I caught a Pokémon

It was breakfast time, but there were no other trainers in the entire restaurant besides them.

After asking Miss Joey, I learned that although this place is a tourist hotspot and even ranked first on the list of "places girls most want to go", most of the tourists who come here are just ordinary people. Even if they stay here, they will stay overnight in the hotels in the town.

Under their questioning, Miss Joey revealed some information about the manor.

“Our place is called Greenland Town,” she said. “And that manor is Dr. Xiuli’s residence, but I heard that he recently went out of town for research and encountered some kind of accident. Only his assistant returned!”

"Dr. Xiuli?"

Seeing that neither of them seemed to have heard of Dr. Xiuli, Miss Joey introduced him: "Dr. Xiuli is highly regarded in the research community for his wisdom and kindness, but... because of his busy work, he often leaves Xiaomei, his daughter, alone at home."

As a woman, Lijia keenly grasped the key point and couldn't help but ask, "Alone? Where's her mother?"

Shaking her head, Miss Joey said regretfully, "Her mother was also a researcher, but she has been missing for a long time. Now, only the butler takes care of her every day at the manor."

What an unfortunate family...

Xia You sighed.

He had seen far too many families like this, whether in the news or on television and in movies; each one was filled with misfortune.

Just then, a series of chaotic noises came from outside, sounding like a large group of people had gathered outside the door.

Curious, the group went outside and saw several police cars parked in front of the Pokémon Center, while Officer Jenny was talking to town police and several unfamiliar men.

I can't believe even Officer Jenny is here!

It seems that what happened last night must have been very serious, beyond what ordinary police officers could handle. Otherwise, Miss Officer Jenny wouldn't have come all the way here!

Chapter 356 Xiaogang's Desperation

Just like Miss Joey, although Miss Officer Jenny appears frequently and can often be seen maintaining order in major cities, she is both the face of the police force and a backbone of the force. If even they are mobilized, it shows that this matter has indeed had a great impact.

Just as Joey stepped forward to greet Miss Officer Jenny, a television news van and several construction vehicles drove towards them from a distance.

In no time, dozens of people crowded in front of the Pokémon Center. They started setting up equipment and unloading tools, and Xia You and Li Jia had to step aside to give them enough space.

Just then, several more people came running towards them from the end of the road.

Xia You looked closely and realized it was Xiao Zhi and his friends!

Ash took the lead and ran in the front, followed closely by Misty. As for the one running at the back, it was none other than Brock, who had replaced Tracey and hadn't been seen for a long time!

Looking again at Xiaozhi's side, besides the three of them, there was also a woman they had never met before who had come with them.

When they reached the Pokémon Center, Ash and his friends suddenly saw Xia You. Their eyes lit up and they all ran towards him.

Before Xiaozhi could speak, Xiaoxia was the first to chime in, excitedly saying, "Brother Xiayou! What a coincidence! I never expected to see you here!"

However, as soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly saw Lijia and her eyes widened in surprise!

"Huh!? Miss Rika!? What are you doing here!? And why are you with Xia You-ge?"

"Hello." Rika smiled and nodded to them. "Ash, Misty, and Brock, we meet again. As you can see, I'm currently traveling with Xia You, planning to come to Johto to catch some new Pokémon."

"Travel with him!?"

The group gasped in surprise, but compared to Ash and Brock's astonishment, Misty was struck dumb and froze on the spot!

For a fleeting moment, Xiaozhi seemed to hear the sound of her heart turning into glass and shattering!

Xia You greeted them as well: "I didn't expect to run into you here. It's such a coincidence. Xiao Gang, you're traveling with Xiao Zhi again. Seeing the three of you together makes me feel nostalgic and happy."

Nostalgia?

Xiao Gang scratched his cheek in confusion, naturally not understanding the meaning behind Xia You's words.

Xia You naturally didn't explain anything, and turned to chat with Xiao Zhi about the most important thing about this trip.

"You've been in the capital for so long, you must have earned quite a few badges by now, right?"

Upon hearing this topic, Ash grinned, opened his shirt, and revealed two shining badges inside.

"That's right! I've already gotten the Wing Badge and the Insect Badge, Xia You-ge, what about you?"

