Qiao Ran had never used this move before, but now, he held nothing back.
And so, something astonishing happened—when Excadrill began spinning its steel claws to stir up a sandstorm, the ground beneath its feet suddenly started shaking violently. Waves of energy seemed ready to burst straight out from
beneath the ground, frightening Excadrill into hastily stopping its move and dodging away.
Less than half a second after it swiftly retreated, the energy burst through the surface. If Excadrill had still been standing there, it would likely have suffered terrifying damage!
"What? Earth Power?! ...Why didn't you use that move earlier?!"
Iron Maiden was equally startled by Qiao Ran's move. Earth Power—a Ground-type move—dealt double-effective damage to Steel-type Pokémon. If Qiao Ran had known this move all along, why had he chosen not to use it?
If he had used it earlier, Mawile could never have held on for so long!
"Why? Why didn't I use it earlier?"
A mysterious smile appeared on Qiao Ran's face. Why had he not used it? Naturally, because he had been waiting for this moment!
It seemed he had indeed made the right gamble.
If Iron Maiden had known Dianxi possessed such a frightening move, she might not have sent out Excadrill in weather without a sandstorm and let Excadrill create one itself.
But now, Earth Power alone could seal off most of Excadrill's movements and prevent it from finding its rhythm.
Still, Qiao Ran needed to be careful. If Excadrill managed to create a sandstorm and double its speed, Mega Dianxi, who was four times weak to Steel-type moves, would become a porcelain doll before it—one that shattered at the slightest touch. That was absolutely not an outcome Qiao Ran wanted to see.
To prevent that from happening, he had to eliminate every possibility of Excadrill setting up a sandstorm. As long as no sandstorm appeared on the field, Excadrill's speed would not be enough to guarantee a hit on Mega Dianxi!
"Dianxi, keep using Earth Power!"
"Di!"
Floating in midair, Dianxi only needed to raise a hand lightly for a patch of ground to begin shaking. Excadrill on the ground could only dodge everywhere, unable to find any chance to counterattack.
"This is bad..." Iron Maiden's expression grew grave. Excadrill was strong, that was true, but without someone helping it set up a sandstorm—or setting one up itself—it could not possibly perform at its best.
What should she do? What should she do?
Iron Maiden began thinking of a way to break the deadlock. At that moment, she even had the illusion that the opponent was the Gym Trainer and she was the challenger. How were this guy's Pokémon... so strong??
Vulpix had gone so smoothly just now!
The stalemate continued. Dianxi unleashed Earth Power, and Excadrill dodged the attacks. The cycle went on for a long, long time, and neither side seemed able to do anything to the other.
But at the very last moment, Dianxi's Earth Power struck Excadrill.
Massive energy erupted from the churning earth. Struck by that force, Excadrill let out a scream as its body was sent flying.
"Nice!"
Qiao Ran shouted excitedly.
However—the Iron Maiden across from him wore the exact same expression as Qiao Ran.
"Now! Excadrill, Iron Head!"
"What?!"
Qiao Ran's heart jolted. Right before his eyes, the Excadrill that had been blasted away used the explosion's impact to accelerate directly toward Dianxi.
Dragging its battered body behind it, Excadrill cut a silver arc through the air.
"Didn't expect that, did you? This was my attack route all along, Qiao Ran!"
Iron Maiden's body trembled with excitement. Her fighting spirit would not fade just because she was at a disadvantage. On a path full of thorns, she would carve out a way forward and keep advancing.
She would be the final victor!
"Full-power Iron Head, Excadrill!"
"Chii chii chii!"
Excadrill's body slammed straight into the floating Dianxi. Both Pokémon crashed to the ground, producing a tremendous boom and kicking up a spray of shattered stones.
"Excadrill!"
"Dianxi...!"
Iron Maiden and Qiao Ran both called out to their Pokémon. Yet once the dust settled, both Pokémon were lying on the ground at the same time, their eyes replaced by spirals.
