Since Wattson clearly had something in mind, Natsui was willing to indulge him. He didn't switch Pokémon, choosing to keep Combusken in the fight.
After all, Wattson was an older man. A bit of respect—and a bit of courtesy—were warranted. More importantly, Combusken hadn't been injured in the previous round. It had spent some stamina, but it still had plenty left to battle.
When Wattson saw that Natsui didn't switch, a smile with an unreadable edge curled across his face.
It wasn't the same warm grin from earlier. Natsui noticed it, but he didn't dwell on it. He simply guided Combusken to its starting position and prepared for the second match.
With both sides ready, Wattson waved the flag again, and the second gym battle of the Mauville Gym officially began.
The moment it started, Wattson threw his head back and laughed.
"Let them see our new move! Magneton—Zap Cannon!"
Zap Cannon!?
Natsui's expression tightened in an instant.
That wasn't a move just any Pokémon could use. It was a high-level Electric-type technique—brutal in power—ranking just below Thunder and Bolt Strike, comparable to Volt Tackle and Fusion Bolt, and even exceeding Thunder in raw force.
And this Magneton had learned it?
That alone proved how strong this Magneton was.
So that was why Wattson had worn that strange smile.
He hadn't simply sent out a stronger Pokémon—he'd opened with a statement move meant to shock him.
Natsui shook his head, half amused and half exasperated.
So much for being considerate. He'd kept Combusken in to give Wattson face… and Wattson repaid it by springing a trap the instant the round began.
That hearty smile really was deceptive.
Still, there was one small comfort: Zap Cannon's opening actually gave Combusken time to move.
It was the start of the battle. The two Pokémon stood far apart, each in the center of their side of the field. Combusken wasn't restrained or pinned, and the floor beneath it was clear. With stamina still in reserve, it had room to run.
At that range, landing a clean hit with a straight-line long-range attack wasn't easy.
Realizing Wattson's intent—show strength, apply pressure, and force a mistake—Natsui breathed out quietly.
Even so, the point remained: this Magneton was not an opponent to treat lightly.
All those thoughts flashed through Natsui's mind in a split second. At the same time, he didn't hesitate with his command.
"Dodge—now!"
After a short charge-up, the six U-shaped magnets around Magneton surged with force. A thick beam of electrical energy formed and fired straight at Combusken.
Zap Cannon shot forward like a rectangular shell of compressed current, dragging a bright streak of electricity through the air as it tore across the battlefield.
Combusken was already moving.
Just before the blast reached it, Combusken triggered Quick Attack—its speed spiking sharply. It slipped past the edge of the beam by the narrowest margin.
The sizzling afterglow of the current faded in the air, leaving only a few singed feathers.
And Combusken didn't slow down.
Riding the momentum of Quick Attack, it closed the distance rapidly. Just like the previous round, it opened its mouth and spat a stream of Ember toward Magneton.
But unlike Voltorb earlier, Wattson had more options this time.
"Thunder Shock!"
Magneton didn't dodge. It didn't retreat.
Instead, it chose to trade.
Lightning met flame midair—sparks and fire colliding—yet neither attack truly cancelled the other. Both pushed through and struck their targets.
Combusken and Magneton were hit almost simultaneously.
Pain flickered across both faces. Fortunately, neither one triggered paralysis or any other secondary effect.
Compared to the Voltorb from before, Magneton's overall capability was clearly superior. It could fight at long range, at mid range, and up close. Voltorb had limitations; Magneton did not.
That meant one thing.
If Natsui wanted to win, he'd have to win it the hard way.
"Double Kick!"
Combusken surged in and started a fierce, continuous assault.
Natsui didn't want a drawn-out battle. Against an opponent this stable and versatile, dragging things out only increased the risk. If he was going to take Magneton down, he needed pressure—constant pressure.
As Combusken's rhythm quickened, Wattson caught the shift immediately. His eyebrows lifted, and his commands sharpened as he pushed Magneton to respond.
For a time, the battlefield filled with the crackle of electricity, the snap of sparks, and the heavy breathing of Combusken as it drove Fighting-type strikes into its opponent.
Combusken stayed glued to Magneton at extremely close range.
Its legs and claws alternated, and it rotated through attacks without pause—Fighting-type pressure layered with quick follow-ups. Against that style, Magneton looked increasingly strained.
It wasn't complicated.
Magneton didn't have arms. Under close-range physical pressure, it couldn't block properly. The only defense it had was movement—sliding and drifting to avoid being hit.
But while it was forced into constant evasive motion, several of its options became harder to use cleanly. Its offense suffered, its defense became reactive, and the fight started to spiral into a bad cycle.
Scratch. Double Kick. Then Peck—
In only a few seconds, Magneton took multiple hits in succession.
Still, it was strong. Even in a disadvantageous position, it wasn't helpless. It fired Thunder Shock again and again, landing retaliatory hits on Combusken.
Zzzzt—
Current crawled over Combusken's body, making its feathers stand on end.
And in the end, as Magneton teetered on the brink, it forced the result it could still reach.
A draw.
Combusken and Magneton fell almost together.
For Natsui, that outcome was acceptable.
For Wattson, it was… unpleasant.
He had expected that after tricking the "young man," he would gain the upper hand. Instead, he still lost the exchange.
But a loss was a loss.
At least it wasn't completely pointless—he had successfully traded one for one.
As a side note, Wattson's first two Pokémon were worth mentioning.
In the anime, whether it was Voltorb or Magneton, both were portrayed as heavy on offense but light on durability.
When Ash challenged the gym, Pikachu had been supercharged after absorbing electricity from that Raikou robot. Then it defeated them with a single move—cleanly sweeping through them in a three-in-a-row win and taking the badge right away.
It was arguably the simplest gym battle of Ash's entire journey leading up to his championship.
The most surprising part?
Pikachu achieved it even while sharing the same type—meaning the damage should have been reduced. That alone showed just how weak their endurance was in that version.
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Pokémon Legend — Status: Ongoing — Latest Chapter: 710 — Next: 800 (Coming Soon)
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