Chapter 3: Soaring Through the World—Dr. Tianxuan's Predicament!
At this moment, before him loomed a colossal golden-green dragon, its body stretching over ten thousand meters in length, swinging its massive tail as it roamed freely within the confines of the system space.
Seemingly sensing Zhang Feng’s presence, the dragon, Latios, suddenly changed direction and charged toward him.
As the dragon’s enormous form grew ever larger within his sight, despite knowing that Latios had become his Pokémon, Zhang Feng still felt a surge of awe and shock.
There was simply no way around it—what does ten thousand meters even mean? Only when witnessed firsthand could one truly grasp its magnitude.
To put it in perspective, even the so-called Giants of Light, the Ultramen, stood barely over fifty meters tall. Yet Latios’s size now equaled stacking two hundred Ultramen atop one another.
When Latios halted before Zhang Feng, the immense dragon began to gradually shrink, eventually settling at a more manageable size of about ten meters.
A thunderous roar erupted from Latios, and Zhang Feng, snapping out of his stupor, listened closely—strangely, he seemed to understand the meaning behind the roar.
This was perhaps the effect of their 250-point affection level. One could only imagine that once the affection reached its maximum, a complete and profound bond would form between trainer and Pokémon.
If that were the case, the emergence of bond evolutions would make perfect sense.
However, attaining maximum affection was no easy feat, especially with such a proud and majestic legendary creature. Without the system’s aid, Zhang Feng would never have tamed Latios in this lifetime.
Indeed, encountering Latios itself was nearly impossible.
Watching as the dragon shrank to a fraction of its original size, Zhang Feng extended his right hand and gently placed it upon Latios’s head.
Instead of withdrawing, Latios responded with a soft roar, seemingly inviting Zhang Feng to climb onto his back.
“Latios, you want me to ride on you?” Zhang Feng asked.
The dragon nodded.
Delighted by Latios’s affirmative response, Zhang Feng’s heart soared. Humanity had always dreamed of soaring through the skies—giving rise to legends of immortals and eventually inventions like flight suits and airplanes.
Now, with a dragon capable of carrying him across the heavens, Zhang Feng could hardly contain his joy.
In the next moment, he climbed onto Latios’s back, gripping the dragon’s massive body with his legs and wrapping his arms tightly around its torso.
At Zhang Feng’s movement, Latios sent a wave of flying-type energy enveloping him, securing his position firmly atop the dragon.
Feeling the stabilizing force of this energy, Zhang Feng’s expression brightened with delight.
Then, with a mighty roar, Latios took flight, carrying his trainer skyward.
The rushing wind whipped past them, but enveloped in Latios’s energy, Zhang Feng felt no discomfort. On the contrary, the sensation of soaring freely through the world was exhilarating.
With Latios’s aid, Zhang Feng effortlessly traversed the entire system space.
Overall, the system space contained a vast array of environments, covering an estimated eight million square kilometers.
That was even larger than Australia, the largest island nation from Zhang Feng’s previous life.
And this vast expanse was merely the place where Zhang Feng’s Pokémon rested and lived.
After tiring himself with exploration, Zhang Feng bid farewell to Latios and stepped out of the system space, returning to the real world.
As for the various fruits within the system space, Zhang Feng had already eaten his fill while riding Latios.
This was fortunate, as the Pokémon living there need not worry about food, essentially forming a self-sustaining ecosystem.
Moreover, these fruits possessed various miraculous properties, gradually enhancing the strength of the Pokémon who consumed them.
Thus, the Pokémon residing here enjoyed an ideal environment for nurturing and growth.
Now that he had Latios, Zhang Feng’s desire to travel and explore the world began to stir once more.
But before setting off, he planned to visit a renowned professor in the Hoenn region—Professor Birch.
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Professor Birch was famed across Hoenn for his research on Pokémon habitats and distributions, often venturing into the wild for field studies.
Since Zhang Feng was also a resident of Littleroot Town, he had crossed paths with Professor Birch multiple times and had received work and assistance from him.
Stepping out from his home to head to the professor’s laboratory, Zhang Feng was warmly greeted by the townsfolk along the way.
“Xiaofeng, heading to Professor Birch’s lab to help out again?”
“Yes, Uncle Wally,” Zhang Feng replied.
Every encounter with the people of Littleroot Town was filled with smiles and greetings. The world of Pokémon truly felt like an idyllic utopia.
Or rather, the townspeople themselves were incredibly kind and genuine.
Upon arriving at Professor Birch’s laboratory, Zhang Feng was greeted with a smile by Birch’s assistant, May.
“Xiaofeng, you’re just in time. Help me feed the Pokémon in the lab; I’d be here all day on my own.”
Hearing May’s request, Zhang Feng gladly agreed.
Having visited the lab many times and met the resident Pokémon repeatedly, feeding them was no trouble at all.
Still, Zhang Feng marveled at the wonders of these creatures and secretly felt the urge to one day establish his own research lab, raising countless Pokémon.
Life as a farmer seemed quite appealing.
Living alongside such magical beings could truly bring happiness.
After finishing the feeding, Zhang Feng asked May, “Where’s the professor?”
May hesitated briefly.
“Xiaofeng, you came to see the professor? Seems he’s in a bit of trouble. I’ll take you to him.”
Curious at the prospect, Zhang Feng followed May into the lab.
From a distance, the sound of crying reached them, along with Professor Birch’s gentle attempts at consolation.
“Professor, why won’t my Pokémon play with me?”
Entering the room, Zhang Feng saw a scene that made him pause: a tearful girl of about ten years old, Professor Birch sweating in frustration, and a proud Treecko standing nearby.
The setting gave the impression that the professor was teasing the young girl.
“Professor, Xiaofeng’s here. He seems to be looking for you!”
At May’s words, Professor Birch apologized.
“Ah, Xiaofeng, just wait a moment. Let me handle this first.”
Zhang Feng stood aside, listening to their conversation.
Gradually, he pieced together the story.
The girl, named Lily, had just turned ten about two weeks ago and had become a new trainer eligible for a starter Pokémon. She had chosen Treecko.
However, Lily did not enjoy traveling. Instead, she treated Treecko like a pet, forbidding it from battling and spending her days dressing it up.
This displeased Treecko, who grew dissatisfied with its trainer and voluntarily abandoned her, returning to the lab.
Heartbroken, Lily ran back to the lab in tears.
Could someone with such a personality even be called a trainer?
Indeed, the official trainers of the league lived comfortable lives.
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