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Communicating with a frog was extremely, extremely difficult.
Li Xiang didn't have Cheng Xin's telepathic abilities, so he could only rely on language to talk to Froakie.
The problem was, Froakie could understand him, but Li Xiang couldn't understand Froakie.
Buddha help me.
Without a professional fat translator by his side, he could only rely on guessing and drawing pictures to roughly understand.
Fortunately, he managed to gather some useful information.
First—Froakie, like Buzzwole, came from an Ultra Wormhole. In other words, it was from another world!
But unlike Buzzwole, it wasn't bathed in the energy of Ultra Space or enveloped in a mysterious aura, turning it into a Pokémon version of "Fall."
What's a Pokémon version of "Fall"?
Simply put, think of it as a smaller version of a Totem Pokémon. Essentially, Totem Aura and Ultra Beast Aura aren't that different.
Furthermore, the world Froakie came from hadn't been visited by Buzzwole.
The Ultra Wormhole there had opened inexplicably, attracting a large number of Pokémon to enter it.
Froakie had observed for a long time and, after realizing that those who entered never returned, mistakenly thought it was a demonic hole that devoured Pokémon, keeping its distance.
Unfortunately, it was being chased by a group of Sharpedo roaming nearby. When it got injured and its blood spilled, the Sharpedo, with their keen sense of smell, detected it, causing its camouflage to fail.
With no other choice, it had to enter the Ultra Wormhole.
Finally, after spending countless days and nights in the Ultra Wormhole, it arrived here.
The first thing it did upon emerging was to discover the Lapras on the beach that had been attacked by Buzzwole.
Being kind-hearted, it chose to help the Lapras survive.
But it also knew it was no match for Buzzwole, so it could only help in secret.
The Lapras's memory of the Pokémon that hurt it sometimes being big and sometimes small was likely due to it confusing Froakie with Buzzwole.
Secondly—the world it came from also had humans, and the city planning was almost identical to here, with docks and skyscrapers.
The only difference was the color of the Pokémon.
How so?
For example, Tentacruel had green gems on their heads and golden tentacles.
Cloyster had golden shells.
Staryu were white. Magikarp were golden!
In short—all the Pokémon in that world were shiny!
Holy cow, a shiny hunter's paradise!
When Li Xiang first received this information, he even wondered if Froakie itself had a problem, like being colorblind or something.
But after confirming that Froakie was also shiny—not the usual sky blue but a light aqua blue—he fell silent.
Oh...
The Reverse World?
In Li Xiang's understanding, the worlds within Ultra Space are infinite.
Among them is a place called the Reverse World.
Unlike the Distortion World (referred to as the Reverse World in the movies) controlled by Giratina, the Reverse World in Ultra Space is a place similar to the real world but with differences in certain locations and times.
Now it seems one could add that the Pokémon's colors were different too.
This was the accurate information Li Xiang had been able to confirm from Froakie so far.
There were still many questions.
The cause of Ultra Wormholes has always been a setting that Game Freak dug into but didn't want to fill, leaving it to players' imaginations.
The only thing that could be confirmed was that the only Pokémon capable of actively opening Ultra Wormholes were Cosmog and its evolutions, as well as Necrozma.
Even the brilliant Prof. Burnet could only mark the locations where Ultra Space appeared.
"Sigh... my head hurts."
Li Xiang rubbed his temples. Lin Feng hadn't returned yet, and he had no idea how the guy was doing, but the sound of police sirens was deafening outside, and when he looked out earlier, he saw armored vehicles heading toward the docks.
It seemed nothing major would happen.
As for the reason behind Buzzwole's appearance—
Although the various conditions were somewhat fragmented, after calming down and deducing from the conclusion, Li Xiang couldn't help but imagine a few possibilities.
First—Qingcheng had a "Fall."
As was well known, humans who had been to Ultra Space attracted Ultra Beasts, causing them to chase after them.
Second—Qingcheng had a Cosmog.
And third—Qingcheng had a Buzzwole egg.
These were roughly the three scenarios. Based on Li Xiang's understanding of Ultra Beasts, he couldn't think of anything else that Ultra Beasts would pursue.
"Froakie~"
Froakie's voice interrupted Li Xiang's thoughts.
Li Xiang looked up and saw Froakie playing with a miniaturized Luxury Ball.
According to Froakie itself, the reason it risked its life to help was that Froakie greatly admired him.
The first time Li Xiang and Lin Feng explored the cave, Froakie had already been paying attention to Li Xiang, thinking that his cautious personality made him very reliable.
The thorough preparations during the second cave exploration further resonated with Froakie.
Yes, it was also a cautious Pokémon.
And when Li Xiang, after "calculating every move," was suddenly attacked by Buzzwole and had no way out but still thought of escaping, Froakie, who had once been suddenly attacked by a group of Sharpedo and narrowly escaped, felt a deep connection.
