I caught a Pokémon

"Let's go back and rejoin them."

The two walked side by side on their way back to the Pokémon Center.

The afternoon sun was strong, and Makomo had only been walking for a short while when she felt sweating profusely. She then realized that she was still wearing heavy winter clothes, so she quickly took them off.

Seeing her flustered and somewhat clumsy appearance, Xia You also felt that her actions were rather cute beneath her beautiful appearance.

This is quite different from her usual scholarly and doctoral demeanor, creating a sense of contrast.

Xia You turned her head and glanced at her.

"So, have you found any shortcomings in my combat?"

Makomo shook her head.

"Same as before." Her tone carried a hint of helplessness, but more so admiration. "Your strength is too great. All your weaknesses have been eliminated, and there is no flaw to be found. At first, I could give you some advice, but now... I feel that my role is becoming less and less important."

Hearing her say that, Xia You couldn't help but shake her head with a smile.

"It's already very kind of you to point out my shortcomings before. If you could see the flaws every time, I wouldn't have achieved what I have today."

Makomo was taken aback, then thought about it and realized that it made sense.

Just as Xia You said, if he really had so many shortcomings, how could he have gotten to where he is today and achieved so much?

Before Makomo could say anything more, Xia You continued, "Besides, it's not about roles between companions. Even if someone doesn't understand anything or knows nothing, as long as I consider them a friend, they can become my companion."

Chapter 1370 Assassination

The afternoon sun was shining brightly, filtering through the treetops and casting dappled light and shadow on the street leading to the Pokémon Center.

Makomo walked beside Natsuyu and paused slightly when she heard him say, "As long as I consider him a friend, he can become my companion."

She looked down at her toes, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously curved into a smile.

friend……

The word seemed to carry more weight when spoken by Xia You than usual.

"What's wrong?" Xia You noticed her unusual behavior.

"It's nothing," Makomo shook her head, her voice soft. "I just feel... well, pretty happy."

Xia You glanced at her, smiled, and didn't say anything more.

The two quickly returned to the Pokémon Center. Pushing open the door, they found Hikari and Piplup playing catch in the lobby. Upon seeing them enter, Hikari immediately jumped up.

"Xia You-ge! Zhen Gu-jie! You're back!"

Yami walked over from the direction of the vending machine, holding several cups of freshly heated milk tea in her hand.

"You've worked hard." She handed the milk tea to the two of them. "So, did you win?"

Xia You nodded and opened her badge collection box. Warm light shone on it, making the badges seem to glow.

"How could I possibly lose?"

"Wow!" Xiao Guang came closer, her eyes sparkling. "So pretty! This badge looks really delicate too!"

Bogaman perched on her shoulder, chirping merrily, as if in agreement.

Indeed, just as Xiao Guang said, regardless of the gym leader's skill level, apart from a few people with 'unique' aesthetics, most gym badges are beautiful and have great collectible value.

In fact, Xia You had already planned that after she retired, she would build a wall to display all the badges she had won, so that outsiders could see the glorious achievements she had made!

It must be spectacular!

Makomo took the milk tea, warmed it in her hands, and after taking a sip, the last bit of coldness in her body completely disappeared.

“Not only did I win,” she said, a hint of pride in her voice, “but I won really well! I recorded it. You guys should really see how Snorlax skates on the ice; the combination of its appearance and its shape is just hilarious!”

As she spoke, she took out her equipment and showed Xiaoguang and Yami the live footage.

After seeing it, the two couldn't help but laugh at the appearance of the Yeti Snorlax.

"It's just like participating in a figure skating competition!" Xiao Guang laughed. "If there are any more scenes like this, Brother Xia You, I want to be there to see it for myself!"

"Of course," Xia You replied with a smile, "as long as it doesn't interfere with your practice."

The group sat together, drinking milk tea and chatting about the battle they had just fought.

Hikaru listened with great interest, occasionally exclaiming in amazement. Yami smiled gently, occasionally interjecting with a word or two of concern, while Makomo would add details from time to time, making the exciting parts of the battle even more vivid.

Time slipped away quietly during the pleasant conversation.

After finishing their milk tea, the group packed their things and prepared to set off again while it was still early.

"Where to next?" Hikaru asked, hugging Bogarman with a look of anticipation.

Xia You replied without hesitation, "Of course, we'll head west. There are many cities there, which will be a good opportunity to complete the remaining badges."

No one had any objections.

They left the Pokémon Center, crossed the city, and took the road leading west.

As you leave Snowflake City, the terrain begins to gradually slope down.

This also means that they are moving out of the mountains.

They hadn't gone far when the scenery around them gradually changed from forests and rocks to rolling fields.

In the distance, mountains rise and fall, and a few white clouds drift slowly across the blue sky.

Occasionally, wild Pokémon would peek out from the grass, curiously observing the passersby.

Xiao Guang walked ahead, humming an unknown tune, while Piplup swayed rhythmically on her shoulder. The two of them, Xiao Guang and her Pokémon, were having a great time.

Yami and Makomo walked side by side in the middle, chatting quietly about something.

