"Are you kidding me? Just a one-on-one battle? What am I, some cow being milked by a Pokémon trainer?" Mina snapped, arms crossed tight, eyes flashing with disdain.

  Ash, now wearing the referee's jacket with mild discomfort, pointed toward the field. "Challenger, send out your Pokémon."

  Her jaw clenched. She hadn't thought this far.

  Shit. The Poké Ball doesn't even have formatted data. Ditto's been freeloading again.

  Then, from inside her coat, Ditto's low voice surfaced. "Boss, I'll handle it. I'll morph into something strong. Just toss the ball. Trust your instincts."

  Without hesitation, she hurled the ball.

  "I choose you... Garganacl."

  The ball struck the ground with a sharp plink. A blinding flash — and Garganacl emerged, towering and salt-encrusted. Crystals flaked from its shoulders; the air smelled faintly of brine. Ditto, meanwhile, turned to stone and vanished into the arena's shadows.

  Mina slid her sunglasses up onto her hat and tilted her chin. "Satisfied now?"

  Ash raised the flag. "Steelix versus Garganacl. Pewter Gym battle — begin!"

  Before the dust could settle, her lenses scanned Brock's Pokémon. Digital data flickered:

  Pokémon: Steelix

  Ability: Sheer Force → Sand Force (Mega Evolution)

  Nature: Careful

  Moves: Heavy Slam / Iron Defense / Body Press / Sandstorm

  EVs: HP 252 / Def 6 / SpD 252

  Item: Steelixite

  Mina's brow twitched.

  Stall-breaker. Classic tank-core. Let me guess: Mega evolution bait and punish.

  "Protect," she ordered.

  Brock's tone was steady. "Iron Defense."

  Steelix gleamed silver. Garganacl mirrored the movement, stiffening as salt crystals reinforced its bulk. The two titans loomed like monuments.

  Then Brock gave the cue.

  "Sandstorm."

  Steelix's tail slammed down. The gym shook. Dust and gravel exploded into the air. The sandstorm roared — and with it, a faulty pipe burst in the wall. Water sprayed, hissing against hot metal.

  Mina's voice cut through the chaos. "Salt Cure."

  Garganacl raised a palm, unleashing a burst of coarse, shimmering salt. It clung to Steelix's wet, metallic hide, sizzling.

  Salt Cure: A move designed to rot from within. Salt binds to the enemy — corrosive and lingering. Especially brutal on water and steel types. It doesn't just damage. It decays.

  Steelix writhed.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Then Brock reached for his keystone.

  "Mega evolve!"

  A surge of light erupted from his wrist. Steelix’s body cracked and stretched, spikes of crystalline metal bursting from its hide. Its jaw extended, frame thickened — more fortress than serpent. Mega Steelix rose, glittering and immense, its eyes flaring with new force.

  Ability changed: Sand Force

  The sandstorm intensified, drawn into the metallic grooves of its frame. Energy pulsed around it — now, every Steel-type and Rock-type move would hit harder.

  Brock's eyes narrowed. "Heavy Slam! Don't give in!"

  Steelix surged forward. The sandstorm wrapped around it like armor. Powered by Sand Force, its massive weight and speed multiplied.

  Mina responded instantly. "Recover. Garganacl, brace."

  Garganacl began to glow — but not fast enough.

  CRACK.

  Steelix's full weight crashed down. Garganacl was hurled back, smashing into the floor. The shockwave rattled the ceiling. A steel beam gave way — and fell.

  The shockwave traveled farther than expected — and with the boosted Heavy Slam tearing through the terrain, Ditto's hiding spot wasn't safe.

  The stone form cracked — not from direct impact, but from concussive force and sand-infused shock.

  Ditto let out a faint, muffled whimper before crumpling into a limp, grey heap.

  Mina's eyes widened. "Recover!"

  The broken mass flickered.

  Then lit up.

  Ditto's body unraveled mid-air, its form glowing. Cracks sealed. Its surface pulsed — the classic signature of Recover. It floated free just as the beam crushed the spot it had fallen.

  It drifted beside Garganacl, flickering faintly — still battered, but functional.

  Mina exhaled slowly. Then, softer than before, she said:

  "Salt Cure. End it."

  Garganacl rose, its limbs groaning. From its palms, the salt burst again — sharper, heavier, deliberate. It slammed into Steelix. The corrosion spread like fire.

  Steelix tried to retaliate.

  "Body Press!" Brock cried.

  "Protect," Mina said flatly.

  A transparent shield flickered. Steelix collided and bounced back. Its form shuddered. Steam hissed. It collapsed as salt etched into its plates like acid.

