I caught a Pokémon

As expected of someone from a prestigious family, she is truly proficient in everything!

After her initial reflection, Xia You didn't say anything, but simply watched Xiao Yu's every move quietly.

Guests should remain silent while observing the tea ceremony.

Although the two spoke very softly, the tea room was so small that it inevitably reached Xiaoyu's ears. However, she didn't say anything and just continued doing her own thing. Her movements were skillful and smooth, clearly indicating that she had practiced countless times.

Xia You watched as she meticulously wiped the teacup, then scooped some hot water into it with a ladle, held the teacup close to her body with both hands, and cleaned the tea brush before pouring the water into the wastewater tank.

Then he picked up the tea powder container, scooped tea powder with a tea spoon, scooped it three times, then poured out all the tea powder, mixed it evenly with the tea spoon, and tapped it lightly on the tea bowl to make a crisp sound.

The whole process was pleasant to watch, especially the beautiful woman brewing tea, which was a real treat to behold.

Finally, after Xiaoyu used a tea brush to stir the tea vigorously and evenly in the bowl for a long time, she presented the two bowls of green tea to the two of them with both hands.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, now you can enjoy your tea."

Xia You glanced down.

He had expected to drink tea from a teacup, but instead they used a bowl! And it wasn't tea leaves they were using, but tea powder!

In the gray porcelain bowl, the green tea was still slowly swirling, and even a layer of tiny bubbles had formed.

To put it simply, this bowl of tea didn't feel like tea to Xia You; it was more like a bowl of washed soup—not clear or strong, but it did have a unique tea fragrance.

He didn't pick up the teacup immediately, but looked at Lijia, intending to learn how to drink it first.

Lijia first nodded slightly to Xiaoyu to express her gratitude, then picked up the teacup, turned it around once, and then took a small sip.

"Hmm..." Lijia savored it for a while, then smiled and said, "Both the technique and the taste are top-notch, and the water temperature is just right. I've learned a lot."

Following her example, Xia You also picked up the teacup, twirled it in her hand, and took a small sip.

After taking a sip, he could taste the sweetness of the tea and the lingering fragrance in his mouth. However, he didn't really understand it and couldn't explain why. He could only nod in a pretentious manner and say calmly, "Hmm...it is indeed good tea."

……

Note: The five sisters' designs are taken from Pokémon Evolution episode 7 – The Show. They are quite different from the original anime in terms of both names and appearances, and each of them is very attractive.

Chapter 405 Umbrella Dance and Hospitality

After the tea party ended, Xiaomei temporarily left Xia You and Lijia's side to prepare for the grand finale of the event.

The two strolled around the courtyard for a while, stopping and looking at the various garden views. When it was almost time, they finally arrived at a stage in the courtyard.

As the most important program of this tea party, the five sisters will next perform a dance together, which is also the part that the visiting guests are most looking forward to.

The five Zhu sisters' stage skills are beyond doubt, and being able to appreciate their dance up close is undoubtedly a joyful thing.

Soon, nearly two hundred people gathered in front of the stage, who were all the guests who had come today.

Xia You and Li Jia mingled in the crowd. They couldn't get a front row seat and could only sit in the middle. But that was fine too, since this position gave them a perfect view of the entire stage. Although there was some background noise, the visual effect was the best.

Before long, as the music started, the five sisters gracefully walked onto the stage.

At this moment, they were dressed in their finest attire, with stage makeup, and each of them held a dancing umbrella.

As they took their positions, Xiaomei on the stage quickly scanned the crowd with her eyes, as if searching for something. Soon, her eyes met those of Xia You and Lijia, and she gave a slight smile.

As the music changed, the five sisters began their performance.

The umbrella opened and closed, swaying gently with the slow steps.

Unlike last night, this time it was just a simple umbrella dance. Since she didn't have to pay attention to any stories, Xia You could simply enjoy their performance.

His gaze slowly swept over them.

Well, each of them is very beautiful. Although they have very different styles, they are all outstanding beauties.

If we sort them by age, the order of these five sisters should be Xiao Juan, Xiao Tao, Xiao Yu, Xiao Mei, and Ying Hua, with each of them being exactly two years apart.

The youngest, Sakura, is only 15 years old, while the oldest, Xiao Juan, is already 23.

They're all at the prime of their lives, like flowers in full bloom...

