At eight o'clock in the morning, outside the Pokémon Center.
After breakfast, Natsui, Misty, and Ash's group stood on opposite sides, saying their goodbyes.
However, compared to the indifferent habits of Natsui, Ash, and Brock, the parting between Misty and May seemed much sadder.
The two were reluctant to part, holding hands and hugging, as if it were a life-and-death separation.
In the end, Ash couldn't stand it anymore and couldn't help saying, "You will see each other again soon, maybe just a few days. Is there a need for this?"
"What do you know!?"
Misty wiped the corners of her eyes with her fingers and rolled her eyes at him. "How could an emotional idiot like you understand the feelings between us women?"
"Women?"
Hearing this word, Brock looked Misty and May up and down, shaking his head. "It's too early for you to call yourselves women. Let's talk about it in another ten years..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he was hit in the face by the backpack Misty threw casually and fell down immediately.
Withdrawing his merciless gaze from Brock, Max pushed his glasses and said helplessly to May, "Sister, since you are so reluctant, why don't you just travel together?"
Travel together?
Misty and May's hearts moved at the same time. They looked at each other, but then sighed together.
How could they not want to travel together?
But although Natsui and Ash are friends, they are also competitors. Meeting occasionally like this is fine, but traveling together is impossible.
But if one were to abandon one person and go to the other person's team...
Misty naturally couldn't leave Natsui, and May also couldn't leave her brother Max alone. Both had their own reasons, so how could they change teams as they pleased?
Sigh, it seems we can only wait for a chance in the future...
However, after this interlude, the sadness of the two faded a little, and they could finally communicate normally.
Seeing this, Ash breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly waved to Natsui. "Brother Natsui, see you next time then!"
Natsui nodded, his gaze sweeping over Ash's group, and smiled. "Okay, see you next time."
After bidding farewell to each other, the two sides went in opposite directions, one to the west and the other to the east, leaving the gate of the Pokémon Center, and soon disappeared from each other's sight.
Just as Natsui planned before, his next target was the island far away from the Hoenn mainland—Dewford Island!
Dewford Island is located in the southwest corner of the Hoenn region. It is a small island. In the center of the island is a small mountain range, occupied by three or four continuous high mountains. Because it is rich in various stones, many people who love collecting stones go there to climb every day.
And at the foot of the mountain, the bustling Dewford Town is located there.
Arriving at the Slateport City port, Natsui and Misty soon found a small passenger ship bound for Dewford Island.
Buying tickets and boarding the ship, they had a smooth journey. After half a day of sailing, they arrived at Dewford Town at 3 PM.
Taking advantage of the daylight, after getting off the ship, Natsui took Misty and went straight to the Dewford Gym according to the navigation.
Misty didn't have time to feel the difference between this place and other cities in the Hoenn mainland. She followed behind Natsui, walking fast, and soon passed through the town center.
The Dewford Gym was built on a seaside cliff outside Dewford Town. Leaving the town, Natsui and Misty passed through a forest path full of palm trees and soon came to a very distinctive gate.
The special thing about this gate is that there is a signboard on it. The signboard is painted with gold paint, looking glittering. At the very top, there is a relief of a Machamp and a Machoke running forward together.
Shoulder to shoulder, with bright smiles on their faces, no matter how you look at it, they are full of passion and look very gay.
However, although a bit weird, discerning people can know that this is a Fighting-type gym just by this signboard!
This is also why Natsui thinks it is very distinctive.
At least being weird makes sense!
And behind this gate is the Dewford Gym.
The Dewford Gym is a square two-story building. But don't look at the building as ordinary; its roof, like the top of the head of the entire Machop family, has three vertical protrusions, looking like a Machamp's head is buckled on top of it!
"What a unique aesthetic..." Misty naturally saw this strange thing and couldn't help complaining. "The Gym Leader here won't be a strange uncle like Chuck in Johto, right?"
Natsui: ...
"Be careful that Chuck comes to beat you in your dreams tonight." He joked, then introduced, "The Gym Leader of Dewford Gym is Brawly. He is a trendy guy. Not only is he a Gym Leader, but he is also a professional surfer. Because he likes straightforward physical attacks, just like the waves of the sea, he is also called the 'Fighting Wave'!"
"Fighting Wave?" Misty was stunned. "That's a good nickname. I just didn't expect such a person to like Fighting-type Pokémon. I really can't associate him with muscle-bound Pokémon."
While talking, the two had arrived at the gym gate.
Originally, Natsui wanted to knock on the door first, but found that the gym gate was not closed tightly but left a gap. Through this gap, one could hear that a battle seemed to be taking place inside the gym at this time!
Oh?
Could there be other challengers visiting today?
Curious in his heart, Natsui couldn't care about knocking on the door anymore. Instead, he pushed the door open and walked directly into the gym with Misty.
Behind the gym gate was the gym's battlefield. As soon as he entered, Natsui saw two women battling.
First was the one on the left. She was about twenty years old, wearing a red athletic swimsuit. She was reasonably pretty, with long lake-blue hair tied into a big ponytail behind her.
Perhaps due to years of exercise, her figure looked curvy, and her muscles were full of firmness.
Looking at her position, she should be someone from the gym. He just didn't know what her relationship with the Gym Leader Brawly was. Could she be a Gym Trainer acting as a proxy?
Look at her opponent.
This look didn't matter, but Natsui found that it was actually Bea, whom he and Misty had met briefly at the Pokémon Center in Verdanturf Town before!
Bea was still wearing that fighting outfit like a racer, with a black headband like rabbit ears tied around her head, looking serious, as if no other expression could be seen on her face!
Why is she here?
But on second thought, since this is a Fighting Gym, and Bea, as a Fighting-type trainer, travels around the world, it is understandable for her to come here to challenge.
