Chapter:39

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"Satoshi, sorry to keep you waiting. To make up for it, if you manage to defeat me, I'll give you something extra as a reward."

After Satoshi waited for about 10 minutes, Brock finally returned. His first statement made Satoshi's frustration vanish in an instant.

"Actually, I didn't wait that long. But if you insist on compensating me, I'll accept it with respect."

Satoshi's thoughtful expression was swept away, replaced by a grin. His words were polite, but the underlying message was clear: he wasn't about to refuse a bonus.

"You're polite, but your thick skin says otherwise," Brock muttered under his breath, his mouth twitching as he tried to maintain his composure.

"Ahem… Satoshi, you can just call me Brock. Let me explain the rules of the Rookie Gym Challenge," Brock said, quickly changing the subject.

"Both sides can use two Pokémon. When all of one side's Pokémon lose the ability to fight, the other side wins."

As Brock explained, he pulled out a Poké Ball—not an ordinary red-and-white one, but an Ultra Ball.

Satoshi's sharp eyes caught this detail immediately.

"An Ultra Ball? That's different from the regular ones on his waist earlier. Did he just go back to switch Pokémon? And judging by this, the Pokémon he's sending out might not even be one he's raising carefully."

Satoshi sighed internally.

"If you have no objections, let the battle begin!"

"No objections here. Let's start!"

Brock nodded and threw the Ultra Ball into the air.

"As the gym leader of Pewter City, I'll begin with my first Pokémon. Come out, Onix!"

A flash of light emerged from the Ultra Ball, and a massive Onix appeared on the battlefield, its serpentine body composed of enormous boulders. Its sheer size dominated the field.

[Pokémon Data

Name: Onix

Type: Rock/Ground

Ability: Rock Head (immune to recoil damage from moves)

Level: 24 (Intermediate Trainer Level)

Potential: Gym Leader Level

Moves: Rock Throw, Rock Tomb, Rocket Headbutt]

Satoshi glanced at the data displayed on his Pokédex and couldn't help but curse under his breath.

"Seriously? This Onix knows Rocket Headbutt? That's definitely not a casual Pokémon."

His earlier guess had been correct: Brock's first Pokémon was already at Level 24, the upper limit of what Satoshi had anticipated.

"And if gym battles follow tradition, the second Pokémon should be even stronger than the first. Could it be a Graveler over Level 25?"

The thought of facing an evolved Pokémon with superior stats made Satoshi's scalp tingle.

"What's the holdup? Aren't you sending out your Pokémon?" Brock asked, noticing Satoshi's hesitation.

Brock's mind wandered, imagining the scenario.

"Could it be that Onix's strength has intimidated him? It's already impressive that he made it to Pewter City on his first day of adventuring, but this battle might be too much for him. Should I hold back a bit later?"

Brock sighed to himself. He had been asked to use only about 50% of his strength against this specific Trainer and to use "that stone" with his final Pokémon. Still, he couldn't help but wonder if Satoshi could handle the challenge.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about something. Let's start now."

Satoshi snapped back to reality, pushing aside his doubts. Even if Brock's second Pokémon turned out to be a Graveler, Frogadier's Water-type moves would give him an edge.

For now, he stuck to the original plan.

"Come out, Charmeleon!"

With a roar, Charmeleon appeared, its confident and fiery presence dominating the field despite being much smaller than Onix.

Even in the face of Onix's towering stature, Charmeleon's aura was so fierce that it seemed to suppress its opponent.

Brock raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Charmeleon? The evolved form of Charmander? And its presence is even stronger than Onix's. Did he really train it to this level on his first day of adventuring?"

Brock's gaze shifted to Satoshi, whose calm demeanor betrayed no trace of nervousness.

"This kid is no ordinary Trainer. His confidence… he genuinely believes he can beat me, even against this Onix."

Brock smiled slightly, as if something had clicked in his mind.

"So this isn't just a random encounter. This is a test. I see now."

He straightened up, his expression serious.

"Since this is a trial, I won't hold back. Onix, start with Rock Tomb!"

To be continued…

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