In the early morning, after a night of rest, Xia You felt refreshed and was about to leave the Pokémon Center when he suddenly saw a young boy with a Pikachu and a ginger-haired girl in the lobby, arguing about something in front of a poster on the wall.
The boy wore a baseball cap, a T-shirt under a blue jacket, and while his appearance seemed a bit naive, he was full of spirit and exuded a vibrant energy.
The ginger-haired girl had her hair tied in a side ponytail, her face was beautiful, and she wore shorts and a tight yellow vest, revealing her entire midriff, a pair of fair arms, and two long, slender legs; she looked youthful and equally full of extraordinary vitality.
With just one glance, Xia You had already recognized their identities.
Isn't that Ash and Xiao Xia!
And that yellow mouse beside Ash, is that the legendary Pikachu, the Pokémon God, who can go toe-to-toe with anyone?
Seeing both of them with backpacks, looking travel-worn, Xia You couldn't help but sigh, thinking how quickly they had met and arrived at Pewter City!
What Extreme Speed…
Xiao Xia pointed at the poster and said, "Challenging the Pokemon League Conference isn't as simple as you think. You need to defeat at least eight Gym Trainers and get their gym badges to qualify for the Alliance Conference."
"This little thing won't stop me," Ash said confidently, his words showing the courage of a newborn calf unafraid of a tiger. "Later, I'm going to challenge the Pewter Gym and let you see our true strength!"
Hearing their conversation, Xia You couldn't help but walk over and interrupt them.
"You're Ash, right?"
Ash turned his head and realized the speaker was an unfamiliar young man.
"That's right, I'm Ash, who are you?"
After a deep look at him, Xia You said, "My name is Xia You. A few days ago, when I went to Pallet Town, I unintentionally heard Professor Oak talking about you. I never expected to meet you here today."
"Oh, you know Professor Oak too?" Ash smiled and said, "This is my partner Pikachu, and her…"
Before Ash could finish, Xiao Xia interjected, "My name is Xiao Xia, and I'm the world's number one beautiful girl."
The world's number one beautiful girl?
Xia You glanced at Xiao Xia's chest.
Xiao Xia was indeed a beauty in the making, but her body hadn't fully developed yet. It seemed she still had a long way to go to become the world's number one beautiful girl.
Xiao Xia was also observing Xia You at this moment. Seeing his handsome appearance and the Kirlia following behind him, she suddenly remembered something.
"So you're the Trainer who defeated my sister with Kirlia!?"
Xia You asked, pretending not to know, "Oh? Your sister is?"
However, upon hearing Xia You's question, Xiao Xia remained silent, evidently not wanting others to know she was from Hua Lan Gym.
Just then, a middle-aged man with a tall red hat and a large beard walked over.
"Are you planning to challenge Brock, the Gym Leader of the Pewter Gym?"
Ash nodded, "Of course! As soon as I leave the Pokémon Center, I'll go challenge the Pewter Gym and defeat him!"
Unexpectedly, the middle-aged man burst into laughter upon hearing Ash's words.
"Hahahahaha, with just you?"
His tone seemed mocking. Before Ash could speak, he laughed again and left.
Seeing him exit the Pokémon Center, Xia You couldn't help but ask, "Who was that person? Why does he seem to look down on you?"
Xiao Xia explained, "His name is Takeshi. He's an uncle who sells stones whom we met when we first arrived here."
Takeshi? An uncle who sells stones?
Xia You was first stunned, then remembered, isn't that Brock's father who had been away from home for many years!
Looking at his retreating figure, Ash said angrily, "Hmph, that uncle underestimated me too much! Alright, I'll go to the Gym now and defeat Brock to show him!"
"Well, that's quite a coincidence," Xia You shrugged and smiled, "I also happen to be going to challenge the Pewter Gym, so why don't we go together?"
…
Pewter, the color of stone. It is said that this city has been famous for its abundant stone production since ancient times. However, besides stones and fossils, there are no other distinctive features, making it a quiet northern town.
The entire city is surrounded by mountains and farmland, and a wide river divides the city into two. The Pewter Gym is located in the northwest of the city, adjacent to another famous building in the city—the Pewter Science Museum—across the street.
The group arrived at the Pewter Gym.
From afar, the Pewter Gym looked like it was constructed from layers of massive stones and steel, but as everyone approached, they realized it was merely a facade. Those massive stones were just thin slabs used to create deceptive, decorative door panels!
And only after going around the door panels would one truly discover that the back of the Pewter Gym was no different from an ordinary warehouse.
"What is this?" Xiao Xia grumbled, "I thought the entire Gym was built from stone, but it turns out only this small part in the front is real stone!"
Pushing open the Gym door, even in broad daylight, it was still incredibly dim inside.
Xia You and the others filed in. It wasn't until they walked into the center of the Gym that a spotlight suddenly illuminated a corner, where a man in a green vest was sitting cross-legged.
"Who are you?"
The man's voice was steady, his tone calm, as if he were an enlightened monk in meditation.
"Are you Brock, the Gym Leader?" Ash quickly asked, "I'm Ash from Pallet Town, and I'm here to challenge you!"
Xia You also said, "I'm Xia You, and I'm also here to challenge the Gym."
"As a Gym Leader, I don't care how many people come to challenge me," Brock stood up and slowly said, "However, only two Pokémon can be used. Which of you would like to battle me first?"
It was only then that Xia You truly saw Brock's appearance.
He had spiky hair, a prematurely aged face full of seriousness, and his eyes were so squinted that even upon close inspection, it was difficult to tell whether they were open or closed.
Ash glanced at Xia You, then stepped forward, eager to begin, "Of course, I'll go first. Bring it on."
Seeing Ash's eagerness, Xia You had no intention of arguing with him and took his Pokémon to the spectator stands.
"Ash, good luck!" Xiao Xia waved at Ash and also came to Xia You's side.
Looking at Ash, Brock snapped his fingers, and instantly all the lights in the Gym turned on, illuminating every corner. Below the spectator stands on both sides, warehouse doors suddenly opened, and two battlefields made of earth and rock slowly emerged, eventually joining together.
As a Rock and Ground-type Trainer, Brock's Gym naturally had a Rock and Ground-type battlefield.
Seeing Ash and Pikachu step onto the battlefield, Brock leaped to the Trainer's command area on the other side.
Ash pointed forward and shouted, "Go, Pikachu!"
"Still so young," Brock smiled slightly at this, and also threw out his Poké Ball, "Come out, my Pokémon—Onix!"