I caught a Pokémon

Besides being a Gym Leader, she is also a top-notch Coordinator. It can be said that she has achieved remarkable success on two different paths. Although she is from outside Sinnoh, she enjoys great popularity in Home City.

Xia You was also looking forward to fighting against such an opponent.

And if he defeats this woman, he can obtain his sixth Relic Badge!

Unfortunately, some things are destined not to go smoothly.

Compared to other dojos, this Jiayuan Dojo is quite 'unconventional'.

From the outside, the gym looks like an ordinary Western-style building with no special features. If it weren't for the Pokémon League logo hanging on the door and Pokémon-shaped balloons floating on the roof, it would be hard to distinguish it from the surrounding houses.

One can even imagine that if someone comes here for the first time, it will take them some extra effort to find this dojo.

However, Xia You and Xiao Yao are both quite observant, and they noticed the Pokémon League logo almost immediately.

However, when the two arrived at the Jiayuan Dojo, they were surprised to be told by the staff that Melissa was not currently at the dojo and could not participate in the dojo battle.

This inevitably made Xiaoyao somewhat discouraged.

"Really." After the two left the dojo and stood on the street, she looked at Xia You and gave a wry smile. "Why are these dojo masters never at their dojos?"

Xia You sighed helplessly but didn't say anything: "There's nothing we can do. The dojo is just their job. At the same time, they also have to take care of their own lives, interests and hobbies, and even attend various events and maintain local security. They are very busy, so let's try to understand them."

However, despite saying that, Melissa's absence from the gym directly disrupted their plans.

"Where should we go next?" Xiaoyao asked.

"Of course we're going to find Melissa." Xia You tightened her backpack. "Let's go. Since the gym leader isn't here, as long as we find her, the gym battle can continue."

Chapter 1069 Family Fashion Show

In fact, a little inquiry would reveal that Jiayuan City is indeed preparing for a major event these days.

That's the Jiayuan Fashion Festival!

Of course, just like other major events in the world, this so-called fashion show is not an ordinary fashion show held only by humans on Earth, but one in which Pokémon participate.

This involves an industry that Xia You had never been exposed to before: Pokémon style designer, or Pokémon style artist for short.

Although not very common, as the name suggests, the main job of these Pokémon-style designers is to design various clothes and accessories for trainers and Pokémon for them to wear and display in their daily lives. It is a semi-behind-the-scenes profession.

And closely related to them are the various fashion models.

Designed and sewn by designers, fashion models and Pokémon exhibit and present the designs at the fashion show, where judges evaluate and score the winners to determine the final winners, who will receive honors and prizes, and may even appear on the cover of a magazine!

To put it simply, just like the Grand Contest and Pokémon Battles, you can achieve great success.

It's just a different method.

It sounds really great to be able to showcase the beauty of humans and Pokémon to the world.

Of course, while these fashion models, like Kissin, the Gym Leader of Raven City in the Unova region, and Lurina, the Gym Leader of the Water Boat Arena in the Galar region, are all types of models, there are still very obvious differences between them, and they cannot be generalized.

Judging from the timing, although the fashion show was still a few days away, Melissa had already gotten involved early.

In fact, Melissa shouldn't have been involved in such a tournament. After all, as everyone knows, she is just a trainer and coordinator, not a Pokémon styler or a model. This matter has nothing to do with her.

However, such a conference can boost the GDP of the entire Jiayuan City and has a positive effect. Therefore, as the guardian of Jiayuan City, I should naturally lend a hand.

Just like when Yoshinobu left the gym in Nohara City to preside over the Delinquent Frog Festival.

This is also part of the work of the museum owners.

Xia You and Xiao Yao quickly found out the venue for the fashion convention after making a few inquiries and headed there.

Although this fashion show may not attract the same level of attention as the Pokémon Show or the Grand Fashion Show, it has still garnered interest from a number of interested individuals.

At least while Xia You and Xiao Yao were traveling, they heard from the occasional conversations of people on the street that the residents here were still looking forward to the fashion show.

People chatted enthusiastically, all seemingly looking forward to the event, especially the prospect of meeting several popular models, which made them even more excited.

This was also a field that Xia You and Xiao Yao had never been exposed to before.

