I caught a Pokémon

"Miss Karuno... seems to be in even better condition?" Hikaru muttered softly, his eyes full of admiration.

Upon hearing this, Xia You took a closer look.

Indeed, compared to yesterday's flawless performance tinged with a hint of fatigue, today's Karuno seemed to have shed some invisible burden, her emotions in the performance were fuller, and her eyes were brighter and sharper.

Was it because the problem of Wutang was solved?

Or is it because of... something else?

Xia You had no idea, but she could sense her ease.

"Maybe it's because of what happened online... that she has nothing to worry about anymore?" Yami guessed softly.

Makomo pushed up her glasses, said nothing, but her gaze subtly shifted between Karuno and Natsuyu.

They didn't have to wait long; the scene quickly ended with the director's satisfied "Cut!"

Karuno instantly snapped out of character, her face returning to its usual elegant smile, and nodded to the staff.

Her gaze was like a precise radar, almost instantly spotting Xia You and her group standing in the shadows at the edge.

She first whispered a few words to her assistant, who nodded and quickly walked towards Xia You and the others.

"Mr. Xia You, ladies, you've arrived." The assistant greeted you with a smile, her tone even more familiar than yesterday. "Miss Karunai has two more scenes to film, which will take about half an hour. So she just told you to wait for her in the dressing room. She'll be right there when she's done filming."

Since everything has already been arranged, what else is there to say?

"Okay, thank you for your help."

"No trouble at all, come with me."

The assistant led them back to the lounge, and after entering the room, she poured them a glass of water before taking her leave.

With her gone, only their own people remained in the room, and the atmosphere undoubtedly became a bit more lively.

Compared to the dazzling, fast-paced world of filming outside, this place is like a tranquil haven.

They didn't know how much time had passed, but while they were talking to the three women, the door was opened again. They turned around and saw Karuno walk in with a big smile on her face.

Chapter 1323 Green Figure

Karuno still had some stage makeup on her face, but her expression had returned to its usual composure and gentleness.

She closed the door behind her, looked at the people inside, and gave them a sincere smile tinged with apology.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. The last two scenes were a little more troublesome than expected." Her voice was slightly hoarse from filming, but she sounded relaxed.

"It's alright, Miss Karuno, we didn't wait long." Hikari quickly waved her hand.

“Yes, it would be quite interesting to see your lounge,” Yami said with a smile.

Karuno smiled, her gaze finally settling on Xia You. Her eyes held a complex mix of emotions, but more so, a frankness and a hint of inquiry: "How were you? Weren't you scared by the scene outside? And... did you encounter any 'trouble' on the way?"

She was implying something, clearly knowing that Wutang had been outside.

Xia You stood up, met her gaze, and shook her head: "No, everything went smoothly, and... it seemed there was some trouble, but I 'resolved' it myself."

A knowing glint flashed in Karuno's eyes, and she nodded slightly, not delving into the matter further.

She walked to the mini bar, took out a few drinks from the refrigerator and distributed them to everyone, saying in a casual tone, "Things online... have been a bit beyond expectations, but it seems the situation is still under control. I'm sorry for the trouble."

She handed Xia You a bottle of juice, and their fingers briefly touched.

Karuno's fingers were slightly cool, but her movements were natural. Xia You couldn't help but glance at her.

Business as usual.

"It's no trouble at all," Xia You said, taking the drink. "But how should we wrap things up in the end?"

This is also his biggest concern.

Karuno waved her hand and sat down on the single sofa next to him, her posture relaxed: "Just downplay it. People won't keep it to themselves for long. Maybe it won't be long before they're distracted by other things. After all, there's always news in this industry. It just so happens that we're the main characters this time. As for you, what are you planning to do next? Continue traveling?"

“Yes.” Xia You nodded. “I’ve come here to say goodbye. I just got my fifth badge, and Xiao Guang also won the Ribbon Medal at the Grand Contest, so we plan to leave here first thing tomorrow morning and continue our journey to the next stop.”

