Pokémon travel photography: Starting with riding the wave of popularity

Me too

The following day, Kiku chose to return to Unova because of the incident in Raven City, while Mashu changed into some light clothes and left Lavender City with Natsuki and the others because she wanted to go to Glory City to watch the Triple Crown Satellite Tournament.

"Tibri~"

Tibrim, who was perched on Natsuki's head, excitedly handed the phone to Natsuki.

"The first Masters World Championship will begin tomorrow at 8:00 AM."

Your current ranking: 1256th in the General category!

"Tibu (We can earn money by playing matches now!!)"

Upon seeing the prize money for this tournament, an excited Tibrim went wild, kicking Natsuki's head with her little feet.

Unlike typical tournaments where only the top three finishers or the champion receive rewards, the World Masters Championship, in order to attract participants, offers cash rewards for each rank a participant advances, starting from the Poké Ball level.

A ranking of 1000 or higher will grant a reward of 50 and promotion to Super Ball level; a ranking of 100 or higher will grant 100...

10,000 will advance you to the advanced ball level; and if you rank in the top eight, you will enter the master ball level, with a prize of up to 5 million.

That's not all. If you make it to the semifinals of the final Masters Tournament, you'll get another 2 million. If you reach the finals, you'll get another 2 million. Plus, there's the 10 million prize money after winning the championship. That means if you win, the prize money alone will be as high as 20.5 million. And that doesn't even include the countless GG endorsements you can get after winning the championship.

"Teebu (If we get another GG—this is going to be amazing!!)"

At this moment, Tebrim was so excited that he trembled all over, completely forgetting the slight depletion caused by the skilled blacksmith yesterday.

However, unlike Tebriam, who has already begun to dream of becoming the champion, Natsuki is still somewhat aware of his own strength. At most, he is at the level of a top-tier gym leader, the kind of person who can barely hold his own against the Elite Four of a region.

Even if this year's World Championship doesn't have the same gathering of top talents as Ash's, with Natsuki's current strength, he should be able to enter the top 50 in the Ultra Ball category.

That's already pretty good.

Unless Natsuki can evolve Serperior through Bond Phenomenon, and the Blacksmith can also integrate all the Sealing Spikes from the Padia region into the Great Hammer and evolve it to a satisfactory state, Natsuki may barely reach the rank of Master Eight.

but----

"This year's World Championship requires us to travel to designated battlefields to compete, while other top players have their own jobs. Even someone like Wanlong, who's a procrastinator, can only participate in a few matches at most—meaning that as long as I travel to enough places, I can encounter enough tough opponents and improve my rank—"

Xia Mu couldn't help but lick her lips.

"If we make it into the Masters 8, we can get 6.5 million. Even if we're eliminated in the first round, we'll still earn more than if we won the tournament. Not to mention, participating in the Masters Tournament also allows me to continuously post videos to earn views and followers!"

The smiles on Natsuki and Tipbrim's faces gradually became more and more rampant, and their smug expressions, like those of little evil gods, left Haruka and the others speechless.

"You really dare to dream—"

Although they complained, Xiaoyao and Ziyu didn't think Xia Mu's plan was far-fetched.

Putting aside Xia Mu's outrageous luck, the format of the Masters Tournament was actually very suitable for Xia Mu to perform well.

Until the semifinals of the Masters Tournament, the format of the entire Masters Tournament was basically 1V1, 2V2, or 3V3. Although Xia Mu's background could not compare with those of other powerful trainers, he had quite a few overpowered Pokémon.

Unless he encounters the champion, Xia Mu is not without a fighting chance against the Four Heavenly Kings in a 3V3 match.

Therefore, at this moment, Nemo, who also realized this, seemed even more confident than Xia Mu.

"What do you mean by 'barely qualified' eight masters? I'll give you a number: eight masters and four finalists!"

Xia Mu felt that Nemo seemed to think too highly of herself.

Even though only two champions, Leon and Lance, are participating in this tournament, there are still many top-tier Elite Four level trainers, such as Leon from the Sinnoh region and Raihana from the Galar region.

"Hey, but Chibana is a dragon-type... My sister can't just attack like that, can she?"

Xia Mu immediately clasped his hands together and began to pray that he could enter the Eight Masters and then make another fortune by meeting Qibana.

Meanwhile, in the Galar region, Chibana was unaware that Natsuki had already taken him for a fool, just as Natsuki was unaware that in the Unova region, a Ghost-type Elite Four member was pondering how to take a paid break and travel to the Kalos region to visit him.

Glorious City.

After spending most of the day, Xia Mu and the others stopped at the airport in Glory City. After accompanying Ma Xiu to hand over the clothes to the girl who was preparing for the Triple Crown Satellite Tournament in Glory City, Xia Mu and the others, led by Ma Xiu, went to the most famous restaurant in Glory City.

