Disclaimer: I do not own nor am I affiliated with Pokémon or any of its parent companies. I am merely a humble storyteller. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy this journey with me.

Note: I am English, so some of the wording, spellings, and expressions will be those commonly used in England.

Chapter Eighteen: Proton's Pesky Poison Pokémon

"Take it out with Thunder Shock!" Red yelled.

Pikachu's red cheeks crackled, and less than half of a half of a quarter of a second later, he released a jolt of electricity at the Team Rocket Grunt's Rattata, lighting up the rodent. It collapsed on its belly and stayed down.

"No!" the Rocket Grunt shouted. "Don't think you're gonna get away with this, brat! Because we're gonna –"

Neither Red nor Leaf dillydallied to hear what Team Rocket were 'gonna' do to them. For one, they already knew, or at least accurately suspected. Secondly, they had already tore off down another Mt. Moon passageway, behind their babyish guide.

"We're still taking on some Rocket Grunts," Red said, trying to keep pace with the surprisingly speedy Cleffa. "That was my second. Haven't you taken on two as well, Leaf?"

"I have," Leaf said, speaking an ordeal when trying to run. "But they've each had one Pokémon. We're probably doing far better than if we wouldn't have had Cleffa helping us."

"True," Red said, and that was all he said. Pikachu and Eevee ran ahead of them, tailing Cleffa, ensuring that a random foe would not attack it if it went too far ahead. There were more Rockets in Mt. Moon than they could have ever imagined, but it was obvious they were coming across only a small percentage of them. Cleffa was proving its worth.

But as well as it was going, there were other factors they had to take into consideration. Fatigue for one. They had both not eaten for the longest time – even worse in Leaf's case – and they desperately needed sleep, midnight having come and gone a while ago. It was only through willpower alone that they were still going. And their Pokémon were not faring any better; one good critical or super-effective hit from an opponent, no matter how powerful, would send them to the realm of unconsciousness. It was only Red's Kakuna that was at full health.

But onwards they struggled, their thighs as hard as rocks, their heads pounding, their hearts thrashing, their bodies screaming at them for rest and sustenance, their minds and guts and spirit ignoring the constant complaints, whispering a mantra of 'we can make it, we can make it, we can make it, we can make it…'.

They could do it. They just needed a tiny bit more luck than they already had.

o~o~o~o~o

"Where do you think you're going?" the Team Rocket Grunt shouted. Hastily, she took out a Poké Ball and a radio, whispered into the Poké Ball, and threw the radio. The radio smashed into pieces against an outcropped rock. The Grunt stared at Red and Leaf. Red and Leaf stared back at the Grunt. Her face reddened. "Pretend you didn't see that, all right."

Red and Leaf did not swear to any secrecy.

The Grunt threw the right object this time and out popped a Pokémon whose yellowish hide was patterned like bricks. Its muzzle and underbelly were white, atop is head were triangular ears that were white inside, and it had a thick tail. The most worrying aspect about it were the sharp claws on its paws and feet.

"My turn," Leaf said, and Red did the Pokédex courtesy:

Sandshrew, a Ground-type Pokémon. Its body is dry. When it gets cold at night, its hide is said to become coated in a fine dew.

"A Ground-type, huh?" Leaf said. "Looks like you're up, Bulbasaur."

Her little plant dinosaur padded forth, ready to take on and defeat another foe for his Trainer, hiding his haggard breathing. It would not suit a Pokémon such as him to show such weakness outright.

"Bulbasaur, Vine Whip!" Leaf commanded, starting off the proceedings.

From beneath his bulb came two green vines, and, like airborne serpents, they slithered through the air to their target, ready to end this battle before it could even have a chance to start.

"Defence Curl!" the Grunt shouted, and her Sandshrew curled into a perfect sphere. The vines crashed down on it, drilling it into the ground. But when the vines retracted, Sandshrew unfurled itself, its hide marked, a little wobbly, but with still a lot of fight left.

Leaf barely had time to curse before the Grunt ordered for Sandshrew to use Sand Attack, and the Ground-type, quite simply, threw a mound of dirt in Bulbasaur's eyes.

Bulbasaur reeled and tossed his head from side to side, trying to rid his eyes of the annoying dust, to no avail.

"Calm down!" Leaf cried. "Use Leech Seed!"

Bulbasaur heard. Bulbasaur obeyed. Bulbasaur's attack missed. The seeds he shot from his bulb landed harmless and dead a foot away from Sandshrew.

"Rollout!" came the new command.

Much like with Defence Curl, Sandshrew curled itself into a ball. Much unlike Defence Curl, it did not stay stationary; it spun like a wheel and sped across the Mt. Moon terrain and rammed itself into Bulbasaur. Poor Bulbasaur groaned, his legs barely holding him up.

