Faced with Nosepass's formidable defenses, Yong thought through his options.
He believed every defense had its limits! In particular, Nosepass could only rely on Iron Sand Protection and Protect to defend against physical attacks, and Protect's success rate dropped with repeated use. If he could seize that opening, Onix's strength would surely break through the iron sand and deal tremendous damage.
After all, with maxed-out move proficiency and a Steel-type attack's double effectiveness, how could they not win? It was just a matter of who could hold out longer!
Having made up his mind, Yong launched another offensive!
"Onix, Dig!"
"Have you settled on a strategy?"
With a soft smile, Roxanne watched the boy expectantly, waiting for him to demonstrate the power of Rock-type Pokémon!
"Nosepass, spread your Magnetic Field around you and watch for Onix's movements!"
"Nosepaaass~"
Responding slowly, Nosepass spread its vast magnetic field once more, continually probing underground to pinpoint Onix's location.
"Ignore it! Burst out and use Iron Tail!"
"Dodge!"
Of course, Roxanne understood Protect's drawbacks. She wanted to use the magnetic field to sense the attack in advance and dodge early.
Just as Onix's attack was about to land, Nosepass correctly anticipated its position and avoided the blow.
"Again! Don't get discouraged, Onix! Keep using Dig!"
"Roar!"
"Keep searching, Nosepass!"
Roxanne frowned. For now, she could only defend.
"Come out! Iron Tail!"
Onix emerged from another direction, gathering energy into its tail. Gleaming with a metallic sheen, it swung at Nosepass again, but Nosepass had sensed its location beforehand and dodged once more, only slightly slower than before.
"That's it, Onix! Dig, then Iron Tail!"
Yong continued directing Onix, waiting for his chance.
Finally, this time, although Nosepass sensed Onix's location, it failed to dodge!
"Protect!"
Left with no choice, Roxanne finally ordered Protect, successfully blocking the attack!
"So you discovered its one weakness after all..."
Roxanne looked at the boy with a slight smile, giving him a chance to show what he knew.
"Well then, what's the reason?"
"Nosepass is a Pokémon that barely moves. It might only move a centimeter in an entire year!"
Drawing on the information he had learned in his previous life, Yong answered confidently.
"It usually buries itself underground and stays motionless, hunting by drawing prey toward itself with the powerful magnetism its body emits. That magnetism keeps it from moving!"
"What's more, Miss Roxanne, your Nosepass has covered its entire body in iron sand. That increases its defense but greatly reduces its speed. I'm honestly impressed it managed to dodge even a few attacks!"
"I simply used the repulsion between matching magnetic poles to generate an explosive burst of force and launch the Pokémon away!"
Shaking her head, Roxanne explained.
"It's hardly a clever trick, and as you can see, it can't be used indefinitely."
Nosepass's excellent control over magnetism gave it unparalleled defenses, but also reduced its speed to a minimum. Already barely able to move, it could now only shift its position using the properties of magnetic poles. As time passed, however, the effect would fade, and it consumed a great deal of stamina.
Now it all came down to whether Onix would break through Nosepass's defenses and defeat it first, or Nosepass would successfully counterattack from behind its defenses!
"Onix, Iron Tail!"
"Nosepass! Protect!"
Lady Luck still favored Nosepass. The white barrier successfully blocked the attack again. Yet it was clear that Onix had not actually put its full strength into the blow. It was still waiting!
Roxanne knew exactly what her opponent was waiting for. She could not let this continue!
"Power Gem!"
Multicolored light flared, forming beams that shot outward!
"Onix, Dig!"
Onix quickly burrowed into the ground, which was already riddled with holes, and avoided the energy attack.
"Nosepass, sense Onix's location! Bulldoze!"
This was a powerful Ground-type move that could deal physical damage while also slowing the opponent!
"Come out, Onix! Screech!"
"Electromagnetic Barrier!"
The familiar effect appeared again, rendering the sound-wave attack ineffective!
Yong also felt that they could not keep dragging this out. Onix had used too many moves and had little stamina left.
"Onix! Charge toward it underground! Use Iron Tail with everything you've got!"
"The final blow? Then let's see whose luck is better!"
The rare novelty left Roxanne feeling expectant as well. Betting victory or defeat on a single move's success rate-this was a first for her!
"Nosepass, we're doing the same! Protect!"
Boom!
The ground exploded. With unstoppable momentum, Onix concentrated all its remaining strength into its tail. White light enveloped the enormous tail as it smashed toward Nosepass, Steel-type energy surging!
At last, under the eyes of both trainers and the referee, the anticipated white barrier failed to appear!
Protect had failed!
Bang!!
The tremendous force slammed Nosepass into the ground, stripping away its iron sand. Already weakened by Dig, the ground could not withstand Nosepass's weight and the force of Iron Tail, and abruptly collapsed!
Rocks tumbled, dust flew, and rumbling filled the air!
Only after a long while did the battlefield settle.
Looking at Nosepass buried beneath the fallen rocks, Roxanne smiled helplessly and took out its Poké Ball to recall it.
"Thank you for your hard work, Nosepass!"
Seeing this, the referee immediately announced the result.
"Nosepass is unable to battle! The winner of this match is Yong from Dewford Town!"
Nearby, Onix watched its opponent being recalled and threw back its head with a fierce roar!
"Ding! Onix has won an official battle! Gained 100 training points! First-victory reward: 100 training points! Gained a large amount of experience!" "Ding! Dig, Screech, and Dragon Breath proficiency increased! Iron Tail proficiency cannot increase!"
Yes, we won! Even if we mostly took advantage of our opponent's weakness, and luck played a huge part, winning still feels great!
"Thanks for your hard work. You did really well, Onix!"
"Roar~!"
Smiling as he recalled Onix, Yong looked at Roxanne and the referee as they approached.
"That was a wonderful battle. You did very well, Yong!"
He scratched his head sheepishly and smiled.
"Miss Roxanne, I just got a little lucky. Otherwise, Onix wouldn't have been able to hold on either."
Roxanne shook her head and said with a smile,
"Luck is part of strength too. As a trainer, you have to use every factor available to you to achieve victory!"
Smiling, she took a gray Stone Badge and a book from the referee and handed them to Yong.
"You did wonderfully! You fully demonstrated the unyielding spirit and tremendous strength of Rock-type and Ground-type Pokémon. This Stone Badge is yours. This notebook contains notes on learning Onix's Serpentine Movement, along with my insights into raising Rock-type Pokémon. I hope it helps you!"
"This is great! Thank you, Miss Roxanne!"
Accepting the badge and notebook, Yong thanked her happily. He knew that, for him, this notebook was the greatest reward of all!
Roxanne waved a hand and said with a smile,
"I look forward to seeing how you do at the Pokémon League tournament. Keep working hard!"
"I will!"
He made the promise earnestly, then waved goodbye to Miss Roxanne. With the rewards from this Gym battle in hand, Yong turned and headed back along the way he had come.
Next, it was time to prepare for Onix's evolution!