I caught a Pokémon

"Are you planning to challenge Brock, the gym leader of Pewter City Gym?"

Ash nodded: "Of course! After leaving the Pokémon Center, I'll challenge the Pewter Gym and defeat him!"

Unexpectedly, the middle-aged man burst into laughter upon hearing Xiao Zhi's words.

"Hahaha, you think you can take that?"

His tone was mocking, and before Xiaozhi could speak, he burst into laughter again and left.

Seeing him leave the Pokémon Center, Xia You couldn't help but ask, "Who is this guy? Why does he seem to look down on you?"

Xiaoxia explained, "His name is Wu Neng. He was an uncle who sold stones when we first arrived here."

Martial arts? The old man selling stones?

Xia You was taken aback at first, then realized that this was Xiao Gang's father who had been away from home for many years!

Watching his retreating figure, Ash said angrily, "Hmph, this old man underestimates me. Fine, I'll go to the gym right now and beat Brock to show him!"

"That's quite a coincidence." Xia You shrugged and smiled. "I was just about to challenge the Dark Grey Gym, so why don't we go together?"

……

Dark gray, the color of stone. It is said that this city has been famous for its abundant stone production since ancient times. However, apart from stones and fossils, it has no other special features and can be considered a quiet northern town.

The city is surrounded by mountains and farmland, and a wide river divides it in two. The Dark Grey Gym is located in the northwest of the city, across the street from another famous building in the city—the Dark Grey Science and Natural History Museum.

The group arrived at the Dark Grey Gym.

From a distance, the Dark Grey Gym looks like it's made of layers of giant stones and steel. But when you get closer, you realize that this is just a facade. Those giant stones are just thin stones used to make fake doors!

Only after bypassing the door will you truly discover that the back of the Dark Grey Gym is no different from an ordinary warehouse.

"What the heck?" Xiaoxia muttered. "I thought the whole dojo was made of stone, but it turns out only this little bit in the front is real stone!"

Pushing open the dojo door, even in daylight, the inside was still incredibly dark.

Xia You and the others filed in, and only when they reached the center of the dojo did a spotlight suddenly turn on, illuminating a corner where a man in a green vest was sitting cross-legged.

Who are you?

The man's voice was calm and his tone was even, like that of a highly accomplished monk in deep meditation.

"Are you Brock, the Gym Leader?" Ash asked first. "I'm Ash from Pallet Town, and I'm here to challenge you!"

Xia You then said, "I am Xia You, and I am also here to challenge the dojo."

"As the Gym Leader, I don't care how many people come to challenge me," Brock said slowly as he stood up. "However, I can only use two Pokémon at a time. Who among you would like to battle me first?"

Only then did Xia You truly see what Xiao Gang looked like.

With spiky hair and a prematurely aged face, he was serious, and his eyes were squinting. Even upon close inspection, it was difficult to tell whether his eyes were open or closed.

After glancing at Xia You, Xiao Zhi stepped forward, eager to try, and said, "Of course I'll go first, bring it on!"

Seeing Ash's reaction, Xia You didn't try to compete with him. Instead, she took her Pokémon and went to the audience seats.

"Go for it, Ash!" Xiaoxia waved to Ash and then came to Xia You's side.

Looking at Ash, Brock snapped his fingers, and instantly all the lights in the gym turned on, illuminating every corner. Meanwhile, doors suddenly opened under the spectator stands on both sides, and two battle arenas made of earth and rock slowly emerged and eventually joined together.

As a Rock and Ground-type trainer, Brock's gym naturally features a Rock/Ground terrain.

Seeing Ash bring Pikachu onto the field, Brock leaped to the Trainer Command Area on the other side.

Ash pointed forward and shouted, "Go, Pikachu!"

"You're really young." Seeing this, Brock smiled and threw out his Poké Ball. "Come out, my Pokémon—Onix!"

Chapter 16 Battle against Xiao Gang

When Onix first appeared, its enormous size and its disdainful, cold gaze toward smaller Pokémon startled Pikachu.

"Pikachu! Pikachu!"

Pikachu trotted back to Ash's side, lifted his clothes, and tried to press the switches on the other Poké Balls, wanting to trade battles with Ash's other Pokémon!

"Hey!" Ash grabbed Pikachu and said angrily, "Pikachu! Don't go and trade with Pidgeotto on your own, go battle now!"

