Marshtomp began charging power.
An immense amount of frost rapidly condensed around its fist, and a bone-chilling cold swept across everyone present.
"It's Ice Punch!"
Ash and Gary exclaimed in surprise.
Neither of them had ever doubted Marshtomp's strength.
But until now, Marshtomp had never revealed any Ice-type moves. The moment it unleashed this attack, the terrifying cold aura left both of them stunned.
At the same time, they both thought:
As expected of Master!
Marshtomp finished charging just as Raichu descended from above.
Without hesitation, Marshtomp drove its fist straight toward Raichu's most vulnerable spot—its abdomen.
In the next instant, the confident expression on Raichu's face froze solid.
A terrifying force erupted.
Raichu was blasted away like a cannonball!
The intense pain instantly robbed it of consciousness.
BOOM!
A loud explosion echoed through the Gym.
The ceiling of Vermilion Gym cracked apart like a spiderweb, and at the center of those cracks hung a completely defeated Raichu.
Its abdomen had been frozen over by a thick layer of ice, radiating waves of cold air.
Looking at Raichu embedded in the ceiling, the entire Vermilion Gym fell into deathly silence.
A lot had happened in a short period of time.
But from Pikachu suddenly showing signs of distress, to Raichu turning the battle around, to Marshtomp's decisive punch ending everything—
it had all occurred within mere seconds.
Everyone stared at Marshtomp standing proudly on the battlefield.
Almost ten seconds passed before the crowd finally processed what had happened.
"My god! What just happened?"
"Why did a Marshtomp suddenly appear and one-shot Raichu?!"
...
Even Vermilion Gym's own disciples looked at Lt. Surge in complete confusion.
"Who was it?!"
"Who dared attack my Raichu?!"
"Have you got a death wish?! How dare you interfere in a Gym Leader battle!"
"Get out here!"
Lt. Surge was practically losing his mind.
His eyes swept through the audience.
He had clearly seen that Marshtomp had rushed out from that direction.
Amidst his fury, however, there was also a trace of relief.
Although Raichu had lost, it hadn't lost to Ash.
The battle had been interrupted.
In a twisted way, that saved his dignity.
"It was me. What about it?"
Just as Lt. Surge was breathing a sigh of relief, Red pushed through the crowd and slowly walked forward.
Beside him stood Cynthia, a Poké Ball in her hand, her gaze cold and sharp.
Lt. Surge stared at Red.
He froze for a moment before bursting into laughter.
"Red! Of course it's you!"
"You shameless bastard!"
"First you send your disciple here to challenge my Gym!"
"Then when he can't win, you personally interfere with the battle!"
"So this is the famous Gym Leader Red?"
"Nothing but a despicable coward!"
Hearing that, many spectators hesitated.
Although most of them disliked Lt. Surge, the evidence before their eyes was difficult to deny.
Red had indeed interfered.
Some people began whispering.
"Could it really be that Gym Leader Red couldn't accept losing and interrupted the battle?"
"That seems unlikely. My friend said he's actually a pretty decent guy…"
"People change. Hard to say."
...
"Master!"
"Master!"
Ash and Gary hurried over and respectfully greeted him.
Looking at his two disciples, Red smiled.
"Master, why are you here?"
Ash looked somewhat embarrassed.
After all, he had been the one challenging the Gym.
"Gary told me what happened."
"If I didn't come, wouldn't the name of Mossdeep Gym be completely stolen by you?"
Red picked up the Gym uniform Ash had set aside and tossed it back into his arms.
"One day a disciple of Mossdeep Gym, always a disciple of Mossdeep Gym."
"As long as what you're doing is right, I'll always be the strongest support behind you."
"I've only been a Trainer for a few months, so my own strength isn't that impressive yet."
"But I do have a father who's a Champion-level Trainer, a grandfather who's a Champion, and a Legendary Pokémon partner."
"As long as you're not provoking one of the Elite Four, go ahead and do what you believe is right."
"Thank you, Master!"
Ash looked at Red and smiled sincerely.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. Disciple Ash's trust has increased.]
[Current Trust Level: Trusting.]
[Special Reward Obtained: Bond Evolution Fragment (1/3). Collect three fragments to exchange for any Pokémon's Bond Evolution.]
The corners of Red's lips curled upward.
This trip suddenly felt even more worthwhile.
Not just Ash—
even the surrounding spectators looked envious.
Who wouldn't want a master with backing like that?
For a moment, the criticism directed at Red decreased considerably.
Misty and Brock were happy for Ash as well.
At that moment, Red suddenly noticed a small issue.
He quietly glanced toward Gary.
So your trust level hasn't even reached Loyalty?
Still, he wasn't too concerned.
Unlike Ash, Gary had grown up privileged.
He had seen the world and enjoyed the best resources.
More importantly, Gary was extremely thoughtful and perceptive.
Winning over someone like him would naturally take more time.
"Of course, that promise applies to every disciple of Mossdeep Gym."
Gary's eyes flickered.
He quickly nodded.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. Disciple Gary's trust has increased.]
[Current Trust Level: Loyal.]
[Special Reward Obtained: Random Pseudo-Legend Mega Stone ×1.]
Hearing the notification, Red felt slightly embarrassed.
So it wasn't that Gary's trust was too low—
it was actually one level higher than Ash's.
Taking a deep breath, Red thought:
I've already accepted the rewards and made my promises.
If I don't deal with Lt. Surge now, I'd be making a fool of myself.
He turned toward Lt. Surge and said coldly:
"Likewise."
"If anyone dares use underhanded methods against my disciples..."
"I won't let them off either."
Hearing those words, Lt. Surge's heart skipped a beat.
Did they find out?
Impossible!
I was extremely careful!
Just then, Marshtomp carried the weakened Pikachu over.
Red picked Pikachu up and displayed its condition for everyone to see.
"I originally had no intention of interrupting Ash's Gym challenge."
"After all, Ash had already gained the upper hand."
"But then I noticed something."
"Pikachu had been poisoned during the battle."
"That's why its condition suddenly deteriorated."
The audience nodded in agreement after hearing Red's explanation.
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