"Another win."
The spectators—trainees of the Vermilion Gym—watched the towering Steelix standing undefeated in the center of the battlefield, their hearts filled with a mix of awe and disbelief.
The entire gym was dead silent.
Everyone exchanged uncertain glances before all eyes finally settled on Lt. Surge.
It was as if they were all waiting for something.
A strange, tense atmosphere hung thick in the air.
Lt. Surge could feel countless gazes pressing down on him. He took a deep breath, steadying the frustration of defeat in his chest, and fixed his eyes on Nozomi. There was a flicker of something restless behind his stern expression.
Nozomi narrowed his eyes slightly, watching every subtle change in the man's face.
From the very moment he had stepped into the Vermilion Gym, he had sensed that something was off. And now, that tension had reached its peak.
So… Lt. Surge can't hold it in anymore?
If this was going to reveal the Vermilion Gym's hidden secret, Nozomi was ready to see it for himself.
He was confident in both his skill and his courage—there was nothing here to fear.
But just as Lt. Surge seemed ready to act—
Bang!
The gym doors burst open.
A trainer pushed the door wide and stepped inside, shattering the eerie tension like glass.
Every head turned toward the newcomer. Dozens of stares converged on him at once, making the poor man shiver under the pressure.
"Uh… did I come at a bad time?" he stammered.
Being stared at by that many people was terrifying.
Yeah, Nozomi thought dryly. About the worst possible time.
He glanced back at Lt. Surge. The man had already suppressed whatever impulse had been brewing inside him and had once again donned the rough, boisterous persona of a gym trainer.
If that trainer had arrived just a moment later, Nozomi might have uncovered the secret buried in the Vermilion Gym.
Unfortunately, Lt. Surge had backed down.
"Come on, let's continue!" Lt. Surge barked, tossing out his third Poké Ball.
Unlike his earlier Pokémon—his powerhouse Raichu and Electrode—this one looked… unimpressive. From its appearance to its faint aura, it seemed weak.
"My third Pokémon—Magnemite!"
Lt. Surge smirked, a hint of mockery in his tone. "My main Pokémon were all knocked out fighting other challengers today. This Magnemite's a new capture—you're lucky, kid."
Yeah, sure, Nozomi thought. And I'm supposed to believe that?
What did he take Nozomi for—a Magikarp with a seven-second memory? That tense atmosphere from moments ago—was that supposed to be an act too?
Still, he knew what was happening here. Lt. Surge had realized he couldn't win, so this third battle was just for show.
It wasn't surprising.
After all, Lt. Surge had been a Gym Leader for years. It would be foolish to send his main Pokémon out just to be beaten again when defeat was already certain.
Nozomi couldn't help but feel a bit of disdain—but rationally, he admitted the decision was sound.
For the third match, Nozomi kept using Steelix.
Though Magnemite's small frame and Steel typing gave it some advantages, the moment Steelix swung its Iron Tail, the smaller Pokémon froze in fear.
One decisive blow ended it.
"Steelix wins again! Challenger Nozomi takes all three victories—challenge complete!"
The referee's voice echoed through the gym.
"Congratulations," Lt. Surge said, forcing a grin as he recalled his fainted Magnemite. "You've earned your victory fair and square."
"You flatter me, Lt. Surge. Your understanding of Electric-types is far beyond mine," Nozomi replied—his polite tone so practiced it almost sounded fake.
Their eyes met briefly—each knowing the other didn't mean a word.
Finally, Lt. Surge tossed him an orange, sun-shaped badge.
Nozomi caught it and pinned it next to his blue one. Then, as if remembering something, he added casually, "By the way, Nurse Joy from the Pokémon Center asked me to remind you—please try to go easy on challengers. The Pokémon Center's staff are overworked from treating too many injuries."
Lt. Surge waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. I don't have any Pokémon left to battle anyway. Tell her there's nothing to worry about."
His tone was impatient—he clearly wanted Nozomi gone.
Nozomi didn't take offense.
He rubbed his temple, gave one last glance at the gym staff, then turned and walked straight out of the Vermilion Gym.
Only the unlucky trainer who had just entered was left standing there, dumbfounded.
Wait… did he just say Lt. Surge's Pokémon are all out of commission?
Then hadn't he come here for nothing?
…
After leaving the gym, Nozomi didn't head to the Pokémon Center like most trainers would, nor did he celebrate earning another badge.
Instead, he pulled out a folded map of Vermilion City from his pocket, studied it for a moment, and began walking toward a specific direction.
Three minutes later, he stopped in a patch of trees not far from the gym and crouched down.
"This should be it, right, Steelix?" he whispered, tapping the Poké Ball.
The ball gave a faint shake in response.
"Good. Then I'm not mistaken."
He released Leafeon. "Leafeon, use Razor Leaf on the ground."
"Leafeon~!"
A flurry of sharp leaves shot downward, slicing into the soil.
Shrrk—!
The ground gave way, collapsing to reveal a gaping, dark hole beneath.
The tunnel's presence, of course, had everything to do with Steelix.
Ever since Nozomi had sensed that the Vermilion Gym was hiding something, he'd been searching for a way to investigate.
Confronting Lt. Surge directly was out of the question—only a fool would do that. As an official League Gym Leader, Lt. Surge couldn't be questioned without formal documents or solid evidence, not even by an Elite Four member.
Nozomi wasn't arrogant enough to think he could do what even an Elite couldn't.
So he had to investigate in secret. But sneaking in through windows or vents would be far too obvious.
Then, during the battle between Steelix and Raichu, inspiration struck—while Steelix used Dig on the surface, it secretly tunneled underground, creating a passage that connected the gym interior to the outside.
A perfect infiltration route.
He released Ivysaur, setting it to guard the entrance.
Then, with a deep breath, Nozomi jumped into the tunnel.
"I'm going to find out… just what secrets the Vermilion Gym is hiding."
Recalling Leafeon and summoning Gastly—a Pokémon far better suited for stealth—he followed the tunnel that Steelix had carved, heading underground once more…
Back into the Vermilion Gym.