Upon hearing this, a fleeting, almost imperceptible emotion flashed across Karuno's eyes, a mixture of understanding and faint melancholy, but it was quickly replaced by a smile.

"Leaving so soon? I was thinking of waiting until my filming was a bit lighter these next couple of days to properly entertain you all, or maybe have a good sparring session with you. But... well, the journey is more important. I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of amazing performance you'll give at the United States Conference!"

That will probably disappoint you.

Xia You smiled bitterly to herself.

As we all know, the quality of this year's United States Convention...

It's really quite unbearable to look at.

But this is something I can't tell Karunami right now.

"I also wish you a successful filming process and great box office success for this movie."

Karuno chuckled upon hearing this, raised her water bottle, and gestured towards Xia You: "Looks like we both have something to work on. Well then, I'll drink water instead of wine and wish you a safe journey. Oh, and..."

She paused, looked into Xia You's eyes, and said in a gentle yet clear voice, "Keep in touch. If you ever come to Carlos again, or if you need any help, feel free to contact me. We're friends, right?"

"Of course." Xia You also raised her drink bottle and gently tapped it against hers, making a crisp sound. "Let's stay in touch."

"And us too!" Hikaru, mimicking Xia You, also raised his drink bottle at that moment. "Miss Karuno, we want to be your friends too!"

“Is that even a question?” Karuno smiled back, then turned to Makomo and Meme, “Let’s have a toast too.”

……

The air outside the Pokémon Center in Liyong City carries the slightly salty and refreshing feel characteristic of a port city.

After resting for the night, Xia You and her group of four had breakfast the next morning, checked their belongings and Pokémon status, and then embarked on their journey to Fanba City.

Leaving the area of ​​Liyong City, they headed north, and before they had gone very far, they could clearly feel that the landscape was gradually changing.

The flat roads have been replaced by winding mountain roads, and the industrial buildings have been replaced by dense forests on both sides. The air is filled with the fresh scent of earth and plants.

Everything related to the port and the seaside has disappeared.

Instead, there is a steep and difficult mountain road.

Clearly, they had gone into the mountains, and even on the other side, they could see continuous snow-capped peaks.

As the map shows, the road to Fanba City requires crossing a mountain range called "Rugged Mountain Road". The road conditions are indeed much more complicated than the previous plains, but for trainers who are used to traveling, this is just a normal part of the journey.

"Alright, let's keep going today and try to see the outline of Fanba City as soon as possible!"

Xiao Guang walked energetically at the front of the group, with Bogaman following proudly beside her.

"Don't walk too fast, watch your step!"

Not far behind her, Yami gently reminded her while also observing the various plants along the roadside. This woman with green hair had an innate affinity for nature.

Makomo was carrying her tablet, taking notes as she walked. The sunlight filtering through the leaves reflected off her glasses. To be honest, Natsumi didn't know what she had been working on these past few days, but she seemed very busy.

Unlike their leisurely pace, Xia You walked at the back, holding her phone and occasionally checking the latest comments online.

Although the hype hasn't died down, it has clearly subsided. In the top ten trending topics, there are only one or two related to him and Karuno left.

This is good news for him.

As it turns out, nothing on the internet lasts forever; people's attention is quickly drawn to other things.

And it was at a relatively open bend in the mountain road that they met a boy of about ten years old.

A young trainer dressed as a traveler, carrying a bulging backpack, jumped out from the roadside. When he saw them appear, his eyes lit up and he blocked their way.

"I'm Ryu from Fanba City! I'm traveling with the goal of becoming a powerful Pokémon Trainer! Let's battle in Pokémon!"

The boy's voice was clear and crisp. His gaze swept over the four of them and finally landed on Xiao Guang, who looked to be about the same age and full of energy.

"Oh? You want to fight me?"

