Why is my Pokémon girl a bit strange?

and Vulpix, and their levels were only around 26.

With such a significant level difference, Qiao Ran couldn't be sure if Suicune and Dianxi could handle their opponents. Moreover... there were four of them, and each one was identically powerful.

This was going to be tough!

"I'll go easy on you. As for your Pokémon... they look quite rare. We'll take good care of them for you, keep them nice and plump."

The leader let out a sinister chuckle and commanded a pack of Mightyena to surround Qiao Ran. The large black dogs moved swiftly, their astonishing speed and coordination clearly indicating they had undergone considerable training.

Furthermore, to prevent Qiao Ran from escaping, the Mightyena formed a encirclement from four directions. Since the other team members had entered the cave, the leader had to handle this alone. However, for such a minor situation, he alone was more than enough.

"Dianxi! Vulpix! You two come out and help too. We'll find a direction to break through!"

Qiao Ran didn't dare to delay and threw out all his Poké Balls. As for Rotom... she didn't actually have any combat capability to deploy, so Qiao Ran didn't bring her out to embarrass herself.

"Awooooo."

"Tee!"

As soon as Vulpix and Dianxi landed, they understood the situation outside. Connected to Qiao Ran through their affection, they instantly felt his anxious emotions.

"Oh? There are other Pokémon too?"

The leader's gaze swept over Vulpix and Dianxi, finally settling on Dianxi's gems.

Those dazzling pink diamonds were always so eye-catching.

"Another one I haven't seen before... but whatever, it'll all be the same in the end."

He paid no mind to the two small Pokémon that appeared later, but this was the common thought of most people. They believed that Pokémon strength was largely related to size and appearance; the larger and more imposing they looked, the stronger they usually were. For Pokémon barely over half a meter tall... they probably wouldn't be very strong. A larger Pokémon could probably crush them with a single stomp.

"Mightyena, Encirclement!"

The leader pointed his finger and issued a simultaneous command to four Mightyena. The four large dogs lunged at their opponents ferociously.

Encirclement—though the name sounded plain and unadorned, it was a legitimate Dark Type move that increased the number of attacks based on the number of companions. It was incredibly suitable for a situation like this.

However, what happened next caused the leader's eyes to widen.

The pink, small Pokémon he had been ignoring actually charged to the very front. With both hands outstretched, she used her body to physically block the attacks of two Mightyena.

"This..." The leader was utterly dumbfounded.

As for the other two, one was entangled by the blue wolf-like Pokémon, while the other began a fierce battle with Vulpix.

"Dianxi, are you alright?"

"Tee! Tee-tee-tee-tee!"

Qiao Ran was a little worried about Dianxi's condition, especially since she was facing two Mightyena that were a full 11 levels higher than her. Qiao Ran feared she wouldn't be able to hold on. However, Dianxi indicated she could manage. She was quite confident in her durability. Most importantly, the Dark Type Mightyena couldn't leverage their full advantage against the Fairy Type Dianxi; their Dark Type attacks would have their damage halved.

Dianxi might not be able to defeat them, but they certainly couldn't take down Dianxi immediately!

This was her confidence as a tank!

"Alright, I'll leave that side to you for now. Vulpix and I will handle this one here."

Although still a bit worried, since Dianxi was confident, Qiao Ran entrusted that battlefield to her. Both Dianxi and Suicune were known for their resistances. Even when facing Mightyena that were much higher in level, they could still hold their ground.

It was Vulpix's situation that concerned Qiao Ran the most. Vulpix had neither a level advantage nor a stat advantage against Mightyena. He could only fight alongside Vulpix to find a sliver of hope.

"Vulpix, dodge to the left, then jump up! Yes, now, use Powder Snow!!"

A Mightyena lunged viciously at Vulpix, but the small white beast seemed to have grown a second pair of eyes, narrowly dodging all of its attacks. Then, she spat out a gust of Powder Snow, spraying the Mightyena right in the face.

"...???"

Watching the chaotic battlefield, the leader's head was filled with question marks. His elite Mightyena pack was usually invincible; they could even contend with powerful Adventurers who had been traveling for a long time. How were they now locked in a stalemate with their opponents?

Shouldn't this have been a one-sided battle?

"Mightyena, continue the Encirclement!"

