Chapter Thirty-Nine: Mutual Disgust

“No, wait, Xiaogang, let’s take a step back—why do you think I’m so strong?” Chen Ou’s face was full of confusion. In the last match, Charmander had lost; there was no helping it, the difference in raw strength was simply too great. Xiaogang, even among Gym Leaders, was no pushover, and his Graveler was one of his ace Pokémon.

Facing off against a Charmander that hadn’t even seen its second year, it was a breeze for him.

Charmander fought with all its might, but still lost. What was odd, however, was that Graveler didn’t come out unscathed…

Charmander’s flames were powerful now, and, more importantly, they burned at a temperature far beyond what would be considered normal, yet the flames hadn’t even changed color.

The extra flame ability Chen Ou had granted his Charmander, especially after being strengthened by Growlithe and Entei, was now on a whole different level.

Xiaogang felt quite helpless. That little Charmander lost its fighting ability after taking a Rock Slide, but that one “Ember”—it had genuinely startled both Xiaogang and his Graveler…

Had he ever seen an Ember thicker than Flamethrower? Well, he had now.

And this Charmander’s combat style—or, more accurately, Chen Ou’s approach—was downright dirty: lay down a Smokescreen and then harass from a distance, all while moving with such agility that Graveler’s attacks were dodged with ease. In the end, it was only the wide coverage of Rock Slide that managed to defeat Charmander.

Yet even after the fight, Graveler had taken some damage. Not enough to lose the battle, but certainly not minor enough to ignore.

This left both Graveler and Xiaogang feeling rather at a loss. The opponent’s offensive power and battle instincts seemed to far exceed what their level would suggest, and yet their stamina and defense remained as they were. It made the match feel both unbalanced and not quite over-the-top.

Upon hearing Chen Ou’s question, Xiaogang tilted his head in confusion. “But didn’t you defeat the Super Mage Hoopa?”

Chen Ou nodded.

“In a one-on-one fight, even people like Mr. Lance couldn’t easily defeat the Super Mage Hoopa, could they?”

Chen Ou nodded again.

“So doesn’t that mean, if Lance can’t beat Hoopa, and Hoopa can’t beat you, then Lance can’t beat you either.” Xiaogang’s face was the very picture of seriousness.

Chen Ou was about to nod, then immediately shook his head. “No, that’s not right…” He pondered for a moment, but couldn’t find any logical flaw…

“Anyway, it’s not right. The only reason I was able to defeat Hoopa was because I teamed up with Entei—and besides, it was a sneak attack, and Hoopa was too arrogant. That’s the only reason I was able to win,” Chen Ou finally managed, after a long pause, to come up with an answer that was at least somewhat plausible.

Really, could you possibly be stronger than your Charmander?
Xiaogang thought, exasperated.
You’re not Sabrina, so quit comparing yourself to Pokémon, will you?

If Chen Ou had known what Xiaogang was thinking, he’d have challenged him to send out Graveler for a one-on-one, just to show him what the dignity of a human-shaped Pokémon really meant.

“Alright then, how about I switch to the team I use against rookie trainers?” But as soon as Xiaogang said this, he realized something was off—with his rookie lineup, none of them would last even one round against Chen Ou’s Pokémon.

That firepower was simply monstrous. His Pokémon’s attacks had already surpassed their peers by a wide margin.

Any Pokémon of the same level would be helpless against him.

So, after saying that, Xiaogang scratched his head awkwardly, wishing he could take the words back, though he couldn’t quite find a way out.

After Chen Ou’s explanation, he understood that Chen Ou really was a rookie. No matter how impressive his performance during the “incident,” he had only been a trainer for less than two months.

A Gym Leader having to use his ace team against a rookie…

What a disgrace…

Even Red and Blue back in the day didn’t force him into that. They only began to truly shine around their sixth or seventh badge. When they first came to his gym, Xiaogang could handle them with ease—no need to go all out.

But Chen Ou…

He’s a monster!

Xiaogang couldn’t help but sigh. As a Gym Leader, he stood at the very top in terms of strength and talent. Yet, when faced with people like Chen Ou, Red, Blue, and Yellow, he always felt completely outclassed…

Those people became invincible in a year; he’d been training the whole time, always training…

What on earth were they feeding the kids from Pallet Town?

“No need, just use your ace team,” Chen Ou said after a moment’s thought. “My strength has increased too quickly lately, and I want to understand my current level.”

Xiaogang’s mouth twitched.

What do you mean your strength has increased too quickly? What do you mean you don’t know your own true level?

Are you even listening to yourself?

“Then… let’s begin! Don’t worry, you’ve already met all the requirements for earning a badge. Win or lose, I’ll award you the Grey Badge.”

There was a certain gritted-teeth quality to Xiaogang’s tone.

He figured he’d better beat up Chen Ou while he still could. If he waited too long, he’d end up like with Red and Blue—at first, he’d hold back and still win, but later, even if they held back, he couldn’t win.

Upon hearing Xiaogang’s words, Chen Ou’s face broke into a brilliant smile—those who knew him would be well aware that whenever he smiled like this, it meant he was up to no good.

“Then let’s begin!” Chen Ou strode back to the battle area and took his position.

Xiaogang nodded and, smiling as well, returned to his place.

“Go, Growlithe! (Omastar!)”

Chen Ou looked at the snarling, many-tentacled Omastar and couldn’t help but curse inwardly.

Rock/Water dual type…

How was he supposed to fight that?

Xiaogang’s face betrayed a barely suppressed grin.

“Bite!”

Growlithe bared its teeth and charged at Omastar, dark energy gathering upon its fangs—and soon after, flames ignited as well.

Is that Bite or Fire Fang?

Even Xiaogang was at a loss.

“Water Gun!”

A jet of water shot from Omastar’s mouth, aimed at Growlithe.

“Leap up, then use Quick Attack,” Chen Ou ordered calmly.

Growlithe pushed off with all four legs, leaping overhead to dodge the Water Gun. White light flashed across its body, flames roaring to life as it charged towards Omastar, teeth bared.

“Protect, then Surf!”

Xiaogang didn’t panic in the slightest as he issued his commands.

Chen Ou knew the odds weren’t in his favor now; Xiaogang was cleverly playing defense, waiting for a counterattack. Surf, with its wide coverage, was nearly impossible to dodge, let alone block.

“Agility, get above it, then use Flame Wheel,” Chen Ou instructed, still strategizing—at the very least, Omastar should suffer a little.

Growlithe moved again, and before Surf was fully unleashed, hit Omastar with a powered-up Flame Wheel right to the face.

Let’s see you protect twice in a row!

Xiaogang wasn’t so lucky, nor did he have time to react. Chen Ou’s quick thinking and Growlithe’s responses were scarily fast. The moment Chen Ou gave the order, Growlithe was already preparing the move.

Such synchronicity—enviable, really.

Omastar took the hit squarely, and though it hurt, still managed to complete its Surf.

Growlithe was swept away by the surging wave, and moments later, its eyes swirled as it lost consciousness.

Chen Ou sullenly recalled his Growlithe.

“That was close—your Growlithe is really strong!” Xiaogang’s face was serious, because this Growlithe, at a higher level, was even stronger than the earlier Charmander.

Chen Ou didn’t reply; he simply tossed out his final Poké Ball.

“Come out, Entei!”

Xiaogang: ???

As Entei roared onto the field, instantly evaporating all the moisture around, Xiaogang could only stare in utter disbelief.

Are you kidding me?