Chapter 28: Vermilion Gym Competition

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In the Vermilion Gym, the competition between Gary and Lt. Surge officially began.

As Lt. Surge's apprentice, Spike looked at Surge's first Pokémon, Electabuzz, with some surprise!

You must know that in ordinary gym competitions, Lt. Surge generally does not use Electabuzz.

Because this guy is a substitute for Surge's official team, his level requirements are too high for novices who are still challenging the gym.

However, when Gary's lead Pokémon appeared, Spike understood.

Who is the newbie who brings out Nidoking right from the start...

"Electabuzz, use Thunderbolt!" Lt. Surge ordered, starting the battle with a powerful move.

Boom! Thick thunder fell from the sky, but Nidoking stood firm. The thunder was directly absorbed by the horn on Nidoking's head, and then directed into the ground through Nidoking's feet.

"For the ground-type Nidoking, electric moves are completely ineffective. So, let's stop fooling around. Nidoking, use Horn Attack!" Gary countered with confidence.

Nidoking's legs charged up slightly, then he suddenly rushed towards Electabuzz.

"Electabuzz, use Swift!" Lt. Surge's expression changed, taken aback by Nidoking's speed.

Electabuzz launched a flurry of golden stars, trying to block Nidoking's charge.

However, Nidoking charged like an unstoppable tank!

Bang! A direct hit! Gary noticed that Nidoking's charging posture was quite refined. Not only did he use the horn on his head to damage the opponent, but he also delivered an elbow strike with his right arm, a rather sneaky move...

"Look at that, Professor Oak always says he's a straightforward trainer, but his Pokémon don't show it at all," Gary said with a satisfied smirk.

At the referee's table, Spike gritted his teeth, "Man, this challenger fights like a beast."

Lt. Surge also broke into a cold sweat. Shouldn't a strategist like Gary be more tactical? This kind of brute force fighting wasn't what he expected.

But Gary wasn't done being clever.

"Nidoking, use Earth Power!" Gary took advantage of Electabuzz's unsteady footing and continued the assault.

"Oh!!" Nidoking roared as he jumped up, then slammed his right fist into the ground.

Boom! The ground cracked in all directions from Nidoking's impact, sending a brownish energy beam straight into the air, blasting Electabuzz skyward.

Super effective!

"Electabuzz, don't be afraid, use Iron Tail!" Lt. Surge commanded, showing his soldierly resilience.

Catching the momentum from his fall, Electabuzz swung his metallic tail towards Nidoking.

"Dodge it!" Gary ordered.

Nidoking quickly sidestepped, avoiding Electabuzz's Iron Tail with agile footwork.

"Is this guy a boxer?" Lt. Surge asked incredulously.

But it wasn't over yet.

After dodging the attack, Nidoking positioned himself perfectly.

Boom! A white light shone from his right fist as Nidoking landed a devastating punch.

"That was Mega Punch," Gary said, raising an eyebrow. Nidoking had picked up some fighting techniques from the kangaskhan at home. Unfortunately, Nidoking couldn't learn its signature Dizzy Punch.

Crash! After knocking Electabuzz into the ground, Nidoking raised his foot and delivered a finishing blow!

Gary couldn't help but chuckle, "Tsk, tsk~ That's brutal..."

Seeing the fainted Electabuzz, Spike quickly raised his hand: "Electabuzz is unable to battle, Nidoking wins!"

"Nice job, Nidoking~" Gary called out, stopping Nidoking in time.

Nidoking glanced at Electabuzz with regret, as if one more second would have led to more damage...

"This... is really unexpected," Lt. Surge said, recalling Electabuzz with a solemn expression.

As expected of a trainer who could spend time at an amusement park with Lorelei, Gary was indeed no ordinary challenger.

Gary: Excuse me? What does this have to do with my battle skills?

"Come back, Nidoking, you did a great job," Gary said, recalling Nidoking and waiting for the next match to start.

"That Nidoking was in great condition, why not keep using it?" Lt. Surge asked, confused by Gary's decision to recall Nidoking.

"I like to give all my Pokémon a chance to shine. As a trainer, you must share the love equally," Gary explained.

"Hmph, you won't be so lucky next time!" Lt. Surge said, throwing another Pokéball, "Come on, Raichu!"

Lt. Surge's second Pokémon was the same Raichu that had defeated Ash's Pikachu.

"Rai~" Raichu grinned wildly, raising its hand in a taunting gesture towards Gary.

Spike's eyes lit up, her Pikachu was trained based on Raichu's moves. She had to watch this battle closely.

But Gary had no intention of giving Raichu a chance to perform.

