Pokemon: Gym Leader

Face Entei! Face a Legend!

For Red, this was both a tough challenge and an exciting opportunity—exactly the kind of battle he loved!

Only in fights like these could he truly feel his own existence and his purpose as a Trainer.

He craved battle. He dreamed of battle. He lived for battle.

Victory and honor? Those were just bonuses that came along the way.

Red knew very well—he was fundamentally different from Blue.

Blue chased the peak of the Trainer world because he wanted to be the Champion, to be recognized as the strongest Trainer in the world.

That had been Blue's dream since childhood.

But Red?

He sought strength for a different reason—to battle stronger opponents.

As long as he kept getting stronger, the opponents he encountered would also be stronger.

He challenged the Indigo League because the Kanto Elite Four were the strongest Trainers in the region.

He came to Rota Gym because its Gym Leader was Dylan!

"Scale Shot!"

Red's crimson eyes burned with passion, his voice brimming with excitement and intensity—a side of him rarely seen.

Roaring Moon's blood-red wings sliced through the air, releasing a rain of glowing blue scales that shot down like bullets.

A Dragon-type Scale Shot!

"Extreme Speed."

Dylan chuckled.

Entei lowered its stance, its muscular legs tensing.

A brilliant white light flared behind it—then boom!

In an instant, Entei shot forward like a lightning bolt!

A Normal-type priority move—Extreme Speed.

Scale Shot covered a wide area, but Extreme Speed was simply too fast—before the scales could land, Entei had already vanished!

"Roaring Moon, fly higher!"

Red's sharp gaze locked onto the orange blur as Entei dashed across the battlefield at insane speed.

Roaring Moon flapped its massive wings, soaring higher into the air.

But suddenly—

A fiery blur leaped up, heading straight for Roaring Moon!

It was Entei!

Boosted by Extreme Speed, it moved faster than expected, even catching Roaring Moon off guard!

BANG!

Entei's tackle slammed into Roaring Moon's midsection!

The dragon gritted its teeth, letting out a pained growl.

Roaring Moon was a brutal physical attacker—aside from Special Attack and Defense, it had no weaknesses.

With one of the highest Attack stats among non-Legendary Pokémon, blazing speed, and flight capabilities, it was an absolute powerhouse.

Its low Defense was its only true flaw.

"Rock Slide!"

Red didn't hesitate.

Even with its low Defense, Roaring Moon wasn't going to lose to a simple Extreme Speed!

With a fierce roar, Roaring Moon summoned massive boulders, launching them straight at Entei.

"Extreme Speed."

Once again, Entei vanished.

Using the momentum from its own speed, it sidestepped the incoming boulders, dodging them with ease!

"Don't let it escape! Dragon Rush!"

Red immediately pressed the attack.

Extreme Speed was a frustrating move to deal with, but now that Entei was airborne, it had no way to regain its momentum!

This was the perfect chance to strike!

ROAR!

Roaring Moon's wings flared wide, its entire body radiating pure Dragon energy.

The energy formed into the shape of a fearsome dragon, surrounding Roaring Moon's body.

Dragon Rush!

The feral dragon dived down, slamming toward Entei with unstoppable force!

"Sacred Fire!"

Dylan reacted instantly.

Entei let out a thunderous roar, its body erupting in violet flames!

Sacred Fire—a powerful Fire-type move originally exclusive to Ho-Oh, but Entei could also use it.

However, Entei's Sacred Fire was different—

Unlike Ho-Oh's radiant multicolored flames, Entei's version burned with deep violet hues.

Dragon Rush and Sacred Fire collided—

BOOM!

The impact sent waves of energy rippling through the battlefield.

The temperature inside the Gym rapidly soared from the heat of battle.

And then—

BANG!

Sacred Fire exploded, sending out a wave of scorching flames.

But before the flames could completely disperse—

A massive shadow broke through the firestorm!

Roaring Moon forced its way through the explosion!

CRASH!

Dragon Rush slammed into Entei!

The Legendary Beast roared in pain, but Roaring Moon didn't stop.

With unstoppable momentum, Roaring Moon slammed Entei straight into the ground!

