Last chapter Vance and Maddy had an early breakfast while getting to know each other better. In the process both Vance and Julie lost track of time for their gym battle. After Kirby managed to find them, all four of them were in the gym as Vance stood ready against Hector.
Vance had asked Julie whether she wanted to go first, but Julie seemed preoccupied with deep thinking and declined the offer. So now Vance stood ready and admit ably, a bit scared this being his first of many gym battles to come. Kirby stood to the side acting as the judge.
"This will be a two on two pokemon battle. Only the challenger may switch pokemon out. There is no time limit, let the battle begin!" Kirby announced.
"Ok Vance just because you saved me doesn't mean I'll go easy on you." Hector said pulling out a pokeball. "Go Venuvine!"
"I wouldn't either." Vance retorted. "Go Sootoo!" Both pokemon appeared at the same time. Sootoo stood ready while the small plant pokemon almost seemed oblivious to the battle already starting. Its head was a cylinder while the rest of its body was covered in thorny vines.
"A Venuvine cool." Maddy said pulling out her pokedex.
"Venuvine, the venustrap pokemon and the pre-evolved form of Carnivine, Venuvine often sway so that enemies and prey alike underestimate its powerful attacks." The pokedex finished.
"Vance, watch out!" Maddy yelled. "It's only pretending to be harmless."
"Right thanks." Vance responded giving her a thumb up. Julie watched the battle but kept going over the conversation she overheard them saying.
"This is crazy I don't even like him!" Julie thought to herself.
"Sootoo!" Julie snapped out of her day dream and focused more intensely on the battle. Venuvine continued to sway while Sootoo prepared for another attack.
"Venuvine Bullet Seed!" Venuvine opened its' cylindrical mouth and shot out glowing green projectiles. Sootoo took little damage being a fire type.
"Sootoo use Flamethrower!" Sootoo launched a blazing stream of fire towards Venuvine.
"Dodge!" Venuvine narrowly missed the attack and began charging towards Sootoo. "Now use Bite!" Venuvine bit Sootoo in the leg and quickly let go to scurry back across the field.
"Sootoo are you alright?" Vance asked.
"Arf!" The pokemon responded. The cylindrical bite wound on its' leg was clear evidence that Hector had rigorously trained his pokemon.
"Sootoo try a Quick Attack!" Sootoo began moving but a single step on its' bit leg made it collapse. "Sootoo!?"
"What's wrong?" Julie asked worriedly. Maddy flipped open her pokedex again and looked up Venuvine.
"Venuvine use a powerful stunning agent in their bite to help them take down larger prey." The pokedex answered.
"You just experienced Venuvine's power, disable bite." Hector explained. "When Venuvine successfully latches onto an enemy with its teeth, powerful paralyzing salvia is injected into the opponents' body."
"Sootoo, can you get up?" Sootoo got to his feet, yet the front right one that had been bitten seemed to go limp. "Sootoo you can do this we just have to strategize." Vance said reassuringly.
"I admire your confidence, but you need more than that to beat me. Venuvine use Bind!" Venuvine quickly charged and wrapped around Sootoo before Vance could respond.
"Sootoo try to get free!" It was in vain, Sootoo squirmed and wiggled, yet the powerful bind still slowly crushed Sootoo. "What am I going to do?" Vance said under his breath.
"Vance!" Vance looked up towards Julie.
"Remember Sootoo is stuck but so is Venuvine!" Julie said. Vance didn't know what she was talking about.
"Venuvine Bite again!" Hector commanded. While in the bind Venuvine bit Sootoo two more times, on his left front leg and left shoulder. Sootoo began feeling his front body go limp.
"What did she mean?" Vance thought desperately while thinking of a way to free Sootoo, when it hit him. Venuvine had Sootoo in a bind, which meant that it couldn't escape either. "Sootoo quick use a Flamethrower and give it everything you got!" Vance yelled out. Sootoo met Venuvine face to face all the little plant could do was tear at the growing red and orange glow in Sootoo's mouth before it was consumed by the flames.
"Venuvine!" Hector yelled. When the fire settled Venuvine lay on the ground, charred black with the signature swirl eyes of a fainted pokemon.
"Venuvine is unable to battle the first round goes to the challenger!" Kirby announced.
"Great job Sootoo!" Vance said. Sootoo gave a happy bark although it was laying on the ground, not too tired, just semi paralyzed from the multiple bites.
"You did a great job Venuvine, take a long rest." Hector said returning Venuvine to its pokeball. "I have to give it to you Vance that was some quick thinking."
"I had some help." Vance said shooting a smile to Julie who gave one back.
"Still you're going to need all your strength to beat my strongest pokemon. Go Gloom!" In a flash of white appeared a stubby purple pokemon that drooled out the side of its mouth. On top of its' head was an odd flower that four different long leaves in different directions.
"Oh it stinks!" Julie said from the audience while pulling out her pokedex.
"Gloom the weed pokemon, it secretes a foul smelling drool that can be smelled up to a mile away." The pokedex finished.
And it was true everyone in the gym covered their noses except for Hector who stood unfazed by the smell.
