Chapter 40: Meeting Zhu Lan Again
Chen Xi didn't stay at Lake Valor for too long, and during that time, he didn't see Azelf, the legendary Small Elves known as the Lake Guardians.
Chen Xi expressed that he was indeed not a chosen child, and not seeing Azelf was a very normal occurrence, so he didn't mind it at all.
However, as he left Lake Valor, he quietly made a note in his notebook.
Sinnoh Calendar XXXX Year XX Month XX Day, I was very unhappy not seeing Azelf at Lake Valor. I'll remember this grudge for now.
Next, Chen Xi continued his journey towards Veilstone City, and along the way, no Small Elves came out to cause trouble.
Instead, some Small Elves, upon seeing Torterra, wisely kept their distance, allowing Chen Xi to arrive safely at Veilstone City.
Veilstone City's Gym primarily focused on Fighting-type Pokémon, and the Gym Leader was named Old Li.
His Good at Fighting-type Pokémon were quite strong, but naturally, they were defeated by Staryu's Psychic and Torterra's majestic physique.
So there's no need to elaborate further.
At least Chen Xi had successfully obtained four Gym Badges, qualifying him to join Qiefeng Academy's Elite Class.
After tidying up, Chen Xi left Veilstone City, intending to travel through Mt. Coronet to Qiefeng Academy in Qiefeng City.
But as he passed a stall not far from Veilstone Department Store in Veilstone City, he saw a girl with curly blonde hair standing in front of an ice cream stand, seemingly hesitant and unsure about something.
Chen Xi originally didn't notice and walked straight past. After all, not everyone can see in all directions and hear everything, recognizing someone extraordinary in a crowd.
But Floette tugged on Chen Xi's clothes, pointing in that direction and saying, "Hua~ Hua~"
Chen Xi paused slightly, saw Zhu Lan and the queue that had already formed behind her. He then decisively walked up to the girl, cut in line without hesitation, and said, "Shopkeeper, one of every flavor for me!"
Then he turned to Zhu Lan and said, "When you're indecisive, just get everything. If you block the way like this, how can others do business!"
"Uh~" Zhu Lan was slightly startled by Chen Xi's words. She looked back and saw a small queue had already formed behind her. A flush of embarrassment appeared on her originally serene face, completely ruining her aloof demeanor.
Soon, the prepared shopkeeper quickly handed all the various ice creams to Chen Xi.
"Let's go! Are you going to the Elf Garden, or do you have other accommodations?" Chen Xi said, handing her an ice cream.
Zhu Lan didn't refuse, taking a small bite. The cream with green apple was cool and refreshing, sweet and sour.
"I'm going back to Celestic Town, then to Qiefeng Academy!" Zhu Lan said. "What about you? Why are you here?"
"Qiefeng Academy... In that case, you should also be in the Elite Class!" Chen Xi thought for a moment and explained, "As for me, I also plan to go to Qiefeng Academy. I've already collected four badges, so we should be classmates in the future."
"Oh, I see!" Zhu Lan nodded, showing neither excitement nor anger, as if it were a matter of course.
Just as Chen Xi thought Zhu Lan showed no emotion at all, he heard Zhu Lan say, "When we get to the academy, let's battle again. I won't lose this time!"
"Alright!" Chen Xi said cheerfully upon hearing this, "But, we'll see then."
Before long, the seven or eight different flavored ice creams they bought were all consumed by Zhu Lan, except for the one Chen Xi ate himself.
To be honest, Chen Xi really didn't expect Zhu Lan to possess a hidden attribute of being a big eater, which was quite a surprise.
Originally, Chen Xi had planned to cross Mt. Coronet alone, but after meeting Zhu Lan, he decided to go to Celestic Town with her.
The resources available in Celestic Town might not be the most abundant among the Five Great Families of Sinnoh, but they were definitely the most high-end.
Celestic Town never lacked top-tier resources, but not many Trainers emerged from Celestic Town.
Because Celestic Town pursued an Elite policy, almost every Pokémon Trainer who came from Celestic Town was exceptionally outstanding. If their standards were not met, they were generally not allowed to go out and roam in an official capacity.
And for Celestic Town, Chen Xi believed that resources like top-grade Moon Stones certainly existed, and he just happened to need them.
Of course, Chen Xi believed that once he reached Qiefeng Academy, as Sinnoh's highest institution of learning, it would be easy to obtain these items.
