Third POV
To be honest, Grey didn't have much of an idea about who Boulder was.
The name itself didn't tell him much, and unlike the gym leaders, Boulder wasn't exactly someone Grey had been keeping track of. He knew the names of most of the important trainers in Kanto, especially those who had some kind of reputation, but gym trainers were generally not people he bothered researching unless he knew he was going to fight them.
Since he had some time before the battle, however, Grey decided to check the PokeNet while sitting inside the Pokémon Center.
It didn't take long before he found information about the man.
And then Grey immediately understood why the gym had decided to put him against Boulder.
Apparently, Boulder was the oldest gym trainer in the Pewter Gym, having served there for nearly twenty years. He was thirty-eight years old, which was considerably older than most of the trainers Grey had encountered during his challenge run.
Grey raised an eyebrow at that.
"Thirty-eight..."
That was practically ancient compared to the average trainer he had seen challenging gyms.
Well, maybe not ancient.
But definitely old enough that Grey wouldn't expect someone to still be working as a gym trainer unless there was a good reason for it.
Normally, Grey would have wondered why Brock had kept someone like Boulder around for so long.
Gym trainers weren't exactly permanent fixtures. Their positions were generally based on the gym leader's preferences, and whenever a new gym leader took over, there was always the possibility of changes being made to the staff.
But Boulder had apparently been there before Brock.
He had originally served under Flint when Flint was the gym leader.
Then, when Flint left the gym and Brock suddenly had to take over the position, Boulder stayed.
And now, even after Flint had returned and taken over the gym again, Boulder was still there.
Grey leaned back slightly.
That was actually quite interesting.
It meant Boulder had been around for all three periods of the Pewter Gym.
Flint.
Brock.
And now Flint again.
Grey continued reading.
Apparently, Boulder had quite an impressive team.
A Rhydon.
An Omastar.
And a Golem.
Grey's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Yeah, those aren't being used against me."
There was no way.
At least, not if the gym was following the normal rules.
Those three Pokémon were far too powerful for a trainer battle during a five-badge challenge. They were practically approaching the level of Pokémon that could be expected from an eight-badge trainer.
Grey understood that challenge mode was supposed to be difficult.
That was the entire point.
The gym trainers were stronger.
The Pokémon were stronger.
The strategies were more serious.
And the gym leader would be using Pokémon above the standard level expected from that particular badge.
Grey was completely fine with that.
In fact, he had expected Flint to use Pokémon considerably stronger than what a normal fifth gym battle would involve.
But there was a limit.
Gym leaders could pull something like that.
Gym trainers?
Not so much.
"If he actually brings out one of those three..."
Grey paused.
He thought about his current team.
He had originally planned on using Heracross, Charmeleon, and Persian for most of the trainer battles.
But if Boulder decided to bring out something like a Rhydon or Golem, Grey wasn't going to stubbornly stick to his original plan.
He would simply bring out Cloyster or Exeggutor.
Maybe even both, depending on the situation.
There was no reason to handicap himself unnecessarily.
Still, the more Grey read about Boulder, the more he began to doubt that the older trainer would actually do something like that.
The general opinion about Boulder on the PokeNet was surprisingly positive.
People described him as an honourable and fair trainer.
Apparently, Boulder had a particular way of preparing his Pokémon for battle.
He didn't simply train them to hit hard.
He trained them to endure.
Grey came across several comments describing Boulder's Pokémon as "tanks".
They were built to take punishment and keep fighting.
Grey found that interesting.
It also explained why a trainer like Boulder could remain in a gym for so long.
He wasn't necessarily the kind of person who relied on overwhelming power.
Instead, he seemed to be the kind of trainer who would study his opponent, understand what they were capable of, and then build his Pokémon around surviving their attacks.
That was a completely different style from what Grey had seen from most gym trainers.
Most gym trainers simply focused on the type of the gym and trained their Pokémon accordingly.
Boulder seemed to take things a little more seriously.
Grey decided to leave the PokeNet for a while.
There was still some time before his battle, so he wandered around Pewter City.
While walking around, he occasionally asked people about Boulder.
The answers he received were almost universally positive.
Apparently, Boulder had been one of the trainers who helped Brock the most when the younger man was suddenly forced to take over the gym.
Brock had been put into an incredibly difficult position.
His father had simply left one day to continue his own journey, leaving the gym behind.
Brock had been forced to take responsibility for the entire Pewter Gym despite being young and having little preparation for the role.
According to the people Grey spoke to, Boulder had been one of the people who helped keep the gym running during that period.
