Inside the wrecked Vermilion Gym, Lt. Surge looked like he was about to cry.
You’ve trashed the place and you still want to keep battling?!
Why must working folks torment other working folks!?

Why not just challenge Brock at Pewter Gym directly…
Gritting his teeth, Lt. Surge growled,
“That squinty-eyed guy… so f***ing sneaky!”

“Pikachu,” Ash’s eyes burned with fire.
“One day, we’ll be that strong too!”
“Pika-chu~!”

Marnie smiled softly, gazing at the colossal Steelix in the center of the field.
“Winning or losing doesn’t matter. What’s important is that both sides respect each other’s beliefs.”

Brock, guarding his gym with pride.
Mr. Lu, fighting toward his dream of winning.
Marnie smiled faintly.
This year’s Indigo Conference is going to be amazing…

BOOM!!
The arena shook violently.
Steelix moved its massive body and dove underground.
A low rumble echoed—windows around the gym shattered under pressure.

“Steelix, use Dig!”
“ROOAAR!!”

From underground, Steelix burst out, its huge jaws wide open, biting up Gengar and a chunk of floor!

“Gengar, Psychic!”
“Gengarr~” Gengar’s eyes glowed blue as he levitated into the air.

One… two… multiple Substitutes spread around the field, circling like ghosts.
Each of them began forming Shadow Balls in their hands.

The foundation had nearly collapsed from Steelix’s Dig.
The floor was fractured into giant slabs—no safe footing anywhere.

Taking advantage of its massive length, Steelix lunged out of the ground and snapped at Gengar relentlessly.
At the same time, it swung its steel tail horizontally—

WHAM!
It wiped out most of the Substitutes in one sweep!
BOOM!!
Steelix’s massive body slammed down, but Gengar floated playfully just in front of it.

“Didn’t hit? Or…” Brock murmured.
Gengar’s incredible speed and reflexes were just ignoring Steelix’s sluggish attacks?

“Gengar, Shadow Ball!”

“Gengarr!” Gengar grinned, baring his teeth. A seething orb of darkness formed in his palm.

Next moment, both his real body and the Substitutes launched Shadow Balls in succession toward Steelix!

The arena trembled again.

Ali gulped. “S-So strong!”
“Steelix has no room to dodge…” Marnie frowned.
“Gengar’s a household name as a high-speed Pokémon.”

Lt. Surge shrugged and chuckled.
“But the real show’s just starting.”

As the dust settled, Steelix panted heavily, but its crimson eyes burned with fighting spirit.
ROOAARR!!
With its roar, a sandstorm whipped up—grains of sand clattered across the ruined battlefield.

Lt. Surge pulled out his Tactical Goggles from who-knows-where and put them on.
Marnie had Ampharos raise a Light Screen to shield herself and Ali.

Ash… stood wide-eyed, seemingly unaffected.
“Mr. Surge, w-what is that?!” he pointed at the rainbow-like glow forming in the sandstorm.

Lt. Surge twitched and turned back, arms crossed.
“That is… the Trainer’s will, resonating with their Pokémon.”

Lt. Surge grinned.
“When hearts are in sync, it amplifies their power—Mega Evolution!”

In the heart of the sandstorm, Brock’s face was firm as ever.
“This is my full strength!”

SWOOSH!
Brock ripped off his shirt, revealing bronze-toned muscles.
The Key Stone hanging around his neck glowed with radiant light.

“Let’s go, Steelix!” Brock crossed his arms and bellowed,
“Mega Evolve!!”

Brilliant rainbow light engulfed Steelix.
Instantly, sharp crystalline shards began to orbit Mega Steelix, suspended by magnetic force.

ROOAARR!!
The ground shook. Mega Steelix’s body grew even more massive, its jaw now lined with jagged spikes.

“Steelix, use Stone Edge!”

From within the sandstorm, Mega Steelix launched its crystal shards at the ground—
Piercing spikes erupted like spears, rising to tear Gengar apart!

“So this is… Mr. Brock’s resolve?” Ash murmured.

“Mega Evolution doesn’t last long,”
Lt. Surge said grimly,
“But… with Gengar’s small frame, he might go down even faster.”

The Sand Force ability in the sandstorm had boosted Mega Steelix’s special defense.
Trading blow for blow was no problem.

