mc-med Chapter 786 The Mysterious Guest and the Poem of Soul Killing
Chapter 786 The Mysterious Guest and the Poem of Soul Killing
The next morning, instead of training, Fei Niao sat by Li Shuwen's tent, munching on an energy bar and speaking in a mysterious, low voice.
"Awen, I don't know if you've heard of this person, but deep in the Champion Road, there is a trainer with extraordinary skills."
"He has incredibly powerful superpowers, and he appears and disappears unpredictably. He can play music on a jade flute to enhance the battle power of Pokémon."
Li Shuwen was brewing tea, not even looking up. "How much can he improve?"
"I don't know." Asuka swallowed the energy bar. "But his Big Tail Stand could barely defeat my Aerodactyl. He just plays his flute and the Big Tail Stand can overpower my Aerodactyl."
"That amazing?"
"And he's good at normal types." Asuka pulled out another energy bar. "But that Big-Tailed Beast can use moves of all types. Water Pulse, Ice Beam, Blizzard... it can do everything."
"His Twintail Hands are even more outrageous; the fists on his two tails are powerful enough to fight Fighting-type Pokémon head-on."
"Shadow Claw, Lightning Fist, acrobatics—he uses them even better than his own attribute."
Li Shuwen finally raised his head. "What's this person's name?"
The bird scratched its head. "Nobody knows. He's eccentric, doesn't like to interact with people, and spends all his time in the peach orchard."
Everyone calls him Mystery Guest.
"If you want to challenge him, you have to lure him out with food. He loves the limited-edition mochi that's sold in town the most."
"If you use that to seduce him, he'll definitely show up."
Li Shuwen nodded and made a note of it.
"By the way," he asked again, "what Pokémon did he use? Just Aphelios and Apokolips?"
Asuka thought for a moment, "There's another one, but no one has ever seen it. I heard that his trump cards aren't these two, but no one has ever been able to force him to use them."
He patted Li Shuwen on the shoulder and said, "If you can get his ace up, I'll treat you to energy bars for a year."
Li Shuwen glanced at the dry energy bar in his hand and politely declined.
The peach orchard is located halfway up the mountain along the Champion Road, and is a gathering place for wild peaches.
The trees were laden with pink fruit, and the air was filled with a sweet and sour fruity aroma.
Instead of rushing to find someone, Li Shuwen set up a makeshift oven in a clearing at the edge of the woods and began making cookies.
Sift the flour, soften the butter, scoop out the honey, and break the chocolate chips into pieces.
The movements were fluid and graceful, with each step perfectly timed.
He added extra nectar that he had brought from the giant Dragonite.
The chocolate beans are selected from the Padina region, with a high cocoa butter content, and melt in your mouth.
The butter and milk come from premium large-scale milk tanks, resulting in a rich, creamy flavor.
Vanilla pods are the top-quality variety from the Carlos region, and when opened, they are covered with dense black vanilla seeds.
The flour is made from wheat native to the Sinnoh region, with moderate gluten content, making it perfect for making cookies.
Knead the dough, shape it, and put it in the oven.
Before long, the golden cookies were baked, emitting an enticing aroma of milk and vanilla, with the sweet scent of honey filling the air.
A dark figure darted out from the bushes.
The man was wearing a gray-white robe, with long hair draped over his shoulders and a thin face.
He reached out to grab the cookies, and Li Shuwen didn't stop him.
He picked up a piece, took a big bite, squinted his eyes, and chewed very slowly.
"Hmm... The whole wheat filling is easy to digest, crispy but not hard. The honey is from wild bees in the mountains, with a hint of herbal fragrance. The ratio of butter to milk is just right, rich in milk flavor but not greasy, and the chocolate chips..."
He flipped the cookie over and looked at the chocolate chips at the bottom. "Selected from the Padina region, with a hint of caramel. Vanilla pods, top-quality from Carlos, and plenty of vanilla seeds."