"This restaurant is part of a chain owned by the legendary chef Jimmy Lin; he occasionally works as the head chef here!"

Perhaps because she had to pay extra attention to her figure as a model in the past, Ma Xiu started eating excessively after she switched careers to become a fashion designer, which led to a good relationship with the chef, Zhi Mi.

As a foodie, she happened to know the secret that Zhimi was preparing to be the head chef at the Glory City restaurant during the Triple Crown Satellite Tournament. Of course, this was also one of the reasons why Ma Xiu came to watch the Triple Crown Satellite Tournament.

"Monarch Serpent, aren't you excited!"

"Galo~"

The Serpent Lord, who was following Natsuki, nodded excitedly.

As mentioned before, Ma Xiu is a foodie, and the Serpent Lord is very interested in Carlos's cooking. Therefore, the Serpent Lord and Ma Xiu hit it off at dinner time yesterday.

Serperior showed off its skills to satisfy Mash's cravings, and Mash in turn introduced Serperior to Shimi, giving it the opportunity to be mentored. Therefore, upon arriving at the restaurant entrance, Serperior couldn't wait to jump out of its Poké Ball.

Led by Ma Xiu, Xia Mu and the others followed her into the restaurant.

"Wow, it's so beautiful!"

This is, after all, a high-end restaurant run by Shimi, one of the Four Heavenly Kings. The interior decoration is luxurious yet clean and tidy, and there is even a...

A clear stream flows gently, and you can see many beautiful water-type Pokémon in it.

Upon seeing Xia Mu and Ma Xiu, the waiter at the door was visibly taken aback. He clearly recognized them. Just as Xia Mu was wondering if the waiter would ask for autographs, the waiter paused for a moment before leading Xia Mu and the others to a window seat.

He didn't even say anything about large Pokémon not being allowed in the restaurant at that moment.

"Please call the chef for me, thank you!"

After nodding to the waiter, Ma Xiu looked at Xia Mu beside her.

"Let me introduce Zhimi to Sister Snake first. You might even be able to try Zhimi's secret menu items—"

"A hidden menu?!"

Foodie Xiaoyao immediately got excited, and seeing this, Maxiu quickly explained.

"It's not for food, it's for battle!"

"Amidst Haruka's disappointed voice, Nemo immediately raised her head excitedly."

"Can I battle against Shimi, one of the Four Heavenly Kings?!"

Amid Nemo's excited shouts, Xia Mu's eyes also lit up.

"Water-type Elite Four member? Then I can have Snake or Cat test the strength of the battle—"

Thinking about the upcoming World Championships, Natsuki, who was preparing to let Neko and Snake Sister experience the power of the Heavenly King, immediately became excited.

As we all know, every group has characters like the visionary eagle or the battle-hardened wolf, but in the Carlos region, the water-type Elite Four member, Shimi, is undoubtedly the fish that just sits in the water.

Although he looks handsome and reliable, with his blond hair perfectly styled and his chef's uniform ironed flawlessly, he is actually someone who can be compared to Wanlong.

The only reason they became the Four Heavenly Kings was because there just happened to be a need for one here.

This doesn't mean they lack strength; rather, they avoid the Alliance's work whenever possible. Wanlong's mind is full of her novels and research, while Zhimi's mind is full of cooking and improving her culinary skills.

However, since they were the Elite Four, they couldn't just do nothing. So, Shimi created a hidden menu in the restaurant, searching for powerful trainers among the customers and recommending them to the Kalos League without interrupting the cooking, showcasing his ability to slack off to the fullest.

Wanlong, on the other hand, travels all over the world under the guise of business trips, disappearing for half a year after taking on a mission, only to suddenly reappear when there's something fun to do, perfectly demonstrating the elusive nature of the ghost type.

Therefore, when one of the Four Heavenly Kings, whose mind was entirely focused on cooking, arrived in the hall, he paid no attention to Ma Xiu, who was waving her little hand in greeting, nor to Nemo, who had a look of fighting spirit on her face, nor to Carlos, the succubus, who was standing next to the Serpent Lord.

"You're that serpent king who only knows how to cook!!"

Because Pokémon of the same species often look very similar, generally only trainers or close human friends can distinguish the subtle differences between a particular Pokémon and other Pokémon of the same species.

But the moment Zhimi saw Snake Sister, he immediately recognized the Serpent Lord as the Serpent Lord.

After gaining fame in Natsume, it quickly topped the charts for "Most Desired Partner Pokémon," "Most Reliable Pokémon," and "Best Choice for Travel," becoming a sensation online as "The Pokémon That Could Be My Mother"—OmniSerpent!

"I've seen your cooking in the videos, and your culinary skills are amazing. To be honest, although I'm known as a famous chef, I'm not as skilled as you in many areas."

