Pokémon, but cultural invasion

After saying that, he carried Lanxing into the thick rain.

The rain pattered, lightning flashed and thunder roared, occasionally illuminating the departing figure of Quanshu.

I saw him carrying Dean Lanxing across the puddles, gradually disappearing from sight.

Naz suddenly stopped.

Her hand pressed against her chest, a strange pang of sorrow spreading through her.

"What...is this feeling? It's like I can't breathe."

Naz frowned; she didn't understand, she really didn't understand.

Chapter 164 The Clouds Disperse and the Rain Clears (6K)

A network of emerald green vines intertwined to form a vine basket, supporting Lanxing on its back.

Quanshu suddenly felt a lightness in his weight, but the biggest problem was the puddles under his feet, which made it impossible to see the ground.

Unsure of how deep the next foothold in the water was, the uneven country road greatly slowed him down.

He carried Lanxing on his back, swaying back and forth, the usual light from his headlamp reflecting the torrential rain.

"Goo-"

Two Bobos led the way, and the dim white glow of a row of streetlights on Highway 7 could be vaguely seen.

It's good news that the lighting facilities are not temporarily out of service due to the heavy rain.

After wading through the fork in the road marked with a wooden sign, the uphill path leading to the highway is blocked by a fallen tree.

In windy weather, the more leafy a tree is, the more likely it is to be blown down.

"High speed star!"

Unwilling to take a detour, Izumo commanded Eevee to unleash a series of explosions, leaving a large hole in the tree trunk.

Under the command of the fox bandit, the Bulbasaur worked together to push the spring tree up the slope, and once they stepped onto the solid asphalt road, the road ahead suddenly opened up.

Two rows of lights stretched into the distance, descending from the ground.

But with just two legs, Izumi could not possibly carry someone to Golden City.

"Dark Raven, go find some transportation."

"Gah!"

Perhaps it was because the Dean was on his back that Izumi realized for the first time how well his commands worked on them.

He didn't really have much hope for the Dark Ravens. Most of the nearby villages were low-lying, and even if there were vehicles, they would have been submerged in water long ago, unless he could find a boat.

It would be great if there were Pokémon that could only be ridden.

Izumi secretly made up her mind that after this, she would definitely catch a large Flying-type Pokémon.

As I walked along the road, the inky clouds overhead looked like an overturned inkstone, pressing the entire night sky down extremely low.

Large raindrops pelted against the helmet, creating a jarring noise.

"sorry..."

Lanxing's voice was barely audible.

"Why should I apologize? You didn't do anything wrong."

Quanshu lifted her legs, slightly out of breath, and said, "Falls and sprains are accidents; you were just fulfilling your duties as the dean."

"If I hadn't fallen..."

Lanxing gripped his collar and shoulder, blaming herself, "If I had been more careful, you wouldn't have had to carry me to Golden City in the rain."

No, you've got one thing wrong.

Quanshu shook his head and said, "Even if you really have a broken bone, I have no obligation to help you."

"and you..."

Lanxing hesitated, wondering why Quanshu had helped her.

"Carrying you to the hospital was my personal choice, not just mine... Pshaw!"

Quanshu spat out the rainwater that had mixed with his mouth. "And everyone at the orphanage, they all went into the thunderstorm because they wanted to help you."

He laughed and said, "Do you know how many Pokémon overcame their fear and stepped forward when I announced that the Dean needed help?"

"So don't apologize. Wait until this rain stops, and then thank everyone properly."

"I will..."

The voice coming from that body was faint and weak, sounding completely unlike Lan Xing's usual stern and cold voice that shut everyone out.

"Gah!"

Soon after, two returning ravens circled overhead, seemingly having discovered something.

With a glimmer of hope, Quanshu looked toward the rice paddies to the side, following their guidance.

A small agricultural transport vehicle with wheels about half a person's height is wading through the overflowing water from the ditch and climbing up the slope onto the highway.

Quanshu shouted loudly, "Hey, uncle!"

The rice farmer driving the car seemed to sense something, and stopped to look around after getting on the road.

"You two little kids, what are you doing walking outside in this downpour?"

Upon approaching, the rice farmer spoke up, puzzled.

Quanshu quickly explained the situation, nodding as if he understood, "So it's Dean Lanxing who's going to the hospital. Get in the car, I'll take you there."

