The roar of the plane’s engines gradually grew louder. Chen Kai leaned back in the spacious and comfortable airline seat, gazing out the window as the lights of Paris Airport intertwined in the twilight.
The private jet’s cabin was very spacious, but at the moment, only he and Grandma Ju were inside.
So, Chen Kai released most of his Pokémon. Xiao Mei, Grovyle, and the others each occupied a separate seat, which was clearly much more comfortable than staying in their Poké Balls.
However, Seadra seemed reluctant to come out, remaining in its Poké Ball.
Chen Kai noticed that ever since it evolved, unless it was mealtime, it generally disliked leaving its Poké Ball to show its face.
Chen Kai mused that he had some free time recently and should find an opportunity to have a good talk with it.
“I didn’t expect to enjoy the privilege of a private jet,” Chen Kai muttered softly.
Grandma Ju gently put down her teacup, her eyes full of amusement: “Our Dragon Country’s private jet service is quite good. Compared to riding a Cyclizar across Eurasia, at least it won’t leave your mouth full of dust.”
Chen Kai gave an embarrassed smile.
Although the lockdown in Paris had been ongoing, it was only yesterday that Chen Kai learned Grandma Ju was actually one of Dragon Country’s active Four Heavenly Kings, and not just an acquaintance of Liang Zhi, but a colleague.
Grandma Ju made a phone call back to the country, and Dragon Country immediately dispatched a private jet for pickup, while also issuing a warning to the Parisian authorities.
The Parisian authorities naturally dared not obstruct, allowing Chen Kai to hitch a “Tailwind” ride back home with Grandma Ju.
Although Grandma Ju was heading directly to the Capital, not Mountain City, Chen Kai was already overjoyed.
Just a few hours ago, Miraidon had enthusiastically suggested that Chen Kai could start a live stream to document their epic journey of riding back home from Paris.
Just then, his phone vibrated. It was a text message from his mother: 【Remember to stick close to Ju Tianwang, and stay safe. No need to rush back to Sichuan Province; go straight to your grandpa’s house once you reach the Capital.】
Chen Kai simply replied with a 【Got it】. He thought to himself, his parents always worried so much, but in reality, as long as he didn’t provoke anyone, others would be thanking their lucky stars.
Chen Kai learned from the news that the Paris lockdown was indeed due to his actions.
He had swept clean all the visible mega evolution stones and keystones in Paris, and even destroyed a large building in the city, which undoubtedly slapped the Parisian government in the face.
Therefore, to catch him, the Parisian government had locked down the entire city!
However, most people did not approve of the Parisian government’s approach.
Especially after more than a day had passed, the internet was full of accusations against the Parisian government, criticizing them as incompetent, unable to catch anyone, and only bothering ordinary citizens.
Actually, Chen Kai thought to himself: “Your government has tried its best. I heard the land routes were also blocked, so I was indeed trapped inside. If it weren’t for Grandma Ju, I might really not have been able to leave Paris.”
Just as his thoughts drifted, a sudden commotion erupted from the front of the cabin. A flight attendant’s surprised voice came through: “Sir, this is a chartered flight, you cannot…”
“Please wait!” a man with a strong French accent said urgently.
Chen Kai looked up to see a man standing at the cabin door, his face showing a hint of fatigue and anxiety.
He was wearing a simple dark trench coat and carrying a small suitcase, looking as if he had rushed over.
The man wasn’t wearing that flashy pink suit, and Chen Kai didn’t recognize him for a moment—wasn’t this the trainer who cultivated Fairy-type Pokémon that night?
Chen Kai instinctively shrunk his neck, wondering if the other party had discovered him.
But he was wearing an invisibility cloak that night, so the other party shouldn’t have seen his face clearly, right?
Grandma Ju frowned slightly but still gestured for the flight attendant to move aside and asked, “What’s going on?”
Delacroix quickly walked forward and stopped in front of Grandma Ju: “Ju Tianwang, I apologize for disturbing you. I am Delacroix, the former Champion of France, and I need to travel to Dragon Country for a matter.”
His gaze swept over Chen Kai, merely nodding politely, clearly unaware that this young man was his opponent from that night.
Chen Kai pretended to be nonchalant, fiddling with his phone, but his ears were perked up high.
“Then why aren’t you taking a France plane? This is our Dragon Country’s chartered flight,” Grandma Ju’s tone carried a hint of scrutiny.