Since he had to command four Pokémon simultaneously, the leader could only provide rough combat guidance. In contrast, on Qiao Ran's side, Suicune and Dianxi could fight independently, and he only needed to focus on directing Vulpix's precise movements.

The battle was gradually dragging on, and Qiao Ran was

constantly looking for an opportunity to escape. He knew that continuing to fight like this wasn't a solution; the suppression from levels and numbers was very real. However... perhaps due to the extended time, the situation he least wanted to see still occurred.

Several men and women in strange attire rushed out of the cave, all holding black bags, though it was unclear what was inside. However, upon seeing the situation outside, they immediately charged forward, releasing their Pokémon and joining the encirclement of Qiao Ran.

Instantly, countless lights flared up. Qiao Ran, Dianxi, and the others were completely surrounded by the opponents' Pokémon, and the battle began to turn decisively one-sided.

"This is bad... I can't hold on much longer!"

Qiao Ran took a deep breath. The intense command, like dancing on the edge of a blade, was also an extreme drain on his mental energy. By now, his vision was starting to blur slightly.

"Stop resisting. I told you, we'll make things easier for you. We'll take good care of your Pokémon too, hehehe."

The leader raised an eyebrow, appearing to have victory in his grasp. He was already contemplating how much he could sell Qiao Ran's Pokémon for after he captured them.

"Mightyena, Sucker Punch!"

"Woof!"

The Mightyena turned into a black blur and lunged directly at Qiao Ran. This time, the attack was aimed at the trainer himself!

"...!" Qiao Ran's eyes widened.

However, at that critical moment, a figure engulfed in flames suddenly streaked across the sky, intercepting the charging Mightyena.

Qiao Ran looked closely and realized it was a Talonflame—a Talonflame had just blocked the attack for him!

Not only that, but after colliding with the Talonflame, the Mightyena was sent flying straight out, collapsing on the ground and completely losing consciousness.

"This..."

Qiao Ran blinked. What in the world had just happened?

At the same time, a woman riding a Skarmory appeared in the sky.

She looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties, with long, sky-blue hair. Her legs were crossed, her feet slightly raised, and her expression held a hint of amusement and laziness.

"Let's see... who wants to be taken care of?"

"!"

The woman was quite beautiful, but the moment they heard her voice, the strange individuals surrounding Qiao Ran trembled uncontrollably as if they had seen a ghost.

"F-Flying Heavenly King?!?!"

How could someone like that possibly be here?!

Section 23: 023 [Flying Heavenly King]

"F-Flying Heavenly King?"

The moment he heard the title, Qiao Ran's expression turned peculiar, and he couldn't help but think of a certain cloaked man with spiky red hair.

However, upon clearly seeing that the person was a woman, and a very beautiful one at that, Qiao Ran realized that the Flying Heavenly King before him was not who he had imagined.

"Hurry! Retreat! Everyone, retreat!"

The large group of people who had been surrounding Qiao Ran instantly abandoned their attack and began to scatter. While they could overwhelm Qiao Ran with their numbers, their numbers were of little use against an opponent of a Heavenly King's caliber.

Numbers might have some effect during a battle, but when the opponent is overwhelmingly powerful, no matter how many times you add them up, it's just an accumulation of ineffective figures.

"Where do you think you're going, poachers?"

The woman leaned against her Skarmory, yawned lightly, and twitched her fingers.

The Talonflame in mid-air seemed to receive an order and instantly shot out at extreme speed. Its wings glowed with a silvery-white light, and in a flash, it struck down the hovering helicopter, sending it crashing onto the cliffside.

The fleeing poachers cried out in alarm. This move had effectively cut off their escape route; they had nowhere left to run!

"Let's fight!"

The poachers rolled up their sleeves, preparing for a decisive battle with the woman. However, the Talonflame was like a deadly blade; as it charged into the group of Pokémon, it managed to knock out several of the opponents' Pokémon in an instant.

"Such speed!"

Qiao Ran, standing nearby, watched in stunned silence. The extraordinary speed and grace seemed to captivate all his attention. Was this the power of a Heavenly King?

There was no unnecessary flourish; the battle was over the moment they made their move.

Qiao Ran took out his Rotom Phone and checked the data. He was astonished to find that the Talonflame's level had reached an incredible 52, while the Skarmory had even reached level 54.

So... strong...

