I caught a Pokémon

When Xiaoyao looked back again, she realized that she had already left the Temple of the Sea far away.

But somehow, she could sense that the high priest Maya was still watching over them.

……

After leaving the Whirlpool Islands, Charizard flew north.

Their next destination was the Five Sisters of Yuanzhu in Yuanzhu City, in the northern part of the City Capital Continent.

To be honest, after experiencing an adventure in a region, his Eevee is eagerly waiting to evolve, but because he hasn't figured out the direction of evolution, it has remained at its current stage.

It seems that it will be able to make a real decision only after returning to Yuanzhu City and discussing it with the five sisters.

The shadow of the fire-breathing dragon swept across the sea.

Judging from today's sunshine, it's undoubtedly a good day for traveling, and both Xia You and Xiao Yao initially thought so.

But after flying for more than half an hour, the weather suddenly changed.

First, the wind picked up, and as it grew stronger, the surrounding clouds darkened.

At some point, endless dark clouds began to drift towards them from the horizon, and lightning flashed across the clouds from time to time. Even the sea beneath them became turbulent.

"Oh no, it's a storm!"

Xia You turned around and called out to Xiao Yao, who peeked out from the outside of his arm, glanced at him from afar, and frowned.

"Is it possible to get through?"

Xia You shook her head.

"If it were just the Pokémon itself, there wouldn't be a problem, but the two of us couldn't hold out. Even if we weren't struck by lightning, the rain and cold air would be unbearable for us!"

The wind grew stronger, forcing Xiaoyao to shout loudly so that her voice could reach Xia You's ears.

"What should we do then?"

Chapter 872 Snowman Snorlax

Xia You looked down at the sea below, trying to find a small island where she could take shelter from the storm.

We had already traveled quite a distance from the Whirlpool Islands, and there were no islands left in sight.

Everywhere you look is the vast blue sea; there's no land, islands, or coral reefs in sight. There's nowhere to shelter from the storm, not even a place to settle down.

"Xia You-ge! Look over there!"

Fortunately, Xiaoyao has sharp eyes and can vaguely see a small black dot on the sea surface under the storm.

Upon closer inspection, Xia You realized it was actually a small boat adrift at sea!

Although the ship isn't large, it's more than enough to shelter from the wind and rain, provided, of course, that it can withstand the storm and not sink.

He patted the Charizard's neck, and the Charizard understood and flew downwards towards the small boat.

The ship was indeed small, only a dozen meters long, and had only one wheelhouse, making it look quite flimsy.

As they got closer, Xia You realized that the ship was neither a fishing boat, nor a passenger ship, nor a sightseeing vessel. Apart from a winch, the deck was completely empty, and above the wheelhouse stood a long power line, making it look like a private research vessel!

The small boat rocked with the waves and strong winds, but it seemed relatively safe.

But whatever kind of ship it is, this is their only option.

The storm was imminent, and through the strong winds, Xia You seemed to already feel the dampness of the rain.

When the fire-breathing dragon descended to a lower altitude, flying close to the sea surface and at the same height as the cockpit, Xia You turned to look at the cockpit.

The lights were on in the wheelhouse, and a red-haired woman was busily maneuvering the boat.

To avoid startling the woman, Xia You didn't jump onto the boat rashly, but instead waved to her from the fire-breathing dragon.

Perhaps it was the striking orange silhouette of the Charizard on the sea, or perhaps it was Xia You's wave that caught her attention, but the woman's peripheral vision quickly revealed Xia You and Xiao Yao.

She was startled at first, then quickly opened the hatch and stepped out.

"Excuse me." Because of the strong winds, Xia You had to raise her voice and say loudly, "Could I get on the boat to avoid this storm?"

Although this small boat may not be safe, as mentioned before, it can at least keep them from getting their clothes soaked by the rain and protect them from lightning strikes.

Upon hearing Xia You's words, the woman waved to him without hesitation.

"Hurry up and get on!"

With permission, Xia You jumped onto the small boat and helped Xiao Yao down as well. After the two of them were steady, she took out a Poké Ball and recalled Charizard.

