(A/N : Here's a bonus chapter just for you guys because you all deserve it! Keep those collections growing and the likes coming to show your support—thank you for being amazing readers!)
"Amazing speed, terrible move power! Your Frogadier is well-developed, but that's all!" Roxanne declared as she sent out her third and final Pokémon.
The Poké Ball opened with a pop, and a blue stone statue tumbled out.
It was "Nosepass," its level clearly marked on its head: LV23. Nosepass was Roxanne's Trump Card Pokémon and her signature companion.
"Nosepass, use Thunder Wave!" Roxanne commanded.
"Frogadier, again, Water Pulse!" John shouted, both trainers launching their attacks simultaneously.
Nosepass wiggled its glowing red nose, summoning a thin, swift bolt of lightning that zipped toward Frogadier, striking him with a crackling surge of electricity.
In an instant, Frogadier found himself ensnared in a web of electric currents, succumbing to paralysis.
But rather than attacking right away, Frogadier pulled out a cherry fruit from his pouch and quickly gobbled it down.
The paralysis dissipated instantly, and with newfound vigor, Frogadier unleashed a powerful Water Pulse.
"Rock Tomb!" Roxanne countered, urgency in her voice.
She was taken aback by Frogadier's unexpected use of "Cheri Berry."
Did he study my strategy before the challenge?
Three colossal rocks crashed down to shield Nosepass from the Water Pulse, yet, just as before, the Rock Tomb was breached, sending a deluge of water straight at Nosepass.
Unlike Onix, Nosepass was solely a Rock-type Pokémon, making it doubly susceptible to water damage. Despite its robust special defense, it still bore the brunt of the Water Pulse.
"Thunder Shock!" Roxanne wouldn't let Frogadier have another chance to gain the upper hand.
"Dodge with Quick Attack!" John urged.
Unfortunately, Frogadier's strength was waning from the continuous barrage of Water Pulse, and the speed of Thunder Shock left it no room to evade.
The electric attack struck Frogadier hard, leaving it incapacitated on the spot.
John quickly recalled Frogadier into its Poké Ball and swapped it for another, releasing Combusken into the fray.
"jiji~(￣▽￣)"
"Combusken, use Quick Attack!" John commanded without hesitation.
In contrast to Frogadier's approach, Combusken's Fire-type moves were weak against Roxanne's Rock-type Pokémon. Its only real chance lay in the "Double Kick" its Fighting-type moves. It needed to close the distance quickly to turn the tide.
"Thunder Wave!" Roxanne ordered coolly.
It seemed she had mistaken Combusken for the Electric Gym's owner; it was Nosepass, a Rock-type Pokémon, who unleashed Electric-type moves.
With a swift flash, Nosepass's large red nose unleashed a Spark toward Combusken.
Without attempting to dodge, Combusken retrieved the Cherry Berry from its own pouch and quickly swallowed it as the Thunder Wave struck, shaking off the paralysis.
Now free from the status condition, Combusken charged at Nosepass to deliver a "Double Kick."
Roxanne, witnessing this, felt frustration bubbling within her. She was completely convinced that John had meticulously studied her battle style before stepping into the arena.
Who else would bring Cheri Berry to for both of their Pokémon?
Indeed, John had anticipated this moment.
Having played through the Emerald game numerous times, he had a good grasp of Roxanne's team. It was no surprise that her representative Pokémon was Nosepass, proficient in Electric-type moves, even as a Rock-type Pokémon.
With his own cheri berry on hand, he was prepared for any eventuality.
"Rock Tomb!" Roxanne called out urgently.
Three massive rocks crashed down, launching an offensive while fortifying defense!
Combusken deftly kicked through the rocks, spinning gracefully in mid-air to land a powerful kick against Nosepass.
It sent the Rock-type Pokémon sprawling back.
"Press the advantage! Quick Attack followed by Double Kick!" John urged, determined to clinch victory.
Combusken was his second and last Pokémon. With Ralts still too low in level, John had opted not to bring it along, bringing only a few Zigzagoons for item retrieval.
"Discharge!" Roxanne swiftly switched her strategy.
A blinding Spark erupted from Nosepass, sending a violent current surging outward for ten meters.
Instead of dodging, Combusken charged forward, gritting its teeth to withstand the Discharge's impact, and then leapt into the air.
One kick!
Two kick!
Combusken propelled Nosepass into the walls of the Rustboro Gym.
Suddenly, the world around John shifted, and he found himself back in his small apartment, the battle concluded.
[Defeated Nosepass LV23, gain experience 690]
[Defeated the Rustboro Gym Master Roxanne and receive a bonus of 1600]
[Roxanne: I lost, but I learned so much from this battle. You are indeed stronger than me!]
Roxanne's smile faltered slightly as she extended the badge, her eyes shimmering with the faintest hint of unshed tears.
[Roxanne: Here's your proof of defeating the Rustboro Gym, the "Stone Badge." With it, your Cut ability will be upgraded to the Secret Cut.]
[Roxanne: Additionally, I'm passing along the Rock Tomb skill TM and my Breeder experience with Rock Pokémon. I hope to see you at future Pokémon tournaments!]
As the words flashed on the screen, John exhaled a sigh of relief.
It had been a grueling fight, but he had emerged victorious.
From this gym battle, he gleaned much about the stark differences in strength between Gym Trainers and regular Trainers.
The levels were shocking.
While Trainer Pokémon on the routes hovered around LV7 to LV9, Gym Pokémon started at LV12, with Roxanne's Pokémon reaching as high as LV23.
It was akin to preparing for first-grade math only to face a college entrance exam!
Outrageous!
The game modders certainly had no mercy!
John glanced down at his rewards.
[Stone Badge: The power of all Pokémon Rock moves in the team is increased by 10%, and Cut is upgraded to "Secret Cut."]
He pondered the new mechanics.
When had Badges started carrying attributes?
It wasn't like that in previous games.
Reading through the details, the first part of the Badge's effect made sense, but the latter half left him puzzled.
With curiosity, John opened his backpack.
To his surprise, "Cut" now bore the additional title "Secret Cut," and its power had skyrocketed from 50 to 90!
"Wow!" John gasped, shocked by the discovery.
Quickly, he navigated to the Pokémon Attribute interface and saw that Frogadier's Cut had also transformed into "Secret Cut."
Eagerly, he recorded the changes and had Frogadier demonstrate the difference between the ordinary Cut and the newly acquired Secret Cut.
Frogadier performed the move without any noticeable change.
It seemed the true measure of power would reveal itself in battle.
Additionally, a notebook lay before John.
He opened it to find Roxanne's meticulous training notes on Geodude, Onix, and Nosepass written in elegant script.
Regrettably, John had no plans to train any of those three Pokémon for himself.