Chapter 135 Gary's Challenge, Still a Naive Ash
Everyone's attention was drawn to Moltres, and Gary was especially excited.
For a new Pokémon Trainer like him, who had only recently begun his journey and already achieved great success, having a legendary Pokémon right before his eyes, his first thought was to have a battle with it.
As the saying goes, a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger, and he directly asked Xia Mu for a Pokémon battle.
"Brother Xia Mu, please have a fair Pokémon battle with me! I want to fight Moltres!" Gary's tone was full of anticipation.
Xia Mu was slightly startled upon hearing this, but quickly recovered.
After all, he was still young and inexperienced, and his excessive self-confidence made such a request understandable.
His challenge shocked everyone present.
However, no one laughed at Gary for overestimating himself; they only thought his courage was commendable.
Among these gazes, Xia Mu especially received a look from Professor Oak.
Clearly, Professor Oak hoped that Xia Mu would accept Gary's challenge, thus making Gary realize the vastness of the world.
"Alright, I accept your challenge, but it's a legendary Pokémon, so Gary can use all of his Pokémon."
Xia Mu gave Professor Oak a look, then nodded to Gary.
"Thank you for your kindness, Xia Mu-nii, but not all of them. I'm quite confident in my Pokémon's strength." Gary was indeed a bit overconfident.
No wonder Professor Oak had that pleading look in his eyes.
"Let's fight first." Xia Mu smiled slightly, not revealing the truth.
The battle was confirmed.
Moltres truly looked down on Gary. A
legendary bird, facing a human child, even if the opponent was a skilled trainer, was still just a child.
"Go, Blastoise!" Gary took out a Poké Ball and sent out his Blastoise.
This was also his strongest Pokémon.
Blastoise displayed a powerful aura upon its appearance, but upon seeing its opponent was Moltres, its expression visibly turned serious and somewhat distressed.
Xia Mu noticed that Gary's Blastoise was only level 42.
Frankly, that's about the same strength as Ash's Charizard. Actually,
given Gary's talent, if he traveled on foot instead of relying on transportation, he would likely be even stronger.
'Gaa—Awooo!!!'
Moltres flapped its wings, letting out a fierce cry, its aura exploding.
"Even with the legendary Firebird, the rule that Water types are super effective against Fire types remains unchanged." Gary was very confident; the type advantage was indeed true.
Throughout his travels, combined with his previous knowledge, this was the standard approach; he had never encountered any surprises.
However, this time, Xia Mu would teach him a lesson.
Types don't represent absolutes.
"Hydro Pump!" Without the slightest hesitation, after instilling his philosophy in Blastoise, Gary gave the command.
'Kame!!!' With a loud roar to bolster its courage, Blastoise aimed its two anti-aircraft guns at the low-flying Moltres and unleashed its Water Cannon attack, its power truly astonishing.
Xia Mu was slightly surprised that Blastoise had learned Water Cannon at level 42, considering that according to the leveling system, Blastoise would learn it at level 49.
Even Wartortle wouldn't learn it until level 45.
Only Squirtle could learn Water Cannon at level 33.
However, it was clear that Gary wouldn't let Squirtle evolve at level 33, so it must have learned Water Cannon through some other reason, such as being taught a new move.
Faced with the powerful water cannon attack, Moltres in the air simply flapped its wings to dodge the attack.
However, the water cannon didn't stop there; it followed Moltres' movements, much to Moltres' annoyance.
Xia Mu noticed this and decisively ordered, "Flamethrower, end the battle!"
A
fierce cry rang out as Moltres unleashed a terrifying Flamethrower, not only vaporizing the water cannon but also crushing it straight down, striking the defenseless Blastoise.
A muffled boom followed, and Blastoise let out a shrill scream before being violently thrown backward by the explosion, crashing to the ground, unable to battle.
...
Everyone stared in disbelief.
Even though it was a divine bird, the fact that Flamethrower could directly vaporize the water cannon and instantly kill Blastoise was incredibly shocking.
Shigeru, who was directly hit, looked grim, gasping for breath before barely regaining his composure.
