I caught a Pokémon

Just like Xia You just now, they were also quite surprised to hear that Xiao Shun was from this city, but they just smiled and moved on, turning their attention back to the battlefield.

As a high-tech city, besides the cool venues and lighting, you can see that even the host and referee here rides a small flying vehicle, flying back and forth in the venue.

Putting aside the popularity of the competition, its sheer prestige already puts it far ahead of other tournaments, even surpassing the Quartz and Silver tournaments!

Is this the allure of high-tech cities?

It's also worth mentioning that this Battle Tower is not a competition hosted or managed by the Pokémon League, nor does it need to obey the League's orders. Just like the previous Whirlpool Cup, it is a completely independent competition. Furthermore, because Larousse City is wealthy, the various facilities in its stadium have reached a level that many leagues would covet!

Click.

The lights in the stands went out at that moment, making all the spectators realize that the match was about to begin!

The announcer in the air shouted, "Today's first match is a team battle. Let's welcome the two players to the stage!"

Under the spotlight, the floor of the venue was opened up, and two elevators rose up at the same time.

The red team consists of Arlong and Shota, whom they just met, while the blue team consists of Ash and a handsome little boy who looks to be only seven or eight years old.

"Is this the teammate Ash found?" The spectators were all quite surprised to see the little boy, especially Misty, who almost blurted out, "But why is he a child? He looks about the same age as Max!"

"What's wrong with kids?" Xiaosheng pushed up his glasses and glanced at Xiaoxia sideways. "Kids are amazing too, you know? Just watch, the fact that Xiaozhi chose him proves that he must have something extraordinary about him, and he's bound to shine!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Xiaoxia smiled. "Then I'll be watching with bated breath!"

If anyone could win an argument with Max, it would definitely be Misty. Max seems to be somewhat afraid of this wild older sister and doesn't dare to treat her the way he treats Ash.

Listening to the two talking back and forth, Xia You didn't say anything, but just touched her chin and looked at the little boy.

As expected of Ash, he managed to bring the key figures to his side in just a short time. His luck is truly astounding.

At this moment, the information of the two participating sides was displayed on the screen, and the host introduced them: "First are the two on the red side, Aaron and Shota from the southern city. Their combination has won many battles in the previous battles and is a pair of players that should not be underestimated. The two on the blue side are Ash, who is participating for the first time today, and our local player from Larousse City, Xiao Chao!"

After introducing the two teams, the host, as is customary, explained the competition rules to the audience.

"The rules are the same as before: each contestant will send out one Pokémon to battle in a cooperative manner, and the winner is the one who eliminates all opponents! Now, please send out your Pokémon!"

It's obvious that the pace of the battles here is very fast, which is also related to the large number of participants. After all, as soon as one pair of players finishes a match, the next pair will take the stage. There is no rest time at all. Moreover, the two sides participating do not need any review or preliminaries. As long as they are paired up and dare to go on stage, there will be an audience to watch!

This also means that although the strength of the participating players varies, the fast-paced battles, without any dragging or unnecessary scenes, are still very exciting to watch!

In the arena, Arlong and Shota simultaneously released their Pokémon.

The Pokémon used by these two in the battle are not surprising at all. They are Blaziken, which we just saw, and Blastoise, the partner that Shota mentioned!

However, when it came to Ash and Xiao Chao on the blue team, after Ash sent out his Pikachu, Xiao Chao didn't release his Pokémon for a long time!

After waiting for more than ten seconds without Xiao Chao making any move, not only did the audience whisper among themselves, but even the host asked in surprise, "Strange, it seems that Xiao Chao has no intention of sending out a Pokémon? Has something happened?"

Standing in the stands, Xiao Sheng was dumbfounded when he saw this.

He asked incredulously, "What's going on? Why didn't he send out any Pokémon?"

Xiao Gang frowned, somewhat uncertainly asking, "Could it be that he doesn't have any Pokémon?"

"Huh?" Xiaosheng was taken aback. "No Pokémon?"

In this world where Pokémon and humans have become one, although it sounds incredible, there are indeed many people who, for various reasons, have never owned a single Pokémon in their lives.

Is this little boy really that kind of person?

But if that's the case, why would he even participate in the battle?

Xiaoxia glanced at him and mocked him mercilessly: "So this is what you meant by unusual. It really does make people look at you in a new light!"

Xiao Sheng's face immediately turned red. Looking at the little boy of similar age in the field, he couldn't understand why Xiao Zhi would bring such a teammate onto the field.

As you can see, Xiao Zhi and Xiao Chao are communicating with each other on the field. However, because they are far apart and surrounded by a noisy crowd, Xia You and the others have no way of knowing what they are saying.

After a long wait for another Pokémon to enter the arena, just as the referee was about to declare them forfeiting, Ash thankfully took out another of his Poké Balls and handed it to Xiao Chao.

Although still somewhat hesitant, Xiao Chao opened the Poké Ball and released Ash's Pokémon.

