Red stood before the gym, taking a deep breath to steady himself. He was going to challenge the Pewter Gym today. Even though he only had two Pokémon, one of which was at a type disadvantage, he knew that if he could utilize Pikachu's Iron Tail effectively, he might have a chance.
"Red, don't worry! I believe you can do it!" Misty encouraged him.
Red thanked her and then walked inside.
The interior of the gym was filled with rocks and sand, and standing before him was a tan-skinned man with narrow eyes.
Up on the viewing platform, Leaf and Blue had taken their seats, ready to watch Red's battle. Misty joined them, eager to see how Red would fare.
"So, you're the new Trainer here to challenge me?" Brock said, his gaze fixed on Red.
"..."
"I'm Brock, the Gym Leader of Pewter City," he introduced himself.
"I'll show you the true strength of my rock-hard will and my Pokémon!"
"Yes, the more determined they are, the tougher they become!" Brock continued.
"So, are you ready to take on a rocky challenge? As a proud Trainer, don't let me down! Show me your best!"
The referee stepped forward, positioning himself at the center of the battlefield.
"Trainer Red will challenge Gym Leader Brock in a battle!"
"Brock will be using only two Pokémon in this match, while the challenger is allowed to use up to six!"
"When one side has no remaining Pokémon able to battle, the other side wins!"
"Begin!"
Brock threw his Poké Ball, summoning Geodude onto the battlefield.
Seeing the Pokémon in front of him, Red immediately summoned Pidgey.
"Pidgey? Are you kidding?" Blue was stunned as he watched Red's choice.
Out of all the Pokémon, he picked Pidgey? Flying types are at a serious disadvantage against Rock types!
"Oh, come on, just trust him. Our Red might just surprise us with this one," Leaf said, patting Blue on the shoulder.
Brock narrowed his eyes slightly as he observed Pidgey.
'Why send out Pidgey? Doesn't he know about type matchups?'
Despite his thoughts, Brock remained silent, waiting to see what Red would do.
Red quickly commanded Pidgey to use Sand Attack, aiming for Geodude's face.
The grains of sand clung to Geodude's eyes, forcing it to close them. Red seized the opportunity and ordered Pidgey to use Gust. The small tornado struck Geodude, though it didn't do much damage.
Geodude then managed to open its eyes, glaring at Pidgey.
"Geodude, use Rock Polish!" Brock commanded.
Geodude polished its rocky body, increasing its speed by two stages.
Pidgey quickly followed up with another Sand Attack, aiming to blind Geodude again, but this time Geodude leaped to the right, dodging the sand.
"Good! Now, use Rollout!"
Geodude curled up into a ball and began rolling at high speed, charging straight at Pidgey.
Seeing the situation, Red quickly ordered Pidgey to use Quick Attack.
Pidgey moved at such speed that it easily dodged all of Geodude's Rollout attacks. Then, Pidgey used Gust, enveloping itself in a small whirlwind.
"?!" Brock observed Pidgey diving into its own Gust and then glanced at Red.
'What is he planning?'
"Rock Tomb!" Brock commanded.
Geodude slammed the ground with its hands, causing four large rocks to shoot up into the air.
Pidgey, however, managed to escape from the whirlwind just in time, making the Rock Tomb miss its mark.
"What is he doing?" Blue wondered, puzzled by Red's strategy.
"It looks like he's setting up a sandstorm!" Misty recalled seeing Red and Pidgey use this tactic in the Viridian Forest.
"A sandstorm? Wouldn't that just make Geodude even more resilient?" Leaf questioned, focusing on the battle.
Pidgey continued to use Gust while Geodude kept launching rocks with Rock Tomb.
Red knew that if Pidgey got hit even once, it would faint, but he had to succeed.
Pidgey's efforts paid off as the whirlwind grew larger with each Gust.
Then, Pidgey flew out and began to use Sand Attack, mixing the sand into the vortex.
"Wait, don't tell me..." Brock began to understand Red's plan and immediately ordered Geodude to stop Pidgey.
"Geodude, use Rollout!" Brock commanded urgently.
But it was too late. The sandstorm had formed and engulfed Geodude. The sand grains kept hitting Geodude's eyes, forcing it to shut them tightly for protection.
"It worked?!" Misty exclaimed.
"...I get it now. The sandstorm Pidgey created isn't a weather move, so it still affects Geodude," Blue analyzed.
"And since it's a combination of Gust and Sand Attack, its accuracy-reducing effect is even stronger."
(It make by gust and sand attack so it not a weather, pls remember that)
Leaf and Misty watched the battle with growing excitement. Pidgey took advantage of Geodude's blindness and unleashed a series of Gust attacks.
Because Geodude special defense was much weaker than its physical defense, the repeated hits from Gust eventually wore it down.
