I caught a Pokémon

Therefore, in Xia You's eyes, this gym battle was only slightly better than the one where Denji gave away badges for free.

This also significantly diminished his impression of Feng Lu.

but…

He looked around and saw that this was already the fifth challenger to take the stage, and couldn't help but sigh.

These weak challengers seem to prefer this 'effortless' approach!

Chapter 1346 I Won

The people ahead of Xia You had both wins and losses, and were dismissed in just a few minutes, seemingly casually.

Some left immediately, while others stayed to see how the others fared.

Soon, it was Xia You's turn.

Holding his number plate, he calmly walked forward and stood in front of Feng Lu, amidst the curious or amused gazes of the surrounding children.

Seeing it was him, Feng Lu winked at him and gave him a hearty smile: "Alright, the seventh challenger is here! Now, let your Pokémon show themselves and let me see what kind of lineup it is!"

Xia You didn't move, but looked into Feng Lu's eyes and calmly said, "I'm sorry, I refuse to engage in this childish 'fantasy battle.' Please have this gym battle with me in a normal way."

His voice wasn't loud, but in the relatively quiet environment, it reached the ears of everyone around him clearly.

The slightly noisy waiting area instantly fell silent. Everyone looked at Xia You in surprise, and even Feng Lu's smile froze.

"What did you say?" Feng Lu thought she had misheard.

“I said, I refuse this kind of battle where the outcome is determined solely by your mental simulations without any actual Pokémon battles.” Xia You’s tone remained calm, but carried an undeniable firmness. “This is not only disrespectful to the trainers who have come from afar, but also a desecration of the Gym Leader’s duties. As an official Gym Leader certified by the League, I believe you should show your true strength and have a fair and square battle with us, instead of just relying on your imagination.”

Xia You's words were by no means high-sounding rhetoric or a baseless accusation against Feng Lu from a supposed moral high ground.

That's definitely how he views the position of museum owner.

If you can't do your job properly, what kind of museum owner are you? Wouldn't it be better to just resign and fly planes every day?

Since you've chosen to become the curator, fulfilling your basic obligations is only natural!

Just as Xia You finished speaking, a low murmur arose from the surroundings.

Some of the younger children didn't understand, but some of the older challengers and staff looked surprised.

After all, in their view, this was a very efficient way to take on the challenge, and given Feng Lu's strength and status, people were willing to trust her judgment.

Therefore, until now, no one has ever raised such direct questions and objections.

But now…

Feng Lu's smile vanished completely. She frowned slightly, her tone tinged with displeasure: "I understand you might not be familiar with this format, but that's precisely the characteristic of our Blowpoke Gym. Through rapid simulation and judgment, we can effectively save time, giving more trainers the opportunity to experience gym challenges. It's also a test of Pokémon's basic stats and trainer team composition. Besides..."

At this point, she smiled slightly: "My fantasies are not unfounded; they are based on rich combat experience and rigorous logical reasoning, and are not child's play."

Although Feng Lu's words sounded plausible, Xia You saw them more as an excuse.

After all, no matter how eloquently you speak, nothing is more convincing than actually fighting a battle.

"Save time?" Xia You shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the challengers around him, most of whom were still young and had blank stares. "What have these young trainers learned from the time saved in this way? They don't need to think about tactics, they don't need to adapt to the situation, and their Pokémon don't even need to actually fight. They are declared defeated simply because the gym leader thinks they will lose. What value does such a challenge have, other than getting a badge that may be meaningless? To be frank, it's more like a lazy excuse."

These words were anything but polite, causing Feng Lu's face to turn pale and then red, and all the goodwill she had towards Xia You vanished.

"You...!" Her chest heaved slightly, clearly getting a little angry.

Xia You remained unmoved and continued, "If you are so confident in your judgment that you think you can decide the outcome with just a glance, then you might as well take a look at my Pokémon first, and then make a decision. Of course, I insist on a real, three-on-three battle. If the League has a rule that requires imaginary battles, I have nothing to say, but if not, then as the challenger, I have the right to demand a battle that conforms to the essence of a gym challenge."

His words were reasonable and well-founded, leaving Feng Lu speechless for a moment.

Indeed, the league does not have strict rules about what specific battle format gyms must use, as long as they comply with the basic rules. Therefore, gym leaders have a great deal of autonomy.

Feng Lu can certainly use this method, but Xia You also has the right to demand that the battle be conducted in accordance with the basic rules of the alliance.

The surrounding crowd began to whisper among themselves, and some of the older challengers showed thoughtful expressions. Clearly, Xia You's words had resonated with some people.

