Right after that, a second, third, and fourth little head peeked out from around the corner—several young Electrike, Minun, and Pichu huddled together, watching this way with curiosity and timid apprehension.
"Pichu~?"
One Pichu clutched another's tail, tilting its head as it studied the Eevee on Xinhai's shoulder, its little black eyes blinking repeatedly.
At the sight of these adorable little ones, Xinhai crouched down, lowering his gaze to their level, and put on what he thought was a friendly smile.
"Awooo!!"
Just as he was about to say something, a deep roar rang out, and an adult Manectric appeared around the corner.
It was slightly larger than an ordinary member of its species, the lines of muscle across its shoulders and back clear even in the dim light.
Short dark-blue fur covered its entire body, while the thick yellow mane atop its head and around its shoulders and neck stood slightly on end, fine golden Sparks dancing at its tips.
Its crimson eyes warily locked onto Xinhai. Its four paws spread slightly apart, its center of gravity lowered, its posture like a bowstring ready to launch at any moment.
The Manectric's gaze lingered on Xinhai for a moment before sweeping over the Gardevoir, Mightyena, and Zigzagoon behind him. The wariness in its crimson eyes deepened further.
Clearly, it had sensed that Xinhai's companions were far stronger than ordinary wild Pokémon.
Startled by the adult Manectric's presence, the little ones all retreated a few steps and hid behind it, revealing only a few fluffy little heads.
"Awooo!!" The adult Manectric slightly turned its head to glance at them, letting out a brief, deep roar.
Seeing this, Xinhai wisely gave up on the idea of going over to pet the adorable little ones. After all, he had no desire to get