Elf: Re-employment of retired champion of Padiya

Chapter 785 Secluded Dwelling

To this day, Juki still remembers what happened that day.

In his youth, with his mother's support, he chose to leave home to fulfill his dream of becoming an "explorer," determined to travel across mountains and rivers and explore unknown and uncharted territories.

This departure took him several decades.

During this long journey, he did see many new and exciting things, and he transformed himself from someone so thin that he looked like he could be blown away by the wind into his current form.

He conquered many previously uncharted territories with his partner, who had been by his side since childhood as a blacksmith and had now evolved into a great blacksmith.

However, the dreams of youth will eventually come to an end.

His mother, who runs a seed shop, is getting old, and he hasn't saved much money from his travels. Under pressure from reality, he decided to make one last trip before returning to the Padiyah region to help his mother run the seed shop or find a stable job for himself.

For their final expedition, Mariki chose the well-known Corolla Mountains in the Sinnoh region as their target.

He wanted to challenge himself and try to climb to the top of the main peak of the Tianguan Mountains.

He believed he was fully prepared and his experience was in no way inferior to that of professional climbers.

But the truth is, near the bottom of Tianguan Mountain, a sudden blizzard nearly killed him and the Great Blacksmith, leaving them there forever.

When he was about to lose consciousness due to hypothermia, even Jumu himself did not expect that he would have a chance to wake up.

When I woke up in a simple wooden bed.

Confused that he had perished in the sudden blizzard on Mount Tenkan, Kiku immediately noticed the unusual weather.

Compared to the unbearable, bone-chilling coldness I remember, which dragged me helplessly into the abyss, this was a far cry from the memory of that time.

He now felt as if the season had suddenly and without warning changed from the dead of winter to the spring when everything was reviving.

This made him wonder and have a mistaken belief that he had slept for several months.

But then the giant blacksmith, who came bounding in from outside, told him with his phone, which had only a sliver of battery left, that only a few hours had passed since the disaster.

Just a few hours?

—From the biting cold and blizzard at the top of Tianguan Mountain, to this place with a climate that is almost like warm spring?

Keep in mind, it took him several days just to climb up there!

Just as Jumu was in a state of confusion, a woman's voice suddenly rang out from outside the house.

"You're awake? Then hurry up and come out."

"With Xiaolian's 'Healing Wish' aiding your recovery, your body should be fine."

The voice seemed to possess a special magic; before Ju Mu's brain could react, his body moved on its own.

He vaguely remembered that his legs, which had been frozen numb, suddenly propped himself up and led him out of the house with great strides.

However, before leaving, Juki subconsciously glanced at the environment where he had woken up.

How should I describe it?

The room's layout and furnishings were nothing like what one would expect in modern times.

Some mortars and pestles are used to grind medicinal herbs or spices.

I don't know what's inside; maybe it's a sealed jar of pickled vegetables.

There were also simple clothes racks filled with uniform black dresses.

The most eye-catching thing is the pink board lying quietly in the corner of the room, with a kitchen knife on it and wet stains on it. It must be a cutting board.

For some reason, Jumu felt that the thing had a magical power that firmly attracted his attention.

It seemed somewhat similar to the voice of the woman outside calling him to come out.

But before he could observe carefully, his hand brushed aside the curtain in front of him, and a ray of warm sunlight shone on his face.

Jumu squinted, adjusting to the sudden light.

A warm breeze brushed his cheeks, carrying the moist scent of grass and earth, a world completely different from the snow-covered place atop Tianguan Mountain in his memory.

Looking around, all I saw was a completely unfamiliar wilderness.

In the distance, rolling hills stretched out, covered with lush and unusual vegetation, and some flowers he had never seen before swayed gently in the breeze.

Nearby, a crystal-clear stream flows gently, its waters murmuring, its destination unknown.

The sky was an exceptionally pure azure blue, with a few wisps of thin clouds drifting by, and the sun shining brightly but not scorchingly.

The air was incredibly fresh; every breath felt like a cleansing of the lungs.

However, this vibrant, peaceful scene made Jumu's heart sink.

No, not at all.

The main peak of the Tianguan Mountains is an extremely cold region covered with snow all year round, and it is absolutely impossible for it to become like springtime in just a few hours.

The plants here, even the subtle energy permeating the air, are similar to anything he knows in any other region—

Whether it was Padia, Sinnoh, or any of the places he had seen on his travels, they were all completely different.

