"Zoro! Finish it—end this now!!!"
"Raichu! Hang in there! Use Thunder!!!"
Inside the Vermilion Gym.
Amid roaring cheers from the crowd, Red and Gym Leader Lt. Surge shouted their commands at the same time! On the battlefield, Zoro and Raichu reacted instantly.
Before this, Red and Zoro had already defeated the opponent's Level 25 Magnemite and Voltorb, gaining nearly 400 points of experience.
But Lt. Surge was no ordinary opponent—and Electric-type Pokémon were naturally unfavorable for a close-combat fighter like Zoro.
As a result, Zoro now looked rather battered, his body covered in burn marks left behind by repeated electric shocks.
Even so, there was not the slightest hint of fatigue on his face. If anything, within his sharp gaze, faint arcs of brilliant electricity were jumping and dancing.
"Almost… just a little more…"
"If it happens one more time…"
Zoro muttered under his breath.
Maintaining his Three Sword Style, he charged forward like a feral beast, blades aimed straight at the big orange rat before him!
At that very moment, blazing golden lightning suddenly surged out from Raichu's body, shooting straight up toward the ceiling of the Gym.
The next instant—
Rumble… BOOM!
Despite being indoors, deafening thunder roared above the battlefield.
A bolt of lightning as thick as a tree trunk crashed down, striking Zoro squarely.
"Ghh…!"
A suppressed groan escaped him as pain ripped through his body.
But in the blink of an eye, Zoro's expression turned ferociously savage.
On the path to becoming stronger, he was harsher on himself than on any enemy!
His eyes burned wide open; muscles tensed and swelled as he endured the terrifying lightning coursing across his body.
And right then—
A far more overwhelming presence surged forth from deep within him.
It was the Dragon-type Pokémon energy hidden inside Zoro!
"Yes—this feeling! That's it!"
In an instant, a sharp light flashed through Zoro's eyes. Enduring the agony of lightning ravaging his body, he used sheer willpower to guide the Dragon-type energy into contact with the electricity.
In truth, he had tried countless times before.
Every attempt had ended in failure.
But this time—perhaps due to accumulated experience, or perhaps because Raichu's lightning was powerful enough—
Zoro finally succeeded in letting the Dragon-type energy sense the lightning.
Immediately after, that overbearing Dragon-type energy transformed into a ravenous giant dragon, devouring and assimilating the lightning completely!
Step!
Zoro's halted foot slammed forward once more.
But this time, as he burst out from the lightning, sharp electric sparks danced all across his body.
The electricity flowed along his arms, clinging tightly to the blades of his three swords.
The lightning enveloping his body grew brighter and more intense by the second.
A deep, low chant echoed through the arena:
"Three Sword Style · Dragon Blade · Lightning!!!"
CRACK—!!!
Zoro suddenly lifted his head. From beneath the shadow of his bandana, his eyes flared into a terrifying beast-like crimson.
At this moment, his swordsmanship—already elevated to the Realm of Cutting Steel—had completely fused with Pokémon energy, releasing it by mimicking the power of lightning itself.
His lightning-stimulated body exploded with speed rivaling Shave.
The sudden shift was so abrupt that even Gym Leader Lt. Surge failed to react in time.
Before he could issue another command—
Zoro had already reappeared behind Raichu, body low in a crouching stance, head slightly bowed. His twin blades spread outward like a dragon's wings, faint electric sparks fading away.
Cool. Absolutely overwhelming.
And then—
"Chuuu—!!!"
Raichu let out a shrill cry of pain.
Despite being an Electric-type Pokémon, lightning was now tearing through its body mercilessly.
Across its chest ran a deep slash mark—shaped like a dragon's claw.
A few seconds later, smoke rose from Raichu's battered body before it collapsed to the ground with a dull thud.
Zoro straightened up, as if he had already foreseen the outcome. He calmly removed his bandana, gave his body a light shake, and dispersed the last remnants of lightning clinging to his blades.
The three swords returned to their sheaths.
