Bab 97: 6th gym battle
Ascending the steps to the spectator area, he could see Ash getting his ass handed to him by a measly gloom. Rex was struggling to not look down on him. It was simply shameful. Or maybe his mindset was wrong? Maybe this was the standard level for most people trying to challenge the gym.
"The winner is Erika the gym leader!" yelled the woman who was acting as referee. Rex could only shake his head amidst the loud applause of everyone present.
"The next challenger is on standby. There will be a 1 hour break before the next battle commences." The woman announced. Erika was surprised that there was another challenger but simply shrugged and headed to the Pokémon centre to treat her Weepinbell.
Brock and Misty were excited when they heard that. Because they knew that Rex was next. Everyone else was pleasantly surprised since usually, there would only be about one challenger per day. Rex simply closed his eyes and rested his mind. He wanted to be focused on the battle. He would get flustered easily when things didn't go according to plan and that was a terrible habit he needed to break.
So he thought that closing his eyes and going over all the possibilities that could occur in the fight would help. He also decided to implement a new training program for himself. He got the system to simulate battles in his head according to the data it had collected during his many fights. It also hacked into the internet and took all the recordings of battles that had been uploaded over the years as extra data for a more in-depth simulation. The time difference between the simulation and reality was drastically altered.
By the time that Erika was ready, Rex had already fought 100 times inside the simulation. The system stared him off on the easiest level according to its own judgment. But to his shock, he had actually lost 75 out of the 100 battles. It was an eye-opener, to say the least. He learned a lot out of it though, and many things he could use in this battle.
"Next challenger please get ready." Said the woman.
Everyone noticed how a young man with white hair got up lazily from his chair and made his way down the stone steps. An air of complete confidence was radiating out of him.
He walked through the sliding doors and strolled into the grassy field that was perfect for a picnic. The soft grass could be felt even through his shoes. The way they glided through the blades of grass. The stunning jade green colour. Rex had never seen such great grass in his life.
"You seem to care more about the grass than you do this battle," said the voice of a witty young woman. Rex didn't need to look up to know who it was. Naturally, it was Erika. Without looking at her he responded, "Your right, this is the best-looking grass I have ever seen. It almost looks like candy," he said before crouching down and plucking a blade of grass and slotting it into his mouth.
Erika was tongue-tied. She had never encountered someone with so much confidence. She wondered what it was that gave it to him. She would be shocked if she knew that he had already battled over 100 times before even moving a muscle. He was currently in the zone.
"Anyway, let's get this battle started, shall we?" he asked while cracking his neck.
As if on cue, the woman who was off to the side began to talk, "The battle is between Rex the challenger and Erika the gym leader. It will be a 3 on 3 match up. Only the challenger is allowed to switch out his Pokémon. Ready?" she asked as she looked at Erika who promptly nodded in response.
"Ready?" she repeated while looking at Rex. He simply nodded as well.
"Then let the battle, START!" she yelled and slashed her hand downwards.
Erika threw her poke ball out quickly and a Tangela came out. Rex threw his out and the hunter Victreebell came out to the shock of everyone present.
Whispers and murmurs could be suddenly heard.
"That looks like a Victreebell, but why does it look so different?" said a woman.
"Yeah, I know what you mean, I have never seen one look like that." Responded another.
Misty and Brock looked a Victreebell intensely as if they would bore a hole through it.
"That is a new form. I have never seen it before. I wonder how strong it is." Said Brock with curiosity.
"Yeah, same here, and look at that thing dangling on top of its head, it almost looks like it has sentience." She whispered but laughed at herself the next instant. They soon spotted Ash who was walking up the stairs with a dejected look. He had just come back after healing his Pokémon.
"Ash! Over here." Shouted Misty while waving her hand. Ash came over and sat next to them with a puzzled expression.
"Why are we still here?" he asked.
"Look who's battling right now." Said Brock while pointing at the arena. Ash turned his head in the direction Brock was pointing at and froze when he saw the familiar silhouette.
"Rex?! He's here? That's great." He exclaimed. His dejected look had disappeared in a flash.
"Mhm and look at the Pokémon he has." Said Misty whiling pointing at Victreebel. Ash focused on it and frowned. He pulled out his Pokedex and pointed it at Victreebel.
[Victreebel, the flycatcher Pokémon. Lures prey into its mouth with a honeylike aroma. The helpless prey is melted with a dissolving fluid.] the robotic female voice explained. But Ash was focused on the picture provided and flicked his head between the two repetitively.
"Why does it look so different?" he asked.
"Well, the one on the Pokedex is the official version. The one that Rex has seems to be extremely rare." Said Brock with excitement.
"Oh, that's cool. It must be really strong then." Ash said like a naive little kid with no knowledge.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone