Welcome to the Hundred Thousand Mountains
Early in the morning, Bruce woke up to a phone call. Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he was extremely reluctant to answer.
"Hello, who is this?"
"It's me," the voice replied, brief and concise.
Hearing this familiar voice, Bruce was momentarily surprised, but his mind cleared instantly, and he sat up straight.
"Your father told me you've recently been looking for a rock as part of your research."
"Yes," Bruce nodded in response.
"Good." John Bayne nodded slightly and then said, "Come here and take a look to see if there's any stone you need."
"By the way, a good experience to spend some time."
Hearing this, Bruce's face lit up with joy, and he said, "Alright."
"Well, when the time comes, go straight to Fairbay City Airport, and I'll send someone to pick you up."
After saying this, John Bayne hung up the phone.
Bruce was no longer sleepy at that moment. He quickly got dressed, got up, and walked out of the bedroom.
"Yawn~"
Seeing this, Ponyta, who was sleeping on the carpet, rushed over and nuzzled Bruce with its small head, its eyes sparkling.
"Such a cute boy," Bruce smiled and then went to the bathroom to freshen up.
When he finished brushing his teeth, he turned his head, and sure enough, Ponyta was standing at the door, staring at him without blinking.
Like a puppy following its mother.
Bruce looked down at Ponyta's beautiful, silky mane and muttered softly, "Seems like this one's probably a favorite among many upper-class people."
Not long after, Bruce went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for himself and the Pokemon.
As a result, Ponyta kept following Bruce closely. When Bruce was in the kitchen, Ponyta lay at the kitchen door, staring at him intently.
"Such a clingy boy."
Bruce chuckled, pulled out the food bowl, and called for Metang to get up.
Blaziken had gotten up early to start Calm Mind training, further accelerating its Focus Energy. Gardevoir trained its Psychic power with Roy in the early morning, and family dolls were flying up to the ceiling over and over again.
Only Metang was still sleeping.
After breakfast, Bruce was about to head to school to request a leave of absence. This time, he would stay by the elder's side for at least a week.
After some time...
Bruce arrived at the office and stood in front of the director.
"Master Kelvin, I need to take a leave of absence."
Seeing that it was Bruce requesting leave, Kelvin looked up and said with a smile, "Alright, for how long?"
"At least a week," Bruce replied sincerely.
"A week..." Kelvin was momentarily surprised, then adjusted his glasses, looked at Bruce, and said, "Are you sure?"
"If you take such a long leave and miss a lot of classes, you'll be busy at the end of the semester."
The research department is different from the combat department. It's much easier to request leave in the combat department, and there aren't as many in-person exams.
As long as the Pokemon's strength passes the test, combat students can theoretically always take leave.
But... the research department emphasizes foundational theoretical knowledge. If too many courses are missed, it's very likely one won't keep up with the studies.
Even so, Bruce also had guidance from George Redi, a research student.
"It's fine. I can keep up," Bruce said, looking at Kelvin.
Seeing Bruce respond this way, Kelvin couldn't say much more. After all, the Bruce before him was entirely different from ordinary students.
This was the champion of the first-year student exchange competition, a treasure to be cherished.
If one wasn't careful, the combat department might snatch him away.
After successfully obtaining leave, Bruce booked an afternoon flight to Fairbay City and informed Alice about it.
"When you come back, make sure to hurry up," Bruce messaged.
"Alright!" Alice added an exclamation mark for emphasis.
In the afternoon...
Bruce boarded the plane bound for Fairbay City.
Invisible Roy stood by the window, gazing at the scenery outside, his eyes flickering.
Looking out, the only scenery visible was the endless white clouds filling the sky, yet it still left Roy dazed for a while.
Time passed unconsciously, and the plane landed steadily at Fairbay Airport.
"Back again..."
Looking at the familiar scenery in front of him, Bruce sighed.
Two months ago, he had left Fairbay City in the south to go to the Metropolitan Capital, and now he was back.
Afterward, Bruce exited the airport.
A tall young man in a denim jacket saw Bruce's figure, smiled, and walked over quickly.
"Young Master Bayne," he said, approaching Bruce and bowing slightly.
"Just call me Benjamin," Benjamin said immediately, curling the corners of his mouth into a smile at Bruce.
Bruce carefully examined the young man.
He had rather broad shoulders, which should be quite noticeable from a distance. The denim jacket paired with jeans, and his skin was slightly tanned.
Soon, under Benjamin's guidance, Bruce got into a very imposing off-road vehicle.
"Young Master Bayne, I apologize. While this car isn't very comfortable, it's suitable for traversing various terrains."
"We're heading to Mount Sumeru, and other cars aren't allowed," Benjamin said as he sat in the driver's seat and smiled at Bruce.
"Alright," Bruce shook his head.
Not long after, the off-road vehicle slowly started and headed toward Mount Sumeru.
"Are there no special vehicles to go there?" Bruce couldn't help but ask.
Benjamin looked ahead and replied casually, "No, very few people live there, and so far, there are no special cars. Traveling is more difficult."
Bruce nodded thoughtfully and then asked, "How long will it take to get there?"
Benjamin answered without hesitation, "It takes at least five hours to get there from the airport."
Immediately, resting his left hand on the window and holding the steering wheel with his right, with the breeze blowing his black hair, Benjamin said loudly, "Young Master Bayne, it's a long journey. You can sleep for a while."
"Alright, I'm not sleepy yet."
"Got it," Benjamin nodded, continuing, "Young Master Bayne is a bit different from what I imagined."
"What's different?" Bruce asked curiously, intrigued.
"Uh..." Benjamin's eyes flickered as he thought seriously, then replied, "Anyway, a little different. I can't quite put it into words."
"In short, you feel good," he said with another smile.
Bruce smiled faintly, and after chatting with Benjamin for a while, he turned his head to look at the passing scenery outside the window.
Time passed slowly, and night gradually fell.
Unbeknownst to him, the off-road vehicle had completely left Fairbay City and entered the outskirts of Mount Sumeru.
Looking around, there were towering mountains stretching across the horizon, and patches of dense jungle flanked either side.
The traces of human civilization gradually diminished, with only wild Pokemon appearing occasionally, indicating the prosperity of this place.
For the flourishing of wild Pokemon...
Undoubtedly, this was a paradise for wild Pokemon.
"We're almost there," said Benjamin, who had been driving for over five hours, still full of energy as he spoke to Bruce.
"Alright," Bruce nodded slightly, looking at Sumeru shrouded in the night.
The road here was still flat, and the farther they went, the wider the path became.
Finally, brightly lit buildings came into view.
Resembling a military base, the buildings ahead were neatly arranged from left to right.
There was also an endless barbed-wire fence blocking off the outside world from the buildings. It was unclear how far it extended, as the end couldn't be seen.
Soon, the off-road vehicle arrived at the first outpost.
On the left and right of the outpost stood men in black trench coats, holding rifles with expressionless faces.
At their feet were two fierce Ace-level Mightyena, their sharp eyes fixed on the off-road vehicle.
Benjamin handed over documents, and after some inspections, they were allowed to continue.
Not long after, the off-road vehicle passed another outpost and finally approached the buildings ahead.
"It's quite strict," Bruce murmured slightly.
The stricter it was, the more it indicated this place was heavily guarded and highly important.
"We're here."
Accompanied by these words, Benjamin parked the vehicle in an open space, and massive spotlights illuminated the surroundings.
Bruce followed Benjamin out of the car and saw a familiar figure standing in front of him.
Oh, wasn't this the psychic elite?
"Elite, I've successfully brought Young Master Bayne here safely," Benjamin said, jogging toward John Bayne and speaking loudly.
"Not bad," John Bayne nodded slightly.
Immediately, Benjamin stepped back to a corner.
Bruce looked up to see John Bayne standing in front of him, with two people nearby standing silently to the side.
One was a woman using tricks to get Pokemon hunters into a temporary camp, and the other was a thin, middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses, looking kind.
The woman smiled faintly at Bruce, while the middle-aged man showed a gentle smile.
"Welcome to Sumeru," said John Bayne, a slight smile on his face.
After these words fell, John Bayne casually glanced to Bruce's side, directly surprising Bruce.
"Introduce yourselves," John Bayne said, looking from left to right.
The middle-aged man stepped forward first, with a refreshing smile on his face, and said, "Colin Bishop. You can call me Uncle Bishop."
"Colin Bishop is an expert trainer specializing in psychic Pokemon," John Bayne added.
Specializing in psychics!
A master trainer!
"I just don't know who's stronger or weaker compared to Master Doom," Bruce thought to himself.
"Hello, Uncle Bishop," Bruce nodded in greeting.
At the same time...
The woman took another step forward, flashing a charming smile, and introduced herself: "Agatha Cross. Call me Aunt Agatha."
"Hello, Sister Agatha," Bruce smiled and nodded.
Although Agatha asked him to call her Aunt, she appeared to be in her thirties, making "sister" a more appropriate term.
Hearing Bruce's words, Agatha smiled.
"Agatha, a master trainer specializing in Ghost-types."
"These two are my direct subordinates."