I caught a Pokémon

It is May, the popular female protagonist who takes over from Misty and travels with Ash in the third generation of the anime!

Compared to Xiaoxia, Xiaoyao is just as beautiful, but she is quieter and not at all dull. She even shows her intelligence at times!

Calculating the time, she realized that she had arrived in Hoenn a few days earlier than Ash, and May had also arrived in Hoenn on almost the same day, riding her bicycle to Professor Birch's lab in Littleroot Town to pick up her first Pokémon.

The two then met there by chance and began traveling together.

Now, it will be about two or three days before Ash arrives in Hoenn, which is why Xia You was able to see May here!

Xiaoyao was initially confused when her younger brother dragged her to the battlefield in a flurry. She was about to adopt the older sister's demeanor to calm him down when she saw a man and a woman standing in front of the battlefield. She immediately realized what was going on and became more composed.

"I'm sorry." She bowed slightly to Xia You and Li Jia. "My father had something come up and was called away by the Pokémon League. He said before he left that he might not be back for three days."

Three days...

Xia You naturally couldn't wait here for three days, but if he didn't wait, he could only go to other cities first and wait for Qianli to return before challenging him again.

"Well, there's nothing I can do about that. In that case, I'll come back another time."

Xia You shook his head and was about to turn and leave when Xiao Sheng called him back.

"Mr. Xia You, please wait a moment!"

Upon hearing this, not only Xia You, but also Xiao Yao looked at her younger brother.

"What's wrong?" Xia You asked.

As if by magic, Xiao Sheng pulled out a pen and a notebook from behind his back, handed them to Xia You, and asked hopefully, "Could you sign this for me? I'm your fan!!"

Xia You chuckled to herself, never expecting that her competition in Johto would actually gain her fans in Hoenn, far away from here, and that these fans would be important male supporting characters in anime!

"Of course, no problem." Xia You took the pen and paper, then asked knowingly, "So, what's your name?"

Xiaosheng immediately stood up straight and said loudly, "I'm so sorry, my name is Xiaosheng, I'm 7 years old, and I hope to travel around like you and eventually become an excellent trainer like my father!"

"What an amazing dream! Mr. Qianli is a very capable and respected person. It is perfect to take him as a role model. And hearing what you said, I think he would be proud of you too."

Xia You quickly signed his name on the cover of the notebook. When he handed the notebook back to Xiao Sheng, Xiao Sheng opened it and saw the words: "May you always keep your original aspirations and may your wishes come true. Your friend, Xia You."

Upon seeing these words, Xiao Sheng trembled with excitement!

Xia You returned the pen to Xiao Sheng and was about to turn and leave when she suddenly saw Xiao Yao standing to the side, looking down at her Torchic with curiosity. Her heart skipped a beat.

"So, you like it?"

Upon hearing Xia You's voice, Xiao Yao glanced at Xia You, then looked down at Torchic, neither confirming nor denying.

"It looks cute, what's its name?"

This brings us to May. Although she is the daughter of a gym leader and has a younger brother like Max who loves Pokémon and has a wealth of theoretical knowledge, she herself doesn't actually know much about Pokémon.

Even after receiving her starter Pokémon from Professor Birch, when she encountered her first wild Pokémon, she naively threw out a Poké Ball, thinking that she could catch the Pokémon without battling it!

Even in battle, because she didn't understand type advantages, her Pokémon was defeated. In the end, it was Ash, a master of type advantages, who explained the rules of type advantages to her as an experienced person, and she finally understood the basics.

That's absolutely outrageous.

As for May's first Pokémon, it goes without saying that it was a Torchic!

"It's called Torchic, and it's a Fire-type Pokémon."

"A fire-type Torchic..." May nodded as if she understood. "Its feathers look fluffy and warm, they must feel very comfortable to touch."

"It's really powerful. Judging from your age, and being the daughter of a gym leader, you should be getting your first Pokémon and setting off on your journey soon, right?"

Upon hearing about traveling, May's eyes lit up noticeably; clearly, traveling was more appealing to her than Pokémon!

"That's right. After Dad finishes his Pokémon League business and returns to the gym, I'm going to Littleroot Town to see Professor Birch."

"I knew it." Xia You nodded and offered her opinion, "Although Treecko and Mudkip are also very good, if you're hesitant when choosing, you might want to consider Torchic. Trust me, choosing it definitely won't disappoint you!"

"Turkey, huh..."

Hearing this, Xiaoyao glanced again at Xia You's feet at the orange Pokémon that looked like a chick.

Putting aside its attributes, just looking at its appearance, it does indeed fit my aesthetic preferences.

Yes, like this person's, this should be a good choice.

After Xia You and Li Jia left the dojo, Xiao Yao also snapped out of her thoughts. However, when she turned around, she saw her younger brother grinning foolishly at the notebook. She couldn't help but ask in confusion, "You asked that person for an autograph? What's wrong? Is he famous?"

