Pokémon: I picked up a reborn Eevee at the start of the game.

"Swamp——"

Upon hearing Jiang Han introduce himself, Swamp King turned around and greeted Xia Chen with an all-knowing look in his eyes.

Xia Chen responded politely, "Hello, Swamp King."

"He likes to sunbathe, let's not disturb him." Jiang Han led Xia Chen to another elf, a pumpkin monster.

"The Cheese Pumpkin Monster, don't let its scary appearance fool you, it's actually quite shy."

"South~" the pumpkin monster gave a short greeting, then drifted away to the other side.

Jiang Han was right; this pumpkin monster was a perfect example of someone with social anxiety.

"And then there's Charizard and Ursaring over there; they just like to mess around like that."

In the direction Jiang Han was pointing, Charizard was carrying Ursaring upwards, looking like it was about to unleash a Seismic Toss.

Clearly, the two elves were too busy to pay attention to Xia Chen and went back to playing amicably.

…………

"Finally, it's Arcanine."

Jiang Han waved to the Arcanine that was being chased by Eevee, "Arcanine, come here!"

"Woo woof~"

Upon hearing the call, the Arcanine barked happily and dashed towards the two of them, who then went to meet it.

But just as Wind Dog met Xia Chen, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Then, Arcanine adjusted its movements and, mimicking Xia Chen's posture, limped over.

Xia Chen: "."

I may not be a human, but you are a real dog!

Isn't Arcanine supposed to be a champion of justice?

That's it?

Even Satan would tattoo you on his chest!

And you, Ibrahimovic, is it that funny?

Your trainer is being bullied like this, and you're just standing by and watching?

Xia Chen was extremely angry after being brutally attacked by Arcanine and then finished off by his own Eevee. He immediately wanted to have a life-or-death duel with Arcanine.

Jiang Han tried hard to suppress his laughter while scolding Arcanine, "Arcanine, you're so rude, apologize now!"

"Woo woof~"

After the laughter subsided, Arcanine returned to normal and happily ran over with its tongue lolling out.

But is Xia Chen someone who accepts apologies so easily?

He pointed at Arcanine with a blank expression, "I've decided, I'll borrow your Arcanine this afternoon."

"Woof?"

The speed dog looked puzzled and turned to Jiang Han, who nodded in affirmation, "It's Mom's decision. You have to protect Xia Chen this afternoon!"

"Woof."

Arcanine's face instantly turned ashen. He realized that the reason this man had chosen him was definitely for revenge!

Humans are so cunning!

(There will be another chapter at 6 PM, please read on!)

Chapter 25 (Separate Chapter)

Just to explain, I've seen many messages in the backend asking why there are no comments, and some people even said they're afraid to open the posts because there aren't any.

Um, for some reason, Qidian recently closed the comment section, and it happened to start on the 15th, the day I started writing my book.

However, the author can see the messages in the backend, so I have seen most of everyone's comments.

The main issue I want to address is the incident in the first two chapters where monkey monsters attacked people. Some readers have asked why these monkey monsters weren't killed.

Well, no matter how you handle this, someone will criticize you, so I've deliberately ignored the issue and let everyone imagine a reasonable solution.

Then the true intentions are revealed, and you'll still be eager to read on!

Tuesday's follow-up reading is very important, so please help!

Chapter 26: Taming the Ugly Fish! (Please continue reading!)

Although the agreed time with Ugly Fish was this afternoon, Xia Chen prepared lunch and set off in the morning.

There's still quite a distance between the entrance of the scenic area and the depths of the Elf Reserve. Besides, as a seeker, arriving early is a matter of courtesy.

Picked up in the same luxury car as yesterday, Xia Chen arrived at Lingmiao Mountain before noon.

The pear-picking festival had just ended, and the scenic area was noticeably less lively than yesterday. Xia Chen took Eevee back to the forest leading to the wild elf reserve.

With their objective clear, Xia Chen and Yi Bu did not linger on the journey.

However, because Xia Chen had difficulty walking, he could only summon a speedhound to carry him.

Given Growlithe's size, it can sit on it, but it's definitely not comfortable.

The bumpy ride almost made him throw up his breakfast and lunch.

Xia Chen was uncomfortable, and Fengshanggou was even more uncomfortable. The carefree person felt extremely uncomfortable with a heavy object weighing over 100 pounds pressing on his back.

