I caught a Pokémon

Just as they guessed, as seen on TV, after the two clashed, despite Shun's best efforts, Rob's two Pokémon—Mildano and Claydol—were simply too strong, seemingly not even in the same league as Shun. With just over two minutes left, Rob almost ended the match.

As for why I say "almost"?

That's because Shun's energy bar had only one bar left, while Rob's energy bar still had more than half left, so there was almost no suspense.

Even so, Shun persevered to the very end, until time ran out, at which point his two Pokémon finally collapsed.

Amidst thunderous cheers, the champion of this grand celebration was crowned.

Seeing Shun's disappointed expression, Haruka clenched her fists.

This outcome is truly heartbreaking.

Shun defeated himself with a huge advantage, but lost to Rob in the same way. It's like a food chain; although he was unwilling, it was just so difficult to overcome.

The group watched on television as Robert went on stage to receive the award and the celebration came to an end.

However, just like at the start of the main tournament, there was also a performance at the end of the celebration, and it turned out to be the person Xiaoxia least wanted to see—Rukia!

Watching Rukia radiate charm on stage, Xiaoxia's gaze gradually hardened, and she finally made a decision at this moment.

……

8 p.m., Grand Celebration Square.

A grand open-air party is being held here, a tradition of the lavish celebration, a final banquet held to thank all the contestants for their hard work and to celebrate the crowning of a new champion.

Only after everyone has eaten and drunk their fill can the celebration truly come to an end.

The party was buffet style, and because the food was so delicious, Ash and his friends had long since disappeared.

Xiaoyao sat at the long table, swallowed the last piece of food on her plate, and was about to walk around to digest when she saw Xiaoxia walk up to her.

"Xiaoyao, can you walk with me for a bit?"

Xiaoyao was taken aback when she heard this. She sensed something unusual in her friend's tone.

That's strange, what's wrong with her?

is something happened?

Although she was puzzled, Xiaoyao didn't ask any questions. She simply nodded and stood up.

"Of course!"

Chapter 762 Xiaoxia: This is my lifelong request

Xiaoxia and Xiaoyao left the party area and followed the pebble path all the way to the beach.

The dim streetlights cast long shadows of the two women, and behind them, dazzling fireworks were lit and launched, illuminating the night sky.

The waves crashed against the rocks, making a splashing sound.

After walking this far, Xiaoyao couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong with you today? You seem a little unhappy."

Xiaoxia stopped, turned around, and looked at Xiaoyao intently.

"Xiaoyao, what are your plans after the festival ends?"

Xiaoyao didn't understand why Xiaoxia brought this up out of the blue, but after thinking for a moment, she replied, "Well... I haven't thought about it yet, but I'll probably continue down the path of being a mediator."

After saying that, she saw a "I knew it" look on Xiaoxia's face and asked in surprise, "Why did you ask that?"

Xiaoxia didn't answer her immediately, but said solemnly, "Could you do me a favor?"

Perhaps sensing that Xia's tone was a little off, Xiao Yao's smile disappeared, and she nodded emphatically.

"Aren't we friends? Just tell me what's on your mind."

Taking a deep breath, as if entrusting her dream to someone else, Xiaoxia said, "After the Rainbow Tournament ends, could you take my place and continue traveling with Brother Xiayou?"

"Huh? Huh!!!"

Xiaoyao could hardly believe her ears. She didn't understand why Xiaoxia would let her travel with Xiayou!

"You...you want me to travel with Xia You-ge? Why?"

Xiaoxia turned around somewhat forlornly and looked at the distant sea. However, since it was already night, she couldn't see anything at all, and could only hear the sound of the waves echoing in front of her.

"There's nothing I can do about it. After the Saiyu Tournament, I'll be going back to Kanto to take over the gym. And as you know, Xia You is really popular, especially people like Rukia who are always trying to get close to him. I'm really worried about him."

Upon hearing her explanation, Xiaoyao immediately understood.

So that's why they wanted me to keep an eye on Xia You!

"This...this...but..."

Instinctively, Xiaoyao felt that this was inappropriate. After all, her relationship with Xia You was only that of good friends. To ask her to watch over him and prevent other girls from getting close was really going too far.

