I caught a Pokémon

“That makes sense.” After staring at the two of them for a while, Fleur nodded. “The fact that Lila sent you here shows that she must have great faith in your abilities. Since she trusts you, I have no reason to doubt you either. Alright, this isn’t the place to talk. Come with me.”

Led by her, Xia You and Xiao Xia arrived at a wooden house.

You can see that the wooden house is not very big, and there is a small courtyard outside the house. Various fruits and vegetables are planted in the courtyard, all of which are ripe. Looking around, everything, such as clothes racks and farm tools, has a strong sense of life. It is obviously where her grandparents lived.

The house was quiet at the moment, and through the open windows, it was clear that no one was inside.

Xiaoxia asked curiously, "Where are your grandparents? Weren't they said to be the guardians of this place?"

“What guardians? They’re just an ordinary old couple living here.” Fleur shook her head. “They have no power to protect anything. Before you came, I had already repelled several probing attacks by the Lava Team. Because battles could break out at any time, I had already sent them down the mountain to a safe place.”

As she spoke, Furong did not enter the courtyard, but continued to lead Xia You and Xiaoxia past the courtyard and walk deeper into the mountaintop.

Before long, the three of them arrived at a stone shrine.

This shrine is similar to the one Xia You saw on the Asian island. It's not very big, and it looks like a small, casually built tower, made of stacked stones that look very old.

Inside the shrine, there is a stone slab that seems to be used for offering something. In the center of the slab, there are two recesses. One of them is empty, while in the other recess, there is a stone that looks like an indigo jewel but emits a red light!

"This must be the vermilion pearl, right?"

“That’s right.” Fleur nodded. “The missing one is the indigo gem. It was stolen by Team Ocean and its whereabouts are still unknown. Now that we’re missing one, I absolutely will not let this one be taken away too!”

Hearing her confident voice, Xia You hesitated for a moment and didn't dare to tell her that the pearl was currently in A Quan's hands.

In fact, after being rescued by Lila's coast guard ship while riding in a submarine at sea last time, he specifically asked Aquan to hide the indigo gem before boarding the ship. As a result, apart from the few of them and the people from the Ocean Team, no one else knew that the gem was with them!

Now, hearing Furong talk about it, Xia You chose to remain silent for the time being.

After all, Team Ocean and Team Magma have their eyes on these two orbs, and it turns out that leaving them here won't protect them at all. Plus, this matter involves two legendary Pokémon, so let's wait until everything settles down before returning them to her...

Xia's eyes darted around. She could tell that Xia You didn't seem to want to reveal the whereabouts of the pearl right now, so she helped change the subject, pretending not to understand, and asked, "Well, since this pearl is so important, why don't you take it with you, or hide it somewhere else?"

Xiaoxia's question is indeed very insightful.

Compared to protecting it, hiding it is undoubtedly the best option.

Upon hearing her words, Furong did not hesitate and said in a deep voice, "Hiding won't solve the problem. When faced with something like this, the first thing to do is to deal with it, not to run away. Only by defeating those people can this matter be completely resolved!"

Unexpectedly, Furong, who is only about the same age as Xiaoxia and looks very young, has such a sense of responsibility!

This made the two of them realize that the person in front of them was no ordinary girl, but one of the Elite Four representing the Hoenn region!

Chapter 699 Lava Team, Off We Go!

The crimson jewel shone with a soft, warm light, casting a faint red hue over the surrounding scenery.

Looking around, it's no wonder that the Ocean Team was able to take the Indigo Orb so easily; there wasn't even a shred of security here!

The brilliance of this precious pearl was not concealed at all; it was simply allowed to shine forth!

Fortunately, even in Hoenn, very few people know about the existence of these two gems, let alone come here to steal them. Even Furong's grandparents live here only to prevent those mischievous wild Pokémon in the mountains, or those who get lost on Mt. Sacred and happen to come here, from taking the gems away without knowing why!

Their role is more about passing on traditions and overseeing traditions.

Turning her gaze away from the crimson orb, Xia You asked, "Is there any news about Team Lava now?"

Hibiscus sat down on the broken stone railing, swinging her muscular legs as she casually remarked, "When I fought off those guys, I heard them mention the name Crimson Pine. It seems that the person leading their team this time must be the leader of the Lava Team."

Ah, the Crimson Flame Pine...

Xia You stroked her chin and thought for a moment.

Unlike Archie, Crimson Pine, despite being the leader of Team Magma and commanding a large number of subordinates, is not a charismatic individual.

On the contrary, he is somewhat neurotic, obsessed with small things, and has a habit of using numbers to represent various things. Although he is calm and composed most of the time, he also has a ruthless side that is merciless in order to achieve his goals. He can even sacrifice anyone or anything except himself when necessary!

Moreover, his name and the name of the water sycamore are also very interesting.

One name contains the word "fire," and the other contains the word "water." Just from their names, you can tell that they must be mortal enemies who cannot coexist!

In addition, they have another common feature: the last part of their names represents a type of tree.

