Bottom-tier trainers in the Pokémon world

With its extremely strong control over fire and extremely high fire temperature, it can often defeat Grass-type Pokémon that are weak to it in terms of type on the grassland with just two punches.

In Xia Yan's words, Chimchar is a born fighter.

Some of his choices and judgments in battle even gave him a glimpse of brilliance.

With its excellent agility, Chimchar quickly adapted to such wild battles and rapidly aligned itself with Xia Yan's battle command habits.

There has been a significant improvement in teamwork.

Its growth is something that makes Xia Yan quite happy.

Compared to Chimchar, Latios stumbles much more.

There's nothing we can do about it; after all, it's only been born recently and this is its first time fighting, so it's inevitable that it will go through a period of adjustment.

Latios, who had always been well protected by Xia Yan, shed tears when he experienced the pain of being attacked for the first time.

But Xia Yan is the most demanding when it comes to this kind of situation.

Instead of offering comfort, they forcefully demanded that Latios finish the fight.

Even if it was done while she was in tears.

The other elves sympathized with Xia Yan's actions, but none of them intended to disobey his orders.

They knew that this harshness was for Latios's own good.

It cannot live under Xia Yan's protection forever, nor can it remain uninvolved in battle forever.

Shedding more tears and sweat now is so that shedding less blood in the future.

After all, it's currently fighting under Xia Yan's care, so there's no need to worry about its safety. But who knows what will happen in the future?

This is something that Hu Di, whom Xia Yan has been raising since childhood, feels most deeply.

Although it shares the same philosophy as Xia Yan, its superpower keeps it hovering no more than a meter away from Latios, ready to come to his rescue at any time.

Fortunately.

Latios lived up to its reputation as a highly talented Pokémon. After a short period of adaptation, it successfully defeated an opponent who was slightly stronger than itself.

This also allowed Xia Yan to see Latios's outstanding potential.

This may not be a good start for it, and it also made it realize that Xia Yan and the other elves, although they may seem glamorous on the surface, have put in a lot of effort and sweat behind the scenes.

But this will definitely have a profound impact on Latios's future personality and habits.

We walked for a while.

While resting under a big tree.

Xia Yan personally treated the injuries of Chimchar and Latios.

Even before joining Xia Yan, Chimchar was frequently injured, and now with the help of medicine and massage, it quickly regained its vitality.

But Latios...

Xia Yan sat under the tree, a helpless smile on his face, and waved to Latios.

Latios looked aggrieved, biting his lip and drooping his eyes, as if he didn't want to get close.

"Sweetie, give me a massage, and the pain will subside soon." Xia Yan's voice was gentle, with a unique magnetic quality.

Latios hesitated.

Is it angry at Xia Yan?

Yes.

As Latios's closest friend, whom it even regarded as a parent, Xia Yan, no matter how much its body resisted, could not feel any real anger or disgust in its heart.

Finally, encouraged by Togekiss and Alakazam, Latios came to Xia Yan and lay down on the ground.

Xia Yan felt a pang of heartache seeing the wound on Latios's wing.

But there's nothing he can do; some things can't be avoided or prevented just because he feels sorry for them.

That's not just spoiling, that's harming.

Extend your palm and gently place it on Latios's wing.

Feeling the warmth from the hand on the wing, Latios trembled slightly, tears of grievance welling up in his eyes.

Strange to say.

It was clearly in a lot of pain, but when Xia Yan touched it with his palm, it suddenly felt like the pain had stopped.

"Os..."...(??ˇ?ˇ??)...

tick-tock-

Crystalline tears slid down Latios's cheeks.

Anyone who has ever argued with their parents when they were young knows that sometimes the decision to cry or not is just a matter of a single thought. Give yourself a little time to calm down, and it might all pass.

But if someone comes out at this moment and gently comforts you, the grievances in your heart will burst forth like a flood.

"Does it hurt?" Xia Yan's gentle voice came again.

Latios instinctively wanted to nod, but it sniffed and chose to shake its head.

He turned his neck.

Seeing Xia Yan's earnest way of treating his injuries, and the undisguised heartache in his eyes, Latios suddenly didn't feel wronged anymore.

Perhaps, the wound is on its body, but the pain is in Xia Yan's heart.

“If you don’t like fighting, we don’t have to fight in the future,” Xia Yan suddenly said.

He wasn't the kind of person who would stand on some high ground and impose demands on the elves, claiming it was all for their own good.

Therefore, when choosing an elf, he usually considers whether the elf's personality and beliefs align with his own as a very important criterion.

Just like the Chimchar and Cyndaquil back then, he chose Chimchar because he was lively and warlike and Cyndaquil was timid and reserved and grew up under protection.

As for the dual sword sheaths, which also reflect a reserved personality, it's because Xia Yan saw himself reflected in a mirror of his own personality.

And indeed, he found the double scabbards to be a perfect match.

Therefore, if Latios doesn't like fighting, Xia Yan won't force it.

He has never been one to treat elves as mere tools.

Pokémon are living, breathing creatures with their own thoughts and personalities. You shouldn't force them to do things they don't like just because of your own demands. This is one of the basic qualities of a trainer.

Even so, it would be a waste if a Pokémon like Latios didn't fight or grow.

But that was its own choice, and the trainer should respect it.

It is precisely because of this respect that Xia Yan's spirits all adore him.

Respect is a two-way street.

"Oh my god~~"

Latios turned his head to the side, rested his head on Xia Yan's shoulder, and gently rubbed his cheek.

It stuck out its little tongue and gently licked itself.

Latios forgave Xia Yan.

It was angry that Xia Yan was expressionless when commanding it to fight, not that Xia Yan insisted on making it finish the battle.

The thought in her mind was that the gentle Xia Yan who loved her was gone.

Latios had spent some time with Xia Yan and his Pokémon, so he was mentally prepared for the battle. However, being mentally prepared did not mean being able to withstand sudden pain.

But now it knows that the gentle Xia Yan hasn't disappeared; he's just hidden away.

I felt relieved.

She stuck out her tongue and gently licked Xia Yan's cheek.

"Os!"

'I want to try again, I think I can do it!'

Xia Yan smiled, gently stroked Latios's neck, and whispered, "Okay, let's try it together."

...

Pokkiss: So heartwarming (rubs eyes).

Hu Di: (Glancing at it) Do you understand crisis management?

Tokis: Huh?

Hu Di: Then you should have heard the saying, "The longest road you walk is the one paved with Xia Yan's schemes." You know the art of retreating to advance, right?

Tokis: =????=????(●???●|||)

Chapter 174 This joke has gone too far

A rugged, rocky area.

Xia Yan and his group arrived here.

After Xia Yan's words of encouragement, Latios's condition improved significantly.

Although there were still some stumbles when battling some wild Pokémon, it was much better than the first time.

Furthermore, the battles fought according to Xia Yan's orders went much more smoothly and efficiently.

Latios does possess two restorative moves, "Regenerate" and "Healing Wave," so as long as it adapts to the battle, some injuries can actually be relieved and healed in time.

The little fire monkey has it much easier.

With its gradually maturing fighting style, Xia Yan even felt that Chimchar was ready to evolve.

Despite the flames still shooting into the sky behind the jagged rocks, Xia Yan showed no sign of stopping.

Once you step onto the rocky ground, the path becomes much more difficult.

Fortunately, he has superpowers that allow him to ignore these problems.

"Cough!"