The next afternoon, Chen Kai took a long-distance bus from Qu County to Da City.
Qu County is under the jurisdiction of Da City, and the nearest airport is Da City Airport, where he would then take a flight to Kyoto.
He hadn't expected that Blue Star would even have airplanes. Chen Kai was curious how they dealt with so many flying Pokemon in the sky. However, he would only find out once he was on a plane.
Before heading to Kyoto, Chen Kai had specifically made a trip to the Astronomical Observatory in Area Zero this morning, charging five crystal orbs into the shuttle device as backup energy.
He had wanted to charge a few more crystal orbs, but Iron Leaves stopped him, stating that these were enough for a month and that charging too many at once was bad for his body, advising that young people should know how to exercise restraint…
Hearing that Chen Kai was going on a long journey, Iron Leaves thoughtfully gave him a mask and a coat.
The mask and coat were said to be inspired by Blue Star's Kecleon. They were pure green normally, and with just a press of a button on the cuff, he could turn invisible.
It advised him to wear this set when using Tera and when calling out Iron Bundle for help, to avoid exposing his identity, and most importantly, not to expose Area Zero on Blue Star.
Chen Kai felt that Iron Leaves was being a bit too cautious and overly afraid of trouble, but Iron Leaves possessed many useful and appealing items, so he decided to follow its advice.
The bus was similar to Earth's buses, the only difference perhaps being the addition of a safety officer.
The safety officer on Chen Kai's bus was a middle-aged bald uncle. If it weren't for the work badge around his neck, Chen Kai would have thought he was a programmer.
The uncle’s Pokemon was a Poliwrath, with sharp eyes and a strong presence, a stark contrast to the middle-aged bald uncle.
As for why Chen Kai felt Poliwrath's eyes were sharp? Chen Kai didn't know either. He was sitting in the front row by the window, and this Poliwrath had been staring at him ever since he got on the bus.
The more Poliwrath stared at him, the tighter Chen Kai gripped the backpack in his arms.
The bag was packed full with over a dozen Berries, all of which Chen Dafu had selected last night—large ones that were difficult to store—and told Chen Kai to sell them at the Alliance Center.
Since dinner last night, all three meals and snacks for the family had been Berries. However, Berries contained a lot of energy, and a family of three plus nine Pokemon couldn't eat much.
The refrigerator at home was completely full, and some were even cut up to supplement the Wooloo flock's meals.
Chen Kai now felt that Poliwrath had most likely smelled the fragrance of the Berries and was craving them.
At this moment, the bald uncle walked over and asked kindly, “Young man, is something wrong? You look quite nervous.”
Chen Kai pointed at Poliwrath: “How can I not be nervous? It keeps staring at me!”
The uncle looked back and indeed, it was true. He patted Poliwrath's shoulder: “Why do you keep staring at this young man?”
“Poli…” (I'm not staring, my eyes are just a bit sore, I'm looking out the window…)
The uncle patted Poliwrath's head: “That's what you get for secretly playing with your phone all night.”
The uncle turned back to Chen Kai and said, “I’m sorry, it wasn’t looking at you, its eyes are just a bit sore.
Our safety officers are responsible for protecting the safety of passengers during the journey, so don't worry.”
Chen Kai smiled and waved his hand, indicating it was fine.
The bus departed from the station, and nothing else happened along the way, arriving smoothly in Da City.
Chen Kai immediately went to the Da City Alliance Center to sell the Berries.
The Da City Alliance Center was grander compared to Qu County, with not only a large building but also a large stadium.
According to the young lady at the front desk, this stadium could be used for battles by Gym-level trainers.
The sale of the Berries went very smoothly. During the process, a manager even came out and rounded up the amount for Chen Kai; from over 140,000 RMB, the manager directly increased it to 150,000.
He politely saw Chen Kai off and recommended that Chen Kai come find him next time he sold Berries.
With this extra money, Chen Kai took the Miraidon to a hot pot meal, letting them eat their fill. Just the Miraidon alone ate several thousand yuan worth.
Iron Bundle was still the same, eating nothing. Chen Kai tried to buy some things to bribe it, but it still didn't want anything.
This made Chen Kai a bit frustrated. He always had to stick his head out and let others hit him to get Iron Bundle to act, which he felt was too undignified.
The manager of the Alliance Center also suggested that Chen Kai could go to the Da City Gym to watch an exhibition match.
He said that the Gym Leader himself would be on stage in the evening, participating in a Guidance Competition with a top student from Sichuan Province University, and it would be very exciting.
The manager was also very accommodating, directly handing Chen Kai a front-row ticket.
Chen Kai decided to come to Da City more often to sell Berries in the future.
The Da City Gym venue was also a stadium, just slightly smaller than the Alliance Center's stadium.
Presumably because the Gym Leader himself was participating, many people came to watch the match in the evening.
The Gym Leader specialized in Normal-type Pokemon, and the Gym Leader himself looked quite ordinary, a regular uncle with no striking features.
The Da City Gym Leader's signature Pokemon was an Exploud, but it was not sent out that evening. Instead, a Tauros was sent out.
Opposite him was a student wearing glasses, whose Pokemon was a Fire Burst Beast.
Fire Burst Beast's firepower was immense. One move, 'Inferno Abyss,' enveloped the entire stadium in flames. Fortunately, the viewing stands had a protective barrier, shielding the audience.
Even through the barrier, Chen Kai, sitting in the front row, still felt the heat waves. Xiao Mei felt her wool was getting a bit singed.
“So fierce!” Chen Kai exclaimed.
Miraidon, being too large, could only stay in its Poké Ball, but it was also watching the match and commented:
“The firepower is fierce, but it’s too dispersed; it can’t cause too much damage to the opponent.”
Just as Miraidon said, the flames dissipated, and Tauros withstood the 'Inferno Abyss.' Its fur was only slightly singed, and it hadn't moved an inch. It was gathering strength.
The Gym Leader immediately shouted: “Tauros, use Giga Impact!”
Tauros roared: “Tau!”
It charged forward like an arrow released from a bow, so fast that Chen Kai couldn't clearly see Tauros's figure.
Only two sounds were heard: “Bang!” and “Thud!”
The first sound was Tauros hitting Fire Burst Beast, and the second was Fire Burst Beast hitting the wall.
As the dust cleared, a large 'big' (big) shaped indentation was seen on the stadium wall.
Fire Burst Beast struggled to its feet and retaliated against Tauros with a 'Flamethrower.'
However, its firepower was already somewhat insufficient, and Tauros continued to charge into Fire Burst Beast, pushing through the flames.
Within a few rounds, Fire Burst Beast was defeated.
The Gym Leader walked towards the young student and shook his hand.
“Your Fire Burst Beast is well-trained. If you can control and concentrate its firepower, you will reach the next level.”
The young student said gratefully, “Thank you, Gym Leader, for your guidance.”
After an exhibition match, Chen Kai exited the venue and saw that ordinary tickets were only 10 yuan each, and front-row tickets were only 100 yuan each. He couldn't help but exclaim, “These prices are quite affordable! Next time, I’ll try bringing Xiao Mei to get some guidance from the Gym Leader.”
However, when Chen Kai returned to his hotel and checked the Da City Gym's official website on his phone, he saw that the price for a beginner's guidance match started at 100,000 yuan. Chen Kai retracted his previous statement.