He had apparently helped Brock with the gym's daily operations, training the gym's Pokémon, and even preparing the younger trainers who came to challenge the gym in any challenge round by giving a tough fight.
Grey found himself gaining a little more respect for the man.
Especially one as important as Pewter.
And if Boulder had helped Brock through that period, then he had probably earned his position.
There was, however, one interesting detail.
The relationship between Boulder and Flint apparently wasn't the best.
Grey wasn't entirely surprised.
From everything he had heard, Boulder had been extremely close to Brock.
And Flint had basically abandoned the gym and his family to continue travelling.
Even if Flint had returned now and was trying to take responsibility for his position as the gym leader, that didn't mean everyone in Pewter had suddenly forgiven him.
In fact, Grey quickly realised that most of the people in the city still weren't particularly fond of Flint.
They respected his strength.
They respected his abilities as a trainer.
But that was about it.
Brock had apparently earned the city's respect through his actions.
Flint?
He still had a lot of work to do.
Grey couldn't really blame them.
He had only been in Pewter for a short time, but even he had heard enough stories about Brock to understand why the people had grown attached to him.
Brock had been the one running the gym.
The one dealing with challengers.
The one taking care of the city.
And then Flint had suddenly returned.
Grey had a feeling that Boulder probably wasn't particularly happy about that either.
"Well, this is getting interesting."
Grey continued walking.
It was around this time that he realised something else.
He was apparently becoming somewhat famous in Pewter City.
Not exactly famous in the way that champions or famous gym leaders were.
But enough that people were starting to recognise the name.
The problem was that most people didn't actually know what Grey looked like.
They knew that some trainer was currently challenging the Pewter Gym in Challenge Mode.
And they knew that the gym battle against Flint would be broadcast if that trainer managed to defeat all the gym trainers.
That alone had attracted a lot of attention.
Apparently, quite a few people in Pewter were interested in watching Flint's first major gym battle since returning to the position.
And from what Grey was hearing...
A lot of them wanted Flint to lose.
Grey wasn't sure whether to laugh or feel slightly concerned.
He had originally just been asking people about Boulder because he wanted to understand his opponent.
But in the process, he had accidentally advertised himself.
"Yeah, I'm the trainer challenging the gym today."
That was essentially all it took.
Once people realised who Grey was, the conversation quickly spread.
By the time Grey had finished asking around, several people already knew that the trainer currently challenging Boulder was the same one who had defeated the other gym trainers.
And that he was scheduled to fight Boulder later that day.
Grey stared at the growing number of people heading in the direction of the gym.
"...Oops."
He hadn't exactly planned that.
But there was no point worrying about it now.
If anything, it meant there would be more people watching his battle.
Grey wasn't particularly nervous about that.
He had fought in front of much larger crowds during the SS Anne tournament.
Still, this was different.
The SS Anne tournament had been a tournament.
This was a gym challenge.
And if he defeated Boulder, the next battle would be against Flint.
That battle would be broadcast throughout Pewter City.
Grey looked toward the gym in the distance.
He had a feeling the pressure was about to increase.
The people of Pewter wanted to see Flint lose.
Boulder apparently didn't like Flint.
And Flint himself was probably going to take this challenge very seriously.
Grey couldn't help but smile.
"Well..."
He had wanted a proper challenge.
————————————————————————
The time had flown by, and before Grey realised it, evening had already arrived. He stood at the entrance of the Pewter Gym and made his way inside, expecting to be directed toward one of the smaller arenas like during his previous trainer battles. Instead, the receptionist looked at him and immediately gestured for him to follow her toward the main arena.
Grey raised an eyebrow as he walked behind her.
"Why are we going to the main arena today?"
The receptionist glanced back at him. "A lot of people came to watch your match, so we had to move the battle to the main arena. The smaller arenas simply won't be enough to accommodate everyone."
Grey's steps slowed for a moment.
"A lot of people?"
The receptionist nodded.
Grey sighed internally.
Yikes.
Apparently, his little challenge run had attracted more attention than he had expected.
When he finally entered the arena, he understood what the receptionist meant. The stands were filled with people, far more than he had seen during any of his previous gym trainer matches. Word had clearly spread throughout Pewter City that some trainer was attempting Challenge Mode and had already defeated several of the gym's trainers.
And now that trainer was about to fight Boulder.
Grey looked toward the other side of the battlefield.
There stood Boulder, waiting for him.
