Third POV
Rocky took a moment before releasing his next Pokémon.
His first Pokémon had fallen after a long and exhausting battle, but he still had one Pokémon remaining.
Rocky reached for his next Poké Ball.
"Go, Rhyhorn!"
The Poké Ball opened, releasing a bulky, four-legged Pokémon onto the battlefield.
Rhyhorn immediately stomped its feet against the ground, causing small cracks to spread beneath its heavy body. Its thick grey hide was covered in layers of hard armour, while its large horn protruded from the front of its head. The Pokémon looked far more physically imposing than the Sandslash that had fought before it.
Grey looked toward Charmeleon.
The Fire-type was still standing, but it was panting heavily.
The battle against Sandslash had taken a toll on her.
The Dragon Dance had increased her speed and power, but she had also taken several attacks throughout the battle. She had been struck by Sandslash's Dig, had to fight through the Sandstorm and SmokeScreen, and had exchanged attacks at close range before finally overpowering Sandslash.
Grey narrowed his eyes.
He needed to finish this quickly.
"Dragon Pulse!"
Charmeleon opened her mouth and immediately fired a powerful blue beam of draconic energy toward Rhyhorn.
Rhyhorn surprised Grey by moving faster than he expected.
The Rock and Ground-type lowered its head and rushed to the side, narrowly avoiding the Dragon Pulse before immediately charging forward.
"Take Down!"
Rocky took advantage of the opening.
Rhyhorn's body accelerated as it charged toward Charmeleon, its massive frame carrying tremendous momentum.
Grey immediately realised that this Rhyhorn was not as slow as he had expected.
"Metal Claw!"
Charmeleon's claws began glowing with metallic energy.
She rushed forward as well.
The two Pokémon collided head-on.
BOOM!
The impact echoed throughout the arena.
Charmeleon and Rhyhorn pushed against each other, neither willing to give ground.
But this time, the clash was different from the one against Sandslash.
Sandslash had been dangerous because of its speed and its ability to use its spinning movements to build momentum.
Rhyhorn was different.
It was simply heavier.
Stronger.
And its Take Down carried far more force behind it.
Charmeleon's feet slowly began sliding backward.
Grey's eyes narrowed.
Rhyhorn continued pushing.
Charmeleon gritted her teeth and tried to force herself forward, but the difference in raw physical strength was becoming obvious.
"Now!"
Rocky saw the opening.
"Fury Attack!"
Rhyhorn suddenly pulled its head back before striking repeatedly.
The horn struck Charmeleon again and again.
"Charmeleon!"
The Fire-type was forced backward by the barrage.
Grey frowned.
Charmeleon was already tired, and this Rhyhorn had considerably more raw power than Sandslash.
But there was one advantage.
They were still close.
Very close.
"Dragon Pulse!"
Charmeleon immediately opened her mouth.
The Dragon Pulse erupted from point-blank range.
Rhyhorn had no time to dodge.
The attack struck it directly in the face.
BOOM!
Rhyhorn staggered backward.
Grey didn't waste the opportunity.
"Ember!"
Charmeleon fired a burst of flames.
Unlike Flamethrower, Ember was much easier for Charmeleon to control.
Grey had noticed that during their training.
Instead of releasing one continuous stream of fire, Charmeleon could manipulate the individual embers and spread them across an area.
Rhyhorn charged forward again.
"Keep firing!"
Charmeleon launched another series of embers.
Rhyhorn tried to move around them, but the scattered flames made it difficult.
One ember struck its shoulder.
Another hit its side.
A third struck its back.
The flames weren't enough to stop Rhyhorn.
The Pokémon simply continued charging.
Grey's eyes widened slightly.
This thing was like a miniature Juggernaut.
It just kept moving forward.
Even after being hit by Dragon Pulse and multiple Embers, Rhyhorn refused to stop.
"Charmeleon, keep your distance!"
But Rhyhorn was already too close.
Rocky saw his opportunity.
"Take Down!"
Rhyhorn lowered its head and charged.
Charmeleon prepared herself.
Grey remembered what had happened earlier.
The first time, Charmeleon had tried to stop the charging Pokémon with Metal Claw.
It hadn't worked.
This time, Grey wasn't going to make the same mistake.
"Dragon Pulse!"
Charmeleon opened her mouth.
A powerful blue beam erupted directly toward the charging Rhyhorn.
The attack struck Rhyhorn head-on.
