Chapter Fifty-Three: The Mighty Chao Bei Ni

Fossils are a remarkably mysterious kind of stone in the world of Pokémon. Some fossils, after being examined, can be taken to Devon Corporation for revival, resurrecting ancient Pokémon such as Kabuto and Lileep, and later even including Aurorus. These fossils are rare encounters—finding one doesn't guarantee it can be revived, and those that can are always few. Nevertheless, the fossil mentioned by Azalea made Zhao Fang's heart race.

Even if this fossil isn't one that can be revived, Zhao Fang could still profit greatly from its unique qualities. For example, selling it to Steven Stone, the famous stone collector of the Hoenn region, could solve Zhao Fang's financial problems for some time. If the fossil proved exceptionally rare, it could even grant him years of worry-free living; at worst, it would provide enough resources to nurture his Gyarados and Dragapult.

So, after leaving the Rock-type Gym for a while, Zhao Fang returned, thinking carefully about what lineup Azalea might use against him. In the Gem series games, Azalea faces trainers with Geodude and Nosepass, but reality could differ, and Zhao Fang couldn't be sure if she'd use other Pokémon. He remembered, in the comics, Azalea had once brought out a Geodude's evolved form, Graveler.

"No matter what happens, give it my all," Zhao Fang told himself, standing before the Gym's entrance. He took a deep breath and stepped inside.

Upon entering, he saw a familiar figure—the uncle from yesterday's battle at the hotel. Beside him stood the Rock-type Gym Leader, Azalea.

"I knew this kid would come, didn't I?" The uncle waved happily upon seeing Zhao Fang.

Zhao Fang smiled awkwardly. He didn't know what relationship the two had, but it seemed the uncle knew Azalea.

"Hmph, holding a Pokédex and not saying a word, challenging on beginner difficulty—what a sly little fox," Azalea remarked upon seeing Zhao Fang. Her expression was not pleasant, a hint of suppressed irritation in her demeanor.

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't know the Pokédex could be used in a place like this," Zhao Fang replied, scratching his head. He genuinely hadn't realized that Pokédex holders enjoyed special privileges when challenging Gyms.

"Who gave you your Pokédex?" Azalea asked, noting Zhao Fang's embarrassment.

"Professor Odamaki," Zhao Fang answered with a sheepish grin.

"Professor Odamaki? That's rare. Pokédex holders don't have to pay even if they lose a Gym challenge. My father spent all day talking about you—said your Pokémon have incredible willpower. So let me see if your Pokémon truly possess a will as steadfast as stone!" Azalea explained, then her expression grew serious, her gaze resolute.

In the end, it was still about battling.

Zhao Fang rolled his eyes inwardly. Trainers only know how to communicate through battle—one wrong word and a fight breaks out. Of course, he'd never say that out loud; who knew if Azalea would get flustered and send out her strongest Pokémon?

He greeted the uncle with another awkward smile, then followed Azalea to a rather plain battle room. There was no referee, and as Zhao Fang wondered about this, the uncle stepped forward.

"I'll be referee for this match. We'll use League battle rules—four-move limit. Since Zhao Fang has only two Pokémon, Azalea, you may only use two as well," the uncle announced, coughing lightly and adopting a stern tone.

"Having a type advantage doesn't guarantee victory. Let me show you that truth!" Azalea shifted into battle mode, her gaze growing serious. She threw out a Pokémon: Nosepass.

Zhao Fang narrowed his eyes. Nosepass—a Rock-type Pokémon, but capable of learning Electric-type moves. Electric attacks deal quadruple damage to Gyarados, a harsh weakness. Of course, Gyarados's Water-type moves also counter Nosepass.

"Dragapult, I'm counting on you," Zhao Fang murmured, rubbing his neck. Dragapult replied with a cheerful cry, swooping onto the field.

Mastering reverse-type matchups brings to mind a certain super rookie. When challenging Azalea, that rookie toppled her with Pikachu's Electric-type moves. Yet, poetic justice saw his Greninja defeated later by Charizard's Fire-type attacks.

But Zhao Fang wasn't aiming to be a reverse-type master—especially against Azalea, caution was essential.

"Dragapult, paralyze the opponent with Thunder Wave!" Azalea had already gathered information on Zhao Fang's Pokémon and swiftly issued her command.

"Dodge it, Dragapult! Use Assault Strike for close combat!" Zhao Fang ordered. With several battles under its belt, Dragapult had grown adept at Assault Strike. Its hands glowed black as it lunged at Nosepass, nimbly evading the Thunder Wave.

The uncle watched in silence, shaking his head. This kid was about to learn a hard lesson.

Zhao Fang observed Azalea warily. Her father was the uncle from yesterday, whose Rock Throw technique had put Dragapult at a disadvantage. Zhao Fang worried Azalea might use the same trick.

"Hmph, daring to go close against my Nosepass? Nosepass, teach him a lesson—use Zap Cannon!" Azalea seemed unconcerned by Dragapult's attack. Instead, she commanded Nosepass to fire a Zap Cannon at the advancing Dragapult.

"Dodge!" Zhao Fang realized something was wrong and urgently called out, but it was too late. Dragapult, now close to Nosepass, seemed affected by some energy and couldn't evade. It took the Zap Cannon head-on.

Zap Cannon is a powerful move, but its accuracy is notoriously unreliable. Yet, Dragapult was too close to Nosepass; dodging at this range was nearly impossible.

"Dragapult!" Zhao Fang called out anxiously as Dragapult collapsed, worried and surprised that Nosepass had unleashed Zap Cannon right from the start—and why hadn't Dragapult been able to dodge? Was it due to the magnetic field?

"Dragapult is unable to battle. Please send out your next Pokémon," the uncle quickly checked Dragapult's condition and shook his head at Zhao Fang.

Gritting his teeth, Zhao Fang recalled Dragapult. Now, he could only rely on Gyarados.