Upon seeing that Flint's first Pokémon was Golem, the Challenger smiled, "I've got this battle won."
Water-type moves deal quadruple damage to Rock/Ground-type Golem, which means that as long as his Poliwag's move hits the opponent, the battle can be won.
"Young man, it's not good to be distracted during a battle. My attack is coming."
"Golem, use Rollout while using Defense Curl."
As Rock-type Trainers, the gap between Brock and Flint was too wide. The combination of Defense Curl and Rollout looked easy, but in practice, it was quite difficult to execute. At least, the current Brock couldn't do it.
[Brock: The gap between my father and me is too great.]
[Misty: You're not just realizing this reality today, are you?]
Under Flint's hand, Pewter Gym was the elder brother of Kanto's Rock Gyms. Under Brock's hand, Pewter Gym became a weakling that everyone bullied. The gap between the two was obvious.
The Challenger initially didn't take this small combo seriously, but after two consecutive Water Guns from Poliwag failed to hit the opponent, he finally realized something was wrong.
It was too late. By this time, Golem's Rollout speed and power had already reached their peak. He could only watch helplessly as his Poliwag was sent flying.
This wasn't even the worst part. The Golem on the field was still continuously rolling. In this situation, he couldn't even send out a Pokémon.
The entire battlefield was within Golem's attack range. As soon as he sent out a new Pokémon, it would be met with Golem's heavy blow.
Sweat soaked through his shirt. The Challenger gritted his teeth, attempting to rekindle his courage, but in the end, it was futile.
"I give up," the young man said unwillingly.
"Young man, a piece of advice: while type is important, Pokémon training is the key," Flint calmly offered guidance.
"I understand," the Challenger said before hurrying out of Pewter Gym.
"Hiss, Gym Leader Flint truly lives up to his reputation as the strongest man in our Pewter City. How many Challengers has he defeated today?"
"This is the fifth one. Today's Challengers are all pretty average. Mr. Flint didn't even have to try hard, and they fell. Sigh, today's ticket was a waste."
"Yeah, yeah, at least one person should force Gym Leader Flint to bring out his second Pokémon, otherwise, we've bought these tickets for nothing today."
Gym challenges also sell tickets? Gym Leader Flint is truly a commercial "genius"! Ash silently mused in his heart.
He wouldn't dare call himself a commercial genius; he was just earning money for daily necessities. After all, he had 10 hungry children at home.
[Roxanne: Did I hear that right? Ten hungry children?]
[Aaron: As a bachelor, I am greatly shocked. May I ask if Mr. Flint also works as a stud besides being a Gym Leader?]
[Diantha: Are all ten children from the same mother? Does Brock's mother always have a big belly?]
[Cynthia: Humans, oh, they are truly too marvelous.]
"Challenger Ash, please enter the arena." At the referee's call, Ash slowly walked into the battle area.
As soon as Ash entered, a spectator couldn't help but exclaim, "Hey, this kid wants to challenge Mr. Flint. How old is he this year?"
"He looks about ten years old, probably a newcomer who just started his journey this year."
"Why would a newcomer not go to Cerulean Gym to build confidence, but come to Pewter Gym instead? You know, even that Trainer who debuted two and a half years ago was brutally defeated by Mr. Flint."
"Newcomers, they're all so overconfident. They'll learn how cruel the world is after taking a few beatings."
[Steven: Oh ho, the audience has really set the atmosphere, huh? I'm looking forward to Ash thoroughly wiping the smiles off their faces.]
[Misty: Hey, what are those guys talking about? What do you mean newcomers don't go to Cerulean Gym to build confidence? Is our Cerulean Gym a place for newcomers to build confidence?]
[Violet: It is, Misty. Many newcomers are very grateful to us, saying that we helped them get their first badge in life.]
[Lily: Whenever I see the newcomers holding their badges and silently shedding tears, my heart is filled with comfort.]
[Daisy: If it weren't for us, I don't know how many people in Kanto would give up on becoming Trainers every year.]
[Violet, Lily, Daisy: We truly are great philanthropists!]
[Misty: You three shameless people!!!]
"Go, Riolu."
As soon as Ash's Riolu appeared, gasps of surprise immediately erupted from the audience.
"What kind of Pokémon is that? I've never seen it before."
"What a cute little dog, I want one too."
"Don't dream about it, this is a super rare Pokémon. Its name is Riolu, and we don't even have its habitat in Kanto."
Upon learning that the Riolu Ash sent out was a super rare Pokémon, the audience's interest immediately grew, and they all began to look forward to this battle.
"A Fighting-type Riolu, huh? Alright, the Pokémon I'll be using is still Golem."
Although Golem had already battled once, it had barely expended any energy in that battle, so Flint chose not to recall Golem and instead let it continue fighting.
"Young man, type doesn't mean everything." Before the battle began, Flint habitually started lecturing.
Facing Flint's lecture, Ash smiled faintly and replied, "I am not him."
Flint was startled at first, then burst out laughing, "Then, young man, prove it!"