I caught a Pokémon

As she spoke, she knelt between Xia You and Xiao Zhi, looking at them with deep affection: "Lord Xia You, Lord Xiao Zhi, if either of you is the best trainer, please prove it to me!"

These words left Xiao Zhi completely stunned.

Seeing his expression, Flura found it amusing and could only whisper, "Hey, don't get it wrong, this is just a routine, an annual ceremony, just go through with it!"

Chapter 206 Heading to Fire Island

"Fruula!"

At another table, upon hearing this, Xiaoyou rolled her eyes at her helplessly, but there was nothing she could do about her younger sister.

She was the apple of her family's eye, and her parents doted on her so much that her older sister was simply unable to control her.

Flura waved her hand dismissively at Xiaoyou, then turned to look at Xia You and Xiaozhi.

"Actually, proving yourself isn't that difficult. All you have to do is take three treasures from the three nearby islands—Fire Island, Ice Island, and Thunder Island—and place them on the altar on Asia Island. Then I'll play the flute of offering to the gods, and that'll be it!"

Ash asked, "Where is the treasure?"

"Of course, it's in the shrines on the three islands!" After saying that, Flura noticed Ash's brow furrowed slightly and, thinking he was worried about not being able to reach the islands on his own, laughed and said, "Don't worry, if you want to go there, there are special boats that can take you there. Even at the shrines, there are stairs to climb. It's very simple~"

Xia You and Xiao Jian exchanged glances.

It sounds like this event is just a gimmick and tactic used by these islanders to attract visitors, based on legends. So it's obvious that the treasure must have been arranged in advance and placed there beforehand.

Overall, it is indeed very simple and should be a task that can be completed very easily.

In fact, given Xiaozhi's personality, he wasn't worried about how difficult the process would be. The reason he hesitated was simply because he knew clearly that he was just an ordinary person and not a commander.

However, upon hearing what Flaura said, Ash felt he was being looked down upon, so he quickly stood up, nodded, and said, "Understood, I'll go there right away!"

However, the main reason was that Flurra was too close. Looking at her delicate face, Ash couldn't help but recall the cheek kiss they shared when they first met on the island!

"Don't rush," Flura advised instead. "The festival will continue until tomorrow, so it's fine to go early tomorrow morning. Just relax."

As she spoke, she grabbed Xiaozhi and pressed him back into his seat.

However, Ash, being so impulsive, finds it hard to change his mind once he's made a decision, and he completely disregards Flaura's good intentions.

He broke free from Flura's arm, stood up again, and said with utmost determination, "What can be done today must be done today. This is me, no, this is the principle I have always adhered to!"

Xia You: ...

Xiaoxia: ……

Xiao Jian: ……

I am! ?

Xiao Zhi's words left the others speechless, especially his pretentious self-reference, which left them speechless.

Look, is this still the same straight-laced, masculine Xiao Zhi?

To say something like that, you could say you're completely captivated by her beauty, totally infatuated!

However, Ash's sudden outburst of energy still managed to intimidate Flaura, and also resonated with Mei standing nearby.

"Okay, I support you!" Xiaomei walked up to Xiaozhi with a smile, patted her chest and said, "In that case, let me take you by boat to the nearest Fire Island!"

"Thank you so much!" Xiao Zhi nodded happily, then turned his gaze to Xia You, "Brother Xia You, are you coming along too?"

"sure."

Xia You shrugged indifferently. There was nothing to do here anyway, and being near Xiao Zhi would obviously trigger more plot developments.

Hearing that Xia You was going, Na Zi and Xiao Xia naturally wanted to go with her, but Xia You thought about it and stopped them.

"Since the journey isn't very long, I think we should be back soon. Besides, it's already so late, and there's not much scenery to see. You should just wait here in peace."

Since he had said so, Nazi and Xiaoxia didn't insist anymore, and stayed in the banquet hall with Xiaojian.

