Chapter 7
City of Stone
"Why do all the gyms in Kanto look like they are falling apart," Patrick muttered to himself, gazing up at the building.
The large building's walls consisted of carefully stacked boulders that reached up 2 stories and supported a curved purple roof. The words 'Pewter Gym' were etched into the grey stone of the large boulder above the front doors. However, planks of wood had been nailed against the sturdy doors preventing entry. Weeds covered the pathway to the front door and various mosses and ivy grew from the cracks and crevices in the boulder walls.
Walking around the large windowless building, Patrick confirmed there was only one entrance to the massive structure and no signs of human activity.
"Are you looking for the Pewter gym, dear?" An elderly voice called from across the street.
"Yes, I am!" Patrick said, turning to see an old woman who had stepped out of the low stone house opposite the gym. "Why does it look closed?"
"The gym moved some years ago." The grey-haired lady said slowly walking towards Patrick, leaning heavily on a wooden cane. "I see trainers like you a few times a month looking up at that old building. They really ought to put a sign up, but no one listens to me."
"Where is the gym now?" Patrick asked, trying to cut off the lady before she went off on a tangent.
"You'll have to go back to the main square and head north. Follow the main road out of the city and it'll take you right there! You'll know it when you see it." The lady explained. "Is that your Meowth?"
Meowth, who had been stalking through the weeds, had just failed to catch a Pidgey and had returned to Patrick's side. The tan feline eyed the new woman but turned her attention to Patrick. Rubbing herself against his shins and demanding attention.
"Yeah, she is one of my Pokémon," Patrick said, reaching down and scratching Meowth behind her ears.
"You know, my grandson had a Meowth. Nasty animal though. Hissed at me every time I came near it! He lives in Celadon right now. He wants to be a Pokémon trainer too. That reminds me, have you ever been to-"
"I'm sorry but I really need to get to go. I have an important message for Brock." Patrick said, already speed walking down the road and away from the talkative old lady. Patrick had to deliver Samurai's message to Brock and every second he delayed meant another second the strange trainer had to fight off the Pinsir horde by himself.
The last few hours of their journey had been tense and silent. Taurus's injuries had slowed the party's pace to a crawl and each member of the party had spent their time gazing into the sea of tall grass around them, paranoid a Pinsir might spring from the foliage. David walked beside his work Pokémon, keeping an eye on the bloody scabs on the Taurus's shoulder and resting a reassuring hand on the large animal's back.
The brothers had had to return their Pokémon to their Pokéballs, either unconscious or too injured to protect the party. Leaving Nidoran and Meowth to patrol the perimeter of the group and fend off any threats. High above them, Noctowl led them towards Pewter but whose combat ability was unknown.
Like Viridian, Pewter slowly grew up around them as they approached the city. The wild grassland turned into neatly plowed fields, where rows and rows of crops grew in straight lines. The path they walked became wider and paved and houses dotted the landscape with increasing frequency. A stone perimeter wall divided the inner and outer city, a relic from when the city was founded and wild Pokémon threatened the human inhabitants, identical to Viridian far to the south.
Many citizens stopped and waved to David or called out to him, asking how the trip went. David responded with waves and tired smiles and promises to tell them after he had a meal with his wife. The Pinsir ambush was still too fresh in their minds and none of the party were willing to talk about their brush with death just yet.
The guard at Pewter's south gate waved David past the line and into the city, jotting down the ID numbers of the three trainers accompanying him. Once inside the city, Rob and Ed escorted David the final few minutes to his house deeper in the city, where they could unpack the cart and receive payment for their services. Patrick was charged with finding Brock and relaying the samurai's message to the gym leader. The three trainers split up with plans to meet in the lobby of Pewters Pokémon Center later that night.
Patrick had found the original gym location with the help of the Pokedex's map, however now he had to rely on the directions of the old lady to find the new location. Pewters town square was easy enough to find. Consisting of a large park, crisscrossed with winding pathways and a small pond. It was ringed by various shops, cafes, and hotels. People and Pokémon lounged on the grass, taking in the late afternoon sun before the great mountains that surrounded them covered the city in shadow.
The northern road from the square was wide, relatively straight, and lined with storefronts, clear glass windows showing off various items advertised to both trainers and locals. Pewter's trainer population was substantially bigger than Viridians, thanks to a fully functioning gym, and the amount of Pokémon-specific stores proved it. Meowth wandered from window to window, gazing at the sparkling display items longingly.
