"Ahaha~"
Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Qianye yawned and subconsciously rubbed Heizi, who was curled up like a fur ball in his arms. Feeling something itchy, Heizi's nose twitched in his sleep, and he rubbed the boy's chest to change to a more comfortable position.
After defeating the little male devil, they didn't encounter any other wild trainers along the way. Taking advantage of this momentum, they crossed the entire Viridian Forest overnight.
When the first ray of morning light shone on Qianye, the warm touch made his sleepy body feel a little lazy, and the fence of Nibi City also came into his sight.
"Finally here? Hmm..."
He couldn't help but yawn again. If possible, he would like to lie down on the soft grass and have a good sleep, but now is obviously not the time. He has to at least go to the Pokémon Center first.
Speaking of which, even though she had experienced a battle and traveled for such a long time, Kokodora still looked energetic, and her deep blue eyes kept scanning the surroundings.
Qianye didn't think that the little fellow on his shoulder would be interested in human buildings. What probably caught its attention was - stone.
The city of Nibi is close to Mt. Tsukimi, which is rich in minerals and ancient fossils. Many citizens here make a living by digging. Because of this, the rock-hard will has become the business card of this city.
Putting aside the various symbols of rock in Nibi City, Kokodola probably wouldn't care about these things. Although its favorite is high-purity steel, stone is also a member of its diet, and its status is probably equivalent to a snack.
"Don't act rashly. I'll arrange food for you later."
Before entering Nibi City, Qianye hurriedly reminded him. If you are greedy and bite the stone on someone else's stall, it's okay, you will just have to pay a little money. If you are not careful and bite a cultural relic, you can't afford it even if you sell yourself.
Hearing the boy's instructions, Kokodora made a few impatient noises in response, indicating that its self-control was not so bad.
But, is the Rock-type gym here...
They were located on a hill in front of the city of Nibi. Standing here they could have a panoramic view of the entire city. In the very center stood a dark gray square building.
Kokodora's azure eyes rested on the building with the Pokémon League logo, and his eyes moved slightly. I don't know what he was thinking...
…
At the Nibi City Pokémon Center, the pink-haired nurse brought the silver-white little beast to Qianye with an impeccable and friendly smile:
"Your Pokémon is healthy and does not need any other treatment, so don't worry~"
Qianye lowered his head and looked into Kokodora's eyes. The arrogant look clearly said: I told you long ago that you wouldn't get hurt by a guy of that level.
"Well, thank you very much, Miss Jo...Miss Joy."
Feeling completely relieved, the young man raised his head and thanked the all-too-familiar face with a slightly strange expression.
The reason was simple. The Miss Joy in front of him and the one from Changpan City were simply cut from the same mold. Even though he had heard of the names of the two big families, Joy and Junsha, when he saw them with his own eyes, Qianye was still shocked by the terrifying family genes.
It is said that the history of the Joy and Junsa families can be traced back to the time when Pokémon trainers were just born. Could it be that they are actually some kind of Pokémon that looks very similar to humans and can speak?
Qianye's mind was filled with random guesses until an overly energetic shout woke him up from his fantasy:
"Qian Ye? Is it Qian Ye?"
This rash tone... Qianye subconsciously turned his head to look behind him, and sure enough, a stupid guy with a red hat on his head and clear eyes appeared in his sight.
"Xiaozhi..."
"Qian Ye, it's you!" Upon hearing this, the young man under the red hat became even more excited. In his arms, the yellow-skinned rat that Qian Ye once judged to be "so scary" also waved at him in a friendly manner.
He was extremely rebellious when we first met...but we've become friends in such a short time? Xiaozhi is really good at this.
With his experience working at the Oak Research Institute, Qianye quickly deduced the current relationship between the man and the pet in front of him. At his feet, Heizi raised his head and barked happily a few times. The other party was the little master's friend, so it was naturally familiar with him.
Meeting an old friend in a foreign land, Qianye's face did not show much joy, on the contrary, there was a hint of vigilance in his eyes. It must be admitted that Xiaozhi is a good friend, but oftentimes, this guy's personality will force people around him into some trouble.
In fact, Qianye already had a bad premonition in his heart. He bent down, picked up Kokodora, and skillfully placed it on his shoulder. He was about to explain to Xiaozhi why he was here and say goodbye quickly.
Unfortunately, he was a step too slow:
"Qianye, you are here to challenge the Nibi Gym as well, right?"
