"Are you today's challengers?!"
High above on a platform of dark granite, the spiky-haired, bronze-skinned gym leader called down to the two young trainers standing below. His voice echoed through the cavernous space with the authority of someone who'd faced countless hopeful challengers.
After steamrolling through five gym trainers and accumulating over 500 experience points for Luffy, Akira and his rubber-powered companion had finally reached the main event: the gym leader himself.
Akira stepped forward confidently, his voice ringing clear across the arena. "Yes! Please accept our challenge!"
The prospect of earning their first badge—and potentially unlocking new rewards from the gaming system—sent anticipation coursing through his veins. This was the moment they'd been building toward since entering the virtual world.
Beside him, Luffy rolled his shoulders and cracked his knuckles, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet. "Finally! I was getting tired of fighting those tiny rock Pokémon all day. Think this guy will actually give me a real fight?"
Akira's formal acceptance seemed to trigger some invisible switch in the gym leader's programming. Brock's expression transformed instantly, his face hardening into a mask of stern determination that made him appear far more intimidating than his youthful features suggested.
"Huh~ You know you will lose, but you still want to challenge me?" His voice carried the weight of absolute confidence, each word precisely measured for maximum psychological impact.
"You are so brave!"
As if responding to some unseen cue, dramatic orchestral music swelled from hidden speakers throughout the facility. The defeated gym trainers filed into the spectator stands like an honor guard, their faces showing respectful anticipation for the battle to come.
Brilliant spotlights suddenly blazed to life, bathing Brock in theatrical illumination that cast his shadow across the arena floor. The crowd's cheers rose in volume, creating an electric atmosphere that made even routine gym battles feel like championship matches.
The ground beneath their feet began to rumble and shift. With the grinding sound of massive machinery, the center of the gym split apart, revealing a professional Pokémon battlefield complete with regulation markings and reinforced barriers.
Brock spread his arms wide, his voice echoing with pride and absolute conviction:
"I am Pewter City's Rock-type gym leader! My will is as unyielding as stone itself, and my Pokémon share that same indomitable spirit!"
"Hard as diamond, stubborn as bedrock, unbreakable as the mountains!"
"Come on! Let me see if you have what it takes to earn the Boulder Badge!"
With dramatic flair, he leaped down from his platform and strode toward the trainer's position on his side of the battlefield.
"Well, they certainly don't hold back on the theatrics," Akira muttered under his breath, though he couldn't deny feeling impressed by the spectacle.
The transformation from simple training area to professional battle arena was genuinely impressive, even accounting for the artificial nature of their surroundings. The gaming system had clearly invested significant effort into making each gym challenge feel like a momentous occasion.
Luffy's eyes were practically sparkling as he took in the dramatic presentation. "This is so cool! It's like being in a real tournament!"
His enthusiasm was infectious, and Akira felt his own excitement building as they moved to their designated position across from Brock.
"Then let the battle begin!" Brock declared, his hand moving to the Poké Ball at his waist with practiced precision.
"My first Pokémon—go, Geodude!"
The sphere burst open in a flash of crimson light, revealing a specimen that immediately stood out from the gym trainers' weaker versions. This Geodude was noticeably larger and more muscular, its rocky hide gleaming with an almost metallic sheen that spoke of extensive training and conditioning.
The status display that appeared above its head confirmed Akira's assessment: [LV: 12, HP: 38/38]
"Level 12, huh?" Akira observed quietly, his strategic mind already calculating optimal approaches. "Still not enough to give us any real trouble, but at least it might provide decent experience."
He gestured toward the battlefield with confident authority. "Go, Luffy! Time to show them what real power looks like!"
"Yoshi!" Luffy bounded forward with his characteristic enthusiasm, taking his position in the center of the arena.
The moment both combatants were in place, a shimmering energy barrier materialized around the battlefield, creating an isolated combat zone that would prevent outside interference. The crowd's cheers became muffled as the barrier sealed them off from the rest of the gym.
Brock's expression underwent a subtle but significant change. His eyes, which had been nearly closed in his typical squinting fashion, suddenly widened with genuine surprise and growing alarm.
"Wait... what?!"
For several seconds, he stared at Luffy in complete disbelief, his trained eye picking up details that the average observer would miss. Despite the game world's influence preventing him from questioning Luffy's status as a Pokémon, his experience as a gym leader was screaming warnings about the tremendous aura of power radiating from this unusual opponent.
