In the camp of Man Ying, just as Xia Hu Nao and his team were thinking about how to win against Man Ying, the people of Man Ying were also pondering how to defeat the Ming Long country's team in the semi-finals and advance to the finals. Their primary target was Xia Hu Nao, the strategist of the Ming Long team, who had made a great impression on the island.
"So, Captain Feng, you're so familiar with Xia Hu Nao, do you have any ideas on how to win?" a Man Ying team member asked. If there was anyone in the Man Ying team who understood Xia Hu Nao the best, it had to be Feng, who had known him the longest.
Feng pondered for a moment and replied, "No, the person I know best is his Guagua. My Guagua has battled his Guagua before. But if he doesn't use Guagua, I can't do anything."
"It's okay, as long as we provoke him a little, he should use Guagua. Captain Feng, please tell us in detail."
Feng tidied his thoughts and was about to speak when he saw a blue figure humming a tune as they passed by the Man Ying camp outside the window. Everyone inside looked at each other, and then someone asked, "What was that just now?"
"It should be Xia Hu Nao," a team member said, doubting their own eyes.
Mei, sitting nearby, confirmed, "Yes, that was Xia Hu Nao. But what is he doing dressed like that?"
A team member quickly stood up, "I'll go follow him and find out. You guys continue the meeting, I'll be back soon."
"Remember not to be discovered, otherwise Xia Hu Nao might use you against them," he was warned.
This Man Ying team member followed Xia Hu Nao, carefully trying not to be detected. Xia Hu Nao, however, knew from the start that someone from Man Ying was following him. In fact, he had intended for them to follow him by passing by the Man Ying window, humming a tune, and deliberately slowing down.
Curiosity can kill a cat, and it can certainly trap a person. This Man Ying team member had fallen right into the trap.
The Man Ying team continued their meeting, while Xia Hu Nao meandered his way to the Milen camp. He immediately saw Arthur standing guard outside like a gatekeeper. Xia Hu Nao didn't like dealing with Arthur, and Arthur felt the same way. Every time he saw Xia Hu Nao, nothing good came of it. So, the moment Arthur saw Xia Hu Nao, he turned and went inside to find Princess Zhuo Lei.
As a matter of basic etiquette, barging in without an announcement is rather immoral. Xia Hu Nao decided to wait outside for a moment. He didn't have to wait long before Princess Zhuo Lei, dressed in imperial robes, walked out. She approached Xia Hu Nao and bowed slightly, "What brings you here today?"
"Indeed, there is something. But speaking of which, what's with the imperial attire? It's not something you wear every day, is it?" Xia Hu Nao felt he was already being unconventional by wearing formal attire on this island, but he hadn't expected someone else to be as flamboyant as him.
Zhuo Lei's lips curved slightly, "Of course not. However, Arthur just came in and told me that you were dressed formally, so I decided to dress a bit more formally to meet you."
Although Zhuo Lei said this, Xia Hu Nao understood that this was diplomacy at its finest, and Arthur's words might have been quite different. He also knew that such elaborate imperial robes were not as easily put on as his own formal wear. Xia Hu Nao didn't believe for a moment that Zhuo Lei had changed into them on the spot.
"The thing is, I've come to ask if we could arrange a practice match with Milen. I want my team members to get warmed up before facing Man Ying, and I also need to confirm our coordination."
Upon hearing about a practice match, Zhuo Lei nodded indifferently, "Sure, I can arrange that. But is it okay? We might very well meet you in the finals."
Xia Hu Nao replied that he hadn't thought that far ahead, "I won't worry about that for now. We'll see when it happens. If we can't beat Man Ying, we won't even make it to the finals."
"Indeed. By the way, you mentioned confirming coordination. Have you acquired any new Pokémon?"
Xia Hu Nao had been waiting for Zhuo Lei to ask this. After she asked, he deliberately looked around to make sure no one with "ill intentions" was watching him. He even paid special attention to the hiding spot of the Man Ying team member, nearly scaring the Man Ying member's heart out.
After confirming that "no one was watching him," Xia Hu Nao took a Master Ball from his belt under his formal wear, "Look, this is my new Pokémon."
The moment Zhuo Lei saw the Master Ball, she gasped and covered her mouth. As the princess of Milen, she naturally knew what a Master Ball was. In fact, she had received one as a gift for her coming-of-age ceremony, but it was the only one she had. The preciousness of a Master Ball was evident. Now, Xia Hu Nao produced a Master Ball and told her it contained a Pokémon, how could she not be surprised?
"So, what Pokémon is inside?"
