Pokémon: Did you play Pokémon today?

Chapter 333 "Masked Man: Only I can help you find him..."

"This efficiency is incredible! They've only been streaming for a short time, and they're already almost at the second gym city! Other streamers are barely even taking down the starter Pokémon!"

"Wow, that's amazing! He barely leveled up at all throughout the game! He just relied on random trainers along the way as experience boosters and quickly defeated the Flying Gym!"

"Of course! Don't underestimate our leader, Kibana, just because he's only a Gym Leader. That's because of the unique League system in the Galar region! In other regions, he'd be more than qualified to be one of the Elite Four!"

"Cyndaquil's Flamethrower + Quick Attack combo was so smooth! Ash's Pidgeot couldn't even get close! Truly a master of technical skill!"

"Azalea Town is almost here, right? Is Gym Leader Tibana going to continue this crushing speedrun?"

Inside the dedicated live stream room at the Hammerlocke Arena, the barrage of comments poured in like a waterfall.

"Is that even a question? Of course we should continue!"

Qibana glanced at the scrolling comments, grinned, and revealed a wild and arrogant smile.

"My goal is to conquer all eight dojos as quickly as possible and become the champion!"

"And by the way, I'll show you country bumpkins what my amazing skills are all about!"

This confident, almost arrogant declaration, instead of provoking the audience's dislike, ignited the enthusiasm in the live stream.

A barrage of gift effects accompanied by comments like "Boss is awesome" and "Qibana is awesome" flooded the screen.

At this moment, in the game screen.

He has already taken control of the game's protagonist, Ah Xiang, and arrived at the quaint and charming town of Cypress.

"Hinoki Town"

"A town where Pokémon live in harmony"

A brief introductory text appears, then quietly disappears.

What comes into view is a small town full of natural charm.

The old wooden buildings blend harmoniously with the lush trees, and you can even see wild Pokémon such as Pidgey and Slowpoke strolling leisurely along the roadside.

They lived in peace with the townspeople, creating a harmonious and peaceful scene.

However, Chibana, focused solely on speedrunning the challenge, clearly had no time to appreciate the scenery.

He controlled A-Xiang with a clear goal, rushing straight towards the most conspicuous dojo building in the town center.

But when the character rushed to the grand gate of the dojo, a kind old man sitting in a wicker chair at the entrance slowly raised his hand to stop him.

"Grandpa: Young man, are you also here to challenge the Azalea Gym? Sigh—you've come at a really bad time."

"Grandpa: A few days ago, some bad guys came to town and caused trouble. They called themselves something like the Fire Team."

"I'm getting old, my memory isn't what it used to be."

"Grandpa: The curator went to drive them away personally for the safety of the town, and he hasn't returned yet."

"Tsk, a villain causing trouble? The master went to chase them away? Did I arrive at the wrong time?"

Chibana raised an eyebrow and clicked his tongue in annoyance, but then his mind raced and his eyes lit up.

"So, in other words, as long as I help him deal with those small fry, the gym leader will naturally come back to accept the challenge, right?"

The old man seemed to want to say something more detailed, but just then...

"Hey! Old man over there!!!"

A harsh shout rang out from not far away!

The camera zooms out.

A member of the Rockets, dressed in a classic black uniform, strode over aggressively, pointing at the old man and shouting indignantly.

Rockets player: You old fool! You can't even remember the name of our great Rockets?! It's the Rockets!

Rockets!

"Grandpa: Team Rocket? Hmm—I seem to remember that organization disbanding a long time ago, didn't it? I saw it on the TV news."

"Rockets player: Stop talking nonsense! We Rockets have never—uh, no, it seems we did disband once—but whatever!"

The team members' faces instantly switched to an expression of fervent worship.

"Rocket Team members: To accomplish the great feat that Giovanni left unfinished! We, the Rocket Team, have been rebuilt once again! Enough talk, get out of here!"

Before he could finish speaking, the Rockets player arrogantly raised his hand, as if to slap the old man!

"Hey! You bastard, you're really ignoring me!!"

Qibana snorted coldly, a glint of cold light flashing in his eyes!

He pressed the button almost the instant the other person raised their hand, and in the game, Ah Xiang elegantly threw out the Poké Ball while simultaneously uttering the command.

"Cyndaquil! Wake him up—Quick Shot!"

A streak of blazing red light shot out from the Poké Ball!

After evolving, the more agile Cyndaquil transformed into a blurry afterimage and slammed into the chest of the Team Rocket member with astonishing speed!

