On the evening of August 1, the Sea Flaming Horse slowly docked at the pier on Nepuru Island.

The sudden storm caused the cruise ship to deviate from its original route and arrive at its destination much later than expected. However, the passengers who had survived a natural disaster together did not care about this little thing at all - the trainers, who had become closer in one day, did not want to part at all, until the cruise ship could not bear to honk three times before finally stopping hugging and reluctantly saying goodbye to each other.

The Sea Flaming Horse departed in the glow of the setting sun, gradually melting into the blinding horizon. When the shadow of the ship was finally invisible to the naked eye, the trainers standing by the dock put down their sore arms and invited each other to dinner.

Xiao Ye and Xiao Tian had already set their itinerary, so they didn't join in, and they separated from this group of enthusiastic young people from the south when they left the dock.

After the wind and rain stopped, the communication was finally no longer blocked, and they already knew in the news the cause of the abnormal weather that swept the entire Orange Islands and half of the Kanto region: in the area of Asia, there were collectors who tried to illegally capture the three sacred birds, so as to lead to the legendary Pokémon Rockia, which was sleeping in the waters of the Orange Islands. The enraged beasts sparked a scuffle, and the island of Asia, which was already at the place where the ocean currents converged, caused the weather to be chaotic.

Thanks to the countless cancelled flights and delayed trams, the commute delays are full of complaints, eager to swallow the troubled collector alive.

After reading the news, Xiao Tian looked his friend up and down several times with strange eyes, as if he wanted to know how Xiao Ye guessed that the weather change was related to Lokia with the pitiful amount of information. However, Xiao Ye didn't seem to want to explain his whimsical speech at all, and he had to regretfully give up the inquiry.

The marina on Napuru Island is located on the southwest side of the island and is part of the city's most prosperous city, the city of Aobo. "Hot springs" are the main selling point of Napuru Island's tourism industry, and the hot spring inn recommended by the Flame Folk to stay at Aoya is also in the city of Aobo.

Before heading to the hot spring inn, Saya went to the hospital to briefly check on his recovery from his injuries - under the watchful eye of the captain.

Thanks to the well-developed pharmacy in this world, the minor or serious trauma on Xiao Ye's body has basically healed, and he can finally remove the hot and deadly bandage. Although the fractured left arm could not be removed from the splint, it was also free from the thick arm sling and was able to perform some light activities.

According to the doctor, as long as you take regular medication and protect your arm from impact, the splint will be removed in a few days - which is really happy news for Xiaoye. It's okay to live on one hand, but caring for Pokémon is much more troublesome, whether it's preparing food or taking care of them, it makes you want to grow a dozen more hands.

By the time the examination was over, the sky had darkened, with only a thin red still staining the western clouds.

Since they were here for a vacation, Xiao Ya and Xiao Tian did not pay attention to the "Three Goals of Free Trainers" - the Pokémon Center, the training ground, and the battle match - as before, but went straight to the target hotel, intending to spend a few days of idle leisure.

The stack of free coupons drawn by the people of the flames actually drew a simple map of the location of the hot spring inn, but the painting skills were really poor, Xiao Ye and Xiao Tian stared at the piece of paper for a long time, and they didn't even distinguish where the words were and where the pictures were. In desperation, they had no choice but to search for the name of the inn mentioned by the Flame People in their memory, and successfully reached their destination with the help of map navigation.

It's the peak tourist season, and there are many stalls selling snacks on the streets. People dressed in cool summer clothes wear frolicking and laughing in the streets and alleys, setting off the warm and lively night scene of this seaside city.

From afar, an antique wooden building sits amidst the greenery. Delicate lanterns hang everywhere, enveloping the inn at night with the warm colors of the firelight.

This hot spring inn called "Homeikan" is located in the center of Aobo, right next to Aobo Park. Its architecture is exactly modeled after hundreds of years ago, the furnishings and even the food and beverage are exactly the same as those of the ancient Kanto area, and the open-air hot spring baths that can accommodate hundreds of people have always been one of the priority choices for tourists.

The electric mouse seemed to smell the sulfurous smell peculiar to the hot springs, and before entering the hotel, it sniffed in the air with its face up, as if it wanted to rush in first—after the owner removed the cumbersome bandages, it was finally able to return to its former "royal seat", and was in high spirits about it.

