Inside Sakuragi Park, Xia You and Koharu walked side by side, strolling leisurely through the park.
The environment here is very beautiful. Functionally, it's similar to the forest behind Professor Oak's Laboratory, where Trainers can deposit their extra Pokémon.
Flowing water, clusters of Berries, ample sunlight…
After a walk around, Xia You discovered that the park had a complete ecosystem, capable of being self-sufficient without human interference.
As he walked, Xia You couldn't help but exclaim, "Such a massive scale, Professor Sakuragi must have put in a lot of effort, right?"
Koharu covered her mouth and smiled, "This park was only fully completed yesterday. My dad said at the time that once it was finished, he definitely wanted you, as a Trainer, to come in first and look for any deficiencies."
Xia You shrugged, "As expected of Professor Sakuragi, his thinking is indeed rigorous."
Beside the two of them, to the barks of Yamper, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Eevee, and Charmander chased each other, having a great time. It seemed they really liked the environment here.
Only Kirlia followed closely behind Xia You.
Seeing this, Xia You smiled and called out, "Alright, Bulbasaur, stop messing around. Remember to conserve your stamina; we still have serious business to attend to later."
"Serious business?" Koharu asked curiously, "What is it?"
"Of course, it's to challenge the Kuye Gym." Xia You suggested in an enticing tone, "How about it, want to come and see with me? You know, real Pokémon battles are far more thrilling and exciting than what you see on TV!"
Real Pokémon battles?
Koharu lowered her head, clearly tempted. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded gently.
…
Kuye, meaning the orange-yellow color of dusk.
The Kuye Gym is located on the west coast of Vermilion City. Its overall color scheme is yellow and white, and its shape resembles a large inverted trapezoid, somewhat similar to a typical large stadium.
Upon entering the Gym, there was a dedicated receptionist. After stating his purpose, the staff member directly led Xia You to the battle arena within the Gym.
"Please wait a moment; Gym Leader Lt. Surge will arrive shortly."
After the staff member left, Xia You looked around. On the earthy yellow Ground of the arena, there was nothing else, clearly a typical standard battleground.
Outside the arena, on all four sides, there were dozens of rows of tiered seating, like a stadium. From his estimation, if all seats were filled, it could accommodate at least a thousand people.
As it was her first time in such a place, the formal and grand battle environment made Koharu a little nervous.
"Relax a little." Xia You patted her shoulder. "There's nothing to worry about. Just watch the battle carefully from the side."
"I understand." Adjusting her breathing, Koharu whispered, "Good luck."
Watching Koharu walk into the spectator area, Xia You turned around and saw a few people emerging from the opposite passage.
The person leading them had spiky golden hair, a strong and muscular build, wore a military green vest and camouflage pants, sunglasses on his face, and military dog tags around his neck. From his demeanor alone, it was clear that he was a decisive and formidable man.
And he was none other than the Gym Leader of Kuye Gym—Lt. Surge!
It is said that Lt. Surge was once an Air Force Major who piloted special planes powered by Electric-type Pokémon and participated in many wars. After his retirement, he eventually became the Gym Leader of Kuye Gym.
However, based on his reputation, Lt. Surge's fighting style is very aggressive and heavy-handed. He often severely injures the Pokémon of weaker challengers.
Standing in the command area, Lt. Surge said loudly, "Daring to come to my Kuye Gym, it seems there's another overconfident challenger!"
Xia You was unfazed by his trash talk. He took a few steps forward and said, "To obtain the orange gym badge, Gym Leader Lt. Surge, I officially challenge you now."
"If you want a gym badge, win against me first!" Lt. Surge said arrogantly, crossing his arms. "Many people come to challenge me every day, but their strength is too weak. In my eyes, they are just a bunch of babies who haven't even grown their fur yet! And you, will you also be a baby?"
Listening to his slightly strange tone, Xia You couldn't help but frown.
He really hadn't expected Lt. Surge to be such an arrogant person.
"What are the battle rules here?"
Lt. Surge pulled two Poké Balls from his pocket with his fingers.
"The battle rules are simple: there's no time limit. As long as you defeat these two Pokémon I have, you win the challenge."
Saying that, he threw one of the Poké Balls. With a flash of blue light, a Pokémon similar in appearance to Pikachu, but larger, with a longer tail, and darker in color, appeared in the arena.
So it's Raichu…
Pokédex: "Beep, Raichu, the Mouse Pokémon, Electric-type, the evolved form of Pikachu. Its Thunderbolt attack is powerful, reaching a hundred thousand volts, easily knocking out opponents dozens of times larger than itself. As the electricity stored within its body increases, its personality becomes more aggressive."
"So, Baby, what is your Pokémon?"
Xia You glanced behind him, then said, "Kirlia, I'm counting on you."
Kirlia nodded slightly and slowly walked into the arena.
"So it's Kirlia." As someone from another region, Lt. Surge naturally recognized Kirlia. However, even so, he still curled his lip and said disdainfully, "Those few Pokémon behind you haven't fully evolved; their strength is too weak. You truly are a baby among babies!"
"You're wrong about that." Xia You said in a deep voice, "In this world, there are no weak Pokémon; the truly weak ones are only the Trainers!"
"Oh? Your words have indeed made me look at you differently." Lt. Surge's face hardened, and he said loudly, "But just talking big is useless. Raichu, let's go! Use Million Ton Punch!"
When Raichu launched its attack, it meant the battle officially began.
Seeing Raichu already in motion, Xia You shouted, "Kirlia, use Magical Leaf!"
Green Magical Leaf formed around Kirlia and shot rapidly towards the charging Raichu.
Seeing this, Lt. Surge didn't have Raichu dodge. Instead, he changed tactics and shouted, "Raichu, use Thunder Shock!!"
Raichu emitted a dazzling electric light, which collided with the Magical Leaf in mid-air. With a violent explosion, the Magical Leaf pierced through the electric light and struck Raichu's body.
—