It's not so much a difference in geographical location, but more like a difference in eras.

He subconsciously turned around, wanting to confirm the wooden house again, only to see the Great Blacksmith also come out, and as if to remind him, he gently tapped the ground beneath his feet with the hammer he always carried on his shoulder.

Thanks to the tacit understanding cultivated over the years, Ju Mu quickly understood what the master blacksmith wanted to express and looked down at his feet.

The ground beneath his feet felt soft and springy. He squatted down and picked up a bit of soil with his fingers. It felt delicate and moist, definitely not the frozen soil of the mountains.

As an explorer who has traveled abroad for many years, Jumu can vouch for this with his extensive experience.

This is not the Tianguan Mountain that he had previously investigated and was familiar with.

It might even be... not the world he knows.

A gentle breeze blew again, bringing with it the rustling of the distant forest and the ethereal, distant cry of a Pokémon that had never been heard before.

Jumu straightened up and looked around at this completely unknown world, where even Mount Tianguan was nowhere to be seen.

Just like his reaction when he woke up, his last memory was of a blizzard and the cold of despair, but now, the warm wind made his heart tremble.

Just then, the woman's voice rang out again, completely dispelling the confusion in his heart.

"What are you still doing?"

When Ju Mu subconsciously looked in the direction of that clear, cold, and undeniably magical voice, the scene before him made him freeze in place.

Not far away, beside a crystal-clear stream, a woman with silver-white hair in a bun sat peacefully at a quaint round table.

She wore an elegant black dress, and the shadow cast by the wide-brimmed hat partially obscured her face, revealing only her beautifully shaped jawline and a touch of pale lip color.

—In this desolate wilderness, somewhere unknown, there was an exquisite black carved round table and chairs, and even a complete tea set on the table.

The woman's slender fingers were gently stroking the rim of the cup, her movements as elegant as if she were enjoying afternoon tea in a palace garden, rather than in this completely unfamiliar wilderness.

The stream flowed gently at her feet, and sunlight danced through the treetops on her silver hair. A few strands of hair fluttered in the wind, but they could not lift the hair that covered her left eye.

When she looked up, Jumu felt a strange flutter in his heart—her gaze seemed to pierce through time, seeing through all the vicissitudes of life. “Standing there in a daze is no match for drinking a cup of hot tea.” The woman’s lips curled slightly, her voice as clear as a stream lapping against pebbles, yet carrying an undeniable air of authority, “especially for someone who has just returned from the brink of death.”

Ju Mu then noticed two teacups on the table, with wisps of steam rising from the spout of the teapot, and the air filled with the delicate fragrance of some unknown herbal tea.

"."

Jumu fell silent.

It wasn't until the master blacksmith shifted his feet uneasily behind him and the sound of the hammer lightly tapping the ground that Ju Mu came back to his senses.

He took a deep breath, met the other person's deep and distant gaze, and strode toward the seemingly inappropriate tea table, each step rustling softly on the grass.

The closer he got, the more he could feel the other person's otherworldly aura.

The antique-style mirror she casually placed on the table gleamed in the sunlight, and the way her hands, clad in white lace gloves, made tea was so fluid, almost like a dance, that it was hard to look away.

When Jumu finally sat down in the white chair, the woman pushed a cup of tea she had just brewed in front of him. The tea had a wonderful amber color, with a few petals he had never seen before floating in it.

“Drink it,” she said, a fleeting, enigmatic emotion flashing in her grey eyes. “It will dispel the last vestiges of chill in your heart.”

Jumu picked up the teacup, the temperature emanating from his fingertips just right.

He stared at the mysterious woman before him, and for some reason felt that she looked somewhat familiar.

But he couldn't remember why the other person looked familiar.

Just like how he had seen many people who looked similar to her in the streets and alleys of the Sinnoh region.

Jumu glanced at the completely unfamiliar surroundings again, and finally asked the question that had been lingering in his mind for so long:

"Where am I? Did you save me?"

"Also, may I know your name? I, Ju Mu, will certainly repay this life-saving grace."

One thing is one thing, and regardless of where he is now, Ju Mu knows that he and the Great Blacksmith were rescued from Tianguan Mountain by some unknown means.
The woman covered her mouth and chuckled softly, her gaze beneath the brim of her hat drifting towards the distant hills, her voice as fleeting as a breeze.