They were also eager to see the fashion show, but unfortunately, the event was still in the planning stages and wouldn't be held for several more days, so it seemed like there wasn't enough time.

Oh well, if I can't make it, I can't make it.

With that in mind, the two of them walked to the venue.

The venue was a three-story building, square at the bottom and circular at the top, with white and orange colors and yellow flags at the four corners. It looked somewhat familiar, reminding Xia You of a circus tent.

Along the roads outside the venue, rows and rows of various stalls were set up, but most of them were still under renovation. Busy workers could be seen everywhere, indicating that, like the fashion show, they had not yet officially opened for business.

Besides these people, the rest are people like Xia You and Xiao Yao who came here to join in the fun and take photos before the event started.

Xia You was very lucky; before she even entered the venue, she spotted a figure in the distance.

It has to be said that Melissa is very recognizable.

It's the kind of thing that leaves a lasting impression after just one glance.

Of course, this doesn't mean she's very beautiful, but rather that her makeup and outfit are incredibly eye-catching!

It's hard not to notice!

Her long purple hair was styled into a strange hairstyle that resembled four honeycombs hanging on her head.

Because of her exquisite makeup, it was impossible to tell her exact age, but she was at least over forty. She was tall and had fair skin. Although she wasn't particularly beautiful, she had a unique charm.

Looking at her outfit, she wore a gorgeous strapless purple dress with white polka dots, paired with purple high heels and long white gloves on her arms. She didn't look like a dojo trainer, but rather like a dancer active in the spotlight!

Despite being only 1.7 meters tall, he exudes an aura of 1.9 meters!

This also made her stand out in the crowd.

"See that?" Xia You gestured with her chin for Xiao Yao to look in that direction. "It really came without any effort. That's Melissa."

Following Xia You's gaze, Xiao Yao naturally spotted Melissa at a glance.

"Is this the head of the Jiayuan Dojo? Wow...so amazing!"

When Xiaoyao said "amazing," she was naturally referring to Melissa's aura, which was completely different from ordinary people. After all, it was quite unusual for someone to attract people's attention without relying on their appearance.

However, she was immediately drawn to a woman in front of Melissa.

She was a little shorter than Melissa, with long red hair and a fairly pretty face. She was wearing a light blue dress, and although she was not young, she still gave off a very quiet and well-behaved feeling.

Although her aura isn't as strong as Melissa's, she's still quite conspicuous when she's standing there.

The two were talking, and seeing that they showed no signs of stopping, Xia You led Xiao Yao up to them.

As the footsteps drew closer, their arrival quickly caught the attention of Melissa and another woman in the chaotic venue.

The two of them turned their gazes to Xia You, and after glancing at Xiao Yao, they finally settled on Xia You.

"Miss Melissa." Upon approaching, Xia You didn't stand on ceremony and went straight to the point, "I just came from the Jiayuan Dojo, and I'm here to challenge you."

In fact, if a gym is temporarily closed, it means that the gym leader needs to deal with some 'personal matters'. At this time, reasonable trainers would rather wait quietly than actively seek it out like Xia You. However, after being 'infected' by Ash, Xia You obviously did not want to waste his precious travel time.

Fortunately, most museum owners don't seem to care about this.

Melissa glanced at Xia You a few times and then nodded.

"No problem, but I need a little more time to sort things out here. Would you mind waiting a few more minutes?"

Chapter 1070 Paris and Xi Ke

Xia You and Xiao Yao found a bench nearby and sat down.

They were neither too far nor too close to Melissa. Although they couldn't hear what the two were talking about, they could still see their every move.

"Brother Xia You, is Melissa very strong?" Xiao Yao asked.

Because they were far enough apart, she wasn't worried that her conversation would be overheard.

“Very good.” Xia You nodded. “Compared to those top people, she is naturally a bit inferior, but among the gym leaders of Sinnoh, she can be considered a strong one.”

"Huh? That's amazing?"

"Of course," Xia You said with a smile. "If she weren't so distracted, she wouldn't even be a Coordinator. Her strength would even qualify her to challenge the Elite Four of Sinnoh. It's just a pity that because she has too many mundane matters, her strength is slightly lacking."

Xiao Yao suddenly realized: "That's really amazing."

