Walking deeper along the passage, Ash and the others gradually felt the temperature around them rising. Waves of scorching heat rolled toward them from time to time without mercy.
Before long, they arrived at the battlefield of Cinnabar Gym.
Above the churning magma, a massive arena hung suspended in midair. It was held in place only by four thick iron chains, each one deeply embedded into the surrounding stone walls.
"So?" Blaine asked.
"Do you have the courage to battle here in a 3-on-3 match?"
This harsh battlefield had discouraged many challengers before. Beneath the arena was a sea of boiling lava—one wrong step and you could fall straight into it.
"Let's do it. I'm here to win the Volcano Badge."
Ash replied confidently. The three Pokémon he planned to use weren't restricted by the terrain—two could fly, and one could hover.
And Aerodactyl had a type advantage against Blaine's Fire-type Pokémon.
The advantage is mine.
"The Gym battle will be 3 vs 3, with the Gym Leader sending out the first Pokémon," Blaine announced.
"During the battle, the challenger may switch Pokémon at any time."
"The match ends when all Pokémon on one side are unable to battle."
Standing on the opposite side of the arena, Blaine asked loudly,
"Are you ready?"
"Anytime."
The moment he finished speaking, Blaine released his first Pokémon.
"Ninetales!"
[Pokémon: Ninetales — Lv. 38]
Its pale golden fur shimmered beautifully, and its crimson eyes glowed with intelligence. Its well-proportioned body gave it an air of noble elegance.
"Then I'll send out Aerodactyl."
This was the time to rely on type advantage. Charging in recklessly against unfavorable matchups would be pointless.
Aerodactyl circled in the air, its gaze filled with disdain as it looked down at the crouching Ninetales on the arena.
Ninetales stared back cautiously, its tails swaying slowly with faint crackling sounds.
"Relying only on type advantage won't win a Gym battle," Blaine said with a frown.
Aerodactyl clearly looked like it wasn't taking Ninetales seriously at all.
"Ninetales, Fire Spin!"
The fox Pokémon locked its crimson eyes onto Aerodactyl. Under its control, a swirling vortex of flames spun rapidly and shot toward the airborne Pokémon.
But Aerodactyl, blessed with incredible speed, glided lightly through the air, effortlessly dodging the attack.
Ninetales immediately spat out another roaring blaze. The flames twisted into a massive vortex and rushed toward Aerodactyl again.
Aerodactyl twisted its body midair and avoided the Fire Spin once more.
Two consecutive attacks—both evaded.
"Aerodactyl, Ancient Power!"
Ninetales was three levels lower than Aerodactyl. Its speed was a fatal weakness—it simply couldn't keep up.
Rocks formed in the air and began hurtling toward Ninetales.
"Ninetales, Quick Attack! Use the rocks as stepping stones!"
With incredible agility, Ninetales dodged the falling stones while leaping between them, using the rocks as footholds to close the distance with Aerodactyl.
"Now, Flamethrower!"
Ninetales opened its mouth, about to unleash a torrent of fire—
But a rock suddenly slammed into it from the side, forcibly interrupting the move.
"The idea was good," Ash muttered.
"But your speed isn't as fast as Pikachu's. Otherwise you might've actually gotten a point-blank Flamethrower."
"Young man, you're quite skilled," Blaine admitted.
He could already tell Aerodactyl's level was slightly higher than Ninetales'.
"But you're celebrating a bit too early."
Suddenly, Ninetales' tails glowed with strange light, sending waves of distorted radiance toward Aerodactyl.
"Aerodactyl, Iron Head!"
Aerodactyl dove straight downward. Its gray skull shone like polished stone as it crashed through the incoming Confuse Ray, charging directly at Ninetales.
Bang!
Ninetales cried out sharply as its entire body was sent flying, smashing into the ground in a cloud of dust.
"Hmph… young man, I underestimated you," Blaine said, recalling Ninetales.
Its Confuse Ray hadn't even landed.
"Go, Ash!"
"Pika-pi!"
"Jiakie!"
Misty held Togepi, who wriggled excitedly in her arms, while Pikachu cheered loudly for their teammate.
"Aerodactyl is extremely fast and also a Rock-type. On the surface, Blaine seems to be at a disadvantage," Brock analyzed as he watched the battle.
But Blaine wasn't someone to underestimate.
After being a Gym Leader for so many years, he had become a nightmare for countless trainers.
"Hahaha! Go—Rhydon!"
[Pokémon: Rhydon — Lv. 42]
Just like in the original storyline, Blaine sent out Rhydon.
Its powerful tail swept across the arena as its massive feet stomped heavily on the platform.
Fortunately, Ash had sent out a Flying-type Pokémon. Rhydon's strongest move—Earthquake—was completely useless against Aerodactyl.
And Rhydon's speed was even slower than Ninetales'.
Aerodactyl's speed completely overwhelmed it.
Aerodactyl repeatedly used Iron Head, wearing Rhydon down again and again. However, it also suffered several counterattacks from Rhydon.
Rhydon's defense was undeniably terrifying. Aerodactyl had to expend tremendous effort just to deal damage.
Gradually, Rhydon's stamina began to falter.
But Aerodactyl wasn't in much better shape.
Blaine calmly watched the battle unfold.
…
Bang!
Rhydon suddenly seized an opportunity.
A powerful Horn Drill struck Aerodactyl's vital point, instantly knocking it out of the sky.
Aerodactyl lost the ability to battle.
Both sides possessed moves that could counter each other. Aerodactyl had the advantage in speed, but against Rhydon's incredibly high defense, its attacks simply weren't devastating enough.
Blaine had deliberately allowed Rhydon to expose a few openings, baiting Aerodactyl into attacking.
Then he seized the moment to defeat it.
Ash had expected this.
Blaine was a seasoned veteran with immense battle experience. After the first round, he had already figured out Aerodactyl's fighting style—and used Rhydon to counter it.
"Pika-pi!"
Pikachu immediately jumped forward, requesting to battle.
How dare that guy bully my "ride" like that!
"Are you okay, Ash?" Misty asked worriedly.
Ash calmed Pikachu and gave Misty a reassuring look.
"I'm fine."
Aerodactyl had already done its best. Getting Rhydon down to its last legs was good enough.
"You managed to defeat two of my Pokémon using only one of yours," Blaine admitted.
"But the next Pokémon…"
"…isn't something a trainer like you can easily defeat."
Blaine recalled his severely weakened Rhydon, then smiled excitedly.
"Come out—Magmar!"
A curtain of blazing lava suddenly erupted from the ground like a fiery fountain. Sparks and molten rock scattered everywhere.
From within the lava, a Magmar leapt out.
[Pokémon: Magmar — Lv. 44]
Magmar landed firmly on the arena.
Ash stared at it for a moment.
For some reason… it oddly reminded him of someone.
"Well, whether I can beat it or not—we'll find out soon enough."
Ash took out a Poké Ball, planning to quietly send out Charizard.
But Charizard had other ideas.
The moment it emerged, it let out a thunderous roar, its wings beating fiercely.
Flames of fighting spirit burned in its eyes.
Inside the Poké Ball, it had already sensed that Aerodactyl had been defeated.
It wanted to see just how strong this old man really was.
And if it defeated this Magmar—
That stone-winged dragon would finally admit its superiority.
"Charizard, go!"
"Charizard, go!"
"Charizard, go!"
PS: I've been releasing chapters daily . Honestly, it hurts seeing almost no support on Patreon after all that work.If you're enjoying the fic, even a little, supporting me would mean a lot. It helps a student stay independent .
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