Xiaozhi excitedly grasped Qianye's shoulders with both hands, and asked the question in an affirmative tone. Qianye felt as if he had just been baptized by 100,000 volts, and his whole body was numb, but he couldn't break free from the other's grip.
"It's not me..."
"Then let's go now!"
Without giving Qianye a chance to explain or refute, the irresistible force dragged the boy all the way out of the Pokémon Center. When Kuroko saw his master being taken away, he ran after him in panic, leaving Miss Joy standing there in the center with her eyes wide open.
Wait, did that kid just pick up a Kokodora? And then the other kid pulled him away without any resistance?
…
The Nibi City Gym is worthy of its name as a rock-type gym. The edges of the wide venue and the four walls are built of thick dark gray rock, which exudes a suffocating heaviness.
With a slight sound, the chandeliers on the ceiling were all lit up, and the white halo spread to the end of the gym. A young man with a healthy complexion, a straight face, and eyes that were almost slits were sitting there.
Obviously, he is the owner of this place - the Rock-type Gym Master Xiaogang.
"We're here to challenge the Nibi Gym!"
Without waiting for the gym owner to say anything, Xiaozhi had already issued a challenge declaration. Qianye, who was forcibly pulled here, looked up at the sky with an expression that said "I just want to be alone."
"Two challengers?" A voice as steady as rock sounded, and Xiaogang slowly stood up. His young face already exuded an extraordinary aura.
"Of course as a gym leader I cannot refuse a trainer's challenge, but... since this is an official league competition, we must follow the rules."
"Rules?" Xiaozhi looked confused. He was clearly a challenger but he had never known the procedures and matters of challenging a gym in advance. Qianye just hoped that the other party would not think that he and that idiot were in the same group. It was really embarrassing.
Without showing any emotion due to Xiaozhi's ignorance, Xiaogang raised his hand and seemed to press a switch. Then, a violent vibration spread to everyone's feet.
Earthquake? Xiaozhi was confused for a moment, but soon he found the real source of the tremor. It was closing inwards with him as the center, filled with boulders and rockery - the real competition venue!
Subconsciously turning around, he found that Qianye had already gone outside the venue without knowing when. Looking at the rockery gradually pressing towards him, Xiaozhi felt his hair stand on end and ran back quickly:
"Wait for me!"
A dull collision sound ended the construction of the entire venue. Xiaozhi escaped narrowly, looking at the rocks closing in front of him with a sullen look on his face.
In fact, as a formal competition venue recognized by the league, it is naturally impossible to really hurt the trainer here. However, the thrilling experience just now has taught this impetuous guy a lesson.
Thinking of this, Xiao Gang continued:
"Each person can only use two Pokémon, so who wants to challenge first?"
"Me first, me first!" Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhi hurriedly spoke first, although Qian Ye next to him had no intention of competing with him at all.
"So my starting Pokémon is—Go, Onix!"
The Poké Ball in Xiaogang's palm emitted a red light, and a giant snake made up of several huge rocks coiled on the field. Its eyes emitted dangerous light on both sides of the large horns on the protruding rock ridge above its head.
With such a large size and such pressure, Pikachu, who was as eager to fight as its master just now, immediately backed down, ran back to Xiaozhi quickly, and reached for the Poké Ball on his waist.
Xiaozhi was obviously not satisfied with this cowardly behavior and pushed him back to the field:
"Don't exchange with your partners without permission. We will definitely win!"
Pikachu was obviously a little frightened by Onix's size, but with Ash's encouragement and urging, it forced itself to muster up the courage and walked onto the rocky field.
"Wait, are you really going to let Pikachu fight Onix?"
Qianye, who had been watching silently until now, finally couldn't help it. He looked at Xiaozhi in surprise and asked.
"Is there any problem?" Xiaozhi looked confused.
What's the problem? It's a huge problem! Onix is a dual-attribute Pokémon of rock and ground, and ground-type Pokémon are completely immune to electric damage. So why is Pikachu, a pure electric Pokémon, playing?
Xiaozhi... Could it be that he didn't even memorize the most basic attribute restraints?!
No matter how much resentment Qianye felt at this moment, he could no longer stop the battle from going on. The moment the challenger's Pokémon stepped onto the playing field, the battle was officially declared begun.
Xiao Gang, standing upright in the position of gym leader, issued his first order with a stern face:
"Onix, use impact!"