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

However, there was no joy on Cynthia's face as she looked at Xia Chen again; her expression was as cold as the unyielding ice on a silver mountain.

Xia Chen shivered involuntarily, and said awkwardly, "The sea breeze is quite cold tonight... Shall we go inside and talk?"

Cynthia didn't reply, but calmly walked into the cabin. Garchomp glanced at Xia Chen with pity before following her in.

Xia Chen followed closely behind with a bitter face.

Ten minutes later, in the ship's dining room.

Xia Chen placed two steaming plates of seafood fried rice, one large and one small, on the table, and then sat down opposite the two women.

"I made something simple, you guys eat first."

Cynthia remained silent, while Garchomp let out a soft growl in gratitude before burying its head in its food.

After flying from Sinnoh to Padilla for ten consecutive hours, even Cynthia's ace Garchomp was starting to tire.

Although Cynthia didn't say anything, she didn't refuse the fragrant seafood fried rice in front of her.

She's never the kind of fool who would punish herself for someone else's mistakes. Whoever makes her unhappy, she'll make them unhappy in return.

However, I haven't eaten for a long time, so I'm a bit hungry.

Picking up her spoon, Cynthia savored the flavor she had longed for in small sips.

Seeing that Cynthia didn't refuse, Xia Chen chuckled, then ran to the kitchen and brought out a pot of freshly heated chicken soup. He fawned over Cynthia, ladled a bowl of it, and handed it to her.

"The fried rice is a bit dry, so don't choke."

Cynthia accepted it without ceremony, blew on it lightly, and slowly drank it.

Although she ate elegantly and unhurriedly, in just ten minutes, the plates and bowls in front of Cynthia were completely empty.

"Shall I make some more?"

Xia Chen asked tentatively.

"No, I'm full."

Cynthia finally spoke, her tone flat and devoid of any particular emotion.

But the more this happened, the more terrified Xia Chen became. He had never seen Sister Zhu Lan like this before since he met her.

Therefore, Xia Chen decided to turn himself in to have his sentence reduced.

"Sister Zhulan, I was wrong!"

In any case, you should first show a sincere attitude of admitting your mistakes.

If it were an ordinary woman, she would probably ask "What did you do wrong?" with a serious expression, but is Cynthia an ordinary woman?

Obviously not.

She said nonchalantly, "Really? I don't think you did anything wrong. You reported the special circumstances to the alliance in a timely manner, actively cooperated with the work, and finally resolved the issue. Everyone was happy. Where is there anything wrong with that?"

Xia Chen: "......"

Sister Zhulan, why are you not following the script...?

The words of explanation he wanted to say were stuck in his throat, and Xia Chen stammered, unsure of what to say.

At times like this, anything you say will be wrong.

…………

Xia Chen remained silent, but Cynthia, who had her arms crossed, suddenly asked, "I've been the Sinnoh Champion for over a year now. Do you know how many trainers have died in accidents during that time?"

The Sinnoh region has a total population of over 100 million, with approximately 30 million registered trainers. Excluding those in most cities who just keep a few Pokémon for fun, there are probably close to 10 million professional trainers.

So Xia Chen tentatively guessed, "...Ten thousand?"

A mortality rate of one in a thousand is already a very alarming figure.

Cynthia shook her head. "Only a few hundred cases were reported to the League."

Xia Chen was surprised. Hundreds of cases... There must be more people who die in car accidents every year than that, right?

Of course, he didn't mean to belittle life; he just didn't understand why Sister Zhulan was citing this data.

Cynthia changed the subject, "However, in less than two years, as many as 30,000 trainers have gone missing."

Xia Chen remained silent. Disappearance... was practically a death sentence.

There are so many unexplored places in this world. Who knows which chasm those people stumbled into, or which forest they perished in, becoming nourishment for nature?

"For the league, this is really a trivial matter, because the number of registered trainers in the Sinnoh League has not only not declined, but has even been gradually increasing year by year. Some people have disappeared, and some have joined. This is just a normal thing."

Her tone was indifferent, as if she were stating something self-evident, which was indeed true. No one forced the trainers to run into the dangerous wilderness. Whether they died or went missing, who could they blame?

Xia Chen felt a slight tremor in his heart, because his parents had also disappeared three years ago... seemingly because they were engaged in some kind of research.

"It seems you've figured something out, haven't you?"

Xia Chen looked up and stared directly into Xilona's eyes.

