"However, since I retook control of the Gym, I've upgraded the sprinkler system.
The accident that happened last time won't happen again."
Flint let out a cold laugh and tossed out his Poké Ball, shouting, "Go, Onix!"
Boom!
As the ground trembled slightly, a massive Pokémon appeared, its body composed of multiple giant gray boulders strung together in a serpentine form.
It had a rocky horn on top of its head, a pair of black eyes below, and the boulders gradually decreased in size from its midsection to its tail.
It was Onix!
"Pi?"
Faced with the terrifying pressure Onix radiated, beads of cold sweat formed on Pichu's forehead.
It turned back to look at Caster, who stood at the command position.
Though Pichu had accumulated considerable battle experience and toughened its fighting spirit over the past few days, this battle still felt way too daunting.
At the same time, comments flooded the livestream, most of them roasting Caster for being utterly heartless.
"No way, Old Fish! You're making my Pichu, a tiny foot-tall baby, fight an Onix that's nearly thirty feet tall? Please, I'm begging you, have a heart!"
"Exactly! Streamer, you have a Gyarados, so why do you insist on sending out Pichu? Classic case of making life hard for yourself. What's wrong with you?"
"Officer Jenny's Growlithe here: Even though I'm not human, you, streamer, are a real dog! When it comes to being inhuman, I've got to learn from you."
"Streamer, I'm warning you seriously. If you let Pichu get hurt, I'm unsubscribing. Not only that, I'm reporting you for Pokémon abuse."
"Support! Report him to the League! I'm taking this to the League!"
...
Watching the flood of comments, Caster frowned slightly and quickly explained.
"Don't worry, everyone. My Pichu has been through intensive training these past few days and has improved significantly.
Winning at Pewter Gym shouldn't be a problem."
The early hype was already built up, and Pichu's trump card was about to be revealed anyway, so Caster didn't mind letting them in on it a bit—better than having it backfire.
"Roooar~"
The moment Caster finished speaking, the opposing Onix slammed its tail into the ground. The floor shook violently, as if an earthquake had struck.
"Pi~"
Caught off guard, the timid Pichu scrambled back on all fours, quickly scurrying back to Caster's side and climbing up to his waist, where it patted the Poké Ball containing big bro Gyarados.
The message was clear: Trainer, I'm definitely not cut out for this opponent!
It's too big and too thick!
You should send out big bro instead!
They're more evenly matched in size. That's a fight worth having.
"Ha!"
Watching this scene unfold, Clair, hidden not far away, nearly laughed out loud.
This baby Pokémon was supposed to challenge a Gym?
"Pichu, have confidence! You're the best, you know that?"
Caster picked up little Pichu, set it back on the ground, and pushed its behind. "Go on! Chin up, don't embarrass us!"
"Pi~"
Left with no choice, Pichu could only bite the bullet and head out.
But looking at Onix's massive body, it still felt intimidated, glancing back every three steps.
This wasn't even close to a fair match!
"You're the challenger, so you attack first!"
Flint across the field smiled, thinking Caster's Pichu wasn't even as good as Ash's Pikachu!
At least Pikachu had evolved once already.
Now here was a baby Pichu showing up!
Did they really think Pewter Gym was hosting a baby battle tournament?
"In that case, I won't hold back."
Caster nodded. This was his advantage, after all.
Typically, in Gym battles, the challenger had the first move.
"Pichu, use Sweet Kiss!"
Caster swept his hand forward, issuing the command.
"Pi~"
Though still feeling nervous inside, Pichu had been pushed into this and couldn't back out midway. It could only steel itself for battle.
Suppressing its fear, Pichu made an adorably cute wink.
At the same time, the Fairy-type energy within it began to circulate, forming a pink heart that floated out with the blown kiss, drifting toward the nearby Onix.
"I'm dying from cuteness! Little Pichu just blew me a kiss!"
"Oh my god! How can there be a Pokémon as cute as Pichu? I absolutely love it!"
"Who has a Pichu? I'm willing to be their girlfriend."
"Got it! Heading straight to Viridian Forest to catch a Pichu. Mom won't have to worry about me finding a partner anymore."
...
Facing a fearsome opponent, the timid little Pichu using Sweet Kiss created such a stark contrast that livestream viewers were completely smitten.
Watching the heart-shaped energy orb drifting toward it, the slow, massive Onix couldn't dodge in time and took a direct hit.
Smooch!
As the heart connected, stars appeared in Onix's eyes. Its body began thrashing uncontrollably, even repeatedly slamming its head into the rocky field.
Onix was confused!
"This Pichu actually knows Sweet Kiss?"
Flint was taken completely by surprise. His initial dismissiveness vanished instantly, replaced by a serious expression.
"Onix, calm down! Don't attack wildly. Find your opponent first!"
Flint quickly called out to soothe it, and Onix's emotions soon stabilized. He truly was a veteran Gym Leader.
Though this Onix wasn't his main Pokémon, it was still outstanding in every aspect.
"Roar~"
However, just as Onix fought through the dizziness to locate Pichu and prepared to launch an attack to teach its opponent a lesson, Pichu's body suddenly erupted with intense light.
Whooom!
Brilliant light burst forth like a flashbang exploding. Everyone was forced to squeeze their eyes shut.
As for the main target, Onix, its eyes burned with searing pain—it was temporarily blinded.
"Hiss~ Besides Sweet Kiss, little Pichu actually learned Flash too?
Confusion on one hand, accuracy reduction on the other, what dirty tactics! Oh no, dead memories are suddenly attacking me."
"Who are you calling dirty? I think you're the dirty one. You tactical players all have dirty minds, so you see everyone as dirty.
My little Pichu is adorable and not dirty at all."
"The streamer took advantage of the first-move edge and caught Onix off guard.
But without any offensive moves, there's still no way to convert that advantage into victory.
And as far as I know, Pichu has a really hard time dealing damage to Rock and Ground-types like Onix.
Are you going to whittle it down with Pound? Pichu would probably knock itself out before scratching a single HP off Onix."
"Actually, vision isn't that critical for Onix. It could just use Earthquake to cover the whole field.
With a fragile Pokémon like Pichu, it'd probably go down instantly."
"Earthquake? That's a high-level Ground-type move with devastating power. This is just a beginner's Gym challenge—surely Flint wouldn't be that ruthless, right?"
...
Viewers debated heatedly.
But they still felt that Pichu versus Onix was just too difficult.
And as the comments floated by, Flint folded his arms, his face utterly serious.
"Onix, use Earthquake."