"How is this possible..." he whispered, his voice barely audible over the arena's background noise.
"How can a rookie trainer possess such an incredibly powerful Pokémon?!"
The shock on his face was genuine and pronounced, a far cry from the confident bravado he'd displayed moments earlier. Whatever he was sensing from Luffy clearly exceeded anything he'd encountered in his role as a gym leader.
But Akira wasn't interested in giving their opponent time to fully process the situation. With practiced efficiency, he called out his opening command:
"Luffy, you know the drill! Use Soru!"
The familiar high-speed movement technique had proven devastatingly effective against slow Rock-types throughout their gym challenge. Even a higher-level opponent wouldn't be able to compensate for such an overwhelming speed disadvantage.
Whoosh!
Like a hurricane given human form, Luffy's figure became a blur of motion that seemed to defy the laws of physics. The air itself seemed to part around him as he achieved velocity that rendered him nearly invisible to the naked eye.
The sudden display of speed snapped Brock out of his stunned contemplation, forcing him to focus on the immediate tactical situation. His shock transformed into the sharp concentration of a seasoned battler facing an unexpected crisis.
"What?! That speed... is that Quick Attack?!"
His mind raced through possible countermeasures, drawing on years of experience and training. Even faced with such overwhelming opposition, he refused to surrender without a fight.
Before Luffy could complete his positioning behind the Geodude, Brock's voice rang out with desperate authority:
"Geodude, use Defense Curl and Rollout! Now!"
"Luffy, attack!" Akira commanded, timing the order perfectly with his companion's approach.
"Gomu Gomu no..." Luffy's arm stretched backward like a rubber band storing massive kinetic energy, his fist pulling back so far it seemed ready to snap forward with explosive force.
But just as his devastating punch prepared to connect, Geodude's form began to change. Its rocky exterior smoothed and rounded, transforming from an angular humanoid shape into something resembling a living boulder.
With sudden agility that belied its previous sluggishness, the Rock-type tucked its arms against its body and dropped to the ground, immediately beginning to roll with surprising speed.
BANG!
BOOM!!!
Luffy's punch crashed into the spot where Geodude had been positioned a split second earlier, pulverizing the reinforced arena floor and sending spider-web cracks racing outward from the point of impact. Chunks of stone and concrete flew through the air like shrapnel.
"What?!" Both Luffy and Akira exclaimed in unison, their surprise evident as they watched Geodude successfully evade what should have been a guaranteed hit.
The Rock-type continued rolling in a wide arc around the arena, using its spherical form to maintain momentum and stay ahead of any follow-up attacks.
Akira's eyes gleamed with newfound respect and interest. "Using Defense Curl to achieve perfect roundness, then transitioning into Rollout for enhanced mobility..."
"That's actually brilliant tactical thinking. It covers Geodude's primary weakness—lack of speed—while maintaining defensive capabilities."
His mind raced through the implications. "This is what a real gym leader's strategy looks like. Brock predicted our attack pattern and prepared a counter in advance."
The quality of command they'd just witnessed was clearly several levels above the robotic responses of the gym trainers they'd faced earlier. This was genuine tactical brilliance adapted to the specific threat Luffy represented.
"Unfortunately..." Akira's smile turned predatory as he analyzed the situation further.
"No amount of tactical genius can overcome such a massive gap in raw power levels."
His voice rang out across the arena with renewed authority:
"Luffy, pursue to your right! Don't let it escape!"
"Roger!" Luffy responded enthusiastically, though his observation Haki had already pinpointed Geodude's exact location and trajectory.
Once again, his feet became a blur of motion as he activated Soru, transforming into a streak of movement that rapidly closed the distance to his rolling opponent.
Brock watched the pursuit with growing desperation, his tactical options rapidly dwindling. Against such overwhelming speed and power, conventional Geodude strategies were proving utterly inadequate.
Perhaps recognizing the futility of continued evasion, he chose to make his stand while his Pokémon still had fight left in it.
"Geodude, stop running! Use Rollout and tackle him head-on!"
The defiance in his voice carried genuine emotion—this wasn't just an NPC following programming, but a proud gym leader refusing to surrender without giving his absolute best effort.
His Geodude responded to that determination, using a small rocky protrusion to launch itself into the air with impressive acrobatics. The Rock-type's spherical form spun rapidly as it hurtled toward Luffy like a living cannonball.
