That very morning, news of Chen Mo obtaining Zapdos's allegiance spread across every major platform.
[Absolutely true. My second uncle works at the power plant. He said in our family group chat that Zapdos will be staying there for the next few days. Apparently it's using some of the plant's electricity to recover.]
[Teacher Mo is amazing!!!]
[Maybe Teacher Mo isn't the first person in the world to live harmoniously with Pokémon, but he's definitely the first Trainer to gain the acknowledgment of a Legendary Pokémon, right? That's incredible!]
[When my friend told me someone had gotten a Legendary Pokémon, I didn't believe it at all. Then he said it was Teacher Mo. Yeah... I instantly believed it. So what's the deal with this Zapdos? Is it really that powerful? How exactly did Teacher Mo convince it?]
[Beat... beat it into submission?]
[No way. Did you see how Zapdos wanted to take Teacher Mo down with it after getting provoked? There's no way it got beaten into submission. In my opinion, it's because of those Electric-type Pokémon. Teacher Mo probably just said, "Zapdos, you wouldn't want anything bad to happen to them, would you?" Then Zapdos obediently surrendered.]
[…Brother, are you sure your IP address isn't wrong?]
[Teacher Mo probably isn't capable of saying something that shameless...]
[But did anyone notice the last frame before Teacher Mo cut the stream? That wild Raichu ran up to him looking like it was begging for something. I don't understand Pokémon language, but judging from the atmosphere at the time, it was probably asking Teacher Mo to save Zapdos. So my guess is that Teacher Mo saved Zapdos, earned its trust, and that's how he succeeded.]
[So Teacher Mo beat Zapdos half to death and then got it on his side? What kind of logic is that?]
[And here come the idiots again. What did you want him to do? Kneel down and kowtow to Zapdos? Besides, whether Zapdos accepted him wasn't Teacher Mo's decision. If Zapdos refused, even a god couldn't force it. The fact that it accepted him proves it acknowledged him. Honestly, I think that bird understands courtesy and right from wrong better than some people.]
[This situation already happened without any serious injuries among the officials. I don't even want to imagine what people would say if future conflicts escalate and both humans and Pokémon start getting hurt.]
[Alright, alright, stop arguing. The authorities have already released an official statement. Check the Bureau website if you're interested. If not, I'll summarize the important part: Teacher Mo did save Zapdos, but he didn't capture it. Instead, the two sides agreed to a ten-year pact.]
The Zapdos incident had caused an enormous stir.
The entire nation was paying close attention to how it would be resolved.
The Bureau of Special Measures responded quickly.
That same morning, they published an official announcement detailing the event and explaining that the Electric-type Pokémon involved would compensate for the damage by performing various forms of work.
Of course—
The point that drew the most attention was the Ten-Year Pact between Chen Mo and Zapdos.
Anping City
Competitor Rest Area
Because of the morning power outage, the tournament schedule had been pushed back to 1 p.m.
To avoid disrupting future rounds and inconveniencing ticket holders, the organizers had packed the afternoon schedule tightly.
Yet despite that, most of the contestants gathered in the lounge showed little interest in today's matches.
Everyone was discussing the power plant incident.
"Honestly, having a Legendary Pokémon like Zapdos protecting us for the next ten years sounds reassuring."
"But why ten years?"
Someone voiced the question.
Zapdos had clearly been on the brink of death.
Saving it must have required tremendous effort.
Even if Chen Mo didn't officially capture it, wasn't ten years a little too short?
Just as everyone pondered the issue, a calm voice suddenly spoke.
"Do you really think ten years is short?"
"Hui-ge?"
Recognizing the familiar face, everyone turned.
A-Hui looked around the room before asking seriously,
"Do you really think ten years is short?"
Silence.
Dozens of competitors sat quietly.
Even Chen Haoran, who was close friends with A-Hui, merely watched him.
"You all know my story."
A-Hui's voice was soft.
"If we're talking about the moment in my life when I felt the most powerless, then what happened in Evergreen Forest absolutely ranks in the top three."
"I'll never forget the sight of Brother Mo riding Absol away on his own."
"And I'll never forget trembling in front of a screen just from watching the energy released by Hydreigon."
"I don't know why each of you became Trainers."
"But for me, I've only ever had one goal."
"One day, I want to stand beside Brother Mo."
"I want to fight alongside him."
"I want to help carry his burden."
"That's my dream."
He raised his head and looked toward a promotional poster on the wall.
It depicted Chen Mo and Pikachu standing atop a summit.
"Ten years isn't short."
"If ten years from now we still need a Zapdos to protect us just to survive..."
"Then we'd only be Trainers of that caliber."
"And we'd be unworthy of the expectations Brother Mo and the nation have placed upon us."
He paused.
Then asked:
"But honestly."
"Would any of you accept that ending?"
Qiao Cheng sat among the crowd, fists clenched tightly.
From the preliminaries to the current group elimination stage, there had been countless regrets.
Many victors were carrying the hopes and dreams of those they had defeated.
Likewise—
No one who had made it this far was willing to become that kind of Trainer.
"I couldn't accept that ending either."
A voice sounded from the crowd.
Chen Haoran slowly stood up with a smile.
"But realistically, none of us can become strong enough to help Brother Mo overnight."
"What we can do right now..."
