Pokémon: Trainers Start as Bounty Hunters.

Suddenly, the mournful cry of the one-horned rhinoceros rang out.

Colorless, almost transparent foam accumulated on its body.

"Attributes, oh, they're such a hassle," Xiaochun sighed.

Rhinoceros with its ground and rock-based attack is really no match for Water-type Pokémon, and even an Ice-type Vulpix wouldn't fare much better.

But there's nothing she can do; she's the gym leader, and this is a gym battle, so there are many things she has to consider.

She can make up for the attribute difference with ordinary trainers by commanding them, but there's nothing she can do with Zhe.

Under the relentless attacks of the Prince of Bo, the one-horned rhinoceros quickly collapsed to the ground.

Even with the intermittent healing from the water rings, Prince Bo didn't expend too much energy.

The battle between Nidorino and Vulpix, the third Pokémon from both sides, did not last long either.

Princess Ice Six-Tails won in a near-crushing manner.

It has become increasingly adept at handling hailstorms.

Throughout the entire battle, Nidorino only managed to attack it once.

What followed was the Ice Vulpix's frenzied attack.

It just so happens that Nidorino's poison needle pierced the tail of the Ice Vulpix.

Although it wasn't poisoned, the purple color was not something the Ice Vulpix liked.

Xiaochun reluctantly withdrew her Nidorino.

In her opinion, only one of the three battles was satisfactory; the other two were rather uninteresting.

"Seriously, we definitely need to find some time for a real showdown."

Still thinking about the three Pokémon's performance, Tetsuya looked up blankly: "Huh?"

"What do you mean 'oh'? This is the Rising Dragon Badge, it's for you."

Xiaochun threw out a small black object in a bad mood.

Tetsuya reached out and caught it; it was a rising dragon badge that was very similar to the token.

"Little Chun! How many times have I told you, this isn't the purpose of Pokémon battles."

The Dragon Elder's voice came from the doorway.

A hint of anger flickered across his face beneath the armor.

Clearly, she was somewhat dissatisfied with what Xiaochun had just said.

Tetsuya and Kogo were both a little confused.

"Kid, you don't mind answering a few questions for me, do you?"

Elder Dragon's gaze shifted to Tetsuya.

Unlike before when they were outside, this time she looked at Tetsuya with a hint of appreciation.

Tetsuya was unaware of what had caused this change.

But that didn't affect his politeness: "Of course, please ask."

Chapter 463 Ask Your Heart, Pick the Soft Persimmon (Revised in Half an Hour)

"What kind of existence do elves mean to you?"

Elder Dragon asked the first question.

Xiao Chun pouted to herself, "Here we go again, always the same few questions, nothing new at all."

She's heard it so many times since she was a child that she's almost sick of it.

"Um..." Tetsuya hesitated for a few seconds, "Probably, family."

"Hey?"

Xiaochun blinked.

Tetsuya scratched his head: "I'm an orphan, and I haven't had many friends growing up, so the spirits are like family to me, even though they're a bit small and mischievous."

"Yeah."

Elder Dragon smiled enigmatically, then looked at Xiao Gang, "And you?"

"Me??" Xiao Gang clearly hadn't expected to be included.

However, he quickly gave his answer: "It should be partners, partners who grow stronger together and live together."

Xiaochun nodded in agreement.

"The second question is, what is the most crucial factor in winning Pokémon battles?"

Elder Dragon immediately raised the next question.

"The trainer's command and the Pokémon's own abilities."

This time, their answers were identical.

Pokémon battles are never a one-sided affair; trainers and Pokémon always complement each other on the field.

This is a principle that many trainers believe in.

Of course, there are also many people who simply have blind faith in the power of one side.

This is not uncommon when trainers and Pokémon are at lower levels, but as their strength and understanding increase, such thoughts become very rare.

Elder Dragon nodded slightly: "Third, what kind of trainer do you want to battle against?"

What kind?

Neither of them reacted.

"It's all about how strong the opponent is. Anyway, I like to compete against strong opponents; that's what makes it interesting."

