I caught a Pokémon

“I don’t know much about the specifics either.” Xia You shook her head. “It’s not mentioned in the guide, but I’ve heard that this kind of flexible structure has good earthquake resistance and is called a ‘flexible structure.’ It’s not just used in ancient times; many modern buildings still use this construction method. Although it looks shaky, structurally speaking, there’s nothing wrong with it.”

As they spoke, Xia You and Nazi had already climbed the steps and entered the Bell Sprout Tower through the open tower gate.

creak.

Stepping onto the wooden floor and just entering the tower, the two were immediately drawn to a giant log that swayed like a pendulum.

This giant tree is almost two meters wide. It hangs down from the upper floor and extends all the way to the ground, swaying rhythmically.

"Wow...it's so big!"

Driven by curiosity, Gengar flew through the wall, first going upstairs to take a look, and then disappearing underground. As it flew back to Xia You, it kept muttering incredulously.

"I just checked, and this piece of wood isn't driven by any external force. The reason it can swing on its own is entirely due to its ingenious structure. It's truly amazing!"

"Yes, it really is amazing."

Amid Gengar's incessant chatter, Xia You and Sabrina climbed the stairs to the second and third floors.

However, to his disappointment once again, the entire Bell Sprout Tower, apart from that giant tree, was really no different from other wooden towers, and there was nothing else worth visiting!

They came full of enthusiasm, but left disappointed.

However, since this place is a famous tourist attraction, Xia You took a few more photos to commemorate the occasion.

They stayed there for a while longer, until 11 a.m., when they enjoyed the free vegetarian meal provided by the temple. It has to be said that this simple yet delicious meal was perhaps the biggest reward of their trip.

During the meal, Xia You suddenly noticed that the monks practicing here seemed to each have a trumpet bud in their hands.

It seems that they chose to subdue the trumpet bud and train with it in order to echo the name of the temple.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Xia You and Na Zi put their hands together, said goodbye to the monk, and then turned and left, heading straight out of Kikyo City.

Since they still had a few days until their appointment with the handsome guy, their next destination was to continue northeast, traversing the vast, dense forest, directly reaching Smoky City, and challenging the gym there.

After the gym battle ends, they will turn west and arrive at Cajon Town to meet up with the handsome guy.

The two walked along the wide road for half an hour, and just as they were about to enter the forest, a red sports car suddenly appeared on the road in the distance.

The sports car brushed past Xia You, kicking up a cloud of dust, but before the dust could settle, the sports car suddenly reversed back!

The scene was so familiar that Xia You subconsciously looked into the sports car.

Sure enough, in the passenger seat, he saw an 'old acquaintance' who was about the same age as Ash.

"Hmm? Xiao Mao?"

Needless to say, the person making this appearance is naturally Xiao Shigeru!

Just like before, Xiao Mao's car was full of sexy young women. He sat in the passenger seat, looking at Xia You with great surprise.

"Xia You? I never expected to run into you here!"

“I was surprised too.” Xia You waved to him, then glanced down at his sports car. “It’s been so long. Looks like you’re still the same. You still like to travel in a sports car.”

“Of course.” Xiao Mao crossed his arms and raised his chin. “This is the fastest way to travel. It’s so much faster than people like you who walk!”

Upon seeing Xiao Mao, Xia You naturally thought of Xiao Zhi and couldn't help but ask, "By the way, since you're here, have you seen Xiao Zhi?"

Xiao Mao snorted: "We parted ways at the research institute yesterday. That guy also set off here, but judging by his pace, he's probably still slowly making his way to the Quartz Plateau!"

Have we only just arrived at the Quartz Plateau?

The speed is indeed quite slow.

Refocusing her attention on Xiao Mao, Xia You, just like when they first met, took out a Poké Ball from her pouch, tossed it a few times, looked at him, and smiled, "How about it? It's been a long time. Want to have a match with me right now?"

Unexpectedly, Xiao Mao shook his head when he heard his words.

"Now? Forget it. The real show between us will have to wait until the Silver Tournament. Then, I will definitely not lose to you again and will let you taste the bitterness of defeat!"

After saying that, he ignored Xia You, waved his hand, and with the young lady driving stepping on the gas, the sports car drove straight away!

hum!

