I caught a Pokémon

Finally, just four minutes later, her brilliance was completely depleted.

Xiao Guang hadn't noticed this yet. It wasn't until the referee stopped her that she belatedly looked at the big screen, then shook her head and smiled bitterly.

We lost...

However, this was something she had foreseen before the competition even started.

There was no resentment, no disappointment, only sincere admiration.

Because there was a huge pool between their landing spots, Haruka couldn't say anything to her right now. Only after the referee announced the result of the match, declared that Haruka had won, and received the medal personally awarded by Michaeli, did the two girls walk face to face and shake hands.

"Xiaoyao, you are really amazing, especially in the later stages. I felt completely suppressed and had no way to fight back."

As she spoke, she finally understood what Xiao Zhi meant by Xia You's terrifying suppressive power on the field.

So that's what it feels like!

Xiaoyao smiled a little embarrassedly: "I just traveled for a longer period of time than you. If it weren't for that, I would definitely have lost in the end."

What she said was absolutely right. Xiaoyao's acting talent was stronger than Xiaoguang's, while Xiaoguang's fighting talent was stronger than hers. The two girls each had their own strengths, just like their different personalities and styles. If she hadn't been by Xia You's side for so long, even if she had continued traveling until now, she probably wouldn't be a match for Xiaoguang.

Xiao Guang didn't say anything, but it seemed as if he could see Xia You through Xiao Yao.

……

It was not surprising that Haruka won the Mikel Cup.

To celebrate her winning the medal at such an event, the group naturally treated themselves to a good meal and drinks, which has become a must-do for them whenever they have a happy occasion.

Of course, at Ash's age, he can't do anything else besides eating.

Seeing the lively scene, even Ryukia joined in uninvited.

Seeing her clinging to Xia You like a shadow, Xiao Yao hadn't said anything yet, but Xiao Guang was already unhappy.

This led to countless verbal exchanges between the two during the meal.

“Public figures should act like public figures.” Xiao Guang’s expression remained unfriendly throughout. “If people saw this, they would all say you’re worthless.”

Ash and his friends looked at each other, completely baffled as to why Dawn and Ryukia were at odds, only sensing that something was off.

Unexpectedly, Ryukia didn't fall for it at all, and instead reached out and grabbed Xia You's arm.

"So what? Mr. Xia You is my idol. I can admit it openly even if I meet someone else!"

Xiao Guang was speechless after being taken aback by her words. He quickly turned to look at Xiao Yao with a look that seemed to say, "The person you like has been taken away. Why don't you come out and do something about it!"

But Xiaoyao could only shrug and offer an apologetic smile.

Her personality is relatively stable, which allows her to get along normally with Rukia, and their relationship is quite good, so there are some things she simply can't bring herself to say.

Even though Xiaoxia had warned her before, now...

Xiao Guang looked at her with a disappointed expression.

But since even Xiaoyao didn't say anything, what could she say?

She could only glance once more at Ryukia, whose aura clashed drastically with hers, snorted, and turn her head away.

She didn't know why she felt such hostility towards this girl; she just instinctively felt that this person was very unpleasant to look at.

Xiaoyao, seeing this scene, shook her head in even more helplessness.

So when the group returned to the dormitory that night, only she and Xiaoguang remained before she said something meaningful.

"The path you are about to take is extremely difficult. It may lead to no results, or you may get stuck in a quagmire from which you cannot extricate yourself. Therefore... you must think clearly about your own heart. It is best to stop now while it is still early."

Xiao Guang looked at her with some confusion.

"What's wrong? The path of a Trainer Coordinator may be difficult, but it's not as bad as you say, is it?"

Seeing Xiao Guang's blank expression, as if he still didn't understand, Xiao Yao shook her head but didn't explain. She just looked out the window, her tone unusually disappointed.

"I'm talking about another road, a road... one that I can't see the end of yet."

Chapter 1020 Xiao Guang: This woman is dangerous!

11 pm.

Seeing that it was almost time, except for Xia You and Ya Mi, Xiao Yao and Xiao Zhi's group reunited and quietly left the Pokémon Center, heading towards Lake Lizhi.