"Switch him out," Red said, flinching as Bulbasaur took the Rollout.

Any other time and that would have been a good idea. But Leaf had no one else except Eevee. No, Bulbasaur would have to stay in. But he could do it. He could win this.

The Sandshrew ball pivoted and made a beeline back towards Bulbasaur.

"Swing out your vines," Leaf said. "As hard as you can."

Blinded, Bulbasaur did as he was told and swung his vines around himself like a propeller, making a whishing sound as they cut through the air.

This was it. This was where Bulbasaur's Vine Whip would overpower the Rollout and knock out the Sandshrew. This was where she would defeat another scummy Rocket.

The vines connected with the tiny ball of destruction.

The tiny ball of destruction overwhelmed the vines.

The tiny ball of destruction slammed into Bulbasaur.

Bulbasaur's legs fell out from under him, and he lay flat out on the ground, knocked out.

"Bulbasaur!" Leaf screamed, running towards him and carrying him in her arms. Red took out Charmander's Poké Ball, just in case. Eevee mewled at the defeat of her friend.

"I don't get it," Leaf muttered to herself. "Why did it hit harder the second time? I don't…"

A memory of long ago back in school trickled into her brain, of a class revolving around certain techniques and their effects and how they were utilised. Attacks like Rollout…

"Oh no," Leaf whispered, returning Bulbasaur to his Poké Ball, her Starter due a good rest; hopefully, this would not be the last time they set eyes on each other. "Rollout gets stronger the longer it goes on."

Sandshrew had stopped rolling, its almond-shaped eyes glittering in pride at having given its Trainer a win. It dug its claws into the ground, ready for round two.

"Do you want me to take it from here?" Red asked.

Leaf shook her head. "I can still do this. I've still got Eevee."

At the mention of her name, Eevee sprung to attention. She bared her teeth at Sandshrew, her hackles raised, her fur bristling.

"Just give up," the Rocket Grunt said. "After I defeat you, I'm going to wail on your boyfriend, and all your battling to escape will just go to waste."

"Don't be stupid," Leaf said. "Eevee and I are going to win, and we're all going to get out of here, no doubt. Now, let's do this."

The Grunt snorted. "Fine. Sandshrew, Sand Attack."

"Dodge it," Leaf said.

Eevee lithely leaped out the way of the dust, so much so it appeared almost carefree.

"Quick Attack!"

Eevee sped towards Sandshrew.

"Defence Curl!"

Sandshrew endured it by balling itself again.

"Double Kick!"

"Defence Curl!"

Again, Eevee's attack dealt little damage to the shrew of sand.

Leaf gritted her teeth. If only Eevee could learn a Water or an Ice or any super effective type move, then it would be a different story. But an Eevee could not do that. She had to rely on Eevee's current moveset.

And maybe it could still work.

Red watched on, eyes as sharp as a Talonflame's, hoping for another Leaf victory.

"Get in close, Eevee," Leaf said, and Eevee darted towards the Sandshrew once more.

"Stupid kid," the Grunt said. "Just use Defence Curl agai –"

"Sand Attack!" Leaf screamed.

"What?"

Before Sandshrew had a chance to protect itself in its ball form, Eevee skidded and threw dust in its eyes, and Leaf could not help but feel a sense of self-satisfaction.

"What?" the Grunt said again. "I didn't think that would affect Sandshrew. Urgh, never mind. Use Fury Swipes."

"Quick Attack," Leaf countered.

Sandshrew swept its sharp claws multiple times, eyesight diminished, Eevee's Quick Attack making much more of an ordeal for it to strike the Normal-type. It toppled backwards as Eevee rammed into its soft underbelly. As it lay on its back, Eevee finished it off with a Double Kick to its already wounded tummy.

But there was no time to bask in the glow of victory! Without another word to the Rocket Grunt, Red, Leaf, and their Pokémon ran off, thankful that the Grunt had no way of immediately contacting any of her colleagues.

o~o~o~o~o

They had to be getting closer. They just had to be. The exit had to be a hop, skip, and a jump away. They had been moving for so long, but it was getting to the point where doubt was creeping back in, where the prospect of being captured was far more real than it had ever been. That was until the Cleffa began bouncing up and down, wiggling its limbs excitedly.

"What is it, Cleffa?" Red asked.

The Cleffa pointed forwards and darted off. Without missing a beat, Red, Leaf, Pikachu, and a sluggish Eevee followed it around a corner.

