As expected from a battle between levels 46 and 15, the outcome was never in doubt.
Akira had deliberately instructed Luffy to unleash his full power against Brock's ace, refusing to underestimate any opponent despite the overwhelming advantage. Under the devastating force of Luffy's rubber-enhanced attacks, the massive Onix never even had the opportunity to use its signature Dig technique to escape underground. Instead, it crashed to the gym floor with a thunderous impact, its eyes spiraling into unconsciousness as it lost all ability to continue fighting.
"As I suspected," Akira murmured, watching the notification fade along with the battle arena. "Getting a command evaluation above 'Average' is probably impossible at this stage."
The gap between their power and these early-game opponents was simply too vast for tactical brilliance to shine through. Every battle ended in overwhelming victory regardless of strategy.
But his disappointment quickly evaporated as he turned his attention back to Brock, who stood across from them on the gym floor.
With his final Pokémon's defeat and the dissolution of the battle arena, the gym leader seemed to undergo another personality shift. The shock and desperation from moments before melted away, replaced by the gracious demeanor of a defeated but respectful opponent. His expression brightened into an appreciative smile as he strode confidently toward Akira.
"What an incredible battle!" Brock declared, his voice carrying genuine admiration. "I completely underestimated your abilities as a trainer."
"As a reward for your victory, please accept this prize money—2,000 Pokédollars!"
Explosion of golden coins!
As Brock gestured dramatically, Akira watched his account balance surge upward, breaking through the 6,000 Pokédollar mark with a satisfying ding sound. This single gym battle had proven far more lucrative than all their encounters with wild trainers combined.
"What a generous man! Truly a gentleman!" Akira exclaimed, his eyes practically sparkling with Nami-like appreciation for the substantial monetary reward.
But Brock's generosity hadn't reached its limit yet.
"To commemorate your victory and prove that you've successfully defeated Pewter City's gym leader, I present you with this—the Boulder Badge, officially certified by the Pokémon League!"
"And this as well..."
With another theatrical flourish, Brock produced two items from seemingly nowhere. One was a badge carved from genuine rock crystal in the distinctive octagonal shape of a diamond's top facet. The other appeared to be some kind of technological disc with a metallic surface that gleamed under the gym's lighting.
After ceremoniously placing both items in Akira's waiting hands, Brock offered his explanation:
"This disc contains the Technical Machine for the move 'Headbutt.' With this device, you can teach any compatible Pokémon the Normal-type move 'Headbutt,' expanding their combat repertoire."
"Excellent! Absolutely excellent!" Akira responded enthusiastically, not bothering to question why a Rock-type specialist would distribute Normal-type techniques.
The moment his fingers closed around the two precious items, his internal gaming system erupted with a cascade of notifications:
[Congratulations! Player has obtained first gym badge. Achievement unlocked: Badge Collector]
[Badge Collector: Each badge obtained permanently enhances player's physical capabilities according to the badge's type affinity]
[Congratulations! Player has obtained the Boulder Badge. Reward: One random Rock-type Pokémon move]
[Extract Pokémon move immediately?][Yes] / [No]
Multiple system messages appeared in rapid succession, representing rewards that existed outside the game world—benefits that belonged exclusively to his mysterious gaming console.
After quickly scanning through all the information, Akira's heart raced with excitement and pure elation.
"I knew it! I always believed the system wouldn't abandon me and give all the benefits to Luffy alone!"
"Achievement rewards? Badge bonuses?"
"My path to personal power has finally begun!"
Although every fiber of his being wanted to immediately investigate these miraculous rewards, the pressing awareness of their limited gaming time forced him to maintain discipline. The console existed within his consciousness—those rewards weren't going anywhere.
First, he needed to properly conclude their business in this virtual realm.
Refocusing his attention on the game world, Akira looked up to see Luffy bounding toward him with characteristic enthusiasm. His captain examined the badge and TM disc with obvious curiosity, turning them over in his hands as he tried to understand their significance.
After several moments of intense scrutiny, he looked up at Akira with genuine disappointment.
"What? You said defeating the gym would bring incredible rewards! But there's only these two weird objects here!"
"I can't eat either of them, so what good are they?"
"Eat?! Is food the only thing you ever think about?" Akira shot back with mock irritation.
"Don't underestimate these items!"
"These are absolutely priceless treasures!"
His declaration wasn't mere hyperbole. The moment the Boulder Badge had touched his palm, a mysterious energy had surged through his entire body, strengthening every muscle and bone with tangible force. He could only assume this was the [Badge Collector] achievement taking effect.
"Priceless treasures?" Luffy tilted his head in confusion, still unable to comprehend what value a small stone badge and a shiny disc could possibly possess.
Seeing his captain's bewilderment, Akira decided to provide a practical demonstration rather than continue the explanation. He picked up the Headbutt TM and waved it meaningfully in front of Luffy's face.
"You can't understand just by looking at it," he said with a knowing smile. "You'll have to experience it directly!"
Without further preamble, he stored both the badge and the TM in his virtual inventory, watching them disappear into his [Bag] interface.
