Silence lasted for about three seconds.
Then a loud, sudden clap broke it.
Lt. Surge.
The shock and stiffness on the Gym Leader's face melted like snow in the sun, replaced by a complex—but genuinely delighted—smile.
He could play hard.
And he could lose with dignity.
He wasn't the type who clung to his pride over everything.
As a Gym Leader, if someone could pull off a piece of unexpected brilliance in his challenge arena…
wasn't that a good thing?
Lt. Surge clapped hard, his booming laughter echoing through the Gym.
"HAHAHAHA! Good! Beautifully done, boy!"
His applause was like a signal flare.
The dead-silent spectator area erupted.
A wave of sound swept over the battlefield—whispers, exclamations, then a full, roaring tide of cheers and applause.
The Trainers who'd been watching with pity, skepticism, or wary curiosity now wore nothing but shock and admiration.
They had just witnessed a textbook "underdog vs. powerhouse" upset.
A battle where intellect, tactics, and execution had been pushed to the limit.
Lt. Surge strode across the field in long, heavy steps.
He stopped beside his Raichu, recalled it with a beam of red light, and said quietly to the Poké Ball:
"Good work, partner. We underestimated them."
Then he turned—
and walked straight toward Ash.
He held out one broad, calloused hand.
Ash stepped forward without hesitation and gripped it firmly.
"Hell of a strategy, kid." Lt. Surge shook his hand hard, eyes full of genuine respect.
"From start to finish, you had me wrapped around your little finger."
"Lightning Rod as a decoy, Dig as the killing blow… even my mindset and reactions were part of your plan!"
He let go, planted his hands on his hips, and raised his voice so everyone could hear:
"I, Lt. Surge, keep my word!"
"You proved your strength. Not just in raw power—"
He tapped a thick finger against his temple.
"—but up here. And you had the guts to stand and face me head-on!"
"This 'weigh-in'—you passed perfectly."
He reached into the pocket of his camouflage pants and pulled out a metallic badge that gleamed under the lights.
"This is yours—Vermilion Gym's Thunder Badge."
Ash looked at the badge shining under the arena lights, took a deep breath, and reached out to accept it, closing his fingers tightly around the metal.
"Thank you, Lt. Surge."
[Thunder Badge · Vermilion Gym]
[Effect: Slight increase in the Trainer's affinity with Electric-type energy (perception/resistance); minor boost to base physical fitness.]
"Don't thank me. You won this."
Lt. Surge grinned, teeth bright white, his wild smile now edged with seriousness.
"Boy, I've got high hopes for you."
"Take that badge and go raise hell at the Indigo Conference."
His tone shifted, battle-fire lighting in his eyes again:
"When you've taken the Indigo League championship, when you've got the strength to back it up—come back to Vermilion City."
"Then we'll have a real fight. No holding back, no test roster—my main team against yours."
He thumped his own chest.
"I'll show you what Lt. Surge and his partners can really do."
"Today was just the kiddie pool."
At his full power, Lt. Surge had no obvious weak spots.
Speed certainly wasn't one of them.
Ash could hear the sincerity behind the challenge—
the recognition from one true battler to another with potential.
He lifted his head.
His eyes were clear and steady, with not a hint of fear.
"Okay."
"Lt. Surge, if I get the chance, I'll definitely come back to learn from you again."
In person, Lt. Surge was actually… pretty easy to get along with.
His personality was rough, but he could take a loss.
Earlier jabs and backtalk? He hadn't taken any of it to heart.
"Pika!"
Pikachu hopped back onto Ash's shoulder, cheeks sparking faintly, as if echoing that future promise.
"HAHAHA! I'll be waiting!" Surge laughed, clapping Ash on the shoulder so hard the boy staggered.
"Now go, boy!"
"Take your win and your badge!"
"The rest of the challengers are still waiting!"
He said that—
but he had no intention of personally handling the next batch of challengers.
From here on, the routine Gym battles would be left to his subordinates.
The League did keep statistics on Gym clear rates.
They couldn't be too high—but they also couldn't be too low.
Which meant the Trainers in Vermilion were about to enter a blessed period of "reasonable difficulty."
Lt. Surge normally didn't pay much attention to those rules.
It had never seemed like such a big deal.
But this time, he'd lost a bet.
So for a while…
he'd behave.
Ash turned and walked back toward his friends, the applause still thunderous in his ears and countless eyes following him.
Misty's cheeks were flushed with excitement.
Brock gave him a deep, approving nod.
And Beast Tamer Ming stood with clenched fists, hope blazing anew in his eyes.
Just like that, it was over.
—
"HAHAHAHA~"
Lt. Surge laughed all the way back to his own office.
He dropped into his heavy metal chair and switched on a secure communicator.
Giovanni's face didn't appear yet, but his calm voice came through first, as if he'd anticipated this call.
"What is it?"
"Boss, that kid you've got your eye on? He's the real deal," Lt. Surge said bluntly. "He came to my Gym today."
"And?" Giovanni's hand paused mid-stroke over his Persian's fur.
He knew Surge well enough to understand—
if Lt. Surge said someone was good, they were really good.
"For a rookie, he's got exceptional talent," Surge said. "Honestly, boss, you might end up competing with him someday."
"Oh?" That finally piqued Giovanni's interest.
"You rate him that highly?"
"He reminded me of Leon…" Surge said, dropping another name.
Leon.
Recognized across the League as one of the most gifted Trainers alive.
Battle maniac, sure—
but with a surprisingly decent personality.
"From the moment that Pikachu hit the field, its tail stayed grounded," Surge continued.
"I thought he was getting ready to use Lightning Rod to tank my electric attacks at any time."
"As far as a Pikachu goes, that's a perfectly reasonable strategy."
"But it turned out Lightning Rod was just bait."
"The real finisher was Dig."
"While keeping its tail in contact with the floor, it was slowly loosening the ground with Ground-type energy, prepping the field for a Dig that would dodge Raichu's all-out attack and launch a counter from below."
"Kid's got serious tactical insight."
"Even if his future development doesn't go perfectly, at the bare minimum he's got what it takes to be a Gym Leader."
Surge finished, then waited for Giovanni's decision.
Ash's potential was high, but right now it was still just that—potential.
He wasn't yet at a level to affect the League's balance of power.
"A very high evaluation…" Giovanni finally said. "In that case, let's see if we can bring him into our orbit."
This time, he was taking it seriously.
"The kid's too young for now," Surge replied lazily, leaning back in his chair.
"Let him grow up a bit first. For now, while he's in Vermilion, I'll play host."
As the Vermilion Gym Leader, Lt. Surge was rich and carried considerable authority.
More importantly, he liked this kid—
and he had no intention of forcing his growth.
"How do you plan to do that?"
For the first time in this call, Giovanni's face appeared on the screen.
"I'll invite him to join the Vermilion City Pokémon Club," Surge said.
Then his figure blurred into shadow on the monitor.
…
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/StrawHatStudios