Ash is once again cheering, this time wordlessly, in his corner of the gym audience. Just behind him were two young twins crying, a girl with brown spiky hair comforting them in between.

  A small voice inside Gray’s head tells him he should chastise the boy for the slight callousness, but he refused to call the boy out in the middle of the match and direct attention to him. He was already worried about how much shenanigans Ash would get up to in the future, no need to contribute to making him a public person before they even happened.

  Besides, why shouldn’t the boy be allowed to be happy for his uncle? Gray had entered this challenge with an open mind, not expecting support, but at the very least a modicum of professionalism. Instead, he got blatant hostility and disregard. Ash had every right to rub it all in their faces, even if unknowingly.

  Already, he could feel the shift in the air. No longer did they treat Gray as an unworthy challenger reaching far above his station. He was a competent trainer who could give their respected gym leader a run for his money. He had more than proved it with Azumarill sweeping half of Brock’s team by his lonesome.

  Still, Gray didn’t need to completely sweep here. In the little time he and Azumarill battled, he had already forced everyone to see his strength as a trainer and the competence of his team.

  Up next was an even harder battle in his opinion.

  Brock was visibly slumping on his side of the field. He recalled Omastar and was whispering words of reassurance to her pokeball. Already Gray felt better for the choice he was about to make. He didn’t think Brock was a complete dick, he obviously cared for his pokemon. Initial trash talking aside, he was willing to give the younger man the benefit of the doubt that he was merely expressing his concern for Azumarill’s safety.

  Jokes on him though, obviously.

  “Why’s everyone so surprised?”

  When Gray addressed the room, everyone quieted. A few people grit their teeth, expecting a cocky trainer like Blue Oak and his poisonous tongue, only in a younger (and more handsome, thank you very much) form.

  “I’m the grandson of Professor Samuel Oak and Champion Blue’s younger brother. I was raised underfoot of Pallet Town’s gym leader, Sammy Oak. At this point, I’m probably the strongest Fairy type trainer on this side of the world. So, I’m asking again, why so surprised?”

  He addressed the crowd calmly, reminding them of his illustrious pedigree. Inside, he cringed a bit at openly acknowledging his relationship with the Professor and Blue. He turned to address Brock.

  “Were you expecting an easy battle? Sorry, but you’re not even in my radar. As far as I’m concerned, each gym battle I challenge just brings me closer and closer to beating Champion Lance Blackthorn. He annoyed me and disrespected my team,”

  He gives a savage grin at Brock, but his eyes are far away, envisioning a taller man in his place with uglier red hair.

  “So I’m going to render his dragons flightless and crawling helplessly on the ground. Fairy type pokemon are strong, and my team is here to prove that,”

  Brown eyes refocus back on Brock.

  “No offence.”

  “Azumarill!” The pokemon laughs in the field, before turning to Ash’s direction and waving. The boy replies with a wave of his own, one that involved using his entire body. Altaria and Mimikyu sound out their own cheers, happy at the dominance their teammate displayed.

  At the words of his opponent, Brock felt the noose tightening around his neck loosen. Of course. Gray Oak was right, he was a man with a pedigree who was aiming for nothing but the top.

  Brock shouldn’t have been disappointed that he was getting floored by a man only a few years his senior. Even if he was the gym leader in this case, what did it matter since his opponent had the blood of champions flowing in his veins?

  He should not have been approaching this as a defending gym leader, but rather as a challenger about to overcome a mountain. Brock was no stranger to difficult treks and rugged terrain, he would prove his mettle in this match. The region was watching, his city was watching and his siblings were watching. He would not falter and be a punching bag here. He was going to fight back.

  “It won’t be so easy. You may have beaten three of my pokemon, but I’m not done.”

  He fished out a pokeball from his belt and was just about to throw it when he was stopped by the announcer.

  “With gym leader Brock down to his last three pokemon, we will now take our first intermission. The battle will commence in fifteen minutes.”

  Brock had to unbalance himself so he wouldn't accidentally release the pokeball in his grip. He fumbled and had to right himself. He forgot about that.

  He laughed, a deep pleasant rumbling that was caught on his mic. The audience, also reassured by Gray’s reminder, were able to laugh along. Mood in the gym now more pleasant, they hurried about their business to ensure their own readiness once the battle resumed.

