Pokémon: Dreams Come True Starting in Sinnoh

Chapter 164 The Elder's Reflections: Why the Sacrifice?

After some conversation, Marble and Matthew explained what had happened.

It's said that a group known as the Three Beauties the Phantom Thieves have their eyes on the ancient amulet hidden in this castle, so they sent Matthew a notice saying that they would come here at 12 o'clock tonight to steal the treasure.

After Matthew called the police, the Sinnoh police seemed to be working together on some case recently, so the police station was short-staffed and in the end, only Marble, who was still a trainee police officer, could come to arrest the criminal.

Unlike the usual Officer Jenny, Mabel's partner is not Growlithe and Arcanine, but Xeno'jiiva.

"Eh... I didn't expect there to still be people who directly issue notices to steal things these days? That's rare."

After hearing the whole story, Xiao Guang didn't seem nervous about the thief; instead, he seemed somewhat puzzled by the thief's actions.

Isn't this way of issuing a notice a bit too disrespectful?

Is it because they know that the Sinnoh region is currently lacking police force, or because they are really confident in their own abilities?

But no matter what—

"Don't worry! We'll come to help! With our help, they definitely won't succeed!"

Xiao Guang stood up, patted his chest, and made this solemn promise.

"Eh--"

However, after receiving Xiaoguang's promise, Mabu looked somewhat disappointed.

"It's such a rare opportunity to prove my abilities, what a pity."

Mabul slumped weakly onto the table, pouting as she spoke.

She should have been welcomed at this moment, but Mabul's attitude caught Xiaoguang completely off guard. Her lips trembled uncontrollably, and she didn't know how to handle the situation after being so humiliated.

However, Matthew, being the castle's owner, understood people's hearts better. Seeing Xiao Guang's slight embarrassment, he immediately coughed twice and said with a smile:

"Then I'll have to trouble you. With the help of the winners of the Fate Tournament and the Combination Tournament, I believe the three beauties of the Phantom Thieves will have no chance of succeeding."

"Hmph! Leave it to me!"

After thanking Hikaru, Matthew looked at Marble and continued:

"Of course, there are also traps you've set up nearby. If you capture the three beautiful phantom thieves, I'm sure you'll gain Officer Jenny's approval."

"N-Of course! With this genius detective girl on the job, no phantom thief is a match for her!"

......

Seeing Matthew save the two men from embarrassment with just two sentences, Xiao Zhi couldn't help but secretly applaud him. He really couldn't learn that kind of rhetoric.

"Pikachu~"

Pikachu nodded with a hint of admiration, even though the skill seemed useless to it.

After resolving a minor issue between the two girls, there was still some time before dinner was ready, so Xiaoguang didn't waste any more time.

Perhaps it was because she wanted to make a good impression on Matthew, since he had been praising her ever since they met.

Yes, and Ash too.

In short, before Xiaogang finished preparing dinner, Xiaoguang was finally able to put aside all the worries of the past few days.

After borrowing the battleground in the castle's backyard, Hikari began to concentrate all her energy on preparing for the upcoming casual tournament.

After all, several days have already been wasted. If she doesn't prepare properly, it will be troublesome if she embarrasses herself on stage. Xiaoguang has a fairly clear understanding of her current position. If possible, she hopes to defeat Xiaowang on the stage of the Grand Contest based on her own strength.

Aside from Ash, who had no intention of participating in the large-scale festival, Dawn believed that Nozomi would definitely be her strongest rival, without exception.

Dawn's record against Nozomi so far is only one win when he's partnered with Ash. But one victory isn't enough for Dawn.

"You're so young! I was just like that back then."

"Hmm? Mr. Matthew, have you participated in the Grand Contest before?"

At a small dining table in the backyard, Ash and Matthew sat facing each other, watching Dawn's performance.

"I'm not referring to the Grand Contest, but to the feeling."

"That feeling..."

Xiao Zhi pondered it carefully, but still couldn't grasp what Matthew meant.

Seeing this, Matthew simply chuckled, stroked his beard, and began to recount the story with a nostalgic expression:

"It's the feeling of striving for a goal. It feels really good. Although I feel tired every night, I only feel satisfied and accomplished... Although I didn't achieve anything decent on my journey to my dream, I had no choice but to come back and inherit the family fortune."

But if I could go back to the beginning, I would still choose to fight for my dreams. It's just a pity that I no longer have the energy of a young person.

The old man examined the black tea in his hand. As the wisps of steam rose and a gentle breeze stirred the surface of the tea, his gaze was lost in the ripples, as if he were recalling bygone days.

He spoke, seemingly addressing his past self, yet also appearing to be addressing Ash and Dawn, who were diligently training:

"Moreover, the way she looked when she was striving seemed to be not just for a simple dream; she seemed to be doing it for herself, but also for others."

"?"

After hearing these words, Xiao Zhi's doubts were not only not answered, but he became even more confused.

But in the end, Matthew simply shrugged as if relieved and said frankly:

"Forget it! You'll understand later anyway. You're still young, it's normal not to understand now~ Just enjoy your youth!"

"..."

Xiao Zhi remained silent, but inwardly he was complaining.

Even if I experienced the future, I still wouldn't understand...

Indeed, people's hearts are still hard to understand.

Xiao Zhi felt that his emotional intelligence was already quite high, but whether in the past or now, even when facing people he knew well, he still couldn't fully understand their thoughts.

"Excellent! Ready to finish! Patchlitz, use Discharge!"

"Pa!"

On the field, Xiaoguang was preparing to direct Patchlitz to wrap up the performance, but just as Patchlitz jumped up, a dark figure suddenly darted between them.

A flash of lightning appeared, but it didn't come from Patchlitz.

The latter landed with a slightly strange look in his eyes, watching helplessly as the performance he had worked so hard to prepare for was snatched away at the last moment by this guy who suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

......

P.S.: Daily gift request~!

(I've finished my work, so I'll start adding extra chapters from today. I'll make up for the seven chapters I owe within a week. Also, starting today, I'll add a bounty: one extra chapter for every 70 gifts received in a single day, and one extra chapter for every 300 gifts received in total.)

(By 5 a.m. today, I should have written 8 words)