"This is just my secluded retreat, nothing to worry about." She paused, picked up her teacup and took a sip. "As for my name, you don't need to know it. I don't ask for anything in return. Saving you was just so you would do something for me."

".?"

Hearing what the other person said, Ju Mu's eyes showed a hint of confusion, and he could only use drinking tea to cover up his embarrassment.

But when the tea, at the perfect temperature, entered his mouth, he suddenly realized that the chill that had been lingering in his mind was completely dispelled as the tea flowed down his throat.

Before he could even marvel at the tea's magic...

He suddenly noticed that the woman in black mourning clothes had put down her teacup, and in her arms, which had been empty just moments before, she was now holding a red elf egg with black stripes in her hands, which were covered by white lace gloves.

Where did this fairy egg come from?
The other party spoke again at this moment: "I need you to take this elf egg with you."

Upon hearing this, Jumu, already full of doubts, was even more puzzled. "Are you entrusting the Pokémon egg to me?"

"This Pokémon egg isn't for you." The other person slowly shook their head, pausing slightly before adding, "However, if you really have the ability to hatch it, it's not impossible for you to raise the child inside."

Jumu was silent for a few seconds before asking, "Then who should I give it to?"

"You don't need to deliberately hand it over to anyone. Just follow your heart, and fate will guide it to meet the right caregiver."

When the mysterious woman uttered those words, Jumu was completely stunned.

No, can't we just be more direct when we talk?

He's spouting riddles; how could a roughneck like me possibly understand them?
But at this moment, as if he had finished explaining everything, he handed the Pokémon egg to Jumu with an unquestionable aura and then snapped his fingers.

At that moment, Jumu, who was holding the elf egg, suddenly found that his brain, which had been quite energetic after drinking tea, suddenly became tired, and even his eyelids drooped due to a heavy pressure that seemed to come from nowhere.

Did they add something to that tea?

The thought popped into Jumu's drowsy mind.

Before he closed his eyes and completely lost consciousness.

He heard the other person leave behind their last two sentences in that cold voice.

"Once the Pokémon egg hatches, and the person who brings it to Sinnoh sets foot on this land, whether that person is you or its destined caretaker, you will meet me under the guidance of fate."

"Well then, I wish you and your partner sweet dreams."

"When I woke up again, I was already in the Pokémon Center near the Sky Crown Mountains."

“Miss Joy there said that a passing trainer found me and the Greatsmith lying in the wild, and that I had been holding onto that Pokémon egg tightly the whole time.”

You probably know what happened next.

"Perhaps because I was somewhat unwilling to give up, I changed my plans and traveled outside for a long time with the elf egg, trying various methods to hatch it."

"But unfortunately, I can't do it."

"Probably to verify whether what that mysterious woman said is true."

"Since the other party tells me to follow my heart, and that fate will take care of the rest."

"So when I went home to visit my mother, I simply gave her the elf egg and told her that if the elf egg hatched, she could help watch the shop."

"Since there is a destined person, it doesn't really matter whether it's in my hands or in my mother's hands."

"When I contacted my mother before, I was stunned for a long time when she told me that the elf egg had actually hatched."

Black gold charcoal pit, in area D3.

Jumu's voice slowly faded away.

His gaze never left Luo Mu. Even though Calyrex was listening without using its own abilities, it was clear that Ju Mu was probably observing Luo Mu, the "destined one" of the Pokémon egg.

After all, as Juki himself said, he initially felt resentful.

What was Luo Mu thinking at this moment?

"Little Love. Hermitage. Woman in black mourning clothes."

Luo Mu lowered his head and murmured the key information he had extracted from Ju Mu's recent recollection.

The more he pondered, the more serious his expression became.

Because everything that Juki described was so much like the mysterious female NPC in "Legendary Arceus," a spin-off game outside of the main Pokémon games, that he remembered.

According to Luo Mu's understanding, the other party's identity is either a suspected human form of Arceus or an immortal person related to him.

Its name is—Wu Si.

The other person's appearance seemed familiar to Kiki, mostly because the other person really looked very similar to the current champion in the Sinnoh region, who was far more popular than Cynthia.

The pink "cutting board" mentioned in Maruko's memories is most likely the Fairy Tablet, one of the nineteen life-giving stones held by Arceus, the creator god, representing the attribute of "fairy".

No.

I was just curious about Growlithe's origins, and you've revealed some incredible creature to me?!
— Luo Mu, filled with questions, deeply felt the malice of this world.

(End of this chapter)