A burst of white light filled the battlefield as Brock's second Poké Ball opened. A massive Onix materialized, its rocky body stretching across the entire arena, each segment of stone gleaming like polished ore. The giant serpent's roar reverberated through the gym, shaking dust from the ceiling beams.
The system's interface blinked before Ethan Carter's eyes, laying out its details:
Onix — Level 20
Potential: Quasi-Elite
Ability: Sturdy
Moves: Bind, Harden, Rock Slide, Iron Tail, Rock Tomb
Ethan inhaled sharply. This wasn't a casual second pick; Brock was bringing out his strongest partner. From an elite-level Geodude to a quasi-king-tier Onix, the difference was staggering.
Brock crossed his arms with confidence. "This Onix has been with me since my first days as a trainer. It's my most carefully trained partner. If you can stand against him, then you've truly earned the Boulder Badge. Don't worry—even if you lose, you'll receive the badge. You've shown me enough already."
He tossed Ethan a potion. "Heal your Charmeleon. I want this to be a proper match." Then, raising his voice, he called to the stands, "Forrester, make sure this battle is recorded. Put it on the big screen for the Gym's promotion. This is going to be a good showcase."
His younger brother lifted a video recorder, grinning. "Got it, big brother!"
Ethan accepted the potion with a faint smile, glancing at Charmeleon as the Fire-type flexed his claws, itching for another fight. Even match? We'll see about that. His pulse quickened with anticipation.
The referee raised his flag and brought it down. "Battle, begin!"
Ethan struck first. "Charmeleon, Sunny Day!"
Charmeleon roared, conjuring a blazing sphere of light that shot skyward. Through the gym's skylights, sunlight intensified, flooding the battlefield in a golden glare.
Brock frowned. "Sunny Day? Against a Rock-type? Has this boy lost his mind?" Quickly, he gave his order. "Onix, Rock Tomb!"
The serpent slammed its tail into the ground, dislodging a volley of massive stones that shot toward Charmeleon.
"Dodge them! If you can't, block with your claws!" Ethan commanded.
Charmeleon darted forward, claws flashing white as he slashed through falling rocks, but several still found their mark. Three heavy stones smashed into him, knocking him back across the field. The audience murmured. Fire against Rock—Brock's advantage was undeniable.
Then the temperature spiked. The sunlight intensified, blazing down like midsummer heat. Charmeleon's scales shimmered gold under the radiance, and his tail flame shifted, blazing from orange to a fierce bluish-white. His entire body glowed as if molten fire coursed through his veins.
Sweat broke across Brock's brow. His eyes widened. "This… this is Sunny Day."
Ethan's voice rang out, cool and sharp. "Ember!"
Charmeleon swung his tail and released a fireball, far larger and hotter than anything he had conjured before. It streaked across the field like a meteor and slammed into Onix's stone body.
A thunderous roar split the air. The giant serpent writhed in agony. If not for its Sturdy ability, that single attack might have finished the battle on the spot.
"Onix, don't stop! Bind it!" Brock's voice cracked with urgency.
Onix forced its massive body forward, jaws gaping to coil around Charmeleon. But Ethan didn't flinch. "Again—Ember!"
Charmeleon's tail lashed once more. Another blazing fireball, brighter than the last, burst forth and struck Onix squarely in the chest. The impact lifted the colossal serpent from the ground and hurled it backward. When the dust cleared, Onix lay motionless, eyes shut, fainted in a heap of broken stone.
Silence fell over the gym.
No one spoke. Even the referee stood frozen, his flag half-raised. Brock's ace, the Pokémon that crushed challengers daily, had just been obliterated in two moves by a Fire-type.
Ethan folded his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Referee. The result?"
The man jerked back to life. "Th-the match is over! The challenger, Ethan Carter, is the victor!"
Charmeleon threw back his head and roared in triumph, his body still flickering with traces of sunlight's power. He bounded back to Ethan's side, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"You're amazing," Ethan said, crouching down to meet him. His voice softened, filled with pride. "A true genius—you've proven again that no obstacle can stop you."
Charmeleon growled happily and pressed against him like an eager child, tail flame flaring with joy.
The system interface flashed again:
Charmeleon leveled up! 23 → 24
Intimacy: +5 (now 60)
New Skills Available: Fire Fang, Slash
Ethan's chest swelled. He stroked Charmeleon's head, hiding his excitement beneath a calm smile.
Brock returned Onix silently, his face tight with conflicted emotions. After a long pause, he walked across the field and handed Ethan a small badge shaped like a stone. "The Boulder Badge. You trained this Charmeleon incredibly well. I look forward to seeing you at the League one day." He also passed Ethan a credit card loaded with more than twenty thousand Pokédollars.
Ethan accepted both with quiet satisfaction. His first badge. His first official step into the League.
In the stands, Forrester hurried down with the video recorder. "Big brother, should I upload this battle? The footage will attract attention."
Brock clenched his jaw. That battle had not gone the way he expected. If shown publicly, the gym's reputation would suffer. Onix, his pride and partner, had been destroyed in front of a cheering crowd. Without a word, he deleted the recording.
Instead, he turned to the Gym's official battle ledger and began to write the record himself. According to his version, Geodude had been defeated after a tense exchange, followed by a thrilling back-and-forth duel between Onix and Charmeleon before Ethan narrowly triumphed. He added his evaluation at the end: S-rank potential, a trainer destined for the League.
When the ink dried, Brock closed the book with a heavy sigh. At least the official record would save face for the Gym.
Meanwhile, Ethan left the Gym with Charmeleon at his side and Munchlax waddling behind. Their destination was the Pokémon Center, where Karen was waiting to travel with them back to Lavender Town and deliver the abandoned Pokémon to Mr. Fuji.
But Munchlax's attention strayed almost immediately. As they passed a street vendor, the smell of ice cream wafted through the air. The big Pokémon's eyes sparkled, and he tugged at Ethan's sleeve with both stubby paws, pointing insistently.
Ethan pinched the bridge of his nose, suppressing a smile. "Alright, glutton. Just one."
Munchlax beamed, digging into his belly fur for something to trade. He always insisted on bartering with Ethan, no matter how silly the item. This time, he produced what looked like an old, dirty scrap of cloth.
"You're giving me this?" Ethan muttered, shaking his head. "Fine, fine. Let's see what you've brought today." He unfolded it carelessly—
And froze.
The "rag" wasn't just fabric. Lines, symbols, and routes stretched across it, clearly forming a map. At the top was a silhouette drawn in bold strokes—the unmistakable outline of a great winged creature.
Ethan's pulse quickened. His mouth went dry.
"…Lugia," he whispered.
The Guardian of the Seas. A Legendary whose name carried weight across continents.
This wasn't just some map. This was the treasure Team Rocket had been chasing—the same one Brock had mentioned, the one believed to be lost forever. And now it lay in his hands, given so casually by his food-obsessed Munchlax in exchange for ice cream.
Ethan looked at his partner, who was happily devouring a cone, completely oblivious to the value of the "scrap" he had carried.
His heart pounded with a rush of disbelief and exhilaration. No one in the League, no one in Team Rocket, not even the Gym Leaders themselves would believe it. The world had been searching for this, and yet it had ended up with him—through the simplest twist of fate.
The joy was so sharp, so overwhelming, that for a moment he wanted to slap himself just to make sure he wasn't dreaming.
He clutched the cloth tighter, eyes burning with ecstasy.
The road ahead had just changed forever.