"Faster! A little faster!"
Flint stared intently at Pikachu's condition within the insulation zone and shouted outside.
Sweat beaded on his forehead.
Inside the room.
The yellow light emitted by that Electric Stone grew brighter and brighter.
The internal current patterns almost merged into one, flowing at high speed and making a slight "sizzling" sound.
The amplification effect... was much stronger than he had expected!
Between the two metal electrodes, pale golden electric sparks began to jump and flicker, visible to the naked eye.
Standing between the electrodes, Pikachu's fur stood slightly on end.
The electric sacs on its cheeks flickered with a light more dazzling than usual.
Powerful currents were surging from the electrodes, flowing through its body.
Pikachu gritted its teeth hard, its small paws clenched tightly.
It didn't back down.
Because it could feel... the already abundant power within its body becoming more active and more condensed under this intense external stimulation.
"Good! Hold on!"
Flint saw Pikachu's state and breathed a sigh of relief for the moment.
He adjusted the output level of the generator.
The current intensity rose steadily once more.
Outside.
Roy was steadily pedaling the power-generating bicycle.
Fine beads of sweat had already appeared on his bare upper body.
They glistened under the sunlight.
His muscles contracted and relaxed rhythmically with the pedaling motion.
It was full of powerful beauty.
Delia and Misty both stood not far away, watching.
The eyes of both women unconsciously drifted toward Roy.
Delia felt her heart beating a bit fast.
She quietly swallowed her saliva, and images of her happy moments with Roy flashed through her mind—that scorching temperature... She shook her head violently, her face burning hot.
Can't think about it anymore!
If I keep thinking, my underwear will suffer again~
Misty, while watching, was secretly comparing in her heart.
This guy's stamina... seems really good, being able to last this long... Inside the wooden hut... the yellow light of the Electric Stone was already blindingly bright.
The electric sparks jumping between the electrodes turned from pale gold to blazing white.
"This... this power amplification..."
Flint wiped the sweat from his forehead, his eyes filled with suspicion and uncertainty.
This Pikachu... something's not right!
Its electric sac capacity definitely far exceeds that of an ordinary Pikachu!
Just as he was thinking.
Pi—ka—!!!
Inside the insulation zone, Pikachu suddenly let out a long cry!
There was a hint of pain in its voice, but more of it was... an explosion.
Dazzling golden electric light erupted from its entire body!
The electric light soared into the sky.
It directly broke through the limitations of the insulation zone.
The old light bulb on the ceiling was the first to explode.
Immediately after.
Those few crude power devices simultaneously let out a wail of overload.
Flint's expression changed drastically!
"Oh no, the power is overloaded! Stop quickly!"
He shouted to the outside.
But it was too late.
The power within Pikachu, under the dual effect of the external overload current stimulation and its own potential... reached a critical point!
Then, it broke through!
Pi—ka—chu—!!
An unprecedentedly thick golden pillar of electricity erupted from Pikachu!
Thunderbolt!!!
Pikachu had mastered Thunderbolt ahead of time!
Moreover, it was a super-powered version, amplified by the Electric Stone and extremely compressed by Pikachu's own electric sacs!!!
Boom!!!!
A deafening explosion!
The roof of the entire wooden hut was blown straight off!
Wood fragments, tiles, and various sundries were thrown violently into the air by the blast wave.
Under the terrifying impact of the current, the walls were torn apart like pieces of paper.
Charred wood flew everywhere, and thick smoke billowed up.
That old generator, after letting out one last mournful cry, completely exploded.
The Electric Stone inside, after releasing its last bit of amplified energy, went completely dim.
It turned into a dull, ordinary gray stone.
It had been squeezed dry.
Everything happened too fast.
From Pikachu's eruption to the wooden hut exploding, it took only two or three seconds.
Outside.
Roy stopped pedaling.
He had already sensed the energy changes within Pikachu through his Aura Power.
The little wooden hut that was fine just now... was now nothing but a pile of charred wood emitting black smoke.
The waterwheel also lay tilted to one side, its blades broken.
"This... this is..."
Misty's speech was stuttering.
"Pikachu... did this?"
She could hardly believe her eyes.
She knew Roy's Pikachu was quite strong, but a single skill... tore down a house?
This is just... The dust gradually dispersed.
In the center of the ruins.
Pikachu stood there, somewhat exhausted, panting heavily.
But its small face was full of excitement!
It raised its small paw.
