Chapter 271: Three on the Trail

"No, I mean, why did you two follow me here as well?" Huo La tightened the bulging backpack on his back, paused his steps, glanced left and right at the two people trailing him, his tone full of helplessness.

At this moment Huo La, Ming Yao, and Xiao Zhao were walking along the mountain path to the Red Lotus Wetland; the gravel road was rugged, the trees on both sides grew ever denser, the wind rustled the leaves, and occasionally the distant cries of Wild Pokemon could be heard.

Ming Yao kept his gaze forward, his steps steady, climbing the steep mountain trail, and without turning his head replied, "Captain Majamu specifically ordered it. Originally Dr. Laben was to accompany you, since the Doctor knows the Hisui terrain and Pokemon best, but the Doctor had to go inspect an anomaly at Qunqing Coast at the last minute."

"The Captain wasn't comfortable letting you go into danger alone, so he had us two follow; we can lend a hand and watch over your condition—you're still newly awake, don't overexert yourself."

"Exactly, exactly!" Xiao Zhao quickened his steps to keep up, his tone bright as he echoed, still clutching a notebook and occasionally jotting down notes on the terrain, "Normally the Diamond Team or Pearl Team would send someone to assist you, but they've been swamped lately; Pokémon Kings in their jurisdictions have been repeatedly showing berserk behavior, Captain Gangshi and Miss Zhu Bei are busy suppressing them every day, they can't spare any personnel, so in the end only our Investigation Team can step in."

Ming Yao suddenly turned his head, raised an eyebrow at Huo La, his tone teasing yet with a hint of seriousness: "And the Star Moon Squad Leader also said you're the one chosen by Arceus, yet you still call yourself a hero; if we follow you, wouldn't we become the hero's right and left arms? When you eventually save Hisui, we might even get our names recorded in history!"

"Sss—recorded in history?" Huo La inhaled a cold breath, his steps unintentionally slowed by half a beat, his mind whirring rapidly.

He clearly remembered that in the ancient legends of the future Shen'ao Region, only the connection between Arceus and the Stone Tablet was recorded; there was no mention of the Investigation Team, nor the names Ming Yao or Xiao Zhao.

It seemed that this so‑called "recorded in history" had little chance of happening.

He inwardly scoffed, but said nothing, merely shaking his head helplessly and quickening his pace to keep up: "Alright, alright, stop thinking about fame; let's first locate the Ancient Hidden Residence, meet Wusi Lady, obtain the Fairy Plate, then we can swing by the Red Lotus Wetland, check the situation in the Diamond Team and Pearl Team jurisdictions, and maybe try to snatch the Stone Tablets they control from those two Pokémon Kings."

Ming Yao still led at the front, the gravel beneath his feet crunching, and without turning his head replied, "Fine, we'll do as you say. The top priority is to find that Ancient Hidden Residence you mentioned. Honestly, I've done several survey missions in the Red Lotus Wetland before, I'm not unfamiliar with the area, but I've never heard of any Ancient Hidden Residence."

"Even if it exists, it's surely hidden deep within the Red Lotus Wetland—the place is notoriously dangerous; ordinary Investigation Team members wouldn't dare approach it alone."

"Hm?" Huo La's steps faltered slightly, letting out a light "eh," his face showing a hint of surprise.

Xiao Zhao quickly stepped forward two paces, walking side by side with him, opened his notebook and pointed to the annotations, explaining, "Hisui looks vast, but there are actually few truly safe zones. Besides the Pokémon King zones delineated by the Diamond Team and Pearl Team, there's our Galaxy Team's headquarters in Zhujing Village, and the areas around Obsidian Fieldlands that team members patrol year‑round; other places hide many hazards."

"Is that so? I didn't notice." Huo La scratched his head, recalling that when he previously roamed the Hisui mountains alone, he hadn't encountered any overly tricky Wild Pokemon.

"That's just your luck being absurdly good," Ming Yao's voice came from ahead, tinged with helplessness, "In the wild, besides the Pokémon Kings tended by the Diamond Team and Pearl Team, many Wild Pokemon groups have their own kings, and many of them are no weaker than the ones the two teams guard, especially near the Tian Guan Mountain Foothills, where powerful Pokemon cluster."

"Near the Tian Guan Mountain Foothills..." Huo La muttered softly, then shook his head, "When I came down from the Temple, I didn't see any particularly strong Pokemon along the way; I even caught my Clawtail Scorpion around there."

"That's definitely just dumb luck," Ming Yao stopped, turned to look at him, his tone firm, "Normally the Tian Guan Mountain Foothills are occupied by formidable Pokemon, like the Great Rock Snake that excels at Rock moves, the brutally aggressive Super‑Armored Rhinoceros, and even some rare species that can wield Psychic powers. Ordinary Pokemon would have to go around them, let alone us. The fact you came out unscathed and even managed to catch a Clawtail Scorpion is already a miracle."

Huo La didn't rebut, merely lowering his gaze, his thoughts quietly drifting to the Master Ball lying silently inside.

If Ming Yao's words were true, his unscathed passage through the Tian Guan Mountain Foothills teeming with strong foes wasn't luck at all.

Either it's Arceus's protection—after all, he's the one chosen by Arceus; or it's Deoxys's deterrence, whose power can make the vast majority of Wild Pokemon cower in fear.

Either of those Pokemon, whichever it is, is certainly not a Wild Pokemon that ordinary ones would dare to provoke lightly.

While pondering, Ming Yao, who was at the front, suddenly halted, raised a finger to signal silence, his eyes scanning the increasingly dense jungle ahead, "Alright, ahead is the deep part of the Red Lotus Wetland; the mist thickens, the terrain gets more complex. For safety, let's release all our Pokemon in case something unexpected happens."

"Okay." Huo La replied, flicking his fingertips, tossing three Pokeballs in succession; a red light flashed as Cyndaquil, Leafeon, and the Clawtail Scorpion landed together.

Xiao Zhao also immediately drew a Pokeball, releasing his partners: "Murkrow, Oshawott, I'm counting on you."

Murkrow flapped its wings, soaring to mid‑air, circling vigilantly; Oshawott clutched a shell, staying by Xiao Zhao's feet, occasionally pawing at the puddles along the path.

Ming Yao glanced at the two's Pokemon, pondered briefly, then drew a Pokeball, laughing, "Since everyone has released theirs, I'll let this guy join in for the count. Come out, Rowlet!"

A flash of red light, and an adorably goofy Rowlet fluttered its wings and landed on Ming Yao's shoulder, its round eyes swiveling, tilting its head as it surveyed the surroundings.

"Alright, the Pokemon are by our sides, we can watch each other," Ming Yao patted the Rowlet on his shoulder, resumed his stride forward, "The deep Red Lotus Wetland not only has fierce Wild Pokemon but also many swamp traps; stay close, don't fall behind."