I caught a Pokémon

"No problem, please lead the way."

Seeing Saori nod, Xia You and Saori walked one after the other toward the forest not far away.

On the way, neither of them spoke, like complete strangers. In fact, they didn't have much in common, and neither of them were particularly talkative, so the atmosphere was rather dull.

Fortunately, they soon found a relatively large clearing after entering the forest.

"We don't need to go too far, let's stay here." Stopping, Xia You turned to look at Saori. "How do you want to fight?"

“Let’s have a one-on-one match.” Saori took out a Poké Ball from her pocket. “I’ll challenge you with my strongest Pokémon. One match to decide the winner.”

One-on-one, huh?

Xia You naturally had no objections. In fact, this was just right, as it not only allowed her to get a general understanding of Saori's strength, but also saved her a lot of time.

As for which Pokémon to use in battle...

After considering his current lineup for a while, Xia You finally chose his—

As Xia You took out a Poké Ball and opened it, a flash of blue light appeared, and his Charizard made a dazzling appearance!

Roar!

The Charizard flew through the air, first letting out a roar, then lowering its head and coldly staring at Saori.

Their fighting spirit instantly reached its peak!

In that instant, Saori felt a chilling aura of dominance wash over her, and felt like a lamb to the slaughter, being targeted by a fierce predator!

Cold sweat formed almost instantly on her cheeks and slowly slid down!

What's going on?!

She was suddenly startled, unable to believe that simply being stared at by this Pokémon could put her under such pressure!

This was a feeling she had never experienced before!

Even though she had dealt with the Four Heavenly Kings before, she had never felt such a tangible stinging sensation from them!

Is this the skill level of the winners from the three regional tournaments?!

It can only be said that compared to those who have become top Pokémon Coordinators, Saori is still a bit inexperienced.

Perhaps she is a bit better than the other Pokémon Coordinators who participated in this tournament, but she only became a top Pokémon Coordinator after this tournament. Right now, she may be strong, but her mindset is not yet at the level that a top-level expert should have.

She was just one step away from success, but it was precisely this hurdle that, before she could cross it, meant that without that identity, she would undoubtedly lack confidence when facing opponents whose achievements far surpassed hers.

This time, unable to withstand the pressure emanating from the Charizard, which had become a king of the Rift, Saori was indeed somewhat intimidated before the battle even began.

It also made her realize the kind of opponent she was facing.

Nevertheless, she gritted her teeth and released her Pokémon.

The next second, the Slowbro that had used its psychic powers to send Aipom to Ash at the Pokémon Center yesterday appeared in front of her.

This Slowbro was much calmer than its trainer.

Of course, it's also possible that it was just being dazed and didn't sense the pressure from the Charizard.

As for why Xia You sent out Charizard instead of other Pokémon...

Actually, he had a backup plan.

He can be full of confidence, but he will never look down on anyone because of it; that has always been his style.

This woman is about to become a top Pokémon Coordinator, how could she be as weak as an ordinary trainer?

Therefore, to avoid any mishaps, he sent out a relatively safe Pokémon.

Hmm... While it might be a bit too conservative, the main goal is to not give the opponent any chance at all!

He took in every little detail and emotion on Saori's face, and seeing that both Pokémon were ready, he nodded to the woman.

"Come on, bring it on!"

……

Not far from the Pokémon Center, there is a high-end restaurant.

Meanwhile, in the private room of the restaurant, Xiaozhi, Xiaosheng, and Xiaogang were enjoying their meal, constantly putting food into their mouths, and soon finished several plates of food.

Seeing how ravenously they were eating, Xiaoyao couldn't help but cover her face and sigh softly.

"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you, and aren't you waiting for Brother Xia You?"

Ash's mouth was bulging, making it hard for him to speak clearly: "This...this is just too...delicious, we haven't had such a sumptuous...dinner in a long time..."

If Xiaoyao hadn't known Xiaogang's cooking skills so well, she would have thought these people couldn't even afford to eat!

