(Grey's POV)
The golden light of my final morning in Celadon City filters through the curtains, signaling the end of this leg of my journey. I wake up with a familiar sense of discipline, moving straight into my morning exercise routine before the rest of the city even stirs. My body feels the strain of the past few days, but I push through it, leading my Pokémon into their morning drills. Axew works on his attack potency, Shellder practices the rotation speed of his spikes, and Meowth—now officially part of the rhythm—focuses on his nimbleness. After the workout, I feed them their specialized growth formulas, watching as they devour the nutrient-rich kibble with a focus that mirrors my own.
Once the chores are done, I head to the Celadon Gym to drop Exeggcute off for its final day of training. Erika's staff greets me with a nod, and I leave the seeds in the hands of the elite Grass-types, knowing this is the last bit of high-level tutoring they'll get for a while. With a few hours of free time, I decide to wander the city. I explore the department stores and the scenic parks, but I give the Game Corner a wide berth. I'm not touching that place. In the games, it was a Team Rocket front, and whether that holds true here or not, I have no intention of putting myself on their radar. The risk of being "scanned" by their surveillance for the sake of a few TMs isn't worth the trouble of a marked target on my back.
I eventually find myself back on Route 7, looking for a spot to train, when I spot a figure in a white karate uniform. I don't recognize him at first until I get closer and catch a glimpse of his face. It's Brook—the guy who edged me out for the top spot in the trainer exams to secure that Machop.
"Brook?" I call out. He looks up, confused for a second before I remind him of the exam and the starter selection.
"Oh, the guy who took the Axew," he says, a competitive spark lighting up his eyes. We get to talking, and I find out he's from the Saffron City Karate Dojo. It puzzles me—if his family runs the dojo, he should have had a starter waiting for him. Why go through the grueling trainer exam?
"Bruno was sponsoring that Machop," Brook explains, his voice filled with a reverence for the Elite Four member. "Any Pokémon hand-picked by Bruno is a top-tier combatant with potential far beyond a standard Dojo recruit. I wasn't going to let that slip through my fingers." He admits that if he hadn't won the Machop, he would have raised whatever he got, though he was relieved the girl, Aria, preferred the Swinub.
When I ask about his progress, he tells me he has two badges. He should have had more, but Sabrina—the Saffron Gym Leader—stalled him. As he speaks, he enters a monologue about the history of Saffron. The Dojo used to be the official city gym until Sabrina's father defeated the Dojo Master. Years later, Brook's own father tried to retake the title, but he was stopped by Sabrina herself.
"She's a monster, Grey," Brook says, his jaw tightening. "Genius doesn't even describe it. She beat my father when she was only thirteen. Her Alakazam is likely at an Elite Four level already. She's easily in the top three leaders of the region." Brook's goal isn't the League—at least not yet. He wants to reclaim the Dojo's status by defeating Sabrina's main team, but he knows he isn't ready. His current plan is to get four Kanto badges to secure a foreign travel permit. He wants to head to other regions to catch Fighting-types that can actually counter her psychic dominance.
He got his first badge from Sabrina on his second attempt, specifically training his Pokémon with Dark and Ghost-type moves that her lower-tier team couldn't counter. His second badge, however, came from Lavender Town.
"Lavender Town has a gym?" I ask, surprised.
"A minor gym," he clarifies. "Mr. Fuji runs it. The League sets them up so trainers can get the eight badges required for the League without having to face the 'Big Eight' major gyms, which are often too steep for rookies."
I process this silently. So that's how it works, I think. This explains how Gary got ten badges or how some of those weaker trainers I remember from the anime made the cut. I decide right then that I'll aim for the Lavender badge as a backup. If I can avoid Giovanni's Earth Badge later on, I will. Brook then challenges me to a 2v2. I'm without Exeggcute, but I have Axew and Shellder ready to go. We lock eyes, the air between us crackling with the same competitive energy we shared during the exams.
Brook leads with Machop, and I send out Axew. "Dragon Dance!" I command. "Bulk Up!" Brook counters.
Both Pokémon glow with a surge of stat-boosting energy. I tell Axew to close the distance. Brook lets out a short laugh. "Oh, you're approaching Machop? Instead of fighting from a distance, you're coming right to him?"
"Axew can't beat the shit out of Machop without getting closer," I retort, matching his intensity.
"Well then, I'll show you how futile that is. Ice Punch!"
The Machop moves with startling speed, its fist coated in a freezing blue aura. It lands a direct hit on Axew's snout. Brook expects a flinch, a cry of pain—anything. But Axew just stands there, the frost clinging to his skin, his eyes burning. Just its face a bit to the side as he was tanking the hit.
"What?" Brook exclaims. "That's a Dragon-type! He should be reeling!"
"Cross Dual Chop, now!" I bark.
"Detec—" Brook starts to shout, his hand half-raised to give the defensive order, but he's too slow. Axew's glowing claws slam home in a brutal cross-pattern before the command can even leave Brook's lips. The "Cross Dual Chop" technique sends Machop flying backward, the air leaving its lungs in a sharp gasp.
"Follow up with Dragon Rage bursts!"
Before the Fighting-type can hit the ground, Axew opens his maw and unleashes a rapid-fire succession of Dragon Rage bursts, pelting the Machop like a machine gun.
Machop staggers up, glaring at my partner. Axew just smirks. All that conditioning with Shellder's ice moves had paid off; he's learned to mask the pain and tank through the elemental disadvantage. What follows is a brutal slugfest. Machop tries to weave in with Karate Chops and Ice Punches, while Axew uses his new Strength-enhanced grappling to pummel and Slash or dual chop at every opening.
It feels exactly like the fight against the Breloom—a blur of high-speed, high-impact violence. Both Pokémon look battle-crazed, their expressions identical in their love for the carnage. It almost makes me believe dragon or fighting types might have some connection as Axew seems to love fighting that type. Axew's use of Strength is the deciding factor; his raw physical power allows him to manhandle the Machop, creating the opening for a massive slam and a follow-up Dual Chop. But Machop is a Pokémon given from Bruno; it lands a point-blank Ice Punch in the middle of the scrimmage that nearly capsizes Axew.
Both are on tired although Machop seems more injured, "End it! Strength into Cross Dual Chop!" I yell.
Axew lunges for the finish, but I see the look on Brook's face. A smirk. "Reversal!" Brook roars.
My heart drops. Reversal deals more damage the lower the user's health is. At this range, it's a death sentence. "Abort! Dragon Rage, now!"
Axew tries to shift his momentum, but the Machop's Reversal connects with the force of a freight train. Axew is sent reeling, almost defeated—but in a final, legendary display of stubbornness, he fires a point-blank Dragon Rage into Machop's chest even as he faints. The explosion catches Machop off guard, the damage from the slugfest finally catching up. Both Pokémon collapse although Axew faints first , even machop does faint resulting in a double knockout.
I withdraw Axew, the Pokéball warm in my hand. "You've raised him well, Brook,that was a good reversal use "I say, my voice raspy. "And you've turned that Axew into a tank," Brook replies, nodding as he returns his Machop. We both reach for our second Pokéballs, the real match only just beginning.