"Boom!"
[Lv.48 Cetitan | Quasi-Elite]
A massive Pokémon emerged onto the battlefield.
Cetitan's enormous body dominated the icy arena. It stood nearly five meters tall, its length close to eight meters from head to tail—easily larger than a heavy transport vehicle. Its thick layer of blubber shimmered faintly under the stadium lights, while frost continuously escaped from its nostrils with each heavy breath.
Even among Ice-type Pokémon, Cetitan was known for its overwhelming size and raw physical power.
Grusha did not dare allow Annihilape to make the first move. Without hesitation, he raised his arm and issued the command first.
"Cetitan, use Ice Spinner!"
"WAAAAAOOO!!"
Cetitan let out a thunderous roar as its massive body began spinning violently. A dense layer of icy energy wrapped around it, grinding against the frozen battlefield. Activating its momentum-enhancing move, Cetitan surged forward like a runaway glacier, the ground cracking beneath its weight as it rushed straight toward Annihilape.
Facing the charging behemoth, Gary remained completely calm.
"Stone Edge."
Annihilape slammed its fist into the icy ground.
BOOM!
Jagged stone blades erupted violently from beneath the battlefield, piercing upward one after another. The sharp rocks formed an irregular forest of stone spikes, blocking Cetitan's path.
Cetitan did not hesitate in the slightest.
With its massive body and terrifying inertia, it smashed straight into the Stone Edge. Several rock blades shattered instantly under its sheer force.
However—
RUMBLE!
The ground beneath Cetitan suddenly trembled again.
Another Stone Edge burst upward directly beneath its spinning body, striking it at the perfect angle. The sudden impact lifted Cetitan off the ground, sending the massive Ice-type Pokémon airborne.
"WAAAAAAOO?!"
The moment it lost contact with the ground, Cetitan's rotation faltered. The Ice Spinner stopped abruptly as gravity reclaimed its massive form.
"Shadow Punch."
Annihilape's eyes flashed coldly.
It thrust its fist forward.
A dark, ghostly fist-shaped shadow shot through the air, slamming directly into Cetitan's falling body.
BOOM!
"WAAAAAAOOO!!!"
Cetitan cried out in pain. After taking two heavy hits in rapid succession, its massive body crashed back onto the battlefield, shaking the entire arena.
Grusha's expression changed slightly. Cetitan was known for its durability, but even it was beginning to struggle under Annihilape's relentless offense.
"Close Combat," Gary ordered calmly.
"GRAAAAAH!!"
Annihilape roared as it surged forward, its bloodshot eyes burning with fury. Its aura exploded outward as it closed the distance in an instant.
"Cetitan, use Icicle Spear!" Grusha shouted urgently.
Cetitan opened its massive mouth.
Sharp icicles rapidly condensed in midair, launching forward in a continuous barrage like frozen javelins.
However—
Annihilape didn't slow down.
With brutal precision, it smashed through the icicles with its fists, shattering them mid-air. Even when struck, it barely flinched. The moment it broke through the barrage, Annihilape was already directly in front of Cetitan.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Its fists rained down mercilessly.
Each punch landed with terrifying force, sending shockwaves through Cetitan's massive body. Unable to withstand the onslaught at close range, Cetitan let out a final cry before collapsing heavily onto the ice-covered battlefield.
THUD!
Silence followed.
"The Cetitan has lost its ability to battle," the referee announced clearly.
"All of Gym Leader Grusha's Pokémon have been defeated. The winner of this Gym Battle is—the challenger, Gary Oak!"
The Gym Battle was over.
For a moment, the audience remained silent—then erupted into discussion. Though Grusha had been thoroughly overwhelmed, the fierce and unyielding image of Annihilape had been deeply etched into everyone's mind.
That savage, fearless fighting style left a powerful impression.
"Brother! Are you okay?!"
Grusha's younger sister rushed over, her face full of worry.
"Don't worry," Grusha replied with a strained smile. "I'm fine. It was just a Gym Battle. There are always winners and losers. I can accept defeat."
Seeing that her brother could still smile, she finally let out a sigh of relief.
After reassuring her, Grusha walked over to Gary and handed him the Gym Badge.
"This is the Glaseado Mountain Gym Badge. Take it."
In the Paldea region, Gym Badges did not have individual names. They all shared the same base design, with unique emblems engraved upon them. Grusha's badge bore an icy mountain motif.
"Thank you."
Gary accepted the badge with a nod.
[Ding! Mission completed. Rewards have been sent to the Space Backpack.]
"Goodbye."
With the badge secured, Gary turned to leave.
"Wait!"
Just as he was about to go, Grusha's sister suddenly stood up.
Gary and Grusha both looked at her in confusion.
"What's wrong?" Gary asked.
She took a deep breath, pointed straight at him, and declared loudly:
"Gary! I challenge you! One day, I'll definitely defeat you!"
Gary couldn't help but laugh.
Her words reminded him of the childish declarations kids made—I'll become a great scientist one day! Things said with passion, but no real understanding of what they meant.
"That might be difficult," Gary replied lightly. "You should qualify for the World Coronation Series first."
"The World Coronation Series?" She blinked, completely confused.
Gary glanced at Grusha, who looked visibly awkward.
"You can ask your brother about that," Gary said. "I'll be leaving now."
He quickened his pace and left the Gym before the conversation could drag on any further.
After leaving the Gym, Gary checked the rewards he had just received.
When he saw the item, his eyes widened.
"Huh? Ability Expansion Stone?"
"The system can reward items like this too?!"
Gary had always assumed system rewards were limited to known Pokémon items, merely enhanced versions at best. He hadn't expected something this rare to appear.
"So it really is random…"
He thought for a moment.
"Should I use it on Annihilape?"
Among all his Pokémon, Annihilape was unquestionably the best candidate.
Annihilape currently possessed the ability Defiant, with two additional dormant abilities: Vital Spirit and Inner Focus.
Inner Focus prevented flinching and Intimidate, occasionally useful.
Vital Spirit prevented sleep and hypnosis, but its practical value was limited.
Gary couldn't predict how these abilities would change after enhancement—but that only made him more curious.
Back at the Pokémon Center in the snow-covered town near Glaseado Mountain, Gary waited until Annihilape had fully recovered.
Once everything was ready, he returned to his room.
"It's time."
Gary took out an Ability Expansion Stone.
[Ding! Ability expansion successful.]
Looking at Annihilape now possessing three active abilities, Gary felt a faint sense of awe.
"…Let's strengthen Defiant first."
[Ding! Strengthening successful.]
[EX Defiant: When any stat is lowered by an opponent, Attack sharply increases by three stages. Attack cannot be reduced by opponents by any means.]
Gary's eyes lit up.
"Attack up three stages… and permanent immunity to Attack drops."
"If this triggers even once, it could sweep an entire team."
He was extremely satisfied—though the only downside was that it required the opponent to attempt a stat drop first.
"Next, Inner Focus."
[Ding! Strengthening successful.]
[EX Inner Focus: Immune to flinching, Intimidate, confusion, fear, suppression, pressure, and all mental interference effects.]
"…That's insane."
Gary stared at Annihilape in disbelief.
"All negative mental conditions are completely negated."
At this point, Annihilape truly looked like a fearless, reckless war machine.
"Finally—Vital Spirit."
[Ding! Strengthening successful.]
[EX Vital Spirit: Cannot fall asleep. Power of moves without additional effects increased by 20%.]
Gary was genuinely surprised.
"So it's similar to Sheer Force…"
Though weaker in raw power, it had no drawback.
Combined with Annihilape's brutal fighting style—
"This thing is terrifying."