Chapter 53: Pokémon Express Company

Zhaofang furrowed his brow, pulled out his Pokédex, and sent a message to Professor Birch to ask about getting the device repaired, while also casually inquiring whether humans could achieve immortality.

Professor Birch replied shortly. Regarding the broken SOS button on the Pokédex, the professor suggested that perhaps a screw had been left out during the installation of the Rotom Pokédex upgrade. Zhaofang couldn't help thinking that the Indian Air Force maintenance depot must have a lot in common with Professor Birch, seeing as both were notorious for misplacing screws.

As for the second question, Professor Birch's reply went as follows:

"Achieving immortality is hardly that simple. However, I have heard a rumor that long ago in a certain region, someone used a profoundly mysterious ancient weapon at the cost of countless Pokémon lives to grant a single Pokémon the gift of eternal life, and that person also gained immortality. But that is merely a legend." When Professor Birch sent those words, Zhaofang almost imagined he could see the strange look in the professor's eyes. After all, for a young man to suddenly ask about eternal life out of the blue was indeed quite bizarre.

Zhaofang fell into deep thought. He recalled that the man should be from the Kalos region. The game's storyline did indeed mention how he used the lives of countless Pokémon to grant eternal life to a single Floette, only for the Floette to leave the man behind as a result. The man then began his journey of atonement across the Kalos region until the villains caused trouble, were defeated by the protagonist, and the man finally found redemption.

Zhaofang thought of the white-haired man he had seen within the memories of the Unown. If that really was the same man, it didn't seem so strange that the other party would sacrifice the lives of countless Pokémon to attain eternal life. Yet, this immediately led Zhaofang to another question: if this white-haired man truly was that fellow from the Unown's memories, then did the organization known as "Truth" also exist in this world all along? Was there still a connection between this man and the Truth organization?

All these questions filled Zhaofang with deep perplexity.

"Rotom, can you hack into the cruise ship's computer and help me investigate someone?" Zhaofang thought of a way to resolve the issue, pulling out Rotom and asking with a tense expression.

Zhaofang had actually considered whether he should consult Professor Birch or contact Officer Jenny, but such matters were difficult to explain clearly, leaving Zhaofang with no choice but to try and figure out a method on his own.

"Roto? Hacking into someone else's information is an illegal act. Trainers, please do not stray onto the wrong path, roto," Rotom looked at Zhaofang with an incredulous expression, then spoke in a solemn and earnest tone.

Zhaofang was left speechless, half-smiling. He never would have guessed that Rotom came pre-programmed with the setting of keeping trainers from straying onto the crooked path.

"Besides, computers aren't that easy to break into, roto. If I want to hack into a computer, I have to face Porygon, and that is an extremely powerful Pokémon. If it tracks me down, I'll be sentenced to prison, roto," Rotom added, leaving Zhaofang with no choice but to abandon the idea of having Rotom investigate the man's background.

Zhaofang had wanted to first confirm under what identity the man before him had registered for the cruise. If he could find that out, he might be able to follow the vine to unearth further clues. It was impossible for Zhaofang to just run up, grab the guy by the collar, and demand to know why he had lived for so long.

Of course, if Zhaofang himself possessed the strength of a Champion, he might actually dare to give it a try.

Zhaofang felt a headache coming on, but with no better way to resolve the matter for the time being, he simply took the ancient text study guide out of his backpack and began communicating with Rotom to study the ancient language. Zhaofang wanted to first reach a point where he could understand the letter he had seen before, as he had a lingering feeling that the letter might contain further information.

Just like that, Zhaofang spent two more days on the cruise ship. Two days later, the ship finally arrived at Sootopolis City, though all Zhaofang could see were towering cliffs without a trace of Sootopolis itself.

The League's cruise ship docked just outside Sootopolis City, and passengers had to walk through a cave to enter the city. In the crowd, Zhaofang caught sight of the white-haired man. He remained just as he had been before, wearing an elegant smile and exuding an aristocratic aura.

During the past two days, Zhaofang had also attempted to inquire about the white-haired man's identity, but to no avail. No one was discussing him, and the few remarks he occasionally overheard were merely people speculating whether the man was an aristocrat with an ancient lineage.

Before long, the white-haired man blended into the flow of the crowd, and Zhaofang lost sight of him.

"Sigh, who knows if I'll ever find this guy," Zhaofang sighed, then followed the crowd into the cave and eventually arrived at the entrance of Sootopolis City.

As soon as he stepped through the entrance into Sootopolis City, Zhaofang couldn't help but pause in astonishment. He had to admit that this was an exceptionally beautiful city. The entire metropolis was nestled within a body of water completely surrounded by high cliffs, keeping the waters of Sootopolis calm and tranquil. Moreover, because he had just seen the vast ocean and sheer rock faces followed by the dark cave he had walked through, Sootopolis City felt like a hidden utopia sheltered from the world, leaving one breathless with wonder.

Upon entering Sootopolis City, Zhaofang first looked around, but failing to spot the white-haired man, he had no choice but to head to the Pokémon Post Office and mail his Pokédex to Professor Birch for repairs using a courier service.

This was Zhaofang's first visit to a Pokémon Post Office, and he had to admit that the post office here was quite unique. Even though the postal workers were all Flying-type Pokémon, Zhaofang also noticed some special services, such as an express delivery option that came with a hefty price tag of 30,000 League Dollars per delivery.

Compared to the heavy customer traffic at other counters, this particular service window was completely deserted. It was no exaggeration to describe it as having sparrows nesting at the gates, given the exorbitant fees listed on the posted notice which explained to Zhaofang why it was so expensive.

The shipping fees at the Pokémon Post Office were determined by the chosen Pokémon. If one chose a Pelipper with average speed that might take a few days depending on the distance, it would only cost 100 League Dollars, while faster Flying-type Pokémon were available for those who wanted prompt delivery.

The fastest service was known as express-flash delivery, which was the 30,000 League Dollar option. After paying the fee and selecting the destination, an Alakazam would use its psychic powers to transport the package, guaranteeing delivery to any location within the Hoenn region in under five minutes. For other League regions, the price was even higher.

"So it really is Pokémon power," Zhaofang opted for the 1,000 League Dollar Talonflame service, which could deliver the package to Littleroot Town in a day's time.

"I wonder if a Dragonite ever takes on part-time delivery work," Zhaofang smiled and shook his head. As if that would ever happen—Dragon-type Pokémon like Dragonite were extremely proud creatures. To get them to deliver mail would require a direct order from their own trainer, not to mention a very close personal relationship.