I caught a Pokémon

However, she didn't know that Xia You had already explained the knowledge of these three Pokémon to Xiaoyao, Xiaozhi, and Xiaoguang in front of them. So Xiaoyao had already heard of these three Pokémon, but she had never seen their pictures and didn't have much of an impression of them.

However, it's understandable that Yami went to such lengths, since she meant well.

Before Xia You and Xiao Yao could say anything, Jie Zilan glanced at Ya Mi first.

"You can recognize them directly from these blurry images. You know a lot, little girl."

Yami smiled kindly at her: "I usually enjoy reading books and stories, so I recognized them at a glance."

"You're not from another region, are you?"

“No.” Yami shook her head. “I’m a Sinnoh native.”

"No wonder," Jie Zilan said with a smile. "Then can you tell me what they all represent?"

Yami thought for a moment: "I remember... Uxie represents wisdom, Emrido represents emotion, and Azelf represents will."

Mustard Orchid nodded in satisfaction.

"That's right. According to the inscription on the stone tablet, after creating and shaping the mythical Pokémon of the material world, Arceus, the creator god, created the legendary Pokémon of the lake that shaped the spiritual world. They hatched from an egg and once flew around, giving humans the 'wisdom' that enriches life, the 'emotions' of sadness and joy, and the 'willpower' to do things well. Now they have been sleeping at the bottom of the lake, maintaining the balance of the world."

Looking at the stone slab again, she sighed, "In legends, the god of knowledge, Yukshi, has the ability to erase the memories of those who meet his gaze; the god of emotion, Memrid, has the ability to erase all emotions of any creature that comes into contact with him; and the god of will, Azelum, has the ability to render any creature that harms him immobile."

"What does that golden sun in the middle mean?" Xiaoyao asked.

"According to our research, this golden sun should represent a vajra jewel or a white jade jewel."

"The Vajra Jewel?" Xiaoyao was taken aback, then looked at Xia You. "Is it the one we saw at the Hundred Generations Museum before?"

As soon as Xiaoyao opened her mouth, Xia You knew she was in trouble.

After all, before this, Zhulan didn't know that they had also been to that museum. Now that Xiaoyao has told Jiezilan about it, although the chances are slim, there is still a possibility that Zhulan will find out about it in the future!

However, Xiaoyao was unaware of these intricacies, so she couldn't be blamed. Xia You quickly tried to smooth things over after hearing those words.

"Yes, it's the one we saw in the museum before, but that was a long time ago, right?"

As he spoke, he stared into Xiaoyao's eyes. Although he didn't give her any meaningful look, Xiaoyao understood what he meant through their long-standing tacit understanding.

The moment their eyes met, Xiaoyao sensed something in their gazes. She was initially surprised, but though she didn't understand, she immediately shut her mouth.

Not only her, but given the state of the two of them, Yami showed no intention of continuing the conversation.

With Jie Zilan's experience and age, how could she not see through the three people's little tricks?

Although she didn't know what they were up to, she didn't care since it was none of her business. She simply said, "It's that kind of thing. The Vajra Pearl is in the Baidai Museum, and the other white jade pearl was just unearthed by me yesterday. It's right here!"

Is the white jade pearl right here?

Was it just unearthed?

This was information that Xia You hadn't known before.

"This..." He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Then please be careful. I heard... oh... I just heard... that the Baidai Museum was recently robbed, and the robbers' target was the Vajra Pearl. Since there's also a White Jade Pearl stored here, they might very well..."

Although Xia You didn't finish speaking, Jie Zilan already understood his meaning.

"Don't worry." Dr. Mustard Seed didn't seem too concerned. "I've heard about what happened there, but I have my own way of protecting the pearl, and it's sure to be foolproof."

What methods are there...?

It's obvious that all they'll do is call the police and bring Zhu Lan back.

and many more!

If Zhulan comes back... then I...

It seems we need to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible...

As for whether it's truly foolproof, let Zhulan figure that out herself.

Having finished the tour and the conversation, it was time for Xia You to take her leave.

Before leaving, he glanced back at the pattern on the stone wall, unable to bear seeing the old man studying in the wrong direction. He couldn't help but say to Mustard Orchid, "...I don't know if you've noticed, but geographically speaking, Lake of Ambition, Lake of Heart, and Lake of Wisdom, which are the three legendary Pokémon of the lakes, can form an equilateral triangle, just like in the pattern. And the center of the triangle, that is, the sun, according to its position, should... not refer to the two jewels, but actually to Mt. Crown."

