The next day.
Kashiwagi pulled back the curtains to find the sky heavy with dark clouds. The beautiful azure sea from yesterday had taken on a somewhat terrifying, black hue.
"With this weather... I guess Brawly won't be able to go surfing."
Yesterday, Kashiwagi had spent some time catching up on Brawly's online reputation.
He discovered that the Dewford Gym was quite an interesting case:
it consistently received five-star reviews during autumn, winter, and spring,
but during the summer, it didn't even have a single star and was "strongly not recommended."
Because the conditions were so good in the summer, this guy would head to the beach to surf every other day.
Challengers often had to literally hunt him down on the waves to drag him back for a battle.
However, during the other three seasons, Brawly was quite diligent, though he tended to disappear into his secret training bases.
"It's a miracle Nurse Joy hasn't come down here to set him straight after all these years."
Kashiwagi wondered if the Pokémon Inspector Joy—the one who famously carries a Latias—had ever paid a visit to the Dewford Gym.
...
...
Upon arriving at the Gym, the doors were, as expected, wide open. Brawly was sitting right at the entrance, looking dejected as he stared at the overcast sky.
After all, summer days are limited. Every cloudy day was one less chance to catch a wave.
As a surfing fanatic, he had every right to be sad. But seeing a challenger arrive, he forced himself to snap out of it and stood up to offer a greeting.
"Welcome to the Dewford Gym. You're Kashiwagi, right?"
"That's me."
Kashiwagi wasn't surprised that Brawly knew his name. Once a reservation is made, the Gym's computer system automatically generates a record. A quick glance is all a Gym Leader needs.
"Follow me."
Brawly led the way into the Gym, chatting as they walked.
"I saw your coordination with Aggron yesterday. I thought it was quite impressive. However, surfing on a Pokémon is very risky—both for yourself and others. I'd really suggest using a surfboard next time."
He seemed particularly focused on this point, having reminded Kashiwagi yesterday and feeling the need to emphasize it again today. He even chose his words carefully to sound constructive.
"Understood."
Kashiwagi heard the underlying seriousness in his tone and nodded again in acknowledgment.
Passing through a door at the end of a corridor, a semi-enclosed battlefield came into view.
Unlike the Rustboro Gym with its specialized rocky terrain, the Dewford Gym's field was remarkably plain.
A young girl with a blue ponytail, wearing light training clothes, was standing in the center.
"Master!" She ran over to Brawly, carrying several Poké Balls.
"Thank you, Shauna"
Brawly thanked her, then noticed Kashiwagi's curious gaze. "This is my apprentice, Shauna. She's currently training under me and will be serving as our referee today."
"Hello," Kashiwagi nodded in greeting.
Shauna responded quickly, "Hello! Please take care of me!"
Kashiwagi didn't recognize her at first, but after a moment's thought, he remembered she was a character from the anime—the one who nearly fought a "fixed" match against Ash's Pikachu using her Meditite.
The two trainers took their positions. Shauna held her flags aloft and loudly proclaimed the rules of the match.
Once she finished, Brawly took out a Poké Ball and smiled.
"Do you mind if I kick the difficulty up a notch? Mr. Norman and Ms. Roxanne gave you very high praise. If I set the difficulty based solely on your current badge count, a battle that's too easy wouldn't be much of a workout for you, would it?"
"You're the Gym Leader. You decide." Kashiwagi had no objections.
Hearing this, Brawly immediately tossed his ball forward.
"In that case... Machamp! I'm counting on you!"
Pop!
"Macha!"
A four-armed, humanoid Pokémon with skin like grey stone and bulging muscles landed on the field.
Just "a notch," huh? Kashiwagi thought dryly, though his hand didn't hesitate as he threw the Poké Ball he had already prepared.
Pop!
Cherry blossom petals fluttered through the air as Mawile slowly touched down.
Shauna's eyes turned a bit strange as she looked at Kashiwagi. She probably didn't expect a tall, sturdy guy like him to have such a "girly" aesthetic for his Poké Ball effects.
