Dim light shone on gray rock walls, nothing like the splendor Yong had imagined. True to Rustboro Gym's specialty, subdued colors filled the building. The surrounding walls and floor were made of real rock, their surfaces rough and uneven.
Past the entrance, statues of Golem and Nosepass stood on either side. Directly ahead of Yong was the mouth of a cave, pitch-black, with no telling where it led.
The entire layout perfectly captured the understated, reserved nature of Rock-types. Beyond that, there was only solidity and hardness!
Yong took a deep breath. He knew this was where the assessment began!
A long, rocky mountain path lay ahead. As long as he defeated the Gym apprentices along the way, he would be able to meet the Gym Leader. This also made it easier for the Gym Leader to judge his strength.
He stepped into the dark cave. The scattered lights inside were enough to see the path, and as he followed it forward, he could tell he was climbing uphill.
"Are you the challenger this time?"
As he was taking it all in, a boy wearing a straw hat emerged from a corner.
"Hello, I'm Yong, from Dewford Town!"
Yong nodded, his nerves gradually settling.
"Good! I'm an apprentice at Rustboro Gym, a junior Trainer!"
With a slightly proud expression, the boy introduced himself.
"My name's Wufu. Judging by your looks, you're a rookie Trainer, right? First time at a Gym?"
"Uh, yes! I'm a rookie, and this is my first Gym battle!"
There was no denying it. Yong really was a rookie.
"You're challenging a Gym as a rookie?"
Wufu shook his head theatrically, looking regretful.
"I think you should give it some serious thought. There's a pretty big gap between rookies and junior Trainers, after all!"
"Yes!"
Yong nodded earnestly in agreement.
"But I'd still like to give it a try. Please show me what you've got!"
"Fine, fine! Since I'm a Gym apprentice, I suppose the great Wufu will just have to teach you a lesson!"
Tugging at his hat brim, Wufu nodded smugly and threw his Poké Ball.
"Go, Geodude!"
"Hey-cha-cha!"
A flash of white light revealed a healthy, rock-shaped Pokémon!
Pokémon: Geodude, Lv. 15, Rock Pokémon. Usually lives along mountain trails, burying half its body in the ground to observe passing climbers. Gender: Male Type: Rock + Ground Nature: Quiet Ability: Rock Head. Takes no recoil damage from its own moves. Friendship: 0 (P.S. From now on, friendship won't be displayed for Pokémon outside the protagonist's team. It isn't useful.) Moves: Tackle (proficient), Defense Curl (proficient), Rollout (mastered), Harden (proficient), Rock Polish (proficient) Egg moves: None TM moves: Rock Tomb (proficient)
Geodude
He was much stronger than Yong had imagined, especially in move proficiency. Yong's own Pokémon only improved their move proficiency so quickly because he had the system's help.
These Gym apprentices, however, had earned those improvements through genuine training and countless battles. Their levels might not be high, but they still had real strength. Among junior Trainers, Wufu could certainly be considered an expert.
Rollout in particular! With such a huge difference in proficiency, the way it was used must be different too.
In the real world, Rollout didn't grow stronger by hitting an opponent over five turns. Instead, its power increased the longer the user kept rolling! It was an incredibly powerful move.
Still, there was no need to worry. His Marshtomp was strong too.
"That's a very good Geodude! Then on my side, I choose you, Marshtomp!"
"Mar-lo!"
With a confident cry, Marshtomp appeared on the battlefield. His fighting spirit blazed in his eyes as he stared at Geodude, itching to get started!
"This..."
Wufu stared at Marshtomp, a little stunned.
"This is novice-level?"
"I never said I was novice-level!"
"But aren't you a rookie who just started traveling?!"
Wufu felt cheated. Most rookie Trainers who came to challenge the Gym used their Starter Pokémon. Few had a first-stage evolution.
Even those who did would announce it proudly, thinking they were impressive. The Gym would then choose an appropriate Gym Trainer to battle them, rather than an apprentice like him!
Gym apprentices were assigned to rookies and challengers who had only just reached junior Trainer level. They could go a little easy on them, then hand them over to the Gym Leader. A boy as modest and composed as Yong was rare!
"Whatever. Maybe he's all show!"
Calming down, Wufu demonstrated the self-control expected of a Gym apprentice.
"The rules are one Pokémon each. As long as you beat my Geodude, you can keep going!"
