Chapter Seven
Results
A metallic thud rang out from a back alley in Celadon. A couple of Meowth fled from the trash they were scrounging in. A half chewed apple core fell to the ground. But they were the only ones to notice Blue emerge.
Though his face remained neutral and determined, the unclenching of his fist betrayed his relief. After a week underground, Blue had become a little too acquainted with the Team Rocket hideout. He could have just stood there for hours, enjoying the fresh air in his lungs and the heat of the sun on his face, but he refused to give in to that urge.
A purposeful pacing, one foot in front of the other, carried Blue toward the Celadon Gym. His training had been tough. Really tough. The trainers he'd faced were harsh and unrelenting. His two Pokémon had faced Ice Beams, Flamethrowers and Sludge Bombs and for the first few days, each hit that landed sent Blue back in line for the use of their stolen Pokémon Centre equipment.
He was fortunate that none of the injuries he himself had sustained had been bad enough to put him out of action like that. Blue wasn't sure anybody would bother taking care of him. Cubone certainly wouldn't. The two hadn't spoken since he arrived. It just begrudgingly followed his orders without a word. That had to mean that despite its anger, it recognised the strength they'd gain.
The bitter taste of defeat still lingered in Blue, even now. But things had changed. It took a rather devastating loss to a trainer using both a Beedrill and a Nidorino at the same time for him to realise… something. Something had clicked, and in the next battle, he and the purple blob had come out on top.
He wasn't sure exactly what had happened, but he felt tougher. Able to go on when he used to give up. Blue did know however, that whatever he'd realised, Cubone didn't have it yet. Blue had tried over and over, but it had nowhere near as high a win rate as the purple Pokémon, or 'Ditto' as he had taken to calling it.
Blue had figured that it had something to do with its hatred of Team Rocket. Maybe just being there made it mad enough at Blue to either intentionally or subconsciously hold itself back. So Blue had an idea. Halfway through a training session, he'd left the arenas and taken the staircase back up to the Game Corner.
When facing Surge, Bora and even Sabrina, Cubone had given the battle its all. It would have to do the same thing against Erika. This. This is where it'd all pay off.
The slight chill of the morning air gave way to the gentle humidity of the Celadon City gym. The place was big, only fitting for a huge place like Celadon. Ivy crawled over columned walls and beige metal posts. Moss sprung up on every corner and, in the light that streamed from the glass skylight above, it was easy to pick out the bright pink cushion the Gym Leader lay on.
Erika's eyes flickered, her rest presumably disturbed by the draught Blue's entrance had brought with it. A soft smile grew on her face, and she pushed herself up. "I am Erika." She gave a pleasant giggle. "I must have dozed off. I would ask whether you are here to peruse my delicate flower arrangements, however the look on your face tells me otherwise. You mean to entertain me with a battle?"
While Blue reached for a Poké Ball, Erika smoothed down her kimono. Her mild-mannered confidence seemed quite at odds with how young she appeared to be. Then again, Blue wasn't exactly like most kids either. "Yeah," he said. "Something like that. I'm planning on claiming my first gym badge"
"Very well." Erika produced a Poké Ball of her own from somewhere within the folds of her clothes. "Let me show you how plants and Pokémon should properly be raised."
She thrust out her hand in an underarm throw more akin to a roll. Her Poké Ball fell through a graceful arc into the grass, where it was brought to a stop by a particularly large dandelion tuft and burst open.
The Pokémon that emerged was a Bellsprout. Blue had never considered them very beautiful Pokémon but there was something about the polished sheen of this one's leaves and head and the delicate sway of its stem that gave off an air of elegance.
"I shall use two Pokémon, while you may utilize up to six. In addition, gym rules forbid both battle and healing items here," Erika said. "Though a resourceful enough Pokémon may seek to heal itself. You may have the first move, challenger."
Hardly daring to breathe, Blue sent his own Pokémon onto the field. He hadn't been nervous before but now the heat of battle had begun to bite at his heels. So much could go wrong here. He had to be right about Cubone. Cubone would have to see how he was right.
The ground type blinked once, then twice. It hadn't been expecting sunlight. Cubone glanced around the room, making sense of its surroundings. Blue gave it a smile. It seemed to realise they weren't in the Rocket base anymore. There was a sparkle in its eyes Blue hadn't seen for almost a week.
"Right, Cubone!" Blue said. "Let's start off with Headbutt!" Cubone gave a cry and charged forward, but was lashed back by a swift Vine Whip. No matter. Blue was confident this gym battle would go differently. This time, he had a strategy.
Every Gym Leader had some training in official Pokémon League refereeing. Most had extensive. During particularly busy league tournaments, it wasn't uncommon to see a Gym Leader or two drafted to mediate a match or three. That meant Blue had no choice but to stay strictly within the rules, but a childhood spent glued to footage of the most exciting matches from throughout Indigo League history was proving worth it. There were a whole host of different technicalities to exploit.