“Yes…” Xia You looked at Melissa again, “So I’m also looking forward to this gym battle, and I want to see what kind of surprise this woman can bring me.”

As they were talking, Melissa left first and entered the venue alone, while the red-haired woman walked towards them.

"I'm sorry." As she approached, meeting Xia You and Xiao Yao's gazes, the woman smiled apologetically. "Miss Melissa is going to do one last inspection of the venue. It will be over soon. Please wait a little longer."

Xiaoyao couldn't help but ask, "Um... what exactly is Miss Melissa in charge of?"

"It's just some routine security work." The woman smiled. "She's leaving Jiayuan City tonight to travel nearby, so the organizers want to take this opportunity to ask her, as a professional, to make the final arrangements and confirmations for the security of the entire venue."

"Huh?" Xiaoyao was quite surprised. "She's leaving tonight?"

"So you really came at the perfect time," the woman said with a smile. "If we had missed today, who knows when we would have had another chance to meet. Oh, by the way, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Paris, a Pokémon-themed designer and a fashion model."

If Xia You and Xiao Yao knew anything about this industry, or if they had learned a little about this Jiayuan Fashion Conference before entering Jiayuan City, they would know just how much influence the name "Baris" carries in the industry.

Unfortunately, the two were complete novices and knew nothing about it, which made them somewhat indifferent when they heard the name.

"I am Xia You."

"I am Xiaoyao."

After introducing herself, Xiaoyao asked curiously, "Is Miss Paris here to participate in the competition?"

Paris shook her head: "No, actually I'm one of the judges for this year's fashion show."

Judges!?

Hearing this, Xia You and Xiao Yao exchanged a glance.

That's really impressive!

It's important to understand that, unlike ordinary contestants, anyone who becomes a judge must have made significant contributions to the industry, be well-known in their local circle, and be able to keep the contestants in check.

Just like the two regular judges of the Grand Contest, Conkenstein, the Grand Contest Secretary, and Sukizo, the president of the Pokémon Fan Club.

Although the circle and audience are smaller, it is still a major event!

It was at this moment that Xia You and Xiao Yao truly realized that the woman in front of them was not as 'weak' as she appeared.

It's amazing that someone so young has already achieved so much.

"That's really rude of me."

Xia You and Xiao Yao were about to say something when they heard a series of hurried footsteps coming from not far away.

The group looked over at the sound and saw a beautiful woman with long, flowing blonde hair, wearing a large pink bow in her hair, walking arrogantly towards them, surrounded by several stylishly dressed young women.

Or rather, this group of women walked up to Paris.

"Barbie, you really were here!"

From the moment she opened her mouth, Xia You could already tell what kind of person she was from her somewhat arrogant demeanor and slightly frivolous tone.

"Juke?" Paris looked at her in surprise. "Wasn't the fashion competition over? What are you doing here?"

The woman called Qiu Ke covered her mouth with the back of her left hand and smiled smugly: "Of course I'm here to sign up for the fashion show!"

"What?" Paris was stunned. "Didn't you already sign up? Why are you... wait, you mean you want to participate as a fashion model!?"

“That’s right, that’s exactly it.” Qiu Ke raised her head and forced a smile. “Seeing my ‘idol’ Miss Paris standing in front of me, I’ve decided that this fashion show will be my debut as a fashion model. Once I win and become a world-class idol, I’m sure I can achieve the same success and status as you!”

Their strange and sarcastic manner suggests they've come with ill intentions...

While the two were talking, Xia You stood aside and also sized up this uninvited guest.

Actually, you can tell from their conversation that they seem to have some issues, or at least they are competitors. And this woman named Xi Ke is trying to surpass the achievements of Baris through this fashion show.

It's true that comparison is everywhere...

Upon closer inspection, Xi Ke's age is similar to that of Paris, both around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. However, compared to Paris's quietness, Xi Ke, dressed in a green dress, exudes the air of an arrogant young lady from a noble family.

This arrogance reminded Xia You of Musashi.

I always felt that they were the same type of people.

Aside from the different face, he looks exactly like a blond Musashi!

At this moment, Xi Ke glanced at Xia You again, a hint of surprise and... well-hidden envy flashing in her eyes.

She chuckled in a teasing tone, "Who is this? Could he be Miss Paris's boyfriend?"