Brock pushed his doubts aside for now. This was still a Gym challenge—any questions could wait until the battle was over.
Still, he couldn't shake off the strange feeling in his chest. Normally, it was the challenger who asked the Gym Leader questions, and the Gym Leader's job to explain.
Yet here the roles were reversed. How was it that he, the Gym Leader, seemed less knowledgeable than a beginner? It didn't sit right.
"A Pikachu with Fighting-type moves may be a trump card—but can you get past this? Go, my second Pokémon—Onix!"
With a flash of light, a massive figure appeared on the battlefield.
The Pokémon's body was made of dozens of giant rocks linked together, its serpentine form towering high above. One of Kanto's most iconic Pokémon—Onix.
Compared to Geodude, Onix was much rarer. Not only that, but at the same tier, Onix's stats easily outclassed Geodude's across the board.
Unless there was a huge difference in natural talent, an Onix at equal tier crushed a Geodude without question.
So there was no way Ash could win as easily as before. And this Onix wasn't just equal-tier—it was actually one level higher than Geodude, sitting at mid-Advanced.
At least, that was how Brock saw it. But for Ash… as long as the opponent wasn't immune to sleep, it didn't matter who they sent out.
"Come back, Pikachu."
"Pika pi~"
Ash recalled Pikachu, then pulled out another Poké Ball. "I choose you—Butterfree!"
"freee~!"
Butterfree returned to the field.
"Again with Butterfree?" Brock narrowed his eyes. "The same trick won't work on a Gym Leader. If you're planning to use Sleep Powder again, I'd think twice."
"I was thinking the same thing. So… Butterfree, use String Shot!" Ash nodded, agreeing with Brock's point, then swung his arm to launch the first strike.
"Onix, Sandstorm!" Brock ordered immediately after a brief pause.
String Shot wasn't like Sleep Powder. The latter was slow—slow enough that even with Compound Eyes, Brock could have Onix use Dig to dodge it. Then, from underground, Onix could wait for the perfect moment to strike with Rock Slide and end the fight instantly.
Butterfree couldn't take a single Rock-type hit.
Ash had clearly thought of this too. He didn't start with Sleep Powder, but with String Shot instead.
He wanted to slow Onix down. And String Shot was much faster than Sleep Powder—Onix couldn't completely avoid it, even with Dig.
So Brock went for Sandstorm instead, boosting Onix's Sp. Def while disrupting the enemy.
Sure, using a weather tactic against a Beginner Trainer might've been overkill. But Ash wasn't just any beginner.
Win or lose, Brock had already decided Ash deserved the Gym Badge. Beating Geodude without taking a single hit while at type disadvantage—that alone earned it.
As for now… well, he was letting his competitive streak take over.
Butterfree spat out a stream of silk, wrapping it around Onix without resistance.
But Onix was too massive. Unlike Geodude, it couldn't be bound quickly. Only half its body got wrapped before it flexed and snapped the silk apart with brute force.
Even so, the threads wedged deep in the cracks of its rocky body weren't so easily removed.
Those sticky fibers would stay, hampering Onix's movements and interfering with its attacks.
Meanwhile, the battlefield turned violent as a sinister gale picked up. Sand and grit whirled into the air, lashing against Butterfree in a stinging storm.
Sandstorm—an environment-changing move. Every turn it dealt chip damage to all but Rock, Ground, and Steel-types, while also raising Rock-types' Sp. Def. For Rock-type Pokémon, it was the perfect battlefield condition.
Ash froze for a moment as the storm roared. He'd been cramming a lot of Pokémon knowledge lately thanks to the group chat, but weather moves and tactics? Those he hadn't studied yet.
In other words, he had no idea what Sandstorm actually did.
"freee~~!" Butterfree cried out in pain as grit pelted its body. The storm not only hurt—it clouded its vision, slowed its flight, and made it nearly impossible for Sleep Powder to land.
After all, in gale-force winds, powders scattered before they even reached the target.
But Ash raised his voice anyway. "Butterfree, use Sleep Powder!"
"You idiot, not that move!" Misty shouted the moment the words left his mouth.
Too late. Butterfree had already obeyed, scattering Sleep Powder into the raging sandstorm.
As expected, the powder was instantly swept away, swallowed up by the storm without touching Onix at all.
"Perfect chance—Onix, Rock Slide!" Brock seized the opening as Butterfree reeled from the failed move.
Onix bellowed, massive boulders materializing around its body before hurtling straight at Butterfree.
Within the swirling sand, the Rock Slide was nearly invisible—making it even harder to dodge.
"This is bad—Butterfree, get out of there!" Ash yelled, panic flashing across his face.
Inexperience showed. Even with elite-level training, Ash's time was still too short. That botched Sleep Powder was the mistake of a rookie.
Now all he could do was trust Butterfree to evade on its own.
And Butterfree delivered. Its Speed shone in this critical moment.
Just as the rocks were about to slam into it, Butterfree beat its wings hard, sliding sideways through the air. By a hair's breadth, it dodged the Rock Slide.
Ash let out a long, shaky breath of relief.
"That was close… one hit from Rock Slide and it would've been over. So Sandstorm does this too, huh? No wonder Gym Leaders can't be underestimated." He wiped sweat mixed with sand from his brow, voice heavy with caution.
Misty also pressed a hand to her chest, letting out a sigh. That narrow escape had her heart pounding.
She hadn't expected Ash to make such a mistake.
No—if anything, it was normal for Ash to make mistakes like this!