Xia Chen achieved his revenge against Arcanine by killing a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred of his own.

After traveling and stopping frequently, around 2 PM, Xia Chen and his group finally arrived at the place where they had fought the monkey monster the day before.

But obviously, this time was still quite far from yesterday's approaching evening, and Xia Chen sat by the stream, waiting listlessly.

Before he tamed the ugly fish, he had no interest in going anywhere else.

Xia Chen remained where he was, and Yi Bu didn't dare to go to that place to search for treasure alone. Although he was confident that he could swim freely in this beginner's pond, Xia Chen didn't think so.

Let the speed dog accompany me, but I'm worried about Xia Chen's safety.

So, the man, the dog, and the cloth waited by the stream.

…………

Arcanine is a wild and energetic animal; it's willing to play with anything, let alone in the vibrant natural world.

He would scare away caterpillars in the bushes, then cause trouble for the bees that were raiding the nests of bees, and then enjoy the thrill of being chased by the swarm.

When they got tired of playing, they jumped into the stream to frolic, showing no signs of being afraid of water like typical fire-type Pokémon.

Afraid that he would scare the ugly fish away, Xia Chen quickly let him come up and play. Then, he took a thin, willow-like branch that he had picked up and used it as a fishing rod, staging a scene of Jiang Taigong fishing by the stream.

Ibu lay down next to Xia Chen, enjoying this rare moment of tranquility.

After an unknown amount of time, the branch suddenly twitched. Xia Chen was overjoyed. The only fish that could bite the fishing rod without a hook or bait was the ugly fish that he had made a promise with.

He excitedly pulled the rod and cast the hook, and a giant carp fell from the sky and landed on the ground.

A lifelike dead fish eye stared at Xia Chen, its body still wriggling and slapping the ground.

Xia Chen's mood instantly improved. He picked up the Magikarp's long whiskers and threw it back into the water, while reminding it, "Don't bite my rod, you hear me!"

It's not that Xia Chen dislikes Magikarp; Gyarados is a powerful Pokémon with a wild and beautiful appearance.

But Xia Chen is a hopeless romantic; his second Pokémon absolutely has to be a pufferfish!

Having solidified his resolve, Xia Chen sat down to continue waiting for the destined fish to arrive.

But as dusk deepened and the appointed time drew near, the fishing rod in his hand remained motionless once more.

Xia Chen's heart sank further, and the somber atmosphere even affected the grunt that was frolicking beside him.

He looked at Xia Chen, whose eyes revealed disappointment, and ran to his side to nuzzle him.

…………

"Woof woof—(Don't be sad, I'll have a baby for you later!)"

Eevee glanced sideways at Arcanine, "Eek—(If Growlithe inherited your personality, Xia Chen would be furious.)"

Arcanine barked defiantly, "Woof woof—(What's wrong with my personality? How much joy can my personality bring him!)"

Ibu chuckled, "Eee—(Oh yeah, yeah, I'm dying of laughter!)"

Xia Chen didn't have time to analyze the conversation between the two elves; he just stared at the clear stream, unwilling to give up, waiting for what he hoped for to happen.

What he didn't know was that, even before Xia Chen, Ugly Fish had already hidden among the lush aquatic plants, observing the outside world through the gaps.

Undoubtedly, he saw Xia Chen's arrival, but countless times he wanted to swim out and bite the fishing rod prepared for him, yet countless times he chose to back down.

Why back down?

Ugly Fish asked itself countless times.

Is Xia Chen not good enough?

Of course not. Whether it's his attitude towards his own Pokémon or wild Pokémon, he can see that Xia Chen is a trainer who loves Pokémon and is worthy of any Pokémon following him.

So the answer is obvious: Ugly Fish doesn't think Xia Chen isn't good enough, but rather that she herself isn't good enough.

Compared to Eevee, I am neither as cute nor as strong, and even my talent is mediocre. I shouldn't drag her down.

Ugly Fish gazed pessimistically at the branch swaying with the current.

…………

The sky grew darker and darker, until Ugly Fish could barely see Xia Chen's face on the shore, but he could still hear Xia Chen's soft sigh.

Suddenly, the branch moved, as if it had lost control, and drifted away with the current.

Is he leaving?

Ugly Fish suddenly felt sad and wanted to cry, but when she was bullied by other elves, she never had such thoughts.

Ugly Fish was increasingly confused about himself, but the only thing he was clear about was that he regretted it.