Pokémon: Master System.

A hippopotamus beast at the near-heavenly king level.

As soon as the hippopotamus appeared, it let out a huge roar, and a sandstorm immediately arose. It was clear that this hippopotamus had the sand-blowing ability.

As soon as the Sandstorm Brothers, who were at the near-Heavenly King level, appeared, Xia Yu knew he couldn't win. He knew he absolutely couldn't win this battle and had to find a way to save his life.

Charlotte would have a hard time dealing with just this near-Elite Four-level Hippowdon with the Sand Rush ability, not to mention the near-Elite Four-level Excadrill with the Sand Rush ability, whose speed doubles in sandstorm weather. With these two Pokémon together, even most Elite Four-level Pokémon might not be a match for them.

“Xia Luo and Xia Yu, if you surrender, you can suffer less.” One of the men, who was slightly taller and wore a vicious dog mask, said in a deep, masculine voice.

"Who are you? What do you want with me?" Charlotte remained calm, coldly staring at the two men as she asked.

“You’ll find out when you come with us,” another man wearing a monkey mask spoke up. He was rather thin, over 1.9 meters tall, and had a soft, weathered voice. He was probably a little older than the man wearing the vicious dog mask on the other side.

"Stop wasting time talking to him, just attack! Dragon Head Rat, charge straight in!" The monkey-masked man was the first to order the Dragon Head Rat to attack. The Dragon Head Rat, with its unique sand-breaking properties, was incredibly fast in the sandstorm. Only a black figure could be vaguely seen as it pierced through the sandstorm, spinning rapidly as it attacked the Lava Snail.

【Straight Drill】: A Ground-type physical attack move. Like a drill, the user spins and rams into the opponent. Highly likely to hit a critical spot!

If a Lava Snail, which is four times weaker than Earth, is hit by a Dragon Head Rat, it will definitely suffer severe damage, even though its snail shell is incredibly hard.

"Sea Gastrodon, pray for rain!"

[Rainfall]: A water-related skill that changes the weather to rain.

"Lava Snail, yawn at Dragon Head Mole!"

[Yawn]: Get attention by yawning. Put your opponent to sleep in the next round.

Charlotte calmly directed the two Pokémon, first having Gastrodon use Rain Dance to change the weather and break the sandstorm, with the aim of rendering Excadrill's Sand Pull ability ineffective.

Then he had the Lava Snail use the Yawn skill. As a result, Normal-type energy surged from the Lava Snail's body, forming a white cloud that flew rapidly toward Excadrill!

However, during a sandstorm, the Dragon Head Grub is so fast that it easily avoids the white cloud.

In the game, yawning is a guaranteed hit skill unless the opponent is flying or digging a hole. However, this is not the case in reality. There is no such thing as a guaranteed hit in reality. All skills only count if they hit.

"Hippopotamus, use Ram!" another masked man with a vicious dog shouted.

The hippopotamus strode its massive body and launched an attack on the sea hare, crashing into it with astonishing force, as if it intended to crush the sea hare!

…………

"boom!"

Just then, a dazzling ball of light flew from afar, accurately hitting the Dragon Head Excadrill and sending it flying backward. It rolled several times on the ground before stopping, leaving a dent on its body, demonstrating just how powerful this attack was.

"This is, the wave missile skill."

Xia Yu looked in the direction the ball of light came from and saw a Lucario leap out of the jungle and stand in front of Gastrodon and Hippowdon.

Lucario

Gender: male

Attributes: Fighting, Steel

Qualification: Champion level (can be improved)

Combat strength: Champion level

Trait: Heart of Justice

Skills: Imitation, Feint, Help, Rock Smash, Aura Missile, Vacuum Wave, Foresight, Resurrection, Piercing Sound, Quick Attack, Desperate Strike, Life Drop, Double Up, Self-Motivation, Power Shot, Meditation, Metallic Sound, Quick Defense, Bone Club Brawler, Sword Dance, Healing Pulse, Comet Punch, Dragon Pulse, Godspeed, Close Combat, Bite, Flying Knee Kick, Cross Chop, Bullet Punch, Bastion Throw, Slam, Agility, Protect, Kickdown, Strike, Endure, Swallow Return, Stomp, Metal Claw, Rock Tomb, Low Kick, Brick Break, Psychic Hammer, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, Drain Punch, Earthquake, Stone Edge

(Under normal circumstances, I try not to write the panel to avoid being accused of padding the word count, but this character is very important!!!)

