Traces of the Hall

"Popplio, we're going out to play! There's water where we're going this time!" Sitting on the bus, Xiao Ran spoke to the Popplio in his arms.

"Arroo!" Popplio answered happily. Perhaps because this was the little Pokémon's first outing, Popplio seemed especially excited.

By comparison, the Froakie beside them was much quieter, blowing bubbles from its mouth now and then. Clearly, Froakie was still practicing Bubble.

"Xiao Ran, do you think something unexpected will happen on this trip? In novels, don't the protagonists get into fights everywhere they go once they get their Pokémon? We're going to be protagonists too!" Jiang Cheng said excitedly from the back row.

"You, a protagonist? More like a prota-pig!" The merciless blow from his other half seized fate by the throat.

"I'm just saying! Once I rule the world, I'll give you a kingdom stretching for miles!" Jiang Cheng declared with lofty confidence.

"Rule the world, my foot. I'd rather nothing happened. We've only just become trainers. If something really does happen, it won't be anything we can handle," Xiao Ran said with a hint of concern. What had happened all those years ago had left him wanting only a peaceful life. No surprises would be best.

"Tch, how boring. Guess it's up to the great Jiang Cheng to shine, right, Magnemite?"

"Bzzzt!" Only the crackle of electricity answered him.

Sweet Spring Lake lay southwest of Nancheng, right beside the university district. With beautiful scenery and plenty of wild Pokémon, it was an excellent tourist destination. Most visitors to Nancheng would stop by the lake, and lakeside camping and barbecues were particular attractions. They even drew wild Pokémon close, and many students from poor families went there to look for their second Pokémon.

"Now that you mention it, I just remembered something. I don't remember where I heard it, but apparently some strange things have been happening around Sweet Spring Lake lately. I don't know if it's true, though." Lin Binbin, who was sitting on the other side, overheard their conversation and leaned over.

"What happened? Tell us!" Before Jiang Cheng could speak, Shen Yue asked curiously.

"Yeah, come on, tell us. The great Jiang Cheng is going to save the world!"

"It's nothing major. One of my neighbors often goes there for fun. He said that the last two times he went, there seemed to be a lot fewer Water-type Pokémon. It looked like they'd migrated away," Lin Binbin said.

"A sudden drop in Water-type Pokémon? Hmm... there's definitely something suspicious about this," Jiang Cheng said, affecting a grave tone.

"Suspicious, my foot! It might just be a normal migration." Shen Yue smacked him on the head.

"No, no. I asked my neighbor. There have always been migrations, but never anything this noticeable. Besides, even if they were migrating, this is the season when they should be moving in, not out." Lin Binbin shook his head.

Pokémon did indeed migrate. Just as with food chains in the animal kingdom, changes in climate, the abundance or scarcity of food... all these caused wild Pokémon populations to keep adjusting where they lived. It was simply that the timing of this migration did not match previous years.

"If that's the case, something really does seem to be wrong at Sweet Spring Lake. We should be careful when we get there and not wander around. It's none of our business anyway," Xiao Ran suddenly said.

"What? You think there's a problem too? Then something really must be wrong!" At Xiao Ran's words, not only Jiang Cheng but even Shen Yue leaned closer, her face full of excitement. Young people were always curious about things that were unknown and thrilling.

"Enough. I've never even been to Sweet Spring Lake. How would I know what's wrong? An unusual migration certainly means something has changed, but whatever happened, it's not something we can get involved in right now. Just enjoy the trip!" Xiao Ran said irritably as he looked at the curious bunch. He really was afraid they would recklessly go looking for the cause.

None of them had had their starter Pokémon for long. Lin Binbin's Wurmple was even still in a cocoon. With that level of fighting strength, never mind solving the problem—they might not even beat wild Pokémon. They would only be serving themselves up on a platter. Unless Ye Ling's Sneasel stepped in, they stood no chance.

At that thought, Xiao Ran looked toward Ye Ling. Forget it. Let's stay out of trouble. Only the ones who survive get to be protagonists. The ones who die are just dead supporting characters.

"Tch... how boring..." Shen Yue muttered reluctantly, but Xiao Ran clearly had no intention of paying them any more attention.

"By the way, Xiao Ran, how strong is your Popplio now? Can you still beat me?" Jiang Cheng asked curiously, looking at Popplio lying on Xiao Ran's lap and gazing out the window.

"With your level of skill? I'd wipe the floor with you, wouldn't I?" Xiao Ran considered it, then answered irritably.

"Tch. Did you see Magnemite's Thunder Shock today? Could your Popplio dodge that?" Jiang Cheng said dismissively.

