Eichi took in everyone's expressions. He knew they all thought Beedrill couldn't possibly defeat Onix.
Even he wasn't sure if it could, but he believed in his Beedrill.
That confidence came from their harsh training. In this disadvantageous situation where no one believed they could win, he actually felt a little excited.
"Beedrill, show them what you can do!"
Beedrill raised its twin stingers high, full of fighting spirit, showing no fear of Onix.
"The challenge begins!"
"Beedrill, use Focus Energy!"
Beedrill took a deep breath, sharpening its focus and increasing its chance to land a critical hit.
"Onix, use Harden!"
No mercy at all. Its defense was already strong, yet it had to become even stronger.
While Onix was still hardening its body, Beedrill completed Focus Energy in just three seconds.
"Hmm! This Beedrill gathers its focus even faster than that Scyther did!"
"Beedrill, use Agility, and scatter Toxic Spikes all around the field!"
A moment later, the Beedrill still standing in place turned out to be only an afterimage.
In the next instant, it vanished completely. A streak of yellow and black lightning darted around the battlefield.
Sharp, poisonous spikes rained down one after another, until the entire arena was filled with them, densely covering the ground.
Even around Onix, the spikes were everywhere. Every small movement would cause damage, even if it was minimal.
"Onix, use Rock Slide!"
Onix slammed its tail hard against the ground, sending countless rocks flying. Channeling its Rock-type energy, it hurled the stones toward Beedrill.
Chunks of rock shot forward, but Beedrill's eyes flashed red, and in its Agility state, it dodged them all with ease.
"Beedrill, use Twineedle!"
Having avoided the stones, Beedrill charged at Onix, thrusting its twin stingers forward in a fierce strike.
The stingers pierced into one of Onix's rocky segments. It hit, but the effect was limited.
"As I thought, it's not enough," Eichi muttered.
"Onix, use Bind!"
Since Beedrill had finally come close, Flint quickly commanded Onix to trap it.
Once caught, Beedrill would never be able to escape.
But with Beedrill's incredible speed, there was no way it would let itself be bound. It quickly pulled back, avoiding the attack.
"Onix, use Screech!"
One miss after another. Onix opened its mouth and let out a piercing shriek.
Eichi quickly covered his ears, but Beedrill wasn't so lucky.
"Beedrill, don't let it affect you!" he shouted. "Now, use Swords Dance!"
Beedrill steadied itself and began to spin and rise, its body channeling energy in a precise rhythm.
Its attack power rose sharply.
"Onix, use Smack Down and bring it down!"
Flint wouldn't let Beedrill continue to build power.
Onix whipped its tail, launching a massive boulder toward Beedrill.
"Beedrill, use Brick Break!"
Right after finishing Swords Dance, Beedrill raised its twin stingers and slashed down on the flying rock.
A second later, the boulder shattered into dust and fragments, filling the field with a thick haze.
"Beedrill, now! Keep using Swords Dance!"
Hidden in the dust, Beedrill spun again and again, building even more strength.
Unable to see through the haze, Onix couldn't strike back. Flint frowned, trying to figure out a solution.
While he thought, the dust began to settle.
Beedrill's repeated Swords Dance took a toll on its body. With its current endurance, it could use it at most three times.
"Onix, use Sand Tomb!"
If he couldn't see his opponent, he'd attack everything.
A strong wind rose, stirring a sandstorm that blew away the dust, revealing Beedrill inside.
The storm wrapped around Beedrill, trapping it in place.
Rocks began pelting it from every direction.
Beedrill shattered one boulder after another with its stingers, but being caught in the center of the sandstorm made every movement exhausting. Its stamina dropped fast.
There were simply too many rocks, and Beedrill couldn't block all of them. Scyther had fallen to this same attack.
More and more stones slammed into Beedrill's body, leaving it covered in wounds.
Seeing Beedrill struggling, Brock thought, So it's really the end?
Flint called out, "Still struggling? Your Beedrill is impressive, but this battle is over. Give up!"
"Your strength has earned my recognition. Even if you lose, I'll still give you the badge."
Eichi shook his head. "I won't surrender. Beedrill feels the same way."
"Hang in there, Beedrill!"
Beedrill nodded weakly but refused to back down.
Every move had a time limit, and Sand Tomb was no exception.
When the sandstorm finally stopped, Beedrill was covered in injuries, barely able to stand.
Flint said, "Let's finish this."
Brock thought, It's over.
"Onix, use Smack Down!"
Beedrill's stamina had fallen to the limit. It couldn't even use Agility anymore.
Onix lashed out with its tail, launching a massive rock straight at Beedrill.
Eichi didn't give up. "Beedrill, stop it!"
Badly hurt, Beedrill looked up, its entire body radiating an incredible fighting spirit.
It flew straight toward the incoming boulder and met it head-on, just in front of Onix.
The already injured Beedrill took the full force of the impact.
It seemed to be standing purely on willpower now. Flint was shocked it hadn't fallen.
"Beedrill, throw that rock back at Onix!" Eichi shouted.
Beedrill was still close enough to strike.
It heaved the boulder forward, pushing it toward Onix's head.
Onix tried to dodge, but it was too late.
The rock smashed into its head, dealing heavy damage.
"Now, Beedrill, use Brick Break!"
Beedrill's eyes glowed bright red. Using the last of its strength, it slashed down with its right stinger.
It was the strongest attack Beedrill had ever unleashed.
The blow landed perfectly. Onix roared in pain, then crashed to the ground with a heavy thud, unable to continue.
Everyone froze. Onix didn't get back up.
It had lost.
The arena fell silent.
Brock and Flint stood stunned, unable to believe what they had just seen.
Finally, the referee snapped out of it and declared, "Onix is unable to battle! Beedrill wins!"
"Both of the Gym Leader's Pokémon are unable to battle! The challenger wins!"
"We won!"
Eichi's clenched fists relaxed. After all the planning and training, they had done it.
He recalled the exhausted Beedrill, while Scyther, watching from its Poké Ball, cheered excitedly.
"Great job, Beedrill!"
The referee's voice pulled Flint and Brock back to reality. Flint reviewed the match in his mind and finally understood what had happened.
After recalling Onix, he walked over and said, "Congratulations, you've won. This Boulder Badge is yours."
Eichi accepted it with a smile. "Thank you very much."