A sense of security, an unparalleled sense of security.

To be honest, when this Lucario stood in front of Xia Yu, Xia Yu felt extremely at ease. "You guys are like quasi-weather-level sandstorms, huh? Just watch whether Lucario beats you up or not."

Chapter 27 Wei Yeqin

"If you had come any later, you wouldn't have seen me again." Charlotte looked at the person who came out of the jungle and said with a smile. Even though they hadn't seen each other for many years, their relationship was still so close: "Wei Yeqin, it's been three years. You and your Lucario have gotten stronger again."

Xia Yu looked at the newcomer with curiosity, wanting to see who the owner of this champion-level Lucario was. The newcomer was wearing a coarse cloth robe, shirtless, with a strikingly shiny bald head, and a gourd of wine hanging at his waist. Xia Yu was somewhat disappointed by this appearance.

In his mind, the master of a Champion-level Lucario should be like Steven and Leon.

"Fourth brother, it's been a long time." Wei Yeqin looked ordinary, about thirty-five years old, with small eyes and single eyelids, and a slightly stocky build. He was completely inconspicuous in a crowd. "I rushed over after receiving your message. Luckily, I'm not too late."

Fourth brother?

Is this my brother's nickname? Why isn't it "Sixth Brother"?

Xia Yu was also curiously observing Wei Yeqin. He repeatedly searched his mind for famous trainers in this world, but none of them matched the person in front of him. He was certain that he had never seen this person in the news or on television, and there was no one named Wei Yeqin among the six champions of the six major regions of China.

That shouldn't be the case. This is a champion-level Lucario, how come there's not a single piece of news about it?

The two masked figures on the other side felt uneasy as they watched Lucario suddenly appear, especially after seeing how Lucario severely injured Excadrill with just one Aura Sphere, which made them realize its power.

Are they Champion-level or near-Champion-level? The two guessed that this Lucario was at least Champion-level in strength.

"Fourth brother, I'll come back to catch up with you after I've dealt with them."

After Wei Yeqin finished speaking, he looked at the two of them. He and Lucario were already in sync, so he didn't need any command. With a wave of his hand, the power of the Aura made Wei Yeqin and Lucario's minds become one.

Lucario leaped into the air, its figure darting about. At the same time, Steel-type energy surged in its left hand as it aimed Bullet Punch at Hippowdon, while its right hand glowed blue as it used Ice Punch simultaneously.

Xia Yu was shocked. Holy crap? There's such a crazy move?

You're Zhou Botong, the Old Urchin, aren't you? Drawing circles with your left hand and squares with your right, the Ambidextrous Technique, right? A bullet punch in your left hand, a freezing punch in your right, striking without blind spots, right? How about adding a flying knee kick to your feet and an iron head strike to your head, using four skills in one round?

Holy crap, are champion-level Pokémon really that powerful?

"boom!"

What shocked Xia Yu even more was how fast this Lucario was! Xia Yu barely saw the blue figure flash by before Lucario appeared in front of Hippowdon in the blink of an eye, unleashing a powerful left punch that sent Hippowdon sprawling and collapsing to the ground in pain. Immediately afterward, Lucario's right Ice Punch landed in the same spot.

"Roar!"

After taking two punches, the hippopotamus roared in pain, its massive body collapsing to the ground, instantly losing all fighting ability.

Two punches, just two punches. One bullet punch and one freezing punch were enough to defeat the near-King level hippopotamus beast.

Is this the difference between a near-Champion level and a Champion level? It was basically a one-sided massacre, but it was clear that Lucario didn't kill it; it only defeated Hippowdon instead of killing it.

