After receiving the reward, Xiao Zuo was informed that he could be discharged from the hospital. Xiao Zuo then went to the Pokémon Center to retrieve his pokemon balls. Because of his contributions, his stay at the Pokémon Center was free this time.
“Come out, my partners!” Xiao Zuo released all his Pokemon as soon as he stepped out of the Center. A flash of white light, and the three Pokemon appeared before Xiao Zuo.
“Long time no see, Butterfree, Fearow, Meowth,” Xiao Zuo looked at his partners with great relief. He only felt at ease with his Pokemon by his side.
Xiao Zuo then took out two skill CDs and said to Meowth and Fearow, “These are two skill CDs. You two will learn the skills inside them later and then carefully comprehend them.”
After speaking, he placed the two CDs on Meowth and Fearow’s heads respectively. The CDs instantly turned into light and were absorbed into the two Pokemon’s bodies. Meowth and Fearow then closed their eyes simultaneously, experiencing the new energy within their bodies.
Watching the two Pokemon learning their skills, Xiao Zuo turned around and saw Butterfree looking at him. Xiao Zuo said to Butterfree, “Butterfree, I don’t have any other skills right now. I’ll let you learn more when I get a suitable skill CD for you. Don’t worry.”
After speaking, he took out an energy cube and handed it to Butterfree.
Energy cubes are the best food for Pokemon. Eating them can increase a Pokemon’s experience points and also improve its fur color and appearance.
At the hospital, Jenny gave him two rewards: an ite and a card with 30,000 League Coins. These were considered Xiao Zuo’s rewards. Xiao Zuo used this money to buy a new tent and sleeping bag, and then bought energy cubes for his three Pokemon. The price of energy cubes was extremely high; it cost 10,000 for each Pokemon to eat for a month, which once again depleted Xiao Zuo’s money.
Energy cubes are categorized by type, and eating the wrong type has a less effective result.
After a short while, Meowth and Fearow finished familiarizing themselves with their new skills. Xiao Zuo instructed them to test them out.
“Fearow, use Steel Wing on Meowth! Meowth, use Protect!” Xiao Zuo commanded the two Pokemon to attack each other. One skill was an attack and the other was a defense, perfectly suited to test who was stronger.
“Gah!” Upon receiving the order, Fearow flapped its wings and flew into the air, then charged towards Meowth. At this moment, Fearow’s wings turned silver, like steel.
“Meow!” Meowth also stood up at this moment, and a green, bubble-like protective shield formed around its body, enclosing Meowth and protecting it.
“Bang!” With a loud sound, Steel Wing struck the protective shield without causing any damage. The shield remained intact, and Meowth inside was completely unharmed. As for Fearow, its Steel Wing disappeared after the attack was ineffective, but the sound just now proved that the power of Steel Wing was definitely not low.
“Good, this is great! You two are amazing! You’ve both successfully learned them. Now we have new power, good!”
Xiao Zuo was delighted to see the performance of the two Pokemon. Now that they were united, Xiao Zuo took out his pokemon illustrated handbook to check Meowth and Fearow’s status.
“Meowth, Normal type, Level 15, Male, Ability: Pickup, Nature: Jolly, Held Item: Poison Sting, Skills: Growl, Scratch, Fake Out, Thunderbolt, Feint Attack, Protect.”
“Fearow, Normal/Flying type, Level 24, Male, Ability: Sniper, Nature: Hasty, Held Item: None, Skills: Glare, Growl, Peck, Pursuit, Fury Attack, Aerial Ace, Mirror Move, Shadow Sneak, Steel Wing, Inherited Skill: Air Cutter.”
Unexpectedly, in addition to the skills learned from the CDs, Meowth and Fearow also learned new skills on their own. This was great! And Meowth even picked up a held item, Poison Sting.
Xiao Zuo then scanned Butterfree as well. “Butterfree, Bug/Flying type, Level 14, Male, Ability: Compound Eyes, Nature: Timid, Held Item: None, Skills: Tackle, String Shot, Harden, Confusion, Gust, Poison Powder, Stun Spore, Sleep Powder.”
Wow, Butterfree directly learned the three powders! This is amazing! You know, the three powder skills are incredibly useful. With just these three, anyone will have a hard time.
“With Sleep Powder, catching Pokemon will be much easier in the future. One Sleep Powder and they won’t make a sound.”
Looking at his three Pokemon, Xiao Zuo was now full of confidence and immediately decided to challenge the Rainbow Gym.
As soon as he decided to go, Xiao Zuo followed the map and arrived at the city center, where there was a large lawn. In the center of the lawn was a large green plant garden, and at the entrance hung an eight-colored flower symbol, which was the rainbow badge.
Xiao Zuo stood in front of the Rainbow Gym, took a deep breath, and walked in with his three Pokemon. The inside of the Gym was like a huge garden, full of beautiful flowers and fragrant scents. A Trainer in splendid attire walked over, “Welcome to the Rainbow Gym. I am the gardener here.”
The gardener then introduced the Gym’s architecture and rules, leading Xiao Zuo to a battle platform inside the Gym. First, Xiao Zuo’s Trainer level was assessed. Since it was Xiao Zuo’s first Gym battle, he was a novice. Then, the match was arranged. Because too many new Trainers challenge Gyms when they first debut each year, there’s a waiting list.
