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

"You think I'm a coward, but in my opinion... those who don't understand how to care for Pokémon and let their partners get hurt unnecessarily are the real trash!!"

Chapter 42 True Evolution is Worse Than No Evolution, @Raichu~

To be honest, how could Xiao Zhi not care at all when people keep calling him "baby, baby"?

However, he's not the type to trash talk before the match; his showtime comes only after his opponent is completely defeated.

The battle just now was the result of Ash gathering a series of intelligence and devising detailed tactics. His goal was to provoke Lt. Surge step by step, and finally make this guy taste the bitterness of impotent rage and utter defeat!

However, what surprised Ash a little was that Lt. Surge seemed to get angry a bit too early, which didn't quite meet Ash's expectations of him.

squeak~

Just as the battle was temporarily suspended, the door to the Vermilion Gym was pushed open again, and the girl from before tiptoed to the audience seats, not forgetting to wink at Misty, who was sitting next to her watching the match.

However, when she saw Ash on the sidelines, her eyes were immediately filled with surprise!

"You wretched brat, you've successfully angered me! Let me show you my trump card, Raichu!"

After being thoroughly humiliated, Lt. Surge angrily threw out another Poké Ball, from which jumped a large, fat, orange rat – none other than Pikachu's evolved form after eating a Thunder Stone.

"Don't blame me for not warning you, if you want to escape, now's the time! My Raichu is not something your little babies can compare to!"

Raichu's appearance seemed to restore Lt. Surge's confidence, and the orange giant rat, imitating its trainer, arrogantly stood with its hands on its hips and challenged Ash.

"I really doubt the source of your confidence, after all... um?"

Ash was about to say something when he suddenly sensed a familiar signal in his waveguide!

He turned around abruptly to look at the audience, only to find the girl waving at him with a charming smile, her crescent-shaped eyes narrowed.

"What are you looking back at? Are we going to fight or not?!" M. T. S. urged impatiently.

"Of course we'll fight... But I haven't finished what I was saying yet." Ash curled the corners of his mouth slightly, seemingly with a hint of disdain. "There are some Pokémon that are worse off not evolving at all. The most representative example of this is Raichu."

"What did you say?!" Lt. Surge was furious at Ash's taunt.

“I don’t think I’m wrong. Your Raichu can also use the inherited Volt attack, so you should know very well the significance of the Electric Ball for Pikachu. If you take that into account, Raichu’s strength after evolution is actually not as good as Pikachu’s.”

After witnessing Lt. Surge's furious expression, Ash became even more aggressive, and Pikachu on his shoulder clearly sensed this mood, jumping onto the field on its own.

"As for me... even without my Electric Ball right now, my Pikachu will absolutely not lose to you!!"

"Pika!!" Pikachu beckoned to Raichu with its little paw, the provocation couldn't be clearer.

It now shares the same thought as Ash: their most important group of friends and family has arrived, so of course they have to stand up straight!

"Kid, I'll show you the power of Raichu, with Thunderbolt!"

"Pikachu, dodge and then use Thunder!"

Pikachu made the most of its small size and agility, easily dodging Raichu's attack with a jump, and then retaliating with an even bigger bolt of lightning!

"Raichu, block it quickly!"

However, Lt. Surge's Raichu was also well-trained; it quickly changed the direction of the lightning and barely managed to withstand the incoming strike.

Boom!

The two opposing energies intertwined, eventually twisting into scattered electric arcs in the field.

"You little mouse are pretty agile, aren't you? Well then, I'll show you an attack you can't dodge! Raichu, use Surf! And then unleash a full-power Volt Attack!!"

"Lei... Lei Lei!!"

Raichu's eyes suddenly gleamed. It raised its hands, creating a huge wave behind it. Then, its whole body was enveloped in explosive lightning, and it rode the wave to attack Pikachu!

Lt. Surge's move was absolutely spectacular. Raichu filled the waves with his powerful electricity and launched a massive, overwhelming attack that left almost no room to dodge.

But Ash had no intention of dodging at all!

"You want a head-on showdown? I'll grant your wish this time! Pikachu, let's use Surf, and then Quick Attack!"

"Pika!" Pikachu's actions were exactly the same as Raichu's. It also summoned a huge wave and then turned into a white flash to meet the attack head-on!

Boom!

The two waves collided violently, the thunderous roar of the surging waves and the exploding spray soaked the clothes of the onlookers and even made them feel numb all over!