For a moment, the entire battlefield seemed to freeze.
Rhyhorn continued moving.
The Dragon Pulse pushed against its body, but the Pokémon refused to stop.
Its feet dug into the ground as it forced itself forward.
Grey's eyes widened.
"Keep going, Charmeleon!"
Charmeleon poured more power into the attack.
The Dragon Pulse continued blasting against Rhyhorn's face.
Slowly...
Slowly...
Rhyhorn began pushing through.
Grey couldn't help but stare.
This Pokémon really was incredibly tenacious.
Rhyhorn's body continued forward despite the continuous Dragon Pulse.
Charmeleon was exhausted.
Rhyhorn was injured.
Neither Pokémon was willing to give up.
Then Rhyhorn finally broke through the Dragon Pulse.
"Take Down!"
Rhyhorn slammed directly into Charmeleon.
CRASH!
Charmeleon's body was sent flying backward.
She hit the ground hard.
Grey immediately moved his hand toward his Poké Ball.
"Charmeleon!"
But before he could recall her, Grey noticed something.
Rhyhorn was also swaying.
The Pokémon had barely managed to remain standing.
Charmeleon slowly tried to get back up.
Her body trembled.
She took one step.
Then another.
But the exhaustion finally caught up with her.
Charmeleon collapsed.
Grey immediately released a breath.
"Alright."
He raised his Poké Ball.
"You did well."
He recalled Charmeleon.
"Thank you."
Grey looked toward Rhyhorn.
"Now, come back..."
But before he could release his second Pokémon, Rhyhorn suddenly stumbled.
Grey froze.
Rhyhorn tried to take another step.
Its legs gave out.
The Pokémon collapsed onto the battlefield.
The referee immediately rushed forward to check.
"Rhyhorn is unable to battle!"
Grey blinked.
"...What?"
He looked at the unconscious Rhyhorn.
Then at the Poké Ball in his hand.
Then back at Rhyhorn.
Apparently, the Dragon Pulse, the repeated Embers, and the recoil from Take Down had finally caught up with it.
Grey couldn't help but stare.
He had been fully prepared to send out his second Pokémon.
Instead, the battle had ended before he even had the chance.
That was...
A little anticlimactic.
Still, a win was a win.
Grey walked toward Rocky as the other trainer recalled his Rhyhorn.
Rocky looked slightly disappointed by the result, but he still smiled and extended his hand.
"That was a good battle."
Grey shook his hand.
"Your Rhyhorn was incredibly tough. I honestly thought I would have to send out my second Pokémon."
Rocky laughed.
"Yeah, I thought the same. I didn't expect it to go down from the recoil."
Grey nodded.
He looked back toward Charmeleon's Poké Ball.
She had done well.
The battle had been difficult, but she had managed to defeat both of Rocky's Pokémon.
More importantly, she had gained valuable battle experience.
The referee then approached Grey.
"Grey, your next challenge mode match has been scheduled for tomorrow morning."
Grey nodded.
"Understood."
He had another battle tomorrow.
Grey glanced toward the battlefield one final time before leaving.
The challenge run was moving faster than he had expected.
———————————————-
Grey went back to the Pokémon Center after the battle and handed over Charmeleon to Nurse Joy for treatment.
Charmeleon had fought hard in the battle against Rocky's two Pokémon. Even though it had managed to defeat both Sandslash and Rhyhorn, it had taken quite a bit of damage in the process. Grey wasn't interested in pushing it any further.
There wasn't much point in training at night anyway.
Grey decided that the best thing he could do was simply allow his Pokémon to rest and recover properly.
After collecting his things and making sure Charmeleon was receiving proper treatment, Grey spent the rest of the evening relaxing.
The next day would be another battle.
And he intended to be ready for it.
Eventually, Grey went to sleep for the night.
The next morning arrived.
Grey woke up, brushed his teeth, cleaned himself up, and prepared for the day ahead. He had already gotten used to the routine by now. Wake up, clean himself, eat, check his Pokémon, and then head toward the gym.
For breakfast, Grey settled for a bowl of cereals before getting himself ready.
His third gym trainer battle was scheduled for the morning.
After finishing his breakfast, Grey made his way toward the Pewter Gym.
The receptionist was already expecting him and directed him toward Arena 6.
Grey followed the directions and soon found himself standing on one side of the battlefield.
His opponent for this match was already waiting.
The gym trainer introduced himself as Brandon.
