Chapter 11: The Master of Inverse Attributes, The First Glimpse of Brilliance

"Preemptive strike, Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!!"

Brock only felt a flash of golden light before his eyes. Terrifying electricity erupted once again from that petite source, transforming into a thick, jagged whip of current that slammed into Onix.

"Rumble!!"

The Thunderbolt exploded!

Even Onix couldn't help but let out a mournful cry under the immense force and voltage, its body bending and tilting backward.

"As expected, the Electric-type move is having an effect on Onix..."

Brock frowned, secretly thinking the situation was a bit suspicious.

As a Gym Leader well-versed in the art of type matchups, he naturally knew that Electric-type moves should be completely ineffective against Ground-type Pokémon.

If Geodude earlier could be called a coincidence, then this Onix proved that this Pikachu was truly capable of defying the ultimate iron law of type effectiveness.

"Or perhaps this boy possesses some kind of special power...?"

His deep eyes narrowed into slits.

For instance, in the nearby Viridian Forest, every few years a bug-catching boy would emerge possessing the "Viridian Mind."

So, it wouldn't be particularly strange if this boy named Ash possessed some kind of "Anti-Type Power."

*Whoosh!*

Thinking of this, Brock suddenly ripped off his shirt, revealing a muscular physique.

His dark skin looked as if it were cast from rock.

Standing there, his sturdy frame was as firm as a boulder!

"This is the perseverance and determination of a Rock-type Pokémon! Let me, who possesses the Will of Rock, see what you're made of!"

He roared loudly, looking incredibly resolute.

"?"

Ash was blinded by the sight of this bronze-skinned hunk, wondering if taking off one's shirt was now a requirement for Gym challenges.

He couldn't back down now; he couldn't let anyone discover that he was actually just a country bumpkin from Pallet Town!

Suddenly, the fire in Ash's heart began to rise.

He also ripped off his jacket, then his black T-shirt, revealing a bare-chested physique that, while not as bulky as Brock's, was definitely solid.

"I, Ash from Pallet Town, will absolutely not lose!!"

The sweat and fighting spirit of two shirtless hunks collided continuously within the Gym.

Referee: "?"

I just took a nap, how did the situation suddenly become so intense?!

But he was a professional; he pretended to cough and continued to watch this now slightly subtle battle of the hunks.

"Very good, Ash, I admire you!"

Brock curled his lips into a smile and spoke.

He liked Ash's shirtless, fighting spirit, but that didn't mean he would go easy on him.

"Go, Onix, use Sandstorm!"

Since you like creating sandstorms, I'll show you what a real sandstorm is!

*Whap!*

Onix swung its rocky tail against the stone arena, and instantly, countless grains of sand and gravel shot into the sky, swirling continuously.

In the blink of an eye, the Pewter Gym turned into a desert land with howling yellow sand.

A sandstorm, with flying sand and stones...

It was completely incomparable to the Sand-Attack or Gust from earlier.

Ash was frightened by this massive change in the environment; it was his first time seeing a weather move.

It took him a long time to come back to his senses, and he ordered

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!!"

"Pika, chu!!"

This time, the powerful Thunderbolt didn't even travel a few meters before being neutralized by the countless dancing sands, and Pikachu was helplessly swallowed by the yellow dust.

*Whoosh!*

A black shadow darted out from the dim sandstorm. Before Pikachu could react, the shadow had already grown larger and slammed into it, sending it flying several meters away.

*Clang!*

Pikachu was hit head-on by Onix's tail, suffering a significant blow.

"Pika...!"

Pikachu, having regained its footing, hurriedly scanned its surroundings, attempting to spot Onix's trail in advance, but there was nothing but gray, swirling dust.

Ash clenched his fists.

However, this scene suddenly reminded him of a trainer's battle strategy he had seen on TV, so he hurriedly copied it and shouted

"Pikachu, calm down! Use your heart to feel the opponent's position!"

Pikachu paused: "0-0?"

You're the one fighting, you try feeling it with your heart and let me see.

"No, no, Pikachu, use your ears to sense Onix's direction!"

Ash hurriedly changed the empty, high-sounding instruction into one suitable for Pikachu's traits.

"Pika!"

The latter was exceptionally talented and understood immediately.

Its ears twitched as it calmed down, and it even closed its eyes.

*Tap, tap, tap.*

Countless grains of sand struck Pikachu, continuously draining its stamina.

But as long as it remained calm enough, it could still vaguely detect the position of that big guy.

"Pika!"

Pikachu suddenly opened its eyes and jumped into the air.

The next second, a long black shadow swept past, its power immense, carving a deep trench directly where Pikachu had been standing.

Ash's eyes lit up. He slammed his muscular arm upward and shouted

"Now's the chance, ride on it!"

"Pika!"

Pikachu did a flip in the air and landed on Onix's tail.

Since the sandstorm prevented Thunderbolt from spreading, there was no need for it to spread—point-blank range was all that mattered.

