After resting for a night in Aspertia City, they accompanied Dawn to the Pokémon Contest there once morning came. After she won, the group set off again.
Their next destination was Virbank City, also in the western region. Not only did Xia You need to challenge the Virbank Gym there, but it was also the venue for the next Pokémon Contest.
However, getting there would still take about three or four days, and they would have to pass through several small towns along the way. But for people like Xia You and his companions, who were already used to traveling, they could cover that distance while chatting and laughing, without even noticing the passage of time.
Like most roads in this world, the road out of Aspertia City was an ordinary mountain trail. Thick weeds grew on either side, forests stood in the distance, and they occasionally passed a small river. Everything looked quiet and peaceful.
From time to time, wild Pokémon poked their heads out from their surroundings, watching them with curiosity or caution, only to flee again at the slightest disturbance.
They had thought this peaceful, leisurely scenery would continue all the way to their destination. Unexpectedly, they had barely gone any distance before they heard the sounds of fighting ahead.
"Something seems to be happening up ahead?" Dawn stopped in her tracks, alert.
The group exchanged glances. From the sounds, it did not seem like an ordinary battle; things sounded rather chaotic. They quickened their pace.
After rounding a dense patch of bushes, they frowned at the scene before them.
On a patch of grass not far ahead, several people wearing black berets, black vests, gray combat uniforms, and face masks were ganging up on some Pokémon Trainers!
Their distinctive outfits, along with the group's previous dealings