Pokémon, Ash is going to become a perfect man from now on.

"Anyway, you can practice the rest on your own. I need to go back and help Miss Joy. You can borrow the small bag and Charizard for training for now."

"They... But don't you need them to challenge the dojo?" Xiaoxia asked hesitantly.

She didn't want to delay Ash's gym challenge because of her, as that would make her feel even more indebted to him.

"I don't plan to send them out." Ash shook his head, then went back to the Pokémon Center alone.

...

"I didn't expect her to come to Kuye City too." After returning, he met Xiaogang and also discovered the little incident outside. "It's fortunate that you were willing to help, otherwise this would have been a real challenge for her."

Xiaoxia is a pure Water-type Trainer, and Vermilion Gym is definitely her nemesis.

"It's not just the Vermilion City Gym, almost the entire city is difficult... It seems like I was asking too much of her with the bet I made before," Ash said with a hint of painful reflection.

If you only look at the eight main gyms in the anime and games, you'll find that Kanto is extremely unfriendly to Misty.

Putting aside her own Cerulean City Gym, the only one she can be sure of beating among the remaining seven is the Rock Gym in Pewter City... she'll probably have to wait until Brock isn't around.

As for the others, she can't beat any of the ones that directly counter her, and she can't beat either of the two that she counters.

The remaining two gyms have no type advantage/disadvantage relationship. One is eerie and sinister; if you lose, you'll be turned into a doll in no time. The other, although a Poison-type, is teeming with poisonous insects; it's a miracle Misty even walked into the gym standing up!

Collecting badges in Kanto is an absolutely hellish task for Misty.

But it is precisely because of this difficulty that she can get the most training!

Moreover, Ash realized that Misty was truly taking this to heart this time.

She practiced from day to night. After the sun went down, Little Bag and Charmander had already left, but she was still practicing with Goldfish.

The next morning, Ash planned to challenge the Vermilion City Gym, Brock stayed at the Pokémon Center to help out, and Molly said goodbye and went out to paint.

But when Xiaozhi went out, he found that Xiaoxia had already started practicing in the yard.

"Exercise needs to be balanced with rest, so don't rush it. There's still plenty of time," Ash casually advised. "I'm going to challenge the Vermilion City Gym now. If you're interested, you can come along and watch. You might learn something."

"Should I go...?" Xiaoxia hesitated for a while, but when she came to her senses, she found that Xiaozhi had already walked far away.

After much deliberation, curiosity ultimately triumphed over pride. She put away her panting hands and quickly chased after him.

Just as she was anxiously rushing to the Vermilion Gym, a pretty and lively girl suddenly stopped her.

"Miss, are you in such a hurry to challenge the Vermilion Gym?" the girl asked with a mysterious smile. "I have a winning strategy for defeating the gym. Would you like to hear it?"

"What's the secret to winning?" Xiaoxia had told herself not to ask, but she still blurted it out anyway.

"As everyone knows, Ground-type Pokémon are super effective against Electric-type Pokémon. I happen to have a pretty good Nidoran, and I can rent it to you for gym battles. I guarantee it'll be worth the price!" The girl proudly pulled out a Poké Ball.

"Ah... I, I don't want to!"

Xiaoxia was taken aback at first, but in the end she resisted the temptation and refused righteously.

"Goldfish, Starmie, and I spent so much time practicing... We promised to win together, and we wouldn't use someone else's Pokémon!"

"Goldfish and... starfish?" A hint of curiosity flashed across the girl's face as she watched Xiaoxia's departing figure.

"Does she also like playing against her own attributes? I'd better go check it out!"

Chapter 41 The Leaf Dojo is so dilapidated!

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

Upon arriving at the Vermilion City Gym, Ash immediately introduced himself as he entered.

"Master, another kid's come looking for trouble!"

The first to arrive were several dojo apprentices, but they were all dressed in a sleazy manner, looking just like street thugs.

After they shouted for a while, a tall, muscular man came up to Xiaozhi, rubbing his neck.

"Welcome to the Vermilion City Gym. I'm Lt. Surge, the gym leader... Wait, what did you just say his name was?"

Upon seeing Ash, Lt. Surge was slightly taken aback and asked his underling as if he hadn't heard clearly.

"He said his name was Xiao Zhi, and he came from Zhenxin Township."

"Alright, Ash, are you the one who wants to challenge me?" Lt. Surge looked down at Ash and reached out to touch Ash's head, but Pikachu swept his tail away from his shoulder.

"Your baby isn't very obedient. Kids really do need to be disciplined."

Mascher joked, and his group of underlings immediately laughed, and the entire dojo erupted in jeers.

"I want to know when we can start battling?" Ash asked expressionlessly.

Knowing the plot already, there's really no need to get angry... just beat him senseless later~

"Alright, little one, since you're so eager to die, then bring it on!" As he spoke, Lt. Surge took his place. "The Vermilion Gym's rule is two against two, and I'll start with this... Electrode!"

Noisy!

The bouncing sphere generated an unstable arc of electricity; Lt. Surge's first one was none other than the Big Bang's signature sphere!

"I'd use Zubat!"

