A spirit descends, Gardevoir is my childhood friend?

"Dragonfire Fruit is a special tree fruit. Even when cultivated, its yield is very low. When a Pokémon eats it, it can permanently increase its Special Attack. It costs around tens of thousands of League Coins per fruit outside, and it's very rare," Qin Lele explained to Yan Fan from the side.

"Let's divide these three fruits among ourselves," Lin Xiaolin said, looking at the four of them.

“My Riolu doesn’t need a Special Attack.” Shi Anyang was the first to wave his hand in refusal.

"My Slippery Boy and Mighty Chicken don't need any either, you three can share them." Shi Yu also refused to share the fruit.

The last three Dragonfire Berries were given to Dratini, Snorunt, and Blue, one for each of their Pokémon. They didn't take any more berries, just picked a few for their Pokémon to enjoy, and left the rest for Bandana and the others.

The group continued their journey, traversing the forest, now with a new companion, Slippery Boy. The little guy was initially quite arrogant when he joined the group, but was then thoroughly beaten up by Heartscale Treasure and became its follower.

Another morning, after getting up, Lin Xiaolin washed himself by the stream. They usually choose to camp in places with water, as for the fact that elves are dangerous in places with water.

They have been in the Starry Forest for five days now, but the strongest Pokémon they have encountered is still that elite-level bandana thug; they haven't even seen any other elite-level Pokémon yet.

Before they knew it, the five of them had been living on the outskirts of the reserve for five days. They felt like they were turning into wild men. Although they had brought a change of clothes, they had no way to take a shower or wash their hair. The two girls had tied their hair into ponytails, while the boys' short hair was in a better position.

After breakfast, the five packed their bags and prepared for a new day of travel. During these five days, they would encounter many wild spirits every day.

Among them, there are quite a few warlike Pokémon. After Shi Yu's Robusta evolved into the Normal level, Qin Lele's Snow Child also entered the Normal level after eating a Dragonfire Berry.

Although the other three's Pokémon had not broken through to the normal level, they had also made rapid progress. The battles in the nature reserve were completely different from the usual battles, and the Pokémon had to fight with their full attention.

They might be attacked by wild Pokémon if they weren't careful. If it weren't for Blue and Gengar protecting them, they would have been killed countless times already.

The five walked through the forest, and based on their experience over the past five days, they tried to stay away from areas with bushes, as those places were easy targets for attacks by elves hiding inside.

Lin Xiaolin was almost bitten by a skeletal snake near the bushes once, but luckily Xiao Lan was there and blocked it for him.

As the group was walking, a rumbling sound suddenly came from not far away, and then several tall trees fell down.

"Let's go take a look." Lin Xiaolin took the lead and led the four of them towards that place.

Finally, the group stopped on a small hill less than 30 meters from their destination and looked down at the situation below.

A large section of trees had collapsed and lay scattered on the ground. Not far away, two elves were facing off: one was Hercules, and the other was a Fire Monkey.

The Infernape charged straight at Heracross, and the two Pokémon began fighting again.

Lin Xiaolin frowned as he looked at the two Pokémon. "No, Primalnade is a social Pokémon and usually doesn't battle alone with other Pokémon. This Primalnade is different from the ordinary Primalnade."

"Yes, and generally speaking, Primala won't fight with Heracles. They are both territorial Pokémon and won't easily leave their territory."

Qin Lele was also analyzing the situation from the side.

Chapter 41 The Mysterious Man in Black Robe

But at that moment, Infernape defeated Heracles by trading blows for damage. It stood on Heracles' back, pounding its chest and roaring angrily, while also punching the trees nearby, knocking down one tree after another.

"Something's not right. We need to find a way to subdue Infernape first, or it will hurt itself to death." Seeing Infernape's increasingly severe injuries, Lin Xiaolin no longer hesitated and immediately ordered everyone to attack.

Instead of letting the little guys take action, Gengar and Frostwolf went forward to subdue the Primal Rising. When Primal Rising sensed the aura of the three Pokémon, it did not choose to run away, but instead threw a punch at the three Pokémon.

Soon, the three Pokémon subdued the Infernape, which was already hypnotized by Gengar's Hypnosis. Once they were sure it was safe, the five Pokémon walked over from a short distance away and looked at the Infernape lying on the ground, covered in injuries.

