After asking Kuroda for help and asking him to mail Meteorite Key Stone directly to Ever Grande City, Xia You and Misty rested at Lilycove City for another night before setting off again to Fortree City.
While Pokémon Center was resting, Xia You also took the opportunity to change his lineup, transmitting Legendary Birds, Raikou and Suicune to Sabrina, and also letting Legendary Pokémon in his hand, only two Deoxys and Black Rayquaza were left, and then Red Gyarados and Crystal Steelix were sent to Cerise Park, and the lineup he was training was returned to his side.
Seeing Scizor, Eevee, Milotic and Metang return to the hands, Xia You also felt like an ordinary Pokémon Trainer.
You no longer have to worry about evil organizations suddenly jumping out, and you no longer have to worry about Hoenn Region's Legendary Pokémon. You only need to leisurely challenge Gym all the way and concentrate on training your own Pokémon. The purpose is single and pure. Isn't this the life of an ordinary Pokémon Trainer!
Speaking of Pokémon of Hoenn Region, Xia You also contacted Pheobe when he set off from Lilycove City and agreed to meet at Fortree City.
After all, he still has Indigo and Vermilion and two Orbs in his hand, so it's time for them to return to their original owners.
As for why it was not sent to Mt. Pyre...
The main reason was that it was not going smoothly, and since he had helped Pheobe so much, asking her to come find him was not too much of a request.
Starting from Lilycove City, the two of them headed west.
The weather was perfect today. It was not too hot, and there was a slight breeze blowing. Since there was no need to rush, the two of them felt relaxed together. They also had more time to appreciate the scenery along the way and notice the sights they had never noticed before.
This is a rare experience for a trip that has always been stressful before.
After walking for most of the day, the two passed by a Safari Zone.
Safari Zone can also be called Wild Pokémon Preserve.
This is the place where Wild Pokémon lives and breeds, but although it is protected by law and Pokémon League, at the same time, after paying a fee, you can also use the special Poké Ball provided here for non-combat capture.
For some people who don't like fighting, this is undoubtedly an ideal place to conquer Pokémon. Of course, the premise is that his luck is not too bad.
After all, the success rate of Safari Ball provided by the protected area is really not high. If you are unlucky today, it will be even worse.
This is why even though it is easier to get Pokémon here, there are still not so many Pokémon Trainer patrons.
As for Xia You, since there was no Pokémon he wanted to capture, he didn't waste time here, and passed directly through the gate of Safari Zone with Misty.
However, when Safari Zone was about to step out of the range, Misty couldn't help but tease Ash about Xia You.
"Hehe, this is you. You know there is nothing Pokémon you like, so you have no idea of entering this protected area. If Ash passes by here, he will definitely go in and take a look!"
Because we have traveled to two regions together, we know Ash Misty very well, and we also know that with his personality, he will never miss a place like this.
"Indeed." Xia You nodded and smiled, "He just likes to be lively, but speaking of it, this is the only way from Verdanturf Town to Lilycove City. After Ash challenged Verdanturf Gym, he must have passed by here on the way to Lilycove City. Needless to say, he must have walked inside."
While they were talking, they had already left the scope of the protected area and followed the road to the north.
After walking for a long time, just as they had lunch and walked through a towering mountainous area, Xia You accidentally glanced and saw a figure he had seen before!
Because there were almost no people on the road, he noticed this person almost at a glance.
"That person is..."
Seeing the surprised look on Xia You's face, Misty also turned around and saw a light blue-haired man about twenty-four or five years old, wearing a decent black suit and looking like a handsome young man. He couldn't help but wonder, "What's wrong Xia You? Do you know that person?"
"Eh? Don't you know him?" Seeing the confused look on Misty's face, Xia You then remembered that she had indeed never seen this person before and couldn't help but explain, "He is Steven, the son of Mr. Stone, the president of Devon Corporation."
"It turns out he is Steven." Misty suddenly realized that although she had never seen this man before, she had heard this name from both Xia You and Stone, so she was not unfamiliar with him. "But why is he here?"
Yes, why is Steven in this place?
Xia You was also confused, but after looking around, he understood.
What is Steven's favorite thing to do?
Of course I was digging around for rocks!
Although this is a joke, it is actually not wrong.
Obviously, he had only one purpose for coming here. There must be some special stone that attracted him.
In the distance, Steven was about to walk into a Cave. I don't know if he felt something. He suddenly turned his head and looked in the direction of Xia You. At this glance, he naturally discovered Xia You and Misty.
It can be seen that he was obviously stunned for a moment, obviously he did not expect to see Xia You here, but after being stunned for two seconds, he still changed direction and walked towards them slowly.
When he came closer and glanced at Misty with doubtful eyes, he smiled and nodded to Xia You: "I didn't expect that I would meet you here."
"Yes, what a coincidence." Xia You also greeted him and then asked, "Does the fact that you are here mean that there are any special stones nearby?"
This preference of mine is the same as that of his father, and it is no longer a secret. Therefore, Xia You can guess his purpose, and Steven does not feel any surprise.
"That's right." He turned sideways and let Xia You see the entrance of the cave not far away, "I heard that Pokémon Trainer accidentally discovered a hidden passage while exploring this Cave before and went deeper, so I thought that some rarer stones should be found there."
Sure enough...
It can only be said that a young master from a wealthy family like this would really travel around for his hobbies...
But speaking of the nearby secret Cave...
Xia You touched his chin and asked, "Is the place you mentioned Scorched Slab?"