He took another bite and chewed for a long time. "The flour is amazing, it has high gluten content, but you've processed it with a low-temperature slow-baking method, so the texture is soft yet elastic."
He looked at Li Shuwen, "You're here for a fight?"
Li Shuwen nodded. "I would like to ask for your guidance, senior."
Mysterio stuffed the remaining half of the cookie into his mouth and patted the crumbs off his hands.
"For the sake of these cookies, I'll fight you."
Mysterio throws a Poké Ball.
Big Tail emerged from the white light, with a slender body, brownish-yellow fur, and a thick tail.
Li Shuwen raised his hand and threw out a Poké Ball. Salamence burst out of the white light, its blood-red wings unfurling, stirring up a gust of wind.
"Dragon's Breath," Li Shuwen gave the order first.
The salamander opened its mouth, and purple dragon breath gushed out.
The large-tailed creature twisted its body, but the twist was small enough to just avoid the dragon's breath, and it didn't even stand up.
Faced with the second dragon breath, Daweili twisted again and dodged.
Without even looking at the salamander, he knew the trajectory of the dragon's breath simply by sensing the airflow.
The mysterious guest held the jade flute to his lips.
The sound of the flute rose, melodious as a mountain spring and clear as birdsong.
Upon hearing this, Daiki's fur stood on end, and the calm in his eyes was replaced by fighting spirit.
Its speed suddenly increased, enabling high-speed movement, and it disappeared from the spot.
The giant salamander unleashed its breath once more, and the giant tail spun in the air, leaving behind several brownish-yellow afterimages.
It circled around to the side of the salamander, opened its mouth, and water ripples condensed into a blue water ball. The freezing ray followed closely behind, and the blue and ice-blue beams merged, turning into a stream of icy water that blasted towards the salamander.
"Big Character Explosive Flame!" Li Shuwen ordered.
The salamander opened its mouth, and flames shot out in a star shape, colliding with the icy water.
Hiss—steam burst open, and water vapor filled the air.
Oo-Tachi burst out of the mist, its body glowing with an icy blue light. A blizzard condensed a large area of mist into ice.
The giant salamander's explosive flames couldn't stop it; it flapped its wings and soared into the sky, a blizzard sweeping past its feet and freezing the forest behind it into ice sculptures.
The sound of the flute rang out again.
This time it wasn't melodious, but passionate; every syllable sounded like a war drum being struck.
The Great Tail's momentum surged once more, and the blizzard doubled in power, sweeping towards the newt in the air.
Li Shuwen took the guitar from behind his back.
The strings are plucked quickly, producing a melody similar to but different from that of the xiao (a type of vertical flute).
The salamander's body glowed with a faint blue light, and its power was rising.
The mysterious man didn't look at him, but the flute music suddenly changed, no longer simply raising the pitch of the tail, but mixing in another melody.
The atmosphere was somber and oppressive, like dark clouds looming overhead.
The salamander's blue light began to flicker, and its power was decreasing.
Li Shuwen narrowed his eyes. "Your music has two effects—boosting your Pokémon and suppressing mine."
Mysterio did not answer, but continued playing.
The sound of the flute grew more urgent, the salamander's body trembled, and the blue light flickered uncertainly.
Li Shuwen took a deep breath.
He closed his eyes, no longer listening to the melody of the jade flute, but focusing on his guitar.
He recalled the details of the past few days of fighting, his conversations with Buck, his sparring with Missy, and his battle with Asuka.
With each battle, the salamander grows stronger and stronger.
The music changed.
It was no longer an imitation of the jade flute, but Li Shuwen's own melody.
The salamander's eyes lit up, and the blue light stabilized again, becoming even more solid than before.
With a long roar to the sky, its body was enveloped in deep blue dragon energy, transforming into a giant dragon with bared fangs and claws, and it swooped down towards the Great Tail.
The dragon god swoops down.
