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Facing Lt Surge's taunts, Ash, slightly angered, said, "First, I'm already fifteen years old. Second, why do you look down on my Pikachu?!"
"Pika Pika!" The looked-down-upon Pikachu was even angrier, cursing. He hadn't even started fighting yet and was already being underestimated by the opponent. He couldn't tolerate it!
"Heh heh, a Pokémon that hasn't even evolved, what is it if not a child? Oh, besides Pikachu, you also have a baby Pokémon. Gym challenges are not child's play. I've already crippled who knows how many like you. If you don't want to get hurt, leave quickly, understand?" The big man's words also revealed his identity.
He was Lt Surge, the Gym Leader of Vermilion City Gym!
It must be said that although Lt Surge was ruthless, he would always make things clear to challengers before a battle.
If the challenger insisted on challenging, then he couldn't be blamed for not holding back.
Even so, Ash still couldn't accept such behavior.
The Gyms he had challenged, whether it was Misty or Brock, gave him the impression of what a true Gym Leader would do. In contrast, this person in front of him wasn't acting like a Gym Leader, but rather like an unsatisfied fighter.
All he wanted was a battle that would satisfy him.
"Whether a Pokémon evolves or not is not the standard for judging strength… I am Ash, a Trainer from Pallet Town, and I hereby challenge Lt Surge, the Trainer of Vermilion City Gym!" Ash took a step forward and shouted with an imposing aura.
Regardless of whether he could win, his morale couldn't be weak before the battle. The opponent kept calling him a child, and the most effective counterattack Ash could make was to stand as a challenger and declare war on Lt Surge!
Watching Ash shout these words, Lt Surge's eyes subtly changed. He squeezed his large fists, a smile appearing on his lips: "How interesting. You seem a bit different from those other guys. Come in first."
Lt Surge said, walking deeper into the Gym.
Misty, cowering behind Ash, followed him inside. Lt Surge's actions just now had caused considerable damage to her young heart. The thought of being hugged by such a big man made goosebumps rise all over her body. Thankfully, Ash had stood in front of her.
As they entered the Gym, the dim interior lit up with lights, instantly making the entire Gym bright.
The Gym battlefield was a normal one, but various scorched marks could still be seen on it. These were likely recent battle marks that wouldn't disappear anytime soon.
Lt Surge stood on the Gym battlefield, looking down at Ash and saying, "Little boy, how long have you been traveling, and how many badges have you collected?"
"One month, two."
"Two in one month? Heh, they must be badges from some third-rate Gym. I really don't know what kind of Gym would allow someone who debuted less than a month ago to successfully challenge it. Gyms nowadays are truly shameless just to meet their badge distribution quotas." Lt Surge said with a hint of sarcasm.
If Ash had only debuted a month ago, that meant he received those two badges even before a month had passed since his debut. To get two badges under such circumstances, what could those Gyms be if not third-rate?
"Ash, get him!" Brock's already dark complexion now looked even worse. No one would be in a good mood if their Gym was spoken of like that, and this was in front of the Gym Leader himself!
Misty, following behind Ash, also twitched her lips, almost bursting out in a torrent of curses. But Ash anticipated Misty's move and pulled her back directly: "Don't be impulsive, Misty. Let him talk a bit more. He'll soon find out who the third-rate Gym is!"
Ash finished speaking, then walked onto the arena and said coldly, "Enough with the nonsense. What level of difficulty challenge are you giving me?"
"First, show me proof of your one-month debut and your two badges."
Upon hearing this, Ash took out his Pokédex, opened his personal information, and placed it before Lt Surge. The Pokédex contained the Trainer's debut time. If a Trainer didn't have a Pokédex, a debut certificate would be given along with their starter Pokémon when they began their journey.
This was also to allow Gym Leaders to better determine the difficulty for the trial. There were not a few people in the world who liked to take shortcuts, deliberately understating their travel time to challenge lower-difficulty Gyms.
If caught, they would be blacklisted by all Gyms, and any future challenges would be met with the highest difficulty!
So, with proof, very few people would fabricate their debut time.
After confirming that Ash's stated debut time was not fake and seeing Ash's two Gym badges, Lt Surge's face showed hesitation. After a moment, he said, "Although you've only debuted for a month, you do have two badges, so I'll arrange a medium difficulty for you."
"If you can't even pass this difficulty, then you shouldn't even have a badge…"
"Highest difficulty."
"What?"