"Understood!"
"Let's begin! Geodude, Full Boost!"
Full Boost? What move was that?
Gray light flashed over Geodude's body, making him look even more solid. His rocky body clicked and crunched, seemingly becoming smoother and rounder!
"..."
Yong understood. Wufu was using three status moves-Defense Curl, Harden, and Rock Polish-together.
Every move was unique, with its own way of channeling energy. It wasn't as simple as adding one and one.
Combining moves of the same type was one thing, but combining different types also required resolving their compatibility! That wasn't a technique a junior Trainer could normally master. Gym Trainers truly were the Pokémon League's elite. Even the apprentices they taught were this strong!
Still, it would only make things a little more troublesome.
"Marshtomp, stay ready. Don't rush!"
"Underestimating me? Geodude, another round of Full Boost!"
"Hey-cha-cha!!"
Once again, he used the combination move!
"Interrupt him! Supersonic!"
Invisible sound waves spread from the fin on Marshtomp's head, sweeping toward Geodude. Yet Geodude seemed completely unaffected as he powered up. What could a stubborn lump of rock feel, anyway?
"Let's get started! Rollout Impact!"
So Rollout really was the core of his strategy!
Then let's put Marshtomp's strength to the test!
"Marshtomp, Rock Smash! Catch him!"
"Mar-lo!"
With a loud cry, Marshtomp spread his arms, coating them in Fighting-type energy. He planted himself directly in Geodude's path as his opponent rolled toward him.
"Hmph! After two Full Boosts, Geodude can't be stopped! Speed up with Rollout!"
At Wufu's command, Geodude accelerated again, and Rollout's power rose along with his speed!
Under both Trainers' watchful eyes, he rolled straight toward Marshtomp, who blocked his path.
Bang!
The sound of their collision rang especially loudly through the cave. Amid a harsh scraping noise, Geodude pressed against Marshtomp's body, still trying to force his way forward!
But he had underestimated his opponent's strength! At the moment of impact, Marshtomp suddenly flexed both arms! Tremendous force erupted in a burst of white air! With Rock Smash bolstering him, he bodily lifted Geodude!
Off the ground! How much power could your Rollout exert now?
"What?!"
"Finish it! Marshtomp, Water Pulse!"
"Mar-lo!"
Still holding Geodude aloft, Marshtomp gathered blue Water-type energy in his mouth. It formed a blue column of water that blasted Geodude squarely in the body, sending him flying into a distant wall.
Ding! Marshtomp won an official battle! Earned 100 Training Points! Gained a moderate amount of experience! Rock Smash proficiency has reached the maximum mastered level and cannot increase further! Supersonic proficiency increased!
An official battle? Were the Training Points ten times what he earned in the wild?
"Geodude!"
Wufu hurried over and gave him a quick examination. Then he shook his head and recalled the unconscious Geodude into his Poké Ball.
"You won. You can keep challenging the Gym! Good luck. The Trainers ahead are stronger than me!"
"All right, thank you very much!"
Wufu returned to Yong, his composure restored, and gave him directions as required. Then he nodded and disappeared into a dark corner.
"Come back and rest, Marshtomp! You did great!"
Marshtomp had barely been hurt, but Yong still gave him a recovery massage before recalling him into his Poké Ball and heading in the direction Wufu had indicated.
In the lounge adjoining the Gym Leader's hall on the top floor, a girl with ribbon-shaped hair, wearing a black floral dress and pink tights, watched a monitor with keen interest, a slight smile on her lips.
"Ooh... a Marshtomp. So cute! He isn't a Rock-type, but Ground and Rock are practically family!"
"He's been raised very well. Looks like this isn't an ordinary rookie... Wufu's going to lose!"
"Oh dear, that idiot Wufu. He's terrible at judging opponents."
"Sure enough, he lost without much of a fight!"
"That was a gap in raw strength. This Marshtomp is impressively strong!"
"I'll have to make them do more strength training from now on!"
"Hmm, we can't use the usual approach for rookies..."
"Let's watch a little longer. Have Takeda give it a try and see how he handles him!"
Completely unaware, Yong continued along the mountain trail, steadily climbing higher. Up ahead, a young man in hiking clothes and cargo pants had already been waiting for quite some time!
"Hello, I'm Takeda, a Gym Trainer specializing in Rock-type Pokémon. I look forward to our battle!"