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

Chapter 103 The Hidden Dragon Dojo in Shangjing City

On December 5th, Xia Chen flew to Beijing ahead of time to get used to the competition environment.

The climates of the Jiangnan region and Huangzhong region are quite different. Although the elves are physically strong, they may experience some degree of acclimatization issues.

This competition is far more prestigious than the Bogaman Cup Zhijiang Station, so Xia Chen dared not slack off in the slightest.

However, it wasn't appropriate to have such intense training on the very first day, so Xia Chen wanted to take Eevee and the others to visit some tourist attractions. Eevee and Milotic readily agreed, but when they got to Ralts, she hesitated for a moment!

This was unprecedented. Xia Chen was a little surprised that Ralts, who was always clinging to him, was actually hesitant!

Watching Ralts hesitate as she put down the "psychic power generator," Xia Chen felt he understood something.

She wanted to secretly start reading while Eevee and Milotic were out playing!

Xia Chen chuckled and picked up Ralts. "It's a rare opportunity to come to the capital, let's have a good day together. You can use this kind of thing anytime, don't be in such a hurry."

"Ralu..."

Ralts nodded obediently, feeling somewhat ashamed.

She almost rejected Xia Chen just to get into the simulated world faster. How is that any different from those who are addicted to the online world and have no self-control?

Fortunately, Xia Chen reminded him.

Yeah, anyway, the cooldown is over, so it doesn't make a difference whether it's sooner or later.

But Xia Chen actually remembered the time of each of his simulated worlds, how thoughtful of him!

Thinking this, Ralts, which Xia Chen had placed in its usual spot, rubbed against his cheek.

Xia Chen smiled and patted her head. "That's more like it. Those things are all superficial. It's better to spend more time in the real world."

"Laru!"

Ralts nodded thoughtfully.

Looking back on this period, I spent the first five days of each cycle thinking about what I didn't do well in the last simulation, and the next five days thinking about how to do it in the next simulation. I was a bit obsessed.

Like last time, I failed to defeat that nasty Hypnotic Tapir again, and there weren't many good options in the prize pool, so I could only choose the move [Synchronization Interference], and I was angry for several days.

Thanks to Xia Chen for reminding him, otherwise he would have become addicted to the simulated world.

Ralts secretly resolved that she would not think too much after each simulation.

In the real world, making the most of every day with Xia Chen is the most important thing!

…………

With Ralts, who wanted to secretly open the book, Xia Chen and the three Pokémon happily went out.

Shangjing is the largest city in the Donghuang region. Looking at all regions, only a few megacities like Miarei, Feiyun, Gongmen, and Jinhuang can compare to it.

With such a large city, there are naturally many places to visit. Considering the size of Minas Gerais, indoor places like museums can be ruled out.

Xia Chen ultimately chose Fragrant Hills Park over the Summer Palace, since it's a mountain after all, and it sounds bigger.

However, once the novelty wore off, Xia Chen felt that... mountains everywhere seemed pretty much the same.

Although there are many spirits that cannot be seen in Jiangnan, Xia Chen has no intention of capturing a fourth spirit for the time being.

So, before noon, after discussing with the elves, Xia Chen decided to end his trip early.

Standing in front of the Qianlong Dojo in Shangjing City, Xia Chen looked at the magnificent dojo gate and sighed, "If only I had known, I would have chosen a dojo..."

Indeed, the true romance of trainers lies in Pokémon battles.

Xia Chen certainly didn't come here to challenge the dojo; there's a sign clearly posted at the dojo's entrance—

[Those who have not obtained a Senior Trainer Certificate are prohibited from challenging!]

This is certainly not about discrimination based on ability. It's just that in the past, there were always some arrogant young guys in shorts who didn't know their own limitations and came to challenge the dojos. The dojo masters were busy from dawn till dusk every day.

Then I looked behind me and wow, there was another line of people!

Especially in a city like Beijing with many tourists, coming here for tourism and challenging a dojo is practically like checking off a must-do.

Finally, the Donghuang Alliance received a joint letter from more than a dozen dojo masters before establishing this rule.

…………

As for Xia Chen now, his certificate is still at the beginner level. If he were to actually compete, he would probably only reach the amateur level.

Two months ago, Ibrahimovic needed to rely on a burst of gratitude to defeat Nidoran, who was barely at the amateur level.

Now, even without using Return, Ibrahimovic can easily defeat opponents of that level.

However, while I am making progress, others cannot stand still. There is still a long way to go in the future.

Moreover, the gap between amateur and advanced levels is much larger than the gap between beginner and intermediate levels.

Therefore, Xia Chen's visit to Qianlong Dojo this time was not to challenge the dojo.

His purpose in coming here was twofold: first, to see if he could watch the game, and second, to scout out the location.

It was both a scouting trip to the challenge and a scouting trip to the entire dojo.

