I caught a Pokémon

Faced with this strategy, Xia You directly used a move of overwhelming force, ordering Blastoise to relentlessly pursue and attack Octopus Barrel, giving it no chance to escape!

Broadcast via cameras installed underwater, viewers can clearly see two Pokémon, one large and one small, chasing each other in the water on a large screen.

The old man cursed inwardly that Xia You lacked martial ethics, using such a thuggish fighting style against an old man!

In terms of speed, Blastoise is significantly faster than Octopus Barrel, both on land and in water. The two Pokémon swam and chased each other in the water, but Octopus Barrel could never shake off Blastoise's pursuit.

With no other option, the old man commanded the octopus bucket to release ink. As the octopus bucket's long mouth sprayed ink continuously, it instantly turned a large area of ​​water black, intending to hide in the ink and get a brief respite.

Looking at the dark water, Xia You pondered for a moment, and finally decided to learn from Xiao Zhi's fighting style.

At his command, Blastoise retracted its body into its shell and began to spin rapidly. As it continued to spin in the water, it created a vortex that spread outwards!

Driven by the vortex's thrust, all the ink was pushed further away and successfully diluted!

The polluted water surface could not be restored to its original state in a short time, but it became much clearer. Without the protection of the ink, the octopus bucket could no longer hide its form!

Seeing this, the old man had no choice but to make a last-ditch effort, ordering the Octopus Bucket to use its tentacles to tightly wrap around Blastoise. However, Blastoise was very strong and, relying on its heavy body, broke free in just a few moments.

At this moment, Xia You seized the opportunity when the two Pokémon were close at hand, and ordered Blastoise to use several moves in succession, and finally knocked down Octopus Totem with a Rocket Headbutt.

The referee immediately announced the result of the match.

The audience erupted in cheers when they saw Xia You easily defeat two of his opponent's Pokémon with Blastoise all by himself.

As the competition has progressed, whether it's popularity, skill, or handsome appearance, he has become the undisputed top contender in the eyes of the audience. Every day, more and more people are focusing their attention on him, hoping that he can win the championship!

Waving to the audience, Xia You returned to the dressing room.

Upon seeing him return, Ash and Misty both stood up to congratulate him. However, compared to Misty's heartfelt joy, Ash's expression held a hint of melancholy.

His teammates and respected rivals all advanced successfully, but he was the only one eliminated. How could he remain calm?

Fortunately, he was the kind of person who was easygoing and carefree. After being upset for a while, he quickly put his worries behind him and returned to normal even before Xia You finished the match.

Xia You and the two left together to meet up with Li Jia and the others.

After he and Xiaoxia successfully advanced to the top 8, today's competition was not over. In the afternoon, the remaining eight people will have to play one more match to determine the top four.

The chances of Xia You and Xiao Xia facing off have undoubtedly increased significantly.

From a time perspective, this tournament schedule is really tight, but there's really no other way. After all, the Whirl Islands Cup is just a local event. If it drags on for too long and wastes too much time, it's easy to miss those trainers who are traveling around preparing for the Silver Tournament.

Without these elite trainers, and only the elderly and weak remain on the island, even if the number of participants remains the same, the average strength of the contestants will be greatly reduced. Even if they choose the best among the worst and manage to select a hero of the sea, it will have no prestige whatsoever and may even make the reputation of the tournament even worse.

With only a dozen or so players remaining, the round of 16 matches were all completed in just two or three hours.

Before the group had even finished their lunch at the restaurant, the group assignments for the quarterfinals were already fresh off the press.

Before Xia You and Xiao Xia could even see who their opponent was, a young and beautiful woman walked towards them.

The woman was around twenty-four or twenty-five years old, with light makeup on her face, long red hair styled into a side ponytail, wearing two large beaded earrings, a red T-shirt and a pink long skirt.

She approached the two of them, first curiously looking Xia You up and down for a long time before turning her gaze to Xiao Xia.

"You must be Xiaoxia?"

Xia looked up at her, her face blank, clearly not recognizing the woman.

"Yes, it's me. Who are you?"

As soon as Xiaoxia finished speaking, and before the woman could even reply, Xiaogang, as if struck by Cupid's arrow, jumped up and quickly rushed to the woman's side.

"I know! I know!" Xiao Gang's eyes seemed to turn into two red hearts as he excitedly exclaimed, "You're the beautiful lady who easily won every competition before!"

Xiao Gang's ability to fall in love with every beautiful woman he meets and remember their characteristics is, undeniably, a remarkable talent.

The woman looked at Xiaogang in surprise: "Oh? You know me?"

"Of course!" Xiao Gang grabbed the woman's hand and knelt on one knee, like a knight proposing marriage. "I've watched all your matches, except for the ones with my friends! After all, a beautiful lady like you shines wherever she is!"

The woman was clearly overwhelmed by Xiao Gang's sudden enthusiasm. She broke free from his hands, took a big step back, and cautiously stared at the small-eyed man in front of her.

