I caught a Pokémon

Xia You was taken aback.

He naturally remembered this place, but...

Perhaps it's fate, but it seems that whenever you encounter Ash in the wild, something always happens!

Xiaoxia asked, "Miss Xiaomei, is Asia Island far from our destination?"

“That’s right.” Xiaomei nodded. “We’re already close to the very center of the Orange Islands. The course has indeed deviated quite a bit, but it doesn’t matter. Since we’re already here, we can rest here for a bit.”

At this point, the speedboat had entered the inner bay of Asia Island, drifted towards a beach next to the port, and was then directly washed ashore.

Ash was the first to jump onto the beach and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Finally saved! Land is so much better; I was almost shaken to death just now!"

“I think…” Xiao Jian’s voice trembled as he said, “maybe we’ve gotten ourselves into another problem…”

Hearing his words, no one understood what he meant at first. However, when they followed Xiao Jian's gaze, they saw that the protective embankment on the side was filled with a group of strange creatures!

At first glance, they have human-like bodies, but bird-like heads, and their bodies are covered with colorful feathers!

Without uttering a word, they all jumped down from the protective embankment and surrounded Xia You and the others, staring intently at them with their strange eyes!

Everyone was startled and retreated, with Xiaoxia shrinking behind Xia You in fear.

However, just as they were preparing to release their Pokémon to protect themselves, a woman's voice suddenly came from the mouth of one of the creatures.

"Hey? Isn't this Xiaomei?"

Upon hearing this voice, everyone was taken aback. Looking closely, they realized that these unidentified creatures were actually humans in disguise!

Chapter 204 Festival Girl

Xiao Mei was taken aback: "You are...?"

The woman removed her mask, revealing her true face. Only then did Xia You realize that she was a short-haired woman around twenty-four or twenty-five years old, similar in age to Xiao Mei.

"It's me, Xiaomei! It's been so long!"

"Oh my gosh!" Upon seeing her face, Xiaomei's eyes lit up, and she exclaimed happily, "It's actually Xiaoyou! It's been a full five years since we last met after graduating from Mandolin Branch School, hasn't it?"

"Yes," Xiaoyou smiled, "We've been apart for so long, I never expected to see you again at a time like this!"

Although she was very happy to see her friend, Xiaomei glanced at her strange clothes and asked in confusion, "What's with this outfit?"

"It's a festival!" Xiaoyou waved her hand. "Because starting today, there will be an annual festival, which is a big day for the residents of Asia Island!"

"Ah, it's come to this already?" Xiaomei exclaimed in realization. "So, are you still going to dress up as the witch at the festival and play the flute, just like before?"

As she spoke, Xiaomei made a gesture of holding a flute in front of her mouth.

It's not hard to tell from the conversation that the two have a very good relationship, at least they are very familiar friends.

But the Mandolin branch?

Xia You had never heard of this name before; it was probably some university or something unrelated to Pokémon.

"I retired a long time ago," Xiaoyou said. "After all, I'm not a child anymore, and my sister has taken over as the festival girl."

As she spoke, she tried to beckon her sister over, but looking around, she couldn't find her anywhere.

"Huh? Where did she go?"

Just then, a girl walked onto the protective embankment, seemingly out of nowhere.

"I don't want to be a festival girl!" The girl looked down at everyone present, hands on her hips, and complained, "Everything is forced on me. Being your sister is really unfortunate!"

Xia You and the others looked over when they heard the voice. They saw that she was probably a year or two older than Xiaoxia and Xiaozhi. She was wearing a beret at an angle, sunglasses, jeans, a pink vest, and an orange crossbody bag. She looked very fashionable.

As for the girl's tone, Xiaoyou seemed to be used to it. Even when her younger sister talked back to her, she didn't care at all and didn't show any sign of anger.

"Oh, you're here! What's with that outfit? Where's the festival costume?"

The girl waved her hand dismissively.

"Ugh, I don't want to wear such tacky clothes now! The festival doesn't start until evening anyway, why are we in such a hurry?"

"Really..." Xiaoyou sighed helplessly, then turned to Xia You and the others and said, "As you can see, this is my sister, Flura. She's a bit rebellious, so please excuse her."

"That's understandable, after all, everyone has been that age once."

At this moment, Xiaoyou turned her gaze to Xia You and the others.

"By the way, who are these people next to you?"

"Oh, I forgot to introduce them. Since we're going to my parents' place on Orange Isle, these are all passengers I picked up along the way." Xiaomei said, then pointed to Xia You and Xiao Zhi. "These two are trainers, and the other three are their travel companions."

