Release That Pokémon!

Geodude slammed its fists into the ground, and a sharp Stone Edge shot out from the crack beneath Mimikyu, striking it head-on.

The tiny Pokémon was instantly sent flying...

"Mimikyu!" Caleb frowned.

Mimikyu picked itself up from the ground, its little face covered in dust, looking quite disheveled.

Determined, Mimikyu nodded firmly at Caleb, signaling that it could still fight.

Caleb let out a relieved sigh and commanded, "Good! Use Pain Split!"

Strange green energy surged simultaneously from Mimikyu and Geodude. The two streams of light merged midair before splitting apart and returning to their respective Pokémon in under two seconds.

Mimikyu exhaled slowly, its condition visibly improved.

Meanwhile, Geodude's expression twisted slightly in discomfort.

- Pain Split: A Normal-type move that combines the user's and opponent's remaining HP, then splits it evenly between them...

Seeing this, Roxanne reacted swiftly, "Don't give it a chance! Use Rock Blast!"

"Geo dude!" With a shout, Geodude clenched its fists, conjuring three floating, jagged rocks in front of it.

Caleb remained composed and countered, "Double Team again!"

Mimikyu moved, and the scene from earlier repeated itself.

The three rocks shot toward the three clones, but unfortunately, all of them missed.

"Hmph! That won't work!" Roxanne snapped, "Geodude, use Earthquake again! Shake it out!"

Geodude slammed its fists into the ground once more.

*Boom!*

Violent shockwaves rippled across the battlefield, making the entire arena tremble wildly.

The cracks in the ground which had just stopped spreading rapidly expanded, revealing dark jagged fissures between chunks of earth.

Caleb mentally calculated the timing. Just three seconds before the shockwaves reached Mimikyu's feet, he ordered, "Dodge with a Splash!"

Mimikyu obeyed without hesitation, leaping into the air with all its might.

The next moment, the ground where it had stood was reduced to rubble.

Roxanne's mouth fell open as she recalled the time Mimikyu had dodged Manectric's attack the same way.

Caleb's gaze remained locked onto Mimikyu. The moment it landed, just as the aftershocks faded, he commanded, "Use Play Rough!"

"Fine then! Geodude, use Double-Edge!" Roxanne countered.

The two Pokémon charged at each other from opposite directions.

A surge of intense pink energy enveloped Mimikyu as it fearlessly rushed toward Geodude.

*Thud*

A dull impact echoed across the battlefield.

The two Pokémon collided, then separated, standing motionless with their backs to each other.

Roxanne gulped, holding her breath as she anxiously watched the scene, 'Who won?'

*Thud*

The answer came swiftly. Geodude swayed before its rocky body collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Mimikyu turned around, lifting its head to give Caleb a triumphant smile, only to collapse right after, fainting as well.

"Good work Mimikyu. Rest now, leave the rest to us." Caleb recalled Mimikyu into its Poké Ball and replaced it with Dragonite's.

Roxanne's eyes flickered, 'Still not enough?'

This Geodude was her strongest Pokémon aside from Nosepass... Her gaze lingered on the Everstone attached to Geodude as she fell into deep thought.

Meanwhile, in the spectator area, Lorelei watched Roxanne with amusement...

As they say, the onlooker sees more of the game.

She could tell at a glance that this Geodude had been meticulously prepared before the battle.

The second round began immediately...

Two flashes of white light later, Dragonite and Nosepass appeared on opposite ends of the battlefield.

Roxanne took the initiative again and commanded, "Nosepass! Use Zap Cannon!"

Caleb countered firmly, "Dragonite, fly up and use Agility!"

Nosepass let out a deep bull-like cry as a dense yellow electric charge gathered before it.

Meanwhile, Dragonite soared into the air, its speed increasing rapidly until it left behind afterimages.

Soon, Nosepass's Zap Cannon was fully charged. It fired directly at Dragonite, but Dragonite had already boosted its speed with Agility...

Low-accuracy moves like Zap Cannon stood little chance of hitting it.

Caleb: "Good! Now, use Twister!"

Dragonite opened its mouth, gathering a swirling violet energy that transformed into a raging tornado, and hurtling toward Nosepass.

Despite its sturdy defenses, Nosepass was far too slow to evade Dragonite's attack.

In contrast, Dragonite continued leveraging its speed, dodging Nosepass's strikes while countering relentlessly.

Roxanne, who had believed her training would be enough to defeat Dragonite, felt her spirits sink as she watched the battle unfold.

Time ticked by, and Nosepass's stamina steadily dwindled under Dragonite's assault...

*Bam!*

Finally, with a heavy crash, Nosepass collapsed, knocked out by a devastating Hyper Beam.

Roxanne was numb. She recalled Nosepass and handed Caleb the Stone Badge.

Caleb stored his third badge in his 'backpack'.

Just as Roxanne was about to speak, the red-haired woman accompanying Caleb called out: "Hey Caleb, let's go!"

Roxanne froze, her words dying on her lips. Caleb? Had she heard that right? But hadn't this trainer introduced himself as Terrence Jones?

And… Caleb... was this the same Caleb Chase she'd heard about?

The Bug Catcher from Oldale Town… The mysterious man who had trained a group of rookie trainers to an exceptional level in just half a month…

Shocked, she felt as though she had missed something crucial... But before she could ask, Caleb had already left the Rustboro Gym.

Coincidentally, Brawly's video call came through at that moment...

Seeing Roxanne's dazed expression, he frowned:

<...Hey! Roxanne! You okay?..>

Roxanne blinked, snapping out of her trance. "Huh? What is it?"

Brawly's frown deepened as he took in the wrecked battlefield behind her. Hesitantly, he asked:

<...Did you already battle Terrence?..>

Roxanne pressed her lips together, her expression grave. "I think… we might have been tricked."

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Read ahead on my P@treon...

[email protected]/MayaMatengele01