Soon enough the perimeter wall divided the road, and Patrick was forced to wait in line while a trainer in a dark grey uniform made notes on who entered and exited. Explaining he was looking for the gym, Patrick was quickly waved through and was once again heading north. The old lady had told him he would know the gym when he saw it but hadn't described the building at all.
Asking a local, they confirmed that he was on the right path and the gym was only a few minutes further down the road. When Patrick asked what the building looked like, the man just smiled and told Patrick he'd know when he saw it.
This far north of the city, only farms lined the roads and Patrick was beginning to think he had somehow missed the building. The road continued up and over a small hill, and Patrick decided if he didn't see the gym from the top, he would have to ask for directions once again.
Cresting the hill, Patrick had expected to see a huge building or group of buildings and training grounds. What he wasn't expecting was the remanence of a strip mine, an enormous pit almost a kilometer across and hundreds of feet deep stretching out in front of him. Pathways cut into the stone of the steep sloping walls that ringed the crater on all sides. Wrapping around and doubling back, the pathways split off and branched onto different levels leading to darkened tunnels that had been dug into the earth at varying heights before finally ending at the stone floor. The very bottom was an expanse of bare grey stone scattered with boulders and rubble that served as the gym floor.
Humans and Pokémon dotted the landscape in front of Patrick. Trainers in dark grey uniforms rushed back and forth along the pathways, disappearing and reappearing from the dark tunnels that led deep into the earth. On the gym floor, classes were in session. Evenly spread out, pairs of trainers faced off against each other, barking orders at their battling Pokémon. From his vantage point, Patrick could see a Golem wrestling with a Machoke. The rocky Pokémon using its superior weight to pin the Machoke. A Sandslash swiped furiously at a fleeing Nidorina. A Golbat and a Fearow darted back and forth high above it all, the large bat unable to get past the Fearow's long beak. Dozens of similar Pokémon battles raged on the ground level, the sounds of battle echoing throughout the great expanse.
The western edge of the gym floor was marked by piles of rugged boulders, pools of water, and broken logs whose purpose Patrick couldn't figure out. Ringing the floor were pits of sand, where trainers wrestled, grappled, and boxed with each other in battles no less intense than the Pokémon battles in the center.
Taking in the organized chaos before him, Patrick barely heard the "On your left!" yell before a double column of trainers jogged past him down into the pit. Red-faced and gasping for air, the trainers kept up their steady pace as Patrick watched them wind their way further into the pit, crossing back and forth on the stone pathways. A trainer riding a Rhyhorn yelled obscenities at the exhausted men and women, preventing them from slowing or stopping.
Following the route of the jogging trainers, Patrick started his long descent to the bottom, searching for anyone who might be Brock or knew where he was. About 50 yards down the stone trail, a small doorway-sized opening appeared in the rocky wall. From his vantage point back on the rim of the pit, Patrick hadn't seen this tunnel and he ducked inside.
The narrow tunnel expanded into a large cavern cut into the same grey and brown stone the rest of the gym was made of and was split down the middle by a waist-height ridge of stone, that seemed to serve as both a divider and a front desk. Several men and women worked quietly on computer monitors that sat atop the flat stone. Bare lightbulbs hung from the low ceiling; black power cords snaked along the ceiling before disappearing into another doorway at the back of the room. Bulletin boards lined the walls on either side advertising jobs, personal training, and discounts and sales on trainer and Pokémon gear.
Hesitating for a moment in the doorway, Patrick quickly walked across the space to the nearest trainer, a teenager with tan skin and short brown hair.
"Welcome to the Pewter Gym, how can I help you today?" The girl greeted as Patrick approached.
"Hi, I have a message for Brock. It's urgent." Patrick said, eyeing the other trainers behind the desk but none looked like Brock.
"Brock is down on the gym floor right now. Can I take a message?" The girl asked, grabbing a pad of paper.
"A trainer named Samurai told me to deliver it directly to him. Do you mind if I go down and find him myself?" Patrick asked, itching to get his mission over and done with.
"Brock has mentioned that trainer a few times. Samurai works for the Pewter Gym." The girl said, recognizing the name. "Fine, head down to the pit. Brock is wearing a green flak jacket today if I remember correctly. If you wait just a few moments, I can take you there myself." She offered.
