I caught a Pokémon

"Oh? Is that so?" Xiaoxia gave him a meaningful look, counting on her fingers, exposing his true colors. "Since you're so confident, let me summarize your badges now."

"First are the gray badge and the blue badge. These two badges are gifts from Xiaogang and me because we took pity on you."

"Next is Sabrina's Golden Gym. You were really badly beaten up back then. It was only thanks to the Gastly you brought from Ghost Tower that you managed to make her laugh, which is why you won without a fight and got the Golden Badge."

Ash's face stiffened, and he could only give an awkward smile. Before he could say anything, Misty continued, "As for the battle with Ms. Rika, if Team Rocket hadn't set fire to the gym and saved her Gloom from the flames, it's really uncertain whether you would have gotten the badge!"

"So, all things considered, only the Vermilion City Gym and the Crimson City Gym, despite the many twists and turns, were truly won by your own strength!"

Chapter 85 The Old Man Who Loves Riddles

Ash's momentum instantly weakened.

In fact, looking at all his adventures, the only one who could criticize him so bluntly and without mercy is Xiaoxia, a somewhat willful and capricious girl who claims to be the most beautiful girl in the universe.

"Damn it, how dare they underestimate me!" Ash was naturally indignant and shouted, "Fine, then tomorrow I'll show you how I get the Crimson Badge through my own strength!"

"Really?" Seeing how easily Xiaozhi took the bait, Xiaoxia chuckled, "Since you're so confident, let's wait and see!"

Late at night, Xia You returned to her room, but tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep.

On the other two beds, Xiao Zhi and Xiao Gang slept soundly, their snores rising and falling, deafeningly loud, like a hacksaw constantly chopping wood in Xia You's ear!

He tossed and turned, unable to sleep. After much thought, he took out his phone, logged into his messaging app, and opened the message he had never read before.

Pink Dream: Xia You-ge, is everything going smoothly?

The form of address remained unchanged, and the tone was calm. Although it was just a short sentence, Xia You had spent several months with her and was already familiar with her temperament. She naturally knew that Xia You had not let go of that matter.

Looking at her profile picture, Xia You could almost still recall the pitiful sight of this seemingly strong girl crying her eyes out when she was rejected.

And every time he thinks about it, it's as if a cold knife is piercing his heart.

With a soft sigh, Xia You's fingers twitched slightly.

All Bubbles: It's alright, I not only caught a few Pokémon, but Ralts also evolved into Kirlia.

Perhaps feeling that her tone was too harsh, Xia You continued typing.

It's all just bubbles: I'm sorry I haven't contacted you in so long. How have you been lately?

After sending the message, Xia You stared blankly at the chat box, lost in thought.

Both of their profile pictures were taken from the same photo. However, unlike the girl's, Xia You's profile picture featured himself. In front of the camera, a slight smile appeared on his handsome face, while a pair of fair arms tightly encircled his arm.

Xia You thought the other person would be resting at such a late hour, and was about to turn off her phone when, just a few seconds later, the girl replied to her message.

After adjusting her lying position, Xia You opened the message.

Pink Dream: Just like before, Mom still makes me practice with the one-horned rhinoceros every day. [Sobbing JPG] It's really hard work.

Although nothing was explicitly stated, Xia You could still sense the girl's excitement from between the lines.

However, he didn't know how to respond to her for a moment, so he changed the subject and talked to the girl about some everyday things. After more than ten minutes, he felt sleepy and then took the initiative to end the conversation.

……

As the sun shone brightly, Xia You and her companions emerged from the Pokémon Center, finally getting a true glimpse of this bustling town famous for its hot springs.

Tourists from the mainland are everywhere, and people are lingering and waiting in front of almost every shop on the street.

The goods sold are mostly traditional yukatas, onsen eggs, and other items related to hot springs.

Following the navigation on their phones, they passed through Crimson Town and arrived at the street where the dojo was located at the foot of the volcano. However, upon getting closer, they discovered that the place that should have been the dojo had been transformed into a hot spring inn!

"Huh?" Xiaoxia asked curiously, "A hot spring inn? Did the dojo move?"

Upon hearing the voice, an elderly man dressed in red, with a long beard under his nose, wearing sunglasses, and dressed like a Beatles, walked out of the hotel and came to them.

Upon seeing Xia You and the others, before they could even speak, the old man asked directly, "Your head is icy cold, but your body is warm. What is this?"

"Huh? Is this a riddle?" Xiao Zhi was taken aback at first, then cooperated perfectly, "The answer should be someone who puts their head in the refrigerator, wraps their body in an electric blanket, and takes a nap."

The old man frowned at the peculiar thought process and said with displeasure, "Hey, what kind of answer is that! Don't give random answers if you don't understand!"

