1. Ash's Story (Part 10: Galar)

Chapter 54: Rock Beneath the Spotlight

The stadium side of Steamdrift Town felt different from the Contest Hall. The stage lights had asked me to turn motion into beauty, but the Rock Gym waited with heavier doors, sharper banners, and the steady pressure of a crowd expecting Gordie to prove why his fans believed in him.

A staff member met me near the entrance. "Welcome, Gym Challenger Ash. Would you like to attempt the Gym mission?"

"That is why I am here," I said.

"Then please change into your Gym uniform. The dressing room is that way."

Alice gave me a small smile before I left. "Good luck."

"Save some of that for Melony," I told her.

She laughed, but there was focus behind it. Her own sixth badge road was waiting after mine, and the cold part of this town seemed to know it.

The Rock uniform fit more like Gordie's stage image than my usual clothes, though without the jacket. When I stepped back out, Pikachu looked me over from the bench near the field entrance.

Pikachu tilted his head, cheeks twitching with amusement, "You look ready to challenge a mountain and apologize to it afterward."

"I am taking that as support," I said.

The staff member handed me a small device with a round screen and a handle. "Please collect the Trap Detector before proceeding. It is essential for the Gym mission."

"Trap Detector?" I repeated, testing the weight.

She smiled as if she heard that question every day. "The Rock Gym tests confidence, patience, and footing. The device will vibrate near hidden pitfalls."

Meowth leaned over to inspect it. "I wonder what would happen if you stepped on one."

"I would rather not find out," I said.

The doors opened onto a sandy field stretching toward a staircase at the far side. From the stands, Alice, Gloria, Flora, Helen, Elena, and the others watched with the kind of attention that made me feel steadier rather than crowded.

I gripped the detector more carefully and stepped forward.

The first part of the mission seemed simple until the detector pulsed hard enough to make my fingers tighten. I stopped midstep. The sand ahead looked flat, but the device disagreed.

"Hidden pitfall," I murmured, stopping carefully.

Pikachu walked beside me, tail raised for balance. We moved around the invisible spot, and the detector settled. A few more careful steps brought us to the first Gym Trainer waiting near a rock marker.

The Trainer smiled. "You used to walking around in Circhester Stadium yet? I'm Abigail, and I'll see whether your confidence has balance."

She sent out Boldore, its crystals catching the stadium light.

"Sandaconda, let's go!" I called firmly.

Sandaconda coiled into the sand as if the whole mission had been designed for it. Boldore slammed forward, but Sandaconda read the tremor through the ground and shifted aside before striking with Earthquake. The sand rippled outward, and Boldore dropped with a heavy thud.

Abigail recalled it with a respectful nod. "You battled so confidently. I see! You've got to have confidence!"

When I passed her, the ground shook beneath the field. The hidden pitfalls around the first section opened one after another, showing dark gaps with bouncing mats far below.

"There were that many?" I said, staring.

Zoroark, watching from the sidelines near the others, pointed toward the lower safety area, "The fall would not break you, but the surprise would steal your rhythm."