I caught a Pokémon

This time, the battle, which resembled a war of attrition, kept Xia You fighting from dusk till night.

Xia You was getting into the swing of things as she continued to win. When she defeated another challenger, she was about to call up the next opponent when she was surprised to find that there was no one around.

The challengers who had been surrounding him were all driven away without him even realizing it!

Realizing what had happened, he shook his head and chuckled.

Oh well, let them go.

It was completely dark by then, and all the streetlights around were on. It was already past seven o'clock, which was indeed very late.

Although she hadn't had enough of the battle and was slightly disappointed, Xia You was about to take her Pokémon back to the Pokémon Center when she turned around and found that May and Mimi had arrived at some point and were sitting on chairs not far away, watching them.

Seeing Xia You looking over, Xiao Yao waved at him.

Walking up to them with her Pokémon, Xia You couldn't help but smile and ask, "When did you get back?"

"We've been here for quite a while now," Xiaoyao said with a sweet smile.

"Mr. Xia You, you are truly amazing!" Yami, her face flushed with admiration, exclaimed. "You defeated so many trainers in a row! They were no match for you at all!"

Seeing the many bags in their hands, Xia You knew that they had also made a great haul on this trip.

Just then, Xiaoyao handed a small bag to Xia You.

"What is this?" Although puzzled, Xia You still took the bag.

"These are a few pairs of socks I bought for you." Xiaoyao said a little embarrassedly, "I know you don't need anything, so I only bought you socks as a return gift for the watch I gave you before!"

This little girl...

Xia You smiled helplessly.

Knowing that socks are a rather private item that only close people would give to each other, Xiaoyao's willingness to give her this item speaks volumes about their relationship.

……

After resting overnight at the Pokémon Center, the three of them ate breakfast the next morning and then headed towards the Eternal Gym, full of energy.

Perhaps to be closer to nature, unlike most dojos, the Momoyo Dojo is not located in the city center, but on the outskirts of Momoyo City, far away from all concrete and steel.

From a distance, its main building looks no different from other ordinary dojos, but it seems to be covered with moss. A large part of the main building is covered by plants, making it look lush and green.

After crossing the wide lawn and entering the dojo, they explained their purpose to the staff. Led by the staff, they met the dojo's owner, Cai Zhong, in the dojo's greenhouse.

The vegetable seedlings are about the same age as Xia You, only about one or two years younger.

She had short, bright orange hair that looked like a mushroom. She was quite pretty, wearing a half-green cape that revealed her slim waist, orange shorts, and green boots. She had a muscular figure and gave off a tomboyish vibe.

At this moment, Cai Zhong was taking care of the Grass-type Pokémon in the greenhouse. Hearing the footsteps of the group, she turned around and immediately saw Xia You leading the way.

Xia You greeted them at that moment and explained her purpose.

"Hello." Cai Zhong stood up and nodded to Xia You. "I am Cai Zhong. Welcome to challenge my Hundred Generations Dojo."

After saying that, she suddenly sniffed the air, then looked Xia You up and down, and abruptly took a step back.

Xia You was completely confused by her and didn't understand what was wrong with her.

"You..." After a moment's hesitation, Cai Zhong frowned and said, "You're not a Ghost-type Trainer, are you? Why do you have such a strong Ghost scent on you!?"

Xia You was taken aback upon hearing her words.

It's true that I have a Ghost-type Pokémon.

only……

The smell of a ghost?

When did I start having that smell on myself?

Why has no one ever said this before?

Startled, Xia You suddenly realized another possibility.

Could it be... that was done back then!?

Is it really that obvious?

Xia You quickly sniffed herself, trying to see if some ghost liquid had gotten all over her the night before without her noticing.

However, he had just made a move when he suddenly stopped, only then remembering that the tomboy in front of him was also a guy who was terrified of ghosts, so he was very sensitive to the aura of ghosts.

Her cowardice is no less than that of Xiaoyao and Yami!

Just as she was about to speak, Cai Zhong seemed to realize something and couldn't help but ask, "Did you come from the Hundred Generations Forest?"

"Huh?" Xiaoyao, who was standing to the side, was surprised to hear this. "We did come from that forest, but how did you know?"

