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"Zoro! One final blow! Finish it!!!"
"Raichu! Hold on! Use Thunder!!!"
Inside Vermilion Gym—
Amid the excited cheers of the spectators, Red and Lt. Surge shouted their commands at the same time!
On the battlefield, Zoro and Raichu immediately sprang into action.
Prior to this, Red and Zoro had already defeated Lt. Surge's Level 25 Magneton and Electrode, earning a modest 400 experience points.
But their opponent was no ordinary trainer, and Electric-types were a tough matchup for Zoro, whose close-combat fighting style made him vulnerable to their paralyzing attacks.
As a result, Zoro looked a bit battered, his body marked with scorched wounds from repeated electric shocks.
Yet, despite everything, there was no exhaustion in his expression—only sharp, burning determination.
And in his eyes—
Faint, crackling golden sparks were starting to dance.
"Almost there… just a little more."
Zoro muttered under his breath.
Charging forward in his Three-Sword Style stance, he lunged like a wild beast, his blades aimed straight for the large, orange-skinned Raichu!
But at that moment—
A blazing golden light suddenly surged from Raichu's body, illuminating the gym's ceiling.
A split second later—
BOOOOM!!!
Despite being indoors, a terrifying thunderclap echoed through the arena.
A blinding bolt of lightning—thick as a tree trunk—struck down from above, landing directly on Zoro!
"Ugh…!"
The moment the lightning hit, Zoro let out a muffled groan of pain.
But in the very next second—
His expression suddenly turned fierce.
Because on the path to strength—he was always more ruthless to himself than to his enemies.
Zoro's eyes sharpened, his muscles tensed and swelled, and he allowed the raw power of Thunder to surge violently through his body.
And at that moment—
A new force awakened inside him.
The hidden Dragon-type Pokémon energy within him responded.
"This… this is it!"
A flash of realization passed through Zoro's mind.
Even as the pain of the raging thunder coursed through him, he focused his will, forcing his Dragon energy to connect with the lightning!
He had tried countless times before to harness this power—
But every attempt had ended in failure.
Yet this time—whether because of his growth, or because of Raichu's immense power—
It finally worked.
His Dragon energy—a raw, primal force—devoured and assimilated the lightning.
Step.
The forward motion that had stalled due to the attack—
Resumed.
Only this time—
Zoro emerged from the lightning storm, his body sparking with sharp, crackling electricity.
The electricity flowed from his arms—coiling, then spreading to the three blades in his hands.
The longer it surged, the brighter and deadlier his swords became.
A low, ominous chant filled the air:
"Three-Sword Style… Dragon Blade… Thunder!!!"
SZZZZT!!
Suddenly—Zoro lifted his head.
And in that instant—
His eyes, shadowed by his bandana, flashed a terrifying scarlet hue—the gaze of a beast about to strike.
His swordsmanship, which had just reached the realm of slashing steel, had now fully merged with the elemental power of Pokémon energy.
And the result?
A speed boost comparable to Shave!
Even Lt. Surge couldn't react in time.
Before he could even issue a counter-command—
Zoro had already moved.
His figure blurred, vanishing and reappearing in an instant—right behind Raichu.
A deep silence filled the gym.
Zoro stood, his head slightly bowed, his blades stretched out to his sides like the wings of a dragon.
Lightning still crackled faintly around his body, flickering like the final embers of a dying storm.
So. Damn. Cool.
And then—
"Raiiii!!"
Raichu let out a painful cry, its body twitching uncontrollably as streaks of electricity ravaged its insides.
Even though it was an Electric-type Pokémon, its own element was now turning against it.
A deep, claw-like slash had appeared across its chest—
And seconds later…
A plume of smoke rose from Raichu's body.
With a thud, it collapsed to the ground.
Zoro had won.
As if he had known this outcome all along, Zoro calmly stood up, reaching for his bandana.
He untied it, letting it fall back around his neck.
