Pokémon, Inkaros, my starter Pokémon

At the same time, the express train slowly pulled into the platform in Konoha City.

As Shidou and Shengdai disembarked from the train with the crowd, a salty sea breeze immediately hit them, a stark contrast to the bustling, modern urban atmosphere of Golden City.

As an important port city in the Kanto region, the air of Kureha City seems to be imbued with the vitality of the ocean. Looking around, the wide streets are bustling with traffic, but the pace is leisurely. In the distance, towering cranes and the silhouettes of massive ships are clearly visible in the sunlight, and occasionally, the long, drawn-out whistles of ships can be heard echoing across the sea.

"This is Konoha City. The sea breeze smells so nice."

Sundae took a deep breath, tidied her wind-blown hair, and curiously looked around. Most of the buildings on both sides of the street had a marine or industrial style, and many shops sold items related to sailing and fishing.

The most eye-catching sight is undoubtedly the magnificent Port of Dead Leaves. Various kinds of boats are moored in the azure bay, from small fishing boats to enormous cargo ships, but the most dazzling of all is the luxurious and massive St. Anne's cruise ship, whose opulence and sheer size are palpable even from a distance.

The pristine white hull gleamed in the sunlight, its streamlined design exuding grandeur, like a floating palace ready for a long voyage.

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P.S.: I was out of town for a bit, so the update is a little late. I'm about to start showing off, so please vote!

Chapter 46 Is anyone there? They've come to challenge us!

"Mr. Tokito, that is the St. Anne."

Sundae pointed at the giant ship, his eyes filled with anticipation. It was a gathering place for trainers from all over the world, undoubtedly the perfect stage for him to showcase his otherworldly Pokémon, build popularity, and find formidable rivals.

"It is indeed spectacular."

Shidou was also filled with anticipation for the upcoming voyage.

Hilda and Julian are ready to show their skills.

Afterwards, Tokito glanced at the beautifully made ship tickets, on which the departure time was clearly printed. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Boarding doesn't start until 5 p.m., so we still have plenty of time. Let's go to the Pokémon Center to rest for a bit first."

Now that Shidou has the Pokédex given to him by Professor Oak and his identity is officially registered in the League, he can use facilities that provide services to trainers, such as Pokémon Centers, for free.

"Okay, sure." Sundae nodded in agreement; after a long train journey, she did need a short rest.

The two soon arrived at the Pokémon Center in Vermilion City. The familiar pink roof and cozy interior made them feel at ease. When they approached the front desk, a smiling Nurse Joy was standing there.

Sundae looked at Miss Joy and asked with some curiosity, "Miss Joy? Are you...the one from Goldenrod City? What are you doing here?"

Sundae remembers that there is a Nurse Joy who looks exactly like her at the Pokémon Center in Saffron City.

"Ah, you mean my cousin?"

Miss Joy from Kuroba City explained with a smile, seemingly already used to the question. She even casually pulled out a thick photo album from under the counter, flipped it open to show Sundae, and said, "Look, these are some family photos."

Sundae leaned closer to take a look and was immediately stunned.

The photo shows dozens of women dressed in nurse uniforms, with hairstyles and appearances almost identical, standing together and flashing standardized sweet smiles at the camera…

"These...they're all the same!"

Sundae couldn't help but gasp softly, feeling a little dizzy.

“That’s how it is.” Nurse Joy closed the photo album, her tone tinged with family pride. “Our Nurse Joy family has been dedicated to Pokémon healthcare for generations. You can find our beloved sisters in almost every region.”

Shi Tou, standing to the side, smiled slightly, understanding the situation. In this world, Joey and Officer Jenny were a magical family that practically monopolized both the medical and police systems.

Aside from extraordinary individuals like Xiao Gang who possess the god-like talent to "recognize Joey and distinguish Junsa," ordinary people simply cannot tell the difference between them.

During the conversation, the automatic door of the Pokémon Center suddenly slid open, and a young trainer rushed in in a panic, carrying a blackened Oddish that was emitting wisps of black smoke.

"Miss Joey, please, please save my Oddish!"

The little boy trainer cried out, his voice trembling with tears.

When Miss Joy saw Magnemite's injuries, her brows furrowed immediately, and she said with a hint of displeasure, "This level of burning... was it Lt. Surge's doing?"

"Yes, it is……"

The trainer lowered his head, his voice choked with emotion, "I went to challenge the Vermilion City Gym, but... I couldn't even withstand one move... I was blasted out by his Electric-type Pokémon."

"Sigh, Mr. Lt. Surge has given us even more work. Chansey, hurry up!"

Miss Joy sighed, skillfully taking the Magnemite from the trainer and placing it into the stretcher, while shaking her head helplessly.

