I caught a Pokémon

If only one place hosts the grand event, it could be a coincidence, but if two places host it one after the other, then it definitely isn't!

It can't be such a coincidence!

"You mean... he's a Trainer!?"

“Who knows?” Alice shook her head with a smile. “But I think even if he’s not a trainer, he’s probably an enthusiast who watches matches.”

“You’re right!” Zhu Lan nodded. “That’s very likely!”

At this point, she was already thinking about where the nearest town to host the grand gathering was.

Is it Black Gold City? Or the other side of Tianguan Mountain?

It's a choice between two options...

This is such a difficult decision. What if I guess wrong...?

Zhu Lan was a little undecided, but no matter what, if she could get to the next city first, she might be able to catch that man there in advance!

As soon as she thought about it, Zhu Lan was already quite impatient.

Without hesitation, she said goodbye to Alice and hurried towards the stairs.

She had only taken a few steps when she stopped and turned to look at Alice.

"By the way, are you the trainer of that Darkrai?"

“Darkrai?” Alice was taken aback, wondering why Cynthia suddenly brought this up. She shook her head. “No, that Darkrai wasn’t captured by anyone.”

From Alice's expression, Zhulan didn't sense that she was lying.

In that case...

It seems that the Darkrai flying here was just a coincidence.

But... why haven't we seen any trace of it yet?

"Did you see Darkrai fly here just now?"

“Sorry, I didn’t see it.” Alice’s expression remained unchanged as she smiled. “I just came up, but… Darkrai is now the guardian of our Ash Town, so it’s not surprising that it’s there.”

“I see.” Zhu Lan couldn’t help but laugh. “It seems I was overthinking it. I must say, with a Darkrai like this protecting us, this city will be safe and sound from now on.”

Meanwhile, in her heart, Zhu Lan added: Of course, troubles won't stop either...

She nodded to Alice again in understanding, then strode down the stairs with great efficiency.

As Alice watched her retreating figure, the smile on her face slowly faded.

Actually, she had already guessed who the masked man Zhu Lan was talking about was.

Baidai City, Grand Contest...

A tall man with dark hair...

He won't be too old...

To be able to interact with bamboo orchids and then emerge unscathed...

By connecting this information with the topics I overheard Xia You and his group discussing during meals the day before yesterday, yesterday, and today, it's not difficult to guess that the man wearing the Gengar mask is Mr. Xia You.

After all, whether it was Ash, Dawn, May, or Brock, they all admired Xia You so much. Even though Xia You had never shown his strength in front of her, Alice didn't believe that he was an ordinary person.

Including yesterday's battle, he was nowhere to be seen...

She's now 99% certain it's Xia You!

Even though she guessed it, she still didn't tell Zhu Lan the truth.

after all……

Orchid didn't protect this town from Palukia and Dialga.

Of course, I didn't actually lie to her.

After all, Mr. Xia You is indeed related to the Grand Gathering...

After all, Haruka is a contestant in the Grand Tournament, and as her partner, how could we say it's not a problem?

As for whether Zhu Lan will be able to find Mr. Xia You through these clues...

Then it's up to fate for Mr. Xia You and Ms. Zhu Lan.

One is the Sinnoh Champion, and the other is a trainer with such a powerful Pokémon.

I wonder how things will develop between them, and what kind of sparks will fly between them.

That's actually quite interesting!

……

After parting ways with Xiaozhi and the others and leaving Baiyang Town, Xia You and his companions headed east towards Tianguan Mountain, quickly leaving the area of ​​Baiyang Town.

It was already afternoon, and there wasn't much daylight left. In order to find a suitable campsite before dark, they had no choice but to quicken their pace.

Following the river, in just over half an hour, they left the plateau and entered the mountains again.

This place is already at the foot of Tianguan Mountain!

It was during their journey that Xia You briefly recounted yesterday's battle and how he had captured Darkrai to Yao and Yami.

This surprised the two women, but they couldn't help but feel happy for Xia You.

