The Gym battle in Pewter City

After casually grinding Samurai Boy into the dirt, Gary felt refreshed and steamrolled his way through Viridian Forest.

At last, around noon, he reached the entrance to Pewter City.

Compared with Viridian City, Pewter City undoubtedly had a more distinctive character. Its predominantly dark gray palette suited its Rock-type style perfectly.

But what was the deal with this little shack and all the stones scattered in front of it?

"Come on over, turn money into more money! Young man, want to buy some stones?" a burly older man in a knitted wool cap called enthusiastically.

Unless Gary was mistaken, this had to be Uncle Brock, the former Leader of the Pewter Gym and Brock's deadbeat dad.

"Uh... mister, do you have a stone like this?" Gary took out a piece of paper and drew a glass marble-like stone with a Genetic Spiral pattern inside.

"Oh, let me see... nope." The strange stone-selling man shook his head helplessly.

"See? It's not that I won't buy anything. I gave you a chance, but you don't have the goods." Gary spread his hands. "So you might as well pack up and go home. I still have to challenge the Pewter Gym."

"You want to challenge the Pewter Gym?" Uncle Brock suddenly looked up.

"I'm a Pokémon Trainer. Of course I'm going to challenge an official Gym recognized by the Pokémon League," Gary replied matter-of-factly.

"Oh? Brock is pretty strong, you know. Are you sure you're up to it, young man?" Uncle Brock asked.

Gary curled his lip. "Brock of the Pewter Gym specializes in Rock-type Pokémon. He has an Onix over level twenty on his team, which is a bit tricky, but calling him 'pretty strong' is something of an exaggeration."

"Looks like you're the type to do your homework beforehand." Uncle Brock nodded approvingly.

"The previous Gym Leader really was pretty formidable, but Brock's a rookie. I hear he has to do the housework and look after his younger siblings every day, so he probably doesn't have much time to train," Gary said bluntly. "If Onix didn't have an advantage in sheer weight, wouldn't the Pewter Gym soon rank near the bottom of Kanto's official Gyms?"

Gary wasn't being alarmist. Of Kanto's eight top-tier Gyms, the Pewter Gym and the Cerulean Gym were currently the worst.

The reasons were much the same. Uncle Brock of the Pewter Gym and Auntie Azure of the Cerulean Gym, both formerly powerful Gym Leaders, had suddenly disappeared.

Brock and the Four Girls of the Cerulean Gym had received little formal training, and their Gyms' strength had plummeted.

By comparison, Erika of Celadon City had smoothly inherited her Gym from her family and was performing much better.

"Ah... it's all the fault of Brock's irresponsible father." Uncle Brock sighed and pointed ahead. "Follow the main road, and you'll reach the Pewter Gym. Off you go."

"Well then, mister, see you around." After saying goodbye to Uncle Brock, Gary continued on his way.

Judging by how Uncle Brock looked, his return to the Gym probably wasn't far off. Soon, Brock would be able to set aside his family responsibilities and pursue his own dreams.

In a few more years, when a fully developed Brock returned to hold down the Pewter Gym, Kanto's rookie Trainers would finally learn what a real challenge looked like.

Gary was rather looking forward to that sight...

Rather than heading straight to the Gym, Gary made his usual first stop at the Pokémon Center after entering Pewter City.

He had been so busy rushing onward in Viridian City that he had forgotten to register for the Indigo League.

So Gary headed to Pewter City's Pokémon Center right away.

He handed his Pokédex to Nurse Joy, who entered his Trainer information into the Indigo League's main computer.

Nurse Joy returned his Pokédex with a smile. "All done. Your registration is complete."

"Sorry for the trouble." After thanking Nurse Joy, Gary had Eevee and the others checked over, then squeezed in a cup of coffee. Only once he was fully ready did he head to the Pewter Gym.

As a traditional Gym with a long history, the Pewter Gym had a distinctly old-fashioned stone facade that looked solemn and imposing.

Thinking of Brock's outwardly reserved but secretly playful personality, Gary couldn't help chuckling. It really did suit his style.

"Eevee, ready? We have to win our first battle in style!" Gary said confidently, folding his arms.

"Vee!" Eevee lay on Gary's shoulder and obligingly answered.

Ding! Kanto quest series: Onward to Indigo Plateau has begun.

Current progress: (0/8).

Current quest: Obtain the Pewter Gym Badge.

Rewards: 500 achievement points, Technical Disk: [Rollout].

"Here we go!" Gary smiled and raised his eyebrows. At last, he was starting the main quest.

Without further hesitation, Gary pushed open the door and entered the Pewter Gym.

