Pokémon travel photography: Starting with riding the wave of popularity

Chapter 357 Like

The following day, Piper left Lake Daguo early and headed towards the mines in East District 3, where he had recently heard of giant Pokémon moving underground.

As for Xia Mu and the others, after Qing Mu arrived and took over the search for new sealing stakes, they headed to Frostmog Mountain with the winter clothes they had just bought.

Because Frosty Mountain is frozen year-round, when they got close to the snow mountain, the cats chose to go into their Poké Balls because their paws were too cold. Even Mimiel, unusually, left Natsuki's head and crawled into the fluffy hood of Natsuki's thick down jacket.

In the end, only the skilled blacksmith, who had just gained new abilities from the hammer, and Xia Mu walked together.

Unlike the poison-type and fighting-type sealing stakes that Xia Mu had previously discovered, the sealing stakes located in the Big Pot Lake are full of grass-type energy. This characteristic also gave the blacksmith a kind of absorption ability after he incorporated it into the hammer.

When the hammer strikes other Pokémon, it absorbs some of the opponent's stamina and gives it to the blacksmith to replenish his stamina.

Although the effect is still very subtle at the moment, and it doesn't even provide any boost to the little girl with superhuman strength, the Craftswoman, Xia Mu believes that as all the sealing stakes are integrated into the hammer, the Craftswoman will definitely become a terrifying being who gets stronger the more she fights.

"The negative effects of Poison-type, the boost from Fighting-type, the durability of Grass-type —"

After learning about the new abilities the skilled blacksmith had acquired, Xia Mu became even more excited about the blacksmith's future.

And the same is clearly true of the skilled blacksmith.

Today, she walked on the road with Xia Mu, a rare sight for her, happily searching for a worthy opponent.

Fortunately, due to the fame of Mt. Frost and the Icebox Town Gym and Mt. Frost Gym located on Mt. Frost, there are many Orange Academy students and mountaineering enthusiasts along the way.

So, Natsuki and the blacksmith fought every trainer they encountered on the road. After Natsuki and his companions arrived at Mt. Frost, they easily reached the summit of Mt. Frost, the most famous mountain in Padia, by taking the cable car.

Standing atop the highest peak overlooking the entire Padiya region, Xia Mu and his companions, exhaling white mist, felt refreshed and invigorated.

"My trip to Padiya is coming to an end —"

After Ziyu completes the application testing of Frost Mist Mountain, Xia Mu and the others will set off back to Unova to participate in the Higaki Tournament, which is approaching its opening time.

In the cold wind, Xia Mu's mind became exceptionally clear.

"The Tanjiro hasn't been subdued yet, the sealing stakes haven't been collected, and the last secret seasoning—there's still so much to do!"

Zi Yu walked over to Xia Mu's side.

"It's okay, didn't we agree to attend the Olive Festival in Roundmo Town together? We can come back then!"

Xiaoyao nodded repeatedly.

"Yeah, you can't forget you promised to treat me to dinner at the rally!"

Even Nemo, who usually seems a bit careless, patted Xia Mu on the shoulder at this moment.

"I'm waiting for you to become the tournament champion so I can battle you. But by then, I should be a champion-level trainer in Padia, right?"

With the comfort of the three women, Xia Mu's sorrow and grief immediately disappeared.

"Hmph, so you really want to ride on me? I didn't know you had such a domineering persona—"

"—What nonsense are you spouting?!"

Nemo buried half her face in her large scarf, and in the high temperature, it seemed as if white mist was emanating from the top of her head.

In short, after seeing one of the ten scenic spots of Padiya, known as the "highest peak in Padiya", Xia Mu and his friends took photos and then followed the nearby road signs to the location of the Frostbite Mountain Dojo.

Unlike other dojos, the Frosty Mountain Dojo is located in a small town.

-

Perhaps because Gym Leader Glussa still loves skiing after retiring, he built the Whale Skiing Track on Mt. Frosty after retiring and becoming the Gym Leader of Mt. Frosty. This is an activity where Whale is used as a ski to carry people.

The Shuangmoshan Dojo is located at the entrance of the Zoujing Speed ​​Skating Track, far from the crowds. Only Zoujing, Haodajing, and the staff of the dojo and the speed skating track live here.

As for the nearby town where tourists stay, it is a bit far from the location of the Mt. Frost Gym. Every household there keeps a Pokémon called Coke, and they use the old skin that Coke sheds as coal.

The old skin that Charcoal sheds is not only durable but also very warm; just one piece can keep a room warm all day, making it an extremely economical and durable Pokémon.

In the cold, high-altitude Frosty Mountains, this Pokémon is the greatest contributor to the fact that people have been able to live on Frosty Mountains since ancient times.

