Chapter 38: Chapter 38: I’ve Captured the Little Witch!
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"It's all your fault! You must have done it on purpose—why else would there be such a scent in the wilderness?"
Ning Rongrong thought of a reason and instantly felt justified.
But Gu La paid her no mind.
In his vision of the future, he was surrounded and attacked by numerous disciples of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, forcing him to reveal his thousand-year first soul ring.
When Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo arrived, Ning Fengzhi saved him, and Sword Douluo bound him with a sword, making him Ning Rongrong's child bridegroom. He lived under the shadow of the little witch, and because he was dependent on them, he had no choice but to endure it.
"Damn!"
Gu La looked at the furious Ning Rongrong, and evil thoughts arose in his heart. So you're the little witch, huh? Making me drool over white stockings, eh? Take this!
"I'll discipline you today on behalf of your father!"
He threw an Ultra Ball, hitting Ning Rongrong on the head.
The Ultra Ball opened, sucking Ning Rongrong inside. She was already weak and had no strength left to resist.
The Ultra Ball shook a bit, and the capture was successful!
Gu La picked up the Ultra Ball and raised it high with one hand. "I've captured a Pokémon!"
With a burst of childish excitement, he vented some of his frustration. Then he released Ning Rongrong. A flash of red light later, she reappeared.
She had just steadied herself when her face turned pale from fright. Seeing Gu La, she relaxed slightly, but quickly put on a stern expression and asked:
"What… what did you do to me? Where was that place?"
"Watch your tone. From now on, you belong to me. Here's a portable mimicry training ball for you."
Seeing the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect disciples approaching, Gu La hurriedly opened the system panel, exchanged points for two items, and shoved them along with the Ultra Ball into Ning Rongrong's hands. Taking advantage of the moment, he kissed her on the cheek.
"Farewell, my little wife. See you in Suotuo City six years from now."
With that, Gu La disappeared through space.
Ning Rongrong covered her face, huffing angrily. "Who said I'm your little wife, you pervert!"
She stomped her feet and searched the courtyard thoroughly but couldn't find any trace of Gu La. Unable to hold back her tears, she began to cry.
The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect disciples arrived, confirmed that their young mistress was unharmed, and sighed in relief. They hid outside the courtyard and waited.
A while later, Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo arrived after receiving the news. They entered the courtyard and saw Ning Rongrong with tearful eyes.
"Who upset our little princess?"
Ning Fengzhi asked with a gentle smile, but his gaze put immense pressure on the disciples of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.
"Daddy!"
Ning Rongrong rushed into Ning Fengzhi's arms. She originally wanted to complain, but upon feeling the Ultra Ball in her hand, she inexplicably changed the subject: "I'm hungry."
"Alright, let's go eat."
Ning Fengzhi carried Ning Rongrong away, giving Sword Douluo a meaningful glance before leaving.
Sword Douluo lagged behind and stayed in the courtyard to question the disciples: "What's the round object in Rongrong's hand? Where did it come from?"
The disciples exchanged glances but remained silent—they didn't know.
Sword Douluo, not getting an answer, left the courtyard with a frown.
Several miles away, Gu La, having exhausted his soul power, stopped to rest in a forest, leaning against a tree trunk as he waited for the Xuantian Technique to restore his energy. "I'm so tired, but hehe, kissing her and running away was thrilling."
He wore a smug grin. Though he didn't know why Ning Rongrong appeared outside Shenmu City, Gu La hadn't suffered any loss, so he didn't dwell on it.
He opened the system panel and checked Ning Rongrong's information.
[Unknown Pokémon: Please name it]
[Type: Normal (Fairy)]
[Rank: Elite Four]
[Individual Value: 135]
[Nature: Willful]
[Evaluation: An extraordinary auxiliary Pokémon, a standout among its species, with the potential to break through its species limitations and evolve into a new species. Highly recommended as a main Pokémon.]
[Reward: Random Advanced Normal-type TM.]
Gu La closed the panel. As expected, Ning Rongrong's stats were lower than Tang San's and Xiaowu's. Even with her innate nine-level soul power, without opportunity, she only had the potential to break through the limitations of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda—it wasn't guaranteed she'd reach Soul Douluo level.
He opened the random TM and obtained a Protect TM.
Protect, allows the user to enter a protected state, blocking damage for one turn. It's a move comparable to an invincible golden body, and as long as it isn't used consecutively, it can be used multiple times.
"Groudon already knows Protect, so getting it again seems like a waste. But it's not really a waste—I've never learned Protect myself. Using the TM can save a lot of time. Not bad."
He placed the disc on his forehead, where it dissolved into starlight, circulating through his body. After a short while, a new soul power route formed within Gu La.
After sensing it briefly, Gu La frowned. "Even more complex than the Photosynthesis route. I wonder how many people can learn it—can Ning Rongrong even learn it?"
Almost all Pokémon can learn Protect, but the difficulty is extremely high. Being able to learn it doesn't mean one can necessarily master it.
"Protect!"
Gu La called out softly, and his soul power flowed out like water. His body seemed to be coated in a layer of light, appearing invulnerable to everything.
After practicing it a few times, Gu La's soul power, which had just recovered halfway, was nearly depleted again, so he stopped to rest.
---
Shenmu City.
Ning Rongrong had almost gone missing, and upon returning, she remained silent, locking herself in her room.
Ning Fengzhi lost interest in continuing his inspection, handed the task over to the accompanying elder, and returned to the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect with Sword Douluo and Ning Rongrong.
On the way, Sword Douluo couldn't hold back his curiosity. "Rongrong, tell Grandpa who you met in the courtyard. Was that yellow-and-black ball given to you by him?"
Ning Rongrong clutched the Ultra Ball tightly, her mood low, and gave a small hum of affirmation.
A flicker of anger passed through Sword Douluo's eyes. "Who was it? How dare they make our little princess angry? Tell Grandpa, and I'll get revenge for you!"
Ning Rongrong recalled Gu La's handsome, rugged face and her own actions while under his influence. Her expression turned shy. "Grandpa, don't ask anymore."
Sword Douluo was stunned but realized there was no need to ask further. He communicated telepathically with Ning Fengzhi: "It seems it was indeed a boy. Who dares to scheme against our Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect!"
Ning Fengzhi's eyes grew deep, like a hidden abyss. "Uncle Sword, don't worry. Rongrong is still young, and she hasn't been taken away or harmed. What about the scent in the courtyard earlier? Any leads?"
Sword Douluo relayed the question to the elder outside the carriage. The response came: "We haven't found anything yet. It seems to be some kind of fish product, similar to ambergris. The elders are still searching."
Melting whale jelly required extremely high temperatures, and nobles usually drank it dissolved in water. Therefore, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect didn't know the scent of melted whale jelly and could only find vague clues.
"Have them continue searching."
Ning Fengzhi issued the command and glanced at the sphere in Ning Rongrong's hand, his eyes filled with confusion. "Is it a soul tool, or something else? Why did he give it to Rongrong?"
No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't figure it out, because it was all just a coincidence.
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