"This time we are going to DESTROY you!" shouted Kylie.

"Trainer, I really don't know about this," said Charmander.

"Quiet, you're ruining my big moment," said Kylie. "Brock, I am going to crush you! Your big stupid Onix probably just means that you're compensating for something!"

"You're not the first person to say that," said Brock. "Although I'm impressed by your determination. Most people who get thoroughly defeated by me twice in a row aren't quite as confident the third time. Especially when they're using the exact same Pokémon as before… with a type disadvantage."

"Shut up!" said Kylie. "I have a new strategy to beat you!"

"Did your Charmander come up with this one too?" Brock smirked.

"Shut up!" Kylie repeated. This strategy wasn't like her earlier plans to beat Brock. This strategy was something very, very different. It certainly wasn't an idea that Charmander had come up with; in fact Charmander had tried to talk her out of it. But in the end he had seen reason, and they'd practiced all night. Now they were finally ready.

"Let's see what you've got then," Brock said. "Go Onix!"

Brock threw the Pokéball, and the massive rock snake appeared once again. By this time Kylie was used to the creature's enormous size, and it didn't intimidate her. She threw her Pokéballl in the air.

"Charmander, go!"

Charmander appeared in a burst of light, and looked up at the massive Onix dubiously. Kylie had hoped maybe his fear of the massive Pokémon would've dulled after facing it twice… but considering both those fights had ended with Charmander's humiliating defeat, it was easy to see why he was still a bit nervous.

"Don't be scared Charmander!" Kylie cheered. "This time we've got him for sure!"

"I really don't like this idea," Charmander said. "Can't we just try a Metal Claw?"

"Nope!" Kylie replied. "This time nothing's standing in our way! Well, aside from the thirty foot long giant snake that beat you up twice in a row. Aside from that, nothing's standing in our way!"

Charmander sighed.

"Onix, use Rock Tomb!" Brock ordered. Onix roared, and began blasting large rocks out of its mouth at Charmander. Charmander cried out, and began to jump and dodge them.

"Time to get a gym badge!" Kylie smiled. "Charmander, RUN!"

Charmander didn't need to be told twice. He turned around and ran past Kylie, straight towards the doors, with the angry usher and the long line of trainers. Onix growled, and looked to its trainer for instructions.

"What are you waiting for!?" Brock cried. "Chase it!"

Onix gave a great roar of anger, and began to chase after Charmander. Charmander's tiny legs meant he couldn't outrun the Onix forever, but that didn't matter. If her secret plan worked, he wouldn't have to.

"Charmander, left!" Kylie ordered. Right as the Onix was closing in on him, Charmander darted left. The Onix couldn't turn as quickly as the tiny Pokémon, and it slid into the gym wall. It roared in frustration, turned, and began to chase after Charmander again.

Now Charmander was running back towards Kylie, looking over his shoulder every five seconds to make sure the Onix wasn't getting too close. Eventually the massive creature and began to close in again.

"Charmander, right!" Kylie ordered. Charmander darted right just as Onix tried to snap him up in its jaws. The massive creature bellowed in anger, and turned awkwardly to chase Charmander again.

"You're not going to tire Onix out that way," Brock said. "And your Charmander's already getting winded. All you're doing is making Onix angry."

That was just part of her plan. Charmander had raced back to the front doors of the gym, and the Onix was still chasing after him, clearly growing frustrated.

"Charmander, Smokescreen!" Kylie shouted. "Then back to me!"

Charmander began to run again, but not before blowing a large burst of smoke in the oncoming Onix's eyes. The Onix roared in pain, and Kylie covered her ears at the sound. Then the massive Pokémon turned its head, surveyed the fleeing Charmander, and chased after it faster than Kylie ever could've imagined.

All according to plan.

"Keep going Charmander!" Kylie shouted. "Run, run, run!"

Panting heavily, Charmander raced past Kylie on all fours, and Kylie jumped to the side when the furious Onix chased after him. Charmander ran towards the end of the gym in a panic. There was nothing at this end of the gym except Brock on his podium. Charmander was trapped between the Gym Leader and the raging Onix.

"End of the line!" Brock shouted. The Onix was barrelling towards Charmander; its eyes red from the smoke. It looked very much like it wanted to beat Charmander into the concrete wall for being such an annoying little coward and running all the time. Charmander stopped running; trapped between Brock and the Onix.

"Finish this, Onix!" Brock ordered.

This was her chance. "DUCK NOW!" Kylie ordered.

Using his last burst of strength, Charmander leapt to the side. The Onix barrelled past him, but it was blinded by the smoke and so distracted by its anger that it didn't even notice it had missed him. It continued to race towards the end of the Gym... straight towards the Pewter City Gym Leader.

"HOLY SHI-" That was all Brock managed to get out before the Onix collided with him.

Kylie covered her eyes as the Onix first collided with Brock, and then the Pewter Gym wall. When she opened her eyes, Onix was lying in a crumpled heap. It had smashed clear through the wall, and was now lying partly in a garden outside the Pewter Gym. Its lower half remained in the Pewter Gym, covering its gym leader. Brock had been knocked out.

"I win!" Kylie cheered.

Charmander looked at her dubiously. "Trainer, I'm not sure that qualifies as winning."

"Sure it does!" Kylie smiled. "It's ingenuity!"

"No, it's a criminal offense," Charmander frowned. "You didn't even win the battle! That Onix is still conscious, it's just really dazed."

Kylie considered this. The Onix was moaning faintly, and beginning to lift its head. Charmander was right, the Onix might still pose a problem. There was only one thing to do.

Kylie raced up to the unconscious gym leader. "Quick Charmander, help me search through his pockets!"

Charmander's face paled. "What… no! That usher is going to come in any second and he's going to see what you're-"

"No he isn't," Kylie grinned. "I bribed him to go get a coffee before I started my challenge, and not come back for an hour. I planned for everything!"

"This is completely unethical!" Charmander protested. "When we did all that running last night, you said we were just going to tire Onix out, not crash him into his own trainer! You lied to me!"

Kylie patted his head. "Of course I did, Charmander, but I had a very good reason for lying. If I had told the truth, you wouldn't have done what I wanted."

"That's not a good reason!" Charmander cried.

"Agree to disagree then," Kylie began to search Brock's pockets. "When the police get here, they'll just think that Brock had a training accident. After a collision like that, I'd be surprised if Brock remembers anything about my challenge." She continued to search Brock's pockets. "Got it! Hey look Charmander, my first gym badge!"

Kylie held the badge in the air and felt extremely pleased with herself. "My first step to becoming a Pokémon Champion! Aren't you going to congratulate me, Charmander?" She looked at his disapproving expression. "No, I guess you're not."

It didn't matter what her Pokémon thought – she'd won her first gym badge through her own ingenuity and planning. So what if Charmander didn't see it that way?

"You're bumming me out Charmander! Return!" Kylie called her Pokémon back and began to walk out of the Gym. The breeze from the massive hole in the wall was starting to give her a chill, and she was pretty sure that all the structural damage had weakened the roof. If it collapsed or something, she didn't want it falling on her.

Kylie left the destroyed gym, with the injured Pokémon and the unconscious Gym Leader, happily admiring her new gym badge.

She couldn't wait to get another one.