The Dewford Town Gym was nothing like the stone-built battlefields Noah had seen before.
Instead of the rigid structure of Roxanne's arena, this battlefield was surrounded by smooth sand, the faint scent of saltwater drifting in from the open ocean nearby. The sound of waves crashing against the cliffs just outside added to the atmosphere, a reminder that this place was more than just a battlefield—it was a way of life for Brawly.
Brawly stood confidently on the other side of the field, barefoot as always, dressed in his usual surfer-style attire. He had a relaxed grin, but Noah wasn't fooled—Brawly had already beaten Ash once.
This wasn't going to be easy.
May, Max, Ash, and Brock sat on the sidelines, watching closely. May looked especially focused, clutching the Poké Ball containing her new Mawile.
Brawly crossed his arms. "Alright, dude! You ready?"
Noah exhaled sharply and nodded. "Yeah."
The referee—a young Gym assistant—stepped forward. "This will be a two-on-two Gym battle between the challenger Noah and Gym Leader Brawly! The battle will end when both of one side's Pokémon are unable to battle! The Gym Leader cannot switch Pokémon, but the challenger may switch once at any time! Now, both trainers, release your first Pokémon!"
Brawly casually pulled out a Poké Ball, spinning it on his finger before tossing it forward. "Alright, Meditite! Time to ride the waves!"
With a burst of white light, Meditite appeared in the center of the battlefield, floating slightly above the sand in a meditative stance. Its eyes were closed, its breathing steady, as if it wasn't in a battle at all.
Noah narrowed his eyes. He'd expected Brawly to start with Machop like he did with Ash, but this was different.
Brawly smirked. "What's wrong? Change of plans throwin' you off?"
Noah exhaled through his nose. He had no time for mind games.
He pulled out his Poké Ball and tossed it.
"Sage, let's go!"
In a flash of light, Sage landed smoothly on the battlefield. His yellow eyes gleamed, his body completely still.
Brawly whistled. "Ooooh, a Dottler? Not something you see every day, dude."
Max leaned forward, adjusting his glasses. "Noah's starting with Sage? I thought he'd go with Aeris first."
Brock stroked his chin. "It makes sense. Meditite's part Psychic-type, but Dottler has Bug-type moves, which have a super-effective advantage. He's playing to Sage's strengths."
Ash grinned. "Nice! This is gonna be good."
The referee raised his hand. "Battle, begin!"
Brawly didn't waste a second.
"Meditite, Detect!"
Meditite's eyes snapped open, glowing faintly blue.
Noah's eyes widened slightly. Detect? Already?
Detect was one of the best evasive techniques—it let Meditite see an attack before it landed, allowing it to dodge with precision.
That meant Noah couldn't afford to rush in blindly. But he wasn't about to hesitate.
"Sage, Confusion!"
Sage's body flashed with psychic energy, and a visible wave of power rushed toward Meditite.
But before it could land—
Meditite vanished.
A blur of movement, and it reappeared a few feet away, completely untouched.
"Whoa!" Max's eyes widened. "It dodged it completely!"
Noah looked taken a back. So that's how it is.
Brawly chuckled. "Not bad, dude. But you're gonna have to be quicker than that!"
Noah's mind raced. Detect couldn't be used infinitely. The more it was used, the higher the chance of failure.
He had to force Meditite to waste it.
"Sage, keep using Confusion!"
Sage's eyes glowed again, sending another wave of psychic energy surging toward Meditite.
And again, Meditite dodged.
Another Confusion.
Another dodge.
Another.
And another.
Meditite moved effortlessly, as if dancing around the battlefield.
Brawly smirked. "You're tryin' to burn out Detect, huh? Smart. But Meditite doesn't just have Detect, y'know."
Noah's eyes sharpened. He had a bad feeling about this.
"Meditite, use Meditate!"
Meditite stopped moving.
It crossed its legs in midair, hands resting on its knees. A faint blue aura surrounded it, pulsing slightly.
Brock's eyes narrowed. "He's raising its attack power…"
Noah's heartbeat quickened. He knew what was coming.
Brawly grinned. "Now, Meditite—Drain Punch!"
Before Noah could react, Meditite shot forward like a bullet.
Its fist glowed with green energy, and in the blink of an eye, it slammed into Sage's shell.
A powerful shockwave burst from the impact, kicking up dust.