  Ash raised the flag.

  "Steelix is unable to battle. The challenger wins."

  Silence followed — thick as smoke, heavy as iron.

  Brock staggered forward, coughing through the dust. His voice cracked, disbelief trailing behind every word.

  "That wasn’t just Salt Cure. That— that’s not how it’s supposed to work. What did you do?"

  Mina didn’t answer at first. She slid her sunglasses up, stepped toward the scorched battlefield, and spoke in a tone almost too calm.

  "You know Salt Cure's meant to chip away slowly, right?"

  She held up a finger and traced something invisible in the air — not for him, but for herself.

  Then her eyes landed on the cracked wall.

  The broken pipe.

  The thin stream of water still leaking across the floor.

  "You did that. Not me. You ruptured the extinguisher. You brought the water."

  Her voice cooled to something surgical.

  "And salt only needs an invitation."

  Brock froze — realization beginning to unravel, thread by thread.

  From the sidelines, Ash felt a weight stir in his chest.

  A memory surfaced.

  Years ago. His first badge.

  His Pikachu.

  And the sprinklers.

  Back then, Pikachu hadn’t defeated Brock’s Onix by strength alone.

  Not really.

  It had only worked after the water soaked Onix’s rocky hide.

  He hadn’t planned it. He got lucky.

  He called it heart. The League called it potential.

  But it was just…

  circumstance.

  Mina hadn’t been lucky.

  She hadn’t waited for fate.

  She orchestrated it.

  Ash swallowed hard. His lips parted.

  But he said nothing.

  Garganacl hissed quietly. The salt on its body still steamed.

  Mina walked forward. Ditto slithered to her side, holding a single strand of Brock's hair.

  She tucked it into a vial with hands.

  Then she smiled — not kindly.

  "Wasn't planning to win. I was going to steal this anyway. I don't do fair fights."

  Brock stumbled forward. "What the hell are you?"

  [Flashback Begins]

  Bulbasaur vs. Onix. Her first real battle. She remembered it like a scar.

  Brock's Onix had slammed her Pokémon into the wall. No hesitation. No remorse.

  Ash had tried to comfort her. "You'll get stronger!" he said, with that stupid grin.

  She hadn't. She just learned to cheat better.

  Later, Brock handed her an envelope. "Don't open it. Just deliver."

  She opened it anyway. It wasn't a letter.

  It was a contract soaked in blood and silence.

  And Brock? He didn't look like a Gym Leader. Just another delivery boy who stopped asking questions.

  [Flashback Ends]

  She struck Brock in the gut. He folded.

  Ash reached out, grabbing her arm before she struck again.

  "Let go! You think I should forgive him?!"

  Ash shouted, voice rising.

  "Yes! Just like I forgave Team Rocket every time! They were broken people too! They loved their Pokémon. They were… human."

  Mina’s voice turned sharp.

  "So what? You think loving something makes you good? You think desperation justifies theft?"

  "You know that’s not what I mean."

  A long pause. Mina stared down at him, something unreadable in her eyes. Then she said, quieter—colder:

  "Your world runs on mercy. Mine was built on what mercy abandoned."

  Ash froze.

  Mina crouched lower, her expression unreadable.

  "You talk about forgiveness like it's something you can give away for free."

  She punched the wall before she realized it — maybe just to forget, or because remembering hurt too much.

  "But to me? Forgiveness was just a thing people used to excuse walking away."

  Her voice trembled with fury now, but her smile was razor-thin.

  "Maybe they were your friends, Ash. But to me?"

  "They were the ones who handed me the letter."

  "The one that sent me to the place no one comes back from."

  Ash blinked, stunned.

  she spat. "Not helping. Not hope. Just... instructions."

  Ash tried to speak, but she cut him off with a hard, low kick to his stomach.

  He gasped.

  She crouched beside him, almost tenderly—mockingly.

  "Why’d you get your first badge, huh? You remember?”

  Ash blinked through pain. And yes, he did.

  He didn’t beat Brock. He earned the badge because Brock’s siblings intervened. Because Brock was moved—not defeated.

  Mina stood, brushing salt off her fingers.

  "Mercy, friendship, forgiveness…" she muttered.

  "Nice words, But that's never saved me.”

  She turned. "We're leaving."

  Ash followed, stunned. He didn't know if he believed her. But he couldn't walk away either.

  Behind them, Brock sat against the wall, coughing salt.

  Outside, the sun beat down.

  Mina smiled — faint, tight.

  It didn't reach her eyes.

  Ditto glanced up at her, quietly glowing — as if asking a question it dared not voice.

  She didn't answer. But she didn't let go, either.