As Akira's consciousness shifted, the familiar game menu materialized before his mental vision. He navigated to the [Technical Machine] section of his inventory, where a brand new [Headbutt] option had appeared among his available tools.
Clicking to examine its details brought up a comprehensive information window:
[Move: Headbutt][Type: Normal][Category: Physical][Power: 70][Description: Launch a direct frontal assault with the head. May cause the target to flinch from the impact.]
Below the information, a prominent [Use] button waited for activation.
"Power rating of 70?" Akira mused internally. "In game mechanics, that represents moderate damage output. Headbutt definitely isn't among the most devastating attacks available."
"Though I wonder how Pokémon moves will translate into real-world effectiveness."
"At the very least..." His lips curved into an anticipatory grin. "It should make Luffy's head significantly more durable, right?"
The intellectual development route might be hopeless, but perhaps we can work on hardness instead!
With growing excitement, he mentally pressed the [Use] button.
Since Luffy remained his only available "Pokémon," the selection process was automatic. Seeing the [Compatible] indicator appear beneath Luffy's character icon, Akira felt a surge of anticipation as he confirmed the action.
[Monkey D. Luffy has learned Headbutt]
"That's it?" Akira stared at the brief notification with mild surprise.
No spectacular visual effects, no complex installation procedures—just a simple confirmation message.
"I expected more ceremony for such an important moment."
Closing the game interface, he immediately turned his attention to Luffy, who was standing nearby with a bewildered expression.
"Akira, my head feels really strange," Luffy said, scratching his scalp with obvious confusion. "It's itchy, like... something new is growing inside my skull!"
The sensation of foreign knowledge integrating into his mind was clearly disconcerting for someone unused to such experiences.
Akira simply smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, Luffy. Remember what I told you about this world's ability to make us stronger?"
He pointed toward a decorative rock formation in the corner of the gym, completely disregarding the fact that they were still inside someone else's training facility.
"Luffy! Use Headbutt on that rockery!"
"Huh? Headbutt? What's that supposed to mean?" Luffy's expression remained utterly blank as he processed the unfamiliar command.
But even as confusion dominated his conscious mind, his body began responding to instincts he didn't understand. Energy surged through his system, concentrating specifically toward his head with an intensity that felt both foreign and natural.
Without fully comprehending why, Luffy found his gaze drawn irresistibly toward the pile of stones. His neck elongated with rubber-powered elasticity, and his head shot forward like a living projectile, hurtling toward the rocky target with tremendous force.
CRASH!!!
A thunderous impact shook the entire gym as dust and debris exploded outward from the point of collision. The sound echoed through the facility like a controlled demolition, drawing startled looks from every corner of the building.
Whoosh!
Luffy's head snapped back to its original position with rubber-band recoil, leaving him staring in amazement at the destruction he'd caused.
After several seconds, the settling dust revealed the results of his attack. What had once been a carefully arranged pile of decorative stones was now nothing more than scattered rubble across the gym floor—completely pulverized by the devastating impact.
"What... what just happened to me?!" Luffy exclaimed, touching his forehead with trembling fingers. "My head turned into solid rock!"
He'd used his head as a weapon countless times before, relying on the Gomu Gomu no Mi's elasticity to amplify the kinetic energy of his strikes. But this experience had been completely different.
Despite smashing through solid stone with tremendous force, his head felt no pain whatsoever. It was as if some mysterious power had protected him from any recoil damage while simultaneously amplifying his attack beyond normal limits.
Suddenly, understanding dawned across Luffy's features as he turned to Akira with growing excitement.
"Could this be Armament Haki?! The power you've been teaching me about?"
Armament Haki—the hallmark of truly powerful fighters in their world. Over the past two and a half years, Akira had described this legendary ability countless times, always emphasizing its importance for anyone hoping to survive the Grand Line's dangers.
Without proper instruction or training partners, however, Luffy had struggled to develop this crucial skill. The mysterious force he'd just experienced felt remarkably similar to Akira's descriptions of Haki's protective and amplifying properties.
Unfortunately, Akira had to deflate his captain's enthusiasm with a dose of reality.
"If developing Armament Haki were really that simple, every pirate in the world would master it within a week," he said gently but firmly.
"What you just used wasn't Haki—it was Pokémon energy!"
"Pokémon energy?" Luffy repeated, his confusion evident.
"Exactly like the Defense Curl that Geodude used, or the Rock Slide that Onix employed," Akira explained patiently. "Those were all applications of Pokémon-type energy channeled through their bodies."
"And now you, Luffy, have learned to harness that same energy just like any other Pokémon in this world."
"This is one of the incredible benefits we gain from challenging gyms and growing stronger together!"
Understanding began to dawn in Luffy's eyes as he processed this explanation. The power felt foreign because it was foreign—a completely different energy system from the Haki and Devil Fruit abilities of their own world.
"So I'm really becoming like a Pokémon?" he asked with growing excitement rather than concern.
"In this world, absolutely," Akira confirmed with a grin. "And trust me—this is just the beginning of what we can achieve here!"