  Both battlers stepped out of the field and into their respective waiting rooms. Brock hurried, and as soon as he could, he was rapidly speaking to his pokemon. He talked of strategy and determination, a stark contrast to the lost and uncertain man he was just moments prior.

  Gray on the other hand, walked idly with Azumarill by his side. He sauntered slowly, a picture of poise and cockiness. It wasn’t that hard to do — he just had to envision Blue and his infuriating way of walking.

  When he was finally out of the limelight, his demeanor changed. Gone was the over confident trainer, instead replaced by an exasperated one that just had to act his way to spare Brock and his standing as a gym leader.

  He turned to address Azumarill gravely, one hand placed on the pokeballs hidden close to his chest so he could address the rest of his team too.

  “We’re going to have to go easy on Brock. We’d still beat him, but we can’t stomp him too hard. We can’t be the reason he shames himself in front of his entire community.”

  He expected his pokemon to express their indignance, their unhappiness at their strength being shackled to spare a gym leader and his feelings. Perhaps some of his team would release themselves to express their disagreement face to face? Maybe Azumarill would stubbornly refuse, holding on desperately to the clean sweep he was in the midst of making?

  To his surprise, he was met by casual agreement judging from the slight wiggling of his team’s pokeballs. Azumarill made no protest, instead, the cunning little fairy jumped to negotiating.

  “Azu-marill. Azu-Azu-zu-rill!”

  “What? You want a month’s worth of treats in exchange? What the — Absolutely not! You’ll get fat, Azumarill!”

  “Azu!”

  “Three weeks worth of treats isn’t any better. You know you have to keep up your diet if you want to keep performing at your best!”

  “Azu-maril! Azumarill!”

  “Ugh, is it even that much of a sacrifice. I’m not asking you to directly lose, just fumble a bit here and there to make it seem like Brock and his pokemon beat you!”

  Azumarill grumbled cutely, his face completely indignant and unhappy. He wailed, expressing how against his personality and his very being it was to give his opponent an easy win. It was basically unfathomable of Gray to ask this of him as a trainer! Azumarill sneakily snuck in Charm and Fake Tears to sell his story and grievance, his tail and long ears drooping when necessary.

  “Fine! Two weeks of treats max for anyone who participates in the battle. No more than that!”

  The water-fairy didn’t bother trying to hide his manipulation. His face changed so quickly from grievance to victory Gray was surprised his face muscles didn’t spasm from the shift. Azumarill cheered out loud, jumping side to side, ears floppy and satisfied.

  Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

  He took a seat in one of the seats in the room, humming lightly to himself as if he had accomplished everything he needed today.

  Gray resisted the urge to twist his pokemon’s ears, affronted. He would not do anything that could be misconstrued as pokemon abuse, especially with his annoyance at an all time high. More than what other trainers might say, Gray was certain that if he even dared raise a hand in anger, his pokemon would find a way to twist the situation for their benefit.

  Already, Azumarill was plotting ways to gain more benefits for himself. He reasoned that since he was the one able to trick — er, he meant convince — their trainer, he was entitled to at least a portion of the others' treats. Yes, that’s right he nodded to himself. It made perfect sense!

  When Gray and Brock are back on the field, the anticipation is thick in the air.

  Feeling content that there were no longer sneers and disdain being thrown at him, Gray gave himself a pat in the back. Now this is what it’s all about. A proper, respectful atmosphere that reflected the solemnity and importance of what was to transpire.

  “Trainers, ready your pokemon.”

  Brock already had his in hand, a scuffed pokeball with faded colors. It looked like it had been through a lot, a veteran of many battles most likely.

  “Begin!”

  In this bout, it was Gray’s pokemon that appeared out of their pokeball first.

  Carbink spun out of his confines, announcing his presence to the world with a bright “Car-bink!”.

  In contrast, Brock had lobbed his ball straight up into the air. It soared higher and higher, and only when it reached its zenith did it snap open with a loud pop.

  From the old pokeball, a behemoth escaped. It was massive and snake-like, though instead of the usual gleaming scales it was covered metal so sharp and jagged that it felt like one would get cut from a casual pat. Though shiny and well-cared for, it was littered with scrapes and tears, the aftermath of intense battles in the years he had been with his trainer.