Xiaochun couldn't wait to explain her point of view.

Brock nodded knowingly: "A trainer should indeed be brave enough to challenge strong opponents."

I don't particularly enjoy fighting, but I'm not afraid of battle either.

"It doesn't matter to me," Tetsuya replied after thinking for a moment.

"Does 'it doesn't matter' mean...?"

"Who the opponent is is not important. What matters is that as a trainer, you must live up to the trust and effort of the Pokémon on the field whenever you battle. That's all."

Tetsuya explained.

He is generally open to any challenge, even from trainers on the street.

Even if you can't train Pidgeot and Blaziken, newly joined Pokémon can build up good confidence and trust in their trainer through continuous victories.

Besides, he felt great about teaching others how to do things after winning.

What is the most important thing in raising Pokémon?

"I think it should be knowledge, so that we can understand the development direction of each Pokémon."

"Money, knowledge, and trust."

"Which is more important, a strong Pokémon or a weak Pokémon?"

"There's not much difference between the two, they're both partners, it's just that the stronger Pokémon is more suitable to perform in battle."

"Exactly, you can't just abandon your Pokémon because it's weak. That's not something a qualified trainer should do."

The three of them exchanged rapid questions and answers.

Fortunately, most of the questions asked by the Dragon Elder were about the trainers' and Pokémon's perspectives, rather than strange or obscure trivia.

So Tetsuya and Kogo answered according to their own thoughts without much thought.

After asking about a dozen questions, Elder Dragon stopped this action with satisfaction.

“You two young people are much better than my good-for-nothing granddaughter.”

She commented.

"Grandma!" Xiao Chun stomped her feet in anger.

Is it really appropriate for her to talk about her granddaughter like that in front of outsiders, especially since she doesn't seem to think she's done anything wrong?

Aside from freaks like Wataru, there are very few people her age who hold the official position of dojo master.

"Go away, you can't say I can't do anything about your own faults! Have you finished your workout today? Hurry up and go to the backyard!"

Elder Dragon used his cane to shoo away Little Chun.

Tetsuya felt that this scene seemed familiar.

It looked exactly like how Xiaochun had asked Elder Long to be her caretaker earlier.

Xiaochun walked out looking impatient.

"I heard from Xiaochun that you're here for the Dragon Ascension Ceremony?"

Elder Dragon looked at Tetsuya.

Tetsuya nodded.

"call out"

The Dragon Elder pulled out an object and threw it over.

He took it instinctively.

It is a wildflower that can be seen everywhere by the roadside.

The only special thing about it is that it blooms exceptionally profusely and its colors are particularly vibrant.

Tetsuya was somewhat bewildered: "What's this?"

"Take this, kid. You can't possibly fail to get into the top ten of the ceremony, can you?"

Elder Dragon didn't explain, but simply told him to accept it.

Zhe didn't hesitate for long and carefully put it into his backpack.

Although he didn't know what it was, it would likely be very useful for his subsequent journey to the dragon's lair.

After all, the Dragon Elder in front of them was the guardian of the Dragon's Lair.

"As for your words," Elder Dragon looked at Xiao Gang, "you can keep this."

She threw out another thing.

Tetsuya looked at it and recognized it: dragon scales.

He had obtained one a few days ago in Leibo Mountain.

Now he felt even more that the wildflower was unusual.

There's no reason to say his stuff is worse than Xiaogang's.

Zhe was very confident about this.

His only question now is how much more is hidden inside Elder Dragon's warrior armor.

"Oh dear, I'm getting old, it's time for me to take a nap, but I can't anymore."

Elder Dragon muttered something, then leaned on his cane and left the area.

Tetsuya and Kogoro looked at each other in bewilderment.

The old man, Kabu, came forward and said, "I'm so sorry, please come with me. Is there anything else you two would like to see?"

He led the two of them further and further away.

Behind a stone pillar on the battlefield.

Xiao Chun was looking at her grandmother: "Grandma, why did you give that flower to him?"

"Little Dudu has a much better eye than you."

The Dragon Elder gave an irrelevant answer.