Reborn Pokémon: My childhood sweetheart is Xiaoguang.

Chapter 733 The little boat of friendship can capsize easily, but the big boat of rice will always s

To be honest, the showdown between Xiaoguang and Axun isn't that hard to accept.

After all, there are only four of us, right? The odds are what they are.

So Huang Mao Ge waved his hand and said that the celebration banquet for advancing to the semi-finals should be held as planned, without any delay.

After the event, everyone headed straight for the Erliu Restaurant on Autumn Avenue, the very restaurant where they had subdued Onion Soldiers on the spot.

"Young man, all the dishes are served. Also, the drinks are on me today, so drink as much as you like. If you need anything else, just let me know."

The restaurant owner chuckled.

The private room was filled with a variety of exquisite dishes, ranging from Miarei specialties to local snacks.

"Boss, you're so generous! From now on, I won't go to any other restaurants in Miare, I'll come to your place!"

Ah Xun was the first to jump up, holding up her cup and shouting.

He's treating us today, so the drinks are free and we'll save a lot of money.

"That's a good feeling."

The boss smiled even more broadly, his gaze shifting to the conspicuous Cong Youbing in the private room, his tone instantly becoming familiar:

"Brother Duck, you should eat well too. You've gotten thinner since I last saw you."

"Gah!"

Cong Youbing responded without changing his expression, but his hand subconsciously covered his increasingly round belly.

After the boss left, Ah Xun cleared his throat and stood up: "Ah, let me say something first! To celebrate our advancement to the semi-finals, I'd like to raise a glass!"

"Cheers!" Everyone raised their glasses, even the Pokémon raised their drinks.

Ah Xun downed his drink in one gulp, then immediately refilled it. "Xiao Guang, we're rivals now, let me have another drink!"

Xiao Guang couldn't help but chuckle and raised his glass as well: "I know, don't worry, I definitely won't hold back."

"Huh? I already offered you a drink and you still won't hold back? Then I've just been drinking for nothing! This little boat of friendship is about to capsize!"

Ah Xun clutched her chest, feigning deep sorrow.

"Hahaha."

His witty interruption immediately lightened and enlivened the atmosphere of the dinner party.

Just as they were enjoying their meal, Ah Xun suddenly sidled up to Xiao Yun and whispered, "Hey Xiao Yun, who called this guy over?"

He secretly pointed to Ai Lan, who was serving food to Manon.

At this moment, Ai Lan was carefully helping the timid Manon next to her pick up vegetables that were out of her reach. Her expression was gentle, completely unlike the cold and unapproachable demeanor she had during the competition.

Manon held her Chestnut in her arms, and didn't forget to feed it some food suitable for Pokémon.

Because Vladari's plan was thwarted by Xiaoyun in advance, this Chestnut did not absorb the power of Zygarde as in the original story, and is currently hopping around and munching on its food.

"I don't know, maybe Xiaozhi brought it over. You know we're not familiar with each other."

Xiao Yun shrugged. He really wasn't familiar with Ai Lan; the two basically had no interaction.

Ah Xun exclaimed, "That Xiao Zhi is really bold! He just called over his competitor like that?"

"Aren't you a competitor too?"

Xiaoyun glanced at him.

Ah Xun said matter-of-factly, "How can our relationship be the same? We grew up together, we wore open-crotch pants, what haven't you seen?"

"Get out of here."

Xiaoyun didn't want to talk to this guy anymore. Did she think he was Brother Jie?

Seemingly noticing Xiaoyun's gaze, Ailan, after settling Manong, took the initiative to come over, her attitude quite polite: "Excuse me, Senior Xiaoyun."

"I won't bother you. It just so happens that you've also advanced. Sharing happiness is worse than keeping it to yourself."

"By the way, how's President Vladari doing lately?"

Xiaoyun waved her hand with a smile, her attitude so sincere and natural.

Ai Lan's expression paused subtly for a moment:

"...The president asked me to give you his regards."

"Ah, everything is fine. I also miss the days when I worked with the president."

Xiaoyun's smile grew even brighter, as if she were recalling some beautiful memories.

Z2 Tuan Tuan, Super Evolution Giant Rock—most of the wealth he accumulated over the years has gone into his pocket. He probably doesn't have the resources to cause trouble now.

The president is a really good person because he is kind.

Vladali: Don't mention it, it's been hollowed out.

Ai Lan fell into deep thought.

He recalled the look of disgust on Vladali's face when he mentioned Xiaoyun, as if he had seen something dirty. He even specifically told him to stay away from that Xiaoyun, saying that he was more troublesome than the champion.