Dust drifted through the air once more.

Watching his receding figure, Xia You couldn't help but smile.

This is great! One powerful enemy after another is appearing, along with those unknown opponents. The Silver Tournament is sure to be extremely exciting!

Chapter 299 The Snowy Path

Following the map, Xia You and Na Zi spent two days finally traversing the dense and vast forest.

After two days of sleeping in the open and traveling for so long through the complex forest, and defeating many Pokémon that harassed them along the way, they were exhausted both physically and mentally. Fortunately, their destination was now in sight. After crossing a few more mountains, they would reach Blackrock City.

Xia You could have easily flown over the forest on a fire-breathing dragon, but he chose not to.

The joy of travel lies in working hand in hand with Pokémon, overcoming difficulties, appreciating the scenery along the way, and strengthening the bond between you.

If all you want is speed and convenience, then what's the difference between that and Xiao Mao's fast travel?

After leaving the forest, the two continued eastward, but before they had gone far, Xia You suddenly stopped again.

"What's wrong?" Naz asked softly.

Xia You raised his chin, and Na Zi looked ahead in the direction he indicated. There were two forks in the road in the open space ahead.

There are two forks in the road; one winds its way out of the mountain, while the other extends into the mountain.

After studying the map for a while, Xia You said, "Although the destinations of these two routes are the same, the situations are different. The first route goes around the outside of the mountain. Although the journey is a bit long, the road is easier to travel. The second route goes through a cave in the mountains called the Ice and Snow Path. Although it is covered with ice and snow and is very cold, it can save a lot of time and can take you directly to Yanmo City."

After a moment's thought, Naz pointed to the road on the right: "Let's take the shortcut. The sooner we get to Yanmo City, the sooner we can take a hot bath."

For her, not being able to shower for two days was undoubtedly a very uncomfortable experience.

"If we take a hot shower, we might not have to wait until we reach Blackrock City," Xia You said, pointing to the snowy path on the map. "Judging from the map, there seems to be a Pokémon Center along this snowy path. We can stay there for the night!"

Sabrina was taken aback: "A Pokémon Center in a cave?"

“That’s right.” Xia You nodded. “It seems that people often travel to Moss City through the cave, so the League built a Pokémon Center there for people to rest and recuperate along the way for safety reasons.”

Having decided on their route, the two did not linger and entered the mountains.

At first, the mountains were lush and green, but as we got closer to the snow and ice trails, the temperature dropped significantly, and the trees and vegetation began to wither and die.

Finally, when Xia You stood at the entrance of the cave, the cold wind inside made her shiver involuntarily.

Compared to other places, the entrance to the cave is now covered with a layer of solid ice!

"It's so cold. Let's change our clothes to avoid catching a cold."

Sabrina had no objections. The two took out thick clothes from their luggage. Since they were an old married couple, they had no taboos with each other. They simply had their Pokémon keep watch and changed their clothes right in front of each other.

After changing into winter clothes, I felt much warmer immediately.

However, once inside the cave, the cold wind still felt quite biting. To keep warm, Xia You had to summon the fire-breathing dragon. With its constantly burning tail, she finally stopped feeling the cold.

Although the official name of this cave is the Ice and Snow Trail, the locals prefer to call it the Ice Cave!

Just like the other ice caves Xia You had entered, this place was surrounded by smooth, crystalline ice walls, and many Ice-type Pokémon appeared. Upon seeing someone intruding, they would flee to a deeper part in the blink of an eye.

Squeak…

The ice beneath their feet made soft creaking sounds, and as they went deeper, the ice became thicker and thicker.

Seeing that Naz was walking carefully, Xia You quickly supported her hand: "Be careful, it's slippery here, don't fall."

Just in case, Xia You also summoned Gengar to provide support at any time.

Illuminated by the flashlight and firelight, Xia You continued to venture deeper into the ice cave.

Because there is only one main road, although there are occasional forks extending to both sides, they are all small caves about half a person's height, which humans cannot enter at all. This means that Xia You, who is visiting here for the first time, does not have to worry about getting lost.

And perhaps because so many people had walked by, Xia You even saw the footprints left by passersby.