As soon as Zimi saw the Serpent Lord, he started talking non-stop, even going so far as to tell stories about how he tried to use the Octopus Bucket as a cooking partner, only to find that the Octopus Bucket's tentacles were far less agile than the Serpent Lord's.

Seeing Shimi's burning gaze, as if she were ready to invite Snake Sister to be her chef partner for life, Natsuki immediately reacted.

"Harry Potter 9"

"After Nyanha realized that someone was eyeing their team's advantage, Nyanhashi and the cat that suddenly jumped out of the Poké Ball immediately stood in front of Snake Sister and began to hiss.

Xia Mu and the cat's performance immediately brought Zhi Mi back to her senses from her fervor for cooking.

"Ah, sorry! I didn't mean to—I was just too excited. I never imagined that a Pokémon could become a chef using Vine Whip—"

In the Pokémon world, it's not uncommon for Pokémon to have two special skills in cooking. Pokémon like Chansey, which can cook eggs, or Bokusho, which can make chewy noodles, are not uncommon. Even Shimizu's Blastoise is very good at making instant noodles.

However—in Zhimi's mind, there is only one person who has honed his culinary skills to the point that many famous chefs praise because of his love for cooking: Serpent Lord.

Therefore, after encountering the Serpent Lord, he was eager to know what the Serpent Sister's culinary skills and experience had in common with humans.

"I'd really like to talk to you—"

As they talked, Zhimi unconsciously began to move closer to Snake Sister again.

Upon seeing this, Xia Mu and the ruffled cat began to hiss again.

"Retreat, retreat, retreat!"

After the cat hissed to shut out the presumptuous guy in front of it, Xia Mu immediately hugged Snake Sister's slender body tightly.

"You don't need to tell me how outstanding my sister Snake is. She's family I can never leave in my life!"

"Meow (Me too!)"

Hearing Xia Mu and the cat speak, even the proud and arrogant Serpent couldn't help but squint its eyes happily and gently rub its head against Xia Mu's face.

For the Serpent Lord, both Xia Mu and the cat are the only answers she can choose.

She could never give up on these two people who loved to sleep in, were extremely lazy, and would occasionally make her so angry they seemed to turn into fiery Pokémon.

of----

"Galo (Huh?!)"

Snake Sister was suddenly stunned.

Does my answer seem a little off?

But just as Snake Sister was pondering the merits of Xia Mu and Cat, Xia Mu, feeling Snake Sister's affectionate touch, was as if he had been given a stimulant.

"Mmm~ I love you the most!!"

Xia Mu hugged Snake Sister and started rubbing against her frantically.

"Meow (Me too!!)"

Seeing Xia Mu and Snake Sister sticking on stickers, Cat Cat ignored Zhi Mi in front of her and immediately turned around and squeezed between the two to start sticking on stickers as well.

Seeing this, Zhimi couldn't help but smile.

"Wow, this is such a sweet relationship! The bond between Pokémon and their trainers is like cooking—different intentions bring different flavors! But—" Shimi scratched his cheek, his expression gradually turning puzzled: "I just wanted to exchange cooking tips, so why are you guys suddenly all lovey-dovey?!"

Upon hearing this, Xia Mu, who was hugging the cat and snuggling with Snake Sister, suddenly froze.

"Oh, right!"

After a sudden realization, Xia Mu immediately turned to look at Zhi Mi, who was not far away, and bowed in apology.

"I'm sorry, it's all your fault, blondie. So please be understanding and give me some tips on raising Water-type Pokémon as an apology!"

"It's not off—huh?!"

Zhimi, who was shaking her head to indicate that it was fine, suddenly paused.

"No, say it again?"

"I'm sorry, it's all your fault, blondie. So please be understanding and give me some tips on raising Water-type Pokémon as an apology!"

"You really said it twice?!"

Zhimi looked on incredulously.

This was the first time he had ever encountered such a shameless person.

Not only did they attack my hair color, but they also demanded an apology?! They even said it twice!!

"Didn't you tell me to say that?"

Seeing Xia Mu's self-righteous expression, Zhi Mi fell silent.

He wasn't sure if, while he was busy in the kitchen, the new generation of the league had quietly changed into something he couldn't understand at all.

However, after considering that the trainer in front of her seemed to have a very good relationship with Wanlong, Zhimi felt that this was not incomprehensible.

after all.

That woman once used the excuse of wanting to write a novel with a chef protagonist based on herself to have him work as her private chef in the Carlos region for several months, and then wrote a sensual novel about how clothes would explode after eating the food.

As a result, the reputation of Zhimi, who promoted the novel online, became extremely complicated during that period, and she even received the nickname "Wild and Vulgar Chef" online.

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