I caught a Pokémon

Xia You reached out and shook his hand firmly.

"Then hurry back! I also wish you all the best in becoming an outstanding master craftsman soon!"

"Thank you, and I hope you become an excellent Pokémon Trainer!"

The two smiled at each other, and after Ah Gong left the guesthouse impatiently and his figure disappeared completely, Xia You turned to look at Na Zi.

"Alright, now that things are over, it's time for us to get going!"

Nazi nodded and went back to her room to pack her things. When she returned to the courtyard, she couldn't help but turn back for one last look at her and Xia You's room.

Although these past few days have been ordinary, they have been wonderful. Every little thing has been fulfilling and happy.

No matter what kind of travel she will experience in the future, or what beautiful places she will visit, the memories of these past few days will surely remain in her heart forever!

……

Beneath the white clouds, a fire-breathing dragon carrying a backpack and a man and a woman sped through the air.

The sunlight shone on it, casting a small, blurry shadow on the sea surface hundreds of meters below.

Having wasted a few days on Ponkan Island, Xia You stopped wandering around aimlessly in order to save time. Instead, she and Natsumi followed the map and headed straight for the next gym island.

After departing from Ponkan Island, they flew for several hours before finally seeing land again in the evening.

Looking around.

Surrounded by lush forests, a massive volcano stands atop the island, piercing the clouds. This volcano is so large that it occupies three-quarters of the island's land area!

It's an island formed entirely by a volcanic eruption!

"This is Neporu Island?" Sabrina said with a half-smile. "I wonder if it's an active volcano, or if there's a risk of it erupting. Anyway, it looks pretty dangerous."

Knowing that she was alluding to the volcanic eruption of Mount Lamp, Xia You pretended not to understand and completely ignored the remark.

Anyway, some things get worse the more you explain them. If people who don't know the situation hear about it, they might think that he really caused the volcanic eruption!

Hmph, I won't accept the title of "Volcano Killer"!

The closer you get, the larger the volcano appears.

When they landed on the beach and entered the only village on the island, Xia You discovered that compared to Xia Gan Island or Ponkan Island, the population here was extremely sparse. As the only human settlement on the entire island, it did not seem to have developed into a town.

Because of its scattered layout and the fact that the houses are all detached rural houses, the whole village looked very quiet. They walked for a long time before finally finding some elderly people tending their vegetable gardens in a few of the courtyards.

Seeing this, Sabrina couldn't help but wonder, "Did we come to the wrong place? It's so remote, is there really an official Orange League gym here?"

"Don't worry, this is the place." Xia You nodded and explained, "Although most dojos are committed to promoting local development and choose to build their dojos in bustling cities, some people, due to their personality or other reasons, also prefer to build their dojos in sparsely populated places like this, in order to avoid being disturbed by ordinary people!"

Chapter 196 Little Dan, the Eastern Star

Before it got completely dark, they found the only hotel in the village and booked two rooms.

In fact, because the area is sparsely populated, Xia You has no need to worry about the hotel being full, since there are no other tourists on the entire island besides them!

However, the accommodation in this kind of rural inn is naturally not ideal, especially when night falls and a breeze blows into the room through the open window, you can smell a cow dung!

Perhaps for the people living here, this smell is nothing after a while, but as the wind blows intermittently, the smell appears and disappears, making Xia You and Na Zi very uncomfortable.

Fortunately, the room was fairly clean and tidy, and compared to camping in the wild, staying in a warm room was obviously much more comfortable.

After moving Nazi to another room that was sheltered from the wind, Xia You also closed the windows and doors tightly. Although it was a bit hot, it finally blocked out most of the smell.

As night fell, around seven or eight o'clock, the surroundings were already completely silent. It was pitch black outside the window, and there were hardly any lights to be seen.

Accustomed to the fast-paced life in the city, Xia You lay in bed, unable to fall asleep at all.

He tossed and turned for over an hour before finally drifting off to sleep. However, perhaps because the bed was too hard, he didn't feel refreshed when he woke up the next day. Instead, he felt sore all over and extremely tired.

Sigh, the scenery is beautiful, but I really don't want to come back to this place a second time!

After washing up, the two went to the hotel lobby and had a hearty breakfast.