Then, with a quick flick of his blades, he dispersed the remaining lightning energy, sending sparks scattering through the air.
Clang.
Zoro smoothly sheathed all three of his swords, then turned around with a relaxed grin.
"Well, I didn't let you down~!"
Red, still smiling, nodded in approval.
"Good work~!"
As he spoke, the battlefield projection faded away, signaling the end of the match.
With another 200+ experience points gained, Zoro was making steady progress.
Now, it was time to claim the gym rewards.
Red approached Lt. Surge, who was still recovering from the shock of defeat.
"Ohhh~! NO!!!"
With an exaggerated cry, Lt. Surge threw up his arms.
"This can't be real!"
"But… rules are rules. I have no choice but to hand over the Thunder Badge!"
"Oh, and take this too!"
As per tradition, Lt. Surge handed over a brand-new badge and a TM disc into Red's hands.
The moment he received them—
ZAP!
A tingling energy surged through his body, making him feel strangely lighter and more agile.
Then, he turned his attention to the move learner disc.
[Move: Thunderbolt]
[Type: Electric]
[Category: Special]
[Power: 90]
[Description: A strong electric blast crashes down on the target. This may also leave the target with paralysis.]
"Finally! A move that's actually useful!"
Seeing the Thunderbolt TM, Red immediately grinned.
Without hesitation, he opened his move-learning interface.
Since Thunderbolt was a commonly used move in the Pokémon world, it wasn't restricted to just Electric-types.
As a result—
Three names flashed under the "Learnable" section:
Luffy, Zoro, and Nami.
This was the real reason Red was so satisfied with this move!
Recalling how Zoro had instinctively used electric sword techniques in the battle against Raichu, Red smirked.
"Fire, Normal, Electric…"
"It looks like Zoro's swordsmanship is going to become seriously diverse in the future."
Without hesitation, Red assigned Thunderbolt to Zoro.
After all, there was no way he'd let such a valuable move go to waste!
Since there was still plenty of time left in the game, he also planned to have Luffy and Nami learn their moves later.
By his estimation, Hawkeye Mihawk would be arriving at Baratie soon.
It was time to start preparing.
After taking Zoro to the Pokémon Center to recover, Red spent a little more time finishing up tasks in the Pokémon world.
Then—
Flash!
The light flickered, and when it faded, Red found himself back in the cabin of the Going Merry.
As usual, he exchanged a brief nod with Usopp in greeting.
But instead of jumping straight into training, he quietly tiptoed out of the cabin and made his way to the bow of the Merry, guided by the soft glow of moonlight.
Now that everyone else had received their new techniques, it was time to focus on his own gains.
Red's eyes gleamed as he activated his system interface.
The first thing to check—
[Achievement Reward: Badge Collector]
After receiving the Thunder Badge, Red felt an odd change in his body.
Somehow, he could tell—
He was no longer afraid of lightning.
The pain from being electrocuted would still be there, but he wouldn't suffer from paralysis anymore!
In simple terms…
He had gained complete immunity to paralysis!
Additionally—
His speed and explosive power had improved slightly under the influence of Electric energy.
Though he wasn't exactly sure how much stronger he had gotten, this felt like the most noticeable physical upgrade he'd received from a badge so far.
"So as the gym challenges get harder, the Badge Collector rewards also get better?"
Red murmured thoughtfully.
Next, he shifted his focus to another reward—
[Gym Challenge Completion Reward]
Another TM disc appeared on his system screen.
Without hesitation, Red clicked start, then closed his eyes, waiting for the result.
At this point, he wasn't as desperate for new moves as he used to be.
After all, he already had more than enough powerful attacks.
One Surf alone was enough to wipe out most enemies of the same level.
And within the Straw Hat crew, his chances to fight were becoming rarer and rarer.
A moment later—
A strange sensation flooded his mind.
Then, a notification popped up:
[Congratulations! You have obtained the Electric-type move: Magnet Rise!]