"Machoke, Brick Break!"
"Gliscor, Protect."
Standing opposite Caleb was a burly, heavily muscled man whose face was flushed red as he swung his thick arms and bellowed at the top of his lungs.
This muscle-bound man was named Box, and he was the first challenger Caleb had faced in the past couple of days.
So Caleb didn't dare to let his guard down.
However, Box's initial enthusiasm had now turned into visible frustration.
And with good reason—his opponent was just too damn annoying!
After poisoning Machoke, that guy just kept spamming Protect and Substitute like a coward hiding in his shell.
"Are you even a man? If you've got guts, stop using these underhanded tricks and fight me head-on!"
Box glared at Caleb, his voice booming. His face had turned from red to purple from rage.
Once again, Machoke's Brick Break had been blocked by Protect.
It was driving him crazy! At this rate, Machoke would be taken down by poison damage in no time.
As for Box's rage-filled outburst, Caleb could only shake his head helplessly.
Using Protect and Toxic with Substitute was somehow "underhanded"?
But thinking it over, it wasn't entirely Box's fault. With those bulging muscles and that brainless attack strategy, he was the very picture of a surface-level trainer. His reaction to a sneaky strategy was probably just pure shock.
Caleb tried to explain that it was a tactical choice.
But Box wasn't having it.
"Tactical my ass! That's just blasphemy!" Box roared, furious. "Machoke! Show this heretic gym leader the power of our bond!"
"Use Brick Break! Again and again!!"
With Box's shout, Machoke leapt into action. Every muscle in its body tensed as it gathered strength in its palms.
It jumped high into the air, bringing both hands down hard on Gliscor.
"DIE!!!"
"Chooli!!"
He really had a thing for Brick Break. Caleb hadn't seen him use a single other move the entire match.
Caleb said calmly, "Substitute."
On the field, faced with the incoming Machoke, Gliscor calmly used Substitute. The move cost some HP, but since Gliscor was holding a Toxic Orb, it didn't mind.
With the Poison Heal ability, a poisoned or badly poisoned Pokémon doesn't lose HP each turn—instead, it heals 1/8 of its max HP.
Even Gliscor hadn't known it had this ability. It only came to light after Caleb captured it two days ago and gave it a little... tuning up.
Pair it with a Toxic Orb, and voilà—silent but deadly.
As expected, Machoke couldn't break through Gliscor's defenses and eventually succumbed to the spreading poison.
Maybe it was just Caleb's imagination, but Box actually looked relieved as Machoke collapsed.
The whole fight had been pure torture.
For a moment there, he'd genuinely wanted to rush over and let Caleb taste his fists.
But then his grandfather's teachings echoed in his mind:
"As a martial artist, you must remain calm even if Mt. Coronet collapses in front of you. Never let your emotions take over and cloud your judgment..."
Eyes closed, Box solemnly recited his grandfather's words to himself.
"That was a fun battle, wasn't it, Mr. Box?" Caleb finally smiled after his expected victory.
Box: "..."
"Assaulting a gym leader is a criminal offense... Assaulting a gym leader is a criminal offense... It's a crime, a crime..." Box mumbled under his breath.
"Mr. Box?" Caleb asked with concern. "Are you feeling alright?"
Why was he just standing there like that?
Did he go into shock from losing?
That couldn't be—Caleb hadn't even gone all out yet.
Besides, with a build like his, his mental resilience should be stronger than that. There had to be another reason.
Oh! That's it!
Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in Caleb's head.
Mr. Box must be hoping I'll teach him how to use Machoke better but is too embarrassed to ask. "If you ever want tips on how to use Machoke effectively, I'm always happy to help," Caleb said with a brilliant smile. After all, gym leaders as dedicated as him were rare.
Box: ???
What the hell?! Not content with crushing me, now you're rubbing it in?
Is he saying I don't deserve to use Machoke?
Damn it, this heretic gym leader who won using dirty tricks is trying to teach me now?!
Unbelievable!
Steam practically poured out of Box's ears.
Sensing the tension, Caleb chuckled awkwardly. Okay, maybe that wasn't it.
Oh! Another idea popped into his head.
"Then Mr. Box must want to learn the Protect-Toxic-Substitute combo, right? If you leave a five-star review for the gym, I might just teach you." Caleb smiled.
It's not exactly an advanced strategy—trading it for a five-star review was totally worth it.
Box: !!!
"This is an outrage! You've gone too far!
"Who the hell wants to learn your stupid Protect-Toxic combo! Just you wait, I'll have my grandfather deal with you!"
Box's fists clenched and cracked, but he still didn't strike Caleb. Instead, he stormed off with one last threat.
"This crappy bottom-tier gym... What are you even proud of? Once my grandpa shows up, he'll tear this place down in minutes!"
"You'll see! My grandpa used to be one of the Elite Four!"
Returning Machoke to its Poké Ball, Box stomped out of the gym, cursing under his breath.
"Hey, about that five-star review—maybe we can talk?" Caleb tried to stop him, but Box left too quickly. Caleb couldn't catch up.
What a shame. It was rare to get a challenger these days...
Though from the sound of it, his grandfather might be coming too.
That means another challenger coming straight to his door!
Better get ready—gotta make a good impression on the old man.
As for Box saying his grandpa was one of the Elite Four?
Caleb didn't take it seriously. What, did he think being an Elite Four member was like catching a Pikachu—something you find on every street corner?
Out here, titles are as good as self-declared. The kid was probably just mad and making stuff up.
Ding~
His phone buzzed with a new notification.
Caleb opened it—yep, another negative review.
Scrolling down the Solaceon Gym's official site, the whole page was filled with bad ratings.
"Trash gym. Total waste of time."
"Honestly, my grandma could sweep this guy with a Caterpie."
"Almost as bad as the Cerulean Gym."
"At least Cerulean Gym has those three sisters—slurp~"
"Damn, those sisters really got the figure. And they're pale too."
"Yeah, yeah, I saw their water ballet once. They really are pale."
"Ahem, we should critique the Cerulean Gym objectively. Let's not go on about who's pale or who's stacked."
"Got it. I'll go take another... uh, critical look at them right now."
...
There were tons of comments like that.
Wait a second—wasn't this Solaceon Gym's site?
Why the hell were all the comments about Cerulean Gym?!
Unforgivable.
Cerulean Gym and those damn three sisters—just you wait. Caleb's got this grudge written down in ink.