Pokémon: I picked up a reborn Eevee at the start of the game.

After hanging up the phone, Xia Chen fell into deep thought again.

There is no doubt that Vladali deliberately did this to cause his own "misunderstanding".

So what is his purpose?

Is it to lure you into calling them, then flatter them and try to build a relationship?

It's not impossible.

Without trying to be self-proclaimed, Xia Chen believes he is currently the most sought-after young researcher.

If there were an annual award for the world's ten most outstanding young people, Xia Chen would absolutely be a worthy recipient.

It's perfectly normal for Vladali to court someone with such a promising future and close ties to the league.

But is it really that simple?

Xia Chen subconsciously took the silk ribbon from the fairy cloth and wrapped it around his fingers in circles.

"Buyi."

Sensing Xia Chen's slight worry, Xianbu came over and called out.

Xia Chen asked, "Is it to warn me to be careful of Vladali?"

"Buyi!"

Xianbu nodded; she knew very well what kind of dark side lay beneath that lion-headed man's benevolent exterior.

Xia Chen nodded, scratched her chin, and said, "I understand. Let's take it one step at a time. At least, there shouldn't be any danger for now."

Given that even Mega Evolution doesn't exist yet, and with Vladari's strength being insufficient, he certainly won't perform any actions that exceed his limits.

After two months, when I return to Donghuang, Team Flash and all that will be irrelevant to me.

Having made up his mind, Xia Chen opened the metal box in front of him.

Let's see what surprise Vladali ultimately gave himself.

…………

In the northern part of Yingxue City, in the Enchanted Forest.

This is a vast, lush forest that rarely sees sunlight throughout the year.

Its name comes from the special, winding paths in the forest, where people and spirits can easily lose their way.

Legend has it that Xerneas awoke in the deepest part of this forest.

The Enchanted Forest covers a vast area, bordering the Albil Mountains to the west, extending to Baike City to the north, and bordering a snow-capped mountain above Yingxue City to the east.

Naturally, nearly a hundred species of spirits inhabit this vast forest.

At this moment, in an unknown location within the Enchanted Forest.

A snow-white fairy darted through the forest, her light steps leaving not a trace on the snow.

"Sana."

Seeing the mark left on the tree by her mental attack, she sighed helplessly.

Behind her, a beautiful figure emerged from the dense forest and asked Gardevoir, "Is it still the same place?"

Gardevoir nodded.

In the desolate, snow-covered wilderness, the woman, still maintaining her elegant posture, murmured thoughtfully, "So, I've indeed entered the Enchanted Forest."

The woman was none other than Karuni, who had entered the Alberli Mountains for training four months ago. After spending four months in the wilderness, the superstar's demeanor had clearly changed a lot since she met Xia Chen.

It has lost some of its elegance and refinement, but gained more of its calm and capable demeanor.

This is exactly what she sought in the wild. Trainers who haven't undergone this extraction process, no matter how powerful, have a clearly visible limit.

This is why champions from almost all regions come from "travel academies" rather than regular universities.

Of course, in recent years, ordinary universities have also begun to pay attention to this aspect.

…………

However, Karuni had no time to think about such things. After realizing her situation, she decided to leave this place as soon as possible.

It has been more than a month since she last returned to the city to replenish supplies. If she doesn't replenish her supplies soon, she may have to live a life of hardship and sleeping outdoors.

It's not that I can't endure hardship, but even when training in the wild, there's no need to be so hard on myself, is there?

For a skilled trainer, escaping the Enchanted Forest is not a difficult task.

Karuni pondered for a moment, then took out a feathered ball from her waist and released the sprite inside—a small, bird-like yet human-like sprite with gorgeous feathers, the Wrestling Hawkman.

"Hawkman, please lead the way for us up here. We're heading towards the deeper snow. If we see any elves like Pidgeots or Finch, we can ask them to come down and help us."

No matter how winding and enchanting the interior of the Enchanted Forest may be, you can still discern directions from the sky.

Although the Wrestling Hawkman has the ability to fly, he can't actually fly; he can only glide through the air. However, he's more than capable of leading the way at this moment.

Karuni chose the direction of one of the two cities adjacent to the Enchanted Forest: Snow Reflection City.

Of course, if you're lucky enough to encounter a large bird spirit that can carry you out of the Enchanted Forest, that would be even better.

However, the specific meaning of this "please" is open to discussion.

"Howling!"

The Wrestling Hawkman nodded emphatically, and using his explosive power and jumping ability, he leaped onto the dense foliage that completely blocked out the sky in just a few breaths, disappearing from sight.

Below, Karune threw another Poké Ball, and a giant ice dragon appeared on the ground.