The ice melted, and in her watery eyes flowed anger, worry, lingering fear... and something else that was hard to explain.

Xia Chen suddenly smiled.

Cynthia frowned, her anger intensifying. "What are you laughing at?"

Xia Chen replied honestly, "I was wondering how someone could look so good even when they're angry..."

Cynthia scoffed, "What you're saying is useless to me; you should say it to the little girl inside."

Xia Chen's expression froze.

This woman is so stubborn... but she was clearly telling the truth.

Despite saying that, Cynthia's expression visibly softened, and she suddenly said, "I'm hungry again."

Xia Chen chuckled: "What do you want to eat? I'll make it."

"casual."

"How about we make another plate of seafood fried rice?"

"I'm tired of it."

"...How about a bowl of noodles?"

"I do not want to eat."

"...What would you like to eat?"

"casual."

"..."

…………

After enduring quite a while, Xia Chen finally went to the kitchen and cooked a pot of seafood porridge.

With Ai Guanshi in charge of controlling the heat in the kitchen, Xia Chen sat back down at the table to chat with Xilona.

They were so focused on getting angry and apologizing that they didn't have a proper chance to catch up after their long-awaited reunion.

"Sister Zhulan, you didn't come all the way from Sinnoh, did you?"

Cynthia rolled her eyes at her, annoyed. "Otherwise what?"

"Thank you for your hard work, especially since you flew all this way..."

Xia Chen's tone was quite distressed.

Sinnoh and Padia are far apart, requiring a seven- or eight-hour flight, yet Cynthia came directly over in Garchomp.

Keep in mind that Garchomp's body is not as comfortable as an airplane.

Although the Garchomp can use energy to form a protective shield to block the airflow during high-speed flight, the overall riding experience is still quite poor.

A short trip of half an hour is fine, but nearly ten hours... that's not just tiring, it's torture.

Cynthia shook her head. She spent most of her time training and exploring ruins, so this little bit of hardship was nothing to her.

"Let's not talk about that. How's that elf you risked your life to save?"

What do you mean by "risking her life to save her"? She was clearly just an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire, and she's even making sarcastic remarks. What a petty woman...

Xia Chen thought to himself, but said, "You mean Gu Leton? Maybe because he suffered two serious injuries, he's currently in a state of limited strength, and as for their relationship... well, you could say they're engaged."

Strictly speaking, the Poké Ball that captured Guleton is still with someone else. Legally speaking, Xia Chen is a young, blond guy who wants to work at the Zero Research Institute.

Cynthia raised an eyebrow in surprise, "You tamed it?"

Having watched the live stream on Garchomp, she witnessed the [Legendary Battle] and naturally knew that they were true legendary Pokémon.

Capturing a legendary Pokémon... How long has it been since we've heard of something like this happening?

Humans and elves have coexisted for so many years, and there have been many instances of taming legendary elves... no, strictly speaking, it should be "forming agreements and contracts with legendary elves."

These humans are called Beast Tamers, and historical records mention several Beast Tamers, such as Suijun, the three legendary birds, Darkrai, and Kuma...

However, the last time a divine beast wielder appeared was a hundred years ago.

If nothing unexpected happens, Xia Chen is currently the first known Beast Master of the 21st century.

She then remembered another legendary Pokémon that had appeared earlier that day and suddenly asked, "By the way, what about the legendary Pokémon that saved you? Was it also related to you?"

Xia Chen gave the same explanation: "Its name is Deoxys. It came to Earth from outer space with a meteorite. I once saved it."

However, while this might fool Kiju, it wouldn't fool Cynthia.

She looked at Xia Chen with some suspicion, "Is that all? I feel like you're still hiding something..."

Xia Chen thought for a moment and said, "There is a little bit, and the reason is a bit... scary. Do you want to know? I'll tell you if you do."

Although Cynthia was completely trustworthy, the fact that a human could transform into an elf was still a horrifying thing, and Xia Chen didn't want to frighten anyone unless absolutely necessary.

"Never mind then, I'm not interested."

Cynthia shook her head understandingly and then asked, "Is the porridge ready?"

Xia Chen smiled gratefully at Xilona and replied, "Is that about right? I'll go take a look."

A short while later, he came out carrying a pot of fragrant, piping hot porridge.

It was quite late, and Xia Chen was a little hungry. The two of them each filled a bowl and chatted as they drank.