I caught a Pokémon

Their eyes met, and Xiao Mao gently raised his coffee cup, a wicked smile appearing on his lips—a smile often seen on domineering CEOs in idol dramas.

Xia You nodded slightly as a greeting.

He wasn't particularly close to Xiao Mao, so even if they bumped into each other here, there was no need for him to go up and talk to him.

His gaze continued to wander, and he saw Qinglun, Haixiong, and Yusheng, whom he had met on the new island.

The three were scattered among the crowd, but their memories had also been erased by Mewtwo, so they not only did not know each other, but they also did not remember Xia You.

Regaining his attention, Xia You and Xiao Chun chatted and ate until they were completely too full to eat anymore. Only then did he put down his knife and fork, lean back in his chair, and lazily stretch.

At that moment, a man's voice suddenly rang out from behind Xia You.

"I was just wondering if I would run into you here, and sure enough, I found you right away."

Xia You turned around and saw that the green hair and slightly burly body belonged to Xiao Ming, the Beast Tamer!

Looking at him, Xia You exclaimed, "So you also participated in the Alliance Conference..."

Xiao Ming smiled confidently: "Of course! Since I was defeated by you last time, I've accumulated another 100-win streak, and then I started traveling around, earning eight badges in the process!"

"A 100-game winning streak, that's impressive." Xia You nodded. "After all this time, your Sandshrew must have evolved and become even stronger by now, right?"

"Of course!" Xiaoming took out a Poké Ball, tossed it in his hand, and then glanced at Gardevoir next to Xia You. "Just like your Pokémon, it evolved into this form too, didn't it? Hmph, I really hope we can meet in the arena, so I can defeat you head-on!"

As a former rival, Xia You also highly recognized his strength.

"That's sure to be a great fight, and I'm really looking forward to facing you again!"

Xiao Ming waved his hand, turned around and was about to leave, but after taking a few steps, he turned back and revealed a piece of news.

"Oh, right, let me remind you, this tournament has produced several favorites to win, and the most eye-catching among them are Professor Oak's grandson and a top student from the Pokémon School!"

At this point, Xiao Ming paused, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Speaking of which, there is another contestant named Duo Wu, who is said to be from Jianggele Town. Although I have never seen him fight, he always boasts about how powerful he is. Although there is some exaggeration involved, in any case, if we encounter these people in the future, we should be careful!"

"OK!" Xia You understood. "Thank you for the information. I'll keep that in mind."

……

The following day, the Pokémon League held a torch relay event.

A dozen or so participants took turns passing the torch every few hundred meters until it reached the Quartz Stadium.

Xia You did not participate, but stood in the crowd, carefully experiencing the atmosphere.

During the event, he also met Xiaozhi, Xiaoxia, and Xiaogang, who had changed into sportswear and were also participating in the torch relay.

During the relay, their every move was broadcast live, allowing them to showcase their talents to millions of viewers in advance.

However, wherever they are, the Rockets will naturally be there too.

As expected, Kojiro, Jessie, and Meowth tried to snatch the torch, causing a commotion. Fortunately, the torch was delivered safely to the Pokémon League Chairman, Damaranchi, without incident.

Judging from his appearance, Chairman Dama Lanqi is a short, hairy old man. Even in this kind of occasion, he wears his baseball cap backwards and dresses very casually, clearly not the kind of rigid old man who likes rules.

In fact, Chairman Damaranchi is a humorous and witty person. He is the chairman of the League Executive Committee that manages the sacred flame, and also serves as the person in charge of the Pokémon League Conference. He has a high reputation in the industry.

It was only then that Xia You learned from the people that the flames inside the torch were actually ignited by the flames of the firebird!

Moltres...

He touched his chin.

He has now captured two of the three dwarf birds, leaving only Moltres uncaptured.

Once he collects all three silly birds, he can ride this one first, then the other one, and switch between them!

Chapter 133 Opening

In the evening, Xia You packed some food and invited Xiao Zhi and the other two to her small building for a small meal.

However, perhaps because Ash was nervous due to the upcoming tournament, or perhaps because Chloe was a little reserved since it was only the second time she had met the others, the gathering was inevitably dull. Fortunately, Gastly and Yamper kept the atmosphere lively, preventing it from becoming too awkward.

During the conversation, Xia You could clearly sense Xiao Zhi's anxiety about the upcoming match.