Following these footprints, they walked for another two hours before finally arriving at the foot of a huge ice dome.

Sunlight streamed down from the ice dome overhead, filtering through the ice and into the cave, reflecting a soft glow that brought brightness to the place.

On the ice ahead, you can also see a three-story building!

Despite seeing it with her own eyes, Sabrina was still slightly surprised: "I never imagined that there would actually be a Pokémon Center in a place like this!"

What surprised her most was that, judging from the lights coming from inside the Pokémon Center, it was clearly still open for business!

"Alright, stop thinking about it. Let's stay here tonight."

After recalling Charizard, Xia You took Sabrina's hand and walked into the Pokémon Center.

As the electric doors opened to both sides, a gust of warm air blew onto the two of them.

And this made Xia You feel as if the blood in her body, which had been frozen, had finally come back to life!

"Phew, sorry to bother you!"

Hearing someone come in, a woman dressed in a nurse's uniform walked out from a side door.

Huh?

The Pokémon helping out here isn't Chansey, but Jynx?

In Xia You's memory, the Pokémon that helped out at the Pokémon Center in the Johto region was always Chansey. She never expected to see Jynx here!

However, I have to say, the nurse in the lipstick outfit is really an eyesore!

"The journey is long!"

Jynx opened its mouth and said something to them, but since Xia You couldn't understand Pokémon language, she could only turn her head towards her Gengar.

What is it saying?

Gengar, acting as the translator, shrugged: "Nothing, just saying hello to you guys."

"Oh, I see..." Xia You looked around but didn't see Joey. "Hello, Sister Mimi, is Miss Joey here?"

No sooner had she finished speaking than Miss Joey herself walked out from behind the door.

Good afternoon, both of you.

Xia You nodded to her: "Hello, Miss Joey, we're here to stay."

“No problem, there are plenty of rooms here.” Joey smiled and gestured for them to enter. “You must be tired from your journey. Come in and have something to drink to warm up.”

Following Miss Joey into the restaurant, they were surprised to find that there was another man and a woman in the restaurant besides them.

They were having dinner at the table when they heard Xia You and Na Zi's footsteps and turned their heads.

Chapter 300 Weekly Brothers

After leading Xia You and Nazi to an empty dining table, Joey didn't leave immediately. Instead, she asked, "Do you feel unwell anywhere?"

Hearing this, Xia You turned her gaze away from the two people and gave Joey a strange look.

Why are you asking that out of the blue?

"That's how it is," Joey explained with a smile, "Because the temperature difference between inside and outside the cave is so great, if you were to suddenly enter the icy path, the sudden change from hot to cold could easily cause you to catch a fever or a cold. That's why I asked if anyone was feeling unwell. If anyone catches a chill, I have some special ginger soup available here!"

Xia You and Na Zi exchanged a glance. Because they had made ample preparations before entering the icy path, they did not feel anything unusual at this moment.

"No need, two cups of coffee will do, extra sugar, please."

"Okay, please wait a moment!"

Watching Joey leave, Xia You's gaze lingered on her short skirt for a moment before she shook her head.

That's really impressive...

In such a cold place, Joey remained as always, wearing only her uniform, exposing her arms and legs, which was quite surprising—women are indeed very resistant to the cold!

Moreover, the Pokémon Center is located deep inside an ice cave, where it rarely sees sunlight and there are few people to interact with. Living here is not something that just anyone can endure.

Not long after, Sister Mistie brought over the coffee.

Xia You thanked her and took a sip while it was still hot. The slightly hot coffee immediately dispelled the remaining chill in her body.

Just then, the man and woman who had been sitting in the distance walked over.

The two men were about the same age as Xia You. The woman had long, curly brown hair, while the man had his hair parted in a 3/7 style. They were both very ordinary-looking, the kind of people you wouldn't notice in a crowd.

However, after taking a closer look, Xia You noticed that the two had some similarities in their eyebrows, so she guessed that they were probably siblings.

"Hello." The woman walked up to Xia You and smiled. "Judging from your appearance, you must be trainers too, right? First, let me introduce myself. We are the Weekday Brothers. I am Xing Qi'er, and this is my younger brother, Xing Qishan."