Xiao Ye and Xiao Tian glanced at each other, and it was rare for them to show an expression of "such a hotel must be very expensive" at the same time - it was just that the Flame People's heart was difficult to refuse, and they had to carry this debt first.

The two pushed the door open and walked into the hotel lobby. As far as the eye can see, there is a deep wood color, and the incense in the corner burns quietly, adding a light fragrance to the air.

"Welcome...... Gah!"

“……”

This "welcome" is really unusual, Xiao Ye and Xiao Tian both looked at the front desk with a question mark on their faces - the young clerk in the yukata looked like his jaw dropped, stared at the two new customers for a while, and suddenly turned around and stumbled upstairs, "Boss! Boss! Here they are!"

Sayo: "......"

Xiaotian: "......"

The clerk's tone was as if some poisonous insect and beast had invaded the hotel, causing the two to look at each other with self-doubt. However, Xiao Tian reacted first, and looked thoughtfully at the goose yellow feathers tied to his friend's ears.

By the time Saya realizes that the feather has revealed her identity, one of them has walked down the stairs.

"Welcome to Fengmingkan. The newcomer is reckless, if he offends the two, I will compensate him first. ”

The speaker is a woman with long red hair. Dressed in a light cherry blossom kimono and holding a paper fan, she bowed to the guests with crooked eyebrows.

"My name is Hohara Wensui, and I am the head of the Fengming Pavilion. ”

Xiao Ye suddenly - presumably the female boss in front of her is the "eldest daughter" mentioned by the enthusiastic Uncle of the Flame People before.

She and Xiaotian also catered to the atmosphere of the hotel very well, and saluted according to the ancient etiquette like the boss, and reported their names in turn. Before they could say what they meant, the owner of the Fengming Pavilion named Huoyuan Wensui had already taken over with a smile, "My father has already instructed me to take good care of the two of you - the room is ready, please come with me." ”

The two children obediently followed behind the boss and exchanged glances with each other - most of the Flame Folk were bold and loose, and a serious personality like Jing Mu was a special case within a special case. And the head of the Fengming Pavilion in front of him seems to be different from the vast majority of clansmen, and does not belong to the category of "red and sweet"?

The clerk I saw earlier was standing at the top of the stairs. He glanced curiously at his boss, who had rarely done the job of welcoming customers, and the ...... he had been repeatedly instructed to do Or threaten the "feathered guest" who must be entertained well, and then say, "Boss, then I'll go back to ...... first"

"Shinta. The woman in the cherry blossom kimono interrupted him softly, "I said - what should you call me?"

The young clerk was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly realized, "Boss, I'll go back to the front desk first!"

The clerk hurried to the lobby, and the two customers had already been caught up in a sea of ellipses amid the sudden appearance of mafia-esque salutations — and the satisfied smiles of the homemakers.

Well, sure enough, you're a true Flame People......

The two followed Wen Sui to the end of the corridor. After pushing open the door that belonged to them, the little Pichu lying on his shoulder suddenly opened his eyes round.

This is an antique Japanese-style room. All the furniture is almost wooden, and the tables, chairs, and wardrobes stand opposite each other, looking elegant and sophisticated. Tatami mats cover every inch of the floor, filling the room with the scent of grass, while two sets of futons are neatly laid out side by side, and the light brown sheets match the tone of the house.

At the end of the house is a semi-open cloister with coffee tables and cushions placed under the eaves. The courtyard is planted with verdant bamboo, and the path is made of gravel of different shapes, leading zigzag into the depths of the bamboo forest. At the edge of the pond in one corner of the courtyard, the frightened deer filled with water leaned to the other side, and the bamboo tube collided with the rocks from time to time, making a crisp sound.

The spacious Japanese-style room and the private garden are too luxurious for trainers who are used to living in the Pokémon Center dormitory. However, the owner did not give them a chance to excuse himself, so he handed over the room key without saying a word and gave a brief introduction to the "hot spring inn guide".

The open-air baths of Homeikan are just being cleaned and will only open tomorrow, but the hot springs in the indoor baths will also be able to wash away the fatigue of travelers. After making the suggestion of taking a shower and relaxing before dinner, the head of the house took his leave and left, leaving only two young people in the room to look curiously left and right.

Little Pichu had already run into the courtyard in a puff of smoke, and was stretching out his paws to scratch the swaying deer. Xiao Ye was carrying the charger around looking for an outlet, so she had to let it get wet with her fluff first.