"Armored Rhydon, let's do some rehab training," Gary said, casually tossing a Pokéball.

Snap! The Pokéball opened, and the imposing Armored Rhydon appeared in the white light. The Pokéball bounced back to Gary's hand.

"Ouch~" The Armored Rhydon hammered its chest armor, producing a distinctive metallic sound.

"Thunder?" Raichu's confidence wavered instantly.

"Young man, you're... quite rude~" Lt. Surge said, his mouth twitching.

Although it's common for gym trainers to face type disadvantages, Lt. Surge admitted this was the first time he'd encountered someone like Gary.

"Your Raichu seems to be purely electric with enhanced strength," Gary observed with a smile.

Lt. Surge rolled his eyes, yes, his Raichu was an electric specialist, mastering almost every electric move to perfection.

In contrast, Raichu's other moves were barely practiced...

"How about starting with Thunder?" Gary suggested.

The Armored Rhydon waved its thick arms, ready for anything.

To be honest, Gary nearly laughed out loud when he analyzed Raichu's skill set earlier.

Besides a plethora of electric moves, Raichu only had proficiency in Body Slam, Mega Punch, and Iron Tail...

Using physical moves against a giant steel beast was an amusing thought.

"Raichu, don't let him look down on you, use Wild Charge!" Lt. Surge gritted his teeth, launching a suicidal charge.

"Rai!" Raichu's entire body surged with electricity as it charged at the Armored Rhydon.

"So, you were too eager to evolve, didn't even learn Volt Tackle, and just used the Thunder Stone on it," Gary shook his head regretfully.

This was why Gary didn't advocate early evolution for Pokémon.

Some skills can't be learned post-evolution. Pikachu, for example, can only master Volt Tackle by practicing Quick Attack and Discharge simultaneously!

Once evolved, Raichu can't learn this move. Raichu's body simply can't reach Pikachu's top speed...

Although Wild Charge is an ultimate electric move, it's still a notch below Volt Tackle!

"Enough talk, take this!" Lt. Surge was annoyed by Gary's critique.

On the side, Spike looked thoughtful. At Lt. Surge's gym, she learned that electric Pokémon should master all powerful electric moves and evolve Pikachu early to store more power and increase its strength.

However, after listening to Gary, Spike hesitated. Is it really better to evolve Pikachu sooner?

Meanwhile, Gary didn't show Lt. Surge any mercy. His eyes narrowed: "Take him down!"

Bang! The Armored Rhydon pressed down hard, stopping Raichu's charged attack like a mountain against an off-road vehicle.

Finally, the electricity faded, and Raichu fell to the ground, exhausted.

"Armored Rhydon, stomp hard!" Gary commanded without mercy.

The Armored Rhydon swung its right foot and stomped at Raichu.

"Get out of the way, Raichu, jump up!" Lt. Surge quickly ordered.

Raichu rolled and used its tail to spring into the air.

Boom~ The Armored Rhydon's stomp missed, causing the ground to shake and crack!

"This power... is that Heavy Slam? If you want to earthquake my gym, can you still manage it?" Lt. Surge's face turned pale: "Raichu, use Iron Tail!"

"Catch it!" Gary ordered, raising an eyebrow. Though Raichu is a heavy-duty Pokémon compared to Pikachu, it's still hard for the Armored Rhydon's attacks to hit 100%. Gary aimed for a one-hit victory!

Snap! The shimmering Iron Tail struck hard on the Armored Rhydon's left arm. The Armored Rhydon seized Raichu's tail with its right hand!

"Now~ it's your turn~" Gary spread his hands.

"Ouch~" The Armored Rhydon grinned. It suddenly swung Raichu around, slamming it into the ground repeatedly.

After several slams, Raichu went from discharging electricity to losing consciousness...

Looking at Raichu lying on the ground, the Armored Rhydon tilted its head: Ouch~ (What a weak opponent...)

Gary nodded with satisfaction. The Armored Rhydon's physical strength had improved, reducing the need for protein supplements.

"Raichu is unable to battle, Armored Rhydon wins," Spike announced, feeling conflicted.

Gary's battle style was impressive...

"Great job, Armored Rhydon. Let's see what this guy can do next," Gary said, recalling Armored Rhydon and sending out Psyduck.

Veins popped on Lt. Surge's forehead: "Who are you looking down on?!"

Psyduck spread his hands: Hey~ I

 feel offended.

Gary nodded politely: "I don't mean to mock, I just want to see what this guy can do. If he loses, I'll use my previous Pokémon to battle."

Lt. Surge took out his last Pokéball and threw it into the field: "Voltorb, show him what you've got!"

Gary shrugged at Psyduck: "Come on, show~"