Author's Note: I apologize for the delay this one should have come out yesterday but I got busy before uploading it and forgot. Also do check out my new fanfic Naruto:Make Konoha Great Again if you are into naruto fanfics.
Grey's POV
The day's training went quite well, and after giving it plenty of thought, I finally finalized the team I would be using against Flint. The four Pokémon I chose were Heracross, Persian, Cloyster, and Fraxure.
It was a solid lineup with multiple Pokémon capable of threatening the Rock-types I was likely to face. Between Heracross' Fighting-type power, Persian's versatility, Cloyster's offensive pressure, and Fraxure's raw strength, I felt confident that I had answers to most strategies Flint could throw at me.
Most of today's training had been fairly basic. There simply wasn't much that could be changed within a single day, so rather than trying to force new techniques, I focused on polishing everyone's fundamentals. Persian continued working on its evasive maneuvers while counterattacking with Water Pulse, Iron Tail, and Dig. Cloyster refined its aim and timing, making every Icicle Spear and Water Pulse as precise as possible. Heracross and Fraxure naturally ended up sparring against one another again, neither willing to back down until the other admitted defeat.
Watching them train filled me with confidence. After everything we had gone through over the past few weeks, I trusted every member of my team. There wasn't much more I could prepare in a single day. Whatever Flint brought onto the battlefield tomorrow, I believed we had what it took to handle it.
Satisfied with our final preparations, I returned to the Pokémon Center to get some proper rest. Tomorrow would be the main event.
Tomorrow...
I would challenge Flint for the Boulder Badge.
Third Person POV
The next morning, Pewter City was far livelier than usual.
A large portion of the city's residents had deliberately freed up their schedules just to watch the upcoming Gym battle between Flint and the mysterious young challenger who had successfully cleared every trainer in Challenge Mode.
To an outsider, it might have seemed a little excessive, but Pokémon battles were one of the biggest forms of entertainment in the world. The opportunity to watch their newly appointed Gym Leader battle live was more than enough reason for people to gather. The match would be broadcast across the city's television channel, while large screens had also been placed outside the Gym for those who couldn't secure seats inside. Even people unable to watch the live broadcast could follow the battle through the official Gym Battle application, which continuously updated the progress and current status of every Challenge Mode match.
Naturally, the Pewter Gym stadium was packed.
Every seat had been filled long before the battle was scheduled to begin.
Grey himself had some difficulty entering the Gym because of the enormous crowd gathered outside. Fortunately, one of the attendants quickly recognized him as today's challenger and escorted him through a staff-only shortcut that led directly to the battle arena.
When Grey finally stepped inside the stadium, he couldn't help stopping for a brief moment.
The sheer size of the audience completely caught him off guard.
Even his battle against Erika hadn't drawn a crowd this large.
The stands were overflowing with spectators, all eagerly waiting for the match to begin.
Perhaps many of Pewter City's citizens simply wanted to watch Flint battle for the first time after becoming the official Gym Leader.
Or perhaps...
Some had shown up hoping to see him lose out of spite, considering the criticism surrounding his appointment.
Whatever the reason...
Grey honestly didn't care.
His objective remained exactly the same.
Win this battle.
Give everything he had.
And walk away with the Boulder Badge.
Across the battlefield, Flint quietly watched the young challenger make his way toward the center of the arena.
He noticed the brief look of surprise on Grey's face when he saw the packed stadium, but the boy quickly regained his composure. There was no panic, no hesitation, only quiet determination.
Flint couldn't help but smile.
He genuinely envied the youth and talent standing before him.
When he himself had been Grey's age, he hadn't been anywhere near this capable. Whether it was battling ability, confidence, or the quality of his Pokémon, Grey had already surpassed what Flint had accomplished at that point in his own journey.
As Grey reached the center of the battlefield, Flint extended his hand.
Grey accepted it without hesitation.
The two trainers exchanged a firm handshake.
"Good luck," Flint said with a friendly smile.
Truthfully, he had considered trying to get under Grey's skin before the battle. Many Gym Leaders enjoyed doing exactly that to test a challenger's mental fortitude.
But after watching Grey's previous battles, Flint had changed his mind.
The young trainer had earned his respect.
He wanted this to be a fair match.
A battle both of them could enjoy.
Grey returned the smile.
"Thanks."