After making an appointment for the dojo application test the next morning, Xia Mu and his friends checked into a nearby guesthouse with a small charcoal vendor.

"Speaking of which, based on my previous research, Gurusha is known as a cold-blooded man in Padia for his strictness and seriousness as both an athlete and a gym leader. He values ​​the result more than the process and holds himself and his challengers to high standards."

Although rumors say that Gurusha was a hot-blooded fool in the past, and only became cold after retiring due to injury, he is actually a man who is cold on the outside but warm on the inside. But I haven't experienced that myself, so I won't comment on it.

Xiaoyao felt that there was a hidden meaning in Xia Mu's words, but compared to criticizing Xia Mu, she was more worried about Ziyu at this moment.

"I've also heard that Mr. Gurusha only started training after retiring due to injury, and he became the Gym Leader of Frostmountain City in just one year. His strength is probably very formidable, so you must be careful!"

Zi Yu nodded heavily.

"Don't worry, I'm really looking forward to showing Mr. Glussa how adorable my Pokémon are!"

"Yes, Zi Yu's strength is exceptionally high!"

Nemo also gave her evaluation.

"He's a strong individual that I, Nemo, acknowledge!"

"Meow!"

The cat that popped out of the Poké Ball in the warm environment nodded in agreement, then pushed away Ziyu who was sitting next to Xia Mu, and lay down on Xia Mu's lap to replenish Xia Mu's energy.

"Meow (I haven't snuggled up with Natsuki all day~)"

As she spoke, the cat kicked the purple flute with her little paws, which were covered in soft, fleshy paws, as if she was about to find a suitable and comfortable spot to act cute with Xia Mu.

Thanks to the cunning cat's efforts, Zigan was eventually squeezed to the edge of the sofa.

Fortunately, Xia Mu noticed the cat's little trick, so he grabbed the cat by the back of the neck and pulled the entire Magic Masked Cat onto his lap.

"It's not like it's the first time I've seen Ziyu, I don't know where your jealousy comes from—"

After poking the cat's pink little nose, Xia Mu pulled the cat into his arms with one hand and pulled Zi Yu, who had a strange expression on her face, to his side with the other.

"Just sit here without worry! Of course, if you feel cold there, you can warm yourself up with my hard eight-pack abs!"

Xia Mu raised an eyebrow at Zi Yu, then continued his online argument with Feng Lu on his phone.

In fact, Xia Mu didn't know why Feng Lu started harassing him after he released a new video, and even used a forceful tone to threaten him into coming to Padia as a jet pilot.

But Xia Mu has always been someone who aspires to be the Sigma among Sigma men, that is, the best among Sigma men.

Therefore, Xia Mu immediately refused Feng Lu's threat.

If you tell me to threaten someone and I do it, then wouldn't I have all this dirty history for nothing?!

However, Feng Lu did not give up. Instead, he began to send messages to harass Xia Mu, which made Xia Mu experience the feelings that Qing Mu had when he harassed Qing Mu in the past.

So, Xia Mu has been taking some time each day to chat with Feng Lu, and Feng Lu will also log on to contact Xia Mu after her daily flight time and gym work.

While Xia Mu was petting the cat's head, listening to its purring and playing on his phone, Xiao Yao was also invited by Nemo to go on an adventure in the forest outside the guesthouse.

"I'm going to see if there are any Ice-type Pokémon worth catching—but May, aren't you going to catch any new Pokémon? I see your team hasn't changed in a long time?"

Nemo looked at Xiaoyao with a curious expression.

During her travels with Natsuki, Nemo saw Natsuki catch new Pokémon and she also saw Mako catch new Pokémon, but she never saw May catch a new Pokémon.

After a moment of silence, Xiaoyao offered an explanation.

"I'm different from Xia Mu and Zi Yu; I'm actually a Trainer Coordinator!"

"A Coordinator?"

Nemo, who didn't seem to care much about information outside of battle, looked puzzled.

Xiaoyao, who had already thought of this, gave Nemo a speechless glare and then offered an explanation.

"The Pokémon Contest is where trainers hone their Pokémon moves for performance and compete. Trainers who participate in the Contest are called Pokémon Coordinators. Therefore, Pokémon Coordinators are not judged solely on their battle prowess, unlike other trainers."

Seeing Nemo's thoughtful expression, May continued, "How to showcase the charm of Pokémon, how to defeat opponents with flashy moves in battle—these are the most important things for a Pokémon Coordinator. And, for the sake of performance, a Coordinator needs to prepare a large number of performance moves for each Pokémon. Those that are good, continue to refine; those that aren't, turn into inspiration, and then re-examine them with the Pokémon, while also avoiding duplication with past tournament participants—"

Haruka went on and on about the difficulties of being a Coordinator.