Grey stood on his side of the arena while Brandon stood on the opposite side.
The referee soon arrived and explained the rules.
This would once again be a two versus two battle.
Grey looked at his Poké Balls.
He had several options available to him.
But for this battle, he had decided to use Persian.
The referee raised his hand.
"Trainers, prepare your Pokémon!"
Brandon immediately reached for one of his Poké Balls.
"Let's go!"
A flash of red light appeared on the battlefield.
A Golbat emerged.
The large blue bat spread its wings and let out a loud cry as it hovered in the air.
Grey looked at it for a moment.
Then he smiled.
"Persian."
Persian emerged from its Poké Ball and landed gracefully on the battlefield.
The moment it appeared, its eyes immediately locked onto the flying Pokémon.
Grey could already tell this was going to be an interesting battle.
The referee raised his hand.
"Begin!"
"Supersonic!" Brandon immediately ordered.
Golbat opened its mouth and released a wave of sound toward Persian.
Grey reacted quickly.
"Power Gem!"
Persian's eyes glowed as a brilliant gemstone-like blast formed in front of it.
The attack shot forward.
The Power Gem cut through the battlefield like a bullet.
Golbat was forced to abandon its Supersonic and quickly changed direction.
The attack passed dangerously close to its body.
Brandon's expression changed.
"Golbat, Wing Attack!"
Golbat immediately accelerated.
Its wings glowed with energy as it dove toward Persian.
"Thunderbolt."
Persian didn't even wait for Golbat to get close.
Electricity erupted from its body.
A powerful Thunderbolt shot upward.
Golbat desperately twisted its body in midair.
But it wasn't fast enough.
The Thunderbolt struck the bat Pokémon directly.
"Golbat!"
Golbat was thrown backward through the air.
Persian didn't pursue.
It simply stood there.
Waiting.
Grey had trained Persian to fight differently from his other Pokémon.
Fraxure was a powerful close-range fighter.
Heracross was a physical wall breaker.
Charmeleon relied on overwhelming offensive pressure.
Persian, however, was different.
It was fast.
Extremely fast.
And it had enough options to punish almost anything that tried to approach it.
"Poison Fang!"
Brandon decided to change tactics.
Golbat flew forward again, this time with its fangs glowing with a poisonous energy.
Persian waited.
"Quick Attack."
Persian vanished.
Golbat's Poison Fang snapped shut on empty air.
Persian appeared several metres away.
"Thunderbolt."
Another blast of electricity shot toward Golbat.
"Evade!"
Golbat managed to twist away from the attack, but the Thunderbolt still grazed its body.
"Sludge!"
Golbat fired a barrage of poisonous sludge downward.
Persian moved.
"Dig."
The cat Pokémon immediately disappeared underground.
The sludge hit the ground harmlessly.
Grey watched carefully.
This was exactly what he wanted to see.
Persian was finally starting to use Dig naturally in battle.
Instead of simply using the move as an attack, Persian was now using it as a defensive tool.
It could disappear underground to avoid ranged attacks, reposition itself, and then emerge from an unexpected angle.
"Now!"
Persian suddenly burst out of the ground.
"Thunderbolt!"
Electricity exploded from Persian's body at close range.
Golbat was hit again.
This time, it couldn't recover.
The bat Pokémon fell from the sky.
It hit the ground heavily.
The referee immediately raised his flag.
"Golbat is unable to battle! Persian wins!"
Brandon recalled his Pokémon.
"Come back, Golbat."
Grey watched as Brandon considered his next choice.
The gym trainer looked at Persian.
Then at the Poké Ball in his hand.
"I knew I needed something to counter your speed."
Brandon threw the Poké Ball.
"Go!"
Another Pokémon appeared.
A Rhyhorn.
Grey looked at the Ground and Rock-type Pokémon.
He immediately recognised the same general battle style as Rocky's Rhyhorn from yesterday.
This one had clearly been trained to charge.
Unfortunately for Brandon, that was not necessarily a good matchup against Persian.
Persian had several moves that Grey wanted to test in an actual gym battle.
This was the perfect opportunity.
"Rhyhorn, charge!"
The Rhyhorn immediately lowered its head.
Its horn pointed toward Persian.
Then it charged.
Grey waited.
Persian waited.
The distance between them disappeared rapidly.
"Quick Attack!"
Persian suddenly accelerated.
Rhyhorn charged past it.
Persian had easily moved out of the way.
"Water Pulse!"
