I caught a Pokémon

Chapter 1012 Is she his fan?

When it was time for dinner, after checking travel guides about the lakeside resort, Xiaoyao, Yami, and Xiaozhi went to a high-end restaurant called 'Seven Star Restaurant'.

It is said that it is the only seven-star hotel in Sinnoh and the most upscale hotel in Sinnoh, hence the name.

Its unique feature is that before entering the restaurant for a meal, you need to have a doubles match with the restaurant owner, who is the restaurant's favorite opponent, and his fiancée. Only after winning the match can you be invited into the restaurant for a meal.

Only those who win can enter the hotel, and it's a seven-star hotel—the hype is truly off the charts.

As a result, every trainer who comes here, after hearing about this, goes together to take on the challenge.

However, looking at the full moon, Xia You suddenly lost her appetite for some reason, so she didn't join in the fun. Instead, she took her Umbreon and wandered around Lake Lizhi by herself.

Most importantly, he was afraid that if he went there, even if he used the weakest Pokémon he had, he would just drive the engaged couple crazy!

Strolling along the lake, for some reason, under the moonlight, he suddenly thought of Naz and Lijia.

It is said that one misses their loved ones even more during festivals. Even though it is not a festival now, the lively atmosphere around him still makes him think of them.

In this world, Naz and Lika are undoubtedly his family and lovers, and the more lively he is around, the lonelier he often feels inside, and he longs to reunite with them.

He was particularly moved when a low, sorrowful melody drifted from somewhere.

I long to go back to them...

Unfortunately, he also knew that now was not the time.

But it won't be long. Once he has a few more regions, he can live a peaceful and prosperous life, forever.

Feeling somewhat melancholy, he walked along the lake for a while, until he reached the edge of the resort. He then stopped and stood by the lake, silently staring at the calm water.

At his feet, Umbreon looked up at the moon, then quietly sat down beside its trainer.

Even if it remains still for a long time, even if the lake breeze is cold, it will always stay by your side.

People would occasionally walk past them, and seeing the person and their Pokémon just standing there, they couldn't help but cast curious glances.

Some sensitive girls have even imagined many tragic stories.

What a melancholic and handsome guy!

—Bang! Bang!

After an unknown amount of time, dazzling fireworks exploded in the sky above the resort, pulling Xia You back to reality.

He glanced at his watch and realized he had been standing there for over an hour. He shook his head with a wry smile.

It didn't feel like it had been that long, did it?

How time flies!

Judging that Xiaoyao and the others should have finished eating, he took another step and turned around to meet them.

It must be said that Xia You has a keen sense of timing on the battlefield, and the same is true off the battlefield. When he and Umbreon strolled leisurely to the front of the Seven Star Restaurant, they saw Xiaoyao and the others walking out of the restaurant with beaming faces.

The bellies of these people were bulging from eating, and Xia You could even smell the lingering aroma of food on them.

The dazzling lights inside the Seven Star Restaurant shone on them, creating a stark contrast with Xia You, who was shrouded in darkness under the dim streetlights outside.

When Xiao Yao saw Xia You standing right outside the door, she was taken aback. She quickly ran a few steps to him and held up the thick food box in her hand.

"Xia You-ge." She tilted her head slightly, a smile on her face, "You really should have come in with us. The decorations there were absolutely stunning! And you missed out on a whole table of delicious food! But it's okay, I've already packed it up for you!"

A warm gaze fell on her face, and Xia You nodded to her, naturally joining them as they walked towards the Pokémon Center.

The Seven Stars Restaurant isn't too far from the Pokémon Center, considering the resort itself isn't very large.

Just as they were about to cross the bustling central shopping street to get there, a clear, girlish voice suddenly rang out from behind them.

"Mr. Xia You? Is that you?"

Upon hearing the voice, Xia You felt it was very familiar, and immediately realized who the voice belonged to.

The group turned around and immediately saw a girl wearing a mask and sunglasses, about the same height as Xiaoyao and Xiaoguang, standing prettily not far away!