Meanwhile, Lu Ye’s Gengar—its Cursed Body hadn’t even triggered once so far...

“Substitute! Then Skill Swap!” Lu Ye commanded.

The razor-sharp stone spikes erupted—
Gengar’s Substitute popped like a balloon!

Gengar’s eyes glowed blue—Psychic power locked onto Steelix’s massive form.
Steelix let out a frustrated roar.

Meanwhile, Gengar sped up even more inside the sandstorm—
A new round of Substitutes filled the arena.

“Crap…” Brock clicked his tongue.
Thanks to Skill Swap, Steelix had lost its Sand Force advantage.
Now the sandstorm was helping Gengar instead!

“Go underground!” Brock shouted.

Mega Steelix, now without its special defense boost, dove into the ground.
But Gengar acted first.

“Gengarr~!”
A sinister Will-O-Wisp ignited and snaked down along Steelix’s body, burning away relentlessly.

Even with a body made of crystalline steel, Mega Steelix groaned in pain under the ghostly flames.

“Burned status plus Mega Evolution’s drain…”
Marnie murmured. “Steelix can’t stay underground too long…”

“Gengarr!”
Gengar hovered near the burrow entrance, smiling warmly.
He was even forming another Shadow Ball in his hand—
Like a game of whack-a-mole.

ROOAARR!!
Steelix burst from the ground—
Gengar leapt up with a grin, pressing the swirling black orb of energy to Steelix’s forehead—

BOOM!!

Dust clouds swept across the gym.
Vermilion Gym… was now in absolute ruins.

Lt. Surge folded his arms and sighed deeply.
Why… WHY did I ever agree to rent them the gym!?

Kabutops, who had returned with a sliver of health, was instantly knocked out by a single inky-black Sludge Bomb from Gengar.

“Gengarr!” Gengar crossed his arms, nodding with satisfaction.

And with that, the Kanto Gym Badges were complete!
One step closer to that Indigo Conference championship~!

Brock, bare-chested, stood in silence for a while—then slowly smiled.
He could feel Steelix’s emotion and belief resonating through him.
Regardless of victory or defeat, being tough as stone was the true essence of a Rock-type specialist.

“Even without Mega Evolution, to have this kind of bond with Mr. Lu…”

Marnie looked at Gengar licking Lu Ye affectionately, slightly dazed.
It’s hard to imagine how strong they’d be if he DID Mega Evolve...

“I lost, Mr. Lu~”
Brock shook Lu Ye’s hand with a wry smile.

“Well fought,” Lu Ye exhaled, still feeling the intensity.
Against a monster like Mega Steelix, even Lu Ye had to stay fully focused.

For a newbie Trainer in Kanto—
There was a champion guarding Viridian Gym, and even Pewter Gym’s first battle used Mega Evolution...

It was way too hard!

“You guys were amazing, Mr. Lu! Mr. Brock!”
Ash came running over, all excitement and admiration.

Lt. Surge followed slowly, lips trembling.

Lu Ye looked at him with concern. “Stomach ache?”

Lt. Surge opened his mouth, then sighed deeply.
I swear you two planned this from the start…

“Oh right, Mr. Lu.”
Brock picked up his discarded shirt, fished out a small, finely-crafted badge from his pocket.

“This is Pewter Gym’s Badge,”
Brock said with a smile. “Think of it as a token of our battle!”

The kind of token men would call a symbol of friendship or whatever.

Since the system still required one more Orange Badge, Lu Ye wasn’t worried about the mission ending early.

He nodded and accepted it without fuss.
“Thanks~~”

As he obtained the octagonal gray badge—
The system’s long-lost chime sounded:

Ding! Quest Progress Updated!
Badge Collection: (7/8)

Lu Ye smirked.
Only a week left until the Conference…
You think you can snipe me now?

“Oh yeah.”
Ash, staring at the Pewter Badge, suddenly remembered what Lt. Surge had told him.
He smacked his forehead.
“Mr. Lu, I’ve got something for you too!”

Ash reached into the pocket of his blue jacket and clenched his fist, holding it out to Lu Ye.

Lu Ye blinked and extended his palm.
“What is it?”

Suddenly—another system chime:

Ding! Quest Complete!
Badge Collection: (8/8)
Quest Rewards Delivered to Backpack
Good luck at the League Conference~

Lu Ye: ???

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read