"Pokémon Trainer!?"

Unexpectedly, the moment they heard that Xia You and Xiao Zhi were both trainers, the group of strangely dressed islanders cheered instantly.

Even Fluura on the protective dike turned to look at it.

Now, not only were Ash and the others completely confused, but even Mei looked utterly bewildered.

Just as they were puzzled, a short old man slowly stepped out from the crowd, removed his mask, and said in a deep voice: "Legend has it that when the world is destroyed, the God of the Sea will appear and, together with a skilled commander, quell the wrath of the gods. And the commander refers to the Pokémon Trainer!"

As he approached, he said earnestly, "And you are the trainers chosen in the prophecy!"

Perhaps realizing his tone was too serious, or noticing the tension on Ash's face, the old man changed his attitude and suddenly laughed, "Relax, this is just a custom on the island, it's said every year!"

Hearing this, Xiao Zhi breathed a sigh of relief; otherwise, he would have thought he was going to be chosen as some kind of savior!

However, at that moment, Flura appeared in the crowd at some unknown time, approached, and scrutinized Xia You and Xiao Zhi with a critical gaze.

"You're all trainers?" Flura put her finger to her lips. "This handsome man does look like one, but this little brat... oh well, it's all part of the routine anyway. Come on, give him a kiss!"

As she spoke, Flura took off her glasses, and before anyone could understand what she meant, she stood on tiptoe and kissed Xia You on the cheek, then turned and kissed Xiao Zhi.

This directly angered Naz and Xia!

Sabrina frowned, but having heard the word "usual practice," she didn't do anything to Flura. Only Misty, like a mother cat with its fur standing on end, stepped in front of Xia You and loudly questioned, "What are you doing?!"

"Oh dear, why such a big reaction?!" Flura glanced at Xia and teased, "You're not his girlfriend, are you?"

"Girl...girlfriend!?"

Xiaoxia blushed instantly and didn't know how to answer for a moment, while Fulula found her appearance amusing.

"No, no, I think the pretty lady behind him is his girlfriend. As for you, you must be his sister."

Xiaoxia was unhappy when she heard this, but she didn't know how to refute it, so she could only pout.

"Oh? Not your sister?" For some reason, seeing Xia's appearance, Flura felt like teasing her, so she feigned surprise and asked, "Could it be that you have a crush on him?"

Xiaoxia's face turned even redder, as if her secret had been exposed. In front of so many people, she felt both shy and extremely embarrassed. She could only open her mouth, silently exclaim "Wow!" and had no choice but to take a step back and admit defeat.

At this moment, the dark clouds in the sky were gradually dissipating, and the last rays of the sun shone through the gaps and fell on the earth.

As the old man announced, "The festival begins," the islanders present beat hand drums, rang bells, and played special instruments, welcoming Xia You and the others into the town behind the dike.

As the oldest and most geographically central island in the Orange Islands, Asia Island has a town that is much larger and more populated than any other island I've seen before.

However, although the buildings here have a modern style, they still retain the original traditions and totem poles that can be seen everywhere.

Walking down the street, you can see men and women dressed in traditional clothing everywhere. Just as Xiaoyou said before, everywhere is decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations. For a moment, the entire Asian town is filled with the atmosphere of a festival celebration.

Chapter 205 Inherited Customs and Rituals

Tens of thousands of tourists gathered on the long main street, most of whom were tourists from outside the island. They wore rented or purchased local costumes and at first glance, they were no different from the local islanders.

Small vendors sprang up like mushrooms after rain, filling both sides of the street and hawking their goods.

When Xia You and the others arrived, the rest of the people dressed as strange birds had already dispersed, leaving only Xiao You with them. Even Fulula had disappeared.

However, because of the crowds, the road was almost completely blocked, so they moved very slowly. It took them five minutes to walk a distance of only 100 meters!

"Come and see! These are pearls, a specialty of Asia. I guarantee every single one is perfectly plump!"

"Cherry blossom shell, white conch shell, yellow shell, all kinds of shell ornaments are available!"

"Orange tarts, this is a local specialty snack, come and try it!"

The jumbled sounds around me merged into a noisy cacophony. Before I knew it, it was completely dark. Under the glow of the lights, the whole island looked even more festive.

Xia You looked around and couldn't help but sigh, "It's really lively. There are so many people. It's almost comparable to the Quartz Conference."

