I caught a Pokémon

"Not at all," Xia You replied politely. "Miss Melissa is an excellent gym leader. I gained very valuable experience in this gym."

Nearby, Paris and Xi Ke clapped their hands, and when they saw Xiao Yao walk over, they quickly followed.

Xi Ke's eyes were bright, and she kept moving closer to Xia You.

"Your name is Xia You? Although we've met before, I haven't had a chance to introduce myself. My name is Xi Ke, and as you can see, I'm also a Pokémon-themed designer!"

Xia You raised her eyebrows and looked at the woman, wondering why she had suddenly come over to talk to her.

Even her expression and attitude seemed completely different from before.

Could it be that she's trying to curry favor with me?

Why is that?

Xia You felt uneasy, sensing that something was amiss.

Because she had already seen another side of her true self before, Xia You had a bad impression of her. Even though Xia You was now trying to strike up a conversation with her, she still didn't like her.

She nodded politely, and seeing that Xi Ke was about to say something, Xia You interrupted her first.

"Sorry, I'm busy right now. Could you wait a moment?"

Although it was a question, his tone left no room for argument.

She's definitely got that rich girl personality; who would have dared to talk to her like that before?

Who wouldn't greet her with a smile?

They really don't know what's good for them!

Xi Ke's face immediately fell, and she was about to lash out, but Xia You ignored her and turned to look at Melissa.

Melissa also turned her gaze away from Xi Ke and walked towards Xia You, taking out a badge from her pocket and handing it to Xia You.

"Please accept this. It is my relic badge, proof that you defeated me."

Xia You didn't know why the emblem of the Jiayuan Dojo was called the Relic Emblem.

Perhaps there are some ruins near Jiayuan City?

Or perhaps Melissa's Pokémon are all ghost Pokémon, and these ghost Pokémon all come from some kind of ruin?

Or does it have some symbolic meaning?

While wondering about the badge, Xia You thanked her and accepted it.

The emblem of the ruins is composed of four circles. The outermost circle is arranged in a triangular pattern. The three smaller purple circles are like will-o'-the-wisps, while the center is a large gray circle.

The overall production is quite exquisite, and it's clear that it was carefully designed, especially the color of the badge, which is exactly the purple that Melissa likes.

I put it into the badge collection box. Including this badge, there are six in total. They are shiny and eye-catching.

Melissa glanced at it as well and nodded to herself.

"So you've already collected all six badges. You only need two more to participate in the tournament. So... what's your next goal?"

As Xia You put away the badge collection box, she said without looking up, "Of course, it's the Waterline Gym and the Snow Peak Gym."

Melissa also gave her approval upon hearing about the two dojos.

It's important to understand that in the real world, the Sinnoh Conference, or rather, other continents around the world, isn't limited to just the eight gyms fixed in the game.

Some cities that don't exist in the game also have their own official gyms, which gives trainers more routes to choose from when traveling, not to mention the numerous private gyms.

However, among these dojos, the eight dojos with the strongest dojo masters are still the most well-known and the most difficult to challenge.

Among trainers, those who possess all eight gym badges are the most enviable.

after all…

Not all trainers can pass these eight gyms.

After chatting with Melissa for a few more minutes about the dojo, Xia You took her leave.

Before leaving, he nodded kindly to Paris and Xi Ke, showing no discrimination based on their different attitudes.

From this perspective, in his heart, these two people were destined to be nothing more than strangers who would never cross paths again.

Gentle, yet distant.

He left quietly, just as he came quietly.

With Xiaoyao by their side, they passed through the now larger crowd of onlookers. After only a few dozen steps, they disappeared from sight, leaving only the three women still standing on the battlefield.

"Now that the dojo is closed, it's time for me to leave."

Melissa glanced at Paris and Xi Ke, spoke first, and then turned and left as well.

After watching her leave, Xi Ke, dissatisfied with not achieving her goal, raised her head, let out a cold snort, and went to rejoin her companions.

For a moment, only Baris remained in the arena.

Even those who had originally come to watch the spectacle gradually dispersed when they realized there was no more fighting to be seen.

Paris stood there for a while before suddenly remembering what her original purpose was.

It really is...

You've forgotten your original intention...

But now that she thinks about it, she was so focused on the match that she lost herself in watching it that she didn't get any inspiration after watching several battles!

Thinking about it carefully, maybe it's because Melissa lost, or for some other reason.

No matter how hard I try, I can't recall what Melissa looked like during battle. Instead, all I can remember is Xia You, his Umbreon, and Froakie's spirit!

Chapter 1081 Jie Zilan: Zhu Lan, Stop!

After obtaining the Ruins Badge, Xia You and Xiao Yao went to the nearest Pokémon Center, where they treated their Pokémon and also solved their dinner problem.

After the battle ended, it was already night, and the two could not travel in the dark, so it was only natural for them to stay here for the night.

But even if it's delayed by a day, it's impossible to make it to the Jiayuan Fashion Festival.

This made Xiaoyao secretly sigh with regret.

In the end, we missed out...

However, judging from the timing, Ash and his friends, who come after them, will definitely join in the fun, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

One can only sigh, as expected of Ash Ketchum, he'll never miss out on these kinds of things.

While Xia You and Xiao Yao were chatting and eating dinner in a relaxed and pleasant manner, at the same time, in the homes of Paris and Xi Ke in Jiayuan City, these two mortal enemies were also putting their inspirations onto paper in their respective studios.

