Bottom-tier trainers in the Pokémon world

Furthermore, the stronger the team, the greater this gap will become, increasing exponentially.

This is one of the reasons why, despite so many trainers working hard to train their Pokémon, their strength remains at a certain level and stagnates.

This is also why so many trainers, after reaching a certain level of strength, begin to train second and third-tier Pokémon, or even replace their main Pokémon that have accompanied them for so long.

Just like how dragon-type Pokémon have different concentrations of dragon bloodline, are they the same?

The techniques inherited are different.

Some of the most crucial moves of certain Pokémon cannot be learned through growth or study; they can only be acquired through inheritance, which is also a manifestation of talent.

That's why there are so many breeding houses, trying to breed Pokémon that have inherited various rare moves.

Subtle differences are not noticeable when one's strength is still weak, but as one's strength increases and reaches a certain level, these differences will be magnified as if under a magnifying glass.

Why do so many people say that genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration? That one percent of inspiration often blocks the vast majority of people, not even giving them a chance to try.

The same principle applies.

There are differences in intelligence, physical fitness, and many other aspects between people, let alone elves.

Of course, we cannot deny the existence of those who persevere and succeed.

But sometimes, isn't the perseverance that allows you to stick to something a kind of talent?

Xia Yan carried the three Derubis and examined them from head to toe, quickly drawing some conclusions.

These conclusions may not be very precise, but they can provide a preliminary assessment of a Pokémon's talent level.

The first one.

It is probably the oldest, and its Dark-type talent is not weak, but its Fire-type is relatively lacking. It also seems that it has started to try fighting with several Houndooms, showing obvious signs of self-training, which has reduced its potential.

The second one.

It is of average age among the three, and its talent is also average. Its Dark and Fire-type abilities are relatively mediocre. Although it has not yet entered the stage of trying battles and training, it does not have anything that catches Xia Yan's eye, and it does not have any particularly outstanding features.

The third one.

As the youngest, it also has the greatest potential. It inherited the moves Flame Vortex, Nasty Plot, and Thunder Fang, indicating that its talent in Fire-type moves is stronger than in Dark-type moves. Furthermore, the Nasty Plot move also makes its Special Attack ability stronger in the early stages, making it the best of the three Houndooms.

All things considered, if Xia Yan had to choose, he would choose the third one.

It can make up for his lack of Fire-type abilities and also compensate for his lack of Dark-type abilities to some extent. If it can Mega Evolve after evolving into Houndoom, it will perform well.

The "Flash Fire" ability is also a good ability, as it can further enhance the ability to counter Fire-type Pokémon.

However, this is just one of Xia Yan's alternatives.

The Valley of Flames is vast, and he has only explored a very small part of it; there's no need to draw conclusions so early.

After checking the three Houndooms, Xia Yan used a Poké Ball to collect them along with Houndoom.

This canyon has come to an end; there's still area "b5" to explore.

Kusunoki and Ishino went to gather intelligence again, and if nothing unexpected happens, they should be able to obtain some valuable information.

He turned and walked towards the edge of the small canyon.

however.

Just as Xia Yan's choice of spirits didn't go smoothly, his actions and plans also encountered some setbacks due to unforeseen circumstances.

As he approached the canyon exit, a fire lizard rushed into the canyon and leaped onto Xia Yan, who was walking back.

With Yongjira's translation, Xia Yan was immediately informed of what had happened at the canyon entrance.

After listening to the description of the fire lizard, Xia Yan slowly frowned, and a hint of gloom crept into his expression.

I thought about it.

He put away Beedrill, Kadabra, and Togekiss, keeping the dual scabbards hidden in his shadow to guard against a sudden sneak attack.

With long strides, led by the fire lizard that followed closely behind, they arrived at a spot not far from the canyon entrance.

Then they saw that the Saurami Queen, along with several Night Thief Salamanders, was locked in a stalemate with several members of Team Lava.

The leader's attire differed from the others.

Having a basic understanding of Team Lava's organizational structure, Xia Yan immediately recognized that the outfit represented the identity of Team Lava's operations captain.

The elite captain stared at the Flame Queen Lizard, his greed undisguised.

The fact that he had never seen a Fire-type Pokémon before, especially one that was at the Gym Leader level, undoubtedly piqued his interest greatly.

After pausing briefly, Xia Yan walked forward steadily.

His appearance naturally attracted the attention of several members of the opposing Lava Team.

“Captain Yamakawa, that’s him, Shingo. I saw him go in here with those two guys, Kusunoki and Ishino. Then Kusunoki and Ishino came out, and they were holding the Poké Balls of the three Shimono.” A skinny guy with a pointed face and a rat-like appearance whispered obsequiously in the ear of the leader.

Just as Kusunoki and Ishino felt they could latch onto Natsuhiko's "big brother," Yamakawa, as the elite captain, was naturally the object of flattery by the other Lava Team members.

Upon hearing the gaunt man's words, Yamakawa's eyes flickered, and he nodded imperceptibly.

Xia Yan walked to the side of the Flame Queen Lizard. The conversation on the other side was kept very low, and it wouldn't be difficult for him, as a superpowered person, to hear it.