"Two already... You're really fast. I'm about the same as you, I just got my third badge a few days ago."

Hearing Xia You say that, Xiao Zhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he didn't fall too far behind Xia You, he would have a chance to catch up with him!

Xia You ruffled Xiaoxia's hair to bring her back to her senses, then turned her gaze to the woman beside the group.

The woman was about the same age as him, with long hair, wearing a red short-sleeved shirt, a red headscarf, and a traveler's backpack. A long-tailed monster was perched on her shoulder, a very common trainer's outfit.

"Who is this...?"

Before Xiaozhi and the others could introduce themselves, the woman took the initiative to say, "Hello, my name is Xiaoling. I just met Xiaozhi and the others in the forest. Since we were all heading here, we came together."

Xiao Ling?

Xia You thought about it carefully, but there was no information related to her in her mind.

At this moment, Xiao Zhi suddenly felt that something was missing. He looked around and, seeing that he didn't see Sabrina, asked in surprise, "Huh? Brother Xia You, where is Miss Sabrina?"

Xia You sighed: "She has already returned to the Goldenrod Gym."

Back at the Saffron Gym!?

Xiaoxia perked up instantly, but after glancing at Lijia, she sighed again.

Naza just left, and now Rika's here. Sigh, when will it be my turn...?

Although it seems that Lijia and Xia You are just ordinary friends for the time being, Xia You has a woman's sixth sense that it is only a matter of time before Lijia falls into Xia You's hands!

On the other hand, as soon as the words left her mouth, Xia You clearly sensed that Xiao Gang's expression was different, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Before she could think about it, Xiaoling asked, "We just saw a large area of ​​crystals on the mountaintop. Do you know what happened there?"

“I’m not entirely sure either.” Xia You shook her head and told them what she had seen and heard last night. Finally, she added, “But since Miss Officer Jenny has also come here, I think things should be clear soon.”

At this point in the conversation, Xia You suddenly realized something.

Actually, he initially thought it was just some kind of unexpected event, but when he saw Ash, he immediately realized that it must be a scene from one of the movies!

No wonder it felt so familiar...

But... what was the name of that movie again?

Is it the crystallization of an emperor? Or the crystallization tower of Emperor Yan?

Xia You scratched her head, because the memory was so distant that she couldn't quite remember either the name or the content.

But no matter what, as long as Ash comes here, the matter should come to light and be resolved soon!

Seeing that Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny were still talking on the other side, the group wisely decided not to disturb them and instead returned to the Pokémon Center's restaurant together.

The group rested here for a while and drank a few cups of coffee.

While Lijia, Xiaoxia, and Xiaoling went to the restroom, Xia You only saw a figure flash before his eyes, and Xiaogang was already kneeling in front of him, holding his hand tightly!

Before Xia You could even react, Xiao Gang asked expectantly, "Xia You... no! Brother Xia You! Please teach me how you did it!!"

Xia You looked at him in surprise and asked, puzzled, "What? How did you do that?"

Xiao Gang spoke very quickly: "I heard from Xiao Zhi and Xiao Xia that you traveled with Miss Sabrina for a long time, and now it's Miss Rika! What's your secret to winning the hearts of two beauties at the same time and getting them to travel with you!?"

Xia You couldn't help but find it amusing.

No wonder Xiaogang hesitated outside the door earlier; that's what he wanted to ask!

He forcefully pulled Xiao Gang's hand away and shook his head: "Don't talk nonsense, I didn't capture Li Jia's heart, we're really just friends!"

Chapter 357 Only Handsome

With his keen and excellent observation skills, Xiao Gang astutely grasped the loophole in Xia You's words.

"You didn't capture Rika? But you didn't deny your relationship with Miss Naza. So, you and Miss Naza are indeed lovers!?"

This guy…

Xia You raised her eyebrows.

Although Xiao Gang usually becomes a lovesick fool and a complete simp when he meets pretty girls, he instantly becomes incredibly intelligent when there are no girls around, almost turning into the famous detective Ke Gang!

Seeing that Xia You remained silent, Xiao Gang pleaded urgently, "Brother Xia You! Please teach me how to do it! I want to be as popular with girls as you are!"