"Xia You-ge, you didn't see Xiao Zhi's expression yesterday..." Xiao Yao covered her mouth and laughed, "He kept saying he wanted to battle you, but you ignored him and left. His expression at that time was really interesting. Even after going downstairs, he said that when he saw you next time, he would show you how good he was!"

Hearing her say that, even though Xia You hadn't seen it, she could imagine what it was like at the time, and couldn't help but chuckle to herself.

"That kid Ash thinks that as long as he asks, it's only natural for others to battle him. I'm just showing him how cruel the world is."

Yami couldn't help but laugh and said, "It seems you really went to great lengths for that child. But speaking of which, Mr. Xia You, your outfit back then was really cool, especially when you rode Rayquaza away at the end, you were very handsome."

Finally, someone understands my taste!

Yami, you're a really great woman!

Xia You was in a great mood. She looked at Ya Mi and waved her hand, saying, "We're already companions now, so let's not keep calling each other 'Mr. Xia You' anymore. It's too formal. Just call me by my name from now on."

At that very moment, his phone rang.

This also puzzled Xia You.

Who could be contacting me?

Thinking this, he took out his phone and looked at it, only to find that it was a video call from Professor Sakuragi!

Ok?

Curious as to why Professor Sakuragi would contact him at this time, he pressed the answer button.

As soon as the screen flashed, Dr. Sakuragi appeared in the video.

Upon seeing Xia You, he didn't stand on ceremony and went straight to the point.

"Xia You, do you remember what I told you before, about handing over all the documents you mailed to Dr. Mulan?"

"Of course I remember," Xia You nodded. "Didn't we just talk about this a few days ago? What's wrong?"

Clearing his throat, Dr. Sakuragi said, "Dr. Mulan just received those materials and wanted to express her gratitude for your sharing. However, knowing that you are not in this circle and that there is an age gap, she entrusted her granddaughter, Miss Sonia, to convey the message on her behalf."

At this point, Dr. Sakuragi leaned closer to the screen and whispered, "Actually, I turned her down for you. After all, she's a very strict woman, and most people can't stand her. I was afraid you wouldn't be able to have a good conversation, so I said you couldn't answer the phone. But she still sent her granddaughter, saying, 'If you accept such a gift, you have to thank her in person no matter what.' I couldn't refuse, so I had to contact you."

Oh, I see...

"It's okay." Xia You shook her head. "Actually, I'm quite good at dealing with elders. No matter what they say, I just need to nod and agree."

"So you have this kind of way of dealing with things." Dr. Sakuragi couldn't help but smile. "Then I'm relieved. By the way, Miss Sonia is still waiting over there. I'll connect you two now. Oh, and Miss Sonia seems to be about your age, maybe four or five years older. Although she's Dr. Mulan's granddaughter, she's also her assistant and a researcher. You're both young, so you should have a good chat."

"Understood." Xia You nodded with a smile. "Don't you know me? I'm absolutely reliable and won't embarrass the Sakuragi Research Institute!"

In truth, no matter what achievements Xia You has made outside, they are all obtained as a trainer. However, in the academic world, as a special investigator of the Sakuragi Research Institute, he has long been marked with the mark of the Sakuragi Research Institute. Therefore, in the eyes of his colleagues, Xia You is a member of the Sakuragi Research Institute!

Therefore, Xia You's performance, whether good or bad, will directly affect the reputation and image of the Sakuragi Research Institute.

But when Dr. Sakuragi opened the phone, it wasn't to remind Xia You what to do; he was just informing him of this matter.

"Of course I know your personality, and this is just a small matter after all. I believe you will handle it well. Okay, I'm going to start connecting you now."

Just as Dr. Sakuragi finished speaking, his avatar disappeared, but the call was not interrupted. A few seconds later, as the screen flashed again, another unfamiliar young woman appeared in the video.

This woman is not only young, but also very beautiful.

She appeared to be in her early twenties, with long, shiny orange hair styled into a single ponytail and swept to the left. She had delicate features and wore light makeup, especially her bright emerald green eyes, which were truly beautiful!

