Unlike in the games or anime, the mechanics of battle in Elliot's world were far more complex.
Moves like Leer didn't just lower Defense by a small stage—they cut overall defense in half, and this effect stacked up to 12 times.
Meanwhile, Sp. Defense worked differently, maxing out at +6 or -6 stages instead of 12 like Defense.
Theoretically, a 12-stage lowered Defense and 6-stage lowered Sp. Defense meant that even a Mythical Pokémon could be one-shot under the right circumstances.
(With exceptions, of course—Arceus and a handful of others wouldn't go down that easily.)
But for now, the focus was back on Elliot vs. Misty.
Elliot didn't waste time.
"Deino, Dragon Breath!"
A blast of purple draconic energy surged forward, colliding with Starmie's spinning form.
The result?
Paralysis.
Misty's eyes narrowed.
"Not bad. But Starmie can still fight!"
Unfortunately for her, Dragon Breath had a unique trait.
It wasn't just capable of Paralyzing—it could also inflict Burns under the right conditions.
And while Starmie wasn't burned, the Paralysis effect had slowed it down significantly.
Elliot smirked.
"Again!"
Another Dragon Breath.
Then another.
And another.
Each hit wore down Starmie, its movements becoming more sluggish with every second.
Misty gritted her teeth.
She could drag this out.
Or she could accept the inevitable.
With a frustrated sigh, she recalled Starmie.
"I forfeit."
The Referee stepped forward.
"The winner is the challenger, Elliot!"
Misty huffed, crossing her arms before stepping forward.
"Alright, alright. You win."
She handed Elliot a Water Droplet Badge—the symbol of Cerulean Gym's victory.
But that wasn't all.
She also handed him a TM Disc.
"Water Pulse." she said.
Elliot blinked.
"None of my Pokémon can even use this."
Misty shrugged.
"Maybe. But you 'paid' extra for an exclusive reward. So I'm inclined to give it to you anyway."
Elliot smirked, pocketing the TM.
"Thanks."
Misty rolled her eyes.
"Don't get cocky, kid. Next time, I'm using my real team."
With his badge secured, Elliot left the Cerulean Gym, recalling all his Pokémon—
Except Weedle.
He picked up his golden Bug-Type, setting it on his shoulder as he pulled out a small container.
Pokéblocks.
He popped the lid, feeding Weedle its daily meal.
This wasn't just routine—
It was a lesson he'd learned from Giovanni himself.
The Leader of Viridian Gym had once given Elliot a personal tip:
"If you want a strong Beedrill, feed it daily. Don't battle with it until it fully evolves. Let it become a Kakuna first, then a Beedrill naturally."
And why trust Giovanni on this?
Because his Beedrill was Champion-Level—
A Pokémon so powerful it had been entered into the Hall of Fame.
If Giovanni said don't rush Weedle's evolution, Elliot wasn't going to rush it.
With his first major Gym victory behind him, Elliot set his sights on the next step of his journey.
The road ahead was long.
But for now—
He had a badge, some new rewards, and a path forward.