Chapter 64: The Mysterious Object

The situation reached a standstill.

The mysterious Ghost-type Pokémon trainer, the two Ghost-type Pokémon, as well as Xia You and Long Yanning—all three parties dared not make any rash moves.

After a few seconds, a startling scene unfolded: all three parties chose to retreat simultaneously!

When the Shiny Aegislash and Dusknoir noticed other humans appearing and sensed the powerful Ghost-type energy radiating from that Chandelure, they fled without the slightest hesitation.

Originally, they had no advantage when facing Long Yanning’s six Pokémon, and now that an opponent with formidable strength had arrived, the thought of retreating naturally arose in their minds.

A Dusknoir deployed the Black Fog move and vanished into the darkness alongside the Aegislash.

As for Long Yanning and Xia You, their decision to flee stemmed from mistaking the mysterious Ghost-type woman for the trainer of those two Pokémon. Originally, they still had a fighting chance against just the Aegislash and Dusknoir, but upon seeing that Chandelure, the two of them ultimately chose to escape to save their lives.

However, little did they know that the woman was not the trainer of those two Pokémon at all, but rather Miyano Nanjin, a Ghost-type trainer from the Sakura Country who had appeared alongside Xu Xiu.

While she and Xu Xiu were separately investigating the individuals on the roster, her Chandelure had detected intense Ghost-type energy fluctuations nearby, clearly indicating the presence of a powerful Ghost-type entity.

As a Grandmaster-level Ghost-type trainer from the Sakura Country, Miyano Nanjin naturally would not miss the opportunity to capture a powerful Ghost-type Pokémon. Therefore, she unhesitatingly had Chandelure tear open a rift into the Spirit World, and upon spotting the two Pokémon, her eyes had indeed lit up.

Leaving aside Dusknoir, a Pokémon of extreme rarity, that Shiny Aegislash alone was enough to drive anyone crazy.

Naturally, she was no exception, but what she had not expected was that there were other people present as well.

In particular, there were six powerful Pokémon inside the Spirit World, among which was even a pseudo-legendary Pokémon, Kommo-o.

This instantly plunged her mood to rock bottom. Long Yanning’s strength was formidable; even if all her Pokémon went all out, she definitely could not dispatch these two in a short time. Meanwhile, the Aegislash and Dusknoir were lurking nearby like predators, making it entirely possible for her to capsize in the gutter.

More importantly, this was the Imperial Capital. Miyano Nanjin had a special mission upon coming to the Imperial Capital, and she must never expose her identity. Weighing the pros and cons, Miyano Nanjin ultimately chose to withdraw temporarily.

Miyano Nanjin cast one last distant glance at the fleeing Shiny Aegislash, her eyes flickering. As long as it was a Ghost-type Pokémon, she had ways to track it, which was why she was willing to retreat.

…………

"Huff, huff."

Xia You and Long Yanning boarded the Noivern and flew straight back to the Dragon-type Secret Realm as torrential rain soaked their clothes.

Upon arriving at the Secret Realm, Long Yanning immediately went to report the matter of the two evil Pokémon to Long Fan. Upon hearing this, Long Fan personally led a team to the scene of the incident, where he witnessed the wrecked vehicle and the driver's corpse.

Shortly after, investigators from the Pokémon Association also rushed to the scene, cordoning off and examining the area. After confirming that the malevolent Pokémon were indeed an Aegislash and a Dusknoir, the Pokémon Association immediately and urgently dispatched two Grandmaster-level trainers specializing in Ghost-type and Psychic-type from out of town to reinforce the Imperial Capital, determined to capture the two Pokémon as soon as possible.

At the same time, Long Yanning also reported the mysterious woman and the gigantic Chandelure.

…………

"When we were fighting those two Pokémon, the Spirit World was opened from the outside by a stranger. They were completely wrapped in a raincoat and wore a face mask, making it impossible to tell who they were. But beside them was a gigantic Chandelure, about the height of an adult, and its strength was immense." Long Yanning, who had been running on fumes for nearly three days, was already utterly exhausted. She forced herself to speak through the heavy wave of sleepiness, "It had about Grandmaster-level strength."

