Norman's first Pokémon was predominantly white with brown markings across its back, brown rings around its eyes and chin, a distinctive tuft of crimson hair on its head, and jet-black claws.
A Normal-type Pokémon—Vigoroth!
"Yak!"
The moment Vigoroth materialized, it eagerly displayed its fangs and claws, genuinely appearing rather hyperactive.
"Go, Piplup." Steven glanced down at the Piplup standing beside his feet.
"Poga?! Σ(っ °Д °;)っ"
Wait, seriously... I have to battle Vigoroth?!
"Show me everything you've learned from training!"
"Piplup!"
You can't be serious!
Observing Piplup's extremely reluctant expression, Steven suddenly conceived an idea.
"Piplup." Steven crouched down to meet Piplup's gaze directly.
"pip?"
"Lairon is watching you."
"piplup!"
Fine, you're absolutely ruthless! I'll give this everything I've got!
Piplup inhaled deeply and marched resolutely onto the battle field.
For my best friend, I'm going to win this battle!
"Lairon continues proving useful," Steven murmured with quiet amusement.
"lai?"
Lairon, currently gnawing on minerals inside its Poké Ball, lifted its head in confusion.
What's happening?
"Have you made your decision? Then let the battle officially commence! You may attack first, Steven!" Norman, who had been patiently waiting, announced loudly.
"Then I won't hold back. Piplup, use Whirlpool!"
"Poga!"
Piplup expelled a pressurized stream of water, creating a swirling vortex around Vigoroth's feet that trapped it within.
"Bulk Up!"
Rather than being truly trapped, Vigoroth was seizing this opportunity to enhance its capabilities.
Piplup, possessing only Advanced-level strength, appeared to be merely tickling Vigoroth with its Whirlpool attack.
"Piplup, you don't want to suffer a humiliating defeat in front of Lairon, do you?" Steven taunted deliberately.
"Poga?! ╰（‵□′）╯"
Then don't send me out to battle in the first place, you jerk!
Currents of energy suddenly surged around Piplup's body, and the aura it radiated became comparable to that of an Elite--level Pokémon.
Norman and Vigoroth both displayed shocked expressions. Wasn't this essentially cheating?
"Poga…" Piplup registered their reactions, releasing a helpless sigh.
As expected, Lairon truly is my only real friend…
Piplup's intensifying aura abruptly plateaued, as though its Defiant Ability had reached its maximum threshold.
In practical terms, Piplup's Special Attack stat had climbed to +6, and could no longer increase further!
"Now, use Hydro Pump!"
"pi…plup!"
"Break free from the Whirlpool and counter with Slash!" Norman commanded urgently.
Piplup's offensive pressure had become genuinely formidable at this moment, despite possessing only Advanced-level strength.
The diminutive body erupted with tremendous energy! The Hydro Pump's diameter progressively expanded until it matched Piplup's entire body width.
"Yak!"
Vigoroth forcefully shattered the whirlpool's restraints, and confronting the massive Hydro Pump surging toward it, swung its razor-sharp claws!
Slash!
Vigoroth managed to cleave through a portion of the attack, but immediately afterward was relentlessly battered by the continuous torrent of water.
The powerful impact sent Vigoroth flying backward, and with a resounding crash, it collapsed heavily onto the ground.
"Poga!"
Witnessing Piplup's triumphant expression, Steven quickly interjected, "It's not finished yet—one more attack."
"Piplup?"
Piplup observed Vigoroth struggling laboriously back to its feet, then decisively drew another deep breath and unleashed a second devastating Hydro Pump!
"Endure!" Recognizing the dire situation, Norman swiftly ordered Vigoroth to employ the survival technique.
Vigoroth's Special Defense stat was exceptionally poor, and the previous Bulk Up had only enhanced its physical Defense. The damage inflicted by a +6 STAB Hydro Pump was absolutely substantial.
Employing Endure to survive was essential.
Vigoroth clenched its teeth and forcibly withstood the full force of this Hydro Pump.
Following two consecutive +6 Hydro Pump attacks, Piplup gasped heavily for air, its stamina insufficient to sustain such extreme energy expenditure.
