"This…"
"Could it be…"
"Evolution?!"
The three of them spoke one after another, splitting a single sentence into three, which showed how astonished they were.
Dr. Kong Mu had said that Dratini would evolve in the next few days. Xiao Zhi originally thought he would have to wait until the next Gym challenge, but he didn't expect it to evolve so quickly.
At this moment, the light surrounding Dratini dissipated. Dratini's figure disappeared, replaced by a slender Pokémon with its entire body covered in sapphire-colored scales.
"Dragonair…"
Xiao Zhi murmured. He had seen a Dragonair before on Dragonite Island, so he didn't need to scan it with his pokémon index this time.
Dragonair had a small white horn on its forehead and two small feather-like wings on either side of its head, which seemed to be for flying.
The moment Dragonair completed its evolution, Monferno clearly hadn't reacted. Dragonair's Extreme Speed attack sent Monferno crashing into a tree trunk. The opponent took a severe hit and couldn't stand up for a while.
Seeing this, Xiao Zhi took out a poké ball and threw it forcefully at Monferno.
As the opponent turned into a red light and entered the poké ball, Xiao Zhi's heart tensed with the shaking of the poké ball.
But then again, it had been a long time since he had caught a Pokémon through battle. This time, it reignited his passion, though he wondered when the next battle capture would be.
With a "ding," the poké ball stopped moving. Xiao Zhi walked forward, held up the poké ball, and shouted, "I caught Monferno!"
Xiao Gang and Xiao Xia clapped simultaneously:
"Congratulations."
"Congratulations."
This time, he not only caught Monferno but also had Dratini evolve into Dragonair. Xiao Zhi puffed out his chest, almost as if he had "I am invincible" written on his face.
Xiao Zhi's smug expression made Li Qingfeng rub his forehead, but then he thought, if it were him, he probably wouldn't be much better.
Plus, Xiao Zhi was still just a ten-year-old boy, so in that light, Xiao Zhi's actions were indeed reasonable.
Li Qingfeng suddenly asked, "Xiao Zhi, can you tell me how you felt when you used Aura?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhi tried to recall his feelings at the time: "Ah, how I felt then? Let me think… It seemed like I first felt your friendliness, and then a warm current flowed through my whole body, a very comfortable feeling."
"Next, friendliness came from all directions, even from Sabrina. When I conveyed friendliness to Gengar, it was as if I was connected to it, like a thin thread."
Xiao Zhi's words made Li Qingfeng nod slightly. So this was the legendary Wave Guide Power; this was how it felt to use it. But when used on Gengar, it felt like a thin thread connecting them. This must be a bond, right?
It was a pity that Xiao Zhi couldn't use Aura much now, otherwise Li Qingfeng would be curious about what connected him to Pikachu. Was it a thin thread? Or a thick rope?
Xiao Zhi excitedly asked, "Li Dage, if you were commanding Gengar, could you defeat Elite Four Shiba?"
"There's a chance, but not much. About 10%."
Li Qingfeng shook his head. This time, he could give Xiao Zhi a clear answer. As for why, it was naturally because he had judged Gengar's current strength back at the Goldenrod Gym.
Being able to fight evenly with Sabrina's Alakazam meant it had a baseline strength, but it wouldn't be too high. Against an Elite Four, it basically couldn't win.
Li Qingfeng waved his hand and said, "Enough talk. You should hurry and prepare for tomorrow's Gym challenge. Think about which Pokémon to send out."
Xiao Zhi nodded and smiled, "Hehe, actually, I've pretty much thought it through. Tomorrow, I'll send out those three."
"Xiao Zhi, you've rested well, right? Time to go."
Xiao Gang's voice pulled Xiao Zhi back to reality. After Xiao Zhi got up, he patted the dust off himself and said to Xiao Gang, "Okay, coming now."
Xiao Xia sighed, "Ugh… Seriously, still so reckless."
...
...
"Xiao Gang, how much longer until we reach Yu Hong City?"
"Not long, just one day."
"Ah…"
—One day later Yu Hong City—
Xiao Zhi looked at the magnificent streets, filled with emotion: "This place is no weaker than Saffron City! I wonder what the strength of the Yuhong Dojo is like. Looks like I need to be extra careful."
Xiao Gang nodded, encouraging him: "The Gym Leader here uses Grass-type Pokémon. If it's you, Xiao Zhi, it should be very easy to win."
"That's right, your Charmander and Pidgeotto both have an advantage over Grass-types. It should be the easiest Gym challenge you've faced so far."
Xiao Xia also nodded when she heard Xiao Gang's words. The next moment, her eyes turned into hearts as she said, "Since we're here, we absolutely must go to the perfume shop first!"
Yu Hong City was also a large city in the Kanto region, second only in scale to Saffron City.
A historic Celadon University was located here. This university had a great background; Dr. Kong Mu once taught here, and Dr. Kong Mu from the Johto region graduated from here.
Legend has it that this university would even present outstanding graduates with a Magikarp that had learned "Dragon Rage."
Besides Celadon University, there was also the Yuhong Dojo, Yuhong Building, Yuhong Department Store, and the Yuhong (Rocket) Game Corner, among other important buildings.
Don't underestimate these buildings. The Yuhong Department Store could be said to be the most well-stocked department store in the Kanto region. Xiao Gang was thinking of taking this opportunity to buy some essential food there.
The Yuhong (Rocket) Game Corner, those who know, know. But given the current situation, the hidden passages in the game are probably gone, seemingly not wanting our Xiao Zhi to exploit it.
But then again…
We'll see when the time comes.jpg
Since we're already here, maybe something was left behind for us to find a loophole.
"Okay, I'm going to call Dr. Kong Mu!" Xiao Zhi looked around, searching for the Pokémon Center's location.
Upon arriving in a new city, the first thing to do was naturally go to the Pokémon Center to restore the Pokémon's stamina.
Entering the Pokémon Center, Xiao Zhi handed his Pokémon to Nurse Joy, then quickly walked to the public phone. First, he reported his safety to his mother, and only then did he call Dr. Kong Mu.
Dr. Kong Mu smiled kindly and waved at Xiao Zhi: "Yo, Xiao Zhi, long time no see. Where are you now? Has it evolved?"
Xiao Zhi put his hands on his hips, feeling like everything was under control: "I'm already in Yu Hong City, preparing to challenge the Yuhong Dojo next. As for it, it evolved yesterday."
Dr. Kong Mu smiled and nodded upon hearing this, then began to reminisce about his time at Celadon University.
—