“You’re lucky, there are no challengers today, you’re the first. Your battle is scheduled in twenty minutes, please be prepared. May I ask if spectators are allowed during the battle?”
This question was asked because some challengers do not wish to have onlookers, fearing they would be embarrassed if they lost.
“I don’t mind,” Xiao Zuo naturally wasn’t afraid of being ridiculed by others. If he lost, it meant he was inferior; if he won, everyone would be happy.
Time quickly passed, and it was time for the battle. Xiao Zuo was led by a staff member to the battle arena. The Gym Leader was already in place on the opposite side. At the same time, some people were seated in the audience, all of whom had heard there was a challenger and came to watch. Among them were many new Trainers this year, and there were also cameras pointed at the battle arena. This was because Normal Gym challenges are broadcast live in the city, just like regular television programs.
“Next is the Gym battle! Challenger, the new Trainer from Lin Yuan Town, Xiao Zuo!” The referee finished speaking and pointed at Xiao Zuo, then continued, “The defending side is the Rainbow City Rainbow Gym Leader, Lady Erika!” After he finished, many people on the sidelines excitedly shouted Erika’s name.
“It seems being a Gym Leader is a great profession. Everyone in the whole city likes her,” Xiao Zuo said, looking at the elegant older sister across from him.
“The battle will use two Pokemon. The attacking side can switch Pokemon, but the defending side cannot. The side whose Pokemon are all incapacitated loses. Each Pokemon can only use four skills during the battle. Both sides, please prepare.”
After speaking, he held up two flags, one red and one green. Red represented offense, and green represented defense.
“Go, Weepinbell!” Erika, as the defending side, released her Pokemon first, Weepinbell.
“Weepinbell, Grass/Poison type, Flycatcher Pokemon, the evolved form of Bellsprout. Its leaves can turn into sharp blades to cut opponents, and its mouth can spit out liquid that can melt anything.”
The pokemon illustrated handbook made a sound, “Weepinbell, its ability is Chlorophyll. It really is a good choice for dealing with novices. Go, Butterfree!”
Xiao Zuo released Butterfree. Among his three Pokemon, Butterfree had both Bug and Flying types, which quadruply countered Grass type, making it an excellent choice.
“Both sides prepare, battle start!”
With the referee’s command, the battle officially began.
The battle began with Xiao Zuo attacking first, “Butterfree, use Poison Powder!” After he spoke, Butterfree began to vibrate its wings, and yellow powder flew in all directions.
“Weepinbell, use Razor Leaf!”
“Weepin!” Weepinbell received the command, its two leaf-hands quickly spun, and Razor Leaf flew out. Erika would not be idle; she first commanded Weepinbell to attack. Even though she used a lower-level Pokemon for battle, Erika herself had high combat experience, allowing her to unleash powerful strength even with a lower level.
Just as it seemed Razor Leaf was about to hit Butterfree, Xiao Zuo’s command came, “Butterfree, use Gust, blow it away!”
Butterfree flapped its wings, and two strong gusts of wind flew towards Weepinbell, blowing away the incoming Razor Leaf and also blowing over all the Poison Powder that had just been used.
Weepinbell couldn’t dodge in time and was hit, or rather, it had nowhere to hide, as the entire field was covered in powder.
“What a formidable rookie! This is the strongest one we’ve seen this year. Weepinbell, don’t speak, use Vine Whip to grab it!”
Erika commanded. Weepinbell was now covered in yellow arcs, a sign of paralysis, but Poison Powder is a Grass-type move, and Grass-type Pokemon generally have stronger resistance. Weepinbell still managed to use its skill.
“Butterfree, use Confusion!” Butterfree received the command, its eyes turned blue, and an invisible force emanated, controlling the incoming Vine Whip, then deflecting it back, hitting Weepinbell.
“One more Gust, finish the battle!” Butterfree flapped its wings once again, creating a powerful wind that blew towards Weepinbell.
“Weepinbell, quick, dodge!” Erika commanded Weepinbell to dodge the attack, but electrical arcs burst from Weepinbell’s body, a result of the paralysis, and it remained motionless on the spot.
Weepinbell stood still and was directly blown away by the incoming wind. “Weepin!” With a thud, Weepinbell crashed to the ground, its eyes turning into swirls, losing its ability to battle.
“Weepinbell is unable to battle, Butterfree wins!” The referee quickly made the ruling, and the entire audience was in an uproar.
“This challenger is so strong! He defeated Lady Erika’s Pokemon without taking any damage!” a little girl on the side said. “Yeah, it’s the first time I’ve seen such a strong Trainer!” another child said.
“I can’t underestimate you. Go, my partner, Gloom!” Erika finished speaking and released Gloom. “Gloom, Grass/Poison type, Weed Pokemon, the evolved form of Oddish. Gloom emits an extremely strong stench that can make people within two kilometers faint.”
Xiao Zuo felt a sudden discomfort upon seeing Gloom appear. “I almost forgot about it. I should have gotten a gas mask earlier. This is going to be tough now. Return, Butterfree! Go, Fearow!”