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

The Etherland explosion... I've never heard of anything like that, at least not in games or anime.

So, what level does this world come into being?

If it were a chemical plant, the possibility of an explosion would be quite high, but Etherland clearly doesn't have any of those easily explosive hazardous chemicals, at least not on the surface.

So the source of the explosion might be the power of the elves?

The explosion must have been incredibly powerful, capable of causing the deaths and injuries of over a dozen people and Pokémon. It must have been at least as powerful as Leon's Charizard using Dynamax Hellfire after Gigantamaxing.

There are definitely not many elves like that. If it's related to Etherland... could it be Bomb Head Clown, one of the Ultra Beasts?

It is indeed a highly probable scenario, but it is all just speculation without evidence. The truth might be that Rosamund is developing some kind of firearms.

…………

While I was thinking, the call was already connected.

"Hello, good morning, teacher. What can I do for you?"

Lillie's voice was somewhat languid, as if she had just been asleep.

Xia Chen breathed a sigh of relief. "Are you alright? That's good."

Lillie was a little confused; her head, already groggy from just waking up, became even more disoriented.

"Huh? What's wrong with me... Do I need something done?"

Xia Chen asked, "Where did you sleep last night? Not at Etherland Park?"

Although she didn't know why Xia Chen asked that, Lillie still answered honestly, "No, I've been staying in Hao'ao City recently because it's convenient to visit you, teacher."

Xia Chen smiled wryly, never expecting that this reason would inadvertently allow Lillie to escape this accident.

"Anyway, I'm glad you're alright."

Xia Chen said, "Well... something bad happened at Etherland last night. You can check the news yourself. I don't know the specifics. Maybe you need to contact your family now."

There was a moment of silence on the other end, followed by a sudden scream.

"what--"

"I saw the news, thank you for letting me know. I'm sorry, I have to hang up now and will call you back later!"

After saying that, Lillie hurriedly hung up the phone, presumably to contact Lusamine or Gladion.

Xia Chen also took the opportunity to look at the details of the news—

In reality, the content is just an expansion of the title's nonsense, because Ether Paradise is highly confidential, and the cause, process, and ending of the event are not explained in detail.

All that is known is that the fire has been extinguished and that Lusamine is still alive.

It seems the only way to find out more details is to ask Lillie.

After waiting for about half an hour, Lillie finally called, "I'm sorry, teacher, you've been waiting for so long."

The girl's voice was choked with emotion, and Xia Chen guessed that she might have just been crying.

He asked with concern, "It's alright. By the way, how are your family members?"

Lillie replied, "Thank you for your concern. They are all fine, but... many people and elves died in the explosion."

Xia Chen pondered for a moment and asked, "Are the elves dead too?"

Logically, because instant-death injuries cause a magical [near-death] state, elves are more likely to survive accidents than humans.

However, the explosion was most likely accompanied by a fire, and perhaps they perished in the subsequent fire?

This is yet another unfounded speculation.

…………

Bringing himself back to reality, Xia Chen suddenly asked, "Did your mother say anything to you about this?"

Lillie paused for a moment, then replied, "My mother told me not to go back to the island for the time being, and besides that... she also mentioned you."

Xia Chen's heart skipped a beat. "She mentioned me? What did she say?"

"Well... Mother originally wanted to invite you to our home, but in the end she said it wasn't necessary."

Xia Chen remained silent for a moment.

Lusamine was not surprised that Lillie had been in contact with him. The Aether Foundation in Alola was basically like the Marocmon Group in Galar—both were behemoths with influence in both the legitimate and criminal worlds.

It's easy to find out about a young lady's contact with a world-shaking figure with just a little attention.

Xia Chen thought Lusamine would pretend not to know, but unexpectedly she took the initiative to invite him out, although he eventually gave up on the idea.

What is this woman really thinking...?

"Teacher, are you still listening?"

Lillie's voice interrupted Xia Chen's thoughts. He snapped out of his reverie and said, "I'm here. What's wrong?"

"Although it's not the appointed time yet... I'd like to visit you tomorrow, is that alright?"

Lillie's firm voice came from the other end of the phone, sounding as if she had made up her mind.

Xia Chen smiled slightly, "Of course, what would you like to eat? I'll prepare it."