"Thank you but I need to hurry," Patrick said, turning to leave the cave.
"Don't get in the way of any classes!" The girl called out as Patrick exited the cave.
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Quickly winding his way down the many switchbacks, Patrick finally made it ground floor. What looked like a smooth sheet of rock was a scarred and torn battleground of light grey stone. Small divots and craters dotted the space, the remnants of previous battles. Gravel from pulverized boulders crunched under Patrick's boots as he wove around the Pokémon battles happening around him. This close he could make out black painted circles that seemed to mark the boundary of each battle and carefully avoided each one.
Seeing movement to his right, Patrick turned to see a Graveler fly through the air before landing heavily on the stone, a few feet from the boundary line Patrick was avoiding. With a grunt, the rocky Pokémon rolled to its feet and charged at the Machamp it had been sparring with. A shallow crater and broken stone marked the heavy Pokémon's landing, another scar on the gym floor.
Heading further into the center of the battleground, Patrick saw a much smaller battle raging in a nearby circle. Barely taller than Patrick's knee, the two Pokémon traded blows back and forth, fighting for dominance. Wielding a bone club and armored with a large skull, the Cubone dove at the Sandshrew. The yellow rodent Pokémon rolled to the side as the bone hit the stone floor with a crack. Staying in its protective ball, the Sandshrew spun faster and faster. Rolling around the arena it tried to attack the Cubone from every angle, but its nimble opponent dodged or deflected with its club without receiving any damage.
Patrick quietly watched the rest of the battle, judging the strength of each opponent and mentally going over the best strategy to defeat both. After a few minutes, the Cubone misstepped and was struck by the yellow sphere, knocking it over the boundary line and disqualifying the small brown Pokémon.
"Well done, Tilly! You too, Billy! You have both improved so much since you first got your Pokémon. Take them to the infirmary to get checked out. We'll review the battle footage tonight." A deep voice called from the opposite side of the circle.
The two trainers, children barely older than 10 years old smiled at the praise before returning their tired Pokémon and running off to one of the tunnels that opened up to the gym floor.
"Can I help you with something stranger?" The referee said, striding over to Patrick. A few years older than Patrick, the man had wild brown hair and dark skin, tanned from years in the sun. Dressed in the same dark grey pants as the rest of the gym staff, he had foregone the matching grey jacket and instead wore an unzipped green flak jacket.
"Hello, I'm looking for Brock. I have a message for him." Patrick said, eyeing the green jacket hopefully.
"Well, you found him. What's the message?" Brock asked.
"It is from a trainer named Samurai. He requests help from the Pewter Gym." Patrick said, quickly going on to tell Brock about their trip through Viridian, the Pinsir ambush, Samurai's last-minute appearance, and subsequent departure to continue fighting the Pinsir horde. Throughout the story Brock's face was expressionless, nodding at various points but saying nothing. "He said he needs a team of trainers to help him cull the Pinsir population and that you should stop people from traveling through the forest until that's been done." Patrick finished.
"I see," Brock responded. Bringing his fingers to his lips he let out a shrill whistle and waved over another trainer that was busy refereeing a match. Jogging over, the new trainer was roughly Patrick's age and clad head to toe in the dark grey gym uniform and barely striking similarities to Brock. "Forrest, Samurai requests our aid. Put together a team of trainers, minimum 4 badges. The objective is to cull the Pinsir population, they have become aggressive lately and have been attacking travelers on the road. Also, set up a meeting with the mayor for me. We may have to implement a temporary travel ban."
"Consider it done." The man said, not once looking at Patrick before quickly running off.
"Thank you for relaying the message so quickly. Samurai is a valued ally." Brock said. "I didn't catch your name by the way…"
"Patrick," Patrick said, shaking Brock's calloused hand. "I work with professor Oak."
"Oh? What are you doing all the way in Pewter?" Brock asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm doing some field research. The professor and I believe that the current Pokédex is incomplete. We have had reports of Pokémon evolving further into unknown forms but haven't been able to substantiate any claims yet. I'm tasked with traveling Kanto looking for evidence of these Pokémon." Patrick explained. "I'm also training my own Pokémon and completing the badge circuit as I travel to each city."