As they prepared to check out, the weathered and burly landlady looked them up and down and couldn't help but laugh, "Guests, did you sleep well last night? Judging from your appearance, you must be here to challenge Xiao Dan, right?"

"It's alright. Apart from your Tauros having a bit of an upset stomach last night, everything else is tolerable." Xia You gave a wry smile, then touched her nose and asked, "Are you referring to the Gym Leader of Neporu Gym when you say 'Xiao Dan'?"

“That’s right!” The proprietress nodded, her tone quite proud. “He is the Eastern Star of our Orange Alliance, extremely powerful, and has defeated many challengers. Don’t underestimate him!”

"Thanks for the reminder." Xia You said confidently as she slowly gathered the bowls and chopsticks on the table. "I'm pretty good too. Just a few days ago, I defeated the Western Star from Xia Gan Dojo!"

"Oh?" The proprietress raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You've already defeated Miss Atsumi? You're quite capable, aren't you?"

Compared to Xia You, Na Zi appeared more cautious.

How did you know we were going to challenge the gym?

“What’s so hard to guess?” the landlady said cheerfully. “Actually, our Neporu Island is just an ordinary agricultural island. Not only is the population sparse, but we also don’t have any special products. So, throughout the year, hardly any outsiders come. Therefore, you unfamiliar faces are obviously here to challenge Xiao Dan without even asking.”

"I see," Xia You said with a smile. "Then, do you know where Xiao Dan's dojo is?"

The proprietress pointed to the volcano outside the window.

"His gym is located on the summit of Mount Neporu, but Dan doesn't usually like to stay in the gym. Before you go there, I think you can go to the beach or the foot of the volcano and see if you can find him."

……

Leaving the hotel, Xia You and Na Zi walked along the narrow path toward Mount Neporu.

However, they had only gone halfway when, as they passed a beach, they suddenly heard music in the style of a tropical island coming from the sea.

Out of curiosity, they turned to look and saw a man steering a small sailboat, cutting through the waves!

The music was coming from an old-fashioned stereo at his feet!

Nazi glanced at him briefly before continuing forward, while Xia You stood still and looked at him a few more times.

Judging from his age, he was around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with a healthy bronze complexion. His clothing, including a red shirt with small fist-shaped prints and baggy shorts, clearly indicated that he was not the type of person with a dull personality.

According to the hotel owner, Dan, the head of the Neporu Dojo, loves outdoor sports and is very skilled at both surfing and rock climbing. Moreover, there are few outsiders on the island, and the young people have all left to live in big cities. Therefore, after thinking it over, this man must be Dan.

However, it must be said that being able to take a boat out to sea early in the morning, listening to music, Xiao Dan's job as the curator is really quite carefree!

If I stop traveling around in the future, I really hope I can live as freely and unrestrainedly as him!

Pulling herself back to reality, Xia You didn't disturb him despite knowing his identity. Instead, she pretended not to know, quickened her pace to catch up with Natsume, and continued towards the dojo.

In the distance, Xiao Dan naturally noticed Xia You and the other two. Seeing them heading towards her dojo, she pulled the sail rope and sailed towards them.

"Hey, you two in front, please wait a minute!"

The sailboat rushed onto the beach, and Xiao Dan jumped in a cool leap, landing in front of Xia You and the others.

"Are you here to challenge the Neporu Gym?"

"Yes."

Seeing Xia You nod, Xiao Dan smiled, revealing her shiny teeth.

"I see. Hello, my name is Xiao Dan. Please take care of me."

As he spoke, he even stretched out his hand and gave them an exaggerated salute!

It seems I was right, this person really is Xiao Dan!

But... that kind of approach, and that overly familiar tone, is truly the pinnacle of social skills!

Although she thought this to herself, Xia You remained expressionless and said, "Hello, my name is Xia You. May I ask what brings you here?"

“It’s like this…” Xiao Dan said with a smile, “I just saw that you guys seem to be from outside the island, so you probably don’t know the way to the gym. I happen to have something to do and I also need to go to Mount Neporu, so I thought I could take you there with me!”

Xiao Dan seemed to be a kind-hearted person, but seeing that he had not admitted to being the owner of the museum until now, Xia You guessed that he must have other purposes.

At this moment, Xiao Dan looked at Na Zi, who was standing to the side.

"By the way, beautiful lady next to me, may I ask your name?"

Unexpectedly, he received no response even after speaking for a long time.