The man was even larger up close than Grey remembered. He was significantly taller and much more heavily built, looking less like a Pokémon trainer and more like a bodybuilder who had somehow wandered into a gym battle.
Grey walked over and extended his hand.
Boulder did the same.
The moment their hands met, Grey was reminded once again of just how much larger the man was.
This is like a bodybuilder shaking hands with a twig.
Grey tried not to think too much about it.
Boulder, however, was staring directly at him.
Grey couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable under that intense gaze.
Then the older man suddenly laughed.
"Hahaha! Relax, boy. You don't need to look so nervous."
"I'm not nervous," Grey replied.
"Sure."
Boulder laughed again before finally releasing Grey's hand.
"I've been wanting to see the kid who decided to challenge Pewter Gym in Challenge Mode. Most trainers don't even attempt it, especially here in Pewter. They challenge this gym first for a easier challenge."
Grey glanced toward the stands.
"Well, I suppose I'm giving everyone something interesting to watch."
"That you are."
Boulder's expression became more serious.
"Don't get me wrong. This is still a five-badge level battle, and I won't recklessly raise the difficulty beyond what the rules allow. But I've seen your record. You're clearly above the standard trainer who comes here for this badge."
Boulder cracked his knuckles.
"So don't expect this to be easy."
Grey grinned.
"Bring it on."
The two trainers walked toward their respective sides of the battlefield.
Boulder stood on the right.
Grey stood on the left.
The referee stepped forward and raised his hand.
"Trainers, prepare your Pokémon!"
Grey reached for his Poké Ball.
Boulder did the same.
The referee began counting.
"Three!"
Grey's eyes narrowed.
"Two!"
Both trainers prepared to throw.
"One!"
"Begin!"
The two Poké Balls opened almost simultaneously.
Grey's Pokémon emerged first.
Heracross landed heavily on the battlefield, immediately lowering its body into a fighting stance.
Across from him, Boulder released his own Pokémon.
Grey's eyes widened slightly.
"Sudowoodo?"
The Pokémon standing opposite Heracross looked like a small tree, with branch-like arms raised at its sides. Grey had never encountered one personally before, though he knew enough about the species to recognise its Rock typing.
It was also a Pokémon from Johto.
That was somewhat surprising.
Still, Grey didn't let the novelty distract him.
Sudowoodo was a Rock-type.
Heracross had the advantage.
"Heracross, close the distance! Brick Break!"
Heracross immediately accelerated.
The Bug-type rushed forward with surprising speed, his arm glowing as he prepared to land a devastating Brick Break.
Sudowoodo didn't retreat.
Instead, it waited.
Grey's eyes narrowed.
Heracross reached it.
"Now!"
Heracross swung.
Sudowoodo suddenly moved.
The Rock-type caught Heracross's arm.
"What?"
Before Heracross could react, Sudowoodo shifted its weight and twisted its body.
It was almost like a judo throw.
Heracross's own momentum was used against him.
The Bug-type was thrown over Sudowoodo's shoulder and slammed into the battlefield.
BOOM!
Heracross rolled across the ground before quickly pushing himself back onto his feet.
Sudowoodo stood calmly.
Then it raised both of its branch-like arms.
It made a gesture that looked suspiciously like it was telling Heracross to come at it.
Grey's eyes narrowed.
Heracross's eyes immediately lit up.
The Bug-type clearly wanted to charge again.
Grey raised his hand.
"Wait."
Heracross stopped.
Grey stared at Sudowoodo.
That wasn't a random move.
It had caught Brick Break and thrown Heracross using its own momentum.
This Sudowoodo had clearly been trained in some form of martial arts or close combat.
Charging recklessly wasn't going to work.
Heracross looked at Grey.
Grey shook his head.
"Don't rush it. Watch what it does."
Heracross hesitated.
This tree possesses strange techniques.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Heracross's fighting spirit burned even brighter.
Grey wasn't sure what was going through his Pokémon's mind, but the look in his eyes told Grey that he had probably just found an opponent he wanted to beat personally.
Boulder wasn't going to give Grey time to analyse everything.
"Sudowoodo, Stone Edge!"
Sudowoodo slammed its feet into the ground.
Jagged stones erupted from the battlefield.
"Pin Missile!"
Grey immediately countered.
Heracross raised his arms and fired a barrage of sharp projectiles.
The Pin Missiles collided with the Stone Edge attacks.
BOOM!
The impact created a cloud of dust that spread across the battlefield.
Grey narrowed his eyes.
"Heracross, stay alert!"
