Elf: Starts with small diamonds, then mutates into Diancie.

Chapter 250 Light Rain

Su Hao got off the bus at an old-style building complex in the capital. Compared to the more central and modern cities, the atmosphere here was more vibrant with everyday life.

Li Hua had also gone to the Dragon's Lair in the capital for trials. Half a month had passed, and like Jiang Chengcheng, neither of them had contacted Su Hao yet, and they didn't know how he was doing.

Although Su Hao was wearing a rain jacket, he was worried that his backpack would get wet, so he looked around and bought one from a little girl at the station entrance who was selling umbrellas.

Not far away, there is a small shop that, though small, looks fairly tidy.

After thinking it over, Su Hao, with the mindset of just grabbing a quick hot meal, ran into the shop with an umbrella.

"Welcome! The menu is right next to you. Please feel free to order any of the ingredients you like."

"Meow~"

The receptionist was a middle-aged woman wearing an apron. Next to her squatted a cat with long, brush-like eyelashes, its limbs sprawled on the ground, lazily resting.

Perhaps because it was past lunchtime, the restaurant was almost empty. Su Hao casually found a table and sat down, then asked directly, "Madam, is this your first time in the capital? Do you have any local specialties you'd recommend?"

"Oh, is this your first time here? Then you must try the douzhi (fermented mung bean juice)!"

"Soybean juice?" Su Hao, a man from Sichuan, tilted his head and asked in confusion.

What is this? Soy milk?

The proprietress enthusiastically introduced, "It's a traditional Beijing snack made from mung beans. The weather is a bit chilly tonight, so a sip of hot mung bean juice can warm your stomach."

Su Hao was also curious about what douzhi (fermented mung bean juice) tasted like. He ordered from the menu one by one: "Then I'll have a bowl of douzhi, ten jiaoquan (fried dough rings), and two shaobing (baked flatbread) with meat filling!"

"Okay, just a moment!"

The proprietress quickly ran into the open kitchen to prepare food for Su Hao. Bored, Su Hao tried to strike up a conversation: "Proprietress, when do you think this rain will stop?"

Although Su Hao doesn't dislike rain, this kind of weather does affect his travel.

"Hmm...that's hard to say."

Even though the proprietress was wearing a mask, Su Hao could tell that she looked hesitant and embarrassed.

"What's so strange about this rain?" Su Hao asked curiously.

"It's not that strange, it's just that it's been raining a lot lately, sometimes for a day or two at a time, so a lot of the food that needs to be dried outdoors can't be processed."

The proprietress kept moving her hands, carrying over a bowl of milky white drink, golden fried dough rings, and two meat-filled sesame flatbreads.

"Try it and see. Some people might not like it. If you don't like it, I'll get you another one."

Su Hao nodded and tentatively tasted the fermented mung bean juice.

The proprietress sat at another table, stroking Miao Miao's chin curiously, and asked, "How is it?"

"Hmm... the bean flavor isn't very strong, but the sourness is quite pronounced. It's very fragrant and mellow, I think it's alright."

As Su Hao spoke, he picked up a piece of fried dough ring, dipped it in soy milk, and started eating.

This food is a bit strange, it's like another version of soy milk and fried dough sticks?

"That's good."

The proprietress, having been roused by Su Hao's earlier remark, sighed softly after responding to him: "The rain isn't too frequent, but compared to last year, these occasional drizzles are more depressing."

"The League also sent out a Pokémon that is said to be able to change the weather, and successfully changed the weather."

"But the rain was quite persistent; it would start raining again soon after it was dispersed. However, since it didn't cause any damage, it was difficult to keep releasing large-scale weather effects, so in the end, we just let the weather continue to rain."

The landlady's complaining tone bothered Su Hao. The environment in the capital didn't seem like it would be rainy, and there was still some time before the rainy season.

What the hell is going on?

The casual conversation was just that – casual conversation. Su Hao quickly finished his dinner, said goodbye to the landlady, and hailed a taxi to find a hotel for the night.

Although Pokémon Center certified trainers can get a discount on hotel rooms, most of the rooms are shared, so Su Hao thought it best to spend some money and stay in a hotel instead.

........

......

The next morning, a light drizzle was still falling, so Su Hao, who had originally planned to go out for a walk and see the local customs of the capital, could only travel by car.

After leaving the hotel, Su Hao hailed a taxi pulled by Pokémon.

"Master, please go to the Winged Dojo in the suburbs."

"Alright! You're so young, are you going to challenge a dojo?"

Su Hao shook his head and climbed directly into the rain-proof carriage: "No, I have other things to take care of."

Before entering the carriage, he glanced curiously at the Pokémon pulling it...

