Chapter 153: Mauville Gym
A few days later, Ryan and his group crossed the sea and arrived in Mauville City.
Leaping from Wailord onto land, Ryan stomped the solid ground beneath his feet. He sighed, "Though saying this may hurt Wailord's feelings, it feels so good to be on solid ground! Next time we cross the sea, let's take the ferry."
Sapphire reluctantly recalled Wailord and said, "Don't be so picky. Just having a ride is good enough!"
Ruby had no choice but to play peacemaker, saying, "Forget about everything else. Let's go to the Pokémon Center to heal our Pokémon, and then have a good day's rest."
Lillie nodded, "I agree. It's really uncomfortable not having showered in so long."
Ryan's complaints melted away at Lillie's words, and he obediently headed for the Pokémon Center.
After a day of resting at the Pokémon Center, Ryan and his group arrived at the Mauville Gym.
Ryan vaguely remembered the Gym Leader as a bit of an eccentric old man, and hoped he wouldn't get too roughed up later. Ryan thought this, then pushed open the Gym's door.
It crashed to the ground with a thud. He paused for a moment, then noticed the track. His eye twitched, and he said, "Looks like we're going to ride a roller coaster to get to the battlefield."
"Roller coaster!" the three exclaimed, their eyes gleaming.
Ryan felt like he was doomed. After being dragged onto the door panel by the three, handrails extended from both sides, and the panel began to move!
Ryan watched the slowly ascending panel, feeling a surge of dread: "My first time riding a roller coaster without safety restraints!" This was terrifying!
As the panel climbed higher and then plummeted downward at breakneck speed, accompanied by the two girls' screams, Ryan and his companions covered a distance that would have taken them four or five minutes to walk in just ten seconds.
He staggered a bit as he stepped off the panel. He wasn't frightened by the roller coaster itself, but by Lillie and Sapphire's ear-piercing screams! Ruby, standing nearby, also looked at the two with lingering fear. Ryan and Ruby exchanged a glance: Next time, they'll definitely not take them on thrilling rides at amusement parks!
"Hahaha. Welcome to the Mauville Gym!" Following a hearty laugh, a stout, gray-haired old man emerged and said, "I'm Wattson, the Mauville Gym Leader! Who wants to challenge me to a Gym battle?"
"Both of us," Ryan and Sapphire said in unison.
"Oh, two challengers?" Wattson said. "Well, Watt, make the arrangements."
Just as Wattson finished, another young man emerged from the room and said, "Okay, teacher."
Watt then led Ryan and the other three to the battle arena. Wattson also emerged from the other side and said, "Let's begin."
Watt also approached the side of the arena and said, "Who's going first?"
"I'll go first," Sapphire said.
Ryan shrugged and gestured for her to go ahead. Sapphire immediately took her position at the battle arena. Following Watt's introduction, a three-on-three match began!
"Go, Magnemite!" Wattson sent out Magnemite first. Ryan frowned. This Magnemite seemed a bit weak. Would Wattson go easy on her?
"Magnemite?" Sapphire said. "Then, Combusken, I'm counting on you."
Sapphire immediately sent out Combusken to face Magnemite. At the same time, Sapphire had Combusken use Flame Charge on Magnemite, while also increasing its own speed.
"Choosing Pokémon with type advantage is smart. Magnemite, Lock-On!" Wattson said.
Flame Charge hit Magnemite, but the damage was minimal. Ryan immediately understood: Wattson was deliberately training the Pokémon's defense, using it to withstand challengers' attacks and also to test the Trainer's strength.
"As expected of a veteran Gym Leader. Very thoughtful," Ryan said with a smile.
After all, this type of Gym Leader was generally reasonable and cared deeply about trainers' growth.
Generally, if a person had decent character and decent skills, they'd be given a badge. As Ryan had predicted, Magnemite withstood many of Combusken's attacks, allowing Combusken to demonstrate its development.
Ryan thought: "Next, he'll bring out a powerful Pokémon to test her properly."
"Go, Magneton!" Wattson said, recalling Magnemite.
Magneton appeared, and as Ryan had expected, it was incredibly powerful, making Combusken no match.
"Combusken, Fire Punch!" Sapphire said confidently.
But reality was harsh. Combusken's Fire Punch struck Magneton, and while super effective, it barely dented Magneton's defense. Under Wattson's command, a single Gyro Ball sent Combusken flying, knocking it out.
Ryan remained silent. "Gyro Ball's power increases the slower the user is compared to the target. For Combusken, who had already boosted its speed several times with Flame Charge, the damage was devastating!"
Sapphire watched Combusken fall, recalled it, and said, "Please, Aron!"
Aron immediately faced Magneton. After all, Aron's favorite food was steel!
Wattson's face paled. Aron charged directly at Magneton, its powerful defenses completely withstanding the electric attacks. Opening its mouth, it bit down directly on Magneton.
With a loud crunch, Aron demonstrated the strength of its jaws! It cracked Magneton's metal shell. If Wattson hadn't called for a stop, Aron probably wouldn't have minded a snack.
Wattson, somewhat sheepish, recalled his Magneton and said, "You win this round! Although the loss was unusual, you're still great at utilizing type matchups! So, here's my last Pokémon! Go, Manectric."
As the last Pokémon entered the field, Ryan knew Wattson had approved of Sapphire and would go easier on her. He brought out a standard Pokémon to battle.
"Aron, do you still want to fight?" Sapphire asked.
Aron nodded, then radiated an evolutionary light. The light faded, revealing a Lairon. Sapphire was overjoyed, exclaiming, "Great! Lairon, use Take Down!"
Lairon roared, charging towards Manectric like a steel tank. But Manectric was incredibly fast, easily dodging Lairon's Take Down. A Thunderbolt then struck Lairon, instantly depleting its remaining health.
"Come back, Lairon. You did well," Sapphire said. "You're up next, Sableye!"
With that, Sableye appeared on the field. At Sapphire's command, countless Power Gems shot straight at Manectric. Manectric dove and leaped between the Power Gems, but surprisingly managed to dodge them all.
Sapphire frowned and said, "Dig!"
Sableye instantly burrowed underground, then burst up beneath Manectric, sending it flying. Then, Sapphire's eyes lit up, and she unleashed another Power Gem. The airborne Manectric had nowhere to dodge, and was instantly knocked out, ending the match!
Ryan nodded and said, "Sableye has a Ghost-type, which gives it strong stealth abilities. It's not suited to direct combat. Hiding in the shadows and launching sneak attacks is the best strategy."
Wattson laughed heartily, pleased with Sapphire's performance. He handed the Dynamo Badge to her, and the battle between Ryan and Wattson began!
(End of Chapter)
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