"Marshtomp, keep up that rhythm—use Ice Punch again!"
On the battlefield of Songzao Gym, a challenger was currently battling Red.
The Pokémon he sent out was a rare one—Ninjask, level 33, and it even knew Giga Drain, a Grass-type move.
It was a matchup that forced Marshtomp—rarely pressured in Gym battles—into a tough situation.
Hearing Red's command, Marshtomp leapt into the air and unleashed Ice Punch!
Even though Ninjask's level was nearly ten levels higher, it still sensed extreme danger.
With its paper-thin defenses, a single direct hit would be enough to end the battle.
But the next second—
Marshtomp's full-powered punch passed straight through it.
It was just an afterimage left behind by Ninjask's incredible speed.
Marshtomp frowned, watching Ninjask dart rapidly through the air.
Clearly—
Facing an opponent with both ranged attacks and extremely high evasion like Ninjask, Marshtomp was struggling.
Not to mention—
It also had access to Grass-type moves that countered Marshtomp…
Seeing Marshtomp already panting heavily, Red didn't hesitate.
He raised a white towel.
"Marshtomp, surrender."
Marshtomp's eyes showed reluctance—but it still nodded and stepped down from the battlefield.
Though unwilling, it knew—
With its current toolkit, it had no effective way to deal with a Pokémon like Ninjask.
As soon as Red called the surrender, the challenger—a Bug Catcher named Masao—jumped in excitement.
"I won! I finally won! After staying in Songzao City for half a month, I finally did it!"
Thinking about his struggles over the past two weeks, he was almost in tears.
Red took a Weather Badge from the tray Xiaowen handed him and passed it over.
"Congratulations, Masao. This is proof that you've defeated me—the Weather Badge."
Masao stared at the badge nervously, not even knowing where to place his hands.
"Thank you! Thank you so much, Gym Leader Red!"
"If you hadn't guided me step by step over the past two weeks and helped me fix the weaknesses of Ninjask and Shedinja, I could never have succeeded!"
Although he had finally won once—
Masao knew Red's true strength was far beyond this.
After all, he had witnessed that terrifying battle the other night.
Even though he arrived after it ended—
In his eyes, Red was still the greatest Gym Leader.
"Oh, right," Red added,
"If you want to build a Bug-type team, you can visit the Unova region in the future."
"There are many unique Bug-types there—like Volcarona and Scolipede."
"And in the Sinnoh region, there's the only Bug-type Elite Four member."
"As a fellow Bug-type trainer, you can learn from him. He'll likely accept you."
"Yes! Thank you for the advice, Gym Leader!"
After expressing his gratitude, Masao happily left Songzao Gym.
Watching the Weather Badge on his chest, the other challengers could only stare with envy.
Red walked down from the field with the injured Marshtomp and said to Ash and Gary:
"Which of you wants to handle the next challenger? I'll take Marshtomp for treatment."
The two immediately lit up.
"It's my turn to be acting Gym Leader!"
"What do you mean your turn? Whoever goes up first gets it!"
...
After leaving the battlefield, Red released Marshtomp and began healing it using Viridian Power.
At that moment, he glanced toward the garden.
Larvitar was training diligently on its own.
"Looks like Larvitar's grown up—starting extra training by itself."
Of course—
Red felt it would be better if it wasn't training while chewing on a lollipop.
Meanwhile, Ninetales was still in her fox-eared girl form, carefully wiping a Poké Ball with a gentle expression.
Noticing Red's gaze, she gave him a sweet smile.
Red quickly looked away.
Then he noticed Marshtomp's gloomy mood.
Without saying much, he gently patted its head.
"It's just one loss."
"You've beaten him for half a month. He only won once—no need to feel down."
Hearing this, Marshtomp's mood improved slightly.
At that moment, Red took out two Evolution Potions.
After testing, he had found—
Using two per day produced the best results.
Using too many at once would reduce efficiency.
Looking at the Evolution Potions, Marshtomp hesitated.
Unlike Larvitar, it wasn't excited.
In its view—
Strength should be earned through training.
This felt… like taking shortcuts.
And after seeing Red watching short videos one day—
It definitely didn't want to end up like Larvitar, with a weird pointy head.
Marshtomp clenched its fists internally.
"I will become stronger through my own efforts!"
...
[Ding~ Evolution Potion used successfully. Marshtomp IVs +7]
Marshtomp lay on the ground, feeling warmth spread through its body—
Like soaking in a hot spring.
Every muscle was nourished, its skin tougher, its speed faster.
Ten minutes later, Marshtomp snapped out of it, full of regret.
"I said I'd rely on my own strength! I absolutely refuse to get a pointy head!"
[Ding~ Evolution Potion used successfully. Marshtomp IVs +8]
Marshtomp soon realized—
If it trained after using the potion, the warming effect became even stronger!
"But I still have to rely on my own strength! There won't be a next—"
[Ding~ Evolution Potion used successfully. Marshtomp IVs +7]
By the third day—
Marshtomp was bursting with energy, as if its entire body was overflowing with power.
While training, it thought:
"This warm effect doesn't directly make me stronger…"
"I still have to train myself!"
"So this doesn't count as cheating!"
Still—
The thought of a pointy head made it hesitate.
[Ding~ Evolution Potion used successfully. Marshtomp IVs +9]
[Ding~ Marshtomp Talent Tier increased: High → Top]
That day—
Marshtomp suddenly noticed it had grown taller—by nearly 10 centimeters.
Its muscle mass hadn't increased—
But their arrangement had become far more efficient.
Even without more muscle, its strength had increased by about 20%.
At this point—
Its mindset began to shift.
"Using potions… is also part of my effort, right?"
"They can't give me these chiseled muscles—this is still my hard work!"
"And a pointy head… is just proof of my dedication!"
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