Chapter 37: Little Zhi, Level: 2H

Clang! Bang!!

The immensely tough Iron Tail struck Raichu across the face.

The latter was instantly sent reeling to the side, as if struck by a heavy iron rod swung from the flank. Pikachu took this brief opening to adjust its posture amidst the shattered terrain and launched itself back into the air.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...!

Its petite body tumbled and spun through the air, and its tail flickered once more with a chilling, silver radiance.

"Pika!"

Iron Tail!!

The air currents and dust clouds rippled and surged across the entire arena.

Clang! Bang!!

The metallic tail smashed down heavily onto the crown of Raichu’s head. The relentless force that followed caused the latter’s eyes to roll back instantly, its brain short-circuiting as it lost consciousness.

"Pika..."

Raichu collapsed in front of Pikachu.

The gym leader stood stunned for a long while before shaking off his surprise and quickly delivering the verdict:

"Raichu is unable to battle! The winner of the Vermilion Gym challenge is Ash and Pikachu!"

An evolved form falling to its unevolved counterpart—the scene was truly quite surreal. Yet, for some reason, it also felt strangely inevitable.

"You did it, Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed, only just realizing what had happened.

Pikachu, equally stunned, bounced several times on the broken ground before leaping toward Ash.

Smack!

Human and mouse high-fived in mid-air.

Defeating an evolved Raichu was a major achievement. Although Steel-type moves are not particularly effective against Electric-types, it seemed some sort of buff had triggered... or perhaps a critical hit?!

Ash didn't question it. He ruffled Pikachu's head, beaming with joy. "Great job, Pikachu! I'll treat you to a huge feast later!"

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded. Today, Ash’s voice sounded especially pleasant.

...

After the match, Lt. Surge, having regained his composure, gave a bitter smile and helplessly recalled Raichu.

Did that strike hit a nerve in Raichu's chin...? What incredible luck.

Walking up to Ash, Lt. Surge tossed over the orange badge.

"Well done, Ash. Your Pikachu is impressive. Perhaps I really did focus too little on Pikachu itself, being too obsessed with rushing its evolution into Raichu..."

He reached out and scratched Pikachu’s chin; the mouse half-closed its eyes, clearly enjoying the sensation. Evidently, this burly man had a knack for training electric rodents. He was, after all, a veteran fan of the species.

At this moment, Lt. Surge sighed and explained slowly:

"Sigh, actually, I wanted to raise my own Pikachu properly back in the day, without rushing the evolution..."

Brock and Misty, sensing a juicy story, immediately leaned in. They were confused by the sudden sentimental expression on the rough man’s face. Wasn't it you who said earlier that early evolution was the key to gaining great power...?

"I remember it was autumn. I had just retired from the military and arrived with my newly caught Pikachu, intending to take over as the Vermilion Gym Leader."

Lt. Surge spoke very slowly, his expression so world-weary he looked like he needed a cigarette.

"When I first arrived in Vermilion City, I saw a banner hanging on the biggest billboard in town."

"'According to big data analysis from the Vermilion City official blog: Here are the top ten Pokémon you should evolve the moment you get them! Evolve early, enjoy early—those in the know, know. Trust the science!'"

"'Below were comparisons of the pros and cons of evolving. There was a lot of text, too long to read, but I was hooked.'"

Lt. Surge sighed.

"You guessed it, Raichu was right in the top three of that 'must-evolve' list. And at the time, the city's official blog was running a flash sale. I got lucky and bought a Thunder Stone at ninety percent off."

Though, in reality, the price after the discount was no different from the original price.

"I was so excited I immediately evolved my Pikachu. Its power did indeed increase, and I didn't notice anything wrong at the time."

But evolving without fully tapping into a Pikachu’s potential always left hidden risks.

"But gradually, I found the media in Vermilion City becoming stranger and stranger. It didn't feel like a normal news outlet at all. I started to panic."

Lt. Surge’s face darkened, as if recalling something unpleasant. Clickbait, sensationalism, trend-chasing, endless negativity... there wasn't a single normal news report to be found.

"Sure enough, three months later, the Vermilion City official blog released another big data list."

"'Top Ten Pokémon You Regret Evolving.'"

And Raichu was, once again, third on the list.

Lt. Surge had been floored on the spot.

The trio: "..."

...

Soon after, having heard Lt. Surge’s confession, the three left the gym.

Inside the gym, still reflecting on the battle, Lt. Surge gently tossed a Poké Ball.

Raichu.

Having been unable to battle earlier, it had regained some of its HP.

