I caught a Pokémon

Originally, Xia You only wanted Xiao Dan to take the opportunity to admit her identity so that everyone could openly discuss matters related to challenging the dojo, but seeing that Xiao Dan was still hiding her identity, she couldn't help but shake her head slightly.

I should play along with your act, pretending not to see...

Sigh, now that we've come this far, I really don't know what he has to hide...

"I see." Xia You sighed dramatically. "In that case, I can only follow the rules. By the way, Mr. Xiao Dan, didn't you say you brought us here because it was on the way? Now that we're here, I think you don't need to worry about us anymore. Please go and attend to your own business."

Xiao Dan naturally couldn't leave, and because of that purpose, she didn't dare to reveal her identity now.

Moreover, he was genuinely afraid that Xia You would take the cable car and choose the easier route to the top of the mountain if no one was watching her!

So he pretended to be generous and said, "Actually, I also want to go to the top of the mountain. Since you're going to climb the mountain, I think we should go together. That way, we can look out for each other!"

Xia You handed over her extra equipment to Nazi and watched her get on the cable car. She tightened her shoelaces before walking up the mountain path with Xiao Dan and arriving at the foot of a steep rock face.

Looking up, Mount Neporu is at least several hundred meters high, and without any protective measures, it poses a great test to the mind and courage of challengers.

Fortunately, this cliff is not so dangerous. If you look closely, you will find that it has many protrusions that can be stepped on to stand on, and the slope is not straight up, but slightly inclined, which can keep the climber's center of gravity stable.

At this moment, Xiao Dan glanced at him and had already started climbing.

Xia You watched his movements; every step was very skillful. It seemed that what the hotel landlady said was true. Although this person seemed a bit frivolous, he was indeed very good at this kind of outdoor sports!

Chapter 198 Snow Mountain and Three Challenges

Seeing that Xiao Dan had already climbed more than ten meters, Xia You didn't delay any longer and began to climb upwards using both hands and feet.

Although the height of Mount Nepru looks terrifying, Xia Youzhen felt at peace when she put aside her distractions and focused on conquering it.

Although his movements were somewhat clumsy and his speed was not as agile as Xiao Dan's, his strategy was to proceed steadily and cautiously, step by step, to avoid making any mistakes.

Moreover, with Gastly secretly protecting them, there's no need to worry about falling to their death.

Just then, with the rumbling of the tracks in her ears, Nazha rode the cable car past her, heading towards the mountaintop.

Xia You turned her head and saw that through the cable car window, she could still see her gently waving at her.

"Keep going, I'll be waiting for you at the top of the mountain."

Even though it was just a simple word of encouragement, Xia You instantly became full of energy, and with each climb, she seemed to have inexhaustible strength!

Moreover, after the initial awkwardness, he gradually caught up with Xiao Dan's pace!

The distance between the two gradually decreased until they were able to keep up side by side.

Twenty minutes later, when they had climbed halfway up the mountain, Xiao Dan stopped and suggested that they take a break.

Xia You originally had plenty of energy and wanted to climb to the top of the mountain in one go, but Xiao Dan was a professional after all, so after thinking about it, she decided to follow his advice.

"call…"

Xia You plopped down on a flat rock, exhaled a long breath, and looked into the distance.

A few white clouds drifted beside them, moving slowly with the breeze. They were so close that it seemed they could reach out and touch them.

The two of them are currently in the same place he saw before landing on Neporu Island, a place shrouded in clouds and mist.

The air here is fresh and the scenery is superb. You can take in the distant sea and the islands and forests at your feet, which is refreshing and invigorating!

Most importantly, after climbing here by hand, Xia You felt a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment that was indescribable!

Seeing his appearance, Xiao Dan laughed and said, "For someone climbing without equipment for the first time, you did very well. But be careful from here on out. Although the slope becomes gentler, the temperature will drop sharply and become extremely cold!"

Nodding, Xia You said, "No problem, let's go."

Just as Xiao Dan said, after they rested for a few minutes and passed the halfway point, the rest of the journey no longer required climbing, but could be continued on foot. However, as the altitude increased, the air became increasingly cold, and they even had to avoid the cold wind blowing directly into their mouths when breathing!

After walking another ten meters or so, snow began to accumulate underfoot, and snowflakes even started to fall from the sky!

It feels like the weather suddenly went from summer to winter!