"I said I want to challenge the highest difficulty! Isn't your strongest Pokémon Raichu? Do you dare to have your Raichu battle my Pikachu one-on-one?!" Ash blurted out the provocative words he had prepared from the start.
Gym challenges are usually two-on-two or more, because the rotation and diversity of Pokémon can better test a Trainer's command skills and application of Pokémon.
Like Misty's previous choice of one-on-three, that was a judgment made by the Gym Leader himself. In situations where he felt his Pokémon and the opponent's Pokémon were unbalanced, he would choose a method that balanced the challenge for the challenger.
Ash's current request for the highest difficulty challenge to Lt Surge wasn't truly the highest difficulty. For the highest difficulty, he would at least have to face two or more of Lt Surge's strongest Pokémon. Currently, Ash could only battle the Gym Leader's main Pokémon with his full-power Pikachu.
If he faced two… even Pikachu might not win, which is why Ash used words to provoke, stating he wanted the highest difficulty challenge while limiting the opponent to only one Pokémon, thus allowing for a one-on-one battle!
However, upon hearing this, Lt Surge's face was full of odd expressions, and his gaze towards Ash was even more like he was looking at an idiot: "Little boy, do you know what level my Raichu is?"
"Professional Level, of course."
"You know that and you still dare to challenge my Raichu to a one-on-one? And you're even using Pikachu. Little boy, there's a limit to looking down on people!" Lt Surge was amused by Ash. There had to be a limit to overestimating oneself, right? If Ash used another Pokémon, he might suspect Ash was hiding a trick, but Ash said he was sending out Pikachu?
As a Gym Leader, Lt Surge saw through Pikachu's level at a glance: Advanced Level!
Although he wasn't entirely sure which stage of Advanced Level, it was certain that the opponent hadn't reached Elite Level.
Daring to challenge a Professional Level Raichu without even being Elite Level? What's the difference between that and a suicide mission?
"Just say whether you'll fight or not. If you don't dare to do a one-on-one, a medium-difficulty challenge as you said is fine too."
"Little boy, you've successfully piqued my interest. I hope you can be as arrogant as you are now when your Pikachu is being rubbed into the ground." Lt Surge's mouth curved into a grim smile. He seemed to already see Pikachu being beaten into the ground by Raichu, and Ash crying bitterly on the side.
Nearby, Lt Surge's two subordinates, who were also two Gym staff members, were chatting and laughing about their Gym Leader and Ash's situation. There had been countless Trainers who had been utterly defeated by Lt Surge during this time, but not a single Trainer had ever made Lt Surge use Raichu!
This challenger had truly walked right into trouble.
Under the slightly sarcastic gazes of the two staff members, Ash and Lt Surge stood on opposite sides of the battlefield.
"Go, Raichu."
Lt Surge was the first to release his Pokémon. The Poké Ball opened on the field, a flash of light, and a large, earthy-yellow mouse appeared on the field.
Compared to Pikachu, Raichu was more than a size larger, and its overall color and appearance were not as good-looking as Pikachu. If one pursued appearance, then the Pikachu stage was better.
But if one pursued strength, then Raichu was undoubtedly more than one level stronger than Pikachu.
Ash glanced at the opponent's Raichu's information.
Strength: Professional Level (Beginner), Ability: Electrostatic, Six-dimensional stats… Speed E, all others only D!
When he saw Raichu's six-dimensional stats, Ash was stunned. What kind of training method could raise a Pokémon to be so trashy?
That's right, it was trashy!
This was Raichu's first impression on Ash.
Pokémon training is not just about level increases; increases in ability stats are also very important.
Why is it said that behind every successful Trainer there is a Breeder? Because only a Breeder can fully develop a Pokémon's current abilities, and then when it advances to the next level, the Pokémon's potential ceiling will be higher.
If one only focuses on increasing levels, then even if a Pokémon reaches Champion, its raw strength might not be able to defeat some exceptionally well-trained Elites.
However, usually, Pokémon that reach Champion are not poorly trained… But a Raichu like the one in front of him, at Professional Level with all six-dimensional stats at D, and even an E, Ash had never seen before.
This was his first time seeing a Professional Level Pokémon, but it didn't stop him from thinking this Pokémon was very poorly trained.
"How about it, are you scared by my Raichu? You've only debuted for a month, let alone battling a Professional Level, you probably haven't even seen a Professional Level before, have you? Look at the aura emanating from Raichu, your Pikachu is already trembling."
Scared? Indeed, in his one month since debut, he hadn't seen a Pokémon so poorly trained.
