Pokémon, Inkaros, my starter Pokémon

【Hua Lan's Elegance】: Wow, the new guy is so polite! (heart)

[As solid as a rock]: Learning from each other.

[I like Grass-type Pokémon]: Looking forward to your performance.

However, the next moment, a message from a specially marked name card made Shi Dou's smile freeze instantly, and cold sweat almost seeped out of his back.

[Viridian City - Giovanni]: Welcome, Tokito. I heard you bravely repelled... cough, some lawbreakers on the St. Anne and at the Lavender Town Pokémon Tower, and then defeated Sabrina in the qualifiers. Truly, a hero emerges from among the young! It seems the future of our Indigo League is even brighter.

Shidou was stunned when he saw this scene.

Damn it... How did Boss Sakaki even show up?!

This mastermind behind everything, the leader of Team Rocket, actually welcomed us in such a hypocritical tone in the official gym leader group?!

They even specifically mentioned my exploits against the Rockets...

Is this a warning? Or simply "appreciation"?

You're sweating a bit, bro!

Sakaki's words seemed to carry weight. He was usually a lurker, so his rare public statement immediately drew agreement from the other gym owners.

[Full of Energy]: Oh? Mr. Sakaki even came out, that's rare.

【The Elegance of Hualan】: It seems Mr. Sakaki also has high hopes for the newcomer!

【Pale Crimson Shadow】: Hmm. (Indicating agreement)

Sakaki continued to reply with calm and composed words:

[Violet City - Daichi Sakaki]: As a member of the Kanto region, I naturally welcome promising newcomers. Tokito, I look forward to your performance in the league. I will keep a close eye on you in the future; the future belongs to you.

Okay, okay, so this is how you play it? You're really good at pretending!

This acting skill, this aura—no wonder he's a man who can manipulate the entire Kanto region at will!

Shidou subconsciously glanced at Yulongdu beside him, his eyes conveying the complex message, "Don't you guys know what this guy really is?"

Lance seemed to understand his gaze, and helplessly shrugged, lowering his voice to say, "Gym Leader Sakaki is a very senior figure. Although he doesn't usually speak, he holds a very high position. It's a good thing that he thinks highly of you."

We must not say anything that is detrimental to unity.

Shi Dou could only smile wryly and cautiously reply to Tai in the group chat:

[Golden City - Tokito]: Thank you for your encouragement, Mr. Sakaki. I will keep it in mind and strive to live up to the League's expectations.

After a superficially harmonious but secretly nerve-wracking exchange, a curator from the Johto region brought up a new topic.

[Vicio City - Soto (Skywing)]: By the way, newbie, would you be interested in participating in this year's Gym Tournament?

【Saffron City - Tokidou】: Gym Tournament?

[Vicio City - Ash (Skywing)]: That's right! The annual Kanto region (Kanto is a combination of Kanto and Johto) Gym Tournament is a major event within our Gym Leader circle. It's a place for us to hone our skills, exchange ideas, and determine who is the strongest Gym Leader.

【Vermilion City - Lt. Surge (Full of Power)】: The winner's reward is pretty good; I personally think it's excellent.

[Golden City - Tokito]: What kind of rewards are there?

Shi Dou was curious.

【Violet City - Azur Lane (Skywing)】: The winning Gym Leader will not only receive a large League prize, but also a one-month free pass for two people to the 'Alola Region Resort', with all expenses covered by the League!

bonus?

Free trip to the Alola region! And it's a ticket for two!

This reward is really generous!

【Dark Grey City - Wu Neng (Rock Solid)】: If I can win the championship, I can have a wonderful trip with my wife. Come on, try your best to win the championship!!

【Cerulean City - Iris (Cerulean's Elegance)】: Oh dear~ I also really want a vacation pass for the Alola region, but unfortunately, with our strength, I'm afraid we can't get one.

【A-Su】then sent the most crucial information: Whether or not you travel doesn't matter, the most important thing is... the champion of this exchange competition will directly gain the qualification to challenge the Four Heavenly Kings!

King Challenge!

Upon hearing this word, Shi Dou's eyes instantly sharpened.

This means that as long as he wins this exchange match, he will have the opportunity to directly challenge the Four Heavenly Kings, or even... go further!

This is undoubtedly a shortcut to a higher level in the alliance!

The atmosphere in the group became more lively because of this topic, which was obviously very attractive to all the museum owners.

Shi Dou stared at the screen, his finger pausing briefly over the input box. This exchange tournament sounded very interesting, with generous rewards, and more importantly, it offered the chance to compete directly against all the gym leaders from Kanto and Johto!