Feng Lu understood this as well.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

Looking at Xia You's calm yet determined eyes, and then at the challengers around him with their various expressions, he knew that he had encountered a "troublemaker" today, and a difficult one at that.

If we insist on a battle based on imagination, we might be able to drive him away, but it will inevitably give others something to criticize, and it will also be a challenge to our own reputation and the rules of the dojo.

“Okay.” Thinking of this, Feng Lu nodded, a smile returning to her face, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Since you insist, I don’t mind spending a little more time. However, before we go into actual combat, how about we go through the process of imaginary battles first? Let me see your Pokémon and let me judge whether you are worthy of my real time for actual combat.”

Her words carried a hint of provocation and scrutiny, clearly intending to give Xia You a mental warning.

Xia You shrugged indifferently: "Sure."

He didn't take out three Poké Balls; he simply pulled one out of his fanny pack at random.

As he pressed the switch, a blue light flashed, and his black Greninja appeared before the people.

Feng Lu was somewhat surprised to see this unique individual, with a lithe figure, all black body, and wearing a red scarf, quietly appear before her.

Greninja with its arms crossed and sharp, cold eyes, exuded a calm and powerful aura that seemed out of place with its surroundings.

"What kind of Pokémon is this!?"

Wow, this feels so cool!

The trainers around them pulled out their Pokédexes and scanned Greninja, but without an upgraded Pokédex, how could they find information on Pokémon from other regions?

Suddenly, a chorus of 'unrecognizable' voices filled the air.

Feng Lu's eyes narrowed slightly.

As a gym leader, she has seen many Pokémon and knows about Pokémon from other regions. She has naturally seen Greninja, but a shiny Greninja is indeed rare.

Moreover, judging from this Greninja's physique, eyes, and aura, it is definitely a seasoned veteran, far superior to the Pokémon of the previous challengers.

No wonder they have such confidence!

But as usual, she said, "Please send out your three Pokémon. One isn't enough."

“One is enough to deal with your delusions,” Xia You said calmly. “Begin your ‘deduction’.”

Feng Lu raised an eyebrow, her displeasure at Xia You's questioning, mixed with a feeling of being slighted, intensified.

She said no more, her gaze lingered on the Greninja for a moment, then she closed her eyes.

The surroundings fell silent again.

This time, Fenglu took longer to "think" than ever before.

Her brows furrowed slightly, and her lips were gently pursed, as if the battle in the "battlefield in her mind" was exceptionally fierce.

About a minute later, Feng Lu opened her eyes, looked at Xia You, and said in a complicated tone with a hint of "I knew it": "I'm sorry, your 'challenge' failed. In my imaginary battle, your Greninja was indeed very strong. In the first round, it unexpectedly defeated my first Pokémon, Heartbat, with its extremely fast speed and Water Shuriken. However, it also consumed a lot of stamina due to the entanglement and exposed its fighting style and rhythm. Subsequently, my Arrogant Pheasant used its speed advantage and aerial maneuverability to constantly harass it from a distance with Air Blades, wearing down its stamina. Finally, when Greninja was exhausted and its speed decreased, it was easily defeated by Arrogant Pheasant. So, I won."

Chapter 1347 Arrogance

After Feng Lu finished speaking, he waited for Xia You to accept the result with a sense of dejection, just like the previous losers, or at least to have some reaction.

However, Xia You simply listened quietly, then a faint, slightly mocking sneer curled at the corner of her lips.

"Is this your imagined battle?" Xia You stared directly at Feng Lu. "Based on your limited knowledge of my Greninja and your idealized assumptions about your own Pokémon's abilities, your deduction is based on the premise that my Greninja will fight according to your understanding. But in fact, you have no idea what kind of method I will use to fight, and you have also seriously misjudged my Greninja."

He paused, took a step forward, and emphasized, "But I can tell you definitively that in reality, my Greninja cannot possibly lose. The battles it has experienced, the skills it has mastered, and the synergy between it and me far exceed your imagination. The stamina and rhythm you perceive are insignificant. With your Pokémon, it is impossible for you to defeat it."

The trainers around them had probably never seen a man with such an arrogant tone before, and they couldn't help but whisper among themselves after hearing Xia You's words.

Feng Lu's expression also turned somewhat unpleasant at this moment.

Xia You's words were tantamount to directly negating her long-held fantasy of a battle.

To her, this man was there to cause trouble!

If you don't want to accept it, you don't have to come to this dojo. But since you've come, and you're not following the rules here, doesn't that mean your purpose isn't pure?

"So, you think that this one shiny Greninja can really defeat my three Pokémon in a real battle?" Feng Lu's voice was cold; she hadn't felt her authority challenged like this in a long time.