How similar!
Exactly the same!
At that moment, Froakie felt that their meeting was destined.
Therefore, at the most critical moment, Froakie bravely stepped in to save Li Xiang, who it felt was destined to be its partner!
In the end, it succeeded.
What made Froakie even more satisfied was that Li Xiang didn't let his guard down after a moment of safety. Instead, he repeatedly saw through Buzzwole's "schemes."
Thus escaping death.
And when Froakie revealed itself, Li Xiang cautiously placed his hand on a Poké Ball, ready to defend against its attack at any moment.
Only after Froakie showed that it was his savior did Li Xiang temporarily lower his guard and rush to the Pokémon Center without delay.
Moreover, Li Xiang showed it appropriate care, asking if it needed treatment.
This was very important. If Froakie were a female Pokemon, it felt this move would earn a lot of points.
Since it wanted to become Li Xiang's partner, Froakie naturally hoped that Li Xiang would care for it more.
And indeed, Li Xiang did.
Later, when the man who exuded danger from head to toe and made Froakie afraid to approach asked to touch it, Li Xiang's small gesture of asking for its opinion directly made the points skyrocket!
As a cautious Pokémon with independent thoughts, Froakie greatly needed its trainer's respect.
And without a doubt, Li Xiang, who was willing to ask for its opinion, was respecting it.
Therefore, it had already made up its mind to become Li Xiang's best partner!
"Froakie!"
Froakie rolled the Luxury Ball to Li Xiang's feet, looking at him with an eager expression.
"...Are you asking me to catch you?"
Li Xiang's expression was a bit strange.
This was the first time he had seen a Pokémon come to him on its own. Even Ash had to go through some storylines before catching Pokémon.
How come when it's his turn, it skips all the story and jumps straight to the sudden appearance, rescue, and capture stage?
At the very least, they should spend some time together, get to know each other deeply!
There should be an adaptation process.
A bit of foreplay—cough!
Li Xiang solemnly opened the Luxury Ball and pressed it against Froakie's head.
Click!
The Luxury Ball opened, emitting a red light that absorbed Froakie. Then, after shaking four times, it clicked shut, completing the capture.
Well, the adaptation process went smoothly, the capture was sufficient and perfect. They were indeed a match made in heaven, perfectly suited for this Luxury Ball!
The corners of Li Xiang's mouth curled up into a smile.
A shiny, Water-type Pokémon with unique talents had come to him on its own, asking to be caught.
Even if it wasn't the Steel-type he was thinking of focusing on, Li Xiang felt he should seize the opportunity.
What's wrong with having coverage?
...
When Torracat and the others were finally treated and wheeled out by Chansey, Li Zhehan's call came through.
First, he asked where Li Xiang was, then told him to quickly take Feraligatr and the others back home and not go out.
As for himself, he was heading to the docks.
Because—
"What? One of our cargo ships was destroyed?"
Li Xiang was dumbfounded, unable to believe what he was hearing.
"Yes, many of the uncles who work for Dad were injured. Dad needs to go check on them."
Li Zhehan's tone was heavy. His company wasn't particularly large, and after years of hard work, he had only managed to buy a few ships, one of which was even bought with a loan.
Now that one had been destroyed, it was undoubtedly a huge loss, not to mention the casualties.
Injuries sustained during work were definitely considered work-related accidents.
What if someone became disabled or, worse, died...
Li Zhehan's company might suffer a major blow.
Bankruptcy was unlikely, thanks to insurance, but why did this happen?
Since his rebirth, Li Xiang's luck had been pretty good. Just this morning, he had narrowly escaped death and caught a shiny Froakie!
Was this the calm before the storm?
No way, right?
Li Xiang's expression instantly turned serious. He hurriedly hung up the phone and ran home with the Poké Balls.
On the way.
Lin Feng called, saying he had already returned home, escorted by the police. His voice was slightly muffled and unclear, his usual tone after being scolded.
It seemed his father already knew.
Li Xiang responded a few times, telling him he was also on his way home, and asked if he had seen anything in the cave.
Hearing this, Lin Feng's tone brightened a bit, but unfortunately, he couldn't provide any valuable information.
All he knew was that the area had been completely sealed off.
Even the wild Pokémon in the nearby sea had been driven away.
That was all.
Honestly, it all felt like a dream.
It seemed the incident was completely over, with no further connection to them.
Also, while they didn't have the capital to get involved, as firsthand witnesses who had been just a step away from death, they would never forget this day.
"The memory card..."
Li Xiang couldn't help but touch his pocket. When reporting to Xu Wan, he mentioned that the camera had been destroyed, but the three Master-level trainers hadn't asked for the memory card.
Someone might come for it later.
Perhaps this could be a bargaining chip.
Or maybe it would get him nothing, and he'd just have to hand it over obediently.