Pokémon: Start with a Mewtwo Invitation.

Chapter 116 Seven Days Later, at the Viridian Gym, Moltres Makes its Appearance

Time flies.

Seven days have passed in the blink of an eye.

Over the course of seven days, Xia Mu and Sonia traveled through many towns, including Cerulean City where they obtained the Cerulean Gym Badge, and then Pewter City where they defeated Brock's father and obtained the Pewter Gym Badge.

Xia Mu had no expectations for Hualan City, and just as he had predicted, the three sisters were of average strength and were easily defeated.

As for Brock's father from Cerulean Gym, Natsuki initially wondered if he was hiding his true strength, but after the battle, she realized that Brock's father was indeed very weak, weaker than the three sisters from Cerulean Gym.

The reason he had this feeling was because in his previous life he had read many novels that depicted Xiao Gang's father, Wu Neng, as an elite trainer second only to the King-level.

Some novels even describe martial arts as having special identities...

When he saw it with his own eyes and experienced it firsthand, he realized it was all nonsense.

He was an irresponsible man who abandoned his family to travel in the early stages. He failed while wandering and eventually returned barely alive. Because of his incompetence, he was afraid to go home and could only make a living by selling stones near his home.

Later, Xiao Gang forgave Wu Neng, and only then did Wu Neng become the gym leader.

Xia Mu also met Xiao Gang's mother, Xiaomi.

Despite being a mother of so many children, she is still a woman who takes very good care of herself.

To be honest, Xia Mu felt that the couple wasn't as shrewd as he had imagined; on the contrary, they were rather foolish and easy to fool.

No wonder Xiaogang was so cautious and unwilling to easily hand over his home to his parents, who were like children.

In the early stages of the original story, Brock went on a trip with Ash, giving him countless instructions and leaving behind a thick notebook of their daily life, all in fear that something unexpected might happen at home.

Fortunately, everything was peaceful at home during his trip. However, due to some unforeseen circumstances, Xiao Gang had no choice but to stop traveling and resume his role as a gym leader.

Five days, and this is all you've accomplished?

Of course, that's not all he did. Natsuki also took Sonia to Hollywood, the once very famous movie city in the Kanto region.

This Hollywood is, of course, not that Hollywood.

Sonia came here for two reasons. First, she had heard many beautiful stories about the City of Movies and wanted to see a movie to fulfill a wish. Although the economic downturn meant that not many companies were still making films here, there were still cinemas showing new movies.

Xia Mu and Sonia watched an adult film, and then began searching for Meow Meow's dream girl, Madonna.

This is the second purpose of coming here.

The original story contains specific details about Madonna's location, so Natsuki found his target almost effortlessly.

Some unpleasant things did happen along the way, because the attempt to subdue Madonna was met with opposition and obstruction from the other cats and the leader cat.

Xia Mu wasn't the type to use force, but he showed no mercy in defeating all the cats and the cat boss.

Xia Mu didn't think he was doing anything wrong in dealing with a group of stray cats who only knew how to steal and rob, and the cat leader who led the cats to do bad things.

These cats and the cat boss are capable of living independently and comfortably, but they only think about getting something for nothing. After being criticized by humans, they not only fail to wake up, but become even more outrageous.

In Xia Mu's words, that's being too self-righteous and not considering whether there's anything wrong with them.

Fortunately, Madonna has only been with the group for a short time, unlike in the original story where Madonna was kept in captivity by the team because she couldn't survive from hunger and got used to this kind of life.

The choice was given to Madonna, and she was also made to understand with words that what they were doing was wrong.

Compared to her portrayal in the original story, Madonna at this point is clearly much smarter. She knows that if she wants to return to her former life of comfort and security, she must rely on humans.

Having been pampered for so long, it's hard to go from luxury to frugality. In the original story, it was because no powerful trainer was willing to take Madonna in. Rather than wandering with Meowth, it was better for her to stay in the team and at least be the leader's subordinate. Other Meowths would have to call her "Big Sister."

After subduing Madonna, Xia Mu didn't rush to send it back, but kept it with him for a while.

It's not about nurturing Madonna, but about shaping her into what he wants her to be.

