I caught a Pokémon

After leaving the forest, the two came to another fork in the road.

At this moment, Xia You faced two paths.

If you continue westward along the road for a few kilometers in the current direction, you will reach a protected area called the Nature Park.

That place is a paradise for Bug-type Pokémon in the Johto region, home to many Bug-type Pokémon. It is said that every year at this time, the official Bug-catching tournament is held there.

Participants use park balls provided by the park to catch Bug-type Pokémon throughout the park. After battles and evaluations, the final winner will not only receive the Pokémon they caught, but also a beautiful prize awarded by the park.

Because of the generous rewards and the opportunity to get Pokémon for free, the annual convention attracts many participants. Seeing this business opportunity, small vendors also choose to set up stalls at the park entrance at this time to sell small gifts and various foods, making a small profit.

It's safe to say that this is the busiest time of year in the park.

Unfortunately, Xia You didn't have any Bug-type Pokémon she wanted to catch at the moment, so she didn't plan to wander around there. As for Rika, the Grass-type Gym Leader, she also kept her distance from Bug-type Pokémon. Therefore, after a brief discussion, the two turned north and headed to Eden City along another road.

……

Enju City – a town steeped in history.

As an ancient city in the northern part of the Johto region, Enju City is located in the forest between Mount Raibatsu and the Ohara region on the west coast of Johto.

Known as a historical and cultural city, it is not filled with skyscrapers and modern facilities like other cities. Instead, it is characterized by traditional Japanese architecture.

As the sun set, Xia You and Li Jia walked along a somewhat secluded street.

Upon arriving in this city, everything I saw, from the streets to the buildings, exuded an antique charm and a strong sense of history.

The rows of wooden-tiled houses, towering pagodas, stone bridges, and stone-paved roads form the main theme of this place.

Even if it's not a festival or holiday, there are still many people on the street at this time, wearing kimonos and wooden clogs, leisurely strolling around.

Seeing these people, Xia You couldn't help but glance at Li Jia again.

The water in the nearby ditch was crystal clear, flowing quietly and making a soft sound.

At this moment, Rika was still dressed in a tight-fitting kimono suitable for travel, which was very similar to the attire of the people here, as if she were a local.

It doesn't feel out of place at all...

Noticing his gaze, Rika turned to look at him.

"what happened?"

"It's nothing, I just feel that you are a good fit for this city."

Lijia smiled gently and said nothing.

She also liked it here; the slow pace made her feel very peaceful.

As the two ventured deeper into the city center, Xia You and Li Jia took out their travel guide and began to peruse it.

The guide clearly explains that the most famous places in the city are the Bell Tower and the Clock Tower, which represent the places where Pokémon awaken and sleep, respectively. These two towers are also the tallest buildings in the city. One is in the east of the city and the other is in the west of the city, echoing each other and having long been an integral part of the city's grandeur.

It is said that both towers were built seven hundred years ago to promote friendship between humans and Pokémon. When people stand on the top of the towers, they can clearly enjoy the magnificent view of the entire city.

According to local folklore in the Johto region, Ho-Oh and Lugia once lived at the top of these two towers!

Unfortunately, 150 years ago, a lightning bolt struck the Bell Tower, causing a great fire that burned for three days and three nights. Although it was eventually extinguished by heavy rain, most of the tower was destroyed, leaving only a few ruins on the ground.

The rest of the story is obviously much more widely known.

During the fire, three unknown Pokémon were burned to death, but were revived by Ho-Oh, which fell from the sky. This is the legend about the origin of Entei, Suicune, and Raikou!

Since then, Ho-Oh and Lugia have left Enchantress City, and for some reason, the people there have not rebuilt the Bell Tower, so the ruins have been preserved and have gradually come to be called the Burnt Tower.

Of course, legends may contain some exaggeration and artistic embellishment, and may not necessarily be true.

Xia You at least remembered that it seemed like more than one Suicune had ever appeared in this world.