One is a pine tree, and the other is a paulownia tree. They are both trees, which shows that although their ideas and methods are different, their goals are actually similar.

Compared to the Water Wutong, the Crimson Flame Pine, despite having a name that sounds like flames and should be more aggressive, rarely participates in battles and instead uses its subordinates to do the work.

Unexpectedly, he personally took action this time to seize the vermilion pearl!

It must be that the news of the Ocean Team seizing the Indigo Pearl reached his ears, putting him under immense pressure and forcing him to change his approach!

Seeing Xia You remain silent, Furong assumed he was afraid of the Crimson Flame Pine.

"Don't worry, I'm here. Just help me hold off the ordinary team members, and I'll deal with the officers and the like."

As expected of the Four Heavenly Kings, what a boastful tone...

Xia You and Xiao Xia exchanged a glance; they both sensed a strong sense of confidence from Fu Rong's tone!

But whatever, they're just here to help. Since the other party took on the most difficult task, what can they say?

Hopefully this will be an easy job.

Thinking of this, the two exchanged a smile, then looked away. Xia You happily agreed, "Alright, we'll take care of those small fry!"

Furong seemed quite satisfied with the two men's attitude, but only then did she suddenly remember something and belatedly ask, "Oh right, I still don't know your names."

"My name is Xia You."

"I am Xiaoxia."

The two gave their names, and just as they had expected, Furong did not react to Xia You's name at all. This clearly convinced them that she had never heard of Xia You.

This was exactly what Xia You wanted. After all, he used to attract attention wherever he went, but now, in front of Furong, he was finally able to avoid being treated so specially. In fact, he even received Furong's care!

After the two gave a brief self-introduction, Furong took it upon herself to assign tasks.

The task is actually quite simple: just guard the only entrance and prevent the Lava Team from stepping inside.

However, after thinking for a moment, Xia You still voiced her objection.

"Although this method allows us to wait for the enemy to tire themselves out, we are too passive. Moreover, we are in the open while the enemy is in the dark, and we have no idea when they will attack. If we keep guarding here for most of the day, I am worried that we will run out of energy and be unable to hold on before the enemy attacks."

It can only be said that gold shines wherever it is.

Just those words, even without knowing his strength, made Furong look at Xia You with newfound respect.

She nodded in deep agreement: "You're overthinking it. So, what do you suggest we do?"

Before speaking, Xia You surveyed the environment at the mountaintop and then glanced at her group before saying, "Let's send some Pokémon down the mountain to scout first. We should at least gather some information before making any decisions. As for us, it's good news that Team Magma hasn't noticed our arrival yet. So I think we should hide and stay in the shadows until Team Magma shows up and launch a surprise attack!"

After considering it in her mind, Furong had to admit that this was undoubtedly the most correct arrangement compared to her own.

It's not that Furong is too inconsiderate or unworthy of the Elite Four title; it's just that given her age, no matter how strong her Pokémon are, how can she consider things as thoroughly as an adult?

“Your method is excellent, let’s do it your way. However, you may not know that the mountain conditions here are extremely complex, and it’s inhabited by many Ghost-type Pokémon. Ordinary people and Pokémon who enter here will not only get lost, but they will also easily be entangled by those Ghost-type Pokémon and find it difficult to escape. Only people like me who have grown up here can remain unaffected by these things. But my Pokémon need to be constantly on guard against those Magma Teams, so they can’t go down the mountain to scout at all…”

At this point, Xia You completely understood.

Because she had to protect the orb, Fleur dared not let her Pokémon stray too far, so the task of reconnaissance could only be entrusted to herself and Misty's Pokémon.

But clearly, she lacked confidence in her and Misty's Pokémon.

"Don't worry, I have a Pokémon that's perfect for this situation, and I don't have to worry about Ghost-type Pokémon bothering me. Plus, I can do reconnaissance without anyone noticing!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xia You clapped his hands, and his Gengar slowly floated out from his shadow.

For Gengar, coming to a place like Mount Sacred is like returning home. When it comes to carrying out this mission, there's no need to worry about wild Ghost-type Pokémon causing trouble for it. The real concern is whether it will cause trouble for those wild Ghost-type Pokémon!

"Eh? So you have a Ghost-type Pokémon too!"

As one of the Ghost-type Elite Four, Fleur has a natural affinity for all kinds of Ghost-type Pokémon, and there are even rumors that she has the ability to communicate with Ghost-type Pokémon!

Upon seeing Xia You's Gengar, her eyes lit up. She circled the Gengar a few times, praising it with a smile, "It's clear that your Gengar is very well-bred. Judging from its plump body, it must be eating very well..."

When she got excited, she reached out her hand, as if she wanted to touch Gengar.

However, her hand was only halfway out before Gengar slapped it away.

"Young lady, it's fine to compliment someone, but saying I'm a bit chubby, isn't that going too far? Where is my figure chubby? I'm clearly very slim, okay!"

"Huh!? It actually spoke!?"

Upon hearing Gengar speak in human language, Fleur's eyes widened instantly. She pointed at Gengar with an expression of utter disbelief on her face!