Xiaoxia turned her gaze away from behind the old man and said confidently, "I think you're talking about the open-air hot spring."

Seeing that someone had guessed the answer, the old man nodded happily.

"That's right, that's right, what a clever little girl! Now, please listen to the next riddle: cake, eggs, and rice, which does the puppy like to eat the most?"

Xiao Gang pondered for a moment, realizing that since it was a riddle, the answer couldn't be so simple, so he tentatively asked, "Is it rice?"

"No!" Xiaoxia shook her head. "I guess it's cake!"

"Please," Ash shrugged, "Only Misty likes cake, right? Sweet things are fattening, how can a puppy be like you!"

Ignoring Xiao Zhi, who was being beaten up, Xia You, who had already guessed the old man's identity, smiled and said, "I think the answer is an egg."

"Oh?" The old man looked at him and asked with a smile, "Why do you say that?"

"Because people often say, 'You have to find fault with something!'"

"Hahaha! You got it right!" the old man laughed heartily, quite pleased with himself. "How about it? Aren't my riddles very interesting?"

Xiaozhi, Xiaoxia, and Xiaogang all sighed helplessly. To be honest, they really couldn't understand the joke.

Only Xia You suddenly became interested: "It is impolite not to reciprocate. Since that's the case, why don't I tell you a riddle?"

"That's quite unusual!" The old man's eyes lit up. "I'm the one who always tests others, no one has ever tested me before. Bring it on!"

Clearing her throat, Xia You asked, "Excuse me, if two people fall into a trap at the same time, the one who dies is called the dead person, and what is the one who survives called?"

"...What's your name?"

Although the old man and Xiaoxia and the others guessed many answers, Xia You rejected them all in the end.

In the end, Xiaoxia shook her head and asked curiously, "What is the answer to the mystery?"

"Of course I'd call for help!" Xia You said, then laughed to herself. But as she laughed, she noticed the four of them were speechless, and she stopped, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Huh?" he said incredulously, "Didn't you guys get the joke?"

The funny part?

Xiaozhi, Xiaoxia, and Xiaogang looked puzzled, not understanding how this differed from the riddle the old man had just told them.

Is it really that funny?

The old man said, "Young man, I thought my riddles were boring enough, but I didn't expect your jokes to be even more boring than mine."

"Bored!??"

Xia You felt like he'd been hit with a thousand points of damage. He said unwillingly, "Fine! Then I'll come up with another one! Listen carefully, what is something that people know is fake, yet they still willingly spend money to buy it?"

Before anyone could guess the answer, Xia You pointed to the old man's hair and laughed loudly, "Of course it's a wig! Hahaha..."

Xiaoxia: ...

Xiao Zhi: ...

Xiao Gang: ...

"Sigh!" The old man sighed, walked over, and patted Xia You on the shoulder.

"Young man, I greatly admire your dry humor. From this day forward, on the path of riddles, I am willing to consider you my biggest rival!"

"Huh!?" Xia You was taken aback, then slapped his hand away and angrily said, "To hell with my biggest rival!! When did I ever say I wanted to compete with you in dry humor!?"

Chapter 86 Hot Spring Inn

The old man didn't care about Xia You's attitude, but stared at him and asked, "Did you discover anything about the riddle about that wig earlier?"

Xia You laughed and said, "I heard that Xia Bo, the head of the Crimson Lotus Gym, is a passionate old man who solves riddles... uh... old man. And because he went bald in his early years, he likes to wear a wig. Also, the gym is a property of the League. Although it has now become a hot spring, I really can't think of anyone else who is qualified to renovate it except for the head of the gym himself."

"How clever!" Seeing that his identity had been exposed, the old man readily admitted, "That's right, I am Uncle Xia, the master of the Crimson Lotus Dojo!"

Then, he changed the subject, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "As for what you said about baldness, that's just a rumor. Don't spread it around. It's just because the weather on Red Lotus Island is too hot, so I shaved my head."

Xia Bo's explanation sounded somewhat weak and contrived. Not only Xia You, but also Xiao Xia and Xiao Gang could tell that he was trying to cover up his true intentions.

Of the people present, only Ash seemed to believe him. He stepped forward excitedly and said, "So you're Blaine! Mr. Blaine, I'm Ash from Pallet Town, here specifically to challenge you!"

"Ahem, I advise you to give up." Blaine shook his head and pointed behind him. "The gym has become an inn. I'm no longer a gym leader. If you want to get the badge, you'll have to go to other towns."

"Huh?" Ash was utterly astonished. "It's really turned into a hotel? How could this be!?"

Blair crossed his arms and said helplessly, "Blame those hot springs that were dug a few years ago. Since then, the whole town has become a resort. I've grown tired of those trainers who come with a sightseeing mentality but are weak and just want to challenge me. So I simply turned the gym into a hotel and refused them."