Lillie's voice was slightly embarrassed and annoyed, "I didn't come to you just for food... Um, I want to eat that tomato and tomato sour fish soup from last time, and the lychee shrimp balls..."

Xia Chen chuckled, "No one can escape the 'it smells so good' law when it comes to my cooking."

"Got it. See you tomorrow."

"Okay, see you tomorrow, teacher."

After hanging up the phone, Xia Chen fell into deep thought.

He remembered that his parents had mentioned in a letter that there were five Ultra Beasts discovered so far, and the Bomb Head Clown was not among them.

However, that information was from four years ago and is no longer relevant, so it is highly likely that the clown with the head was discovered during that period.

So, could the explosion have been caused by the Bang Head Joker?

Xia Chen recalled the information about this ultimate monster.

The Pompom Clown sprite isn't scary in the animation; instead, it's rather comical and cute.

In fact, apart from Guzzlord, the other Ultra Beasts are portrayed in a neutral to positive light in the anime.

However, the Pokémon anime is ultimately geared towards children, especially Sun and Moon, which focuses on everyday school life. Regarding Ultra Beasts, Xia Chen prefers the descriptions in the Pokédex.

It will suddenly detonate its head to attack the opponent, and then take the opportunity to absorb his life energy.

The description is quite plain, but the information it reveals is rather terrifying.

Therefore, a powerful enough Bomb-Headed Joker has both the capability and the motivation to cause a massive explosion.

If it really is the Bomb Head Joker, did the Aether Foundation ultimately succeed in containing it?

Is Lusamine's desire to see herself related to the Bomb Head Clown, or perhaps to all Ultra Beasts?

Xia Chen rubbed his temples.

Why does it seem like the more you understand something, the more mysteries appear?

The more you know, the more mysteries you discover; the more mysteries you discover, the less you know.

Therefore, the more you know, the less you actually know...

Xia Chen felt as if he had discovered an incredible theory.

…………

The explosion at Etherland Park only bothered Xia Chen for a short while and did not have much direct impact on his vacation.

When she came to her senses, Zeraora was already playing with the Pokémon in the living room, truly "becoming one" with them in the game.

Perhaps due to the connection between physical speed and reaction speed, Zeraora possessed exceptional gaming talent. After mastering the controls, she quickly became a top player, second only to Draco and Sylvanas.

Its temporary physical weakness led it to devote even more energy to fighting in the game, much like a teenager with boundless energy becoming addicted to virtual pleasure.

Watching Zeraora become increasingly addicted to the game, Xia Chen stroked his chin and gave a wicked smile.

With multiple approaches combined, once Zeraora has recovered from its injuries, it will likely be unable to escape the gentle web I have carefully woven for it.

Leisurely time always flies by, and before you know it, another day has passed.

As I approached Zeraora and saw the night outside the window, I felt as if I had stepped into another world.

What did I do that... and the day just passed like that?

Zeraora silently questioned his own soul, followed by an overwhelming sense of guilt that spread throughout his body.

Playing games, eating, being forced to take a nap on the bed by Xia Chen, spacing out, eating again, and then it's evening...

What Zeraora was unaware of was that this psychological phenomenon was extremely common in human society.

It's basically like spending the whole holiday reading novels and playing games without doing a single word of homework, then reflecting on it with guilt and self-blame that's useless, and then repeating the same cycle the next day until the holiday ends... that's it.

However, unlike those humans who completely degenerated, Zeraora made a change after reflection—

It decided to join the nighttime training of the Sylphs!

That way, at least today won't be too unproductive.

Xia Chen did not object to this. Although Zeraora's injury had not fully healed, moderate exercise would help with recovery.

This is a good opportunity for him to introduce Zeraora to more scientific and systematic training methods and combat strategies.

This is not Xia Chen's arrogance.

Despite being a powerful legendary Pokémon, Zeraora has its flaws.

For example, the training methods are too simplistic, and the combat style is too one-dimensional.

This was also demonstrated in last night's incident. Xia Chen can guarantee that if it were Senbu or Milotic in that situation, they would have been able to escape 100%.

But this isn't Zeraora's problem; rather, it's that it's always been limited by its status as a wild Pokémon.

Chapter 495 Lillie's Plea for Help

That is the value of a trainer.

Leaving aside providing emotional value to the spirits, more systematic training, more comprehensive combat strategies, and most importantly, comprehensive information gathering.