It must be said that Madonna is not worth training. She is timid and cowardly, with average talent. Apart from being able to act cute and charming, she has no other advantages.

Perhaps what initially attracted the cat was Madonna's noble demeanor, which is why it was captivated.

The reason why Meow Meow still can't forget Madonna is entirely due to the lingering pain of unrequited love from the past.

In other words, Meow Meow has always been working hard and climbing higher, partly because of Madonna's influence.

The motivation that first love brings is immense.

……

Joban City.

Tokiwa Gym.

This is the last stop for Xia Mu's gym challenge.

Sonia was unaware of the situation in Kanto, and Natsuki wouldn't reveal what he knew, so Sonia wouldn't know the inside story.

After spending more than half a month, they finally arrived here, and Natsuki was looking forward to his battle with Sakaki.

Like him, Mewtwo was also very excited. Although it still couldn't participate this time, Natsume wanted to avenge it and Moltres.

Even if he can't do anything, he still has to collect some interest to make Sakaki aware of his existence.

Natsuki has decided to use Moltres, even without Mewtwo.

This is the legendary bird that the Rockets are trying to capture. I wonder how Giovanni will react when he sees it.

As for whether they will encounter malicious attacks later?

Xia Mu was not afraid at all. He had enough strength to withstand any crisis. He was not afraid of Sakaki taking action, but he was afraid that Sakaki would not take action.

Upon entering the Viridian Dojo, Natsuki and Sonia explained that they were there to challenge the dojo, and were quickly led to the challenge arena inside the dojo.

During this time, the staff clearly reported the challenge, which is why Giovanni was waiting here in advance.

His superior posture, with a glass of red wine swaying in his hand, exuded an unparalleled sense of oppression.

He truly deserves to be the leader of the Rockets; a true tyrant.

"It's him! The guy who used me!" Mewtwo's voice echoed in my mind.

"Don't get excited, you'll lose if you take it seriously." Xia Mu narrowed his eyes, responding to Mewtwo in his mind.

After calming Mewtwo down, Natsuki looked up slightly and met Giovanni's gaze as he stood on the second floor.

We cannot lose in terms of momentum, nor can we let them look down on us.

Sakaki was particularly shocked by Natsuki's performance, because very few people could remain calm under his gaze.

Although Natsuki looks like a young man, not a young trainer, there are very few people he has met who can meet his gaze without being affected in the slightest.

"With less than a week left until the Indigo League registration deadline, it's quite surprising that there are still trainers challenging the gyms at this time." Giovanni smiled as he stood up on the second-floor platform.

After saying this, Giovanni revealed a hint of mockery: "No matter how many badges you have collected, I'm sorry you've come to the wrong place. The badges of the Viridian Gym are not easy to obtain. In the past month alone, no one has been able to get a badge from me."

"Is that so? Then I should be the exception." Xia Mu didn't waste any words, and with just one sentence, Sakaki's expression changed slightly and became a bit ugly.

"What an arrogant kid. I haven't seen a trainer as confident as you in a long time." Giovanni laughed as he took out a Poké Ball and casually tossed it down.

As a Beedrill appeared, Giovanni spoke again: "The challenge format is three-on-three. You can get a badge if you defeat all three of my Pokémon."

After saying that, Giovanni downed the glass of red wine in one gulp, looked at Natsuki, and waited for Natsuki to send out his Pokémon.

"No problem." Xia Mu remained calm, having seen through the strength of this Beedrill at a glance.

Beedrill

【LV: 60】

[Gender: Female]

[Attributes: Insect, Poison]

Personality: Cheerful

[Trait: Sniper (Hidden Trait: Power increases when hitting a vital point)]

[Skills: Wild Slash, Double Needle, Poison Needle, Silk Spit, Harden, Insect Bite, Combo Slash, Sharpening, Charge, Venom Impact, Malicious Pursuit, Poison Spike, Straight Drill, Pin Missile, Poison Strike, High Speed ​​Movement, Brute Force, Rapid Return, Deadly Needle Strike, Cross Scissors...]

[Friendliness: 0]

[Mood: Neutral]

……

The level was as expected; although it reached level 60, it did not exceed level 60.

