Lionel and his group headed towards the Gym. As they rounded a bend, they were drawn to the cheers emanating from the beach.
A crowd had gathered three or four deep on the beach. Following their gaze, they saw a young man riding a surfboard on the crest of a wave on a wide open beach.
It was none other than the Gym Master of Dewford Town, Brawly.
Standing on his surfboard, Master Brawly's movements were fluid and graceful. Sometimes he would bend over to traverse the low crests of the waves, sometimes he would leap into the air to avoid the rolling spray.
The surfboard seemed to come alive beneath his feet, becoming one with the waves.
A dozen or so students in surfing suits surrounded him, each intently imitating his movements.
Brawly shouted at several trainees whose postures were incorrect:
"Lower your center of gravity! Don't slam your knees in! When the wave comes, just follow the momentum—that's it! That's it!"
Although some were occasionally knocked over by the waves and thrown into the water, splashing large amounts of water, no one cried out in pain. Instead, they smiled and got up to continue practicing.
The beach was filled with the vibrant energy of youth, while not far away on the sea, a giant Makuhita, comparable in size to a Snorlax, stood steadily in the water, its thick hands raised and slamming heavily onto the surface.
With a muffled "thud," the seawater was slapped into a neat wall of waves, flowing towards Brawly and the trainees.
It was creating waves for Brawly and the trainees to use in their training.
Although this Makuhita was enormous, its movements were exceptionally agile, and each slap on the surface was perfectly timed.
The waves created were neither too high nor too low, just right for the trainees to practice their balance on the boards, without being too intense. This was clearly the result of long-term training with Brawly.
Even more astonishing was that when a giant wave surged in from the distance, Brawly immediately shouted to the Makuhita:
"Finally! Makuhita, give us a proper response!"
Makuhita immediately understood, leaping onto a spare surfboard.
The double standard stood firmly in place.
A gasp of astonishment rippled through the onlookers; they hadn't expected the Makuhita, with his bulky frame, to perform such agile movements.
Brawly and the Makuhita each rode their surfboards into the giant wave, the human and the Pokemon meeting at the crest.
Suddenly!
Brawly reached out and caught the Makuhita's shoulder, using the wave's momentum to execute a beautiful mid-air spin, before both landed back on their respective surfboards and glided along the crest.
The entire process was performed without any special skills; it was all based on body control and familiarity with the surfboard, transforming the surging wave into a platform beneath their feet.
A thunderous cheer erupted from the surrounding crowd. Some were snapping photos, while others blew loudly:
"Master Brawly is so cool!"
"Makuhita is amazing too!"
Lionel was somewhat thrilled by Brawly's conquest of the giant wave; he really was cool!
As Lionel was engrossed in watching, Larvesta suddenly darted out, followed by six smaller creatures, rushing straight to the beach.
Larvesta landed on the sand closest to the highest wave, unleashing a small burst of flame at Brawly and Makuhita who were surfing, as if announcing its arrival.
Seeing this, Fire Vulpix and Ice Vulpix followed with their short legs, the jingling bells on their necks and tails ringing loudly, attracting the attention of those around them.
As soon as someone saw the Vulpix, they immediately shouted, " It's Vulpix! And the Gym Leader, the Challenger is here!"
"And two Vulpix! One red, one white, with unusual colors!"
"They even have bells and hats hanging on them, so cute!"
The crowd's attention was instantly drawn to the three little creatures, even the students practicing couldn't help but turn around to look.
Brawly also noticed the commotion, gliding back to the shore on his surfboard, wiping the water droplets from his face, and smiling.
Lionel waved his hand to say hi.
"Lionel? It really is you!"
Brawly walked a few steps to the beach, his gaze sweeping over Larvesta, Vulpix, and Ice Vulpix, finally landing on Lionel:
"You're out so early? I was thinking of waiting until I finished training the students before going back to the Gym!"
"By the way, I've seen all your Gym Challenges, Metagross, Milotic and Tyrantrum are both very powerful."
