Bottom-tier trainers in the Pokémon world

Seemingly afraid that Xia Yan might misunderstand, he added, "I wasn't intentionally trying to hide anything..."

"I see."

Xia Yan interrupted his explanation.

This is the most correct approach.

People who tell everyone they're an Alliance investigator and how amazing they are are the ones with something wrong with their brains.

Moreover, they are only in the reserve force.

"So, you came to Golden City with a mission?" Xia Yan lowered his eyes.

The biggest problem in Golden City is the Rockets, but this shouldn't be a secret in the league. After all, although the Rockets' activities in Golden City are discreet, it's unrealistic to expect them to escape the league's notice.

However, the Rockets have a complex network of relationships in Golden City and the entire Johto region. The best time to completely eliminate them has passed. Appropriate measures and suppression are the right approach.

So coming to Goldenrod City probably wasn't for Team Rocket.

Although Xia Yan can't be considered part of Team Rocket, he has seen a lot of Team Rocket's influence behind the Silver Elf Battle Club. This is currently his main, or even only, source of income, so being searched or shut down is not good news for him.

"Yes...and not quite..." Watari answered ambiguously.

"Ok?"

Are we talking about philosophy here?

Du smiled awkwardly, "Actually, it's not a secret. It's just that the alliance deliberately covered it up because it's not a good thing, and announcing it might cause some negative impact."

His words piqued Xia Yan's interest.

Wataru looked around at the dense forest and listened to the occasional sounds of wild Pokémon before whispering, "You know the Elite Four, right?"

"of course."

The alliance has established a champion and four kings in each region, representing the highest combat power of the alliance in that region, and also serving as a form of military deterrence.

Furthermore, both the champions and the Four Heavenly Kings wield considerable power in their respective regions, serving as de facto high-ranking officials and even capable of influencing the direction and development of the regional leagues to some extent.

"Did you know that the Four Heavenly Kings also have reserves?"

"The Four Heavenly Kings also have reserves?"

Xia Yan was somewhat surprised.

This was something he hadn't expected, but it was the alliance's specific rules, and it was understandable that he wasn't aware of them.

“Yes.” Wataru nodded, then his expression turned serious, and he said in a deep voice, “But not long ago, one of the Four Heavenly Kings’ reserves stole something that was very important to the Alliance and betrayed the Alliance.”

Betray the alliance?!

Is this kind of drama even possible?

It's no wonder the league is trying to suppress this kind of news; if it were released, it would likely cause a huge blow to the league's reputation.

There are two possibilities for defecting from the alliance: one is that he was never a member of the alliance to begin with, and the other is that he left the alliance for a purpose that is not permitted by the alliance.

But neither of them is a good thing.

To put it mildly, it's a case of the alliance misjudging people; to put it more bluntly, if there are traitors even among the Four Heavenly Kings' reserves, there might be such people among the Four Heavenly Kings themselves.

This is something the league absolutely must prevent.

"So you came to Golden City to investigate him?" Xia Yan asked again, his expression somewhat strange.

It's not that I look down on Wataru, it's just that the current Wataru is far behind even the Four Heavenly Kings, let alone the Four Heavenly Kings' reserve members.

Seeing Xia Yan's expression, Du said helplessly, "After he left, he quickly concealed his identity and disappeared without a trace. Even the Alliance couldn't find a clue. I just thought he might be in Golden City, so I came. To be precise, this was not an Alliance mission; it was my personal action."

Of course, challenging the Goldenrod Gym is also a significant reason.

With that explained it, Xia Yan understood.

Crossing is like a blind cat searching for a live mouse, taking a chance.

I'll also challenge Sabrina at the Saffron City Gym.

"Then what does that have to do with this power outage?" Xia Yan pressed.

"do not know."

"do not know?"

Seeing Du's expression of "Don't ask me, I don't know either," I was speechless.

"I just think that if he really is hiding in Golden City, he might be the one who caused this. I did some investigation before because of the power outage, and the only thing I can be sure of is that the previous line problem was caused by someone."

Hearing this, Xia Yan felt a little relieved.