Xia Hu Nao smiled mysteriously, "I can't tell you that in advance. It took me a lot of effort to persuade her to cooperate with me, and I even used a Master Ball. It's not that easy to reveal it here."
With that, Xia Hu Nao put the Poké Ball away, "Alright, that's all for now. Wearing this kind of attire is still quite uncomfortable in the tropics. I imagine you feel the same way, Princess Zhuo Lei. So, let's not torture each other any further. I'll be going back now."
Xia Hu Nao turned around and first glanced at the spot where the Man Ying guy was hiding. The Man Ying member was gone. Xia Hu Nao curved his lips, "Excellent, absolutely excellent. I hope you didn't misread, that would be unfortunate."
Yes, although Xia Hu Nao had specifically chosen an angle where the Man Ying spy could see clearly, if the spy had poor eyesight and mistook a purple Master Ball for a Love Ball, the depreciation would be too great.
However, Xia Hu Nao's worries were somewhat unnecessary. Those who dared to act as spies would naturally not have any issues with their eyesight or hearing. The moment he saw the Master Ball, he found a way to turn back and report.
His thought process was quite logical. Having seen a Master Ball, Xia Hu Nao wouldn't be so foolish as to pair it with a Caterpie. That would be a complete waste of resources.
Xia Hu Nao strolled back leisurely, while Man Ying had already received the news about Xia Hu Nao using a Master Ball.
Feng placed his hands in front of his mouth, "I'm not sure about that. I don't know much about how he obtains those particularly powerful Pokémon. You should ask someone else about this."
Everyone listened, and their gazes turned to the team's witch. The young woman looked flustered by their stares. "Well, I know a little, but it might not be accurate."
The captain of Man Ying soothed her, "Just tell us what you know. It's better than us knowing nothing."
"When Xia Hu Nao was at our shrine, he had a good relationship with Xerneas. His relationship with Yveltal should also be good. Mew and Mewtwo are very familiar with him."
A male team member added, "Being able to use Z-Moves means he at least knows one Tapu Guardian, right?"
The more they talked, the more troubled the faces of the Man Ying members became. Although theoretically, these Pokémon had no particular rarity, but what if...
As they were all looking grim, they saw Xia Hu Nao return, humming a tune. This time, he was even humming a Man Ying tune, which was quite provocative to their nerves.
Mei stood up, "I'll go find out. Even though we're about to compete, friends chatting shouldn't be guarded like against a thief, right?"
Feng glanced at Mei, then nodded, "Yes, go ahead."
Mei walked out and called out to Xia Hu Nao from behind, "Wait for me a moment."
Xia Hu Nao turned around and saw it was Mei. While he was happy that the bait had taken the hook, he muttered to himself, "No, could Man Ying be trying to use a honey trap to counter my honey trap? This is problematic. Although I have a special attack against honey traps, I'm not necessarily resistant to them."
Xia Hu Nao subconsciously took a step back, "It's Mei. Is there something?"
Mei took two steps forward and stood in front of Xia Hu Nao, "What were you doing just now? You seemed very happy."
Xia Hu Nao tugged at the hem of his clothes, "I just arranged a practice match. I want to face Man Ying in the best condition, and this is also a sign of respect for you."
Upon hearing this, Mei stepped closer again, "Is that so? Then I'll ask them to arrange a practice match too. Setting that aside, can you walk with me? You can't refuse an invitation from Conch Girl, can you?"
Xia Hu Nao had been relatively calm, but the mention of "Conch Girl" instantly changed the atmosphere. The matter of Conch Girl had always been a secret between the two of them. Even Mu Zhi Shui, who was in the same courtyard that day, didn't know about it.
The sudden ambiguous atmosphere made Xia Hu Nao somewhat flustered. If the plot continued in this direction and a "Conch Girl 2.0" occurred, Xia Hu Nao might really lose all his efforts.
To ensure his plan went smoothly, Xia Hu Nao steered the conversation away from Conch Girl, "Okay, let's go for a walk. I haven't really explored this island either."
Xia Hu Nao and Mei's private time continued until the evening. It was only when their stomachs began to rumble with hunger that they decided to happily go their separate ways.
Although Mei couldn't get Xia Hu Nao to reveal what Pokémon he had, she did gain some other knowledge from him, such as the fact that Latios and Latias had a species...
Xia Hu Nao, on his side, had also achieved his objectives. Deception, creation from nothing, feigning ignorance, a series of honey traps. He didn't know how many of these strategies would ultimately succeed, but that wasn't his concern. He had done all he could; the rest depended on fate.