Triple Close Combat!

As some of the Pokémon that had originally been peacefully resting on the grasslands swiftly retreated.

Amid faint tremors from the ground, another group of Linoone rushed in from all directions, completely surrounding Xia Yan and the three Pokémon.

Faced with such a formation, the three little ones had grown quite a bit as well. None of them showed the slightest fear, merely returning quietly to Xia Yan's side.

Even.

Little Eevee lowered its body into a bow-like posture and kept barking at the Linoone.

"Vee~~ Vee~~ Vee—"

It apparently thought it looked quite imposing.

But to Xia Yan and the Linoone, it merely looked adorably fierce.

It definitely failed to intimidate anyone.

Instead, several Linoone revealed disdainful expressions.

How had their clansmen been beaten so badly by such a tiny thing before?

Yet after surrounding them, the Linoone did not rashly launch an attack.

They were waiting for something.

"Roar—!!"

An extremely imposing roar came from nearby.

The resounding cry and the unquestionable force mixed within it immediately brought Eevee's adorably fierce barking to an abrupt stop.

Eevee twitched its nose.

"Monferno!"

Monferno stepped forward, reaching out to gently pull Eevee behind it. Its eyes burned as it stared at the Pokémon slowly approaching from a distance.

That imposing roar had come from that Pokémon.

It had the same black-and-white coloring, but it walked upright on two legs. Hunched over with its tongue hanging out, it looked somewhat like one of those delinquent thugs from Team Skull in the Alola Region.

One look was enough to tell that it was no kind and gentle Pokémon.

Even its step-by-step approach carried an imposing air.

"Obstagoon."

The evolved form of Linoone.

More precisely, the evolved form of Galarian Linoone.

Originally, Pokémon like Zigzagoon only had two forms: Zigzagoon and Linoone.

But