Mustard's eyes widened instantly.

"Wh...what?"

……

After giving Jie Zilan a direction she had never considered before, Xia You left.

Once they reached the street, he finally had the chance to tell Xiaoyao and Yami that Mustard Orchid was Grandma Zhulan, which greatly surprised the two girls.

"I was wondering why that doctor looked so different; turns out he was the champion's grandmother!" Xiaoyao exclaimed in surprise.

"This is the first time I've heard about this," Yami exclaimed. "I never imagined Zhulan had such a grandmother. She looks so stylish; she must have been a great beauty when she was young!"

"That's not what I'm concerned about," Xia You sighed. "Do you remember why I stopped you just now?"

Xiao Yao laughed and said, "I didn't understand before, but I know now. It's because you tricked Miss Zhu Lan so many times, so you're afraid people will follow the clues and find you, right?"

"What do you mean by 'pitfall'?" Xia You coughed lightly. "Watch your words. It means the wrong person appeared at the right time! That's what we'll say to everyone from now on, understand?"

"Yes, yes... I understand."

Leaving aside Xia You and the others setting off again and leaving Shenhe Town, our attention turns to Xiao Zhi, Xiao Guang, and Xiao Gang on the other side.

After parting ways with Xia You in Baiyang Town, the three of them continued on their way. However, since they already knew that Xia You's destination was Jiayuan City, they wanted to bypass it and go to other places first to avoid the two groups traveling together.

However, while crossing Tianguan Mountain, they encountered various unexpected events, and as a result, when they finally left the mountain, they ended up in Jiayuan City by a twist of fate.

This left all three of them feeling somewhat helpless.

Originally, they thought that since they were already here, they might as well make the best of a bad situation. However, when Xiao Guang contacted Xiao Yao to ask where she was, he was surprised to learn that Xia You and the others had actually gone to Shenhe Town.

But this is good, as it avoids a collision between them.

Leaving aside how Ash challenged the gym and the series of events that happened in Eden City, let's just say that after they accompanied Dawn to the Eden City Tournament, they encountered an unexpected woman outside the venue.

It is bamboo orchid!

After leaving Ashford Town, Cynthia originally intended to try her luck in Black Gold City, but she had already gone halfway there when she happened to meet a trainer on his way. From the trainer, she learned that Black Gold City had just held a Grand Festival a few days ago, and she immediately realized that she had chosen the wrong target.

With no other option, she had to change direction and head back to Jiayuan City.

As expected of the champion, she traveled non-stop, quickly crossing Tianguan Mountain. Despite her best efforts, she managed to make it to the start of the Family Relationship Conference.

On that day, he was so out of breath that he watched the entire event with great anticipation, only to be surprised to find that none of the contestants matched the masked man!

Although several qualified male contestants took the stage, none of them gave her that 'déjà vu' feeling!

This caused her mood to plummet instantly.

How could it not be?

Did I guess wrong?

Or did that person go somewhere else?

In an instant, Zhu Lan felt somewhat disheartened.

She's been struggling for this man for far too long, traveling to countless places, but hasn't even caught a glimpse of him. In fact, she's even neglected her own important matters...

Was it really worth it to do this?

With a long sigh, Cynthia left the venue somewhat dejectedly, and after only a few steps, she happened to see Ash and his friends.

Zhu Lan was naturally familiar with the two boys and girls, as well as Xiao Gang, who looked like a real man standing next to them.

After all, she had dealt with them before, and even had a six-on-six battle with Shinji, who came to challenge her, in front of Ash and his friends!

Therefore, they were acquaintances, so when I saw them, I naturally went up to greet them.

"Ash, Dawn, and... we meet again."

Seeing that Zhu Lan remembered Xiao Zhi and Xiao Guang, but forgot his own name, Xiao Gang's heart broke. Tears streamed down his face as he said, "Miss Zhu Lan, have you forgotten me? My name is Xiao Gang! I am your most loyal supporter!"

Although she felt it was somewhat disrespectful, Zhu Lan still found it difficult to focus her gaze on this man.

Fortunately, at that moment, Xiao Zhi smiled at her and said, "Miss Zhulan, it's been a long time! What are you doing here?"

"There are some things that need to be taken care of."

Zhu Lan was too embarrassed to say that she was looking for someone, so she just made up an excuse. But when she said that, she turned her gaze to Xiao Guang.

