Chapter 325: Chapter 325

Tuesday, December 30. At the deep blue port of Vermilion City, a sea breeze gently swept through. Quoting from one of Professor Oak’s books: “Vermilion means the orange-yellow glow of dusk.”

The golden sunset cast its light over the ocean, bathing the entire city in a warm amber glow. Vermilion’s “Orange Badge” took its name from this very scene.

Docked at the port was a luxury cruise ship named The Aquaflow. And its captain? None other than the “Electric Tough Guy” himself—Lt. Surge.

Lu Ye looked up at the big sign for the Vermilion Gym, his mood complicated. Was the Gym Leader’s salary really that low? Not only did Brock have to work security, but even Lt. Surge had to moonlight as a sailor…

“Gengaa!” Gengar hovered in the air, grinning at the sign. This new kid really gets it! Didn’t even need me to say anything—ran straight to the Gym on his own!

“Whether or not he gets a badge is one thing… but we can’t lose the kid.” Lu Ye shook his head and followed after Ash.

Inside Vermilion Gym. A burly, blond man lounged with his legs on a table, camo vest over his broad shoulders, work pants relaxed. He bopped his head to music in his headphones.

As a former Unova military officer, Lt. Surge was also a hardcore trap music fan. Rumor had it he even produced and released a rap album once… though the sales were tragically bad.

“We’ve got a challenger,” said his sausage-lipped squadmate, Tony, in a dry tone. “Deputy Leader Biscuit is already battling them!”

“Oh.” Lt. Surge yawned. “Well then let Biscuit handle it.”

“But here’s the thing…” Tony lowered his voice. “The challenger is apparently the one who beat you last time!”

Lt. Surge’s eyes narrowed, a sharp grin creeping onto his face. For rematches, Gym Leaders always brought their true strength.

He stood up and rolled his neck until it cracked. “Let’s go see who this challenger is!”

“Pikachu, Iron Tail!”

By the time Lu Ye stepped into the gym, Ash was already into his second match. The tough-as-nails Biscuit was commanding a Raichu, fighting back hard.

Eventually, Pikachu was blasted away by Raichu’s Volt Tackle, collapsing with spirals in his eyes.

Wait, this is already the second match? Lu Ye was stunned. “You’re… fast.”

Ash scooped up Pikachu with one arm and scratched his head, smiling. “Well, I can’t let any chance to grow stronger slip by…”

“But didn’t you already get the Orange Badge?”

Ash nodded seriously. “But I still wanted to ask Lt. Surge for some Electric-type battle tips!”

If there was a key difference between DP-era Ash and Original Ash, it was in his mindset. Old Ash had been overly stubborn—even arrogant at times… But with guidance from Green, Teacher Lu, and others, Ash was clearly on a path of constant growth.

Lu Ye rubbed his chin. Logically, with Surge’s strength, there was no way he should’ve lost to a reckless rookie like Ash. Only explanation: he went way easy on him. Still, even so, that made Surge the first Gym Leader Ash officially defeated.

“Hey, kid! What do you take our boss for?” Biscuit scowled. “He doesn’t have time to mess around with you two!”

Lu Ye looked around, then pointed to himself. “What’re you lookin’ at?” Biscuit snapped. “If you want to challenge the Gym Leader, you’ll have to get past me first!”

Lu Ye’s heart lit up. Oh? Is this one of those happy accidents?

“No need, you carry on.”

Lu Ye gave a hearty laugh and was about to drag Ash out with him.

But Pikachu, still in Ash’s arms, slowly came to. “Pika…” Pikachu signaled he could still fight.

“Let’s heal up first, Pikachu,” Ash comforted him. “We’ll come back and challenge them next time!” “Pika… (｡•́︿•̀｡)”

Just then— Whoosh! The back doors swung open.

Wearing punk sunglasses and camo gear, Lt. Surge struck a confident pose, arms folded. Behind him, Tony the Sausage-Lips held a boombox, blasting a beat-heavy BGM.

Lu Ye blinked. Did this guy… really just make a grand entrance with background music?

Lt. Surge glanced at Ash and gave a small nod. Tony immediately set the speaker down and handed Ash a spray bottle.

“This is Vermilion Gym’s custom-made potion. Works great for electrical burns.”

Tony whispered, “Don’t let the boss’s looks fool you… he’s actually a real softie.”

Ash accepted it and smiled gratefully. “Thank you, Lt. Surge!”

Lt. Surge grunted, arms still folded, and leaned down to switch off the music. So it was just lil’ Ash after all… Eh, no point bullying a kid. Better head back and game—

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Lu Ye and frowned. This guy… might actually be better looking than me.

Surge rubbed his chin with his gloved hand, deep in thought. Why does this guy look so familiar…?

“Come on, we’ll challenge next time.” Lu Ye was already speaking to Ash. “Mm!” Ash nodded, waving with a smile. “See you next time, Lt. Surge!”

“Hold up!” Surge barked.

He walked up beside Lu Ye, circling him two, three times with a click of the tongue. His stare made Lu Ye twitch.

Don’t tell me… Are you like Giovanni—about to give me a badge too?!

Lt. Surge finally stopped, a grin spreading across his rugged face. “You there, pretty boy… how about a battle?”

Biscuit’s face changed. She stepped up. “But boss, he hasn’t even—”

Surge held out a hand to stop her. Staring intently at Lu Ye, he smirked. “This guy… is way out of your league.”

Biscuit had never seen her boss this serious before, and she was totally baffled. But that pretty boy looked so thin and weak…

Ash looked up, curious, comparing Lt. Surge—nearly two meters tall—to Teacher Lu, who stood around 6 feet. “Teacher Lu, Lt. Surge… you two know each other?”

Surge laughed heartily and slung an arm around Lu Ye’s shoulders. “We’ve met during some gaming sessions!” “Right, Mentor?” he added quietly.

Lu Ye wasn’t surprised to be recognized. Like Sabrina, Lt. Surge had once been one of Team Rocket’s three commanders. After Team Rocket disbanded, Surge stayed on as Vermilion Gym Leader, helping out Red and the others in major events.

He was the type of soldier who was rough around the edges but cool-headed and humorous underneath. Though he looked like a brute, and wasn’t all that intimidating on paper— He was truly a master of no-holds-barred survival combat. He had once even forced Red into a desperate situation.

After becoming a Gym Leader, though, Surge found showy battles kind of dull, so he just went through the motions.

No wonder he lost to the little dork… Lu Ye smiled wryly. But hey, I’m not here to fight you, so stop staring at me like that!

“An honor to meet you, Lt. Surge.”

Surge narrowed his eyes, surprise flickering within. Even after having his identity outed, this guy’s completely unfazed?

Seeing that Lu Ye didn’t seem interested in a battle, Ash blinked. “Then, Teacher Lu and I will be heading off?”

Surge crossed his arms and fell silent for a few seconds. Rumors about his mentor flashed through his mind— Maybe… this guy really had reformed Team Rocket, and earned the recognition of both Sabrina and even Giovanni himself.

But if you want me to acknowledge him… that won’t come easy.

Surge cracked a wide smile, eyes sharp as lightning. “So, Teacher Lu… how about an anything-goes battle?”

[Ding! New Quest Discovered!] Quest Objective: Defeat Lt. Surge in an Anything-Goes Match Quest Rewards: Shuca Berry ×1, Insulated Gloves (Enhanced) ×1!