Why is my Pokémon girl a bit strange?

Another Water Cannon shot out from Suicune's mouth. However, this time, the tattooed woman was prepared. She opened the Poké Ball in her hand, and a frog-like Pokémon with a purple body appeared on the speedboat. This Pokémon had a dangerously menacing orange vocal sac around its neck, and on top of that, it sported a face that was practically begging for a fight.

"Toxicroak, Sludge Bomb!"

Following the tattooed woman's command, Toxicroak's vocal sac vibrated a few times. Then, it opened its mouth, and countless purple toxic substances arced through the air, directly colliding with the Water Cannon.

It actually blocked the Water Cannon!

"Damn it... where's that guy? Has he been dealt with?"

Even though she had blocked Qiao Ran's attack, the tattooed woman's expression didn't improve much. She glanced towards the water's surface, only to find that her companion hadn't surfaced yet. This was definitely not good news.

"It's not over yet!"

On the other side, Qiao Ran curved his lips into a knowing smile.

"Did you think my Water Cannon was just for attacking?"

"Vulpix! Use Powder Snow with all your might!"

"Awooo!"

Vulpix, who had been hiding behind Qiao Ran, suddenly poked her head out. Puffing out her cheeks, she unleashed the skill she had been charging for a long time. Powder Snow, comparable to a Blizzard, erupted from her mouth. Having broken through the level 30 mark in the previous battle, her strength was now vastly different.

Although she hadn't evolved yet, she was no longer the Vulpix she once was.

"Ribbit ribbit!"

Toxicroak could block a straight-shot Water Cannon, but it had no way to deal with the wide-area Powder Snow. Furthermore, due to the limited space on the speedboat, Toxicroak was practically a sitting duck. Not only that, but as the Powder Snow blew, a strange sensation began to spread from the tattooed woman's lower body—

"Not good!"

Her expression changed drastically. She looked down at her and Toxicroak's feet, only to find a thick layer of ice had formed there, completely freezing her shoes and feet in place!

"Water... is that the water from the Water Cannon?!"

Could this suddenly appearing boy have planned all of this?!

"Surprised? Did you really think my Water Cannon was just meant to harass you? You should just hand Eve back obediently!"

Qiao Ran patted the neck of Altaria, who was floating beside him. It was actually Altaria's credit that he had obtained this information and formulated this battle plan. Able to hide within the clouds, she was the perfect stealth reconnaissance unit, gathering enemy intelligence without anyone noticing.

However, Qiao Ran eventually returned Altaria to her Poké Ball. Having just been summoned and only at level five, she couldn't participate in this battle. It would be troublesome if she fell into the water.

Qiao Ran had a feeling that Altaria's wings were very absorbent. If she fell into the water, who knew how long they would need to be hung up to dry.

"Suicune! Charge!"

Taking advantage of the opponent being frozen, Qiao Ran had Suicune approach the speedboat. He wanted to use this opportunity to rescue Eve. He knew his objective this time: as long as he brought Eve back, he would win!

"You... won't..."

The tattooed woman's face was terrifyingly grim. She clearly saw the figure on the back of the strange water wolf. It was an underage boy, and an underage boy had managed to outmaneuver her!

"Toxicroak, Poison Jab! Attack the ice!"

Toxicroak's hands glowed with purple light as it slammed into the ice. Before long, the not-so-thick ice layer was smashed to pieces. However, during this time, Qiao Ran and Suicune had already reached the vicinity of the speedboat.

"Toxicroak! Stop them!"

The tattooed woman gritted her teeth. Toxicroak quickly acted on her command, attempting to drive them away before Qiao Ran could board the speedboat.

However—from beginning to end, Qiao Ran might not have even considered boarding the boat.

"Suicune!"

"Awooo—!"

Following Qiao Ran's command, to the tattooed woman's stunned gaze, two long, white ribbon-like appendages extended from Suicune's body, slicing through the air and wrapping tightly around Eve.

