Pokemon: Gym Leader

"Red, how's my Volcarona?"

Dylan spoke slowly, smiling as he looked at Red.

Since he was battling Red, he had to get serious. Dylan enjoyed facing strong challengers—he loved battling, especially against opponents who could ignite his fighting spirit.

"Very strong."

Red, in battle mode, was much more talkative than usual, and the burning intensity in his eyes showed his emotions at this moment.

"Come back, Blastoise."

Red recalled his Blastoise.

Although it could still fight, it had been weakened significantly by Incineroar. Continuing the battle would be meaningless.

"Lapras!"

Red threw out his second Pokémon.

With a low cry, a Pokémon resembling a plesiosaur landed before him. Its body was primarily blue, with a gray shell on its back covered in uneven protrusions.

It was Lapras, a Water/Ice-type Pokémon.

Beep—Lapras, Water/Ice-type, the Transport Pokémon.

Ability: Shell Armor

Moves: Sheer Cold, Perish Song, Hydro Pump, Rain Dance, Life Dew, Surf...

Description: With a kind heart that understands human speech, it carries people across the sea on its back.

"This Lapras is really strong too."

The younger girl clicked her tongue in amazement. At this point, it was clear—Red's strength was definitely on par with Blue's!

"Yeah, seriously impressive. Another monster."

Lillie was equally astonished. Trainers from Pallet Town all seemed ridiculously powerful.

Red had just started his journey this year, right? And he was already at the Champion level? And then there was Blue—another monster.

Ash might not have the same raw talent as these two, but could someone who had caught the attention of Ho-Oh really end up being weak? Lillie thought that was impossible. Her brother also treated Ash differently, which was another sign.

And then there was Leaf. She was originally from Pallet Town, too.

Trainers from Pallet Town were just absurdly strong!!

"Mm-hmm~ No worries, Selene. You're not any worse than them, and Yellow will catch up to them too." Leaf smiled playfully.

"Of course!"

"Huh? I'll do my best..."

This clearly showed the difference in personality between Selene and Yellow.

On the Battlefield

"Red, Water/Ice-types don't resist Fire, you know."

Dylan studied Lapras. This one was exceptionally well-developed. Normally, a Lapras around 2.5 meters was considered standard.

But Red's Lapras was at least 2.8 meters tall—its training had been meticulous.

"..."

Red remained silent.

Water resisted Fire, but Ice was weak to Fire, so Lapras didn't actually resist Fire-type moves. However, its Water-type attacks were still super effective against Volcarona.

Besides...

"Lapras, Surf!"

Red gave the order without hesitation.

A deep blue glow shimmered around Lapras as its clear cry rang out.

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!

The sound of waves echoed as a towering wave surged up from the ground, lifting Lapras and crashing toward Volcarona.

A Water-type Surf!

"Fiery Dance."

Dylan smiled calmly.

Volcarona slid backward gracefully, its wings igniting with flickering flames. As it flapped powerfully, fiery waves shot forward, colliding with the Surf attack.

Fire-type Fiery Dance!

Water and fire clashed violently, sending steam billowing throughout the arena, making the temperature rise rapidly.

The referee, seeing this, immediately opened the gym's ceiling panels to release the excess heat—otherwise, the temperature inside would become unbearable.

"Body Slam!"

Red's red eyes gleamed sharply.

From atop the surging wave, Lapras leaped high into the air, diving straight for Volcarona.

A Normal-type Body Slam!

"Retreat, Solar Beam."

Dylan glanced at the sky. The Sunny Day effect was about to fade—not good news for him, since it greatly benefited Fire-types.

Volcarona quickly flapped its wings and retreated while its glowing wings absorbed sunlight.

A Grass-type Solar Beam!

Boom!

A blinding white beam of energy shot toward Lapras.

"Ancient Power!"

Red reacted instantly.

Lapras let out a powerful cry as multiple glowing stones materialized and shot toward Volcarona.

A Rock-type Ancient Power!

Dylan raised an eyebrow. So this was why Red had brought Lapras so close to Volcarona.

The Solar Beam struck Lapras directly, causing an explosive shockwave. Lapras cried out in pain as it was blasted backward.

Being a Water/Ice-type, Lapras was weak to Grass—this hit dealt serious damage.

