c122 – The Discovery of Going to Guancheng
A few days after the New Year
"Phew, after walking so long, I finally arrived at Guancheng!"
Chen Xiaoxiao leaned against a towering fig tree that grew along the path between Shencheng and Guancheng. Catching her breath, she gazed at the distant skyline of Guancheng, its high-rise buildings blurred by early spring mist.
Located just north of Shencheng, Guancheng was known in the previous life for its rapid development and... notorious subcultures. Now, in this new world shaped by Pokémon and fate, Chen Xiaoxiao was in no rush as she leisurely made her way there on foot, her purpose quietly buried in her mind.
Having enjoyed a month of rest, rich food, and high-end comfort at home, Chen Xiaoxiao found her physical condition slipping. The once-relentless rhythm of a top-tier trainer was now slowed.
"Gardevoir, let's rest here a bit before we go on."
She sat down beneath the fig tree. Her shiny Gardevoir, the same one introduced in Time Magazine's global issue whose unique blue coloration had become synonymous with Chen Xiaoxiao herself nodded softly and produced a bottle of spring water from a capsule in her storage bracelet.
"(Alright, Xiaoxiao. Hydration first.)"
"Thanks, Deep," Chen Xiaoxiao smiled warmly, taking a deep swig.
This short break in the field between two tier-one cities attracted the eyes of passing trainers. Although the online frenzy over her Time cover had begun to fade, Chen Xiaoxiao was no ordinary celebrity her strength as the youngest Elite-level trainer, her capture of Solgaleo and MEGA Latias, and her victory in the Zapdos incident were known across the Pokémon world.
Most didn't approach her. She had explicitly said in her Time interview: "I hope others won't treat me as a star. I just want to walk my journey in peace." The respectful ones kept their distance, taking only discreet photos some using their Pokédexes.
Among the crowd, a pair of travelers paused.
One of them, a young man with bronze skin and a scar above his left eyebrow, squinted toward the tree.
"Boss, that's her," he whispered urgently.
The older man next to him, dressed plainly but walking with authority, glanced up. When his eyes landed on the calm Gardevoir shimmering under the sunlight a shiny variant that hadn't appeared globally for decades he knew.
"Chen Xiaoxiao," he muttered internally. "From Shencheng and heading north... Could she be targeting Guancheng for something? Have we been exposed?"
Feigning disinterest, he pulled out his own Pokédex, mimicking the tourists around him and snapped a clear photo of Chen Xiaoxiao and her Gardevoir.
He turned to the younger man and spoke in a low voice, "Stay behind and observe. Don't follow her directly. Just report her movement and direction. Understand?"
"Got it," the young man nodded.
The older trainer turned toward Guancheng with haste, tapping into his Pokédex while walking. He composed a brief message.
"Chen Xiaoxiao spotted three kilometers outside Guancheng. Suspected destination: Guancheng. Motive unknown. Photo attached."
He hit send.
The message pinged directly to a contact named: Prince.
At the same time, Gardevoir's eyes glinted faintly as she used low-level telepathy.
"(Xiaoxiao, two people nearby left side reacted strangely to seeing you. One walked toward Guancheng after taking a photo, the other remained here, observing us with questionable intent.)"
"Noted. Keep track of them silently. I suspected we'd draw eyes near Guancheng," Chen Xiaoxiao responded telepathically.
Having lived long enough in this parallel world, she was well aware that echoes of her past life especially the shady reputation Guancheng once had—often manifested here with uncanny familiarity.
In truth, before setting out, she had instructed Gardevoir to monitor for such behavior. She hadn't even entered Guancheng proper, yet it had already begun.
Meanwhile
On the top floor of a luxury hotel in Guancheng's commercial core, a middle-aged man with thin glasses and slicked-back hair grinned while flipping through a stack of documents.
"Top-tier profiles this time," said the man across from him an unshaven middle-aged trainer with a cigar clenched between his teeth.
"You've outdone yourself, Baimao," the host chuckled, setting the files down. "What a generous gift to begin the year!"
He gestured Baimao to the hotel suite's lounge area and pulled out a bottle of Kanto-region elderberry wine expensive and rare even among Elites and two goblets from his private collection.
"A toast to smooth business," Baimao laughed.
They sat, poured the wine, and raised their glasses, the tension relaxing between them until the host's Pokédex beeped.
He frowned.
"My apologies."
"No worries. Might be urgent," Baimao shrugged, exhaling a puff of cigar smoke.
The host checked the sender: a trusted subordinate in charge of clandestine operations.
He tapped the message open.
"Chen Xiaoxiao sighted near Guancheng. Confirmed shiny Gardevoir. Photo attached. Likely heading your way."
The man's pupils contracted. His fingers trembled, nearly spilling his wine.
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