” Upon entering the Gym, a massive artificial mountain immediately filled their field of vision.
The air was thick with the dry scent of dust and stone.
According to the Gym’s rules, before challenging the Gym Leader, Little Red first had to defeat the Gym Trainers hidden throughout the rocky terrain.
Only by proving his strength in these preliminary battles could he earn the right to step onto the final Rock Battle Platform.
For Red, however, a challenge of this level was nothing more than a warmup exercise.
“Poliwag, Water Gun!” Poliwag planted its hands on its hips confidently.
A powerful stream of water gathered inside its mouth before erupting outward like a high-pressure cannon.
The Gym Trainers hiding behind the rocks did not even have enough time to fully send out their Pokémon before the raging torrent swept both Trainers and Pokémon away together.
The battlefield was cleared instantly.
Without even breaking a sweat, Little Red bulldozed his way through the entire preliminary challenge and arrived at the deepest part of the Gym, stepping onto a battle platform formed from a gigantic, perfectly flat slab of stone.
At the opposite end of the field stood a muscular man whose physique resembled solid bedrock itself.
His skin was slightly dark, his trademark narrowed eyes nearly shut, and his powerful upper body was completely exposed.
His arms were crossed over his chest.
When he saw Little Red step onto the platform, a calm smile appeared on his face.
[Brock: Challenger!
State your name!] [Red: …] The battle began.
Brock stood as immovable as a mountain.
Without hesitation, he threw a Poké Ball first.
A sturdy Rock-type Pokémon appeared on the field.
[Geodude Lv.18] [Ability: Sturdy (Cannot be knocked out in one hit by an opponent’s move.)] “The level’s pretty high, but…” Red’s eyes sharpened.
He sent out Poliwag, intending to end the battle quickly through both level and type advantage.
“Go, Poliwag!
Use Water Gun!” Poliwag spread its arms.
The spiral pattern on its stomach suddenly glowed with blue light as torrents of water gathered.
A high-pressure stream exploded forward instantly.
Geodude did not even have time to assume a defensive stance before being blasted away.
With a loud crash, it slammed directly into a nearby pile of rocks and became embedded inside it.
Seeing this, Brock’s already narrowed eyes squinted even further.
Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately issued a command.
[Brock: Geodude!
Self-Destruct!] Within the thick cloud of dust and smoke, the heavily injured Geodude unexpectedly burst forward once more.
Poliwag’s Water Gun had been incredibly powerful, but Geodude had survived the fatal blow through its Sturdy Ability.
Brock’s ruthless strategy clearly caught Red by surprise.
In the split second before Geodude could hurl itself onto Poliwag, Red’s command came first.
“Poliwag!
Use Protect!” BOOM!
A deafening explosion swept through the entire Gym.
Dust filled the air.
As the smoke slowly cleared, a pale blue energy barrier could be seen standing in the center of the battlefield.
The surface of the shield was covered with countless cracks resembling a giant spider web.
Crack!
The Protect barrier shattered instantly.
Although Poliwag had blocked most of the explosion’s force, it was still knocked backward repeatedly and had clearly suffered substantial damage.
Brock folded his arms and revealed a calm smile.
[Brock: You’ve got real skill, Challenger!
But don’t underestimate the weight of stone!] He released his second Pokémon.
A larger rocky figure appeared.
It was Geodude’s evolved form.
Graveler.
Its body was significantly larger, and its presence was far more imposing.
[Graveler Lv.25] [Ability: Sturdy (Cannot be knocked out in one hit by an opponent’s move.)] “Poliwag!
Catch it while it’s still recovering from landing!
Bubble Beam!” Red’s battle instincts were incredibly sharp.
He refused to overlook even the smallest opening.
Enduring its injuries, Poliwag rubbed its hands rapidly against its damp stomach.
Countless bubbles shimmering with mysterious light instantly appeared and condensed together.
With a wave of its arm, a powerful Bubble Beam infused with strange energy shot directly toward Graveler.
Brock showed no fear whatsoever.
[Brock: Graveler!
Take it like a real man!
Push forward!
Use Thunder Punch!] Graveler roared furiously.
Its eyes burned with indomitable fighting spirit.
Crossing its four thick arms before its body, it pushed forward against the relentless stream of bubbles.
The beam continuously battered its body.
Tiny arcs of electricity crackled around its tightly clenched rocky fist.
Forward!
Forward!
It continued advancing.
Its entire body trembled under the pressure.