"Thank you so much, uncle."

A few vines lifted the two people into the truck bed, and the Pokémon, helping each other, also got into the truck.

"It's nothing serious, it's just that my car was recently submerged in water, and I don't know when it will break down again."

The rice farmer wiped his face, looked regretfully at the unharvested crops below, and said, "This rain came too fast and too suddenly. The remaining rice can only be saved after the rain stops and the water is drained."

The engine vibrated, and the transport vehicle bumped and jolted its way toward Golden City.

...

"Compare!"

The Pidgey perched on the edge of the car shook itself, wiping away the water droplets.

It stared at the spring tree with an arrogant and disdainful look in its eyes.

"So it was you, you've finally grown up."

Quanshu hadn't expected that the Pidgey he had rescued was also in this escort mission, and he reached out to pat its head.

"Compare--"

The Pidgey bird reacted quickly, spreading its wings and taking flight, disappearing into the thick, dark rain.

"Still just as timid."

Quanshu pouted.

The transport trucks weren't fast, but it took them a little over an hour to get into the suburban area of ​​Golden City.

After driving for a while, it became clear that the water on the road was getting deeper and deeper.

How does your leg feel now?

Lanxing touched the redness and swelling on her calf and said, "A lot of the ointment was washed away by the water, so I'm not sure if the swelling has lessened."

"Does it hurt? There's a towel in the bag you can bite on."

"...It's not like it's surgery without anesthesia, I can bear this little bit of pain."

Whether from the cold or the pain, her face was pale, and her words were utterly unconvincing.

"There's no need to be stubborn at this point, besides—"

As Quanshu was speaking, the engine suddenly stopped, and the transport truck, now without power, stalled in the floodwater.

"My car is broken, you'll have to walk the rest of the way on your own."

Rice farmers are not surprised at all by their vehicles breaking down. After being submerged in the fields a few times, they now praise the vehicle's good quality when it stalls.

"Two Bulbasaur are needed to take the old man home."

"Oh, you're too kind. I can walk by myself."

Quanshu jumped out of the car, into water that was knee-deep, with various debris floating around him.

Ignoring the uncle's advice, he left two Bulbasaur behind and continued forward with Lanxing on his back.

...

"Seed seed!"

After trekking for a while, the Bulbasaur suddenly realized that their feet could no longer touch the ground.

Their short legs paddle in the water; they can only swim.

With the water reaching above his knees, Quanshu said with a wry smile, "Let's stop here. It'll be troublesome if we run out of energy later."

He carried the rattan whip all the way without expending much energy.

"seed!"

The Bulbasaur, unwilling to give up, used their vine whips for support while also helping to lift Lanxing.

"You should go back to the orphanage."

Lanxing's words finally made the exhausted Bulbasaur stop. Fox Thief carried two weak Bulbasaur on his back and watched the two of them leave.

"Compare--"

The Pidgey birds, frightened by the spring tree, called out loudly and circled overhead.

"Why did this coward suddenly come back?"

The rain pounded on the water's surface, and along with Pidgey came more than twenty white ripples.

Goldfish, Squirtle, Poliwag...

"Jenny Jenny!"

One by one, blue bald heads emerged from the water, pushing a half-meter-wide wooden plank towards them and patting its surface.

"Does that mean we should sit on it?"

Quanshu placed Lanxing on the wooden plank, where it was steadily supported by seven or eight water-type spirits below.

He sat down cross-legged, and the little elf boat slowly started moving.

"This is much faster than walking."

Because the wooden board was not very large, Lanxing's legs could not bend easily.

Quanshu simply placed her legs on his knees while he was sitting cross-legged.

"The water is very dirty, so try to keep your wound away from the water."

Overwhelmed by the embarrassing posture, Lan Xing turned her head away, her eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings: "I know..."

More than twenty Water-type Pokémon spontaneously formed a relay team, carrying the plank forward in round after round.

The streetlights on both sides, receding into the distance, began to illuminate some shops with their windows and doors tightly shut.

We've arrived at the outskirts of Golden City.

The city's drainage system had not completely failed, and after a short uphill climb, the water level, which was thigh-deep, began to drop.

As night fell, not a single light was on in the five- or six-story residential buildings on the outskirts of the city.

A polygonal beast emerges from the phone screen.

Still no signal?

The dazed polygon nodded.