Now, only Gary was left on their side.
"Young man, I think you can see from the battle just now that my strength is very strong. You're still young. Whether it's from combat experience or the use of Pokémon, you're not on the same level as me. Even if you battle, you'll end up the same as the others. I advise you not to waste your time and leave Viridian Forest as soon as possible. Team Rocket is not something you can deal with now."
Seeing that only Gary was left on the opposite side, the man started to persuade him, hoping to make him retreat.
"Gary, why don't you give up? My dad is too strong. We can't win," Bob said.
"Yeah, Gary, you know my strength, but I couldn't even last ten moves against my uncle. His strength is overwhelming," Mia added, trying to convince Gary not to fight, believing he couldn't win.
"You don't believe in me that much?" Gary asked with a smile as he looked at them.
"It's not that I don't believe in you, but my uncle is too strong. Given our current strength, it's really difficult to win against him," Mia explained. She did believe in Gary—after all, they had grown up together as childhood friends. But the situation was different now, and she knew how strong Bob's father was.
"Since you trust me, don't say anything more. I'll do my best," Gary said, waving off Mia's concerns before turning to Bob. "What about you, Bob? Do you believe in me?"
"I don't know...," Bob hesitated before saying, "But as long as you're willing to fight, then I have no reason not to believe in you."
"Your words are enough. Let's do this, Uncle."
Hearing Bob's words, Gary smiled slightly, then turned to face Bob's father.
"Don't call me Uncle. My name is Ironwood. If you and Bob are friends, just call me Uncle Ironwood. To be honest, I admire your spirit. Even though you know you have little chance, you still want to fight. I remember when I was your age, I didn't have your courage."
Ironwood glanced at Gary, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.
"Uncle Ironwood, you're too kind. We just want to prove ourselves. Isn't that also a form of courage?"
Gary didn't think of it as courage but more of a determination to prove oneself.
"Without further ado, Rattata, come out."
Immediately, Ironwood released his Pokémon, a Rattata.
Seeing the appearance of Rattata, Gary also released his Pokémon.
"Come out, Deino."
"Oh?" Ironwood was surprised when he saw Deino on the field. "You're lucky. Deino isn't native to our Kanto region, yet you managed to catch one. But although Deino is strong, it's still very young. If you keep carrying it around, you might attract some unwanted attention, like from Team Rocket."
"I understand that, Uncle Ironwood, but Deino is currently my strongest Pokémon, so I had no choice but to use it," Gary replied.
"Alright then. Rattata, dig a hole."
Ironwood wouldn't underestimate Gary just because he was a child. He immediately commanded Rattata to use Dig to hide.
"Dig a hole? Just what I wanted. Deino, use Dragon Rage on the entrance of the hole and force Rattata out."
Gary didn't hold back. Deino jumped up and unleashed Dragon Rage towards the entrance of the hole.
However, after Dragon Rage entered the hole, it emerged from several other holes, failing to force Rattata out.
"I knew you'd try that, but now you're out of options. My Rattata has learned a few other tricks. Rattata, seize the moment and use Thunderbolt!"
While Deino was still breathing fire, dividing the battlefield and blocking various areas, Rattata emerged from behind a patch of Dragon Rage and launched Thunderbolt directly at Deino.
The Thunderbolt was powerful and fast.
"Hey, when did Rattata learn Thunderbolt? This Rattata is something special. It seems I can't underestimate the opponent... But if Deino can land a hit on Rattata, then Rattata will surely be knocked out. Deino, jump as high as you can!" Gary shouted, startled by the unexpected Thunderbolt.
Deino leapt into the air just in time, causing the Thunderbolt to miss.
"Deino, Dragon Rage, keep attacking the hole entrance!"
Gary wouldn't miss this opportunity and commanded Deino to continue its attack on the entrance of the hole while airborne.
"I've already tried attacking the entrance before, and it didn't work," Ironwood muttered, considering having Rattata move, but ultimately decided against it, watching quietly.
"You're going to regret not moving Rattata," Gary said confidently.
"Oh?" Ironwood asked, intrigued. "What do you mean by that?"
"If Rattata were anywhere else, I wouldn't take this risk, but considering its current position, I'm willing to bet on this. You seem to have forgotten that before Rattata used Thunderbolt, it dug that hole. Dragon Rage will come out from there."
As Gary explained, Ironwood's expression changed as he realized what was happening. But by then, it was too late. Dragon Rage burst out from the entrance, hitting Rattata and knocking it out.
"That was careless of me. You win."
After recalling Rattata, Ironwood looked at Gary, impressed.