Something moved through the dust.
"Double-Edge!"
Sudowoodo burst through the cloud.
Heracross barely had time to react before the Rock-type slammed into him.
BAM!
Heracross was knocked backward.
"Heracross!"
The Bug-type skidded along the battlefield.
Sudowoodo immediately charged again.
Grey reacted.
"Brick Break!"
Heracross rushed forward.
Once again, Sudowoodo waited until the last moment.
Heracross swung.
Sudowoodo caught his arm.
Grey's eyes widened.
"Again?!"
Sudowoodo twisted.
Heracross was thrown once more.
The Bug-type crashed into the ground.
Grey frowned.
This was becoming troublesome.
Heracross was much stronger than Sudowoodo physically, and his Fighting-type attacks were super effective against it. But Sudowoodo's technique was making it extremely difficult for Heracross to land those attacks.
"Bulk Up!"
Heracross immediately followed Grey's command.
His muscles tightened as his strength increased.
Boulder immediately responded.
"Rock Polish!"
Sudowoodo's body glowed as its speed increased.
Grey's eyes narrowed.
He understood what Boulder was doing.
He was deliberately allowing Heracross to increase his strength while making Sudowoodo faster.
That was a fair trade.
Grey smiled slightly.
"Fine."
"Heracross, Megahorn!"
Heracross immediately charged.
His horn began glowing with energy as he accelerated.
Boulder reacted.
"Stone Edge!"
Jagged rocks erupted around Heracross.
But this time, Heracross didn't simply charge through them.
He moved.
His body twisted through the battlefield with surprising agility.
One stone passed beside his head.
Another missed his shoulder.
A third came from the side, but Heracross tilted his body and avoided it.
Grey's eyes widened slightly.
The training was working.
Heracross was still aggressive, but he was beginning to understand how to move around attacks instead of simply taking them head-on.
"Good! Keep going!"
Heracross closed the distance.
Sudowoodo waited.
Then, at the last possible moment, it bent backward.
Heracross's Megahorn passed harmlessly above it.
Heracross's eyes widened.
What?!
The Bug-type flew over Sudowoodo.
And that gave Boulder his opening.
"Now! Mega Punch!"
Sudowoodo straightened itself and drove its fist upward.
BAM!
The attack struck Heracross and sent him flying.
Heracross landed heavily.
Grey gritted his teeth.
"Heracross, get up!"
Heracross pushed himself back onto his feet.
His body was beginning to show the effects of the battle.
Yet his eyes were burning.
This was different from fighting in the Viridian Forest.
The Pokémon in the forest had been strong.
But most of them fought according to their instincts.
This?
This was different.
Every opponent had something new.
Every battle forced him to adapt.
Heracross had never realised how large the world outside the forest was.
And now he was beginning to enjoy it.
So this is the world beyond the forest.
So many powerful warriors.
Excellent.
I shall defeat them all.
And one day, I shall rise to the heavens.
Grey didn't know about Heracross's increasingly dramatic thoughts.
He only knew his Pokémon was getting more excited by the second.
"Brick Break!"
Heracross charged again.
Sudowoodo once again moved to catch his arm.
But Grey had already anticipated it.
"Use your horn!"
Heracross reacted immediately.
"Horn Attack!"
The moment Sudowoodo caught Heracross's arm, the Bug-type slammed his horn forward.
CRACK!
Sudowoodo's grip loosened.
That was all Heracross needed.
"Now! Brick Break!"
Heracross's arm came crashing down.
BOOM!
The attack struck Sudowoodo directly.
The Rock-type was sent backward.
This time, it was badly hurt.
Grey's eyes widened.
Finally.
A clean hit.
And the damage was obvious.
A Fighting-type attack from a Bulk Up-boosted Heracross was no joke against a Rock-type.
Heracross landed and looked toward Grey.
Grey nodded.
"Good!"
Heracross's chest was heaving.
He had finally managed to land a proper attack.
But Grey wasn't relaxing.
Neither was Heracross.
It had taken several attempts.
Sudowoodo had thrown Heracross around repeatedly, and the Bug-type had only managed to overcome its technique by adapting during the fight.
Boulder looked at his Pokémon.
Sudowoodo was badly injured.
One more clean Brick Break could probably end the battle.
But Boulder knew that Heracross wouldn't be so reckless anymore.
The Bug-type had learned.
He had become more cautious.
Boulder nodded toward Sudowoodo.
"Can you keep going?"
Sudowoodo nodded.
Boulder smiled.
"Good."