"Ugh—"

With a short scream, the Rockets player was thrown into the air by the impact.

It tumbled several times in the air before crashing to the muddy ground a few meters away with a thud, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"OMG! That was awesome! That was a lightning-fast rescue!"

"The Rockets? Why is it the Rockets again? Wait—why did I say 'again'?"

"Team Rocket is back! As expected of Boss Giovanni, his charisma is off the charts. Even though he's no longer active, his underlings are still determined to revive the organization!"

"These Rocket Team bastards are outrageous! They attack an old man just because he can't remember his name? Boss Kibana, keep beating him up!"

"But speaking of which, Team Rocket is the villain again in this series? Is Mr. Saltfish at odds with Team Rocket? (doge)"

'

"Slowpoke is so cute, I want to—"

Qibana glanced quickly at the comments, but his attention soon returned to the game screen.

The Rockets player who was knocked away actually clutched his chest and staggered to his feet.

"Team Rocket member: Ouch—that hurts! Who is it?! How dare they ambush a member of the great Team Rocket! They're asking for trouble!"

He was halfway through his harsh words when his gaze finally focused on Ah Xiang and the Fire Rock Rat beside him, whose body was faintly radiating heat.

His fierce expression froze instantly.

The next second, under the watchful eyes of Chibana and all the viewers in the live stream.

He suddenly executed a tactical roll followed by a sliding tackle, with incredible speed and a tricky angle.

With a "whoosh," it darted into the dense bushes next to the dojo and disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye!

Only a few slowly falling leaves remain as proof that he once existed.

Cibana: "???"

He ran away—he ran away?! He just ran away?!

He froze for a second, then his face flushed slightly with embarrassment and annoyance.

In front of hundreds of thousands of viewers in the live broadcast room!

A mere Team Rocket grunt, and he just finished off so decisively—

They ran away?!

Heiba, the legendary Dragon-type Gym Leader of the Galar region, the most popular ace in the arena, doesn't he have any pride?!

"Damn it!!!"

Qi Bana's face turned red, and he was so angry that he almost jumped up from his gaming chair.

"Stop right there, you bastard! Don't you dare run away!"

He immediately tried to control Ah Xiang to chase into the bushes, but the old man next to him took a step and stood in front of him with a smile.

"Grandpa: Hey hey hey! Young man, don't be so impulsive! They're... what's that? Team Rocket! I know where those bad guys are."

Upon hearing this, Qibana's eyes lit up, and he temporarily suppressed his urge to pursue.

"Really? Sir, tell me quickly! I guarantee I'll drive every single one of them out of Hachipi Town!"

The old man smiled and waved his hand, then shakily stretched out his hand and pointed to a corner of the town where there was an ancient dry well surrounded by a low stone railing.

"Grandpa: That place used to be the habitat of Slowpokes in the town. Every day, a large number of Slowpokes would gather there, and it was very lively."

"Grandpa: Until recently, these bad guys appeared and chased Slowpoke everywhere. They chased the Slowpoke into a dry well, and I think they're all in there now."

"Old man: Young man, be careful, it might be a bit dark down there—"

"Thanks, sir! I'll treat you to some good tea later!"

Qibana thanked him, but had no patience to listen to the old man's subsequent instructions such as "be careful" and "bring a flashlight."

He directly controlled Ah Xiang and rushed towards the dry well in a whirlwind.

A weathered wooden sign stands on the edge of the dry well.

Approach and interact; text will appear.

Slowpoke Well

Alternative name: Well of the Sea Hare.

"The residents of Hinoki Town have believed since ancient times that when Slowpoke yawns, it rains from the sky."

"Additional record: According to ancient documents from four hundred years ago, during a severe drought that lasted for several years, it was the collective yawning of the Slowpokes that saved the creatures of this land."

"A yawn? A prayer for rain?"

After reading the description, a strange look appeared on Qibana's face.

"Shouldn't a technique that can make it rain be a rainmaking ritual? How come it's a yawn that makes people sleepy? This legend is quite interesting—"

Without much hesitation, he manipulated Ah Xiang to the well, and without a second thought, he flipped over and jumped in.

thump.

The sound of the plane landing echoed in the empty space.

Beneath the dry well lies a hidden world.

It was not the small, damp water storage space one might imagine, but a huge cave formed by natural rock walls.

A few rays of sunlight pierced through the well, barely illuminating the nearby area.