Needless to say, their target was the Arknom in Lake of Ambition.

It's likely that everyone was eager to see the Lake God, a creature with a long and rich legend in the Sinnoh region, and to see if they could encounter it again, even just for a glimpse, to satisfy their curiosity.

Xia You had no interest in this at all. Even though Xiao Zhi mentioned it several times, he just yawned and waved to them.

Seeing how eager they were to try, Xia You didn't tell them that this time, there was a high chance they wouldn't be able to encounter Arknom again.

After all, the competition had just ended, and a large number of spectators remained at the resort. Even though it was almost late at night, there were still many people outside, making it noisy and disruptive. With so many eyes watching, how could the God of the Lake possibly show himself?

Wouldn't that expose myself to the public?

Even if they did show up, there wouldn't be anything Xiaozhi and his friends could do in front of so many people. If they made a sound, it would only attract more attention.

At most, you'll be amazed, but it's just a waste of time.

Even so, he didn't say much, but left the group with endless imagination and anticipation for exploration, showing them due respect and not spoiling their mood.

This is what they should be doing at their age, unlike himself, whose mind has lost its passion because he is already an adult, except for certain things.

It's true that the carefree days of youth are the ones that bring real happiness...

After a moment of reflection, Xia You turned her gaze to Ya Mi, who was sitting in a chair in the room, leaning forward and humming a song softly.

With a slight smile, Xiao Zhi and the others could go about their own business, but he also had his own happiness at that moment.

Seeing that it was already this late, Yami still didn't want to go back to her room to sleep, claiming that she was waiting for Xiaoyao to come back so she could hear their findings, Xia You lay on the bed, randomly flipping through various battle videos and new strategies from this period of time, while chatting with her casually.

The conversation started out normally, but the more he talked, the bolder he became, making the woman's face turn increasingly red.

That's right, Xia You's greatest pleasure right now is teasing this blushing woman in her spare time!

Although he didn't want to take her in yet, he found it very amusing to see her flustered and helpless with such subtle words.

……

After winning the Mikkuri Cup, Haruka collected all five ribbon medals.

However, she had no intention of using the Mikkelsen Cup medal. Instead, she planned to keep it as a collectible and keep it permanently until she had the opportunity to attend another conference and obtain a regular ribbon medal to make a total of five.

This is not surprising, after all, people always want to keep special things as souvenirs.

The next morning, the group discussed their next route while having breakfast at the restaurant.

Just as Xia You thought, Xiao Zhi and his friends went to Lake Lizhi excitedly last night, but came up empty-handed and did not find the Azelf. However, they did not take it to heart. Instead, they regarded it as a rare memory and openly admitted that they had bad luck.

After studying the map for a while, Xiao Zhi nodded.

"The strongest Gym Leader in Sinnoh? Great! Then I'm going to Seaside City to challenge the Seaside Gym!"

The reason I had this idea was because I had just heard that Xia You had obtained her fourth badge there before the Mikkuri Cup, and since it was the closest place to here, I thought I would go there first.

But upon hearing his words, Xiaoyao spoke up: "I think you should go later."

Hearing her say that, Xiao Zhi was naturally very surprised: "Why?"

Xiao Yao covered her mouth and smiled: "He was so badly beaten by Brother Xia You that he became withdrawn. It will probably take him a while to recover."

"Did you become withdrawn?"

Ash, Dawn, and Brock were all taken aback, and even those nearby suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

When the group looked to the side, they saw that Rukia, dressed up, had returned. It was clearly a coincidence that she had arrived just in time to overhear those words.

He glared at her secretly, then asked directly, "What's going on?"

Given Xia You's personality, he didn't want to say much, but his silence didn't mean Xiao Yao wouldn't speak.

So, in front of these friends, he recounted the whole story.

When Ash and his friends heard that the person known as the strongest gym leader in Sinnoh was instantly defeated by Xia You's three Pokémon, their mouths dropped open in astonishment.

After a long while, Ash finally came to his senses and pointed at Xia You, saying, "Brother Xia You! You actually used your Gardevoir, Charizard, and Gengar to battle!?"

