Pokémon: Trainers Start as Bounty Hunters.

Lt. Surge's face flushed almost imperceptibly, and he coughed lightly, making a fist with his left hand in front of his mouth. "Go, my baby, Electric Dragon."

The challenger, who hadn't been involved in gym battles for a long time, has reappeared, and their skills have declined somewhat.

Tetsuya then threw out the Super Ball, shouting, "Go, Iron Man Tyrannosaurus!"

Is Ampharos really a Pokémon designed specifically for gym battles? Are gyms really that powerful these days?

How come he remembered that the Pokémon commonly used in Vermilion City Gym were Electabuzz, Electabuzz, Xeno'jiiva, Magneton, and the like?

It's quite rare for an electric dragon to appear in the Mare sheep herd.

Lt. Surge spoke up: "This electric dragon is one I recently bred. It just evolved and is level 31, so you don't need to worry too much."

"I really appreciate your comfort," Tetsuya said, speechless.

"Iron Tyrannosaurus Rex, Rock Blast!"

Of course, his verbal commands were not slowed down at all.

Mt. Surge nodded slightly. "Electric Dragon, use cotton spores, then charge."

The somewhat weak spores danced in the air, intercepting the rapidly attacking rocks one by one.

You call this thing cotton spores? Even regular cotton doesn't have such exaggerated defense, right? Tetsuya felt his sarcastic spirit burning brightly today.

Even if Grass-type moves have high resistance to Rock-type moves, this is somewhat of an exaggeration.

However, seeing the yellow light flashing on the electric dragon's body, he hurried on.

"earthquake!"

Chapter 109 The Battle with Lt. Surge

The armored tyrannosaurus leaped slightly, its feet leaving the ground, and then, "Hong!"

As it landed back on the ground, the entire area began to shake.

The electric dragon's face clearly showed pain; Ground-type moves were extremely effective against it.

The charging skill being used was thus interrupted and could not be used successfully.

"That's a quick reaction," Ma Xueshi thought to himself.

But how do you counter this move? He thought with interest. "Electric Dragon, Energy Blast!"

Tetsuya's expression changed repeatedly. This was too unfair! The power of the True Energy Bullet was a full 120! It was a Fighting-type ultimate move, and it was incredibly effective against the Ironhide Tyrannosaurus Rex due to its type advantage.

But whose level 31 electric dragon can learn Focus Blast? Are you kidding me? Are you even reasonable?

The electric dragon's yellow skin gradually emitted a white light, with the light from a red sphere on its forehead being particularly intense.

Flattened hands slowly rose to the center of her white abdomen, forming a platinum sphere.

Just before the electric dragon made these moves, Tetsuya hurriedly commanded the armored tyrannosaurus to respond, he didn't think Lt. Surge was shouting out skills randomly.

"Use your tail to whip up a rockfall! Then smash it to pieces with your arms!"

Then he saw the electric dragon actually charging up to use its true energy blast, and he immediately felt a pang of toothache.

As the Ironclad Tyrannosaurus Rex slightly turned its body, it used its tail to curl up rocks and unleash a Rock Slide attack on the Electric Dragon, while a burst of white light condensed on its hands.

After being hit by the rockfall, the electric dragon's face showed even more pain, but it still managed to throw out a fully charged energy blast despite the pain.

The platinum-gold orb flew rapidly toward the Ironclad Tyrannosaurus Rex and collided with its arms.

After a brief stalemate, the ball of light exploded with a deafening roar, kicking up clouds of dust.

"Ironclad Tyrannosaurus, continue..."

Just as Tetsuya was about to unleash the armored Tyrannosaurus Rex from the smoke and dust, Lt. Surge spoke up.

"Alright, that's enough. You've passed this gym battle."

Lt. Surge knew that Electro Dragon was in poor condition, and judging from what had just happened, while Ironhide Raptor was seriously injured, it was not to the point of being unable to fight.

The power of a single-arm hammer is 100. If both arms are used simultaneously, and the opponent has a certain level advantage, Ma Zhishi estimates that the opponent still has enough stamina to take another Qi blast.

The purpose of gym battles is simply to select qualified trainers, and he believes that Tetsuya is already good enough.

There's no need to inflict further damage on the already weakened electric dragon.