The handshake ended, and both trainers walked back to their respective sides of the battlefield.
The noise inside the stadium gradually died down as anticipation filled the air.
Both sides stood ready.
The long-awaited battle between Grey and Pewter City's Gym Leader, Flint, was finally about to begin.
———————————-
The referee stepped forward, looked toward both trainers, and raised his flags.
"Battle... begin!"
Both trainers released their Pokémon simultaneously.
A massive flash appeared on Flint's side as an enormous hippopotamus-like Pokémon crashed onto the battlefield.
"Hippowdon!"
On the opposite side, Grey released his first choice.
"Heracross!"
The two Pokémon locked eyes immediately.
The battle allowed the use of held items.
Grey couldn't help widening his eyes slightly.
A Hippowdon... in Kanto?
Seriously?
Great... now Gym Leaders are also catching Pokémon from outside the region.
And if I remember correctly... Hippowdon is ridiculously bulky.
Before either trainer could issue another command, the battlefield itself changed.
A violent sandstorm suddenly swept across the arena.
Hippowdon's Sand Stream had activated.
Powerful winds filled the battlefield, reducing visibility as grains of sand whipped across both Pokémon.
At the same time, Heracross suddenly flinched.
The Flame Orb it was holding activated.
Orange flames briefly covered its body before settling into a controlled burn.
Normally, being burned would cripple a physical attacker.
For Heracross...
It was exactly what Grey wanted.
Guts activated.
The Bug-type's muscles visibly tensed as the ability dramatically increased its physical strength.
Flint wasted no time.
"Hippowdon! Dig!"
The gigantic Ground-type immediately slammed both forelegs into the battlefield before disappearing underground.
Grey remained calm.
"Bulk Up!"
Since Hippowdon had disappeared, there was nothing Heracross could attack anyway.
Instead, the Bug-type crossed its arms and flexed its body.
Its muscles tightened as both its Attack and Defense increased.
The next instant...
BOOM!
The battlefield exploded beneath Heracross.
Hippowdon burst out of the ground like an earthquake itself.
The impact launched Heracross high into the air.
"Crunch!"
Flint called immediately.
Hippowdon opened its enormous jaws and lunged upward, attempting to catch Heracross before it could recover.
"Fly!"
Grey shouted.
Heracross beat its wings at the last possible moment, narrowly escaping the massive jaws before diving straight back down.
"Megahorn!"
Its horn glowed brilliantly.
With the momentum from its fall combined with its Guts boost, Heracross crashed directly into Hippowdon's forehead.
BOOM!
The impact echoed throughout the stadium.
Even Hippowdon staggered from the blow.
"Dig!"
Flint ordered again.
Before Heracross could follow up, Hippowdon disappeared underground once more.
Grey didn't hesitate.
"Fly higher! Stay moving!"
Heracross immediately gained altitude, continuously circling above the battlefield instead of hovering in one place.
Grey wasn't going to let Hippowdon surprise them with another Dig.
The sandstorm continued raging.
The rough winds constantly battered Heracross's body.
Combined with the burn damage from the Flame Orb...
Grey frowned.
There's a time limit.
Normally Heracross possessed more than enough offensive power.
The problem was...
Hippowdon wasn't a normal opponent.
It was one of the bulkiest Ground-types in existence.
Suddenly...
The ground burst open again.
Hippowdon launched itself upward from beneath the arena.
Heracross narrowly twisted out of the way before immediately counterattacking.
"Brick Break!"
The Bug-type swung downward with tremendous force.
CRACK!
The Fighting-type attack slammed directly into Hippowdon, sending the massive Pokémon crashing back toward the battlefield.
The Ground-type landed with a heavy thud that shook the arena itself.
Flint narrowed his eyes.
Even Hippowdon couldn't continue taking attacks like that forever.
One more clean hit...
Could very well finish the battle.
"Slack Off."
Hippowdon suddenly yawned.
Its exhausted body visibly relaxed as its injuries rapidly began recovering.
Grey clicked his tongue.
"So that's your plan..."
The damage Heracross had worked so hard to inflict had already begun disappearing.
Still...
There wasn't any point dwelling on it.
"Bulk Up!"
Heracross reinforced its body once more.
Its muscles expanded again, increasing both its Attack and Defense another stage.
