When Xiaoye received a solid slap on her back, she was immersed in the thick instruction booklet in her hand. She was completely unprepared for it. She almost kissed the ring with her forehead and broke the three and a half lines she had finally memorized.
The purple-haired trainer turned around with questions on her face, and saw the golden-haired brother and sister snickering mischievously, as if they were about to push her onto the stage in the next second.
"...No, wait, wait a minute."
Xiaoye felt the fear of being called on stage but not being able to memorize the text came back again. She waved her hands vigorously, "I haven't remembered a single password yet - and didn't you just say you wanted to play right away?" She was so excited that she almost fired the musket. Poke Xiaotian in the face.
Before she could finish her words, the golden retrievers' hands were all blurred together again.
"It's rare to have such an opportunity. We were not there to see the Snowstorm Battle. How can we not make up for the regret!"
Xiaoye looked at the arena in front of her in confusion, and then realized that her partner was talking about the competition with Mr. Jean at the beginning of the Snowstorm Battle. At this time, the soldiers standing in the center of the high platform seemed to have noticed the commotion here.
"Why, in this huge ancient city of Hasa, no one dares to compete with me, 'Crazy Axe Hansen' again?" The sturdy man laughed and raised his tomahawk and pointed at the crowd, "——over there Noisy young people, do you have the courage to step into the ring?”
Seeing countless interested eyes coming from around her, Xiaoye sighed.
——And when she opened her eyes again, her expression had completely changed.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Hansen." The girl in light-colored robes raised her head and looked at the person above with a smile, "As an unknown prayer master, of course I can fight with a warrior like you. My pleasure."
The blue and white cloth fluttered in the strong wind, and the prayer master stepped onto the ring amid cheers.
"Please enlighten me."
Warrior Hansen's eyes lit up, "How courageous! According to the rules, if you defeat me in a fair duel, you will get a certificate for free passage in this city - then, accept it!"
After speaking, the strong man recited a spell and wielded a huge ax filled with flames to attack the challenger.
As one of the most common entertainment items in the city, duels in the ring often attract young children who have just entered the park to join in the fun. Naturally, it is not as strict as a snowstorm battle. The warrior's weapons were just wooden props coated with paint, not half lethal at all, and the posture of swinging the ax was as simple and easy to understand as slow motion. The seemingly majestic flames overflowed from the warrior's furry wrist guards - if you look carefully, you can see that they are actually two Vulpix tails coiled in a ring. The little fox breathed fire while trying to pretend to be an accessory. It was so cute that countless people in the audience were fascinated and raised their phones to take pictures.
And the person opposite the warrior——
Looking down at her instruction manual.
The crowd suddenly burst into laughter - it was so relatable to see the cheat sheet before starting on the stage. There is no tourist who has not been troubled by the fancy passwords of Haza Park.
The warrior's giant ax whizzed downwards, and the prayer master, who was immersed in reading, did not raise his eyes, but moved lightly. The spectators closest to the ring only saw a light-colored shadow flash past. The prayer master had already dodged to the other corner of the ring, and not a single spark could touch his robe.
The strong man cheered enthusiastically for his opponent, raised his giant ax and attacked again. After dealing with it for a few rounds, the young challenger finally shook her head, closed the heavy manual, and raised the staff that was almost higher than her head.
Is the "magic showdown" about to begin!
The onlookers held their breaths, and the soldiers clenched their weapons and stood ready. It's just that the other party's movements were much faster than he expected. He didn't see the young man read the password at all, but something was already whistling like a cannonball flying towards him——
...No, wait.
Hansen staggered around to avoid the unknown object that almost hit his face, his eyes widened in shock.
Isn't that the manual she just studied hard for a long time?
Before he had time to retract his surprised gaze, the soldier's peripheral vision had already caught a glimpse of a shadow appearing silently in front of him. He hurriedly swung his ax to slash away, and the blazing flames drew dazzling traces in the air, but they only fell into the void.
The next moment, a huge force came from behind without warning. Hansen didn't even have time to turn around before he was thrown high into the air.
The onlookers watched blankly as the tall warrior almost flew out of the ring, and was about to grab the ground with his face before he was caught by the telekinesis of the Miao Miao and carefully sent back to his original position; and the instigator of this scene, the Prayer Master Yipai calmly took back the staff she used as a mallet, not forgetting to reach out to catch the fallen "wrist guard". The two little red foxes didn't seem to understand what was happening, and they balled up into confused fox balls in the hands of humans.