"Both... both sides have lost their ability to battle! This battle ends in a draw!! However, Qiao Ran still has one Pokémon able to battle!"
Eve took several deep breaths before finally announcing the verdict.
Even as the referee, she had watched that fierce battle with her heart in her throat.
She had never expected it to end like this.
"So! The winner of this battle is—Qiao Ran from Longjiang City!!!"
Second Badge
"W-We won! We won! Dianxi, we won!"
Upon hearing that he had won, Qiao Ran cried out excitedly. But when he looked at Dianxi lying on the field with spirals in her eyes, a wave of exhaustion surged through his body, as though all his strength had been instantly drained away.
"Ugh!"
Perhaps the sudden joy had dulled the feeling of being knocked down, so Qiao Ran had not felt this tired just now. But when he saw Dianxi
that feeling washed over him like a tide.
Unlike with Vulpix before, Dianxi's sensation was even more intense this time. After all, Mega Evolution was an additional burden on the Trainer as well. As Qiao Ran panted, he quietly wondered—should he find some way to improve his physical condition?
A mere three-on-three Gym battle had exhausted him to this extent. What would he do when he had to fight six-on-six League battles in the future? Besides, if he had a stronger body, Dianxi and the others would not be able to casually knock him over anymore.
Once he got stronger, it would be time to establish his authority as a Trainer.
"Come back first, Dianxi... Rest for now."
Qiao Ran recalled Dianxi into her Poké Ball. Taking a hit from Excadrill, which had a fourfold type advantage, truly did not feel good. Even Dianxi needed some time to recover.
After recalling Dianxi, Qiao Ran could not help but drop to one knee again. This battle had drained him more than any before. Unlike his previous battles, he had expended immense energy to fight a Gym Leader's well-trained Pokémon. On top of that, Mega Evolution acted like a pump, drawing huge amounts of Qiao Ran's energy and pouring it into Dianxi's body.
"Are you alright?"
A voice sounded beside Qiao Ran. He did not get a clear look at the person, but a pair of sturdy arms supported him and helped him up from the ground.
"You too... Since using psychic power consumes so much, don't force yourself to squander it like that. Mental power truly is a special kind of strength, and you used it well, but the burden on your body is far too great..."
"...???"
Hearing the other person's gentle voice, a string of question marks somehow appeared over Qiao Ran's head.
Psychic power...?? Mental power???
When had he ever used that??
Then he turned toward the speaker, only to discover in surprise that the one helping him up was not Eve, but the Gym Leader who had looked displeased with him earlier—Iron Maiden.
Yet there was no trace of her former disdain on her face. Instead, it was filled with worry and concern. Her one-hundred-and-eighty-degree change in attitude left Qiao Ran even more bewildered.
What happened??
Who was he? Where was he??
Why was this woman not scolding him anymore??
"Although you won the Gym battle, what you need most right now is rest."
Seeing Qiao Ran's ghost-stricken expression, Iron Maiden became even more convinced that he had overexerted himself.
"How about this? I'll take you to the lounge so you can rest for a while."
As she spoke, she stretched out her arms and directly scooped Qiao Ran up from the ground in a princess carry.
Qiao Ran: "...???????"
Countless question marks popped up over Qiao Ran's head once more. It was not just him—even Eve, who had been idling in the back, opened her mouth wide and blankly stared at the masterpiece unfolding before her.
A tall woman was actually carrying a boy in a princess carry...
What... was going on here?!
Since his body was still exhausted, Qiao Ran had no way to resist and could only let Iron Maiden carry him into the lounge.
What was more, after experiencing it firsthand, he finally understood just how frightening Iron Maiden's brute strength was. Even while carrying him, she showed no sign of fatigue at all. It felt as though she was not holding a person, but a weightless ball of cotton.
"Um... I only need to rest for a while to recover. You don't need to put me on a bed."
Qiao Ran looked around and found that Iron Maiden seemed to have brought him to somewhere resembling an infirmary.