Geodude couldn't take any more and collapsed, fainting on the spot.
"Geodude is unable to battle! Pidgey wins!" the referee announced, surprised but quickly regaining composure.
Brock looked at Red with newfound respect.
"You have talent," he acknowledged Red's skill.
"..."
"But..." Brock recalled Geodude and grabbed another Poké Ball. "If you think this will be easy, you're mistaken!"
Brock threw the Poké Ball with force, releasing his next Pokémon.
The ground shook as the massive creature emerged with a powerful roar that echoed throughout the gym.
It was Onix!
Onix glared down at Pidgey, its intimidating presence making Pidgey tremble with fear.
Red began to sweat, unsure if he could defeat such a colossal opponent.
Red quickly ordered Pidgey to use Sand Attack again. "Don't even think about it! Onix, use Smack Down!"
Onix roared, slamming its tail down hard on Pidgey, sending the tiny bird crashing into the ground.
The impact was so strong that it caused a minor earthquake around the battlefield.
Pidgey fainted instantly.
Although Onix's attack wasn't immensely powerful, it was more than enough to take down the small Pidgey.
"Pidgey is unable to battle! Onix wins!" the referee declared.
Red recalled Pidgey, then turned his attention to Pikachu, who was nestled inside his jacket.
"Pika pika!" (Leave it to me!) Pikachu chirped confidently, leaping out of Red's jacket and racing toward the battlefield.
"Why are all of Red's Pokémon at a disadvantage against Brock's?" Leaf asked Blue.
"Well... there were five bastards who stole all the starter Pokémon, so Red ended up with that Pikachu," Blue replied, gritting his teeth.
"WHAT?! So he doesn't have a starter Pokémon?!" Leaf exclaimed in shock.
Starter Pokémon are highly coveted for their high potential and versatile move sets, making them much stronger than regular Pokémon.
Without a starter, it's a lot more challenging to beat Gym Leaders or compete in the Pokémon League.
"Pikachu? Do you only have two Pokémon?" Brock asked.
'If he only has two Pokémon, it'll be hard for him to win. What a shame... such talent,' Brock thought, sighing but still remaining serious.
After all, if a Trainer can't beat a Gym Leader, they're not ready to challenge the Pokémon League.
Red remained calm, his eyes filled with trust as he looked at Pikachu.
'It seems Pikachu still has the Light Ball equipped, so I still have a chance,' Red thought.
The Light Ball, exclusive to Pikachu, doubles its Attack and Special Attack stats, making it a very powerful item.
Though, oddly enough, he couldn't see where Pikachu was keeping it...
Red commanded Pikachu to use Double Team, and suddenly, the battlefield was filled with multiple Pikachus.
"Double Team?" Brock was surprised once more.
'How much has he trained this Pikachu?' he wondered.
Brock had no idea that Pikachu had reached level 25, thanks to taking down an entire flock of Spearows.
"Onix, use Smack Down on the ground!" Brock ordered.
Onix slammed its tail into the ground, causing a tremor that shook everything around.
Pikachu responded by using Quick Attack, moving at an incredible speed.
'Wait... this Pikachu is too fast! Much faster than a regular Pikachu!' Brock thought, noticing that while many of Pikachu's clones disappeared, the real one was rushing toward Onix.
Pikachu skillfully climbed up Onix's massive body, reaching its head.
Red's eyes gleamed as he gave the command for Pikachu to use a newly learned move.
Pikachu leapt into the air, its tail glowing as it reflected off Onix's head. Brock instantly recognized the move.
"Iron Tail!"
Pikachu's glowing tail slammed down hard on Onix's head, causing it to writhe in pain.
Pikachu landed gracefully on the ground, locking eyes with Onix, who glared back fiercely.
Brock was stunned.
He looked at Pikachu, then back at Red.
This was the first time he had faced a Trainer who used a Pokémon that was weak against his, yet still managed to make the battle challenging.
For some reason, this sparked something within Brock... excitement.
Having been a Gym Leader for so long, Brock was used to Trainers challenging him with Pokémon that had a type advantage over his.
He'd grown accustomed to it and never felt the need to go all out.
But this Trainer... he made Brock's heart, once worn down by routine, become strong again.
The joy he felt when he was just a young Trainer with his Onix, who had since elvoved into Steelix suddenly returned.
"Fuhaha!" Brock laughed heartily.
"...?"
"I never expected to be surprised like this!" Brock exclaimed, his excitement evident.
"You remind me of myself when I was 10 years old with my Onix!"
"Alright then! As thanks for this enjoyment, I'll fight with everything I've got!" Brock declared.
He then removed his shirt, revealing his incredibly muscular physique with a six-pack.
Onix, seeing Brock take off his shirt, became even more determined and focused on Pikachu.
It was time for phase 2!