"Oh?" Steven looked at him in surprise, "You actually know where it is? You are really surprised. You are obviously not from Hoenn Region, but you can know such secret things."
Xia You certainly doesn't predict the future. In fact, the reason why he knows this is because he has played the game and has a deep impression of this place. Although he can't remember the details, he still remembers that there seems to be a rare Heatran deep in this cave.
However, although Heatran is also a kind of Legendary Pokémon, to be honest, it is too ugly and is completely outside the aesthetic range of Xia You. Therefore, he knows that there may be a Legendary Pokémon here, and some people think it is very strong, but he is not even interested in it.
"I just heard it accidentally from someone before." Xia You just waved his hand and brushed off the topic, "People like me have heard a lot and seen a lot. Maybe one day I will remember it like I do now, but if I say how well I know it, in fact I only know the name."
"So that's it." Steven had no doubts about what he said, but he seemed to suddenly remember something and said with a smile, "I heard from Kuroda that you helped my father again last time?"
Xia You was in a daze for a moment, and then realized that he was probably referring to the incident that helped Stone seize Meteorite.
"It's not really help, it's just mutual aid. And thanks to Mr. Stone's information, I was able to conquer a powerful Pokémon as I wished."
"You mean that Deoxys, right?" Steven said with a smile, "It's a pity that I wasn't there at the time. If I had known, I might have been the one to tame Deoxys."
Xia You is very doubtful about this.
Let's not talk about whether Steven is Pokémon Trainer who is proficient in Steel-type, whether he will conquer Deoxys.
Even if he really went, in addition to Deoxys, there were also Team Magma led by Courtney and Team Aqua led by Shelly, and even Rayquaza appeared in the finale. Under such circumstances, I really don't know if Steven can not only defeat these guys, but also conquer Deoxys like me.
Even if he had been Champion, it would obviously not be as easy as him, right?
Because this was just a chance encounter, and both of them had their own things to do, they said goodbye directly after chatting for a while.
Seeing Steven's figure disappearing into the hole, Misty turned around and gave his impression of him.
"How should I put it..." She hesitated for a moment, and then said, "He does give people a very good impression. He looks gentle and easy-going. He doesn't have the domineering feeling of a rich second generation at all. And it can be seen that he is quite confident in his own strength. He seems to be a Defiant person."
"That's a good summary." Xia You nodded in agreement, "Just like you said, Steven is indeed an outstanding person, which is why he is so popular in Hoenn."
This incident was just a small incident, and the two of them quickly forgot about it. After leaving this mountainous area, they walked for another day. By the second night, although they were still some distance away from their destination, they could already vaguely see the lights of Fortree City.
Fortree City, known as a tree city that plays with nature.
In terms of location, it is located in the north of Hoenn Region, at the foot of the endless mountains. Although the city is small, it is completely wrapped in dense forests. Even high-rise buildings are blocked by trees. Even from a distance, it is impossible to tell whether it is a city or a forest!
Even in the city, there are a large number of tree houses. These tree houses are built on tall and straight giant trees and connected to each other by suspension bridges. Although they are not as prosperous as big cities, they have a unique flavor amidst the lush greenery and the fragrance of birds and flowers.
Moreover, most of the people here walk, let alone cars, and even the roads are rarely seen. It is a completely natural and ecological scene!
Due to weather conditions, frequent heavy rains make the trees here grow much taller than those in other places. It is said that most of the residents living here are healthy and live long lives. In the tree house, you can often see various wild Bug-type Pokémon flying through the city.
Because it was getting late, the two of them checked into Pokémon Center directly after entering the city.
However, while having dinner, I heard that Wings Festival had just been held here a few days ago, and Misty couldn't help but sigh.
Especially when I heard that Fortree City held a large-scale event with the theme of the sky every year. At this time of year, when the whole town was extremely lively, Misty sighed in disappointment.
"I really want to participate in such a celebration..."
Besides, she is also a ten-year-old girl, and with such a personality, it is inevitable that she likes to be lively.
In response to this, Xia You could only helplessly shake his head. "There is nothing we can do about it. Who made us delay? But by the time Ever Grande Conference comes, you should have time to have fun. By then, it will definitely be more exciting than any other activity!"
Fortree Gym is located on the outskirts of Fortree City, and it is the only building in the city that is not built on trees.
From the appearance, the entire Gym is very similar to Maya Pyramid. It is built up by countless steps. It is a four-cornered pyramid shape, hundreds of meters high. If you want to reach the Battle Field above, you need to climb up the long stairs without the help of Flying type Pokémon, which is still very tiring.
At the gate of Gym, there are two Stone Statue statues of Pokémon standing on the left and right. The two Stone Statue statues are more than ten meters high. They both have wings spread and look up to the sky and howl. When you walk below and look up, it looks very Pressure.
After resting overnight, Xia You, who was full of energy, officially launched a challenge to Fortree City Gym in the early morning of the next day.
When the two of them walked through the long passage and came to the door, they saw a man who was obviously a staff member coming out from inside.
Seeing Xia You, the man had a smile on his face and asked, "Are you here to challenge Gym?"
"Huh?" before Xia You could speak, Misty said in surprise, "It's true that we are here to challenge Gym, but looking at you, it seems that you are here to pick us up? But how did you know we were here?"
The man pointed back, pointing at the Gym behind him, and said proudly, "This Gym is the tallest building in the entire Fortree City, and in Gym We here also have sharp eyes like eagles. We will notice anyone who walks on the corridor in front of Gym. Okay, please come in, our Gym's Gym Leader Winona, I have been waiting for you for a long time!"