Tetsuya immediately stopped giving instructions, and soon the smoke and dust gradually dissipated.

The armored tyrannosaurus stood in the arena, arms outstretched in front of him in a defensive stance, its body covered in wounds, panting heavily.

His gaze was fixed on the nearly exhausted electric dragon opposite him.

"Alright, Ironclad Tyrannosaurus, the battle is over."

Hearing the trainer's words, the Rhyperior relaxed its guard slightly and breathed a sigh of relief.

Both of them simultaneously recalled their Pokémon. "Thank you for your hard work, Ampharos." "Thank you, Tyranitar."

Ma Xueshi, whose face had been stern, suddenly smiled, though his expression was slightly stiff.

"Very good command, quick reaction, but you were a bit nervous."

Tetsuya smiled awkwardly, after all, it was his first time facing a true Elite Four level trainer, and he was indeed a little nervous.

Otherwise, the Ironhide Rhydon wouldn't have fared so poorly against an Electric Dragon that was only at the initial elite level.

I didn't realize it immediately. I should have let the Ironhide Raptor charge in for melee with Rock Smooth, so that many of the Ampharos's charged attacks wouldn't be usable.

Without charging, it can only use its own type moves at most, and electric-type moves are ineffective against Rhyperior.

Tetsuya reflected on himself, realizing he was still a bit too young.

Lt. Surge walked up to him, pulled an orange badge from the Vermilion Gym from his pocket, and said, "Now, the orange badge is yours! Good luck, young man!"

Tetsuya subconsciously took the badge, and was about to thank him when Lt. Surge had already walked out of the battlefield.

At this moment, the referee, who had long since faded into the background, stepped forward and said, "Trainer Tamaki Tetsuya, you can keep this badge safe. We will complete the relevant information entry."

The process for battles against the gym leader is different from the usual one.

He quickly expressed his gratitude and then left the Vermilion City Gym to return to the Pokémon Center.

After handing the Super Ball of the Iron Man to Miss Joy and asking her to restore it, Tetsuya sat to the side and began to think.

To be honest, he didn't expect his opponent in this gym battle to be the gym leader, and the whole process seemed a bit anticlimactic.

Although the outcome could be considered decided, he still felt something was off, and the promised guidance or anything like that hadn't materialized, which was very strange.

Inside the Vermilion City Gym Leader's office, Lt. Surge, with his blond hair and wearing a jacket, rubbed his temples, groaning. Oh no, he'd rushed off and forgotten to give advice.

I'm really out of practice. Looks like I need to visit the dojo more often these days.

He thought to himself that the armored tyrannosaurus was probably newly tamed, and its teamwork was only so-so, but its command was still excellent.

Tetsuya, of course, had no idea what Lt. Surge was thinking at that moment. Although it was strange, he was happy enough to receive the badge.

Unfortunately, he walked in a little too fast and didn't get to use his signature move, which he regretted a bit.

As for performing actions in the lobby of the Pokémon Center now, attracting a large crowd, he would probably be featured on forum discussions the next day, becoming famous overnight and instantly ruined.

"duo~"

The phone on the wristwatch suddenly rang. Tetsuya glanced at the caller and answered the phone with a puzzled look.

"Hello, this is Tetsuya Tamaki."

A voice that sounded exactly like Xiaogang's rang out, "Good afternoon, Tetsuya-nii, long time no see."

This is Jiro, Kogoro's younger brother. He is currently 14 years old, but he often works alongside Kogoro and the master of the martial arts school. He is even more composed than Kogoro.

During the time he stayed at the Pewter Dojo, he often chatted with Jiro, but since he left, Jiro hadn't contacted him at all, so he didn't know why Jiro was suddenly looking for him now.

"Long time no see, Jiro. Is there something you need from me?"

"Tetsuya-nii is still as direct as ever," Jiro chuckled. "I have something important to tell you, but it's not that big."

Tetsuya remained silent. He was already used to Jiro's strange way of speaking, and he knew that Jiro would continue the conversation on his own.

Sure enough, Jiro simply took a breath and continued, "Tetsuya-nii, if you need anything or anything for a while, you'll have to contact me for help."

"What's wrong with Xiaogang?" Tetsuya asked instinctively.

"Father sent my brother to the mole burrow to train with Grandpa, saying it was to gain some experience, but I don't know the specifics," Jiro replied.

