The referee wasted no time. Once both Trainers had sent out their Pokémon, he raised his hand and shouted,
"The battle begins!"
The excitement in the Oreburgh Gym was palpable. Sparks and dust filled the rocky arena, the air heavy with energy and expectation.
Gary Oak's confident grin flashed under the bright lights. "Magnezone! Start us off with Magnet Bomb!"
"Mag—ne—ZOOOOONE!" roared the magnetic Pokémon, its body humming with electricity.
Magnezone rapidly condensed a cluster of shining steel balls, each one gleaming and spinning under intense magnetic control. They hovered in a halo around its core, crackling with blue magnetic energy before they shot toward Geodude like bullets.
"Use Harden to block it!" Roark yelled quickly, his expression taut with concentration.
"Geo! Geo-duuude!" Geodude crossed its stony arms before its face, its rocky surface glowing silver as it reinforced itself. The steel bombs collided with thunderous clanks—
Dang! Dang! DANG!
Each impact sent sparks flying, echoing through the gym. Shards of gravel chipped off Geodude's body, scattering across the battlefield.
When the barrage finally ended, Geodude was battered and panting. If not for its Sturdy Ability, it would have been finished then and there.
Gary smirked slightly. "Impressive, but not enough. Flash Cannon!"
"MAGNEZONE!!"
Blinding light erupted—Magnezone's core charged and released a focused silver-white beam that streaked toward Geodude like a comet.
Roark clenched his jaw. "Hold on, Geodude!"
But there was no time. The cannon struck directly, engulfing Geodude in light and smoke. When the dust settled, the Rock Pokémon lay flat on the ground, fainted eyes spinning in circles.
"Geodude is unable to battle! Magnezone wins!" declared the referee's steady voice.
"Come back, Geodude," Roark said calmly, recalling the worn-out Pokémon. He wasn't surprised by the outcome. Geodude had fought bravely, but the level gap had simply been too wide.
"If not for the gym battle rules, I would've switched long ago," Roark admitted under his breath. Then he tightened his grip on his next Poké Ball. "Alright—let's see how you handle this one! Cranidos, come on out!"
A flash of light burst across the field, revealing a blue dinosaur-like Pokémon with a tough skull crest. It stomped on the rocky ground with energy.
"Craani! Cranidos!!" it cried fiercely, lowering its head as it eyed Magnezone with excitement.
Gary's Pokédex read aloud:
Cranidos – Level 30 – Quasi-Elite Tier
Gary nodded approvingly. "A Cranidos, huh… not bad. Haven't seen one in a while."
Cranidos' powerful physical strength was well-known, and it was nearly ready to evolve into Rampardos. Roark's Pokémon were known for their raw, crushing power—and Cranidos embodied that completely.
"Cranidos, use Rock Smash!" Roark commanded first.
Cranidos darted forward with surprising agility. It kept close to the ground, running along the raised rocks for cover. Roark's tactic was clever—using the gym terrain to block long-range attacks from Magnezone.
Gary saw the strategy but didn't speak. He folded his arms, cool and collected, silently observing Cranidos closing the distance.
Roark waited tensely, watching Gary. Why isn't he calling an attack?
Cranidos reached the raised boulder, launched off it, and soared toward Magnezone with immense force, its rigid skull glowing faintly as it prepared to strike.
"Alright, Cranidos, go!" Roark shouted.
At that instant, Gary's voice broke the silence. "Gravity!"
Magnezone's eyes flashed red as it released a magnetic pulse, warping the atmosphere itself. The surrounding magnetic field shifted dramatically, pressing everything downward.
"Mag—NE—ZOOOONE!"
Cranidos, who had been mid-jump, suddenly lost altitude. The invisible weight of Gravity yanked it to the ground, slamming it flat with a heavy THUD! that cracked the rock beneath.
Roark froze for a moment, utterly stunned. "Gravity?! You actually taught it Gravity…?!"
Gary chuckled softly. "Always be prepared for anything."
Fortunately, Cranidos was tough. Though hit hard, it quickly recovered, pushing itself upright, its eyes blazing with fierce determination.
"Great grit, Cranidos! Now, Flamethrower!" Roark commanded.
Cranidos reared back and spat a fiery stream upward. "Craaah-niii-DOS!!"
A blaze of fire surged toward Magnezone, illuminating the gym in orange light.
Gary's reply came immediately. "Counter it with Thunderbolt!"
Magnezone's magnets rotated wildly, generating arcs of golden electricity that danced across its body before launching outward in a blinding spear of light.
The Thunderbolt cut through the flames like lightning piercing a cloudburst. It struck Cranidos head-on, surrounding the Pokémon's body in golden electric veins.
"Mag-NE-ZOONE!!!" the Pokémon howled triumphantly.
Cranidos let out a cry of pain as white smoke curled from its body. It collapsed to the ground, eyes fading to spirals.
The referee raised his flag. "Cranidos is unable to battle! Magnezone wins again!"
Roark sighed deeply, recalling his fainted Cranidos. "You fought well, my friend… Rest now." His voice lowered; Cranidos had been his ace Pokémon—it hurt to see it fall.
But there was one more Pokémon left.
"Alright, Onix, it's all up to you!" Roark shouted, throwing his final Poké Ball.
The arena shook as an enormous Onix emerged, its eyes gleaming and its stone body rising like a mountain snake.
"Oooonnn—IIIX!!" it bellowed, the vibrations echoing across the gym.
Gary scanned it—it was Level 28, still far weaker than Magnezone, but formidable all the same.
"Let's wrap this up," said Gary coolly. "Magnezone, Flash Cannon!"
"MagneZONE!!"
The electric-steel Pokémon unleashed a brilliant beam of silver energy, the sound sharp as thunder.
Roark's voice shot across the field: "Onix, use Stone Edge!"
Sharp rock blades erupted from the ground, spinning and slicing through the air toward the silver canon.
"Daahhh!!" Onix roared, twisting its immense body with force.
The two attacks collided mid-air! For a moment, the flashing beam and spinning stones clashed violently, then the energy from Flash Cannon completely overwhelmed the Stone Edge.
The rocks turned to dust on contact, the beam continuing forward until it blasted Onix squarely in the chest.
BANG!!
The giant rock serpent roared in pain as its body was thrown backward, crashing into the gym wall with a massive thud. Dust clouds billowed around it.
When the air cleared, Onix lay motionless.
"Onix is unable to battle! Magnezone wins! The victor of this Gym Battle is challenger Gary Oak!" the referee announced.
Roark smiled tiredly but genuinely. "You're really strong, Gary. My Pokémon aren't anywhere near your level right now. But next time we meet—maybe at the World Championships—I'll be ready for a real fight."
Gary grinned back. "So you're entering the World Championships too?"
Roark nodded. "Of course. As a Gym Leader, I'm automatically qualified."
"Then I'll look forward to our rematch," Gary replied. "But for now… don't you think you owe me something?"
It took Roark a moment before he laughed. "Right, right—the badge!"
He walked over to a glass case and retrieved a small, coal-black emblem shaped like a chunk of carbon crystal.
"This is the Coal Badge—proof that you've conquered the Oreburgh Gym," Roark said with pride, handing it to him.
"Thank you, Roark." Gary accepted the badge and placed it carefully in his case. Magnezone gave a satisfied hum beside him.
[Mission Complete: Oreburgh Gym Conquered. Reward distributed to backpack.]