This is, after all, someone else's business. If it were just a normal trip with Xia You, that would be acceptable, but now that they have ulterior motives, it seems rather inappropriate.

What if I rashly get involved and cause Xia You to misunderstand?

What if Xia You-ge dislikes me?

Reason kept warning her that she shouldn't agree to Xiaoxia's request, but just as she was about to refuse, she saw Xiaoxia's earnest and expectant eyes, and the words stuck in her throat, unable to be uttered.

Xiaoxia naturally knew what Xiaoyao was worried about.

But she had to entrust this matter to Xiaoyao, and could only entrust it to her.

Otherwise, it's almost foreseeable what kind of scene Xia You would encounter again when she meets Ryukia without him!

She didn't want to watch Xia Youge be taken away by Liu Qiya!

"Xiaoyao, this is my lifelong request. As my best friend, I hope you can grant my wish!"

After staring into Xiaoxia's eyes for a while and sensing the pleading in her eyes, Xiaoyao finally nodded in agreement.

"I understand. I will travel with Xia You and keep an eye on him for you!"

Hearing Xiaoyao's answer, Xiaoxia breathed a sigh of relief, and a smile returned to her face.

"That's great! Thank you, Xiaoyao! I knew I could ask you for help!"

When Xiaoxia and Xiaoyao returned, chatting and laughing, the party was already over, and Xia You and her group were waiting for them there.

Everyone was surprised to see them holding hands.

"Sister..." Xiao Sheng asked curiously, "Where did you go? Why are you only coming back now?"

Before Xiaoyao could speak, Xiaoxia proudly tossed her head and said, "I'm not telling you!"

"What is it?" Xiao Zhi was also itching to hear the two of them being so secretive, but seeing that they wouldn't say anything, he couldn't help but mutter to himself, "What could it be? It must be your girls' whispers, I don't want to hear them!"

Hearing him whisper, Xiao Yao felt a little guilty and subconsciously glanced at Xia You.

This puzzled Xia You greatly.

Ok?

Why are you looking at me?

Did these two really have a private conversation? And one where they were the main characters?

……

After spending a few days in Kaina City, once the grand festival ended, it was time for everyone to set off for Saiyu City.

Located in eastern Hoenn, far from the mainland, Hoenn is a scenic coastal town on a large island. The entire island is covered with beautiful flowers, but the main reason for its fame is that the Hoenn Pokémon League and the Hoenn Pokémon Conference are located here!

Just like Baiyin Town, this city also gradually prospered because of the Rainbow Festival.

Traveling from Kaina City to Saiyu City by plane is undoubtedly the most time-saving and effortless option. However, apart from Xia You, these people are all children and do not yet have enough money to afford such a trip. Even if they did have the money, there would be no need for it, since taking a boat is also very convenient. There are direct passenger ferries to Saiyu City. Although they are a bit slow, there are still more than ten days before the opening of the conference, so they have plenty of time to spare.

It's worth mentioning that a small incident occurred when the group gathered at the dock early the next morning to prepare to take a boat to Saiyu City.

Musashi and Kojiro, disguised as salesmen, were about to devise some tricks for Ash, but when they saw that Xia You was also with Ash, they were startled and slunk away.

Ash and his friends were surprised to see that the two had run away, as they failed to see through their disguise.

Only Xia You shook her head helplessly at this.

It seems that in the eyes of the Rockets' trio, he has become a monster.

After about two days of sailing, they finally arrived in Saiyo City.

They seemed to feel the intense atmosphere as soon as they stepped onto the ground.

Even though there was still time before the meeting, a large number of tourists had already gathered here, and even many contestants had arrived. Infected by this atmosphere, even Xia You and Xiao Zhi's hearts tightened a bit.

The day has finally come...

Despite its small size, Saiyu City is filled with high-rise buildings and is very modern, even rivaling some of the larger cities!

Once they stepped into the city, Xia You and Xiao Zhi naturally went to the registration center to verify their qualifications, while Xiao Xia and the others, at Xiao Yao's suggestion, decided to first visit a ramen shop called 'Cai You Xuan'!