That makes sense. If it were before, she would have joined them without hesitation if she saw such a dinner, but the days she spent in Enju City seemed to have spoiled her palate.

Looking at the seemingly exquisite but not as lavish meal as the five sisters' home, she simply ate a few bites.

Turning to look out the window, I saw that in just a short while, the sky had already gradually darkened, and night was about to fall.

"I wonder how Brother Xia You is doing now..."

"Don't worry." After swallowing the food in one gulp, Xiao Zhi laughed, "Don't fret. Although Saori is very strong, she can't possibly be a match for Xia You!"

“Xiao Zhi is right. We’ve never met anyone who can defeat Mr. Xia You!” Xiao Sheng echoed, but then pushed up his glasses and added, “Of course, that’s on the condition that Mr. Xia You doesn’t hold back. If he doesn’t take the battle seriously because Miss Saori is very pretty, then the outcome will be different.”

Xiao Yao shook her head: "That's impossible, how could Brother Xia You let it go..."

She had only spoken halfway when the images of Naz, Lijia, Maya, and the three sisters, Yuanzhu, involuntarily surfaced in her mind. Feeling uncertain, her tone softened.

"...Probably not?"

It's no wonder she suddenly lost confidence; Xia You has too many women, and it's hard to guarantee that he won't show mercy to them again.

Just as they were thinking this, they suddenly heard a violent explosion!

The explosion was so loud that even the restaurant shook slightly!

The group was startled and quickly turned to look out the window, where they saw a raging fire that had broken out in the direction of the forest!

Chapter 898 Competing on the Same Stage

“That direction…” Xiao Zhi stood up, his eyes filled with longing, “That should be where Xia You and Saori fought, right?”

Xiao Gang nodded: "When I looked back earlier, I saw that they were indeed walking in that direction. If I'm not mistaken, it should be them."

"But..." Xiao Sheng asked in surprise, "wasn't this just a normal sparring match? How did it cause such a commotion?"

Indeed, compared to battles fought by ordinary trainers, both the explosion and the flames burning in the distance seemed rather exaggerated.

Those who didn't know better might have thought something had happened there!

"That's not surprising. After all, both Xia You and Saori are strong, so how could their fight be anything but small?" Xiao Zhi shrugged, but then sighed, "Sigh, I really want to go see it..."

Who isn't?

The group was itching to see what had happened, but since they had already promised Xia You, they could only sit there and watch people run towards the location outside the window while they waited for news.

Just then, the flames in the distance seemed to be extinguished by something, disappearing completely in an instant. No more flames could be seen, and even the sound of explosions ceased, as if everything had fallen into complete silence.

Ok?

has it ended?

They had no idea what had happened, so they could only eat and wait for Xia You to return.

Fortunately, it didn't take long, only about ten minutes later, as the door opened, Xia You walked in leisurely.

Xiao Zhi couldn't wait and asked first, "Xia You-ge! Who won, you or Saori-san?"

Before Xia You could even speak, Xiao Sheng rolled his eyes at Xiao Zhi.

"Please, can't you see that? Just look at the smile on Mr. Xia You's face!" He said, turning to look at Xia You and asking, "You won, didn't you?"

Xia You sat down next to Xiao Yao and nodded.

"Of course I won! Don't you know who I am? Not just anyone can beat me!"

Xiao Gang kept his eyes fixed on the door, seemingly waiting for Saori to appear, but after a long time, he still couldn't see Saori and couldn't help but feel disappointed.

"Where's Saori-san? Didn't she come along?"

Taking the plate from Xiaoyao, Xia You said without looking up, "Her Slowbro was injured, so she took her Pokémon directly to the Pokémon Center."

"Um..." Hearing him say that, Xiao Zhi asked with bright eyes, "Is Saori-san very amazing? The explosion we just heard, was that something you guys made?"

Recalling the battle just now, Xia You shook her head and chuckled.

