faster this time.

The light inside the cave quickly dims as you go deeper. Only the magical minerals scattered on the rock walls emit faint and dreamy lights of various colors. The air is damp and slightly cool, with a unique scent of soil and rock.

Huge stalactites hang down from the top of the cave, facing the stalagmites rising from the ground in the distance. Some are even connected to form thick stone pillars. The sound of gurgling water flowing in the corners adds a bit of tranquility.

The sound of Aislo's footsteps echoed in the empty cave. Just like before, pairs of eyes lit up in the darkness, some curious, some delighted.

Elves came over one after another, but this time Aislo only stayed for a short time before waving goodbye to them.

A group of Murkrows flapped their wings and flew over the boy's head. They didn't make any disturbing sounds, but just watched him go quietly. A few Fistful of Stones hiding in the cracks of the rocks poked their heads out, and when Eslo passed by, they just blinked their eyes, and didn't roll over to "bump into" him like they did last time.

I don’t know how long I walked, but the passage of the cave began to become wider, and natural light different from the mineral light was faintly visible in front, and the exit was right in front of me.

However, just as Aislo was about to step out of the dark cave of the Champion Road, a figure suddenly appeared at the intersection of light and shadow at the entrance of the cave, with his back to the outside light source, making his face appear a little blurry in the backlight.

The man had a tall figure, with neatly-cut short brown hair, and wore a well-tailored dark jacket. His temperament was calm but with a barely perceptible sharpness.

The young man folded his arms, leaning casually against the rock wall at the entrance of the cave. His posture was lazy, but he had an aura that should not be underestimated.

Aislo paused for a moment. He felt that the figure in front of him was very familiar. He looked very much like the legendary warrior who was as famous as Red and was known throughout the world - Green.

But when he looked closely, he saw some subtle differences.

Is it because of the light?

Aislo wasn't sure, after all, he had never seen Qinglu with his own eyes.

Just as Aislo was confused, the man seemed to notice his gaze and slowly turned around.

The backlight disappeared, and Aislo saw his face clearly. It was a young and handsome face with bright eyes and a faint smile at the corners of his mouth. Although his temperament was somewhat similar to Qinglu, his outline and eyes were completely different.

The brown-haired young man stood up straight and looked at Aislo below with a hint of curiosity and ease.

"Excuse me." The young man spoke, his voice clear and pleasant, with a calm magnetism, "Hello, Aisiluo. Let me introduce myself first. My name is Xiaojin. I wonder if you have heard of this name."

Xiao Jin paused, his eyes swept across the cave behind Aislo that symbolized the completion of the trial, and the smile on his lips deepened a little, and that smile seemed to carry a little... sense of relief?

"Mr. Xiaojin?" After the other party introduced himself, Aislo quickly remembered the identity of the person in front of him. He was one of the eight masters of the world, Xiaojin, who happened to be ranked eighth.

"Well, you're welcome, just call me Xiao Jin." Xiao Jin smiled, "You just came out of this championship road, I guess you have gained a lot, right? You are really fast. Back then, Red... Um, Green both spent quite a while there."

Xiao Jin took two steps forward, his posture relaxed, "I came from the Kanto region, this time I am doing some boring diplomatic visits to the Sinnoh Alliance." He shrugged, with a barely perceptible impatience in his tone, "Those documents are giving me a headache, so..."

His eyes instantly became sharp, and a powerful aura belonging to a top trainer spread silently, causing the air at the cave entrance to condense.

"...I've been feeling a bit itchy since I saw you this time." Xiao Jin's smile became somewhat wanton, even though it seemed a bit unnatural. "How about it, Aislo? Are you interested in sparring with me? Just think of it as helping me take a break from those damn reports."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Jin turned his wrist, and a high-level ball appeared between his fingers. The sunlight poured into the cave from behind him, lengthening his figure and illuminating the small space between Aislo and him.

The air seemed to freeze at this moment.