Pikachu, Squirtle, and Starmie listened to the burly man's instructions, observing Lapras's use of Surf, and nodded repeatedly.
However, among the three, Starmie was surprisingly the fastest learner, which surprised Xiao Zhi. As for Pikachu, it didn't quite grasp water-type moves thoroughly, making it the slowest to learn.
Xiao Zhi stroked Pikachu's fur and comforted him, "It's okay. Later, Starmie and Squirtle can teach you."
Squirtle was learning quite well and seemed close to mastering Surf. Xiao Zhi thought about having Squirtle participate in the next Gym challenge after finishing the Cerulean Gym.
Which Gym should he challenge for his seventh badge?
If he took a boat from Vermilion City, heading to Vermilion City would also be an option.
...
...
The Cerulean Gym was located southwest of Vermilion City. Guided by the burly man, Xiao Zhi and his two companions finally saw an ancient-looking building.
The sight of these houses left Xiao Zhi in awe. If Xiao Mao were here, he would definitely say it looked like a scene from a light novel.
(Xiao Mao: Don't slander me!)
'It looks a bit like a Hisui region building,' Li Qingfeng mused when he saw the Cerulean Gym.
Xiao Zhi also heard Li Qingfeng's words and quickly asked him, "Hisui region? What kind of place is that? Can I travel there in the future?!"
Li Qingfeng was silent for a moment. If he remembered correctly, Xiao Zhi had never been to the Hisui region in the original story. The timeline had shifted somewhat now, so there might indeed be a small possibility for Xiao Zhi to go to the Hisui region for a storyline.
Moreover, with Xiao Zhi's physique, he would definitely be able to "dominate" the Hisui region!
[Hisui Region: A region in the Pokémon World, also ancient Sinnoh.]
'It's hard to say~ We'll talk about it when you meet the legendary Arceus later,' Li Qingfeng smiled. He felt a bit better now compared to before.
Xiao Zhi nodded slightly upon hearing this. He walked to the entrance of the Cerulean Gym, gently knocked on the door, and asked, "Is anyone home?"
"Who?"
The door opened slightly, and a girl emerged, wearing a purple cloak over light, form-fitting black clothing. (Anju, a game character, not the sister from the anime.)
Her appearance was quite sharp and agile, her clothes looked sleek and soft, and a red scarf fluttered behind her in the wind.
Xiao Zhi and his two companions exchanged glances, both somewhat puzzled.
If they remembered correctly, the burly man had said that the Gym Leader of the Cerulean Gym was a male and also a ninja.
Masaka?!
"Is this the Transformation Jutsu? How amazing!"
Someone exclaimed this, though it was unclear who.
The girl heard this and was a bit annoyed, but she suppressed her anger and began to introduce herself, "I am Anju, the future Gym Leader of the Cerulean Gym."
Xiao Zhi was quite confused and asked, "The future Gym Leader? Then where is the current Gym Leader?"
Before the girl could speak, a wisp of smoke suddenly rose from the doorway.
From the smoke emerged a man dressed similarly to Anju, both appearing to be ninjas.
This reminded Li Qingfeng of Ishizuki, the sweet potato seller from the Arceus movie. That one was quite something, also one of the ninjas who appeared in the original work.
Back to reality, the man was around 30 years old. When he saw his daughter with Xiao Zhi and his two companions, he generally understood what had happened.
"My name is Aju, the Gym Leader of the Cerulean Gym. Which one of you three is the challenger?"
Aju's tone was somewhat flat, but Li Qingfeng could detect a hint of eagerness in his words. He sounded like he was about to be promoted at any moment.
In the Gold/Silver series of games, Aju was the poison-type Elite Four member in the League, and the Gym was managed by his daughter. It seemed this was that storyline now.
Xiao Zhi pulled open his jacket and said, "It's me! I'm here to earn my sixth badge!"
Aju nodded slightly. Since it was to earn the sixth badge, he would have to bring out that tactic he hadn't used in a long time. He was just thinking of practicing this tactic before becoming an Elite Four member.
However, didn't the opponent have a golden badge inside his jacket? It seems this challenger has some skill, so let's add a little something extra!
Li Qingfeng felt a chill. In Let's Go Eevee, every Trainer in the Cerulean Gym used the Substitute-Protect-Toxic strategy.
As a result, Li Qingfeng had to run back and forth to the Pokémon Center many times before successfully challenging it. Seeing Aju in his current state, he couldn't help but pray for Xiao Zhi.
Substitute-Protect-Toxic, probably with Substitute added.
Substitute-Protect-Toxic is not the strongest, but it is definitely one of the widely classic and legendary tactics among players.
Li Qingfeng particularly hated this tactic. For no other reason than it was too time-consuming, and for him, who liked quick battles, it was more unbearable than killing him.
And Aju in the game was a bit... that.
In short, he loved to stall for time. Unlike the widely known Substitute-Protect-Toxic, his was Substitute first, then Protect, then Toxic. He didn't know what GF was thinking to come up with this.
Aju led the way, with Xiao Zhi and his two companions following behind him. As for Anju, she went to the backyard to train Pokémon.
Along the way, Xiao Zhi heard Li Qingfeng's laughter and couldn't help but wonder, 'Brother Qingfeng, what are you laughing about?'
Li Qingfeng shook his head and replied, 'Nothing, I just remembered something happy.'
'What happy thing?'
'Someone's going to fight against Substitute-Protect-Toxic soon~'
'...?'
Although Xiao Zhi didn't know what Substitute-Protect-Toxic was, hearing Li Qingfeng's somewhat schadenfreude tone, he felt it wasn't anything good.
Upon arriving at the battle arena, Aju was already ready for battle.
After explaining the battle rules. (3v3)
Xiao Zhi had already decided who to send out, and Aju was the first to send out an Arbok!
Seeing Arbok, Xiao Zhi nodded. He was too familiar with this Pokémon. Jessie's Ekans, after evolving into Arbok, had been defeated by him many times. He just didn't know how the opponent would combine its moves.
"Since it's Arbok..."
Xiao Zhi threw out a poké ball and shouted, "Then, Krabby, I'm counting on you!"
----Easter Egg----
'Xiao Zhi, if... I mean, if, in the future, after I regain my physical body, I were to leave you, what kind of person would you think I am...?'
'Brother Qingfeng, you've been a bit strange lately. But... if you really have to leave then, I must have become a Pokémon Master by that time, right?'
'Hmm, maybe.'