After climbing for so long, Xia You still didn't know how high the altitude was. She asked Xiao Dan, but Xiao Dan shook her head, indicating that she didn't know either.

"Actually, this mountain isn't particularly high. It's just that the summit is often shrouded in clouds due to the weather, which is why the weather is so unpredictable!"

Treading through the thick snow, the two walked up several hundred meters and finally reached the top of the mountain.

By this time, the snow was falling heavier and heavier, even obstructing their vision.

Because of the prolonged exertion, Xia You's fingers and calves were already a little sore and weak. In addition, she had just worked up a sweat. At first, she didn't feel anything, but now that she had reached the top of the mountain, the snowflakes made her feel a bit biting cold!

Through the gaps in the snowflakes, he also saw dozens of geysers erupting continuously on the mountaintop amidst the thick snow.

In the distance, Naz, who had reached the summit earlier, quickly walked out of a small wooden cabin next to the cable car.

She was wearing a thick red blanket that she had found somewhere, and when she came to Xia You's side, she draped another blanket over Xia You.

Instantly, protected by the thick downy fur, Xia You no longer felt cold.

Meanwhile, Xiao Dan, who had been completely ignored, was speechless as she watched this scene.

There are clearly two people here, why can't you just give me one too? Besides, this is my blanket...

Shaking his head helplessly, he could only go into the cabin, take a blanket, and drape it over himself.

When he walked back to Xia You, his face was once again full of confidence.

"Congratulations, you've passed."

After this abrupt congratulation, Xiao Dan thought Xia You and Na Zi would be surprised, but they looked perfectly normal and showed no surprise at all!

“I knew it all along,” Xia You said with a smile. “You’re actually the gym leader of this Neporu Gym, aren’t you?”

A deep sense of defeat welled up in Dan's heart. He was silent for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said, "What? So you already knew? You're so smart! That's right, I am Dan, the Gym Leader of the Neporu Gym of the Southern Cross!"

At this point, he turned to look at Naz, and asked hopefully, "Miss, have you guessed my identity as well?"

Looking at Naz, her expression remained unchanged; she merely glanced at him without uttering a word.

Contrary to his expectations, she was not shocked upon learning his identity!

Having traveled together for so long, and with some subtle details, Naz had a vague idea of ​​Xiao Dan's identity. But even if she was the gym owner, so what?

I really don't understand why a gym leader from a remote island and a third-rate league would mention his identity in front of her, the gym leader of Saffron City, the most prosperous city in the Kanto region.

Seeing that Naz remained unmoved, Xiao Dan opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she could only sigh helplessly.

"Alright, first of all, welcome to the Neporu Gym. After passing the initial test, I agree to a match with you."

As she spoke, Xiao Dan held up three fingers: "The Neporu Gym match is divided into three rounds. If you can win two of the rounds, you will be considered a successful challenger. So, the first round is the Hot Water Freezes match!"

As if to cooperate with him, a crack next to him suddenly erupted, and instantly, a column of water several meters high shot into the air.

And from its billowing steam, it's easy to tell that even at this frigid peak, the water temperature must be extremely hot!

"An ice-fighting competition?"

It seems that, just like Ash's competitions in the anime, the competition events here haven't changed.

only…

Xia You stroked her chin and asked, "But I don't have any Ice-type Pokémon, so what should I do?"

Xiao Dan crossed her arms and shook her head with feigned regret: "Then there's nothing we can do. You've failed your first competition."

"This is considered a failure?" Xia You was taken aback. "Can't we try other events? I bet there are many other trainers here who don't have Ice-type Pokémon, right? Does everyone have to be judged as a failure?"

"No way," Xiao Dan laughed. "These are my rules, and you have to follow them!"

Seeing his resolute attitude, Xia You couldn't help but frown.

He currently has too few Pokémon, and the types he has doesn't cover are very comprehensive, which makes it easy for him to face this awkward situation.

However, losing without a fight is not his style.

Taking out a Super Ball from his waist, Xia You said helplessly, "Since that's the case, I can't keep it hidden any longer. It seems that I'll have no choice but to let this guy make an exception and play!"

Chapter 199 Shocking Xiao Dan for a Hundred Years

"The rules for the first match are to use Ice-type moves to freeze the water jets coming out of the geyser, and whoever freezes them the fastest wins!"

As he spoke, Xiao Dan had already sent out his Pokémon.

As the Poké Ball opened, a Nidoqueen appeared on the mountaintop.