The ball contained Ash's Torkoal. Although sending out two Pokémon at the same time seemed to violate the rules of the competition, it saved them from being eliminated directly!

In order to ensure the smooth running of the competition, the host didn't care about anything else and directly announced the start of the competition.

The audience also perked up at this moment.

As soon as the battle began, Arlong and Shota took the initiative and ordered Blaziken and Blastoise to attack.

As you can see, the two Pokémon did have a very impressive teamwork. When Blaziken jumped and attacked first, disrupting Pikachu and Torkoal's formation, Blastoise used Hydro Pump to hit Pikachu, who was dodging.

That wasn't all. Blastoise continued to use its bubble attack, hitting Torkoal again, and then followed up with a high-speed spin, launching Torkoal directly into the air!

In their very first encounter, Ash suffered a great loss.

No wonder they were able to win so many matches before, they really have some skills!

It's important to know that Ash Ketchum is no longer the greenhorn he once was. Although he still occasionally makes mistakes, his overall performance is quite stable. Especially after training in two regions, he has become a regular in the top 16 or higher of major tournaments. The fact that he was beaten like this in the early stages shows that his opponent was no ordinary opponent!

Of course, this is also related to the fact that Xiaozhi and Xiaochao have no coordination at all.

Although Ash wanted to turn the tide, Pikachu couldn't do it alone, and Xiao Chao seemed like an outsider, just standing there blankly without giving any commands to Torkoal!

Even Xiao Sheng could tell something was wrong.

"No way?" He scratched his head, surprised. "Why isn't he moving at all? Could he really be a complete novice?!"

Xiaoxia had given up on teasing him. She glanced at Xia You and asked worriedly, "Xiaozhi...you're not going to lose, are you?"

Xia You shook her head helplessly: "Probably. If Xiao Zhi can't change this situation, losing the battle is only a matter of time."

Just as Xia You said, Xiao Zhi tried to organize Pikachu to fight back, but without anyone to command it, Torkoal's flames even caused some friendly fire!

Not only did it fail to hit its opponent, it also burned Pikachu's tail!

This poor performance drew boos from the audience.

They want to see fast-paced battles, but they don't want to see players who don't even have any teamwork!

At this point, Ash realized that this couldn't go on, so he took back control and began commanding both Pokémon.

Unfortunately, he couldn't possibly handle two trainers at the same time, especially since his opponents' Pokémon were also incredibly powerful. After barely managing to hold on for a while, Blaziken's 'Overheat' move unleashed a fierce burst of flames that knocked down both Pikachu and Torkoal!

Seeing this, Xiaoyao couldn't help but cover her mouth: "They actually lost..."

Before the match, she and Xiaoxia had joked that Xiaozhi might be eliminated directly, but she never expected that he would lose so badly!

They didn't even get a decent chance to fight back, and were easily eliminated!

"Pikachu and Torkoal are unable to battle, and the winners are the red team's Aaron and Shota!" The host announced the result at that moment.

Although it was a one-sided battle and didn't quite satisfy the audience, people still gave the two victors the biggest cheers and applause.

Seeing Ash holding Pikachu and Torkoal in his arms with a dejected expression, and the elevator beneath their feet sending the two losers back underground, Xia You sighed, stood up, and said to the people around her, "Alright, the match is over, let's go check on them."

It goes without saying that Ash came full of expectations, but he never expected that in such a short time, he would suffer such a crushing defeat.

Instead of showcasing his skills on such a stage, he suffered a humiliating defeat. If it were an ordinary person, they would be greatly discouraged. But fortunately, Ash's personality is what it is. He doesn't even need anyone to comfort him. He can get out of the shadow of defeat on his own!

Chapter 719 Third Kind of Contact

Without watching the rest of the match, Xia You and the others got up from the darkness and left the battlefield through the passage.

When they circled around and arrived at the contestants' passage, from a distance, they saw a middle-aged man with the same hair color as Xiaozhi and Xiaochao, dressed in a well-tailored suit like a tuxedo, standing next to them, along with another young and beautiful woman.

As the group approached, the middle-aged man said to Xiao Chao in a slightly excited voice, "Xiao Chao, have you finally agreed to participate in Pokémon battles?"

Xiao Chao glanced at Xiao Zhi, then lowered his head: "No... I was only there because of some misunderstanding!"

After saying that, he clenched his fist and ran away from there!

When Xia You and the others arrived at Xiao Zhi's side, the middle-aged man also sighed and turned to leave. Only the young and beautiful woman smiled apologetically at Xiao Zhi: "I'm sorry you had to see this scene. If you could, could you tell me what just happened?"

Xiao Zhi was taken aback when he heard this. He turned around and glanced at Xia You and the others, then nodded to the woman.

"Of course you can."

……

In an open-air café outside the battle tower.

Xia You and the others sat around the round table with the woman, and first listened to the woman introduce herself.

“My name is Yuko, and I am Dr. Lundo’s assistant. Oh, Dr. Lundo is the man you just saw, and Xiao Chao is Dr. Lundo’s son.”

What does it mean to search high and low without finding it, only to have it come to you effortlessly?

