On the back of that "wolf" was a blurry human figure, but it seemed to be surrounded by a faint mist, and no one could see it clearly.
"Wh-What is that?"
"A Pokémon? A Pokémon is running on the water??"
"Oh my god..."
A series of incomprehensible things unfolded before their eyes, leaving them gaping. There were plenty of Pokémon that could live in water, but as far as they knew, there definitely wasn't a single one that could run across the surface like this!
And it even looked like a wolf. Why could a wolf run on water???
The question was as absurd as seeing a jellyfish swimming through the air.
"Take pictures! Hurry up and take pictures!"
"Right, right, pictures!"
Someone suddenly shouted, snapping the stunned crowd out of their daze. They all pulled out their cameras and began filming. Some even stood by the railing, wanting to take a photo with that strange silhouette.
No one knew what that thing was, but as time passed, the video continued circulating online. In the end, it became something like an urban legend, bringing quite a few customers to the cruise ships sailing along the river.
But that was all for later. Right now, Qiao Ran was still riding on Suicune's back, desperately pursuing the kidnappers who had taken Eve away.
"Suicune, can you sense any human presence?"
Gradually, Qiao Ran had gotten used to riding on Suicune's back. It was not only soft, but also covered in comfortable, warm fur. However, he was not here to enjoy himself.
"Awwooo—" Suicune shook her head. Although she could move across the water's surface, great rivers and seas were not her area of expertise. She was better at controlling water sources on the scale of small rivers. A vast expanse of water that stretched beyond sight truly exceeded her abilities.
Although she could still investigate the situation on the water, the range would definitely be greatly reduced.
"Is that so... Don't rush. We can take it slowly. As long as we keep following this direction, we'll definitely find her."
Qiao Ran said that, but his expression grew increasingly grim. Smoochum had only given them a rough direction, so all they could do now was investigate along it.
After a long silence, Qiao Ran took a deep breath and made a new decision.
"Suicune, can you stop here for a moment?"
"...?" Suicune immediately came to a halt and looked at Qiao Ran in confusion.
Not only her, but even Vulpix wore a puzzled expression.
Her expression was full of confusion.
Qiao Ran, however, solemnly voiced his thoughts.
"I'm going to Pokémon Pioneer Land now and draw our next companion."
"If this continues, we may not be able to find Eve... But our new companion might have a way."
Qiao Ran took out Rotom from his pocket. Since her flying speed could not keep up with Suicune, he had no choice but to keep her in his pocket the whole time.
"Rotom, take me to Pioneer Land!"
"Roger that~"
A flash of light passed, and Qiao Ran vanished from where he stood. This time, he had placed all his hopes on their new companion.
They still had hope!
New Power!
"..."
On the calm water, Suicune and Vulpix waited quietly.
They did not know what exactly was happening inside Pokémon Pioneer Land, but they both believed that Qiao Ran's decision could not be wrong.
But... could their new companion really take on the responsibility of searching?
At last, the long wait came to an end. Although not much time had passed, both Vulpix and Suicune felt that time had moved slowly.
"Master!"
"Awwooo—"
When Qiao Ran appeared, Vulpix and Suicune both cried out excitedly. They had been waiting for his result. Yet Qiao Ran's face was just as serious as before.
"This companion... may be a little different from what I first imagined."
According to Qiao Ran's original plan, the best outcome would have been drawing some legendary Pokémon related to water, such as Lugia or Kyogre.
If they had been here, this difficulty would surely have been resolved with ease.
"Still, even without them, our new companion can be of great use. Or rather, she's perfectly suited to the current situation."
As Qiao Ran spoke, a smile involuntarily appeared at the corner of his mouth. Seeing his expression, Vulpix and Suicune finally felt a little more at ease.
"She may not possess the authority to control the sea, nor does she have the majesty of a legendary Pokémon, but she is the most suitable one."
Qiao Ran took out a bluish Poké Ball and released the Pokémon inside.
Amid a dazzling flash of light, the Pokémon revealed herself.
—She was a Pokémon flying through the air, with an exceptionally peculiar appearance. Or rather, among all Pokémon, she could be called truly one of a kind.
"..."
The strange Pokémon let out a clear cry, spread her wings, and flew before Qiao Ran.
Qiao Ran stroked her head and said softly, "Go. If you find a speedboat on the water, hurry back and tell us. Don't mistake it for something else."
"Chirp—"
As Qiao Ran stroked her head, the Pokémon immediately soared into the sky. Before long, she entered the clouds, and her figure soon vanished from sight.
"Master... that was..."
Vulpix looked at those miraculous wings with a hint of envy. Although this Pokémon was not as imposing as Suicune, those wings were indeed what they needed most right now.
With the ability to observe from the air, they would definitely be able to determine Eve's location!
