17. Different Rewards
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"Amazing speed, but poor move power. Your Frogadier is well-trained, but that's all!" Roxanne declared as she sent out her third and final Pokémon.
The Poké Ball opened, revealing a blue, stone-like statue that fell onto the battlefield.
Its name was Nosepass, and its level, marked on its head, read "LV23."
Nosepass was Roxanne's trump card and signature Pokémon.
"Nosepass, use Thunder Wave!"
"Frogadier, use Encore and follow up with Water Pulse!" Chris countered.
Nosepass wiggled its glowing red nose, emitting sparks that formed a swift, thin bolt of lightning. It struck Frogadier, who immediately became entangled in a crackling electric current, falling into a state of paralysis.
However, Frogadier didn't wait to attack. Instead, he retrieved a Cheri Berry from his body and ate it, instantly curing his paralysis. He then unleashed a powerful Water Pulse.
"Rock Tomb!" Roxanne quickly reacted, her surprise evident. Frogadier was carrying a Cheri Berry?
Has this guy studied my strategy before the match?
Three large rocks fell in front of Nosepass to block the Water Pulse, but as before, the rocks were shattered, and the Water Pulse struck Nosepass directly.
Unlike Onix, Nosepass was purely a Rock-type Pokémon, making it vulnerable to water-type attacks. However, its strong special defense allowed it to withstand the aftermath of the Water Pulse.
"Thunder Shock!" Roxanne commanded, not willing to let Frogadier turn the battle around.
"Dodge with Quick Attack!" Chris shouted.
But this time, Frogadier was too exhausted from the continuous attacks. The Thunder Shock struck before he could evade, and he was incapacitated on the spot.
Chris recalled Frogadier, taking out another Poké Ball and releasing his next Pokémon.
Combusken appeared.
"Combusken, Quick Attack!" Chris wasted no time.
Unlike Frogadier, Combusken's Fire-type moves were at a disadvantage against the Rock-type Nosepass. The key to victory lay in its Fighting-type Double Kick, but to use it, Combusken had to get up close.
"Thunder Wave!" Roxanne ordered.
Once again, Nosepass's nose sparked, sending a jolt of electricity toward Combusken.
However, Combusken, rushing forward at full speed, didn't attempt to dodge. Instead, it pulled out a Cheri Berry and ate it as soon as the paralysis took effect, curing itself instantly.
Combusken then closed in on Nosepass and delivered a powerful Double Kick.
Seeing this unfold, Roxanne felt like swearing. She was now certain Chris had studied her strategies before the match. Who else would equip both Pokémon with Cheri Berries to counter paralysis?
As it turned out, Roxanne's suspicion was correct.
Chris, having beaten the Emerald version many times, knew exactly what to expect from Roxanne. Her Nosepass, a Rock-type Pokémon proficient in Electric-type moves, was no surprise. Preparing with Cheri Berries was his way of staying ahead.
"Rock Tomb!" Roxanne ordered again, determined to defend.
Three giant rocks crashed down, but Combusken kicked through the blockade, spinning midair and landing a direct hit on Nosepass.
Nosepass was knocked back.
"Press the advantage! Quick Attack and Double Kick!" Chris called out, intent on finishing the battle.
Combusken, his second and last viable Pokémon, was his final hope. He had left Ralts behind, knowing it was too low-level, and had only brought a few Zigzagoons to pick up items.
"Discharge!" Roxanne switched tactics.
A flash of blinding sparks erupted from Nosepass, and a violent current surged outward in all directions.
Combusken didn't attempt to dodge. Instead, it charged straight in, gritting its teeth and enduring the Discharge as it soared through the air.
One kick!
Two feet!
Combusken blasted Nosepass into the walls of the Rustboro Gym.
The scene in front of Chris suddenly shifted, and he found himself back in his small apartment. The battle had ended.
[Defeated Nosepass LV23, gained 690 experience points]
[Defeated Rustboro Gym Leader Roxanne and earned 1600 Pokédollars]
[Roxanne: I lost, but I learned a lot from our battle. You are indeed stronger than I am!]
[Roxanne: Here is proof of your victory, the Stone Badge. After obtaining it, your Cut will be upgraded to Secret Cut.]
[Roxanne: Also, take this Rock Tomb TM and my notes on raising Rock-type Pokémon. I hope to see you in future Pokémon tournaments.]
Chris breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at the words displayed on the screen.
It had been a tough fight, but he had managed to pull through.
However, from this gym battle, he realized just how powerful Gym Leader Pokémon were compared to those of ordinary Trainers.
The level disparity was huge. While Trainers on the road had Pokémon around level 7 or 9, and regular Gym Trainers had level 12 Pokémon, Roxanne's lowest level was 17, and her strongest was a level 23 Nosepass!
It was like doing elementary math in class but getting a college-level exam during the test.
Outrageous!
These game modders have no mercy!
Chris then looked down at his rewards.
[Stone Badge: Increases the power of all Rock-type moves in the team by 10%. Cut is upgraded to Secret Cut.]
Chris blinked, confused.
Since when did badges come with attributes?
That wasn't in the previous games.
The first part of the badge bonus made sense, but the second part...
Chris opened his inventory and saw that the Cut move had two new words in front of it. It was now called "Secret Cut," and its power had jumped from 50 to 90!
"Whoa!" Chris gasped. Could this really be happening?
Switching to the Pokémon status interface, he saw that Frogadier's Cut had also upgraded to "Secret Cut."
Curious, Chris quickly recorded the changes and had Frogadier demonstrate what was different about this Secret Cut.
Frogadier tried it out.
There didn't seem to be any noticeable visual changes during the move, but its strength likely lay in battle performance.
Additionally, Chris noticed a new item in his inventory—a notebook.
Opening it, he found that it contained Roxanne's training notes on Geodude, Onix, and Nosepass, written in neat, small handwriting.
This was also something new, not part of the original game.
Too bad, though, Chris thought. None of those three Pokémon were ones he planned on training anytime soon.
Join my Patreon for 40 more chapters and earlier updates for all members( For free members too):
patreon.com/Tempest_29
100 power stones=1bonus chapter
7 reviews=1bonus chapter
Check out my other novel Pokemon: A different ash (Also in patreon )