"This...this kind of battle..." Xia, who came to watch the battle, was completely stunned.

It was supposed to be an Electric-type internal battle, but it turned into an attack that resembled a waterfall technique. How could she, the daughter of the Cerulean Gym, bear this?

Surfing... even her Pokémon don't know that move yet!

"Kid, you're doomed!"

In a head-on collision, Raichu's Volt attack was slightly superior, using its massive body to knock Pikachu away.

"Not necessarily... Pikachu, adjust your stance and use Iron Tail!"

"what?!"

To Lt. Surge's astonishment, Pikachu suddenly twisted and spun around, striking Raichu's chin with a tail whip and sending it flying high into the air!

hum~

Just then, sensing Ash's heightened aura, the egg on the back of his backpack began to flicker with a faint light once more...

"Next, we'll use thunder!"

Click! !

As all the waves disappeared, Pikachu unleashed another lightning bolt, slamming Raichu directly to the ground.

"Volt Attack is good, but I used a priority move. I attacked first, and even if I was knocked back, I could recover first. Your Raichu wouldn't be able to react at all!" Ash said confidently. "The outcome of this battle is already decided."

"Kid, don't think you can beat me like that! Raichu, show it your digging skills!"

Lt. Surge doesn't seem to be giving up yet. He commands Raichu to infiltrate underground, hoping to turn the tide with his counter-attack.

"Pikachu, use your tail to store thunder."

However, Ash wasn't worried at all. He simply had Pikachu raise its tail and wrap it with intense lightning.

"Hmph, this kind of electricity is useless against Raichu, and you'll just become a sitting duck!" Lt. Surge scoffed disdainfully.

"Pikachu!" "Now!"

Pikachu, its body crackling with electricity, accurately sensed its opponent's approach. It slammed its tail into the ground, using the explosive force of the thunder to bounce itself into the air, just barely dodging Raichu's attack as it burst out of the ground!

"Lt. Surge, I said the battle is over, and that's it! Pikachu, use Iron Tail!!"

"Pikachu!!"

After spinning for two consecutive weeks, Pikachu swung its metallic tail and slammed it down hard on Raichu's head!

boom! !

Raichu's bulging eyes instantly turned white. The enormous force not only blasted it back into the pit it had dug, but also created a wide-ranging crack in the surrounding land, burying it alive!

There is no doubt that the outcome is already decided!

Chapter 43 Where did Xiao Lan's travel expenses go?

"You guys are pretty good. You can take the orange badge."

After the battle ended, Lt. Surge coldly returned Raichu to its Poké Ball and reluctantly tossed out the badge.

"Thank you." Xiao Zhi took it casually, and at the same time gave the other person a deep look.

The strange feeling is getting stronger.

If we refer to the original work, Ma Xueshi, although rude and arrogant, is by no means a sore loser.

He comes from a military background and admires the strong at heart; there's no reason for him to be so petty.

Moreover, wearing anger on one's face makes one's emotions too obvious.

However, Ash doesn't have time to worry about Lt. Surge right now... because the girl sitting on the sidelines has been waiting for him for a long time.

"The gym battle was exciting! Pikachu is getting stronger and stronger!" When Ash turned to her, the girl greeted him with a big smile.

"Pikachu~" Pikachu, equally happy, jumped into the girl's arms before Ash could reach it.

"Blue, I didn't expect you to be in Vermilion City too." Ash quickly walked up to the girl and asked curiously, "But what brings you to the Vermilion City Gym?"

"I just got here. It's that lady over there. I was going to rent Nidoqueen to her to challenge the gym, but she insisted on using a Water-type Pokémon, so I followed her out of curiosity." Blue grinned mischievously and nudged Ash in the waist with his elbow. "By the way... you didn't train her, did you? You were beating her really hard. Were you trying to get revenge for her?"

"You're overthinking it... She's from the Cerulean Gym, so it's natural for her to use Water-type Pokémon," Ash explained speechlessly.

Please, the reason he beat Ma Zhishi so fiercely was because someone else came.

"Anyway, let's leave here first, and we can talk about it on the way."

Eager to leave, Ash nodded to Misty and then left Vermilion Gym with Blue.

Watching their departing figures, Xiaoxia suddenly felt a subtle change in her mood.

She observed a battle with opposing elemental attributes today, which provided her with a valuable reference.

But after that, she was suddenly fed a mouthful of dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection)!

Although there was no intimate interaction between the two, Xia, being a girl, could still sense that they were very important to each other!