Seeing that the group was looking over, and seemingly afraid that they wouldn't recognize her, the girl took off her mask and sunglasses so that they could see her face clearly.

Upon seeing her, Xiaoyao, Xiaozhi, and Xiaogang immediately recognized who she was.

"You—aren't you that Ryuhime?!" Xiaogang exclaimed in surprise. "I remember your name was—"

"Rukia!" Haruka exclaimed, covering her mouth in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

That's right, the person standing behind them was none other than the very popular and glamorous idol—Rukia!

Xiaoyao and the others were very surprised by her appearance, especially Xiaoguang, who couldn't help but exclaim.

"No way? Isn't she that glamorous idol who's always on TV?! She actually knows Mr. Xia You?!"

"It's more than just knowing her," Xiao Zhi said, shrugging. "She's Xia You's second biggest fan!"

"Such a popular idol is actually a fan of Mr. Xia You!?"

Xiao Guang was incredulous, finding it hard to believe that a glamorous tournament idol would actually fall in love with a trainer!

However, she realized something and couldn't help but ask, "Then who is Mr. Xia You's number one fan? Is it Xiao Yao?"

"Xiaoyao?" Ash shook his head. "Of course not. Xia You's number one fan is a girl named Xiaoxia. She calls herself 'the most beautiful girl in the world,' and she's now a gym leader. She's also the kind of person who's violent. Ugh, I can't explain it to you. You'll understand when you get to see her!"

Misty accompanied Ash on a trip to two major regions, plus the Orange Islands. Unexpectedly, in the end, all that remained in Ash's mind was the label of 'violent tendencies'. If Misty heard this, she would probably give Ash a 'thump' to vent her anger.

Regardless of what others think, Xia You gently shook her head after seeing Ryukia.

"Actually, before I came here, I thought I might run into you, but I didn't expect that I would actually do it."

Just as Xia You said, this is a grand celebration hosted by Mikeli. As his niece, and who happens to be in Sinnoh right now, how could she not come to support him?

Therefore, Xia You was prepared to meet Rukia, but she didn't expect it to happen so soon.

"Really!?" Upon hearing this, Rukia's eyes lit up, unable to hide her joy. "Actually, I had the same feeling! I also knew that I would definitely meet Mr. Xia You at such a large event!"

Seeing Ryukia's overjoyed expression, Hikari knew from just a few words that Ash was telling the truth.

She didn't know if Ryukia was a fan of Xia You, but the way she liked Xia You was obvious to everyone!

She had to admit that Xia You was very handsome, but she never expected him to be so popular!

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but glance at Xiaoyao, only to see that the latter only had a bitter smile on her face, without any other extra emotions, which made her feel puzzled.

Why does it feel like the relationship between these people is... a bit complicated?

Reuniting with Xia You filled Liukia with excitement. Even after exchanging greetings, she was unwilling to leave and followed behind Xia You, chatting and laughing as they arrived at the Pokémon Center together.

After finding a few empty seats in the restaurant and chatting with her, they learned that she was indeed there to give the opening remarks for this year's Mikkelsen Cup, just as Xia You had guessed.

And as has happened countless times before, they have sneaked out of the food street!

She had only intended to wander around here, but unexpectedly, she ran into Xia You again. She was incredibly lucky!

Seeing her sit close to Xia You, constantly pestering Xia You with questions, Xiao Yao across from her could only marvel at the girl's boldness and initiative.

If it were her, she would never have done such a thing.

No wonder she's the woman Xiaoxia considers her number one threat...

Xiaoyao sighed helplessly, and when she turned her head, she met Xiaoguang's worried gaze.

Faced with Xiaoguang's questioning yet worried gaze, she could only shake her head.

……

The day before the Mikkuri Cup, all the contestants gathered here, making the already bustling resort even noisier.

Thanks to the smooth journey and gym battles, May had ample time to make final adjustments.

Therefore, after breakfast the next day, she hurriedly went to training, and Yami, as her companion, naturally accompanied her.

As for Xiaoguang...

