Chapter 311: Onix and the Metal Coat
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
"Onix, are you willing to travel with me?"
After the matter was settled, Brock raised his arm, aiming a grayish-brown Poké Ball at the giant Onix.
The Onix's scarred, rock-like face was stern. But as it looked into Brock's determined eyes and sensed the Rock-Solid Will emanating from him, it recalled how Brock had pulled out the Sandshrew that had been threatening its life.
Finally, it gave a heavy nod.
"That's great!"
Brock was overjoyed and threw the Heavy Ball in his hand. A red light completely enveloped the nearly 10-meter-tall giant Onix, pulling it inside.
An ordinary Poké Ball would have been far too cramped for a Pokémon of this size. Brock had specifically borrowed a Heavy Ball from Ash, which was designed to capture such large and overweight Pokémon.
*Clink.*
The Heavy Ball shook three times on the ground before settling, indicating a successful capture.
The giant Onix didn't struggle; its bond with Brock was already strong.
Overjoyed, Brock walked forward, picked up the Heavy Ball, and couldn't help but stroke its shell.
"That's wonderful, Teacher Brock! You've become even stronger!"
"That's one powerful Pokémon!"
Ash and the others jumped down from the top of the pit, congratulating him with smiles.
Putting aside its power, its intimidating appearance alone was enough to mark it as a Pokémon of considerable strength.
"Yeah. Thank you, everyone!"
Brock looked at the group, quite moved, especially by Ash. He knew that this giant Onix was an incredibly rare and powerful Pokémon, yet Ash had shown no intention of competing with him for it.
"Haha, don't worry about it. This one is yours today. The next time we run into a special Onix, it'll be your turn to help me out."
Ash patted Brock's shoulder, not minding at all.
Watching the battle between the two Onix had actually made him itch to catch one for himself. But since Brock had already caught the larger one, perhaps he should look for a more flamboyant Onix next time?
One that was multicolored?
Or one that was shiny all over?
Brock nodded. Even though he now had two Onix, that didn't mean his previous, smaller Onix was useless.
The large one possessed immense strength and high durability, making for exciting battles of endurance.
The smaller one was more agile and knew a variety of flashy moves, offering a different flavor of battle.
Both had great potential.
With this in mind, Brock clutched the Poké Ball and slowly walked up to Bruno, saying in a solemn voice:
"Teacher Bruno, I have completed your task!"
Master Bruno's task had actually required him to defeat the Onix, not to bypass the battle and complete the mission through reconciliation. Brock still felt a bit uncertain.
But when Bruno's large hand rested on Brock's head, all his worries vanished.
"Well done. A Rock-Solid Will is about viewing the world from the steady perspective of a rock, not about reckless battling. If you had just fought it head-on, I would have been disappointed."
A smile finally appeared on Bruno's resolute face. He had acknowledged Brock as his disciple.
"Very well. Today, I, Bruno, officially accept you as my disciple!"
"Teacher Bruno..."
Brock was deeply moved, and tears nearly welled up from his squinted eyes.
The two bare-chested, muscular men stared at each other with narrowed eyes, the bond between master and disciple slowly forming.
"Congratulations, Brock, on getting such a powerful teacher!"
Having an Elite Four member as a teacher was a huge blessing.
Beside them, Misty was green with envy, wishing she could find Elite Four Lorelei's location right now and seek an apprenticeship herself.
"Wait, doesn't Ash's Pokedex have a feature for finding people...?"
A sly thought crossed Misty's mind, but she quickly pushed the scheme away.
Forcing a connection with an Elite Four member would be counterproductive. If she was truly fated to meet Lorelei, it would happen one day.
She decided to leave it to fate.
"So, is this the apprenticeship ceremony? It feels a little simple, doesn't it?"
Suddenly, a rather mood-killing voice interrupted the meaningful gaze between Brock and Bruno. It was Ash's.
"Ash, what are you talking about? This kind of apprenticeship is simple and unpretentious, not shabby."
Misty immediately refuted Ash's rude comment, even adding a more emphatic tone as she continued:
"Do you think that in every apprenticeship, the master gives the disciple grand gifts like a Master Ball or a pseudo-legendary Pokémon? That's just the fake stuff you see on TV."
"Indeed, a simple apprenticeship is fine. Being natural is a good thing..." Todd Snap, seeing the strange tone between Ash and Misty and not quite understanding but sensing the mood, kindly reached out and patted them both, signaling that this was the master and disciple's moment and they shouldn't steal the show.
At that, Ash suddenly looked at Todd Snap, his expression turning to shock.
"Huh? What's this about a bicycle?"
Misty also looked at Todd Snap, with the expression of someone disappointed in an underachiever.
"It's already incredible to receive an Elite Four member's favor, and you still want a bicycle?"
Todd Snap: "?"
The two of them, a boy and a girl working in perfect concert, made Bruno subconsciously scratch his head in embarrassment.
"Haha... Teacher Bruno, these two are just joking. Don't take them seriously..."
Brock, knowing exactly what his two best friends were up to, quickly explained.
He was being sincere. Gifts weren't important; just gaining Bruno's acknowledgment already made him feel incredibly lucky.
And they were asking for a bicycle?
"Haha, it's fine. This is my first time being a teacher, so I really can't be too shabby. After all, I am an Elite Four member."
Bruno thought to himself that he couldn't come empty-handed. He reached a hand into his training pants, fumbled around for a moment, and pulled out a large, silver object that shone with a metallic luster.
It was a piece of silver steel the size of a sandbag, which seemed to hide some extraordinary power.
*Beep-beep.* "Metal Coat. An evolution item for Onix and Scyther. Commonly found in the Johto Region, it is a rare item in the Kanto Region."
The Pokedex automatically provided the information.
Onix can evolve, changing from a body of rock to a body of steel.
If it evolves naturally, it needs to consume mineral-rich rocks over a long period, eliminating most of the substances and retaining only trace amounts of iron.
However, the iron content in natural rock is too low, so this is destined to be a lengthy process. That's why very few Onix can evolve naturally.
Only in the occasional iron mine might one or two of its evolved form, Steelix, appear.
In the Johto Region, however, a wondrous item has been artificially created. They compress metallic elements into an item the size of a sandbag. The amount of iron contained in just one of these is equivalent to eating rocks for three years.
Brock carefully accepted the Metal Coat. It was very heavy, symbolizing the weighty expectations Teacher Bruno had for him.
"However, this piece is likely only enough to evolve your normal Onix. To evolve that giant Onix, you would need a Metal Coat at least ten times this size."
Bruno patted Brock on the shoulder and continued:
"A Metal Coat of that scale can probably only be made in Olivine City in the Johto Region. When you get to Olivine City someday, find the Olivine Gym Leader, explain your purpose, and mention my name. The Olivine Gym Leader and I go way back. They might even be able to forge a Metal Coat for you for free."
An extra-large Metal Coat would be more than enough as an apprenticeship gift.
"I've heard the Olivine Gym has a new Gym Trainer these last few years, but it shouldn't be a problem."
"Arigato, Bruno-sensei!"
Brock bowed sincerely, full of gratitude, even letting the words of his hometown slip out.
(end of chapter)