"Ivysaur, Solar Beam!" Erika shouted through clenched teeth.
Her opponent's Geodude kept using Defense Curl, constantly boosting its defenses.
Erika knew that the longer this dragged on, the worse it would be for her. So she went straight for the strongest Grass-type move.
Under harsh sunlight, Solar Beam could be unleashed instantly.
However, while the Celadon Gym battlefield was an outdoor arena, today's weather was merely sunny—not harsh sunlight.
That meant Ivysaur would need time to charge before releasing the beam.
Ivysaur began gathering energy, soaking up sunlight. As the moments passed, the bud on its back glowed brighter and brighter, radiating a dazzling white light.
"Knock it away with Take Down!" Yozora roared.
Boom!
Geodude slammed into the ground, then rolled forward to gain momentum, finally crashing upward with a brutal Take Down into Ivysaur's chin.
The sheer force sent Ivysaur flying backward. It gritted its teeth, seriously injured, but still refused to collapse.
At the same time, its Solar Beam finished charging. The bud flared like a miniature sun before unleashing a massive white beam, blasting forward like a laser cannon, engulfing the small Geodude in an instant.
When the light faded, Geodude stood scorched black all over. Yet somehow—it did not fall.
That tenacity shocked the audience.
But Yozora sensed its aura—so faint now, it could collapse at any second. He was about to recall it when suddenly—
A brilliant glow burst out from Geodude's body.
"Evolution?" Erika narrowed her eyes. A bad premonition stirred in her chest, but she forced it down.
Geodude was already at its limit. Even if it evolved, at most it would awaken some hidden potential and regain a sliver of stamina—not nearly enough to fully recover.
So what was there to fear?
The evolution light soon faded—
And the golden Geodude became a golden Graveler.
After evolving, Graveler's body grew much larger—rounder, harder, uneven in texture. Four arms sprouted from its body. The front two were longer, used for attacking, while the back two were shorter and often pressed against its belly for defense.
It also gained a pair of stubby legs.
Perhaps Geodude's body had contained a magnetic field that allowed it to float slightly. But Graveler was too heavy to levitate anymore, forced to stand on its short legs.
With such small feet, Graveler walked clumsily—slower than Geodude itself. So instead of walking, it preferred to roll across the battlefield like a boulder.
Pokémon: Graveler
Type: Rock + Ground
Abilities: Rock Head + Water Absorb + Sap Sipper
Rank: Senior-level (High Tier)
Potential: Champion
Moves: Defense Curl, Rollout, Sand Attack, Endure, Rock Slide, Stealth Rock, Take Down, Self-Destruct
Description: A uniquely gifted Graveler with tremendous defense and no glaring weaknesses.
"Graveler!" Yozora's face lit up in delight.
Its evolution had raised its level to Senior High-tier, equal to Erika's Ivysaur. Its defense was stronger than ever!
Not only that—Yozora sensed its aura flare brighter after evolving. For now, it wouldn't collapse from exhaustion.
"Ivysaur, Razor Leaf!" Erika commanded quickly, resuming the battle.
Swish, swish, swish!
Unlike Weepinbell's Razor Leaf, which fired just two large blades, Ivysaur unleashed a storm of countless smaller leaves. What they lacked in size, they made up for in overwhelming numbers.
"Use Defense Curl—block them!" Yozora shouted confidently.
Shing!
Just as it had in its Geodude stage, Graveler curled into a ball. Its defense surged even higher, surpassing the bounds of Senior level.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The barrage of Razor Leaf struck—but not a single one could harm Graveler.
In fact, it casually scratched its belly as if enjoying the attack.
There was no doubt—its Sap Sipper ability had activated!
Once, Yozora's Graveler had been overpowered. But now, at Senior High-tier and equal to Ivysaur, it could completely nullify Grass-type attacks.
Not only nullify—by absorbing the energy, it actually regained stamina!
"Damn it… arrogant little—!"
Erika didn't know about Sap Sipper. She assumed Graveler was taunting her—scratching itself after brushing off her Ivysaur's strongest Grass move.
"In that case—Ivysaur, Solar Beam again!" Erika snapped.
Her Pokémon obeyed flawlessly, beginning another charge.
"Don't let it gather power—attack with Take Down!"
At Yozora's order, Graveler rolled forward, accelerating like a boulder. With crushing force, it slammed straight into Ivysaur.
This time, the impact was too much. Ivysaur let out a pained cry as it was launched across the field, collapsing unconscious.
The Solar Beam it had half-charged dissipated instantly.
"Ivysaur is unable to battle! Graveler wins!" declared the referee.
Erika's expression darkened. For some reason, Graveler seemed even more vigorous than before—its stamina steadily rising.
Growing stronger the longer it fought?
What kind of cursed ability was this?
She inhaled deeply, calming herself.
It had been a long time since she'd met such a formidable rookie. Without realizing it, she was… excited. A wry smile tugged at her lips as she shook her head and drew out her third Poké Ball.
With a flash of light, a graceful Bellossom appeared.
Bellossom was Gloom's evolution.
Oddish evolved into Gloom, which could then evolve in two different ways—either with a Leaf Stone into Vileplume, or with a Sun Stone into Bellossom.
Pokémon: Bellossom
Type: Grass
Rank: Commander (Low Tier)
Potential: Gym Leader level
Description: One of Erika's main Pokémon for testing challengers. Strong enough to overwhelm those unprepared.
Unlike the massive Vileplume, Bellossom was tiny—smaller even than Oddish, barely forty centimeters tall.
It stood upright like a little girl, with two bright red flowers on its head and a leafy skirt resembling a hula dancer's attire.
At first glance, Bellossom seemed far too cute to take seriously. Who would believe this was a final-stage Pokémon?
But it was—and a very powerful one.
As a veteran Gym Leader, Erika trained Pokémon of all levels, from Gym-tier elites down to ordinary low- and mid-tier ones, so she could challenge trainers of every rank.
Normally, against rookies, she would use two ordinary-level Pokémon and one Senior-tier as backup.
But against Yozora, she had sent out stronger Pokémon one after another—
And now, she had even brought out Bellossom, a Commander-tier Pokémon!
Against a rookie, this was unheard of.
But to Erika, Yozora was far too strong, too talented, too full of potential. Defeating him was worth it—if it pushed him to grow even stronger.
Little did she realize—Yozora wasn't even using his full strength either.
"The Gym Leader actually sent out Bellossom!"
"That's rare—normally she only uses it against experienced Silver-ranked trainers!"
"Yeah, poor Yozora… he's just a rookie, but he has to face this kind of pressure!"
"Hmph! That only proves how amazing my Yozora is!"
The crowd of female disciples whispered furiously among themselves. If Erika had heard them, she might have exploded right then and there.
"Bellossom—Solar Beam!" Erika commanded immediately, opening with her strongest move.
On the field, Bellossom twirled gracefully, the two flowers on its head rapidly gathering sunlight.
"As expected of a final evolution—the charging speed is incredible," Yozora muttered, eyes narrowing.
The faster it charged, the faster the beam would fire. He couldn't recklessly order Graveler to attack, or it would be blasted mid-charge.
"Graveler, Defense Curl! Strengthen your defenses—then use Bide!" Yozora ordered.
Bide meant withstanding every blow, taking on damage after damage—only to return it doubled to the opponent!
(End of Chapter)