No surprise...
Red, who never underestimated an opponent, directly urged Luffy to go all out.
Under the sheer power of level 46 Luffy, the Level 15 Onix didn't even have a chance to dig a hole to escape. It was slammed into the ground, eyes spinning in defeat as it lost its ability to fight.
"Sure enough, at this stage, there's no way to achieve a command evaluation above average," Red muttered to himself.
As the battlefield faded and the prompt screen disappeared, Red couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret.
But he quickly refocused his attention on the figure across from him—Brock.
With the defeat of his last Pokémon and the battlefield vanishing, Brock's earlier shock over Luffy's overwhelming strength gave way to an appreciative smile. He strode up to Red with confidence.
"What a great match!" he exclaimed.
"I seem to have underestimated you. As a reward, here's 2,000 Pokedollars."
Explode, explode! Gold coins!!!
As Brock's hand moved, Red suddenly noticed his deposit balance shoot up by 2,000, breaking the 6,000 mark.
"This guy's way more generous than those trainers in the wild," he thought, his heart practically singing.
"What a good man! What a good man!"
But Brock's rewards didn't stop there.
"To prove you've defeated me, I'm awarding you this Boulder Badge, certified by the Pokémon League!"
"And that's not all..."
With a dramatic flourish, Brock's hands seemed to shimmer, and two items materialized in his palms.
One was a badge shaped like a diamond carved from stone, and the other was a CD-like disc.
After handing the items to Red, Brock explained, "This is a TM containing the move 'Headbutt.' With this, you can teach an eligible Pokémon the Normal-type move."
"Good, good!!!"
Red didn't dwell on the oddity of a Rock-type Gym Leader handing out a Normal-type move tool. He quickly snatched both items from Brock's hands.
Immediately, the machine embedded in his body chimed with a string of notifications:
[Congratulations to the player for obtaining the Boulder Badge.]
[Badge Collector: Each badge enhances the player's physical strength, aligned with its respective attribute.]
[As a reward for earning the Boulder Badge: Randomly receive a Rock-type Pokémon move.]
[Would you like to draw the move now?]
[Yes/No]
The messages scrolled across his screen, signaling rewards exclusive to his machine.
After scanning through the information, Red's face lit up with excitement.
"As expected! I knew this machine wouldn't just favor Luffy! The rewards are mine too!"
"Achievement rewards? Badge rewards?"
"My path to strength has finally begun!"
Though eager to investigate his machine's rewards further, Red reminded himself of the limited power reserve. For now, he redirected his focus back to the game world.
The machine wasn't going anywhere, and he could look into it later.
Back in the game world, Red looked up just in time to see Luffy bounding toward him, his face glowing with excitement.
But as he glanced at the Boulder Badge and TM in his hands, his enthusiasm quickly waned.
He tilted his head, his curiosity giving way to disappointment. "What? Red, didn't you say winning at the gym would get you generous rewards? These are just two weird little things!"
"You can't eat these, so what's the point?"
"Eat!? You're always thinking about food!" Red shot him an irritated look.
"Don't underestimate these!" he said firmly. "These are priceless treasures!"
Though he hadn't fully explored the badge's effects, the moment he'd acquired it, he'd felt a surge of energy course through his body, strengthening him. He suspected it was tied to the [Badge Collector] achievement.
"Priceless treasures!?" Luffy repeated, tilting his head further, clearly not convinced. To him, the badge and the odd CD were nothing more than meaningless trinkets.
Seeing Luffy's confusion, Red smirked. He grabbed the Headbutt TM and waved it teasingly in front of his face.
"You won't understand by just looking at it! You've gotta experience it firsthand!"
With that, he tossed both the Boulder Badge and the TM into the backpack slung over his shoulder.
As Red's consciousness flickered, the game interface of this world appeared before his eyes.
He opened the [Move Learner] option in his [Bag], and a new move, [Headbutt], was listed.
Clicking on it brought up detailed information:
[Move: Headbutt]
[Type: Normal]
[Category: Physical]
[Power: 70]
[Description: The user sticks out its head and attacks by charging straight into the target. This may also make the target flinch.]
Below the description was a [Use] button.
"Power 70?" Red thought, tilting his head. "In the game, power determines the damage of a move. A Headbutt with only 70 power doesn't seem particularly strong."
He pondered for a moment. "I wonder what Pokémon moves feel like in the real world."
"But still..." He smirked. "At the very least, it should make Luffy's head tougher, right?"
Since Luffy was rarely the type to rely on strategy, Red figured he could at least maximize his hardheaded tendencies.
With a thought, Red pressed the [Use] button.
The interface prompted him to select a Pokémon, and naturally, the only option available was Luffy.
Under Luffy's character icon, the word [Learnable] was displayed. Excitement flickered in Red's crimson eyes as he clicked.
[Monkey D. Luffy has learned the move: Headbutt.]
"Huh? That's it?" Red muttered as the brief message disappeared. He blinked in surprise. "No flashy effects? No ceremony?"
Disappointed by the simplicity of it all, Red closed the game interface and turned his attention to Luffy.
Luffy, however, looked bewildered.
"Red, my head feels all weird... like it's itching... or something's growing!?"
He scratched at his head with both hands, utterly baffled.
Red smiled reassuringly. "Relax, Luffy," he said calmly. "Didn't I tell you? This world has ways to make us stronger—fast."
Without further explanation, he pointed at a rock pile in the distance.
"Luffy! Try using your Headbutt on that rock pile!"
"Huh? Headbutt? What's that?" Luffy tilted his head, confused.
But before Red could respond, a strange energy began to flow through Luffy's body, concentrating around his head. Almost instinctively, Luffy's gaze locked onto the rock pile.
His neck stretched out as he shouted, "Gomu Gomu no Kane!"
With a loud Peng!, his head launched straight at the rock pile, slamming into it with incredible force.
The sound of impact echoed throughout the gym as smoke and dust erupted from the rubble.
Whoosh!
Luffy's head shot back like a rubber band, snapping into place atop his shoulders. He stood there, blinking in confusion.
When the dust settled, the once-towering rock pile was reduced to a pile of rubble, completely destroyed.
Luffy's eyes widened as he touched his forehead in disbelief.
"What... What just happened!? My head... it felt like it turned to stone!"
It wasn't as though Luffy had never used his head as a weapon before—his Gomu Gomu no Kane was one of his go-to moves. But usually, the impact left him with a good amount of pain.
This time, however, even after smashing through solid rock, his head felt perfectly fine. No pain. No bruising. Nothing.
In fact, there was something else. The force of his attack had been far beyond his usual capabilities, as though some mysterious energy had fortified his head.
Turning to Red, Luffy's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Red! Is this that 'Busoshoku Haki' you're always talking about!?"
He clenched his fists eagerly. "The power that all strong fighters use!?"
Over the past two and a half years, Luffy had heard Red mention Haki countless times, but without a proper teacher, he hadn't been able to unlock it yet.
The strange power from his headbutt reminded him of the way Red described Busoshoku Haki—a force that could strengthen and protect the body.
But before Luffy could get carried away, Red chuckled and shook his head.
"It'd be great if it were that easy to learn Haki," he said, dampening his excitement.
"What you just used wasn't Busoshoku Haki—it was Pokémon power!"
"Pokémon power?" Luffy repeated, scratching his head in confusion.
Red nodded. "Just like when Geodude uses Rollout or Onix uses Rock Throw, their attacks are powered by Pokémon energy. And now, you've learned how to use that same energy!"
"This is one of the benefits of challenging gyms!"