BOOM!

The battlefield trembled from the sheer force of impact.

The ground beneath Entei cracked apart, leaving deep fissures.

Dust and debris filled the air.

"Damn! That hit was brutal!"

"This Roaring Moon is crazy strong!"

"No way—it just bulldozed through the explosion and kept going?! That's insane!"

"It must have high Special Defense… Dragon-type resists Fire, so Entei's attacks aren't as effective."

The crowd buzzed with excitement, as more and more spectators gathered to watch the battle unfold.

Word had already spread through Rota—

Dylan, the Gym Leader, was going all-out in a full-team battle against a challenger!

Even casual onlookers from Rota's shopping district had rushed over to see.

Trainers from nearby areas had also arrived, drawn by the intensity of the fight.

Dylan was a rising legend, and many people wanted to see him battle firsthand.

Recently, there were even rumors that a group from Galar had come to Rota to recruit Dylan.

"Roaring Moon! Rock Slide!"

Red ignored the growing audience.

He didn't care about the crowd—he never had.

He was completely focused on the battle.

This was his chance to press his advantage—he wasn't going to waste it!

Roaring Moon soared upward, its wings stirring the air, summoning a hail of massive boulders.

A powerful Rock Slide!

"Extreme Speed!"

Suddenly—

BOOM!

The orange blur shot forward again, slamming into Roaring Moon's chest!

Roaring Moon roared in fury, its expression twisted into a feral snarl.

"Dragon Claw!"

Red didn't panic—he knew Roaring Moon excelled in close combat!

Roaring Moon's claws gleamed with draconic energy, slashing toward Entei.

"Crunch—bite it!"

Entei's jaws snapped open, revealing gleaming black fangs.

BAM!

It caught Roaring Moon's claw in its teeth, biting down with immense force!

"Will-O-Wisp!"

Entei's body flared with eerie blue flames!

The blue fire engulfed Roaring Moon—

BURNED!

Roaring Moon let out a pained roar—its attack power was crippled!

"Red let his guard down! Tch—this burn is a disaster for Roaring Moon."

Leaf clicked her tongue in frustration. Among all status conditions, burns were the most devastating for physical attackers.

Not only did burns cause chip damage over time, but more importantly, they severely reduced a Pokémon's Attack stat! (In the games, Attack is halved when burned.)

For a close-combat physical powerhouse like Roaring Moon, this was practically a death sentence. How was it supposed to fight now?

"Roaring Moon is basically crippled now. What a wasted opportunity…" A Bird Keeper sighed in disappointment.

"It was almost impossible to avoid. Entei was willing to take a hit just to land the burn… And honestly, who would expect a legendary Pokémon like Entei to even use Will-O-Wisp?"

A young woman rolled her eyes. This was Entei!

As a legendary Pokémon, wasn't it supposed to dominate with overwhelming power? That was the image everyone had of legendary Pokémon!

But this Entei was using Will-O-Wisp? Is this really how you use a legendary?!

"This is Dylan we're talking about. Nothing he does is surprising. Besides, Fire-type moves that inflict burns are his specialty." A Psychic-type Trainer shrugged.

Dylan had once been called an "Unorthodox Trainer" for his unconventional battle strategies. An Entei using Will-O-Wisp? That was nothing unusual for him.

On the Battlefield

"Red, looks like you weren't careful enough."

Dylan smirked as he addressed his opponent.

"..."

Red remained silent, staring at his Roaring Moon, which had managed to regain altitude.

Despite its intimidating presence, its offensive threat had plummeted due to the burn.

Roaring Moon's entire battle style revolved around overwhelming physical force. Now that its Attack was cut in half, it couldn't hit hard anymore.

What was it supposed to do now? Start using special attacks instead?

Even with its weakened Attack, Roaring Moon's physical power was still probably higher than its Special Attack.

Roaring Moon wasn't Salamence—it couldn't function as a mixed attacker. It was a pure physical powerhouse.

"Return, Roaring Moon."

Red didn't hesitate and recalled Roaring Moon.

"A smart choice."

Dylan chuckled. Cold and rational, as always.

