Pokémon: I picked up a reborn Eevee at the start of the game

Of course, it's more convenient to take the flying sprite, which is only about a ten-minute journey.

Today is September 2nd, and there is still a full week before the grand celebration begins. Xia Chen and his friends have plenty of time to explore Liuli City, a historic and beautiful tourist city.

That afternoon, the wind stopped and the rain ceased, and the sky cleared.

After settling into the villa, Xia Chen and his group set off to visit the ancient city of Liuli inside the crater.

Since cars can't drive up the steep crater, the only way is by cable car or flying sprite. The cable car is too slow and looks dangerous, so it's better to "drive" up by flying sprite.

Qianli has a Great King Swellow, Xijiana has a Salamence, and Xiachen has a Guleton. Of the four, only Serena doesn't have a flying-type Pokémon she can ride.

Doronchi can fly, but he's still too small to carry people.

After thinking for a while, Xia Chen felt that Guleton would be more convenient, since it was over three meters long and had previously carried Xia Chen and Pipa in flight.

…………

Whether it was the excitement of riding the legendary elf or something else, Serena's cheeks were already a little flushed before she even got on the vehicle.

In a voice barely audible, she asked Xia Chen a question that struck at the heart of the matter: "Um...should I sit in the front or the back?"

This question... really stumped Xia Chen.

There wasn't this problem with Pipa last time; I just told him to get back and sit in the back.

But sitting with a girl doesn't seem very convenient, either in front or behind.

Sit in the front, those who know, know... Sit in the back, those who know, know too.

After thinking about it, Xia Chen decided to sit in the front himself, so that Serena wouldn't feel awkward.

The two sat on Guleton's back one after the other. Before they could even adjust their posture, the latter spread its wings and took off immediately.

The rapid start caused both of them to lean backward, and Serena screamed, instinctively grabbing Xia Chen's waist.

"That's too fast, Gulerton! Think about how we feel!"

Xia Chen rebuked him righteously.

Therefore, Leighton replied disdainfully in a telepathic tone: "Ha, do I have to spell out your little schemes?"

Xia Chen vehemently denied it, "Don't talk nonsense, or I'll stop making your favorite boiled beef for you in the future!"

This seems to be the only threatening tactic he can come up with.

The spicy food-loving Guleton was quite swayed by this threat and quickly replied, "Okay, okay, I'll go slower."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Guleton, who was flying at top speed, suddenly slowed down.

The deceleration was very subtle, not the kind of sudden braking under emergency conditions, but it still caused the two people on Guleton's back to lean forward significantly.

Under the control of the laws of physics, the two naturally ended up chest to back.

Then, Xia Chen felt Serena's soft yet intense heartbeat behind him...

"...Did you do it on purpose or by accident?"

Even with telepathy, Xia Chen still displayed a fierce, clenched-teeth demeanor.

Therefore, Leighton proudly replied, "It was intentional!"

Faced with the extremely arrogant Gu Leton Xia Chen, there was nothing he could do but dryly throw out a sentence, "...You've run out of food," as a trivial act of revenge.

…………

The journey, which should have taken only ten minutes, felt like an eternity to Xia Chen.

The once smooth-flying Gurrenton was now like a car that had been overhauled several times, jerking violently.

Xia Chen was in a difficult position, and he couldn't very well shift the blame to Gu Leton. After all, few people would believe that Gu Leton had done this without his consent.

The two did not exchange a single word during the flight.

When Serena descended from Guleton, her cheeks were as red as ripe tomatoes.

Xijiana was very confused, not understanding what had happened on the way, but Qianli gave Xia Chen a meaningful look.

Too lazy to explain to Qianli, Xia Chen withdrew the Guleton that had made him look foolish and looked around at the ancient and mysterious city.

The old town of Liuli City is not large. In the center is a volcanic lake whose edge can be seen at a glance. At the other end of the lake is an ancient tree that is almost taller than the edge of the crater.

Legend has it that it was planted by the first generation of people of the Glass Clan, and it has a history of more than a thousand years.

Xia Chen, who had played the Ruby and Sapphire remake, knew that this ancient tree was a gift from AZ, the King of Carlos, who had lived for three thousand years and was an important figure in the Carlos region.

In the game, beneath this ancient tree lies an Eternal Flower. The Eternal Flower is a special type of Flower Leaf Stem, the same Flower Leaf Stem that AZ created the ultimate weapon three thousand years ago, intending to revive it.

In a sense, this flower-leaf bud has little to do with her original elf race; classifying it as a legendary elf might be more appropriate.

I wonder if that flower exists beneath the ancient tree of life in this world...

Behind the Tree of Life lies the most famous attraction in Liuli City: the Temple of Awakening.

Although it is called a temple, it is actually a cave, known as the Cave of Origin of Life, where Groudon or Kyogre rests. Another individual sleeps further east in a place called the Undersea Cave.

Of course, this is all information from the game, and Xia Chen cannot guarantee that it is the same in the real world.

…………

Besides these three significant landmarks, the larger buildings in the Crystal Castle are the Crystal Gym, the Pokémon Center, and the ancient and magnificent Pokémon Arena, [Crystal Star].