But at the same time, the Ancient Power boulders slammed into Volcarona, making it screech in pain as it was sent crashing to the ground.

Volcarona was quadruple weak to Rock-type moves! The damage from Ancient Power was immense.

"That was amazing! That Ancient Power hit hard!"

The birdkeeper's eyes lit up. As a challenger, he was, of course, rooting for Red.

"Truly impressive. He must have planned that in advance. That Ancient Power was timed so it wouldn't collide with Solar Beam. Otherwise, Solar Beam would've completely obliterated it."

The older girl sighed in admiration. That was the brilliance of the move.

If Lapras had fired Ancient Power head-on against Solar Beam, it would have been overpowered instantly.

Now, though, even though both Pokémon were heavily injured, Ancient Power was quadruple effective against Volcarona. This was an acceptable trade for Lapras.

After all, Volcarona was too overwhelming—knocking it out, even at the cost of Lapras, was absolutely worth it.

"As expected of you, Red."

Dylan wasn't too surprised as he glanced at both downed Pokémon.

While Ancient Power was quadruple effective, Volcarona had been in peak condition and had excellent Special Defense.

"Unfortunately, it just wasn't strong enough."

Despite the heavy damage, Volcarona slowly lifted itself off the ground, wings trembling.

Its once-calm blue eyes were now cold and furious as it glared down at the struggling Lapras.

Lapras had dealt a major blow with Ancient Power, but it hadn't been enough to take Volcarona down completely.

"Your Volcarona is the same."

Red looked at Lapras. It had suffered severe injuries—the super-effective Solar Beam had hit hard, and Volcarona's Special Attack had already been boosted once.

But thankfully, Lapras had been trained exceptionally well—it could still hold on.

"That's why I said—I'm really looking forward to your challenge, Red. You're exactly the kind of opponent I love!"

Dylan was thrilled by the unpredictability of such a powerful opponent.

A yellow-green energy began to shimmer around Volcarona.

This was Bug-type energy—the activation of its ability, Swarm!

Swarm: When a Pokémon's HP is low, its Bug-type moves become more powerful.

Essentially, it was the Bug-type equivalent of Blaze.

"Volcarona, Bug Buzz!"

A brilliant energy radiated from Volcarona's body as a piercing, discordant buzzing sound filled the air. Sonic waves pulsed outward in tangible waves.

A Bug-type Bug Buzz!

Sunny Day had faded, but now Swarm was in effect.

"Lapras, Protect!"

Red's voice was firm.

Despite the deafening noise, Lapras endured it, summoning a shimmering green barrier.

The sonic waves crashed against the Protect barrier but were completely blocked.

"You can't Protect forever, though, can you?"

Dylan chuckled knowingly.

Volcarona let out another Bug Buzz, its sonic attack rippling through the air.

With its aerial advantage and Lapras' relatively slow speed—especially on a standard battlefield where mobility was further restricted—Lapras had little room to maneuver.

As for trading blows head-on? There was no way Lapras could win a direct clash against a Swarm-boosted Volcarona.

"Surf!"

Red quickly made his decision, giving Lapras the command.

Once again, a massive wave surged from the ground, carrying Lapras as it rushed toward Volcarona.

However, the Bug Buzz sound waves struck the water, vibrating through the wave and shattering it from the middle, causing the Surf to collapse.

The power of Bug Buzz was overwhelming!

But before the wave could fully dissipate, Lapras had already leaped high into the air—its target, Volcarona.

"You think the same move will work twice, Red? That's underestimating me a little, don't you think?" Dylan raised an eyebrow.

"Volcarona, Hurricane!"

Volcarona let out a deep cry. As it flapped its wings forcefully, a violent storm surged forward to engulf the descending Lapras.

A Flying-type Hurricane!

Dylan wasn't about to let Lapras trade hits this time. Hurricane's wide coverage attack was completely different from the previously used Solar Beam.

"Protect!"

Red reacted instantly.

As Lapras plummeted toward Volcarona, a green Protect barrier shimmered around its body, blocking the raging winds of Hurricane.

The Protect barrier began to crack.

"Bug Buzz!"

"Brine!"

At the moment Protect shattered, both Pokémon attacked simultaneously—Volcarona unleashed another Bug Buzz, while Lapras fired a jet of water.

