Taking the first round

Although Magical Leaf had hit Raichu, Grass-type attacks had no type advantage against Electric-type Pokémon, so it had not done much damage.

Still, it caught Xia You's attention.

Instead of dodging with its speed, it countered with a move of its own?

There didn't seem to be anything wrong with that, but judging by the outcome, had he underestimated Magical Leaf's power?

Since the attack had worked, Xia You naturally saw no reason to change tactics. He called out again, "Kirlia, let's do that again! Use Magical Leaf!"

As the magical leaves formed once more, Lt. Surge did not order Raichu to use Thunder Shock this time. Instead, he shouted, "Raichu, dodge it, quick!"

But Magical Leaf fired far too quickly. Even though Raichu started running ahead of time, Kirlia guided the leaves after it, sweeping across its path like a barrage of gunfire. They quickly caught up and struck its body.

Rat-tat-tat!

Thick smoke from the explosions obscured everyone's view. When it cleared, Raichu stood covered in marks from the attacks. It shook its head and charged at Kirlia again.

"Raichu, use Mega Punch!"

Raichu stood on its hind legs and clenched its paws into fists. Blue light shone around them as it threw punch after punch at Kirlia.

Mega Punch: a Normal-type physical attack. The user struck its opponent with a punch using all its strength, dealing considerable damage if it landed.

"Kirlia, use Double Team!"

At Xia You's command, Kirlia instantly split into more than a dozen illusory copies. Unable to tell which was real, Raichu could only swing wildly, punching a few of the illusions out of existence.

Lt. Surge frowned and shouted, "Raichu, wipe them all out! Thunderbolt!"

Raichu abandoned its punches and strained with its whole body. Electricity flashed across its skin, and dozens of thick bolts shot outward in every direction.

The crackling was relentless, and the light was so dazzling that even Xia You had to shield his eyes with his arm.

When everything settled, Xia You hurriedly looked up. All the illusions had vanished, leaving only Kirlia standing in the distance, watching Raichu quietly.

It had used Teleport in that split second to escape the dangerous area attack.

"Great!" Seeing that Kirlia was unharmed, Xia You finally relaxed. "Kirlia, attack with Confusion!"

Kirlia raised both hands. Without warning, Raichu rose into the air, then dropped heavily and slammed into the ground.

"Damn it!" Lt. Surge shouted. "Raichu, get up! Close the distance!"

Raichu struggled to its feet and unleashed the last of its energy, rushing toward Kirlia.

Only then did Xia You suddenly remember this Raichu's weakness.

He remembered that, in the anime, Ash had lost his first challenge at the Vermilion Gym. During his second battle against this Raichu, he discovered that it had evolved too early and had never learned speed-related moves. In the end, Pikachu had used Agility and Quick Attack to run circles around it and win.

By then, Raichu had reached Kirlia. Lt. Surge shouted, "Raichu, use Body Slam!"

Following Lt. Surge's command, Raichu leaped high into the air, spread its body out, and came crashing down toward Kirlia.

Although there were other ways to dodge the attack, Xia You still chose the simplest, most forceful option.

"Kirlia, use Confusion!"

A moment later, the rapidly falling Raichu stopped as though it had struck an invisible wall. It rose into the air again, as if an unseen giant had grabbed its tail, swung it back and forth, and finally flung it aside. Once more, it slammed into the ground.

This time, however, its eyes rolled back, and it could no longer get up.

The referee watching the match raised the colored flag in his hand and announced, "Raichu is unable to battle! Kirlia wins!"

Hearing that Kirlia had won, Chloe could not help clapping excitedly from the spectator seats.

Just as Xia You had said earlier, watching a battle in person and experiencing it firsthand really was more exciting than watching it on television!

And because she was rooting for Xia You, her emotions rose and fell with the match, drawing her into it even more.

After recalling Raichu, Lt. Surge gave Xia You an approving nod. "Beating my Raichu proves you're no ordinary baby. But if you want a badge, you'll have to beat this next guy, too."

With that, he threw his second Poké Ball.

A flash of blue light revealed a strange yellow-and-black Pokémon on the battlefield.

The Pokémon stood on two legs. Its body was mostly yellow with black stripes, and a black lightning-bolt marking crossed its chest. Two short fangs curled outward from its mouth, while beside its pointed ears sat two round organs that stored and released electricity.

The Pokédex said, "Beep. Electabuzz, the Electric Pokémon. Electric type. The evolved form of Elekid. An extremely rare Pokémon, with electricity occasionally coursing across its body. Its fondness for consuming electricity often causes widespread blackouts in cities."

Xia You recalled Kirlia and sent out Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur, I'm counting on you for the second round!"

"Bulba, bulba!"

Seeing that Bulbasaur was ready, Lt. Surge shouted, "The real game's only just begun! Go, Electabuzz!"

Electabuzz strode toward Bulbasaur, clearly brimming with energy.

Xia You commanded, "Attack with Razor Leaf!"

A shower of green leaves flew toward Electabuzz like spinning blades.

As before, Lt. Surge gave his own command. "Electabuzz, use Shock Wave!"

Two dazzling bolts of electricity suddenly shot from Electabuzz's head, converging as they collided with Razor Leaf.

This time, however, the two moves canceled each other out, leaving neither side with an advantage.

Seeing Lt. Surge respond in the same way again, Xia You understood. Perhaps it came down to the trainer's personality. Like Raichu before it, this Electabuzz apparently had also forgone speed-related moves in favor of a broader variety of attacks.

As Electabuzz drew closer, Xia You gave another command. "Bulbasaur, attack with Vine Whip!"

Two vines rose into the air and lashed viciously at Electabuzz. Yet Electabuzz neither dodged nor retreated. It pushed through the attacks and forced its way right up to Bulbasaur.

"Now!" Lt. Surge shouted. "Use Thunder Punch!"

An instant later, electricity flared around Electabuzz's fists. It swung them hard, striking Bulbasaur.

Xia You, however, was not particularly worried.

In terms of type matchups, Grass-type attacks had no advantage against Electric types, but Electric-type attacks dealt only half damage against Grass types because of their resistance.

That was why Xia You had told Bulbasaur to conserve its strength back at Cerise Park.

Because from the very beginning, Bulbasaur had been the real mainstay of his Vermilion Gym challenge!