With a "crackle," a wisp of golden electric spark, much more condensed than before, jumped from its fingertip.
The power... was completely different!
At that moment.
On the other side of the ruins.
Flint crawled out from behind a pile of wood, staggering.
His face and body were covered in black soot.
His hat was crooked too.
He looked like a complete mess.
He stared blankly at what used to be his "home."
Then he looked at the excited Pikachu in the center of the ruins.
His mouth opened.
For a long time, he couldn't say a word.
No... what's the situation?
A single electric skill... tore down my house?
Isn't that just an Electric Mouse?
A Pikachu... can be this fierce?
Flint's mind was a bit dazed.
His original plan was just to use special training to encourage this driven young man.
And incidentally, give himself an excuse to face his past again.
He thought that since it was just a Pikachu, no matter how much it was trained, the power amplification would be limited.
At most, it would make the Thunder Shock power a bit stronger.
It was impossible to cause any destruction.
That's why he felt safe using his own small hut as a training ground.
He never expected... what kind of Pikachu is this?!
This power intensity... it's almost catching up to those final-form Electric-type Pokemon, right?
Flint stood there, in a daze... Roy walked to Pikachu's side, crouched down, and rubbed its small head.
"Well done."
Pikachu nuzzled his hand and cried out happily: "sound!"
Then, Roy walked over to the destroyed generator and glanced at the now lusterless Electric Stone inside.
Only then did he pick up Pikachu, turn around, and walk toward the still-dazed Flint.
Walking up to Flint.
Roy spoke first.
His tone was sincere and filled with gratitude.
"Thanks a lot, Uncle."
"I didn't expect you to be so generous, helping me boost Pikachu's power at the cost of a house."
Flint: "...?"
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
But Roy's words cut him off.
Immediately after.
Misty also approached.
She looked at Flint with an apologetic expression and said seriously:
"I'm sorry, Uncle."
"Just now, I thought you were the kind of guy who takes small advantages, but now it seems you're truly generous."
"To help Pikachu train, you're even willing to give up your own house."
"I misunderstood you before."
Flint: "...???"
His eyelids twitched wildly.
The wail in his heart almost burst through his throat:
I never intended to help this yellow-skinned rat at the cost of my house!!!
I just... I just wanted to encourage a newcomer!!!
What kind of Pikachu is this?! Its power is so strong?
It directly squeezed my amplified Electric Stone dry?
And it even blew up my house?
I... But the words stayed in his mouth as he looked at Roy's "grateful" eyes and Misty's "apologetic" expression... Flint forced himself to swallow the wail.
He took a deep breath.
He managed to squeeze out a smile that looked worse than crying.
He reached out and patted Roy's shoulder.
He said in a "deep" tone:
"No... it's fine."
"It's just a house... it's nothing."
"I used to be a Pokemon Trainer too!"
As he spoke, he looked up at the sky.
He tried to make his expression look "weathered" and "passionate."
"Young man, the passion between you and Pikachu... has deeply moved me."
"If you can really win at the Pewter Gym... I've also decided... to face my failed life."
When he said this.
Flint's heart was bleeding.
My house... my Electric Stone... all the belongings I've saved for so many years... all gone... But on the surface, he still had to maintain the demeanor of a "senior."
Roy looked at Flint's forced appearance and laughed secretly.
In fact, at the moment Pikachu erupted, he had already communicated with Pikachu through Aura Power.
He intentionally controlled the power to blast toward the roof and walls.
The purpose was... to blow up Flint's last "snail shell."
To leave him with absolutely no way out.
To force him to face his past, face the Pewter Gym, and face his children.
Looking at it now... the effect was quite good... After completing the power training.
Roy let Pikachu rest and recover by the river for a while.
Once it had completely adapted to the newly added power and its condition was fully restored.
They headed straight for the Pewter Gym.
Uncle Flint... had no choice but to follow Roy's group of three toward the Pewter Gym.
Along the way, he looked back at his "home" that had turned into ruins.
His eyes were full of complexity.
But in the end, he sighed and followed their footsteps.
The Pewter Gym was located near the foot of the mountain in Pewter City.
The architectural style... was very Rock-type.
Gray-black outer walls, rugged design, looking like a giant cave.
There wasn't even a decent sign at the door.
There was only an inconspicuous rock with the Gym's symbol carved on it.
"Is anyone here?"
The lively Misty was the first to push open the heavy stone door and shout into the dark Gym.
Her voice echoed in the empty Gym.