It's just unexpected that after parting in Verdanturf Town, he would meet her again here!
Look at the Pokémon of these two.
The female gym trainer used a Meditite.
This is a Fighting and Psychic-type Pokémon. Its skin is gray-blue, its head seems to be wrapped in a large turban, there are milky white ring patterns on its arms, its eyes are relatively large, its pupils are black, and it looks a bit like a monkey from India!
This Pokémon practices yoga deep in the mountains and can float in the air. For it, daily yoga is indispensable. It also improves its spiritual power through meditation. Just meditation alone can last for several hours every day. It is said that Meditite only eats one berry a day. For it, eating less is also part of its training. It tempers its heart by enduring hunger every day!
And fighting against this Meditite was a Pangoro!
Just like its name, as a non-Hoenn region Pokémon, Pangoro looks like a giant panda, but more ferocious and strong!
It holds a long bamboo twig in its mouth, like a cigarette. Just by looking at the first impression, it seems like it has mixed in the underworld.
Pangoro has a grumpy and impulsive personality, but is very heroic and has deep feelings for its companions. Therefore, many trainers are obsessed with it. However, if you want to become Pangoro's trainer, you can only negotiate with it with your fists. Therefore, the people who have tamed this Pokémon can basically be counted on one hand!
It is a wild Pokémon proud of its arm strength. It likes to solve problems with strength and speaks with its fists. Just one punch can turn a large dump truck into scrap metal!
Moreover, it does not allow anyone to bully the weak in front of it. Even if attacked, it will not flinch, but rush up and defeat the opponent with arm strength capable of snapping a telephone pole. It also uses the swaying of the bamboo leaf to perceive the enemy's movements. It can be said to be a Pokémon that is very loyal but also quite fierce!
At this time, the two Pokémon were fighting fiercely on the field, and the sound Natsui heard outside the door just now was exactly what they made.
Regarding the entry of Natsui and Misty, neither the female trainer nor Bea noticed, focusing wholeheartedly on their battle.
Looking at the field again, the two Pokémon were very close, obviously engaging in close combat, constantly using their respective Fighting-type moves, exchanging blows back and forth.
In terms of attributes, facing the Fighting/Dark-type Pangoro, it is hard to say whether the Fighting/Psychic-type Meditite has an attribute advantage.
After all, Meditite's Psychic attacks cannot cause damage to Dark-type Pokémon, but its Fighting attribute can cause double damage to Pangoro.
And although Pangoro's Dark-type moves are very effective against Psychic-type Pokémon, its Fighting-type moves can only cause half damage.
However, it can be seen that Bea did not intend to win by relying on Dark-type moves. She just constantly let Pangoro attack with Fighting-type moves. And the woman fighting her had the same plan, also fighting back only with Fighting-type moves.
This made the battle less flashy in terms of move exchanges, but more intense with fists hitting flesh!
And this style of play, although lacking some ornamental value, was equally exciting!
Bang... bang... bang bang!
With every punch Pangoro threw, it seemed to bring up air waves, looking heavy and powerful.
Compared to it, Meditite, because of its smaller body, did not have powerful strength like Pangoro, so it could only deal with Pangoro through positioning.
This put it at a disadvantage during the clash.
Fist bumps... palm strikes... elbows colliding...
Detect, Arm Thrust, Karate Chop, Circle Throw, Vital Throw, High Jump Kick—various Fighting-type moves were used by the two Pokémon one after another. In just over ten seconds, they had already exchanged blows more than a dozen times, dazzling the eyes.
However, Pangoro was obviously superior in strength. Although Meditite could still contend with it for a while in the early stage, as the battle progressed, it soon ran out of stamina and was knocked to the ground by Pangoro.
Seeing her Pokémon defeated, the female trainer sighed helplessly and said to Bea, "Alright, you won. You are indeed qualified to challenge Brawly. But as I said just now, he is surfing right now. If you want to challenge him, you have to come tomorrow morning."
Bea frowned slightly but didn't say anything. Instead, she recalled Pangoro and walked directly toward the gate.
And with this turn, she came face to face with Natsui and Misty.
Seeing these two, Bea paused, obviously remembering where she had seen them, but it was just a pause. She didn't say anything, just nodded politely to the two, and then walked out of the Dewford Gym without looking back, leaving only a cool back view!
It has to be said, she is really cool...
Before Natsui could withdraw his gaze, the female trainer in the gym also saw Natsui and Misty and asked in surprise, "Who are you?"
"I'm really sorry..." Natsui turned back and smiled at her. "I entered without knocking. My name is Natsui, a traveling trainer. This time I came to..."
Before he finished speaking, the female trainer waved her hand. "I know, I know. You are here to challenge the gym, right?"
"Of course."
Seeing Natsui nod, the female trainer shrugged and said, "You must have heard what I said to that person just now. Currently, the Gym Leader is away on business. If you want to challenge him, you have to wait until tomorrow. But before that, you must defeat me first to be qualified to challenge him!"
"Of course, no problem." Hearing such a rule, Natsui naturally had no objection. "I just haven't asked yet, you are...?"
"Ah, forgot to introduce myself." The female trainer puffed out her chest somewhat proudly. "My name is Shauna. I am Gym Leader Brawly's top disciple and girlfriend, and also the Acting Gym Leader during his absence!"
"So that's it. That was really disrespectful. Can we start the match now?"
Although he said "disrespectful," Shauna didn't feel much respect in this man's tone.
Really!
She couldn't help feeling a little annoyed.
Including the woman who used Pangoro just now, don't these people know how famous Brawly is in Dewford Town?
He is the most popular person on the whole island!
Not only a star surfer but also a Gym Leader. Almost every girl in the town hopes to become his lover!
And as his top disciple and girlfriend, why do these people look indifferent after hearing this!!
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