The Earth God Mountain Range.
The mountain range lay in the northeastern part of the Donghua Region, stretching across the map like a long sword.
It spanned hundreds of kilometers and, quite conveniently, formed the natural boundary between two provinces.
A little farther south was Sichuan Province.
Crossing the mountain range to the north would bring you into Yunnan Province.
Since Lin Feng had only come here on short notice and expected this to be a quick trip, he had only brought Dragonite and Serperior with him.
Of course, Zoroark and Celebi had come along too.
Once Celebi arrived, Mew and Victini naturally wanted to tag along and see what was going on.
However, after they got off Dragonite, the three of them disappeared without a trace.
They had said that once Lin Feng found the place he was looking for, Mew and Victini would bring Celebi over.
So, for the time being, the group was rather small.
"Bailin Village?"
Lin Feng looked at the town in front of him with some surprise.
This place hardly looked like a village at all.
There were roads extending in every direction, with one of them leading directly toward the city.
The town also had all kinds of basic facilities.
There was even a park and a dedicated Pokémon fitness area.
At a rough estimate, there were several hundred households here.
That was already larger than many actual towns.
"Zoro..."
Walking beside Lin Feng in its ordinary form, Zoroark gazed at the town before them.
A deep sense of nostalgia flashed through its eyes.
Seeing its reaction, Lin Feng could not help asking,
"You haven't been here in a long time, have you?"
[Zoro...]
(Yeah...)
This village was a place Zoroark and its Trainer used to visit frequently to buy daily necessities.
But ever since it had traveled into the future, it had never returned here.
The earth vein extended inward from this village.
Coming here was also Zoroark's way of easing the longing it had carried for so long.
However, before it could even set foot inside the village, a furious voice suddenly rang out from within.
"Hey! You two little brats! Can't you stop making such a mess?!"
"What do you mean, making a mess? We're saving the earth vein!"
Two small figures came bouncing and stumbling out of the village.
They were children, both around ten years old.
The boy in front wore a red short-sleeved shirt and was running as fast as his little legs could carry him.
Beside him was a rather pretty little girl.
Behind them came a group of adults in hot pursuit.
Even while running, the boy turned his head and shouted at them.
"Catch us if you can!"
By sheer coincidence, the two children were running straight toward the outskirts of the village.
And even more coincidentally, they were heading directly toward Lin Feng.
Ten-year-old children could be clever little troublemakers, and they certainly had endless energy.
But when an entire group of adults was chasing them, there was only so much they could do.
Fortunately for them, the boy spotted Lin Feng ahead.
Then he noticed Zoroark standing beside him.
His eyes immediately lit up.
"Help! Help!"
"They're going to catch me and sell me!"
He shouted at the top of his lungs.
The girl beside him quickly joined in.
"Help us!"
"They're going to sell us!"
They were still several dozen meters away from Lin Feng.
The boy probably thought Lin Feng couldn't hear him from that distance.
Unfortunately for him, Lin Feng had heard every word.
Lin Feng was speechless.
Whether it was the adults chasing after them or the two children running toward him, it was obvious from their expressions that they knew one another.
The adults were even shouting the children's names as they chased them.
Still, the boy and girl eventually reached Lin Feng.
The two of them immediately grabbed onto his clothes.
The boy patted the girl beside him and put on a pitiful expression.
"Big brother, big brother! Those people are trying to take us away!"
The little girl was rather cute and innocent-looking.
After the boy gave her a pat, she immediately understood what he wanted.
Her expression changed into one of pure fear.
"Please save us!"
"Please save us!"
...
Two little actors.
Their expressions were so exaggerated that the flaws in their performance were obvious to Lin Feng.
But Lin Feng still played along.
"What?"
"In broad daylight, people are actually trying to kidnap children?!"
With that, he summoned Dragonite.
Right in front of several adults...
Including an officer wearing a blue law enforcement uniform.
Lin Feng picked up the two children, brought Zoroark along, and climbed onto Dragonite.
The next moment, Dragonite took off.
With just a few powerful beats of its wings, it soared into the sky, leaving behind a graceful trail in the air.
The adults who had chased after them froze on the spot.
"Takeo?!"
"Keiko?!"
The adults cried out in shock.
The law enforcement officer following them felt the sweat on his back turn cold.
What the hell had just happened?
A stranger had suddenly appeared, grabbed the children, and flown away with them!
And it had happened right in front of him!
If those children disappeared, he would bear the greatest responsibility.
But that man...
That enormous Dragonite alone was enough to tell him that the stranger was probably an extremely powerful Trainer.
And they had been too far away to even get a proper look at his face.
"Back!"
"Everyone, go back!"
"We need to report this immediately!"
...
Meanwhile, high above the ground.
The two children who had been shouting for help only moments ago suddenly felt their hearts sink.
They had never expected to actually be taken into the sky.
Even though Lin Feng had activated a psychic barrier around them to keep the wind pressure from hurting them, the two children were still completely terrified.
Takeo cautiously looked ahead.
The person standing in front of him was now wearing a Ninetales mask.
No matter how hard Takeo tried, he could no longer remember what the man's face had looked like when they first met.
He swallowed nervously.
Could it be...
Was this guy actually a real child kidnapper?
At the same time, Lin Feng was thinking about something completely different.
Zoroark's Illusion ability really was incredibly useful.
Dragonite flew steadily through the sky.
Below them was the entire village.
Lin Feng released his Aura downward, allowing it to spread through the village as he sensed everything within it.
At the same time, he glanced back at the two children.
These two were most likely locals from the village.
As for why they were being chased...
They had probably done something bad.
Of course, what counted as a "bad thing" to adults might not necessarily be an actual bad thing.
Lin Feng would make that judgment himself.
The phrase the boy had shouted earlier, "saving the earth vein," had caught his attention.
That was what he was most interested in.
As for why he had put on a mask...
Ahem.
Lin Feng's reputation had indeed become rather large recently.
Whenever possible, it was better to solve certain matters while hiding behind an alias.
"Um..."
Takeo looked around.
Dragonite was carrying him and Keiko through the sky, while Keiko had already become frightened enough to cling tightly to his back.
Although Takeo was scared too, he still gathered his courage and asked,
"Big brother... where are you taking us?"
Lin Feng did not answer his question.
Instead, he asked one of his own.
"Tell me."
"Why did you lie?"
[There was even a law enforcement officer from the Donghua Region chasing after you just now.]
[You can't seriously tell me he was trying to kidnap you too, can you?]
Takeo froze.
Lin Feng had seen through his lie immediately.
A faint feeling of shame appeared on his face.
He instinctively lowered his gaze toward Dragonite beneath him.
But then...
The shame in his eyes gradually disappeared.
Instead, a brilliant light began to shine in them.
Oh my gosh!
He swore this was absolutely the biggest Dragonite he had ever seen!
And that Zoroark behind them...
Anyone who could command Pokémon like these had to be an incredibly powerful Trainer!
If that was true...
Then maybe this person could help them!
------------------------------
Love the story? Show your support and unlock early access to new chapters by joining me on Patreon! and if we hit every 250 Power Stones, a bonus chapter drops!
[email protected]/_tey
Change @ to a.