To everyone's surprise, Ash's first Pokémon was actually a Zubat, which is weak to Electric-type Pokémon!

"Challenging me with a Flying-type...and one that's not even fully evolved? Hahaha!" Lt. Surge laughed mockingly, glancing at the short-haired girl watching from the sidelines. "This is just as hilarious as that silly girl who challenged me with Staryu. So don't worry, I'll beat your Zubat to a pulp, just like her Staryu!"

"I'm going to attack first, right... Zubat, use Haze!"

Ash completely ignored Lt. Surge and directly sent Zubat into the air, simultaneously casting a thick black fog over the field.

"Trying to block your view this way? Playful Troll, charge! Use Thunder!"

Just before the black mist closed, Electrode successfully locked onto Zubat's location, and then leaped forward at an extremely fast speed, showcasing its high base Speed ​​stat of 150!

At the same time, it gathered powerful lightning around its body and bombarded the giant mouth bat in front of it with all its might!

"Goblin, use your poison after spiraling away!"

Upon hearing Ash's command, Zubat immediately twisted its body nimbly in the air, its wings brushing against the lightning to dodge it, and then sprayed out a large amount of surging venom!

"Hmph, such petty tricks won't work! Using a stand-in... What?!"

Lt. Surge's confident smile froze on his face as the Zubat's venom easily passed through the Stand's defenses, directly staining his main body a bluish-purple!

"Your Zubat... it has the Permeate ability?!" Lt. Surge finally realized.

“Yeah, otherwise I wouldn’t have used it against you.” Ash nodded matter-of-factly. “I’ve analyzed your battle style. When you use Electrode, you like to rely on your high speed to get close and then use an Electric-type move to attack. And in order to pursue offensive efficiency, once the opponent uses a move to block, you will immediately use Substitute to dodge and never stop to use Protect.”

"You wretched brat! Naughty ball, bring it down with a thunderbolt!!"

"Bigmouth Bat, release black mist to dodge."

Ma Xueshi seemed to turn from embarrassment to anger, and he began to command the ricochet grenades to attack haphazardly. However, with the visibility obstructed, the already poor accuracy of the grenades was completely ineffective!

On the other hand, the Zubat is a seasoned cave dweller and thrives in this black fog, easily locating the Voltorb.

"Attack! Use Rage Fang!" After circling for a while, Zubat silently circled behind Electrode and instantly ate half of its opponent's health!

"Don't let it get away, use electric discharge!!"

With a roar from Lt. Surge, Voltorb burst into crackling lightning and finally managed to hit Zubat with a wide-range attack.

"Hmph, now you can't escape!" Seeing this, Ma Zhishi revealed his smug smile again.

"Goblin, back off, and use Sky Slash to disperse the fog while you're at it." However, Ash calmly ordered them to create some distance. Several wind blades easily sliced ​​through the thick fog, revealing the two Pokémon facing off.

Zubat, having only been hit by a single, effective attack, was slightly out of breath but still in good condition overall; in contrast, Electrode was covered in bruises and its stamina was already nearing its limit.

The difference is obvious when comparing the two!

"Gym Leaders can't be replaced, so you can only watch helplessly as your Pokémon is defeated... defeated by a Flying-type Pokémon that you've always looked down on, one that isn't fully evolved and is also weak against!"

"Ho~" Zubat circled triumphantly, showing off to its opponent in coordination with its trainer.

"Kid... I'm warning you, don't be so arrogant! Volt... Charge over there and use self-destruct!!"

Lt. Surge seemed to be completely enraged and recklessly issued a suicide order. Voltorb followed suit, fighting like a cornered beast and charging headlong at Zubat without fear of death!

At that moment, it unleashed its speed to the extreme, its entire form becoming blurred as a result…

However, even faster than that was a beam of red light that enveloped the Zubat's body!

"Come back, Zubat, the battle is over."

"What?!!"

Lt. Surge's eyes widened in fury as he watched helplessly as Ash returned Zubat to its Poké Ball, while Electrode, having missed its target, exhausted its last bit of strength and crashed to the ground with a deafening roar!

Rumble!

The terrifying explosion charred the pumice itself and blasted a huge crater into the battlefield... and also shattered a moment of solitude.

"Damn it! Why did this happen?!" Lt. Surge seemed unable to accept the outcome, angrily questioning Satoshi, "You coward, you actually avoided facing me head-on?!"

"I don't think there's anything wrong with that. A head-on confrontation depends on the situation. Anyone who chooses to take the hit head-on like that is an idiot." Ash shook his head calmly, completely unmoved by his opponent's accusations.

"Pokémon battles are also battles. The point of a battle is to strike your opponent as much as possible while protecting yourself... I heard you served in the Unova army. Surely you understand such a simple principle?"

"you?"

After a sharp retort, Ash directly angered Lt. Surge... but he couldn't find a chance to refute him.

"And... I clearly have many ways to improve my Pokémon's strength and strengthen its resolve, so why do I have to engage in a pointless head-on battle with a trapped beast? Do I have to get mindlessly blown up like this and leave my Pokémon covered in wounds in order to show the nobility and passion of a trainer?!"