In Kaina City, Sister Xiangfen welcomed her fourth Pokémon.
Vaporeon.
To be precise, this Vaporeon was abandoned by a Trainer. Sister Xiangfen was treating another male Trainer's Pokémon for heatstroke when a female Trainer mistakenly thought they were involved.
She even demanded a battle afterward.
Sister Xiangfen explained the real situation, but the other side wouldn't listen, so she had no choice but to agree to the battle.
In the battle, Roserade easily won.
Unexpectedly, the female Trainer released the defeated Vaporeon, dragging the male Trainer away, leaving a heartless impression.
Sister Xiangfen couldn't bear this and immediately took in the confused and pitiful Vaporeon, healing the wounds caused by Roserade's Petal Dance.
[You've received Vaporeon, a new companion on your journey]
"What the heck, another early-phase Shinji-type character," Baimu muttered under his breath, annoyed by the simulation.
Fortunately, Sister Xiangfen, like Ash Ketchum, loves Pokémon and took in Vaporeon. Otherwise, there would be another Pokémon in the world harboring hostility and hatred towards humans.
This whole incident upset Sister Xiangfen, but thankfully there was essence to help her relax.
Without lingering in Kaina City, she set off for the city with the third Gym.
The process was no different.
She healed and saved Pokémon, striving to improve her battle awareness.
Soon, she arrived at the location of the third Gym, a place even Baimu didn't know, probably existing only in the animated backdrop, with a Gym Leader who was naturally unfamiliar.
The Gym used Grass Attribute Pokémon, defeated smoothly by just Masquerain and Roserade.
In this town full of flowerbeds and groves, Sister Xiangfen obtained her fifth Pokémon... egg?
She treated a Pokémon in a flower shop that was allergic to pollen and gave essence to the shopkeeper to relieve the symptoms. In return, the shopkeeper entrusted her with a Pokémon Egg.
It was said to be a Chikorita Egg, typically given to novice Trainers in the Johto Region, and it was believed that a kind-hearted Trainer like her could take good care of Chikorita.
Baimu: "!"
Is being good-looking this wayward?
Starting with two flowers, Pokémon just come to her or are gifted. Sister Xiangfen's journey has been quite smooth.
The next fourth Gym was located in Verdanturf Town, and a quick search revealed it was a long-closed old brand from over a decade ago, but now Verdanturf Town had a "new" Gym with a twenty-year history, apparently overshadowing the old one.
Sister Xiangfen took it down smoothly, earning the Fourth Badge and meeting the basic requirement to challenge the Lavaridge Gym.
The Pokémon Egg hatched into a Chikorita.
[You've received Chikorita, a new companion on your journey]
However.
Although Verdanturf Town was close to Lavaridge Town, Sister Xiangfen did not go immediately; instead, she headed west to the Hoenn Region, arriving at Kanaz City, a symbol of high technology in Hoenn.
Clearly, Sister Xiangfen hadn't forgotten her travel goal—to see more Pokémon, and challenging Gyms and participating in tournaments was just one way, not the purpose of her journey.
[You've arrived in Kanaz City, its modern style distinctly different from most towns, with high-rise buildings and trams running through the city leaving you amazed, and encountering many unfamiliar Pokémon made it worthwhile]
Thanks to her Trainer status, Sister Xiangfen quickly integrated into Kanaz City's Trainer circle, and with her accumulated cultivation experience and exceptionally effective essence, she gained fame.
She even attracted an interview by the TV station.
To promote the essence she developed, Sister Xiangfen decisively accepted the interview.
[Your interview was well-received by the people of Kanaz City, your name is spreading across the Hoenn Region, and the TV station chose to conduct a special interview to learn more about you and your essence]
It seemed Sister Xiangfen really came to the right place. As her fame grew, many perfume companies invited her to be a consultant, and many factories hoped to mass-produce her developed essence.
However, she knew her essence wasn't mature enough for mass production yet, and she didn't have the time to deal with mass production and sales at the moment.
Although she could delegate to others, astute as she was, she knew that without her oversight, the quality might be hard to guarantee.
Before product production, Sister Xiangfen paused, satisfied that the effectiveness of her essence was validated, not wanting to rush the next steps.
To avoid the endless stream of people, Sister Xiangfen took a boat to Martial Arts Town.
At that time, Martial Arts Town, being a small island town, had a very small population with insufficient medical resources. Sister Xiangfen was warmly welcomed when she arrived as a Pokémon Doctor.
Sister Xiangfen stayed there for nearly a month before leaving, treating many sick Pokémon daily.
Her Pokémon, acting as her nurses, were also busy running around, and the newly hatched Chikorita even evolved.
[Your Chikorita evolved into Bayleef]
"Isn't this turning into the story of a barefoot doctor's practice?"
Baimu secretly ridiculed, but he knew that Sister Xiangfen had relevant Pokémon Doctor certification, as mentioned in the narration during the Kanaz City interview.
The scene shifted.
Sister Xiangfen finally returned to Lavaridge Town.
Her friend had been waiting for a long time.
[Your friend tells you that your name and essence are even known in Lavaridge Town, which makes you very happy. But they also bring bad news: there's only three months left until the tournament opens, so you must hurry to get the remaining four badges]
Sister Xiangfen had spent too much time in Kanaz City and Martial Arts Town, making her Gym challenge timeline a bit tight.
Being someone who likes to start and finish things, Sister Xiangfen naturally wouldn't just give up participating. She promptly headed to the Lavaridge Gym for a challenge.
And this was one of her more challenging victories, as Fire Attribute Pokémon could counter her team, with only Vaporeon having an advantage.
But under the blazing sunlight, even Vaporeon was in a precarious state.
Fortunately, over the days, Vaporeon learned from the seniors how to handle patients. With Sister Xiangfen's quick thinking to shout "prepare to treat," Vaporeon immediately treated the opposing Magcargo as a patient.
Its coquetry dulled its mind, fake crying made it careless, and finally, a Yawn made it fall asleep, left vulnerable to Vaporeon and Sister Xiangfen.
Hall Master Lavaridge was stunned—how are you so skilled!
The Fifth Badge was thus obtained smoothly.