Long Fan looked at his daughter with a gaze full of heartache, then immediately said, "Yanning, go get some rest first. You haven't rested for three days. Go get a proper sleep, and leave the rest to me."

"Mm." Long Yanning was indeed reaching her limit. After reporting this information, she returned to her room, took a shower, and collapsed into bed, falling fast asleep.

…………

On the other other side, the Pokémon Association immediately began investigating the identity of the woman. A gigantic Chandelure was exceptionally rare, and a Chandelure whose strength reached the quasi-Grandmaster level was even scarcer. It did not take long for the Pokémon Association to basically lock down the woman's identity.

Miyano Nanjin, former Ghost-type Gym Leader of the Sakura Country.

Miyano Nanjin was thirty years old this year and female. She had served as a Ghost-type Gym Leader since the age of twenty-four, but suddenly resigned a month ago, with someone else taking over the position of Ghost-type Gym Leader.

Opinions varied widely regarding the reason for Miyano Nanjin's resignation, but the most persuasive theory was that her Chandelure had broken through to the Grandmaster level, prompting her promotion to a Grandmaster-level trainer, which meant she no longer met the criteria to serve as a Gym Leader.

Since then, Miyano Nanjin had vanished from the public eye, and no news of her had surfaced ever since.

Clearly, based on the above information, the Pokémon Association concluded that this person was most likely Miyano Nanjin, but why would she appear in the Imperial Capital?

This instantly alarmed the higher-ups of the Pokémon Association. A Grandmaster-level trainer from the Sakura Country had secretly infiltrated Huaxia Country, and there was clearly an ulterior motive behind this.

The Pokémon Association had no choice but to immediately dispatch more personnel to search for the two Ghost-type Pokémon while simultaneously hunting for the whereabouts of Miyano Nanjin.

…………

In the suburbs of the Imperial Capital, inside an old, dilapidated building.

"For the next half month, stay right here and do not go anywhere. Someone will come to deliver food to you." The middle-aged man looked at Miyano Nanjin and Xu Xiu before him, speaking with a stern expression, "On the surface, the Pokémon Association has dispatched two Grandmaster-level trainers to the Imperial Capital under the pretext of capturing Aegislash and Dusknoir, but secretly, they have very likely also transferred a member of the Four Heavenly Kings from another region into the Imperial Capital. Exactly who it is, I do not know. This time, the Pokémon Association has realized there is an internal leak, so their confidentiality protocols are extremely tight. Moreover, they have already begun investigating internal traitors, and I will not contact you recently. I will be lying low for a while to avoid the spotlight; once this period passes, I will contact you again."

"If you two insist on courting death, do not drag me down with you," the middle-aged man said coldly as he looked at the two of them.

"Understood." Xu Xiu and Miyano Nanjin nodded; they clearly realized the severity of the situation.

If what that fellow just said was true, then there were already three individuals at the level of the Four Heavenly Kings stationed in the Imperial Capital. If they dared to step out and make a move at a time like this, it would undoubtedly be courting death.

"How is your investigation going?" After finishing giving all his instructions, the middle-aged man asked about the progress of the task assigned to the pair.

"No discoveries whatsoever." Xu Xiu shook his head. "You didn't even tell us what we are looking for, which makes things very difficult for us."

"You don't need to worry about what that object specifically is," the middle-aged man interrupted Xu Xiu, speaking directly. "I can only tell you that that item is very important. The reason I invited the two of you is because you are proficient in Dark-type energy and Ghost-type energy, and that item is related to Psychic, Dark, and Ghost types. Do not ask any further."

"Rest assured." Xu Xiu motioned for the middle-aged man to set his mind at ease. "The Dawn Society still maintains its reputation. We take money to do jobs and don't meddle in other people's business. It's just that if you gave us a bit more information, it would be much easier for us to search, and you could get your item sooner. We've known each other for decades; can't you even trust me?"

"Xu Xiu, it's not a matter of trust. It's because this matter was entrusted to me by someone else, and I don't know the specific details either. I only know that this is an item related to Psychic, Dark, and Ghost types."

"Alright then."