I caught a Pokémon

For example, compared to Maria's Gardevoir, Xia You's Gardevoir is stronger, more composed, and has a more resolute gaze, exuding the aura of a strong person, while Maria's Gardevoir is more delicate and fragile, like a flower in a greenhouse that has never experienced a storm.

This difference is due to the different environments in which the two Pokémon live.

Xia You's Gardevoir has been traveling and fighting with him all the time, enduring wind and rain, so naturally he has little time to take care of himself. On the other hand, Maria's Gardevoir is in such a beautiful flower field every day, not only protected from the wind and rain, but also in a mood as beautiful as the flowers, so naturally he lives a more comfortable life.

It can be said that although they are the same type of Pokémon, their fates are completely different because of the different lifestyles of the trainers they follow.

The two Gardevoirs naturally noticed this as well.

Seeing the other's glamorous appearance, Xia You's Gardevoir felt no envy, only determination, no regrets, and even a hint of indifference in its eyes.

What's the use of just looking good?

No matter how beautifully you dress up, can it help your trainer stand at the top of the world?

On the other hand, Maria's Gardevoir, while satisfied with her current life, couldn't help but show a hint of longing after learning that Xia You's Gardevoir could travel with its trainer and see the vast world.

It's so wonderful to be able to see those beautiful places...

In fact, after traveling with her, Xia You's Gardevoir rarely had the opportunity to interact with its own kind.

Xia You originally thought that it would be happier to see its own kind, but unexpectedly it just stood there aloofly, without much emotional fluctuation.

In contrast, Maria's Gardevoir and Kirlia kept circling around it, seemingly trying to communicate with it.

This is understandable. Despite the different species, Xia You has captured so many Pokémon that Gardevoir sees them all as its companions. It doesn't feel lonely at all. On the other hand, Maria's Gardevoir and Kirlia, despite their leisurely lives here, lack interaction with other Pokémon, let alone seeing their own kind.

Regardless, Xia You's Gardevoir's appearance made the atmosphere more friendly.

After all, a trainer who can be recognized by Gardevoir can't be a bad person!

Drinking tea and chatting, the four of them quickly became acquainted.

It was at this moment that they learned from Maria why she had been so wary.

Just yesterday, a Pokémon hunter named J kidnapped her Gardevoir. Although she was later rescued by several kind trainers, she is still shaken and worried that the kidnapper might come back and attack her Gardevoir again!

Upon hearing this news, Xia You and Xiao Yao couldn't help but exchange a glance.

Xiaoyao couldn't help but ask, "Miss Maria, the kind trainer you mentioned, it can't be a boy wearing a baseball cap and following a Pikachu, right?"

Chapter 962 The Great Adventure of Vegetable Seeds

“That’s right.” Maria nodded. “His name is Ash. What? Do you know him?”

It really was him...

Xiaoyao shook her head and chuckled: "That's quite a coincidence. Actually, we not only know him, but we're also very good friends."

As she spoke, she gave a general description of her relationship with Xia You and Xiao Zhi.

Upon hearing that May was Ash's former travel companion and that Natsume was both his older brother and a formidable rival, even Maria felt that this was truly a special coincidence!

"So you two had this kind of relationship!"

After all, Ash had just helped her rescue Gardevoir yesterday, and today she met his companion, who also came to visit her home. As the saying goes, friends of friends are friends, which made her and Xia You and the others get closer and closer as they chatted. She completely let down her guard and even brought out delicious desserts to entertain them.

This time, we really benefited from Ash's fame...

With a sigh, Xia You inquired about the specifics of J.

Actually, he had dealt with Pokémon hunters before, such as Team Rocket's Bisharts, and some other less memorable and less important people.

Although these people call themselves hunters, they mostly engage in theft or robbery. They capture rare and valuable Pokémon and sell them on the black market for high profits. They also take on commissions to find or capture Pokémon for others. In short, they are a group of dangerous individuals who walk the law.

In some ways, Pokémon hunters are often more dangerous than other villains because they have no bottom line. They often send their Pokémon to attack humans or use guns to attack targets without any scruples!

This made them people feared by both the legitimate and criminal worlds. Even organizations like Team Rocket and Team Galaxy were reluctant to provoke them and preferred to cooperate with them.