As the Pokémon entered the field, Brawly didn't issue an immediate command, as if deliberately giving Kashiwagi the first move.
Kashiwagi knew Brawly was likely planning to use the "force-deflection" techniques he'd used against Ash in the past. He stayed alert and spoke to Mawile, who had already used Magnet Rise to hover slightly off the ground:
"Charge in!"
"Mawile!" She responded with a low chirp. Her right foot kicked off the ground with explosive force, and she lunged forward like an arrow from a bow!
"So fast! Machamp, use Bulk Up!"
Brawly seemingly hadn't received detailed intel from Roxanne. Seeing Mawile turn into a blur of motion, he didn't dare hold back and called for a buff.
"MACH!"
Machamp clenched his four fists, tensing his muscles until they looked like bundles of steel cables. But just as the aura began to build around him, Mawile appeared right in front of his face, wearing a look of utter disdain as she crooked a finger at him.
In an instant, Machamp's skin turned a visible shade of red, and a crimson light flared in his eyes.
"MACH!"
He let out a furious roar and swung all four arms down at Mawile!
Brawly, having his vision partially blocked, initially thought Bulk Up had been successful. When he realized Machamp was attacking without a command, he snapped his eyes toward Kashiwagi, who was wearing a knowing smile.
"Machamp, snap out of it! Don't fall for Taunt!"
"Iron Defense!"
Kashiwagi's command coincided with the action.
To Machamp, it felt like his vision blurred; a black object with yellow spots suddenly replaced Mawile's body.
As his hand-chops slammed down, the black object suddenly flashed with a brilliant silver light.
CLANG!
A cloud of smoke erupted from the impact. Mawile leaped out of the haze, performing a nimble mid-air dance like movement.
"Mawile!" She barked with a serious tone.
"I know. Being hit by his four hands at once is like getting hit four times by anyone else," Kashiwagi replied to her.
"Regardless, stopping his setup is a win! Fairy Wind!"
Before the smoke could even clear, Mawile began spinning forward.
The pink gale transformed her into a miniature cyclone that slammed hard into Machamp's chest!
"Launch him! Don't let him touch the ground!" Kashiwagi shouted.
Brawly wasn't about to back down. "Grab her! Use Vital Throw!"
"MACH!"
Taking the Fairy Wind head-on, Machamp let out a muffled grunt. He narrowed his eyes, trying to catch the spinning Mawile, but she wasn't that easy to pin down.
She suddenly accelerated her rotation. The force of the Fairy Wind surged, and under her deliberate control, it lifted the heavy Machamp off his feet and sent him hurtling toward the ceiling!
"What a ferocious Fairy Wind!" Brawly couldn't help but marvel. He had rarely seen a Pokémon turn a Fairy Wind into something that felt more like a Hurricane.
"Play Rough!" Kashiwagi yelled.
In mid-air, the pained Machamp still remembered to grab Mawile. As she ceased the Fairy Wind, he successfully caught her.
However, he quickly realized a very awkward problem:
He couldn't land. To use Vital Throw, he needed to slam her against something, but she was already in his arms.
Before he could react, Mawile—far from being scared of being caught—looked delighted. She lunged into his embrace and delivered two heavy punches right to his face!
BAM! BAM!
Machamp saw stars, his vision swimming.
"Dynamic Punch!"
Brawly was starting to panic since Machamp couldn't get back down. In fighting styles, power comes from the ground; without a solid base to push off from, a strike can't reach its full potential.
Facing Machamp's glowing red fists, Mawile showed no fear. She took the hit head-on and used the force of the explosion to start spinning again, swinging Machamp around like a giant windmill. She used the momentum to repeatedly slam Machamp into the ceiling—once, twice, three times.
Once he was sufficiently battered, she threw him toward the floor with all her might!
BOOM!
Machamp crashed into the ground, a cloud of dust billowing up. Two seconds later, the dust cleared to reveal the four-armed Pokémon out cold.
"Machamp is unable to battle! Mawile wins!"