"Bang—!"A loud explosion rang out, smoke billowed, and Machop's eyes rolled back as it collapsed onto the ground.
Even though Machop had used Bulk Up twice, greatly boosting its defenses, its last sliver of HP still couldn't withstand Weepinbell's Razor Leaf.
"Machop is unable to battle! Weepinbell wins!" The referee's voice announced clearly across the field.
Silently, Yozora recalled Machop back into its Poké Ball.
Machop, with the No Guard Ability… that Ability relied far too heavily on level and defense.
Too extreme—if it couldn't suppress its opponent, it would be suppressed instead.
If its strength and defense weren't higher than its foe's, then No Guard became almost like a negative trait, leading it straight to defeat.
Therefore, the only solution for Machop was to keep raising its level, strength, and defenses.
But that was easier said than done. After all, a Pokémon's level couldn't rise overnight—it required time, battle after battle, steady accumulation.
Yozora knew well that this loss was mostly because Grass Knot had disrupted his rhythm. But it was also true that Machop's defenses weren't sufficient.
If Machop had truly possessed overwhelming defenses, then even if Grass Knot had broken its momentum, it could have tanked the hit and waited for another chance.
"Your turn now—go, Geodude!" Yozora called, sending out his second Pokémon after the first defeat.
However—
The moment Geodude appeared, its golden-colored body instantly stirred the Gym into a frenzy.
"Whoa! A Shiny Geodude—and it's gold!"
"So rare! Don't tell me someone just painted it…"
"Get lost! Who'd be that boring? Besides, Yozora would never do something like that!"
The girls in the audience gasped in awe, their voices filled with excitement. Even Erika, the Gym Leader, couldn't help but reveal a flicker of surprise in her eyes.
In this world, Shiny Pokémon weren't locked to a single alternate color like in the original games. Perhaps the artists of that world had simply been too lazy to design more variants…
In other words, any Pokémon with a different color from its usual kind was considered Shiny!
For example, Geodude, which normally had earthy brown skin.
But beyond golden Geodude, there were actually other color variants as well…
Whether the golden one was the rarest of all was uncertain, but it was without question the most beloved and popular.
Gold. Who wouldn't like that?
If Yozora were willing to sell it, some wealthy collector would probably buy it up at a sky-high price the very next day.
But of course, no matter how poor he was, Yozora would never sell one of his Pokémon.
"Indeed, a golden Geodude is rare and precious. But no matter how dazzling its appearance, if it lacks strength, then it's nothing but a flower vase! Weepinbell, Razor Leaf!" Erika ordered, waving her hand.
"Use Defense Curl to brace yourself!" Yozora countered immediately.
Geodude could Rollout with great speed, but its base speed was low.
And Rollout moved in a straight line—it couldn't turn, meaning it was purely offensive, not defensive.
When it came to defense, Defense Curl was Geodude's true specialty.
At Yozora's command, Geodude instantly tucked itself tighter, compressing its body to expel excess air and impurities, becoming more compact and rounder.
At the same time, its mass and defenses rose even higher.
Yes—mass as well.
For Geodude, Defense Curl temporarily boosted defense while permanently building mass.
It wasn't enough for a Geodude to simply grow—it had to become rounder, harder. Only then could it evolve into Graveler.
That was why frequent use of Defense Curl—even in training—was very beneficial to Geodude's evolution.
In fact, for the past month Yozora had made Geodude meditate under a waterfall. While it meditated, the constant crashing water honed its body, smoothing and hardening it far beyond what it once was.
Training beneath a waterfall—most Geodude wouldn't even dare to imagine it.
But Yozora's Geodude could endure it with ease. That was the power of its Ability, Water Absorb—and the proof of how much it had already grown.
"Bang! Bang!"
Two Razor Leaves slashed into Geodude, explosions bursting outward as smoke filled the field.
But when the dust cleared, Geodude stood unscathed, as though nothing had happened.
"No way! It actually tanked that?" Erika gasped, her face paling.
After all, Geodude was four times weak to Grass-type attacks.
Logically, a Grass-type move should have been a guaranteed one-hit knockout, especially when used by her stronger Weepinbell!