And what greeted them was cool, fresh air from an opening that led into the night-shrouded outside. The outside! Could it be? Had they… succeeded? Had the Cleffa led them to safety, saved them from the rotten Rockets? Well, the star-shaped Pokémon certainly seemed to think so, judging from its trills of delight and pride.

"Red," Leaf said, hardly daring to believe it. "Is it… is it…" She could not word it; she did not dare complete the sentence lest she jinx them.

"I think it is," Red said softly. A grin broke out across his face. "No, I know it is. We've done it. Cleffa did it. We're safe." His grin widened, his relief palpable. "We're safe."

"Oh, are you now?"

Red's grin died as soon as it was born. A cold horror swept over him, clammy and wet, heavy and painful, extinguishing the hope he dared to have. His eyes met Leaf's. Her face was as white as a sheet.

From the shadows beside the opening stepped out a man in the Team Rocket uniform, a purple 'R' on his chest as opposed to the standard red one: Red had come face-to-face with Proton again.

Proton walked towards them, taking slow, deliberate steps, as though he had all the time in the world. From the shadows that surrounded them, Rocket Grunts emerged, as though the shadows had gained physical form as cruel people who only desired to witness the two children and their efforts to escape brought to an end. Red gripped his left wrist, his bandage unchanged and forgotten, hoping for the pain to return and wake him up, a last-ditch effort of wishing for this torrid ordeal to not be real. The Cleffa hid behind him and buried its face into his calf.

Proton stopped, the smile he had on his face unable to hide the white-hot fury eking out of him. "Now," he said, "it's time to stop this game of hide-and-seek. It's been gradually getting incredibly annoying. The grown-ups have work to do, you know. Just surrender your Pokémon and accept this is the end for you."

Red's tongue felt too big for his mouth, words an impossibility, much like the first time he encountered Proton. He glanced towards Leaf, whose panting Eevee growled at Team Rocket, its heavy breathing betraying it, simply a Pokémon on the verge of fainting. Leaf's face seemed to turn whiter each passing second, and she picked up Eevee, her fur comforting.

What could they do? They could not battle every one of the Rockets there. Including Proton, there were seven of them. But maybe, just maybe, if Red defeated Proton in a battle it could disrupt the Rocket ranks, that whole 'cut off the head and the body will die' lark. It probably would not work, but what other choice did he have? In the next second, Charmander appeared in a flash of light.

"I challenge you to a battle, Proton," Red said, making his voice as authoritative as possible, channelling all those great Trainers he had watched over the years. He looked down at the Cleffa. "Go to Leaf, okay?" he whispered, which it did.

Proton raised an eyebrow. "A battle, huh?" He shrugged. "Sure, why not? It'll be fun to beat your Pokémon into the ground before we beat you into the ground." He detached a Poké Ball from his belt, his eyes flashing from beneath his hat. "And that's just going to be the beginning."

From his Poké Ball came a Pokémon Red had seen in an environmental documentary once. It was a spherical creature, purple in colour, its body covered in protrusions that gave off a foul-smelling gas. Under its wide, smiling mouth was a strange marking that looked very much like a skull-and-crossbones. It floated a few feet above the ground.

Red did not dare take out his Pokédex to check it. Neither did Leaf. But she knew enough about to tell Red, "It's a Koffing, a Poison-type."

Koffing expelled more gas and gave off a sound that came across like laughter. With its constantly cheerful face that might have been the case. Charmander shuddered.

"You can go first," Proton said, removing his cap and tossing it to one of the Grunts. He ran his hand through his teal hair with an air of confidence, as though this battle was merely a formality, as though it was already over.

Red did not need the invitation. "Charmander, use Leer!"

Not truly over his unease at the sight of the unnerving new Pokémon, Charmander glared at it, doing his best to not inhale the gases, ignoring the constant throb all over his body. The corners of Koffing's mouth twitched and its smile shrunk a tad.

"Tackle," Proton said, sounding bored.

Koffing floated towards Charmander, its full smile returning immediately.

"Metal Claw!" Red shouted.

Charmander's claws shone with a metallic gleam and it connected with Koffing, knocking the poison ball back. Koffing's smile disappeared entirely this time.

"Oh!" Proton said, his voice tinged with surprise. "Metal Claw, huh? And more powerful than I thought. Yes, that Charmander will be a worthy addition to Team Rocket." He smirked. "But I'm going to stop playing. I want this over and done with. Poison Gas."

At his command, Koffing spewed out a dark purple gas from its mouth and its protrusions. The odour was so powerful it burned Red's throat and stung his nose, but luckily the gas did not drift over to him. However, it was a pity that Charmander got a face full of it, the poisonous gas engulfing him, shrouding him from view. Then everything was completely gone, the scene dominated by the purple clouds.