It's no wonder he was so surprised. After all, he knew how powerful Xia You's three Pokémon were. Who had ever seen them fight before? The fact that they were all sent out together showed that Xia You really wanted to teach Denji a lesson.

Beside them, Hikari and Rukia's eyes shone with a light of 'adoration'. Based on Haruka's description alone, they seemed to have already conjured up the scene and imagined Xia You's imposing presence.

Even the strongest Gym Leader in Sinnoh is as weak as a novice in front of him. Who could be stronger than him?

Glancing around, Xia You saw that there were still many people in the restaurant, and there might be Denji's fans among them. She quickly waved her hand and said, "Don't listen to her nonsense. What do you mean by 'autistic'? She just made Denji lose confidence by beating him up."

Ash glared at him: "Isn't this the same!?"

The people around her all smiled, but Xia You ignored them and instead looked at Ryukiya.

Are you leaving?

Rukia nodded and sighed, "Now that things are over here, I naturally need to head to the next event location, and..."

She hesitated for a moment, clearly disappointed.

"...And I probably won't be able to stay here for long, I might...have to go to Unova soon."

"Go to the United States?"

Upon hearing her words, while others remained silent, Xiao Guang's eyes lit up.

“Going to United Nations is great.” She was unusually cheerful. “An idol like you really can’t stay in one place.”

But her good mood was destroyed in the next second.

Xiaoyao asked with some surprise, "You're going to Unova too? What a coincidence! After your trip here, Xia You's next destination is Unova!"

The smile doesn't disappear; it just transfers to someone else.

Hikari, who had just been happy, suddenly stopped smiling, while Rukia, who had been feeling down, suddenly brightened up and broke into a big smile.

"Huh? Mr. Xia You's next travel destination has already been decided so quickly? And it's still Unova? What a coincidence!"

Seeing her looking so worthless, Xiao Guang subconsciously clenched his fist.

She was unaware of the stirrings in her heart, simply believing that her emotions stemmed from her disapproval of Ryukia's happiness.

“The plan was decided long ago.” Xia You did not deny it. “The next region after Sinnoh is indeed Unova. In fact, not only Unova, but the regions after that have also been planned long ago.”

Hearing him say that, Rukia was no longer disappointed; instead, her eyes curved into crescent moons.

"That puts my mind at ease. It seems we'll definitely meet again in Unova!"

Having arrived disappointed, Hikaru left happy. After watching Ryukia wave goodbye and leave in high spirits, Hikaru glanced at Haruka again, leaving the latter looking completely bewildered.

"You definitely need to prepare in advance." She leaned close to Haruka's ear and whispered solemnly, "That Rukia is definitely up to no good!"

"This..." Looking at Hikaru's serious expression, Haruka didn't know what to say. She could only nod and force a smile. "I... I'll try my best..."

After abandoning their plan to go to Binhai City, Xiaozhi and Xiayou studied the map together, and soon they agreed on a route.

It is located in Nohara City, not far to the west of Lake Ritsushi!

This is Xia You's next destination, and also the closest place to Lizhi Lake besides Binhai City.

When Xiao Guang heard that the two of them had set their sights on that place, which meant they would be traveling together for a while, she suddenly felt her heart brighten up. Even the irritation that Ryukia had just given her was instantly dispelled.

……

After leaving Lizhi Lake, the group headed west along the main road.

Traveling together again made May and Dawn seem to have endless things to talk about. The two followed behind Ash and Pikachu, who were leading the way, whispering to each other, their laughter filling the air the whole way.

Amidst their laughter, Xia You seemed to forget her troubles and appeared a few years younger.

Of course, I'm referring to mindset.

And he wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt like Xiao Guang had looked at him dozens of times along the way.

This also made him feel a sense of surprise and doubt.

Is it...

After all, in his eyes, Xiaoguang was radiant, bright, confident, and brave, and a girl like that at her age shouldn't be troubled by certain things.

Xia You looked down at her hands and fell silent.

Indeed, some things really shouldn't be done...