Under Ash's shoving and urging, Pikachu reluctantly returned to the battlefield.

Using electrical systems to strike the ground...

In the audience, Xia You smiled silently. Not understanding the Pokémon type matchups and engaging in random battles was both Ash's weakness and his strength. It was precisely because of this that he was able to repeatedly defeat many strong opponents with his creative tactics.

However, he still lacks experience...

Shaking her head, Xia You took out the Pokédex from her pocket and pointed it at Pikachu.

Ash's Pikachu is no different in appearance from the common Pikachu.

Its entire body is covered in soft, golden fur. It has long ears, two red, round electric sacs on its cheeks, a serrated lightning bolt tail, and a pair of shiny black eyes, making it look very cute.

Pokémon Pokédex entry: "Pikachu, the mouse Pokémon, Electric-type, also known as Electric Mouse. Its cheek pouches can store electricity. When angry, it releases all the stored electricity at once to deliver an electric shock."

Xia You then pointed the Pokédex at Onix.

The Great Oni has a long rocky horn on its head, a tall body made up of many huge gray rocks, and a snake-like shape. It looks very fierce and domineering.

Pokémon Pokédex entry: "Onix, Rock Snake Pokémon, Rock/Ground type. Its body, formed from a chain of giant rocks, resembles a giant snake. It can swallow soil and create long tunnels, moving underground at a speed of 80 kilometers per hour."

With Xiao Gang's command, the battle began.

"Onix! Use Tackle!"

Upon hearing the command, Onix rolled its massive body and slammed its huge head into Pikachu.

Pikachu jumped around, frightened by Onix's terrifying aura, and only knew how to run away, without any intention to fight back. Soon, Onix seized the opportunity and tightly wrapped its tail around Pikachu.

"Very good, Onix, use Bind Attack!"

Seeing Pikachu unable to move and struggling in pain under the immense power of Onix, Ash watched anxiously from the sidelines and shouted, "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

Upon hearing Ash's words, Pikachu's cheeks flashed with lightning, followed by a burst of intense electricity. However, even so, it did not cause any damage to Onix.

Over there, Brock crossed his arms and said, "As a trainer, your method is really flawed. You think you can defeat my Onix with just Electric Shock? That's incredibly naive!"

"Damn it!" Ash clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, but Pikachu was in increasing pain and unable to break free. Finally, he shouted helplessly, "Stop! I surrender this match!"

Seeing Brock nod, Onix released its tail, and Pikachu fell off, only to be caught by Ash who ran into the arena.

"Are you alright, Pikachu?"

Seeing that the battle was over, Xia You slowly walked down from the audience seats, not knowing how to comfort him for a moment.

However, given Ash's personality, he will probably pick himself up again soon.

Upon arriving at the trainer command area, Xia You said to Brock, "Alright, the appetizer is over. Now it's my turn."

Looking at Xia You, Xiao Gang put away his Onix and took out another Poké Ball.

"You seem completely different from the person from before."

"Although he is still a bit immature and lacks experience," Xia You said with a smile, "I think that with practice, he will eventually become a respected Pokémon Master."

Ash, who was carrying Pikachu and walking onto the stands, turned around abruptly upon hearing these words. It was the first time he had been recognized, and his eyes welled up with tears.

This person... actually thinks so highly of me?

"Come out, Geodude!" Brock threw out his Poké Ball, and with a flash of blue light, a round rock with thick arms appeared in front of Xia You.

Pokémon Pokédex entry: "Ding, Geodude, a Rock Pokémon, Rock and Ground type. It mostly inhabits mountain forests and buries half of its body in the ground to observe the actions of climbers. Because it looks like a rock, passersby often accidentally step on it and trip over it."

Xia You turned around, her gaze shifting between Squirtle and Bulbasaur, before saying to Bulbasaur, "Bulbasaur, this battle is yours!"

"Seeds, seeds!"

Whether it's the Water-type Squirtle or the Grass-type Bulbasaur, they can deal four times the damage against Rock and Ground-type Pokémon due to the double advantage. So no matter which one you choose, this battle looks quite easy.

In the audience, when Xiaozhi walked over, Xiaoxia first touched Pikachu's forehead, and then said to Xiaozhi with a smile, "You know about type advantages and disadvantages. It seems that you are different from you, you idiot. Xia You understands battle better and is a qualified trainer."

