As soon as they entered the Gym, a massive rocky mountain filled their field of vision. The air was thick with dry dust.
According to the rules, before challenging the Gym Leader, Red had to defeat the Gym Trainers hidden among the shadows of the rocky terrain. Only by proving his strength in these preliminary battles could he step onto the final Rock Battle Arena.
For Red, this level of challenge was nothing more than a warm-up.
"Poliwhirl, use Water Gun!"
Poliwhirl planted its hands on its hips as a powerful stream of water gathered in its mouth. The pressurized blast surged forward like a high-powered water cannon.
The trainers hiding behind the rocks didn't even have time to fully send out their Pokémon before the surging water swept them and their Pokémon away, scattering them across the battlefield.
Without even breaking a sweat, Red pushed straight through the Gym and stepped onto the enormous stone battlefield deep within the Gym.
At the other end of the arena stood a man with a sturdy, rock-like physique, slightly dark skin, and his signature narrowed eyes. His muscular upper body was bare as he folded his arms across his chest.
Seeing Red step onto the platform, he smiled calmly.
Brock: "Challenger! State your name!"
Red: "..."
The battle began.
Brock remained steady as a rock and threw the first Poké Ball.
A sturdy rock Pokémon appeared.
Geodude – Lv.18
Ability:Sturdy(Prevents the Pokémon from being knocked out in one hit.)
"Pretty high level… but—"
Red's eyes sharpened. He sent out Poliwhirl, intending to quickly finish the fight using both level and type advantage.
"Go, Poliwhirl! Use Water Gun!"
Poliwhirl spread its arms. The spiral on its belly suddenly glowed with blue light as a torrent gathered.
A high-pressure stream of water shot out instantly.
Geodude didn't even have time to take a defensive stance before being blasted away, slamming into a pile of rocks with a loud crash.
Seeing this, Brock narrowed his eyes even further.
Without hesitation, he immediately gave a command.
Brock: "Geodude! Self-Destruct!"
From the thick smoke, the heavily injured Geodude suddenly burst out again.
Poliwhirl's Water Gun had enormous power, but thanks to Sturdy, it had barely survived the otherwise fatal blow.
Brock's decisive tactic clearly caught Red off guard.
At the critical moment—just before Geodude could reach Poliwhirl—
Red's command rang out first.
"Poliwhirl! Use Protect!"
BOOM—!
A deafening explosion shook the entire Gym.
Dust filled the air. When the smoke cleared slightly, a pale blue barrier covered with spiderweb-like cracks stood in the center of the arena.
Crack!
The Protect barrier shattered instantly.
Although Poliwhirl had blocked most of the impact, it was still forced backward, clearly injured.
Brock folded his arms again, revealing a steady smile.
Brock: "You've got real strength, challenger! But be careful of the weight of rocks!"
He sent out his second Pokémon.
A larger rock Pokémon appeared—Geodude's evolved form.
Graveler – Lv.25
Ability:Sturdy
"Poliwhirl! Catch it when it lands—Bubble Beam!"
Red's battle instincts were incredibly sharp. He missed no opportunity.
Poliwhirl endured the pain and rubbed its hands across its slick belly. Countless shimmering bubbles formed instantly.
With a wave of its arms, a beam of energized bubbles shot toward Graveler.
Brock showed no fear.
Brock: "Graveler! Endure it like a real man! Push forward! Use Thunder Punch!"
Graveler roared, its eyes burning with unyielding fighting spirit.
Crossing its four sturdy arms before its body, it forced its way forward through the relentless Bubble Beam. Sparks of electricity crackled across its clenched stone fists.
Forward!
Forward!
Just as Graveler's body trembled from the strain, it suddenly threw a fully charged punch.
The electrified fist slammed directly into Poliwhirl's soft belly.
Bang!
Poliwhirl was sent flying.
It performed a nimble backflip midair and landed steadily, but the scorch marks from electricity and its heavy breathing showed it was already at its limit.
Graveler itself was also barely standing.
Yet the determination in its eyes burned brighter than ever.
Red's eyes narrowed.
He instantly saw through Brock's strategy.
"Poliwhirl, return! Charmeleon—use Protect!"
Almost at the same moment his words ended, Brock's command followed.
Brock: "Graveler! Self-Destruct!"
A blinding white light suddenly contracted inward, swallowing all sound.
The next instant—
The destructive energy erupted like a supernova, engulfing the entire screen in blinding white.
A sharp cracking sound echoed like shattering glass.
Charmeleon's hastily erected Protect barrier shattered instantly under the terrifying explosion.
The violent shockwave blasted Charmeleon away, sending it crashing straight through the rock wall behind the battlefield.
And yet—
"ROAR—!"
A defiant dragon-like roar tore through the smoke.
Charmeleon leapt out from the rubble and landed back on the battlefield.
Its body was covered with scratches, but the flame on its tail surged violently, blazing as if fuel had been poured onto it.
Blaze!
The lower its HP, the stronger its Fire-type moves became!
Brock: "You actually held on this long! What an incredible challenger! Win or lose, I acknowledge your strength! Now give it everything you've got and face my ace in the final battle!"
Brock threw his final Poké Ball with solemn determination.
Whoosh!
The lighting inside the Gym suddenly dimmed.
A massive figure like a mountain blocked the light source.
Onix.
Onix – Lv.30
Ability:Weak Armor(When hit by a physical move, its Defense drops but its Speed sharply increases.)
Level 30!
The pressure on Red increased instantly.
Among his team, the highest-level Pokémon was Poliwhirl at Lv.27, and it was already exhausted from the previous battles.
The remaining Pokémon—
Charmeleon was barely standing.
And Pikachu… was at a severe disadvantage against Rock-type Pokémon.
Red hesitated only for a moment before giving his command.
"Charmeleon, return."
Charmeleon looked briefly stunned, but it still turned into a beam of red light and returned to its Poké Ball to rest.
"Please… Pikachu!"
Red looked toward the Pikachu lazily lying on Red's shoulder, unwilling even to enter its Poké Ball.
Pikachu reluctantly jumped onto the battlefield.
It glanced at the mountain-like Onix and curled its mouth in visible disdain.
"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!"
Red attempted to command it.
Pikachu completely ignored him.
Instead, it curled its little paw and beckoned provocatively at Onix.
Seeing this, Brock's face darkened instantly.
Brock: "What's going on here?! Your own Pokémon won't even listen to commands! That's unacceptable!"
Brock: "Onix! Use Rock Tomb!"
Onix roared.
Its enormous stone tail slammed into the ground, sending countless rocks raining down toward Pikachu.
Pikachu wasn't ignoring commands because it was disobedient.
It simply thought the opponent was too weak to bother fighting seriously.
Facing the falling rocks, it casually hopped around the battlefield, easily dodging most of the attacks.
However—
Tap!
A small pebble kicked up by the explosion struck it squarely on its smooth forehead.
The damage was minimal.
But the insult was enormous.
Pikachu instantly bristled with fury.
Its face darkened as its temper exploded.
Suddenly, it spun around.
Its target wasn't Onix—
It was its own Trainer, Red.
"Pika—CHUUU!"
A bolt of electricity shot straight at Red.
Red screamed as he was electrocuted, running wildly around the battlefield.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789