"Next challenger, Sapphire."
After several days of challenges, most of the gym staff already recognized Sapphire. Unlike other trainers who had to defeat the trainee trainers first, she was allowed to go straight to the main stage.
"Sapphire, you seem very confident today," Roxanne said with a gentle smile to the determined young girl.
"Yes! Your Nosepass's secret has been exposed!" After Ryan's detailed explanation, Sapphire was brimming with confidence for this battle.
"Oh?" Roxanne raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised by Sapphire's bold attitude. "Then it looks like I'll have to take this seriously…"
"Go for it! I can do this!" Sapphire cheered herself on silently, then glanced toward Ryan sitting in the audience.
Following her gaze, Roxanne also noticed the handsome young man. Ryan sensed her look and responded with a warm smile and a polite nod.
"You're quite handsome," Roxanne replied with a friendly smile.
...
"Challenger Sapphire versus Rustboro Gym Leader Roxanne — the match begins!"
The referee waved the flag, and the battle officially started.
"Go, Aron!" Sapphire released her Pokémon first.
"Aron again?" Roxanne pressed her Poké Ball slowly, releasing her Nosepass. "After so many consecutive losses, you're still using the same Pokémon?"
"Hmph! Don't underestimate me. I'm going to win this time!" Sapphire retorted confidently. She immediately gave her first command: "Aron, use Harden!"
Aron obeyed and immediately strengthened its defense. Harden was a support move that temporarily raised its Defense stat by one stage.
"Oh? Changing tactics this time instead of rushing in with a direct attack?" Roxanne noted with interest. "If you won't attack, then I will. Nosepass, use Rock Throw!"
Nosepass used its short arms to magnetically pull up a rock from the ground and hurled it at Aron. With a loud bang, the rock smashed into Aron, creating a few sparks from the collision of metal and stone.
Aron shook its head slightly — it barely felt the hit.
"Just as Ryan said," Sapphire thought calmly. "Nosepass doesn't have many strong attacking options. It excels at defense, but its speed and attack power are lacking. With Aron's Steel typing and the Harden boost, ordinary Rock-type moves won't do much damage."
"Nosepass, use Thunder Wave!" Seeing that Aron wasn't seriously hurt, Roxanne quickly changed tactics.
Nosepass converted its energy into electromagnetic waves and released them toward Aron. If the waves connected, they could paralyze the opponent, cutting its speed in half and potentially ruining its attacks.
Facing the incoming move, Sapphire remained composed. Before the battle, Ryan had predicted Roxanne's likely actions.
"Aron, use Dig!" she commanded immediately.
Aron swiftly dug a hole in the arena floor and burrowed underground, disappearing from sight.
"Nosepass has solid defense, but its speed is very poor," Ryan had explained earlier. "Besides Rock-type moves, it can also learn several Electric-type moves. To compensate for its speed weakness, Roxanne will almost certainly teach it Thunder Wave. After your Aron uses Harden and benefits from the Steel-type advantage, normal attacks won't threaten it much. So when she uses Thunder Wave to restrict Aron, counter with Dig."
Ryan's prediction was proving incredibly accurate.
"Oh? Dig!" Roxanne's expression finally turned serious as she watched the battlefield.
Sapphire had completely changed her previous reckless fighting style and was now using a more strategic approach. This made Roxanne feel slightly pressured, but as an experienced Gym Leader, she quickly adjusted.
Dig was a Ground-type move. If it landed, it would deal devastating damage. Even though Nosepass had high defense, it couldn't simply tank a direct hit.
"Nosepass, use Protect!" Roxanne commanded.
Nosepass immediately gathered its energy and formed a glowing white protective shield around itself. Protect could completely block an opponent's attack without taking damage — as long as the gap in strength wasn't too large.
Aron burst out of the ground and slammed straight into Nosepass. The shield prevented damage, but the impact itself couldn't be fully nullified. Nosepass was sent flying several meters backward.
Sapphire's eyes lit up with excitement. Ryan's instructions echoed in her mind once more:
"Dig is only a feint. The real finishing move to defeat Nosepass is Aron's Metal Claw. With STAB (Same-Type Attack Bonus), Metal Claw is far more powerful than Dig."
Filled with excitement, Sapphire clenched her fist and shouted, "Aron, use Metal Claw!"
Aron seemed to sense its trainer's enthusiasm. It gathered all its strength and energy into its claws and swung them fiercely at the slightly staggering Nosepass, which was trying to get back on its feet.
*Hiss~ hiss~ hiss~*
The sharp sound of metal scraping against rock echoed across the arena, making the spectators' teeth ache.
After many previous battles against Nosepass, Aron finally left three deep, finger-width scratches on its rocky body.
The effect was outstanding!