After a few seconds, the cheers finally started.
Hansen, who received a blow from the club, didn't care much about it. She laughed and put her arm around the challenger's shoulders to declare her victory. The Vulpix also responded to the occasion by spraying sparks all over the sky to join in the celebration, spraying the Pichu on Xiaoye's shoulders until it panicked and plunged into the trainer's loose robes, refusing to come out again.
After the girl finally escaped from the soldier's hands and slipped back into the crowd, the golden retriever brother and sister were still laughing in a narrow-minded manner.
"Very exciting!" Xiaoling gave a thumbs up to her friend, "Especially the tactic of using the instruction manual as a hidden weapon is really novel, hahaha——"
"Isn't that what you want to see?" Xiao Yepi replied with a smile.
Fortunately, this is the Orange Islands, and there are anywhere from 100 to 80 southerners who want to give up magic and fight hand-to-hand with Mr. Hansen every day. Even if she recreates the Beidou-style arena for her friends, it won't be conspicuous at all.
"What's the reward?"
After hearing Xiaotian's question, Xiaoye remembered to look at the bag Hansen stuffed for herself.
She was about to step forward and hand the object in her hand to her partner, when her steps suddenly stalled - a Cady dog appeared at her feet at some point, and was gently holding Xiao Ye's trousers in its mouth to prevent her from leaving.
Seeing that the girl noticed him, the dog let go and squatted down in front of the children and barked.
The people around the ring gradually thinned out. Only then did the four of them notice that a middle-aged man wearing a cane and dressed as an ancient soldier stood behind Katigou, looking at them intently.
The moment their eyes met, Xiaoye was stunned.
The other person's expression looked extremely strange. Those dark brown eyes were full of astonishment, and even the pupils were dilated, as if they had witnessed some incredible sight that could shatter their worldview - to use the customary expression of southerners, it was as if they had seen a ghost.
The four children looked at each other in confusion. They didn't know whether to talk or pet the dog first. After a long stalemate, Xiaoye tentatively said, "Hello, do you need help?"
Before she finished speaking, her hand was suddenly grabbed.
The middle-aged man's bandaged hands were shaking a little, as if he was trying his best to suppress his excitement.
"Sorry." The injured soldier shook his head, "I just didn't expect to see you again."
"——Long time no see, Xiaoye,"
The Twilight Cafe is located near the entrance of Haza Paradise, where visitors can stop and have a rest. Sun rocks and moon rocks are flying in the air, and the simple white walls disappear into the shadows. They are replaced by the illusion of sunset scenery created by super powers, thus turning the cafe into one of the most popular photo spots in the park.
The injured soldier pushed the wheelchair and walked slowly into the cafe with the Katie dog. The children following him murmured in lowered voices, exchanging confused looks from time to time.
At first, the golden retriever brother and sister thought they had encountered a hidden entertainment item mentioned in the guide - but the park's employees would never call visitors by their first names, and would only use simple pronouns such as "magician" and "swordsman".
"Is he someone you know?" Xiaojie asked quietly.
Xiao Ye immediately shook her head, saying that she had no impression of this person.
"Is this the Kadi dog you know?" Xiaoling also asked quietly.
Xiaoye's head slowly froze while she was shaking her head, and she looked at her friend in disbelief.
Can you even remember the Cady dog you've seen?
During the conversation, the beautiful sunset scenery on the mountain top has appeared before my eyes. The young people couldn't help but exclaimed and tried to reach out to touch the playfully spinning sun rocks in the air; while the injured soldiers remained silent until they drove their wheelchairs into the seats deep in the corner and finally turned around.
"I was rude just now." The middle-aged man said, "Want something to drink? I'll treat you."
As he finished speaking, he was dumbfounded to find that more than one child was not paying attention to the menu, but instead kept circling around the dog. The puppy squatted in front of his wheelchair in a formal manner, looking around alertly, as if he was ready to protect his master at any time. The blond brother and sister were a little frightened by it, and they didn't dare to stretch out their hands for a while.
The middle-aged man could only shake his head and said, "Katie dog."
Upon hearing the owner's voice, the puppy immediately released its alert posture and fell to the ground obediently.
The children cheered and couldn't wait to ruffle the fluffy fur of the dog. The two people who were more stable also shook their heads helplessly and gave apologetic looks to the trainer in the wheelchair.