Ash waved his thumb.

"Now, use Thunderbolt!!"

"Oh no, Onix, shake it off quickly!"

Now it was Brock's turn to panic. He hadn't expected a novice trainer to come up with such a countermeasure when faced with a sandstorm.

"Roar! Roar!"

Onix's body writhed continuously in place, trying to shake Pikachu off.

The latter gritted its teeth, holding on for dear life, its cheek pouches already charged and ready.

"Pika, chu!!"

The light of the Thunderbolt flared once again!

*Boom!!*

Terrifying electricity erupted, slamming into Onix without obstruction. The latter let out a mournful cry; clearly, this move was not weak.

Brock was anxious; if he didn't shake it off, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Shake it off, quickly!"

"Pikachu, hold on, use Thunderbolt one more time!!"

Ash insisted as well.

"Pika, chu!!"

Golden lightning erupted again, the current surging into the sky and striking the writhing Onix once more.

The resulting shockwave even cleared away the sandstorm weather.

In an instant, the air quality in the Pewter Gym improved again.

"Zzzzt!!"

But the electricity was still crackling.

This had become a battle of wills.

Both Onix and Pikachu were fighting with all their might.

Finally, under Onix's frantic thrashing, Pikachu's grip slipped, and its body was flung several meters away.

But Onix's condition was even worse; its entire body was charred black, and it was gasping for air.

It couldn't even keep its body upright; it was clearly at the end of its rope.

Ash, however, had brilliant eyes. He raised his arm above his forehead and roared

"Final blow, use Slam!"

Pikachu, tumbling in the air, adjusted its posture and finally tucked its tail beneath itself.

After a spin, it brought its tail down, striking Onix squarely on the forehead.

"Chu-pi!"

No one noticed that the very tip of its tail had become coated in a metallic sheen.

Slam!

*Clang!*

The strike to the center of Onix's forehead was too much; unable to withstand the pressure, its massive body collapsed with a crash.

"Onix is unable to battle, Pikachu wins! The winner of the Pewter Gym challenge is Ash!"

Brock was stunned.

He hadn't expected this novice trainer to actually defeat him just like that.

Especially that Pikachu—whether it was Thunderbolt or Slam, they were moves with neutral effectiveness, yet it had forcefully toppled his Onix.

In the end, Brock could only smile helplessly and sigh.

"What an incredible boy..."

Pikachu slowly walked over to Onix, patted its head, as if saying something.

"You're definitely not the last one I'll ride, but as the first, celebrate."

If Meowth were here, he would surely have been able to translate Pikachu's arrogant tone perfectly.

After the match.

Ash received the trophy for defeating the Pewter Gym: the Boulder Badge.

He held it high above his forehead in excitement, looking incredibly spirited.

This was the first step toward becoming a Pokémon Master!

"Ash, congratulations..."

Brock looked at Ash's youthful, reckless expression with envy. This ability to fight freely for one's dreams made him incredibly jealous.

Unfortunately, there were too many younger siblings at home; even if Brock wanted to leave, he simply couldn't...

"Ash, leave the Gym to me. Go ahead and realize your dreams without worry!"

A middle-aged man's voice suddenly shouted from the entrance of the Pewter Gym.

Brock looked up abruptly. Flint and Misty had slowly walked in.

Flint even took off his hood, revealing a dark face that was seventy percent similar to Brock's—neither of them had eyes.

"Ah, Dad, didn't you already die?"

Brock asked, looking shocked.

Flint: "?"

Following that, a touching scene of fatherly love and filial piety left Ash, watching from the side, in tears.

"Waaaah, if only my dad..."

As he spoke, Ash suddenly realized.

"Right, my dad's been gone for a long time."

Misty, watching Ash and Brock from the side, felt completely bewildered.

She even felt a bit of cold sweat and stepped back a few paces.

Wasn't this a Gym challenge? Why were both of them shirtless?

Was Pokémon training outdated? Were Gym battles now supposed to be shirtless hand-to-hand combat?

In the end, Brock, now free from family burdens, made a sincere request to join the team.

"Ash, can I join your team?"

Perhaps by following such an extraordinary boy, his own dreams might come true too?

"Join if you want, don't ask me, I'm not the protagonist anyway," Ash replied nonchalantly.

As for why Misty kept following him, it was all just inexplicable.

It was just a bicycle; as a future Pokémon Master, would he really welch on a debt?

Besides, once he became a Pokémon Master, her scrapped, useless bike would only skyrocket in value—it would be sold as an antique!

In that case, Misty should probably be paying him money now.

It was perfectly logical.

After a round of introductions, Brock also noticed Misty.

"Hey, aren't you from the Cerulean Gym..."

Hearing this, Misty jumped and hurriedly signaled him to shut up.

Brock quickly realized, and being a man who understood others' feelings, he knew Misty might have her own difficulties, so he naturally wouldn't expose her.

But he had decided that Misty was a friend he would definitely make today.

If only for the sake of her three sisters.