“Beat me first, then I’ll tell you.” The boy in the baseball cap said.
“Alright, let’s get started then.”
Anyway, it would be a while before he reached Golden City. So, he might as well have a battle to kill time.
“Alright, let’s begin. My Pokémon is this one.” The boy in the baseball cap didn't seem to have any extra Pokémon, so he threw a Poké Ball right away.
Cool!
A purple little mouse appeared.
【LV15 Rattata♀/Normal】
Xiao Mao shook his head. This was why he didn't want to battle street trainers. They were all too weak.
“Scyther, it's your turn.” Xiao Mao knew his Pokémon were all very eager to battle, so he would send them out in order for each battle. This time, it was Scyther’s turn.
“Chaa!!”
Scyther held its large sickle high, striking a Mantis Pose, a menacing stance.
“La...!” Rattata saw the towering Scyther and immediately became nervous. Large creatures naturally had an intimidating aura.
“Quick Attack!”
Xiao Mao and the boy in the baseball cap almost simultaneously issued commands.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two figures charged rapidly, colliding head-on.
Bang!!
Not surprisingly, Rattata was sent flying. There was a huge gap in both level and individual strength between the two. Scyther, taking advantage of the Quick Attack, charged forward and instantly took out Rattata.
“So… so strong.” The boy in the baseball cap was amazed. His Rattata couldn't even put up a fight.
“Scyther, return.” Xiao Mao recalled Scyther and asked, “Now can you tell me about that trainer you mentioned?”
The boy in the baseball cap recalled Rattata and honestly replied, “His name is Xiao Ming. The trainers around here call him the Beast Tamer. He has 77 consecutive wins.”
Xiao Mao was taken aback. It was Xiao Ming.
Xiao Mao had a vivid memory of Xiao Ming. He had a powerful Sandshrew and set strict training regimens for his Pokémon. He had set a goal for himself: he wouldn't start traveling until he achieved 100 consecutive wins.
Undeniably, Xiao Mao admired Xiao Ming. He was a true trainer. Compared to Xiao Ming, the current Xiao Zhi was far behind.
Unfortunately, this Xiao Ming guy didn't appear later on. He didn't even participate in the Indigo League.
【Ding! Mission issued: Interrupt Beast Tamer Xiao Ming’s 100 consecutive wins/Reward: Intermediate Wonder Candy (For Pokémon below level 50, level +1) X5】
Oh my god, a mission came up!
Xiao Mao had no intention of finding Xiao Ming. After all, 77 consecutive wins wasn't easy. If he interrupted it, he’d have to start from scratch.
But since the mission had popped up, Xiao Mao could only be the villain.
Moreover, defeating Beast Tamer Xiao Ming would reward him with Intermediate Wonder Candy, indirectly proving that Xiao Ming’s strength wasn’t weak.
“Where is this Xiao Ming?” Xiao Mao asked.
“Keep walking along this path, you’ll see the training ground Xiao Ming built.” The boy in the baseball cap pointed to a path.
“Thanks!”
Xiao Mao rode his mountain bike along the path the boy pointed to. He didn't have to ride for long before he saw a wooden fence.
“Squirtle, come out.” Xiao Mao released Squirtle.
“Kame?”
Squirtle looked around, not seeing any enemies, and no one came out with him, so he didn't understand why Xiao Mao called him out.
“We’ll be battling a trainer soon. I'll improve your strength.” Xiao Mao rubbed Squirtle’s head and used a Low-Level Wonder Candy on him.
Squirtle LV22—30!
Squirtle’s level instantly rose to 30.
Xiao Mao also checked Squirtle’s stats to see if he had learned any new moves.
【Pokémon: Squirtle♂】
【Type: Water】
【Level: LV30】
【Potential: Champion】
【Ability: Torrent (Water-type moves have increased power when the Pokémon’s HP is low.)】
【Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Water Gun, Withdraw, Rapid Spin, Water Pulse, Protect, Rain Dance】
【Learnable Moves: Hydro Pump】
【Intimacy: 255 (Max 255)】
“He learned Rain Dance. Not bad.”
Squirtle's signature move, Hydro Tail, should have been learned before level 30, but Xiao Mao's Squirtle only learned Rain Dance.
Not learning Hydro Tail wasn't a big deal. Compared to Hydro Tail, Hydro Pump was more useful.
“Ka…!!”
Squirtle was dumbfounded. His trainer could help him learn new moves, and even raise his level. It was terrifying.
“You have to work hard in the battle later.” For extra insurance, Xiao Mao also equipped Squirtle with a top-grade Mystic Water Drop.
With two layers of preparation, Xiao Mao didn’t believe he wouldn't be able to beat Xiao Ming’s Sandshrew.
Xiao Mao was so cautious because Xiao Ming’s Sandshrew was strong. That Sandshrew knew Earthquake, a one-hit kill move. It wasn’t something ordinary Pokémon could learn.
Xiao Mao estimated that Xiao Ming’s Sandshrew was definitely above level 30. It hadn’t evolved into a Sandslash, because Xiao Ming wanted to keep it at this level to let it quickly learn its signature move.
“Come back in.”
After reinforcing Squirtle, Xiao Mao recalled him, rode his mountain bike to the entrance of the fence.
Even from the outside, he could see a huge electronic display screen inside the fence. It showed 78 consecutive wins.
The number of consecutive wins was different from what the boy in the baseball cap said, but the difference wasn't big. It seemed that Xiao Ming had won another match recently.
After all, he had been setting up a challenge here for so long, and almost all the trainers around knew how strong Xiao Ming was. This number of consecutive wins was quite meaningful.
“Is anyone there?”
Xiao Mao didn’t rush in, he shouted at the gate.
After a while, a young man in a orange and beige shirt came out. He had a resolute face, obviously a veteran. Just his demeanor was far beyond what a casual trainer could match.
“You look unfamiliar. You’re not a local trainer, are you?” Xiao Ming took the initiative to speak.
“That's right, my name is Xiao Mao, from Pallet Town.”
Xiao Mao said, “I heard from the trainers around here that you’re very strong, so I came here to ask for a lesson.”
“No problem. Come in.” Xiao Ming was much more mature than the street trainers. He was polite and didn't say anything arrogant. But he was full of confidence, confidence in his own strength.
Xiao Ming led Xiao Mao into the training ground. Inside the training ground, there was a ring made of dirt, and a pretty big tent. Although simple, it had everything.
Xiao Mao knew that the tent was also a training ground specially built by Xiao Ming to train his Pokémon.
Although he didn't know why Xiao Ming spent so much money on this, it took a lot to build this training ground in the wild.
After he achieved 100 consecutive wins, Xiao Ming would embark on the journey of collecting badges. This place would naturally be abandoned. He was really rich.