The afternoon sun, filtering through layers of leaves, cast dappled shadows on Chen Kai and Miraidon's faces.
Chen Kai squinted slightly, watching the battle unfolding in the sky ahead with focused attention.
"Swablu, use Disarming Voice!"
The Round, white little Pokémon flapped its wings, slowly rising into the air.
It took a deep breath, opened its beak, and prepared to sing the song said to enthrall people.
Seeing this, Chen Kai nodded in satisfaction.
By this time, Chen Kai had returned to Sichuan Province, and had even reached Area Zero.
To avoid further incidents, he and his parents returned directly to Sichuan Province from the Capital airport this time, not leaving the airport during the journey, and successfully returned to Zi Ning Town.
During the return journey, Swablu and Seadra had not gotten along, and Chen Kai and his family guessed that this might be the so-called same-sex repulsion.
However, this also brought a benefit: Swablu proactively offered to train, and even wanted to practice Pokémon battles.
According to Green, it was because Swablu ambushed Seadra when Chen Kai was not around, and ended up being taught a lesson by Seadra again.
Regardless, Chen Kai was very pleased that Swablu had such determination.
However, when Swablu let out its so-called "Disarming Voice," Chen Kai's expression instantly froze.
That was no Disarming Voice; it sounded more like a broken gong of a voice, choked with a thousand-year-old phlegm, trying to sing a love song, with the sound intermittent, hoarse, and unpleasant, yet Swablu itself seemed to be engrossed in it.
The Pidgey opposite was clearly stunned as well, its small head tilted to one side, its black-pearl-like eyes full of confusion.
Not only did the sound not charm it, but it also scared its feathers upright.
After listening for a few seconds, unable to bear it any longer, out of instinctive disgust, Pidgey suddenly rushed forward, using its most skilled Tackle.
Swablu, in mid-air, was immersed in its "beautiful" song, completely unprepared for the sudden attack from its opponent, and was hit squarely.
Fortunately, its Round body acted as a cushion; Pidgey felt like it had crashed into a soft, thick ball of cotton, and Swablu merely swayed a little, flapping its wings twice to stabilize itself, barely moving.
After all, a Pidgey weighing less than 2 kilograms indeed couldn't move a Swablu weighing 5 kilograms.
Swablu was clearly enraged; it flapped its wings, trying to counterattack with its beak.
But at this moment, its overly plump body became a hindrance, turning clumsily in the air, and each time it aimed and rushed towards the target, its speed was too slow due to its weight, allowing Pidgey to easily dodge.
Although the Pidgey opposite was only in its beginner phase (around level 10), it possessed the agility characteristic of Flying-type Pokémon; it easily dodged Swablu's attacks, and could even fly behind Swablu, occasionally landing a harmless Tackle.
Chen Kai slowly raised his hand to cover his face, watching the unbearable battle through his fingers, and sighed helplessly.
"Sigh..." He had specifically chosen this weak Pidgey for a Normal Class (around level 25) Swablu to practice with, who would have thought it would turn out this way?
"Pfft, pfft, pfft—"
A burst of undisguised laughter came from a Poké Ball nearby; Kingdra had come out on its own, covering its belly with its fins, laughing so hard that tears were streaming down its face, and bubbles kept coming out of its mouth, completely disregarding its image.
Upon hearing this laughter, Swablu's feathers instantly stood on end in anger.
Being teased by the opponent Pidgey was already embarrassing enough; being mocked by Kingdra on top of that was an utter humiliation.
Utter humiliation!
"Swablu, calm down!" Chen Kai sensed trouble and quickly gave the command.
But the enraged Swablu couldn't hear the command; it took a deep breath, its chest puffed out even rounder than usual, and then opened its mouth—
That was no longer a song, but a pure sonic attack, a roar filled with anger and unwillingness.
The Round move it used had no technique, only an outpouring of emotion.
The sound was so loud it made the surrounding leaves rustle, and even Chen Kai couldn't help but cover his ears.
Pidgey was stunned by the sudden, massive sound wave; before it could react, it was directly blasted away by the sonic wave, crashing into a tree in the distance, its eyes turning into spirals.
The battle ended unexpectedly like this.
Swablu panted heavily, hovering in mid-air, its chest rising and falling violently.
Kingdra's laughter stopped abruptly, seemingly shocked by this simple and crude solution, and it said disdainfully:
"Sss, sss." (A hen crowing, quite powerful.)
"Swab, swab!" (What did you say! You sow!)
Chen Kai looked at the scene before him, sighed deeply, and quickly recalled Seadra; his ears had been hurting quite a bit from the noise lately.
Then, he walked towards the Pidgey that had been dazed by the roar, and took out a Potion from his pocket.
"Well, at least it's a battle victory, but we still need to keep training," he said to the still-pouting Swablu. "Also, we need to find a doctor to check your throat."
Swablu let out an unconvincing cry, its voice still hoarse; it flapped its wings and flew towards Chen Kai, its plump body casting an exceptionally wide shadow in the setting sun.
Kingdra's Poké Ball trembled slightly, indicating it was still laughing inside.
Chen Kai didn't have time to deal with these two lively Pokémon; he and Miraidon still had to visit Iron Boulder.
Previously, he had already visited Iron Leaves at the Astronomical Observatory, bringing Iron Leaves some expensive tea from a tea shop in the Capital, and Iron Leaves was very satisfied.
Next, he was going to bring wine to Iron Boulder; he had bought a lot of wine in the Capital, France, and Alola, and most of the space in the orange gem was filled with various wines.
It was just that Iron Crown was more difficult to deal with; according to Iron Hands, Iron Bundle, and Iron Thorns, it didn't seem to have any particular hobbies, and their evaluation of Iron Crown was almost a single word: reliable.
"Hmm..." Chen Kai thought, "That must mean it's very reliable."
Nevertheless, Chen Kai still brought some gifts for Iron Crown.
The path beneath his feet was still somewhat familiar; the surrounding forest scenery hadn't changed much.
After all, it had only been about a month since he left here.
The air was filled with a familiar, damp scent, a mix of earth and the fresh aroma of trees, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the branches, casting warm patches of light.
Soon, the dilapidated buildings and the familiar outline of a broken house ahead gradually became clear.
As Chen Kai approached, he saw a sturdy figure already waiting at the end of the path.
It was Iron Treads, or more precisely, 'Number 1532.' Seeing Chen Kai, its orange-red eyes blinked, and it let out a low hum, similar to old metal rubbing, as a greeting.
Clearly, it had long sensed Chen Kai's approach.
Iron Treads made no unnecessary movements; it simply turned around and led the way with unhurried, clanking steps. Chen Kai understood and quietly followed behind it.
Passing through a path that, though carefully maintained, still had a wild charm, Iron Treads led Chen Kai to a wooden door.
It gently nudged the door with its metal head, making a soft 'thump,' and then stood quietly to the side, like the most loyal guard.
Before the door even opened, Iron Boulder's cheerful voice came from inside: "Oh! Chen Kai, you're back!"
Chen Kai responded with a smile: "Yes, I brought you a lot of wine. Care for a taste?"
"That's wonderful! Hahaha!"