Hearing this, Xiaoyou couldn't help but chuckle: "There's nothing we can do about it. This is the biggest festival on Asia Island. Today is the most important day of the year. Even the entire Orange Islands, including Big City, the metropolis on Little Orange Island, doesn't have such a grand celebration!"

It's easy to tell from her tone that she's proud that her hometown can host such a celebration. But that's understandable, since everyone hopes that their hometown will continue to develop and prosper.

While passing by a stall, Xia You spent money to buy several bird masks, which he, Na Zi, and Xiao Xia put on their heads.

Since we've caught up with it, we should naturally immerse ourselves in the atmosphere. As for Ash and Brock, if they also want to wear them, they'll just have to pay for it themselves.

At this moment, a long procession of lanterns broke through the crowd and passed in front of them.

These people, carrying all sorts of lanterns, danced a lively and strange dance as they slowly walked towards the end of the street. Among them, the most eye-catching was a huge Gyarados lantern!

With the help of several lantern dancers, Gyarados flips and sways, so lifelike that it seems as if a ferocious Gyarados is swimming right in front of people!

They continued to admire the scenery and slowly made their way forward. Finally, after leaving the main street, the crowd thinned out. They walked a little further before Xiaoyou led them to a banquet hall with a grass and stone structure that resembled the Mayan style.

Torches burned in the hall, illuminating it brightly and warmly, and a sumptuous dinner was already laid out on more than a dozen long tables.

"Everyone, please take a rest. Don't be shy, please enjoy all these things. I will prepare rooms for you after the banquet."

Xiao Youxian arranged a long table for them separately, and then took Xiao Mei to sit at another table. After five years apart, they must have a lot to talk about.

Seeing that there were no outsiders around, Xiao Jian lowered his voice and said, "I really don't know what their purpose is in inviting us here!"

"Who cares?" Xiaoxia said nonchalantly. "Anyway, food and lodging are free, so let's just settle down here."

Compared to them, Ash was clearly more concerned about other issues.

He looked around, his eyes wide as he searched: "Strange, where did that girl go?"

"Hey, hey." Xiaozhi's intentions were so obvious that Xiaoxia asked in surprise, "You haven't fallen for her, have you?"

Ash's face turned bright red instantly, just like Misty's had just been.

"No... I was just curious..."

However, despite saying that, how could a 10-year-old boy not feel any emotional turmoil after being kissed by a beautiful girl!

Xia You didn't participate in their banter. Instead, she sat there, carefully recalling the plot about Asia Island and the Three Sacred Birds.

All he remembered was a mad collector who attacked and captured the three legendary birds in order to obtain Lugia, the sea god, and was eventually stopped by Ash. But he couldn't remember the specific details or how the collector was defeated.

Forget it, no need to think too much about it. Let's just take it one step at a time.

While he was pondering, seeing him lost in thought, Naz glanced at him and said calmly, "What are you thinking about? You're not thinking about that girl from earlier, are you?"

Xia You shrugged helplessly and said, "Please, I'm not some innocent boy like Xiao Zhi, why would I be thinking about that girl..."

but……

Xia You was secretly surprised. It was rare for Nazi to care so much. Could it be that she was jealous?

Seeing that Naz turned her head away again, Xia You picked up a pear-shaped fruit from the table and took a bite.

One bite and it's tender, juicy, and incredibly sweet. No wonder it's named after oranges; the fruit here tastes just like it does in other regions!

"Come and try this, it's delicious!"

Hearing his recommendation, Nazi and the others picked up the fruit, took a small bite, and had to admit, it was indeed delicious.

Just then, a beautiful flute melody suddenly rang out. Everyone turned to look and saw that on the banquet hall stage, Flura had changed into a white dress, wore a flower wreath, and was covered with a white veil. Like an elf, she danced a gentle dance as she stepped onto the stage.

She was holding a special musical instrument, and the beautiful flute music was coming from her mouth!

"Fruula!?"

For a moment, the entire banquet hall fell silent, including Xiaoyou and Xiaomei, as everyone admired Fluura's dance and flute music.

Xia You and the others did not expect that after changing her clothes, her temperament changed completely, and she went from being willful to being obedient!

only……

Although the flute music was beautiful, gentle and melodious, it left Xia You with an indescribable sense of loss.

In short, it sounds nice, but he doesn't like it.

When the music ended, Flura jumped off the stage and came to the long table where Xia You and the others were. As if performing a stage play, she exaggeratedly chanted, "Heaven and earth are wrathful! As the world is about to perish, the God of the Sea appears and, together with the excellent trainers, quells the wrath of the gods!"