Stone Badge, It's Mine

Geodude rolled faster and faster across the field, its gray rocky body grinding ever more fiercely against the ground. The stone sphere's surface even began to glow faintly red from the heat.

It had clearly built up considerable power, causing the force of its Rollout to rise like a snowball. It was aiming to decide the battle in a single strike.

Feebas immediately formed a second Water Pulse. The translucent water ring gleamed with a clear blue light as it shot toward Geodude once more.

But this time, Geodude, rolling at high speed, displayed astonishing agility that belied its size—

Using a raised patch of ground in the battlefield for leverage, it suddenly tilted its body and forcibly changed its rolling trajectory.

The water ring whistled past its edge and slammed heavily into the ground behind it. With a splash, water sprayed everywhere, but Geodude remained completely unharmed.

"It missed!" A wave of startled cries rose from the stands. Everyone had clearly been shocked by the sudden change in direction.

"Rollout's speed is picking up!"

Lin Mo's fingertips tightened slightly, but his gaze remained calm, locked firmly onto every detail on the field.

By now, Geodude was rolling nearly twice as fast as it had at the start. The fierce gusts kicked up by the stone sphere could even blow loose gravel aside and send clouds of dust swirling.

It had clearly entered Rollout's escalating power phase. Its strength was no longer something to be underestimated.

"Feebas, keep using Water Pulse." Lin Mo's command remained unchanged.

Hearing that same unchanging command, both the crowd at the venue and the livestream viewers immediately grew restless. Comments flooded the screen:

"Streamer? Water Pulse again? Didn't you see it couldn't hit?"

"Use Whirlpool! Sweep it up! The longer Rollout lasts, the stronger it gets. If you wait any longer, it'll be over!"

"I don't get it. Why isn't he changing tactics? He shouldn't keep using Water Pulse!"

"..."

Faced with everyone else's doubts and confusion, Lin Mo seemed not to hear a thing.

His eyes remained fixed on the battlefield as he watched the splashes from each exploding Water Pulse gradually soak the rough stone ground. A thin layer of water slowly accumulated over the field, quietly changing the battle environment.

Feebas had absolute trust in Lin Mo. Without the slightest hesitation, it continuously unleashed Water Pulse after Water Pulse.

Water rings burst across the field one after another, splashing water everywhere. The once dry, hard rocky arena was soon completely soaked, and shallow puddles even formed in the lower areas.

The entire battlefield gradually became slick and wet, faintly trending toward a muddy swamp.

"What is he trying to do?" Roxanne stared at the thoroughly drenched ground, a strange uneasiness suddenly rising in her heart.

Although Geodude rolled faster and faster, its momentum growing increasingly ferocious, its path seemed to be becoming subtly unstable on the wet rocky ground. Small deviations occasionally appeared.

"Geodude, charge at Feebas with everything you have and end this battle!" Roxanne no longer hesitated and decisively ordered a final assault.

"Just about there."

The corners of Lin Mo's lips curved upward slightly, understanding flashing in his eyes. At last, he changed his command. "Feebas, Icy Wind! Aim at the battlefield!"

Feebas immediately turned and opened its mouth, blasting out a stream of frigid white air.

Wherever the current passed, even the air seemed to freeze. The water-soaked rocky ground instantly iced over, and a smooth, mirror-like layer of ice spread outward at an astonishing speed, covering more than half the battlefield in the blink of an eye.

The low-lying areas that had merely held pooled water now became crystalline ice mirrors, reflecting the sunlight pouring through the skylight so brightly that people could barely keep their eyes open.

"Not good!" Roxanne's expression changed drastically. She finally saw through Lin Mo's strategy and hurriedly shouted, "Geodude, stop! Steady yourself!"

But Geodude had already built up unstoppable momentum. Its rolling speed had reached its peak, and like a runaway horse, it simply could not stop.

The moment it rushed onto the slick ice, its massive body slipped violently, and its once straight rolling path instantly became crooked and erratic.