He had considered that some of his Pokémon might attract unnecessary attention and become coveted by others, thus causing some trouble. Therefore, Xia Yan tried his best to keep Togekiss and the others out of sight.

He never imagined that what would attract others' attention would be the Night Thief Salamander and the Flame Queen Salamander, which he considered to be nothing more than "tools".

Ultimately, he overestimated the quality of the lower-ranking members of Team Lava.

When Kusunoki and Ishino saw the Night Thief Salamander use Dragon Pulse and showed greed, Natsuhiko had also thought about it.

But he felt they were just ordinary members who would only come to deliver food.

It was somewhat unexpected that I would be noticed by an elite trainer.

Generally speaking, someone who has reached the level of an elite trainer shouldn't be interested in a Pokémon that has little potential for development.

Or perhaps the elite trainer's Pokémon are not of high quality.

Or perhaps they're drawn to the rarity of the Flame Queen Lizard.

"You are Shingo?" Yamagawa scanned Natsuhiko up and down.

Xia Yan didn't say anything, just watched him silently.

Seeing that Xia Yan remained unmoved, Shan Chuan raised an eyebrow and said with a smile:

"I'm asking you, what happened to your former teammates, Honbu and Ida? And what about the three Shimono who were originally in charge of cleaning up this area?"

As he spoke, he slowly narrowed his eyes, his gaze sharpening, and demanded again in a stern voice, "Did you kill them all?! Do you know that attacking members of the organization without authorization is a serious crime?!"

Xia Yan smiled after hearing his words.

They're quite good at handling things.

First, flatter him. Whether it's true or not, let him establish that title. Then, whatever he does afterward, he'll have a suitable excuse.

"You just caught these Pokémon recently, right? They still have obvious traces of wild Pokémon on them."

Upon hearing this, Xia Yan suddenly understood.

Even the most arrogant person would still be afraid or wary of a Gym Leader-level Pokémon, right?

However, if this Gym Leader-level Pokémon was recently captured and has extremely low compatibility with its trainer, then it's a different story.

Xia Yan had indeed not trained the Flame Queen Lizard and the Night Thief Salamanders.

It's not hard to see from their behavior that they retained some of the habits of wild spirits before they were tamed.

Even among Gym Leader-level Pokémon, the level of synergy between the Pokémon and its trainer, and the amount of power they can unleash, can vary.

The person in front of him clearly believed that Xia Yan's Flame Queen Lizard and several Night Thief Fire Lizards were not very compatible with him, and that even in battle, they would have difficulty unleashing their full strength, so he was fearless.

Normally speaking, even among Gym Leader-level Pokémon, ordinary wild Pokémon cannot defeat Gym Leader-level Pokémon trained by trainers. After all, there will be a big difference in terms of tactical awareness, mastery of moves, and timing of move usage.

Seeing that Xia Yan remained silent, Shan Chuan continued, "I'll give you a chance. Keep those elite-level Pokémon for yourself, but hand over the Poké Ball of this Gym Leader-level Pokémon. I can recommend you to join Lord Youhuo's team, and you might even get the chance to be promoted to an elite captain in the future."

Ultimately, it was the Flame Queen Lizard in Xia Yan's possession that caught his eye.

"Okay," Xia Yan finally said.

And they directly agreed to his request.

"I can... um?" Yamakawa was clearly taken aback by Natsuhiko's quick agreement.

Then Xia Yan expressionlessly took out a Poké Ball, placed it on the ground, and said, "You take it."

As he spoke, he took a step back and gestured with his hand.

Yamakawa gave Xia Yan a deep look, somewhat puzzled by his actions.

But he still winked at the "mouse" who had tipped him off, signaling him to go and take it.

The guy nicknamed "Rat" swallowed hard, his eyes filled with greed as he looked at the Poké Ball on the ground. He swayed slightly and moved forward stiffly, keeping a close eye on Xia Yan, wary of his sudden attack.

However, Xia Yan simply stood there with his arms crossed, silently watching his movements.

Because of caution, we proceeded very slowly.

Seeing that Xia Yan really showed no sign of making a move, Yamakawa's eyes flickered, and he urged, "Hurry up!"

At that moment, a member of Team Magma standing behind the mountains sniffed and suddenly said with some doubt, "It smells so good? Is someone using a sweet scent to attract wild Pokémon?"

Snapped--

The "mouse's" hand touched the Poké Ball on the ground, and as it relaxed, joy flashed in its eyes.

Here it is!

A Gym Leader-level Pokémon!

At this moment, he was torn between his inner thoughts and his own.

Should we obediently go back and hand the Poké Ball over to Yamakawa, or forcibly embezzle it?

A Gym Leader-level Pokémon is absolutely a life-changing asset for him!

Even if he knows nothing about Salamence now, as long as he can successfully escape and hide for a while to get familiar with Salamence, he can return with Salamence, a Gym Leader-level Pokémon, and he won't be so afraid of mountains and rivers.

Xia Yan looked at the guy who had just gotten the Poké Ball and was standing there in a daze, and could tell what he was thinking just by looking at his changing expression.

So-called following and loyalty are nothing but illusions in the face of absolute self-interest.

Yamakawa clearly noticed his unusual behavior as well, and like Natsuhiko, it wasn't difficult for him to guess what was on his mind.