Delacroix smiled bitterly and said, “To be honest, I need to find a mega evolution stone for my Mawile.
As you know, France is in a special situation right now. Besides France, mega evolution stones are almost only available in Dragon Country now.
And the only flight to Dragon Country recently is yours, so I took the liberty of coming here to ask if you could take me along. I can pay the cost.”
Seeing that the other party was willing to pay for the ride, Grandma Ju no longer objected: “Since that’s the case, then come along. The empty seats are just sitting idle anyway.”
Delacroix visibly relaxed and thanked her repeatedly. He sat down in the seat diagonally opposite Chen Kai, placed his suitcase, and wearily rubbed his temples.
Although Delacroix had been cleared of suspicion, he still underwent strict scrutiny and had only just been released.
Just as an old Dragon Country saying goes: “A phoenix in water is not as good as a chicken.” Delacroix wanted to go to Dragon Country, but the Parisian government refused to let him go, unlike Grandma Ju, who was an active Elite of Dragon Country.
Delacroix used old connections to find out there was a flight to Dragon Country that afternoon, so he rushed over in a hurry.
The plane began to taxi slowly, the roar of the engines growing increasingly deafening.
Delacroix looked at the airport buildings gradually receding outside the window, his expression somewhat dazed.
“First time to Dragon Country?” Grandma Ju suddenly asked.
Delacroix snapped out of it: “Ah, yes. Although I’ve participated in several international competitions, I haven’t had the chance to properly tour it.”
“Then you must try the roast duck in the Capital,” Grandma Ju said with a smile, her tone as relaxed as if she were chatting casually, “Oh, by the way, this is Chen Kai, my… temporary assistant.”
However, Chen Kai didn’t understand French at all; he just felt that Grandma Ju seemed to have mentioned him, so he stiffly nodded at Delacroix, who politely returned a smile.
“Ni hao,” the Frenchman extended his hand, greeting Chen Kai in broken Chinese.
Chen Kai hesitated for a moment but still took the other’s hand: “Hello, I’m Chen Kai.” He secretly rejoiced that the other’s palm was warm and dry, without the imagined hostility.
Chen Kai turned his head, curiously asking Grandma Ju about the man’s situation.
“Just a big spender,” Grandma Ju explained to Chen Kai with a smile, saying that this person wanted to buy a Mawile mega evolution stone in Dragon Country.
“Recently, I heard that the higher-ups have roughly decided on a policy for selling mega evolution stones to foreign countries. The price for our own people will be more favorable, but for foreigners, it depends on the situation. For some countries with poor relations, we won’t sell them.”
“At what price will they roughly be sold?” Chen Kai asked curiously.
After his trip to France, he didn’t have much else in his pocket, but he had plenty of various stones: fossils, mega evolution stones, and keystones.
Grandma Ju glanced at Delacroix, then lowered her voice and said, “If he buys it, a single Mawile mega evolution stone would probably cost over a billion, and he’d likely have to sign some harsh contracts too.”
“Ah?!”
Chen Kai’s eyes widened in disbelief. Was that amount correct?
He had roughly tallied it these past two days. Although he didn’t have Diancie’s mega evolution stone or those rare mega evolution stones, he seemed to have several Mawile mega stones, and maybe even over a dozen…
Grandma Ju saw Chen Kai’s surprise and explained with a smile: “Oh, don’t think it’s expensive. You know, his Mawile, if I remember correctly, has reached Master-level. Without a trainer of the same level to counterbalance it, it could easily destroy a city.
And a mega evolution stone is an item that can greatly enhance combat power, so selling it for over a billion is not an exaggeration.”
At the same time, she tried to save face: “Don’t even mention him. If I had been equipped with a mega evolution stone, I wouldn’t have been captured when facing Diancie’s subordinates before. I definitely would have turned their mine upside down.”
Chen Kai knew Grandma Ju was bragging, but he didn’t expose her, changing the subject: “By the way, Grandma Ju, do you know someone named Oak?”
“No, why do you suddenly ask?” Grandma Ju was a bit strange, not understanding why Chen Kai suddenly asked this.
Chen Kai scratched his head: “Nothing.”
He remembered that in the manga version, Grandma Ju and Professor Oak had a romantic entanglement, but it seemed that this was not the case in this world.