"Please!" Xiao Sheng rolled his eyes at Xiao Yao. "You don't even recognize him? He's the champion of both the Silver Tournament and the Quartz Tournament! He's someone who crushes his opponents with absolute power! How can you not know him!"

"Really? He's that good?"

Xiao Yao couldn't help but picture Xia You's face again, but no matter how she looked at him, he was just a handsome and gentle-looking man, and she couldn't associate him with the champion.

"Oh, right," Xiao Sheng added, "what did he just say to you?"

May shook her head: "It's nothing, it's just that they recommended Torchic as my first Pokémon."

“Torchic…” Xiao Sheng frowned, pondered for a moment, and then slowly said, “He’s definitely right. Although I really wanted to recommend Treecko before, since Mr. Xia You said so, maybe Torchic really is stronger. Besides, in terms of type, Fire is super effective against Grass, so it’s definitely a better choice…”

He paused, glanced at his older sister again, and, thinking of her personality, nodded emphatically.

"I see. How come I didn't think of that before? Maybe Torchic is indeed a better match for you..."

……

After leaving the Orange Blossom Gym, Xia You and Li Jia stood at the entrance, not setting off immediately, but instead opening their phones and pulling out a map.

According to the previously planned route, it wouldn't be a big deal if we didn't challenge the Petalburg Gym now. We'll just circle around Hoenn and eventually come back here, so it's not too late to challenge it then.

However, this will definitely change the order of events.

But there's nothing we can do about it.

Composing themselves, the two headed towards the outskirts of Orange Blossom City.

Just like the previous Rosewood and Littleroot Town, Petalburg City is not a tourist destination and does not have any particularly famous natural scenery. Since they could not fight the gym, the two of them would not stay here.

Their next destination is Kanaz City in the north, where another gym awaits them!

However, reaching Kanaz City is not an easy task, as it involves a long journey, passing by the sea and through the famous Orange Blossom Forest.

But that's just how travel is.

It is in this tedious journey that one broadens their horizons, meets new people, and hones their Pokémon skills.

After leaving Petalburg City, the two continued westward, and after following the main road for a short distance, they arrived at the long and winding west coast of the Hoenn region.

Xia You didn't know what lay on the other side of the sea yet, but looking at the vast blue water, the frustration and regret she felt that morning for missing the journey of a thousand miles vanished at that moment.

Seeing the golden sand stretching along the entire coastline, and noticing many trainers on the beach, Rika suggested, "How about we take a walk on the beach? Maybe we'll encounter some Hoenn-specific Water-type Pokémon!"

Xia You nodded, naturally having no objections.

The two slowed their pace and walked towards the beach, but Xia You had already mentally reviewed all the Water-type Pokémon in the Hoenn region.

But after thinking it over, apart from Kyogre, all the other Pokémon were very common, and there wasn't anyone worth him specifically looking for.

Turning her head to look at Lijia, Xia You couldn't help but smile when she saw that Lijia was in high spirits.

Well, forget about finding Pokémon. I'll just treat it as spending time with my woman and relaxing...

Chapter 593 Taming the Ugly Fish

This beach is very close to the main road and Petalburg City, and it is also extremely spacious, making it a natural Pokémon training ground.

That's why you can see many new trainers on the beach, constantly rummaging through the sand and rocks, trying to find some Pokémon hidden deep inside.

Actually, these people don't have any big demands. Whether it's Kingler, Tektronix, Shellder, or some other Pokémon, they can make them happy for a while.

Some people were even fighting and exchanging skills not far away.

This is a hunting ground for beginners, and it's also the place where they can most easily obtain wild Pokémon besides forests and grasslands.

Of course, it's not just trainers who frequent the area; you can also occasionally see a family of three or a young couple strolling around.

Xia You and Li Jia's arrival went unnoticed, just like any other normal couple. People glanced at them, remarked that they were a handsome man and a beautiful woman, and then paid no more attention.

After enjoying the sea breeze and wading in the water for a while, the two of them watched the turkey pace back and forth, dodging the waves as if afraid of getting its feathers wet, and they found it all quite amusing.

After standing there quietly for a while, Lijia turned to look at him: "Since you're already here, why don't you do what the others do and search the rocks? You might find something surprising!"

"How could there possibly be any rare Pokémon in a place like this?"

Shaking her head, Xia You didn't take it seriously, but since she had nothing else to do, she actually left the beach and came to the rocky area.

Just now, to avoid being disturbed, the two of them moved away from the crowd and stood in a very secluded spot. There was no one else there except them, and it just so happened that the tide was out, exposing most of the reefs and revealing places that were usually submerged.

As Xia You stepped over the rocks, she looked down at her feet.

