Chapter 84: The Pokémon World's WeChat

When Zhao Fang returned to Kanaz City once again, Miss Mayumi sent him a program, asking him to try it out first.

Naturally, Zhao Fang understood this was the Pokémon world’s version of WeChat, which he had commissioned Miss Mayumi to create. Looking at the newly installed app on his Pokédex, Zhao Fang eagerly opened it. As soon as it launched, he saw an icon shaped like a Poké Ball, followed by options to register or log in. Zhao Fang quickly registered an account, hesitated for a moment over the name, but finally entered “Dragon-Type Champion.”

“Well, it’s just a test version anyway. I could even call myself the Champion of Hoenn,” Zhao Fang muttered as he scratched his nose, then logged into his account. A simple, unadorned interface appeared.

The layout was quite similar to WeChat, except the usual spot for “WeChat” in the lower left corner now bore the name “PokéChat,” courtesy of Miss Mayumi. It looked a bit awkward. Zhao Fang was about to check out other features when he received a friend request.

“Hmm... Miss Mayumi requests to add you as a friend?” Zhao Fang quickly accepted, and soon Miss Mayumi sent a message asking about his user experience and if there was anything that needed improvement.

After a brief trial, Zhao Fang shared his thoughts with Mayumi, who carefully recorded each suggestion. Finally, Mayumi asked a question.

“Zhao Fang, what do you plan to name this app?” Staring at her message, Zhao Fang fell into deep thought.

Zhao Fang had originally wanted to name it WeChat, but he wasn’t sure if that was appropriate, so he hadn’t asked Mayumi to add the name yet. According to her, the app was essentially finished and just needed a finalized name to be registered with the League before promotion could begin.

He still had to come up with a name. After some hesitation, Zhao Fang ultimately chose “WeChat,” as a tribute to his previous life.

Soon, Miss Mayumi replied with a confirmation and began the final refinements. According to her, in another week, Zhao Fang would witness WeChat’s official launch.

“One week, huh? I wonder if this will be easy to promote, and there’s the question of dividends later. If the market grows large but my strength isn’t enough, even if I can temporarily rely on Champion Steven’s favor, how long can that last?” Zhao Fang felt a sense of urgency. If WeChat didn’t become big, it was no issue, but if it achieved the scale of his previous world, maintaining his share would require strength.

First, Zhao Fang went to the Pokémon Center to heal his companions, then prepared to head toward the pier where Old Mr. Hachi was, to buy a ticket to Dewford Town. However, this meant he would have to cross the Petalburg Forest once again.

Zhao Fang didn’t mind. After stocking up on supplies, he slung his backpack over his shoulder and entered Petalburg Forest.

Perhaps because it had snowed recently, the forest was much quieter. A layer of snow still blanketed the grass, and Zhao Fang wore slip-resistant shoes, progressing slowly along the main path.

It was so peaceful—that was Zhao Fang’s only impression. The post-snow Petalburg Forest possessed a unique beauty. The Pokémon seemed unwilling to move about in the cold, and apart from the occasional chirring of insects, silence reigned.

After walking for some time, Zhao Fang grew bored. He started humming the Pokémon theme song as he observed his surroundings.

“In the earth and clouds, the girl’s skirt... hmm?” Zhao Fang abruptly stopped and strode quickly toward a nearby thicket.

He thought he’d glimpsed a strange Pokémon, and upon entering the woods, he found a Ninjask crouched in the snow. Above it hovered a Shedinja, its halo glowing, staring at him with hollow eyes.

Zhao Fang hurriedly took out his Pokédex. This was Shedinja—a very special Pokémon. Thanks to its unique abilities, it occasionally appeared in battles in his previous world, and though its HP was fixed at one, it was quite useful.

But just as Zhao Fang pulled out his Pokédex, the Ninjask stirred, and a Nincada emerged. At that moment, Shedinja was sucked into a black portal and vanished.

Zhao Fang, watching intently, caught a glimpse of the black hole. Though he only saw it for a moment, he sensed a strange world beyond it, but didn’t see everything.

The Ninjask, noticing Zhao Fang, quickly flew away, leaving an empty shell behind.

“Amazing,” Zhao Fang sighed, shaking his head. In the games, Shedinja could be obtained whenever Nincada evolved and there was a vacant spot in the party, but in reality, things played out differently. And what was that world in the end?

Zhao Fang was quite curious. That world reminded him of the Reverse World, the realm where Giratina resided.

Though he regretted not being able to record more information, now wasn’t the time to investigate the Reverse World, nor did Zhao Fang have any reckless intentions.

After resting overnight in Petalburg Forest, Zhao Fang emerged the next day and saw Old Mr. Hachi’s wooden cabin and the pier.

Previously, in Kanaz City, Zhao Fang had learned there were two ways to reach Dewford Town. One was to take the League’s cruise ship—safe and reliable but with a long wait time. The other was to hire Old Mr. Hachi’s boat, which was faster but more expensive.

Zhao Fang hadn’t rescued Old Mr. Hachi’s Wingull, so a free ride wasn’t going to happen. His Gyarados hadn’t learned Surf yet, so traveling on his own was impossible.

He opted for the League’s cruise ship; the price was reasonable. Though he still had some savings, his three Pokémon were voracious eaters, so he needed to be frugal.

His luck held—when he went to buy a ticket, he got the last one. With ticket in hand, Zhao Fang boarded the ship. According to the crew, it would take a whole day to reach Dewford Town.

The League’s cruise featured a gym area and a battle arena. Zhao Fang planned to visit the gym later; as Uncle Fuji had said, he should strengthen his muscles. If the Fighting-type Gym really required climbing, Zhao Fang would be in for a challenge.

Though Zhao Fang had no intention of becoming a human-shaped Pokémon like Uncle Fuji, he still needed to be able to protect himself.