Ash, with his invincible physical body, wants to become a Pokémon Master

What's wrong with the trainers in this city? How dare they challenge the gym with such strength?

"But it looks like this opponent will be a formidable foe." Ash got excited and quickly went out to pull Misty up.

"Let's hurry up and challenge the gym!"

In the afternoon, Ash and his friends finally arrived at the gym. Pushing open the seemingly heavy door, they found the inside as dark as the Pewter Gym.

[Ding! New main quest triggered: The Orange Badge!: Defeat Lt. Surge, the Vermilion City Gym Leader]

[Rewards: Alliance Coins +500; Special Attack +2, Free Attributes +3;]

Emerging from the darkness were a tall, red-haired, mature woman in a red vest and military-style trousers, and a muscular man with a buzz cut dressed in a dark style.

The two of them have incredibly powerful auras; could they be gym leaders?

"I'm Ash from Pallet Town, here to challenge the Gym Leader."

"Master, we have another victim here," the man with the buzz cut called out as he turned around.

Unexpectedly, the real gym leader was sitting in the chair directly behind the two of them; it was too dark for Ash to notice.

Do these gym trainers like to suddenly appear from the darkness because it makes them look cool?

"Hehe, let me see."

A tall figure stepped out. He was a burly man with dark skin, wearing a military uniform with his shirt open, revealing his strong muscles, and with short, blond hair standing on end.

If it weren't for his Asian face, Xiao Zhi would have seriously suspected that he was an American soldier from the Celestial Empire who had traveled over from another world.

"Welcome to Konoha City."

Standing at two meters tall, Maslow opens his arms in welcome. His imposing stature in this pose is quite intimidating.

But Ash showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, he looked up and met Ash's gaze directly, his eyes filled with high fighting spirit.

"This little snack showed quite the courage."

Looking at Ash, Lt. Surge gave a hearty smile, then glanced at Pikachu beside Ash.

"But a baby is still a baby, and so are the Pokémon." After saying that, March burst into laughter again.

"What little baby?" Ash couldn't help but get a little angry when he heard the other party mocking his Pokémon like that.

I'll reveal my true muscular physique, it'll scare you to death.

"Everyone who loses to me, I call them Little Baby." He took a Poké Ball out of his pocket and released the Pokémon inside.

"Then I'll show you!"

It is a very tall Raichu, its height alone is as tall as two of Ash's Pikachu standing upright.

"My Raichu is proficient in all Electric-type moves. Only a Pokémon like that can be considered powerful."

Raichu stood with his hands on his hips, staring proudly at Pikachu.

"You're so small, you're practically a pet."

"Don't underestimate my Pikachu."

"What can a little baby do? A true trainer should evolve their Pokémon on the very first day they catch it!"

Ma Xueshi burst into laughter again.

"Okay, the rules are 1v1. Your Pikachu battles my Raichu. If you win, I'll give you a badge."

The temple was brightly lit, revealing the dueling arena in the central hall. Lt. Surge and Ash stood on opposite sides with practiced ease, and the referee's voice came from the loudspeakers on the wall.

"The official gym battle is now beginning. Both sides will engage in one-on-one Pokémon battles. Gym Leader Lt. Surge will use Raichu, and challenger Ash will use Pikachu. There is no time limit. The battle has begun!"

"The match begins!"

Chapter Twenty-Two: Departure of the St. Anne

Both sides' Pokémon immediately entered the arena to prepare.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

This is Pikachu's starting move; it always starts each battle with a Thunderbolt attack as a warm-up.

Generally speaking, Electric-type moves are not as ineffective against Electric-type Pokémon as they are against Ground-type Pokémon.

However, since the opponent's Raichu is also an electric mouse Pokémon, using Thunderbolt can cause damage, but it can also charge the opponent's battery.

It's not worth it if the opponent is an evolved form with a longer health bar.

But that's exactly what Ash wanted. As you can see from what just happened, Lt. Surge's personality means he won't give up the attack under these conditions.

"Thunder, thunder!"

After being shocked by Pikachu's Thunderbolt, Raichu's cheeks immediately crackled with electricity, and an excited expression appeared on his face.

"Little baby, do you know what you're doing?"

As expected, Ma Zhishi fell for it.

"Raichu, use Thunderbolt too! Let's show them what real electric shock is like!"

"Pikachu, Quick Attack!"

The lightning bolts released by Raichu's Thunderbolt are incredibly thick and look quite powerful, but they are useless if they can't hit the target.

Pikachu moved nimbly across the field, dodging every electric shock.

"Damn it, all they do is run away."

Seeing Raichu panting heavily as he continuously unleashed 100,000 volts, Lt. Surge began to get a little anxious.