"Aoww~"

Suicune nudged Qiao Ran, licking the scrape on the back of his hand with its tongue. It seemed to sense Qiao Ran's emotions and came closer.

"Yeah, we'll become that strong too... No, we'll become even stronger than this."

Qiao Ran patted its cheek, indicating he was fine. He didn't shrink back or become afraid upon seeing a strong individual; instead, he felt admiration and longing.

Meanwhile, after the Talonflame had brought down the helicopter, it began to clear out the bad guys. Watching its body engulfed in roaring flames, Qiao Ran's fighting spirit was ignited.

If he could possess such strength, he could also resolve his opponents like this...

"Become stronger," Qiao Ran murmured to himself.

Just as Qiao Ran was immersed in that extraordinary power, the woman riding the Skarmory had finished dealing with the group of villains. After handing them over to her Pokémon to guard, she approached Qiao Ran.

"Little brother~ Were you the one who reported the information to the League earlier?"

She tucked a strand of her sky-blue hair behind her ear and looked Qiao Ran up and down.

"Yes, I reported it. I sent it out because something felt strange."

While the woman observed Qiao Ran, he was also observing her.

Undeniably, she was a very beautiful woman, exuding a mature aura mixed with a hint of youthful innocence, like a friendly older sister. Furthermore, she possessed a unique, rather languid charm.

Just looking at her gentle face made Qiao Ran feel an urge to find a bed and lie down to sleep.

He was truly a bit sleepy.

"Hmm... you're quite perceptive, noticing something was wrong with these people. They're all poachers within Huaxia, doing bad things like stealing Pokémon. This time, they were targeting the ruins here... Also, your Pokémon look quite special, children I haven't seen before."

The woman nodded gently, her gaze finally settling on Qiao Ran's Pokémon. The Pokémon Qiao Ran used were indeed very special; there were even two that she hadn't seen before.

However, she didn't dwell on them too much, simply classifying them as undiscovered species. The most important point was that in this world, there wasn't really a concept of "legendary Pokémon." When people encountered unknown Pokémon, they simply considered them undiscovered.

A long, long time ago, this world wasn't like this at all. Pokémon had only appeared in the last few hundred years, so it lacked the fertile ground for nurturing Pokémon legends like the Pokémon world. Moreover, what Qiao Ran found very intriguing was—did legendary Pokémon truly exist in this world?

"Let me introduce myself first. My name is Yi Ruoyun, and I'm a Heavenly King of the Huaxia Alliance. I'm also currently serving as an Alliance Prosecutor. As for the Alliance Prosecutor position... you can think of it as something like a special police officer."

The older sister with long blue hair jumped off the Skarmory and shook hands with Qiao Ran.

"My name is Qiao Ran. I've just started my journey, and I only have one badge so far."

Qiao Ran extended his hand and gave a brief introduction of himself. Although his introduction was much humbler than hers, it didn't seem to make any difference.

However, after they shook hands, Qiao Ran noticed that she seemed to be staring intently at him, as if waiting for something.

"Um...? Is... is something wrong?"

"No... Don't you want an autograph or something? I've met many young boys and girls your age, and they all seem to really like autographs."

Looking at Yi Ruoyun's expectant gaze, Qiao Ran couldn't help but swallow.

"No... No, I don't? This is our first time meeting, isn't it?"

"It doesn't matter if it's our first time meeting. Do you really not need an autograph? I can sign your clothes too."

"No... No, thank you, I really don't need one."

As Yi Ruoyun took a step closer, a bead of cold sweat trickled down Qiao Ran's forehead. Why was she so insistent on autographs???

And please stop coming closer!

From Qiao Ran's perspective, he could only see two large, menacing shapes approaching him, obscuring his vision.

"Roar."

Finally, Suicune ran over from the side, blocking Yi Ruoyun, who was getting closer. She glared with incredibly vigilant eyes, staring furiously at this bipedal primate-like creature that had suddenly approached her master.

"Oh? What a spirited Pokémon."

Yi Ruoyun looked at Suicune with some surprise. In this Pokémon's eyes, she seemed to see emotions far richer than those of humans.

Generally speaking, many Pokémon do not possess such rich emotions and inner activities, which is why they usually require their trainer's commands to act during battles. However, when a Pokémon gains "spirit," it also gains the basic ability to fight on its own.

"This one..."