You are not allowed to date a trainer.

Chapter 37 Wood
"I'm extremely sorry, but since our gym owner is not at the gym right now, our gym badge challenge is temporarily closed. Please come back later."

The girl in the dress folded her hands in front of her belly and bowed deeply with sincerity. There was a little naughty panda standing on the counter in front of her. It should be her Pokémon. The little guy imitated his trainer and bowed deeply to apologize. His short tail like a white fur ball shook slightly. His pitiful appearance made people feel soft at heart.

"Sister, I learned about this at noon when we were having hot pot in the city." Qin Zhen stood across from the girl, smiling and trying to get information. "I'm just a little curious. Do you know where your owner went?"

"I'm sorry, we're not very clear on this side. We only know that the gym leader leaves the gym for a period of time every year, and his departure and return times are not fixed. This has affected your challenge plan. We are very sorry."

"Is that so?" Qin Zhen thought for a while, then said, "Then when your master comes back, could you please notify me?"

"No problem. Please leave your phone number and name. We'll text you when the owner returns." The young lady breathed a sigh of relief, straightened up, and gently pushed the QR code sign beside her. "Also, we sincerely invite you to participate in this year's Jinguan City's Most Popular Elf Contest. Vote now, and after the contest is over, you can use a screenshot of your vote to claim a small pendant for the top winner."

"Ok."

Qin Zhen shrugged. He was in a very peaceful mood, and it wasn't just him; the dozen or so trainers standing in the gym's reception hall all looked in good spirits. It couldn't be helped. The Qingcheng Gym was always so polite, bowing every three sentences and smiling apologetically every two. They even sent out pitiful pretty girls and cute creatures. With all that combined, who could possibly be angry?
Xiao Qin took out his phone from his pocket and asked casually, "By the way, who's the first place winner in that competition?"

"Currently, Sylveon is in first place, but its position is unstable. Following it are Serpenti, Milotic, Hirano, Meowth, and Gardevoir. The votes are very close between them."

Hearing this, Qin Zhen's expression changed slightly. "Did you just say Monarch Snake is second?"

"Yes." The girl glanced at the vine snake standing on Qin Zhen's shoulder and said with a smile, "I think the monarch snake has been refusing to climb to the top because it is waiting for your crucial vote."

Qin Zhen's hands trembled when he heard this, and he almost dropped the phone.

At this moment, a pinned news suddenly jumped in front of Qin Zhen.

The Three Wonders Show Their Power! The Five Goats Bend! The Flowers of Yuelu Defy the White Clouds!

Qin Zhen was stunned. He clicked on the news, and the first picture was of an old acquaintance, the motorcycle lizard that had carried Qin Zhen across Wuyang City. It was curled up on the ground with a painful expression, and in front of it stood a mosquito-repellent swimmer with his fist raised high.

Qin Zhen continued to scroll down the news. The second picture was a bird's-eye view. Qin Zhen recognized it at a glance as the famous "Flower of the Century" Sports Center in Tanzhou City. In the center of the picture, the fat Snorlax was submerged in the heavy punches of the eight-armed monster.

The moment Qin Zhen saw the photo, he understood that the so-called "Flower of Yuelu" wasn't Aunt Chi Songya, but that monster. When it unleashed its full force, flames, frost, and lightning danced in unison, like a thousand-petaled tricolor lotus blooming across the field. Snorlax's entire lower body was magnificently smashed into the ground, plowing a massive chasm across the green field.

The last photo was a handshake photo of the trainers from both sides, but the photographer obviously had no good intentions. The focus of the entire photo's composition was on Ying Jue, and the big loli's dark face was clearly captured.

Qin Zhen flipped through the three pictures. After a long silence, he suddenly raised his eyebrows.

"I remembered!"

"Me too." The vine snake on his shoulder said in his mind: "No wonder Qin Zhen, you received that call. That woman lost the game and wanted to find you for comfort."

"Ah?" Qin Zhen turned his head and showed a surprised face to Teng Teng Snake.

"What's wrong? Qin Zhen, is there anything wrong with what I said?" Teng Teng Snake asked in confusion.

"No, I appreciate your reminder, Teng Teng Snake." Qin Zhen took the little snake's hand and shook it gently. "Although it's stupid to challenge a Fighting-type with a Normal-type, Jue is my good friend. It's a sign of low emotional intelligence to get hung up on a Pokémon Duel at this time. Let's go back to the hotel later, and I'll call her back."

"Huh?" This time it was Teng Teng Snake's turn to be surprised. "Qin Zhen, weren't you thinking about Ying Jue just now?"

"Of course not!" Qin Zhen raised his eyebrows proudly. "I already know where to find the whereabouts of the Qingcheng Pavilion Master!"

He spoke the second half of the sentence through synaesthesia. "Qin Zhen, do you know the Qingcheng Pavilion Master?"

"I don't know him, but some people definitely do." Qin Zhen picked up his phone, pulled up the address book, and turned to walk out of the reception desk. "Remember the Mosquito Repellent Swimmer who was invited by Teacher Chi to come over to Yuelu Dojo to confirm whether I had superpowers?"

………………

When Qin Zhen walked out of the reception desk, the phone was connected, and a gentle and elegant female voice flowed out of the phone like water.

"Qin Zhen? What do you want to talk to me about?" The young aunt's tone was cheerful and she seemed to be in a good mood.

"Teacher Chi, it's like this, I'm in Jinguan City now..."

Qin Zhen had just started talking when he heard an "Oh" from the other side.

"You're in Jinguan City?" the aunt asked, "So you want to ask me about the whereabouts of the Qingcheng Pavilion Master?"

"Teacher Chi is truly a master of foresight." Qin Zhen quickly flattered him. "If possible, can I know..."

"Of course. That guy's whereabouts are no secret among professional trainers. He should have gone into the mountains by now."

"Into the mountains?"

"Yes, Mount Siguniang."

Qin Zhen had heard of this name, but didn't know much about it. He only knew that it was a very famous scenic spot in Jinguan City, consisting of four huge snow-capped mountains.

"Teacher Chi, why did the Qingcheng Pavilion Master go into the mountains? To practice?" Qin Zhen immediately pictured a shirtless man in his mind, wearing white martial arts pants like those in Street Fighter. He was sitting cross-legged with the elf under a waterfall, his muscles clearly visible and glowing.

"No, he went there to..." The aunt was silent for a while, and finally said, "Forget it, let's not talk about that. Qin Zhen, you are hinting that you want to challenge him to a gym battle. It just so happens that a team is going to Siguniang Mountain to deliver supplies to that guy soon. Don't hang up the phone, wait for me for a while."

"Oh."

"Okay, they've agreed." The auntie's speed was frightening. In just two minutes, the other end of the phone had a message. "Go to the Xinnanmen Bus Station in Jinguan City early tomorrow morning. Someone will be waiting there to take you to Siguniang Mountain to find that guy."

“Teacher Chi is awesome!”

Qin Zhen was beaming with joy, but her aunt fell into a strange silence.

"By the way, Qin Zhen." After hesitating for a long time, the aunt finally couldn't help but remind him, "Regarding Gu Changfeng... the Qingcheng Pavilion Master, I hope you will pay attention to him after you meet him."

Qin Zhen was stunned when he heard this.

"Why? Teacher Chi, isn't the Qingcheng Pavilion Master a good person?"

"That's not the case. If we just talk about being responsible and friendly, there aren't many people in the entire Donghuang who are better than him." There was another silence, and finally, the aunt hesitated to say, "But there is one thing: Mr. Gu's lifestyle is very problematic. He... In short, Qin Zhen, you must be careful. Don't learn from him."

(End of this chapter)