Chapter 62, Acting Gym Leader:
This battle between Xia Mu and Blaine went very smoothly.
Xia Mu displayed his battle talent and command ability far exceeding that of ordinary people.
It can be said that Blaine's strength is extraordinary, far beyond what is shown in the original games and anime.
However, Xia Mu's strength is already fully formed; even if Blaine brings out his strongest team, Xia Mu can handle it with ease.
The levels are there; not to mention Arcanine at level 57 and Lucario at level 55, even the red Gyarados is at level 51, crushing all Fire-type Pokémon on this Fire Field.
In fact, Xia Mu could sense that Blaine wasn't going all out.
As a senior expert, Blaine naturally wouldn't suppress Xia Mu, his grandson, so it's normal for him to hold back.
But Xia Mu was certain that even if Blaine went all out, he had a 90% chance of winning.
After the intense battle, Blaine gave Xia Mu a very high evaluation.
Over the years, the Xia family has produced many excellent trainers, but none have truly reached Xia Mu's current level of strength.
Most importantly, Xia Mu's strength had already rivaled his in less than twenty days.
Among his peers, no one could compare.
Xia Mu, of course, wasn't arrogant; he listened to these praises but let them go in one ear and out the other.
Xia Mu's answer was straightforward: although he used to be afraid of Pokémon, he had always been researching them in secret.
So, after overcoming his fear, he unleashed his accumulated knowledge and successfully applied his previous research results to his Pokémon, which explained its rapid improvement.
Blaine didn't doubt it; only this explanation made sense.
In Blaine's eyes, this was absolute talent.
After all, a Pokémon's strength might be something it develops through training.
But a trainer's mental fortitude, command abilities, and battle strategy cannot be acquired overnight.
...
After the battle, Xia Mu and Blaine had breakfast together.
Taking this opportunity, Xia Mu learned through in-depth communication that the strength of a Gym Leader was roughly around level 30 or 40.
The weaker ones were probably only around level 20.
Of course, there were strong ones, such as Koga from the Crimson Gym and Giovanni from the Viridian Gym.
Blaine gave them extremely high praise, even predicting in advance that Koga might soon become one of the Poison-type Elite Four.
Xia Mu couldn't be completely sure if Blaine knew the inside story, but what Blaine meant was that the strength of the younger generation of Gym Leaders in the Kanto region was generally quite average, and the only ones to be wary of were these two Gyms.
"Speaking of which, I suddenly had an idea. I wonder if you would be interested in taking over the Crimson Gym and being a Gym Leader for a couple of days," Blaine said while drinking tea after finishing breakfast.
Xia Mu was taken aback. "Acting Gym Leader??"
This was no small matter.
Although he had seen similar plots in novels in his previous life, they were mostly just formalities.
Now, Blaine was asking him to act as the Cinnabar Gym Leader, especially given the current situation. Wasn't this like pushing him into a fire pit?
"What? You don't want to?" Blaine asked with a smile.
"Grandpa, haven't you already closed the gym?" Xia Mu said, both amused and exasperated.
"It's closed, but it can reopen, right? I didn't know your strength before, but now that you've defeated Grandpa, I believe you're more than capable of managing the Cinnabar Gym.
Besides, this is a test for you. If you can defeat most of the challengers, it will not only help the gym out of its predicament but also greatly enhance your reputation." Blaine's words were meaningful.
Xia Mu fell into thought.
Thinking about it carefully, this was indeed a good thing for him.
He came to Cinnabar Island early to battle various trainers and gain experience points.
Now, becoming a substitute gym leader would mean he wouldn't need to look for them; the experience points would come to him on their own.
Seeing Xia Mu deep in thought, Blaine didn't urge him.
After a long while, Xia Mu finally looked at Blaine and asked, "Then, shall I give it a try?"
Blaine, looking like a promising student, stood up and patted Xia Mu's shoulder.
"Don't worry, I'll have my men help you. It's okay if you lose; if you really can't handle it, Grandpa will cover for you."
Having reached an agreement, Xia Mu still felt a little like he had fallen into a trap.
But now wasn't the time to think about that.
He should be thinking about how to face the many challengers and how to make himself the biggest beneficiary.
...
Nearly an hour passed in a flash.
Under the protection of several black-clad staff members, Professor Magnolia and Sonia finally arrived at the Cinnabar Gym.
Today's turmoil had been quite significant, and Professor Magnolia and Sonia were clearly aware of the current situation.
After some discussion, Blaine explained the details to Professor Magnolia and Sonia.
They weren't from the Kanto region, and although they were high-ranking members of the League, they couldn't overstep their authority to this extent.
"So your plan is to put Xia Mu in the open to shield you from trouble? I'm not saying this, but Xia Mu's strength is probably insufficient." Professor Magnolia didn't think Blaine's approach was wrong; she would have done the same.
But having Xia Mu act as a Gym Leader might be training under normal circumstances, but in this situation, it was different.
Professor Magnolia was an experienced elder; she knew that unless there was a Champion-level trainer in charge, who could continuously accept challenges?
If the challengers were all weak rookies, it wouldn't be so bad, but clearly, the trainers causing trouble outside were quite strong.
"What if I told you, Xia Mu already defeated me just now?" Blaine said with a smile, sipping his tea.
This made Professor Magnolia choke, swallowing the words she was about to say.
Unbelievable.
She had witnessed Xia Mu's Pokémon's power before; while its aura was indeed formidable, defeating Blaine was truly unexpected.
She knew Blaine's strength all too well.
"Is that true?" Professor Magnolia asked rhetorically, not to Blaine, but to Xia Mu.
"Sort of, but Grandpa definitely held back," Xia Mu replied modestly.
With Xia Mu's answer, Professor Magnolia turned to Blaine: "It seems I underestimated this child. In that case, let's observe as bystanders and see what little Xia Mu is capable of."
Blaine nodded.
Their conversation ended there.
Sonia, who had remained silent, listened attentively, her gaze occasionally lingering on Xia Mu.
She hadn't expected Xia Mu to be so powerful, but now that Blaine and her grandmother had spoken of it, she felt a surge of curiosity and wanted to see for herself.
She had the right to judge his strength, as her friend was an incredibly powerful trainer.
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(End of Chapter)