"Come back, Blastoise, thank you for your hard work." Shigeru reluctantly recalled Blastoise, now beginning to understand the vast difference in their strength.
This was a legendary Pokémon, the fire god of their Kanto mythology! It
was completely incomparable to ordinary Pokémon; even a top-tier Water-type like Blastoise would be instantly defeated by its Hydro Pump.
"Are you still going to stick to your initial idea? There's no need to feel resentful. The existence of legendary Pokémon, in a sense, is incomparable to ordinary Pokémon," Xia Mu said. Shigeru seemed
to understand Xia Mu's meaning, nodded, and said, "I understand, Brother Xia Mu, please continue battling me. This time I'll use Golem!"
With that, Shigeru sent out Golem.
In Xia Mu's eyes, Golem's level wasn't high either, only level 40, weaker than Blastoise.
However, the Rock and Ground type did indeed provide maximum resistance against Fire-type attacks.
Unfortunately, while Golem's physical defense was an absurd 130, its special defense was only 65.
Moltres excels in special attacks.
Under Gary's command, Golem began to act.
While it had a good grasp of Rock-type moves, these attacks were nothing to Moltres.
Under Xia Mu's command, Moltres easily absorbed the attacks, then countered with a Flamethrower, instantly defeating Golem once again.
Having suffered the first defeat, even after being instantly defeated again, Gary only momentarily lost his composure before recovering.
Recalling Golem, Gary sent out his third Pokémon.
"Alakazam, please!"
Alakazam appeared, also at level 40.
Although not as good as Sabrina's Alakazam, this one was still quite good.
He tried to win with a Psychic-type, but Moltres was no ordinary Pokémon. Even against Psychic-type attacks, it was completely unfazed, and the level difference was too great, making speed incomparable.
Alakazam's psychic attacks were fast, but it couldn't catch Moltres at all.
Finally, with another Flamethrower, Moltres easily defeated Alakazam in one hit.
Three battles, three crushing defeats.
Shigeru was starting to doubt his very existence.
Before, everything had gone so smoothly that he felt the world revolved around him.
Now he realized how naive he was; his opponents didn't even need to take him seriously to defeat him.
Even though his opponent was Moltres, it still showed how weak he truly was.
Xia Mu could at least capture and command Moltres.
What about him? He couldn't even gain the slightest advantage.
"Want to fight again, Shigeru?" Xia Mu asked with a smile.
Hearing this, Shigeru lost all courage .
He was now so desperate that he doubted himself.
Shaking his head, Shigeru said, "Forget it. I roughly know how weak I am. Before, I was like a frog in a well. Continuing to fight would only bring more humiliation."
With that, Shigeru lowered his head slightly.
Seeing his reaction, Xia Mu stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder: "You've done very well. Moltres is, after all, a legendary Pokémon. It's impressive that you had the courage to challenge it and fight it to this extent. Remember not to underestimate yourself or easily doubt yourself. If you do, you'll only reach the end."
Hearing this, Xiao Mao looked up at Xia Mu: "I know you're comforting me, Brother Xia Mu, but thank you for your encouragement anyway. I accept my defeat wholeheartedly this time. I will work even harder in the future, and one day, I will also catch a legendary Pokémon with my own strength."
"It's good that you think this way. This experience is good for you. Train your Pokémon well. I can see that your Pokémon have great potential. It's not impossible for them to rival legendary Pokémon in the future." Xia Mu nodded to Xiao Mao and added meaningfully. For
an ordinary Pokémon to rival a legendary Pokémon—that's something most people wouldn't even dare to dream of.
However, Gary believed it. He had seen Xia Mu's other Pokémon, and although he didn't know their exact strength, as an excellent Pokémon Trainer, he could sense that they were definitely superior to the Pokémon he had raised.
"I understand, thank you for your guidance, Brother Xia Mu." Admitting defeat, accepting defeat, and then looking towards a bright future, Gary's transformation was indeed direct.
How could an ordinary person recover so quickly?
