"I can feel the powerful aura radiating from your Gardevoir."
Standing on the arena stage, Brock narrowed his already small eyes, fixing Alex with a sharp gaze. In his eyes burned not only seriousness, but also the fire of battle.
"At last… a worthy opponent has appeared."
Alex smiled faintly. "Thank you. You've trained your Onix very well, too."
He'd always had a good impression of Brock — the man with thick eyebrows and narrow eyes. Though Brock looked strong and confident, Alex could still sense a faint, hidden sorrow between those brows, as if he were concealing some untold story.
"Then… let's begin!" Brock declared firmly.
A deep, rumbling roar sounded at once. From behind Brock, a massive rock serpent emerged, raising its towering body like a living wall.
Information about Onix instantly flashed through Alex's mind:
Type: Rock / Ground
Ability: Rock Head – Immune to recoil damage from its own moves.
Description: Its body is composed of huge gray boulders linked like vertebrae. Usually gentle, but when provoked, it can become ferociously aggressive.
Level 38… not low at all. Alex assessed silently. In terms of level, it far surpassed Luna, but since it hadn't yet evolved into Steelix, its strength was still limited. A Level 38 Steelix would be on another level entirely.
Beside Alex, Gardevoir's delicate face shone with fighting spirit. This was her first time facing a powerful Gym Leader directly, and Alex had absolute trust in her.
Through their psychic link, Alex sent his thoughts:
"Luna, when the battle starts, don't rush to attack. Keep your guard up and wait for an opening."
Gardevoir gave a slight nod, her gaze locked on Onix.
The referee announced the rules:
Each side may use up to three Pokémon.
The challenger can switch Pokémon during the battle, but the Gym Leader cannot.
If a Pokémon leaves the battlefield, it is considered defeated, even if it still has energy left.
Alex and Brock both nodded in agreement.
"Battle… begin!"
"Onix, Drill Run!"
The instant the order left Brock's lips, the massive rock serpent spun rapidly, charging forward like a giant drill tearing through the ground.
Brock had watched Alex's earlier matches and knew full well that Gardevoir's Grass-type Energy Ball could inflict devastating damage on Onix. That's why he aimed to strike first and seize the initiative.
Despite its size, Onix was far from slow. With one of the highest Speed stats among Rock and Ground types, it was barreling toward its target like a storm of stone.
Alex's lips curled into a faint smile. Trying to take the initiative, huh?
"Luna, Teleport."
In the blink of an eye, Gardevoir vanished, reappearing behind Onix just as it was about to hit. The chance to counterattack was wide open — but Alex held back the command.
"Onix, Iron Tail!"
Brock switched tactics instantly. Onix slammed its head into the ground to brake, then twisted its entire body, swinging its massive stone tail — nearly ten meters long — in a crushing arc.
Alex's eyes lit up. "As expected… Brock is no amateur. He'd already planned for a counterstrike the moment his first move was dodged."
If Luna had launched an Energy Ball right after the dodge, she would've been caught squarely in this sweeping blow.
"Luna, shift to Onix's flank." Alex's tone was calm. "Aim for the sixth rock segment from the head — mid-body. Energy Ball!"
Gardevoir instantly complied, gathering a brilliant green sphere of energy between her hands and hurling it straight at the weak point Alex had identified.
Onix, massive as it was, couldn't pivot fast enough at close range to dodge.
BOOM! The Energy Ball exploded, emerald light engulfing a portion of its body.
Four times the damage!Super effective hit!
Onix roared in agony, its entire form shuddering before it collapsed heavily to the ground. Its eyes swirled — unable to continue battling.
With just a single strike, Brock's ace Pokémon had been taken down.
The entire arena fell silent. No one could quite believe what they'd just witnessed.