The woman invited the two men into the driver's seat.

It was only then that Xia You could see the woman's face clearly.

She appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with long, fiery red hair casually styled into a ponytail. She was quite pretty with fair skin, and perhaps due to her frequent sea voyages, she wore only a white tank top for convenience, which made her look very capable.

Once the door on the boat was closed, the sound of the wind outside immediately subsided considerably. Although the boat could still be felt rocking, at least there was no longer any worry about being exposed to the wind and rain.

After leading the two into the cockpit, the woman turned back to continue steering the boat, saying without turning her head, "You two are trainers, right?"

“That’s right, thank you for letting us stay, otherwise we would have had to endure this storm directly.” Xia You nodded, then introduced herself to Xiao Yao.

“When you’re out and about, it’s only natural to help each other. I think anyone else would have done the same.” The woman smiled and then introduced herself, “My name is Lu Jia, and I’m a researcher, you could say.”

It's quite obvious, just like the color of her hair, that this Captain Lucia is a very warm person.

"Researchers?" Xiaoyao asked curiously. "Why do you say 'temporarily'? What does Miss Lujia research?"

As she steered the boat toward the edge of the storm, Luca laughed and said, "It's just researching the Pokémon that live nearby. That's why I call it 'just for now' since I'm not a professor."

In fact, there are many independent researchers like Lu Jia who have no official research funding, no titles, and no professional ranks. All they have is an infinite love for Pokémon, which leads them to devote themselves to research without hesitation.

As they spoke, a storm was already approaching.

Suddenly, darkness descended, and torrential rain poured down, accompanied by rolling waves. Lightning flashed intermittently, briefly illuminating the entire sky.

Enveloped by such a storm, the group lost all interest in talking and fell silent.

Everyone's gaze was fixed on the view outside the window, their emotions rising and falling with the waves.

In fact, Xia You was not worried about her own safety at all.

After all, he is a man blessed by the ocean, and with so many Pokémon by his side, what can a mere storm do to him?

All they wanted was to avoid getting themselves and Xiaoyao covered in dirt from this storm.

Even if he himself lands on this ship, he can protect Lucia and help her if the ship unfortunately capsizes.

Of course, those are the worst-case scenarios; we still hope the ship will survive the storm unscathed.

Under Lucia's control, the small boat avoided the eye of the storm and headed towards the edge, like a lone boat on the sea, rocking incessantly.

However, thanks to her superb driving skills, Lu Jia managed to find a relatively safe route in the storm. Despite the turbulent waves and torrential rain, she managed to sail out safely!

This shows that Lu Jia is indeed a veteran driver, or rather, a veteran captain!

Fortunately, Lucia changed course before entering the storm, otherwise things wouldn't have gone so smoothly.

But no matter what, the clouds finally parted and the sun shone through; the sky above them was clear again.

only……

Holding the map on her phone, Xia You glanced at it and shook her head helplessly.

Although they avoided the storm, their position shifted, and they drifted from the waters near the Whirlpool Islands to an unknown destination.

It seems that getting to Enju City will inevitably involve some extra travel time.

Just as Xia You was studying the map, Xiao Yao suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

"Xia You-ge! Look, an iceberg!"

"Iceberg?" Before Xia You could say anything, Lu Jia shook her head. "You must be mistaken. There are never any icebergs in this sea area. Firstly, the temperature doesn't allow it, and secondly, the climate isn't suitable. Eh? It really is an iceberg!"

Lu Jia was still denying it, but when she turned her gaze unintentionally, she actually saw an iceberg!

Hearing their voices, Xia You looked up.

In the sea ahead of them, a huge, undulating iceberg was slowly drifting towards them!

It really is an iceberg.

“It’s incredible,” Luca exclaimed. “I’ve been in this area for so many years, and this is the first time I’ve ever seen an iceberg here.”

"It must have drifted here with the storm just now." Xia You couldn't explain this phenomenon either, and could only connect it with the storm just now.

Just then, the group spotted what appeared to be a group of figures moving about on the iceberg!