Shidou took a deep breath and typed a reply:

【Golden City - Tokito】: That sounds very appealing. Could you please tell me the specific time and rules?

Seeing that Shidou was interested, Asahi, the Fighting-type Gym Leader of Azure City in the Johto region, enthusiastically added:

[Azure City - A-Si]: The competition starts in two weeks, on the first day of next month. Participation is not mandatory, but most ambitious people will come. The rules are simple: from the preliminaries to the finals, it will be 3vs3 throughout. The venue is still under discussion by the league and should be announced in a few days.

【Golden City - Tokito】: I see, it's 3vs3 the whole time, I get it now, I'm really looking forward to it.

Elite Four Challenges are basically 6vs6 all-out battles, while regular gym battles and these kinds of exchange matches are mostly 3vs3, which tests the individual strength of Pokémon and the explosiveness of tactics more, which is where Fighting has an advantage.

The museum owners in the group also began to express their opinions, full of fighting spirit.

[Kikyo City - Soto]: Hmph, I won't give up this year's championship easily. My Pidgeot is especially strong right now.

【Hinoki Town - Abi】: The power of the Bug type is immeasurable.

What's wrong? Are you trying to win the match using Metapod?

Come back and talk when you have Bug-type Pokémon like Heracross, Golisopoda, Volcarona, and Buzzwole!

[Kinjaku City - Akane]: My big milk tank will be fueled.

Shidou remembers that Xiaoxi only knows one Miltank, and the other Pokémon are very weak. As long as she can beat Miltank, there is nothing she is afraid of.

[Honglian Town - Uncle Xia]: Hehe, it's good for the old bones to stretch out a bit.

【Yanmo City - Xiaochun】: Our dragon's majesty cannot be challenged. Bring it on, I will definitely win this time.

[Kaji Town - Liubo]: ...

Unexpectedly, Liu Bo's speech, though he didn't say anything, was accompanied by a huge block of ice, and Liu Bo's very presence brought a chill.

Looking at these familiar owner IDs, Shidou quickly made a mental calculation.

Normal gym trainers, such as Misty's sister, Wu Neng, Lt. Surge, Rika, and Aldridge, should not lose to Tokito's current team strength. No, it should be said that Incaros would directly crush everything.

Even Tsubaki from the Inkstone Dojo, this Dragon-type expert with near-Elite Four strength... Tokito personally thinks so too.

She doesn't seem to be able to handle him either!

the reason is simple……

The Henan's Fighting-type is super effective against Dragon-type!

Shidou currently has Gager, Incaros, and Salud, who just joined the team. All three are genuine Fighting-type Pokémon. If they were to face Tsubaki, wouldn't they beat her precious Dragon-type Pokémon so badly that even her cousin (Lance) wouldn't recognize them?

The scene is too beautiful to imagine...

Of course, Shi Dou also knew that the real challenge came from those top big shots.

Champion Giovanni… his official identity is the Viridian Gym Leader, so he'll definitely participate. His Beedrill is a genuine Champion-level, probably even stronger than Lance, though perhaps slightly weaker than the legendary Red, but he's absolutely unbeatable at the moment!

And then there's Uncle Liu from Kaji Town... he's even more of a heavyweight.

Liu Bo is a trainer with over fifty years of experience, and he has honed an amazing willpower through years of training.

In the anime, when he was young, Luffy was a competitive trainer, but he was burned by Magmar in a battle. When he was bedridden, his Mamoswine left in a blizzard and never returned, making Luffy feel that he had been abandoned by it.

After that, Pygmy became the ruthless "Winter Pygmy," rigorously training Pokémon, keeping his distance from them, and never developing a trusting relationship with them.

After Ash appeared, while Psy was rescuing Ash from Team Rocket's attack, the two fell to the bottom of a cliff.

They discovered a cave and found a long-haired pig frozen in the ice. It was carrying herbs that could heal burns. Uncle Liu then realized that the long-haired pig had gone to find the herbs but had been trapped by a blizzard.

Later, after they thawed the long-haired pig, it was reunited with Uncle Liu.

Moved by the long-haired pig, Liu Bo challenged Xiao Zhi to a gym battle the next morning.

After Pikachu used Thunderbolt dozens of times to wet him, Pikachu was nearly exhausted, but the long-haired pig could still move. In the end, Pikachu realized that there was no point in continuing, so he gave up.

Plum is also the only gym leader in the anime who voluntarily conceded defeat to Ash.

Of course, the sense of oppression that Ryubo exudes in the anime is far less than that in the manga special.