Seeing Xiaogang in this state, Xiaoxia raised her fist and slammed it hard on his head, then dragged him back without saying a word.

"Sorry, please ignore this guy, he's not right in the head!"

Xia You, Li Jia, and Xiao Zhi, who were standing to the side, exchanged glances and all gave a wry smile.

To them, and even to Lijia, who wasn't very familiar with Xiaogang, this was normal behavior for him; he even sometimes took notes! If one day he didn't cling to beautiful women like he was in heat, that would be abnormal!

Ignoring the man, the woman turned her attention back to Xiaoxia.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Gao Mei, and I'll be your opponent in the next match!"

Who will be our next opponent?

Xiaoxia was taken aback, not expecting her rival to come knocking on her door. Her expression immediately turned serious.

However, it was clear that Gao Mei did not come with hostility. She smiled at Xiaoxia and said, "I watched your match before. You and your Pokémon cooperated very well, and your instincts in battle were perfect. It is clear that you are indeed a powerful Water-type Pokémon trainer. Especially your Psyduck, it was really interesting and left a deep impression on me!"

Upon hearing Gao Mei's evaluation of her, Xiaoxia's expression immediately softened.

"Thank you. I appreciate the compliment!"

Gao Mei extended her hand and shook hands with Xiaoxia with a smile.

"I'm really looking forward to playing against you, so let's both give it our best and do our best!"

After saying this, she turned her gaze to Xia You, her eyes burning with intensity.

Chapter 439 The Scent of Perfume in the Lounge

"Mr. Xia You, I watched a few of your matches during the Indigo League. Your Pokémon were really strong. Even after so long, I still remember their performance vividly. If I have the opportunity, I would love to compete against you in this tournament!"

Gao Mei could chat and laugh with Xiao Xia and remain calm and composed because she believed in her heart that she could defeat Xiao Xia, which was why her expression and tone were so relaxed.

But she showed enough respect to Xia You, which was both a sign of respect and a reflection of her expectations and unease when facing a strong competitor!

"I'd love to fight you too, but your opponent right now is her!" Xia You chuckled, then pointed to Xiao Xia beside her. "If you want to fight me, you'll have to beat this little girl next to me first! Let me give you a piece of advice: don't underestimate her, she's very strong!"

This can be seen as Xia You's response, and it's also his way of supporting Xiaoxia and making sure Gao Mei doesn't ignore her.

Upon hearing Xia You's approval, Xiaoxia's face instantly lit up!

Nothing makes her happier than receiving praise from someone she likes!

As an adult, Gao Mei understood Xia You's meaning perfectly. She looked at Xiao Xia again and nodded solemnly.

"I will. If I am unfortunately defeated at that moment, I would appreciate it if Mr. Xia You could have a private match with me!"

You could tell from her voice that this woman really wanted to fight him, which meant she was very confident in her abilities.

Of course, Xia You had complete confidence in his Pokémon, and he accepted the challenge without hesitation.

"Of course! If you want to challenge me, I'm always ready!"

After receiving a reply, Gao Mei shook hands with the group and then turned and left.

Watching her retreating figure, Xiaoxia's fighting spirit surged up as well. She had made up her mind that she must go all out in the afternoon's competition and absolutely not let Xia You down!

However, what made her feel more happy was that she had just gained Xia You's trust and protection.

only……

Being called a "little girl" is really a nuisance.

When will I be treated as a woman in Xia You's heart?

If she could, she really hoped Xia You would call her something else, like "darling" or "baby"...

Thinking of this, she blushed slightly and turned to look at Xia You, only to find that Xia You was also looking at her.

Her face flushed slightly, thinking that Xia You had discovered her little secret. Just as she was about to say something touching, she heard Xia You say seriously, "Be careful. This woman is very confident, so she must be really strong. Otherwise, she wouldn't have come to us on her own initiative!"

"Huh?" Xia was taken aback at first, then nodded with her ears turning even redder. "Oh, don't worry, I'll definitely take it seriously!"

After Gao Mei left, the group didn't stay at the restaurant. Instead, they went to the lounge to check on the group assignments.

There were hardly any people left in the lounge. Xia You and the others stopped in front of the battle board to watch and found that, just as Gao Mei had said, Xiao Xia was indeed paired with her. Their match was the second match in the afternoon, and Xia You's match was after Xiao Xia's. His opponent was a middle-aged man who was dressed very maturely and looked successful in his career.

Perhaps it was because Gao Mei had put pressure on them, or perhaps it was because the competition was approaching, but Xiaoxia pulled Xiaozhi and Xiaogang to the practice room next door to adjust their state.

After the three left, only Xia You and Li Jia remained in the lounge. The room was quiet and silent.

Lijia looked around and saw that although the lounge was large, apart from a few large screens, there were only a few hundred chairs and rows of sofas, and not even a single green plant. Disappointed, she turned her gaze away.

This was very different from what she had imagined.

She had imagined that the players' lounges were all as quiet, comfortable, and well-equipped as the Quartz Conference lounges!