Persian spun around and fired the attack.
The sphere of water struck Rhyhorn from behind.
The super effective attack caused the Rock-type Pokémon to stumble.
Brandon's expression changed.
He clearly hadn't expected Persian to have Water Pulse.
Grey smiled slightly.
This was exactly why he had wanted to test the move in an actual battle.
Persian wasn't finished.
"Again!"
Rhyhorn turned around.
"Charge!"
Once again, the Pokémon lowered its head and rushed forward.
Persian moved to the side.
"Quick Attack!"
Persian accelerated.
Rhyhorn's charge missed.
"Water Pulse!"
The attack struck Rhyhorn again.
The Rock-type Pokémon staggered.
Brandon's expression became increasingly worried.
Rhyhorn, however, seemed to have a very simple way of thinking.
It had one objective.
Hit the cat.
And it wasn't going to stop simply because Persian kept avoiding it.
"Rhyhorn, keep charging!"
The Pokémon roared and charged again.
Persian moved.
Again.
And again.
Every time Rhyhorn came close, Persian simply disappeared from its path.
The battle had become a game of cat and mouse.
Except the cat was enjoying itself.
Persian was constantly moving around the Rhyhorn, forcing it to turn and chase after her.
Rhyhorn became increasingly frustrated.
Grey could practically see the irritation building in the Pokémon.
Persian was faster.
Persian was more agile.
And Persian was constantly landing Water Pulses whenever it found an opening.
But Grey had another idea.
"Persian."
Persian looked toward him.
"Let's try something different."
Grey pointed toward the charging Rhyhorn.
"Take it head-on."
Persian's eyes widened slightly.
Even Brandon seemed surprised.
"Rhyhorn, charge!"
The Rhyhorn charged.
Persian also moved.
"Quick Attack!"
The two Pokémon rushed toward each other.
At the last moment, Persian accelerated even further.
Then Grey gave the command.
"Iron Tail!"
Persian's tail immediately became coated in metallic energy.
The Quick Attack gave Persian additional momentum.
The Rhyhorn lowered its horn.
Persian raised its tail.
The two Pokémon collided.
BOOM!
The Iron Tail slammed directly into Rhyhorn's horn.
The sheer force of the impact stopped the charging Pokémon dead.
For a moment, it seemed as though both Pokémon had frozen.
Then Rhyhorn was launched backward.
Its body flew through the air.
"Rhyhorn!"
The Pokémon slammed into the wall of the arena.
The impact echoed throughout the battlefield.
Rhyhorn fell to the ground.
It didn't move.
The referee immediately checked.
Then raised his flag.
"Rhyhorn is unable to battle!"
"Persian wins!"
The match was over.
Grey recalled Persian.
"Good work."
Persian walked back toward him proudly.
Grey smiled before looking toward Brandon.
He had heard the sound of the impact.
That Iron Tail had landed directly against Rhyhorn's horn.
"Is Rhyhorn okay?"
Brandon looked toward his Pokémon.
"Yeah. It should be fine."
Grey raised an eyebrow.
"Are you sure?"
Brandon nodded.
"Rhyhorn's horns grow back. It'll be fine after some rest."
Grey relaxed slightly.
"Good."
He had been worried that Persian had accidentally done some serious damage.
Apparently, Rhyhorn's horn was something that could naturally regrow.
That was certainly useful to know.
The referee then approached Grey.
"Congratulations on your victory."
Grey nodded.
"Thank you."
"You have one final trainer battle remaining before your gym leader challenge."
Grey looked toward the referee.
"Against who?"
"Trainer Boulder."
Grey paused.
"Boulder?"
The referee nodded.
"Yes."
Grey stared at him for a moment.
That was certainly an unusual name.
Still, he wasn't going to complain.
A name was a name.
"Alright."
The referee continued.
"Your battle against Trainer Boulder will take place this evening."
Grey nodded.
That gave him several hours before his next match.
He decided to return to the Pokémon Center.
Persian had taken some damage during the battle, and Grey wanted to make sure she was in perfect condition before facing the final gym trainer.
More importantly, he wanted to think about what kind of Pokémon Trainer Boulder might use.
Grey had already faced three different trainers.
Each one had tested a different part of his team.
Now he had one final battle before reaching Flint.
Grey had a feeling that the final trainer wouldn't be quite as straightforward as the previous ones.
With that thought in mind, Grey left the gym and headed toward the Pokémon Center.