Nearby, Xiao Zhi, who had already drunk two small glasses of wine, sidled over with shining eyes:

"Alan! Let's battle!"

"Um, this..."

Ai Lan hesitated.

He wouldn't normally refuse, but they're going to be rivals tomorrow, shouldn't they avoid each other at this time?

If Xiao Zhi hadn't been so oblivious, he would have suspected Xiao Zhi was planning to drug him when Xiao Zhi invited him to dinner.

Serena quickly pulled Ash back: "Ash, it's not the right time to talk about battles, let's hold off a bit."

Ash was still a little reluctant, but Ah Xun suddenly interjected, "Hey! Eating isn't for battling, and battling isn't for eating. Let's have a contest to see who can eat the most!"

"I'll take this!"

Xiao Zhi's attention was immediately diverted, and he picked up his fork and aimed at the largest piece of steak.

The dinner party proceeded in a lively atmosphere.

Ash and Ash were already burping from eating, but they were still staring longingly at the food on the table.

Serena tried to comfort him, while Xiaoguang leaned against Xiaoyun's shoulder.

Halili sat obediently on Manon's lap, while Manon sat next to Ailan with a satisfied expression.

Ai Lan quietly savored the lively atmosphere.

This feeling is so good...

........

The following day, at the conference venue!

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Carlos League semi-finals!"

"Today's match is between Ash from Pallet Town and Alain from Kalos!"

The broadcast echoed through the main hall of the Carlos Miare Conference, and the audience erupted in a tsunami of cheers.

In the VIP section, Carlos champion Karuno elegantly adjusted her skirt, with Water King Shimi and Fire King Pachira sitting beside her.

Zhi Mi looked down with great interest: "Is this boy the trainer of that special Greninja? He seems very energetic."

Karuno smiled slightly: "That kind of evolution is quite interesting. I'm really looking forward to his battles."

Zhi Mi turned his gaze to the other side of the arena: "The opponent's Ai Lan? He's a formidable rival as well."

Karuno nodded slightly: "It is said that the president of the Fladali Foundation has a high opinion of this young man."

She suddenly turned to look at Pachira, who had been silent all along: "Pachira, what do you think?"

Fire King rested his chin on his hand: "Who knows? Battles are like flames; they may look blazing, but they could be blown out by the wind in the next second."

"So, you don't think Xiaozhi has a good chance?" Zhi Mi raised an eyebrow.

Pachira smiled slightly: "On the contrary, I love watching flames burn unconventionally."

Diana smiled and said, "So, you two are both extremely skilled trainers. This duel looks like it's going to be very interesting."

In the audience, Ah Xun sighed:

"Sigh, Ash beat me to the punch in the first round. Looks like my duel with Dawn will have to be saved for last."

Xiao Wang, standing next to him, glanced at him sideways and said, "Seriously? You've already been beaten up. It's not good to rush into this."

Ah Xun retorted, dissatisfied, "What are you saying? Do you think I have no chance of winning?"

Xiao Wang shrugged: "Maybe, but I'd choose Xiao Guang."

Me too.

Xiaoyun came over at some point, holding a bag of freshly bought popcorn, which she was happily munching on.

Ah Xun's eyes widened: "Xiao Yun! Even you..."

"Alright, alright, we'll talk about it after we start fighting."

Xiaoyun replied casually, handing over some popcorn: "Want some first? Raspberry caramel flavor."

"Hmph! I won't eat it!"

Ah Xun turned her head, but three seconds later she turned back, grabbed a handful and stuffed it into her mouth: "Mmm...it smells so good."

The little boat of friendship can capsize at any moment, but the big boat of sustenance will always sail high!

In a corner, Xiu Di, who hadn't left the tournament yet, stared at the arena with a complex expression:

I hope you won't disappoint me today.

In the shadows at the highest point of the venue, a red-haired man was looking down at the arena through special glass, a cryptic smile playing on his lips.

"Let me see the power of bonds."

Ash and Alain were already in position in the center of the arena.

The referee stood in the middle, looked left and right to confirm that both sides were ready, and then announced loudly:

"The rules of the match are 6-on-6 all-player battles, and players can switch Pokémon midway through! When three Pokémon on one side are unable to battle, there will be a halftime break!"

"The match begins now!"

"Here comes the bat, Benguiras!"

Alain threw the Poké Ball first, and with a deafening roar, the giant Tyranitar crashed to the ground, shaking the entire arena.

With the roar of the desert tyrant, sandstorms suddenly rose from the ground, and small rocks flew in the wind, instantly creating a sandstorm that covered the entire field!

Characteristic: Sandstorms.