Xiao Zhi, who had no appetite, could only feel envy as he watched Xia You chatting and laughing freely.

Sigh, I really want to be like him...

Late at night, Xiao Zhi returned to his dormitory, but lying in bed, he tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep.

Looking out the window at the starry sky, he put on his clothes and, without disturbing Pikachu, walked out of the room alone.

Compared to the hustle and bustle of the daytime, the sports village was deserted at this time. Only the dormitories were still brightly lit, and the faint sounds of laughter could be heard.

"It's so late, aren't you resting yet?"

Xiao Zhi was wandering aimlessly when he suddenly heard Xia You's voice.

He looked up at the roof and saw Xia You and his Gardevoir sitting there, seemingly... enjoying the moonlight.

The silvery moonlight shone on them, creating a hazy and mysterious atmosphere.

Xiao Zhi nodded: "Yeah, I'm having trouble sleeping. You're not sleeping either, are you?"

As he spoke, he noticed that Xia You was still holding her phone. The screen was lit up, displaying a chat window, and he didn't know who she was chatting with.

Xia You turned off her phone, stood up, and, with Gardevoir's psychic power, slowly floated to the ground.

"Of course, this is the first time I've experienced such an important day. My heart is pounding, how could I possibly sleep? It's just that I'm not as obvious as you are."

Hearing him say that, Ash sighed, "Yeah, all I can think about right now is Pokémon battles. I can't wait to have a match with someone!"

Please, you're not nervous, you're just bursting with energy and have nowhere to release it...

After a moment of silence, Xia You suddenly suggested, "Shall we go check out the venue for tomorrow?"

Xiao Zhi paused for a moment before realizing that the venue Xia You mentioned was the Quartz Stadium.

"Huh?" he asked, puzzled. "Now? Can we go in?"

"Who knows?" Xia You shrugged. "Anyway, I have nothing else to do, so I might as well go and take a look. Maybe seeing the venue in advance will ease some of my tension."

"That's true."

Ash is the kind of person who acts on his word. Once he made the decision, the two of them walked towards the Quartz Stadium.

The Quartz Stadium is located not far from the athletes' village; they arrived there after walking for about ten minutes.

As a large open-air stadium, it was not closed off, and the two entered the stadium through the passageway without any obstruction.

Perhaps due to limitations in urban development, the Quartz Stadium is slightly inferior to other venues, but its capacity of 50,000 people and the massive central screen ensure that the enthusiasm here is second to none.

Xia You and Xiao Zhi stood side by side in the audience seats, looking down at the field below.

Ash murmured, "Is this the arena where we're about to battle?"

Xia You couldn't help but sigh, "That's right, are you ready? Starting tomorrow, this place will be full of spectators, and all our hard work and sweat will be on full display in front of them."

Xiao Zhi clenched his fists, his body trembled, his tension subsided slightly, and he became unusually excited.

"I understand!" he said firmly. "From now on, I will use my methods to fight to the very end!"

Thinking of his achievements, Xia You sighed softly: "Keep it up, young man. If you win, you will gain honor and fame, but if you lose, you can only leave in disgrace. The audience is very forgetful. No one will remember the losers. Only the strong will be respected and appreciated!"

As she spoke, Xia You's gaze swept across the room, and unintentionally, she even caught sight of President Dama Lanqi!

At this moment, for some unknown reason, he also appeared on the sports field, standing on a high platform in the distance, silently watching Xia You and Xiao Zhi.

Dama Lanqi originally intended to leave quietly, but seeing that she had been discovered, she had a sudden thought and slowly walked over.

He said half-jokingly, "It's really rare. At this time, almost all the athletes are resting in the athletes' village. Only the two of you are willing to come here to check out the site."

"President Dama Lanqi, hello." Xia You greeted her politely, then smiled and said, "Actually, we also wanted to rest and recuperate properly to prepare for the battle, but we were just too nervous, so we thought we'd come here first to get a feel for the atmosphere."

“Young man,” Dama Lanqi nodded in satisfaction, “It’s good that you have the will. Remember, sometimes a serious attitude determines everything! It also determines how far you can go on this path!”

……

At eight o'clock in the morning, amidst the continuous sound of firecrackers, a giant Poké Ball suddenly opened up, and dozens of Pidgeys emerged from it, hovering over the entire Indigo Stadium.

The stands were packed with people who had come from all directions, cheering and applauding. The cheers and applause could be heard clearly even several kilometers away.