"Want to try?" Xiao Ran raised an eyebrow. Jiang Cheng was immediately lost for words. With that tone, he really did not dare try. Had he truly lost even his one chance to win?

"Everyone, we've still got quite a long ride ahead. Are you getting bored? Let's play Pass the Parcel! Whoever loses has to perform something in the aisle. How does that sound?" Just as Jiang Cheng was feeling thoroughly awkward, their homeroom teacher suddenly called out from the front of the bus.

"Okay!" Most of the students eagerly agreed, so Xiao Ran and the others naturally had to join in too.

In the end, their homeroom teacher beat the drum, while an empty drink bottle was passed around as the parcel.

With the game to entertain them, the journey passed much faster than anyone had expected. Of course, many of the performances left everyone unsure whether to laugh or cry: lame jokes whose punchlines nobody got, singing that sounded like noise, riddles solved in seconds...

There were also plenty of good performances, of course, such as a girl's song, a Pidgey's trick-flying show, and a Poliwag's dreamy bubble dance... Popplio also went up to show off. The slightly enchanting singing made Xiao Ran admit that this Popplio really was gifted.

"Did you have fun?" Xiao Ran asked with a smile, holding Popplio in his arms.

"Arroo!" Popplio cried happily. Being able to perform in front of others was undoubtedly a tremendous joy for the little Pokémon.

The bus pulled in, and they finally arrived at the famed Sweet Spring Lake. This was Xiao Ran and his friends' first visit to the destination that had become so popular in Nancheng over recent years. The scenery was lovely, and the shimmering lake was beautiful. Visitors abounded, with tents scattered all along the shore. Yet the sight made Xiao Ran frown slightly.

He was not the only one. Some students who had visited Sweet Spring Lake before, as well as their homeroom teacher, also sensed that something was off. The place was certainly bustling, but there seemed to be far fewer Pokémon than before, when they could be seen everywhere along the shore. This was peak season, after all. There should have been more wild Pokémon than at any other time, yet only a handful could be seen beside the lakeside tents.

"Looks like something really is wrong here," Xiao Ran said quietly.

"Yes. Something's wrong here." The usually quiet Ye Ling suddenly spoke, making Xiao Ran turn toward her.

"What is it?" Since Ye Ling had said there was a problem, she could not simply mean the scarcity of wild Pokémon. There had to be something he did not know about.

"That tree." Ye Ling extended her index finger toward a nearby tree with a trunk half a person's width.

Xiao Ran peered into the distance. Some sort of symbol was faintly carved into the trunk, but when he made it out, his pupils contracted. That symbol! He would never forget it! It was the Hall's contact mark. Members of the Hall were here—or had been here. That was Xiao Ran's first thought.

"The mark is fresh," Ye Ling continued, making Xiao Ran's heart grow heavier.

A fresh mark meant it had been left recently. They might not have made contact yet, or they might already be making preparations. The Hall never left empty-handed. Something must have drawn them to Sweet Spring Lake this time. It might happen in the next couple of days, or it might take much longer. Either way, trouble was coming to Sweet Spring Lake.

At that thought, Xiao Ran began to worry about their trip. If the Hall really acted here in the next two days, how many of these tourists and classmates would survive? Even the drop in the lake's Pokémon population might have been the Hall's doing.

"It's too dangerous!" Xiao Ran suddenly turned to the girl beside him. Knowing her so well, he understood in an instant what she intended to do.

"They haven't made contact yet," Ye Ling said, but Xiao Ran's heart only grew heavier.

"We can wait and notify the investigators!" Xiao Ran said, trying to stop her from taking such a dangerous course of action.

"Too slow. And it would tip them off." Ye Ling shook her head. Xiao Ran wanted to say more, but Jiang Cheng and the others had already come over.

"What's going on? What's going on?" Jiang Cheng and Shen Yue got off the bus carrying their luggage. Seeing Xiao Ran and Ye Ling apparently arguing, they immediately came over to ask.

"Nothing. We were just looking at how big that tree is. You don't often see one like it in the city." Xiao Ran collected himself and smiled. It was better not to tell them such dangerous news. They could enjoy the next two days in peace, and perhaps nothing would happen.

"Something's fishy... You two are definitely hiding something from us!" Shen Yue said, putting on a detective's expression.

"No. Time to go!" Without giving them a chance to keep asking, Ye Ling turned and walked straight toward the rest of the class.

"It really is nothing. Come on, let's go!" Xiao Ran shrugged, patted Jiang Cheng on the shoulder, and hurried after Ye Ling, leaving the other two staring wordlessly at each other.

But nobody noticed Xiao Ran quietly take out his phone with his right hand, which had been in his pocket, and send a message.

I will never let you face danger alone, Xiao Ran thought.