He had an idea.
"Stone Edge!"
Sudowoodo summoned another wave of jagged stones.
"Pin Missile!"
Grey immediately countered.
Heracross fired a barrage of Pin Missiles.
The attacks collided with the Stone Edge.
The battlefield filled with dust once again.
Grey couldn't see Sudowoodo.
But he could see Heracross.
"Stay alert!"
Suddenly, Sudowoodo burst through the dust.
"Now!"
"Brick Break!"
Heracross charged forward.
"Me—"
Grey stopped.
Something was different.
Sudowoodo wasn't retreating.
It was charging too.
"Heracross, don't—"
Too late.
Both Pokémon attacked.
Sudowoodo's Mega Punch.
Heracross's Brick Break.
The two Pokémon slammed into each other head-on.
BOOM!
The impact echoed across the arena.
Both Pokémon staggered backward.
Heracross remained standing.
Sudowoodo did too.
But the Rock-type was clearly worse off.
Sudowoodo had already taken the devastating Brick Break earlier.
It was barely holding itself together.
Then a strange reddish energy suddenly began surrounding the Rock-type.
Grey's expression changed.
"What the..."
Heracross stared.
Behind Sudowoodo, he suddenly saw what looked like the image of a skeleton surrounded by the reddish aura.
Heracross's instincts screamed at him.
Some kind of forbidden power has awakened.
Run!
Heracross's body tensed.
But Boulder was already shouting.
"Counter!"
Sudowoodo moved.
Its branch-like arms came together.
Heracross tried to move away.
But there wasn't enough time.
Sudowoodo's Counter came rushing toward him.
And then Heracross remembered.
Fraxure.
The endless training.
The beatings.
The painful lessons.
How Fraxure had constantly punished him whenever he recklessly threw himself into an attack.
Don't blindly attack.
Protect yourself.
The lesson had been beaten into Heracross.
Literally.
And now his body reacted before his mind could.
Heracross raised both arms.
BOOM!
Sudowoodo's Counter-infused attack struck him.
The force was tremendous.
Heracross's arms absorbed the initial impact, but the attack still passed through and struck his body.
The Bug-type was knocked backward.
"Heracross!"
Heracross crashed onto the battlefield.
For a moment, he didn't move.
Then his fingers twitched.
Slowly, painfully, Heracross pushed himself up.
Grey stared.
He was barely standing.
But he was standing.
The quick guard hadn't stopped the Counter.
But it had reduced the damage enough for Heracross to remain conscious.
Grey immediately saw his opportunity.
"Pin Missile!"
Heracross raised his arms.
Sudowoodo was still recovering from its Counter.
The Bug-type fired his Pin Missile at point-blank range.
The barrage struck Sudowoodo directly.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Sudowoodo staggered.
Heracross stood there, barely breathing.
Sudowoodo tried to remain upright.
For a second, it looked like the Rock-type might somehow endure.
Then its body finally gave out.
At almost the exact same moment, Heracross's legs buckled.
Both Pokémon collapsed.
The referee immediately raised his flags.
"Sudowoodo is unable to battle!"
The referee looked toward Heracross.
"Heracross is also unable to battle!"
The arena fell silent.
A double knockout.
Grey stared at the battlefield.
Heracross had managed to survive the Counter by instinctively guarding himself, something Fraxure had been trying to teach him for days.
But that last attack had taken everything he had left.
Grey couldn't help but smile.
Heracross had fought exactly as he had been trained.
He was still reckless.
He was still aggressive.
But for the first time, he had adapted to an opponent instead of simply trying to overpower them.
And Heracross?
Even unconscious, the Pokémon seemed strangely satisfied.
After all, he had discovered something during this battle.
The Viridian Forest had been his entire world.
He had thought himself a great warrior there.
Now he knew better.
There were stronger warriors everywhere.
There were trainers who could teach their Pokémon techniques he had never imagined.
There were opponents who could throw him around.
There were Pokémon that could push him to his absolute limit.
And Heracross had never been happier.
The world is vast.
The path is long.
But one day...
I shall rise.
I shall surpass them all.
And I shall reach the heavens.
For now, however, Heracross was completely exhausted.
Grey looked toward his fallen Pokémon.
"Good fight, Heracross."
The Bug-type didn't respond.
He was already unconscious.
But judging by the tiny grin on his face, Grey had a feeling Heracross had enjoyed every second of it.
Author's Note: Probably my biggest chapter yet, also I decided to lean too much into the heracross having some chinese protagonist like personality