Because of the special rules of the Family Tournament, which require the use of two Pokémon simultaneously for a dual-Pokémon performance, Dawn had never had any experience with this before. Although she was a little unaccustomed to it, she still performed very well at the tournament.

Unfortunately, her opponent this time was far too strong...

Xiaowang, Shangzhi, and Musashi, who went by the alias Sweet Musashi Lina, all performed exceptionally well and ultimately managed to push Xiaoguang out of the competition!

That's right, Xiaoguang didn't pass the first round of performance review...

She had previously managed to qualify for the Poplar Tournament in 8th place, but in this tournament where Musashi was also participating, she was replaced by Musashi…

This was undoubtedly a huge blow to Xiao Guang.

But clearly, Zhu Lan wasn't the kind of person who judged success or failure based on results. She smiled and praised, "I watched your performance, and it was really wonderful. It's just that the other contestants also performed exceptionally well today, which overshadowed you."

After a short period of challenges, Xiao Guang had actually recovered. Now, hearing what Zhu Lan said, he simply shook his head.

"You can't say that. Being eliminated just means I didn't perform well enough, but it's okay, I'll keep working hard!"

Xiao Guang's attitude impressed Zhu Lan. After thinking that this young girl would definitely not be an ordinary person in the future, she suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, did you see any special people backstage?"

"A special person?" Xiao Guang was taken aback. "You mean...?"

Zhu Lan described Xia You's figure.

After hearing her description, Xiao Guang frowned and pondered for a while before shaking his head.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying particular attention, so..."

"It's alright." Zhu Lan sighed. "I've given up hope now."

Hearing her say that, Xiao Zhi was really curious and couldn't help but ask, "Miss Zhu Lan, who exactly is the person you're looking for?"

Since it wasn't a secret that needed to be hidden, Cynthia told them about the man—the one wearing the Gengar mask.

What she didn't expect was that Xiao Zhi would react so strongly after hearing what she said!

"What?! It's him!!" Ash clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "I'm going to find him too! When I see him again, I promise I won't let him get away again!"

Zhu Lan was startled and quickly asked, "Have you met him?"

"That's right!"

Xiao Zhi also told Zhu Lan about what happened at the top of the Tower of Time. It was at this moment that Zhu Lan realized that these people in front of her had actually had such close contact with the masked man!

"Have you discovered any further clues? Or, when you attended the Poplar Conference, did you encounter anyone similar?"

Dawn, Ash, and Brock exchanged glances, then asked in confusion, "Cynthia, why are you so sure that person is a Coordinator?"

This was the only hope at the moment, so Zhu Lan naturally stopped hiding anything and told everyone about her journey to the Tower of Time and Space, her encounter with Alice, and the analysis Alice had given her.

"So it was Miss Alice who told you..." Xiao Guang nodded. "Although it makes a lot of sense, we can't be sure that the masked man is a Coordinator based on these clues alone, can we?"

“Yeah, right.” Ash nodded. “They could also be spectators.”

At this point, he suddenly remembered something and couldn't help but smile at Xiao Guang and Xiao Gang, "But speaking of which, what a coincidence! The place where this masked man appeared is exactly the same route that Brother Xia You took!"

Xia Youge?

Upon hearing this name, Zhu Lan's heart skipped a beat!

"Who is this Xia You you're talking about...?"

Even though he was talking about someone else, Ash still instinctively puffed out his chest: "Xia You is the most amazing trainer I've ever seen! Not only is he incredibly smart, but he's also incredibly strong with Pokémon. He even won the championships of three regions: the Indigo League, the Silver League, and the Rainbow League!"

If Xia You were here, hearing Xiao Zhi so enthusiastically praising him, he would definitely be 'moved to tears'. Unfortunately, he is not here now, and Xiao Zhi has thus been 'saved'.

When Zhu Lan heard that someone had achieved so many successes at the same time, her first reaction was disbelief.

Three regional champions!?

That must be incredibly powerful!

I've never met anyone like this before.

It was clear that Xiaozhi wasn't the type to exaggerate; she fell silent again, a hint of anticipation creeping into her heart.

That's right, only someone with so many honors would have the ability to capture and command Rayquaza in battle!

Thinking of this, she almost blurted out, "Then... could that person wearing the Gengar mask be him?"

Zhu Lan herself probably didn't realize that her voice was already trembling slightly.