Bottom-tier trainers in the Pokémon world

But the word "Heavenly King" says it all.

Athena looked at the panicked crowd, the helpless League police and gym members, and couldn't help but reveal a mocking smile.

The elite Rocket Force troops standing in neat rows, fully equipped and ready to go, stood in stark contrast to them.

Athena looked at Xia Yan.

"Cadre Yan Xia, how did you know they were coming to the Burning Tower?"

Xia Yan ignored her, gazing at the towering fire, seemingly lost in thought.

Just after the Rockets arrived.

On the combustion tower.

The only place not covered by flames was a charred balcony railing from which Blaze and his two companions emerged.

Listening to the commotion below, with shouts of "King Xia Yan" ringing out from time to time, Blaze's smile widened.

Her gaze finally settled on Xia Yan, who was standing with Athena.

The crisp yet loud sound drowned out the noisy crowd.

"Xia Yantian, everyone is waiting for you."

While speaking, Blaise's gaze remained fixed on Xia Yan.

Hearing this, Athena, who was next to Xia Yan, and seeing Blaze's gaze, looked at "Yan Xia" beside her with some surprise.

"Cadre Yan Xia said..."

Athena slightly increased the distance between them.

"Oh!" Blaze slapped his forehead with an exaggerated expression.

"I still don't know whether I should address you as Xia Yan, the new Elite Four member of the Sinnoh League, or as Yan Xia, one of Team Rocket's top executives?"

The new Elite Four member of Sinnoh, Xia Yan, is dating Team Rocket's top executive, Yan Xia?!

The crowd that had been clamoring for "King Xia Yan" suddenly fell silent.

The Rockets' side also became extremely quiet.

The only sound in the air was the crackling of the burning tower.

thing.

Once again, an unexpected turn of events occurred.

Athena once again put two steps between herself and Xia Yan.

Xia Yan, Yan Xia?

The real bird behind Xia Yan also looked at him with a surprised expression.

Could one person hold both the titles of one of the league's four kings and the Rockets' top executive?

Xia Yan ignored their changes, only looking up at Blaze on the Burning Tower, his lips pursed, his eyes gleaming with cold light.

"Huh? That's a really cold look in my eyes. I'm so scared."

Blaise patted his chest, his expression rippled.

But he showed no fear whatsoever.

But at that moment...

"Huh? I heard someone's looking for me?"

The sound was not loud, yet it reached everyone's ears.

All I saw was...

Xia Yan was wearing his signature black suit and a bowler hat.

Leading the Gym Leader of Goldenrod City, Sylvia, and a group of League Investigators, they appeared on the other side of the plaza.

"King Xia Yan!"

Pine Leaf, Ami, and Asu immediately showed surprise on their faces.

Blaze, on the Burning Tower, looked completely bewildered.

She stiffly glanced at Xia Yan, who was leading the Alliance investigators with a beaming smile on his left, and then at Yan Xia, who was leading Team Rocket's elite troops with a gloomy expression on his right.

"No, not just one person?"

Xia Yan curled the corners of his lips into a smile.

With her hands bound behind her back, she gently rubbed a jet-black feather.

After he arrived in the Jodo region.

I've been thinking about one thing.

Blaise.

Why send this feather to the Sinnoh Mt. View family?

This seemingly unnecessary action left Xia Yan completely baffled.

He had only had a slight suspicion before, which made him cautious.

But now...

He got it.

original.

Before the other party can achieve their main goal, they also want to achieve another smaller goal.

Testing Xia Yan's identity!

Perhaps it's because Xia Yan and Yan Xia have appeared together a bit too frequently.

Let them take the opportunity to conduct a test.

Or perhaps...

It's because Kikuko said that the people hiding in the shadows of the Alliance are already preparing to try to contact Hunter N.

But before that, Hunter N's ​​identity made them uneasy.

So he deliberately left behind the jet-black feathers, using Masado to let Xia Yan follow the clues and come after him.

If Yan Xia were to appear at this time, the outcome would be self-evident.

Xia Yan and Yan Xia are the same person.

If Yan Xia hadn't appeared, then Hunter N would have been trustworthy and had passed their final test.

Hunter N will likely receive an invitation from the other party soon.

And the person behind all of this.

His meticulousness even startled Xia Yan.

If he hadn't been extra careful and thought things through this time, he might have been found out.

------

Chapter Twelve: The Perfect Restraint of the System

In Xia Yan's opinion, Kikuko had been cautious enough.

To lower the guard of the person hiding in the alliance.

They even proactively dispatched Wataru, a now-famous investigator, to investigate Hunter N.

Most importantly, Wataru didn't know that Hunter N was Natsuhiko, so he investigated very thoroughly.

In addition, Kikuko deliberately revealed some information about Hunter N to Wataru.

They made things look incredibly realistic.

Who knew?

Even so, it still couldn't put that person at ease.

The fact that they noticed the frequency with which Xia Yan and "Yan Xia" appeared in the same location shows that they really care about "Yan Xia," that is, Hunter N.

After a thorough investigation.

in case.

Only by passing this hurdle could Xia Yan barely be considered to have passed that person's test and gained the right to be used.

It was fortunate that Xia Yan had been careful.

I carefully considered the reason for the appearance of that jet-black feather.

Let's get back to the root of the problem.

If Xia Yan hadn't noticed that feather, he wouldn't have thought of Mashado, and he wouldn't have traced it all the way here.

just.

What Xia Yan was also curious about was...

How did they find out about Xia Yan and Ma Xiaduo's relationship?

Because they investigated the files from the Golden City incident?

No, no.

At the time, only Kikuko knew about the relationship between Masado and Natsuhiko.

Kikuko would definitely not write this down, because it was agreed upon beforehand.

Are they pirates and seafaring fleets at sea?

But he was using the identity of "Yan Xia" at the time.

wrong.

He's overthinking it.