Sage skidded backward, his body trembling from the hit.
Noah clenched his fists. That was bad.
Drain Punch not only did damage—it restored Meditite's health.
May gasped. "That was fast!"
Max nodded quickly. "Meditite's a Fighting-type, and Drain Punch lets it recover health while attacking! That's gonna be a problem!"
Noah stayed calm. He had expected this.
He had one shot to turn this around.
"Sage, Reflect!"
Sage's body pulsed, and an invisible barrier shimmered in front of him before disappearing.
Brawly whistled. "Defensive play, huh? Not bad, dude."
Noah's eyes hardened. "Try another Drain Punch now."
Brawly raised an eyebrow. "Alright. Meditite, Drain Punch again!"
Meditite lunged, its fist glowing green.
But this time—
When it struck, the force of the attack was cut in half.
Brawly's grin faltered. "Oh, dude. That's sneaky."
Brock nodded approvingly. "Reflect reduces physical damage by half. That means Meditite's Drain Punch won't be as strong now."
Ash grinned. "That's awesome!"
Noah wasted no time.
"Sage, Struggle Bug!"
Sage's body flashed, and a swarm of glowing, golden energy threads shot out, striking Meditite head-on.
This time—Meditite couldn't dodge.
It let out a grunt as the Bug-type attack struck full force.
Noah smirked. Super-effective.
Brawly let out a low whistle. "Dude, your Dottler's no joke."
Meditite shook itself off, but its movements were a little slower now.
Brock nodded. "Struggle Bug isn't just an attack. It also lowers the opponent's Special Attack. That means Meditite's Confusion will be weaker now."
Brawly chuckled. "Well, well. You're really puttin' me through the ringer, dude. But we're not done yet."
Noah's eyes narrowed. He knew Brawly had one more trick.
Brawly grinned. "Alright, Meditite—Detect one more time!"
Meditite's eyes glowed.
Noah looked shocked by the repeated move
No. It won't work this time.
Detect gets weaker the more it's used.
And Brawly had already used it too much.
"Sage—Confusion!"
Sage's eyes flared, and a wave of psychic power exploded outward.
Meditite tried to dodge—
But it was too late.
The attack slammed into it head-on, launching it backward. It tumbled through the air before crashing into the sand.
Silence. The dust settled.
Meditite lay motionless.
The referee raised his hand.
"Meditite is unable to battle! The first round goes to Noah and Sage!"
Noah exhaled.
Sage remained completely still.
But Noah knew—that had been close.
Brawly grinned as he recalled Meditite. "Man, dude. That was totally sick."
Noah stayed silent, watching him carefully.
Brawly's smirk widened.
"Well then…" He grabbed his next Poké Ball. "Guess it's time for the main event."
He tossed the ball into the air.
A flash of white light—
The battlefield shook with a heavy thud, kicking up a small cloud of sand around its massive feet.
Noah's eyes widened in awe.
Because standing there now was Hariyama.
Brawly grinned.
"Alright, big guy. Let's show 'em what we're made of."
The contrast between the two Pokémon was staggering—on one side stood Sage, a small, still, calculating Dottler. On the other side was Hariyama, a towering wall of muscle, its thick arms crossed, eyes locked onto its opponent.
Noah kept his cool. This was the battle he'd prepared for.
"Sage, you good to keep going?" he asked calmly.
Sage's yellow eyes flashed in response. He was tired, but his determination hadn't wavered.
Brawly grinned, rolling his shoulders. "Dude, gotta say, you're good. But let's see how you handle my ace! Hariyama, let's go!"
The referee raised his hand. "The second round will now begin! Battle, start!"
Noah knew how dangerous Hariyama was.
It was massive. Powerful. Durable.
And worst of all—it had Thick Fat.
Brock leaned forward. "Hariyama's Ability, Thick Fat, halves the damage from Fire- and Ice-type moves, but that doesn't matter to Noah's team. What does matter is its insane bulk and strength."
May clenched her fists. "Is Sage gonna be okay?"
Max adjusted his glasses. "Noah has to play this really carefully. If Hariyama lands even a single strong hit, Sage won't be able to take it."
But Noah wasn't going to give Hariyama the chance to land that hit.
"Sage—Reflect!"
Sage's body pulsed again, and the invisible barrier shimmered into place.
Brawly smirked. "Smart. But let's see if that wall can take this! Hariyama, Knock Off!"