After picking up an apple and eating it in a few bites, Xia You, Xiao Zhi, and Xiao Mei left together and returned to the dock.

However, instead of taking the boat from Asia Island, they chose to continue their journey on Xiao Mei's speedboat.

After all, as Xiaomei would say: no matter how good or fancy someone else's boat is, only your own things are more convenient to use!

Leaving the dock, with the roar of its engine, the speedboat cut through the waves and sped southward.

The sea breeze at night made me get goosebumps.

Even under the ship's lights, the surroundings were extremely dark.

Xia You looked up and saw that there was no moon or stars in the night. It turned out that dark clouds had once again covered the sky.

This is not a good omen...

Sure enough, not long after, thunder rumbled in the sky.

boom!

After a bright flash of lightning streaked across the sky, a torrential downpour suddenly began.

Large raindrops kept pouring down on them, forcing Xia You and Xiao Zhi to huddle in the cramped driver's cab to avoid getting wet.

Fortunately, no waves came this time, saving them from the discomfort of being tossed about and the risk of capsizing.

Seeing that the rain showed no signs of stopping, Xia You couldn't help but ask, "Miss Xiao Mei, how far are we from Fire Island?"

Xiao Mei thought for a moment and said, "If we only consider the round trip, it should take about half an hour."

Only half an hour?

Xia You nodded. In terms of distance, it wasn't too far.

Boom!

At this moment, a soft sound came from the bow of the boat, which caught Xia You's attention. Then the boat shook slightly, as if it had hit something and was mercilessly crushed.

"Did you hear anything?"

"A sound?" Xiaomei turned her head blankly and looked around. "No, I only heard the sound of rain."

"Yeah, there wasn't any strange noise," Xiao Zhi said doubtfully. "Xia You, could you have misheard?"

Did I really hear that right?

Although Xiaomei and Xiaozhi didn't notice anything, Xia You had a feeling that something must have been crushed just now, and he vaguely seemed to have heard a few screams!

However, when he turned around and looked at the place he had just driven away, he saw only darkness and could not see anything at all.

Sigh, I hope it's just my imagination...

The speedboat continued south, leaving a long trail of ripples in its wake.

Shortly after they left, a man, a woman, and a cat struggled for a few moments and then awkwardly climbed onto a floating platform.

Needless to say, this is Team Rocket, the trio who have been pestering Ash all along!

Seeing their Gyarados submarine smashed to pieces, Musashi turned to the speedboat that had caused the accident and started cursing.

"They're blind as hell, they actually rammed and damaged our submarine!"

Kojiro spat out a mouthful of seawater and said weakly, "What does it matter? The submarine was already leaking and unusable anyway, so what if it's broken?"

"Idiot!" Musashi shouted, "Even if it's broken, it's still a vehicle we worked hard to assemble with our savings! How are we supposed to go to sea without it!"

"You two, stop arguing!!" Meow Meow stretched out her sharp claws and scratched them hard, then narrowed her eyes and said in a low voice, "The people who just passed by seemed to be that brat and his Pikachu, and next to him, there seemed to be that man named Xia You!"

"Huh?" Kojiro and Musashi, their faces covered in claw marks, were taken aback. "They've met again? And they're even working together? Could it be... something big is about to happen?"

Chapter 207 Stone Shrine

What you worry about most is what will happen most often.

If something has the possibility of going bad, no matter how small the possibility is, it will always happen.

This is a law proposed by engineer Edward Murphy in 1949. Xia You doesn't know if it applies to the Pokémon world, nor does she know if the people in this world have expressed similar views. After setting sail, they were initially relieved that it was just a heavy rain, but at this moment, the sea became turbulent and merciless once again.

Waves nearly two meters high crashed against the speedboat, making it impossible for them to stand.

Deafening lightning bolts occasionally ripped through the night sky, displaying the vast power of the heavens.

Snap! Boom!

Not to mention Xiao Mei, who grew up by the sea, even Xia You could tell that they had entered a terrifying storm!