"Yan Fan, go heal that Hercules, I'll heal this Infernape." Lin Xiaolin took out a healing potion from her bag, and Yan Fan followed suit, heading towards Hercules with a healing spray.

Lin Xiaolin squatted in front of Primal, while Gengar and Blue stood solemnly beside him to prevent Primal from suddenly waking up and attacking Lin Xiaolin. Frostleaf went with Qin Lele to protect Yan Fan.

Pokémon: Primeape

Attribute: Fighting

Level: Elite

Gender: male

Characteristic: (Artificial) Rage [This Infernal Monkey is constantly, constantly angry]

Inherited abilities: None

Learning skills: None

Skill: Fist of Fury

Description: This is a very strange fiery monkey. It has many wounds on its body, which seem to be traces of human research. It also seems to have a short lifespan.

Lin Xiaolin treated the Infernape's injuries with trembling hands, only then noticing that in addition to the injuries on its body, Infernape also had a long wound on its head, though it was only a shallow mark and had obviously been stitched up. It seemed that the scar had been healing for a long time.

They were actually used for research by humans! In China, conducting research on living beings is punishable by death. Who would dare to do this?!

After Lin Xiaolin sprayed healing spray on all of Infernape's injuries, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and stood up. Yan Fan had already taken care of Hercules. Hercules flew away as soon as it woke up, seemingly very afraid of humans.

"How was it? Did you figure anything out?" Yan Fan asked impatiently as soon as Lin Xiaolin finished dealing with it.

"Little Blue Sister, use Life Drop to heal him first. Gengar, keep an eye on him, and use Hypnosis immediately if he shows any signs of waking up."

Lin Xiaolin didn't rush to answer Yan Fan's question. Instead, she first told Xiao Lan and Gengar what to do, then took out water from her backpack, took a sip, and answered.

"This is bad. I just took a closer look at the injuries on the Infernape. There are many wounds that have been stitched up by humans. It seems to be a Pokémon that has been used for live research."

Upon hearing the words "live human research," everyone fell silent.

"Who on earth is so vicious?" Shi Anyang said through gritted teeth.

"Let's notify the forest ranger first. We can't handle things here." Qin Lele was much calmer than the others. This kind of thing was not something that high school students like them could solve.

Qin Lele took out the alarm and pressed it, but there was no response. Qin Lele frowned and pressed it a few more times, but there was still no response.

"The alarm isn't working; it's not responding," Qin Lele said seriously to the other four.

All four of them took out their alarms, but none of them worked.

"No, this is bad!" Lin Xiaolin suddenly realized something and immediately had Gardevoir teleport away with everyone.

When the group reappeared, they were inside a cave. This cave was not far from where they had just been, and they could even clearly see the ground from the cave entrance.

"What's wrong?" Lin Xiaolin's move startled everyone, especially Gengar and Frostleaf. They had just been enveloped by psychic powers and were about to break free, but after spending so much time together, the two Pokémon chose to trust Xiaolan.

“This fiery monkey was used for experiments. The fact that it has escaped from the laboratory means that the group conducting live research is still looking for it nearby. And with such a commotion just now, they will definitely find this place soon. Moreover, the fact that the alarm cannot be used means that the signal is blocked, which further confirms my thoughts. I didn’t have time to think about it just now, so I could only ask Xiao Lan to take us to the safest place nearby.”

As Lin Xiaolin spoke, she took out an energy cube and gave it to Xiao Lan, whose face was pale. This was the first time Xiao Lan had used teleportation with so many people and elves. Although the distance was not far, it still depleted all the energy in her body at once.

Sure enough, just a few minutes after the group teleported away, a group of mysterious people dressed in black robes appeared at the place where Primala and Heracles were fighting. The group lay down at the cave entrance to observe, and with Gengar helping to shield their presence, the group of people in black could not see them even if they saw their direction.

Beside the leader of the men in black was a ghost with a captivating gaze. The ghost glanced around, and then the leader gave the order to the group of men in black, who scattered to search the surrounding area.

There were five men in black, each accompanied by a different Pokémon. Lin Xiaolin checked them and found that the Soul-Eyed Pokémon was a Lord-level Pokémon, while the other Pokémon were all Elite-level.