Just as he was having this thought, he suddenly realized something was wrong. He was only 20 years old, so why did he feel so old-fashioned?

When the music ended and the dance was over, thunderous applause erupted from the audience, and the five sisters stood on the stage to bow in gratitude.

After they stepped down from the stage, the guests began to disperse, their ears filled with praise.

"I feel like today's performance was even better than the last one!"

"Miss Xiaojuan is so elegant!"

"Xiaoyu is quite good too!"

"I remember that Sakura dropped her umbrella during her last performance, but thankfully there were no mistakes in today's performance!"

Listening to the people's discussions, Xia You and Li Jia, who were sitting in the middle of the crowd, found it inconvenient to leave. They waited until most of the others had left before they finally left the stage.

"Let's go too."

Not far away, Lijia suddenly exclaimed, "Miss Mei and the others are all so beautiful. They all look radiant on stage, truly dazzling."

Xia You was taken aback, unsure of what Li Jia meant by those words.

Thinking she was envious of Xiaomei and the others, he thought he would say a few words to comfort her. He said as if possessed, "Really? But I think you are prettier than them. And although they are dazzling, that's only on the stage. Your home ground is the gym battle. In my opinion, you are more dazzling when you command your Pokémon in battle!"

Lijia glanced at Xia You in surprise, then her ears turned slightly red.

I never expected him to be so good at praising people!

She naturally understood what Xia You meant, but she had just spoken out of the heart and had no intention of envy or jealousy. She simply felt that these girls were very popular at the moment, which is why she blurted it out unconsciously.

Just as she was about to say something more, a soft cough came from behind her.

The two quickly turned around and saw a woman in a kimono slowly walking down the stairs from the stage.

The person who came was Xiaoyu, one of the five sisters!

Xiaoyu walked past them with a blank expression, but when she passed Xia You, she glanced at him intentionally or unintentionally.

A fragrant breeze wafted over, but Xia You inwardly cursed her bad luck.

She must have heard what I just said!

He looked somewhat embarrassed.

Actually, there's nothing wrong with talking about other people in private with friends, since we're not saying anything bad about them. But what's embarrassing is that the person in question overheard it!

Especially since Xiaoyu had just treated them to tea!

He carefully recalled what he had just said. Fortunately, he hadn't said anything. He had just praised Lijia for being prettier than them. It shouldn't be a big deal... right?

Forehead…

Well, appearance is the thing women care about most, and no one can remain indifferent. I'm afraid that in Xiaoyu's mind, she's been completely blacklisted now.

Hopefully she's not a petty person...

Watching Xiaoyu leave, Xia You and Lijia exchanged a glance. Just as they were about to say something, they heard footsteps behind them again.

Turning my head, I saw that this time, Xiaomei and her three other sisters walked over together.

Because they were quite far away, they obviously didn't hear the two's conversation, nor did they notice the slight stiffness on Xia You's face.

Xiao Mei asked with a smile, "How was our performance just now?"

"That was truly amazing!" Lijia said earnestly. "The audience was full of praise for you guys!"

Xiao Mei was overjoyed, and only then did she notice that Xia You's expression was a little off.

"Huh? Mr. Xia You doesn't look too good."

“Him…” Lijia glanced at her and shook her head with amusement. “Don’t worry about him. He’s not feeling well right now.”

Seeing that Xia You was just standing there without saying a word, Xiao Mei was a little surprised. Although she didn't know what had happened, she didn't press the matter further.

They came to the courtyard together, but perhaps because they were having such a good time chatting, Xiaomei was extremely enthusiastic and pulled Lijia and Xiayou to stay for dinner.

Unable to refuse their kind offer, the two had no choice but to agree.

At Xiaomei's invitation, the two went to the main house. The tea party had already ended, and all the other guests had left except for them.

Xiaomei stayed behind to entertain them, while the other four sisters went to the door to see the guests off.

Before they knew it, dusk had fallen. The daytime hustle and bustle had completely subsided, and the courtyard was quiet and deserted. The maids began to clean up the traces left by the guests, and everything looked orderly.

In the evening, the five sisters changed into simpler kimonos, removed their makeup, and hosted dinner in the main house.

Each person had a small table in front of them, on which were placed several delicate side dishes and sake.