Xia You glanced at the bathroom and saw that Li Jia and the others hadn't returned yet. She breathed a sigh of relief. If Li Jia heard this, it would definitely cause a misunderstanding, which would be terrible.

She might actually think that I invited her on a trip with me because I had some ulterior motive!

We need to get rid of Xiao Gang quickly!

Thinking of this, and looking at Xiao Gang's prematurely aged face, Xia You coughed lightly and cleared her throat.

"Actually, to win a girl's favor, you only need two words!"

Xiao Gang's eyes suddenly widened: "Two words?"

“That’s right.” Xia You nodded, then confirmed again, “Only two words!”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Gang's spirits lifted, and his eyes shone with fervor: "Which two words were they? Gentleness? Perseverance? Grace? Or humor?"

Xia You shook her head, seemingly hesitating whether or not to tell him.

Seeing Xia You's expression, Xiao Gang earnestly pressed, "Brother Xia You, hurry up! Please tell me, what are those two words?!"

After giving him a meaningful look for a while, Xia You slowly said, "Alright, since you're so eager to know, I'll tell you. Listen carefully, if you want a girl to like you, besides what you just mentioned, remember the two most important words, and that is—"

Xia You drew out a long note, and Xiao Gang's eyes grew brighter and brighter!

"That is?"

Xia You chuckled and uttered two words: "—Handsome!!"

"I……"

Upon hearing those two words, Xiao Gang immediately knelt down, feeling as if a mouthful of blood was rising in his chest, almost spitting it out!

He thought there was some trick to it, but it turned out to be this!?

If he had Xia You's looks, why would he have to worry about not having a girlfriend?! His kids would probably be old enough to sell soy sauce by now!

Sigh...it seems I wasted my breath just now...

I was so stupid... I had such high hopes for what he said just now...

Seeing Xiao Gang frozen in place, Pikachu clutched its stomach and burst into laughter on the table.

Xiao Zhi scratched his head. Although he didn't quite understand the topic, he felt that the interaction between Xia You and Xiao Gang was really interesting.

Indeed, it's when everyone is together that we feel happiest!

A few minutes later, when Lijia and the others returned from the restroom, they saw Xiaogang squatting in the corner, drawing circles with his finger, looking very dejected.

"That's strange." Xia looked puzzled. "What's wrong with him?"

"Don't worry about him." Xia You waved her hand. "His mental world has suffered a huge blow, and he won't be able to cheer up for a while."

Although the ladies were puzzled, they didn't ask any further questions.

At that moment, Joey, Miss Officer Jenny, and a man in his late twenties walked in from outside.

Through the introduction, Xia You and the others learned that the man's name was John, and he was the assistant of the missing Dr. Xiu Li!

Xia You glanced at him a few times. John was wearing a loose coat and his hair was a bit messy. He did look like a researcher who was busy with work and didn't care much about his appearance.

After the group greeted each other, Lijia was the first to speak, voicing everyone's question: "Mr. John, what exactly happened?"

John glanced to the side and, seeing Officer Jenny nod, said, "It's an unknown totem!"

"An unknown totem!?"

Apart from Xia You and Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy, who had learned the cause of the matter from John, it was clear that neither Rika nor Ash were hearing this name for the first time.

Ash asked curiously, "What's that? Is it a Pokémon?"

“It is indeed a Pokémon, but it is quite rare, existing only in various ancient ruins.” John sighed and recounted the cause of the incident. “You may have heard that Dr. Xiuli is a leading expert in the study of Unknown Totems, and one of the few scholars who can interpret totem writing. For some time now, the doctor and I have been searching for and exploring this mysterious Pokémon in various ruins. Just a few days ago, we found clues to them in a ruin in the desert, but just as we were investigating the secret chamber of the ruin, an accident suddenly occurred.”

John paused for a moment, seemingly still finding it unbelievable.

After he composed himself, he continued, "We were each studying the totem text on one of the walls when I suddenly heard a strange noise behind me. When I turned around, I found that the professor, who had been right behind me, had simply vanished without a trace!"

"Disappeared?"

John nodded: "At the spot where the doctor stood, only a box filled with unknown totemic symbols remained."