Their side has a Lord-level Gengar and an Octopod, plus an Elite-level Blue and a Frostwolf.

Although it seemed that his side had the advantage, who said that the other side only had one Pokémon? Moreover, his side's Pokémon had no one to command it, and the other side might have reinforcements at any time, so Lin Xiaolin naturally couldn't risk going against them.

"What do we do now?" Yan Fan asked, looking at Lin Xiaolin beside him.

"Wait, we only have a little over a day left in the nature reserve. If we don't sound the alarm by noon the day after tomorrow, the forest rangers will come looking for us. We can't possibly be a match for these people," Lin Xiaolin analyzed the situation seriously.

"But wasn't the signal blocked?" Qin Lele asked from the side.

"The forest rangers will search from where our last signal disappeared. If they can't find us, they'll notify our families. Once they arrive, we'll be basically safe. The most important thing now is how to get through this day and a half," Lin Xiaolin said, frowning in thought.

"How long can Gengar shield the cave's aura?" Lin Xiaolin asked Xiaolan, who then translated for Gengar.

He said it could last for a maximum of 10 hours.

Having received Xiao Lan's reply, Lin Xiaolin devised the safest plan in his mind. At this moment, the other four could only place their hopes on Lin Xiaolin.

Chapter 42 Danger is coming

Although they usually look like peers when they're together, it becomes clear when they encounter real danger that Yan Fan and the other three are still just teenagers around 15 years old. They are afraid and nervous when faced with danger, and it's good that they didn't burst into tears on the spot.

The only one who was sober at the scene was Lin Xiaolin. Lin Xiaolin had to stay sober at this moment, because he was now the backbone of everyone.

"Sister Xiaolan, if you restore it and then don't allow it, how long will they be able to block it once they find out?" Lin Xiaolin asked Xiaolan again.

Xiao Lan thought for a moment and said, "Half an hour at most."

This answer is almost despairing, meaning they will be discovered within half a day at most.

"Where's the Octopus Martial Artist?" Lin Xiaolin asked Xiao Lan again.

“The energy within him isn’t good at hiding itself,” Xiao Lan shook her head.

Indeed, it's highly unlikely that Fighting-type Pokémon would dare to trespass on methods that conceal their aura. At most, they can conceal their own aura, but it's unrealistic to expect them to help others conceal theirs.

"Let's go back into the cave first." Lin Xiaolin looked at the crow leader and the eagle flying around in the sky, and decided to go back into the cave first.

The five returned to the cave and all leaned silently against the cave wall, a nameless sense of fear descending upon them.

“No, we can’t just wait like this. Anyang, you guys start chiseling the rocks from inside the cave. The rest of you, use the rocks you chisel to block the entrance, but remember to leave a small gap. Try to block the entrance as much as possible so that we won’t just sit here and wait to die when Gengar runs out of power.”

Lin Xiaolin stood up and began to direct everyone. Even if it was useless, it was better than just staying in the cave and waiting to die. The oppressive feeling of death was too strong. There was no need to imagine how terrible their fate would be if they were caught by those people who were doing research on spirits and living beings.

Lin Xiaolin's words seemed to bring a glimmer of hope to the deathly atmosphere, and everyone stood up and began to take action.

Octopus Warrior and the Stone siblings began chiseling stones, but to avoid making too much noise, they could only gently dig out stones one by one from the cave. The others began to move the stones to the cave entrance, and the little elves such as Heartscale also helped.

After about five hours of moving, everyone was panting heavily, but no one slacked off. All five of them, including Lin Xiaolin, had bloodstains on their hands, scraped and bruised at some point, but no one cared, not even the girls.

The pampered young masters and ladies, who were usually spoiled, had only one goal at this moment: to avoid being discovered by outsiders and to survive!

Once the last stone was placed at the cave entrance, the cave instantly became pitch black, making it impossible to see anyone around. Only slivers of light emanated from the cracks in the stones. Lin Xiaolin took out a glow stick from her backpack and lit it, adding light to the dark cave.

"Alright, everyone stop." Lin Xiaolin said in a hoarse voice, holding up a glow stick. Everyone's faces were covered in dust, and their clothes were even in tattered state.