I caught a Pokémon

Xia You slept until the sun was high in the sky before lazily getting out of bed.

There was no one beside her. When she went to look for Naz, she found that Naz had already finished washing and dressing and was sitting at the table, eating breakfast elegantly.

On the table, her phone screen was still lit, as if she had just ended a call with someone.

Seeing Xia You open her eyes, Na Zi said gently, "What? Did I wake you up?"

Xia You shook her head, put on her clothes, and sat down next to her.

"What's wrong? You look so serious. Is someone looking for you?"

Naza raised her chin slightly, gesturing towards her phone screen.

"It's Pokémon Association Chairman Darma, he wants me to return to Saffron City and continue to oversee the Saffron City Gym."

"Hmm?" Hearing this, Xia You frowned. "Didn't you say before that your father was helping you manage the dojo? Why do you want me to go back?"

With a sigh, Natsume said, "These people seem to think that only my presence at the dojo can put their minds at ease."

Xia You asked curiously, "Isn't your father the previous gym leader? Isn't it enough to have him guarding the gym? Don't those people from the Pokémon Association believe in his abilities?"

"After all, they were defeated by me, the current Gym Leader. They obviously value me more than my father." Sabrina snorted coldly, seemingly very disgusted by the Pokémon League's forced arrangement for her. However, seeing how much Xia You cared about her going or staying, her heart warmed, and she said to him gently, "Alright, don't worry about them. I didn't agree, and even if I don't go back, these people won't dare to do anything to me."

Despite what Nazi said, Xia You was still worried when she heard the news.

At this time, he and Nazi were very close, and he wanted to be with her every night, so naturally he didn't want her to leave.

However, being the gym leader was, after all, her job, and Xia You understood that if she didn't want to lose this profession, the two of them would eventually have to separate.

Ugh, my head hurts.

Well, things will work themselves out. Let's just take it one step at a time.

After Xia You finished breakfast, the two left the hotel, but instead of leaving Marcot Island directly, they went to the forest next to the town.

Now that we've come to this island, we should naturally explore it and see if there are any Pokémon worth catching.

Chapter 233 The Battle of the Flying Mantises

A horde of Heracross Pokémon was fighting with another group of Heracross Pokémon for territory. Armor clashed with armor, pincers met horns, and hundreds of Pokémon collided in one place, resulting in a fierce battle.

A large swarm of menacing bees swept across the lake, seemingly intent on causing trouble for someone.

As we ventured deeper into the dense forest, it became clear that unknown dangers lurked everywhere.

If you smell it closely, even the air seems different, filled with a murky smell of rotting wood and various fungi.

Xia You and Sabrina remained silent, their steps light, trying to avoid attracting the attention of these territorial Bug-type Pokémon.

After wandering around, they followed their instincts and traversed the dense forest, continuing deeper into the woods.

After walking for half a day, I thought I might be lucky enough to encounter some rare species, but after searching for a long time, all I could find were those very ordinary creatures, and I didn't find any Pokémon worth catching.

"let's go."

Sighing, realizing she had wasted her time, Xia You was about to summon Charizard when she saw Sabrina suddenly turn her gaze to the deeper part of the forest.

"what happened?"

Despite the layers of trees blocking her view, Naz still sensed something.

"There's a battle going on ahead. Judging from the situation, the two sides are much stronger than those weaklings. Maybe the Pokémon you want to catch is right there."

As soon as she said it, Nazi thought Xia You would act immediately, but after waiting for a long time, she didn't see him make any move. Strangely, she turned her head and saw Xia You staring intently at her neck.

I subconsciously reached out and touched it, but didn't feel anything unusual.

"What's wrong? What are you looking at?"

"Ahem, it's nothing." Faced with Nazi's question, Xia You guiltily averted her gaze.

It was terrible! Only at this moment did he notice that Naz's fair neck was covered with his hickeys!

Several red bruises stood out so conspicuously that one could almost immediately imagine what she had gone through last night!

It's not surprising that Xia You only noticed it at this time, since Na Zi had her hair down the whole time, which conveniently covered the marks, and they would only be revealed when she moved around.

Sigh, no wonder so many people looked at the two of them with such strange eyes when they came out of town. Those meaningful smiles had left Naz completely baffled at the time, but now that she saw these bruises, she understood what had happened!

