Pokémon: Just won the championship, the newbie growth system is here!

At the beginning, Xiaozhi and Xiaohulong still held the initiative.

Charmander's Ember was very effective against Grass-type Nerubian, but the situation changed drastically later on.

Xiao Xu opened his eyes wide in surprise as he watched the changing situation in the battle. Unexpectedly, Xin Ye Miao now had the upper hand.

"How is that possible?"

I've never seen Shin-Ye-Nyan so full of fighting spirit.

"Little Fire Dragon, Dragon Breath! Spark!"

Under Xiaozhi's command, the little dragon launched a series of fierce attacks in the direction where Xinye Miao was, but it always seemed to be a step too slow.

As the flames dissipated, New Leaf Cat had already circled behind it and used the newly green [Leaves] to launch a counterattack.

Grass-type moves are not very effective against Fire-type Pokémon, but they can't withstand being worn down like this.

The little dragon was so dizzy from the attack that it was even shooting its dragon breath upwards, seemingly unaware of what it was doing.

Xiaozhi's originally confident face now showed signs of anxiety.

"How come this new leaf cat is so agile?"

She wondered if this was the same New Leaf Cat that had been getting beaten up just moments before. Now, it was so agile that it was impossible to catch, and Charmander couldn't hit it with either ranged or melee attacks.

Charmander uses its claw attack to move forward.

"Retreat."

"Meow!"

New Leaf Cat retreats and jumps back to dodge, creating distance.

"Charmander, use Ember!"

Charmander uses Spark to fling out.

"Get away from me."

"Meow!"

New Leaf Cat charged straight at Charmander, then dashed to a safe distance in the counter-clockwise direction of its tail whip.

"Leaves".

"Meow~ Ha~!"

Green leaves hit the little dragon at close range.

Even with poor elemental resistance, being hit by a leaf at such close range still caused Charmander considerable damage, and more importantly, its momentum was suppressed.

The panicked Charmander whipped its tail left and right, sending sparks flying, while Newleafy dodged them with agile Z-shaped movements, then seized the opportunity to counterattack with its leaves.

The little dragon spun around in place for a while, until it got dizzy, and then it fell backward.

Xiao Xu was a beat slow to react before looking up and saying.

"Match over, Shin-Ye-Nyan wins."

New Leaf Cat proudly raised its head, proclaiming its victory.

This time it was Xiaozhi's turn to be disappointed, and she walked up to the little fire dragon with a bit of a slump.

"Little Charmander, are you alright?"

"Aww~~~~~".

Charmander's eyes seemed to be bulging out of their sockets, and it responded to its trainer's words in a dazed voice.

The injury isn't serious; it can be healed with medicine, and then you can go to the Pokémon Center for further treatment.

Xiaozhi sighed, then stood up energetically, looked at Ye Luo, and winked.

"As expected of Lord Ye Luo, you're truly amazing! I've lost. How much money do I have to give you?"

"I don't want money."

Ye Luo treated this as a training battle, not a formal duel between trainers, and didn't need any payment. The newbie should save his meager savings for travel expenses.

Hearing that it was free, Xiaozhi breathed a sigh of relief. Realistically speaking, she really couldn't afford to lose a game.

"But since we lost, we should give back something. How about we take a picture together, Lord Ye Luo?"

"Rewards?"

"Just kidding. We'll talk about taking a photo together after I beat you next time."

Xiao Zhi scratched her head a little embarrassedly; this girl was really lively.

"Excuse me!"

Suddenly, Xiao Xu's voice stopped him, and he clenched his fists and asked seriously.

"Excuse me! How did you get Shin-Ye-Nyan to obey you? It completely ignores my commands."

In the battle just now, New Leaf Cat not only followed Ye Luo's command, but also cooperated well with the trainer, showing a strength that exceeded his expectations.

Xiao Xu could hardly believe that Xin Ye Miao was so amazing. He quickly stepped forward to ask, then paused for a moment before sincerely inquiring.

"Mr. Ye, please tell me the secret!"