But if he had the opportunity to prepare a set beforehand, then why wouldn't he?
Leaving Veilstone City, Chen Xi summoned Torterra and invited Zhu Lan to ride on Torterra together.
With Zhu Lan giving directions, Torterra began moving with a rumbling sound, heading towards Celestic Town.
Zhu Lan, sitting on Torterra, was quite excited. She went to the front of Torterra's shell, feeling the wind whistling past.
To be honest, because of Torterra's massive body, each step it took was quite large, so its speed was also quite fast.
From Veilstone City to Celestic Town, for Torterra, it was only a week.
"Grandma!" Upon arriving in Celestic Town, Zhu Lan seemed to turn into a child, shouting and jumping, which made Chen Xi a little dazed.
But looking back, he realized that Zhu Lan was, after all, only a twelve-year-old child. It was his own mindset that had become a bit old.
"I heard, I heard, I heard your voice from afar!" Dr. Jie Zi Lan walked out of the house.
He saw that not only his granddaughter Zhu Lan was on Torterra, but also a young boy of a similar age.
Dr. Jie Zi Lan knew that while his granddaughter wasn't arrogant, her demeanor and extraordinary strength naturally kept people at a distance.
He hadn't expected that a peer could get along with his granddaughter this time, which was somewhat unexpected for Dr. Jie Zi Lan.
Dr. Jie Zi Lan looked at Zhu Lan, then at Chen Xi, and asked, "And this young man is?"
"I am Chen Xi of the Yuan Family. Nice to meet you, Grandma!" Chen Xi truly didn't know Zhu Lan's grandmother's name, so following Zhu Lan's lead and calling her Grandma was fine.
Would there be any problem with a twelve-year-old boy casually calling someone Grandma?
Dr. Jie Zi Lan was slightly taken aback by Chen Xi's words, then smiled and said, "Oh, a child of the Yuan Family, come in quickly!"
It was impossible for Jie Zi Lan not to be familiar with Chen Xi. Zhu Lan, at twelve, had swept through the Trainers of the Five Great Families, only to stumble in the Yuan Family, where it was least expected.
How could Jie Zi Lan not have investigated Chen Xi?
However, if Zhu Lan were a boy, Dr. Jie Zi Lan would definitely have wanted to teach Chen Xi a good lesson to avenge his grandson.
But if it were a young man like Chen Xi, it wasn't as upsetting for Dr. Jie Zi Lan.
Because Zhu Lan's problem wasn't her personality itself, but rather her talent and actions always unconsciously created a sense of pressure, giving people the feeling of being out of place with those around her due to her extraordinary talent.
Because of this, if there was someone who could keep Zhu Lan in check, Dr. Jie Zi Lan thought it was quite good, so she found Chen Xi more and more pleasing to the eye.
Chen Xi always felt a bit uneasy under Dr. Jie Zi Lan's gaze, so after recalling Torterra into his Poké Ball, he obediently followed Dr. Jie Zi Lan to Zhu Lan's family living room as a guest.
Before long, a servant brought tea and snacks. Chen Xi tasted them, and the flavor was quite good.
Chen Xi also mentioned his intention to stay overnight in Celestic Town, as the Yuan Family's Elf Garden had never been established within Celestic Town.
Celestic Town could be said to be a self-contained system, with all its residents being Trainers belonging to Celestic Town.
Staying overnight for such a small matter was naturally taken for granted. When members of the Five Great Families traveled to their respective territories, as long as there wasn't a long-standing feud, they could naturally stay anywhere, and even take packed food and drinks when they left without any issue.
At this point, Chen Xi took the opportunity to propose exchanging a top-grade Leaf Stone or a top-grade Sun Stone for two Moon Stones.
Facing Chen Xi's suggestion, Dr. Jie Zi Lan pondered for a moment and replied, "That's possible, but I have a small request!"
"Please tell me, Grandma." Chen Xi patiently listened to Dr. Jie Zi Lan's words.
"For the next few days, I hope you can stay in Celestic Town for a while longer. After Zhu Lan finishes some matters, I hope you can travel with her. At least you'll have company on the road!" Dr. Jie Zi Lan said with a smile.
"I can actually manage quite well on my own..." Zhu Lan whispered weakly.
But facing her grandmother, Zhu Lan was decisively ignored, which surprised Chen Xi a bit, realizing Zhu Lan also had her vulnerable moments.
