Chapter 38: Heading Towards the Golden Gym

"A manga?"

Xia You raised an eyebrow; he had never considered that direction before.

Yoshino Sakuragi said, "That's right. Compared to text and illustrations, manga can interpret the excitement of a story more directly, and it's also more popular with young people."

"Wouldn't that be too much trouble?"

Yoshino's tone was full of anticipation as she smiled. "It is a bit more troublesome, but the structure and framework of the story are already complete. All that needs to be done now is to express them. Besides, I have nothing to do at home, so if I can draw a manga like this, it would be fulfilling a dream of mine."

Since she had put it that way, Xia You had no reason to refuse. Following this, he discussed some details with Yoshino before hanging up the phone.

Because the plan had changed, he sent a message to Misty, telling them not to wait for him and that they could continue forward after challenging the Cerulean City Gym.

For the next two days, Xia You gathered materials locally in Viridian Forest, maintaining contact with Yoshino from time to time to provide her with relevant expanded information.

It wasn't until the third day, when he received her call informing him that she had completed over twenty pages of the first draft, that Xia You set off to return to Pallet Town.

Professor Oak's home was a typical Japanese detached house, not very far from the research lab. Knowing in advance that Xia You would be coming, Professor Oak had not gone to the lab but had specifically waited for him at home.

Furthermore, since it happened to be Saturday, the entire family of four, including Kasumi and her younger brother Sota, had actually come out to welcome him.

Upon seeing Xia You, the Growlithe circled around him, wagging its tail and running back and forth.

Looking at this neat and orderly family, Xia You couldn't help but break into a slight sweat.

*Strange, why does this feel like showing up at my mother-in-law's house for the first time empty-handed?*

As the host, Professor Oak spoke first: "Welcome, welcome! Please, come in."

Xia You nodded politely, his gaze sweeping over Sota before finally settling on the mistress of the house. "Nice to meet you. I am Xia You. I apologize for the intrusion."

Yoshino Sakuragi wore a pair of round, red-rimmed glasses. Her appearance bore some resemblance to Kasumi, though her face was rounder and more mature. Her long, cherry-colored hair was styled in a side braid that draped over her left shoulder.

As for Sota Oak, he looked more like Professor Oak. The young boy had a bit of a cool demeanor, a standard "shota" type. Although he was a few years younger than Kasumi, he looked precocious, appearing even more reliable than her.

A bit self-conscious, Xia You changed into slippers, entered the house, and walked into the living room.

Yoshino Sakuragi took out a transparent bag and pulled out the twenty-odd pages of manga.

"This is all I've drawn for now. I estimate I'll need another one hundred and ninety-five pages to present the rest of the story. However, since there are no complex compositions, perhaps the speed will be even faster."

To calculate so precisely suggested she was being quite dedicated.

Xia You flipped through them carefully and said with admiration, "Your drawing skills are truly outstanding. It would be a great pity if you didn't become a professional manga artist, Ma'am."

As a full-time housewife, having one's abilities recognized by others was naturally a very happy thing.

"Your story is also very well-written." Yoshino Sakuragi covered a light laugh, having an excellent first impression of Xia You. "Only a wonderful story paired with excellent artwork can become truly popular."

"That's true," Kasumi agreed. "I am the very first reader of this story. After reading it carefully, it really is very engaging."

"I'm the second, and Dad is the third," Sota Oak said, resting his hands behind his head like a pillow, looking quite relaxed.

However, he wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but Sota suddenly felt as if there was a round head in Xia You's shadow, making a funny face at him!

He rubbed his eyes and leaned in closer to look carefully. The next second, something like a black ball suddenly appeared, giving him a huge fright!

"Waaaaah!!!"

Sota jumped so high he fell behind the sofa.

"Jie jie!" Gastly emerged, wearing a mischievous grin. "What a coward!"

"Is this the Gastly mentioned in the story?" Professor Oak helped up his son, his eyes full of wonder as he looked at Gastly.

"That's right." Xia You stopped Gastly and then nodded. "To a certain extent, it is actually the protagonist of the story."

Sota scrambled up from the floor. Although he had fallen, he wasn't afraid; instead, he circled around Gastly, looking at it curiously, clearly very interested in why it was in the shadow.

At noon, at the warm invitation of Professor Oak's family, Xia You stayed for lunch. The group chatted and laughed, and for a moment, the dining table was filled with relaxation and joy.

When Xia You brought out the photos he had taken on the seabed of the S.S. Anne, the four of them let out a collective gasp of surprise.

Professor Oak's eyes widened in disbelief. "The news of the S.S. Anne sinking a few days ago caused quite a stir in Kanto. I didn't expect that you were not only a witness to the event but also sank to the bottom of the sea with the ship and actually managed to escape!"

Kasumi also looked Xia You up and down, as if she were getting to know him all over again.

As for Sota, his eyes were practically sparkling with pure admiration. "Brother Xia You, you are so—cool!"

...

After agreeing on a completion date with Yoshino Sakuragi, Xia You set off once more toward Celadon City.

Celadon—the color of shining, brilliant gold.

This time, besides Kirlia, the only Pokémon accompanying him was Gastly, who remained hidden in his shadow. As for the other Pokémon, he had all placed them inside Poké Balls.

Nothing happened along the way.

By the time he arrived at this super-metropolis of the Kanto region, Ash and his group had already left for other Gym cities.

However, according to Kasumi, they had gone through a lot of trouble while challenging the Celadon Gym. After failing their first attempt, they had suffered quite a bit and had to make a trip to the Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town. Only after catching a Haunter and relying on its power were they able to successfully obtain the badge.

Because of this, they had also wasted two days, so the distance between them and Xia You was not actually very far.

In Celadon City, skyscrapers were everywhere. This was not only the central business district of the Kanto region but also possessed the largest infrastructure in the region. There was even a maglev train station connecting to the Johto region, with countless trains shuttling between Celadon City and Goldenrod City every day at speeds of up to 550 kilometers per hour, bringing economic vitality to these two cities of equal status.

Passing through the bustling streets, Xia You arrived directly at the Celadon Gym.

Looking up.

Its exterior looked very much like many white umbrellas clustered together, full of design sense. However, it was a bit too monotonous; in Xia You's eyes, it seemed slightly inferior compared to other Gyms.

As the current official Gym of Celadon City, its leader was Sabrina, a specialist in the Psychic type who was very difficult to deal with. However, after defeating her, one could obtain the Rainbow Badge.

Entering the Gym through the automatic doors, Xia You looked around.

The lobby was empty, and no one came to receive him. After walking forward a few steps, he looked through a door and window and saw a group of people in white lab coats sitting at a table in a side room. They were holding spoons and staring intently at them, seemingly performing some kind of psychic training!

(End of Chapter)