Pokémon, Ash's art style is off!

But the electric cells in her cheeks only flickered twice with difficulty, producing a few scattered sparks before falling silent again.

"Lei... Lei Lei?"

Raichu was startled, and then a wave of exhaustion washed over him.

The all-out burst of power just now had already depleted its energy reserves!

It never expected that Pikachu could still stand after this attack.

Naturally, they exerted as much effort as they could, without any thought of saving any energy.

"Pikachu?"

Pikachu tilted its head.

Out of energy?

It's okay, Pikachu still has plenty of energy!

"Thunder, thunder..."

Raichu panicked and instinctively raised his short, round fists, assuming a defensive stance.

Pikachu was even happier when it saw this.

Instead of stopping, it quickened its pace slightly.

Raichu was intimidated by the approaching aura and retreated hastily while raising his fist.

In the chaos, he tripped and lost his balance, falling heavily to the ground.

A shadow fell.

Pikachu had already walked up to it.

Backlit, its small body exudes an immense sense of oppression.

It slowly raised the claw that had once unleashed a lightning-free version of its signature punch.

The fist may be small, but it hurts a lot when it hits!

Raichu kept his eyes tightly shut.

Its two short arms, however, began to wave wildly in the air, driven by instinct.

Let's stop here!

Looking at his Pokémon's wild punches, Lt. Surge's voice rang out, carrying an almost sighing tone.

"I lost."

Raichu, drained of its power, stands before this Pikachu, which even has abs.

Like a Magikarp on a chopping board.

They were completely unable to resist.

Pikachu's fist froze in mid-air.

It looked down at Raichu, who was sitting on the ground looking dejected.

Then he turned Raichu's drooping head over his shoulder.

You little brat... you've escaped a disaster!

"Boss?!"

The two underlings exclaimed in unison, their faces filled with disbelief.

Raichu still has stamina, even though...

Ma Xueshi waved his hand, stopping their questioning.

He looked at Ash and Pikachu, his gaze lingering between them, and finally sighed.

"A loss is a loss."

The sigh carried a hint of relief.

Looking back now, he underestimated his opponent at the beginning, in the middle, and in the end.

This defeat was truly well-deserved.

He shook his head self-deprecatingly, then straightened his back, and that heroic aura returned.

"This is Pokémon battle!"

"Things can change in an instant. Any oversight or underestimation of the opponent could cause victory to slip away!"

"Kid, you and your Pikachu have taught me a good lesson!"

After saying that, he turned around and walked quickly to the lockers by the field. He took out a few spray bottles from a clearly marked first-aid kit, walked back and handed them directly to Xiaozhi.

"Treat the injury first."

He looked at Pikachu, its body charred black but still standing upright, with admiration in his eyes.

"This is a specially formulated electric shock relief spray that can soothe numbness and burns. Use it on your Pikachu."

Thank you!

Xiao Zhi accepted it without hesitation.

Then I carefully began to treat Pikachu's wounds.

"Pikachu, just bear with it."

The cool spray touched his skin, and Pikachu's body tensed up involuntarily, letting out a slight gasp.

Xiao Gang shook his head.

"Xiao Zhi, your spraying technique is a bit off; it might irritate the wound. Let me do it."

As he spoke, he naturally took the spray bottle.

Apply the spray evenly and carefully to the wound using a skillful and gentle technique.

Pikachu relaxed its brow.

It turned its head and patted Ash's hand with its little paw.

"Pikachu!"

The teammate you found is really great!

She can cook and heal wounds.

This is much better than when you were completely clueless!

Misty, who hadn't heard what Pikachu said, looked at Lt. Surge's thorough preparations and sighed softly.

"Your dojo is quite thoughtful; you even prepared recovery medicine for challengers after the battle."

Raichu and Lt. Surge both stiffened at the same time.

They exchanged a glance.

They both saw the awkwardness in each other's eyes.

What's this for the challengers...? This is clearly something he keeps for himself and Raichu.

As an Electric-type trainer, one inevitably gets caught in the stray currents during daily training or battles.

Moreover, Electric-type Pokémon "leaking electricity" is like a seasoned woman overflowing with holy water when she's excited – it's a common occurrence.

Therefore, he always kept the best medicine for injuries on hand.

Just as Ma Zhishi was about to cough twice to explain, Xiao Gang, who had finished treating his wound, put away the spray and nodded sincerely in admiration.

"As a gym leader, he is not only powerful, but also considerate of the challengers and the Pokémon's condition, which is truly admirable."

Xiao Zhi looked at Xiao Xia, then at Xiao Gang.

He then nodded vigorously, managing to squeeze out a heartfelt compliment.

"Xiao Gang is right!"

After being praised so sincerely by the three men, even the forthright Ma Zhishi was too embarrassed to tell the truth.

"Cough cough, it's...it's alright..."

"Thunder, thunder..."

Before he could finish speaking, his two lackeys, who had been ignored for a moment, overheard the conversation and brazenly interrupted.

You're overthinking it!

"What kind of Challenger recovery medicine is this?!"

"That's for our boss's personal use!"

"Whenever the boss nags too much, Raichu will... Waaaaaah!"

With lightning speed, Lt. Surge and Raichu each covered the mouths of the two loose-tongued guys, dragging them away from the battlefield.

Only three people remained standing there, looking at each other in bewilderment.

Soon, Mascherano returned with his two slightly disheveled henchmen.

He was also holding two other things in his hand.

A delicate orange-yellow badge that resembles the sun.

With a sturdy notebook.

Together with the Thunder Stone.

He solemnly handed the three items to Xiaozhi together.

"This is the orange badge of the Vermilion City Gym. There's nothing more to say; you earned it through your own strength."

He pointed to the badge, then patted the thick notebook.

"And this is some of my experience in raising Raichu and figuring out Electric-type moves over the years. It's not exactly a powerful secret technique, but it should be of some reference value for your and Pikachu's journey ahead."

"As for this Thunder Stone..."

His gaze fell on Pikachu at Ash's feet.