Whether it's the Four Heavenly Kings or the Four Heavenly Kings in the future, neither he nor Wataru can handle them. If he were at the power plant, going there now would be suicide.

But since it's all just Watari's speculation, it's relatively less dangerous.

With such a large alliance, encompassing so many regions and cities, it's impossible for the other side to just obediently stay in the Kanto region, right?

Think for a second.

If Xia Yan were one of the prospective Four Heavenly Kings, he would probably already be in an area where the Alliance's control is not so secure.

For example, Alora and Legar are both great places.

Hanging around under the nose of the Kanto Alliance is like shining a light in a toilet.

"We still need to be careful. If we encounter any unexpected situations, I think it's more reliable for us to notify the alliance as soon as possible," Xia Yan added.

"Yes, I know what I'm doing," Watari replied.

The two had already ventured quite a distance, passing through the relatively safe initial area, and were now about to enter an area where wild Pokémon were more active.

Although it may not pose any threat to the two of them, it is still necessary to be cautious.

“Unicorn Bug, be on alert,” Xia Yan said to Unicorn Bug.

"Woo—" The unicorn beetle blinked its deep purple eyes. Without Xia Yan's reminder, it had already been paying attention to its surroundings as soon as it entered the forest.

I, the Unicorn Bug, am extremely careful!

Similarly, there's Wataru's Dratini.

Although the Dratini looks delicate, it is quite capable when it comes to doing things, which shows that Lance's training of it is very effective.

They hadn't been gone long.

"Waaah!"

"Mmm!"

Almost simultaneously, the unicorn and the dwarf dragon both emitted warning sounds.

Xia Yan and Du followed their gaze.

------

Chapter 41 First Experience of Cooperation

fluttering—

With the sound of flapping wings, two large-mouthed bats flew out of a hole in the tree.

Their eyes were red, as if Xia Yan and Du's arrival had disturbed their rest.

Their enormous mouths were open, and invisible sound waves and patterns emanated from them. The waves spread out, and the ultra-high frequency sound made Xia Yan and Du feel a sharp pain in their heads.

"A unicorn beetle!"

"Mini Dragon!"

The two shouted out almost simultaneously, and their respective spirits understood perfectly what they should do at that moment.

"Waaah!"

The unicorn beetle spat out a spider web, accompanied by leaping arcs of lightning, which directly enveloped the two giant beaked bats.

"Mmm!"

A yellow halo appeared above the Dratini's head, followed by a ball of yellow, thread-like electricity that flew towards the Zubat at the same time.

Strangely, as Weedle's electric net and Dratini's electromagnetic wave approached each other, the two Electric-type moves actually merged together.

The lightning leaping across the power grid grew brighter, and the wispy yellow currents stretched and covered the grid like a spider web, doubling its coverage area.

This was something neither Xia Yan nor Du had expected.

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes, and then smiled knowingly.

An unexpected delight.

When the Zubats saw the electric-type move they dislike approaching, they immediately stopped using ultrasonic attacks and flapped their wings to dodge to the sides.

However, they did not expect that the two originally unrelated moves would merge in mid-air, their effects expanding and extending to each other, and the electric net, which expanded several times, suddenly exceeded their predicted dodge range.

Sizzle sizzle...

The electric-rich spider webs stuck directly to their bodies and wings.

"Ahhh!!" Both beaked bats were simultaneously stimulated by the electric current and stuck to the spider web. Their wings flapped several times in mid-air before they could barely control their bodies.

But you can see yellow electricity flashing on their wings.

Paralyzing effect!

"Watari, you take the lead, I'll support you."

Xia Yan gave a low shout and, taking advantage of the other party's obstructed movement, assigned tasks to each other.

Zubat is a Poison/Flying-type Pokémon, while Weedle's Poison and Bug-type moves are somewhat weak against it, making a direct attack unwise.

If it's just Xia Yan alone, then there's no other way but to choose a risky and uncertain attack.

But now it's not just him alone; there's also Lance and his Dratini.

At this point, it is clearly most appropriate to hand over the main offensive power to the Dratini.

"it is good!"

Du Ye instantly grasped the situation, but before he could speak, Xia Yan spoke first.