Chapter 966 Arrival at Black Gold
There are five so-called partner trainers in the game. They are male and female, old and young, and they don’t know each other. To put it bluntly, they are just partners who can travel and fight together with them.
Even in the anime, these five people appeared, and even worked together with Xiaozhi and his friends for a period of time.
This also meant that after Xia You met Mai'er, although he did not realize it at first, he still recognized her identity as the conversation deepened.
But like he said, games are games, animations are animations, and this is the real world. He really doesn't have the extra energy to take care of a companion who is too old and weak.
And the most important thing is that with Yami joining, his team has become saturated.
But in the end, Xia You still temporarily took Mai'er with him and went to Black Gold City.
There was no other way. Neither Xiaoyao nor Yami could watch a little girl like this being left here alone. So after discussing with Xia You, they agreed with his idea of not wanting to add more companions, but they still unanimously decided to take Mai'er to Heijin City first and then decide whether she should stay or go.
With Mai'er's joining, the rest of their journey became more lively.
It seemed like she had endless things to say, as if she would never stop. She first chatted with Xia You, then with Xiao Yao, then with Ya Mi, and finally with Xia You again, over and over again. Even when the three of them had nothing to say, she could still talk to herself for a long time.
It can be seen that traveling with other people really brings her a novel feeling.
No wonder she became a partner trainer.
……
Black Gold City is a coal mine city blessed with abundant natural resources and full of energy.
Originally, there were only a few pubs and bathhouses built here, just to allow the miners to take a break after their hard work, but with the establishment of supermarkets, banks, hospitals and schools, the scale of this place has grown and become what it is today.
Before entering Black Gold City, a huge towering mountain can be seen in the distance.
The mountain is tall and straight, as if shrouded in dark green and reaching into the sky. At the foot of the mountain, surrounded by lush green forests and lawns, the outline of a steel city can be seen.
At this time, after "rescuing" Mai'er, the four of them had traveled for more than a day and finally arrived here. They stood on a hillside and looked at this heavy industrial city from afar for a long time.
I have to say, even though environmental protection measures have been taken and the surrounding area is covered with green plants, that special smell is becoming stronger and stronger.
Just at this moment, with a whistle, a train loaded with coal left the city, passed the steel bridge on the side, and headed to other places.
The industrial lifeline of Sinnoh...
Feeling emotional, Xia You greeted the people around him, then walked down the hillside and headed towards the Black Gold City.
When they walked into the lawn, they discovered that it was covered with countless ventilation vents protruding from the ground. These ventilation vents extended into the city and looked very abrupt.
Until they passed a ventilation hole again, Xiaoyao couldn't help but ask: "Brother Xia You, what do you think these things are used for?"
"I know! I know!" Before Xia You could speak, Mai'er at the side said first, "There are many underground factories under Black Gold City, and they are used to exchange the floating air underground with the fresh air on the ground!"
"Huh?" Xiaoyao's eyes widened. "I didn't expect you to know so much at such a young age!"
Mai'er raised her head: "What's the big deal? I already knew about this when I came here the day before yesterday!"
"What?" Xia You, Xiao Yao and Ya Mi all turned to look at her, "You were here the day before yesterday? Then why are you coming with us again?"
Unexpectedly, Maier turned around and looked at them: "Didn't you bring me here?"
Xia You:! ?
Xiaoyao:! ?
Yami:?
Facing the three people's confusion, Maier smiled and said, "Actually, I just left Black Gold City the day before yesterday. I was originally going to Baidai City. I happened to encounter that cave on the way, so I entered the cave to look for rare Pokémon, and then I got lost and met you."
After hearing this, Xia You and the other two immediately felt something was wrong.
"You mean..."
Maier nodded: "I was originally going to Baidai City, but I didn't expect you to bring me to Heijin City."
Xia You:......
After being stunned for a while, Xia You turned to look at Xiaoyao and Yami.
"Didn't you two ask her where she was going?"
Xiaoyao and Yami shook their heads blankly at the same time: "We thought you asked."
Xia You:......
He was helpless and speechless. He didn't expect that such a big mistake would happen!
He looked at Mai'er in disbelief, frowning, "Since you went in the wrong direction, why didn't you tell me?"
"You didn't ask me! And I think as long as we're traveling, it doesn't matter where we go!"
