Chapter 99: Olivine City, Battle with Jasmine

Chapter 99: Olivine City, Battle with Jasmine

A few days later, Ron and the others passed through a desert and finally arrived at Olivine City.

They went to the Pokémon Center to heal their Pokémon. Rosa had successfully captured the Rhyhorn that wasn't afraid of water. Based on their observations over the past few days, this Rhyhorn had completely adapted to water. Although Water-type moves were supposed to be super effective, they only dealt slightly more than normal damage.

Considering Rhyhorn is Ground and Rock-type, making it quadruple weak to water, the fact that Water-type moves only dealt slightly more than normal damage showed how resistant it had become.

At the very least, this Rhyhorn was a role model for Ron to learn from. Strong resistance meant greater endurance, making it last longer in battles. If Tyranitar weren't so vehemently opposed, Ron would have tried teaching it to swim too. After all, it had learned Surf, so not being able to swim was quite ironic.

Tyranitar: "Are you a demon?!"

After their Pokémon recovered, Ron and the others arrived at the Olivine Gym and found Jasmine, but she refused to battle.

"I'm sorry, but Amphy seems unwell for some reason. I'm worried about it, so I can't give it my full attention in battle," Jasmine said apologetically.

"Amphy?" Rosa asked curiously.

"Amphy is an Ampharos. It's the light source for the Glitter Lighthouse," Jasmine explained.

Ron suddenly understood. "Could you take us to see it? I have a special medicine that might help Amphy."

"Alright. There's nothing else I can do for now. If it doesn't work, I'll have to ask the Cianwood Pharmacy to make a special secret medicine," Jasmine nodded.

The group then went to the Glitter Lighthouse, where they saw the sick-looking Ampharos. The lighthouse keeper said, "Amphy seems really out of it today. We've tried massaging it, but it hasn't regained its energy."

Ron nodded and took out a special potion from his bag. He found the pill meant to restore energy and fed it to Ampharos. He also got some Pokéblocks from Ruby to feed it. After a while, Ampharos perked up with renewed energy.

"Thank you so much!" Jasmine said happily. "Since Amphy has recovered, let's head back. I accept your challenge!"

Ron smiled and nodded. The group returned to the Olivine Gym.

Jasmine stood firmly on the battlefield. "I am Jasmine, the Olivine Gym Leader. I specialize in Steel-type Pokémon. I will be using two Pokémon. Is that alright?"

"No problem," Ron replied.

"Alright then, go! Steelix!" Jasmine sent out her Steelix.

"Go, Mienfoo!" Ron sent out his Mienshao. "Mienfoo, Bulk Up!"

Since he had the first move, Ron decided to boost his stats. Mienfoo clenched its fists and struck a pose, increasing its attack and defense. Jasmine saw this and said, "Steelix, Sandstorm!"

Steelix whipped up a fierce sandstorm, dealing damage to Mienfoo. Catching Ron's signal, Mienfoo launched a massive Aura Sphere at Steelix's head, knocking it down. Steelix struggled on the ground for a while before getting back up.

"Are you alright, Steelix?" Jasmine asked. "What powerful attack strength! Let's go all out too. Steelix, Gyro Ball!"

"Dig to dodge!" Ron commanded.

Steelix spun like a javelin straight towards Mienfoo. Mienfoo quickly dug underground to avoid the Gyro Ball, but under Jasmine's direction, Steelix stopped spinning and slammed its tail on the ground. The intense vibrations forced Mienfoo out, heavily injured.

"Finish it with Double-Edge!" Jasmine ordered.

Steelix charged at Mienfoo, but Mienfoo slapped the ground, propelling itself into the air. Vines sprouted from below and wrapped around Steelix's tail. It was a Grass Knot!

As Steelix crashed heavily to the ground, Mienfoo landed on its head, took a deep breath, and unleashed a powerful Drain Punch.

"Steelix!" Jasmine cried out.

But Steelix had fainted. It was down for good and could no longer respond. Mienfoo raised its arms excitedly as a bright white light enveloped it. When the light faded, Mienfoo had evolved into a Mienshao, with long fur on its arms that could be used as whips.

Jasmine recalled Steelix. "Ron, your Pokémon is well-trained. But can you win against my next one? Go, Metagross!"

A massive Metagross landed with a thud, staring coldly at Mienshao. Ron narrowed his eyes. "Keep going, Mienshao. Get close to Metagross."

Mienshao nodded and sprinted towards Metagross. "Metagross, Psychic!" Jasmine commanded.

Metagross's eyes glowed blue as it unleashed an invisible wave of energy towards Mienshao. But Mienshao suddenly pulled out a black iron ball from nowhere and hurled it at Metagross, dealing significant damage. Using its boosted speed, Mienshao narrowly dodged the full force of the Psychic attack but was left critically injured upon landing.

"Finish it with Bullet Punch!" Jasmine ordered.

"Return, Mienshao! Go, Greninja!" Ron called.

Mienshao quickly retreated, slapping hands with Greninja as it took the field. The Bulk Up stat boosts were passed to Greninja. However, Greninja was immediately knocked back by Bullet Punch.

"Shadow Sneak!" Ron formed hand seals.

Greninja instantly entered its Bond Phenomenon, forming a small black katana. It stabbed Metagross in the abdomen and then slashed upwards, sending it flying.

"Metagross, use Magnet Rise and Shadow Ball!" Jasmine called.

Metagross stabilized itself mid-air and launched a Shadow Ball at Greninja. Greninja pulled out its black iron ball and hurled it at the Shadow Ball. The resulting explosion destroyed the iron ball but neutralized the Shadow Ball.

"Use Agility and Meteor Mash!" Jasmine shouted.

Metagross swiftly dodged Greninja's surprise Water Pulse attack. In response, Greninja expelled a dark mist, resetting all stat changes. Using Double Team to evade Meteor Mash, Greninja struck Metagross with Quick Attack, knocking it back to the ground.

"Metagross, use Scary Face!" Jasmine ordered.

Metagross's terrifying expression appeared, but Greninja flipped away and disappeared underground.

"Oh no, it's using the hole Mienshao dug earlier! Metagross, use Earthquake!" Jasmine cried.

But it was too late. Greninja burst from the ground, flipping Metagross over. A powerful Hydro Cannon sent Metagross flying. It fainted.

Ron disengaged the Bond Phenomenon, exhaling deeply. The bond mode was indeed exhausting.

Jasmine sighed and recalled Metagross. "Congratulations, Ron. This is the Mineral Badge for defeating the Olivine Gym."

She handed the badge to Ron. He thanked her and accepted it.

With the Mineral Badge in hand, they now had five badges. Just three more to go!