Hundreds of cameras, covering every angle and without blind spots, broadcast the grand occasion here to all parts of the world.

After the initial enthusiasm subsided, a male host's voice was amplified and broadcast to the audience.

"Alright, the highly anticipated Pokémon League opening ceremony has finally begun today! Excellent Pokémon Trainers and their Pokémon will continue to fight here over the next few days. For the winners, what they gain is not only honor, but also a test they must overcome before becoming Pokémon Masters!"

In the arena, several beautiful young girls entered first, holding up signs, followed by groups of trainers!

Xia You and Xiao Zhi were also in the team.

The audience erupted in deafening cheers upon seeing the contestants.

Having laid the groundwork, the person in charge changed the subject.

"Now, all the trainers are entering!" He read from a prepared document, his voice filled with passion. "Each of them is a master with eight or more badges, and none of them should be underestimated!! But who will emerge victorious!?"

As the athletes reached the center of the field and stood facing the podium, the last female torchbearer ran up the long steps and lit the main torch on the cauldron!

When Chairman Dama Lanqi took the stage and gave a witty and brief speech, the Quartz Conference officially began!

Chapter 134 Grass Field and Opponent

After the opening ceremony, the opponent selection process began.

Xia You and Xiao Zhi left the arena and met up with Xiao Chun, Xiao Xia, and others, then went to the nearby draw venue.

Inside the venue, five workstations were set up, and several smiling, youthful and attractive staff members were greeting the trainers who came in from time to time.

This stage is extremely important. If the weaker players are lucky, they can even fight against even weaker opponents all the way through, thus advancing easily.

Upon seeing Xia You and her group, one of the staff members said, "Good morning, please show us your trainer registration cards."

However, before Xia You could make a move, she felt a figure flash past her. Xiao Gang had already darted to the side of the staff member in one step.

"Ah, beautiful lady, your sweet smile has been etched in my heart. When do you get off work? Would you like to have lunch together?"

"here we go again!"

Xiaoxia sighed and pushed Xiaogang away, utterly speechless. Xiaochun chuckled at the sight. It was the first time she had ever seen someone so mature beyond his years, yet so reckless. Considering Xiaogang's previous identity as the owner of the gym, this contrast was truly eye-opening for her.

Did he often harass female trainers who came to challenge him when he was a gym leader?

She handed the Pokédex to the staff member, who quickly found Xia You and Xiao Zhi's information on the computer.

Ash couldn't wait to ask, "Um, may I ask who my opponent is?"

"Ash, don't be in such a hurry." Brock broke free from Misty and leaned against the workbench like the wind. "Before the battle, we need to decide on the battle venue first, and then we can choose an opponent to battle against."

After saying that, he turned to the staff and said in a nonchalant tone, "So, am I right or wrong?"

"No...that's right." Faced with such a fiery Xiao Gang, the staff member subconsciously took a step back. "During the preliminary rounds, there are four types of battlegrounds: rock, grass, water, and ice. Only after winning the battles on these four grounds can you move to the main venue for the match starting from the fifth round."

Xia You took out the booklet that was given to her when she entered the sports village, flipped through a few pages, and said to Xiao Zhi, "Actually, all these things are recorded in this guide. If you flip through it a little, you will know a lot of things."

"Well..." Ash scratched his head awkwardly, "I've never even opened this booklet. I don't know where I threw it away a long time ago."

At this moment, the staff pointed to a button on the table and said to them, "Now, please press this switch. When the screen finally stops there, that will be your first round of competition."

Xiao Zhi was rather impatient and was the first to press the button.

Four field images appeared on the electronic screen above them. After the aperture rotated more than a dozen times, it finally stopped on the water field.

As the staff member entered information into the computer, the screen changed, directly displaying his opponent: a man with long dark green hair, dressed in a slightly frivolous manner.

Looking at him, Ash murmured, "Is this person my first opponent?"

The staff member smiled and said, "Congratulations on choosing the water venue and being scheduled for the third match. The start time is 2:00 PM, so please be on time."

Next up is Xia You.

Xia You took a light breath and pressed the button.

drop by drop...

The aperture circled more than ten times before slowly coming to rest on a grassy field.

At the same time, a blue-haired man wearing sunglasses appeared on the screen.

Xia You had never seen this person before, but Xiao Zhi and the others beside her exclaimed in surprise.

Xia You turned around and asked, "What, do you know him?"