The attack sequence was fluid and well-executed, showcasing the kind of coordination that came from extensive training and mutual trust between trainer and Pokémon.
Unfortunately, they were facing an opponent who operated on an entirely different level.
"Gomu Gomu no..." Luffy's arms stretched backward in perfect symmetry, storing enough kinetic energy to shatter boulders.
"Bazooka!!!"
CRASH!!!
The collision between Luffy's dual-handed attack and Geodude's desperate charge created a thunderous impact that echoed throughout the entire gym. The Rock-type's pained cry was immediately drowned out by the sound of its body crashing into a stone formation with bone-crushing force.
"Geodude!" Brock shouted, his concern for his partner overriding any consideration of tactical appearance.
He quickly retrieved a Poké Ball and recalled his defeated Pokémon in a flash of red light, his expression grim but resolute as he turned his attention back to the battle.
"I didn't expect a rookie trainer to possess such an overwhelmingly powerful Pokémon!" he admitted, his voice carrying grudging respect alongside his frustration.
"But I won't give up that easily! A gym leader's pride is at stake!"
"Go, Onix!!!"
He hurled his final Poké Ball with dramatic flair, the sphere bursting open to release his ace in a brilliant explosion of crimson energy.
What emerged was a creature of truly magnificent proportions—a massive serpent constructed of dark gray stone segments, each one larger than a person. The Rock Snake Pokémon's head nearly brushed the arena's high ceiling as it rose to its full, intimidating height.
"ROOOOOAR!!!" Onix's battle cry shook the entire facility, a primal sound that spoke of ancient mountains and unbreakable stone.
The crowd's reaction was immediate and thunderous, their cheers rising to match the intensity of this climactic moment.
"Whoa!!! Now that's what I'm talking about!" Luffy shouted, his eyes sparkling with pure delight as he took in Onix's impressive size and presence.
This was exactly the kind of opponent he'd been hoping to face—something that looked like it could actually provide a decent challenge.
The massive Rock-type fixed its glowing eyes on Luffy with unmistakable hostility. Through the transparent walls of its Poké Ball, it had witnessed Geodude's humiliating defeat. Now it intended to restore their gym's honor through overwhelming force.
"ROOOOAR!!!" it bellowed again, the sound reverberating through the arena like thunder.
Brock's confidence seemed to return with his ace Pokémon's presence. "This is my partner, Onix! Together, we've never lost a gym battle!"
"Let's see how your Pokémon handles this!"
...
...
One minute later.
[Congratulations on successfully challenging Pewter Gym and defeating Gym Leader Brock!][Experience gained: +236 points][Command evaluation: Average][Additional reward gained: +47 experience points]
Onix lay unconscious across half the battlefield, its massive form creating an impressive landmark of their victory. Despite its intimidating size and Brock's passionate commands, the battle had concluded with the same inevitable result as all their previous encounters.
Level 46 versus level 14 simply wasn't a contest, regardless of type advantages or tactical brilliance.
Brock stood in stunned silence for several moments, staring at his defeated ace as reality settled in. When he finally spoke, his voice carried a mixture of defeat and genuine admiration.
"I... I can't believe it. You've completely overwhelmed both my Pokémon with such ease."
He walked over to recall Onix, his movements heavy with the weight of comprehensive defeat. After securing his partner safely, he turned back to face them with renewed determination.
"You've proven your strength beyond any doubt. As the Pewter City Gym Leader, I officially recognize your victory."
Reaching into his jacket, he withdrew a small, gleaming badge shaped like an octagonal stone. The Boulder Badge caught the arena's lights and sparkled with metallic brilliance.
"This is the Boulder Badge, proof that you've conquered Pewter Gym and demonstrated the tenacity needed to pursue your Pokémon journey."
He extended the badge toward Akira with formal ceremony, his respect for their victory evident in every gesture.
"Congratulations, trainer. You and your Pokémon have earned this through your overwhelming strength."
Akira accepted the badge with barely contained excitement, feeling the weight of their first major achievement. The small piece of metal represented so much more than a simple trophy—it was validation of their progress and a key to whatever rewards the gaming system might provide.
"Thank you," he said sincerely, studying the badge's intricate craftsmanship. "This battle taught us a lot about real Pokémon strategy."
As the arena's barriers dissolved and the crowd's cheers washed over them, both trainers felt the satisfaction of a goal achieved and a challenge overcome.
Their journey was just beginning, but they'd taken their first major step toward becoming true Pokémon champions.