A hint of surprise flashed in the mysterious man's eyes.
The sound of the flute suddenly rose, and the blizzard that Daweili had created condensed again, crashing head-on into the diving dragon.
The dragon god swooped down and collided with the blizzard.
boom--!!!
Snowflakes flew everywhere, and the dragon's roar shook the heavens.
Oo-Tachi fell from the explosion, curled up on the ground, eyes closed.
The salamander circled in the air, panting heavily as it landed in front of Li Shuwen.
Li Shuwen stretched out his hand and said, "Well done."
The mysterious guest retrieved the large tail.
He glanced at Li Shuwen, but didn't stop, and threw out a second Poké Ball.
The two-tailed monster emerged from the white light, its two tails raised high, and the fists at the ends of its tails clenched, assuming a boxing stance.
He wasn't as composed as Daiki, his toes constantly bobbing as if he were warming up.
The mysterious guest held the jade flute to his lips, and the flute music began again.
Blaziken burst out of its Poké Ball, its feet ablaze with crimson flames.
It landed on the ground, looked at the two-tailed monster hand, and sank slightly.
The Twin-Tailed Monster Hand was the first to attack.
Its two tails, like two agile snakes, attacked simultaneously from the left and right sides.
Shadow Claws, dark energy condensing on the fist, blocked Blaziken's retreat, one on the left and one on the right.
Blaziken raised its arms to block.
boom!boom!
The two tails struck with surprising force, forcing the Blaziken to take a step back.
Twintails follow up with Thunder Punch.
The fist on its tail crackled with golden electricity as it blasted towards the Blaziken's chest.
Blaziken dodged to the side, its right foot bursting into flame as it delivered a fiery kick to Twintail's side.
The other tail of the Twintails swung up from below to block the Flame Punch, and at the same time used the force to bounce up, somersaulting in the air, and then both tails slammed down when it landed.
Blaziken blocked again, but was knocked back once more.
The Twintail, having gained the upper hand, pressed its advantage, unleashing a barrage of punches from its tail.
Shadow Claw, Lightning Fist, Freezing Fist, Double Strike.
Various elemental punches were used in turn, forcing Blaziken to retreat repeatedly.
The two-tailed monster not only uses its tail to punch, but also to make feints.
The left tail feints a punch, while the right tail delivers a real blow; the uppercut is a feint, the lowercut is a real punch.
Blaziken's defenses began to falter, landing a punch on its shoulder and another on its side, causing it to stagger several steps.
"Water Ripple!" The mysterious man's fingers danced across the jade flute.
Two-tailed Pokémon's two tails lit up with blue light at the same time, and two water spheres condensed and shot towards Blaziken.
The Blaziken opened its mouth and spewed flames, blasting the two water balloons into mist.
The two-tailed monster's hand bursts out of the water mist—an acrobatic feat.
Its body tumbled in the air, its two tails slamming down alternately.
The Blaziken was knocked to its knees by the impact.
Blaziken roared, and its body glowed with a deep red light.
How could a Pokémon from the Veiled Gym, skilled in U-turn, be beaten up like this by acrobatics?!
He stood up, his body enveloped in the white flames of Flame Charge.
The swallows flew back, drawing an arc in the air.
The two-tailed monster used its tail to block, and the white meteor circled behind it, slamming hard into its back.
The two-tailed monster's eyes suddenly widened, its body froze in mid-air, and then it plummeted straight down, crashing to the ground, its two tails drooping limply.
The Blaziken fell from the sky and knelt on one knee.
Mysterious Guest withdrew his twin-tailed monster hands and laughed heartily at Li Shuwen.
"I'm not fighting anymore, I'm not taking it."
He tucked the jade flute back into his waistband. "You're quite strong, kid. There's no point in continuing the fight. Besides, that face of yours, isn't it fake too?"
Li Shuwen did not deny it.
"Make something to eat, I'm hungry. Make more sweet dishes."