Xiao Guang raised her pretty face and a smile appeared on her lips. She glanced back at Xia You and saw Xia You nod with a smile, indicating that there was no rush to travel. Then she looked at the boy again.

"I accept your challenge!"

Xiao Guang stepped forward, walked out of the line, and stood in front of the boy with a bright smile.

"I'm Dawn from Twinleaf Town, and my goal is to become a top Pokémon Coordinator! Nice to meet you!"

"Twinleaf Town?" Xiao Long thought for a moment, then chuckled. "Never heard of it before. Is that some backwater town? And you're a Coordinator? What bad luck, I thought you were a Trainer. You're no match for me!"

It has to be said that this boy named Xiaolong precisely stepped on all of Xiaoguang's landmines.

Can Xiao Guang really tolerate this?

Originally, she only intended to spar with this young man and didn't plan to go all out, but now it seems that she should teach this arrogant guy a lesson!

A brief but intense battle ensued.

After briefly explaining the rules, the boy named Xiaolong sent out a Beanpigeon as his first Pokémon.

Dawn didn't switch to any other Pokémon; she simply pointed forward casually, and Piplup, which had been following her, jumped in front of Piplup.

Both Pokémon are very much like their trainers, neither willing to submit to the other.

Pogaman was unusually angry at the guy who dared to mock Hikaru.

This allowed it to launch an immediate attack as soon as the battle began, unleashing all its signature moves.

In that case, how could a rookie trainer who has just started out possibly be its match?

In no time, after just a few simple exchanges, DouDouGe was utterly defeated.

puff.

Seeing DouDouGe fall at his feet, her eyes filled with tears, XiaoLong was first surprised, then became furious!

A girl from the countryside actually defeated herself!

He recalled the Bean Pigeon and instead released a Little York.

Seeing an opponent of this caliber, Hikaru once again commanded Pogaman to step forward, and it cleanly and efficiently defeated it as well.

Two to zero.

And it was a crushing defeat.

Even if Xiao Long was arrogant, he finally realized that he was no match for the beautiful girl in front of him.

He slunk away, a stark contrast to his attitude when he had blocked their way.

For Xiao Guang and Xia You's group, this was just a trivial little incident.

"How about that? I'm pretty awesome, aren't I!"

Xiao Guang smiled at Xia You, then happily high-fived Bo Jiaman who jumped up. Just then, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a blurry, dark shadow flashing past in the woods to her side!

"Huh? What's that?"

She quickly took out her Pokédex and scanned it in that direction, but the screen was blank, clearly not capturing anything.

"Leave it to me!"

Seeing this, Xia You's Rotom Dex volunteered to chase after it in that direction. In the blink of an eye, it disappeared into the depths of the denser forest, but a moment later, it flew out again.

"Damn, we lost it, but I did see something. It was a small green figure, definitely a Pokémon, and the direction it went was exactly the direction we were going."

Chapter 1324 Plasma Destroyer

"A green shadow?" Makomo pushed up her glasses. "It's probably just some wild grass-type Pokémon. This area is densely forested, so it's not surprising to see wild Pokémon."

Xia You nodded: "It seems they were attracted by the battle just now. Let's ignore it and continue on our way."

“That makes sense.” Xiao Guang smiled and stopped dwelling on it. “Let’s keep going then. Hopefully we can get over this mountain before dark.”

The group set off again, continuing their journey north along the mountain path.

However, less than half an hour later, Xia You's phone suddenly rang with a peculiar ringtone.

Because he had many women, Xia You assigned each of them a unique ringtone to make it easier to know who was contacting him. At the same time, he also set unique ringtones for some important friends and partners.

And at this moment, the ringtone belongs to the handsome guy.

The handsome guy usually didn't contact him to catch up; he mostly needed something. So even before answering the call, he could roughly guess what it was about.

Besides the trouble with Interpol, what else could it be!

However, for Xia You, the more such things happen, the better, since he will also reap a large benefit when the final settlement is made.