"That was the noise caused when my Charizard used Flamethrower to collide with Slowbro's Hyper Beam. It also accidentally ignited some bushes around us, but I've put it out. As for her strength, she might be very powerful compared to ordinary people, but she's still too weak in front of my Charizard."

"What the heck?" Ash scoffed. "You're using Charizard? Isn't it already the strongest in Charizard Canyon? Using it in battle is just bullying it."

"There's nothing I can do," Xia You chuckled. "After all, Saori just said she'd use her strongest Pokémon to battle me, so I was thinking I should at least return the favor with a Pokémon of the same level, but I didn't expect..."

At this point, he shrugged at the group: "Although her Slowbro is quite strong, it's no match for Charizard. It was knocked down after only a few rounds."

"Showing off!"

Xiao Zhi rolled his eyes, feeling both envious and amused. As the others chuckled, the atmosphere in the room became lively.

Only Xiaoyao, after laughing, couldn't help but feel a little sentimental.

The incredibly skilled Saori was utterly defeated by Xia You. Is this the difference between a Coordinator and a Trainer?

Because there was a match tomorrow, the meal didn't last very long.

When the group returned to their Pokémon Center dormitory, it was exactly 8 p.m.

Just as Xiaoyao returned to her room to prepare for tomorrow's battle, and Xiaozhi and Xiaosheng went to the bathroom to wash up, Xiaogang, looking guilty and sneaking around, came up to Xiayou.

"Mr. Xia You..."

Hearing his hesitant voice, Xia You, who was holding a can of cola, couldn't help but turn her head to look. She saw Xiao Gang looking hesitant, with a hint of shyness on his face, as if he had something difficult to say that he wanted to ask her for a favor.

"What's wrong? Is something the matter?"

"Um..." Xiao Gang scratched his cheek with his finger, feeling a little embarrassed, but still mustered up his courage to ask, "Excuse me, could you tell me the secret to being popular with girls?"

puff--!

Xia You, who had just finished drinking cola, spat it out upon hearing this, spraying it all over Xiao Gang's face!

When he came to his senses and looked over, he saw that Xiao Gang's face was covered in cola.

"Ah, I'm sorry..." He smiled apologetically, then looked Xiao Gang up and down. "I remember you asked me this question before, didn't you?"

"That's right, it's in the Pokémon Center in the Green Fields of Johto." Brock nodded, then, ignoring the cola on his face, he did a deep bow and pleaded earnestly, "Please! I really want to know how to be as popular with girls as you!"

It's clear that Xiaogang is genuinely seeking advice.

But how should I answer this question?

"Well..." Xia You gave a wry smile, "I remember I told you the answer back then, didn't I?"

“Yes!” Xiao Gang looked up. “You told me that as long as you’re handsome, you’ll naturally be liked by girls, but I… I just can’t do it… so I believe there must be other ways!”

This guy is still persistent...

In that case, I really should answer properly.

Seeing Xiaogang's sincerity, Xia You couldn't bear it and could only nod and say, "Since that's the case, I think the first step should be to change your personality of getting aroused when you see a pretty woman."

"What!?" Upon hearing this, Xiao Gang was struck as if by a heavy blow, looking incredulous. He muttered, "So that's how you all see me!? But I was just sharing the warmth in my heart with every older sister who needs love, letting them feel my compassionate heart!"

silence.

A suffocating silence ensued.

The slight sympathy Xia You had just felt for Xiao Gang vanished instantly.

After a long silence, he let out a long sigh.

"You're completely beyond saving."

……

"Hello everyone! Did you all sleep well last night?" Lillian's enthusiastic voice echoed throughout the venue. She announced with great energy, "The pace will be fast today, so be sure to keep up! The official competition begins today. The first round is the performance review stage, where 64 contestants will take the stage to showcase the charm of Pokémon once again. Without further ado, let's begin!"

As the first participant in the main competition, Xiaoshun took the stage first.

As we all know, people have high expectations for the opening performance, which greatly increases the pressure on the contestants and affects their performance. However, none of this seems to have any effect on Xiaoshun.