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Chapter 11 - Chapter 11 Get the Nibi Badge! Xiaogang's Gift

  Onix's huge rock body let out a rough wail. The steel-attribute move that was enchanted for the second time by Newton hit it directly on the head. It almost felt that its stone head was about to shatter into pieces.

  Then came the fainting sensation that clouded his consciousness, which somewhat relieved the severe pain in his head. His long body swayed, but in the end, he couldn't hold on and fell to the ground.

  "Come back, Onix."

  The red and white ball in Xiaogang's hand shot out red light, and took back the Onix that was curled up on the ground with circles of eyes. Looking at Kokodora who was almost unharmed on the field, he hesitated for a moment and asked:

  "That stone, what exactly is it..."

  "It was bitten off from the smashed rockery when Kokodora used the Iron Head for the first time. I asked it to choose a position behind Rock Snake so that you wouldn't notice our little moves."

  Qianye scratched his head and replied, using the vibration of falling gravel to trick Onix into misjudging the opponent's position. This was the tactic he arranged for Kokodora before the battle. From the results, the direction of the entire battle and the enemy's reaction were consistent with what he had expected.

  However, Kokodora's attacking talent surprised Qianye again. He originally thought that with Onix's amazing defense, Kokodora would need another move to finish it off, but it actually completed a fatal blow at the critical point of the battle.

  "Not only were the habits of Onix used, but also the environmental factors of the entire site were taken into consideration..."

  After hearing Qianye's explanation, Xiaogang couldn't help but admire him. He walked down the gym leader's platform, crossed the entire rocky field, and came to the boy. He said in a congratulatory tone:

  "I admit defeat. This Nibi badge is yours."

  "Eh…" Qianye subconsciously took the badge with the dark grey rock pattern, and was still unable to react: "Didn't they say that two Pokémon would appear?"

  Xiao Gang shook his head. "That's not necessary. The gym leader's responsibility is to test the level of the trainer. You were able to use the venue to win a beautiful victory in my most familiar home field. You have already proved your strength as a trainer... On the contrary, I learned a lot from this battle."

  There was no sense of deliberate flattery. Qianye was quite flattered by Xiaogang's heartfelt praise. After all, even until now, the boy had never felt that he had anything to do with the title of "excellent trainer".

  "From your instructions just now, I guess you have a deep understanding of Onix and even the entire rock-type Pokémon... I really want to discuss this theory with you, but unfortunately I have to send Onix to the Pokémon Center now."

  There was a hint of regret on Xiaogang's dark face. Although he became a gym master at a young age, the young man did not think highly of himself. Instead, he was more like a humble practitioner.

  Rock... a calm mind and a strong will.

  After hesitating for a while, Qianye said, "This place is quite far from the Pokémon Center. I have experience in caring for Pokémon before, so I can give Onix a simple treatment here first."

  "Really? Thank you so much!"

  Oh my god! God knows how those tightly closed eyes could emit such a bright light. Although being looked at by a man like this gave her goosebumps, the words had already been spoken, and Qianye could no longer refuse. He put his hands behind his back and turned his luggage bag over...

  …

  "Coco~"

  The biggest contributor to Qianye's first gym battle yawned and leaned on Qianye's shoulder. She had no interest in the discussion between the man she had chosen and the defeated opponent about the habits, food preferences, and care and breeding knowledge of rock-type Pokémon. If it was about what kind of powerful moves they could learn, maybe she could patiently listen to some of the things.

  But her lack of interest doesn't mean that others aren't interested in her. Xiao Gang looked at the silver-white little fellow on Qianye's shoulder, and once again recalled its heroic figure falling from the sky like a comet.

  "This Pokémon...is called Kokodora, right?"

  Hearing this, Qianye, who had just applied medicine on Onix's huge head, turned around and replied, "Well, it's a Pokémon from the Hoenn region, and its attributes are rock and steel."

  Hoenn region? It's not a native Pokémon, no wonder I haven't seen it before. But besides steel, there is also a rock attribute. Maybe I can go to the Hoenn region if I have a chance.

  Apart from rocks, Xiaogang's favorite Pokémon are those with steel and ground attributes. With the bonus of his hobby, the more he looked at it, the more he felt that Kokoro was a really beautiful Pokémon, so much so that he couldn't help but reach out to touch its smooth and hard shell.

  However, Kokodora, who had been keeping her eyes closed as if taking a nap, suddenly opened her eyes, and her threatening gaze made Xiaogang's hand stop in mid-air. Looking at that look, he had no doubt that if he continued to extend his hand, the other party would bite him without hesitation.

