Even setting everything else aside, Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum in Xi'an alone had given rise to many Pokémon found nowhere else. These were not simply Pokémon that had emerged from Secret Realms, but Pokémon that had truly come into being on Earth as time passed.
Baltoy, Bronzong, Darmanitan, Sigilyph, Bastiodon, Golett, Duskull...
Many Pokémon rarely seen elsewhere were practically everywhere in Xi'an. A streetlight you spotted while walking at night might actually be a resting Litwick.
Of course, it was best not to bother them. If they drained your life away, no one would be able to save you.
For that reason, Xi'an enforced a very strict curfew. Ordinary people generally had to be home by seven, while only trainers above Entry Class could remain outside for extended periods. Anyone who wanted to roam freely at night needed either official credentials or to be an Elite Class trainer.
"I still have to get to Inner Mongolia, so I'll drop you off here!" Outside Xi'an, Lin Zihan had no time to rest. He left as soon as he set Xiao Ran and the others down. Apparently, some Pokémon had started rampaging across the plains in Inner Mongolia, requiring an Elite Four member to quell the unrest.
The flight on Charizard had taken two days and two nights. Although they had rested along the way, Xiao Ran and Ye Ling were still thoroughly exhausted. They hailed a taxi and headed straight for his grandfather's research institute.
The Xi'an area was vast and sparsely populated, with numerous research institutes as well as breeding and research facilities. Most large-scale experiments in the country were conducted here.
Xiao Ran's maternal grandfather was named Qiao Hongyuan. Unlike Qiao Yan, who had awakened, Qiao Hongyuan was not an Awakened. Yet, as an ordinary person, he had become