According to the original work and the game, Beedrill did not appear, but Giovanni's Beedrill performed exceptionally well in the special episode.

If Beedrill, as Giovanni's main fighter, is at this level of strength, then Giovanni's strength is actually not at the Elite Four level; at most, he is only barely at the Elite Four level.

[So, leveling Moltres to 80 ahead of time was already overkill. Even if it were still only level 65, let alone 80, it would be more than enough to deal with Giovanni.] Natsuki thought to himself.

While thinking, Natsuki took out Moltres's Ultra Ball.

"It seems I had too high expectations for Gym Leader Giovanni's strength. I heard Gym Leader Aki mention that your Beedrill is very strong, but as of now, it's only average." After making these teasing remarks, Natsuki threw out an Ultra Ball.

"Gah—Aww!!!"

With a sharp cry, white light transformed into the body of a firebird, and a burst of scorching flames swept across the entire arena.

An immense pressure descended, showing no mercy whatsoever.

Moltres had already learned the details from Natsuki, so he knew that his opponent this time was the culprit who had sent someone to assassinate him.

"Molotov?! You actually have a Moltres... So..." Sakaki was so shocked that he almost let slip the secret.

That operation was supposed to be foolproof, but then a powerful trainer suddenly appeared, not only ruining the capture plan but also wiping out Hunter J's entire team.

In order to rescue these people, he risked exposure by having his men ambush the Alliance police.

I thought this matter was over, that I would disappear for a while and wait for the storm to pass before it was all over.

Now that Natsuki has brought Moltres to the door, Giovanni is momentarily breathless.

Was this premeditated? Or is this kid completely unaware and simply using Moltres to counter his Beedrill?

Seeing Sakaki's blank expression, Natsuki had achieved the desired effect.

"What's wrong? Did Gym Leader Giovanni get scared after seeing Moltres?" Natsuki continued to tease with a smile.

Scared?

Most trainers would naturally be afraid when faced with a legendary bird.

However, someone as cunning and shrewd as Giovanni wouldn't do that, otherwise he wouldn't have ordered his arrest.

"Hehe~ Seeing your Moltres, I roughly know your identity: the grandson of that old man Blaine, the youngest and most outstanding descendant of the Xia family..."

"Actually, if you have Moltres, you don't need to challenge gyms to get badges anymore. You just need to apply to participate in the Indigo League. After all, if the tournament organizers know that you have Moltres, they would love for you to bring Moltres to the competition."

Sakaki leaned on the second-floor railing, his eyes filled with undisguised greed as he looked at the Moltres.

This flame power is indeed formidable.

If it weren't for this kid, it would already be his power.

"But compared to that, I still prefer to compete in my own way. After all, I have enough strength, don't you think?" With the power of Aura, Natsuki was able to sense Sakaki's emotional changes more clearly.

No matter how well it's concealed, it's impossible to hide it completely.

Sakaki snorted and turned his gaze to Natsuki: "What you said does make sense, but I admit I'm no match for the legendary bird against me, the gym leader. You can take the green badge."

Seemingly unwilling to get entangled, and knowing that his Pokémon couldn't defeat Moltres, Giovanni chose to back down.

As expected of a man who can control the entire Rockets team, his intelligence is beyond imagination.

He readily accepted Natsuki's challenge and resolved the current predicament by directly giving her a badge.

Whether you give or not, you still have to give, so it's better to just give it away directly.

Sakaki had already made a mental note of Natsuki and planned to investigate him thoroughly.

Even if such a person managed to subdue the Moltres by exploiting his weakness, it is not something an ordinary person could do to make the Moltres obey.

Giovanni has no doubt about the strength of Natsume's other Pokémon, because Yamato and Kosaburo have already given the answer; even Hunter J is far from being a match for them.

Giovanni may not believe in the strength of others, but he knows perfectly well how strong Hunter J is.

That woman is at a superstar level; if it weren't for her, the initial plan wouldn't have gone so smoothly.

And look at Moltres now, it's clearly much stronger than the data suggests.

Considering the previous mention of A-Ju, the true strength of this kid in front of me is probably beyond the Elite Four level, or at least he has trained a Champion-level Pokémon.

(End of this chapter)