Surprisingly, Xiao Zhi did not refute her, but instead carefully observed Xia You's every move.

Perhaps it was Xia You's approval that made Xiao Zhi value this person more.

Once Bulbasaur and Geodude were in position, the match officially began.

"Geosphere, use Tackle!"

Xia You shouted, "Bulbasaur, let it see our new move! Use Razor Leaf!"

Before Geodude could get close, many leaves emitting a green glow suddenly appeared around Bulbasaur and flew towards Geodude.

Xiao Gang shouted, "Little Geodude, get out of the way!"

However, the Leaf Blade was too fast, and even though Brock gave the order, it still hit Geodude accurately.

The effect is outstanding!

After the thick smoke from the explosion cleared, Geodude looked pained. Seeing this, Brock ordered, "Geodude, use Rockfall!"

Geodude raised its hands, and instantly several huge rocks appeared out of thin air under the ceiling, crashing down on Bulbasaur.

The area was too large, and Xia You knew that Bulbasaur's speed was not enough to dodge it, so he decisively ordered, "Bulbasaur, aim at those rocks and use Razor Leaf!"

Green light condensed, and Razor Leaf shot out again, striking the rocks. Although it shattered most of the rocks, many fragments still hit Bulbasaur.

Even after being hit by a rock, Bulbasaur remained standing calmly in place, as if the pain was nothing to worry about.

Chapter 17, Second Badge, Gray Badge

"Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip!"

Bulbasaur shook off the dust, and two vines stretched out from its flower bud, extending forward and slamming heavily onto Geodude.

Geodude took several lashes and looked pained. Seeing that it was at a disadvantage, Xiao Gang hurriedly shouted, "This can't go on, Geodude! Quickly close the distance and use Rolling Attack!"

Geodude tucked in its fists, spun rapidly, and turned its body into a stone ball, rolling toward Bulbasaur at an incredible speed.

Is it trying to engage in close combat to dodge Bulbasaur's Razor Leaf Blade?

Xia You decisively said, "Don't let it succeed! Use the vine whip to entangle it!"

However, Geodude rolled too fast, and after dodging the vine whips several times, it finally crashed into Bulbasaur.

Unfortunately, Rollout is a Rock-type move, so after the collision, it only caused limited damage to Bulbasaur.

When the rolling stopped, Bulbasaur seized the opportunity to lift Geodude high in the air with its Vine Whip, binding it in mid-air.

"It's time to end the match! Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf!"

At such close range, the flying leaf blade struck again, completely rendering Geodude incapable of fighting. It fell to the ground like a stone sinking to the bottom of the sea, never to make a ripple again.

Xiao Gang put the Geodude away, his expression turning serious. He knew that he was at a disadvantage in terms of both strength and attributes.

"It's clear from the battle just now that you have a good strategy," Xiao Gang nodded in approval. "However, to get the Gray Badge, we still need to defeat this guy. Come out, Onix!"

Seeing Onix battle again, Xia You called back Bulbasaur and sent out Squirtle.

"It's up to you now, Squirtle."

"Jenny, Jenny!"

Perhaps having learned from his previous experience, as soon as the battle began, Brock shouted, "Onix, use Rock Tomb!"

Onix raised its body and opened its huge mouth. Instantly, countless huge rocks solidified in mid-air and fell, crashing down on Squirtle.

"Squirtle, use Retract!"

Upon hearing Xia You's words, Squirtle hurriedly retracted its head and limbs into its shell. A second later, a rock was seen falling, only to be bounced off by its hard shell.

"A perfect opportunity!" Xiao Gang's eyes flashed, and he shouted, "Onix, use Bind now!"

Before Squirtle could show itself, Onix quickly approached and used the same move it had used against Pikachu to wrap its tail around Squirtle and clamp it tightly.

It even made a frightening cracking sound when squeezing the turtle shell because it was using too much force.

In the stands, Xiaoxia's heart was in her throat, while Xiaozhi stared wide-eyed, eager to see how Xia You would respond when faced with the same move.

Inside the command area, Xia You calmly said, "Squirtle, use Rapid Spin!"

Squirtle's shell vibrated incessantly, the vibrations growing stronger as it rubbed against and collided with Onix's body. Finally, it spun at high speed, like a spinning top, forcefully bouncing Onix's body away.

High-speed spinning, a normal physical attack. Once used, it can not only damage the opponent, but also free the user from restraints and parasitic seed status!