"Hello, I'm here to challenge the dojo."
Ye Feng, with a backpack slung over his shoulders, was accompanied by Pikachu.
"Challenging the dojo?"
A dull male voice.
From a corner deep within the dojo, someone slowly rose from a seat.
Every inch of him was muscle, his bulging biceps resembling rock.
Like the thugs, he wore a tight-fitting tank top and work pants.
He walked up to Ye Feng.
Ye Feng wasn't short; he stood at a standard one meter eighty, a handsome man.
But this man was a full head taller than Ye Feng.
He was just too tall.
Ma Zhishi, the Gym Leader of the Vermilion City Dojo.
"You're the one challenging me?"
Ma Zhishi seemed surprised by Ye Feng's good looks.
But it was only a fleeting impression; he didn't like pretty boys.
In his hometown, muscular men were what both men and women admired.
"Pikachu again?"
Seeing the Pikachu by Ye Feng's side, Ma Zhishi frowned. Months ago, he had been defeated by Ash's Pikachu, and now another one?
Did he really think his Raichu was easy to mess with?
"Since you're here to challenge me, then let's go, little one."
Ma Zhishi smiled faintly.
The battle arena opened.
The battle was imminent.
"Come out! Raichu!"
Raichu leaped from Ma Zhishi's Poké Ball.
"Pikachu, you go."
Ye Feng still sent out his Pikachu.
Pikachu stood in the center of the arena, nearly a head shorter than Raichu.
In front of Raichu, it looked like a tiny thing.
But Pikachu's gaze towards Raichu was filled with disdain.
"Let me tell you, I was defeated by a kid named Ash just a few months ago. He exploited my Raichu's weak points of being slow due to its evolution and its inability to learn speed-based moves. That's how he beat me."
"But in the past few months, I've intensified Raichu's speed training. Speed is no longer its weakness, so if you don't evolve your Pikachu, it's no match for my Raichu!!!"
Ma Zhishi was full of confidence, then commanded:
"Raichu! Use Quick Attack!!!"
"Raichu!!!"
Raichu cried out, its entire body transforming into a streak of light as it charged towards Pikachu.
"Pika!"
Pikachu stood its ground, not moving an inch.
"Scared into silence? Can't even give commands?"
Ma Zhishi taunted Ye Feng, but then saw Ye Feng point to the ground.
"What do you mean?"
Ma Zhishi looked down.
He saw that as Raichu's charge approached, Pikachu swung a paw, directly striking Raichu's face. As fast as Quick Attack came, so was Raichu sent flying.
"What?!"
"In that case! Raichu! Use Thunderbolt!!!"
Seeing that speed wouldn't win, Ma Zhishi switched tactics.
He chose something Raichu excelled at.
Raichu's electrical power was not something Pikachu could compare to.
Raichu's body erupted with electricity.
Ye Feng still hadn't given a command, but at this moment, Pikachu's body also burst with powerful electricity.
Instantly, two Thunderbolts collided fiercely, resulting in a violent explosion.
"Hmph! Although my Raichu's speed is still a bit weak even after training, when it comes to electrical power! It's invincible!!"
Ma Zhishi was brimming with confidence.
"Gym Leader!"
But at this moment, his two subordinates’ faces contorted in fear. Ma Zhishi quickly looked over.
Under the onslaught of Thunderbolt, Raichu was actually beginning to falter!
It was losing!!!!
"How... how is this possible?!"
Before he could finish speaking, Raichu was struck hard by Pikachu's Thunderbolt.
It then fell to the ground, unable to move.
Paralyzed by the shock.
Ma Zhishi: "This?!"
Ye Feng: "Alright, you've lost. Give me the Orange Badge."
Ma Zhishi was a man who kept his word.
He directly pulled an Orange Badge from his pocket.
And tossed it to Ye Feng.
Simultaneously, he applauded:
"I accept my defeat wholeheartedly. I must say, your Pikachu is much, much stronger than that Pikachu belonging to the kid named Ash! It's the strongest Pikachu I've ever seen!!"
