Steelix took the Flamethrower head-on, its face contorted in pain. But despite the scorching flames, it forced itself forward, bursting through the fire and ramming headlong into Flareon.
The tremendous impact sent Flareon flying across the arena.
It crashed hard onto the ground, trembling as it tried to rise—yet in the end, its body gave out.
On the other side, Steelix too had exhausted every last ounce of strength for that Take Down. With a thunderous crash, it toppled onto the floor, raising a cloud of dust.
The referee, the young girl Koshia, stared at the two fallen Pokémon for several seconds. When neither could get up, she raised her flag and declared:
"Flareon and Steelix are both unable to battle!"
With two Pokémon down at once, Jasmine now had only one Pokémon remaining, while Yozora still had three untouched.
"Then I'll entrust it all to you. Go, Sparkle!" Jasmine threw out her final Poké Ball.
A dazzling Ampharos emerged—so "Sparkle" was its nickname.
The Ampharos looked powerful, its aura fierce. Its level was clear at a glance: the threshold of the Elite Level, early stage.
"Yozora, from here on I'll fight you with everything I have. Are you ready?" Jasmine's brows lifted with determination.
"No problem."
Yozora gave a faint smile and sent out his own Pokémon."Let's go, Crystal Onix!"
"Rooaaar!!"
With a long cry, the shining Crystal Onix burst forth. Its entire body gleamed with a dazzling brilliance like cut gemstones.
In that instant, Jasmine and Koshia both widened their eyes, staring in disbelief.
"Impossible… Crystal Onix? There's really a Crystal Onix in this world?" Jasmine was stunned.
Koshia was equally shocked. She herself raised an Onix—her favorite partner. She polished it every single day, until its rocky hide became smooth and lustrous over years of care.
But compared to this dreamlike Crystal Onix before her, hers wasn't even close.
"Crystal Onix, use Icy Wind!" Yozora shouted quickly.
The Crystal Onix opened its maw, releasing a gust of freezing wind that swept toward Ampharos. Jasmine gasped in surprise.
The damage wasn't high—after all, Sparkle's level far surpassed Crystal Onix's. What stunned her was something else:
"Onix… using Icy Wind?!"
Wasn't that an Ice-type move?
Since when could an Onix learn Ice-type techniques?
This was beyond bizarre.
"…It's not a Shiny—it's a variant species!" Jasmine's thoughts raced."The typing must be different… at least Ice-type for sure."
If it was Ice-type, then it should fear Fire!
"Sparkle, Fire Punch!" Jasmine commanded loudly.
Ampharos raised its glowing fist and charged straight through the wind. The cold didn't faze it in the least. In a blur of speed, it was in front of Crystal Onix, slamming its flaming punch down hard.
"Rooaar!!"
Crystal Onix reeled back several meters—but nothing more.
"Huh?" Jasmine frowned.
The flames had been swallowed into Crystal Onix's crystalline body, absorbed rather than exploding. The blow landed, but only as a normal strike—without the super-effective Fire damage.
Indeed, that was the truth.
Though Crystal Onix was Ice-type and should fear Fire, Yozora had awakened its Flash Fire ability. Any flames striking it were absorbed instead.
With Ampharos's physical power alone, it simply couldn't break through.
What's more, Crystal Onix's Stamina ability activated as well, boosting its defense by another thirty percent.
"Crystal Onix, Bind it!" Yozora called out.
The gemstone serpent coiled forward, its massive body wrapping around Ampharos tightly and squeezing. Sparkle groaned in pain.
Meanwhile, the raging Sandstorm intensified, battering both Pokémon with stinging grit.
But Yasmine noticed something else—the sand scarred even Crystal Onix's face.
Rock, Steel, and Ground Pokémon are immune to Sandstorm damage. Crystal Onix wasn't.
That meant it didn't share any of those types.
"…Could it really be pure Ice-type? Then why does it resist Fire?" Jasmine narrowed her eyes but didn't have time to ponder.
"Sparkle, use Cotton Guard!"
At once, tufts of golden fluff expanded across Ampharos's body, its defense instantly doubling. Though still bound, it no longer flinched in pain.
"Now, Thunderbolt!"
BOOM!!
The electric blast detonated across Crystal Onix's body. The gemstone serpent shrieked, loosening its coils before crashing heavily to the ground, unconscious.
Koshia raised the red flag."Crystal Onix is unable to battle! Sparkle wins!"
With Tangrowth, Growlithe, Eevee, and now Crystal Onix all down, Yozora was left with only two Pokémon.
"How about that, Yozora?" Jasmine smiled sweetly, winking. "Sparkle is my most trusted partner. Strong, isn't she? Even if she's not Steel-type…"
"She is strong," Yozora admitted calmly. "But I won't surrender so easily. Go, Dragonite!"
With a tremendous thud, the massive Dragonite landed on the field. The dojo floor quivered under its bulk. Jasmine's eyes widened in shock.
The aura wasn't quite as strong as Ampharos's, but the sheer presence of a Dragonite—a Pokémon of noble lineage nearly rivaling Legendary Pokémon—was enough to shake her.
