"Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip!"
Bulbasaur shook the dust off its body and extended two vines from its bulb, lashing them forward and striking Geodude hard.
After taking several lashes, Geodude grimaced in pain. Seeing it at a disadvantage, Brock hurriedly shouted, "This isn't working! Geodude, close the distance and use Rollout!"
Geodude tucked in its fists and spun rapidly, turning its body into a stone ball as it rolled toward Bulbasaur at tremendous speed.
Was he trying to fight at close range to avoid Bulbasaur's Razor Leaf?
Xia You gave a decisive command. "Don't let it! Catch it with Vine Whip!"
But Geodude was rolling far too fast. After dodging several attempts to catch it with the vines, it finally slammed into Bulbasaur.
Unfortunately for it, Rollout was a Rock-type move, so the collision did only limited damage to Bulbasaur.
Once Geodude stopped rolling, Bulbasaur seized the opportunity to catch it with its vines, lifting it high and holding it suspended in midair.
"It's time to finish this battle! Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf!"
At such close range, Geodude took the full force of Razor Leaf once again. This time, it was completely knocked out. It fell to the ground like a stone sinking to the seabed, unable to make another ripple.
Brock recalled Geodude, his expression turning solemn. He knew he had the advantage in neither strength nor type.
"That battle made it clear you have a good grasp of strategy," Brock said with an approving nod. "But if you want the Boulder Badge, you'll have to defeat this one too. Come out, Onix!"
Seeing Onix take the field again, Xia You called Bulbasaur back and sent out Squirtle.
"It's all up to you, Squirtle."
"Squirtle, Squirtle!"
Perhaps having learned from the previous battle, Brock shouted as soon as the match began, "Onix, use Rock Tomb!"
Onix raised its body and opened its enormous mouth. Instantly, countless massive rocks formed in midair and came crashing down toward Squirtle.
"Squirtle, use Withdraw!"
At Xia You's command, Squirtle hastily pulled its head and limbs into its shell. A second later, the rocks struck, only to bounce off its hard shell.
"Now's our chance!" Brock's eyes flashed as he shouted, "Onix, use Bind while you can!"
Before Squirtle could poke its head out, Onix quickly closed in. Using the same move it had used against Pikachu, it wrapped its tail around Squirtle and squeezed tightly.
It squeezed so hard that ominous cracking sounds came from Squirtle's shell.
In the stands, Misty's heart leaped into her throat. Ash watched with wide eyes, eager to see how Xia You would handle the same move he had faced.
From the trainer's box, Xia You calmly said, "Squirtle, use Rapid Spin!"
Squirtle's shell began to vibrate, shaking harder and harder as it scraped and struck against Onix's body. Finally, it spun at high speed like a top, forcibly knocking Onix's coils away.
Rapid Spin was a Normal-type physical move. Besides dealing damage to the opponent, it could also free its user from binding moves and Leech Seed!
While Onix reeled, Xia You followed up. "Squirtle, use Water Gun!"
Brock's brief moment of surprise cost him the best chance to give a command. By the time he recovered and tried to order Onix to use a move, it was already too late.
Faced with the powerful jet of water, Onix instinctively tried to dodge, but its enormous body left it unable to avoid a direct hit.
Water was super effective against Rock and Ground!
Hearing Onix's agonized cry, Brock ordered, "Onix, hurry and use Dig!"
Without seeing it firsthand, who could have imagined that Onix's enormous body could use the stone horn on its head to break through rock and soil, slipping nimbly underground?
On the now-silent battlefield, Squirtle scanned its surroundings, cautiously watching for any movement.
Just as it turned around, the ground beneath its feet suddenly split open, and an enormous creature burst out.
But Xia You was already prepared.
He knew that Dig was merely a way to hide and wait for an opening. Seeing Onix emerge beneath Squirtle's feet, just as he had expected, he shouted, "Squirtle, use Bubble!"
A mass of bubbles poured from Squirtle's mouth and rapidly expanded. Not only did they obscure Onix's vision, but they also dealt a continuous stream of Water-type damage.
Xia You thrust his right hand forward and shouted, "Now! Let's finish this battle! Squirtle, use Water Gun!"
Squirtle gazed up at the enormous creature more than ten times its size without a trace of fear. It opened its mouth and fired a jet of water at Onix, defeating it once and for all as it crashed to the ground with a thunderous boom!
Clap, clap, clap!
Applause rang out. Brock recalled the unconscious Onix into its Poké Ball, walked up to Xia You, and said sincerely, "You're really incredible. I lost this battle fair and square."
"Not at all." Xia You quickly waved his hands and said modestly, "I only had the type advantage. With other Pokémon, I wouldn't have won nearly so easily."
In truth, Brock's strength wasn't particularly outstanding among the many Gym Leaders.
After his parents had left home one after the other, he had taken responsibility for his nine younger siblings while still a minor himself. Doing laundry and cooking every day left him little time to train his Pokémon. Although he was much stronger than an ordinary trainer, he wasn't especially difficult to defeat.
Just then, Brock stepped aside, took a badge from a box, and held it out to Xia You.
"This is the Boulder Badge. As your reward for successfully completing the challenge, I'm giving it to you."
The Boulder Badge was shaped like a cut diamond. Although it was dark gray, it still reflected a brilliant gleam beneath the lights.
At last, my second Indigo League badge!
Xia You put the badge into his Badge Case and praised both of his Pokémon. Then he turned to find Misty and Ash, only to discover that Ash and Pikachu had already vanished. Misty alone was waiting for him.
"Huh? Where's Ash?"
Misty spread her hands helplessly. "Maybe seeing you win so easily got to him. He ran out without a word and never looked back. I don't know where he went."
Shaking his head, Xia You said, "Never mind. Let's leave him be for now. Knowing him, he's probably off somewhere doing some secret special training again. Even if we don't look for him now, I think he'll soon pull himself together and come back to challenge this Gym."
Before you continue