The courtyard is not too large or small, but it's big enough for two Pokémon - and the pool in the corner is just right for a big water dragon. The Pokémon who had been stuffy in the Poké Ball for a day stretched their bodies and walked around, and Charizard happily wanted to breathe a breath of fire at the sky, but was quickly poked in the stomach by Saya, and finally only let out a breath that had not brushed his teeth all day.

The buildings of the Fengming Pavilion are all wooden, and Xiao Ye didn't want to see the tragic situation of burning the hotel, so he immediately issued a strict arson prohibition order to Charizard. The big guy had to cover his mouth and huddle up aggrievedly - after listening to the master's words, all the Pokémon established a logical chain in their minds that Spitfire = losing money to the point that they couldn't afford to eat, and they all stared at Charizard, and they all suspected that they would usher in a violent beating with one mouth.

After settling the Pokémon, Xiao Ye returned to the inner room and saw that Xiao Tian had already sorted out the toiletry bag and was looking at a sturdy-looking wooden box on the table.

Xiao Ye looked at her friend's line of sight and said strangely, "Safe?"

The mechanism on the wooden box and the ancient combination lock are complete, as if it was the appearance of the standing utensils of the rich and noble families in the ancient Guandu. Xiao Ye didn't expect the hotel to even restore this kind of detail meticulously, so she opened the "safe" curiously, and was silent for a while after seeing what it looked like.

"Microwave. ”

Xiaotian: "......"

Both of them are not good at complaining, so they have to look at each other silently for a while at this moment, and each go to pack his luggage.

For guests who want to enjoy a hot spring bath, they have loose-fitting yukata that can be easily put on and taken off. Xiaotian, who was moving faster, had already changed into a bathrobe with a dark blue background, said hello and left first. Xiao Ya spent some time explaining to the big stupid dragon why the women's bathroom couldn't let it in, and finally got out.

Pulling open the closet, Saya sees rows of spare yukata hanging from it. There seemed to be a few goose-yellow patterns on the inside, but Xiao Ye didn't think much about it, so he took out a yukata that was the same as Xiao Tian and changed into it and went out.

She followed the signs and soon found the entrance to the men's and women's bathrooms standing side by side. Probably looking around revealed his inexperience, the chubby teenager who was about to walk into the bathroom stopped, beckoned, and said, "Hey buddy, meet again." First time here?"

Sayo recognized this person as the trainer on the Sea Flaming Horse who had helped carry the boxes together, and smiled and talked to him. The little fat man patted his chest and said that he was a local, and he knew no more about the hot springs here, and he could not ask him any questions he didn't understand.

"Come, let me first introduce you to the most comfortable way to wash in the hot springs here. ”

Saying that, the little fat man was about to drag Xiaoye into the men's bathroom, and she was so startled that she hurriedly tried to brake, "Wait a minute, I'm ......"

"Hey, you Guandu people have to be shy when you take a bath?"

The enthusiastic young man who was completely wrong relied on himself to be half a head taller than Xiao Ye, and stepped through the door with his arms around her neck in a good posture of the brothers.

The smell of sulfur and water vapor came to the face.

The door to the hot spring was hidden, and the boys' laughter could be faintly heard from within. The spacious dressing room was a little deserted - one of them had already put on his yukata and was about to leave, while the silver-haired teenager who had just entered was sorting out his belongings in front of the cabinet.

Xiao Ye watched her friend turn her head at the big voice of the little fat man......

Then his expression slowly shattered into eight pieces.

The familiar Nanguo trainer recognized Xiao Tian at a glance as one of the "comrades-in-arms" on the ship, and immediately shouted "Hey buddy, you can also wash together" and went up. And Xiao Tian was rarely rude and didn't respond to his accosting in time, just stared at Xiao Ye who was standing in front of the door fixedly, his eyes were full of heavy words.

Until the embarrassing air made the little fat man stop chattering in a daze, and looked left and right at the two "bath friends", Xiao Ye finally changed back from the stone sculpture back to human form.

She strode forward, shook her friend's hand, and warned with sincere emotion: "Xiaotian, the orange islands are too dangerous, you must be careful. ”

"You know, we...... It's a lot like. So—"

"Don't ever do anything like me!!"

Xiaotian: "......"

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Small Theatre:

Flame in the Courtyard: I Secretly Feel the Calling of the Master!