Hariyama moved faster than expected—for such a massive Pokémon, it closed the distance in seconds.
Its huge palm glowed with dark energy, and with a sharp swing, it slammed straight into Sage.
A shockwave burst from the impact.
Sage skidded back, his shell trembling from the hit.
Noah clenched his fists. Even through Reflect, that did a lot.
Brawly grinned. "Nice, huh? Knock Off gets boosted if the target is holding an item. Your Dottler isn't, but that's still some serious damage!"
Noah exhaled sharply. I can't let him get another hit like that.
"Sage, Struggle Bug!"
Sage flashed brightly, and golden energy waves shot out, slamming into Hariyama's thick body.
Hariyama grunted, but barely flinched.
Max frowned. "That didn't do much…"
Brock smirked. "Maybe not in damage. But it just lowered Hariyama's Special Attack."
Noah's eyes glowed with intensity. That was only step one.
Brawly raised an eyebrow. "Lowering Special Attack? My dude, you do know Hariyama's a physical powerhouse, right?"
Noah gave a small smirk. "Yeah. And I also know you're planning to use Bulk Up."
Brawly paused.
Then, he grinned.
"Heh. Not bad, dude. You got me."
He pointed forward. "Hariyama—Bulk Up!"
Hariyama grunted, its body flexing as its muscles expanded slightly. Its Attack and Defense both rose.
Noah was unfazed.
"Sage, Light Screen!"
Another shimmering energy barrier pulsed around Sage before vanishing.
Brawly raised an eyebrow. "Light Screen and Reflect? Man, you're all about the walls, huh?"
Max's eyes widened. "Yes! That means Hariyama's Special Attacks are even weaker now!"
Brock crossed his arms. "And with Reflect still up, its physical attacks are weakened too."
May's eyes sparkled. "So Sage basically just shut down everything!"
Brawly let out a loud laugh. "Dude, this is awesome!"
He grinned, slamming his fists together. "Alright then! Let's see if your walls can hold up! Hariyama—Force Palm!"
Hariyama's huge palm glowed with fighting energy as it charged forward, slamming a powerful Force Palm straight into Sage.
BOOM!
A burst of energy rippled through the battlefield.
Dust kicked up everywhere.
May gasped. "Did Sage—"
As the dust cleared—
Sage was still standing.
Barely.
Max exhaled. "He's hanging on, but he can't take another hit like that."
Noah knew that too.
"Sage, one more Struggle Bug!"
Sage fired another golden energy wave, slamming into Hariyama again.
Brawly laughed. "Man, you really like that move, huh?"
Hariyama grunted—this time, looking slightly bothered.
Max blinked. "Wait a second…"
Brock smirked. "It's stacking."
May tilted her head. "What?"
Brock nodded. "Struggle Bug keeps lowering Special Attack. Even if Hariyama doesn't rely on it, it makes Brawly think twice about using moves like Force Palm."
Brawly grinned. "Man, you're something else. Alright! Let's finish this! Hariyama, Knock Off!"
Noah's eyes darkened.
I can't let Sage take that.
He pulled out his Poké Ball. "Sage, return!"
A beam of red light recalled Sage just as Hariyama's attack swung down, missing completely.
Brawly blinked. "Oh?"
Noah exhaled, pulling out another Poké Ball.
"This is it," he muttered.
Brock smirked. "He's making the switch."
Noah threw the ball. "Grimm, you're up!"
With a flash of white light, Grimm landed on the battlefield, smirking.
His dark fur bristled, eyes glowing with mischief.
May gasped. "He's sending in Grimm?"
Max frowned. "But that's—wait." His eyes widened.
Brock grinned. "This is where things get interesting."
Brawly chuckled. "Dude, sending in a Dark-type against a Fighting-type? That's a bold move."
Noah smirked. "You'll see why."
Brawly's grin widened.
"Oh, man. Now I'm hyped."
The referee raised his hand.
"The final battle begins—Grimm vs. Hariyama!"
Noah relaxed for a while.
"This is what we trained for."
Grimm grinned wickedly.
Brawly pointed forward. "Hariyama—Force Palm!"
Noah's eyes gleamed.
"Grimm—Low Kick!"
Grimm shot forward like a shadow—Hariyama lunged at the same time.
Two attacks clashed at once—
And the real battle began.