"What bad luck! I hope this ship won't be struck by lightning." Xiaomei looked at the sky and gave a helpless bitter smile. "We already experienced a storm before we landed on the island, and I thought this voyage would be calm, but I didn't expect..."

As she spoke, she sighed inwardly.

Sigh, if I had known this would happen, I would have just stayed on the island of Asia and waited until tomorrow to set sail...

Honestly, it's all my fault for being so talkative. If I hadn't agreed with that comment, I might have been able to avoid this storm!

Meanwhile, on the island of Asia, Flura looked out at the heavy rain with a furrowed brow.

The wind whipped the torches in the banquet hall, causing people's shadows to sway and twist with the flames, just like the torment in her heart.

Raindrops pattered on her bangs and white veil, but Fluura paid no attention to them, her gaze fixed on the direction Xia You and the others had left in.

In such terrible weather, they must encounter danger if they go out to sea, right?

With this in mind, her gaze hardened, and she had made her decision.

"Sister, lend me your boat!"

"Huh?" Xiaoyou looked at her, puzzled. "What are you trying to do at a time like this?"

Flura said firmly, "If I hadn't said those things just now, they wouldn't have braved the rain to go out to sea. It's my responsibility that they put others in danger because of a boring routine!"

Hearing her say this, Nazi and Xiaoxia, who were standing to the side, were slightly surprised and couldn't help but look at her with more respect.

After a brief encounter, I initially thought she was the kind of willful girl, but now I see that she is actually quite sensible!

Seeing that she was about to go out in the rain, Naz stood up and said calmly, "This is not your fault. After all, no one expected the weather to be so unpredictable."

As Xia You's companion, she was indeed qualified to say this, and her words did make Flura feel a little better.

However, seeing that she did not stop her, Flura glanced at Naz and could tell from her actions and tone that this woman wanted to go to sea with her.

"Me too!" Xiaoxia added, "I'm a little worried too. Since you're going to find them, take me with you!"

Standing at the table, holding a chicken leg in one hand and a piece of roasted meat in the other, Xiao Jian looked around and could only silently stand up, indicating that he would stand with Xiao Xia.

"you…"

Fruula hesitated slightly, reason telling her that she should never let more people risk going out to sea. Seeing their insistence, she said nothing more.

"Alright then, but I'm not responsible if anything happens!"

……

boom!

The speedboat was swept up by a huge wave, and in the violent impact, it crashed into a reef on Fire Island, flew high into the air, and then slammed heavily onto the shore!

This was quite a fall; Xiao Mei and Xiao Zhi were both shaken and disoriented, while only Xia You landed safely under the protection of Gastly.

At this moment, they were standing on Fire Island, their destination, but because it was too dark around them, they could not observe the situation on the island for the time being.

"Ouch, my back feels like it's about to break..." Xiaomei cried out in pain, clutching her back, but ignoring the pain, she carefully inspected the boat and said thankfully, "Not bad, although there are some damages in the hull, at least we've made it safely to shore!"

Suddenly, Pikachu cried out and jumped off the speedboat, running into the darkness!

"Pikachu! Where are you going!?"

Ash was shocked, but no matter how much he called out, Pikachu ran away without looking back!

It felt as if something on the island was drawing it in!

"Pikachu!!"

Seeing this, Xiao Zhi had no choice but to quickly chase after them.

"Come back quickly!" Seeing that Ash was also about to leave the shore, Mei called out to his back, "In this weather, it's better to stay here and not move around!"

However, Ash had already disappeared without a trace, leaving only her voice echoing on the pebble-strewn beach.

"Never mind," Xia You said with a smile. "Miss Xiao Mei, thank you for bringing us here. But we can handle the rest ourselves. Miss Xiao Mei, you can stay here and check the speedboat. After all, we'll need it to get back later."

"Alright." Xiaomei shook her head. "It's your decision. After all, you're trainers. Well then, I wish you all the best."

Xia You took out a flashlight and turned it on before leaving the shore.