Ash glanced at the Pikachu at his feet. Pikachu was indeed shaking, but was it trembling in fear? No, it was itching to rush out and flatten Raichu.
"I haven't seen a Professional Level, but I have seen a Divine Realm Grade. Your Raichu is far from Divine Realm Grade."
Lt Surge: ???
What nonsense are you spouting? Divine Realm Grade! I could say I've seen the Creator God!
You think you can't win so you're resorting to psychological warfare, huh?
"It's decided, Pikachu! Show them your power. So what if they evolve? We have ways to get stronger without evolving." Ash said, squatting down and placing his hat on Pikachu's head.
Behind Ash, Misty and Brock saw this scene and their expressions froze. Is it here? The hat-wearing Pikachu!
Previously, during the battle against Misty, Pikachu's performance after putting on the hat was practically two different levels from its original form!
Although Ash didn't say it, they knew that hat definitely had a special buff for Pikachu. As long as Pikachu wore that hat, its power would undergo a qualitative change!
Now, Ash was having Pikachu wear the hat right at the start. This meant he was going all out from the very beginning!
"Hahaha, little boy, is your Pokémon still a baby that hasn't been weaned? You need to bring decorations to a battle? You don't think wearing a hat will defend against my Raichu's electricity, do you?"
"Pika Pika!!!" Enough, I'm getting angry!!!
Pikachu dashed onto the field, the surging power within him making him eager to explode on the opponent!
"Who's strong and who's weak isn't decided by words. Pikachu, we'll go first, use Electric Terrain!" Ash waved his hand, directly having Pikachu use Electric Terrain.
"Pikachu Pikachu Pikachu!!" Pikachu landed on all fours, then pushed off sharply, his body instantly vanishing from the field.
Before Raichu could react, he felt a heavy blow to his stomach!
Golden lightning flashed in front of Raichu. Pikachu had already appeared in front of Raichu and had already collided with him!
"Bang!"
With a muffled thud, Raichu flew back more than ten meters, tumbling and rolling!
The speed of this move was a level faster than Quick Attack. With Pikachu's current speed stats and the one-level boost from wearing the hat, it was enough to make Raichu unable to even see his shadow!
"What move was that? Why couldn't I see anything?!" Raichu's tumbling on the field instantly wiped the smile off Lt Surge's face.
No, is this the speed an Advanced Level Pikachu can unleash? It's a bit too exaggerated!
All that could be seen on the field was a flash of electricity, and then Pikachu crashed into Raichu. What kind of monstrous speed is this?
No, wait a minute… Lt Surge rubbed his eyes, thinking he had seen wrong. Just now, he looked at Pikachu and it was clearly Advanced Level, but now, why did it feel like the opponent had already reached Elite Level?
What exactly happened in those short tens of seconds?
"Excellent, Pikachu! Press the advantage, use soaring surf!" Seeing Raichu sent flying and not yet getting up, Ash commanded, pressing the advantage.
Electric Terrain's speed is very fast, but for Raichu, the damage can be said to be negligible. Not only are they both Electric-types, but Electric Terrain itself doesn't have high power.
But soaring surf is different!
Pikachu took a deep breath, then stomped his foot hard on the ground. Immediately, a stream of water rose from under Pikachu's feet, and moments later, it became a giant wave!
Lt Surge: !!!
Gym staff: !!!
Brock & Misty: !!!
No, what is this?! Is this a move Pikachu can use?!
Is this move Surf? Can Pikachu learn Surf? Is your Pikachu legal?!
Lt Surge's face, in particular, showed an expression as if he'd seen a ghost. First, that invisible electric attack, and now using an attack like Surf. What kind of Pokémon is this? This is absolutely not Pikachu, if it is, he'll eat a pound of it!
On the field, Pikachu rode the wave, injecting his internal electricity into the surge. Golden lightning flashed within the deep blue, surging wave.
soaring surf is not an ordinary Surf move. Although it is Water-type, it contains Electric-type power. If it hits the opponent, there is a chance to paralyze them!
Pikachu rode the surging golden-blue wave, slamming it hard onto Raichu, who had just managed to stand up, his eyes filled with terror!
"Raichu, use Protect!!"
"Rai!!"
Raichu quickly used Protect after hearing the command, but Lt Surge's command was still a bit too late. Before Protect fully appeared, the massive wave had already crashed down heavily on Raichu!
The giant waves rolled, surging powerfully, shaking the heavens and earth!
"Splash!!"
Raichu's figure was submerged in the surging wave!