The group knelt facing each other. Apart from Xia You, there were only six beautiful women sitting in the room, which seemed pleasing to the eye. However, seeing Xiao Yu's meaningful gaze, he felt uneasy and had a feeling that something was about to happen.

Chapter 406 Xiaoyu's Provocation

During dinner, Lijia chatted quietly with the five sisters, creating a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.

Xia You didn't listen to what they were talking about. She just focused on eating the food in front of her, neither looking up nor participating in their conversation, thus avoiding Xiao Yu's gaze.

The others, unaware of what had happened, didn't notice anything strange about him and assumed it was just his personality and that he simply didn't like this kind of social interaction.

It wasn't until the youngest sister, Sakura, who was sitting to the side, suddenly remembered something and asked the two, "By the way, Mr. Xia You, Ms. Li Jia, since you are also from Kanto, do you know Ash and Misty?"

"Of course I know them." Hearing familiar names, Xia You couldn't pretend to be indifferent any longer. He smiled and said, "They're all my younger siblings, whom I'm very close to. What, you know them too?"

Sakura nodded: "We met at a pastry shop before. They and Brock also came to our tea party. Later, they even defeated Team Rocket together. All three of them are easy to get along with, and we became friends. Oh, right, I remember Xiaoxia said before that she seems to have an older sister with the same name as me!"

Xia You wasn't surprised that Xiao Zhi and his friends were also on good terms with the Yuanzhu sisters.

After all, given Ash and his friends' personalities and their aura, plus the help of Team Rocket, they can become friends with anyone.

“That’s true,” Xia You said with a smile. “And the Sakura I know is not only a gym leader, but also an expert in synchronized swimming. Their performances are very popular in Cerulean City. If I had to make a comparison, they would be just as beloved by the locals as you are!”

Xiao Juan and the others exchanged glances, all showing a hint of surprise.

"The gym leader's water ballet? That must be amazing! We definitely have to see it sometime!"

Just then, an Eevee ran in from the entrance hall. It stumbled and wobbled its way to them, almost knocking over Xia You's small table.

The bowls and chopsticks rattled, and wine splashed out of the glasses.

Xia You reacted quickly and steadied the table. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was the same Eevee she had encountered at the Yuanzhu Stage last night!

"Ibu! How did you get out here?"

Xiaomei got up and hugged it, saying somewhat apologetically, "Please don't mind, this Eevee is actually very lively, but it's easily startled, which is why it seems a bit too reckless."

Thinking of how it had been running around in a panic last night, Xia You understood. However, before he could say anything, he saw five more Eevee of different types run out of the door after this one.

Flareon, Vaporeon, Jolteon, Espeon, and Umbreon—these are the same companions the five sisters performed on stage last night!

For a moment, Eevee was running around everywhere in the room.

"Wow...it's so lively..."

"I'm sorry to have made you laugh," Xiao Juan sighed helplessly. "These little guys are so energetic, it's hard to keep quiet with them around."

Rika shook her head: "No, we actually have Eevee too, so we understand how you feel."

That's true. Regardless of their type, Eevee always seems restless, and their boundless energy often leaves their trainers exhausted. Moreover, Rika's gym is home to dozens of Grass-type Pokémon. Although Grass-type Pokémon are generally quiet, they can be just as noisy and annoying when they start playing.

"Oh?" Xiaotao's eyes lit up. "So you have Eevee too? What type is it?"

The two took out Poké Balls and released their Pokémon. With a flash of blue light, two Eevee, one yellow and one green, appeared in front of the five sisters.

The yellow one is Xia You's Jolteon, while the grass-green one is Li Jia's Leafeon!

Upon seeing these two Eevee, the rest of the Eevee immediately surrounded them.

They sniffed each other and made cheerful noises, as if they were having a conversation.

Since Xiao Juan already had a Jolteon, and Jolteon is a very common form, Xia You's Jolteon didn't attract much attention from them. However, Li Jia's Leafeon caught the attention of several girls.

"It's Leafeon!"

"So cute!!"

"It's yellowish-green, and you can almost smell the fragrance of grass!"

While the other sisters focused their attention on Ye Yibu, only Xiao Juan, who was also a Jolteon trainer, carefully examined Xia You's Jolteon.

"You've raised this Jolteon very well!" she exclaimed, looking it up and down. "Its fur is tough, its body is long and well-proportioned, and its limbs are strong. It's clear that it's very powerful!"