-150- Obtaining the First Badge (Subscription Requested!)

“Guma...” The Circle Bear leapt into the air, unleashing a thunderous force. As it landed, its fierce attack struck the Electric Beast directly. The Electric Beast raised both arms to block but was still forced to step back two paces. Thanks to the dual enhancements of endurance and strength, Circle Bear’s attack power had become incredibly formidable.

“Heiku!” The Electric Beast shook its arms to relieve the numbness from the previous blow. The attack had left its arms tingling.

“Iron Tail!” Tongzi immediately countered. The Electric Beast’s two tails transformed into metallic appendages. After enduring Circle Bear’s strike, it retaliated instantly, smashing both iron tails simultaneously into Circle Bear’s face.

“Guma...” Circle Bear grew increasingly agitated. Isn’t it against all rules to hit the face? The Electric Beast was playing unfair!

“Circle Bear, an eye for an eye!” Aji, seeing Circle Bear’s face hit, promptly ordered a counterattack. But this time, Circle Bear couldn’t retaliate. The paralysis caused by the ten-thousand-volt shock suddenly took effect, immobilizing Circle Bear, freezing it in place.

“Perfect opportunity! Electric Beast, use DD Golden Hook Arm!” Tongzi naturally seized the moment. “Heiku!” The Electric Beast raised its right arm. Having recently mastered the DD Golden Hook Arm through relentless training, it was now able to wield the technique with coherence.

A single punch slammed directly into Circle Bear’s face, knocking it to the ground. Again with the face! The enraged Circle Bear tried to get up but found the Electric Beast holding it down firmly. The Electric Beast was capable of multitasking; while its right fist delivered the DD Golden Hook Arm, its iron tails locked tightly around Circle Bear, leaving it completely restrained and unable to struggle.

Meanwhile, the electromagnetic grip on Circle Bear flared up again, causing it immense discomfort. It thought desperately, “Please, let this end soon—it’s unbearable!”

“Final move: Tile Splitter!” Tongzi commanded. “Heiku...” The Electric Beast raised its left arm and brought it down in a ruthless Tile Splitter strike onto Circle Bear below.

Boom! The same move—third time’s the charm. From the Cat Boss to Kentailo and now Circle Bear, all had been finished by the Electric Beast’s Tile Splitter. Although the Tile Splitter’s base stats were moderate, after relentless training, its power had increased by leaps and bounds.

When the Electric Beast stood up, Circle Bear beneath it had stars in its eyes. Fighting types naturally had the upper hand over normal types; combined with the devastating power of the Tile Splitter, Circle Bear was utterly defenseless.

“Phew...” Tongzi took a deep breath, feeling a surge of excitement. This was his first gym challenge. Though it was just a small-town gym, he had finally succeeded.

[Beep Boop]
[Congratulations, host, on successfully challenging the gym. You have earned a reward of 500,000 points.]

Hearing the system’s voice, Tongzi confirmed that the burly man truly recognized Aji as the gym’s battler; otherwise, the system would not have granted him this reward.

“Tongzi, you really are strong!” Aji approached Tongzi after recalling Circle Bear.

“You’re not bad yourself.” Tongzi wasn’t flattering this time. From these three battles, it was clear that Aji had some skill—though his Electric Beast was superior. If other Pokémon had been sent out, it might not have been a clean sweep.

Aji shook his head. “Compared to you, I’m far behind...”

“Tongzi, are you one of those so-called genius rookie trainers?” Facing Aji’s intense gaze, Tongzi was about to reply when Aji continued, “As for me, I’m just a dead last—always at the bottom. You might find it hard to believe, but I’ve been a trainer for two years now, and this is as far as I’ve gotten with my Pokémon. My master never accepted me—I understand why. Who’d want to take a loser as an apprentice? It would tarnish their reputation and the gym’s honor.”

Hearing Aji’s self-deprecating words, Tongzi didn’t know how to comfort him. So he had already been a trainer for two years? It wasn’t that Aji was truly poor—most trainers, in fact, usually ended up like this. Not everyone could become a shining star; those were rare.

“Aji!” Suddenly, a commanding, rugged voice rang out.

“Master?” Aji was surprised. His master was nearby? He had clearly watched him leave earlier—had he witnessed everything?

“You’re not a loser, and I won’t allow you to say that!” The burly man emerged from the back door of the abandoned Pokémon Center.

“I’ve seen your efforts these past two years. The reason I didn’t accept you as an apprentice was because I didn’t want to hold you back. Look at the state of the Nanwei Gym—you’ve seen it too. Fewer than five challengers in a year. What purpose does such a gym serve? Even if you stayed and apprenticed under me, what could you really learn? I truly don’t want to waste your potential, Aji!”

The burly man’s gaze softened as he looked at Aji.

“Aji, go travel—just like this young man here.”
“If you keep staying in Nanwei City, you won’t improve.”
“I’ve seen your resilience. As long as you persist as a trainer, your future will surely shine brilliantly.”
“Come on, leave Nanwei City, leave Nanwei Gym. Go out and travel!”

The man’s words were passionate and heartfelt. Indeed, with fewer than five challengers a year and the threat of closure by year’s end, Aji really should travel. That was the best way to increase his strength.

“Master, I...” Aji’s eyes moistened upon hearing this.

“Enough crying. You represent Nanwei Gym as a battler—if you lose a match, don’t you still give out badges?” The burly man softened his tone but then immediately scolded Aji.

“Ah? Right! Sorry...” Aji extended his hand, presenting a silver Nanwei badge to Tongzi.

“Tongzi, this is proof of your victory over Nanwei Gym’s battler. Please accept the silver Nanwei badge.” Tongzi took the silver badge from Aji’s hand. The emblem on it was the symbol of the Nanwei Badge.

“Thank you!” Tongzi’s heart surged with emotion. This was his first badge—a silver Nanwei Badge!

[Beep Boop]
[Congratulations, host, on completing the task: challenge any gym and earn a silver badge. Reward: Electromagnetic Orb.]
[New task added: raise one Pokémon’s potential to Champion level.]

As the system’s voice faded, Tongzi noticed a new Electromagnetic Orb had been added to his [Inventory], ready for retrieval at any time. The new task required raising a Pokémon’s potential to Champion level—meaning the current level didn’t count?

… (To be continued)

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