However, Chen Xi naturally had no reason to refuse this proposal, as traveling with a future Champion was also quite good.
Soon, Chen Xi settled down in Celestic Town for those days.
Even so, Chen Xi never neglected his Pokémon training.
For example, Floette cultivated her Psychic abilities by studying and mimicking the Psychic Cosmic Power.
For example, Torterra continued to diligently merge Giga Drain and Leech Seed.
For example, Nidoran♂ continued to strengthen his training in sensing auras.
And Staryu's mastery of various Psychic skills.
Although there were no battles, and only this kind of training was conducted, the Pokémon's growth wouldn't be very obvious.
But in Chen Xi's view, battles were merely a rapid conversion of accumulated energy into what was needed, which led to the rapid growth of one's level.
Otherwise, it was very possible that after a few battles, one would be the first to be exhausted.
So for the recent period, Staryu and Torterra seemed to be stuck at level 49 (they gained 1 level during the Fighting Gym battle) as if hitting a bottleneck, but Chen Xi wasn't particularly anxious.
He just continued to feed them high-purity nutritious food, and when a battle came, their potential would naturally be stimulated.
While Chen Xi was staying at Zhu Lan's home, Grandma Jie Zi Lan was also very enthusiastic towards Chen Xi, asking him all sorts of questions.
Facing the kind and amiable old lady, Chen Xi answered every question.
Actually, what Chen Xi most wanted to say was when Zhu Lan would finally depart, as he still had an entire Mt. Coronet to climb.
By the time they crossed the mountains, it would take at least one or two months, which would be around the start of the new semester.
During this period, there was a small unexpected event: Nidoran♂, a Pokémon Chen Xi had intentionally suppressed, successfully evolved into Nidorino on a full moon night. Its entire body became much more robust, which Chen Xi was very satisfied with.
And there wasn't just one good thing. Perhaps Grandma Jie Zi Lan heard Chen Xi's inner cry, because after completing the Moon Stone transaction with Chen Xi, she let Zhu Lan and him set off, allowing Chen Xi to breathe a long sigh of relief.
The two sat on Torterra and began heading towards Mt. Coronet. After traversing the entire Mt. Coronet area, they would reach Qiefeng City.
Chen Xi looked at Zhu Lan and said, "You're familiar with this area, so you can lead the way!"
Zhu Lan nodded without refusing, accepting the role of guide, and the two departed from Celestic Town towards Mt. Coronet.
Mt. Coronet is located in the central part of the Sinnoh region and is the highest mountain in Sinnoh.
It traverses the entire Sinnoh region, dividing it into eastern and western sides, and also into northern and southern poles.
Mt. Coronet itself also boasts Sinnoh's most mysterious, complete, and vast Small Elves ecosystem. It is the great treasure trove of Sinnoh; here, you can basically encounter almost all Small Elves except for those found in the sea.
At this moment, several teams of Spirit Hunters were also seen climbing Mt. Coronet.
The lead Trainer of one of the teams shouted, "Push harder! As long as we can hunt down a pseudo-legendary egg, then I'll be the new Letter Hunter! From now on, you guys follow me, and you'll live the good life. As long as I have food to eat, you'll get your share!"
"Good!" This Spirit Hunter had clearly planted a shill in the team, as the shouts were remarkably uniform.
In the crowd, Xiaoju couldn't help but clench her fists, looking at Hei Yan, the Spirit Hunter at the very front, with a hint of envy in her eyes.
Although Xiaoju was the shortest and youngest among this group of people, when the surrounding people's gazes swept over her, a hint of fear flickered in their eyes, clearly indicating that Xiaoju's strength was relatively strong among the hunters.
This was because Xiaoju possessed a VIP pass for the Elf Garden left by Chen Xi, allowing her to receive free treatment at the Elf Garden.
This advantage seemed very inconspicuous, but it was only after Xiaoju truly became a hunter that she realized how valuable this treatment was.
Many hunters, when selecting tasks, had to calculate costs and assess risks. For many tasks, the reward might not even cover the medical expenses of their Small Elves. Such tasks often offered high rewards and contributions but had few takers.
It was a difficult choice: to be a mediocre person who didn't strive for advancement, or a Spirit Hunter who had the potential to become a Superior.
But Xiaoju didn't have so many medical concerns. As long as she could bring her Pokémon back alive to the Elf Garden, even if her Pokémon had walked the line of life and death, they would basically be saved in the end.
This was her greatest advantage.