After fleeing the battlefield, Xia You and the others veered off the road back to the village and plunged deep into the forest instead. Only after running for a long time and finally reaching a lake did they realize they had lost their bearings.
Endless forest surrounded them, the lush trees looking the same in every direction.
"We're not lost, are we?" Ash scratched his head.
"It's fine." Brock shook his head. "We ran around without any destination in mind. Even if that Pokémon Hunter wants to track us, it'll take him a lot of effort."
The sun was slowly setting. Xia You glanced at the others beside him and saw that they were all exhausted, so rather than press on, he told them, "We've come so far that Vicious probably won't catch up for now. Let's camp here tonight."
Naturally, Ash and the others had no objections. Hearing that they could rest, Misty even dropped onto a nearby rock in exhaustion, panting heavily.
She was drenched in sweat, her clothes soaked through. Even if she wanted to run, she simply couldn't anymore.
After all, they had been on the move since morning, traveling back and forth between the forest and the village several times, then going through that battle. By now, everyone was starving.
Under Brock's direction, the Pokémon went to gather branches and Berries, while Brock himself began preparing dinner for everyone.
Xia You went to the edge of camp and let out his Jolteon and Eevee, stationing them in two concealed positions as hidden sentries against a surprise attack from Vicious. Only then did he return to Erika's side.
With everyone handling their own tasks, a simple camp was soon ready. They had not only built a campfire, but also set up all their tents and laid