"In short, for a Pokémon trainer, each Pokémon represents a lot of work, and if the Pokémon itself does not have a love for flashy things and a willingness to immerse itself in research, it is better to let it live its life well than to force it."

"Oh, it's so complicated~"

Nemo's gaze toward Haruka suddenly filled with admiration.

Although Nemo has excellent grades at Orange Academy and is exceptionally knowledgeable about Pokémon, she is ultimately a woman with a strong sense of individualism.

She was made to focus entirely on how to make her performance more glamorous, then compare it to her previous videos and readjust them.

Nemo couldn't help but shudder at the thought of all this.

"No wonder I heard from Purple Pole that you were quite famous and had even been invited to be on the cover of a fashion magazine. I was wondering why Natsuki hadn't learned how to become a Coordinator from you. So that's why—"

Amid Nemo's exclamation, Haruka immediately realized what was happening.

"No wonder Natsuki was so eager to talk to me about coordinating trainers with all that delicious food, but then he just left halfway through—he must have thought it was too much trouble and didn't want to do it. What a lazybones."

Xiaoyao couldn't help but complain about Xia Mu's personality.

"Greedy, lustful, and lazy is one thing, but shameless, afraid of ghosts, and always trying to take advantage—Xia Mu's personality is truly awful!"

"Then why did you travel with him?"

"like----"

Before Xiaoyao could finish speaking, Nemo interrupted her.

"Oh, so you like it~~"

At Nemo's mischievous smile, Haruka pouted, her face slightly flushed.

"And you're one to talk! You've been pestering Xia Mu the whole time. Your head was practically steaming at the top of Frostmog Mountain, and Xia Mu even secretly took a picture as a souvenir—"

"ah?!!"

Nemo's expression froze.

"Xia Mu also took photos?"

"Hmm!"

Before Xiaoyao could reply, Nemo immediately turned and rushed towards the guesthouse.

"I knew it! Why was this guy staring at me like that? Delete the photos!"

As Nemo rushed back to the guesthouse with her hair covered in white mist, Xiaoyao patted her burning cheeks, took a deep breath, and followed her back.

but.

At this moment, Xiaoyao did not notice that as she left, a white figure floating in mid-air also emerged from behind a large tree not far away, its light blue eyes fixed on Xiaoyao's departing figure.

That night.

At Youjia Homestay, Xia Mu and his companions welcomed their first night in Shuangmo Mountain.

Since they hadn't traveled much that day, the energetic Xia Mu and his companions gathered around the warm fireplace in the room and began telling a terrifying story that was circulating throughout all the snowy mountain regions.

"It is said that in snowy mountain areas, once a blizzard starts outside, you must not open the door no matter what sound you hear. And if you open the door because of a sudden knock, then—"

"Whoosh~"

"A sudden gust of cold wind will freeze everyone into blocks of ice, and then a swaying figure will pull the frozen souls out of the ice and devour them!"

"L|「0′|Aww~~!!"

To be honest, Xiaoyao's story didn't scare Natsuki, but that sudden "Aww!" almost made him wet himself.

"You used a whole string of nonsense as a prelude before suddenly ambushing me. Despicable, shameless, and utterly unsportsmanlike!"

Xia Mu grumbled as she got up from the carpet, then grabbed the cat, who was lying nearby fiddling with a ball of yarn, and walked out of the room.

"Shameless! I was just going to see the snow, don't overthink it!"

'

'

'

Xia Mu left the room, clutching the cat that was looking at the ball of yarn with a reluctant expression.

"You have to wait for me at the door! Don't let Haruka scare me at my bathroom door!"

"Meow!"

As the cat nodded, Xia Mu slipped into the bathroom.

The dim, flickering light, the dripping faucet, the wind outside the window sounding like weeping—

Xia Mu wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that the atmosphere in the restroom was a bit strange.

"I knew telling ghost stories at night was suicidal!"

But just as Natsuki was anxiously preparing to resolve the situation quickly...

"Brother————"

A trembling and unusually hoarse voice sounded from behind Xia Mu.

"Could you help me get some—"

"A ghost!!!"

"Hemorrhoid cream~"

Da da da!

Xia Mu, her slippers dangling, disappeared in a blur, flashing past the bathroom door at an astonishing speed, grabbing the cat that was boredly scratching at the floor, and dashing back into the room at lightning speed.

"Namo Amitabha Buddha, Namo Amitabha Buddha!"

Amidst the astonished gazes of Xiaoyao and the others, Xia Mu buried his head in the blankets and began to tremble.

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