Xia You walked at the back, her gaze occasionally falling on the people in front of her, as she pondered the rest of the journey.

however……

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

Three dark figures darted out from the bushes on both sides of the road at an astonishing speed, like three ghosts, heading straight for Xia You!

No one expected such a turn of events.

Hearing the sound from the side, they subconsciously turned their heads and saw three snow-white beast-shaped Pokémon attempting to attack Xia You from three different angles!

Because it happened so fast and so close together, no one could immediately tell what kind of Pokémon those three were.

In a flash, Xiao Guang, standing at the farthest point, only managed to utter one word: "Xia..."

Yami, who was standing even closer to her, sensed that Xia You was in danger and lunged at her faster than she could react.

As the target of these three Pokémon's attack, Xia You's blood rushed at that moment. He stared intently at the three Pokémon, holding his breath as if time had slowed down.

His exceptional physical abilities and above-average reflexes allowed him to easily identify the three Pokémon.

It is Absol, known as the Pokémon of Calamity.

And all three of them.

Most importantly, they were definitely not wild animals, but rather a purposeful, planned, and coordinated deadly operation!

The goal—is yourself!

In a flash, Xia You was about to call Gengar out to deal with the situation when she suddenly remembered that Gengar had been sent out to work with A-Quan and Humboldt back in Fantawild City.

It can be said that during this period, he has been in a phase without Gengar's 'passive protection'.

The timing was quite good.

Unfortunately, his only countermeasures are Gengar!

With that thought in mind, Xia You's hands were not idle either; almost simultaneously, they reached for her waist bag.

But before he could even touch the pouch, the two Poké Balls inside had already opened automatically.

As two beams of light flashed, Mewtwo and Gardevoir appeared simultaneously in front of him, one on the left and one on the right, without him even having to summon them.

Although Gardevoir is inside a Poké Ball, it can still accurately sense Xia You's feelings even through the Poké Ball thanks to telepathy.

When Xia You is happy, it will be happy too.

When Xia You is happy, it will be happy too.

And when Xia You is in danger and her heart is tense, that's when it will take the initiative to appear!

For Mewtwo, it was entirely due to its powerful senses that it 'saw' someone attacking Xia You.

It is precisely because it has its own judgment that it appears.

It also wanted to see who dared to attack its trainer.

That's right. Although it's unwilling to admit it and will never admit it, in its heart, after spending so much time together, it has long since accepted Xia You.

Now that someone dares to threaten Xia You's life, how could it possibly sit idly by!

The three Absol arrived so quickly that Hikari, Yami, and Mako had almost no time to react.

Moreover, they came on strong, as if they intended to tear Xia You to shreds.

But immediately, they flew backward at an even faster speed than when they came, and in the blink of an eye, they crashed into the big trees where they had appeared, breaking several trees in half.

Before they could even scream, they fell silent.

In front of Xia You, Mewtwo and Gardevoir slowly lowered their arms.

No doubt about it, that's what they did.

And they never even considered holding back!

Even though the opponent was three Dark-type Pokémon, and even though psychic powers wouldn't have any effect on Dark-type Pokémon, the power unleashed at that moment still easily knocked down the three Absols.

It is evident that when it comes to protecting the most important people, not only humans, but even Pokémon can unleash infinite possibilities.

crunch.

The last tree that was hit slowly fell with a thud.

Apart from that, everything around was quiet.

There was no attack, and no one showed up. It was extremely quiet all around, as if everything had returned to tranquility.

But the three Absols lying not far away seemed to be proving to people that what had just happened was not an illusion.

Xiao Guang, Ya Mi, and Zhen Gu also snapped out of their shock and rushed to Xia You's side, standing with him and cautiously looking at him.

Xiao Guang frowned: "Were we just attacked?"

“Of course.” Makomo’s expression was equally grim. “And after a failed attack, they haven’t come out for so long. They’re obviously hiding their true intentions!”

Chapter 1371 The Dark Iron Triangle

"Since they're hiding, let's find them out!"

Xia You snorted coldly, then turned to look at Mewtwo beside her.

Mewtwo understands, closing its eyes and using its superpowers to perceive.

An invisible surge of supernatural power emanated from it, spreading outwards like ripples on water, instantly covering the entire area.

Grass, rocks, hills...

Nothing can escape its perception.

In a mere instant, it locked onto something and opened its eyes again.

'There.'

Facing a different direction, towards a place several hundred meters away, it raised an arm.

The next second, a superpower visible to the naked eye, starting from it, swept towards a small mountain not far away!

Meanwhile, at the top of that small hill, behind several huge rocks.

Three strange men with long, gray-white hair, wearing headbands and masks, close-fitting clothes, loose pants, and black boots, were hiding here, using binoculars to spy on Xia You's location.

They are the Dark Iron Triangle, the officers who strike fear into the hearts of even those within the Plasma Team!

Because all three are named Darkness and their style of action is very similar to that of ninjas, they are specifically responsible for doing some of the more secretive and dirty work that even the Plasma Team considers clandestine.