Although it was impossible to see clearly what it was due to the distance, judging from its shape, it was probably not human, but some kind of Pokémon that looked quite large.

This made all three of them very curious.

"Should we go take a look?" Xiaoyao couldn't help but ask.

Lucia did not answer her, but instead demonstrated her determination through her actions.

With a turn of the helm, the entire ship steered towards the iceberg in the next second!

As the iceberg drew closer, several minutes later, they finally saw its complete form.

What you see is not a single iceberg, but a connected structure made up of several small icebergs and a plain. On the plain, a group of snow-white Snorlax are playing, frolicking and having fun!

These snow-white Snorlax, apart from their color being different from ordinary Snorlax, are not particularly special in terms of size or other characteristics, but they stand out exceptionally in such a snowy mountain!

"A white Snorlax!?" May exclaimed in surprise. "Are all these Shiny Pokémon?"

Luca hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and said, "They do look a bit different from regular Snorlax, but I remember that Shiny Snorlax are supposed to be blue, right? I've never heard of white Snorlax before, let alone a whole bunch of them!"

Xiao Yao turned to Xia You and asked, "Brother Xia You, do you know what happened?"

Xia You pondered for a moment: "I remember there's a legend somewhere in the capital that says if you build a snowman out of snow on the coldest night of the year, it will be given life and become a Snowman Snorlax!"

Upon hearing that such a legend existed, Xiaoyao gasped in shock.

"Really?" She turned around in disbelief, looking at the Snorlax, and found that the white markings on their bodies did indeed resemble those of snowmen. She was utterly astonished. "So, these are all snowmen that have been given life and transformed!?"

"Idiot." Xia You tapped her head with his hand. "Those are just folk tales. It's obvious that they're impossible. No matter how you look at it, these Yeti Snorlax are just a special color-changing group of Snorlax that humans haven't fully understood yet."

Xiaoyao covered her head and stuck out her tongue.

"That's true."

As they spoke, the small boat approached the iceberg. Lucia turned off the engine, got out of the boat, and threw a rope onto a protruding ice block to secure the boat.

After finishing these tasks, Lu Jia, Xia You, and Xiao Yao also climbed the iceberg.

The Yeti Snorlax didn't seem surprised by their arrival; they just looked at the group with curiosity.

Seeing this, Luca took out her camera and snapped a dozen photos in a row. Then she turned to Xia You and Xiao Yao and said, "I'm sorry, but I'll be staying here for a long time to do some research on these Yeti Snorlax. Please make yourselves at home."

Her meaning was clear: as a private Pokémon researcher, since she had come all this way to this pristine place that had almost never been discovered by humans, she naturally wanted to stay a few more days to observe the habits and other behaviors of these Pokémon.

While I wouldn't reveal this place publicly, I at least want to satisfy my investigative desires.

Seeing that she was setting up camp there, Xia You and Xiao Yao thanked her again and walked to the side.

We were just strangers who met by chance, it's time for us to go our separate ways.

After parting ways with Lu Jia, Xia You and Xiao Yao left the coast and headed towards the interior of the iceberg.

Around them were Snorlax snowmen everywhere, and by sight there were at least more than a hundred of them!

This is absolutely incredible!

It's important to know that Snorlax has an astonishingly large appetite; often, an entire island is needed to support just one. But with so many of them gathered together, their daily food consumption is practically astronomical!

This left May, who also owns a Snorlax, in awe.

"Brother Xia You, where are we going now?"

Taking a Poké Ball out of her pouch, Xia You smiled and said, "Since I've encountered a Snowman Snorlax, I certainly can't miss it."

Do you want to tame one?

“Of course.” Xia You nodded. “Snorlax is one of my favorite Pokémon, let alone such a rare Yeti Snorlax. I’ve never even seen one before, so of course I couldn’t miss it.”

Xia You truly hadn't expected to encounter two surprises in quick succession after returning to the capital.

Whether it was Entei a few days ago or Snorlax the current one, they were all unexpected surprises.

Hearing him say that, Xiaoyao felt a little envious.