c42: Soaring In The Sky, Solgaleo Makes His Debut
"Master Zhang, you seem to be in quite the mess!"
A lively female voice echoed from behind Pavilion Master Zhang.
"Damn it! Didn't I tell them not to come here?! Is it that hard to understand 'stay away unless you've got a death wish'?"
Zhang Guosheng, currently astride his Bi Diao (Fearow), twisted mid-air to dodge a blinding Hyper Beam unleashed by one of the furious Gyarados swarming around him. He cursed inwardly upon hearing the unmistakable tone of a certain young woman—Chen Xiaoxiao.
But with nearly a dozen Gyarados snarling in front of him, all tensed to strike, he didn't dare to turn his head. The moment he did, he was sure multiple Hyper Beams would rain down like divine punishment.
"Bi Diao, pull back and create distance! Swellow, Altaria draw their attention and keep mobile, but don't engage carelessly!"
Zhang Guosheng navigated sharply between towering waterspouts and luminous beams. After a few tense moments of aerial maneuvers, he dared a glance over his shoulder.
Sure enough, there she was perched elegantly on the back of a radiant Togekiss, a young blonde girl with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. She wore a bright smile, as if watching a live battle performance at the Grand Festival.
"I'm just here for the show," she called with amusement. "It's very entertaining."
Zhang Guosheng, despite being seconds away from disaster, was momentarily dazed not by the danger, but by Chen Xiaoxiao's sudden appearance. Compared to the last time they met, her presence now was dazzling, and even with Gyarados breathing down his neck, he couldn't summon the anger to scold her.
To him, she looked ten times more radiant than he remembered.
"Pfft! Uncle, don't look at me like that! I'm not into older guys, alright?"
Chen Xiaoxiao couldn't resist laughing at the ridiculous expression plastered across Zhang's face, teasing him like a girl teasing her uncle during the New Year reunion dinner.
"...I'm not into little girls either! Get over here and help already!"
Zhang Guosheng's stunned awe quickly gave way to exasperation. Chen Xiaoxiao's words were sharp as always.
"Alright, alright, Master Zhang. Just pull your Pokémon back. No need to compete with Gyarados over weather control. If they want Rain Dance, let them Rain Dance. Let 'em spam Smelling Salts if they want just don't try to out-muscle water Pokémon in the rain."
She flashed a knowing grin as she casually withdrew a Poké Ball from her belt.
Zhang Guosheng blinked, his brain processing her words. The moment she said "let them Rain Dance," everything clicked.
That's right. He was wasting effort fighting for weather control. His earlier tactic of using Sunny Day to weaken Gyarados' Water-type moves was useful, but it kept drawing more firepower toward his Pokémon.
"Altaria, Swellow, return!" he called, raising their Poké Balls.
Understanding her intent, Zhang didn't hesitate. He recalled the two Pokémon that had been acting as aerial bait, trusting Chen Xiaoxiao to carry the next phase.
He then turned to her with a resigned expression and gestured politely. "The stage is yours."
Chen Xiaoxiao, feeling slightly smug, smirked at his dramatic invitation. "Finally! Now sit back and take notes."
Meanwhile, the moment Zhang's Pokémon disappeared from the sky, the Gyarados collectively roared and began to shift their strategy. Without the annoyance of Altaria's Sunny Day disrupting their rhythm, several of them used Rain Dance in succession. Thunderclouds quickly formed above the bay area, and a soft rain began to fall over a wide radius around them.
"Roooaaar!!" echoed the combined bellows of more than ten Gyarados.
Back when she first arrived in Shantou City and saw Master Zhang circling in the sky without retaliating, Chen Xiaoxiao had already guessed his plan. He wasn't holding back due to cowardice he simply lacked the overwhelming strength to finish all of them off at once. Any direct assault would risk serious injury to his team and leave the city vulnerable.
By maintaining a constant presence and avoiding direct combat, Zhang was baiting Gyarados into tiring themselves out. He was stalling to drain their stamina and find the right moment to counterattack.
That he had only sent out three Pokémon Altaria, Swellow, and Bi Diao confirmed it. He was walking the line between provoking the enemy and conserving energy.
Chen Xiaoxiao's system had already scanned the scene and fed her a breakdown of both sides' battle power.
Among Zhang Guosheng's trio, only Altaria reached the Elite-level mark, sitting at level 70. Swellow and Bi Diao were both solid mid-tier Advanced Class battlers, not quite able to dominate a frenzied school of high-level Gyarados.
Level 70 strength is solid, but as a Gym Leader stationed in a second-tier city, having only one Elite-level Pokémon simply doesn't cut it.
Even if Zhang Guosheng is a native of Shantou City, it would be impossible for him to retain his current position with just that.