Deeper inside, it was pitch black, with only a few scattered luminous mosses providing a faint light source.

Deep within the cave, faint, indistinct voices and sounds of suppressed struggle could be heard.

Qibana immediately became alert and carefully guided A Xiang along the rock wall toward the source of the sound.

After passing through a narrow natural stone gate, the view suddenly opens up, revealing a relatively spacious cave "hall".

The sound source is right ahead!

On a relatively flat open space, two figures were talking.

One of them, dressed in a Rockets officer's uniform, had his back to Hibiki.

The other person was dressed in a strange black robe that covered his entire body, and wore a white mask on his face.

What's even more shocking is the ground at their feet.

An elderly man with gray hair was tightly bound with rough ropes and was twisting and struggling incessantly. The strange noises heard earlier came from this man!

"Holy crap! The Rockets actually kidnapped an elderly person?! That's utterly shameless!"

"The Masked Man! It's that Masked Man! He appeared in Qishu-chan's preview livestream! He's tracking down that green legendary Pokémon!"

"How did Masked Man get involved with Team Rocket? Are they in cahoots?"

"The Rockets' reach is really long. They haven't had enough trouble in the Kanto region yet, and now they're causing havoc in the Johto region?"

"Judging from what that weakling said before, Giovanni did seem to have disbanded Team Rocket, and he's not around anymore? So who's commanding this Team Rocket group now?"

The viewers in the live chat were frantically analyzing every clue.

But Cibana had no interest in watching at the moment.

His attention was entirely focused on the bound old man, and a surge of anger rose from the bottom of his heart.

For Chibana, who was born in Galar and whose very being has "honor" and "protection" etched into his bones.

This kind of bullying of the weak is something he cannot tolerate!

He didn't rush out immediately.

The other side has hostages and two enemies; taking rash action could put the elderly man in danger.

He manipulated Ah Xiang, using the natural shadows cast by the rocks in the cave, to silently approach and find the best time to strike.

As the distance closed, the two people's hushed conversation could be heard intermittently.

"Rockets executive: --The person you wanted, I've brought him here. We've done what we promised you. You'd better not forget what you promised us, otherwise -- you know the consequences."

"Masked Man: I will keep my promise, but before that, I need you to create some more trouble in this town," thus delaying the innkeeper for a few more days.

"Rockets executive: This is not what we agreed on before! Don't push your luck! Remember, the Rockets are cooperating with you, not your subordinates!"

"Masked Man: Only I can help you find him—"

"Rockets executives: ————You! ————Fine! You win! But we'll only hold you off for one more day! After one day, no matter what your reasons are, we must leave!"

At this point in the conversation, the masked man seemed to have lost interest in continuing.

He turned around, squatted down, and faced the old man who was tied up on the ground.

He didn't speak, but simply stretched out his black-gloved hand and began to carefully search the old man's pockets and clothes.

A moment later, he stopped and took out a strangely shaped Poké Ball from the old man's inner pocket.

The masked man weighed the ball in his hand for a moment, then stuffed it into the inside pocket of his black robe without hesitation.

After doing all this, he slowly stood up.

The moment he stood up, Cibana keenly noticed it.

The masked man's gaze, hidden behind the holes in his white mask, seemed to glance very briefly toward the shadows where Ah Xiang was hiding!

We've been discovered?!

Qibana's heart tightened, his finger hovering over the button, ready to launch a surprise attack at any moment and forcibly rescue the person!

However, the masked man's next move abruptly stopped him in his tracks.

The masked man turned his head back as if he hadn't seen anything at all, and did so very naturally.

He ignored the Rockets officer beside him, whose face was grim, and paid no attention to the old man struggling on the ground.

He strode forward, heading straight for another, darker fork in the road deep within the cave. His figure was quickly swallowed up by the dense shadows and disappeared from sight.

Only the Team Rocket officer remained, staring grimly in the direction where the masked man had disappeared, then glancing irritably at the old man on the ground.

"He left already? Didn't you notice? Did he just look this way?!"

"I definitely saw it! I took a screenshot! That camera angle definitely means they spotted Ah Xiang!"

"Then why didn't he take action? Why didn't he warn the Team Rocket officers? He just left like that?"

"That masked man is so cool! What exactly is he trying to do? He lured Team Rocket to kidnap this old man, just for that Poké Ball?"

"Who is the Rockets looking for? Could it be Giovanni?"

? (laugh)"

"This plot twist! Salty Fish Teacher is laying the groundwork again!"