Hearing this, and recalling how frustrating all those rock-blocked paths had been on his journey so far, Quil dashed out of the mine and headed straight for the gym to challenge the leader.
As he stepped through the doors, a voice called out, "Hey, over here!" A man waved him over with a friendly grin. "Welcome to the gym! Just so you know, this is a Rock-type gym, so having Fighting, Ground, Grass, Water, or Steel-type Pokémon or at least moves of those types will give you an advantage."
Quil's face fell, his expression saying it all. The man chuckled awkwardly, noticing his reaction. "Ah, I see… not your strongest matchup, huh? Well, brace yourself then. There are a lot of trainers here who couldn't beat the leader, and they're itching to take out their frustration on whoever walks in next. So watch your back."
Keeping the man's warning in mind, pressing on into the gym. After only a few steps, he could make out several dark silhouettes ahead other trainers waiting in the dim light.
"So those must be the trainers he was talking about," Quil muttered under his breath. Scanning the area, he realized there was no other path forward. "Guess I don't have a choice… I'll have to battle my way through."
Clutching his Poké Balls tightly, he whispered, "I hope you guys are ready for this."
battling fiercely, taking on one trainer after another until the challengers eventually stopped coming altogether. "Finally, the only one left is the gym leader," he said with a determined grin. But when he looked down at his Pokémon, worn out and breathing heavily, he sighed. "You've all done great… we'll rest up first." With that, Quil turned and made his way back to the Pokémon Center before facing the gym leader.
As Quil headed toward the exit, he was met once again by the same strange man standing by the door.
"Giving up already?" the man asked with a teasing grin.
Quil smirked, brushing past him. "Giving up? I don't even know what that means." With that, he stepped out of the gym heading towards the Center.
After getting his Pokémon healed up, Quil hurried back to the gym—only to find the same strange man waiting at the entrance once again.
Quil couldn't help but think, Is this guy always here?
The man grinned as he saw him approach. "So, you actually came back. Good! Go on and win that badge I'm rooting for you."
Walking straight towards the gym leader , who was waiting at the center of his arena Quil say "finally a new face, after facing the same challengers over and over again I thought nobody was becoming trainers anyone, my name is Roark and who might you be?
Quil stared at the man before him a muscular figure dressed in a miner's uniform with a sturdy helmet resting on his head.
"I'm Quil, and I'm here to challenge you," he declared.
Roark grinned. "Good, good. You know, ever since Lucas raised the difficulty of gym battles, fewer people have managed to earn badges. But the ones who do? They're truly talented. I've got to hand it to him our champion made the right call."
"Let me guess — this is your first gym battle?" Roark asked.
Quil nodded in confirmation.
"Alright then," Roark said with a grin. "Let's start things off with these!"
Turning his back to Quil, Roark reached into a pile of rubble and pulled out two Poké Balls. "You ready, kid? Because I'm about to start."
Quil gripped his own Poké Ball, eyes gleaming with determination. "That's all I've been waiting to hear."
"Alright, come on out Shieldon!" Roark called, tossing his Pokéball. With a flash of light, Shieldon materialized on the field, letting out a metallic cry.
Quil eyed the Pokémon thoughtfully. Shieldon, huh? Shieldon, huh? That probably isn't his ace... If he said this battle would be tough, it's better to play it safe for now.hat probably isn't his ace... If he said this battle would be tough, it's better to play it safe for now.
He readied his own Pokéball. "Let's go, Shinx!"
With a burst of light, Shinx leapt forward, fur bristling and eyes locked on Shieldon with fierce intensity. The sudden hostility caught Shieldon off guard, making it instinctively take a cautious step back.
"Intimidate huh, not to mention that Shinx's size is above average, not bad kid not bad" Roark called out to Shieldon "lets do this Shieldon". Shieldon readied himself for battle
Roark smirked confidently. "Let's get this started Shieldon, lay down your defenses! Use Stealth Rock!"
Shieldon stomped its stubby feet, a metallic echo ringing out as glowing shards of rock erupted from the ground, circling the battlefield like hovering traps.
Quil clenched his fist. "So he's setting up traps already, huh? Alright, let's test the waters Shinx, use ThunderShock!"
Shinx's fur crackled with electricity before it fired a sharp jolt of lightning across the field. The bolt struck Shieldon square in the chest, sparks dancing across its armored face. Shieldon grunted but stood firm.
Roark grinned. "You'll need more than that! Shieldon, TakeDown!"
With surprising speed, the small Rock-Steel type charged forward, slamming into Shinx with a loud crash! Shinx yelped and skidded backward, claws digging into the dirt. Shieldon winced slightly recoil damage from its own attack.
Quil steadied himself. "Hang in there, Shinx! Use Charge and power up your electricity!"
Shinx lowered its head, static energy building up around its body, forming a glowing yellow aura. Sparks crackled along the ground.
Roark adjusted his helmet. "Trying to boost up, huh? Bad move. Shieldon, MetalSound!"
Shieldon reared back and let out a piercing metallic screech. The harsh vibration made Shinx flinch, lowering its defenses.
Quil shouted over the noise, "Now's our chance! Let's make it count ThunderShock, full power!"
Shinx unleashed its stored energy, firing a blinding bolt of lightning. The attack tore through the air, striking Shieldon with far greater force this time. The impact sent arcs of electricity across its armor, making it stumble backward.
Roark gasped. "Shieldon, hang in there!"
But Shinx wasn't done. "Now Bite!" Quil commanded.
Shinx darted forward, teeth glowing dark, and sank them into Shieldon's leg plating. Shieldon cried out, shaking as sparks danced from the earlier shock.
The electric and dark-type combo proved too much. With a final grunt, Shieldon collapsed, fainting amid flickering static.
Roark exhaled, then smiled, recalling his Pokémon. "Not bad at all. You saw through my strategy and struck at the perfect time."
Quil smirked proudly. "Thanks. Shinx isn't just strong he's sharp too."