Of course, Blue was also choosing to ignore a lifelong disdain for each and every trainer who triumphed off such tricks. Even his five-year vendetta against Koga of the Fuschia Gym just seemed childish now. He wasn't evil, as six year old Blue had imagined. He simply knew that a powerful trainer should use every means at their disposal to win.
Bellsprout lunged toward Cubone, readying another Vine Whip. "Now!" Blue yelled. "Bone Club! Aim it at a post!" That particular technique had won Blue a match against a headstrong kid and his Nidoran. It was simple, really. Feign injury to let your opponent get close, then strike hard and fling it at the nearest solid object. Of course, Cubone had never got a handle on the whole 'feigning injury' part, so it was necessary to let it take a couple of attacks first.
The club struck Bellsprout, but rather than launching the flower Pokémon into the post or even a wall, Cubone simply knocked it to the ground, then stood still while Bellsprout reeled to its feet. All Blue got was a quick glance. Just enough to convey some moralistic taunt like 'got any better instructions?'.
Blue elected to ignore the cold sheen that frosted Erika's eyes, instead just telling Cubone, "Headbutt! You have an opening!"
Cubone did not attack. It simply allowed Erika to cry, "Another Vine Whip!" which threw it into the dirt. Blue's Pokémon struggled to its feet, giving him another pointed glance. Fine. They'd battle like that. Cubone got one more chance to convince Blue it's way was best. But he didn't expect anything to come of it.
Bellsprout and Cubone stood on opposite sides of the battlefield, almost as if they were back to square one. The only giveaway was the dirt on Cubone's club and the grass stains on its mask. Bellsprout was decidedly less battle-worn.
"Your Pokémon is quite good," Erika remarked. Blue couldn't help noticing he had been excluded from the compliment. Oh yeah? He'd show her.
"Bonemerang!"
Cubone took a breath, readied it's aim and flung its club toward Bellsprout. Bonemerang was a move they had tried before. The most recent attempt being in a match against a Rhyhorn in which the bone veered off course and was almost lost in another arena. They lost the battle.
This time seemed to be going slightly better. The club was on course, spinning through the air, directly toward Erica's grass type. It sunk lower, then lower, then too low. The club caught on a weed and bounced and lodged in the turf. Cubone dashed forward to reclaim it, and before Blue could even shout, "Wait!" Bellsprout attacked.
Cubone grabbed the club and held it forward to block Bellsprout's move. Clearly, it had anticipated a Vine Whip. Instead, Bellsprout spit out a wave of acid. Cubone dropped everything, fleeing from the oncoming Acid Spray with a yell of fright as if it didn't cover at least half the field. Cubone was already weakened enough that, despite the move being at a type disadvantage, the poisonous gunk was enough to knock it unconscious.
Erika chuckled, watching Cubone disappear in a flash of white light. "That was a surprise, no? It's rather difficult to acquire a Bellsprout with that particular move. You should always be ready for an opponent to strike with something unexpected."
Blue exchanged Poké Balls. As expected, Cubone's righteousness has cost it the victory. That didn't matter, though. He didn't need it anyway. He met Erika's smug face and shot her a grin. "Unexpected, huh? Try this."
Ditto emerged with a delighted mewl. As it flowed to and fro, Blue wondered whether it had ever felt sun or grass before.
"That is something," Erika said. "Where does it come from? Galar? Unova?" She laughed. "Actually, forget all that. Just show me what it can do!"
Ditto's eye's met Bellsprout and it mewled again, this time lower pitched, more like the sound the flower Pokémon made. It's body began to shift and stretch, thinning out in the middle and sprouting leaves, roots. It's head began to take shape and the purple faded to yellow and brown. Ditto opened its eyes and shook itself, getting a feel for the new limbs. Blue gave it a moment before ordering, "Acid Spray!"
It took Erika exactly two seconds to register that this challenger's Pokémon had become an exact copy of hers. And another second for her to call out a counter to the copy of her attack it was using. Despite being rather impressive given the circumstances, these reaction times were nowhere fast enough to get Bellsprout out of the way in time.
The wave collided head on, uprooting Bellsprout and dragging it to the ground. For a moment it managed to cling onto consciousness, attempting to carry out the Ingrain Erika had called, but it was too little too late. Bellsprout fainted.
Erika recalled her Pokémon, a smile tugging on her face. Perhaps she was realising there was more to Blue than he let on. That might have been dangerous. It was obviously better for Blue if people underestimated him. But, there was something about the Gym Leader recognising that he'd done well that sent a rush of pride into his chest.