  Its gigantic head was much larger than its shaft-like body, blunt teeth that didn’t fully line its upper and lower jaws. Instead, there were gaps between each tooth, and only when it shut its mouth would they fully cover and protect the creature’s mouth. It should have been comical to have technically uneven teeth, but its gargantuan size actively discouraged mocking laughter.

  It roared, a sound incomparable to even Golem’s, that it caused the entire stadium to shake.

  “Stee-lix!”

  Before Gray could even raise a brow at the Steel pokemon’s presence, Brock commandeered everyone’s attention by grabbing one side of his sleeves. He tore his shirt from his grip, a ripping sound that ordinarily would have been unheard due to Steelix’s reverberating roar but was easily caught by the mic hanging above him.

  He tossed the remnants of his green vest and orange shirt into the air, causing it to flutter in the air. Brock folded his arms to his chest, this time around emphasising his well-toned physique. His thick arms and broad chest, now fully uncovered, caused a few squeals in the crowd.

  Gray's attention was too focused on the necklace hanging on the man’s neck to notice, a simple black cord holding a key stone that lay tantalisingly between the gym leader’s chest.

  “You thought this would be easy? Gray Oak, you may be a powerful trainer but you are not unbeatable. Let me show you the power and pride of Pewter Gym!”

  Once again, Brock snapped the necklace to hold onto it with one hand, the key stone dangling on the back of his fingers as he raised a fist towards Gray’s direction. Privately, Gray wondered how much money Brock would save if he were to lose the habit of tearing through his clothes and necklace every time he had to mega evolve.

  The stone in his grip began to emit a white light that quickly became piercing. It shone like a beacon, causing the Steelixite on the top of Steelix’s head to also brighten. A multicolor lightshow later, Mega Steelix emerged with a roar.

  It was a comical sight to compare Carbink’s small presence to the monster in front of him. With the crystals emerging from all over its body somewhat similar to the tiny ones on Carbink, Mega Steelix appeared like a monarch in front of his lowly subject.

  “Car-Car!” The rock-fairy trembled before floating quickly to his trainer’s side.

  Gray’s face blackened. Yes, he’d gotten his team’s approval to hold back a bit for the match, but why was his pokemon acting like a spoiled, scared thing incapable of battle?

  He forced a smile on his face and tried to coax his pokemon. “It’s not that bad, Carbink. I’m sure you can defend yourself against him.”

  Carbink plainly refused, shaking. Gray had no choice but to try and sell the act, so he continued trying to ‘convince’ his pokemon. Carbink finally agreed with great reluctance on his part.

  He floated back to the field, calmly sizing up the metallic snake in front of him, not even sparing his trainer a glance once he had deemed his acting sufficient.

  Withholding a groan, Gray kept the look of faux concern on his face. He was going to have to teach his pokemon to act better than this, did it even make sense that his pokemon would transition from too terrified to battle to meeting his opponent’s eyes in a few heart beats?

  Not wanting to commit the same mistakes in the past, Brock held his tongue. He had learnt the hard way that underestimating a fairy pokemon based on its appearance was unwise. Wanting to start the battle on his own terms, he commanded, “Scary Face.”

  Steelix took on a menacing grin, an illusion of jagged teeth with narrowed eyes projecting out. Carbink gave no reaction, only tilting his body sideways, causing his ears to droop slightly to the side, his Clear Body having prevented any effects from taking effect.

  Instead, it was Steelix’s turn to become nervous. This floating rock had been too terrified to battle, but now it was clearly unafraid?!

  Before Carbink’s poor acting could reveal their hand completely, Gray hurried to take command of the situation. “Power Gem!”

  A beam of colorful energy shot at Steelix with a pew, causing him to stagger back slightly. Brock’s eyes narrowed, sure enough this pokemon was powerful despite his appearance.

  “Stone Edge!”

  Piercing rocks erupted from the ground in a clear path towards Carbink. “Stone Edge too, Carbink!”

  The move in reply collided with Steelix’s, resulting in a stalemate.

  “Iron Tail!” Steelix surged forward, his long tail taking on a metallic sheen as he swiped it at Carbink. The fairy pretended to be taken aback, summoning a quick Reflect as soon as the move was about to make contact.

  “Car!” He shouted in ‘pain’ as he let the momentum of the Iron Tail push him back. He fired another Power Gem at Steelix, causing him to protest.

