Why is my Pokémon girl a bit strange?

The formal challenge match concluded. Although the challenger ultimately lost, Qiao Ran still witnessed a Pokémon battle of exceptionally high caliber.

Furthermore, the intense Giant Beast Battle provided him with an incredibly stunning audio-visual feast. Every time the match reached a critical point, the audience would erupt in cheers and encouragement, making the atmosphere absolutely explosive.

Even Qiao Ran felt the heat. In the end, he had to bring out Vulpix and hug her to cool down.

"The match is over, it's about time we leav— Huh?"

After finishing his spectating, Qiao Ran returned the cooling-down tool, Vulpix, into her Poké Ball, intending to leave the venue. However, as he stood up, he noticed someone suddenly approach him.

"You applied for a challenge, didn't you?"

The person who appeared before him was the same girl he'd met at the gym entrance earlier. But compared to her disheveled state back then, she was now completely refreshed, reverting to her usual aloof, young lady demeanor.

Not only that, but her clothes had been changed into a clean school uniform. Qiao Ran could even catch a faint scent, whether it was shampoo or body wash.

This girl… she didn't go take a bath, did she?

"Yes, I applied…"

"Then follow me."

The girl interrupted Qiao Ran, who seemed about to say more, and started leading the way. No matter what she did, she always acted with swift decisiveness. Within the few seconds Qiao Ran was still stunned, the girl had already darted off and disappeared.

"Holy crap, is this how you lead? You're practically running away!"

The thought "Holy crap" blurted out of Qiao Ran's mind, and he quickly jogged to catch up.

The girl led Qiao Ran through various corridors, navigating the interior of the gym. Longjiang Gym was vast, with a complex network of passages, but this girl navigated them as if she knew every route, without the slightest hesitation.

Finally, the two stopped in front of a large door.

"We're here."

The girl produced a key card and opened the door. What appeared before them was a massive indoor arena. Unlike the stadium used for matches, this arena had training equipment set up on both sides, clearly indicating it was a training facility.

At the far end of the arena stood a tall figure – the Gym Leader of Longjiang Gym, Long Xiangdong.

Qiao Ran hadn't noticed it in the stadium, but seeing him in person now, he realized that the Gym Leader's height was truly extraordinary, easily over two meters based on his visual estimation.

"You've arrived? Are you the challenger?"

Upon noticing Qiao Ran's arrival, Long Xiangdong's gaze swept over him like a blade, scrutinizing him from head to toe. Qiao Ran couldn't tell what he was looking for.

Qiao Ran felt a prickle of unease under that intense gaze. He remembered that the Gym Leader hadn't scrutinized the previous challenger like this in the stadium.

"Yes, I am Qiao Ran from Longjiang City Third Middle School, and I just became an Adventurer this year."

Qiao Ran nodded, admitting his identity under the pressure emanating from Long Xiangdong.

Seeing Qiao Ran's response, Long Xiangdong nodded with satisfaction and took his stance at the other end of the arena.

"Good. You should know that even with a Reservation Exemption Card, you still need to pass a trial to obtain a badge, right? Moreover, each gym has its own special rules. Even if I waive the Giant Beast Battle, I will set new rules for you…"

However, as Long Xiangdong was speaking, a voice suddenly interrupted him.

"Wait."

The girl suddenly spoke up and then walked over to Long Xiangdong, whispering something to him. Long Xiangdong leaned down, listening attentively to her words.

Qiao Ran couldn't hear what they were saying, but judging by Long Xiangdong's somewhat conflicted expression, it didn't seem like anything straightforward.

"I apologize, Challenger. The person you need to challenge this time might have to be changed."

Finally, Long Xiangdong offered an apologetic smile. He looked somewhat helpless but still stepped aside, yielding his position to the black-haired girl.

"She is the one you need to challenge this time, my daughter – Long Jiangxue!"

"With her strength, she is more than enough as a stepping stone for novice Trainers."

"Wh—What?!"

The sudden turn of events made Qiao Ran's eyes widen as he looked at the girl standing opposite him.

