I caught a Pokémon

The city is situated among an archipelago connected by numerous bridges, and is bisected by a wide canal, forming two distinct areas. Both the architecture and the atmosphere here are imbued with an exotic charm and a sense of foreign culture.

Many huge ships are docked at the docks here. It is said that this place used to be a cargo transshipment center, and it gradually developed into the large city it is today.

Generally speaking, there are two common ways to enter this city. One is by crossing the bridge, which is also the most direct method. The second, of course, is by boat.

Since they came from the mainland, Xia You and Xiao Yao unsurprisingly chose the most convenient route for them—crossing the bridge.

A long cross-sea bridge connects Waterway City to the mainland. Walking on the bridge, feeling the sea breeze and looking at the sea view, Xia You couldn't help but think of the first cross-sea bridge she crossed in Kanto.

I vaguely remember that it was on that bridge that I encountered the biker gang, Misa and Martha, and the incident where Team Rocket attacked me.

Time really flies...

I never imagined it happened so long ago.

For a moment, Xia You couldn't help but be lost in memories, her mind filled with nostalgia and reflections on the past.

Once they crossed the bridge and reached the islands, Xia You and Xiao Yao would officially be considered to have entered the Water Vein City area.

Although Watervein City is composed of a series of islands connected by bridges, the main mode of transportation still relies on boats of various sizes. The city has many dead ends, and it is difficult to find the right way if it is the first time you come here.

Xia You and Xiao Yao were unfamiliar with the city, so they took many wrong turns after entering it. In the end, they had no choice but to ask people for directions and follow the main road to find the correct path.

The most important thing for Xia You to do here was naturally to challenge the Water Vein Gym.

However, their timing was very unfortunate; it was just past 3 p.m.

It was a bit late to challenge the gym at this time, and there were few people there, so after discussing it, the two went directly to the Pokémon Center here, planning to check in first, then wander around the city, and challenge the gym the next morning.

As always, Xiaoyao had no objections.

According to travel guides, besides the pleasant scenery around Vein City, there are indeed many places worth visiting here.

Leaving aside the department stores and shopping malls that have sprung up due to bulk trade, the parks and landmarks with distinctive local characteristics, and the exotic snacks and delicacies, just the library that is said to be the largest in Sinnoh is enough to make people linger and immerse themselves in the ocean of books.

These kinds of places and museums are usually Xia You's primary destinations for visiting.

This time was no exception.

Before they even got close, they were already amazed by the size of the library. Once inside, they were even more shocked and incredulous at the endless bookshelves.

It's way too big!

Besides them, there were many other tourists who came to visit the library, but it felt like no matter how many people there were, it was like a stone sinking into the sea. In such a huge library, as people were constantly being dispersed, it was impossible to make a ripple.

If they are separated for too long, they may not even be able to find their companions.

Xia You and Xiao Yao exchanged a glance.

Xiaoyao was clearly hesitant and had second thoughts. She swallowed hard and said hesitantly, "Do we really want to go? I feel like... even if we had a week, let alone an afternoon, we might not be able to look through all the bookshelves."

Xia You naturally wouldn't stay here for that long.

However, their purpose was not to come here to read books, so after strolling around for a while and experiencing the atmosphere and grandeur of this largest library in the Sinnoh region, they left directly.

After all, there are other great places to visit, so there's no need to waste all your time here.

Wouldn't it be better to treat Xiaoyao to a nice meal, enjoy the night view, and buy some snacks?

Sure enough, Xiaoyao was much happier after leaving the library.

The two played until after 10 p.m. before returning to the Pokémon Center.

That night, Xiaoyao had a great time. She went to many fun places, ate her fill, and even played with air guns, ring toss, and caught goldfish at the night market, just like on a date.

The only drawback is that whenever someone walks past them, they always say to Xia You, "Your sister is so pretty."

This also made her quite angry.

Although everyone seems to think they are siblings based on their height and age, Xiaoyao doesn't want it to stay like this forever!

But now, no matter how unwilling she was, there was nothing she could do.

It's my own fault for not being an adult yet.

