To find stronger trainers to battle, Zane set his sights on the Petalburg Gym.
Of course, his target wasn't the Gym Leader, Norman. It was the gym's legion of apprentices. The rules here were much more like the games: to earn the right to challenge the Gym Leader, a trainer first had to prove their strength by passing the tests set by several of the gym's disciples. The reason was probably that the Gym Leader was too busy to deal with every single challenger, or maybe they just didn't have the time. Of course, every gym was different. Getting a badge wasn't always about defeating the leader; sometimes, it was more about earning their acknowledgment. That kind of thing had happened all the time back when Ash was just starting his journey.
After stating his intention to challenge the gym, Zane was immediately led to a room that looked like a large dojo. It didn't take long for his first opponent to arrive: a young man in a gym uniform with a red headband tied around his forehead.
"I won't let you get the gym badge that easily!" he declared.
Zane just stared at him. ...Silly kid. My target isn't the badge. It's you.
The other gym apprentices gathered on the sidelines to watch. One of the girls acted as a temporary referee. "The rules of the match are 1v1! Each trainer may only use one Pokémon!"
The moment the whistle blew, the red-bandana'd trainer threw out his Poké Ball. A Linoone with sleek, glossy fur appeared on the battlefield.
"Linoone, use Sand Attack!"
Zane watched the changes on the field. Sand Attack. A Ground-type move. In the games, its effect was to throw sand in the opponent's face to lower their accuracy. But in reality, the move kicked up a thick cloud of dust that obscured the opponent's vision, allowing the Linoone to launch a surprise attack from within the chaos.
Is that how it works? Zane gave his command. "Budew, use Stun Spore!"
"NINI!"
A cloud of pale yellow powder spread out from the bud on its head, mixing with the swirling dust, making it impossible to tell one from the other. The red-bandana'd trainer, who had been about to order a surprise attack, quickly swallowed his words.
"He's using Stun Spore as a defensive shield?" one of the apprentices on the sideline murmured with interest. "That way, the Linoone can't launch a sneak attack. This new trainer is pretty smart."
Just then, a young man in a red jacket walked out from an inner room.
The apprentices saw him. "Mr. Norman..."
Before they could finish, Norman silenced them with a "shush" and stood in the back, observing the battle.
Sand Attack wasn't a continuous move. Soon, the dust kicked up by the Linoone settled back to the ground, revealing the Pokémon's true position.
"Seed Bomb!" Zane ordered.
"NINI!"
"Linoone, cover your nose and use Headbutt!" Seeing that the Stun Spore was still lingering in the air, the apprentice immediately changed his strategy.
A large seed glowing with a faint green light shot out from Budew's head. The Linoone, living up to its name, charged forward in a straight line.
Seed Bomb and Headbutt met in mid-air. Before the Seed Bomb could explode, the Headbutt slammed into it, knocking it off course and causing it to break apart harmlessly in the air. But the Linoone's Headbutt didn't stop.
"NINI!"
Budew cried out in pain as the attack hit, its small body sent skidding back several steps.
"The Stun Spore was countered, and the Seed Bomb is useless now," the apprentices on the sideline whispered loudly to each other. "I don't think a Budew knows that many moves before it evolves, right?"
"Yeah, you're right. This new trainer is going to lose."
It was true. Compared to the rookie trainers outside, the apprentices inside the gym were on another level. But as Zane watched the Seed Bomb get knocked away, a new idea sparked in his mind.
What if I could control the timing of the explosion? A timed detonation might be a bit difficult... but what if I could make it explode on impact, like a firecracker?
Now, however, was not the time to think about that. The battle was still going.
"Budew, use that move!"
"NINI!"
A seed the size of a fist began to form on Budew's head.
"Another Seed Bomb?" the apprentice said. "Linoone, use Headbutt again! Let's finish this!"
The familiar scene played out once more. The Linoone's head slammed into the Seed Bomb, knocking it away. The seed exploded in mid-air. Up to this point, everything was exactly the same as before.
But in the next second, a nearly invisible cloud of pale yellow powder erupted from the explosion, spreading in every direction with incredible speed.
"That's..."
"Stun Spore..."
"How is that possible?! He merged Stun Spore into the Seed Bomb! How did he do that?!"
Looks of shock appeared on everyone's faces. Even the Gym Leader, Norman, looked at the young boy on the field with surprise. He knew that combo moves were a technique that even some elite trainers couldn't pull off reliably; otherwise, they'd be rampant in official tournaments.
The tables had turned in an instant.
The Linoone was paralyzed. All it could do was wait as two more full-power Seed Bombs slammed into it. Amidst the sound of the explosions, the Linoone's eyes rolled back, and it fainted.
"Linoone is unable to battle! The challenger wins!" the referee announced, raising the flag on her right. "Do you wish to continue your challenge?"
Zane waved his hand. He'd already accomplished his goal. Besides, without that combo move, Budew's raw power was still a bit lacking.
He left, lost in thought. From the back of the room, Norman watched his retreating figure with great interest. An interesting kid, he thought to himself.
————
Zane returned to the school and went into a self-imposed training retreat. He was discovering that Pokémon battles were truly fascinating—the strategic back-and-forth between trainers, the clash of moves between Pokémon.
Budew's current moveset was still too limited.
He began to seriously consider the feasibility of his "time bomb" and "landmine bomb" ideas. He discussed it with Budew, who tried a few times with a confused look on its face, but with no success.
Direct application isn't working, Zane thought. So what if we try controlling the input of Grass-type energy into the Seed Bomb itself? He immediately took Budew down to the river to test his new theory. He provided the ideas and the methodology, and Budew put them into practice based on its own abilities.
They kept at it, day after day, until Christmas Eve. On that day, Budew finally mastered the new "Landmine Bomb."
The technique involved strengthening the Grass-type energy inside the seed while simultaneously thinning its outer shell. This way, the moment an enemy made contact, it would immediately cause a violent explosion. The power of this new move was a massive improvement over a standard Seed Bomb.
The "time bomb" concept, however, still showed no progress. Zane had a few theories as to why. It was probably because once the energy left the Pokémon's body, it could no longer be controlled remotely to trigger a delayed explosion.
"This is harder than I thought..." Zane felt like he'd become a research scientist obsessed with his work. Every day, he'd rush through his classes, then run down to the river to experiment with Budew.
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