At the mention of Leon's situation, the other three looked grim.
Before dark matter appeared, they had all been close friends.
After dark matter appeared, they had fought side by side many times, forging deep bonds long ago.
What had happened to Leon filled them all with sorrow.
"Oh?" Chen Shi raised an eyebrow. "All three of Leon's partners died?"
"Not quite." Diantha sighed. "Given the nature of Shadow Pokémon, Leon's three partners were most likely turned into Shadow Pokémon themselves."
"Once they become one of their own, the Shadow Pokémon stop attacking them."
"By now, those three Pokémon have probably become Shadow Pokémon and are wandering around outside."
"I see..." Chen Shi rubbed his chin, his thoughts unreadable.
Just then, the door suddenly opened, and a mature woman's voice rang out with a casual lilt.
"Well, well, Diantha! I never thought you'd be hiding something this good. I could smell the hot pot from way..."
Cynthia froze at the sight of everyone in the room.
"What are you all doing in Diantha's room?"
Diantha immediately rose when she saw her, smiling and waving her over. "Cynthia, come here. Let me introduce you to a friend."
Cynthia's gaze swept over everyone before settling on Chen Shi.
"And this is...?"
Mew had looked excited ever since Cynthia appeared. When she asked who Chen Shi was, Mew immediately chimed in.
[He's your boyfr-]
Chen Shi blanched and hurriedly covered Mew's mouth, whispering, "I'm warning you, don't go saying things like that! This isn't our world!"
"She has nothing to do with me!!"
Mew tugged hard at Chen Shi's hand.
[I'm using Telepathy. What good does covering my mouth do? Let go of me!]
"You're the one spouting nonsense!" Chen Shi said through gritted teeth.
Steven and the others stared at him in