"Raichu, use Mount Tai Slam!"

Raichu seized the opportunity and leaped up, charging towards Pikachu.

But it still didn't work. Although Raichu made great progress in size and strength after evolving, it also lost the agility and speed of its original Pikachu form.

Raichu's Body Slam still couldn't hit Pikachu.

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack on Raichu!"

This was something Mather hadn't expected; the other party had actually walked right into his trap.

"Little darling, are you out of your mind? How could your Pikachu possibly be stronger than my Raichu?"

"We'll use ramming to show them what real power is!"

"Thunder, thunder!"

"Pikachu, Pikachu!"

Pikachu and Raichu collided fiercely, but to Lt. Surge's surprise, it was his own Raichu that was sent flying. "How is this possible!"

"Nothing is impossible!"

That's the power of muscles! Pikachu stayed by Ash's side the whole time, training with him.

Although he always looked reluctant, Pikachu obediently completed all the exercises.

In addition, when he has free time, Ash will tie heavy sandbags to his feet and run around the forest with his Pokémon to give them extra leg strength training.

Because he gets lost every day, Ash has a lot of free time!

The results of the training are now evident; even a small creature like Pikachu can knock away opponents five times its own weight in battle.

"Pikachu, press your advantage and unleash Thunderbolt at full power!"

"Pikachu!"

The dust kicked up by Raichu when he fell to the ground, where he was knocked away, had not yet settled.

A bolt of lightning, even thicker than the 100,000 volts Raichu had used earlier, struck again.

"Raichu..." Raichu's eyes developed the signature mosquito coil look, rendering it unable to fight.

After recalling Raichu, Lt. Surge walked up to Ash.

"Congratulations, Ash and Pikachu, you are the winners."

"That was a beautiful win, it really impressed me."

After winning the match, Lt. Surge finally changed his nickname from "baby" to "Challenger Ash."

"This is the evidence that defeated me, the orange badge."

"Thank you, Mr. Maslow."

He took the badge from Lt. Surge. It was a yellow badge that looked a bit like a sunflower. It was delicate and cute, but it didn't match the image of the museum owner at all.

"Great! I got the orange badge."

With the iconic Pass up his sleeve, Ash has finally collected his third badge.

"Pikachu!"

[Ding! Main Quest: Orange Badge! Completed.]

[Rewards: Alliance Coins +500; Special Attack +2; Free Attributes +3;]

[When you have an orange badge, the power of Electric-type moves increases by 5%]

After leaving the gym, Misty looked at the sunset and asked Ash:

Where are we going next?

"The next gym is in Saffron City, but let's go to the docks and find the St. Anne first."

"The Saint Anne?" Xiaoxia said in surprise. "Why? The tickets are expensive."

"Didn't you say you wanted to take a ride? Don't worry about the money, I've already prepared it."

Xiaoxia was deeply moved that Xiaozhi remembered her casual remark so clearly.

[Ding! Xiaoxia: Affection +5]

Ash's decision to go to the St. Anne wasn't solely for Misty's sake.

Although he remembered that the St. Anne was backed by Team Rocket's leader, Giovanni, the trainers and wealthy people gathered on this voyage were genuine.

Xiao Zhi looks longingly at the valuable items in the system shop every day, but he is troubled by his lack of money.

Saving money by the hundreds of dollars at a time would take forever!

So he was determined to make a fortune on the voyage of the St. Anne!

------------

Koba City is a famous port city in the Kanto region with a beautiful environment and frequent trade.

After Ash and his friends finished challenging the gym, they finally arrived at Misty's long-awaited destination: the luxury cruise ship St. Anne.

They were already heading to the ticket office to buy tickets.

Unexpectedly, Ash won the prize and received two tickets for the St. Anne.

Although the two staff members at the lottery location looked strange.

She was dressed like a Shibuya gyaru (a type of Japanese girl), but her face...

"Aren't those two Musashi and Kojiro? Those bastards from Team Rocket have broken out of prison again."

Ash has sent them to prison countless times, but they always manage to escape.

Their makeup skills weren't particularly advanced this time; you could tell if you looked closely. But that's the magic of the Pokémon world.

The Rockets could wear hats so that Miss Officer Jenny wouldn't recognize them.

Xiao Zhi was too lazy to expose them, after all, tickets for luxury cruise ships are very expensive.

He really should thank those two idiots for giving it to him for free.

Inside a base near the port.

The Rockets are talking to their boss, Alvin, via a big screen.

"The previous failures almost made me completely disappointed in you. This time, we must take all the Pokémon from those trainers who were lured up here!"

Although the screen was focused directly on Boss Sakaki, his face was still obscured by heavy shadows.

"This operation must succeed; failure is not an option!"