The middle-aged man shrugged, ordered a few cups of the most popular fruit tea for the young people, and then his expression became serious again.
"You haven't introduced yourself just yet," he said, "My name is Shoichi Matsunaga, and I used to be a detective at the Hasa Island Police Station."
The injured soldier raised his head and looked at the girl with a puzzled expression.
"——Also a colleague of your parents."
"Xiaoye, you were too young at that time, and maybe you don't remember it. Five years ago, when you and your parents came here, the policeman who walked with you was me."
As soon as these words came out, there was a sudden silence in the semi-enclosed seat.
Although they have known each other for more than half a year, Xiaoye's friends still know nothing about her family - they know very well that their friend's parents died young, so of course they will not deliberately ask questions to touch the sore spot. Suddenly hearing Matsunaga's words, both the person petting Pokémon and the person quietly drinking tea suddenly raised their heads and looked at the speaker in shock.
"I didn't mean to bring back bad memories for you."
Matsunaga also seemed a little at a loss. After a moment of silence, he spoke again with difficulty, "After that incident, I only heard that your uncle picked you up and we haven't contacted you since. I don't know... how have you been doing these years? Sample?"
In the breathless silence, Xiaoye only showed a slightly confused look.
Of course she understood what the retired detective named Matsunaga Shoichi in front of her was saying, but Xiaoye had no memory of the scenes he described - and she didn't think they might be hidden in the nine blank years.
In the few seconds of brief pause, countless images flashed through my mind. She recalled the unnatural date of birth in the ID document, the blank resume, the words maliciously spoken by the boy from the Shining Society, and the strange and huge inhuman will hidden in the body, but silent at the moment.
Finally, the girl replied with a puzzled expression, "Sorry, I don't quite understand what you are talking about. Did you admit the wrong person?"
The expressions of the friends who were almost holding their breath immediately changed from solemn to dull. Matsunaga didn't expect to get such an answer at all, and was stunned for a moment without making a sound.
"I was born in Kanto, and my parents never served as police officers in the Orange Islands." Xiaoye looked at the middle-aged man's shocked appearance and cautiously added, "Maybe... the person you are talking about just looks a lot like me. ?”
The silver-haired boy put down his teacup and stared at his friend's appearance.
He and Xiaoye have known each other for a long time, and they know each other well enough. For example, now - although Xiaoye's tone was firm and her expression was natural, he still read something strange from it.
It's not the sentimentality of recalling the past, nor the anger of having one's privacy touched. Hidden deep in the light purple eyes is an imperceptible confusion.
It's like...she actually doesn't know whether what Matsunaga is telling is her own story.
Xiaotian only felt that a certain string in his mind was gently plucked. Countless doubts emerged in his memory again, and he fell into deep thought without saying a word in the noisy mind. Shoichi Matsunaga will also come to his senses at this time and raise his voice anxiously.
"No, although five years have passed, there is no way I can mistake your appearance."
The middle-aged man dressed as a soldier took out his mobile phone and opened the photo that had been saved for a long time in the album.
"This is a group photo we took at the paradise. Your father's name is Xingyu Kongming, and your mother's name is Naru Shanghongna. The one standing in the middle is you, Xingyuye. Isn't it?"
Xiaoye and her friends followed the sound and looked at the patterns on the phone screen.
The background in the photo was exactly what they saw in the colorful Hazaland Paradise, with colorful balloons and flying Pokémon filling the corners of the sky. The young Shoichi Matsunaga stands at the edge of the frame, carelessly embracing his friends - people who look strange yet familiar.
She saw a man with long snow-white hair standing on the left side, gently putting his hand on the young child's shoulder, with a gentle smile in his warm eyes; and his wife, who had short light purple hair, raised her head above her daughter's head in high spirits. A naughty bunny ear gesture. In the middle of the two, the short girl looked a little nervous, but she still tried to stand on tiptoes and smiled carefully at the camera.
It feels like a world away.
====================
small theater:
Fortunately, this is the Orange Islands. There are anywhere from 100 to 80 southerners who want to give up their magic and fight hand-to-hand with Mr. Hansen every day. Even if she recreates the Beidou-style arena for her friends, it won't be conspicuous at all.
Hansen: This time it was just a blow on the back. It was much gentler than that of the wrestler and the boxing enthusiast last time! (laughing and then crying)