"...is fight our hardest in every match ahead."
"No regrets."
Meanwhile, at the Power Plant
After reading the official announcement, Chen Mo looked helplessly at the man in the white lab coat nearby.
"Brother Chuan."
"Didn't we agree we'd keep the Zapdos matter low-profile?"
"Why specifically include the Ten-Year Pact in the announcement?"
"I couldn't help it."
Zhou Yichuan spread his hands.
"The higher-ups insisted the public deserved a sincere explanation."
"This incident was too big."
"There's no way I could hide everything."
"..."
Chen Mo shook his head and sighed before walking deeper into the facility.
Watching his back disappear, Zhou Yichuan shoved his hands into his pockets and murmured,
"You can't keep everything hidden, Xiao Mo."
"People need to know what this big idiot has done for them."
Ten Years...
Just as the rumors online claimed—
Now that a formal partnership had been established, the power plant had cleared out a special area for Zapdos to recuperate.
After all, it was a Legendary Pokémon.
With its source power restored, all it really needed was a steady supply of electricity.
And a power plant was practically the perfect rehabilitation center.
"The speed is incredible! Linoone's Headbutt lands directly on Xiao Sheng's Vigoroth!"
"Vigoroth has clearly taken significant damage!"
"But it's not stopping!"
"It's grabbed Linoone!"
"Counterattack incoming!"
"Counter!! A brilliant reversal has begun!!!"
The commentator's passionate voice echoed from the television.
Chen Mo blinked.
After days of commentating matches, he recognized most contestants at this stage.
Vigoroth's Trainer, Xiao Sheng, was famously lazy.
Chen Mo remembered reading discussions about him in chat.
Apparently, he had entered the Pikachu Cup only because his Slakoth spent all twenty-four hours of every day lying around.
He worried it might develop health problems.
So he brought it to the tournament for exercise.
Who would've guessed?
After just a few preliminary matches, Slakoth evolved into Vigoroth.
Its personality completely changed.
Now overflowing with energy, Vigoroth practically dragged its Trainer all the way through the tournament.
The lazy Xiao Sheng had suffered greatly because of it.
He'd only wanted to finish the preliminaries and go home to relax.
Instead, he'd somehow reached the current stage and even had a chance at entering the Top 16.
Of course—
Though Vigoroth was hyperactive and impulsive, it listened to Xiao Sheng completely.
Combined with Xiao Sheng's surprisingly calm decision-making, their success wasn't particularly surprising.
As for his opponent—
Chen Mo remembered that Trainer's style revolved around Linoone's extreme speed and mobility.
Once it attacked, it struck like a raging storm.
At that moment, both Trainers seemed determined to prove something.
Their usual styles had become noticeably more aggressive.
Neither side held back.
The battle was fiercely contested.
"As expected."
"They've all been influenced."
Chen Mo shook his head.
Then turned around.
He noticed Zapdos was staring blankly at the television.
Two electrical cables remained connected to its back.
"What is it?"
"Chirp..."
Zapdos shook its head.
The television had been on for quite some time.
It had watched several matches already.
Though the contestants were still weak and many of their Pokémon were common species one could find almost anywhere—
Something bothered it.
When did this world produce so many Trainers?
Zapdos was confused.
It had spent nearly a year in this world.
It knew exactly how humans usually treated Pokémon.
Meeting Chen Mo and his group of Trainers had already surprised it.
But seeing organized competitions broadcast on television was even more unbelievable.
"Chirp..."
(These are fake, right...?)
Unable to hold back any longer, Zapdos asked.
Understanding its confusion, Chen Mo smiled.
"It's real."
"You should have televisions in your own world too, right?"
"I don't know whether you've ever watched one."
"But yes, these events are happening somewhere right now."
"Chirp..."
The match soon reached its conclusion.
Thanks to slightly superior physical ability and an apparently limitless fighting spirit, Vigoroth secured victory for Xiao Sheng.
Before long, the next competitors entered the arena.
"CHIRP!!!"
Zapdos stared at the familiar figure appearing on-screen.
Wasn't that purple fat ghost the same one that had fought it earlier today?
Why was it suddenly standing in a tournament arena?
And—
Why was it shaking hands with a human Trainer!?
When it saw Gengar pull out a Poké Ball and summon a Gible—
Zapdos completely broke.
Human Trainer competitions weren't unheard of.
Some Trainers even sought blessings from powerful beings before participating.
Moltres, for example, often granted its flames to humans.
But never—
Never in its life—
Had Zapdos seen a Pokémon casually holding a Poké Ball, standing in a Trainer's position, summoning another Pokémon, and battling human Trainers.
It was absurd.
Zapdos slowly turned toward Chen Mo.
Its eyes practically screamed:
Your world has progressed way too far.
Chen Mo coughed awkwardly.
"That Gengar is indeed the same Gengar that fought you today."
"And the Gible it summoned is a Pokémon I recently obtained."
"Their situation is... somewhat special."
"But now you understand I wasn't lying."
"This really is happening."
"..."
"Alright."
"Let's put Gengar and Gible aside for now."
Chen Mo raised his head and met Zapdos's gaze.
"I think you know why I came to see you."
"What exactly is the relationship between you and those Electric-type Pokémon?"
"And more importantly..."
"What kind of existence was powerful enough to injure you like this?"
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