Karuni sat down and said, "Xiaoxue, follow the Wrestling Eagleman."

"Woo~"

The docile ice dragon let out a soft call, then steadily ran towards the direction from which the eagle-wrestling man had made his sound in the sky.

…………

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Enchanted Forest.

A figure so fast it was hard to tell if it was human or elf darted across the snow-covered forest, kicking up snowflakes wherever it went, and the sound of "Wuhu" could be heard echoing in the air.

After gliding smoothly for a distance, Xia Chen stopped in front of a dense forest.

With dense trees ahead, this mode of transportation was no longer suitable. Xia Chen removed the high-tech nitrogen-fueled skis and put on another pair of equally high-tech snow boots.

These were all the items from the metal box that Vladali had given him that day.

It was most likely developed so that Team Flare members could better search for Xerneas near Snowshine City, and I ended up getting a free ride on it.

However, these seemingly ordinary but actually ingenious gadgets reminded Xia Chen of Professor Agasa's inventions in a certain elementary school detective anime from his previous life.

Speaking of which, Fladali, who came up with these strange inventions, is the villain. I just don't know if the rumor that Professor Agasa is the mastermind behind the organization is true.

Unfortunately, the person who traveled through time will never know it.

Having been in the Enchanted Forest for three days, Xia Chen is getting closer and closer to his destination.

As for why he was so sure, it was all thanks to Cinbu's guidance.

As we all know, the fairy attribute was brought about by Xerneas's awakening, so naturally, the closer to the place of awakening, the stronger the fairy aura.

Perhaps because of her fairy skin, Sylveon is very sensitive to fairy-type energy. She may not know how to get back to Snowshine City, but she will definitely not get lost on the way to Xerneas's awakening point.

The fact that the sprites encountered along the way were increasingly active seems to confirm this.

However, the more straightforward way for Xenbu to determine direction is by the Horn of Xerneas.

Feeling the twig in his bag breathing more and more rapidly, Xianbu felt a sense of anticipation.

She had a hunch that following the guidance of the Horn of Xerneas, she might discover something related to that legendary elf again.

…………

Because of its winding and meandering paths, the Enchanted Forest has preserved its natural ecology remarkably well.

Many of these places have never been set foot in by humans, and there's no guarantee that a powerful and ferocious elf might appear anywhere. Therefore, the further you go in, the more dangerous it becomes.

Therefore, Xia Chen specially rented a Flaming Arrow Eagle before setting off. It wasn't very strong, about the same level as Milotic and Sylvanas, but it could mainly serve as a warning bird and guide the way in the sky on the return trip.

During the day, the Arrowhawk is perfectly capable of performing guard duties, but at night it is somewhat of a stretch.

After all, even the strongest elf is not a machine and needs rest. Moreover, in the pitch-black night, the dangers lurking in the darkness are hard to detect.

However, this problem is not unsolvable.

Looking up at the gradually darkening sky, Xia Chen stroked his chin and winked at the fairy cloth at his feet.

Xianbu immediately understood, and in a few swift movements, he climbed up the tree next to him. Then, the extended ribbon wrapped around another tree, and he swung around the edge of the dense forest like Tarzan, disappearing from sight in no time.

Xia Chen found a suitable place nearby to set up a temporary camp and began preparing to settle in.

In a clearing where the trees weren't too dense, Xia Chen threw out two Poké Balls.

"I'm leaving it to you, Milotic and Ralts."

Having camped in this icy and snowy place for three days, they naturally understood Xia Chen's intentions.

Milotic skillfully spewed out hot water, and the ice and snow on the open ground gradually melted away. At the same time, Ralts also controlled its Nen power to distribute the melted water around, revealing a bare patch of land that had been under the snow.

Milotic, having just sprayed hot water, unleashed another beam of ice, instantly freezing the water controlled by its psychic powers and creating a barrier between the snow and the open ground, isolating it.

A simple campsite was thus set up.

Xia Chen and the elves began to do their respective jobs to prepare for the camping trip.

In no time, with the help of the advanced technology from the Vladali Institute, everything was ready.

At this moment, Xianbu also swung back through the woods on a silk ribbon, with an unconscious night owl tied to another ribbon.

…………

"We're sorry to get to know you this way, but we just wanted to ask you to help us keep watch."

Looking at the newly awakened Night Hawk, Xia Chen said with a slightly guilty conscience.

"Goo?"

The night owl tilted its head speechlessly. If it weren't for the elf who had knocked it down with a flash of lightning watching from the side, it would have really wanted to peck his butt with its sharp beak!

Is this the attitude you take to offer help?