Just as it seemed on the verge of collapse, Graveler suddenly unleashed the fully charged punch.
Its electrically charged fist smashed directly into Poliwag’s soft belly.
Bang!
Poliwag was launched backward immediately.
While flying through the air, it performed an agile backflip and landed safely.
However, the charred electrical burns covering its body and its increasingly ragged breathing made one thing obvious.
It was approaching its limit.
Graveler itself was barely able to remain standing.
It looked as though it could collapse at any moment.
Yet the determination burning in its eyes had never been stronger.
Red’s expression sharpened.
Instantly, he understood Brock’s intentions.
“Poliwag, return!
Charmeleon, use Protect!” Almost simultaneously with Red’s command, Brock’s voice rang out.
[Brock: Graveler!
Self-Destruct!] A piercing white light suddenly contracted inward.
For an instant, it felt as though all sound had been swallowed away.
Then— Destructive energy exploded outward like the birth of a supernova.
The entire screen was consumed by blinding white light.
A sound like shattering glass echoed through the Gym.
The Protect barrier Charmeleon had hastily created exploded apart under the terrifying force of the self-destruction.
Charmeleon was violently hurled backward.
With a thunderous crash, it smashed straight through the stone wall behind it.
And yet— “CHAAR!” A loud and unyielding roar tore through the dust.
Charmeleon suddenly leapt from the rubble.
Once again, it stood proudly upon the battlefield.
Its body was covered in cuts and bruises.
However, the flame on its tail had exploded in size, burning with unprecedented intensity.
Blaze!
The lower its health became, the stronger its Fire-type attacks grew.
[Brock: You’ve actually endured this far…
What an incredible Challenger!
Regardless of the outcome, you have earned my respect!
Now, give it everything you’ve got and face my ace in the final battle!] With solemn determination, Brock threw his last Poké Ball.
Buzz!
The lighting throughout the Gym suddenly dimmed.
A colossal figure blocked the source of light itself.
It towered over the battlefield like a mountain.
Onix.
[Onix Lv.30] [Ability: Weak Armor (When damaged by a physical move, Defense decreases but Speed greatly increases.)] Level thirty.
The pressure on Red instantly skyrocketed.
Among all of his Pokémon, the highest-level one was Poliwag at only Level 27.
And after enduring multiple consecutive battles, Poliwag was no longer in healthy condition.
As for the rest of the team…
Charmeleon was hanging on by a thread.
Pikachu was naturally disadvantaged against Rock-types.
Red hesitated for only a brief moment before making his decision.
“Come back, Charmeleon.” Charmeleon visibly froze.
Yet in the end, it obediently transformed into red light and returned to its Poké Ball to rest.
“I’m counting on you…
Pikachu!” Red looked toward the Pikachu lazily sprawled across Little Red’s shoulder.
It disliked Poké Balls so much that it refused to enter one at all.
Pikachu reluctantly jumped onto the battlefield.
It glanced at the mountain-sized Onix.
Then it curled its lip in obvious disdain.
“Pikachu, Quick Attack!” Red attempted to issue a command.
Pikachu completely ignored him.
Instead, it crooked one tiny paw toward Onix and openly challenged it.
Brock’s expression darkened immediately.
[Brock: What is going on?!
Your own Pokémon won’t even listen to your commands!
This is unacceptable!] [Brock: Onix!
Rock Throw!] Onix roared.
Its massive rocky tail slammed violently into the ground.
Countless stones shot through the air like a torrential downpour toward Pikachu.
The reason Pikachu was not attacking was not because it was disobedient.
It simply believed its opponent was too weak.
Not worth lifting a paw for.
Faced with the incoming barrage of rocks, Pikachu moved as casually as if it were taking a leisurely stroll.
A few graceful jumps were all it needed to evade most of the attack.
However— Tap.
A tiny pebble that had been kicked up by a previous explosion flew through the air.
As though guided by destiny, it struck Pikachu squarely on its smooth little forehead.
The damage was insignificant.
The humiliation was enormous.
Pikachu’s fur exploded outward instantly.
Its tiny face darkened.
Its fiery temper erupted on the spot.
Then it suddenly turned around.
Its target was not Onix.
It was its own Trainer.
Little Red.
“PIKA…
CHUUUU!” A merciless electric shock shot directly toward Little Red.
Little Red immediately began screaming as electricity coursed through his body.
With smoke rising from his head, he ran wildly around the battlefield while being chased by Pikachu’s relentless attacks.
(End of Chapter)