Ok……
This was their negligence, and of course, it was also a problem with Mai'er's own personality.
But since it has already happened, there is nothing I can do except to feel sad about it. I can only take her into the Black Gold City.
Compared to other cities in Sinnoh, Black Gold City undoubtedly has its own unique style. There are all kinds of steel-like factories and facilities everywhere. Thick black pipes are towering and emitting gray smoke. However, the streets are very clean and bustling with people coming and going. It can be seen that the people here have long been integrated with these factories and are accustomed to everything around them.
Walking on the wide street, while it was still early, the few of them headed straight for the Black Gold Gym on the outskirts of the city.
Speaking of which, the Black Gold Gym is the official gym of Black Gold City. Its owner is Hyota, a man who specializes in rock-attribute Pokémon. His strength is neither strong nor weak, and he is at an average level. After defeating him, you can get the Coal Badge.
There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!
The location of the Black Gold Gym is in a mountain that has been excavated on the outskirts of the city. There is not even a sign, and there is not even an icon of the Pokémon League. If someone who doesn't know the situation passes by here, they will definitely not associate it with the gym.
Even Xia You and his companions would not have found this place so easily if they had not been led by Mai'er.
From this point of view, it is also thanks to Mai'er's help.
but……
Turning his head to look at her, Xia You couldn't help but cough lightly, and said helplessly: "Okay, although it is our fault to bring you back here, we have arrived in the city after all, and it is very safe here, so... you should find other people to form a team together."
You can’t blame Xia You for being so ruthless. It’s just that your team is not suitable for Mai’er.
Hearing this, Xiaoyao and Yami looked a little embarrassed, but they just looked at Maier and didn't dare to say a word.
After all, for Yami, she had only joined the team for a few days. She had neither the right to speak nor the power to make decisions. She was a pure marginal figure. Even she didn't know when she would leave, so naturally she couldn't say anything.
As for Xiaoyao, although she has enough weight in the team, her interests are tied to Xia You's. No matter Xia You's various secrets or the dangers faced during the trip, it is obviously not suitable for a girl younger than her to join the team. Therefore, when she saw Xia You actually rejected Mai'er so directly, although she felt reluctant, she still chose to respect Xia You's decision.
Looking at Mai'er again, although she was very young, she also understood what Xia You meant.
But she didn't care, instead she smiled cheerfully.
"I know, that's why I brought you directly to the gym!" Mai'er didn't look disappointed at all because of being 'abandoned' or 'rejected'. Because of her personality, she just waved her hand and smiled, "Anyway, thank you for bringing me out. See you next time!"
As she spoke, she skipped and walked happily towards the city of Heijin.
Looking at her back, Xia You also let out a long sigh.
Although it seemed a little inhumane, this was the reality. Besides, he and Mai'er had only known each other for a little over a day. They lacked sufficient understanding and a common goal of forming a team, so naturally they could not be companions.
Of course, the most important thing is that Mai'er only mentioned it casually at the time and had not really made up her mind.
They watched Mai'er leave, and only when she walked a long way away did they retract their gaze and focus their attention back on the Black Gold Gym.
Walking up the stairs, Xia You pushed open the door of the gym.
Unlike the rough outside, there was a not-too-big foyer inside with a reception desk. The floor was paved with tiles. Incandescent lamps illuminated the entire room. A man with wheat-colored skin, semi-long brown hair, and an unshaven beard, who looked to be in his thirties or forties, was sitting behind the reception desk reading a magazine similar to Playboy. When he saw Xia You pushing the door open, he quickly threw the magazine aside.
"Ahem, what's wrong with you?"
Pretending not to notice his little move just now, Xia You nodded to him: "Hello, I'm here to challenge the Black Gold Gym."
"Trainer..." The man smiled bitterly and shook his head. "That's really unfortunate. Our gym leader Hyota went down to the mines after he finished dealing with the gym's affairs this morning. If you want to challenge the gym, you'll have to wait until tomorrow morning."
"Go to the mine?" Xiaoyao was a little confused. "What mine?"
"That's right." The man said, "It's the black gold coal mine south of Black Gold City. Piao Tai spends most of his time there every day. Oh... maybe you don't know, in addition to being the owner of the museum, Piao Tai is also a miner and the safety supervisor of the mine. If you need to find him urgently, you can find him there!"