Turning around, he broke into a satisfied smile.
"Mission accomplished~!"
Red nodded immediately, smiling back.
"Good work~!"
As he spoke, the battlefield slowly faded away.
After Zoro gained another 200+ experience points, Red walked up to Lt. Surge.
"Oh~! NO!!!"
Lt. Surge blurted out a string of accented English in shock.
"This is not real!!!"
"Okay, okay~"
"Since that's how it is, then I'll just have to give you this Thunder Badge!"
"Oh right—and this too!"
By routine, Lt. Surge handed Red a newly minted badge along with a Technical Machine.
Instantly, Red felt a tingling current flow through his body, making him feel extraordinarily light.
Then his gaze shifted to the TM in his hand.
[Move: Thunderbolt][Type: Electric][Category: Special][Power: 90][Description: A strong electric blast crashes down on the target. May leave the target paralyzed.]
"At last—finally a move that's actually worth something."
Seeing Thunderbolt, Red immediately smiled in satisfaction.
He opened the move interface right away.
As one of the earliest and most frequently appearing Electric-type moves in the anime, Thunderbolt—unlike many Electric-type techniques—was not exclusive to Electric Pokémon.
Perhaps its activation mechanism was different.
In the Pokémon world, many Pokémon seemingly unrelated to the Electric type could still master this move perfectly.
As a result, in Red's move list—
Under the icons of Luffy, Zoro, and Nami, the words [Can Learn] all lit up simultaneously.
Compared to its impressive 90 base power, this was the real reason Red was pleased.
Thinking back to the electric sword technique Zoro had comprehended mid-battle, Red's lips curled upward.
"Fire-type, Normal-type, Electric-type…"
"It looks like Zoro's future swordsmanship really is heading toward full diversification."
With a flicker of thought, Red taught Thunderbolt to Zoro.
A move this useful was obviously going to be put to good use.
With plenty of in-game time remaining, he planned to bring Luffy and Nami in later as well to optimize their movesets.
Judging by the timing, Hawk-Eye should be arriving at the Baratie soon.
It was time to prepare in advance.
And so—
After bringing Zoro to the Pokémon Center to recover, Red stayed busy in the Pokémon world for a while longer.
When the light flashed again, he found himself back inside the cabin of the Going Merry.
After exchanging the usual nod of greeting with Usopp, Red didn't immediately activate Ancient Power to restore stamina or train.
Instead, he tiptoed out of the cabin and made his way to the bow of the ship under the moonlight.
"Alright… everyone else's moves are sorted. Next, it's time to check my own gains."
Red's eyes sharpened as his consciousness sank into the interface within.
First—there was the Badge Collector achievement reward.
After obtaining the Thunder Badge, Red vaguely felt that he no longer feared lightning.
Prolonged exposure to electricity could still hurt—but at the very least, he was no longer paralyzed by electric shocks.
In simple terms—
Paralysis immunity!
Beyond that, his speed and explosiveness also seemed to have improved under repeated electrical stimulation.
As for how much they improved—
Even Red wasn't sure, but this physical enhancement felt more pronounced than either of the previous two achievement rewards.
"So as the Gym difficulty rises, the Badge Collector rewards get better too?"
He murmured thoughtfully.
Then his awareness shifted, opening another reward for successfully challenging a Gym.
Once again, a circular interface filled with Electric-type moves appeared on the screen.
Red tapped start, closed his eyes, and quietly waited for the result.
By now, his obsession with new moves had long cooled.
After all, his current offensive options were already plentiful.
A single Surf alone was enough to deal with any opponent of equal level.
Not to mention, within the Straw Hat crew, chances for him to fight personally were few to begin with.
A moment later, a strange sensation surged into Red's mind.
And instantly, he mastered a new Electric-type technique.
"Huh?!"
Feeling the unfamiliar knowledge, Red paused.
The next second, a notification popped up on the screen:
[Congratulations! You have obtained the Electric-type move — Magnet Rise!]
(End of Chapter)