She… is the one I need to challenge this time??? And her name is Long Jiangxue, the Gym Leader's daughter???

At this moment, the girl had already taken out a Poké Ball and assumed a battle stance.

"I am your opponent, and my rules are very simple."

The girl placed a finger on her lips and softly uttered three words.

"Young Beast Battle!"

"The so-called Young Beast Battle is the opposite of a Giant Beast Battle. Both sides can only send out Pokémon that are one meter… no, less than 0.7 meters in height to battle. The rules change from three-on-three to two-on-two. Whoever wins two matches first will win this battle!"

Long Jiangxue explained the rules she had set, limiting the height to under 0.7 meters.

Pokémon under 0.7 meters in height are mostly in their nascent, young stages. Only a very few final evolutions of Bug-type or other types fall within this range.

Although these rules seemed somewhat strict, they didn't impose any significant limitations on Qiao Ran. The Pokémon he currently possessed were not of enormous size, so even with a 0.7-meter limit, it wouldn't make much difference.

And 0.7 meters… isn't my Dianxi exactly 0.7 meters tall…

Qiao Ran suddenly thought of something, and his expression faltered slightly. Did this girl deliberately set this rule to make me use Dianxi?

"Hmph, I won't go easy on you in a Gym battle. Go, my Pokémon!"

Long Jiangxue tossed her Poké Ball first. A flash of light, and a Pokémon with blue skin and a white belly, shaped like a snake, appeared on the field. It looked like a small snake, but in reality, it was a genuine Dragon-type Pokémon.

—Dratini.

Furthermore, this was the juvenile stage of a Pseudo-legendary, far superior to the Garchomp Qiao Ran had fought before, which he considered a disgrace to Dragon-types.

"Dratini… I guess it's fitting for a Dragon-type Gym," Qiao Ran couldn't help but feel a little envious. He remembered how long he'd searched in the game for a Shiny Dratini, then painstakingly evolved it into a Shiny Dragonair, and finally, when Shiny Dragonair evolved into Shiny Dragonite, his heart was utterly broken…

Why… why was the Shiny Dragonite completely green, like a moldy goblin!?! Dratini and Dragonair were both pink!

Of course, with the system's help now, Qiao Ran wouldn't be envious of Long Jiangxue anymore. His partner Dianxi was even more outstanding than Dratini, and his Vulpix had better synergy with him than any other Pokémon. He had no reason to back down here.

"This Pokémon was given to me by my father to raise. I've been with her since she was an egg. She's just a little over a year old, a true young beast. However, compared to her peers at school, she's received more training, so—let's see how you defeat her!"

Long Jiangxue stared intently at Qiao Ran's Poké Ball, as if anticipating something.

The Gym Leader's daughter not only possessed superior Pokémon resources for her age but also had an unparalleled training environment. She was curious to see what methods the boy in front of her would use.

Why could he catch Dianxi in the back mountains, but she couldn't???

What right did he have?!

"As you wish, I will defeat you."

As Qiao Ran spoke, he secretly took out his Rotom Phone and glanced at the opponent's level.

「Dratini, Level 24」

"A Level 24 Dratini… It seems like it's still far from evolving… No, evolution in this world is different from the game."

Unlike what Qiao Ran had imagined, Pokémon evolution in this world wasn't as strict as in the game, requiring a certain level to evolve. After all, he had already seen too many Pokémon that had undergone their final evolution without reaching the appropriate level in the past few days.

Perhaps under intense stimulation, Pokémon would evolve. Therefore, this Dratini still had many possibilities.

'In that case, I'll have Vulpix go first.'

After thinking for a moment, Qiao Ran threw out his Poké Ball. The young Ninetales, Vulpix, appeared on the battlefield. Seeing Vulpix step up, Long Jiangxue's expression faltered slightly, seemingly disappointed.

"Not planning to send out Dianxi? Humph…"

The young lady crossed her arms, appearing to intend to make Qiao Ran realize his mistake.

"I'll be the referee this time." The usually imposing Gym Leader Long Xiangdong turned into a doting father in front of his daughter and now became a tool for the referee.