The clouds stayed for several long seconds before dispersing, as if by magic, fading into nothingness, even the odour gone from existence. And what it revealed was a once again smiling Koffing, a smirking Proton, and a wobbly Charmander who was struggling to breathe, shadows under his eyes.

He was Poisoned.

"Charmander!" Red said, his voice growing higher with worry. "Charmander, are you okay? Can you still do this?"

Charmander forced a smile, his eyes somewhat glazed over. He turned back to Koffing and Proton and stamped its foot on the ground, a low growl emanating from its throat.

This was not good. That was obvious. But Charmander still had it in him. A Fire-type who could take down an Onix would not go down so easily to a status effect. Although, saying that, they would still have to end it quickly.

"Ember!" Red called out, and Charmander unleashed fiery sparks towards Koffing, who simply floated out the way.

"Tackle," Proton said.

Koffing rammed itself into Charmander, knocking him back, its eyes lighting up as it witnessed its foe fall. It chuckle-like sound mixed with the cheers and chortles of the Rocket Grunts and reverberated around the cave.

"Red," Leaf said, stricken. "Use Pikachu instead. The poison is going to whittle Charmander's health bit by bit."

What Leaf said made sense. Well, it would make sense if it was a competitive Pokémon battle with rules and referees and no risk of being annihilated by the rival Trainer. But it wasn't. If they lost, then it was over. As much as it pained him, he would have to use Charmander until it was completely unable to battle. He had to keep going.

"Use Ember again!" Red ordered.

Like before, Charmander fired off its Ember attack, barely missing the evasive Koffing, who countered with Tackle, which Charmander also scarcely dodged.

"Flame Charge!" Red screamed, and Charmander ran on the spot, his body quickly becoming enshrouded in a cloak of fire. With a screech, he leapt at Koffing and slammed it into a nearby wall. The Rocket Grunts hissed and jeered. Proton clicked his tongue and glared at Red with all the rage possessed by a Thrash-using Gyarados.

Leaf looked on, partly frustrated by the fact Red did not heed her warning and partly in awe of the fact he was not backing down. She held Eevee even tighter in her arms and adjusted her standing position to shield the Cleffa from view.

"Hit it once more with Flame Charge!" Red shouted, and Charmander charged its attack up again, even faster this time. Yes, just one more hit would take down the Koffing.

It was a pity that Charmander did not hit it. He did not hit Koffing because he could not complete the attack. He did not complete the attack because Koffing hocked up a brown glob of disgusting gunk and shot it at Charmander, extinguishing the flames and knocking him back down on the ground. Charmander stirred weakly, on the verge of fainting, flinching as another spasm of pain from the poison coursed through his body.

"Charmander," Red uttered. "Charmander, no."

"It's over, kid," Proton said. "Just return it and end this battle. Your Pikachu won't stand a chance either, and no one else you have will be able to do anything against me. Don't fight your fate. You and your girlfriend are done. Surrender now and –"

A strong conflagration filled the cavern and caught Proton off-guard, robbing him of the rest of his sentence. Sluggishly, Charmander rose to his feet, the flame on his tail burning twice as large, three times as hot, its watery blue eyes now a hot crimson.

"Blaze?" Red muttered. He clenched his fists and thumped his right one against his chest. "Blaze!" he repeated, louder, fiercer, more confident. Without a doubt, Charmander would faint from this next attack, but they would take Koffing down with them. "Flame Charge!"

For a third time, Charmander's body became engulfed in flames, the fire reaching the ceiling and spreading out everywhere; Red's face seared with the heat and the Rocket Grunts hastily edged backwards, a couple of their clothes smoking.

"A final gambit, huh?" Proton said. "As if you're going to get anywhere near Koffing. Put him out of his misery with Sludge."

Koffing retched out another glob of brown gunk, directly striking Charmander, or, more accurately striking the flames. They sizzled and hardened and fell to the ground, converted into harmless chunks of sludge.

Proton's eyes widened but that was the only tell he revealed on his face. "Use Sludge after Sludge!" he yelled. "Take that Charmander down!"

Koffing did so, firing Sludge after Sludge, but by then Charmander was already rushing towards it, an inferno train barrelling its way through the attempted poisonous assault. The devastating fiery strike met the smiling, poison ball with an impact that threw Red, Leaf, their Pokémon, Proton, and the Grunts to the ground.

The heat washed over them, the brilliance blinded them, and then there was silence.

No one moved. No one said a word.

When it became too much, they all got up as one and analysed the scene in front of them, a setting of charred rocks, smoke, and two fainted Pokémon.

Charmander had taken down Proton's Koffing.

What would happen next?