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

Without the boisterous Dorombalto, the entire team seemed to quiet down.

Or perhaps they were influenced by Xia Chen all along, and what they really wanted to do was to live a leisurely life by his side.

Time stands still in the mountains, and before he knew it, Xia Chen had been living in the Misty Forest for a whole month. In this secluded, idyllic life, he was able to relieve the pressure that had been building up over time.

If he hadn't consciously thought of it, he would have almost forgotten the threat of dark matter and the catastrophe of the ultimate world.

…………

The turning point came on an ordinary, unremarkable morning.

When Xia Chen crawled out of the tent carrying the fairy cloth, he suddenly discovered that the Cangxiang stone sculpture facing the "doorway" had been painted overnight.

The "stone sculpture" turned its head and glanced at Xia Chen, its calm eyes revealing a dignified and imposing presence.

Xia Chen shook his head and muttered to himself, "Damn, I got really excited, I saw the real Zangief..."

He looked down at the fairy cloth in his arms and asked in confusion, "Or am I still not awake?"

Xianbu rolled her eyes, opened her mouth and smacked Xia Chen's arm. She didn't use much force, but her sharp little tiger teeth still woke the sleepy Xia Chen up with a sharp pain.

What are you doing!

Xia Chen's shrill voice sounded like the crowing of a rooster.

Sylveon didn't answer his trainer's childish question. Instead, he jumped out of his arms and slowly walked up to Zacian.

He bowed his head in apology: "Buyi—(Respected Zacian-sama, I am very sorry to have disturbed your peaceful life. I apologize for the reckless behavior of my incompetent trainer.)"

Xia Chen behind him chuckled softly, thinking to himself, "Isn't all this shameless harassment of Cangxiang for the sake of you, you good-for-nothing Fairy Cloth?"

However, it wasn't appropriate to start a fight in front of Cangxiang right now, so he decided to wait until Cangxiang left before giving Senbu a good slap on the butt!

Over there, the dog and the cloth had already started communicating.

Cangxiang looked down at the Fairy Cloth, which was at least two sizes smaller than him, and said indifferently, "It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter how long you stay here. It's not a matter of disturbing you."

Senbu was a little puzzled. She thought that the fact that Zacian was willing to come out at least meant that it had the desire to communicate. Why did it say something like severing ties right from the start?

Was he trying to persuade Xia Chen to stop wasting his time and go home?

It's so hard to guess what mythical beasts are thinking...

After thinking for a moment, Senbu decided to put aside his ulterior motives and communicate honestly with Zacian, "Senbu—(Lord Zacian, the purpose of our visit is related to an evil and terrifying being.)"

Cangxiang remained expressionless, as if he had not heard what Senbu said.

In fact, that's what it was thinking too. The Dark Night Disaster had only been over a year ago, and Eterna's recent behavior had been quite ordinary.

The talk of the apocalypse and evil terror is nothing but alarmist rhetoric.

However, given Xia Chen's outstanding performance in the last Dark Night, Zacian decided to give them a chance to explain.

Seeing that Zacian didn't respond, Sylveon roughly understood its thoughts and continued, "This matter begins with the Ultra Cave discovered in Alola..."

…………

Explaining the Ultimate World and Dark Matter is not a simple or easy task.

Even though Souxiang didn't say a word, it took Senbu almost half an hour to explain, and she even doubted whether Souxiang could digest all this information at once.

Legend has it that elves are far more intelligent than ordinary elves and humans; judging from Zacian's thoughtful gaze, it understands everything.

Of course, there's a small chance they're just pretending to know what they don't, but given Zacian's prestige, there's probably no need for that.

Xia Chen was worried that Cangxiang would think they were making things up, so he specially called out his phone Rotom to play the video footage he had filmed in the Ultimate World.

Cangxiang didn't refuse and started reading it seriously.

The infinite length of life also means loneliness and boredom. It is uncertain whether the Dark Matter is as terrifying as described by Champa, but it is certainly deeply attracted to this mysterious and unknown world.

"Ultimate Beast...Dark Matter..."

Cangxiang murmured softly as he turned his gaze away, lost in thought.

Xia Chen didn't disturb them, leaving Xianbu there to keep them company. He went to the portable kitchen next to the tent and started making breakfast.

With the three big eaters, Minas, Doron, and Noodle Dragon, gone, Xia Chen's daily cooking pressure has been greatly reduced.

Unexpectedly, after he finished making breakfast, all the other Pokémon got up one after another, but Zacian was still standing there quietly, his posture unchanged, just like a statue.

Xia Chen didn't speak. Having interacted with legendary elves a lot, he knew that for these long-lived species, time was the least important thing.

Let alone an hour, even if it stood there for a day or a year, it would be no different from a moment for a human to Zacian.

After placing the extra breakfast in front of Zao Xiang, Xia Chen went back to eat with the elves.

Whether Zaxiang eats it or not is up to him; whether he prepares it or not is his own courtesy.

Fortunately, Cangxiang didn't spend the whole day thinking like Xia Chen had expected; it came to its senses around noon.

It didn't disturb Xia Chen, who was watching the intra-team training match between Xianbu and Saifuhao, but instead walked over to him and watched together.