Li Shuwen nodded and restarted the fire. He made sweet and sour pork ribs, honey-glazed chicken wings, candied sweet potatoes, and osmanthus-flavored glutinous rice lotus root, and also baked a plate of honey bread.
The mystery guest ate very slowly, savoring each dish with his eyes closed for a long time.
He would nod occasionally, frown occasionally, and point at the dishes with his chopsticks, saying things like, "The sweet and sour pork ribs have a bit too much sugar, but the honey-glazed chicken wings are cooked just right."
"The candied sweet potato strands are pulled nicely, but was the osmanthus sauce for the osmanthus-flavored glutinous rice lotus root homemade? The glutinous rice was packed too tightly."
"These are all minor issues, just differences in my personal tastes."
After finishing his meal, Mysterio wiped his mouth. "You played the guitar well, but you didn't use its full potential."
Li Shuwen humbly sought advice. "The guitar is just a tool; what truly matters is yourself. Your strength, your will, and the bond between you and your Pokémon."
"If you could combine your own power with the power of the guitar, the effect would be at least ten times greater. By listening to music, Pokémon's potential could be unlocked."
"It's similar to the effect of a 10x experience card in a game, or even stronger."
Li Shuwen's heart raced. "Senior, please teach me how to perform."
Mysterio smiled, a hint of slyness in his expression. "The key is resonance. Not just the resonance between you and your guitar, but also your Pokémon."
"You should also bring the same resonance to the Pokémon you develop."
He paused for a moment, then said, "As for how to resonate with each other, we'll talk about that after I wake up."
As soon as he finished speaking, his body disappeared from the spot.
It was teleportation.
All that remained was a thin sheet of music, with four words written on the cover: "Poem of Soul Killing".
Li Shuwen opened the sheet music; the melody wasn't too complicated, and with his guitar skills, playing it wouldn't be a problem.
He plucked the strings, and the melody echoed through the peach orchard, aiming it at the newt.
The salamander's eyes began to turn red, its breathing became rapid, and a low gurgling sound came from its throat.
Blaziken sensed something was wrong and reached out to press down on the salamander's wing.
The salamander suddenly shook him off and crashed headfirst into a nearby boulder.
boom!!
The boulder was smashed to pieces, with fragments flying everywhere.
It crashed into a large tree, breaking the trunk.
Blaziken rushed up and grabbed his neck, but he easily shook it off.
The salamander's eyes had turned completely blood red, and its reason was being devoured by some kind of force.
Blaziken was filled with surprise, not understanding how the Salamence's power could suddenly increase so much.
Li Shuwen put down his guitar.
He rushed up to the salamander and reached out to press its head down.
The salamander struggled desperately with astonishing strength, its wings striking the ground and creating deep craters, while its tail lashed wildly, snapping several small trees in half.
But Li Shuwen's hands were very steady. One hand was like an iron clamp, pressing his head down firmly, while the other hand pressed down on his back, pinning him to the ground.
"You salamander, that's too dangerous."
The salamander's struggles gradually weakened, the bloodshot in its eyes receded like a tide, and its golden pupils reappeared.
He was panting heavily, his whole body trembling.
Li Shuwen's voice was calm, "It seems this piece of music is not something you can listen to right now."
The salamander got up from the ground, looked at the music score, then at Li Shuwen, its eyes filled with lingering fear and shame.
He lowered his head and gently rubbed Li Shuwen's hand.
Li Shuwen gently scratched the salamander's chin.
"Don't worry, whatever happens, we'll face it together."
The salamander's mood finally calmed down.
Li Shuwen picked up the sheet music and put it in the deepest part of his backpack.
That mysterious guest still has many secrets.
This piece still has too many unknowns; it's not as simple as it seems on the surface.
He looked up at the higher peaks of the road to the champion, only to see them shrouded in clouds and mist, wondering how many extraordinary people and heroes might be on those peaks.