  Undeterred, Steelix leveled another Iron Tail at Carbink, pushing him back again as the fairy cried.

  “Ice Fang.” Steelix didn’t let up, lunging at Carbink again with a mouth fully encased in ice.

  Feeling like he had been pushed around enough, Gray commanded for some retaliation. “Smack Down.”

  A pillar of rock erupted from the ground and swung at Steelix’s face, slapping him. The mega evolved pokemon had to grumble at being hit sideways.

  “Moonblast!” An illusory moon formed behind Carbink, before a sphere of potent fairy energy blasted Steelix. The transition between moves happened too quickly for Steelix to react, so it had no choice but to stagger back.

  “Don’t let up, Carbink. Rock Slide!” An avalanche of rocks dislodged from the ground and pelted Steelix. Another set of rocks hit from a different angle, followed by another then another. Steelix used Harden to protect himself better, and he had to move this way and that to prevent himself from getting hit in his vulnerable eyes.

  Brock had to admit he was impressed. This little fairy-rock type was obviously skilled in manipulating his moves, and was clearly not inferior to his own Omastar. He’d have to approach Gray Oak in the future to see where he could find his own addition. He’d do nicely as part of Brock’s team, an unassuming floating rock that could obviously pack a punch.

  Regardless, future thoughts could wait for later. Right now, Brock had a match to win.

  “Magnet Rise, Steelix.”

  The gargantuan snake grinned ferally before a surge of electricity flowed through him. Slowly at first, he began to rise on the ground. Then, as if all he needed was a launch pad, he shot up to the air and snaked upwards. Rising above the field, he towered over everyone like a mythological dragon from Gray’s past life.

  “Heavy Slam!”

  Like a falling steel tower, Steelix slammed back into the ground, doing his best to aim for Carbink’s tiny body. While it wasn’t necessary to hit his opponent directly, he would definitely devastate his opponent if he could do so. After all, this sequence of moves combined gravity, his heavy bulk and the steel energy of Heavy Slam.

  Carbink knew he was in trouble, but he remained relentless. He jumped up to suspend himself fully in midair before using Power Gem to cause him to move quickly to the side and away from Steelix's body.

  He had managed to time it just right, safely enough away from his opponent that he would not be hit directly. He carefully constructed a Reflect towards Steelix direction before the devastating blast could reach him.

  BAM!

  Steelix’s harsh landing completely devastated the field, turning it into an unrecognizable waste land of overturned rocks and debris. Brock and Gray had to hunker themselves fully behind their protective barriers, the psychic pokemon employed by the gym working overtime to keep the protective barrier in place.

  It was too much of an ordeal to contain, as a rush of air burst forth and crashed against the audience. The audience members had to duck and hold on to their seats, keeping a firm hold on hats and other belongings to ensure they didn’t go flying away.

  Mimikyu set up a hasty Light Screen to protect his charge, Altaria also using a feathered wing to protect Ash from being buffeted by the winds.

  Fortunately, the barriers were sufficient enough to protect the stadium from the debris, rocks and hard objects stopped and piled up along the barriers, keeping people safe.

  When Gray managed to blink back into focus, he was greeted to the sight of Carbink slumped on the ground, an almost convincing impression of a dead faint.

  Gray prayed to Arceus that his floating rock wasn’t dense enough to immediately blink back into consciousness after Steelix was declared the winner. He had complete faith that there was absolutely no way Carbink was truly fainted, four times super effective notwithstanding. He had seen his tiny tank terror take hits from Champion-level pokemon without flinching.

  “Carbink is unable to battle. Steelix wins!”

  The cheers of the audience brought the place back to life, confidence in Brock slowly growing again after he had managed to knock out one of his challenger’s pokemon.

  Gray quickly recalled Carbink, just in case he decided to expose his lie. He whispered quick praises to the ball, careful not to reveal too much considering there was a mic on him to consider.

  Ash groaned at his uncle’s first loss, but his enthusiasm remained. After all, his uncle was still in the lead! He had a sneaking suspicion that there was absolutely no possibility of his uncle losing this match, the Boulder Badge was practically already his.

  Gray would have felt touched by his nephew’s confidence in his skills, but he was already worrying about the acting skills of his next few pokemon.

  Current Chapter Backlog - 3