A Water-type Brine! When the opponent's health was low, Brine's power doubled!

The sonic waves of Bug Buzz pulsed outward, covering the entire space in front of Volcarona.

"..."

Red had intended to make Brine slip past Volcarona's attack like before, but Dylan had anticipated this.

With Bug Buzz covering such a large area, Brine couldn't sneak through—it had to clash head-on with the attack.

However, with Volcarona's Special Attack boosted and Swarm activated, its Bug Buzz was absurdly powerful.

Even at double power, Brine couldn't break through—it was Bug Buzz that struck Lapras instead.

Still, right before impact, Lapras forcibly twisted its body, turning its back shell toward Volcarona to absorb the brunt of the hit.

As Bug Buzz blasted into Lapras, the Pokémon cried out in pain, its body spiraling downward.

Boom!

Lapras crashed heavily onto the battlefield.

"Finish it with Giga Drain!" Dylan ordered decisively.

Volcarona descended, its body glowing with deep green energy as particles of life force began drifting toward it from Lapras.

"Lapras! Hydro Pump!"

Suddenly, Red's voice rang out.

"Hm?"

Dylan was momentarily surprised.

Before his eyes, Lapras abruptly lifted its head, water energy surging in its mouth.

It had just been struck by Bug Buzz and slammed into the ground—how could it counterattack so quickly? But the reality was undeniable.

Was it because Lapras had used its shell to tank the damage? Had Red planned all of this?

Dylan narrowed his eyes.

No—if Giga Drain didn't take effect quickly enough, Volcarona would be the one to go down first.

"Bug Buzz!!"

Lapras unleashed a massive torrent of water, while Volcarona abandoned Giga Drain and immediately flapped its wings, sending out another devastating Bug Buzz.

BOOM!

Two explosive sounds erupted almost simultaneously.

Before Hydro Pump even fully connected, Bug Buzz had already struck Volcarona—but the immense water pressure sent Volcarona flying backward in a spray of water.

At the same time, Bug Buzz detonated against Lapras, creating a massive shockwave.

"Holy crap! What a turn of events! I thought Lapras was done for!"

"Wait, I don't get it—how did Lapras fire off Hydro Pump so fast after getting hit and crashing?"

"Volcarona might not withstand that Hydro Pump... Whoa! This challenger is insane! He might actually be the first to take down Dylan's Pokémon!"

"666! This guy is incredible!"

The spectators, who had gathered to watch, erupted into excited discussions.

On the Battlefield

Volcarona struggled to lift itself, but the super-effective Hydro Pump had dealt a serious blow. Combined with the Ancient Power from earlier—quadruple effective against it—Volcarona ultimately couldn't get back up.

It collapsed, completely unconscious.

On the other side, as the dust settled, Lapras was revealed with spiral eyes—it hadn't been able to withstand Bug Buzz either.

"Volcarona and Lapras are both unable to battle!"

Leaf announced the result.

Dylan recalled Volcarona, looking down at its Poké Ball with a smile.

"Not bad at all, Red. You're even stronger than I expected."

He looked up at Red, his expression genuinely impressed.

"..."

Red tugged his cap down slightly.

Even though he had taken down Volcarona, he didn't feel like he had gained any real advantage. In fact, this full-team battle was shaping up to be even tougher than he had anticipated.

Dylan's strategy revolved around an all-Fire-type team, and yet Lapras—a Water-type Pokémon—had already been taken out early on…

That was definitely not a good sign. Especially considering the battle rules had actually been slightly in Red's favor.

"But the battle is just getting started, Red. Your next opponent will be far harder to deal with than Volcarona."

Dylan pulled out another Poké Ball, a smirk forming on his lips.

Red pressed the brim of his cap down further, the shadow obscuring his red eyes and the serious expression on his face.

Harder to deal with than Volcarona?

Did that mean Volcarona was actually the weakest of Dylan's core team?

Red furrowed his brows but quickly relaxed them again.

The stronger Dylan was, the more intense the battle—and the more excited Red became.

Still… how had Blue managed to defeat Dylan and earn the Rota Badge?

Could it be that he had simply lucked out with a favorable type matchup, and Dylan had used weaker Pokémon?

Yeah, that must be it. Red was sure of it.