After all, it was exerting Elite-level offensive power with only basic-level physical conditioning.
"Stamina training still requires more work," Steven acknowledged with a somewhat helpless smile, recalling Piplup into its Poké Ball.
"Poga! (▔д▔)╯"
Next time, I'll definitely win completely!
"Slack Off."
Norman likewise capitalized on Steven's substitution to allow Vigoroth some recovery time.
"Go, Skarmory!" Steven deployed Skarmory onto the field.
Following Slack Off's restorative effects, Vigoroth's stamina had recovered to approximately half capacity.
To effectively challenge the Petalburg Gym, Steven had not only completed two weeks of intensive training but had also prepared a specialized technique for Skarmory specifically to counter Normal-type opponents.
As commonly understood, among all eighteen Pokémon types, Normal-type possessed neither resistances nor weaknesses against sixteen types—with exceptions being immunity to Ghost-type attacks and vulnerability to Fighting-type moves.
"Iron Defense!" Steven issued the command swiftly, enabling Skarmory to bolster itself while maintaining their current separation distance.
Thanks to Piplup's twin Hydro Pump assaults, substantial distance now separated the combatants.
Skarmory's metallic body became coated in a deep, lustrous sheen as its Defense stat increased dramatically!
"Close in and execute Focus Punch!"
While maintaining Focus Punch's charging state, Vigoroth began advancing forward.
This particular application method, achievable through dedicated training, merely required maintaining uninterrupted focus throughout the movement.
The instant Skarmory's Iron Defense boost concluded, Steven immediately ordered Skarmory to attack.
"Body Press!"
Body Press was a Fighting-type move with type advantage against Normal-type Pokémon! Furthermore, this technique inflicted greater damage proportional to the user's Defense stat!
Skarmory's physical Defense capability was naturally excellent, and combined with Iron Defense's enhancement, Body Press could deliver exceptionally powerful offensive force.
This advantage proved even more pronounced when battling the Normal-type Vigoroth!
This represented a more effective combat strategy that Steven had developed for Skarmory after acquiring a Body Press TM during the two-week training period.
Skarmory's Iron Defense duration closely matched Vigoroth's charging timeframe, and both entered their offensive phases simultaneously!
Vigoroth swung its muscular arm forward, thrusting out its palm. The description "Focus Palm" seemed considerably more appropriate for Vigoroth than "Focus Punch."
Skarmory dove downward, utilizing its entire body as the striking surface!
Bang!
As anticipated, even Vigoroth—which had received a single Defense boost from Bulk Up—couldn't withstand Skarmory's Body Press assault.
It crashed heavily onto the ground, completely losing its battle capability.
Meanwhile, its Focus Punch successfully connected with Skarmory's steel-plated armor, but inflicted minimal damage.
"Return, Vigoroth." Norman recalled his temporarily unconscious Vigoroth into its Poké Ball, displaying a faint smile.
"Your abilities are genuinely impressive!"
Compared to intricate tactical exchanges, perhaps straightforward demonstrations of raw power could capture this "man who relentlessly pursues strength" most effectively.
Steven acknowledged Norman's compliment with a modest smile.
"My second Pokémon will be this one!" Norman released another Poké Ball, and as brilliant white light emanated from within, Norman's second Pokémon materialized!
This Pokémon's body was predominantly brown, featuring grayish-yellow ears and underbelly. Multiple bony protrusions adorned its shoulders and legs, while the distinctive pouch on its abdomen clearly identified it as a marsupial.
Kangaskhan!
Under typical circumstances, Kangaskhan's marsupial pouch would contain its offspring. However, Norman's Kangaskhan's pouch appeared conspicuously empty.
An intriguing question arose! Mega Kangaskhan featured its fully-grown child emerging to battle, with its Ability transforming into Parental Bond—so could a Kangaskhan without offspring successfully undergo Mega Evolution?
After all, following Mega Evolution, seemingly only Kangaskhan's offspring underwent visible transformation, while the parent remained largely unchanged visually.
The second match commenced!
Could Skarmory achieve a complete sweep?