Chapter 294: A Da, A Er

"Those two are the King's candidates," Gua Na lifted her hand and pointed to the nearby spot, speaking softly.

Huo La and his two companions looked in the direction she indicated, and saw on the ground not far away a large and a small Kati Dog play‑fighting and chasing each other; faint traces of Abnormal Energy occasionally flickered on their fur, but the flashes vanished instantly and they quickly returned to normal.

"What a cute Kati Dog," Xiao Zhao's eyes lit up, and she couldn't help whispering praise.

Huo La also nodded silently in his mind.

Hisui's Kati Dog was completely different from the brave, capable partners that Officer Jenny has in later times.

These two had fluffy white fur covering the tops of their heads, around their eyes and their chests, even the tips of their tails were snow‑white; they looked soft, cute and lively, far more adorable than the later Kati Dogs.

"A Da, A Er," Gua Na called gently.

The two Kati Dogs instantly stopped playing, turned their heads in unison toward the source of the voice, and the next moment they sprang forward, racing toward the group.

"What a fast speed," Ming Yao couldn't help speaking, his tone carrying a hint of surprise.

"Indeed," Huo La agreed.

He fully concurred with Ming Yao's assessment.

Unlike Xiao Zhao, Ming Yao's observational skill and method of raising Pokemon leaned more toward a proper Trainer rather than an ordinary Investigator.

He had already deeply realized this during several prior sparring sessions with Ming Yao.

At that moment, three rapid "Bang bang bang" explosions rang out, striking precisely between the four people and the two Kati Dogs; a thick Smokescreen instantly billowed out, layering over the group's sight, while a sharp scent of gunpowder filled the air.

"What's happening?!" Xiao Zhao was caught off guard, frozen in place, her face full of astonishment.

Huo La and Ming Yao instantly tensed, exchanged a glance, seeing caution and urgency in each other's eyes; without a word, they both leapt toward the Smokescreen, moving swiftly, fearing the Kati Dogs might be in danger.

The instant they broke through the Smokescreen, the scene before them made their pupils contract—Three Bandit Sisters crouched on the ground, their net bags tightly encircling A Da and A Er, the bags wrapped with fine rope, binding the two Kati Dogs firmly.

"Three Bandit Sisters!" Ming Yao's eyes suddenly sharpened, his tone cold, his feet never stopping as he hurried forward to reclaim the Kati Dogs.

A Song was the first to sense the danger, his complexion changing, and he barked low, "We've been spotted, run!"

A Zhu and A Mei dared not delay; they hoisted the net bag containing the Kati Dogs and tried to turn and flee, but A Da and A Er inside the bag thrashed wildly, kicking and growling continuously with great force, preventing the two from running quickly.

A Song, seeing Huo La and Ming Yao closing in, gritted his teeth and barked harshly, "Ignore the smaller one! Take the larger one away!"

He knew that taking both would be impossible, so he could only prioritize snatching the larger, more promising A Da.

A Mei immediately understood, released the net bag holding A Er with her other hand, and turned quickly to keep up with A Song and A Zhu.

A Song, seeing this, swiftly pulled a smoke bomb from his pocket and hurled it toward Huo La and Ming Yao; with a "Bang" sound, a new Smokescreen rose again.

As the Smokescreen gradually faded, the Three Bandit Sisters had already vanished, leaving only the released A Er squatting in place, continuously exhaling black smoke rings; the Interdimensional Energy that had only flickered occasionally now raged wildly around its body, making even its snow‑white fur stand on end, looking especially uneasy.

Huo La furrowed his brow deeply, his gaze fixed on the Kati Dog named A Er before him, his eyes heavy with seriousness—its surrounding raging Interdimensional Energy was stronger than expected, clearly provoked by the recent incident.

At that moment, Gua Na and Xiao Zhao hurried over; seeing A Er tense and its energy in turmoil, Gua Na's heart tightened, and she instinctively moved forward to soothe, "A Er!"

"Gua Na, wait!" Huo La reached out and quickly stopped her, his tone steady and solemn, "A Er's condition is off right now—its emotions are heightened and its energy is violent. Don't approach lightly, lest it hurt you by mistake."

"But… it's suffering so much like this," Gua Na's face was full of worry, her eyes glued to A Er, both pained and anxious, yet she knew Huo La was right and could only forcefully halt her steps.

Huo La gave a slight nod, then slowly stepped forward, inch by inch toward A Er.

He deliberately slowed his movements, trying to appear gentle; a few meters from A Er he crouched slowly, his right hand quietly resting on the Pokeball at his waist, staying alert, his face calm, his voice very soft, "A Er, don't worry, I'm here to help you."

In response came a low, angry growl.

A Er suddenly tensed its body, the black energy around it thickening, a threatening low growl issuing from its throat, its eyes full of guard and hostility, as if regarding Huo La as an enemy.

Huo La did not retreat, maintaining his crouch, patiently speaking slowly, trying to soothe its emotions: "I know you're scared and angry. The ones who just snatched your brother A Da are bad people, and we were sent by Gua Na to help you. We'll definitely rescue A Da from those people."

"Awo~~~" A Er continued to low‑growl, its surrounding energy fluctuations growing more intense; its gaze at Huo La showed no sign of easing, still brimming with fierce hostility, its ears pressed tightly to its head, assuming a Defense Counterattack stance.

Ming Yao walked slowly to Huo La's side, his gaze likewise fixed on the raging A Er, his tone grave yet urgent: "Don't waste time; let me knock it out directly. If we wait longer, the Three Bandit Sisters will be long gone, and retrieving A Da will become difficult."

Huo La stared at the Interdimensional Energy swirling around A Er, then lowered his head to contemplate briefly—calming was already ineffective, and further delay would miss the best chance to chase the Three Bandit Sisters. Finally, he slowly nodded and said in a deep voice, "Fine, you do it."

With permission granted, Ming Yao no longer hesitated, raised his hand and tossed a Pokeball, commanding in a low voice: "Alright, go, suction‑cup automaton, stun it, be gentle, don't hurt it."

"Boom," the Pokeball opened, and the suction‑cup automaton materialized; without hesitation, its eyes flashed, and a gentle yet powerful mental thrust instantly launched, precisely enveloping A Er.

A Er didn't have time to emit another growl before its body froze instantly; the raging energy fluctuations vanished abruptly, and its eyes closed as it collapsed unconscious on the ground, its snow‑white fur slightly scattering, the previous ferocity gone.

Seeing A Er unconscious on the ground, Gua Na rushed over urgently, her voice full of concern and resentment: "How could you treat it like that! It's already so scared!"

"Sorry, Gua Na," Huo La quickly stepped forward to explain, his tone sincere, "It was only knocked out, not injured; once it wakes, it'll be fine."

He paused, then shifted his tone, becoming firm: "The most important thing now is to retrieve A Da; we can't delay any longer. You should take A Er back to rest and look after it properly."

As he spoke, Huo La turned his head toward Xiao Zhao, solemnly instructing, "Xiao Zhao, stay here to look after Gua Na and A Er. Ming Yao and I will chase the Three Bandit Sisters and make sure we rescue A Da."