  He withdrew his hand and coughed a few times in embarrassment. This was the first time that Xiaogang's affinity with rock Pokémon failed. He couldn't help but admire Qianye again for being able to tame such a unique Pokémon.

  "?"

  Qianye cast a puzzled look at him. He inexplicably felt that the admiration in the Rock Gym Master's eyes was even stronger. He didn't say anything great just now, right?

  "Oh...right! Please wait here for me."

  Suddenly realizing that he had gained so much from the other party but had not expressed anything yet, Xiaogang immediately stood up and walked towards a room in the gym.

  After a while, he walked in front of Qianye holding a uniquely shaped stone. It was a spherical stone with a smooth surface showing a crystal white luster. At first glance, it looked more like a hard egg.

  From the first moment he saw the stone, Qianye felt as if he was firmly trapped by some kind of gravity, and he could no longer take his eyes away from it.

  "It seems like you like it very much, so I'm relieved. This is one of our family's collections. It is said to have been a meteorite. Although there is no way a meteorite could possibly look like this... But it is indeed an exquisite collection. In return, please accept it."

  Feeling the subtle connection between himself and the stone, Qianye finally gave in and took the white stone into his arms.

  When the stone touched his chest, his heart suddenly felt a slight palpitation, followed by a burning sensation emanating from the stone. The pain almost made Qianye throw the stone away subconsciously.

  "What's wrong with you?"

  Looking at the boy who was suddenly surprised after taking the stone, Xiaogang asked hurriedly.

  "Nothing... nothing."

  Qianye shook his head. The peculiar feeling only lasted for a moment before disappearing like lightning. Could it be... just my illusion?

  …

  At night, after saying goodbye to Xiao Gang, Qianye did not immediately set out on his next journey, but instead found a suitable hotel in Nibi City to stay temporarily.

  Lying on the clean and tidy single bed, Qianye placed the newly obtained white stone on his abdomen, and kept groping on the surface with his hands, but he could never trigger that strange touch again.

  "After all this time...it really is just an illusion."

  Smiling at himself, Qianye looked at two figures, one black and one white, curled up together sleeping on one side of the bed. He felt relieved and a feeling of fatigue suddenly surged into his brain.

  We had stayed up all night to get to Nibe City, but as soon as we arrived at the Pokémon Center, Satoshi dragged us directly to challenge a gym. We didn't get a single moment of rest the entire time.

  His eyelids drooped as if filled with lead, and soon the only sound in the room was the sound of even breathing.

  In the darkness, the stone on Qianye's chest emitted a faint white light. Little fluorescent particles floated into the sky and gathered into the shadow of a girl in a white dress. She looked at Qianye below with a smile and hummed an ancient and elegant melody.

  The next day.

  Qianye opened his eyes and stretched comfortably. The sleep he had last night was definitely the most enjoyable sleep he had had in years. It was like lying in the warm embrace of his mother, with a soothing lullaby lingering in his ears.

  But when he regained consciousness a little, he realized how strange his thoughts were. His mother had never mastered the standard skill of a good wife and mother, such as singing a lullaby. He was imagining something he had never experienced.

  Shaking his head and looking to his side out of habit, Qianye's body suddenly paused because he did not see the two familiar figures around him.

  Qian Ye jumped off the bed without even changing his clothes and rushed out the door eagerly. After stopping several hotel staff to ask questions along the way, he rushed to an open space behind the hotel.

  There, he finally saw Heizi who was struggling with a piece of rotten wood, and Kokodora who kept hitting the ground with his iron feet with a look of impatience.

  "Are you guys...training?"

  Hearing Qianye's voice, Heizi immediately threw the block of wood in his mouth away and happily jumped into the boy's arms:

  "Woo~ The big sister is teaching me how to bite and crush~"

  Learning to chew and crush? This is indeed a move that a coyote can master... By the way, why do you just call Kokodora the big sister? Is she really older than you?

  Looking towards Kokodora, the silver-white head rolled its eyes in a very human way: "This stupid dog has been studying for the whole morning, but has made no progress at all. It's so stupid!"

  Seeing that the two little guys were fine, Qianye relaxed and began to say happily: "It's okay~ Learning new moves is not something that can be done overnight, so be more patient, Kokodora."

  "Excuse me...are you talking to Pokémon?" A surprised girl's voice suddenly sounded behind me.

  What's so strange about this? After spending a long time with Pokémon, you can understand their intentions through some body language. This should be the basics for both trainers and breeders.

  He originally wanted to reply to the person behind him like this, but when Qianye stood up, he was stunned for a moment——

  Oh, that's right! I just now... did I understand what Heizi and the others said?

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