Who needs a girlfriend when you have Pokémon?

In that case, it makes perfect sense logically... and even the purpose is very clear: it is to conduct related experiments using ultimate power.

In terms of both technical capabilities and motivation, the Ether Foundation fits the bill perfectly, and there is even direct witness Lillie who can prove the connection.

The only thing missing now is probably direct, concrete physical evidence...

...After all, witness testimony is not strong enough; people won't accept empty words. But solid physical evidence is the most powerful proof, rendering all arguments pale and powerless!

"...The Aether Foundation already has agents investigating. The current question is whether the Aether Foundation is connected to the operations of Team Marine and Team Magma in the Hoenn region, and why that mysterious person came to steal the meteorite."

"Perhaps they're interested in the power contained within the meteorite, which makes sense, but if there's really any connection, there could be even bigger trouble..."

...So, besides Team Marines and Team Magma, are they still connected to other organizations?

For example, Team Rocket, an entity that cannot be ignored among the villainous organizations in the entire Pokémon world!

Although Team Rocket has been completely eradicated, its leader, Giovanni Sakaki, remains at large. As long as this man remains at large, Team Rocket could rise again at any time.

Although such a large organization could not possibly be supported by just one person, everyone believed that Giovanni had the ability to revive the Rockets.

"...This matter is becoming increasingly troublesome."

What initially seemed like many unrelated things have now become such a large-scale situation, it's really hard to bear.

"...There's no other way. In any case, since the other side stole the meteorite, they'll definitely try to make use of it. We may lose this round, but we can win it back next time. The data I observed at the meteorological research institute should be useful regarding their possible next move!"

Chapter 145 The Anomaly of Chimney Mountain

Previously, Daigo observed the Chimney Mountain area at the Meteorological Research Institute and discovered strange anomalies in the data from that region. In short...

"...the area near Chimney Mountain has experienced consecutive days of drought."

"...That's not surprising, is it? There are many Fire-type Pokémon on Mt. Chimney, and quite a few of them have the Drought ability."

As the Gym Leader of LavaCover Town, Aysa, who spends her free time training on Mt. Chimney, naturally has a lot to say on this, and her judgment can be said to be correct.

Indeed, Mt. Chimney is home to a large number of Fire-type Pokémon, including many with the move Sunny Day and the ability Drought.

Perhaps their abilities can only affect a certain area, but with their numbers, it is not impossible for them to interfere with the entire area surrounding Chimney Mountain.

The residents of Fuma Town were already used to this. Because of this, even though Chimney Mountain had accumulated a lot of volcanic ash, making the surrounding land very fertile, the place was still unsuitable for farming. In the end, the only option was to develop the hot spring resources as a way out for the town...

After all, no matter how fertile the land is, crops cannot withstand constant drought.

However, it's not really necessary. Pokémon with Growth moves and Overgrow ability can grow enough food from a small plot of farmland to sustain the entire region. For example, Mauville City's electricity generation is enough to power the entire Hoenn region, so there's really no need to build power plants in other places.

As long as you prepare some Electric-type Pokémon in case of emergency, it won't matter. There are plenty of arable land around, so you won't lack this little bit of land.

Getting back to the point, the fact that this place is often dry is not uncommon, and the surrounding residents are used to it. In any case, they can just prepare a couple more Water-type and Ice-type Pokémon to cool things down. Even if it's all natural, the Pokémon world can achieve a comfortable temperature in winter and summer with the help of Pokémon.

Perhaps that's why no one realized this...

...That is to say, this strange drought is actually quite unusual.

"No, that's the problem. We know about Chimney Mountain, and the meteorological institute has been monitoring the anomalies in the area. So, the current situation is different from what you are familiar with!"

If the continuous drought is caused by the power of ordinary Pokémon, then you can simply use the Rain Dance move or a Pokémon with the relevant ability to dispel the overwhelming effect.

"However, we made the corresponding attempts, but it didn't work... We tried using the rain-summoning skill, but it couldn't change the weather!"

"what?"

These words naturally surprised Aysa. To be honest, if this abnormal situation had occurred in other regions, it would have been detected by nearby residents long ago, and the meteorological research institute would not have had to discover the anomaly.

However, because the residents near Chimney Hill were used to sunny days all year round, they did not take this obvious abnormality seriously.

"Hey, hey..." Luo Wei immediately realized, "Isn't this exactly the same as the situation in the mural?"

"Correct!"

Daigo nodded affirmatively. Everything matched the content of the murals. The murals in the caves of the ruins of Muto Town depicted the great calamity of the legendary ancient era.

A large-scale weather disaster that cannot be interfered with by the power of Pokémon!

The manifestation of the power of nature, which is absolutely impossible for human beings to resist, can be described as... a living natural disaster!

"..."

After a moment of silence, Luo Wei shrugged. "In that case, it's pretty clear what to do next, right?"

Now that it's clear there's something wrong near Chimney Hill, the next step is naturally to go directly to Chimney Hill and find out what secrets it holds.

Asha's expression was a little subtle. She was a native of Fuyan Town, and Chimney Mountain was like her own backyard, the place where she grew up.

She still clearly remembers the days when her grandfather took her to Chimney Mountain for special training when she was a child. Although it was tough, it was the starting point for Aysa to become a trainer. It was there that she got her first Pokémon partner and has grown up with it ever since.

If someone tries to cause trouble on Chimney Hill, she'll naturally be the first to object.

“I understand…” Asha nodded, then her tone turned serious. “This time, I will definitely stop those guys’ plot!”

Although it is still uncertain what exactly is happening in Chimney Hill, these anomalies are enough to prove that something is wrong.