"No matter how minor the injury, it must be taken seriously."
Iron Maiden ignored Qiao Ran's resistance, forcibly placed him on the bed, and even tucked the blanket over him properly.
Only after doing all that did she remove a badge from the inner lining of her long coat and place it before Qiao Ran.
"This is the badge of our Jinling Gym. Having passed the trial, you are qualified to receive it. I saw your intelligence, perseverance, and resolve. Well done."
"Th-Thank you."
Qiao Ran humbly accepted the praise. Honestly, receiving such recognition from a Gym Leader was quite exciting.
But when he looked at the badge, his expression stiffened again.
He suddenly realized that the badge was shaped like an enormous shovel...
"This shape..."
"I suggested changing it to this shape to the League. They thought it was good too, so they approved my request. This shape is great, isn't it?"
Iron Maiden stared at Qiao Ran's face, a strange light flickering in her eyes. Qiao Ran shuddered and hurriedly nodded.
"Y-Yes, yes, everything you say is right."
This brute-strength woman put far too much pressure on him. He even had the feeling that if he dared say otherwise, she would pull a shovel from beneath the bed and flatten him right into the hospital bed.
"Wonderful. It's good that you like it too."
Iron Maiden nodded in satisfaction, then rose from beside the bed.
"Rest and recover properly. If anything comes up, come find me anytime. I'll go handle some follow-up matters first. My contact number is XXX-XXXXX. If that doesn't work, you can find the person in charge of the Gym. Also, about that thing of yours... Forget it, we won't talk about that for now. Get some rest."
After giving Qiao Ran a round of instructions, Iron Maiden left the room. As the Gym Leader, she still had many matters to handle. For her battle against Qiao Ran that afternoon, she had turned down other challengers.
However, as she passed the doorway—where Eve was standing—Iron Maiden stopped and patted her "younger sister" on the shoulder.
Though they were not biological sisters, given Iron Maiden's close friendship with Eve's older sister, Eve was practically her little sister.
Iron Maiden quietly leaned close to Eve's ear and whispered something.
"If you two want to elope, I'll support you. This man isn't bad, little Eve. I'm even a little jealous of your taste..."
"...!"
Eve's face instantly turned bright red. She did not even notice Iron Maiden leave afterward.
We really weren't eloping!
Time Spent Waiting
Having obtained the Jinling Gym badge, Qiao Ran had completed half of what he needed to do in this city. As for the other half, it was naturally waiting for Eve's older sister to return, then meeting the legendary "Miss Mei."
Since they had gone exploring ruins, even Eve had no idea when they would return. Moreover, perhaps because the signal in the ruins was poor, it was impossible for Eve to contact her older sister.
With no other choice, Qiao Ran could only silently pray that they would return soon. Otherwise, he might end up waiting in Jinling indefinitely.
"You want to stay in Jinling for a while? Sure, then just stay at the Gym. If you're here, even if your mother wants to take you back, she won't be able to. Don't worry, little Eve."
Upon hearing that Qiao Ran and Eve intended to remain in Jinling, Iron Maiden immediately kept them both there.
Still, staying at the Gym was indeed a good choice. Not only could Qiao Ran train while he was there, but Eve could also be protected. Even if someone wanted to kidnap her... leaving aside that this was League territory, Iron Maiden alone could probably send someone flying with a few shovel swings.
Thus, Qiao Ran and Eve stayed, while Iron Maiden arranged rooms for them in the Gym dormitory.
The waiting was incredibly boring. Apart from leading the Pokémon through training each day, Qiao Ran took the opportunity to learn from Iron Maiden.
"Um... Miss Iron, how can I train my body to become like yours? I mean, make it a little tougher."
"Train your body?" Iron Maiden paused slightly, then a knowing smile appeared on her face.
"That's easy. Just hold this, and you'll understand."
As she spoke, she handed the shovel in her hand to Qiao Ran.
"This is..."
Before you continue