"You may make the first move, Sieg," Roxanne said, gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
Geodude versus Carvanha.
"Carvanha, use Focus Energy!"
Sieg struck first, opting to boost his power right from the start.
Roxanne responded in a soft voice, "Geodude, use Defense Curl."
Geodude curled itself into a tight ball, its rocky body shimmering with a bright, steel-like sheen.
"Carvanha, spot it with Aqua Jet!"
Sieg would never let his opponent power up so easily.
Carvanha, ever since entering the field, had been quietly stacking its Speed Boost ability. Combined with the burst of Aqua Jet, it became a blur.
From the far end of the arena, it shot forward like a rocket.
Wrapped in a jet of water, it slammed into Geodude before the Rock-type could complete its defense. Geodude was launched backward, tumbling across the battlefield.
"Geodude, use Rollout!"
Roxanne knew there was no more time for careful setups, so she called for Geodude's signature chained assault.
Geodude transformed into a spinning stone wheel and rolled furiously across the arena.
"Carvanha, use Psychic Fangs!"
"Bite it, hard!"
Sieg issued attack after attack, his voice sharp and focused. Carvanha's Speed Boost was already pushing its movement to terrifying levels.
But Geodude was a master of defense. Add to that the rotational momentum from Rollout, and it was nearly impervious. Each of Carvanha's attacks clashed against the spinning stone but failed to break through.
Meanwhile, Geodude's Rollout became stronger with every pass.
And Carvanha, likewise, was continuously accelerating with each trigger of Speed Boost.
Both sides were powering up.
It was a standoff, Speed Boost versus Rollout.
"Geodude, use Rock Polish!" Roxanne called out softly but firmly.
Sieg's heart sank.
Damn it!
Rollout increased power the longer it kept moving. But Rock Polish? That was a serious threat.
(Rock Polish: The user smooths its surface to reduce air resistance, sharply increasing its speed.)
"Carvanha, Aqua Jet, now!" Sieg commanded.
The battlefield turned into a blur of motion.
To outside observers, all they could see were two colored streaks — a gray one and a blue one — zigzagging across the arena, too fast to follow with the naked eye.
Carvanha, with its Speed Boost and Aqua Jet acceleration,
Geodude, with its furious spinning from Rollout and the added momentum of Rock Polish,
"BOOM!"
"BANG!"
The two Pokémon crashed into each other over and over, the sounds of impact ringing out like thunderclaps across the stadium.
"I can't let Geodude keep spinning any longer," Sieg realized. "If this goes on, its power will keep growing and the battle will tilt too far out of my control."
Carvanha's Speed Boost had reached its limit. Any further acceleration would begin damaging its own body.
Sieg wasn't about to push his Pokémon past its limits for a single match.
On the other hand, Roxanne's Geodude clearly hadn't hit its threshold. It was obvious the Pokémon had undergone rigorous training and could handle far more intense stat boosts.
Its body could endure greater pressure for longer.
"Carvanha, use Screech, with everything you've got!"
Carvanha opened its jaws wide and unleashed a piercing shriek!
"Geo-dude!"
Geodude immediately halted its Rollout, wincing and clutching its head, clearly in pain.
"Now! Aqua Jet, finish it!"
Sieg gave the order without missing a beat.
Roxanne scrambled to command Geodude to resume rolling, but it was too late.
Carvanha's body surged forward, enveloped in water, Speed Boost pushing it to its absolute peak.
Like a living missile, it launched straight toward Geodude with unrelenting force.
"Bang!"
With the force of Speed Boost and all its built-up momentum, the impact was devastating.
Geodude was knocked straight into the air. Despite the reinforced defense from Defense Curl and the extra velocity granted by Rock Polish, its stamina plummeted.
The blow had struck a critical point.
Geodude's eyes swirled in a dizzy spiral as it collapsed, completely out of strength.
"What? How can that be? Roxanne lost?"
"Maybe Teacher Roxanne was just going easy on him!"
"Even her super combo, Rollout plus Rock Polish, was broken through!"
The crowd of students watching from the sidelines was visibly shaken. Discussions erupted all around. To them, Roxanne wasn't just a teacher or a former student. She was unbeatable.
Only two years ago, she had been the top Rock-type specialist in school. Now, she was the Gym Leader of Rustboro City.
Calling her a symbol of their faith wasn't even an exaggeration.
But now, she had been defeated by an unknown boy with a handsome face and a calm demeanor, someone not much older than themselves?
In the center of the field, Carvanha panted heavily, its breath ragged. And yet, it was trembling with excitement. Its body was like an overinflated balloon about to burst, overflowing with power.
A dazzling white light erupted from it.
The light of evolution!
The noisy students instantly fell silent, stunned as they watched Carvanha begin to evolve.
Even Lucius, who had been jeering at Sieg all this time, clammed up completely.
The white glow faded slowly.
Standing before everyone was now a massive shark head. Strangely, it had no lower body. Its entire shape resembled a living torpedo.
"Beep beep beep~"
"Sharpedo, the Brutal Pokémon. Water/Dark-type. The evolved form of Carvanha, feared across the seas as a marine menace. Its teeth can break off and regrow instantly. It is said a single Sharpedo can tear a cruise ship to pieces with ease."
Gender: Male
Ability: Speed Boost
Height: 2 meters
Weight: 90 kilograms
Development: Exceptionally strong compared to its species
Bite force: Extreme
Known Moves: Slash, Leer, Bite, Rage, Focus Energy, Feint, Assurance, Aqua Jet, Pursuit, Screech, Swagger, Ice Fang, Scary Face, Poison Fang
Egg Move: Psychic Fangs
Sieg recalled Sharpedo into its Poké Ball, and his Pokédex scanned the data, displaying a stream of glowing information.
Sharpedo had successfully evolved at level 30!
Roxanne smiled softly, her expression warm.
"Sieg, congratulations. Your Carvanha evolved into a Sharpedo."
"I should be the one thanking you for your guidance, Gym Leader Roxanne!" Sieg bowed respectfully, his voice full of gratitude.
Roxanne's cheeks flushed with color. It was the first time anyone had called her "Gym Leader" with such sincere reverence.
Her gaze lingered on Sieg, unknowingly growing more affectionate.
"No need to be so formal. It's my duty as a Gym Leader to help challengers grow. Now then, let's move on to the next Pokémon!"
With those words, she tossed out a second Poké Ball.
"Nosepass!!!"
With a flash of red light, a Pokémon resembling a stone idol appeared in the center of the field, roaring its name with fury.
Sieg's eyes narrowed.
"So it really is Nosepass."
He had expected this.
Before him stood the Compass Pokémon, Nosepass!
"It's here! It's finally here! It's Teacher Roxanne's signature Pokémon!"
The crowd was once again stirred into excitement.
"But wait, why didn't she send out Probopass, her main powerhouse?" someone asked in confusion.
"Yeah, this Nosepass seems low-level... probably not even on her secondary team."
Others joined in, puzzled by the Gym Leader's choice.
Of course, none of the students watching knew that this was an official Gym Challenge. They were unaware of the rules behind the Pokémon Roxanne chose.
After all, considering the Gym Leader rank she held, Nosepass's level did seem unusually low.
"Well then, Sieg, which Pokémon will you send out next?"
Roxanne smiled gently, showing none of the arrogance one might expect from a Gym Leader. If anything, she looked more like a friendly older sister than a fearsome opponent.