Oh no, I absolutely can't let her know about this, or I won't be able to get into her bed for the next few days...

However, seeing that she had already attracted her attention, Xia You stopped talking and hurriedly followed the direction that Nazi had been looking in, heading towards the other side of the forest.

Seeing this, Naz frowned. Although she felt a little confused, she couldn't delve into it at the moment and could only silently follow in his footsteps.

After passing several thick trees and walking forward for several dozen meters, a large open space suddenly appeared before us, where dozens of flying mantises were gathered around a small pond, quietly watching something.

The two looked at each other, and when they got closer, they saw through the gaps between the mantises that two mantises were actually fighting!

Wings flapped, claws and knives clashed!

Judging from their actions, this duel seems to be a matter of life and death. Their eyes are full of fighting spirit, and they have no intention of holding back. It is not like ordinary playful fighting!

The remaining flying mantises surrounded it, their solemn expressions suggesting they were watching a solemn ceremony!

For some reason, Xia You thought of the cruel scenes of the animal world, where the strong prey on the weak and the fittest survive.

The victor will become the leader of the tribe, leading the other companions to continue living in the forest, while the loser can only drag their wounded body away from their tribe alone, slowly waiting for death to come.

It seems that even in a different world, the same rules probably apply to these normally ferocious mantises...

"You just sensed two powerful Pokémon, are you referring to these?"

“That’s right,” Sabrina said softly. “Both of these Pokémon are very strong, but the one with the scar on its forehead is obviously stronger.”

Upon hearing her words, Xia You looked over and indeed saw an X-shaped scar on the forehead of one of the more robust flying mantises!

Although the two Scythers look no different from each other, the one with the scar is clearly in a dominant position, completely suppressing its opponent with a single attack!

“It’s pretty strong…” Xia You nodded in agreement. “If nothing unexpected happens, the other Scyther will lose. Whether it’s reaction, speed, or strength, it’s far inferior and has no chance of winning.”

Sure enough, not long after, the other mantis was defeated and lay on the ground, its body covered in wounds and completely unable to move.

Meanwhile, the scarred mantis looked down at its rival with a smug glint in its eyes, waving its scythe-like forelimbs and displaying the arrogance of a victor!

Seeing this, the other flying mantises also danced joyfully, showing no sympathy for the loser, but only expressing their heartfelt joy for this new leader!

It really is survival of the fittest...

Looking at the fallen mantis, it had regained some strength. It struggled to its feet, glanced at the victor and its companion with resentment and longing, and then shakily and dejectedly slunk away without looking back.

Seeing the two Pokémon getting further and further apart, Sabrina asked, "Which one do you want to catch? The injured one is definitely powerless to resist right now. I think I can easily catch it by throwing a Poké Ball. As for the winner, it looks energetic, so it will probably take a little longer."

"Since we're going to recruit them, we definitely need to subdue the strongest one, but..."

At this point, Xia You hesitated slightly.

As the number of Pokémon grew, he found it increasingly difficult to manage them all, but after some thought, he made up his mind.

Being so hesitant and indecisive is not my style!

Moreover, Scyther is a Bug/Flying type Pokémon, and I don't have a Pokémon of the same type yet. If I can catch it, it will increase the depth of my team.

Secondly, the evolved form of Scyther, Scizor, is quite cool, and it can also undergo Mega Evolution to become even more powerful!

With that thought in mind, he no longer hesitated and decisively walked towards the flying mantis with a scar on its forehead!

Chapter 234 Sickle Against Solid Stone

Xia You's appearance naturally attracted the attention of this group of flying mantises.

In an instant, the Scythers, led by Scarface, all looked at him with hostility.

Looking around at these Pokémon, Xia You saw that they looked eager to try, and judging from their posture, they seemed to want to rush up at any moment and tear her to pieces!

"Relax, relax."

He waved to calm them down, and his gaze finally settled on the mantis with the scar.

"First, let me introduce myself. My name is Xia You, and I'm a trainer who travels around. This time, I've come with... well... with good intentions. First of all, congratulations on becoming the leader. Also, there's something important I'd like to discuss with you."

In fact, if this happened at any other time, trespassing into the territory of the Scyther would definitely result in being attacked by the swarm.

