Brock temporarily buried his doubts deep in his heart; now was the time for the Gym challenge, and any issues would have to be examined after the challenge was over.
However, Brock still felt a little strange. Usually, in a Gym challenge, the challenger would pose questions to the Gym Leader, who would then provide answers.
But now it was completely flipped around; as the Gym Leader, he seemed less knowledgeable than a mere beginner. What was going on?
"A Pikachu capable of using Fighting-type moves can indeed become a trump card, but can you pass this hurdle? Go, my second Pokémon, Onix!" As Brock finished speaking, he threw out his second Pokeball.
In a flash of light, a towering figure appeared on the field!
This Pokémon looked as if it were made up of a dozen rocks, resembling a giant snake; this was one of the well-known Pokémon in Kanto, Onix.
Compared to Geodude, Onix was much rarer. Not only that, but at the same level, Onix's stats surpassed Geodude's by a significant margin.
Unless there was a marked difference in Ability Value between the two, Onix's stats were reliably dominant over Geodude's at the same level.
Therefore, even at the same level, facing Onix was by no means as easy as the earlier victory. What's more, this Onix was actually one level higher than Geodude, having reached the intermediate level.
Of course, this was just Brock's perspective. For Ash, as long as his opponent could be put to sleep, it didn't really matter much.
"Come back, Pikachu."
"Pika Pika~"
Ash called Pikachu back, then took out Butterfree's Pokeball: "It's you, Butterfree!"
"Bilibili~"
Butterfree reappeared on the field.
"Butterfree again? The same moves won't work on a Gym Trainer. If you're planning to use Sleep Powder again, I advise you to think twice."
"I think so too, so... Butterfree, use String Shot!" Ash nodded in agreement with Brock's words, then waved his hand and launched the first attack.
"Onix, Sandstorm." After a moment's pause, Brock immediately gave his command.
Unlike Sleep Powder, which was relatively slow, as long as the opponent dared to use Sleep Powder, even with Compound Eyes, Brock could have Onix dig to evade.
Then, they could take advantage of the underground position and use Rock Slide to finish off the opponent just as they emerged.
A Pokémon like Butterfree, as long as it was hit by a Rock-type move even once, the battle would be over.
But Ash seemed aware of this too; he didn't start with Sleep Powder but used String Shot instead.
He wanted to slow down Onix's speed with String Shot, which was much faster than Sleep Powder, and couldn't be entirely avoided even with Dig.
Therefore, Brock opted for Sandstorm to boost Onix's Special Defense attribute while causing his opponent some trouble.
Though using a weather tactic against a Newbie Trainer might seem excessive, Ash wasn't just any newbie.
After this match, win or lose, Brock had already decided to give the Gym Badge to Ash; just the fact that Ash overcame the type disadvantage to defeat Geodude made him worthy of the Gym Badge.
For now... let's just say his competitive spirit was ignited!
Butterfree released a strand of white silk, wrapping around Onix without impediment.
However, Onix was just too massive to be wrapped up quickly like Geodude, only managing to get about half of its body covered.
As Butterfree attempted to continue wrapping, Onix shook its body, breaking the threads on it!
However, the threads stuck in Onix's crevices were not so easily shaken off.
The sticky, fine threads would become obstacles to Onix's movements and its ability to release moves!
At the same time, a strange, ghostly wind began to blow across the field, followed by countless tiny sand particles swirling along with the howling wind onto Butterfree.
Sandstorm, a weather-type move, causes periodic damage to all non-Rock, or Steel type Pokémon and boosts the Special Defense of Rock-type moves, making it the best battle weather for Rock-type Pokémon.
Ash was momentarily stunned at the sight of the Sandstorm whipping across the field. Although he had crammed lots of Pokémon-related knowledge and skills recently, he hadn't yet learned about weather-type skills and tactics from the group experts.
In other words, he had no idea what effects Sandstorm had.
"Bilibili~~" As the sandstorm struck Butterfree, it cried out in pain; the swirling storm not only injured Butterfree but also obscured its vision, slowed its flight, and made it harder for Sleep Powder to hit its target.
After all, in this windy weather, powder-type skills would just get blown away, but...
"Butterfree, use Sleep Powder!"
"Idiot, don't use that move!" Misty exclaimed the moment Ash gave the command.
But Butterfree on the field had already executed Ash's order, releasing Sleep Powder.
As expected, the Sleep Powder was swept away by the swirling sand, mixing with it and failing to touch Onix.
"A great opportunity, Onix, use Rock Slide!" With Sleep Powder missing, Butterfree was in a vulnerable state, and Brock didn't miss the chance, commanding Onix to attack!
Onix roared, giant boulders appearing all around it, then launching towards Butterfree.
In the Sandstorm, Rock Slide was almost invisible, indirectly increasing its hit rate.
"Oh no, Butterfree, dodge quickly!!" It was evident that Ash was a Newbie Trainer; even with top-tier training, the short duration couldn't prevent a blunder like this Sleep Powder slip-up.
Now, Ash could only rely on Butterfree's own ability to dodge.
At this crucial moment, Butterfree's excellent speed shone through.
Just as the Rock Slide was about to hit, Butterfree rapidly moved to the right, narrowly avoiding the attack.
Seeing this, Ash breathed a sigh of relief.
"That was close. If Rock Slide had hit, it would be all over... I didn't realize Sandstorm had such an effect. Truly, a Gym Trainer can't be underestimated." Ash wiped the sand-laden sweat from his forehead with seriousness.
Misty also patted her chest, breathing a sigh of relief; the perilous moment had made her quite tense.
Who would have thought Ash would make such a mistake…
No, it's more realistic that Ash made such a mistake!