Watching Chansey rush into the emergency room on a stretcher, Tokito remembered the information about Lt. Surge, the Vermilion City Gym Leader, and turned to ask Sundae, "Sundae, have you passed the Vermilion City Gym?"

Sundae nodded and said in a relaxed tone, "Yeah, I've already got the orange badge. I used Marowak to deal with it. Ground-type versus Electric-type, it's a piece of cake. However, Lt. Surge's style is indeed as rumored. He likes to severely injure the challenger's Pokémon, calling it 'feeling the power of electricity'."

Upon hearing this, Shi Dou nodded, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes.

Lt. Surge was a former Air Force major who piloted a specially designed aircraft powered by Electric-type Pokémon and participated in at least one war.

In the anime, he speaks bluntly, calling Ash and his Pikachu "BABY" when they first meet, and seems to dislike unevolved Pokémon, believing that only evolved Pokémon are strong.

Furthermore, Lt. Surge is very aggressive in battle and strikes very hard. Many Pokémon he defeats are seriously injured, including Pikachu.

Lt. Surge's main weakness is that he evolves his Pokémon too quickly, preventing them from properly learning speed-boosting moves. Although he was able to use his power to defeat Ash and Pikachu on their first attempt, Pikachu was able to use speed-boosting moves, such as Agility, to overwhelm and defeat Raichu in the rematch. Thus, Lt. Surge was the first Gym Leader that Ash truly defeated.

In the special manga, Lt. Surge is one of Team Rocket's three executives, the Gym Leader of Vermilion City, and the captain of the St. Ann. He first appeared on the St. Ann and lost to Red.

Afterwards, he went to the unmanned power plant to capture Zapdos and succeeded. Red and Zapdos battled again at Silver Corporation, but Red lost the battle.

Neither the anime nor the special episodes featured particularly friendly men. As Tokito pondered this, he realized it was only noon, and there were still several hours until 5 p.m.

I'm just killing time anyway...

or……

A bold and interesting idea took shape in Shi Dou's mind.

Shidou looked in the direction of the Vermilion Gym, a challenging smile curving his lips.

"Sundae, we're free this afternoon anyway... how about we go 'challenge' them?"

Shi Dou said eagerly.

"Huh? Challenging the dojo?" Sundae blinked, then understood Tokito's intention, and an interested expression appeared on her face. "The target is... Master Lt. Surge?"

“That’s right.” Tokito nodded and continued, “Let’s go meet this Master Lt. Surge, who likes to ‘educate’ newcomers.”

Upon hearing this, Sundae not only did not try to dissuade him, but instead showed an even more interested smile, "Alright! I've been wanting to see how you, Mr. Tokito, teach this kind of dojo master a lesson."

The two agreed and, without further delay, headed straight for the Vermilion Gym.

The Vermilion Dojo has a distinctive appearance, resembling a huge warehouse with its exterior walls painted in a peeling camouflage pattern, exuding a rugged and even somewhat dilapidated military style, which is completely different from the traditional Japanese garden style of the Goldenrod City Fighting Dojo.

Just as they reached the gym entrance, before they could even push the door open, they heard a loud crash as the door was violently slammed open from the inside. A trainer, tears welling in his eyes, staggered out, clutching a Zubat whose body was still crackling with faint electric arcs and whose wings were charred black. He ran headlong towards the Pokémon Center without looking back.

"That's... really ruthless."

Sundae watched the trainer's retreating figure, her brows furrowing slightly.

“It’s okay, I’ll be even ruthless than him later.”

Shi Dou spoke calmly, then took a deep breath. Facing the door before him, which seemed to have swallowed the hopes of countless challengers, he gathered his strength and shouted clearly and arrogantly into it:

"Is anyone there? We're going to challenge them!!!"

Chapter 47 Ma Xueshi: What...what is this thing?!

"They're challenging us!"

The shout was like a pebble thrown into calm water, immediately causing a reaction inside the dojo.

A few seconds later, the door creaked open a crack, and a sleazy-looking man with dyed blond hair, wearing a vest, poked his head out, sized up Shidou and Shengdai, and said in a roguish tone:

"Hey, so you're the one who wants to challenge us? You've got some nerve!"

"Yes, it's me."

Shi Dou readily admitted it.

"Tch, you brat, so full of yourself!" The blond-haired guy spat in annoyance, but still turned and opened the door, saying with obvious displeasure, "Come in! Don't blame me for not warning you, or you'll be crying for your mother later!"

Tokito and Seida exchanged a glance and calmly walked inside.

The dojo was pitch black inside, with only a faint light source in the distance. The air was thick with the smells of engine oil and a faint scent of sweat. Just as their heads were adjusting to the darkness…

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Several powerful lights suddenly turned on, illuminating the entire battlefield as if it were daytime. At the same time, deafening heavy metal rock music roared in, with intense drumbeats and electric guitar riffs assaulting the eardrums!