He passed through a dim corridor and reached the Gym's battlefield, frowning. Surely the Pewter Gym wasn't so broke that it couldn't afford to turn on the lights?

Click! Just as Gary was grumbling inwardly, a spotlight shone down from the ceiling.

A man with spiky hair and narrow eyes, dressed in a green vest, sat cross-legged on a seat not far from Gary.

"Who goes there?" Brock asked solemnly.

Gary had to admit that before his whole image went off the rails, Brock did have something of an expert's air.

"I'm Gary from Pallet Town, and I'm here to challenge the Pewter Gym!" Gary stepped forward and declared loudly.

"Interesting. You and Eevee seem very close. In that case, I accept your challenge!" Brock stood and snapped his fingers.

Click! The room flooded with light as every light in the Gym switched on. Gary could finally see the entire battlefield.

The arena was regulation League size, with exposed pipes and steel beams overhead. The decor was decidedly hardcore.

Brock rose and walked to the Gym Trainer's command position.

"The rules are two-on-two. Any objections?" He took out a remote and activated the rocky battlefield. The two halves of the rock-covered arena slid inward to meet in the middle.

"No objections. Let's do this." Gary nodded awkwardly.

There wasn't even a professional referee, so Gary didn't expect a professional explanation of the battle rules either.

"Then this is my first Pokémon! Come on out, Onix!" Once the battlefield was ready, Brock seized the initiative and sent out his ace, Onix.

Standing two stories tall, Onix was quite an intimidating sight up close.

That was part of Brock's strategy too. Scare his opponents right from the start, and plenty of rookies would lose their composure.

Gary studied Onix with interest. "This Onix is still young, isn't it? It doesn't seem to have reached its full size yet."

Brock frowned slightly at Gary's remark. He had run into a tough customer. His intimidation hadn't worked at all!

"Enough talk. Send out your Pokémon," Brock urged.

"Relax. This will be over soon. Eevee, go!" Gary waved his hand, and Eevee immediately jumped onto the battlefield.

"A Normal-type Eevee? Looks like you don't have much battle experience." Brock smiled easily.

"Really? Then let's begin!" Gary gave him a mysterious smile.

His Eevee was no ordinary Eevee. This was the Eevee from Professor Oak's senryu...

"Let me show you how harsh a Gym battle can be! Onix, use Tackle!" Brock wasted no time and launched his attack.

"Raaah!" The enormous Onix lunged down, its millstone-sized head charging straight toward Eevee's tiny body.

"Quick Attack." Gary snapped his fingers.

"Vee!" Eevee shot forward like a white lightning bolt, easily dodging Onix's attack.

"A huge body doesn't just mean strength. It also costs most of its agility," Gary said calmly.

Some Trainers did work on their Onix's agility, but its physique meant it could never dart and weave freely. Once it missed an attack, it was bound to take a hit!

"Eevee, Bullet Seed!" Gary wasn't one to let an opportunity slip. He immediately retaliated with Bullet Seed.

Eevee positioned behind Onix, opened its little mouth, and fired a stream of green seeds straight into the back of Onix's head.

Bang, bang, bang! Even with a head made of stone, that sounded painful!

"That's a Grass-type move?" Brock was dumbfounded. "Can Eevee learn that?"

Seeing Brock distracted, Gary showed no mercy. "Eevee, Sand Attack!"

Eevee turned around and kicked with its hind legs!

Smack! A clump of sand hit Onix square in the face... How to put it? Not much damage, but plenty of insult...

"Damn it! Onix, use Dig!" Brock's battle instincts were still sharp. If a head-on confrontation wasn't working, he would take a roundabout approach.

Burrowing underground to ambush his opponent was a perfectly good strategy.

However...

Gary grinned. "You're handing me this one yourself. Eevee, aim at the hole and use Water Gun!"

Boom! A powerful jet of water blasted into the hole, and Brock's face twisted with anger.

"What is this?! Is that an Eevee? You're cheating, aren't you? You've got to be cheating!"

Rumble! Regardless of Brock's shock, Onix couldn't take it anymore. It burst out of the ground headfirst, spitting out a mouthful of water along the way...

"Thunderbolt..." Gary's philosophy was simple: when your opponent was down, finish them off...

Crackle... Golden lightning flared, and Eevee's electrical attack engulfed the water-soaked Onix.

"Raaah!!" Onix reared up in agony, then crashed to the ground...

"Looks like I won this round." Gary spread his hands.

"Uh... yes, you did..." Brock scratched his head. "That Eevee's really something..."

Gary smiled, praised Eevee a little, then recalled his adorable companion.

"Charmander, you're up next."

Looking at Brock, Gary gave him a friendly smile. "Well then, let's start the second half."

Brock: (⇀‸↼‶)...