I, Gary, Want to Become a Pokemon Master

Norman hadn't expected the battle to take such a turn.

This Breloom wasn't just powerful in close combat—it also had recovery moves, making it a tough opponent to deal with.

"Vigoroth, use Flamethrower!" Norman gave the command, almost on instinct, hoping Vigoroth could land one final hit.

Unfortunately, although Vigoroth unleashed Flamethrower, the flames veered off course, scorching the windows beside the battlefield plaque instead.

In the end, Vigoroth's remaining stamina was drained by Breloom's recovery, and it collapsed.

"Vigoroth is unable to battle! Breloom wins!" the Gym apprentice declared.

Just like that, Gary had defeated two of Norman's Pokémon in a row with sheer offensive force.

It seemed Norman—an Elite Four-level trainer—didn't require further testing to understand Gary's strength.

"What a powerful junior," Norman thought. He suspected Breloom was one of Gary's main Pokémon in the Hoenn region. This kind of training ability was not at all inferior to his own.

"Your strength is beyond my expectations. But now... the final battle begins!"

"Go, Slaking!"

Great!

[Lv. 40 Slaking ♂ / Champion]

Gary was stunned when he saw Norman's Slaking.

Unlike most Slaking, which normally lazed around lying down, this one stood upright, radiating power. It wasn't normal at all.

Judging by how this Slaking behaved, it seemed capable of ignoring the negative effects of its Truant ability.

"Slaking, Flamethrower!" Norman commanded, taking the initiative.

Slaking opened its mouth and unleashed a torrent of flames straight ahead, cutting off Breloom's escape route.

"Dig!" Gary shouted.

"Breee-loom!!" Breloom cried and quickly burrowed underground.

But suddenly, Slaking cut off the Flamethrower and stomped one massive foot toward the ground.

"No! Get out of there, quick!" Gary shouted urgently.

But it was too late. As Gary finished speaking, Slaking's foot struck the battlefield, sending a shockwave rippling outward. The entire arena shook violently, chunks of earth cracked, and the underground Breloom was caught by the tremor.

"Bre... loom..." Breloom gasped, struggling to breathe. The HP he had painstakingly recovered was instantly wiped out.

If Breloom hadn't had resistance to Ground-type moves, that Earthquake-like stomp might have knocked him out completely.

"Flamethrower!" Norman didn't hesitate. With only one Pokémon left, there was no need to hold back.

"SLAAK!!" Slaking roared as it fired another blazing stream of fire toward Breloom.

"Force Palm to cut through the flames!" Gary countered.

"Breee-LOOM!!"

Breloom gathered all his strength into his right arm and struck the air in front of him.

Pah!!!

A shockwave burst forth, pushing the flames back several meters. But it wasn't enough—the flames surged forward again, engulfing Breloom.

When the fire cleared, Breloom lay motionless, his body charred.

"Breloom is unable to battle! Slaking wins!" the Gym apprentice announced, finally breathing a sigh of relief.

Having been Norman's apprentice for so long, he had seen Norman lose battles before, but rarely had he seen him dominate so completely in the end.

"Lairon, let's go!" Gary threw out his next Poké Ball.

Great!

[Lv. 38 Lairon / Elite]

Sending out Lairon against Slaking wasn't ideal, but Gary had no other choice. His Grovyle was being saved for last.

And as for using Latios—Gary didn't want to rely on such overwhelming power just for a Gym battle victory.

"Lairon..." Norman said thoughtfully. "You know my Slaking can use Earthquake, but you still sent out Lairon. You must be very confident in it."

"It's fine. I'm more curious about your Slaking, Mr. Norman—how does it act freely without being affected by Truant?" Gary asked.

"Because this Slaking was personally bred by me. It's not like ordinary Slaking," Norman explained calmly.

Gary already knew Slaking was Norman's personal project—but how exactly did it overcome its natural laziness?

"Then let's see how long your Slaking can keep moving."

"Lairon, use Stone Edge!"

Lairon stomped the ground, and jagged stone blades erupted, shooting toward Slaking.

"Block it with your body, then use Earthquake!" Norman commanded.

With no room to dodge, Slaking tanked the Stone Edge head-on. The rocks smashed into him, but Slaking shrugged them off like they were nothing. Then he raised his foot to unleash Earthquake.

Gary acted quickly. "Body Slam!"

With a burst of energy, Lairon launched himself into the air, aiming directly for Slaking.

Slaking was briefly startled. He hadn't expected a heavy Pokémon like Lairon to jump so far.

Are you sure you're a Steel-type, not a Flying-type? Norman thought, mildly amused.

"Catch Lairon!" Norman ordered.

"SLAAAK!!"

Slaking raised his arms, bracing himself as Lairon came crashing down. He caught Lairon's armored body with both hands. His knees bent slightly under the weight but straightened immediately, lifting Lairon overhead.

Lairon was stunned. Aside from Rhyperior, no Pokémon had ever caught him like that before.

"Now throw him!" Norman commanded.

With a surge of strength, Slaking hoisted Lairon high above his head and hurled him across the battlefield.

"Use Harden!" Gary shouted quickly.

"LAAAI!!"

Lairon tightened his body just before crashing into the ground. Thanks to Harden, the damage was less severe than it could have been.

Gary frowned, his expression serious. He didn't know how to deal with Slaking's overwhelming strength.

He had originally planned to use Lairon to wear down Slaking's stamina, but it didn't seem to be working. Slaking's power was so monstrous that even Lairon could be tossed like a toy.

"Slaking, Earthquake!" Norman called, giving Gary no time to strategize.

Slaking raised his foot to attack again.

"Body Slam!" Gary shouted desperately.

Lairon launched himself upward once more. This time, Slaking didn't use Earthquake. Instead, he calmly waited for Lairon to fall, ready to catch him again.

"Lairon, keep your momentum and use Iron Head!" Gary commanded.

"RAAAON!!"

Lairon adjusted his angle mid-air, driving the weight of his front body forward, his head glowing with metallic energy.

"Slaking, grab him and Fling him away!" Norman shouted.

"SLAAAK!!"

Norman didn't tell Slaking to dodge. Instead, Slaking braced himself, taking the Iron Head full force. His body rippled with muscle, as though he had used Bulk Up.