After defeating Hippowdon, Lucario didn't stop for a moment and attacked again, quickly conjuring a wave missile in its hand and throwing it directly at Excadrill.

"boom!"

The wave missile was extremely fast, drawing a perfect arc in the air and successfully hitting the Dragon Head Excadrill. The already seriously injured Dragon Head Excadrill was instantly eliminated, and the outcome was decided immediately. This battle was so fast that Xia Yu was not prepared at all.

So, the Sandstorm brothers are near-King level? That's it? That's it? No way, they're too weak.

If the Xia family had a Lucario like that, they could roam freely throughout the entire Western Sichuan province.

The two masked men were completely terrified. They couldn't understand where this Lucario had come from, and how it could be so powerful.

This Lucario could not possibly be at the Champion level; it must be at least at the near-Champion level, or even possibly at the Champion level. Otherwise, it wouldn't be able to defeat their Pokémon so easily.

The thought that a champion-level trainer was behind the Xia family sent chills down their spines. They must have been tired of living to come looking for trouble with the Xia family.

"Go back and tell the people behind you to stop eyeing the Xia family." Wei Yeqin's voice was loud and clear as he shouted at the two men.

The two masked men quickly recalled their Pokémon, turned and ran, disappearing into the jungle in the blink of an eye.

"Lucario, long time no see." Charlotte waved to Lucario and greeted him with a smile.

"Ow."

Lucario responded to Charlotte in return, indicating that the two must have known each other for a long time. Xia Yu wondered when his older brother had gotten such a powerful patron.

"What have you been doing these past few years?" Xia Luo casually found a place to sit down and asked Wei Yeqin.

Wei Yeqin sat cross-legged on the ground in a standard meditation posture, while Lucario sat in the same posture. This made Xia Yu, who was standing to the side, a little curious. What was Wei Yeqin's identity? He seemed to be a martial artist.

"It's the same as always. My worldly ties are not yet severed, so I accumulate good deeds and virtues to seek liberation from the mortal world. I travel all over the country, crossing mountains and rivers, watching the turmoil of the world. When I encounter injustice, I draw my sword to right it, and I act bravely for what is right, regardless of whether it brings good or bad fortune." Wei Yeqin's voice was loud and clear. He stood up and sang, his face showing a carefree expression. When he got excited, he took the wine gourd from his waist and drank it.

"Give me a sip too." Charlotte snatched the gourd of wine without hesitation and took a big gulp. "So, what are you planning to do next?"

"Let's make the world our home, sweep away the injustices of the world, and help those suffering in the world. Come on, Fourth Brother, I'll take you back to Starlight City."

…………

On the way back to Starlight City, Xia Luo reminisced with Wei Yeqin about their adventures back then. Xia Yu overheard the gist of it and became even more curious about his older brother's experiences. But soon the three of them arrived home.

"Since you're already here, why don't you have a meal together?" Xia Luo tried her best to persuade Wei Yeqin to stay for a meal.

Wei Yeqin shook his head and refused directly, saying, "No need, I have something to do. Let's get together when the second and third brothers arrive."

After saying that, Wei Yeqin turned and left without looking back, his back view dashing and unrestrained, leaving only one sentence: "Fourth brother, I will visit those families who bullied you one by one. After I finish dealing with things here, I will go to Xu Xiu to seek justice for you. If you encounter any difficulties, send me a message. Also, the second and third brothers are helping you. They should come back to Xishu Province when they have time."

After saying that, he and Lucario disappeared into the long night. Watching Wei Yeqin's departing figure, Charlotte's expression was complicated, and his eyes were filled with emotion.

…………

Chapter 28 Speaker Scratcher

"Brother, who is he?" After Wei Yeqin left, Xia Yu could no longer hold back and asked.

"His name is Wei Yeqin, a great man whom your older brother admires the most." Xia Luo sat on the sofa, looking dazed, as if recalling something.

great.

A familiar yet unfamiliar term; very few people can truly live up to this assessment.