In the manga, Liu Bo is a frail old man who needs to use a wheelchair. He is humble and polite and is the oldest of all the dojo masters.

By manipulating the moisture in the air, Liu Bo's ice body can change shape at will. When he goes into battle, he embeds his wheelchair in the ice and puts on a cloak to cover his body. Even if he is attacked and damaged, he can regenerate. This is the so-called "permanent ice wall".

On the surface, Liu Bo has the strength to be elected as the commander-in-chief of the capital's dojo.

However, the reality behind the scenes is completely different.

When he was young, Luffy lost his beloved Lapras. For the sake of his beloved Pokémon, Luffy wanted to catch Celebi so that it could take him back to the past and save them.

To this end, Uncle Liu devised an evil long-term plan.

He often wears the Ice Mask, disguises himself as the Masked Man, and tries to capture Celebi at the Oak Forest Shrine every full moon night.

Besides, as a masked man, Luffy secretly defeated Ho-Oh twice using his main Pokémon Delibird. During the Sinnoh Saga, Luffy even used Slug to fight against Dialga, the newly created Time Dragon. Because they had fallen into the Time Rift, they were not affected by Roar of Time...

To defeat Ho-Oh and fight Dialga, they used Pokémon like Delibird and Boar, which were practically commonplace...

One can imagine how terrifying Liu Bo's true skill level must be.

A legendary trainer who is almost beyond the champion level!!

If Liu Bo were to participate in the dojo challenge, he would definitely be the best candidate to win the championship.

In contrast, Blaine of Cinnabar Town, although he was once the Fire-type Elite Four member of the Kanto region and his strength is beyond doubt, does not seem to give off the same overwhelming sense of pressure as the previous two.

After some analysis, Shi Dou felt that pressure and motivation coexisted.

To win the championship, Sakaki and Ryuhachi are two teams that must be bypassed.

It's worth mentioning that these two are very busy people and probably have no interest in this kind of exchange competition.

In this way, Shi Dou will have a chance.

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P.S.: Thanks to 【狐狐是大？】 for the ten casual comments!

Chapter 85: Conquering the Henan Ship - BOSS, Space Station Gameplay? (8K)

After exchanging a few more words in the group chat, Yu Longdu patted Shi Dou on the shoulder and whispered, "This exchange tournament is a great stage. It will not only hone your skills but also allow the league's higher-ups to see your potential more clearly. Keep up the good work, I believe in you."

“I will, Mr. Watari.” Tokito nodded solemnly.

After seeing Yulongdu off, the dojo returned to tranquility for a while.

Shi Dou sat in the headmaster's seat, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrest, his mind repeatedly pondering the [Dojo Exchange Tournament] he had just learned about.

Shi Dou felt he had to give it his all in this competition, as its significance went far beyond simply winning or losing.

For Shidou, this grand event, which brings together all the official gym leaders from Kanto and Johto, is an excellent platform.

The competition will undoubtedly be broadcast throughout the region via the league, attracting countless viewers. If he can stand out in this highly competitive event and win the championship, he will gain not only honor and rewards, but also an immeasurable surge in popularity.

Currently, Shidou's bracelet has stored over 410,000 popularity points, but the 500,000 threshold required to summon the sixth spirit is unlikely to be crossed in the short term without a major event.

However, the prestige and attention brought by winning this competition were enough for him to easily break through the 500,000 mark, or even far exceed it.

Based on this alone, Shi Dou must fight with all his might to win.

Turning his thoughts to the upcoming match itself, Shi Nuodou began to examine his lineup. With half a month left before the match, the key was to maximize the team's overall strength within this limited time.

The core members, Incaros, Cain, and Gager, have all evolved to their final forms and are now firmly established. They are the backbone of the team, and the possibility of them achieving another qualitative leap in just half a month is extremely slim.

Therefore, the key to breaking the deadlock naturally fell on the two new members.

Ioda, who just underwent fusion reincarnation and level reset, and the newly joined, infinitely promising Flash Salud.

If he can successfully train Iouda to evolve into King Ruth and Salud to evolve into Sagros before the start of the exchange tournament, his tactical system will become more comprehensive and flexible. Both King Ruth's water-type power and Sagros's fierce offensive will greatly enrich his battle options and allow him to deal with opponents of different types more easily.

Shi Dou is relatively confident in training Iyoda. Essentially, it is a retrospective and potential reshaping of Balus after fusing with the small fin fish. Its foundation is still there. It only needs to go through systematic battles and experience accumulation to be able to return to the path of transformation relatively quickly. The goal is clear and the process is controllable.