"You're shouting too loudly, brat." Gengar picked at his ear with his finger, ignoring Fleur and turning to Xia You. "All we need to do is scout out those guys' movements, right?"

As a Pokémon that, except for certain 'critical moments,' is driven out of Xia You's shadow, Gengar can be said to have eyes and ears everywhere. No matter who is talking to Xia You, it can hear everything clearly, so there is no need to repeat it to it.

Xia You smiled slightly: "As long as you don't get discovered, you can also do some pranks you like to add a little appetizer to the upcoming battle!"

"I understand! Then I'm going to go all out and get to work!!"

With a series of loud "hehehe" laughs, Gengar disappeared into the mountainside.

As it walked away, Xia You turned around and saw Fu Rong looking in the direction Gengar had left, her eyes shining with a fervent light!

Noticing Xia You looking at her, Furong wiped the drool off her face and asked eagerly, "It's so special! I love it so much! Do you want to trade Pokémon with me? I have a lot of powerful Ghost-type Pokémon, and if you like, I can trade them with you!"

Trade me my Gengar?

What are you thinking?!

“That’s absolutely impossible.” Xia You shook her head coldly but firmly. “Gengar is my partner, and I would never trade it for anything. You should give up on that idea.”

……

In a dense forest at the foot of Mount Songshen, a large number of Lava Team members had already gathered.

Amidst the green trees and grass, their bright orange team uniforms were so eye-catching!

The originally leisurely group suddenly became restless. At the end of the group, Fire Goose, unaware of what had happened, heard the commotion and stood up to look at the leader of the group. She saw that the leader of the Lava Team, Red Flame Pine, was walking towards them with another cadre, Fire Village.

Huoyan hurriedly went to greet her.

Red Flame Pine appears to be around the same age as Water Archie, but unlike Water Archie's fierce demeanor, Red Flame Pine wears black half-rimmed glasses, a well-fitting Lava Team uniform, long red hair combed back, and a slender figure, giving him a refined and cultured appearance.

However, behind the glasses are a pair of indifferent eyes, coupled with expressionless and slightly pale skin, making him look like a venomous snake waiting to strike!

No one dared to underestimate him!

Looking at the other cadre next to him, Himura, judging from his physique, he was undoubtedly a tall and fat man, wearing a loose Lava Team jacket. Although he always squinted his eyes, there was always a cunning smile on his lips!

The two of them came here, and needless to say, their goal was the vermilion pearl on the mountain!

Just as Xia You had guessed, Crimson Pine did indeed panic after learning through spies that the Ocean Team had stolen the Indigo Pearl.

He absolutely will not allow Team Ocean to wake up Kyogre before them!

Although I don't know why, even though so much time has passed, I haven't heard any news from the Ocean Team. But anyway, thanks to them, I finally know where the pearl is.

They never imagined that after searching for so long in various places, this precious gem would be hidden in this mountain where dead Pokémon are buried!

This was indeed a bit unexpected for Team Magma, but it's okay, it's not too late. As long as they can get their hands on the Crimson Orb, they can definitely find and awaken Groudon before Team Ocean!

This operation is absolutely crucial and cannot afford to fail!

Approaching Huoyan, and looking at the girl before him, Chiyansong asked, "How is the situation?"

Huo Yan chuckled and said, "Based on our continuous exploration, we have thoroughly investigated all areas and caves below the waist of the entire Songshen Mountain, and we have not found the whereabouts of that pearl. Therefore, we can deduce that it must be hidden on the mountaintop!"

"Well done." Crimson Pine nodded in satisfaction, then asked, "Where is that woman?"

The woman he was referring to, needless to say, was Furong.

Huoyan replied, "Just as I reported before, the Four Heavenly Kings have repelled our attempts several times and are still on the mountaintop, not having left."

"It seems she must be the guardian of this place. Is she all alone? Has anyone else approached this place recently?"

"It was indeed just her. I had already set up a large number of sentries around Mount Songshen, and they didn't even notice anyone coming up the mountain!"

It has to be said that this was the result of Xia You's accidental mistake.

Before he arrived here, he was unaware that Mount Songshen had been surrounded by the Lava Team, but because he descended directly from the air to the mountainside, his presence went unnoticed by these people.

"Well done." Nodding in satisfaction, Crimson Pine surveyed the surroundings, then shouted loudly to the Lava Team members, "You all know now, the target is on this mountain. Once we get it, we'll be just one step away from realizing our great dream! Now, some brat whom those laughable guys call the Four Heavenly Kings dares to stand in our way, trying to stop us from achieving our dream. Let them know that even the Four Heavenly Kings can't stop us! Lava Team, move out!"

Chapter 700 Fire Goose: This is troublesome

The lava team began their ascent.

For this operation, they mobilized more than 30 people.

Although the number of people is small, roughly the same as when they dealt with Xia You last time, this is the entire elite force of the team. In terms of combat strength alone, they are quite different from those ordinary members and are still very formidable.