Yang Lingfeng and the others didn't expect Fei Xiao to suddenly question them back; hearing her tone, they felt a sense of unease for some reason.
Yang Lingfeng still replied, "Alright, may I ask what the question is?"
"Do you know the difference between the Bulbasaur in my arms and the Pokémon you encountered before?"
Having said that, Fei Xiao prepared to take Bulbasaur back into the house first.
The trio didn't rush to follow; they began to ponder the question where they stood.
"Do you guys know?" Jiao Xiaoyan had no clue at all.
"Not yet, but I think it should be related to us," Zhou Long said thoughtfully.
"Hmm, it's very likely. Otherwise, Miss Fei Xiao wouldn't have asked us this," Yang Lingfeng agreed.
"Eh, really? Then what does it have to do with us?" Jiao Xiaoyan rubbed her head uncomfortably, as if her brain were about to grow.
"Anyway, let's follow her first."
The three entered the living room.
At this moment, the Bulbasaur from earlier was lying next to Meloetta and Bellossom, who were already full and asleep.
Seeing the three, Fei Xiao pointed toward the door, gesturing to talk outside.
The four of them strolled around the massive lake in the backyard.
The lake was crystal clear; the three could clearly see what seemed to be fish in the water, and even shadows resembling Pokémon.
"Miss Fei Xiao, is the difference between that Pokémon and yours that we humans have harmed it?" Zhou Long quickly guessed the reason.
Fei Xiao wasn't surprised.
"To be precise, the Pokémon you saw before aren't mine."
"Ah, but Sister Fei Xiao, they live in your... yard and are so familiar with you. Aren't they raised by you?" Jiao Xiaoyan voiced the doubts of the other two.
Fei Xiao hadn't expected them to think that way, so she replied.
"No, they are all wild Pokémon. It's just that they live in my yard, and I often encounter and feed them, so we're just quite familiar."
"So the Pokémon here have never met any human other than me; you are the first."
"Then, that one..."
"Yes, that Bulbasaur isn't a Pokémon from here. It was likely driven out from somewhere else. After all, it's probably only a few years old and couldn't have left on its own."
"It was during the rain a few days ago that I saw the child collapsed nearby, on the verge of death, so I brought it back. It should be staying in the yard now without leaving."
After Fei Xiao finished speaking, the atmosphere fell into silence, and she said no more.
At this moment, even Jiao Xiaoyan among the trio understood what Sister Fei Xiao meant.
Simply put, the Pokémon in this yard were all meeting humans for the first time. Everything the three had experienced showed that their nature wasn't bad and they didn't take the initiative to harm humans.
Whereas Bulbasaur or other Pokémon might have once been the same, but were displaced due to human persecution, and now even hate or fear humans.
If this was the truth, then weren't they—who drove away magical beasts in the name of justice—the real magical beasts?
Jiao Xiaoyan's mood was a bit low, and the other two were also deeply shocked.
Fei Xiao also noticed Jiao Xiaoyan's expression and was startled.
Crap, did I go too far? I've almost made the little girl cry.
Originally, she just wanted to subtly express how to get along with Pokémon, but recalling everything about Bulbasaur at that moment, she had vented her frustration in the heat of the moment.
"Um, sorry about that. I didn't control my emotions just now. Don't take what I said too seriously; it's not your fault."
She had to quickly pull them back. She really wasn't good at negotiating; she hadn't controlled her words well.
"It's fine, Miss Fei Xiao. We understand what you mean; there's no need to blame yourself."
"It's right for you to have emotions. After all, these are facts."
The two were also shrewd veterans and naturally gave her a way out.
After comforting Jiao Xiaoyan, Yang Lingfeng continued, "Then what does Miss Fei Xiao think we should do next?"
Fei Xiao understood that they didn't mind what happened just now. "I can't guarantee that all Pokémon are friendly, but the vast majority won't cause trouble as long as you don't provoke them."
"Hmm, there are always exceptions to everything. A very rigorous way of putting it," Zhou Long nodded.
"Compared to humans, Pokémon have extremely simple minds. Since I can become partners, friends, or family with them, others can too. They can accept you as well; after all, what you've seen along the way shouldn't lie to you."
Indeed, the friendliness shown by the Pokémon the three encountered along the way was visible to the naked eye.
In other words, an era of harmonious coexistence with Pokémon in the future?
Jiao Xiaoyan felt very happy after hearing this. After today's experience, she also yearned for Fei Xiao's lifestyle.
How could Zhou Long and the other not understand Jiao Xiaoyan's thoughts? But she was still too naive.
Fei Xiao saw that the two were still frowning. "What's wrong?"
Yang Lingfeng explained to Fei Xiao, "Miss Fei Xiao, you don't understand. We certainly agree with what you're saying, but we can't be sure about the decisions from above."
"Yeah, the higher-ups are currently divided into three factions. One has the same philosophy as you, another advocates for driving away and eliminating Pokémon, and the last is the neutral faction."
"Not to mention the future, the death of our comrades is already a fact. So even if what you say is proven true, it will likely be hard for them to listen." Zhou Long's words already indicated that their chips weren't enough to topple the opposition.
"Is that so?" Fei Xiao wasn't surprised. The conflict between humans and Pokémon had already emerged, so it certainly wouldn't be resolved easily.
But Fei Xiao had expected this and even showed a meaningful smile.
"It's a bit troublesome, but they shouldn't refuse."
"Huh?" The three were puzzled. Did Fei Xiao have another way?
The three noticed Fei Xiao stop and turn toward the lake.
Jiao Xiaoyan clenched her hands and asked with concern, "Sister Fei Xiao, do you have a way to convince them?" It was clear she valued this future.
"Of course," Fei Xiao smiled mysteriously.
Fluorescent light gathered in Fei Xiao's hand, and a bow appeared in her left hand.
"Is that the bow from before?" Although they had seen it, they were still shocked by the ability she displayed. It seemed she could store items at will; was it something like the Storage Spaces in novels?
Fei Xiao slowly raised the bow and explained, "It's simple. The reason they object is mainly because they rely on the strength in their own hands."
Just as the three thought she would take out another arrow, the next scene was destined to shatter their worldview.
Wind-attribute energy began to gather in Fei Xiao's right hand, eventually forming a Cyan Storm Arrow.
They realized now that they had seemingly underestimated Fei Xiao's abilities; this time, they could even clearly feel the surging air currents whistling past their faces.
"Leaving aside the existence of other powerful Pokémon..." Simultaneously, she notched the arrow and began to slowly draw the bowstring.
Whoosh!
A sound of breaking air rang out, and the arrow flew out instantly, vanishing from sight.
Fei Xiao turned to look at the crowd behind her and spoke calmly.
"They can't even beat me."
No sooner had she spoken...
BOOM!!!
An explosion rang out, and a powerful air current slammed into them. Feeling this violent wind, the three reacted quickly, dropping to the ground and grabbing the lawn to prevent themselves from being blown away.
While stabilizing themselves, the three struggled to lift their heads and saw a water column about seven to eight meters high splashing in the distance, their hearts once again filled with shock.
Once the storm dissipated, the three stood up and looked toward the lake, where a hollow about five or six meters wide was slowly returning to its original state.
Then they looked at Fei Xiao, who stood with her hands on her hips, a confident smile on her face.
At this moment, that beautiful, confident smile actually made them feel afraid.
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