Costume design is naturally their most important job on a daily basis. However, unlike usual, after witnessing Xia You and Melissa's battle today, their inspiration almost entirely revolved around Xia You and his Pokémon.

There was nothing they could do; the battle during the day had left an extremely deep impression on them.

So much so that the two of them kept thinking about it after they left. Coincidentally, they both took Umbreon as their source of inspiration and design direction.

After all, Umbreon defeated Melissa's two Pokémon in succession and escaped unscathed, which was a remarkable achievement.

In this respect, the two are indeed friends and rivals, as they even share the same thoughts.

I wonder what they'll think when the final fashion designs are released and they see each other with similar styles.

Of course, what happens to the two of them is none of Xia You's business.

Just as he realized, their meeting was merely a fleeting one, and they were destined never to meet again. Even if he had truly given these two Pokémon style designers a great deal of inspiration, he would only smile indifferently upon finding out.

That's Ash Ketchum from later on...

After arriving in Jiayuan City a few days later and witnessing all of this, whether he will see the fashion he designed appear at the conference and lament that he has lived in Xia You's shadow his whole life remains to be seen.

Similarly, far away in Shenhe Town, Yami, who had just finished dinner, was strolling around the museum.

Beside her, whether to keep an eye on her or simply out of boredom, Zhu Lan stood silently beside her with one hand on her hip.

The steady footsteps echoed in the corridor.

Having already visited this history museum before, Yami was not unfamiliar with the place; on the contrary, everything felt very familiar.

The reason she was still wandering around here, besides digesting her food, was mostly because she had nothing else to do.

Of course, although she was wandering aimlessly, she didn't stop talking, chatting softly with Zhu Lan.

As for the topics of conversation, they ranged from Pokémon to everyday life, but whenever they delved deeper, Yami always managed to steer the conversation toward Xia You, telling Zhulan about his interesting stories and battles.

It's clear that she genuinely intends to subtly change Zhu Lan's perception of Xia You.

And this is not a waste of time.

Just like now, although Zhu Lan still harbors a great deal of prejudice against Xia You, she has also gained a deeper understanding of this man because of Ya Mi.

She still harbors resentment over the fact that he took advantage of her, and it's not something that can be resolved with just a few words.

Especially since Xia You was a womanizer who was juggling multiple relationships at the same time, she found it extremely despicable.

But after getting to know her over this period of time, she also realized that once Yami had made up her mind about Xia You, she would not easily change it. She couldn't help but sigh helplessly, lamenting how bad Yami's judgment was.

"How much longer until he arrives?" she said coldly between sentences. "It won't be a long time, will it? Judging from this, it seems he doesn't care about you at all."

Zhu Lan wasn't trying to sow discord between Ya Mi and Xia You; she was just feeling sorry for the woman in front of her.

But to my surprise, Yami didn't seem to care at all.

“It’ll be quick. Traveling on land is naturally not as fast as we are.” Her face flushed slightly, and she turned to Zhu Lan with a smile. “If you think I’m in your way, you can give me some work. I can do anything!”

"Then go and tidy up the archives."

The speaker was not Zhu Lan, but an old but strong voice. The two turned their heads and saw Dr. Jie Zilan leaning against a windowsill with her arms crossed.

No one knows how long she stayed there, but Zhu Lan and Ya Mi didn't even notice her!

Seeing that Yami was looking over, Jie Zilan said calmly, "Since you want to find something to do, then go and tidy up the archives on the second floor first."

Yami nodded without saying anything, but smiled at Jie Zilan before changing direction and heading to the second-floor archives.

Seeing how obedient she was, Zhu Lan turned around as well, intending to follow her to take a look.

But just as she took a step, Jie Zilan's voice came again.

"Bamboo Orchid".

Hearing her grandmother's voice, Zhu Lan stopped and turned to look at her grandmother, somewhat surprised.

"what happened?"

After giving her a deep look, Jie Zilan didn't speak immediately. Instead, she waited until Ya Mi was far away before saying meaningfully, "I already know why you brought this woman here. What exactly happened between you and that Xia You?"

Even if it were her own grandmother, Zhu Lan would never tell that she had been taken advantage of by that man twice.

"It's nothing, it's just that some things can only be resolved through a fight."

All I can say is that Jie Zilan truly understands Zhu Lan, being her own granddaughter.

However, Zhu Lan is an adult and a champion, so she believes that Zhu Lan will handle her own affairs well.

only…

She glanced at Zhu Lan and said noncommittally, "Some things are best left unsaid. If you get too involved, you won't be able to extricate yourself once you come to your senses."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Lan was taken aback at first, and then realized what Jie Zilan was referring to.

“Grandmother…” She shook her head, both amused and exasperated. “Things aren’t as you think. There’s a lot of prejudice between me and that man. And don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”

She wanted to talk about grudges, but felt it was inappropriate and would only make her grandmother misunderstand something more, so she changed her mind before she could even say it.

But how could Jie Zilan, a very shrewd person, not see it?

She shook her head, turned her back to Zhu Lan, and spoke in a cryptic tone.

"Human nature is the most complex thing. You have to be very careful. Don't be so confident. Don't wait until something happens to regret it. I advise you to stop as soon as possible and not get entangled any further."

Chapter 1082 A Strange Curse

After leaving those words, Jie Zilan left.

Like a wise woman who has seen through the essence of things, she left a warning that foreshadowed danger for her granddaughter, who was always arrogant.

But looking at her back, Zhu Lan didn't care about it and didn't take it to heart.

Grandmother was afraid that she would get too involved with Xia You and end up having other emotions.