"Raichu, I’ve decided. Tomorrow, I’m going to Viridian Forest to catch another Pikachu and raise it from scratch—I’m turning over a new leaf!"

Hearing this, Raichu was immediately displeased, waving its little fists in protest.

So, does love just... fade away? Master?

"Don't be so anxious, Raichu. I intend to take you out for some field experience."

Knowledge from books is shallow; one must practice to find the truth. It was time to take it out to see the world. It was perfect, especially since Raichu was always complaining that he only knew theory.

"Pika-pika!"

Hearing this, Raichu smiled, its face flushing red.

*Master, if you’re going there, why don’t you just release me?*

The atmosphere in the Vermilion Gym suddenly became cheerful and joyous.

Before leaving, Lt. Surge gestured to the back, giving instructions:

"Pix, the gym is in your hands for now. I’m going away for some training for a while."

"Yes!"

A burly woman with a muscular build, wearing a small tank top and sporting hair styled to look like electrical plugs, nodded.

Pix then thought of something and asked:

"Boss, how should we reply to that letter...?"

"Just say I’ve gone away to train and didn't see it."

Though he said this, Lt. Surge felt a prickle of unease. This letter had been stuck on his desk for days, and he didn't know how to respond directly.

"Hmph, Team Rocket, trying to recruit gym leaders in Kanto? What exactly are they after...?"

Lt. Surge gritted his teeth.

Forget it, I’m getting out of here anyway...

...

After leaving the gym, Ash and his friends were unaware of these developments. They were currently discussing the third badge they had just obtained.

Since the Vermilion Gym had been conquered, their mission in the city was complete. Ash wanted to hurry to the next gym and keep challenging!

"Wait, Ash. Did you forget something?"

"We still need to go to the St. Anne cruise ship and live the high life!"

Brock and Misty quickly reminded him.

The gym challenge was just for fun, but they had been looking forward to this for a long time.

"Oh right, and we have to go to the Sakuragi Institute to resolve that paranormal case before getting the cruise tickets to live the high life."

Ash slapped his forehead, finally remembering.

As a country boy from Pallet Town, he also longed to live in luxury for once.

The luxury cruise ship St. Anne would set sail the day after tomorrow, meaning they only had today and tomorrow to resolve the incident.

Not much time.

Ash quickly ruffled Pikachu's head.

"Pikachu, there's no time. Your feast will have to wait for next time."

Pikachu: "?"

You've said "next time" so many times—can't it be this time for once?!

On the way, Ash pulled out his Pokédex and brought up the map interface.

"Let's see, the Sakuragi Institute is on the other side of Vermilion City. Hmm, this direction..."

"GKD, GKD..." (Get going, get going)

Brock and Misty urged him from the side, afraid they wouldn't finish the task.

Just as the three locked in their direction and prepared to head straight for the Sakuragi Institute...

Ash suddenly noticed a small piece of text on the Pokédex screen.

2H.

He remembered that when he checked yesterday, it was still "SR," representing that he was just a generic, dime-a-dozen trainer.

Did he level up?

2H?

Does it mean he’s at Level 2?

"Hey, Pokédex, did my trainer level go up? Is Level 2 very impressive? After all, I’m a man with three badges now."

Ash asked excitedly.

"Beep. After capturing six Pokémon and obtaining three badges, Trainer Ash has advanced from the lowest level, SR-Street..."

Ash quickly interrupted, shouting, "You don't have to start from the creation of the universe... just tell me what 2H is."

"Beep. 2H: 2 Team Rocket. It signifies that the trainer has achieved a level equivalent to twice that of the Team Rocket trio."

The Pokédex answered solemnly.

Ash: "?"

"Beep. Because the system level is not yet fully refined, it can only use the level of opponents the trainer has encountered as a benchmark."

"According to big data analysis, the strength of the Team Rocket trio is most consistent with the macro and micro evolution of the universe. It contains the will of the Heavenly Dao, represents the laws of world operation, and is the greatest common divisor of all trainer levels."

"Therefore, it is used as the basic combat unit for this system—an atomic unit, indivisible."

"Beep. Simple translation: Trainer Ash, level..."

"2 Rocket."

Ash: "?"

Does this mean he can now take on two Team Rocket trios at once?

Why does that sound... like his level actually got lower?

This "upgrade" didn't make Ash happy at all.

For example, in a school exam, if you rank last in the whole school, besides feeling like a fool, you might also feel a strange sense of pride. After all, being last is still a "first."

But if you improve to second-to-last, you’re just a fool...