“It’s not just a belief,” Xia You said, unmoved, simply looking at her calmly. “It’s a certainty.”

Their eyes met, and sparks seemed to fly in the air.

The trainers around them didn't dare to breathe loudly. They could feel the intense, imminent confrontation between the two trainers, which was completely different from the relaxed and even somewhat playful atmosphere before!

Feng Lu stared at Xia You for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled.

But there was also a hint of anger and competitiveness in that smile.

"Good! Very good!" She clapped her hands, her voice crisp and clear. "I accept your challenge! This isn't wishful thinking, it's real combat! Three against three, rules as usual! Let me see which will have the last laugh: your certainty or my wishful thinking!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she turned to the staff beside her and whispered, "Clear the central training area! Prepare the standard dojo battle equipment! Notify the referees to take their positions! Today, I want to personally show this special challenger the outcome of this battle, and whether it matches my imagined battle!"

Upon hearing the order, the staff immediately took action, and the crowd stirred excitedly.

They never expected that an ordinary challenge day would turn into a "special real battle" with the gym leader himself taking part!

Feng Lu looked at Xia You, her eyes burning with fighting spirit: "Come with me! I'll take you to the real battlefield! I'll show you that my fantasy battles are not just empty talk! And I hope your Greninja won't disappoint me!"

Sure enough, after just a few gentle stimulations, this woman couldn't take it anymore.

They're really quite inexperienced.

Xia You smiled slightly. Seeing that her goal had been achieved, she led her Greninja and, under the watchful eyes of the people around her, followed Feng Lu back into the building, arriving at the real battlefield.

Compared to the open ground outside, this place is undoubtedly much more formal.

The standard league-style arena is surrounded by spectator stands, a professional referee's table, and bright lights that illuminate every detail.

Some of the trainers and staff who had been watching earlier also came in and crowded into the audience seats, excitedly and nervously waiting for this sudden battle.

Perhaps having heard the news that a real battle was about to be held, an elderly man emerged from a side passage, declined a staff member's offer to act as referee, and stood in the trainer command area.

Although Xia You didn't know who he was, seeing how respectful the staff around him were to him, she knew that he must be someone with considerable influence.

It couldn't be someone like Grandpa Fenglu, could it?

Standing on the other side of the battlefield, Feng Lu put one hand on her hip, her eyes sharp, and looked at Xia You: "As you can see, my Pokémon are still these three, just like before. You can still choose to send out three Pokémon, or... continue to use only this Greninja in the battle."

The last sentence carries a clear sense of questioning and challenge.

The meaning is clear: if you lack confidence, then hurry up and strengthen your lineup!

Xia You wouldn't even care about such provocation.

He walked to his own half of the trainer command area, his expression calm and composed. With a gentle wave of his hand, his black Greninja leaped to the center of the field and landed steadily.

He answered Feng Lu with his actions, and the meaning was equally clear.

I don't need it!

He wondered if it was just his imagination, but at that moment, he suddenly felt the old man who was acting as the referee look at him with a very complicated look of gratitude, emotion, and relief.

Although initially somewhat surprised, Xia You quickly understood what was going on.

It must be that this old man didn't support Fenglu's utopian battles, but he couldn't stop them either.

Now that he has brought Fenglu back to the battlefield, it's inevitable that he will show some goodwill towards me.

From this perspective, not everyone at this dojo is someone who is 'unrepentant'.

After landing, Greninja crouched down, assuming a battle stance.

Under the warm, bright light, it truly resembles a ninja in a black bodysuit, looking mysterious and dangerous!

The long, bright red tongue, resembling an ordinary scarf, moved without wind, and its sharp eyes calmly swept over the three Pokémon of Wind and Dew, like a apex predator scrutinizing its prey.

Just like with his own Pokémon, Xia You's gaze swept over the three Pokémon in front of Feng Lu, and he asked casually, "Which of them will go first, or... all at once?"

Madness!

Feng Lu snorted inwardly, but at the same time became extremely vigilant.

After all, she wasn't stupid. The other party's confidence must have come from something, which made her, despite believing in her own wild guesses, perk up.

"Heart Bat, you're the first one to go."

At her command, a bat-like Pokémon with a red heart on its face was the first to fly to the battlefield in front of Fenglu.

Speaking of Heartbat, it's another Pokémon that only appeared in the Unova region.

In terms of appearance, the heart bat's head and neck are covered with light blue fur, from which a pair of black forelimbs and a pair of black bat wings also extend.

It has a pair of bright eyes, a heart-shaped nose with a black heart-shaped mark in the center, and even two pink tails that are intertwined and spiraled together like hearts at the end of its lower body.