vncnus Chapter 853 Beishang
Chapter 853 Beishang
The air inside the room froze instantly, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
“Zhubei is the child I raised, and she also treats me like an older sister,” Guana finally spoke after a long silence. “She has extremely high talent and surpassed me in the field of trainers a long time ago, which is why we recommended her to be the leader of Team Pearl.”
"But as a leader, she is still too young and not mature enough in many aspects, so I, as her older sister, need to advise her on many things."
"I see." A realization dawned on Yang Ming's mind. No wonder that although Zhu Bei became the leader of the Pearl Team at a young age, it was the more mature Gua Na who was in charge of the overall situation in the Pearl Settlement.
"Let's leave aside my affair with Zhubei for now," Guana said, her tone shifting as she stared intently at Yang Ming. "If I'm not mistaken, you two aren't from out of town, but from the 'future'—"
Yang Ming's pupils shrank instantly, and Chi Ri, who had been silent, suddenly raised his head.
“Let me finish speaking first. Actually, before you, I found someone similar,” Guana explained. “He was tall and wore very strange clothes, yes, similar to what you are wearing now.”
“He was badly injured.” Guana’s voice lowered, as if she were brushing dust off an old object. “He was found lying in a rift valley north of the settlement, his clothes torn to shreds by rubble, and his blood had stained the ground beneath him black.”
Yang Ming didn't reply. Chi Ri breathed very softly, as if afraid of disturbing something.
“I brought him back and raised him for three months.” Guana’s gaze fell on a spot on the edge of the table, unfocused. “When he woke up, he didn’t remember anything except his own name. But he would help us with things, repairing the house, moving heavy objects, and teaching the children how to catch and raise Pokémon.”
"And then?" Yang Ming asked.
"Later, he regained his memory and is now one of the field managers for our Pearl team—"
"Are you talking about me, Guana?"
Just then, a voice rang out from outside the door, and a tall young man walked in. He was wearing the Pearl Team's distinctive pink uniform, a top hat, long sideburns, and a cynical smile on his face.
“You’re finally back, Bei Shang,” Guana hurriedly went to greet her. “Zhu Bei has been found. She was rescued by these two friends.”
Looking at the tall man in front of him, known as "Bei Shang," some memories surfaced in Yang Ming's mind.
Bei Shang, a top trainer in Raven City in the Unova region, and his twin brother Nan Xia, are the managers of the Raven City Battle Subway, and are figures whose fame is no less than that of Gym Leader Xiao Jie.
“Subway manager Bei Shang, I never thought even someone like him would time-travel to the Xi Cui era,” Yang Ming realized with a sudden realization. “No wonder Guana recognized us as time travelers at a glance; it turns out she had already encountered another time traveler before…”
"You two must be the benefactors who saved Zhubei, right?"
Bei Shang's gaze passed over Guana and landed directly on Yang Ming and Chi Ri. His eyes appeared particularly deep in the shadow of his top hat, and the carefree smile from before had vanished, replaced by surprise.
"Are you Mr. Yang Ming, the newly crowned King of Alola's Islands?"
"What, Mr. Bei Shang knows me?" Yang Ming asked, somewhat surprised.
“Yes, I’ve heard Miss Xiaoju mention you before,” Bei Shang said slowly. “Not only that, Mr. Ju from Fanba City also praised you, saying that you are a rare young hero.”
"So that's how it is." No wonder, Bei Shang and Xiao Ju'er live in the same city, and Ju Laoda also bought a house in Leiwen City, so it's only natural that the three of them would communicate.
“By the way, Miss Fenglu from Fukichi City often comes to Raven City to visit Miss Xiaojuer,” Bei Shang whispered in his ear, deliberately in a voice that only the two of them could hear. “Every time she mentions you, she always shows a strange expression that is obvious to anyone else.”
Bei Shang said this lightly, with a hint of mischievous laughter at the end, as if he were sharing an insignificant secret.
Yang Ming's expression changed slightly.
Chi Ri glanced at him sideways.
Guana, on the other hand, seemed completely oblivious, her gaze shifting back and forth between the two, clearly not understanding the weight of that whispered remark. She assumed it was just friendly banter between old acquaintances and casually replied, "So you two know each other, that's even better."
Yang Ming did not respond.
A rare feeling of anxiety welled up within him.
"...Anyway," Bei Shang had already taken a half step back as if nothing had happened, resuming his cynical tone, "It's really amazing to see modern people, no, people from the future, here."
He paused, his gaze softening slightly beneath the brim of his hat.
“Guana, I can trust these two people, I’m absolutely certain of that.”
“Since Bei Shang has said so, then I am relieved.” Guana nodded with a smile. “From now on, you two can stay here. Please feel free to ask if you need anything.”
Guana's trust came quickly and without reservation, like a gate that had long been loosened—a single sentence from Bei Shang was enough to dispel all her doubts.
It wasn't that she wasn't wary. She simply trusted Bei Shang. She trusted this man—whom she had picked up from the rift valley, raised for three months, and who had no memory of him—so much that every word he said seemed more reliable than any judgment she could make herself after much deliberation.
However, Yang Ming didn't listen to a word Guana said.
His thoughts were in complete disarray, his mind filled with memories of his time in the capital.
Yang Ming suppressed the indescribable emotions in his heart and looked up.
Outside the window, snow-capped mountains stretched as far as the eye could see. The mountain wind swept through the village, causing the curtains to sway gently. He suddenly realized that the man standing before him had lived in this era that did not belong to him for who knows how long, wearing the uniform of the Pearl Team, speaking the local language, and becoming the manager of the farm.
For him, it was just the beginning.
“Mr. Bei Shang,” Yang Ming began, “you—”
"You want to ask me if I've found a way back?"
Bei Shang interrupted him, his smile fading slightly.
"No."
He answered calmly, as if he were saying that the weather was nice today.
……
"I never expected to find hot springs in such a cold place."
Akari soaked in the hot spring, his neck and below submerged in the milky white water, only his face visible. So many days of hardship and exposure had almost turned the Galactic Team leader into a vagrant; now he could finally use the warmth of the hot spring to wash away his fatigue.