**SLAM!**
The heavy gym doors swung open with a resonant boom.
The entire Pewter Gym radiated raw, earthy power. Massive boulders lined the walls and floor, and the air itself felt thick with the scent of stone and dust.
The overhead lights clicked on one by one, flooding the arena in bright white. At the far end, a muscular young man sat cross-legged on a raised stone platform, eyes closed in meditation.
"Are you the challengers?" he asked without opening his eyes.
Alex and Misty nodded. "He's here for the Gym challenge," Misty said.
Brock rose smoothly, finally opening his eyes. "Name's Brock, Pewter Gym Leader. Just so you know, a Gym battle isn't like those casual roadside scraps. Be ready."
He cracked his knuckles. "Official rules: one-on-one, each Trainer uses up to two Pokémon. Battle ends when one side's team can no longer continue."
*Open your eyes a little wider next time…* Alex thought, but he simply smiled. "I'm ready."
"Go get him, Alex!" Misty cheered, then climbed into the spectator seats. A group of Brock's younger siblings poured in right behind her, all waving and shouting for their big brother.
"Pretty big sister, are you here to challenge my brother too?" one of the kids asked, eyes wide.
Misty smiled. "Nope."
"Then will you cheer for Big Brother Brock?" the boy asked innocently.
She pinched his cheek playfully. "Nope."
"Why not?"
"Because the pretty big sister is *his* companion," another sibling chimed in. "She has to cheer for *him*!"
**SLAP!**
The first kid batted Misty's hand away with surprising force. "Big sister, you're not pretty at all!"
Misty blinked, momentarily speechless. The rest of the kids burst into giggles.
The commotion in the stands never reached the battlefield.
Alex sent out Pikachu. Brock's usually half-lidded eyes narrowed in clear disappointment.
"Quick warning: Electric-type moves are useless against Ground-types. My Pokémon are all Ground. You sure you want to lead with Pikachu?"
"Positive," Alex replied calmly.
*Another reckless rookie.* Brock sighed inwardly. Compared to the trainers who actually studied type match-ups, this kid from Pallet Town was painfully average.
He tossed out his first Poké Ball. "Geodude, let's go."
**Pokémon: Geodude, Lv. 13**
"Your move, challenger," Brock said.
*Piece of cake.* Alex pointed forward. "Pikachu, Quick Attack!"
Pikachu blurred across the arena on all fours, slamming into Geodude before the Rock-type could react.
"Defense Curl!" Brock ordered.
Geodude curled into a tight ball, but the impact still sent it skidding backward.
*That Pikachu's faster than it looks…* Brock noted.
"Rollout!"
Geodude spun into a rolling wheel, using the gym's rocky terrain to build momentum. It ramped up a small slope and hurtled straight at Pikachu like a living boulder.
"Perfect timing," Alex muttered. "Pikachu, Iron Tail!"
Pikachu sprinted, leapt off a jutting rock, and twisted mid-air. Its jagged lightning-bolt tail glowed bright silver, cutting through the air with a sharp *whoosh*. The tail smashed down onto Geodude with devastating force.
**BOOM!**
The arena floor cratered. Geodude bounced out of the pit, rolled a few feet, and collapsed in a heap, eyes spinning, completely knocked out.
One-hit KO.
Brock's eyes widened. "Impossible…"
The crowd of kids exploded.
"Huh? Geodude lost already? That's fake, right?"
"Don't worry! Big Brother Brock still has Onix! Onix will crush that Pikachu!"
Misty leaned back with a smug little smirk. "I don't know… Pikachu looks like it's barely trying."
The kids immediately turned their backs on her, ignoring her completely.
Brock recalled Geodude, his expression now serious. "You used Quick Attack to make me underestimate you, then waited for Geodude to commit. Clever. I was wrong about you. You don't misunderstand type match-ups—you've taught Pikachu moves that completely counter mine."
He released his second Pokémon.
**Pokémon: Onix, Lv. 16**
"ROOOAAAR!"
The massive rock serpent reared up, its stone horn gleaming under the lights, body coiling like a living mountain.
"Pikachu, get ready!" Alex called.
"Iron Tail again? I won't give you the chance!" Brock countered. He ordered Onix to charge straight forward, shrinking Pikachu's space and cutting off any jumping room. One solid tail swipe and it would be over.
The ground shook. Gravel flew in every direction as Onix thundered toward Pikachu.
"Pika… CHU!"
A bright green glow formed between Pikachu's tiny paws. Right in Onix's path, thick green vines erupted from the floor, twisting into a perfect **Grass Knot**.
Brock's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
*It knows Iron Tail AND Grass Knot?!*
Onix's massive body tripped hard. The serpent crashed forward, slamming into the arena floor with a deafening crunch. Dust billowed everywhere.
Brock stared, stunned. A rookie trainer from Pallet Town on his very first Gym challenge… and his Pikachu had this kind of ridiculous move coverage? Who the hell would believe that?
In the stands, Misty's cheeks were burning. She watched Alex standing there so confidently, bright eyes focused, handsome face calm and in control. Her heart fluttered.
*Handsome is handsome… but he's still a total pervert,* she thought, remembering the way his eyes had devoured her bare tits earlier by the river—the way her nipples had stiffened under that hungry stare, the way heat had pooled between her thighs even while she was yelling at him to turn around.
She pressed her thighs together under her skirt. A fresh, slick warmth was already soaking into her panties. The memory of his gaze made her clit throb. She bit her lip, trying to push the thought away, but it only got worse.
*God, what's wrong with me?* she thought, face flaming even hotter. *Just because he saw me half-naked… now I'm getting wet thinking about him staring at me again?*
A tiny, traitorous voice in the back of her mind whispered: *Maybe next time he won't just look…*
Misty's eyes widened in horror at her own thoughts. She quickly crossed her arms over her chest, trying to hide how hard her nipples had become under her tight top.
Alex never noticed. He was already grinning at Brock, ready for the next exchange.
(End of Chapter 14)