I caught a Pokémon

The water jets out steam, shooting three or four meters high. When the freezing rays hit it, a large amount of smoke is instantly produced!

Because the water temperature is so high, it would require the Pokémon to use extremely powerful force in an instant to freeze it completely.

However, for Xia You, this was not worth mentioning at all.

Articuno was already incredibly strong, and with the Iceproof Accessory, it was even stronger. As a result, when it used Ice Beam, it was visibly larger than Nidoqueen's similar move, making it incredibly powerful!

Almost instantly, its freezing rays froze the water into ice pillars, while in contrast, it took Dan's Nidoki five or six seconds to completely freeze the water pillar.

Now, the difference in quality is immediately apparent!

And most importantly, Articuno froze the water column quite solidly, unlike when Ash challenged it, when most of it had already melted before the final battle was over.

Even compared to Xiao Dan, this column of water was extremely hard and cold.

Xiao Dan watched this scene with a mixture of envy and helplessness.

"It ended in an instant... Is this Articuno's power? That's amazing!"

At this moment, the heavy snow stopped a little, and after being outside for so long, they were covered with a thin layer of snow.

Upon seeing this, Nazi silently walked up to Xia You and carefully patted and cleaned him up.

Xia You smiled slightly at her, not rejecting her kindness, but turned to look at Xiao Dan.

"It seems I've won the first match. So, what will the second match be about?"

Chapter 200 Ice Making, Shipbuilding, and Racing

Faced with this result, Xiao Dan gave a wry smile, but in the face of absolute power, she was convinced of her defeat.

"That's right, I lost. But the second match won't be about who's stronger. Instead, we'll use the ice we just got to craft something!"

As he spoke, he pointed to a wooden plank. Xia You glanced at it and saw a simple diagram of an ice ship!

"This competition is limited to three Pokémon. Whoever can make the ice block into the shape of a ship first will win the second match!"

It really was this!

It seems that Xiao Dan's competition events are just like those depicted in the anime—they are completely unchanging!

"No problem, I accept the challenge."

Seeing that Xiao Dan was talking about such a project with such seriousness, Na Zi, who was standing to the side, shook her head.

They actually made a boat out of ice?

Is this the standard of the Neporu Gym?!

Freezing ice, building boats...

What's next? Will we slide down the mountain?

It's ridiculous! These projects are not only surprisingly childish, but they are even slightly inferior to the water gun shooting at the Summer Gym. Not to mention, they are far inferior to the Indigo League. It can be said that they completely deviate from the rules of the Pokémon League and directly abandon the battle!

In fact, ever since she arrived in the Orange Islands, Naz had been attracted by the local customs and culture, and the time she spent with Xia You had left her with many wonderful memories.

But deep down, she looked down on the Orange Alliance, which she considered a child's play!

Whether it's the dojo owners or their matches, they all seem to be amateurs and unprofessional!

What's the point of determining a winner without any actual fighting? Is it to make them an all-around athlete?

Seeing that Xia You, one of the contestants, did not express any objections, she knew that Xia You must have her own considerations, so she did not say anything more.

At this moment, Xiao Dan summoned another Machamp and Scyther, forming her own team with Nidoqueen.

After a moment's thought, Xia You put away Articuno and released Gardevoir and Jolteon, along with Gastly from the shadow, making a total of three Pokémon.

Xiao Dan's gaze first swept over Jolteon and Gastly, and finally lingered for a moment on Gardevoir, which she had never seen before.

What kind of Pokémon is this?

It's so beautiful! Was it captured in another region?

Not only did he possess Articuno, but he also had such a strange Pokémon, which made him even more curious about the man's identity.

Coming to her senses, Xiao Dan saw that Xia You was ready. With a wave of her hand, both Pokémon began to repair the ice blocks at the same time.

He himself stood aside with his arms crossed, not participating in the command.

In fact, the gym has been open for so long that its Pokémon have ridden the ice ship countless times. They are already very skilled and their movements are extremely fast, so there is no need to say more.

His flying mantis, in particular, with its two sickle-like forelegs, easily cuts through ice and creates the shapes he wants.