"The Badge circuit, eh? Are you planning on challenging me now? Or training at the gym for a while?" Brock asked eyeing the cat at Patrick's feet. Meowth shrank behind Patrick's legs under the predatory gaze.
"Oh no, not for a few weeks at least," Patrick said, laughing. "I plan on staying in Pewter for at least a month or so to ask trainers and locals if they have seen any extrinsic evolutions. I'd like to train here while I'm doing that and then get the badge just before I go to Cerulean."
"Giving yourself the most time to prepare, that's a good trait for a trainer." Brock praised. "Can you tell me more about these new evolutions?"
"Absolutely! As you know, most Pokémon have the ability to evolve if they have grown strong enough and are exposed to a stressful situation. What we believe is if certain strong Pokémon are exposed to an external stimulus, they may be able to evolve even further! Similar to the evolutionary stones." Patrick explained, going on to give the example of the Sneasel evolution that Blue had battled, and the other vague reports Oak has received from different contacts throughout Kanto.
As the trainer and leader talked, they wove through the various battles raging across the gym floor. Stopping occasionally so Brock could correct a trainer or Pokémon's form or offer battle strategies that would be most effective against each opponent. Patrick listened patiently as Brock taught, astounded by the knowledge the leader had at his disposal. He seemed to see every detail of every battle they walked past, quickly finding areas for improvement and explaining them in simple terms to the trainers. Most of whom eagerly wrote down his comments and nodded enthusiastically.
"Unknown Pokémon that evolved through non-conventional methods…" Brock finally spoke, gazing across the battlefield thoughtfully. "I might have what you are looking for." The older man said finally.
"Wait, really!" Patrick nearly shouted, stopping in his tracks. Glancing around at the battling Pokémon but not seeing any he didn't recognize. "Here at the gym?"
"Neither are here right now. They are both off hunting, but they'll be back by tomorrow morning. I finish my workout at 7 am. If you meet me here then, I'll introduce you." Brock said, smiling as Patrick looked ready to explode with questions.
"Both? Are there multiple Extrinsic Evolutions here? What did they evolve from? Do you know what triggered the evolution? Have you tested them? Height, weight? Did personality or preferences change?" Patrick said, rattling off questions at lightspeed.
"Slow down! I'll bring everything I have on them tomorrow." Brock said, trying to calm the ecstatic researcher. Glancing at his watch, Brock grimaced. "I have a class in a few minutes. I'll explain everything better tomorrow. 7 o'clock!" Waving, the gym leader quickly walked to the center of the gym floor, where trainers were gathering.
Patrick sighed and looked around, memorizing where he was standing to make it easier to meet brock. With how large the gym floor was, it could take them several minutes to find each other. But that will be easy to find Patrick noted, staring up at the monstrous tunnel in the wall behind him. Nearly 40 feet high and half as wide, the huge tunnel seemed to stretch infinitely into the earth. Unlike the other tunnels in the pit, this one was unlit and quickly dissolved into darkness within a dozen meters.
Glancing down at his watch, he grimaced as well. He was supposed to meet Rob and Ed at the Pokécenter in 15 minutes. The sky overhead had darkened considerably since he had arrived and giant spotlights embedded into the gym walls were starting to flicker on one at a time. Quickly walking over to the stone path leading out of the crater, Patrick began the long ascent out of the gym and back to Pewter.
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Patrick awoke the next morning to a buzzing alarm and a pounding headache. After meeting the brothers at the Pokémon Center, they decided to visit a local pub. After traveling the wilds for 5 days and then nearly being killed by Pinsir, they all needed a drink.
When they had split up, Rob and Ed had escorted David through Pewters streets to his storefront, a large luxury goods store in the eastern part of the city. Walking Taurus down the narrow alleyways behind the store, they helped David unload all the crates from the cart and stowed them safely away in the backroom. David noted with a sigh that some of the more fragile pieces had not survived the ordeal and some crates contained nothing but broken glassware and porcelain.
With their job officially completed, the brothers received their payment and David tiredly waved them goodbye, thanking them once again.
Once at the Pokémon Center, they were finally able to admit their injured Pokémon for treatment. Rob's Ekans had shallow abrasions along the length of their bodies, where the Pinsir's barbs had shredded their scaly hides and would need to be observed overnight. Ed's Pidgeotto had a broken wing, which would require surgery to reset the bone and days of bed rest but would recover. Electrode was uninjured but exhausted and only needed time to rest.