When she turned around, she found Xia You reclining on the sofa and chuckled, "What? You have another battle this afternoon, don't you need to rest?"

"Adjust?" Xia You stretched and yawned. After eating and drinking his fill, sleepiness slowly crept in, making his eyelids heavier and heavier. "How else can I adjust? Right now, the only Pokémon I can start with is Blastoise, and its strength is very stable, its condition is very good, and its fighting spirit is high. I have no idea how to adjust it."

Lijia nodded, thinking that it made sense. Blastoise could maintain this state without any adjustments. As long as it could exert its full strength, it was not easy for it to fail.

"Even so, I think your opponent will easily find Blastoise's weaknesses and target it when they see that you are fighting with only this one Pokémon."

“That would be perfect,” Xia You said with a smile. “If it really comes to that, and Blastoise is defeated and replaced by Gyarados, I’ll just leave it alone and let it do its job.”

This wasn't because Xia You was overconfident; rather, his Red Gyarados was simply too powerful, making it difficult for him to lose.

Rika asked in surprise, "I've heard you mention this many times before. What? Is your Gyarados really that strong?"

Xia You thought about it carefully and realized that Li Jia had indeed never seen her evolved Gyarados, so she had no idea about its strength.

“Do you remember that Team Rocket professor named Shiranu that we captured before?” Xia You explained in detail, “Before, when I was traveling with Na… um… I passed by a Lake of Rage and met him there for the first time. At that time, my Gyarados was hit by a ray called Project R, which caused it to mutate. So now Gyarados is not only much larger in size, but its color has also turned red, and its personality has become more ferocious. Of course, in turn, its strength has also been further enhanced.”

"So that's how it is."

"To be honest..." Xia You suddenly sighed, "If it weren't my own Pokémon, I'd probably feel a chill run down my spine whenever I met its giant red eyes! And its battles are so brutal, they can hardly be called battles anymore..."

This surprised Rika. Given Xia You's personality, it was surprising that he would evaluate his Pokémon in such a way. It seemed that this Gyarados was indeed very dangerous.

Since that's the case, she actually wants to see for herself just how powerful this red Gyarados really is.

Suddenly, Lijia remembered something and pointed to the group board, saying, "By the way, you should pay a little attention to this person."

Following the direction of her finger, Xia You saw a name called 'A Zhe'.

What's wrong with this person?

“This person is also very strong. You could say he’s the second favorite in this tournament, after you.” Rika pondered for a moment. “I’ve been watching his last match. His Pokémon strength is not to be underestimated. Speaking of which, that Miss Gao Mei should be considered the third favorite. If we don’t count Misty, apart from the three of you, the rest of the players are all relatively strong. There’s no dark horse that has stood out.”

Rika's judgment was quite accurate. Since she thought their level was acceptable, it meant that the other trainers were indeed significantly inferior to Komi and A-Zhe.

Xia You nodded, then glanced at the group assignments. This person named A Zhe was in the same half of the bracket as her. If he successfully advanced, he would be her next opponent.

The second most popular choice... he should be pretty tough, right?

That's something to look forward to!

After waiting in the lounge for a long time without seeing Xiaoxia and the others return, Xia You got bored and decided to let out her few small Pokémon to play around.

Listening to the cheerful shouts and running sounds around him, his eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and he unknowingly fell asleep.

After an unknown amount of time, when he woke up, he found himself wearing his own coat, and his body still smelled faintly of flowers, clearly left by Lijia.

He slowly got up and looked to the other side of the lounge. He saw that Rika had also released her Pokémon and was now using a comb to groom her and Xia You's Pokémon.

From the side, Lijia looked focused and serious, and because her sleeves were rolled up, her two smooth, white arms were exposed.

Noticing that Xia You had woken up, Li Jia turned to look at him.

"Are you awake?"

Rubbing her eyes, Xia You sat up straight: "How long have I been asleep?"

He didn't need to smell it closely to detect the faint scent of perfume left by Lijia on his coat.

Besides being the owner of the shop, Lijia is also a perfume shop owner. She has a great taste in perfumes and can smell different scents on her every day. The scent that lingers on her coat is like the fragrance of daisies, delicate and not pungent, yet it can retain its fragrance for a long time.

"It's only a few minutes, just over ten minutes. There's still some time before the match. Why don't you sleep a little longer?"

Xia You patted his face to clear his head, and when he lowered his arms, the last trace of drowsiness had completely disappeared.

"Hasn't Xiaoxia and the others returned yet?"

"She probably went straight to the competition venue." Lijia shook her head. "It's clear that Miss Gao Mei put a lot of pressure on her, and your expectations have made her even more focused!"

The two chatted for a while, and when the break ended and the competition was approaching, they saw the other contestants returning to the rest room one after another. So they recalled their Pokémon, and Rika also left and returned to the audience alone.

Even at this point, Xiaoxia still hadn't returned to the rest room, and Xia You had no idea how well she had adjusted.

However, with Ash and Brock by his side, there shouldn't be any problems. He adjusted himself to a more comfortable position on the sofa and looked at the big screen again.