Compared to him, Xia You's Pokémon are undoubtedly much slower.

On the one hand, the Articuno had frozen too solidly and was now becoming an obstacle; on the other hand, they were inexperienced and had to be careful with every step, afraid of breaking the ice.

"Gardevoir, use your Psychic powers to rotate this ice pillar slightly!"

"Ghost, quickly cut off that extra part!"

"Raybu, get these ice shards away right now!"

With each chisel cut, a large amount of ice chips flew everywhere!

At Xia You's command, his three Pokémon were busy working hard, but despite this, Xiao Dan's Pokémon were still one step ahead of him and completed the ice ship ahead of time.

Seeing this, Xia You felt quite helpless.

But there's nothing that can be done about it. After all, it's the opponent's specialty. Even if his Pokémon has great power, it can't control the outcome in a competition that relies on skill.

Even though he lost this match, Xia You didn't care too much. He treated it as a fun game with his Pokémon, and at least his Pokémon had a lot of fun.

"So, we're tied one to one now." Xiao Dan breathed a sigh of relief at not being swept 2-0, then changed the subject and said with a smile, "Then next up is the decisive third round, but before that, let's push our ice boat back to the starting point."

By this time, the heavy snow had completely stopped, and the dark clouds had dissipated considerably.

Since the distance wasn't too far, Xia You didn't let Gardevoir use its psychic powers. Instead, everyone worked together to push the ice ship to a flag that read 'START'.

Only now did he realize that the place Xiao Dan had led him to climb was the steepest side of Mount Neporu, and what they were facing now was a mountain path that sloped downwards like a slide!

The view here is more expansive, and the scenery is more captivating.

The two stood side by side, pausing to admire the view for a moment. Then, Xiao Dan pointed to an open space at the foot of the mountain and said, "This final match is a test of teamwork between you and your Pokémon. Both of you and your Pokémon will ride on the ice boat at the same time, and the side that reaches the sea first will be the ultimate winner!"

Xia You glanced at the mountain path a few times and asked, "So, what about the route? Can I choose freely?"

Xiao Dan nodded.

"That's right. As long as you and your Pokémon stay on the ice ship, no matter what method you use or what route you take, as long as you reach the destination, everything will be fine!"

Unregulated racing...

Xia You made an 'OK' gesture to indicate that she understood.

In the decisive game, Xiao Dan changed his Pokémon again. He replaced Nidoqueen and Machoke with Geodude and Voltorb, along with Scyther, which had performed well in the second round, and they all boarded the ice ship.

In response, Xia You did not adjust the lineup, but followed his example and sat in the front row of the ice ship, with Gardevoir, Jolteon and Haunter behind him in order.

Beside them stood an indicator, and the moment the indicator turned green, the two men leaned forward and exerted force almost simultaneously. Instantly, the two ice boats beneath their feet slid down the thick layer of snow.

Seeing them depart, Naz also boarded the cable car again, traveling along another track towards the destination.

High in the air, you can have a complete view of the game below.

At first, the ice boat descended slowly, but as its speed increased, it became faster and faster!

On either side of the ice ship, snowscapes rushed past, while in front of Xia You, there were occasional rocks and some strange obstacles.

At such speeds and altitudes, high-speed racing can be extremely dangerous.

If you accidentally bump into these things, not to mention them, the ice ship will definitely be smashed to pieces!

Chapter 201 White Wave Badge

"Gardedor, there's a huge rock ahead! Turn left quickly!"

"This time, to the right! Use your telekinesis to destroy that big tree blocking our way!"

As the ice ship descended the slope, each time it encountered an obstacle, under Xia You's decisive command, the Pokémon either destroyed it or controlled the ice ship's direction, always managing to avoid these dangers without serious harm.

Whoosh!

The ice ship sped by, kicking up layers of snow.

The two ice ships sometimes moved side by side, and sometimes took the lead, seemingly evenly matched, yet each had its own advantage.

Compared to Xiao Dan's ice boat, Xia You and his Pokémon were too light, with Gastly even floating completely on the boat. Therefore, when passing through straight sections of road, it was impossible to apply pressure to lower the ice boat's center of gravity and maintain stability and speed.