"Vance, Sootoo is too weak to keep on battling." Julie said from the audience. Sootoo tried standing to prove Julie wrong yet collapsed instead.
"Sootoo, Julie is right. Take a break buddy." Vance said. Sootoo regrettably gave in and nodded. Vance returned Sootoo to its' pokeball and took out Dimedon's.
"Is that such a good thing?" Maddy asked. "Vance hasn't even used Dimedon in a battle yet and there's also the type disadvantage." Vance took that to mind, but he believed in Dimedon and that was enough.
"Go Dimedon!" The large reptile appeared in a white flash.
"Doooooon!" It cried.
"Wow a Dimedon, I got to admit this might be interesting." Hector said.
"The trainers have chosen their pokemon, let the second round begin!" Kirby again announced.
"Gloom start things off with Razor Leaf!"
"Gloo gloom!" Gloom cried as it spun around rapidly, throwing a series of sharpened leaves towards Dimedon. It managed to dodge one or two, but then three hit it dead in the face, causing the ancient pokemon to topple over.
"Dimedon!" Julie and Maddy said in unison.
"Dimedon are you ok?" Vance asked. Slowly Dimedon got back to its feet. "Hold on pal, I know what to do." Vance pulled out his poketech and quickly scanned Dimedon. The poketech gave a rough estimation of Dimedon's stats and abilities which showed even with a direct hit from the Razor Leaf, Dimedon hadn't lost much hp. Vance switched to the attacks and quickly scanned the list.
"Dimedon use Dig!" Vance commanded. Dimedon tore open the ground and in seconds burrowed underneath the gym. Gloom looked around, trying to spot an underground target. The ground below Gloom buckled and out popped Dimedon whose attack sent the grass pokemon flying.
"Wow that was some Dig." Maddy said in awe. Vance kept his composure putting all his focus into the battle.
"Gloom, can you get up?" Hector asked. Gloom replied weakly but got to its feet, freshly scratched. "Gloom lets say we even the field? Use, Mega Drain!" Gloom sent a strange glow of greenish energy towards Dimedon.
"Dimedon dodge quick!" Vance commanded, but Dimedon wasn't built for land, yet. The glow hit and Dimedon's energy began to transfer into Gloom. "Dimedon break free!" Vance remembered something that might help. "Dimedon use Water Pulse!"
"Don!" Dimedon yelled as it created a ball of water and slammed it into the ground, breaking the Mega Drain and sending a tidal wave towards Gloom. It hit but did little damage since it was a grass type.
"And now it's over for you" Hector said in a singing voice. "Gloom use Solarbeam!" Hector commanded in his normal voice. Gloom began collecting sunlight into the flower on its head.
"Vance tell Dimedon to dodge!" Julie cried out. Vance knew however that Dimedon was too slow to dodge the attack. The beam bundled and fired a white light of stored solar energy. Vance knew immediately what to do.
"Dimedon Water Pulse again!" Dimedon gave a quizzical look but did as commanded. The blue ball of water followed by the tidal wave hit the solarbeam and created a mist.
"What happened?" Maddy asked Julie, in truth she didn't know either.
"Very smart, you took the heated solar energy of Solarbeam and connected it with a water attack to create this mist." Hector said aloud.
"Yep, and now Hector it's over for you." Vance said in a strong voice. "Dimedon use Ancient Power!" Gloom looked back and forth through the fog when finally the large form of Dimedon, engulfed in the glowing attack Ancient Power, burst through the fog and scored a direct hit which sent Gloom flying. The fog cleared as soon as the attack had ended which showed the unconscious Gloom lying on the floor in front of Hector.
"Gloom is unable to battle, the winner is Vance from Bright Town." Kirby announced.
"We won!" Vance shouted as he ran up and gave Dimedon a hug around its neck.
"Don dimedon don." It happily replied.
"Congratulations Vance that was a great battle." Hector said approaching him.
"Thanks, your pokemon are really strong." Vance commented. Maddy and Julie both approached him.
"Good job Vance." Julie said.
"Vance that was amazing!" Maddy said with much more enthusiasm. "To think I didn't like battling, Sootoo and Dimedon are a winning combination!" She was almost jumping for joy even though she was just a spectator.
"Thanks, so Julie I guess you're up next." Vance said.
"If it's alright with you can we reschedule to tomorrow? My pokemon are pretty wiped." Hector said before Julie could respond.
"Sure." Julie responded.
"So Vance, in honor of your first gym victory let me present to you the Leaf Badge." Hector help out a small pin shaped like an oak leaf to Vance.
"Thanks Hector." Vance said taking the badge. "Alright, I've got a Leaf Badge!" Vance proclaimed holing the badge up high. He was sure Julie was going to comment on his battle, yet she remained oddly quiet. Vance thought she was just getting psyched for her next battle and cast the thought aside. Tomorrow both he and Julie could talk easier once they each had a badge.
I think it was a bit long, but then again it's what you think. So please keep reviewing. If you have any comments about the battling please don't be shy no matter how insignificant or odd a question it may be.