"Holy crap! That teamwork! So smooth!"

"Kiki-chan!"

At the critical moment, Bai Zhou's calm voice rang out.

"Remember, when facing a life-or-death crisis in the wild, don't be bound by the rules of the Alliance! Use every resource at your disposal!"

Before he finished speaking, Xiaobai from the game had already stood in front of the two girls.

Beside him, three figures were already poised to strike.

Gastly grinned sinisterly, Bulbasaur's Vine Whip was taut, and Growlithe's fangs were bared.

"Growlithe! Use Helper Gastly! Gastly! Sucker Punch to interrupt its attack! Bulbasaur! Apply Sleep Powder!"

Growlithe growled, unleashing an invisible burst of enhanced energy that slammed into Gastly like a booster rocket!

Gastly transformed into a shooting star trailing a dark blue flame, and just as its tail was about to strike, it slammed into Gyarados's relatively vulnerable head and side jaws!

boom!

A heavy impact rang out!

The Gyarados's attack was deflected by the enormous impact, its massive tail grazing the hem of Little Tree and the orange-haired girl's clothes before crashing into the open ground beside it!

A massive earthquake struck!

Soil and gravel exploded like a fountain, instantly creating a shocking crater, billowing with smoke and dust!

Just then, a strong gust of wind swept by.

The flower buds on Bulbasaur's back opened, and several vines spun rapidly, instantly weaving together into a giant fan.

A powerful gust of air, carrying a large amount of pale green powder gushing from the flower bud, was precisely aimed at the Gyarados, whose movements were slightly slowed by the missed attack.

The powder seeped into Gyarados's scales silently the moment it came into contact with them!

The smoke and dust slowly dissipated.

Gyarados was still writhing in frustration, but its movements were visibly slowing down.

With a heavy thud, it lost consciousness completely and fell heavily into the huge crater it had created, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Once he confirmed that the surroundings were temporarily safe, Xiaobai immediately took out some medicine and prepared to go forward to help treat the orange-haired girl.

The orange-haired girl's tense nerves seemed to snap the moment she saw Gyarados calm down.

Her body, which she had been holding up, swayed slightly, and a weak, relieved smile appeared on her face. After returning Starmie to her Poké Ball, she closed her eyes and fell straight forward.

Just then, the quick-thinking Xiao Qishu caught her and gently nestled into her arms.

At the same time, a flood of comments appeared in the live stream chat.

"Holy crap! That teamwork! So smooth!"

"Teacher Salty Fish's command was amazing! The perfectly timed interruption + the application of sleep powder! Textbook-level wilderness crisis management!"

"If they had been 0.1 seconds later, they would have been wiped out! Saltyfish Teacher is at least a Master Trainer in real life!"

"Who is this beautiful girl? She's so pretty!"

"Gyarados Lv.32 and this is already so intimidating? Saltyfish-sensei really knows how to create atmosphere for bosses!"

"Mount Tsukimi is indeed fraught with danger... Could this person be connected to Team Rocket?"

"So handsome!"

Qi Shu swallowed hard, her face flushed slightly with excitement. She looked at the simple-faced Xiao Bai on the screen, her eyes filled with the joy of discovering a treasure.

"Salted Fish Sauce! You're so handsome! The most handsome man in the universe!"

Bai Zhou didn't reply, not because he was pretending to be an expert, but because the grass next to him was shaking violently in the game screen.

A familiar figure rushed out, panting heavily.

"Handsome Researcher: Phew... I was investigating Pokémon ecology nearby and rushed over as soon as I heard the loud commotion! Are you all alright?"

"Handsome Researcher: This...she looks seriously injured! She must be taken to the Pokémon Center for professional treatment immediately!"

A dialog box pops up.

The handsome researcher frowned, his gaze sweeping across the battlefield, when he suddenly bent down and picked up a red and white Poké Ball covered in dirt from the rubble and mud.

He skillfully wiped the ball on his clothes and lightly tapped the button with his finger.

hum!

A beam of red light shot out, and Gyarados instantly transformed into a streak of light and was returned to its Poké Ball.

Before Xiaobai and Xiaoqishu could react, a faint pink light seemed to flash in the nearby bushes, and a robust Charizard emerged from it.

The handsome researcher gently lifted the unconscious orange-haired girl and carefully placed her on the broad, stable back of the Charizard. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he stopped, turned around, and took out a strangely shaped device, stuffing it into Xiaobai's hand.

"Handsome Researcher: Oh, right, this is the latest portable Pokémon Ecosystem Recorder! I remember there's still an important habitat lake within the Mt. Tsukimi area that hasn't had its ecological data recorded yet, so I'm counting on you guys!"

"Handsome Researcher: As a thank you and reward, here's this device for you! It can scan and display the types and approximate distribution of wild Pokémon in the vicinity in real time, which is very helpful for field exploration!"

"Whitey and Little Wonder got the Pokémon Ecologger from the handsome researcher!"

"Whitey and Little Tree put the Pokémon Eco Recorder into their important item pocket."

After giving his instructions, the handsome researcher hurriedly mounted his Charizard and flew away, presumably heading towards Cerulean City.

"It's him! It's him! It's definitely him!"

"They're just surveying Pokémon ecology nearby? I don't believe it. Could they be following us?"

"It's confirmed! The handsome researcher is the real protagonist! He's everywhere the plot unfolds!"

"Why not add a romance system?! I want to win him over right now, immediately, on the spot!"

"It's him again..."

Qi Shu tilted his little face up, watching the tiny black dot disappear rapidly in the sky, his tone subtle.

"If we hadn't intervened, or hadn't been able to save this girl, would he have just happened to appear and rescued her like before? I have this feeling... he's like an omnipresent guardian, so reliable!"

"Well, let's go. Didn't he ask us to record the last lake?"

On the other end of the communication, Bai Zhou's voice paused for a moment, then quickly returned to normal.

He controlled White to turn on the Pokémon Eco Recorder, and the screen clearly displayed a map of Mt. Moon. A flashing red dot representing an unrecorded area was marking the location of a lake deep in the forest.

"Completing this task might... bring a surprise."

"surprise!"

Qishu's attention was instantly drawn, and the tense and exciting feeling from just now was thrown to the back of his mind. He also excitedly turned on the Pokémon recorder.

The two players control their characters as they traverse the battlefield and venture deeper into the river.

Before long, the view suddenly opened up before me.

A lake nestled among the mountains comes into view.

The lake water is crystal clear, reflecting the blue sky, white clouds, and lush forests all around, creating a tranquil and beautiful scene.

But apart from the stunning scenery, it seems... there's nothing particularly special about it.

Just as Qi Shu tilted his head, his little face full of confusion, "Where's the surprise?", Xiao Bai on the screen pulled a tattered fishing rod out of his butt.

He cast his long hook and sat quietly on the bank to fish.

Noticing that the little strange tree character next to him was standing still, Bai Zhou's calm voice rang out.

"I'll show you a surprise later. This lake is the only top-tier fishing spot on the entire Pokémon map that is explicitly marked as inhabited by a group of Dratini!"

"You know Dratini, right? It's a fat little Pokémon that matured late in life! The signature Pokémon of the veteran Flying... Dragon-type Elite Four member, Lance."

"Just you wait and see, let me tell you, my fishing skills used to be legendary for miles around... Holy crap! It's on the hook!"