But what she didn't know—Yozora's Geodude had the Sap Sipper Ability!
The moment Grass-type energy hit, Geodude simply devoured it with its body. Its level wasn't high enough to absorb the entirety of Razor Leaf's power, but it had nullified at least half of it—turning a lethal weakness into something it could endure.
In Erika's mind, Razor Leaf against a Rock/Ground Geodude meant four times the damage.
But in reality, the damage was reduced to less than half.
That was an eightfold difference!
No wonder Erika was so shaken, so astonished.
"Heh, didn't expect that, did you? My Geodude isn't like the others."
Seeing her shocked expression, Yozora smirked and gave his next command. "Geodude, Defense Curl again—then Rollout!"
"Wham!"
In an instant, Geodude tightened its body once more. Its surface gleamed white, polished smooth like freshly waxed stone.
It had already mastered Defense Curl back when it was still with the bearded old man.
Even after joining Yozora, it had kept training every day, honing its technique.
Now it could complete the move in a mere instant.
"Boom!"
With its body hardened, Geodude began to spin furiously, tearing across the grassy battlefield like a boulder let loose, gouging a deep scar in the ground as it barreled straight at Weepinbell.
Weepinbell tried to dodge, springing upward.
But compared to Geodude's rolling momentum, it was too slow.
Geodude bounced up, chased it down mid-air, and slammed into it with crushing force.
Defense Curl plus Rollout—the perfect combo of acceleration and power.
Less resistance meant more speed. More speed meant doubled damage.
The impact was devastating, knocking Weepinbell out cold on the spot.
"Weepinbell is unable to battle! Geodude wins!" The referee announced, though her eyes, too, flickered with surprise.
Impossible—Rock/Ground Geodude, surviving a Grass-type? And not only that—defeating one with a single blow?
"Wow, he's amazing!"
"Handsome and skilled—go, Yozora!"
The watching girls erupted into screams of excitement, leaving Erika's forehead twitching with irritation.
These silly girls—couldn't they pick a side already?!
"Weepinbell, you fought well. Take a good rest now." Erika recalled her Pokémon gently, soothing it with kind words. Then she sent out her second battler.
Ivysaur.
The evolved form of Bulbasaur—larger, sturdier, like a giant bullfrog. Its limbs were thick and muscular, and the bulb on its back had grown into a tightly shut flower bud, ready to bloom at any moment.
Pokémon: Ivysaur
Type: Grass/Poison
Level: Senior, High-tier
Potential: Gym Leader-level
Notes: One of Erika's main Pokémon used to test challengers. She only deploys it against strong opponents.
…
"So this one's Senior High-tier." Yozora closed his eyes briefly, sensing its Aura. Then he nodded with determination. He chose not to switch out, leaving Geodude in the battle.
"You're not changing? That Geodude of yours certainly has unusual talent, with defenses far beyond its level. But don't underestimate my Ivysaur!"
Erika's thoughts sharpened. With a wave of her hand, she ordered, "Ivysaur, Vine Whip!"
"Geodude, Defense Curl!" Yozora countered again.
Vines lashed out, and once more Geodude tucked tight, glowing white as its rocky body smoothed like glass.
"Bang! Bang!"
Two whips cracked hard against Geodude's body, the sound echoing across the field.
But Geodude didn't even flinch.
Unlike Machop, which had Huge Power for strength but only average defense, Geodude was built for defense.
Though only at Senior beginner level, its durability was comparable to an ordinary Senior high-tier Pokémon.
Now, with Yozora having stacked three Defense Curls in a row, its defenses had nearly doubled. In this moment, it rivaled even Senior peak tier—perhaps even Commander-tier Pokémon.
Ordinarily, a Geodude taking such whip lashes would be left gravely injured or knocked out instantly.
After all—Grass beats Rock. Grass beats Ground.
Four times super-effective damage. Not something to take lightly.
Yet—
Yozora's Geodude had Sap Sipper. It didn't fear Grass moves. In fact, against Grass-types, it had… a natural advantage!
Because every time it absorbed that energy, its strength grew even greater.
"What?!" Erika's eyes widened. "Impossible… Vine Whip had no effect?"
(End of Chapter)