"No wonder you have such a strong ghostly aura." Seeing that her guess was correct, Cai Zhong's face also showed an expression of knowing the answer. "If I'm not mistaken, you must have stayed at that mansion in the forest before, right?"

"You even know that!?" Xiaoyao was even more surprised, and nodded involuntarily, "We did stay there one night the night before last!"

Xiaoyao stopped there and said no more.

Actually, when they left the Forest Mansion, Xia You and the other two had agreed on their story.

Xia You had instructed Xiao Yao and Ya Mi to keep everything in the mansion, especially how Xia You turned those souls into ghosts and the matter concerning Hades, as a secret to be kept to themselves and never to be revealed.

Therefore, when asked, Xiaoyao simply told what she could.

"I knew it." Hearing Xiaoyao's answer, Caizhong breathed a sigh of relief. "Then you must have encountered the ghosts there and been attacked, right? You might not know this, but before you, many people had already seen the ghosts there, and without exception, they were all sucked by those ghosts..."

Halfway through the conversation, Cai Zhong suddenly realized something was wrong.

"Wait a minute!" She frowned again, surprised. "How come you're all alright!?"

"Why do you ask that?" Xia You asked with a smile. "Or rather, do you think there's something we should do?"

Cai Zhong exclaimed in surprise, "Everyone who entered that mansion had their vitality drained, and those who escaped from there would fall seriously ill, taking at least ten days to half a month to recover. How come you all seem... completely unharmed!?"

Xiaoyao and Yami both looked at Xia You at the same time, their meaning self-evident, naturally leaving the task of answering to him. Xia You then spoke up, "Ghosts? We didn't encounter any. Although that mansion looks very eerie, it's actually quite safe inside."

"What!?" Cai Zhong's eyes widened in disbelief. "You didn't encounter any ghosts? That's impossible! Just a few days ago, someone had a lot of their energy drained and is still resting in the hospital!"

"Really?" Xia You shrugged. "We don't know about that. Anyway, we stayed there for one night and didn't encounter anything."

Xiaoyao and Yami nodded at the same time, seemingly agreeing with Xia You's words.

Xia You's answer naturally left Cai Zhong in deep confusion.

She couldn't help but wonder if these people hadn't encountered the ghosts there.

But it just happened two days ago, how come it's suddenly gone?

Is it because there are too many of them that the ghosts have difficulty attacking?

That doesn't make sense!

Trainers had gone there in groups before, but whether it was two, three, or even four people, they would be attacked by the ghosts there every night. How come these people were suddenly safe and sound?

Could it be that someone destroyed those ghosts?

The vegetable seed is now completely baffling.

As the Gym Leader of Eternia City and a Grass-type Pokémon Trainer, Nagai often goes to Eternia Forest to catch and train Pokémon, so she is naturally very familiar with that Forest Mansion.

However, because she was terrified of ghosts, she never went inside. She just kept lingering outside the mansion. Even so, she knew how terrifying it was and was sure that there were ghosts inside!

So what now...?

Or... I could go there and take a look myself when I have time?

Having made up her mind, Cai Zhong stopped dwelling on the topic and didn't connect Xia You and the others with this matter, simply thinking that they were lucky.

"Alright, let's not talk about that for now." She said to Xia You, "Since you're here to challenge the gym, let's go to the battle arena now."

After saying that, she left the greenhouse first, leading Xia You and the other two through a corridor full of green plants to a huge battlefield.

As far as the eye can see, the area is about three or four stories high, and the rest of the place is very open. Only the battlefield is planted with large trees and shrubs, making it look like a small forest.

This makes one marvel at how Grass-type Gym truly lives up to its name!

Chapter 947 Vegetable Seeds: I think I've been a bit too overconfident.

Upon entering this battle arena filled with greenery, Caizhong immediately stood in the trainer command area on one side.

Opposite to her, Xia You also walked to the other side.

The two faced each other across the grass, bushes, and several large trees, their bodies enveloped in the shadows of the trees, as if they were in nature.

Seeing Xia You stand still, Cai Zhong looked up at the sunlight streaming through the transparent dome and couldn't help but laugh, "Looks like today is a good day for battle. Well then, let's get down to business!"

Hearing her words, Xia You also looked up at the ceiling and gazed at the huge sun outside the transparent dome.