However, he gets angry whenever Ho-Oh is mentioned.

After all, Ho-Oh had recently stopped him from capturing the three legendary beasts!

Hmph, Ho-Oh, please don't let me run into you here!

There's still a score we haven't settled between us!

Seeing Xia You deep in thought, Li Jia asked, "Where are we going now? Are we going straight to challenge the gym?"

Like other major cities in the Pokémon world, Eden City also has an official gym, whose leader is Leafeon, specializing in Ghost-type Pokémon. After defeating him, trainers can obtain the Phantom Badge from him.

But as for the timing...

Xia You glanced at the setting sun and shook her head.

"It's not a good time to go to the dojo now, and I'm also a bit hungry. Anyway, let's find a place to stay first."

Lijia nodded, and the two walked to the end of the road, where they saw a guesthouse.

When the two guests were checking in, the hotel owner heard their accents and chuckled, saying, "You two have come at just the right time!"

"Oh?" Lijia glanced at him. "Why do you say that?"

The shop owner said mysteriously, "There's a performance by the Five Sisters of Yuanzhu at the Yuanzhu Dance Hall tonight! If you're free, you definitely shouldn't miss it!"

The Five Sisters of Yuanzhu?

Xia You touched her chin.

Having watched the anime, he naturally recognized the five girls. He remembered that they were also known as the Eevee Five.

It appears to be five girls dressed in kimonos, dancing on stage with Ibrahimovic by their side.

As for Rika, who had never heard of this before, she was naturally puzzled.

She asked, "Stage performances? Are they famous?"

"Eh? Don't you know, customers?" The shop owner scratched his cheek when he saw Rika's surprised look. "Ah, I forgot you're not from around here. Well, the five Yuanzhu sisters aren't just famous here, they're quite well-known throughout the city. They're practically celebrities in Yuanzhu City!"

At this point, the shop owner, as if smitten, revealed a longing look and continued, "Sigh, five lovely and beautiful girls, dressed up in their finest attire, dancing gracefully under the spotlight on stage, it's truly a feast for the eyes! Once you see it, you definitely won't be disappointed!"

Chapter 394 Yuanzhu Dance Hall

At 7:26 p.m., Xia You and Li Jia were strolling among the crowd on the bustling pedestrian street of Yuanzhu City.

The hazy moon hung high in the sky, obscured by dark clouds, unable to illuminate the city.

Fortunately, colorful lights and stall signs of varying sizes, flashing with light, dispelled the darkness of the street and brought dazzling light to the tourists.

People come and go on the pedestrian street, and people often stop at various stalls with Pokémon.

The sounds of people talking, laughing, and vendors hawking their wares rose and fell all around, but instead of being noisy, they created a wonderful atmosphere.

It's no wonder that Johto is one of the top cities in the region. Even on an ordinary night, so many people gathered there, and there were even many street performances in collaboration with Pokémon. It was really lively.

Xia You lowered her head and slowly walked forward with the crowd.

He was holding a string of marshmallows in one hand, taking a bite now and then, while using his phone with the other hand.

Beside him, Lijia also held many snacks she had bought from the stall. After tasting each one, her brows relaxed slightly.

Seemingly to conform to local customs, she had changed into a gorgeous kimono. Her exquisite face and outstanding temperament attracted the attention of passersby.

only…

Compared to my own cooking skills, these foods don't taste that great, but in this kind of atmosphere, it's quite nice to have them once in a while.

A burst of playful laughter came from beside me.

She paused, turned her head, and saw a group of children holding lollipops and wearing masks running past her, laughing and joking.

Seeing that they had almost bumped into the beautiful young lady, the children all stopped and quickly apologized.

"Don't run around in the street, be careful."

Lijia offered a few gentle words of comfort without a care in the world. Seeing that Xia You had already walked far away, she waved to the children, quickened her pace, and caught up with Xia You.

Xia You was unaware of the little incident that had just occurred. His fingers were tapping rapidly, and at a certain moment, after raising his phone, he looked at Li Jia and proudly waved it at her.