After releasing the Pokémon, Xiao Dan slowly retrieved the empty Poké Ball, while glancing sideways at the Great Ball in Xia You's hand, constantly guessing what Pokémon he would send out to deal with the situation.

Xia You glanced at Nido from the side.

Like Nidoking, which we've seen before, Nidoqueen is a large, bipedal Pokémon. However, it has blue skin and is only female, which makes it a perfect pair with the male Nidoking, which has purple skin.

It is said that Nido is very loving towards her children and will become extremely fierce in order to protect them.

However, since the goal is to freeze the geyser, the Pokémon sent out should ideally be able to successfully use an Ice-type move.

As a Poison/Ground type, Nidoqueen wouldn't normally be able to learn Ice-type moves on its own. It seems that Xiao Dan must have used other methods to teach this Nidoqueen some kind of Ice-type move for this competition.

But... in the Orange Islands, which are scattered across the seas, you could easily learn Ice-type moves from common Water-type Pokémon like Dewprik, Cloyster, or Lapras, and combine them with your Water-type Pokémon to enhance their power. So why did Dan choose Nidoqueen, a Ground-type Pokémon?

I really don't understand his intentions...

Despite his confusion, Xia You didn't want to rack his brains. In any case, no matter what considerations or purposes he might have, they wouldn't cause any ripples in front of his Pokémon!

"Come out, Articuno!"

At first, upon hearing the name Articuno, Xiao Dan was startled and thought she was hallucinating or that Xia You had called the wrong name.

However, when Articuno stretched out its wings and truly displayed its beautiful form before him, he opened his mouth in astonishment, hardly believing his eyes!

"Hurry...hurry...Articuno!??"

He rubbed his eyes in disbelief and immediately tried to get closer to Articuno for a better look, but Articuno flapped its wings, scaring him back a step and causing him to return to his original spot.

"Mr. Xia You...where exactly did you get this...this Ice God?"

God of Ice?

Xia You was taken aback for a moment, then shook her head.

"I'm sorry, this Articuno is not the Ice God of your Orange Islands. I just happened to encounter it during my travels."

Hearing that it wasn't the God of Ice, Xiao Dan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

It is important to know that the God of Ice, like the God of Thunder and the God of Fire, is a sacred bird in their hearts and the long-standing guardian deity of the Orange Islands. It has been skillfully maintaining the ecological balance of the region and cannot be allowed to be lost!

Even in his childhood, he grew up listening to their legends.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. Articuno is a species, and although its numbers are very small, it doesn't only exist in the Orange Islands.

Moreover, as an ancient legend, the God of Ice is so powerful that not only can its traces not be found, but it is also impossible for humans to capture it!

Even so, the way he looked at Xia You had become very complicated.

Originally, he only regarded Xia You as an ordinary challenger, but after this Articuno appeared, he would no longer believe that he was an ordinary trainer!

"Mr. Xia You, who exactly are you?"

Even he himself didn't realize that his tone had changed without him noticing!

Although the Orange Islands are very close to Kanto, Xiao Dan, an islander who doesn't usually pay much attention to things outside the island, lives in his own world and rarely sees news from other places. Therefore, even though Xia You won the championship in the Quartz Tournament and became the center of attention, he was completely unaware of it.

"Who am I?" Xia You shook her head slightly. "In the Orange Alliance, I am just an ordinary challenger. However, if you do some research on what happened in other regions during this period, you should be able to find out my identity very quickly."

Hearing him say that, Xiao Dan really wanted to take out her phone immediately to find out more about this man, but since they were in the middle of a competition, it was obviously not the right time.

Regaining their focus, the two refocused their attention on Pokémon.

At this moment, the two Pokémon stood side by side, facing the two mountain crevices, quietly waiting for their chance.

These two mountain crevices actually originate from the same geyser, but because of the rocks above, they are divided in two, creating two separate spring outlets. And it is precisely because of this that when the spring erupts, it can send out two streams of water at the same time!

only……

Looking at Nidoran, who had once been her pride and joy, standing next to Articuno now seemed rather lackluster and quite ordinary.

After waiting for a while, with a slight tremor underfoot, the geyser suddenly erupted, and two adjacent streams of water surged into the air from the mountain crevice at the same time.

It's now!

Xia You and Xiao Dan gave the order almost simultaneously.

"Articuno, use Ice Beam!"

"After Nido, use the Freeze Ray!"