Sunny days are always the weather that Grass-type Pokémon love the most.

Although he didn't have many Grass-type Pokémon, as the owner of Venusaur, he knew that sunlight would be an enhancement for some Grass-type Pokémon, and thus understood the hidden meaning in Cai Zhong's words.

It's just that the cooldown of moves is halved and their power is greatly increased under sunlight!

However, he didn't pay any attention to it.

After all, the stronger the enemy, the stronger we become; the more difficult the battle, the more interesting it is!

At this moment, a female staff member wearing large round-framed glasses, a purple tracksuit, and long pigtails walked to the referee area next to the battlefield.

She announced loudly, "I am Rongzi, and I will be the referee for this competition!"

After a pause, the woman named Rongzi continued, "Now we will begin the Gym Challenge between Challenger Xia You and Gym Leader Cai Zhong of Baidai Gym. Three Pokémon can be used in this battle. The match ends when all three Pokémon of either side are unable to battle. Also, only the challenger can change Pokémon during the battle!"

Such rules can be said to be the most basic and most normal universal rules.

Xia You could even guess what would be said after hearing just the first few words, to the point that she could recite it backwards.

But there's no way around it; it's a necessary procedure. For an experienced trainer like Xia You, it's something he's heard countless times, but for new trainers, it's a very important tip.

Just as Eiko announced the rules, Xiaoyao and Yami walked to the spectator stands and found a seat.

As soon as she sat down, looking at Yami, who was also a trainer beside her, Xiaoyao asked in confusion, "Miss Yami, now that you're here, don't you want to challenge the gym?"

Yami actually thought about it seriously!

"Alright, this is indeed a rare opportunity. I'll go up and give it a try after Mr. Xia You finishes his match."

Hearing her answer, Xiaoyao couldn't help but feel ashamed.

Why does it feel like I'm forcing her?

Having traveled for so long, I've never seen such a carefree trainer who isn't even enthusiastic about challenging gyms!

Is this still a trainer?!

On the field, seeing that both sides were ready, Rongzi raised her hands and gestured to both sides, "Then, the match begins now!"

Just as she finished speaking, Naga, the gym leader, took out a Poké Ball.

As she tossed the Poké Ball high into the air, the next second, a Pokémon that looked like two cherries joined together appeared on the battlefield.

This Pokémon is only 40 centimeters tall and has two plump, round red bodies, one large and one small. Each body has eyes and a mouth, and they are connected by a huge green leaf, making it look just like a bunch of real cherries.

May also took out her Pokédex at the right moment and scanned it at this Pokémon.

The upgraded Pokédex immediately provided feedback: "Ding, Sakura, a cherry-type Pokémon. According to scholars, this Pokémon's body gradually turns redder when exposed to sunlight. Although it is connected to another small fruit through its roots, this is actually just a place for Sakura to store nutrients. Almost all the nutrients it needs for evolution are stored in the small fruit, which is not only nutritious but also delicious, and is also the favorite of bird Pokémon. If the small fruit shrivels up, it means that Sakura is about to evolve."

Because they weren't far apart, the sound of the Pokédex naturally reached Xia You's ears as well.

To be honest, he didn't know much about this kind of Pokémon.

Although he often flipped through the Pokédex in his spare time to look up information about these Pokémon and do some preparatory work to enrich his knowledge, even so, perhaps because Sakura was too unpopular and few trainers used it, or perhaps because he would never catch it himself, he would always just skim through these Pokémon whenever he saw them.

This also meant that he lacked sufficient understanding of Sakura, unlike other Pokémon.

I've never even managed to tame it when I was playing games before.

But this is not a big deal.

After all, it's a Grass-type Pokémon, and the things that Grass-type Pokémon need to pay attention to are basically the same as those for Sakura. As long as you can perform normally, you'll be fine.

As for who should be sent out...

Before making a decision, Xia You also took one last look at the battlefield.

Despite the abundance of greenery, it's clear that the vegetable plantings have been arranged to create a symmetrical effect.

For example, on my side, there are four huge trees planted behind, with their branches and trunks connected. In the middle is a dense shrub, and in front is a wide open grassy area. Looking at the side where the vegetables are planted, the same arrangement is made. Even the types of shrubs and the planting positions of the green plants are almost exactly the same as on my side.