"I really didn't expect our Dewford Town to produce such a powerful Trainer as you. To be honest, when you booked the challenge, I wanted to just give you the badge directly, but the League has a rule that gym badges must be obtained through battles. We can't broadcast special rules, otherwise it would be unfair to the other trainers and break the rules. So, for your challenge, let my Makuhita accompany you for a match."
After saying that, Brawly looked at Metagross behind Lionel:
"Are you planning to send Metagross out? My Makuhita watched your challenge video of the Petalburg Gym and really wants to have a go with your Metagross."
As soon as Brawly finished speaking, Lavesta immediately darted between Lionel and Brawly. Five antennae on its head stood erect, each tip sparking with tiny sparks, chirping incessantly, its small eyes fixed intently on the Brawly.
This stance was clearly a protest: Why only mention the Metagross? Where is I?
Brawly paused for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Sorry, my oversight. It seems you're the protagonist today, Larvesta."
He bent down and gently tapped Larvesta's head with his fist: "Then my Makuhita won't hold back. You'd better watch out."
Larvesta turned its head, tilting it up and down, walked to the side, and assumed a fighting stance, signaling for the battle to begin.
At the call of the Brawly, Makuhita emerged from the water, shook off the water droplets, and stood there, its massive body like a moving wall of flesh.
Lionel's gaze fell on Makuhita, its information panel appearing before him:
[Pokémon: Makuhita]
[Type: Fighting]
[Category: Pushing Pokémon]
[Ability: Thick Fat (Protected by a thick layer of fat, significantly reduces damage from Fire and Ice type moves)]
[Moves: Push, Power Shot, Bulk Up, Focus Punch, Cleave, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, Flamethrower, Rock Slide, Surf, ]
Lionel understood. No wonder the Brawly had warned Larvesta to be careful; Makuhita's Thick Fat ability weakened the damage Fire-type moves dealt to it.
However, Lionel wasn't worried about Larvesta.
He knew that the high-level Pokémon, TMs, and Stat Boosters he'd won in the lottery were mostly used on Milotic, Larvesta, Metagross, and Tyrantrum. The strength of these four was far beyond that of ordinary little elves.
On the beach, Larvesta, facing the huge, fat Makuhita, showed no fear whatsoever.
In its sense, although Makuhita was large, its internal energy was clearly weaker than its own. What was there to be afraid of?
Larvesta felt the gazes of the surrounding spectators, and then thanked the cheering Vulpix and Ice Vulpix, its flames burning even brighter.
It wasn't satisfied with praising Metagross earlier, and now it was time to show everyone who the "protagonist" was!
One of the Brawly's student, who was acting as referee, began to give the orders:
"Are you ready? Three countdown."
"321"
"The match begins!"
Brawly gave the first command: "Makuhita, use Surf to force it back, then use Lake Rock."
Makuhita moved in response, its two fists slamming down on the sand.
With a "boom," a nearly three-meter-high wave suddenly surged forth.
Carrying the force of bowls and plates, it swept towards Larvesta.
At the same time, dozens of fist-sized rocks appeared out of thin air beside it, hovering in mid-air, clearly waiting to launch a second attack when Larvesta was forced back by the giant wave.
What Brawly said earlier was not false; he had indeed watched many of Lionel's gym battles and understood his Pokémon.
The moves he used were all aimed at the type weaknesses of Larvesta.
However, Lionel was not worried about Larvesta.
All that training hadn't been in vain.
It aspired to be the leader of the Tyrantrum, so why would it fear a mere Rock-type move from Makuhita?
Sure enough, Larvesta, watching the surging wave, showed no panic.
It took a deep breath, its face gradually swelling, its body emitting a dazzling red light, then suddenly opened its mouth, unleashing a gust of wind mixed with scorching heat.
It was the Fire-type move "Heat Wave"!
The moment the heat wave collided with the giant wave, it emitted a sizzling sound, and white steam shot into the sky, filling most of the area.
Makuhita excels in close combat; its Surf skill is primarily for support and rolling, not for powerful water-type attacks used in battle.
How could it withstand the full force of Larvesta's heatwave? In moments, the giant wave was evaporated, leaving only wisps of steam, and even the air was scalded by the heat.