"Wow," Erika said. "A little harsh for my taste, but impressive. Let's see your shapeshifter take on my last Pokémon." She drew another Poké Ball, tossing this one onto the field with a little more force than the first.
Once the light had died down, Blue was able to make out the Pokémon that had emerged. This second opponent was similar to Bellsprout. Beautiful in the way of wilting leaves in an autumn forest, or the flecks of copper mud against well worn shoes. Gloom would have been out of place in a bouquet but, somehow, in Erika's gym, it felt right at home.
"Quick, Ditto!" Blue insisted, hopefully before Erika had a chance to react, "Stun Spore!"
The attack connected, showering Gloom in a frosting of yellow powder. The grass type did not, however freeze up. The characteristic sparks of paralysis didn't fly.
"Grass type Pokémon are naturally immune to most powder and spore moves," Erika said. Yeah. That much was evident. "You won't have much luck with Bellsprout's Vine Whip either. The grass type resists itself. A move which is very effective against it, however, is Acid!"
Gloom's flower opened, launching a spray of purple liquid forward. Ditto didn't back down. Ditto didn't run away. It simply wiped away the move and prepared to strike back with its own acid. Of course, both Pokémon were also part poison type, preventing either from dealing any super-effective damage. Unless Erika had another trick up her sleeve.
Gloom recoiled at Ditto's Acid Spray, reeling back. "Keep away from it!" Erika commanded. "Use Sunny Day!"
The daylight grew hotter and brighter. Blue almost had to shield his eyes. Erika couldn't possibly be planning on using a fire type attack could she? Did Gloom even learn any? "You keep back too," Blue cautioned.
Erika gave a coy half smile. "I'm afraid that won't be much use." Blue risked a quick glance in her direction, before returning to Gloom. The flower on its back had changed colour. From a reddish-brown to a blinding yellow.
Blue realised too late what that meant.
The Solar Beam razed across the field, beheading some of the taller dandelions. Blue didn't even have the time to yell, "Ingrain!" before the blast hit Ditto. The Pokémon was swept backward, tumbling across the grass. Blue had to raise an arm in front of his eyes to shield them from the dazzling glow of Gloom's attack.
When the light died, Ditto still stood, but just barely. It was staggering and swaying, almost tipping with each stumble. It's body certainly seemed weak and frail as a wilting flower, but it's eyes said something different. A slight glint flickered within them. A hint of that blank smile.
Solar Beam was a powerful attack, but even it shouldn't have been that effective at a dual type disadvantage. Blue caught on.
Gloom rushed forward, meaning to finish Ditto with one last attack, but just as it closed in, Ditto's gait changed. Roots dug firmly into the ground. Sinews tensed, stem quivered and a torrent of acid poured forth.
This second Acid Spray was even more effective than the first. Gloom was thrust onto its back, sliding into the mud. Ditto, wasting no time in striking again, doused the helpless Pokémon in yet more poison.
Blue grinned, enjoying the concoction of panic and pain flickering on Erika's face. The way she fumbled for her Poké Ball, considering whether she should call her Pokémon back now or wait just a little longer in case it pulled through.
Then Gloom cried out. A sharp, hapless screech like a child lost in the woods. It broke the spell. "That's enough, Ditto!"
Blue's Pokémon stopped its attack, hopping a few paces backward and glancing at its trainer, awaiting its next instruction. Erika raised her Poké Ball, enveloping the unconscious form of her Gloom in white light. Annoyance flashed on her face, but she quickly hid it.
"Seems like I have underestimated you," she said. Erika crossed the room, careful not to let her kimono trail into any of the sludge which coated the grass. "I must confer on you the Rainbow Badge."
She held out her hand. A small pin rested on her palm, glittering in the fading sun. Blue took it and held it in the air. A spectrum of petals forming a flower that flowed like, well, a rainbow. Blue almost laughed. "Finally…"
Erika buried her hands in her kimono. "Congratulations," she said. "You battled… powerfully. I have to recommend taking a little more care when it comes to your Pokémon. Though the strategies you currently employ may seem to bring easy victory, in the long run they may become more damaging to yourself than your opponent."
"Right," Blue said. Sure thing, he'd listen to what the loser said. If Erika had any clue about raising Pokémon, she'd have claimed victory rather than him.
Blue felt a slight pressure on his shoulder. He turned, only to find himself face to face with… himself. Blue started, stumbling back and almost into Erika. The other him grinned, then mewled. Ditto melted back to its original form and began sliding back and forth, a grin covering its face.
Blue held back a laugh. Had they been alone, he'd probably have joined Ditto in the grass, maybe petted it a little, but not in front of Erika. He simply recalled his Pokémon and slipped the ball away.
"Good luck," Erika said. Blue ignored her, heading out of the door. He didn't even look back when she added. "You're going to need it."