The speed was incomparably faster than Toxicroak.

"What?!"

What kind of Pokémon was this?! Not only could it run on water, but it could also sprout tentacles from its back?!

The tattooed woman was completely bewildered. She truly hadn't expected to fall into the opponent's rhythm time and time again. With this unknown information, she was being targeted with no way to retaliate!

"Well done! Bring her over like that, Suicune!"

Since Eve was positioned further back, although there were some faint ice crystals on her, they weren't enough to hold her in place.

"Awooo!"

Suicune exerted all its strength and successfully tossed Eve's body high into the air—her two "tentacles" didn't possess the power to move mountains or fill seas, but they could certainly lift a girl like Eve.

"D...amn it..."

Every change on the battlefield could only be measured in seconds. In just these few seconds, the tattooed woman's situation had completely fallen into a passive state. Staring at Eve, who was being tossed onto the water wolf's back, she bit her lower lip fiercely, drawing blood.

Why... why did it turn out like this?!

Who exactly was this boy!

"Go!" Qiao Ran glanced at the tattooed woman on the speedboat and issued the final command. Since he had secured Eve, there was no need for him to linger any longer.

He could tell that Toxicroak on the other side was at a high level. Qiao Ran had briefly glanced at Rotom and saw that Toxicroak was level 37, a strength that could definitely be considered that of an elite trainer.

If the opponent still had other Pokémon, he might have been in for a tough fight. The longer he stayed here, the more variables there would be.

It would be safer to return to the boat and regroup with Dianxi.

Qiao Ran thought quickly, but suddenly—a clear, loud roar shattered his thoughts.

"Bao bao bao bao!!!"

A massive black shadow shot up from the water, revealing a blue, flying, dragon-like Pokémon. It had a huge mouth and a ferocious gaze; its terrifying appearance alone made it look incredibly powerful.

Fierce waves spread with the creature's agitation, rocking the water's surface. However, with a gentle stomp from Suicune, the water immediately calmed.

"Gyarados...!" Qiao Ran's expression gradually grew serious.

"Didn't expect this, did you? I'm back!"

The man in black, who had been knocked into the water earlier, stood on Gyarados's head, a cruel smile on his face.

He was drenched, water dripping even from his head.

"How dare you do that to me... I'll make you pay double! Brat!"

Section 45 044 [Vulpix's Choice]

"Gyarados..."

Looking at the colossal creature that had suddenly appeared before him, Qiao Ran couldn't help but take a deep breath.

He quietly took out his Rotom Dex, which clearly displayed the number "34."

Compared to the Toxicroak from before, this Gyarados was slightly lower in level, but it was still a very troublesome opponent. After all, among all of Qiao Ran's Pokémon, the highest level was only his level 30 Vulpix!

"Suicune, let's go!"

Qiao Ran didn't want to get entangled with them any further. As long as he could get Eve back to the boat, everything would be fine. No matter how bold the opponent was, they wouldn't dare to fight on the boat. Such actions would invite an investigation from the League.

In front of the League, an elite trainer in their thirties like him wouldn't be able to cause any significant trouble.

"Don't even think about running!" Seeing Qiao Ran trying to escape, the man in black shouted, preparing to stop him.

"Gyarados! Take care of them! Use Hyper Beam!!"

"Rooooooar!!"

Gyarados roared, the sound deafening.

It opened its massive mouth, and a thick, destructive beam shot out. The scorching energy, like a soaring dragon, lunged directly towards Qiao Ran's position.

Qiao Ran's heart leaped. He had no way to withstand such a terrifying attack. If Dianxi were here, it might be manageable, but in this situation, even with Dianxi present, it wouldn't help—she couldn't float on the water.

As for his other Pokémon, they were even less likely to survive such an attack. Even Suicune would likely be severely injured if it took a direct hit from a move like this.

After all, the level difference was quite significant.