"Pretty impressive!" A hint of surprise flashed in the Brawly's eyes, then he said, "Now! Makuhita, Rock Chamber!"
Makuhita swung its massive arm repeatedly, sending floating rocks raining down on Larvesta. The sound of the rocks slicing through the steam was sharp and piercing.
"Larvesta. Watch out!"
Lionel called out a timely warning.
Larvesta was prepared; its five energy points, surrounding the thin Burning Head, simultaneously unleashed fine beams of flame, precisely striking each rock.
With a few crisp "Crack!" sounds, the rocks launched by the Makuhita were all shattered.
"This strength..."
Brawly raised an eyebrow; he finally understood why Lionel hadn't chosen to use the Metagross, which countered the Makuhita, but instead had made Larvesta the main force. Alright.
The viewers in the live stream were even more amazed:
[Wow! That was amazing!]
[Luckily, Larvesta wasn't wearing a hat, otherwise it would have been ruined!]
[Larvesta was so cool!]
Larvesta proudly raised its head, gesturing towards Metagross, as if showing off.
Seeing this, Brawly decisively changed his strategy:
"Makuhita, close range! Use Rock Silde to get right to the face!"
His own Makuhita's Fat Barrier ability could resist…
Resistant to fire damage, the Rock Slide's power is maximized as long as it gets close to Larvesta, and it also avoids being suppressed by the opponent's ranged skills.
Makuhita immediately took a long stride, its large body sprinting across the beach, each step leaving deep footprints.
The rocks around it coalesced twice, this time closely following behind, clearly intending to rush to Larvesta before launching an attack.
"Now!"
Lionel finally gave the order:
"Larvesta, charge! Use your ultimate move, show them the results of your special training!"
The Fire Vulpix cried excitedly, its tail flames swirling like a whirlwind of fire. It had seen Larvesta practice this move before, and every time it did, it was incredibly excited!
Ice Vulpixs also shook all the bells on its tail, the "jingling" sound like encouragement for Larvesta to strike a battle.
"Squeak!" Larvesta cried excitedly, and a crimson fireball instantly condensed in its mouth. This fireball was initially only the size of a head, but in a very short time, it expanded and deformed, transforming into a clear "大" (big) character. It was the signature fire-type move, "Fire Blast". However, this "大" character flame didn't launch immediately; instead, it slowly floated towards the Makuhita.
Seeing this, Brawly frowned, looking somewhat displeased.
"This speed is too slow! Makuhita, dodge!"
Just as Makuhita was about to sidestep, he saw Burning Realm's six legs suddenly glow red, and the flames around its body instantly surged!
The next second, like a red lightning bolt, it "precisely" pierced the flames of the "Big" character!
"What?!"
Brawly exclaimed in shock.
The flames of the "Big" character suddenly contracted, all the heat and energy gathered towards the body of Larvesta.
And Larvesta was in the center of this flame, like a fire meteor with a booster, whistling through the air, directly crashing into Makuhita!
This was a move that Larvesta had figured out itself after Lionel showed it a training video of Growlithe using
Flame Charge.
These days, besides teaching Flame Vulpix new skills, Larvesta has also been undergoing its own training in Dewford Town.
It learned Flame Charge through videos, leveraging its exceptional proficiency with other Fire-type moves.
However, having only recently learned it, its power wasn't yet significant. Therefore, Larvesta used its more proficient moves, "Fire Blast" and "Ground Strike," as a core to enhance the power of Flame Charge.
It infused the flame energy of "Fire Blast" into "Flame Armor," combining it with the recently mastered Flame Charge, creating the devastating "Fire Meteor Impact"!
Makuhita had no time to react. It only felt a flash of red before its eyes, and an overwhelming heat wave rushed towards it. It instinctively raised its arms to defend itself, but was struck in the chest by the fiery beam, producing a dull thud.
"Boom!"
The immense impact forced the Makuhita's massive body to stagger backward, its feet carving two deep furrows in the sand before finally stopping on a distant rock.
The dust kicked up on the beach billowed out, completely enveloping its figure.
The Fire Vulpix chirped excitedly, while Ice Vulpix wagged its tail, ringing it incessantly, cheering for Larvesta.