And this J is not only a woman, but like Bishas, ​​she is also a top performer in this industry.

Although both of them are exceptionally skilled compared to their peers and are in a league of their own, J prefers to lead a group of subordinates rather than working alone with Bishas, ​​which makes her seem even more formidable!

They also learned the whole story from Mary.

Just yesterday morning, while she and Gardevoir were taking care of the flower field as usual, J suddenly descended from the sky riding a Salamence. He not only attacked her, but also used a technology that could petrify Pokémon to kidnap Gardevoir. Fortunately, Ash and his friends arrived in time and worked together with Team Rocket to rescue Gardevoir.

It can only be said that Maria was not entirely clear about the details of the matter, so there were some parts she couldn't explain clearly.

Xia You knew that the reason Team Rocket would help them was because Pokémon Hunter J had also stolen their Pokémon; otherwise, they wouldn't be so concerned!

Nodding, he asked, "So you're worried that J will come back here and target your Gardevoir again?"

“That’s right.” Maria gave a wry smile. “We’re not good at fighting. If those guys come here again, I don’t know what we’ll do…”

The moment the words were spoken, a silence fell over the room.

Xiaoyao wanted to open her mouth to say something, but then sighed silently.

After such a long journey, she was no longer as naive as she had been when she first set off. She knew that even if she called the police, it would be useless. After all, the police could only protect her temporarily, not forever. Did she expect them to increase their manpower day and night to prevent enemies who might only appear?

Yami had also thought of this and couldn't help but ask, "Then why don't you go somewhere else to hide for the time being?"

"Hide?" Maria sighed. "Where can I hide? Besides, this flower field needs my care; I can't leave it at all..."

There's nothing we can do about it...

Maria was in the open, while J was in the shadows. Not knowing where the other was, she could only endure this torment, constantly praying that J would not attack her again.

Seeing her worried expression, Xia You shook her head, clearly having a different idea.

"Don't think about it too much. I don't think she'll bother you again."

As soon as he finished speaking, all three women present looked at him.

Maria asked in confusion, "Why do you say that?"

Xia You said in a relaxed tone, "You just said that J suddenly fell from the sky and attacked you when you were taking care of the flower field during the day. It is clear that your original target was not you. She only decided to attack you because she saw your Gardevoir and knew that this kind of Pokémon is relatively rare and has a certain value. But she did not expect that in the end, Ash and the others would stop her."

Maria nodded, agreeing with Xia You's point of view.

only……

"Then why do you say she won't bother me anymore?"

"Isn't it simple?" Xia You shrugged. "We wasted so much time here, and in the end, we didn't catch any Pokémon and our subordinates were injured. The time and equipment costs have increased significantly. It's not something that can be made up for by catching a Gardevoir. We have to capture a more valuable target or accept a high-value commission. Besides, if she really wanted to take revenge, she could have done it during the day since she knew you were alone. There was no need to wait until now to make a move."

After hearing what he said, the three women thought about it carefully and found that it was indeed true.

Xiaoyao's eyes lit up as she looked at Xia You: "So, Miss Maria doesn't have to be so worried anymore?"

"This cannot be said definitively, but based on my experience, it is at least like this."

After receiving some reasonable and comforting words, Maria was truly relieved, which made her even more grateful to Xia You. Then, as if remembering something, she stood up and smiled at the group, "Oh dear, speaking of which, you haven't had dinner yet, have you? Then let me treat you!"

……

The sky outside had completely darkened, the moon rose higher and higher, and the earth began to grow quiet.

While Xia You and the others were having a lively time in Maria's house, far away in the depths of the Hundred Generations Forest, Cai Zhong, the owner of the restaurant, also began his own verification journey.

As for why she appeared here, it all started right after Xia You and the others left the Baidai Dojo.

After being defeated by Yami, she first treated her Pokémon's injuries. Just then, another trainer came to challenge her.

Although the result was obvious—the challenger was too inexperienced and was easily defeated—Caizhong also obtained a piece of information from the challenger.

That means there might really be no ghosts left in the Forest Mansion of the Hundred Generations Forest!