Chapter 110 Fishing Competition

"Okay, actually you could have just sent me a message about it, it's not a big deal."

Tetsuya said nonchalantly.

"I still need to give Tetsuya-nii a proper call and tell him," Jiro replied with a smile. "There's nothing else. Tetsuya-nii, you probably haven't eaten yet, right? Go eat first, and contact me if anything comes up."

"Okay, okay," Tetsuya readily agreed and hung up the phone.

To be honest, he felt that Jiro was sometimes even more reliable than Kogoro, though he didn't know if it was just his imagination.

In the backyard of the Pewter Dojo, Jiro looked at his father, Takeo, and said, "It's settled, Father."

Wu Neng, with a dark expression, nodded slightly. "Hmm, Tamaki Tetsuya is a pretty good trainer. He has good talent and a good mind. Spend more time with him these days."

"Hmm." Jiro comforted his father, who was in an unusually bad mood. "It's okay, your brother isn't really in any danger. Calm down."

"Don't mention that bastard, it's all because of Xiaomi that he's been corrupted," Wu Neng muttered under his breath.

"Isn't this already sent to Grandpa? He'll take care of it." Jiro said it wasn't a big deal, since his own father had been raised the same way by his grandfather.

"No, I need to have a serious talk with your mother." Wu Neng was still not at peace and walked outside.

Jiro hesitated, wanting to say that his mother, Mimi, had just come into the house and hadn't gone out.

But never mind, I can't just watch my dad get beaten up.

Who can blame me when my mom is a water-related expert?

Jiro shrugged, sighed, and walked towards the dojo.

After his older brother was sent to live with his grandfather, he suddenly became extremely busy. Not only did he have to take over Xiaogang's responsibilities for various affairs at the dojo, but he also had to take care of his younger siblings and study on top of that. Life was tough for him.

"Young Master Jiro, Nurse Joy from the Pokémon Center wants you to bring different Pokémon over. The new generation of universal Pokémon energy level testing equipment has arrived, and she says you need to go and confirm its accuracy."

The staff member was walking briskly towards them. When he saw Jiro, his face lit up with joy, and he began to talk to him from afar.

Jiro nodded with a gentle smile to indicate that he understood, then turned and walked into the breeding room to begin selecting the Pokémon he needed.

For members of the league like them, especially those in the gyms, the Pokémon energy level detection equipment they use is actually very accurate.

However, the cost is also very high.

In order to expand the scale and improve efficiency, the general version of the Pokémon Center will inevitably control costs, which will also reduce accuracy.

This involves a gym challenge, so even though the Joy family must have measured it beforehand, the local gym still needs to confirm it; it's part of the process.

It's very complicated. Jiro sighed silently. Life is tough. Brother, please come back soon.

After hanging up the phone, Tetsuya, who was far away in Konoha City, was informed that his Iron Man Tyrannosaurus Rex had been restored.

As usual, I thanked Miss Joey and was about to leave when I saw a blue flyer next to me.

"Oh, this is an event that will be held at the Reyja Fishing Ground this afternoon!"

Miss Joey watched as Tetsuya picked up the flyer and explained the situation to him.

"Kuroba City is a port city surrounded by rivers and the ocean, so the fishing industry is also very developed."

We have six fishing grounds available for trainers to fish, and one of the grounds hosts a similar event every two months.

Raya Fishing Grounds is the largest fishing ground, and the champion's reward for this event is unexpectedly generous—a pearl produced during the evolution of a Pearl Oyster.

If I weren't so busy with work, I would love to go and participate.

As Tetsuya listened to Miss Joy's explanation and looked at the information on the brochure, he became interested.

Pearls produced by pearl oysters during their evolution are a rare commodity.

Clamshell, a bivalve Pokémon, has a pink body surrounded by a blue, protective-looking object, which appears to be a shell, but its composition is different.

Its evolution has two paths: one is to evolve into a Spotted Fish by carrying a Deep Sea Fang, and the other is to evolve into a Cherry Fish by carrying Deep Sea Scales.

This conclusion was drawn by Dr. Oda Birch when he investigated the phenomenon that pearl oysters only undergo specific evolutions on different islands in the Iroha Islands. He discovered that the water in the caves on the islands contained components of deep-sea teeth and deep-sea scales.