This place has hosted many important and large-scale competitions, including the Eight Masters Tournament, the World Elite Tournament, and the World Dojo Master Tournament.

This September, this venue will become the competition venue for the second World Spectacular Festival.

This arena is only a little over ten years old. It is a super-large Pokémon arena designed and built by the Mikuri family at great expense. The whole structure is made of glass-colored alloy, which does not show its luster in the dark, but it will show amazing beauty once the lights are on or on a sunny day.

For example, right now.

Looking at the beautiful arena, radiating a dazzling light under the post-rain sunshine, Qianli's expression was somewhat complicated.

"I never expected that Mikey would actually rent out this precious arena for the Magnificent Celebration. Last year, when the Alliance wanted to hold the Alliance Conference in this arena, he refused."

Xia Chen smiled slightly. What's so hard to understand? For someone like Mikoli who pursues the ultimate elegance and beauty, holding a lavish celebration here wouldn't be an insult.

Serena's gaze was filled with longing and anticipation; this was the stage she had always dreamed of stepping onto.

At this moment, a promotional video for this year's grand celebration is being played on the large screen on the exterior wall of the Crystal Star.

The content is roughly a compilation of highlights from the contestants who won five ribbons in various grand competitions.

"Senior, look! That was me and the Demon Flame Red Fox!"

Serena shook Xia Chen's hand excitedly.

"Yes, I saw it."

Not only Serena, but Xia Chen also saw many familiar faces. Hikari, Haruka, Ryukia and Ayako, whom he had met briefly at the Grand Contest in Aroma City last year, were back again this year, continuing to strive for their dreams.

Qianli also saw his son Ruby. Although it was only for a few seconds, his bright smile on the screen, so different from his usual self, stung his heart.

He had assumed Ruby would be very unhappy after leaving home...

Of course, he didn't want the independent path to be worse than the one he was going through; he just felt a sense of frustration that "his son no longer needed him."

The video was short, less than two minutes, and the three people, each with their own thoughts, watched the teaser video.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, a familiar voice that he hadn't heard in a long time called out to Xia Chen.

"Long time no see, Master Xia Chen, Master Qianli."

Her voice was as melodious as a nightingale's, so enchanting that it seemed to attract colorful butterflies to dance among the flowers.

This was Xia Chen's first impression when the two first met. More than a year later, it seemed that nothing had changed except for the passage of time.

Xia Chen turned around and saw an old acquaintance dressed in gorgeous, butterfly-like attire.

"Long time no see, Miss Ma Xiu."

…………

In a tea room with a distinct Kanto style, Ma Xiu is brewing tea for Xia Chen.

She has graceful posture and an elegant temperament.

As for why Xia Chen was alone, it's because Qianli used the excuse of going to the Liuli Dojo to catch up with Adam to escape from here.

Serena cleverly led Xiao Xi on a leisurely stroll through the ancient city of Liuli, leaving Xia Chen alone to catch up with his old acquaintance.

"Oh, why are you staying in the new district? I prepared a room for you a long time ago... It's been so long since I've seen you, Master Xia Chen hasn't contacted me at all, we've grown distant, haven't we?"

After listening to Xia Chen's brief explanation, Ma Xiu said with a hint of reproach.

Xia Chen explained, "I was thinking that with the grand celebration just around the corner, you'll probably be very busy... Besides, it doesn't really matter where you stay, it's all in Liuli City, so it's very convenient."

"That's different. In the old town, you can see a different kind of scenery. If the weather is clear, the starry sky here is so close that it seems like you can reach out and touch it. It's extremely beautiful."

Ma Xiu placed the teacup in front of Xia Chen, shared her observations, and then invited, "How about moving in?"

Xia Chen smiled wryly, "Let's forget it. We have more humans and elves here."

"Oh, so you live with these two younger sisters. No wonder you look down on my place... I was the one who didn't know how to appreciate it."

Ma Xiu sighed and shook her head, no longer trying to persuade her.

Xia Chen: "......"

I should have gone to visit the Ruri Dojo with Qianli earlier.

However, Xia Chen had a clear conscience, and Ma Xiu was a smart woman; she made a joke and then didn't bring it up again.

Instead, they shifted the topic to the upcoming grand celebration, asking, "So, how's the celebration going?"

Xia Chen frankly said, "It's great. It's very large in scale, the system is very standardized, and the venue was well chosen. Compared to this one, our first one was more like a rural beauty pageant."

These are all true statements, not exaggerations. Although the competition has not yet started, the hype online and Xia Chen's observations after arriving in Hoenn show that the Grand Festival will definitely be the focus of the world's attention for some time to come.

Ma Xiu covered her mouth and chuckled, "Then thank you very much for your recognition, [country beauty pageant champion]!"

Xia Chen shook his head and smiled helplessly, then asked, "By the way, what's the purpose of having me here as a special guest?"

Ma Xiu didn't mention in her letter that Xia Chen came directly because he trusted her completely.

Ma Xiu understood this as well, and she replied with a smile, "We've decided to officially use the [Glamour Battle] format that you proposed back then in this tournament. We need two sufficiently heavyweight Coordinators to showcase it to the world, and naturally, you were the first person I thought of."

A spectacular battle?

Xia Chen pondered for a moment and unearthed this thing from his distant memories.