"I suggest you have him evolve into a Raichu quickly! He'll definitely be even stronger then!!!!"
Ma Zhishi's face was filled with a single word: yearning.
But Ye Feng ignored him completely.
He walked straight out of the dojo.
Inside the dojo.
"Gym Leader, haven't you noticed something? From beginning to end, this person never gave his Pikachu any commands. It fought entirely on its own."
Ma Zhishi's female subordinate knitted her brows.
Ma Zhishi clenched his fist: "Of course I noticed!"
"This person is very strong! At least at the Elite Four level!!!"
"Back in the day, when I was with Team Rocket, Apollo and the others weren't this strong!!"
Ye Feng exited the dojo. This time, he didn't rush.
The main reason was that he had fought three dojos in a row on this trip, and he needed to pause for a bit, to rest for three days and maintain a normal pace.
Furthermore, the journey from Vermilion City to the next, Saffron City,
was much longer than the distances between previous cities. Therefore, he needed to prepare well.
He first went to the Vermilion City Pokémon Center.
"Excuse me, do you have any available rooms for lodging?"
Ye Feng approached the counter and asked the Nurse Joy there.
He wondered what relationship this Nurse Joy had with the others he had met.
Perhaps a cousin, sister, or sister.
Ye Feng now seriously suspected that the Joy family had very strong genes.
No matter which man married one of the Nurse Joys and had children, the girls born would likely look exactly alike…
The same applied to Officer Jenny.
"Let me see if there are any vacancies. By the way, are you a trainer?"
"Yes, I am."
In any Pokémon Center, trainers were provided with free food and lodging.
This was not the case for ordinary people.
"Oh, I'm very sorry, there are no vacant rooms."
Nurse Joy looked regretful.
She looked at Ye Feng, really wanting to arrange a clean and tidy room for this handsome trainer to rest well, but unfortunately, it was full.
That's right, because it was free, and most trainers were broke, so…
"Alright then."
Ye Feng had no choice. If that was the case, he would have to pay for a hotel.
"Um, that..."
"Yes?"
Just then, Nurse Joy called out to Ye Feng.
"Actually, if you don't mind, you could stay at my place tonight."
Nurse Joy rubbed her fair hands together, her face showing a hint of shyness. Ye Feng was speechless.
"Never mind."
For some reason, he was increasingly finding his handsomeness to be a hassle.
Ye Feng left. A young man had been waiting behind him, and now it was finally his turn.
"Nurse Joy, are there any rooms available?"
He asked excitedly.
Seeing Ye Feng leave, Nurse Joy's demeanor immediately returned to its cold indifference.
"No."
"Alright, I don't mind staying at your place."
The young man said.
Nurse Joy's expression immediately darkened upon hearing this: "As long as you don't mind me blacklisting you from all Pokémon Centers in every region."
"I..."
The young man sighed.
He touched his face, wondering why the gap between people was so vast.
The treatment was so different!!!
And he genuinely dared not harass Nurse Joy any further.
After all, if he were blacklisted from Pokémon Centers in every region,
then if his Pokémon got injured in battle later, he wouldn't be able to receive free treatment.
This would essentially mean the end of his journey as a Pokémon trainer!!!
Ye Feng had already made up his mind: if it wasn't necessary, he wouldn't enter such Pokémon Centers again.
If things continued like this, he might end up getting involved with a Nurse Joy one day.
And once involved, he would surely have to marry her and be forbidden from seeing other women.
If he dared to betray her, he would likely face a full blockade from the Joy family.
Even though he was incredibly strong now, capable of tearing apart ten Arceus without issue.
However, he wanted to enjoy privileges, not fulfill obligations.
Therefore, he didn't want to deal with such troublesome matters.
He didn't want to invite a heap of trouble.
If he were to act recklessly just because he was strong,
it could only be said that such a person lacked brains.