However, precisely because of its light weight, it is easy to avoid obstacles when controlling the direction, so as not to exert too much force and cause the boat to capsize. And often, this is the moment when Xia You exerts his strength and overtakes!

Then, the scenery changed. They had passed the halfway point of the race and had already rushed below the snow line. The ice and snow were gradually disappearing, and in their place were winding mountain paths made of rocks and soil.

As they moved forward a meter, the ice boat beneath them was scraped and worn down due to constant friction, leaving two long white trails made of ice chips in the places they passed through!

Fortunately, the ice formed by the Articuno was extremely hard, which prevented the ship from cracking in a short period of time.

High in the air, Naza sat in the cable car, looking down at the arena through the glass window. She saw that the two teams were going back and forth, and it was impossible to tell who would win the match.

However, in her heart, she naturally favored Xia You completely, and didn't even glance at Xiao Dan.

Fortunately, this stalemate finally turned around when they entered the second half of the journey and passed through a wide forest.

Based on Xiao Dan's previous racing experience, this forest is very dense and definitely impossible to traverse. Therefore, once you get here, you must go around it and glide through a large arc to reach the finish line.

Having skied for so many years, he knew the terrain like the back of his hand, so this time he didn't hesitate at all and, as usual, started turning in advance.

But when he glanced to the side and looked at Xia You, he found that Xia You was controlling the ice boat and heading straight for the forest!

Oops!

Could it be that he misjudged the situation and didn't see the danger ahead?

Xiao Dan was shocked. As the dojo owner, she naturally didn't want anyone to get into trouble in her dojo.

Without a second thought, he shouted, "No! You have to turn right now! You can't get through that forest; you'll definitely crash!"

Unexpectedly, Xia You seemed not to hear her and continued to approach the forest without wavering.

Xiao Dan frowned, hesitating whether to stop Xia You. But just as he was making his decision, he saw Xia You control the ice boat and head straight for a protruding rock. Then, to his disbelief, the ice boat jolted upward and leaped high into the sky above the forest!

This is……

Xiao Dan glanced at him and immediately guessed Xia You's intention. She knew that he wanted to use the height of Mount Nepru, as well as the speed and inertia of his descent, to jump over the forest and choose the shortest route to reach the destination directly.

It must be said that this was indeed a very bold decision!

Without immense courage, it would be impossible to do something so crazy!

But... this forest is at least several hundred meters wide, and with the speed of the ice ship, it's simply impossible to do that!

Xiao Dan was anxious, but even if he wanted to stop Xia You now, he was powerless to do so.

As Xia You's ice boat slowly descended, his heart nearly leaped into his throat!

A gentle breeze ruffled Xia You's bangs.

Even though he could clearly feel the ice ship falling, he remained calm and even took the time to glance at the cable car and have a high-altitude eye contact with Sabrina!

Xia You flashed her a row of gleaming teeth and then said softly, "Ghost, let's fly!"

As he spoke, out of nowhere, a strong wind suddenly blew in, not only stopping the ice boat's descent but also dragging it towards the finish line!

What?!?!?!

Underground, Xiao Dan was dumbfounded, only able to watch as Xia You incredulously crossed the forest, completely overtaking him and leaving him far behind!

boom!

When the strange wind disappeared, Xia You's ice boat crashed to the ground, scattering countless ice shards, and using the remaining momentum, it rushed directly to the finish line!

After gliding for more than ten meters, when the ice boat slowly came to a stop, Xia You got off the boat and waited for more than ten seconds before Xiao Dan's ice boat crossed the finish line.

"How...how did you do that just now?"

Xiao Dan was extremely surprised. That super long-distance leap was simply illogical, and why would such a strong wind suddenly blow out of nowhere?

"Of course, I borrowed the power of Pokémon," Xia You laughed. "So, I won the third match, right?"

As Xiao Dan clapped, she sincerely admired him, saying, "Of course! I must say, having been the curator for so long, this is the first time I've ever seen someone fly over that forest from such a height. It's truly an eye-opener!"

Xia You smiled slightly.