As a future "slacker" gym leader, it's perfectly normal to pay attention to how other people's gyms are run, right?

As a result, Xia Chen, who had been curiously looking around as soon as he entered the dojo, was immediately targeted.

……

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

A crisp, sweet shout interrupted Xia Chen's interest in admiring the exquisite furnishings in the dojo's main hall.

He frowned, turned his head toward the source of the sound, and saw a girl about his age.

The girl had delicate features, but her expression was somewhat unfriendly. She frowned slightly, crossed her arms, and questioned him in a firm tone.

Xia Chen clicked his tongue inwardly, thinking to himself that this woman didn't seem like a good person.

However, he didn't get angry right away. Instead, he asked in return, "Are you the gym leader here?"

The girl's imposing aura visibly weakened instantly. "...Not yet."

Upon hearing this, Xia Chen understood immediately. This girl could say such things and act as if she owned the place, so she must be from some "family family" or "innkeeper's family" for generations.

As someone whose strength and status are second only to the King, the head of a dojo is definitely a highly coveted position.

It's not uncommon for children to inherit the business from their fathers in many dojos, and Qianlong Dojo is probably one of them.

Having roughly guessed the girl's identity, Xia Chen no longer had any reservations.

"What, your dojo doesn't allow visitors to tour?"

This tactic is called turning the tables. When dealing with a child who is obviously immature, you must not go along with her; you must firmly grasp the initiative in your own hands.

"This...is permissible..."

The girl's voice gradually faded, and her hands, which had been wrapped around her chest, slowly came down.

This action indicates that her "aggressive power" has been reduced to an infinitely low level by Xia Chen's continuous "intimidation".

Xia Chen smiled slightly. That's all?

Given that his opponent was too weak, he began to take the initiative.

"Judging from your appearance, you must be an apprentice at this dojo. You are the host, and I am the guest. Is your dojo's way of treating guests to call out 'Hey!' as soon as you arrive? Is this how your dojo master teaches us?"

"I'm...I'm sorry."

The girl's voice was barely audible, so low that it was almost inaudible.

Having vented his anger, Xia Chen stopped saying things like "I can't hear you at all! You have no energy!" and let the girl, who was almost broken, go.

Just as Xia Chen was about to turn around and continue visiting the magnificent dojo hall, a slightly older girl walked in.

"Alright, Xiao Li, you can go back to your training now. I'll take care of this guest."

……

Ibu stared at the girl walking towards him, lost in thought.

Isn't this the future Dragon-type Elite Four member of the Eastern Region...?

Did we bump into each other again?

Ibu looked up at Xia Chen and wondered why he always seemed to encounter future influential figures unexpectedly in this life.

Isn't all of this a bit too much of a coincidence...?

Chapter 104 What respectable person would raise a heterochromatic Hakkarosaurus? (20,000 words today)

Perhaps because it was noon, the only people in the dojo hall besides Xia Chen were those two girls who were dressed similarly and looked like sisters.

The more mature-looking girl patted her somewhat aggrieved younger sister on the shoulder, and the latter left the hall dejectedly.

The girl who remained had an apologetic smile on her face. "Hello, guest. I am Long Yue, an apprentice at Qianlong Dojo. Recently, there was a theft at the dojo, so my sister is a bit sensitive. She may have offended you earlier. Please forgive her."

Xia Chen suddenly realized why the girl had acted like she was interrogating him from the start... but that couldn't be an excuse for her lack of manners.

But having vented his anger and with the host apologizing, Xia Chen waved his hand and said, "It's alright, I forgive her."

Long Yue nodded and replied, "Guest, you must be from out of town. Our dojo master is away on a long trip and won't be here for the next few days, so if you want to challenge the dojo, please come back next week."

Xia Chen coughed lightly, too embarrassed to say that he wasn't qualified to challenge the gym. "Oh... since I can't challenge the gym, can I just take a look around?"

Long Yueqi said, "The dojo isn't a tourist attraction. If this is your first time in Shangjing, I recommend you visit the nearby Shangjing Elf Museum or Xiangshan Park."

Xia Chen decided to be honest. "It's like this, I've dreamed of becoming a gym leader since I was a child, and Dragon-type is my favorite attribute, so I came here specifically to visit and learn from the most famous Qianlong Gym in Donghuang. What do you think..."

…………

As the saying goes, flattery will get you everywhere. Long Yue's praise of Xia Chen, though not exaggerated, hit the nail on the head.

After the Fairy type, which is immune to Dragon-type moves, appeared last year, countless trainers brought a Fairy-type Pokémon to challenge the gyms.

Although this didn't stop his father from giving those trainers who thought they had the key to the game a good beating, he was still disgusted.

So he carried the plane overnight to the Galar region, intending to capture an Aluminosi Dragon to guard the gym and punish those old guys.

It's one thing for people to challenge gyms, since no gym has a rule against using a certain type of Pokémon.