Little did she know, this Dragonite carried the potential of a Tier 2 Legendary, its bloodline greater than most Tier 3 gods.
"Dragonite, Fire Punch!" Yozora commanded.
In a blur, Dragonite lunged forward at shocking speed.
"So fast?!" Jasmine gasped, hurriedly calling: "Sparkle, Cotton Guard again!"
The golden fluff swelled to the maximum, doubling Ampharos's defenses once more.
But Dragonite's blazing fist smashed down.
BOOM!!
The fiery impact ignited the cotton, creating violent explosions that hurled Ampharos through the air. It crashed hard, writhing in agony.
"Sparkle!!" Jasmine cried.
"Now, Flamethrower!"
Dragonite rose into the air and unleashed a blazing torrent. The flames engulfed Ampharos, igniting its cotton again and again. Each detonation echoed like cannon fire.
When the firestorm finally cleared, Sparkle lay blackened and unconscious, the golden fluff scorched to ash.
Koshia lifted her flag."Sparkle is unable to battle! Since Miss Jasmine has no remaining Pokémon, the winner is Yozora!"
——
After the match, Jasmine approached Yozora with a warm smile, handing him the Mineral Badge.
"You've truly grown strong. I gave it my all, but still lost. With your current strength, I believe you'll shine in the Silver Conference. But more than that, you're still so young… in a few years, you'll be a star that dazzles the world."
Her admiration was sincere—but her curiosity quickly shifted to something else.
"Your Crystal Onix… can it evolve?"
Yozora shook his head. "I don't know. I've never tried."
Normally, an Onix coated with Metal Coat would evolve into Steelix. But a Crystal Onix? No one could say.
The item itself was extremely rare, worth millions, sometimes tens of millions, and nearly impossible to find in ordinary shops.
To his surprise, Jasmine produced one from her bag.
"Want to try? If you're willing, I'll give this one to you for free. I want to see what your Crystal Onix will become."
Her lips curved in a mischievous smile. "Of course… if it just turns into an ordinary Steelix, don't blame me."
Yozora's eyes lit up. Without hesitation, he nodded.
Together with Jasmine and Koshia, he carefully spread the Metal Coat across Crystal Onix's body. In moments, its gemstone skin gleamed under the polish.
A brilliant white light engulfed it.
Crystal Onix was evolving.
All three trainers watched with anticipation.
When the glow faded—what stood before them was not a normal Steelix.
It was a Crystal Steelix!
Its body bore the metallic structure of Steelix, yet forged in a mercury-silver steel that gleamed like mirrors. Each crystalline segment reflected their astonished faces back at them.
Pokémon: Crystal Steelix
Type: Ice + Steel
Abilities: Crystal Body, Huge Power, Stamina, Flash Fire, Speed Boost
Level: Gym Leader – Intermediate
Potential: Pseudo-Legendary
Moves: Take Down, Bind, Icy Wind, Ice Shard, Harden, Ice Fang, Iron Defense, Rock Polish, Autotomize
Description: A rare Steelix variant with a crystalline body. Its beauty rivals its might.
Crystal Steelix was now Ice + Steel type—normally four times weak to Fire.
But thanks to Flash Fire, it completely nullified its greatest weakness.
Its level had risen to Gym Leader intermediate, learning new moves: Ice Fang for stronger physical Ice-type strikes; Iron Defense to stack defense boosts; Rock Polish and Autotomize, both sharply increasing its speed.
Combined, the boosts could more than double its agility.
"Wow… so beautiful, yet so wild and powerful…" Jasmine's eyes sparkled. She gazed at Yozora pleadingly."Yozora, could you… sell me this Crystal Steelix?"
"Not a chance!" Yozora glared.
He was easygoing on most matters—but giving up a partner Pokémon was something he would never allow.
"Aww… I knew you'd say that…" Jasmine sighed, squatting to sulk, doodling circles on the floor.
"Um…" Yozora scratched his head awkwardly. "Then… could you maybe sell me another Metal Coat? Of course, I'll pay for it."
Jasmine shot him a sharp look. "Really? You refuse to sell me your Steelix, but you still want my Metal Coat?"
Yozora gave a sheepish grin.
She asked curiously, "What do you need another for? You already have Crystal Steelix."
"I plan to raise a Scizor."
"Ah, I see." Jasmine nodded and pulled another Metal Coat from her bag. "Ten million."
The price was fair.
Without hesitation, Yozora paid her twenty million. Rare items like this were treasures—he wouldn't cheapen the kindness.
Afterward, Jasmine insisted on taking photos with Crystal Steelix—dozens of them—before finally letting Yozora leave.
That night, staying at the Olivine Pokémon Center, Yozora reflected on the battle.
Growlithe still needed more battle experience.
Tangrowth urgently needed to master Solar Blade and Solar Beam, to synergize with its Drought ability.
Eevee lacked calmness under pressure, and needed more training to stay cool in fights.
…
…
(End of Chapter)