After waiting for a few seconds, there was no response.
Misty curled her lip and complained:
"Making the Gym look like a cave, the taste is really weird enough."
As the daughter of a Water-type Gym, she grew up in the Cerulean Gym, an environment full of flowing water, lights, and beautiful decorations.
Naturally, she couldn't appreciate this dark, cold rock style.
Just as she finished speaking.
Snap.
The lights inside the Gym suddenly turned on one by one.
It wasn't a bright white light.
But a dim, yellow light, like torches.
It illuminated the entire interior of the Gym.
The interior space of the Gym was very large.
The floor was solid rock.
The surrounding walls were also styled as rough rock faces.
At the very back, there was a platform raised above the ground.
On the platform sat a stone chair.
At this moment.
A figure was sitting quietly on the stone chair.
Spiky hair, squinty eyes.
Wearing a simple short-sleeved shirt and long pants.
He sat with his hands crossed over his knees, leaning slightly forward.
Although he wasn't making any exaggerated movements, he exuded an aura as steady as a mountain.
Brock, who was acting like a master without speaking... really had the air of a Gym Leader.
His gaze slowly swept over the four people who entered the Gym.
It paused for a fraction of a second on Flint.
But it quickly moved away.
As if he had only seen an ordinary middle-aged man watching.
Finally, his gaze landed on Roy... and the Pikachu on his shoulder.
"Hello."
Roy took a step forward, his tone calm.
"I'm here for a Gym challenge."
Brock looked at him, then at the Pikachu on his shoulder.
He shook his head.
His voice was low, with the tone of a "senior looking at a junior":
"Bringing a Pikachu to challenge a Rock-type Gym..."
"Another hotheaded rookie Trainer."
"Forget it."
He slowly stood up from the stone chair.
"As a Gym, I cannot refuse a challenge."
"Let's treat this as... an instructional battle."
"Now, please step forward."
After saying that, Brock walked to the edge of the platform and pressed a switch on the wall.
Rumble.
A dull sound of mechanical operation came from the ground in the center of the Gym.
A huge field covered with jagged rocks slowly rose from underground.
A standard rock battlefield.
As the Gym's mechanism was activated.
A burst of chirping and chatter came from the direction of the stands on the second floor of the Gym.
"Big brother! Big brother! Is there another Gym match?"
"Go for it, big brother!"
"What Pokemon is it this time?"
A bunch of children poured out from a small door behind the stands.
There were about eight or nine of them.
Their ages ranged from three or four to about ten.
All of them leaned over the railings of the stands, peering down curiously.
They wore simple but clean clothes, and their small faces were brimming with excitement.
Obviously, watching their big brother fight Gym matches was one of their favorite pastimes.
When Flint saw these children, his body instantly stiffened.
He subconsciously pulled down the brim of his hat, hiding his face in the shadows.
His fingers unconsciously tugged at the corner of his clothes, then his cheek.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
He was incredibly nervous.
Roy glanced at Flint, understanding clearly in his heart.
But he didn't say anything.
He turned his gaze back to the field.
By now, the rock field had fully risen.
Brock walked down from the platform and stood in the Trainer's command area on one side of the field.
He cleared his throat and began to introduce the Gym challenge rules.
"The challenge rule for the Pewter Gym is 2v2."
"Both sides will use two Pokemon each for the battle."
"The match will take place on the field arranged by the Gym Leader—this rock field."
"During the battle, the Gym Leader's Pokemon can only be rotated after they are defeated."
"However, the challenger can rotate Pokemon at any time during the battle."
Brock spoke very slowly and clearly.
Fearing that this "hotheaded rookie" Roy wouldn't understand.
He even specifically emphasized several times:
"Remember, this is a Rock-type Gym."
"I use Rock-type and Ground-type Pokemon."
"Electric-type moves... are very ineffective against them."
He glanced at the Pikachu on Roy's shoulder, his meaning obvious.
After the explanation ended.
Brock took a Poké Ball from his waist.
Adhering to the Gym Leader's philosophy of "education and guidance," he decided to go from easy to difficult.
"My first one is this."
He threw the Poké Ball.
A flash of white light.
A round Pokemon with two stone arms appeared on the field.
[Pokémon: Geodude]
[Level: Novice Level (lv15)]
Roy roughly estimated Geodude's level.
He patted the Pikachu on his shoulder.
"The first battle is up to you."
sound!
Pikachu jumped nimbly off his shoulder and landed lightly on the rock field.
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