I had just gone to the highest point to look for the laboratory, but unexpectedly, the person in charge there appeared in front of me in the blink of an eye.

It can only be said that there are differences in luck between people.

Looking closely at Yuko, I noticed that she was around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. She had delicate makeup on her face, her hair was combed up, revealing her forehead, and she was wearing a white shirt and black pants. She looked very capable and was definitely a reliable assistant.

Moreover, she always had a faint smile on her face and a light in her eyes, making her look like a gentle woman.

This made Xiao Gang, upon seeing her, act as if he were in heat. He placed his hands by his face, his cheeks flushed, and said with a look of infatuation, "So young and already an assistant? That's amazing! If you don't mind, I'd like to become your assistant, Ms. Yuko, and teach you step by step..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Sheng and Xiao Xia, who were sitting on either side of him, each grabbed one of his ears and forced him to finish his sentence.

"Stop, stop, stop! There's no need to continue with this 'step-by-step' approach!"

If it were an ordinary woman, she would definitely be shocked by Xiaogang's perverted way of flirting, but Yuko just kept smiling. Her good upbringing prevented her from showing any change in expression, and she didn't say anything more.

This shows that she must be someone who has seen a lot.

Her gaze never lingered on Xiaogang for even a moment. After taking a sip of coffee, Yuko looked at Xiaozhi and said apologetically, "Xiaochao seems to have caused you some trouble just now. I'm really sorry."

Xiao Sheng couldn't help but ask the question that had been bothering him: "What's wrong with him?"

Yuko hesitated for a moment, then revealed the truth: "Actually, Xiao Chao doesn't hate Pokémon, he's just too scared to touch them. Ever since a few years ago, he had a terrifying experience, and ever since then he's been completely terrified of Pokémon. His once cheerful and smiling personality has changed. Now, let alone touching Pokémon, he gets scared even if he gets a little close. When the professor and I saw Xiao Chao participating in a Pokémon battle on TV, we thought he had suddenly recovered, but we never expected..."

"So that's how it is..." Hearing this, Ash felt a pang of guilt. "I never imagined he was in this condition. I even forced him to battle with me. I really shouldn't have done that..."

Hearing him say that, Xiaoxia looked at Xiaozhi and asked curiously, "How did you two meet? And how did you become teammates?"

Ash scratched his cheek awkwardly with his finger, looking a little unnatural: "Well... actually, I just wanted to ask for directions at first, but I didn't expect that after he saw Pikachu, he would run away without looking back. Out of curiosity, I followed him all the way, and unexpectedly, we ended up at the entrance of the arena and were then taken to the arena by that elevator."

It has to be said, this is really Ash's style.

If someone else were asking for directions in this situation, they would simply let the person they were asking run away and ask someone else instead of persistently chasing after them.

Only someone as stubborn as Ash would choose to do that!

It can only be said that it was a special fate that made Xiao Zhi take a liking to Xiao Chao at first sight.

"This is something only you could do..." Hearing this reason, Xiao Sheng was both surprised and felt it made sense, but he still asked in confusion, "So the two of you just went on stage so easily? Was there no screening process beforehand?"

"No..." Ash shook his head blankly, "We just entered the elevator and were then taken directly to the arena."

Seeing how simple Ash made it sound, Yuko couldn't help but explain for him: "Actually, it's related to the passes you carry. After entering the player entrance, there's no need to register. The system will automatically scan your data. This is one of the features of this battle tower, saving players from those complicated procedures."

"So that's how it is."

Upon hearing Yuko's words, Ash suddenly realized why he had only been chasing after Xiao Chao, and inexplicably ended up becoming his teammate.

But thinking back to how Xiao Chao looked just now...

Looking at Yuko, Ash asked, "When will he recover?"

“This…” Yuko hesitated for a moment, “We have already done counseling several times, but according to the doctor, his trauma cannot be healed by time. He should recover as long as he encounters the right opportunity.”

"An opportunity?" Ash nodded and stood up. "I understand. Let me create that opportunity for him! If he can become friends with Pikachu, this trauma should be healed, right?"

Ash is a kind-hearted person, and he has taken the whole thing on himself. As he spoke, he patted Pikachu's head. It was clear that he was very confident in Pikachu's charm and believed that anyone who met it could become its friend!

Without even waiting for Yuko's reply, he ran out on his own initiative.

"Huh?"

Seeing that this boy, who was a few years older than Xiao Chao, was so enthusiastic, and disappeared from sight in just a few steps, Yuko couldn't help but be a little surprised.

……

After leaving the coffee shop, Xiaosheng and Xiaogang, worried that Xiaozhi would get lost, also went to look for Xiaozhi and Xiaochao.

Xiaoyao originally wanted to go along, but Xiaoxia dragged her to a nearby shopping mall instead.

At this moment, only Xia You remained.

Although Xiaoxia had just invited Xia You to go with them, he refused.

"You two can go sightseeing, I'm going to take a stroll in the nearby park."

"Okay, see you later!"