Looking further down, although she was wearing a white research coat on the outside, she wore a green deer-neck short-sleeved shirt with a V-neck underneath, which made her look both composed as a researcher and full of youthful vitality!

Just as Xia You was sizing up this woman, the woman on the other end was also sizing up Xia You.

She probably didn't know that Xia You was a young and handsome man of the same age, so when the video call connected, she was stunned for a moment before she came to her senses.

"Hello." A smile appeared on her face, and she said in a light voice, "I'm Sonia, Dr. Mulan's assistant. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Chapter 992 Have you ever seen an enemy fall from the sky?

"Hello, I'm Xia You."

Xia You greeted Sonia as well. Just then, Xiao Yao and Ya Mi, who were curious, couldn't help but peek into the video after hearing the woman's voice.

Because of the time difference, it was still daytime for Xia You and the others, but it was already night outside the window behind Sonia, and if you listened carefully... it seemed to be raining.

On such a dark night, under the indoor lights, one's gaze is focused on Sonia, and one can notice even more of this woman's striking beauty.

Upon seeing her, Xiaoyao couldn't help but exclaim in her heart: What a beautiful older sister...

After her initial reflection, she couldn't help but glance at Xia You again.

It's worth noting that Xia Youge is never short of beautiful women, which proves that he has a strong attraction to women.

Now, with another such beautiful woman appearing, she's really starting to worry...

The appearance of the two women naturally caught Sonia's attention.

Seeing that Xia You was in the wild, and that they were all carrying luggage and not wearing white research coats, looking travel-worn, they couldn't help but ask, "Hey? Are you outdoors?"

“That’s right.” Xia You casually explained, “Actually, besides being a special investigator at the Sakuragi Research Institute, my main job is as a trainer, and I’m currently traveling around with my companions.”

“Trainers…” A hint of nostalgia flashed in Sonia’s eyes, “I really envy you guys, you can travel everywhere and experience different things, unlike me… I can only sit in the research institute all the time, I’m almost suffocating.”

However, after saying that, she glanced to the side somewhat guiltily, seemingly realizing that she had gotten a little carried away and said something she shouldn't have, and was also afraid that someone might have overheard her voice...

And it's easy to guess that the person who could frighten her so much must be her strict grandmother—Dr. Mulan.

It seems that Dr. Mulan's strictness has left Sonia both worried and helpless.

Thinking of this, Xia You asked with some surprise, "Can't researchers also go around and wander around? They don't have to sit in the research institute all the time."

“That’s different.” Sonia sighed. “That’s just work, and only short, brief trips away from home. How can that compare to the freedom a trainer has?”

Although we've only just met, you can tell from her tone that Sonia is clearly a very talkative person.

But precisely because they had only just met, and Xia You didn't know this woman very well yet, and since they each represented their respective research institutes, this video call was rather formal, so Xia You couldn't just casually continue the conversation. She could only touch on the surface and leave it at that.

Fortunately, Sonia knew this too, and didn't talk about anything else.

With a serious expression, Sonia formally thanked Xia You.

Xia You naturally returned the courtesy.

Finally, as Sonia waved goodbye to Xia You, she smiled and said, "Well, if you ever have the chance to come to Galar, remember to come find me! I'll show you around and give you a good look at the scenery here!"

Knowing she was just being polite, Xia You didn't take it seriously. She simply smiled and nodded in agreement.

"No problem, see you then."

After finishing her call with Sonia, Xia You chatted with Dr. Sakuragi for a few more minutes before hanging up.

Although this can be considered a form of social obligation, thankfully, this matter should be completely over.

While Xia You was on the phone, they naturally stopped and took a short rest. Now that the rest was over, they picked up their backpacks and set off again.

As the three of them strolled along the mountain road, they chatted and enjoyed the scenery. Before they knew it, when they looked back, Baiyang Town had vanished from sight.

They have come a long way.

As the sun began to set, estimating it to be around four or five o'clock, they found a flat spot nearby and began setting up camp.

Just as Xiaoyao was carrying a bucket, intending to fetch some water from a nearby source, she happened to see a strange vehicle rumbling past on the hard dirt road at the foot of the mountain.