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"Hehehe~"
Having successfully dealt with the Spiritomb that had broken its seal, and said goodbye to the Auntie who had been looking bewildered throughout the entire process, the trio continued on their journey.
However, throughout the journey, the girl's silly laughter, which sounded like a Swanna, added to the atmosphere because she was simply too happy.
"Dawn, is it really that funny?" After listening to the girl's silly laughter for quite a while—though it was pleasant—Ash couldn't help but ask.
"You didn't see the contrast between the old lady holding the ancient text and then seeing the Poké Ball in your hand, Ash. It was just..."
Dawn hadn't finished speaking, but at the mere thought of that scene, she couldn't help but giggle silly again.
"Hehe!"
Not only could Ash not understand it, but Brock was the same; they could only ignore the girl's silly laughter.
But this didn't hinder them from traveling, as they quickened their pace toward Solaceon Town.
As for the captured Spiritomb, he had already sent it back to Professor Oak for proper guidance, to see if it could change its bad habits.
Even though it was difficult for the Spiritomb to change due to having been sealed for 500 years.
But it didn't matter; at worst, he would just keep it obediently inside its Poké Ball, which would also save the village from needing to seal it.
With Professor Oak there, he would surely be able to prevent the Spiritomb from doing evil again.
Therefore, they had to hurry this afternoon, because only by passing through the forest could they reach the town ahead to rest.
However, after walking for a long time, they realized that there were nothing but trees all around them; there was no sign of them leaving the forest.
Even Dawn's silly laughter gradually faded, replaced by questioning one after another, and a familiar feeling once again wrapped around Ash's heart.
"Brock, are we... really... not lost?" The boundless sea of green surrounding them, combined with the fading daylight, made Dawn unable to help but ask.
Based on their previous experience with getting lost, the current scene was simply a precursor to being lost again.
"Impossible. With me leading, how could we possibly get lost?" The confident Brock looked at the 3D map on his wrist and immediately denied Dawn's assertion.
As a dignified veteran navigator who had traveled through three regions, how could he possibly get lost over something like this!
"Just trust me!" He said, patting his chest while leading the way in front. "The surrounding woods have started to thin out, which means the exit must be straight ahead!"
Having said that, Brock sprinted ahead, wanting to prove to the two of them that the exit was right there.
As for the result...
"I didn't expect to find people in a godforsaken place like this!"
There was naturally no need to think about leaving the forest today, because it was quite obvious they were lost.
But unexpectedly, a massive villa appeared before them, with the surrounding area all belonging to this household's courtyard.
Most importantly, the building in the center could no longer be described as just a villa.
Its sheer height was such that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe it as a castle.
"It's getting late, and we can't continue traveling. Why don't we go ask the owner of this castle if we can stay for the night!"
"Let's go, go, go!"
Facing Ash's suggestion, Dawn, knowing they couldn't travel any further today, immediately agreed.
And Brock, who was completely lost, could only helplessly follow along.
"It's so dark. Why isn't this household turning on any lights?" Dawn said, feeling a bit disappointed.
The trio, wanting to stay the night, arrived in front of the castle only to find that the entire building seemed uninhabited, without even a single light turned on.
"I've caught you now, Phantom Thief Beauty Group..."
A light turned on at the top of the castle, shining down on the three of them, and a woman's voice rang out.
"Wo~"
But before the other person could finish, a large black and blue cat jumped down from the top of the multi-story building, aiming directly at Pikachu, starting a game of cat and mouse.
"What's going on?" Dawn was very confused; why were they under attack as soon as they arrived?
Ash and Brock were both confused, but that didn't stop them from realizing they had been misunderstood.
They even got to experience what it felt like to be mistaken for phantom thieves.
And Pikachu was even being targeted by the black cat in front of them using Iron Tail.
"Pikachu!!"
Although very confused, Pikachu timely countered with Iron Tail, knocking the opponent away, and then played hide-and-seek, subconsciously hiding itself.
"Wo~"
But who would have thought that the large cat's golden eyes were like X-ray vision, instantly discovering Pikachu's location.
"How did this big cat know Pikachu's location?" After watching the opponent's actions, Dawn curiously opened her pokédex.
"Luxray, the Gleam Eyes Pokémon, possesses a pair of eyes that can see through everything. No person or object can escape its feline gaze!"
After hearing the introduction from the pokédex, Dawn nodded in understanding, instantly realizing that Luxray's eyes had special abilities.
"Whoa, X-ray vision!"
And Ash inwardly marveled, because this was a pair of eyes that could discover beauty (lewdness).
If he had X-ray vision, wouldn't he be able to... Hehehe!!!
Thinking about the functions of X-ray vision, for a moment, he even ignored the series of attacks Pikachu was receiving from the Luxray.
"Pikachu~"
The endless targeting made Pikachu angry, so it immediately used Thunderbolt, and the powerful current directly shocked the electric-type Luxray to the ground.
"Ah, Luxray!"
At this moment, a girl ran to the black cat lying on the ground to tend to her companion, and somewhat fearfully begged Ash and the others for mercy.
"I won't capture you today, so please, let my Luxray go, okay?"
"Huh???" X3
"Pikachu??"
The three people and one mouse were dumbfounded; they hadn't expected the guard in front of them to have such an attitude.
"Um, take a good look. He and I are both guys; we aren't the 'Phantom Thief Beauty Group' you're talking about!"
He slowly pointed at himself and Brock, signaling the girl in front of them to open her eyes wide and listen to what he was saying.
Phantom Thief Beauty Group—just hearing the name, you know it's a group of beauties. What did that have to do with him and Brock, two grown men?
"Hahaha, I guess you're right. I recognized the wrong people!" The other person laughed awkwardly, feeling quite embarrassed.
This only left the three people and the one mouse even more speechless.
Starting a fight without a word, and then surrendering immediately when losing—it was truly absurd.
From this, it was clear how unreliable the girl before them was.
By the way, how big-hearted was the owner of this castle to dare entrust the defense to the girl in front of them?
"Apologies, Mr. Ash, Ms. Dawn. This is all my fault!"
At this moment, the castle gate opened.
A man with a face that spelled wealth and a big belly came between them and apologized to them.
"Mr. Matthew, do you know them?"
"Of course. I've seen them both on TV. The Hearthome City Double Battle Champions. Very good teamwork!"
This made the two of them quite embarrassed, as they hadn't expected to be recognized by the owner of the castle.
Moreover, from the way he was smiling, one could tell at a glance that he greatly admired Ash and Dawn.
As for Brock, he had long been trying his best to minimize his presence.
The other person's disregard made Brock so awkward he could almost dig a hole in the ground with his toes.
He had clearly participated in the Double Battle tournament too!!!