A Leader who has only a single Elite-level Pokémon typically qualifies only for a Gym in a third-tier city.
And as for fourth-tier cities?
Sorry those don't even have Pokémon Gyms.
(This isn't meant to look down on fourth-tier cities; it's just a structural decision within the story world to manage Gym distribution. The author himself is from a fourth-tier city.)
So, it stands to reason that, in addition to Altaria, Zhang Guosheng must be holding back at least one other Elite-level Pokémon as a trump card one that he hasn't revealed yet.
Why one and not two?
Because within this Gyarados horde, only three are confirmed to be Elite-level measured at levels 64, 67, and 71 while ten others are at the high Advanced-tier, just under Elite. The rest fall slightly below that threshold.
If Zhang actually had two Elite-level Pokémon besides Altaria, then the top-end battle power on both sides would be comparable. In that case, there would be no need for such restraint he could launch a direct counteroffensive.
After scanning the combatants' power levels and situational dynamics, Chen Xiaoxiao began formulating a plan to reverse the battlefield stalemate.
Of course, the most straightforward solution would be to simply send out her own Elite-level Pokémon and coordinate directly with Zhang Guosheng to overpower the Gyarados.
But that wasn't what she came here to do.
Leng Xin, her mentor and superior, knew Chen Xiaoxiao's strength well. He would never assign her a task this minor purely because she could "talk to Pokémon."
In fact, this mission was ridiculously simple for someone like her.
All she really had to do was capture one of the Gyarados causing trouble, ask it what was going on, and she'd have the key to unraveling the entire incident.
Once the basic motive was understood, everything else would unravel with simple deduction and follow-up.
If not? Then just catch another one.
Still, Leng Xin champion of Huaxia and strategist par excellence would never deploy a high-tier combat asset to perform a task as trivial as interrogation unless there was something more to it.
After all, this was like using a legendary general to chase down pickpockets. It made no sense.
Throughout China, Chen Xiaoxiao was far from the only person who could understand Pokémon speech. There were many psychics, empaths, or gifted Trainers who could serve that function. And even if there weren't, one could always bring a Pokémon with telepathic abilities like a Gardevoir or an Alakazam—to translate.
Heck, even recording the aggressive Pokémon and running the footage through a communication Pokémon or AI translation tool would suffice.
So no—Leng Xin didn't send her here just to ask questions.
There was clearly an ulterior motive.
Perhaps it was to allow Chen Xiaoxiao to bolster her credentials.
Or maybe, it was to give her an opportunity to make a bold public appearance to earn reputation points through real field work.
If she was going to "earn experience," then she had to go big.
If she was going to "farm prestige," then she needed to make it count.
And this was no ordinary grind.
Three Elite-level Pokémon. Ten Advanced-tier quasi-Elites. An open battlefield.
This was a golden opportunity an experience buffet with rare mobs and high-value drops.
No way she'd let someone else grab the EXP.
(PS: Yes, Chen Xiaoxiao was very obviously the one rushing in to steal the kill and she damn well intended to take all the credit too.)
The Gyarados horde was currently patrolling several kilometers offshore.
Looking at her own lineup of Pokémon, Chen Xiaoxiao quickly assessed her options.
Gardevoir, Sunflora, and Meowstic while strong in their own right weren't suitable for sea combat.
While Psychic-types could levitate briefly using Psychic or Telekinesis, that wasn't true flight. Their mobility was restricted and maneuverability poor in aerial combat. So: PASS.
Togekiss, while a Flying-type, wasn't viable either carrying its Trainer in open combat was risky. PASS.
Lapras, the queen of comfort and elegance on water, was built like a luxury cruiser, and while loyal, was currently too underpowered for this level of fight. PASS.
That left only two real choices: Metagross and Solgaleo.
Both could float or hover with stability, both could move sharply through the air, and both could withstand high-intensity combat.
But deploying both was overkill and a waste of resources.
Why send two when one would do?
And this battlefield, with its pressing need for overwhelming force and radiant presence, was a perfect stage for a debut.
Sending only Metagross wouldn't be enough he couldn't break through the elite Gyarados formation solo.
So in the end, Chen Xiaoxiao's fingers gripped a single Poké Ball tightly.
She whispered in her heart:
"You've been with me all this time, yet I've never let you shine in public. But now, the world's your stage time to make your debut."
Her hand moved forward, firm and confident.
"Come out Solgaleo!"
As the Poké Ball burst open, a radiant light filled the sky.
With a thunderous cry that echoed like the roar of a collapsing star, Solgaleo emerged from the heavens, a shining beast of celestial power like a king returning from exile.
"Solgaleo! Show them your might! Show the world your brilliance!"
"Thunder!!!"
BOOM!
Lightning split the sky.
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