Chapter 44: Logan’s Gambit
The host was momentarily flustered, and the audience in the stadium looked on in stunned silence. However, compared to the gradually rising tide of chatter among the crowd, the host displayed a much higher level of professionalism. He quickly recovered and spoke into the mic, "...While it's not uncommon for a Pokémon to evolve mid-battle to turn the tide, evolving right at the start of the match is extremely rare! It looks like Logan came well-prepared this time—Brock might be in trouble!"
A dazzling burst of light radiated from Gible's body. For Pokémon with two-stage evolutions, the first stage is generally easier to achieve. After more than a month of intense training in the perilous depths of Viridian Forest—constantly on alert and in survival mode—Gible's willpower had long since been sharpened to its peak. Its energy and strength had grown immensely. In truth, it had already met the conditions for evolution some time ago. But Logan had been deliberately suppressing it.
Now, at the venue of a gym challenge, with thousands of eyes watching, Logan finally gave the command—and the Gible, who had reached its limit, stopped holding back and embraced its transformation.
The audience craned their necks, watching the evolution unfold with awe. In a world that revolved around Pokémon, evolution was always a thrilling spectacle. Except for rare cases with specific requirements, very few trainers would willingly suppress their Pokémon's evolution. After all, evolution symbolized growth, maturity, and above all—power.
"It's here! Gible has evolved into Gabite!"
Not very familiar with Sinnoh-region Pokémon, the host hastily fumbled through his reference notes while continuing to explain to the audience. "As a rare species unique to the Sinnoh region, Gible's evolutionary data is quite limited. According to research by Sinnoh scientists, wild Gabite typically stand at around 1.5 meters. But look closely—Logan's Gabite is estimated to be over 3 meters tall! That's a testament to how well he's trained it!"
"Trained Pokémon often grow far larger and stronger than their wild or domesticated counterparts. This Gabite clearly outclasses the average—just how powerful is it? Let's all keep our eyes on Logan and witness the might of his performance. Go, Gabite—crush that Onix!"
The host screamed with every ounce of strength he had. This was Pewter City—Brock's home turf—but true trainers always commanded a special respect, regardless of location. The crowd responded with thunderous cheers as the host whipped them into a frenzy.
"OHHHHHH! GO! GO! GO!!"
Over seventy thousand spectators erupted into a spontaneous roar. The pounding of drums echoed like war cries, vibrating through the air and into people's chests. They might not have known exactly what they were shouting, but the atmosphere had exploded into something electric.
Logan scanned the massive stadium around him. The anxiety he'd felt when stepping into the spotlight had now completely faded—replaced instead by something intoxicating. He relished being the center of attention, the thunder of applause, the spotlight shining down on him. Standing at the heart of the stage made him feel like the world itself revolved around him. His blood boiled with excitement—there was a pressure inside him that demanded release.
Especially the shrieks from the female audience members—they felt like music to his ears. Logan was quite pleased with his current appearance. Among everyone he had seen so far, only Blue Oak could be considered a rival in looks. As for Brock… Logan couldn't help but silently roast him—his appearance clearly didn't win over the young ladies.
"Good. Gabite has evolved—just one step away from its final form now. But this height though..."
He glanced up at the towering figure beside him. The Gabite now stood over three meters tall—nearly half again as tall as Logan, who was just under 1.8 meters himself. It left him feeling a bit exasperated. If Gabite was already this big, wouldn't Garchomp—the final evolution—reach 8 or even 10 meters? At that size, no one could argue it wasn't a full-fledged dinosaur. He thought back to the Sinnoh Champion's terrifyingly massive Garchomp. With a wry smile, Logan shook his head.
"Such a shame. With a body this large, Gabite can't stay by my side all the time anymore. I'll have to keep it in its Poké Ball most of the time."
Bringing a three-meter-tall dragon Pokémon through town would cause a public panic.
Gabite's previously round, chubby body had become lean and powerful. Its gaze now carried a savage glint, far more intense than when it was still Gible. Sharp bony blades jutted out from its toes, knees, and wrists. Its fin-like arms gleamed with a deadly edge. Logan had no doubt that with just a single slash, Gabite could carve through solid rock like butter.
"Thanks for waiting, Brock. Now, the real battle begins. Gabite!"
Logan called out its name. Gabite turned around and gave him a calm nod—gone was the carefree, playful little Gible from before. In its place stood a composed, focused warrior. It was like watching a young girl grow into a resolute young woman.
"Perfect. Still responds to commands with ease. Dragon Aura really is handy when handling dragon-types."
Seeing Gabite follow orders just as smoothly as before, Logan finally relaxed.
Brock looked at the newly-evolved Gabite with a helpless smile. Due to League regulations, when facing a challenger with no badges, he was restricted to using low-level Pokémon. This Onix, though trained, was far from one of his main partners. It had been selected specifically to give beginner trainers a fair chance. But after seeing Logan's performance during the preliminaries, Brock had realized that this "beginner" was a seasoned fighter. Now that Gible had evolved, the power gap had only widened.
'Let's try to lose with dignity, at least.'
Brock sighed internally. As a Gym Leader, he had experienced both wins and losses. Losing didn't bother him—but being crushed did. That, he couldn't accept.
"Onix—use Rock Throw!"
Since defeat was inevitable, he might as well go out with flair. A series of flashy, continuous moves would at least make the battle entertaining for the audience. Most of them wouldn't understand the strategy behind his choices anyway. They'd just think Onix was putting up a good fight before going down.
But while Brock was thinking this, Logan clearly wasn't reading from the same script.
Watching as massive boulders materialized on either side of Onix and came crashing down from the sky, Logan simply smirked. "...Every time I see Pokémon moves in action, I question the laws of science. Are these rocks condensed energy made physical or something?"
While musing about the logic-defying nature of Pokémon attacks, he gave Brock a casual smile—and snapped his fingers.
"Gabite—just like we did in the preliminaries. Let's end this quickly."
In that moment, a chill ran down Brock's spine.
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