But now, this scarred mantis has just defeated its competitor and is extremely confident and riding high. Therefore, even if someone challenges it, it will certainly not back down in order to consolidate its prestige.

It was precisely because Xia You had figured these things out that she was so bold as to walk directly in front of it.

Sure enough, the Scarred Scyther shooed away its companions, then took a step forward and stared intently at Xia You.

"Fly! Fly!"

Xia You raised an eyebrow. He naturally couldn't understand the language of Pokémon, but fortunately, he had a free translator by his side.

"Hey Gastly, wake up and get to work! Translate what it just said?"

Gastly floated lazily out of the shadows.

"Honestly, you only remember me at times like this." Gastly rolled its eyes, and although somewhat reluctant, it translated under Xia You's urging, "Listen carefully, it says: 'Despicable human, get out of my territory before I get angry, or my minions will cleave you in two with a single command!'"

Xia You was taken aback, looking at Gastly with hesitation: "Are you sure that's what it said!? I only heard it say a few syllables just now. And even if Scyther is fierce and warlike, it wouldn't say something like that like a human thug, would it?"

“What’s so hard to understand?” Gastly shrugged and said matter-of-factly, “What do you expect these muscular, simple-minded scythers to say? I even polished it up and filled in the context for it! The words are a bit rough, but the meaning is the same. Hey, don’t worry about such trivial things.”

Xia You: ...

No wonder he's so sleazy...

Xia You had been wondering why these Scythers, so far removed from the human world, would refer to themselves as "Laozi" (a respectful term for Laozi). It turns out that Gastly had added fuel to the fire!

She glanced at it speechlessly, remained silent for a long while, and then sighed softly, "I see. Thank you, you're so understanding!"

"Really?" Hearing Xia You's praise, Gastly gave him a smug look. "To be honest, I think so too!"

By this time, the mantis in the distance was getting impatient. It rubbed its two sharp claws together, making a 'crack' sound that only occurs when blades collide.

Seeing this, Xia You shook her head helplessly, ignoring Gastly and turning her attention back to Scyther.

"What I really mean by the important thing is a powerful alliance, a joint attack on the Pokémon League. How about it? Interested in defeating countless powerful enemies and ultimately reaching the very top?"

Scyther tilted its head. With its limited knowledge, it clearly didn't understand what the Pokémon League was, nor did it know why it was 'climbing a mountain' for no reason.

Seeing its reaction, Xia You thought for a moment and then rephrased her words: "Let me put it another way. I'm going to challenge you now. If I lose, I'll offer you human food, but if you lose, you'll become my partner and travel with me. How about it? Are you willing to accept?"

This time, the mantis understood.

It glanced at Xia You with disdain, thinking to itself, "This human dares to challenge me so presumptuously!? He's courting death!"

Without any hesitation, it let out a loud cry, and upon hearing its voice, all the other flying mantises made way, clearing a large open space in the blink of an eye.

Now, without Gastly translating, Xia You knew exactly what it meant.

As expected, they chose to accept the challenge.

Xia You was about to take out a Poké Ball when she suddenly remembered something and glanced into the distance.

In the battle, the first Scyther to be defeated had already staggered to the edge of the forest.

Watching its disappearing figure, Xia You suddenly realized that this battered Scyther might be the same Scyther that Ash and his friends encountered on their journey and which was eventually caught by Jian.

The more I think about it, the more likely it seems.

There aren't that many coincidences in this world; it must be this one.

but…

This has nothing to do with Xia You, and there's no time to worry about it now.

Refocusing her attention on the scarred face, Xia You took out the Poké Ball she had already chosen and threw it into the field.

"I choose you! Go, Crystal Onix!"

As the blue light flashed, the Crystal Onix appeared in the arena.

As a slightly larger and heavier competitor than Gyarados, its entrance was not as imposing as Gyarados's, appearing rather stable.

Although this was the first time the Crystal Onix had been captured, it had been training and battling for a long time in private, so Xia You was quite confident in its strength.

And most importantly, although Ground-type moves cannot damage Scyther, Rock-type moves can deal four times the damage to Scyther!

This gives Crystal Onix an absolute advantage.

On the other side, seeing that its opponent was so huge, the Scyther did not want to back down. It roared and launched the first attack.

As expected of a warlike Pokémon, it dares to take the initiative even when facing a strong enemy!