A burned Roaring Moon stood no chance against Entei. Red had immediately recognized this and switched out, choosing to preserve his Pokémon for later opportunities.

"Snorlax."

Red tossed out his fifth Pokémon. He did not send out Pikachu.

Pikachu relied on speed and agility for fast-paced attacks—but Entei had Extreme Speed, making it a poor matchup.

Since Dylan was using a Fire-type team, Venusaur was also not an option.

A flash of white light revealed Snorlax, landing with a heavy thud in front of Red.

"Much stronger than before."

Ilene glanced at Snorlax's battle data. Compared to a few months ago, Red's Snorlax had made huge progress—in both strength and move versatility.

No wonder even Dylan acknowledged Red as a monster of a Trainer. His growth rate was terrifying.

If it weren't for Dylan, then Red and Blue would unquestionably be the strongest rising stars of Kanto's new generation.

"This Red is incredible… I wonder who would win between him and Blue?"

Lillie was curious. So far, Red seemed stronger than Blue.

But Blue had battled weeks ago, and for Trainers like Red and Blue, who were still in their rapid growth phase, every day of progress was crucial.

"Who knows? We'll find out at the end of the year." Leaf shrugged.

Both Red and Blue were aiming for the Kanto Championship. Their battle was inevitable.

"Snorlax, huh?"

Dylan raised an eyebrow. If he remembered correctly, this Snorlax had the Thick Fat ability.

Thick Fat: Reduces damage taken from Fire- and Ice-type attacks.

That ability gave Snorlax a huge advantage against Fire-types.

Tch—Entei's strongest Fire-type attacks were now useless.

Dylan sighed. Entei could breathe fire, but Roaring Moon resisted Fire, and Snorlax had Thick Fat.

Without Harsh Sunlight to boost its power, Entei's Fire moves wouldn't be effective at all.

"Snorlax, Earthquake!"

Red's command was calm and firm.

Snorlax let out a deep rumble, then slammed its massive arms into the ground.

BOOM!

The battlefield shook violently, sending a wave of seismic force rippling forward.

A Ground-type Earthquake!

"Extreme Speed!"

Entei dashed forward, just as the Earthquake shockwave closed in.

At the last moment, it leaped high into the air, evading the brunt of the attack while racing straight for Snorlax.

BANG!

Extreme Speed struck Snorlax hard!

Snorlax grunted in pain. Its Defense wasn't great, but its massive bulk meant it could take hits exceptionally well.

Extreme Speed hurt, but not enough to be a serious threat.

"Rock Slide!" Red immediately countered.

Large boulders materialized and came crashing down toward Entei.

But—

The white streak of light didn't fade.

The moment Entei landed, it instantly launched into motion again.

Extreme Speed!

With fluid, lightning-fast movements, Entei dodged between the falling boulders, maneuvering effortlessly through the barrage.

Then—BOOM!

Another Extreme Speed slammed into Snorlax.

Right in the face!

Snorlax roared in frustration, shaking off the hit as it swung its huge arms at Entei.

But Entei had already leaped back, dodging effortlessly.

Snorlax growled angrily—it really wanted to catch this annoying four-legged dog, but no matter how hard it tried, it simply wasn't fast enough.

It wanted to fight head-on, but its opponent refused to play fair.

Frustration. jpg

"Come on, fight me properly!"

"This won't work. Extreme Speed is too fast—we need a different approach."

Red's eyes narrowed.

Entei's Extreme Speed was way too polished. Snorlax was strong, but its slower movements meant that it could never catch Entei in a direct confrontation.

Even though Extreme Speed's individual damage wasn't high, Entei could keep spamming it to chip away at Snorlax's health while staying untouched.

"Man, Extreme Speed is so broken!"

Selene couldn't help but admire the move.

"Look at Snorlax—it looks completely helpless against Entei!"

On the battlefield, Snorlax looked like a clumsy oaf, while Entei darted around gracefully, striking and retreating with perfect precision.

Snorlax was getting outplayed so hard, it was almost embarrassing.

"This bear is getting humiliated!"

Third update for the day!