"Little?! What did you just say?!"

It wasn't Ye Luo who was more surprised; Xiao Zhi stared in astonishment at this new trainer.

Why would they use a nickname to refer to the league champion? Are they related to someone? Xiaozhi grabbed Xiaoxu's shoulder and shook him repeatedly as she asked.

"Xiao Xu, I'm asking you, why do you call him that? Tell me! Tell me!"

Xiao Xu felt dizzy from the shaking, and several questions suddenly popped into her mind.

Why is she addressed like that? Did I call her by the wrong name? Did the nurse say the wrong name?

"Huh? Isn't her name Xiao Ye?"

"You don't even know who he is and you call him that? He is..."

Before Xiaozhi could utter the word "champion," Ye Luo grabbed her collar and pulled her back, smiling at Xiaozhi.

"Ah...uh......."

Xiao Xu tilted his head in confusion and asked, "Is he...?"

"Expert-level trainer, that's what I think, right? It's nothing to hide."

"No, that's right!"

Xiao Zhi immediately understood and helped smooth things over.

That makes sense. The reason the champion traveled so discreetly was probably to hide his identity from outsiders. Xiao Zhi was annoyed that she almost revealed Ye Luo's secret.

But what puzzled her even more was, how could the other party not notice? She had accidentally called out Lord Ye Luo's name without even realizing it.

Doesn't this person watch the league's major tournaments?

Seeing that Xiao Xu didn't seem to recognize him, Ye Luo made up a vague excuse to gloss over the situation.

Xiao Xu seemed to understand.

"So Xiao Ye is an expert trainer, no wonder he's so good."

Trainers also have their own titles, which are determined by their strength.

The most basic level is called a rookie trainer. There is no lower limit to their strength and skill level; as long as they have one Pokémon, they are considered a rookie trainer.

Once you've gained some strength, you become a regular trainer, or simply a trainer—a general term that's a title given after you've passed the beginner level.

Expert level: Trainers are stronger than average trainers. The number of trainers in this category has decreased significantly, but they are not yet rare. Gym leaders and some outstanding trainers are considered to be expert level.

Master is a title that only a very few powerful trainers deserve. It is usually earned through skill, by winning the championship in the League Tournament. They possess extraordinary Pokémon and the trainers themselves have unique personal charm and strength. Only trainers with strength above the Elite Four can possess this title.

Above that is the title [Legend]. Legend is just a recognized honorary title, but to be called a Legendary Trainer, you know how difficult it is just by hearing the name of the title.

The first four are relatively clear and recognized trainer levels, and Ye Luo claims to be an expert-level trainer.

Xiao Xu naturally assumed that he was on the same level as the gym leader, which explained the overwhelming strength he displayed in combating crime in Viridian City.

However, the topic has strayed from its original point, so Ye Luo returned to the initial one.

"If you want to know why Shin-chan obeys my commands, it's actually quite simple."

"Hmm! Hmm!" Xiao Xu clenched his fists again, his eyes sparkling with a thirst for knowledge, upon hearing what he most wanted to know.

The explanation for falling leaves is simple and clear.

"Your personality doesn't match Xin Ye Miao's."

"...I know, Professor Oak told me the same thing."

Xiao Xu looked helpless. He knew about the situation, but there was nothing he could do.

Ye Luo explained.

"It's difficult for Pokémons and trainers with incompatible personalities to work together. If a Pokémon wants to back down, but you want to charge forward, it will become chaotic in battle and unable to unleash its full potential."

Ye Luo paused for a moment before offering an objective assessment.

"Your new Leaf Cat is actually quite strong, with excellent reaction and judgment, but you need to find a way to make the most of its strengths."

"So, please tell me, what should I do?"

"You'll have to figure that out for yourself."

Ye Luo wasn't a teacher who could teach everything; there were some things Xiao Xu had to figure out for himself, she said with a polite smile.

"You've already seen Shin-chan's fighting style. As for how to actually do it, you'll have to figure it out for yourself."