He could understand using other Pokémon like Dodrio, Ken, and Tauros to pull the cart, but using Camerupt to pull the cart on a rainy day seemed a bit...

Camerupt typically lives near volcanoes or in deserts. There is a desert just outside the capital city, so it's reasonable for this Pokémon to appear there.

The fire-breathing camel's travel speed wasn't too slow. Su Hao was in the old city outside the capital, and it only took him about half an hour to successfully reach the Winged Dojo on the outskirts of the capital.

The Winged Gym is an open-plan building. During the day, the dome is opened to allow flying Pokémon to come and go. Outside the gym is a lush green lawn where many trainers of similar or older age to Su Hao train.

After paying and getting out of the car, Su Hao looked at the Winged Dojo, which was about the size of a medium-sized shopping mall, and commented, "Hmm... the size is so-so."

The eighteen-attribute dojos he visited were all large-scale complexes funded by the alliance.

The size of the Winged Dojo is indeed so-so, but that's to be expected.

After all, the original eighteen dojos have been abolished in a sense, and their responsibilities have been divided among new dojos like the Wing Dojo.

It seems like Su Hao's father, Su Xu, was dismissed by the alliance, but Su Hao, who knows the inside story, knows that this is actually a disguised promotion.

From now on, Su Xu will only be responsible for playing high-level games and will not need to waste time dealing with other challenges. He will also have more free time and can take a long vacation to go into seclusion.

It can be seen as a kind of liberation of the upper-level combat forces by the alliance, allowing them to focus on improving themselves or teaching the younger generation.

The closer you get to the gates of the Winged Gym, the more Flying-type Pokémon fly overhead.

Pidgey, Rowlet, Swellow, Wild Puff, Jumpluff, Caterpie, Magikarp, Gyarados...

It seems like some strange Pokémon have been mixed in, but strictly speaking, their evolved forms or current forms do have the Flying type.

It doesn't seem like a very proper dojo...

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2016, *Sun/Moon*

Chapter 251 Farewell

The Wing Dojo was formerly known as the Wing Academy, which recruits students who want to learn the secrets of flight.

After the league opened up gym applications, they immediately applied for gym qualifications and started gym challenge operations.

Along the way, there was a constant stream of teachers, apprentices, and visitors.

Many people even approached Su Hao, asking if he was there to challenge the dojo, saying they had strategy guides for sale.

Su Hao ignored them, quickly walked past the salespeople, and entered the dojo's main hall.

The lobby was brightly decorated, but he looked around and couldn't see the front desk for handling business.

After searching for a long time in the empty hall, Su Hao finally found an old man from the capital city in a corner. He was sitting there with a small chair, fanning himself with a palm leaf fan. He looked carefree and unrestrained in a vest and shorts.

Blinking his eyes, Su Hao approached with an innocent look and politely asked like a student, "Excuse me, sir, where can I go to handle my business?"

The old man squinted and looked Su Hao up and down, then waved his palm-leaf fan in a gesture of invitation to leave: "Kid, you look like a high school student. I'm sorry, the dojo is currently full and we're not opening any more applications."

Su Hao paused for a moment, then waved his hand helplessly and explained, "I don't plan to sign up for the gym apprenticeship; I'm here to send a Pokémon into the Thousand Winds Realm."

Upon hearing this, the old man's eyes widened and his legs stretched out, and he stood up quickly, at a speed that even Su Hao was worried would make him throw up his back.

"The Thousand Winds Secret Realm, you?"

The old man groped around and pulled out a small blackboard from somewhere. He tapped a few words written in chalk on it with his knuckles and kindly reminded him, "Elite Trainer, have you completed the application and approval process?"

"Also, regardless of success or failure, you must pay 300 merit points to enter!"

No matter how he looked him up and down, Su Hao, who was carrying a canvas bag, wearing a white t-shirt, jeans, and canvas shoes and looking like a student, didn't seem like an elite trainer at such a young age.

Trainers in the capital who have achieved such success at this age are all so proud of themselves that they can't wait to hold their heads high and walk sideways.

Aside from his handsome appearance, this kid doesn't seem like a little genius from a big family.

Su Hao had no choice but to show that he had passed the application for qualification and was an elite-level trainer before the old man believed him.

"Is this alright now, sir?"

He never expected that entering a secret realm would be so troublesome...

Entering the Spiral Secret Realm from Yangcheng and the Life and Death Secret Realm from Changpan Forest is so easy, you can get in in a flash.

"It's possible, but kid, don't blame me for being long-winded."

The old man earnestly advised, "Although this Thousand Winds Secret Realm is open to elite-level Pokémon, most early and late-stage elite-level Flying-type Pokémon won't last long."

"They may be thrown out of the secret realm, or they may never return."

"So, come back after you've reached the professional level. The qualification approval is valid for three years."