Upon closer inspection, Naz was staring at him calmly with unwavering eyes.

The feeling was as if he were just a roadside stone or a clump of weeds, not worth paying attention to at all.

Chapter 197 Neporu Gym

Xiao Dan paused, her smile freezing on her face, looking slightly stiff.

Before today, whether it was the Orange League or Neporu Island, his status as the gym owner and his personal charm made him virtually invincible in flirting with girls.

Although I've been rejected by people occasionally, this is the first time I've been completely ignored like this!

This time, I had the pleasure of meeting such a beautiful girl, and I thought it would be my lucky day, but I never expected her to have this kind of attitude.

Turning to look at Xia You, he saw that this young man was not only more handsome than him, but also much younger.

In terms of temperament and appearance, I am indeed slightly inferior.

Does she like this man?

Or are they already in a relationship?

But after observing them for so long, he didn't see any intimate gestures between them!

It's okay, she doesn't know that I am the Gym Leader of Neporu Gym. Once she finds out who I am, she will be very surprised and immediately change her attitude!

With Dan joining them, the three continued along the path toward the Neporu Gym.

Along the way, Xiao Dan led the way, telling stories of the history of Neporu Island and the events that had happened around them, seemingly trying her best to show off her wit and humor.

Unfortunately, his words failed to pique Naz's interest at all, and even Xia You yawned repeatedly as she listened. Only when she occasionally answered or echoed his words did he feel that he wasn't talking to himself.

But... I don't know if it's just my imagination.

With a sudden surge of sixth sense, Xiao Dan felt that a mysterious force was targeting her!

This force, like a superpower, is like a thorn in my side, seemingly hating my involvement!

Hmph, it must be that this Xia You sensed the danger, which is why he didn't want me to get too close to his female companion!

He scratched the itch in discomfort and took the opportunity to quickly glance back, only to find that Xia You looked uninterested, occasionally looking up at the scenery in the distance or whispering to the woman, without doing anything strange.

Hmm? That's strange, isn't it him?

Am I just imagining things?

Unintentionally, his gaze met Naz's eyes, and he happened to see a cold glint flash in her eyes.

For some reason, even in the sweltering summer heat, Xiao Dan suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. He rubbed his eyes and looked at Na Zi again, but everything seemed normal.

what happened?

Did I just see it wrong?

I was puzzled, yet I couldn't figure it out no matter how hard I tried.

After walking for a long time, they finally arrived at an arched gate at the foot of the mountain.

The archway was made of iron, and on either side of it, two long stone walls surrounded it, completely blocking out the world behind it.

Xiao Dan turned around and smiled, her tone even carrying a hint of relief: "We've arrived. This is the entrance to the Neporu Gym."

Together with him, they pushed open the heavy iron gate. Xia You looked behind the gate and saw a wide open space with a wooden cabin. Behind the cabin was a cable car that had stopped operating, and to the side was a steep mountain path with railings leading to Mount Neporu.

Xia You looked around and found that apart from them, there was no one else there.

It seems that apart from Xiao Dan, there are no other staff members at this dojo. It's just that with such a large space, I wonder how he usually manages to maintain and manage it.

Guided by Xiao Dan, Xia You walked to a notice board next to the railing.

"To all challengers: Welcome to the Neporu Gym. The first challenge you'll face is climbing a mountain. Please comply. Also, this climb must be done entirely by your own strength. If you use any Pokémon's power during the climb, you will be immediately disqualified from the challenge. Please keep this in mind."

Xia You read it once, and then noticed a line of small print at the very bottom.

"Accompanying persons may use the cable car at will."

"What do we do now?" Naz walked up to him and asked softly.

Xia You glanced at Xiao Dan and saw that he was standing with his arms crossed, not saying a word, as if waiting for her to make a decision.

After thinking for a moment, he joked, "Why worry so much? Since there's no one else here and no security cameras, I think I'll just take the cable car with you and go straight to the top of the mountain."

"Never do that!"

Sure enough, upon hearing his words, Xiao Dan quickly spoke up to stop him. Seeing that Xia You and Sabrina were both focused on him, she cleared her throat and explained, "Mountain climbing is an important event in the Neporu Gym competition. Although there is no one else here, the Gym Leader has been watching you from somewhere. If you take the cable car, he will definitely spot you!"