Just as Sylvanas used the power of the earth to create countless sharp energy spears, forcing Saifu to a stop in front of the surrendering Saifu, Zacian suddenly condensed an energy that enveloped the two heavily injured Pokémon.

This unknown technique quickly healed the wounds of both Xianbu and Saifuhao, and Xia Chen, watching this scene from the side, was secretly delighted.

This proud and arrogant big dog has finally shown some kindness.

Chapter 538 The Thousand Layers of Tactics to Conquer Divine Beasts

Gaining the friendship of a legendary Pokémon is no easy feat, and even now, Xia Chen is not so arrogant as to believe that he has already gained Zacian's friendship.

Thanks to the cooperation they had built up that day, plus a month of neighborly friendship, Zacian was able to help heal Senbu and Cypher's injuries.

It was just a small favor for it.

Xia Chen thought so, but Cang Xiang's next words surprised and delighted him.

"I can't go to the Ultimate World with you regarding that dark matter."

Although it is a statement of refusal, the actual meaning it conveys is much richer than what is stated on the surface.

First of all, this answer is based on the premise that Zaxiang cares about and is seriously considering this matter.

Otherwise, it could just say, "What's it to me?" Of course, legendary elves are unlikely to be that bad, but the gist is the same.

However, Zacian said it wouldn't go to the Ultimate World, which meant that it subconsciously accepted that Xia Chen could make reasonable demands on it regarding this matter.

Xia Chen never had any illusions about taking Zacian to the Ultimate World. His purpose in coming here was to have Sylveon and Gardevoir train with him.

But now, it seems like we can reap more benefits from Zacian...

The reason is simple: Cangxiang thought Xia Chen came to it to ask it to save the world, so its expectations were very high.

Suddenly being reduced to helping train two Pokémon would be such a huge drop in status that Zacian might think, "Is that all there is to it?"

While it would certainly agree readily, Xia Chen would definitely not maximize his benefits.

So, he cautiously probed, "Since you can't go in person, Lord Cangxiang, how about... I borrow your sword?"

Zaxiang: "?"

Seeing Cangxiang looking at him with an expression that said, "How could someone be so shameless?", Xia Chen guiltily looked away.

In fact, this is also a sentence that further raises Cangxiang's psychological expectations, and it can be used in everything from negotiation to bargaining.

This was certainly not Xia Chen's ultimate goal. The "rotten sword" was Zacian's exclusive weapon, and the two were deeply intertwined.

Only Zacian can use it to transform from a battle-hardened warrior into the king of swords; for others, it's just a tetanus blade.

The script is still following Xia Chen's ideas.

After a brief silence, Cangxiang said, "Let's get another one. That sword is useless to you."

As expected, Xia Chen feigned a wronged "hmm" and after a long period of "thinking," he made another request.

"Then... could you please help me train my two Pokémon?"

Xia Chen looked dejected and said in a low voice, "I hope they can become stronger in this limited time, so that they won't be in a situation where they have to face the dark matter..."

He deliberately left his words unsaid, leaving the rest to be filled in by Cangxiang's imagination; making it too explicit would have the opposite effect.

Cangxiang's gaze had shifted from calm to a mixture of pity, guilt, and a touch of admiration and respect.

It particularly admires the noble character displayed by Xia Chen, a legendary spirit with high moral standards who takes it upon itself to protect the region.

Recalling the Dark Night incident, Xia Chen, an outsider, made tireless contributions to safeguarding the peace of Galar, and Xia Chen's image in its mind became even more lofty.

At this moment, Zacian even thought to himself, "I actually left such a noble human being hanging for a month and rejected him twice? I deserve to die!"

…………

Zacian, the guardian hero of Galar and the King of Swords, was easily won over by Xia Chen with just a few words.

She felt that the outside world's perception of Xia Chen was biased. What "humanoid Absol"? He was clearly a "divine beast treasure"!

When he retires, he won't need to do anything else; just writing a book like "Xia Chen's Thousand-Layered Tactics for Conquering Divine Beasts" will be enough for him to achieve financial freedom.

However, although it seemed like Xia Chen was manipulating Cang Xiang, in reality, every word Xia Chen said was perfectly reasonable.

On a grander scale, his ultimate goal is to protect the ultimate world and the peace of this world. It is precisely because justice is on his side that Xia Chen can appear so calm.

Returning our gaze to Zacian, it was still lost in thought, moved by Xia Chen's noble qualities, when suddenly, a gust of wind swept by, and the next second, a majestic elf with a similar figure to Zacian and red fur appeared before Xia Chen.

Xia Chen tidied his wind-blown hair and squinted at the elf.

Zamazenta, the Shield King.

Compared to its sister, Zamran, Zamran was more robust, and the scars on its deep red fur were more ferocious.

The biggest difference lies in their temperaments. Cangxiang is a blend of wisdom, courage, calmness, and compassion, while Zangmarante can be described in one word: reckless.

Strangely enough, even though it didn't do anything, it still made Xia Chen associate it with that word.

"I can help you."

This was the first thing Zamarant, the Shield King, said after he appeared.

"If needed, I can go to the Ultimate World with you."

Xia Chen was immediately taken aback. Such a big surprise right from the start?

Zangmarante is a good guy to get along with; he'll really step up when something's wrong!

"Didn't I tell you not to come out yet?"