Rob and Ed had also gotten a room on one of the lower floors of the building and had reserved a second if Patrick planned on staying there as well.
Stifling a yawn, Patrick walked through the sliding glass doors of the Pokécenter and stepped into the predawn glow. Far to the east the sky was a wash of pinks, reds, and oranges and stood in sharp contrast to the dark jagged outline of Mt. Moon on the horizon.
With some amusement, Patrick noticed that he had walked right past the Pokécenter on his way to the Pewter gym but had been too focused to notice the ruby-roofed building on the southern edge of the central park. Winding through walkways that crossed the park, Patrick traced his route from yesterday, heading north out of the city. This early in the morning, the streets were relatively empty, and Patrick quickly exited the inner city and made his way toward the gym.
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Taking his first steps into the pit, Patrick scanned the gym floor far below for signs of the gym leader. This early in the morning the large spotlights were still on, illuminating everything in a white-blue light. A handful of trainers dotted the floor, many of them training by themselves or with their Pokémon as they went through their routines. A Primeape held up its padded hands as its trainer drilled through various combinations of jabs, crosses, and uppercuts, not flinching even as the trainer struck as hard and fast as she could. Not far from that pair, a Machamp carefully watched its trainer as he struggled under a heavily loaded barbell, ready to catch the weight should they fail.
Patrick smiled to himself as he watched similar interactions happening all over the gym floor. He so often thought about how he could make his Pokémon stronger, he never stopped to think about how they could make him stronger.
It took Patrick almost the entire descent to find Brock, who was training in what Patrick had first thought was a pile of logs and boulders. Balancing on an upright log buried into the gym floor, Brock easily leaped from one log to another clutching a bright red piece of cloth in his fist. Coming to the final log, he dropped down into a pit of sand below him. As soon as his feet hit the sand he shot forward. Charging across the flat ground towards a wooden wall slightly taller than himself.
Without slowing, he launched himself into the air, arms driving his body up and over the wall to land lightly on the other side. Landing in a crouch his eyes darted left and right. Seeing a grey projectile hurtling towards him, he pressed himself flat against the stone and the rock cracked against the wooden boards behind him. Jumping to his feet, Brock sprinted again across the stone towards a large bell, dipping and dodging as more fist-sized rocks came flying at him. The source, Patrick saw, were Geodudes lining the stretch of rock on either side. Each one with its small pile of stones ready to hurl at the gym leader.
Just as Brock reached out to hit the bell, a rock came hurtling in from behind and struck him directly between the shoulder blades, shattering on impact. Air blasted from his lungs as he stumbled forward but managed to strike the bell before a second Geodude could aim.
Rolling his shoulders, Brock caught his breath before striding over to an old, grey-haired trainer in a Pewter gym uniform who began speaking quickly and gesturing back to the obstacle course.
Patrick waited patiently out of earshot as Brock received coaching from the other trainer and took a look at the obstacle course Brock had just completed. The logs, vertical wall, and bell seemed to make up the last part of the course. The rest of the course contained monkey bars spanning a trench of water, a carpet of barbed wire with shallow tunnels for crawling beneath it, and a mountain of uneven boulders, with an empty flagpole on top. As Patrick watched, a dozen Geodudes swarmed the course resetting obstacles, collecting thrown stones, and one reattached the red cloth to the top of the flagpole, ready for the next runner.
With a final 'good job' and a pat on the shoulder, the grey-haired trainer turned to start lecturing the next runner about to attempt the course.
With Brock's training ended, he grabbed his green jacket, a second shirt, and a manilla folder off the gym floor and quickly walked over to Patrick.
"Good morning! Sorry you had to see me on one of my off days. Usually, I can dodge all the stones." Brock said grinning, motioning back to the course where a second trainer had started.
"If that was a bad run, I'd love to see what you consider a good run," Patrick commented, watching the other runner fall from the metal bars into the water below. "Were those actual stones being thrown at you?"
"From the Geodude? Yeah, only a few pounds though. Nothing too big." Brock commented while switching his sweaty shirt for a clean one. Patrick noticed there wasn't a single bruise or cut on his back from the impact.