An exceptionally tall figure, backlit, strode in with an imposing presence from the other end of the field.

He wore a camouflage vest and military pants, revealing his bulging muscles. His short blond hair stood up like steel needles, and he wore a wild and unrestrained smile.

It was none other than Lt. Surge, the leader of the Vermilion Dojo!

Mt. Surge walked to the edge of the field, his massive shadow almost completely enveloping Tokito. Looking down at Tokito from his elevated position, he spoke in a flippant tone in heavily accented Kanto dialect:

"Hey, I heard some arrogant baby's here to challenge us? Is that you, little one?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a Raichu of similarly large size, with crackling electric sacs on its cheeks, jumped onto his shoulder, arms crossed, chin slightly raised, its eyes filled with the same pride and disdain as the trainer, as if to say:

You? You think you're worthy of challenging us?

Intense lights, deafening music, an oppressive atmosphere created by the curator and the spirits...

Lt. Surge successfully created a terrifying atmosphere that would intimidate even novice trainers before they even faced a challenge.

Faced with the oppressive aura deliberately created by Maslow and that dismissive "BABY," Shi Tou simply smiled calmly, his expression unwavering. He stepped forward and said clearly:

"I am Tokito, the new headmaster of the Goldenrod City Fighting Dojo. I am here now as a challenger for an exchange match between headmasters."

Upon hearing this, a murmur immediately broke out among the underlings in the dojo, who had been laughing and joking in the shadows and were dressed in what resembled military vests.

"Golden City Fighting Dojo?"

"Wasn't that gym defeated by Sabrina and no longer an official gym?"

"Hahaha, a dojo without even an official status dares to challenge us?"

"Master, it seems to be a clueless baby!"

Lt. Surge picked at his ear, his disdain growing even more pronounced. He said contemptuously, "Baby, you say you're a gym leader? A gym leader without even official certification? It seems you really don't know what true power is."

"Strength isn't proven by shouting or flashing lights. A gym's qualification isn't demonstrated by severely injuring a challenger's Pokémon. True strength will naturally be revealed on the battlefield." Tokito remained calm in the face of taunts, but his words were sharp and pointed.

"Tsk!" Lt. Surge clicked his tongue at the retort, the contempt in his eyes lessening and replaced by a hint of anger at being provoked. "Sharp-tongued baby, fine, I accept your challenge. Don't get beaten to tears later."

"Thunderchu!"

Raichu next to him also shouted in unison, his cheeks sparkling with electricity, his fighting spirit soaring.

The group moved to the actual battleground.

As the match was about to begin, the thugs around him seemed to be on steroids, starting to make all sorts of strange noises and whistles. Combined with the rock music that was still playing, the whole venue seemed to have turned into a chaotic disco.

A young man in a vest temporarily acted as referee, loudly announcing the rules: "This Gym Leader Exchange Tournament is a 3-on-3 competition. The match ends when all of one side's Pokémon are unable to battle. Only the challenger can change their Pokémon!"

Lt. Surge, arms crossed, grinned and said, "Baby, did you hear that? I usually deal with newbies in 1v1. But between gym leaders, 3v3 is the standard! Is that alright?"

"Wait, that's not fair. Mr. Tokito only brought two Pokémon with him!"

At this moment, Sundae, who had been quietly watching the game, stood up and said somewhat anxiously.

Lt. Surge is strong, as Sundae knows, but in terms of numbers, it's clearly at a disadvantage in battle. In addition, Julian is a Water-type Pokémon, which is weak against Electric-type Pokémon, making it a huge disadvantage.

However, Sundae's words were like igniting a box of jokes, and the surrounding area erupted in even louder laughter.

"Hahaha! You dare to challenge us with only two?"

"I think he's scared out of his wits!"

"Just admit defeat already, baby!"

Lance Stephens laughed exaggeratedly: "Haha! You only brought two? Baby, are you kidding me? How about we change it to 2 vs 2? I, Lance Stephens, am magnanimous and will change the rules for you."

"unnecessary."

Shi Dou, who was at the center of all the ridicule, simply shook his head slightly, raised his hand, pointed at Ma Zhi Shi, and spoke in a low voice, which instantly drowned out all the noise.

Then, to everyone's astonishment, Shi Dou said, word by word:

"To deal with you, I only need one, that's enough."

"what?!"

The dojo fell silent for a moment, even the background music seemed to pause for a second, before erupting into an even more vehement jeer and incredulous uproar.

"Such arrogance." Lt. Surge's smile vanished completely, replaced by a furious anger at being severely humiliated. "Since you've made up your mind and insist on humiliating yourself, then I'll grant your wish. I can easily defeat you even with just one Pokémon!"