Even if she had her own thoughts, unfortunately, Xia You wouldn't even glance at her.

...

The Canyon Gym, as the official gym of Canyon City, is located on the main island where Canyon City is located, but unlike in the game, it is not built in the city center, but on the edge of the forest in the suburbs.

Interestingly, despite being so close to the sea, located in Canal City, and having the word "water" in its name, this gym is not a water-type gym, but a steel-type gym.

This also left many trainers who came from afar to challenge the Gym Leader dumbfounded when they saw him. They had prepared a series of teams that could counter Water-type Pokémon and arrived here full of confidence.

And this unique gym leader is named Donggua, which coincidentally is the father of Hyota, the gym leader of the Black Gold Gym!

It's quite rare, even in the world, for a father and son to be co-owners of a museum!

Chapter 1094 The Winter Melon and the Bronze Mirror Monster

The Water Vein Dojo has a very interesting design.

Its base is a lithosphere more than four meters high, with these rocks towering and sharp, piled together to form a structure like a huge base.

Above the rocks is a castle-like structure, but it is not built of wood or stone. Instead, it is made of steel plates pieced together haphazardly, lacking any sense of refinement. It looks like it has been patched up, giving it a rough and rugged beauty.

Perhaps feeling that such a design was somewhat unreliable, a huge steel beam was placed in each of the four directions of the dojo, 'clamping' the entire dojo in the middle to make it look more sturdy.

Looking up with curiosity as they entered the dojo, Xia You and Xiao Yao gazed at it through the gate.

Just as they arrived in the hall, a tall, middle-aged man appeared before them.

Judging from his age, physique, and robust build, he seemed very much like the owner of the restaurant named Donggua.

At least when Xiaoyao first saw him, she thought he was the owner of the venue doing front desk work!

But Xia You knew he wasn't.

Before the middle-aged man could speak, Xia You said, "Hello, I'm here to challenge the Water Vein Gym. Is Gym Leader Donggua in the gym?"

"You've come at a very opportune time." The middle-aged man chuckled. "Mr. Donggua just returned here last night and is currently at the dojo. Let me take you there."

You just got back last night?

Xia You and Xiao Yao exchanged a smile, both feeling a little smug due to their unexpected good fortune.

Luckily they didn't come directly to the dojo yesterday, otherwise they would have made a wasted trip!

Moreover, recalling the previous two dojos, Xia You finally met the dojo master once, when he wasn't out and was there during the dojo's business hours!

That's really rare.

Following the staff member, the two entered the dojo and were taken to the battle arena.

Compared to the mismatched designs outside, the battlefield looks much more normal.

Perhaps it's because Donggua once served as a gym leader in Ogre Magi City, but the style here is extremely similar to that of the Ogre Magi Gym.

The biggest difference is probably the presence of many stones of varying sizes on the grounds.

Leaving Xia You and Xiao Yao behind, the staff member left alone to inform Dong Gua about the matter.

Not long after, when he returned, he was followed by a man who looked equally strong, wearing gray overalls, a cape, an afro, and a stubble.

The man had red hair and beard and was quite handsome, which should have made him very eye-catching. However, perhaps because he was too slovenly or unkempt, he always gave off the impression of a miner.

Especially since he's holding a shovel, it makes him even more like one!

If you throw it into a pile of miners, you definitely won't be able to spot it at a glance!

Even so, his untamed spirit and the confidence in his eyes make it hard to ignore him.

And this person, needless to say, is none other than the Gym Leader of this Water Vein Gym—Donggua!

Donggua strode up to Xia You, his gaze skipping over Xiao Yao and locking onto Xia You directly.

"It's been a long time since I've seen a trainer with such presence as you." He looked Xia You up and down with great interest, clicking his tongue in amazement. "You have a sharp edge but don't flaunt it, yet your eyes are so bright that they can't be ignored. You must have experienced very few failures in your travels so far, right?"

Just like the feeling Donggua gave Xia You, Donggua also sensed an unusual aura from Xia You.

This made Xia You secretly admire him.

He truly deserves the reputation of being a man of steel!