The stone sphere formed by Rollout collided and rebounded repeatedly across the ice, completely out of control. Carried by inertia, it could only crash around wildly.

"Now! Whirlpool!" Lin Mo's voice suddenly rose, carrying an unquestionable resolve.

Feebas seized the fleeting opportunity. Water-type energy abruptly surged around its body, and pale blue light shone brilliantly.

A massive waterspout suddenly erupted from the slick ice. Fine shards of ice swirled within its rotating currents, like an invisible giant hand filled with destructive power, viciously sweeping up the out-of-control, slipping Geodude.

"Urrgh—"

Geodude let out a muffled roar within the waterspout, its four thick arms flailing as it tried to grab onto something and steady itself. But it could only uselessly churn the rushing currents, and the vortex flung it around even more violently.

The waterspout spun faster and faster. The ice shards within it were like sharp blades, constantly striking and scraping Geodude's rocky body with crackling sounds.

"Feebas, final strike—Water Pulse!"

Lin Mo's voice was steady and firm, filled with absolute certainty of victory as it rang across the noisy battlefield.

Caught tightly in the waterspout, Geodude had been driven into a hopeless position with nowhere to gain leverage. It could only be tossed about by the vortex, without even a chance to adjust its posture. It had become a target waiting to be struck down.

Feebas's gaze sharpened as pale blue Water-type energy suddenly surged around it. The dense blue glow almost became tangible.

It focused fiercely, gathering and compressing Water-type energy before itself at high speed. A water ring several times thicker than before rapidly took shape.

The next second, the water ring, containing immense power, slammed viciously toward Geodude trapped at the center of the vortex with overwhelming force!

Boom!

The moment the water ring touched Geodude, it exploded violently. The powerful shockwave and the force of the water combined, like a thunderclap erupting.

Boom!

Amid the tremendous roar, the waterspout collapsed along with Geodude's fall.

Its massive body crashed heavily onto the ice with a dull impact. It did not move again, having completely lost the ability to battle.

"Geodude has lost the ability to battle!"

The referee stood stunned for quite a while before saying in disbelief:

"Challenger Lin Mo wins!"

Feebas landed lightly on the ice, its tail fin swaying slightly and scattering tiny ice chips.

It raised its little head toward Lin Mo, its round eyes full of irrepressible excitement and joy. Its purple scales shimmered beneath the sunlight with the radiant glow of victory.

The stands first fell into brief silence, everyone still immersed in the constantly reversing battle. Then thunderous applause and cheers erupted, continuing without end.

The livestream comments became a complete flood, with the screen filled with astonishment and praise:

"Holy crap! That was insane! First Water Pulse to soak the ground, then Icy Wind to make it slip, then Whirlpool to control the field, and Water Pulse to finish it off! Every move connected perfectly!"

"I was wrong! I shouldn't have criticized the streamer earlier! That tactical awareness is godlike. He's incredible at setting things up!"

"Feebas is freaking amazing! It went from being looked down on at the start to turning things around against the odds. I'm a fan now!"

"Who still dares call it a trash Pokémon? Come out! You know how strong it is now, right?"

"The streamer and Feebas are so in sync. This is what a Trainer and Pokémon should be like!"

"..."

Roxanne recalled the defeated Geodude and slowly walked over to Lin Mo. Her face held undisguised amazement and approval.

"Truly impressive. You used the battlefield environment to guide the battle step by step, then created a fatal opening with Icy Wind. That's already beyond the level of an ordinary Trainer."

She placed a badge carved with rocky patterns into Lin Mo's hand, her tone solemn.

"This Stone Badge is yours without question."

Lin Mo accepted the badge. It felt cold and hard in his hand, its patterns clear beneath his fingers. He gave Roxanne a deep bow.

"You flatter me, Gym Leader Roxanne. I should be the one thanking you for your guidance."

With that, Lin Mo turned and picked up Feebas from the field. The little creature affectionately rubbed its damp head against his palm, making cheerful gurgling sounds in its throat, full of Charm and pride.