Although she and Xiaoyao had long been best friends who could talk about anything, they separated briefly to avoid suspicion due to the competition, and did not practice together.

This was indeed the right decision.

In fact, it wasn't just them; even Xiao Zhi, who had also signed up for the competition, left the team and disappeared without a trace.

For a moment, only Xia You and Xiao Gang remained in the group.

However, Xia You and Xiao Gang didn't have much in common, so after saying goodbye, Xia You went out.

Speaking of which, although Xia You didn't participate in the Mikkelsen Cup, it's still good news for her.

After all, with countless spectators gathering here, along with those searching for Azelf, a large number of trainers have also flocked to this place.

This is a great opportunity to train your Pokémon's strength!

He believed that if he just shouted, many people would come to challenge him. In fact, he didn't even need to shout. He had only walked a little over a hundred meters when he saw people fighting.

This piqued Xia You's interest.

But just as he was about to join them, a pretty figure stood smiling in front of him.

It's Rukia!

She stayed in their dormitory until very late last night before returning to her hotel, but unexpectedly, she came again this morning!

And they were obviously waiting for me!

Fortunately, Xia You has already gotten used to it.

Or rather, he had foreseen Rukia's appearance.

"I was just about to look for you!" Before Xia You could speak, Liu Qiya looked around and blurted out, "Why aren't you with your friends?"

Shaking her head, Xia You smiled and said, "Don't you need to rehearse? Aren't you supposed to open the competition tomorrow?"

"Don't worry." Rukia waved her hand dismissively. "I've participated in these kinds of events many times, I'm very familiar with them. I just need to spare a little time to go through the process!"

At this point, she smiled at Xia You: "I suppose you haven't heard my new song yet? Be sure to give it a good listen when the show starts tomorrow! By the way, Mr. Xia You, what are you planning to do today?"

"What else can trainers do during their rest time?" Xia You shrugged matter-of-factly. "Of course, they find someone to battle with."

"A battle? Great!" Rukia's eyes lit up. "I haven't had a battle in a long time. Can we do a doubles match later? Like the last time we met?"

"Of course, no problem, let's go."

The two joined together and walked together toward the central plaza of the resort.

Xia You suddenly stopped as they passed a lawn.

"What's wrong?" Rukia looked at him, puzzled.

Xia You didn't say anything, but simply turned to look at the lawn.

In the distance, Dawn and her Pokémon were standing there.

Although she seemed to be training, for some reason, the atmosphere was a bit off, and it was rather somber.

With a sudden thought, Xia You changed direction and walked towards Xiao Guang.

Seeing this, Rukia understood immediately, but she also chose to follow.

The distance of just over fifty meters was covered in the blink of an eye.

At first, Xiao Guang didn't notice anyone approaching. It wasn't until she realized that all her Pokémon were looking to the side that she realized someone was coming. But when she turned around, she was stunned.

"Eh? Mr. Xia You? What are you doing here...?"

Just as she was saying this, she saw Ryukia walking out from behind Xia You with her hands behind her back.

“Miss Lucia? You…”

As Xiaoyao's friend, she really wanted to say, "Why are you here again?", but obviously, that would be too impolite, so she didn't say it rashly.

But she still instinctively felt very resistant to this rival of Xiaoyao.

"I remember your name is Hikari, right?" Rukia tilted her head and then extended her hand. "Although we met yesterday, it seems we haven't officially introduced ourselves yet. My name is Rukia, and as you can see, I'm a glamorous idol!"

Looking at that hand, Xiao Guang reluctantly shook it with her.

Although she didn't show anything on her face, as an idol, Ryukia had seen far more people than Hikari, and her experience far surpassed Hikari's. She still keenly sensed Ryukia's coldness.

However, she didn't reveal anything, but just gave Xiaoguang a meaningful look.

Xiao Guang felt very uncomfortable under that kind of gaze.

She wasn't like Xiao Yao, who was so quiet. Just as she was about to say something, Xia You spoke up.

"What's wrong? You look like you've run into some trouble."