In Xia Mu's memory, only Ash could let go so quickly.
Thinking of Ash, just then, Ash and his friends arrived at Oak's lab.
Although Xia Mu and Gary's battle was over, seeing Moltres and getting a general understanding of the situation quickly filled them with shock.
"Momala, this is the legendary Moltres." Ash was deciphering information in his Pokédex, and at this moment, he was so excited that he couldn't control himself, just like Gary at the beginning.
Even after a long time, as if Gary had possessed him, he also looked at Xia Mu with burning eyes.
"Brother Xia Mu, please battle me
too." Xia Mu accepted Ash's challenge.
Even though he already knew the outcome, he accepted Gary's challenge and wouldn't refuse Ash; otherwise, it would seem unfair.
Xia Mu was actually quite speechless during the battle with Ash.
Compared to Gary, Ash was really too inexperienced.
As usual, Pikachu appeared.
Facing Pikachu, Moltres simply flapped its wings, unleashing a burst of heat that rendered Pikachu unable to battle, giving Ash no chance to react or for Pikachu to unleash its full power.
Defeating Pikachu, Ash didn't give up and summoned Squirtle.
He genuinely didn't know that Gary's Blastoise had recently been easily defeated.
After Squirtle left the field, Ash was about to send out Muk, but Charizard suddenly jumped out of its Poké Ball, disrupting the battle's rhythm.
Clearly, it had sensed Moltres's power and wanted to battle.
Charizard, unusually, obeyed Ash's commands in battle. However, what was a level 40 Charizard compared to a level 80 Moltres?
The battle ended once Charizard was unable to battle.
Ash was still unconvinced and wanted to continue, but Xia Mu finished the battle and then gave Ash a good talking-to.
This kid, after experiencing so much and encountering him, should have grown even faster.
Instead, he was so disappointing, showing no change whatsoever.
Ash didn't resent Xia Mu's guidance and listened attentively.
He was just like Gary, except Gary seemed more like the protagonist.
...
After a day, Xia Mu, unable and unwilling to get involved in the research, simply found something to do, offering Ash and Gary some pointers on how to train Pokémon.
Incidentally, Xia Mu also told them that he would be participating in the Indigo League, giving them more motivation and encouraging them to strive towards his goals.
Both Ash and Satoshi had a deep understanding of Xia Mu's strength after their battle with Moltres and their conversations with him, especially Satoshi, who knew it even better, given that Xia Mu had once been the head of the Cinnabar Gym.
Before they knew it, night had fallen again.
Xia Mu and Sonia returned to their room.
Because they had broken through that barrier yesterday, the initial awkwardness was gone, and they didn't ask for a guest room.
Between a man and a woman, once that final barrier is crossed, everything changes.
Like now, Xia Mu and Sonia no longer needed to suppress their feelings; they could completely nestle against each other, seeking emotional fulfillment.
"You must be exhausted today," Xia Mu said softly, holding Sonia close.
"Mmm," Sonia nodded slightly, responding without saying anything more.
She leaned against Xia Mu, feeling the fluttering of his heart.
Suppressing the urge to take Sonia right there and then, Xia Mu knew that if he did anything rash today, Sonia wouldn't be able to handle it.
Sensing Xia Mu's unusual reaction, Sonia's cheeks flushed crimson, like ripe apples, exceptionally alluring.
Looking at Sonia's adorable appearance, Xia Mu kissed her directly.
"Mmm..." Sonia's blush deepened. Both were beginners, their skills clumsy, but they enjoyed it.
After a long while, they separated.
"Could you be a little gentler..."
"No!" Xia Mu's reason prevailed over his impulse.
Sonia's voice trailed off, the words unspoken, but she was secretly delighted, for Xia Mu was more concerned about her health.
"By the way, I tried something during the day; I'll see if I can use my aura to heal your injuries." As Xia Mu spoke, he channeled his aura into his palm and ge
ntly touched the wound. The
warm, smooth touch surprised Xia Mu. Seeing Sonia's head bowed, he immediately understood what was happening. It
was almost a natural progression...
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