"Yes, they'll be helping out here too. Besides Luo Wei, they've also contacted another very capable collaborator..."

To be recognized by Daigo as an extremely capable collaborator, one must be no ordinary person, which puts some people at ease. With the communication cut off, Aya's tone was somewhat dejected.

"It seems the alliance doesn't really trust my abilities anymore, haha, though that's to be expected..."

Her tone carried a hint of self-deprecation. The alliance had arranged for new allies in addition to Rowe, which clearly indicated that they felt Aysa was no longer sufficient to solve the current problem, and therefore had increased their forces.

In her view, this seemed to indicate that the alliance did not trust her abilities, though Rowe did not think so.

"...No, I don't think the Alliance meant that. Miss Asha, you're overthinking it. It's probably just a simple insurance policy."

Lowe's tone was very serious, which made Asha feel a little embarrassed.

"...Haha, maybe I really am having a bit of an allergic reaction."

At this point, the atmosphere suddenly became a little somber. After a moment of silence, Asha suddenly spoke up, "Lowe... I've actually wanted to meet you for a long time!"

"what?"

This was indeed a bit unexpected, because Rowe was not familiar with Asha, and it could even be said that the two had no interaction at all. However, Rowe quickly understood what Asha meant.

"...Your father, Lord Qianli, is an extremely capable person. I admire him greatly!"

"..."

This tone didn't sound like flattery; Asha genuinely respected and admired Rowe's father.

Of course, this is not surprising. After all, Lowe's father already had many fans in the Hoenn region. His tough, stern, and masculine persona was indeed very popular.

However, Asha then changed the subject.

“But I admire Luo Wei even more. With such an amazing father, you must be under a lot of pressure, right? But you don’t seem to be affected by that pressure at all…”

At this point, her tone became more helpless and bitter, "They really are... so much better than me..."

Chapter 146 The Pressure from Our Parents

"With a father as capable as Lord Qianli, you must be under a lot of pressure all the time, right?"

"..."

Well, there is definitely pressure, since from a young age people will definitely flatter you as "Qianli's son," and you will receive care and respect without even realizing it.

But this care and respect don't come for free. Just like how people respect gym leaders, the Elite Four, and champions, it's not because they have these titles that they are respected.

It was because they fulfilled the responsibilities corresponding to their roles, truly maintained order in the area, and served as strict mentors to every trainer who came to seek their guidance that they earned everyone's respect.

Therefore, it is only natural that the identity of "Qianli's son" must come with sufficient strength; otherwise, even if one is merely "ordinary," one may still be judged as "useless and a disgrace to his father."

To be honest, this kind of thing makes no sense. It's not like if the father is great, the son has to be just as great. The idea that "like begets like" or "a rat's son knows how to dig holes" is a very stereotypical impression.

It was never said that the son of a major literary award must be a writer. He might not even pass Chinese literature, and knowledge and ability can't be inherited through DNA...

Fortunately, Luo Wei did not embarrass his father; in fact, it seems that his talent and ability may even surpass his father's.

At least in terms of achievements at the same age, he has surpassed his father's... When Qianli was the same age, he was definitely not as good as Luo Wei is now.

In other words, Luo Wei perfectly accepted the expectations placed upon him because he had a powerful father, so although he felt some pressure, he didn't feel much of a sense of unease.

But from these words, Rowe could sense that Aysa was definitely different.

Asha's situation is somewhat similar to Rowe's, but instead of having a powerful father, she has a very impressive grandfather.

He single-handedly revitalized the nearly dead town of Fuyan, dedicating most of his life to his hometown and giving it new life.

He was instrumental in establishing the Lavatown Gym, becoming a League-certified Gym Leader and securing Lavatown's place in the Hoenn region. Furthermore, he went on to lead the Elite Four, achieving great success...

With such a remarkable grandfather, it was only natural that she would be expected to have high hopes for her from a young age. However, the first person to receive these hopes was not Asha, but her father...

"My father... didn't have much talent as a trainer. After becoming a trainer, he barely managed to get three badges, and then he never made any further progress. In the end, my father became disheartened and said he was going out to 'train,' and we rarely heard from him after that..."

"..."

Although it was only a brief account, Luo Wei clearly sketched out an image in his mind: a person who was expected to live up to his father's high expectations from a young age because his father was too outstanding, but who ultimately became just an ordinary person because of his own limited talents.

Did he do anything wrong?

...Lowe thought no, getting three badges was already pretty good for most ordinary trainers.

But no, his father is one of the Four Heavenly Kings, and in the public's perception, such achievements are "not allowed"!

Of course, perhaps those around him weren't so critical, but he simply couldn't accept it...

...unable to accept his own mediocrity in the shadow of his genius father.

Ultimately, he couldn't reconcile with himself and ended up in a dead end, a situation that was all too familiar to Rowe.

Although he benefited from reincarnation in this world, coupled with his father's connections and circle of friends, which gave him an outstanding life, Luo Wei in his previous life was undoubtedly an ordinary person.

He was well aware of the sorrows of ordinary people, so he could empathize with their helplessness...

Asha's situation was made even worse by her father.

If Asha lacks talent, that's fine too; at worst, the people around her will accept the fact that a tiger father may not necessarily have a dog son.

However, Asha is talented, and quite talented at that, which makes her deserve to die.

"Grandpa always felt guilty about my father's situation, thinking that he had put too much pressure on him, even though it wasn't really Grandpa's fault. When I was little, I kept pestering Grandpa to take me to Chimney Mountain for special training, and Grandpa was hesitant at first..."