"A Geodude can break bones with a projectile that big, I've seen it happen," Patrick said, eyeing the unmarked skin before Brock put on the clean shirt. "You at the very least should have fractured vertebrae right now."
"What can I say? I'm pretty tough. The Geodude use rubber balls for the rest of the trainers, I just use stones for more of an incentive to dodge." Brock added, after a moment.
"Sounds like you are a Rock-type just like your Pokémon." Patrick joked, deciding not to question how the leader was still standing.
"Rock hard defenses are my specialty." Brock chuckled. "Now, I believe I have some introductions to make. Follow me."
Heart racing, Patrick followed the gym leader across the uneven floor towards the gaping tunnel they had stood next to the previous day. Stopping at the entrance, Brock grabbed a padded mallet hanging from the stone wall. Hefting it up on his shoulder, they started walking into the dark tunnel.
"When I summon him, try to be calm," Brock warned as he walked over to a bronze gong hanging in the shadows. "Also, cover your ears."
Patrick barely managed to clap his hands over his ears before Brock struck the gong with full force. The metal crashed and echoed back and forth in the enclosed space, the sound racing deep into the tunnel and signaling whatever dwelled within. Patrick was grateful he had allowed his Pokémon to sleep in and stay in their pokéballs this morning. The sound would have been deafening to Meowth and Nidoran's sensitive ears.
As the booming echoes died down, Patrick uncovered his ears and peered into the inky blackness of the tunnel but was unable to distinguish any shapes.
"Let's head back out, he should be here in a minute or two." Brock said, leading Patrick out into the pit to wait.
"Him? It's male then." Patrick noted, quickly scribbling on the notepad he produced from the pocket.
"They both are. You don't have to write that down. It's all in here." Brock cut in, casually waving the folder he was still holding.
Just as Patrick was about to ask for the folder a current of air blew across his face. Looking around him, Patrick was unable to find the source. Another puff of air blew against the back of his neck. Whipping his head around, Patrick saw a flash of purple, but it disappeared before his eyes could focus. Straining his eyes, Patrick began to make out faint streaks of purple appearing and disappearing in fractions of seconds all around him.
"How many are there?" Patrick asked in awe, the Pokémon moving too fast for him to count. Another shot past his ear, his hair dancing in the air currents left in its wake.
"Just one," Brock said, smiling as Patrick's eyes widened.
"This is all one Pokémon?" Patrick asked incredulously, motioning to the whirlwind of purple that was circling them. A faint whistling could be heard at the Pokémon darted past Patrick's shoulder.
"Crobat, stay," Brock said calmly. Before the last syllable had been uttered, the flashes of purple ceased, and a four-winged bat materialized in the air above Brock's head. Hovering above the trainers, it lazily flapped its wings in alternating patterns. Despite the awesome display of speed, it was completely at ease, breathing slowly.
"Amazing…" Patrick whispered, staring at the Pokémon. An undocumented Pokémon that could validate his entire theory and change academics understanding of Pokémon evolution. "When did Crobat evol-"
A dull rumbling echoed from deep within the tunnel, cutting Patrick off. Turning back, Patrick breathlessly waited for this new arrival. The rumbling grew louder and louder as it approached, like a train roaring towards them. Above them, dust fell lightly from the ceiling and Patrick could feel the ground itself shaking beneath his feet. The hair on the back of his neck stood up and his breath caught in his throat as something very big moved in the darkness. Only Brock's calm, almost bored, demeanor kept Patrick from diving out of the way as the monster appeared from the shadows.
All at once, the rumbling stopped as the Pokémon towered above the two trainers. Its serpentine body consisted of rocky boulder-like segments that began at a metallic skull and slowly grew smaller before tapering off into a blunt spear tip 60 feet behind it. Lowering its monstrous head to the stone floor, it looked down at the humans. Deep within the two dark hollows of its skull red eyes assessed the trainers, particularly Patrick. With every exhale, a blast of hot air buffeted the trainers and nearly ripped the notebook from Patrick's hands.
After a few tense seconds, where Patrick's heart felt like it would burst out of his chest, the gigantic Pokémon backed away and coiled itself up into a circular mound of metallic boulders. Resting its massive jaws on a flat segment of body, it let out another sigh that blasted dust over the trainers and went still.
"Patrick, I'd like to introduce you to Steelix," Brock said, gesturing to the monster in front of them.
