Chapter 306: May's First Badge
"???"
Roxanne watched Treecko use a skill that drained her Nosepass's status, and she was immediately plunged into confusion.
Was Treecko's level really that high?
Could it be that her eyes were deceiving her, and she had misjudged it?
Under the effect of type advantage, Nosepass had been hit hard by Treecko, and its spirit was showing signs of wilting.
"Nosepass, use Sandstorm!"
Nosepass kicked up a powerful Sandstorm, affecting the vision of both Treecko and May.
Most importantly, the weather that May had previously commanded Treecko to set up was broken by the Sandstorm.
"Treecko, start running and prepare Solar Beam!"
May was certain that in such a massive Sandstorm, it would be difficult for Nosepass to tell where her Treecko was.
"What?"
Upon hearing May's command, Roxanne was even more puzzled.
Were rookie Trainers these days all this heaven-defying?
Could a Treecko really use the Grass-type ultimate move, Solar Beam?
The sand settled, and even if Roxanne couldn't believe it, she had no choice, because she saw May's Treecko already accumulating energy.
"Nosepass, don't let it finish accumulating energy! Use continuous Zap Cannon to interrupt it!"
Nosepass's large red nose lit up with white light, and an Electric-type move was fired.
May's Treecko reacted nimbly, dodging left and right to easily evade Nosepass's rapid-fire assault.
Seeing that Nosepass couldn't interrupt Treecko's charging, May thought to herself with relief, "Ash's special training is truly amazing; he even predicted all of Ms. Roxanne's attacks!"
That's right, during that day and night of special training, Ash had not only given May skill discs but also had Pikachu, Eevee, and Totodile take turns training Treecko's evasive capabilities.
The speed of Nosepass's rapid-fire Zap Cannon wasn't even as fast as Totodile's rapid-fire Water Gun, so it was basically impossible to hit Treecko.
After dodging a few Zap Cannons, Treecko finished accumulating the energy needed for Solar Beam and fired a stark white beam at Nosepass.
Boom!
"Nosepass is unable to battle! Treecko wins! The winner is May from Petalburg City!"
"Ash, I won!!"
May turned her head toward the spectator stands and shouted.
Ash gave a thumbs up and replied, "May, you did great!"
"May, your performance was really good. This Stone Badge is yours."
Roxanne handed over the Gym Badge.
"Thank you, Ms. Roxanne!"
May excitedly took her first Gym Badge.
"Ash, are you going to continue the challenge?" Roxanne asked, looking at Ash.
She had already checked Ash's profile and knew that Ash was a very strong Trainer, so she had specifically brought her main team.
"Ms. Roxanne, if it's alright, I'm ready to battle at any time."
If he could finish it all in one day, Ash was naturally willing.
"Alright, then let's start the Gym Challenge in thirty minutes."
"By the way, Ash, I will be using my main team to battle you, so you better be prepared!"
Roxanne reminded him.
Upon hearing this, Ash's face lit up with joy. "Great, I've been hoping that you would use your full strength, Ms. Roxanne!"
"Then let's battle in thirty minutes. The match rules will still be a 2v2 knockout."
...
"So Ms. Roxanne wasn't using her full strength the whole time! I thought..."
Upon learning that Roxanne hadn't used her full strength, the badge May had just received suddenly didn't feel as special.
"Of course. Obtaining badges through Gym Challenges is actually a policy of the Pokémon League to encourage young Trainers. Under normal circumstances, Gym Leaders won't go all out.
The two Pokémon Ms. Roxanne just used were either Pokémon she is currently raising or Pokémon issued by the League for Gym tests.
Every Gym Leader's own main team is extremely powerful," Brock explained.
"So that's how it works?"
It was the first time May had heard of this.
"Gym Leaders actually have another job, which is to protect the safety of the city where their Gym is located. May, do you think a Trainer capable of guarding a city's safety would be weak?" Ash also spoke up.
"Having to work part-time protecting the city... that's true." May nodded, half-understanding.
"May, when you were at the Petalburg Gym, didn't your father tell you about the content of his work?" Brock asked, puzzled.
May shook her head. "No, Dad never talked to us about the work of a Gym Leader. Even when Trainers came to challenge him, he wouldn't let us watch the Gym matches, claiming he didn't want the challengers to be distracted by us."
"But Ash, what Pokémon do you plan to use for the battle? If Ms. Roxanne uses her full strength, wouldn't your Treecko and Taillow have no chance of winning in terms of levels?"
May was very curious about what lineup Ash would bring to the battle.
"We'll see. I have quite a few Pokémon with me that can counter Rock-type Pokémon."
Excluding Legendary Pokémon, Ash had three Water-type Pokémon with him: Totodile, Milotic, and Sharpedo.
In the blink of an eye, thirty minutes passed.
Referee: "The upcoming match is the Gym match between Gym Leader Roxanne and the challenger, Ash from Pallet Town.
The rules are a 2v2 knockout match. Only the challenger may switch Pokémon."
"Ash, I'm making my move, so you better go all out!"
Roxanne threw a Poké Ball. "Come out, Aggron!"
[Pokémon: Aggron]
[Type: Steel + Rock]
[Gender: Male]
[Level: 56 (Elite Intermediate)]
[Ability: Sturdy]
[Potential: Elite]
[Moves: Iron Tail, Stone Edge, Outrage, Thunder Wave...]
"That is..."
Seeing the Pokémon Roxanne started with, May immediately pulled out her Pokédex to scan it.
"Aggron, the Iron Armor Pokémon, the evolved form of Lairon..."
"A Steel and Rock dual-type Pokémon?"
May turned her gaze to Ash; she really wanted to know what Pokémon Ash would send out to counter it.
"Aggron, huh? That's a really rare Pokémon. Alright, I choose you, Sharpedo."
Seeing that it was an Elite-level Aggron, Ash had already abandoned the strategy of carrying one Pokémon to let Treecko or Taillow leech experience, unless he used Pikachu, and Pikachu wasn't holding back.
Sharpedo's level didn't actually have an advantage, and in terms of attributes compared to Aggron, they were about the same. Sharpedo's only advantage was its wide variety of moves, and each move was quite proficient.
"Sharpedo, use Rain Dance!"
Sharpedo looked up at the sky, emitting a pale blue light from its body, and in less than three seconds, a light drizzle began to fall on the field.
"..."
Roxanne finally understood; it turned out that May's tactic of starting with weather setup was taught by Ash.
"Aggron, use Metal Claw!"
Aggron's claws gathered Steel-type energy, extending into a pair of large energy claws over thirty centimeters long, and it charged toward Sharpedo with heavy strides.
"Sharpedo, use Bounce to dodge."
Just as the claws were about to strike Sharpedo, it suddenly leaped into the air. After adjusting its direction in mid-air, Sharpedo dove straight toward Aggron.
"Aggron, don't be afraid of it! Use Iron Head!"
Roxanne no longer cared about tactics; all she wanted to do now was take out Sharpedo as quickly as possible, even if it meant a one-for-one trade.
Clang!
Sharpedo and Aggron's heads collided, and both Pokémon were left a bit dizzy.
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