Furthermore, this Pokémon was exceptionally good at concealing herself. She could even scout without the other side noticing her!
Meanwhile, on the speedboat speeding across the river.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
Eve twisted her body, trying to struggle free. Yet no matter how wildly she moved, she could not break free from the restraints on her hands. Worse still, her mouth had been sealed shut with tape.
Every one of her movements had been thoroughly restricted. She could not even make a sound.
"Stop wasting your effort, miss."
A man in black beside her could not help but sneer, as though mocking Eve's futile struggle.
"Wouldn't it be better to just obediently come back with us? Your mother hasn't seen you for a long time..."
"Watch your mouth!"
A woman with a purple tattoo at the corner of her eye interrupted him.
They were still in the middle of the mission. She had to remain sufficiently alert.
"Don't be angry, don't be angry. I'm just a little bored."
The man in black grinned broadly, looking completely unrepentant.
"Shut your filthy mouth."
The woman glared at him viciously. This was why she disliked carrying out missions with other people. They were far too noisy.
"...How scary. That look just now made me feel like I was about to die."
The man in black wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. This woman was truly dangerous. But the more dangerous she was, the more he liked her.
"Why be so tense all the time? This miss ran away from home alone. It's not like someone will suddenly appear to save her. Aside from that Smoochum that got away and couldn't be caught, we've basically completed the mission already."
"Shut up."
The woman frowned. She would rather stay vigilant every second, believing even a speck of dust might rob her at any moment, than believe that kind of nonsense.
"You're being too cautious. Even if someone really came to snatch the goods, where would they attack from? The water?"
The man in black looked toward the river. The water was calm. Aside from the ripples stirred up by the speedboat, there was nothing else.
"The inside of the boat? We checked it. There wasn't even a cockroach."
"The sky? There's nothing in the sky either. There are only clouds... clouds..."
The man in black spoke smugly, but when he looked toward the sky, he realized that the cloud was actually getting closer and closer.
"Clouds... Holy shit!! What's going on?!"
The man in black shouted. Why was a cloud suddenly rushing toward his face???
"Get back!"
The tattooed woman reached out, preparing to take out her Poké Ball. But at that very moment, from another direction, a blue wolf-like Pokémon had already charged to the side of the speedboat.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye!
"Suicune, Water Cannon!"
A thick column of water crossed the long distance and shot straight at the speedboat. The tattooed woman's heart lurched, and she actually flipped through the air to dodge the attack. However, the man in black was not so fortunate. The tremendous force of the Water Cannon sent him directly into the river.
"Who are you?!"
The tattooed woman looked in shock and fear toward the direction the Water Cannon had come from. Who could possibly have launched an attack on them??
What was going on?!
Yet on the same speedboat, the kidnapped Eve looked at the figure on the water wolf's back, her eyes filled with thrilled delight and astonished wonder.
Eve had never imagined that something like this would truly happen right before her eyes. Under normal circumstances, she would only have dared to fantasize about it...
But he had really come! He had come just to save her!
As for the other side, that cloud rushed forward and revealed its true form.
"Alt! Alta!"
—It was unmistakably a bird-like Pokémon with a golden body and cloud-like wings.
Her appearance was incredibly distinctive and eye-catching. Whether it was her body shining with golden radiance or her wings made of clouds, everything about her was so extraordinary.
"It's... Shiny Altaria!"
The tattooed woman on the speedboat cried out.
Why would such an incredibly rare Pokémon appear in a place like this?!
And what kind of anthropomorphism would be best?
Taking a Day Off!
The miserable author spent the entire day renting a place, cleaning, and shopping at the supermarket. By evening, I really couldn't move anymore, so I'm taking the day off. I'll work hard to make up for the update tomorrow and the day after!
Let's go!
Purple sweet potato pudding, purple sweet potato pudding, purple sweet potato pudding, purple sweet potato pudding, purple sweet potato pudding, purple sweet potato pudding, purple sweet potato pudding, purple sweet potato pudding, purple sweet potato pudding, purple sweet potato pudding.
Snatching!
The word "rare" was actually built upon a certain level of understanding. What was rare, and what was ordinary? Between the two existed a process of value conversion.
For example, in this world, when most people first saw Dianxi, they would not consider her rare. They would only think she was a cute Pokémon that was weak in battle, with no use beyond being a pretty ornament.
However, when they saw Shiny Altaria, the feeling was different.
Altaria was not a common Pokémon. As a member of the Dragon type, her breeding rate was pitifully slow compared to Pokémon like Rattata. Coupled with the rarely seen Shiny buff... a Shiny Altaria like this was truly one in ten thousand!
If a Pokémon like this could not be considered rare, then what could?
However, the tattooed woman did not have time to focus too much attention on Altaria, because Qiao Ran's attack had already come crashing in from the other side.
"Water Cannon!"
Before you continue