Woo—
As the entire Slumbering Weald was shrouded in mist, a clear, melodious sound rose, like the call of an oriole in the middle of the night—simple, yet not monotonous.
The already dense mist grew several degrees thicker.
"Baluya?"
Dragapult returned to Xia Yan's side. Its transparent tail curled around Xia Yan's body, while it perched atop his head with its neck raised, its body slightly tense.
"Vee—"
Sylveon's ribbons wrapped tightly around Xia Yan's arm as well. The sudden change in their surroundings left the little one somewhat at a loss.
But it remembered one thing clearly.
No matter what happened, it had to protect Xia Yan.
Sirfetch'd, on the other hand—
"Quack? (What's going on?)"
Though surprised, it was not particularly alarmed. It even curiously stirred the white mist around it with one hand.
The mist followed the movement of its arm and swirled around a few times, yet showed no sign of dispersing.
And Kubfu—
What filled its mind now was still the sight of Dragapult one-shotting the Gigantamax Snorlax earlier.
That move—
So strong!
Rustle, rustle, rustle—
All of a sudden—
The leaves around them seemed to ripple in green waves under the influence of some strange force.
Then—
The soft ground, thickly carpeted with fallen leaves, began to stir with faint sounds.
Within the white mist—
Two vague silhouettes slowly emerged.
As the two figures appeared, the Pokémon around Xia Yan immediately assumed guarded stances. Even Sirfetch'd quickly put away its curiosity.
Xia Yan, however, felt his suspicions confirmed the moment he saw them.
He waved a hand, signaling for his Pokémon not to be too nervous.
Crack, crack—
Amid the faint sounds of dry leaves and branches breaking, the outlines of the two figures became increasingly distinct.
Xia Yan involuntarily straightened up a little