Chapter 19: Challenging the Withered Leaf Dojo

Inside Viridian Park, Xia You and Xiaochun walked side by side, strolling leisurely through the grounds.

The environment here was exceptionally beautiful. Functionally speaking, it shared similarities with the forest behind the Oak Research Institute; both could serve as places where Trainers could deposit their surplus Pokémon.

Flowing water, groves of Berries, ample sunlight...

After walking a full circuit, Xia You discovered that the park actually possessed a complete ecosystem. Without human interference, it was entirely capable of being self-sufficient.

As they walked, Xia You couldn't help but remark, "With such a massive scale, Professor Oak must have put a lot of heart and soul into this, right?"

Xiaochun covered her mouth with a giggle. "This park was only fully completed yesterday. My dad said that once it was finished, he wanted you, as a Trainer, to be the first to come in and look for any shortcomings."

Xia You shrugged. "As expected of Professor Oak; his thinking is indeed rigorous."

Beside them, amidst the barking of Growlithe, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Eevee, and Charmander chased each other, playing happily. It seemed they were very fond of the environment here.

Only Kirlia followed closely behind Xia You, never leaving his side.

Seeing this, Xia You called out with a smile, "Alright, Bulbasaur, stop fooling around. Remember to save your energy; we have serious business to attend to in a bit."

"Serious business?" Xiaochun asked curiously. "What is it?"

"Challenging the Vermilion Gym, of course," Xia You suggested in an enticing tone. "How about it? Do you want to come with me and see for yourself? You should know that real Pokémon battles are far more blood-pumping and thrilling than what you see on TV!"

Real Pokémon battles?

Xiaochun lowered her head, clearly tempted. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded gently.

...

Vermilion—the orange-yellow hue of sunset.

The Vermilion Gym was located on the west coast of Vermilion City. The overall color scheme was primarily yellow and white, and from its exterior, it resembled a large inverted trapezoid, somewhat similar to common large-scale stadiums.

Upon entering the gym, there were staff members to receive guests. After stating his purpose, the staff led Xia You directly to the battle arena within the gym.

"Please wait a moment. Gym Leader Lt. Surge will arrive shortly."

Once the staff member left, Xia You looked around. On the ochre-colored ground of the arena, there was nothing else; it was clearly a typical, standard battleground.

Outside the arena, there were about a dozen rows of tiered seating on all four sides, much like a sports stadium. By his estimation, if fully occupied, it could hold at least a thousand people.

Because it was her first time in such a place, the formal and grand battling environment made Xiaochun feel somewhat nervous.

"Relax," Xia You said, patting her shoulder. "There's nothing to worry about. Just stay on the sidelines and watch the battle carefully."

"I understand," Xiaochun whispered, adjusting her breathing. "Good luck."

Watching Xiaochun walk to the spectator area, Xia You turned around, only to see several people walking out from the corridor opposite him.

The leader had spiky blond hair and a strong, robust physique. He wore a military-green vest and camouflage pants, with sunglasses on his face and military dog tags hanging around his neck. Judging solely by his aura, it was easy to see that he was a decisive and fierce man.

He was none other than the Gym Leader of the Vermilion Gym—Lt. Surge!

It was said that Lt. Surge had once been an Air Force Major, piloting special aircraft powered by Electric-type Pokémon to participate in many wars. After his discharge, he moved through various roles before finally becoming the Vermilion Gym Leader.

However, according to his reputation, Lt. Surge's fighting style was highly aggressive and heavy-handed. Against weaker challengers, he would often leave their Pokémon severely injured.

Standing in the command area, Lt. Surge's voice boomed, "Daring to come to my Vermilion Gym... it seems we have another overconfident challenger!"

Xia You remained completely unmoved by his trash talk. He took a few steps forward and said, "To obtain the Vermilion Badge, Gym Leader Lt. Surge, I am now officially challenging you."

"If you want the badge, try beating me first!" Lt. Surge said arrogantly, crossing his arms. "Many people come to challenge me every day, but they are all too weak. In my eyes, they are nothing but a bunch of babies who haven't even grown their hair in! I wonder, are you just another baby?"

Hearing his peculiar tone, Xia You couldn't help but frown.

He truly hadn't expected Lt. Surge to be such an arrogant person.

"I wonder what the battle rules are here?"

Lt. Surge used his fingers to pull two Poké Balls from his pocket.

"The rules are simple. There is no time limit. As long as you defeat these two Pokémon in my hands, the challenge is successful."

As he spoke, he threw one of the Poké Balls. With a flash of blue light, a Pokémon appeared in the arena—it looked somewhat similar to Pikachu, but was larger, with a longer tail and darker coloring.

So it's Raichu...

Pokédex: *Beep. Raichu, the Mouse Pokémon, Electric type. The evolved form of Pikachu. Its electric shocks can reach up to 100,000 volts, easily paralyzing opponents dozens of times its size. As it stores more electricity in its body, its temperament becomes more aggressive.*

"Now then, baby, what is your Pokémon?"

Xia You glanced behind him and then spoke, "Kirlia, I'm counting on you."

Kirlia nodded slightly and slowly walked into the arena.

"So it's Kirlia." As someone from another region, Lt. Surge naturally recognized Kirlia, but even so, he curled his lip and said disdainfully, "Those Pokémon behind you haven't even fully evolved. They are far too weak. Truly a baby among babies!"

"You've got that wrong," Xia You said in a low, heavy voice. "In this world, there are no weak Pokémon. The only things that are truly weak are the Trainers!"

"Oh? Those words actually make me look at you a bit differently." Lt. Surge's expression hardened, and he shouted, "But all that lip is useless! Raichu, let's go! Use Mega Punch!"

When Raichu launched its attack, it meant the match had officially begun.

Seeing Raichu in motion, Xia You shouted, "Kirlia, use Magical Leaf!"

Green magical leaves formed around Kirlia and shot rapidly toward the charging Raichu.

Seeing this, Lt. Surge did not have Raichu dodge. Instead, he changed tactics and yelled, "Raichu, use Thunderbolt!!"

Dazzling electricity erupted from Raichu's body, colliding with the Magical Leaves in mid-air. Following a violent explosion, the Magical Leaves pierced through the electricity and struck Raichu's body.

——

PS: There was once a player who defeated the Elite Four and the Champion using six Magikarp to clear the game.

(End of Chapter)