That's really impressive!

Xia You also showed a certain degree of respect to such people.

"Hello, I am Xia You, and I am here to challenge you."

Donggua slung the shovel over his shoulder and pointed to himself with his other thumb: "I am Donggua, and I accept your challenge!"

Conversations between men can be that simple.

There's no need for formalities or excessive conversation; you can get straight to the point.

Seeing Donggua head towards the Trainer Command Area on one side, Xia You nodded to Xiaoyao and then went to the other side as well.

The two contestants stood facing each other, and the staff member who had brought them there went directly to the judges' area and announced the competition rules.

Xia You overheard a bit of the conversation, but seeing that the rules were no different from those of other dojos, she stopped paying much attention.

Once the referee announced the rules of the match, the gym battle officially began.

The atmosphere immediately became tense.

Under the watchful eyes of Xia You and Xiao Yao, Dong Gua took out his Poké Ball first. As he opened the Poké Ball, a Pokémon that looked like a mirror appeared on the battlefield amidst flashes of blue light.

Looking at this Pokémon, Xia You couldn't help but examine it closely.

Unsurprisingly, this is a bronze mirror monster.

This was also the first time Xia You had seen its trace in the real world.

Trainers who carry this kind of Pokémon are extremely rare!

In terms of appearance, just like its name suggests, the Bronze Mirror Monster is not much different from those bronze mirrors excavated from ancient tombs. In fact, there may even be some strange relationship between the two.

It is no more than half a meter tall, its whole body is bronze in color, and it is surrounded by six copper beads. In the middle, there is a concentric circle. On both sides of the center of the circle, there is a pair of yellow eyes, and there is a tree-like pattern on its back.

As a Pokémon with the Steel/Psychic type, Copper Mirror floats in mid-air using incredible energy.

It can be found in various ancient tombs. Some people suspect that it is a mirror with a soul, but others deny this. This makes the bronze mirror monster still full of mysteries.

It is said that the patterns on its back contain mysterious power, and people regard them as sacred. The same patterns are sometimes carved on ancient tombs and other places.

In an attempt to investigate its physical structure, someone took X-ray photos, but the photos showed nothing. Therefore, some researchers believe that this Pokémon used to reflect like a mirror.

Not only for most people, but even for Xia You, this kind of Pokémon is quite unfamiliar and belongs to a relatively niche category. Even its evolved form, Bronze Bell, still doesn't have a large audience.

This is why a gym leader like Donggua would bring it along. If it were another Steel-type trainer, they would definitely choose those cooler, more stylish, and more popular Pokémon.

But no matter what, Xia You did not underestimate it.

In fact, he would not underestimate any Pokémon, even Team Rocket's Meowth, which Xia You believed had unique strengths.

So, what if you encounter a Pokémon like that...?

What should I use to fight it?

Chapter 1095 Heat Resistance Properties

After a moment's thought, Xia You decided to send out the Chimchar first to test the intensity of the match.

Although Donggua seemed very powerful to him, the fact that he only sent out such a low-evolutionary Bronze Mirror Monster made it seem like he wasn't genuinely trying to test his strength.

More than anything, it seems that Donggua is sticking to his own rhythm of defending the stadium, sending out his usual lineup in a methodical manner.

It has to be said that Xia You's guess was indeed very accurate.

In terms of strength, Tonqua is not the strongest among the Sinnoh Gym Leaders, but he is not weak either, belonging to the upper-middle tier, and is still very powerful.

But as impressive as he was, he was getting old and had gradually lost his former passion. His focus had long since shifted to other things, such as... his obsessive excavation of fossils.

So even if he encountered a trainer whose strength he felt was 'rarely seen', he wasn't very interested in competing with Xia You.

No, that's not quite right.

Perhaps Donggua simply has his own rules for guarding the hall, and maybe he just wants to test Xia You's strength through the first battle.

After all, no matter what, a gym leader, and more importantly, a Steel-type trainer, must still possess the 'Steel Soul' within him.

It's just... I don't know how much still exists, or whether we're willing to use it.