It's said that the ramen at this shop is incredibly delicious, so much so that, according to Haruka, it could easily rank in the top three in Hoenn!

Hearing her say that, Xiaoxia and the others were naturally eager to try, and Xia You also remembered that Xiaoyao was a little foodie!

Of course, to put it more politely, May is a food lover, but if someone or a Pokémon steals her food, May will become extremely angry. This shows how important food is to her, to the point that May would become a different person if she lost her food.

Although Xiaozhi also wanted to try it with them, he knew that important matters came first. He could only watch Xiaoyao and the others leave with a song in their hearts, and then he followed Xia You dejectedly towards the conference venue.

The venue for the Saiyu Tournament is located in the mountains behind Saiyu City. The entire venue is built around a lake and covers a very large area. Different facilities are distributed around the lake, but they are connected to the competition venue in the center of the lake through connecting passages, forming a network of roads on the lake.

When they arrived, the two found that there were even more tourists and athletes; there were people almost everywhere, and they wondered why everyone had come so early.

Seeing this, they didn't delay any longer and went straight to the registration area at the venue.

Although the registration period ends before the opening ceremony, trainers rarely register that late, except for a few who have no sense of time or are delayed by other matters.

Upon arriving at the registration desk, Xia You only needed to have her registration checked, since she had already registered in advance at the Pokémon Center in Lilycove City. After the check was completed and Ash had also finished queuing to register, the two of them received the tournament guidebook from Nurse Joy.

Although it's called a guidebook, aside from the competition procedures, most of its contents are about the food and restaurants at the event, which isn't helpful for the competition itself, but it should suit Xiaoyao's taste.

Like the previous Quartz and Silver tournaments, this year's Yoyo Tournament also features the tradition of a torch relay, and coincidentally, the torch relay takes place today!

After hearing the news from Nurse Joy, Ash didn't care about eating ramen anymore and rushed over to join in the fun.

Upon encountering such a situation, not only was Xiao Zhi curious, but Xia You also naturally wanted to join in the fun. So, after sending a message to Xiao Xia, she and Xiao Zhi left the registration area and headed towards the torch relay route.

However, before they even reached the entrance of the venue, they saw a short elderly man getting out of a black car.

That person is...

Just as he recognized who it was, a figure flashed past him, and Ash quickly stepped forward to greet them.

"President Damalanqi! It's been a long time!"

Upon hearing the sound, Damaran turned around and immediately saw Xiaozhi, then Xia You behind him.

"It's you guys! Ash and Xia You, did you come to the Rainbow Tournament too?"

"That's right!"

Xiao Zhi nodded, and Xia You also stepped forward to greet Dama Lanqi.

"Mr. Chairman, it's been a long time."

Looking at the two of them, Dama Lanqi nodded: "It's great that you two came to participate. I believe you will definitely have a wonderful performance in this competition, especially Xia You. Your goal this time must still be the championship, right?"

"Whose goal isn't to win the championship?" Xia You smiled. "As long as I do my best, I'll accept whatever result I achieve in the end."

Look, this is top-notch rhetoric. It expresses one's own thoughts without offending other contestants if the words get out. It truly kills two birds with one stone.

Dama Lanqi gave Xia You a deep look, and he was clearly aware of Xia You's tactlessness.

"Then I wish you all the best in your studies. I have something to do, so I'll be leaving now."

Knowing that such an important figure was indeed extremely busy every day, the two did not dare to delay his time. After saying goodbye and watching him leave, they continued walking towards the direction of the sacred flame.

Leaving them aside, after Damalanqi left, he walked all the way to the office building of the venue and entered the small conference room.

The room was filled with smoke. All the people in charge of this conference had gathered and were smoking in frustration. When they saw Dama Lanqi enter, they all stood up and bowed.

"Please sit down."

Damalanqi waved his hand, sat down in the main seat, then looked around at everyone and asked in a tone completely different from his usual cheerful self, "Tell me, what should we do?"

As soon as he finished speaking, almost everyone looked behind Dama Lanqi.

There was a screen hanging there, and on the screen was a photo of Xia You lifting the trophy at the previous Silver Tournament!

There was a moment of silence, then people started talking amongst themselves.