"Dratini, Machop, and Farfetch'd—your battle workload may spike soon. Can you handle it?"
Even though Dratini had just arrived, Grey still laid out its battle plan.
For now, it would train alongside Machop and Farfetch'd, who'd joined around the same time—same tier, same regimen.
After setting Dratini down, Grey swept his eyes over its "panel."
[Pokémon: Dratini]
[Type: Dragon]
[Level: 20]
[Ability: Marvel Scale]
[Moves: Extreme Speed; others omitted.]
"Hm? It inherited Extreme Speed? That's quite a pedigree."
Grey crouched and lightly stroked Dratini's body, savoring the curious feel of its scales.
A Dratini with Marvel Scale becomes a Dragonite with Multiscale after evolving.
That trait halves damage taken at full HP.
Meaning even a four-times-effective Ice Beam or Blizzard could be survived on the first hit—no instant knockouts at first contact.
And with Extreme Speed in its kit, this little one had serious burst; having priority in hand makes life a lot easier.
Sure, Dragonite can sometimes relearn Extreme Speed later—but being born with it is better.
"Any challengers today? It's almost lunchtime."
Grey checked the time—nearing eleven.
He'd sign off around 11:30 to eat, then go live again at two in the afternoon.
If no one showed, he could always end early.
[Didn't some bro named "Aiming for Pokémon Master" say he was coming?]
[Yeah—he said he's already in Saffron. Probably idling to farm watch time.]
[Hyped to see what kind of Gym battle we get today.]
The last couple challengers had been fairly average. Only Silver's battle earlier had really scratched the itch.
For the viewers, the dream was an earth-shaking match—and some teachable moments on top.
Knock, knock, knock—
"Gym Leader Grey! It's me—Ash! I'm here!"
Speak of the devil.
Knocks and shouts overlapped, and Grey went to open the door.
"Gym Leader Grey! Long time no see!"
"Good morning, Gym Leader Grey~"
"Sorry to intrude, Gym Leader Grey."
Ash's group greeted him at the doorway.
Ash also whipped out a Poké Ball and flipped open his jacket to show four gleaming badges. "Gym Leader Grey, I've got four badges now! Can I battle you?"
"Oh? Moving fast. If I'm not mistaken, you were in Cinnabar just last week—and your fourth is Erika's Rainbow Badge from Celadon?"
Grey rubbed his chin, surprised to see the Rainbow Badge pinned inside Ash's jacket.
Cinnabar to Celadon was a haul.
Then again, with modern transport, it tracked.
"Yeah! And I also caught a Primeape! Gym Leader Grey, can you teach my Primeape that move you used?"
At the mention of Rage Fist, Ash lit up.
That one strike had annihilated Team Rocket—one punch, one grunt. Absolute war god vibes.
He loved moves with that kind of raw impact. He'd been coveting Annihilape's technique ever since.
"Hey, who asks for move tutoring the second you walk in? Ash, that's not great," Misty sighed, exasperated—again—at his hot-blooded bluntness.
"Mm. You should ask after the battle," Brock added, folding and then unfolding his arms to set a hand on Ash's shoulder. "Signature techniques are a Trainer's trump card. A Gym Leader's job is to point out tactical gaps more than to hand over unique moves."
"It's fine. We're among stream regulars, no need to be stiff. Learning the move is no problem. After the Gym challenge, stick around, and we'll see if your Primeape can pick it up."
Grey nodded, taking no issue.
Other Gyms handed out TMs when they lost; for him, pointing out a move or two was no big deal.
"Awesome! Thanks, Gym Leader Grey!"
Ash clenched a fist, voice brimming with energy.
When he met Gary at the Conference, he'd send in Primeape and pound him flat with Rage Fist!
"No problem. Come on—let's not keep the viewers waiting."
Grey led the way; the trio exchanged looks and followed.
When they reached the battlefield, the stream chat locked onto the newcomers.
[Huh, Brock's here too? He's not the challenger, is he?]
[That girl looks familiar—didn't I see her back in Cerulean?]
[That's my sister. She'll be back at Cerulean Gym as a Trainer soon~]
[Whoa, it's Gym Leader Daisy! I'm a fan! (dive tackle)]
[Got it—so the challenger's the kid. Wonder how strong he is?]
"Heh, I've already got four badges~"
Ash posed at the camera—one hand flipping his jacket, the other flashing a V-sign.
[Yo, that's Lt. Surge's badge—the Thunder Badge!]
[If he cleared Surge, he's got some bite.]
[…Maybe Gym difficulty should get bumped a notch.]
Seeing Surge's Thunder Badge among Ash's four, most viewers accepted that he was legit.
"Silver, you try refereeing this one. You remember the lines?"
"Yeah, I've got it."
Silver took the flags from Bumiao. The moment he stepped onto the ref's mark, the dojo's new big screen flashed up Grey's and Ash's portraits.
Three Poké Balls dropped to each side of the portraits—this battle would be three-on-three.
"Now commencing the Gym challenge between Fighting Dojo Gym Leader Grey and Challenger Ash."
"Each side may use three Pokémon. During the match, the Gym Leader may not switch voluntarily."
"When one side's entire roster is unable to battle, the match ends. Begin!"
As Silver finished, Grey followed smoothly:
"Challenger—are you familiar with Fighting-type Pokémon?"
He palmed a Poké Ball, weighing it with care. "They temper themselves through a thousand trials for the day they can step onto the stage and show their strength."
"Now—witness the charm of the Fighting type!"
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