It turns out that before coming to the gym, this trainer had also gotten lost in Eternal Forest and encountered and entered the Forest Mansion at night. However, this time, he was greeted not by any ghost butler, but by an empty house. Although it was a bit eerie, it at least provided shelter from the wind and rain, allowing him to sleep peacefully there. The next morning, he left the mansion feeling refreshed.

He encountered nothing all night, which puzzled Cai Zhong greatly.

Is it...

Is it true, as Xia You said, that the ghost in the mansion has completely disappeared?

This surprised and intrigued her, so she decided to go to the mansion late at night to take a look for herself.

After all, as the Gym Leader, she needs to maintain the peace and tranquility around Baidai City. The ghost in the Forest Mansion, which had previously harmed countless trainers, had suddenly disappeared. How could she remain indifferent to such a big matter?

This also led to Cai Zhong leaving the Hyakudai Dojo in the afternoon and arriving at the outside of the Western-style mansion at this time.

only……

Looking at the severely damaged manor in front of him, standing outside the fence, Cai Zhong couldn't help but feel uneasy and couldn't make up her mind.

In fact, she had been to this place more than a dozen times since the news of ghosts lurking there spread and it was confirmed that many trainers had encountered ghosts here!

But each time, she couldn't muster the courage to cross the fence.

There's nothing I can do; I'm just so afraid of ghosts...

The thought that ghosts really existed made her legs go weak, and every time she finally made up her mind, it vanished in an instant, causing her to come more than a dozen times, only to return empty-handed each time.

Even now, despite two people telling her that the ghost inside has really disappeared, she still feels uneasy.

What if... what if a ghost appears as soon as I go in?

What if the ghost is just waiting for me?

What if the ghost was just hiding before?

Out of fear of ghosts, she stood there for a long time, but never took any further action.

And she wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt that this Western-style mansion was even more eerie than before!

It seems... there's a pair of eyes watching me through the mansion!

This also gave Cai Zhong goosebumps on his arms and back.

Fortunately, when she looked to her left and right, she saw that her Eevee and Roseradore were with her, which made her feel a little more at ease.

Okay, let's give it our all!

After building countless defenses in her mind, Cai Zhong swallowed hard, then her eyes hardened, and she took her first step.

One step, two steps...

The slightly unsteady footsteps echoed in the silent night.

Accompanied by two Pokémon, Cai Zhong braced herself and slowly walked into the courtyard, eventually standing in front of the mansion's gate.

Looking at the badly damaged dojo gate in front of her, she tremblingly reached out her hand. But before she could actually touch the gate, with a series of creaking and grinding sounds, the gate slowly opened by itself!

In that instant, Cai Zhong felt his scalp tingle and was almost scared out of his wits!

isn't it...

Didn't they say there were no more ghosts?!

Chapter 963 Run, Little Girl!

Fortunately, it was just the door that was opened. Cai Zhong waited anxiously for more than ten seconds, and when nothing else happened, her violently beating heart slowly returned to its original position.

Could it be... blown by the wind?

Now that things have come to this, she can only keep comforting herself like this. Especially when she turned her head and saw that her two Pokémon did not notice anything unusual, she also thought that she had just been overthinking things.

After all, this abandoned building had been in the forest for who knows how long, and had long since become rotten and fragile. It was perfectly normal for it to make a sound when the wind blew on it.

Having regained his spirits, Cai Zhong stepped into the Western-style mansion for the first time.

It has to be said that the environment inside was just as she had expected: dirty and messy, covered in dust, severely damaged, and filled with a chilling wind and a rotten smell.

Most importantly, there was a constant creaking sound coming from who-knows-where, echoing in her ears, making her uneasy and always worried that a ghost might suddenly appear out of nowhere.

Fortunately, nothing happened until she entered the hall.

So, the ghost really disappeared?

No, that's not quite right...

I've only just arrived, so I need to check every room and make sure they're all safe before I can draw such a conclusion!

With this in mind, she became a little bolder and slowly made her way towards the back of the hall, feeling her way along.

And in a place unseen by the vegetable seeds, the ghost girl was floating on the second floor, watching this uninvited guest.

Just then, a shadow flashed beside her, and the ghost butler floated up to her side.

“Miss, this person seems a bit different. She doesn’t seem to be here to spend the night; she seems to be looking for something. Should we…”

The ghost girl frowned slightly: "Xia You said we can't come out and scare people anymore."