"Let's see where you can hide!"

Gyarados's Hyper Beam was thick and massive, cutting through the air as it charged forward. The space for Qiao Ran and Suicune to dodge was rapidly shrinking!

Qiao Ran gritted his teeth and whispered into Suicune's ear, making an unprecedented decision—

"Suicune, hold us tight! Dive underwater!"

"...!"

Eve, left behind Qiao Ran, widened her eyes. She couldn't believe how reckless Qiao Ran was being.

Diving underwater... would anyone really do that at a time like this?

Humans couldn't breathe underwater!

"Roar!"

However, Suicune didn't hesitate. She immediately extended the white ribbons on her back, tightly securing Qiao Ran and Eve, and then—dove headfirst into the water.

"Boom!!!"

Hyper Beam collided with the water's surface, instantly vaporizing a large area of the river into steam and even creating a small whirlpool. The immense destructive power made anyone who witnessed it tremble with fear.

However—after the Hyper Beam raged, the river surface in front of the man in black gradually returned to calm. As for Qiao Ran, Eve, and the others, they had vanished as if spirited away.

"...Damn it! They got away! Where are they? Where are they??"

The man in black stomped his feet in anger, but he couldn't understand how they had escaped.

What happened?!

Did they use some special move?

"Underwater... they're underwater! Are you an idiot! Hurry and chase them!"

However, while the man in black was still raging pointlessly, the tattooed woman on the speedboat shouted. She had truly given up on her partner's intelligence; he was simply an idiot.

If she had Pokémon suitable for this, she wouldn't have ended up in this situation.

"I know! You don't need to tell me!"

The man in black's face flushed with anger and then paled. He took a deep breath, and under his command, Gyarados also began to dive into the water, searching for Qiao Ran and the others.

Watching the group that had disappeared, the tattooed woman sat helplessly on the stalled speedboat.

She was already reflecting on the shortcomings of her Pokémon team. Perhaps she should add a few Flying-type or Water-type Pokémon?

'That wolf looks good... So, where can I catch one?'

The tattooed woman thought to herself, falling into a deep contemplation.

Meanwhile, Qiao Ran, underwater, was also encountering quite a bit of trouble. Because they wanted to leave directly, they had to lurk a considerable distance underwater before they could surface. At the very least, they needed to get away from this area.

"I can't stay here too long..."

Although Qiao Ran didn't understand why the man in black and the tattooed woman had only sent out one Pokémon each so far, perhaps it was because the venue restricted them from deploying other Pokémon, or maybe it was for some other reason. However, Qiao Ran couldn't afford to gamble on the chance that they truly only had one Pokémon. He could only try his best to leave this place as quickly as possible.

"..."

Holding his breath underwater was a significant test for Qiao Ran. Moreover, due to his nervousness, his oxygen consumption also increased accordingly. He simply couldn't last too long in the water.

It was difficult to determine direction beneath the surface of the water. In order to escape the two kidnappers, Qiao Ran had Suicune swim as far as possible. During this process, he needed to hold his breath for a considerable amount of time.

However—what Qiao Ran never expected was that the first one to encounter a problem wouldn't be him or Vulpix, but Eve, who was sitting behind him.

"Mmm... mmm mmm mmm!"

The blonde girl let out a pained sound, and her body writhed restlessly.

Because Qiao Ran had made this decision so suddenly, and her mouth was sealed, preventing her from storing much air, after such a long time, Eve clearly couldn't hold on any longer.

This is... bad...

Qiao Ran reached out, trying to find a way to remove the tape from her mouth, but it still had no effect. The lack of oxygen had plunged her into a very dire state.

'Suicune, let's surface for a moment.'

Qiao Ran gave Suicune a look, signaling her to surface so they could get some air. However, during the ascent, an accident still occurred.

—A stream of bubbles emerged from Eve's mouth, causing her to let out a pained cry. Her body trembled violently, and soon she lost consciousness.