"Baimu? Where's Baimu?"
"The Coordinator Trainer who said they would win the championship?"
"Ah! Lord Baimu! I'm your fan!"
Ai Li's words caused the crowd, ready to disperse after watching the show, to become chaotic again.
The people present glanced around with surprise or curiosity, some even screamed in excitement, while others directly looked toward the direction where she was shouting.
Yet all they saw was a panicked green-haired teenager.
The gaze shifted accordingly.
Mann Chong stifled the panic on his face and casually tilted his head, saying, "Baimu! That girl has walked straight over!"
A muffled voice came from the shadow beneath his feet.
"No problem, just go straight ahead, to a place where there are no people."
Hearing this, Mann Chong glanced at the bronze-skinned girl surrounded by people asking where Baimu was, hesitated for a moment, and then turned around and briskly walked away.
Busy explaining, Ai Li saw Mann Chong leave, desperately squeezed through the entangled crowd and suddenly leaped up, amidst the cries of surprise from the crowd, she grabbed the trunk of a tall tropical plant serving as a fence by the roadside and quickly climbed to the highest point.
Immediately.
Like Tarzan the Ape, she swiftly jumped to the top of another tropical plant and continued onward, quickly leaving the scene in no time.
The crowd watched Ai Li's back in awe.
"Is this girl a transformed Vigoroth?"
Even Vigoroth isn't that nimble!
The noisy crowd dispersed, losing the reason to stay further now that they couldn't see Baimu and his group.
On the other side.
Mann Chong slipped into the woods at the edge of the venue, waited until there wasn't a single person nearby, and then shouted at the shadow beneath his feet, "Baimu? Baimu!"
"Phew!"
Baimu poked his head out from the shadow, with everything below his neck being the gaping mouth of an Altered-color Gengar, the scene looked extremely startling.
He said, "This place is truly unbearable, I'm about to have a claustrophobia episode."
Mann Chong was speechless, helping him silently to leave Gengar's mouth.
The latter, upon setting his feet on the ground, felt as if he had finally returned to the human world, and relaxedly pinched his shoulders, "The last time I went in for such a short time, I didn't even realize it was so terrifying inside."
Gengar doesn't essentially need to breathe, so even if it deliberately draws air into its body, the air Baimu feels remains so thin that he's forced to hold his breath.
Coupled with the pitch-black space that doesn't allow light to pass, where up and down are indistinguishable and no hard object can be felt beneath his feet...
It can be described as nothingness.
Shorter times are manageable, but the longer times make one feel as if their head is becoming blank due to hypoxia, no wonder there are stories of "world after death" type of terrifying urban legends.
"But still, I have to thank you for your smart and quick thinking! If we were surrounded in that place, who knows when we could escape."
Baimu patted Gengar on the head.
Feeling disheartened for not providing the Trainer with a good experience, upon hearing these words Gengar immediately smiled, "Jeeheehee~"
Undoubtedly it was its spur-of-the-moment idea of swallowing the Trainer into its belly that ensured their safe retreat.
After they completed their mission, Gengar slipped away into the shadows.
At the same time.
Alice, who had been tracking them all the way, found the two of them and approached happily, being smarter this time by not shouting.
"Sorry, sorry, I didn't realize you were so popular~"
She gave a one-handed bow, closed her right eye in an apologetic manner, and said with a cheerful smile, "Long time no see! Baimu!"
Baimu pulled the corner of his mouth, pretended to be sarcastic, and said, "Indeed, long time no see, Alice. Catching up by sending me a big gift truly fits your style."
Alice confidently placed her hands on her hips, "Didn't I apologize already! Unexpectedly, you are quite childishly popular in such places!"
Baimu replied, "If I were really childish, I would definitely catch you and give you a good scolding."
Seeing the two of them bantering with seemingly tense exchanges, Mann Chong tentatively held up both hands to advise, "Don't, don't fight, just discuss things calmly..."
Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Alice burst out laughing, and Baimu's mouth turned up into a smile.
"No, no, we often communicate like this before, it's not fighting."
The bronze-skinned girl extended her hand to Mann Chong confidently, "My name is Alice, a Dragon Tamer from Unova Region! Nice to meet you!"
Mann Chong seemed flattered, stretched his hand out for a virtual shake, "My name is Mann Chong, I live in Petalburg City, pleased to meet you."
After mutual introductions.
Alice, unsurprisingly, turned her gaze to Baimu's shoulders, her eyes gleaming, "I think I smell the scent of Dragon-type Pokémon!"
"Not surprising for Dragon Radar, you didn't smell wrong."
The latter called to wake the Dragapult Siblings dozing invisibly on his shoulders, the two little guys appeared bewildered, their faces still holding a hint of sleepiness.
Alice let out a low excited squeal, "How adorable! What kind of Pokémon are they?"
"Dreepy, a Dragon-type Pokémon from Galar Region, they are twins." Baimu glanced indifferently at the empty space behind him.
Sure enough, Dragapult was hiding.
This guy is most afraid of figures like Alice who naturally has social cow characteristics around Dragon-type Pokémon, not daring to show up casually.
And for Brother Dragapult, meeting Alice is equivalent to attending a social cow party.
Hence, it smoothly pounced into her arms, the latter couldn't even ask Baimu for permission to hold these two Dragon-type Pokémon she had never seen before.
Following suit, Sister Dragapult, intrigued by the gentle aura emanating from Alice, also joined in.
"Hahahaha, so adorable."
Alice was overjoyed, as her skill of telepathic communication with Dragon-type Pokémon activated as if it were passive, with golden light shining from her palm.