The Bug-type looked even more intimidating now.
Flint watched carefully.
"Dig."
Hippowdon once again vanished beneath the battlefield.
Grey immediately responded.
"Stay airborne! Keep circling!"
Heracross flew continuously around the battlefield, building momentum with every passing second while making itself as difficult a target as possible.
Then...
The battlefield exploded.
"Iron Head!"
Instead of simply emerging from underground...
Hippowdon launched itself into the air.
Its head gleamed with metallic light as the massive Ground-type rocketed upward.
Grey's eyes sharpened.
"Now!"
"Megahorn!"
Heracross folded its wings.
Using all the speed it had built while circling overhead, it dove like a missile.
Its horn glowed brilliantly.
The two attacks collided head-on.
BOOOOOOM!!
For a brief moment...
Neither Pokémon gave an inch.
Then...
Heracross's overwhelming physical strength, amplified by Guts and two Bulk Ups, finally won out.
Hippowdon was driven straight back into the battlefield.
The enormous Ground-type crashed heavily onto the arena floor.
Heracross landed directly on top of it.
Despite being pinned beneath the Bug-type, Hippowdon refused to surrender.
"Crunch!"
Its massive jaws snapped shut around Heracross.
The Bug-type winced in pain as the powerful bite connected.
"Brick Break!"
Grey shouted immediately.
Heracross ignored the pain.
Its glowing arm came crashing down directly onto Hippowdon's head with every ounce of remaining strength it possessed.
CRACK!!
The entire arena fell silent.
Both Pokémon remained frozen for a moment.
Then...
Hippowdon's eyes rolled back.
Its enormous body collapsed completely.
The referee stepped forward.
"Hippowdon is unable to battle!"
Applause erupted throughout the stadium.
Flint smiled before recalling his Pokémon.
"You did well."
The red beam returned Hippowdon to its Poké Ball.
Grey looked toward Heracross with a grin.
"Great job, Hera—"
Before he could finish...
Heracross swayed.
The accumulated burn damage...
The constant sandstorm...
Combined with the injuries it had suffered during the battle...
Finally caught up to it.
The Bug-type smiled proudly before collapsing onto the battlefield.
The referee checked briefly before raising his flag again.
"Heracross is unable to battle!"
The opening battle had ended in a double knockout.
The spectators erupted into discussion.
Some were amazed by Flint's rare Hippowdon.
Others couldn't stop talking about how a relatively small Bug-type Pokémon had managed to overpower such an enormous Ground-type.
One battle.
Completely different conclusions.
Watching from the sidelines, Forest stared at the battlefield with shining eyes.
He had always known his father was strong.
But seeing him battle seriously like this...
And seeing him command such a rare Pokémon...
Made him admire Flint even more.
Meanwhile, Grey calmly recalled Heracross.
"Rest well."
The Bug-type disappeared into its Poké Ball.
The opening exchange had ended perfectly evenly.
Both trainers had lost one Pokémon.
Neither side held the advantage.
Author's Note: To be fair I am not the biggest fan of Flint and never really understood how the anime handled it ,if I could have had this gym battle with brock it would have been better but the timeline is such that grey challenged the gyms in kind of a reverse order and hence brock left with ash , that said while I cant redeem Flint's character I will try to maybe give him something to make things interesting lets just say while his journey to be whatever for which he left his kids to brock wasnt successful he didnt exactly come back empty handed , so this gym battle might have some crazy pokemon battles at least , secondly as I had mentioned before brocks mother is dead in this fanfic , one parent going for milk is enough , I didnt understand the fact the anime told she was dead then she came back alive I guess so we find out both parents were irresponsible and brock was the only one carrying the family , then there was the entire making the gym rock/water type that was just some weird BS , my future plans for pewter city gym is simple , instead of brock coming back ( Let the guy enjoy his dream and become a breeder or a doctor full time , maybe I might give him a girlfriend in this fanfic as well ) , the plan is for the younger brother forest to become a skilled trainer under the guidance of his father who this time actually will try as repentance to brock and help forest become an elite trainer and take over the gym something forest even wanted in the anime I guess. Unlike in the anime forest here is 9 and after this kanto circuit he becomes eligible to be a trainer.Anyway hope you enjoyed the chapter and this battle might drag till 3 chapters I will try to wrap at 3 at least.