Because some areas are sunken, even after the tide recedes, some places are still filled with seawater, forming small pits and depressions. Some Pokémon that couldn't escape in time were left in these puddles.

He saw many Pokémon just by wandering around.

A wild ink seahorse was hiding between two rocks, and as Xia You leaped over its head, it suddenly sprayed a glob of ink at him.

Xia You barely dodged it, frowned, and jumped off the reef to retaliate, kicking it into the sea.

The black seahorse spun around in the air a dozen times before plunging into the sea with a 'plop'.

Hmph, don't be fooled by the rough actions, it's to save its life!

He had only taken a few more steps when two tentacles suddenly attacked him. Xia You grabbed the two tentacles and, upon closer inspection, realized that it was an agate jellyfish that was attacking him!

Xia You frowned again, grabbed its two tentacles, wrapped them around a small stone, and tied a knot!

I'll let you sneak up on me, let's see what you do without your tentacles!

Just wait for someone else to subdue you!

After these two experiences, Xia You lost interest in searching any further. Seeing that she was quite far from Li Jia, she found a relatively flat spot and turned back.

However, after walking only a few steps, they heard a soft 'pat-pat' sound from the side.

Something is stranded in shallow water and is trying to save itself!

He couldn't ignore this situation, so he changed his route back, bypassed a huge rock, and came to the other side of the rock.

Upon closer inspection, a fish-shaped Pokémon was found in a very shallow puddle, mostly above the water, flapping its tail as if trying to return to the sea.

It turns out it was stranded...

However, it is still some distance from the sea surface, and there are large reefs in between. Not to mention that it cannot move at all now, even if it could move, it would be stranded halfway due to lack of water before it could even get back!

Looking at this Pokémon again, its appearance is not much different from that of an ordinary fish, but it is uglier. Its body is yellowish-brown and somewhat pitted, its eyes have a dull expression, and it even has thick lips. Even its fins look a bit tattered.

At this moment, Lijia also walked around the huge reef and came over from the side.

She had just seen Xia Youming turn back, but then seemed to be drawn to something else, so she couldn't help but feel curious and came over to see what was going on.

Upon closer inspection, she spotted a Pokémon that drastically didn't fit her aesthetic preferences.

"What kind of Pokémon is this? Why does it look a little... strange?"

This was all thanks to Lijia; her good upbringing allowed her to express her surprise in a tactful way. If it had been anyone else, they probably would have just said it was ugly!

Xia You smiled and said, "I don't know if you've ever heard of it before, but there's a kind of magical fish that's incredibly ugly before it evolves. But once it evolves, it becomes a beautiful Pokémon with beautiful scales that display different colors under sunlight!"

"Huh? There are Pokémon like that?" Rika asked in surprise, then looked down at the fish in the shallow puddle. "Is this the one you're talking about?"

As a trainer, Rika naturally knows a lot about Pokémon, but that knowledge is limited to Grass-type Pokémon from the Kanto and Johto regions. This Pokémon in front of her is indeed the first one she has ever encountered, and she has never even heard of it before.

Xia You nodded: "It's called Uglyfish. It can survive even in the most murky and smelly ditches. Although it looks a bit silly and is easy to catch, many trainers don't even look at it because it's so ugly and tattered. So very few people know how beautiful it is after it evolves!"

As she spoke, Xia You had already taken out her Pokédex and pointed it at Feebas.

Pokémon Pokédex entry: "Drip, Feebas, a fish Pokémon, Water type. Feebas has a wide range of habitats and tends to congregate in large numbers in rivers or the seabed where there is plenty of aquatic vegetation. Despite their large numbers, they like to live together and have amazing vitality and good swimming speed. They eat anything and are a strong Pokémon that doesn't mind even being in dirty water, which is why they have become the subject of research for many scholars."

Xia You then pulled up a picture of Milotic and handed the Pokédex to Rika.

"Look, this is what it looks like after it evolved. Isn't it beautiful?"

Rika took it and glanced at it first. The Pokémon in the Pokédex was indeed very beautiful. Then she looked down at the Feebas in front of her and couldn't connect it with the Milotic in the picture at all!

"It's incredible..." she exclaimed. "I never imagined that the difference between before and after evolution would be so great. It's completely unrecognizable from its original form!"

“Yes.” Xia You put away the Pokédex. “So most people don’t know that Milotic is actually evolved from Feebas, and they still consider it an extremely rare Pokémon.”

Lijia looked around and saw that there was only one ugly fish there, and nodded in realization.

"The guidebook says they all live together in groups, but there's only one here now. It seems it was accidentally left behind when the tide went out."

“That should be it.” Xia You pointed around and said, “Look, these reefs are here. Although they are not high, they are like a city wall, surrounding this place. When the tide recedes, the water flow is not very fast, but it still traps it here until the seawater completely recedes, exposing it to the air.”