"I didn't expect tickets for the Enju Stage to be so hard to get! I spent over half an hour trying to buy them online, and my fingers were almost numb. I finally managed to snag one when someone cancelled their ticket!"

Lijia tucked her hair behind her ear and couldn't help but smile.

"There's nothing we can do about it, we arrived late. If we had made a reservation a few days earlier, we definitely would have been able to snag a good spot. But on the other hand, it also shows how popular the Yuanzhu Five Sisters really are, doesn't it?"

"That makes sense," Xia You nodded. "If that's the case, then getting tickets before the show starts is really lucky!"

As they spoke, the two had reached the end of the road and arrived in front of a magnificent and exquisite wooden building.

This three-story Japanese-style building has eight colorful flags flying in front, rustling gently in the breeze. A dozen lanterns hang under the eaves, and the whole building looks magnificent under the candlelight and the lights inside!

Above the main entrance of the small building hangs a plaque.

Xia You looked up and saw the four large characters "Yuan Zhu Dance Hall" written on the plaque.

"We've arrived, this is the place."

Before entering, Xia You glanced at the notice board in front of the door.

This is the program list for tonight's performances, or you could call it a poster.

Upon closer inspection, the poster features two legendary Pokémon, Lugia and Ho-Oh. The composition depicts the two Pokémon chasing each other, balancing each other, and forming a circle.

These two attributes, water and fire, seem to imply the endless cycle and continuous renewal of life.

In the corner, written in calligraphy, it read: Stage Play – "The Legend of the Burnt Tower"

Oh, so that's what they're performing...

Xia You was slightly disappointed.

After all, the two of them had just learned about the legends of this place through the travel guide, so such stories were naturally not new to them, and he was not very interested.

It's also his fault for not paying attention to today's program list when he was in such a hurry to buy tickets.

But since we're already here and have already bought the tickets, we can't just go back now, can we?

After showing their e-tickets to the staff for inspection, the two entered the Yuanzhu Stage.

After passing through the lobby and taking off their shoes, they joined other audience members as they walked along the long floor-to-ceiling corridor to finally arrive at the performance hall.

Today's performance was completely sold out.

In addition to the main audience seating in front of the stage, there are two tiers of side seating on each side, totaling at least seven or eight hundred seats.

Because the performance was approaching, the seats were already packed with people.

Following the numbers on their electronic tickets, the two went to the side seating area on the second floor and found their seats.

However, what is called a seat is actually just a cushion.

Following the example of the others, Xia You also knelt on the cushion and waited quietly with Li Jia.

Because it was a side seat on the second floor, although the seat was a bit off-center and didn't offer the best view, the view was really good, with the entire stage laid out before him.

He was already very satisfied to have secured such a position before the start of the game.

The air conditioner blew cold air over his head, and although the audience was packed and crowded, it didn't feel stuffy.

Looking down at the main audience seats, I saw that most of the people watching the performance were young people and children, many of whom brought their own Pokémon. I rarely saw any elderly people.

The elderly people here must be tired of hearing this story by now...

After glancing at it casually for a few moments, Xia You suddenly let out a soft "Eh."

Upon hearing the voice, Lijia couldn't help but glance at him.

"what happened?"

Xia You didn't speak. When Li Jia followed his gaze, she saw a person dressed as a monk kneeling there.

There was also a trumpet sprout next to him, which seemed to be his Pokémon.

Are they monks who came here from Kikyo City?

It's quite rare to see monks watching stage performances here.

Just like in real Japan, monks here can eat meat, marry and have children, and even own their own businesses.

Therefore, although Lijia was surprised by his presence here, she did not find it particularly strange.

The performance time is getting closer and closer.

The stage curtain was still not drawn, but Xia You, with her sharp eyes, noticed a small crack in the stage door, where a girl was peering out, seemingly spying on the audience's reactions.

Are they staff members here? Or stage performers?