Upon hearing the reason, Ash shouted, "Don't compare us to those people! We've been training and traveling with the goal of joining the League, we're not those half-baked challengers!"

“That’s right,” Xia You said. “Mr. Xia, it’s impossible to dismiss us with just a few words. We will not give up until we get the Crimson Badge.”

Upon hearing their words, Xia Bo carefully examined Xia You and Xiao Zhi. Although he looked surprised, he seemed to eventually agree with them.

"Alright, since you insist, I can agree to fight you, but before that, you need to find the true location of the gym yourselves!"

"The real location of the dojo?" Xiaoxia looked at the hotel, which was converted from a dojo, at the foot of the volcano and asked in surprise, "Isn't the dojo here?"

“Of course it’s inside the hotel,” Blair laughed. “But finding it won’t be easy. You’ll have to solve the mechanisms yourself to find its exact location!”

With that, Uncle Xia led Xia You and the others into the inn.

As a building converted from a dojo, the hotel occupies a large area. The front section is a restaurant and guest rooms for guests, while the back section is an open-air hot spring.

Upon entering the lobby, Blair turned to the group and said, "I provide free accommodation and food, including the hot springs in the back, which you are welcome to use as you wish. But now, please listen carefully to my instructions."

The group nodded in unison: "Please speak."

With his hands behind his back, Xia Bo slowly said, "A great flood above, a great fire below."

Xiao Zhi asked, completely bewildered, "Huh? That's it?"

“Yes, it’s that simple.” Blair laughed. “Now that everyone has heard it, please make yourselves at home.”

Having finished explaining, Blair ignored them and turned to leave.

After he had walked a distance, Xiao Gang turned back to look at the group, frowning as he pondered, "A huge flood above, a massive fire below, what does this mean? Is it some kind of disaster movie?"

Xiaoxia glanced at Xia You, and seeing that he had no intention of participating, she couldn't help but say, "Literally speaking, it should refer to things related to fire and water, right?"

At this point, she changed the subject and said with great interest, "But didn't Uncle Xia just say that there are free food and hot springs here? Why don't we go and rest for a while first? Once we've had enough rest, we can go find that mechanism."

“That’s true!” Even though he knew Xiaoxia’s suggestion was just for fun, Xiaogang still agreed wholeheartedly. “After traveling for so long, soaking in a hot spring can definitely relieve fatigue!”

Everyone hit it off immediately, and without further delay, headed straight for the hotel restaurant.

In the room, which was decorated in a traditional Japanese style, Xia You and the others knelt on the tatami mats. Before long, several cooks, all over fifty years old, brought them lunch.

Because of its proximity to the sea, the local cuisine mainly consists of sashimi, sushi, and miso soup, offering a wide variety of dishes. When the table was laden with food, Xia You tasted them one by one, and indeed, every single dish was delicious.

Moreover, seeing that Xia You had come of age, a cook even specially served him a bottle of sake!

Take a small sip, and a faint aroma of alcohol fills your mouth.

Compared to Xia You's relatively refined eating manners, Xiao Zhi and Xiao Gang devoured food with lightning speed, stuffing it into their mouths non-stop. Even Xiao Xia completely disregarded her girlish image at this moment.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Xiaoxia patted her slightly bulging belly, looking completely satisfied.

"Compared to my previous camping experiences, this place is simply paradise!"

After dinner, everyone walked around the hotel together, looking for any suspicious locations.

It was only then that they realized that, unlike the other overcrowded inns in Red Lotus Town, Xia Bo's inn had no other guests besides them!

It seems that he didn't like ordinary tourists, so he didn't fully open the place to the public. Only people like them, who had gained Chaper's approval, were invited inside.

Xia You laughed and said, "Luckily he's the owner, otherwise, with his management style, the hotel would have to close down in a few days."

After digesting a little, they went to the bathroom, changed into yukatas, and went to the open-air hot spring behind the hotel.

Although it is an open-air hot spring, it is not a mixed-gender bath. Instead, in the center of the hot spring, two areas are separated by a long fence and curtain.

The spring water was warm and comfortable. When Xia You entered the pool, not only did her fatigue disappear by more than half, but even the pores of her body seemed to open up in an instant.

Just then, the phone placed to the side beeped with a text message. Xia You picked it up and saw that it was still a message from the girl.

Looking between the lines, the girl never mentioned the past, but only shared some trivial things that happened in her daily life with him.

It must have been really tough on her...

With a softened heart, Xia You casually replied to the message.

Over there, Xiao Gang noticed that he was constantly typing and kindly reminded him, "You seem to be always on your phone since last night. But staring at the screen for so long can be bad for your eyes!"