"Let the battle begin!"

"Dratini! Flamethrower!"

"Mii!"

As soon as the battle began, Long Jiangxue immediately launched an attack. A Flamethrower shot directly at Qiao Ran's Vulpix. The surging flames, carrying immense heat, significantly raised the temperature in the Gym.

Qiao Ran was startled. He had to admit, it was fitting for a Gym Leader's daughter; her command and her Pokémon's synergy were leagues beyond those of her classmates.

"Vulpix! Dodge!"

Facing the surging flames, Qiao Ran had no choice but to have Vulpix use its signature dodge. Vulpix took a small sidestep, narrowly evading the flames and moving to a safe area.

This was actually a last resort. Vulpix currently didn't have any other moves to counter the flames. Since it couldn't counter, it could only dodge.

Fortunately, with the current synergy between Qiao Ran and Vulpix, the success rate of their dodge was incredibly high. As long as the opponent wasn't a foe vastly superior in level like the previous Garchomp, Qiao Ran believed Vulpix could put up a fight.

"Dratini, continue Flamethrower!"

"Mii!"

Long Jiangxue pressed her advantage, unleashing another Flamethrower. Dratini, following the command, spewed flames from its mouth once more, scorching everything in its path.

For the Ice-type Vulpix, this move was a true killer, capable of inflicting massive damage with a single hit. Long Jiangxue still believed that Qiao Ran's previous dodge was just a fluke.

However, just as Dratini unleashed another Flamethrower, Long Jiangxue suddenly realized that the Vulpix on the opposite side seemed to have become a phantom, its form gradually blurring and disappearing into the wind and snow.

Wind and snow?

She touched her cheek and felt a wet, cold sensation.

"Is this… Hail? A weather move??" Long Jiangxue stared blankly at the small snowflakes in her palm.

"When did it happen???"

She clearly hadn't heard any commands from Qiao Ran, nor had she seen Vulpix make any movements. How did it activate Hail?

When? When did it activate?

Long Xiangdong's eyes also flashed with light. Even he, the experienced Gym Leader, couldn't figure out how Qiao Ran had commanded it.

However, Vulpix's every move seemed synchronized with its trainer.

Could it be… that legendary Aura?

This boy…

He had initially thought his daughter had casually given the challenge card to some pretty boy her age, but he never expected this guy to have some substance.

"And this situation, is it the Snow Cloak ability?"

Watching Vulpix's figure flicker in and out of existence in the snow, Long Jiangxue wasn't flustered at all. Instead, she calmly analyzed the situation.

"That's right," Qiao Ran nodded, confirming her statement.

His Vulpix's ability was precisely Snow Cloak—an ability that increased evasion rate during snowfall. As long as it was snowing, his Vulpix was truly a phantom.

"So, it's our turn to counterattack."

"Vulpix! Aurora Beam!"

Section 14: 014 [I Just Like This!]

"Careful! Dratini, dodge quickly!"

Hearing Qiao Ran's voice, Long Jiangxue started to get nervous. Just as Vulpix feared the power of fire, Dragon-type Pokémon were equally terrified of the power of ice.

Aside from Fairy-types, which were famous for producing dragon-slaying heroes, only Ice-type Pokémon could put such pressure on the dragons at the top of the food chain.

Hearing Long Jiangxue's voice, Dratini observed its surroundings with great caution. However, due to the presence of the Snow Cloak ability, it couldn't pinpoint Vulpix's location immediately.

"Now!"

Qiao Ran's gaze sharpened. His eyes pierced through the heavy snow mist, converging on a single point with Vulpix.

"Awooo!"

Vulpix also opened its small mouth, and an Aurora Beam shot out from the snow, heading straight for Dratini.

"Dodge quickly!"

Long Jiangxue stared intently at the beam, but Dratini's reaction was ultimately a step too slow. It seemed to want to dodge, but facing the beam that suddenly attacked from the snow, it appeared somewhat powerless.

The Aurora Beam struck Dratini's body directly, and Dratini immediately let out a cry of pain.

It's super effective!

"Meee—!!!"