Chapter 156: Don't Overthink It, I'm Definitely Not Mocking You

"Huo La, be careful in a moment! This plank bridge on the cliff looks new, but stepping on it feels precarious!" Xiaogang Ge held the vines at the bridge's edge, moving forward three steps at a time; the planks creaked, and below was a bottomless gorge.

"Got it, Xiaogang Ge Ge, you go slowly; when you reach the opposite bank I'll follow." Huo La stood at the cliff edge, his gaze passing beyond Xiaogang Ge to the forest on the other side—through the dense foliage he could faintly see an ancient building of bluish‑gray stone, its roof adorned with ninja‑style flying eaves.

He couldn't help shaking his head; the Light Red Gym was indeed hidden, built in this remote forest, no wonder ordinary Trainers couldn't find it. Using this place as one of the Rocket Team's bases was both practical and safe.

After Xiaogang Ge safely reached the opposite bank, Huo La stepped onto the wooden bridge, his steps light as he walked over.

The two followed the path to the Gym entrance, where the wooden doors were etched with ninja symbols, exuding a sense of mystery.

"Sorry to disturb, is anyone here?" Xiaogang Ge pushed the doors open, stuck his head in and called out; inside it was silent, with no response.

He glanced back at Huo La and said, "No answer? Is the Gym Leader absent? I'll go in and take a look…"

"Wait, Xiaogang Ge Ge, don't act rashly!" Huo La grabbed him, his tone serious, "The Light Red Gym is a Ninja Gym; it's highly likely to have traps, so rushing in is too dangerous."

"Traps?" Xiaogang Ge stopped abruptly, instantly on guard, following Huo La's gaze into the Gym interior; the light was dim, only a few intersecting corridors could be seen, indeed seeming to hide something. "What do we do? We've already reached the entrance; we can't just turn back, can we? I'm fine either way—don't you want to challenge?"

Huo La was silent for a moment, then his eyes suddenly swept to the large tree behind him; he swiftly took out a Pokeball, spun around and tossed it toward the canopy: "Big‑mouthed bat, use Ultrasound!"

A red light flashed, the ultrasonic bat flapped its wings and launched, its sharp ultrasound instantly sweeping over the dense foliage.

With a single "Ow!", a purple Pokemon fell from the tree, hitting the ground and bouncing twice;

Immediately after, a girl dressed in a pink ninja training outfit with a green ponytail also jumped down, landing steadily on the ground, her face full of surprise.

"Your observation is quite sharp, little brother." The girl straightened, scanning Huo La up and down, her tone carrying some surprise, "You actually found where Venomoth and I were hiding—much better than most Trainers."

"Wow! Ninja big sister, you're so gorgeous!" Xiaogang Ge instantly forgot the "traps danger", his eyes shining as he rushed forward, reaching out to grab the girl's hand, "That pink ninja outfit suits you perfectly; not even just as a female ninja—if you became a star you'd be absolutely popular!"

"Snap!" a crisp slapping sound rang out; Xiaogang Ge covered his face and stepped back two paces, a red handprint suddenly appearing on his cheek.

The girl withdrew her hand, her gaze a little disdainful: "Cut the act! I'm the Light Red Gym's Deputy Gym Leader—A Xing, not someone for you to flirt with. If you want to challenge the Gym, you have to get past me first!"

"Deputy—Gym—Leader!" Huo La deliberately elongated his tone, the ending carrying a hint of mockery.

The girl in the pink ninja outfit before him, he had already recognized—clearly the Light Red Gym's Gym Leader A Ju's sister, A Xing.

"What do you mean!" A Xing's ears tingled from the deliberately drawn-out voice, her cheeks flushing red instantly, fists clenched as she glared at Huo La, clearly genuinely angry.

"Nothing, just curiosity." Huo La spread his hands, a look of innocence on his face, "I've challenged so many Gyms, and this is the first time I've seen a Gym appoint a Deputy Gym Leader to greet guests; it's naturally fresh to me. Don't read too much into it, I'm absolutely not mocking you."

The words sounded like an explanation, yet the teasing in his tone couldn't be hidden at all.

A Xing, furious, clenched her teeth: "You! Venomoth, use Tackle, teach him a lesson!"

"Venomoth!" Venomoth let out a cry and charged straight toward Huo La.

"Big‑mouthed bat, Cross Poison Blade." Huo La's tone remained calm; his big‑mouthed bat instantly flapped to Venomoth's front, its wings gathering purple Poison Type light, two intersecting Cross Poison Blades striking Venomoth directly.

"Boom!" Venomoth didn't even have time to cry out, flung backward as if struck by a heavy object, crashing to the ground motionless, clearly having lost its ability to fight.

"Ah! Venomoth!" A Xing cried out, no longer able to stay angry, hurriedly ran over, embraced Venomoth, and petted it with concern.

At that moment, a white smokescreen rose behind Huo La; from the haze came a steady voice with a hint of coldness, like ice shards scraping wood: "A Xing, you're still too immature."

"Ah, brother!" A Xing looked up, saw a silhouette emerging from the smokescreen, her eyes instantly brightened.

It was a middle‑aged man dressed in a dark‑green ninja outfit, his short green hair tucked behind his ears, eyes sharp as knives—he was the Light Red Gym's Gym Leader, A Ju.

Xiaogang Ge was momentarily stunned, then quickly recovered, enthusiastically stepping forward and extending his hand: "You are A Xing's brother, the Gym Leader of the Light Red Gym, right? I'm Xiaogang Ge, please teach me well in the future!"

A Ju ignored the outstretched hand, merely gave Xiaogang Ge a brief glance, his gaze then settling on Huo La.

Huo La also slowly turned, their gazes colliding in the air—A Ju's eyes full of appraisal, Huo La's face calm, even raising his eyebrows slightly.

After a few seconds of silence, A Ju finally spoke, his voice steady: "You defeated A Xing's Venomoth, so you've cleared the first stage. But the Light Red Badge won't be given to you so easily; come with me."

He stepped aside, opening a path, pointing toward the Gym's depths, "Next, you must defeat me."

Huo La nodded, tightening his backpack: "That's exactly my intention."

To obtain the Light Red Badge, one must get past A Ju—this Gym Leader, adept with Poison Type Pokemon and one of the Rocket Team's Pokemon supply channels, is far tougher than A Xing.

A Ju led the way, with Huo La and Xiaogang Ge following behind, constantly avoiding numerous traps—sometimes poisonous spiked planks springing from the floor, sometimes anesthetic darts shooting from the walls, and even deep pits opening in the ground; thanks to A Ju's prior signals they avoided all.

After about five minutes of walking, the path finally opened up—a spacious stone chamber appeared ahead, the floor laid with dark Stone Tablets, the surrounding walls embedded with glowing phosphorescent stones that barely illuminated the whole area; this was the Light Red Gym's battle arena.

"The Light Red Gym's challenge rules are simple: 2V2 battles." A Ju stood on one side of the arena, turned to face Huo La, his tone still cold, "No restrictions on battle style or tactics, nor on move usage counts; whichever side's two Pokemon first lose all ability to fight loses."

"Fine." Huo La nodded, walked to the opposite side and stopped, casually pulling out two Pokeballs; he had already chosen suitable partners.

A Ju, seeing his straightforward acceptance, said no more, turned his head toward A Xing standing at the arena's edge: "A Xing, you be the referee."

"Got it, brother!" A Xing immediately straightened, "I'll be a good referee!"