Fragrance of a Good Battle
"You need to release your anger," stated a familiar voice.
Red desperately looked around as he tried to find to source of the voice. He only saw darkness in every direction. There was nothing in this mysterious place that he found himself in. Suspended in mid air by an invisible force.
""You need to control your anger," the disembodied voice said in a male monotone voice. Red scanned the area around him again but nothing was in sight. The voice did sound familiar to him though.
"Turn that anger into power and perhaps...perhaps you may defeat me..." the mysterious voice told the teen.
"Whose..there?" Red nervously asked. No reply.
"Show yourself!" Red said more confidently. He examined the place but complete darkness was the result of his fruitless search. He grew anxious as the silence went on longer.
He turned back to face forward and his gaze met the cold glare of his older brother who just appeared out of thin air. Floating upside down in nothingness, his mouth slowly moved to form two words.
"Hate me," whispered Red's sibling.
"Ahhh!" Red woke up screaming. He threw the concern Gible off his chest in process. The troubled teen was sweating bullets as he hastily looked around.
Red was laying on grass in the middle of what looked like a dungeon room to him. The far wall across from him had a gap big enough for a person go through it into the next room.
Worried faces surrounded him. All of his Pokemon were standing around him as they waited for him to wake up.
-"About time you wake up,"- Charmeleon grumbled. -"I'm glad since I don't have to carry you all the way down."-
-"Come on, we all know your glad to see your trainer alive,"- Nidorino said to which Charmeleon snorted.
Red rubbed his head to try to rub away the weariness he was feeling. He steadily got up from the ground and dusted his really dirty clothes. Haven't changed clothes since the day before, Red's clothes were beginning to reek the smell of filth.
"A cool shower will be good right about now," Red yawned, stretching his sore limbs. He dropped his arms as he thought about his recent dream.
That was my brother, Red realized. Is my conscious trying to tell me something? Do I really need a destructive emotion in order to be on the same level as my older sibling?
Red clutched his head in agony as more questions ran through his head. Questions to which he didn't have a concrete answer to.
-"Red is being attacked! I'll save you!" Gible shouted as he jumped to his trainer's rescue. He flew towards to Red's head and chomped on his temple as gentle as he could but enough force to wake him out of his state.
Red face lit up at the sudden action. "Oww!" was his typical response to the Land Shark Pokemon gnawing on his head. Red was brought back to reality as he realized what just happen.
"Well, your weird temptation to chew my head worked out in this situation," Red smirked, easily pulling off his vigorous pokemon off his head plotting him on the ground.
Red remembered why he was here and he quickly looked back to take a look at the demolished wall. "Well, they got what they came for, so there really isn't much for us to be here," Red said out loud his thoughts, fearing he will again questioned himself if he simply thought to himself.
Red sighed as he faced his loyal team who were also his friends that he could always count. Red smiled at his friends, feeling much better.
-"Well, shall I lead the way?"- Charmeleon impatiently asked, but was already turning to leave. Everyone wordlessly followed him as they went into the stone staircase.
Everyone became alert when they arrived to the lower floor. They stayed quiet as they tread across the grassy terrain.
"Hey, that's weird," Red broke the uneasy silence, startling his pokemon but he didn't notice it. "The graves are just like they were before but only they seem a little more different."
The areas in front of the three graves were covered by the green grass carpet but there were areas in which the ground seemed uneven. There was also some loosely packed dirt on one grave.
-"It seems as if someone hastily restored the place like it was before,"- Charmeleon analyzed the graves.
Pidgeotto hopped forward to take a closer look.
-"But who will go to such trouble to do that?"- he asked.
Charmeleon shrugged walking away having lost interest of the uneven dirt.-"Who knows, but I just hope we don't have to deal with dead Pokemon again."-
Red felt uneasy by this phenomenon and didn't want to stay around any longer. He walked away and took the staircase leading to the next floor. The next floor seemed much less creepier than last time mostly due to no zombie Pokemon were walking around and no ill-omened fog was floating around in the room. Though, that still didn't help get rid of the ominous feeling in the air.
The disturbed graves were also fixed to their original states except these were done sloppier. As they walked between tombstones, they noticed that a few of the graves didn't even have grass on top of them.
Who ever tried to restore these graves didn't really give it there best, Red thought jumping over a grave. Even though they haven't met any zombies yet, Red wasn't going to take any chances.
The group walked in silence as they made through the Pokemon Tower. Their slow pace did make the trek seem like it took hours before they reached the bottom floor.
Red let out a sigh of relief. Seeing the exit to this cursed tower, a large door made of hard wood that had begun to rotten due to cruel time, made him increase his pace and without hesitation opened the rather heavy door. They old wood creaked as Red swung it open and filled the dull room with warm sunlight.
Red ran outside with the rest of his tired Pokemon. He jumped for joy as he finally escaped the treacherous building that will probably be giving them nightmares in the future.
-"Glad that's over,"- Nidoran breathed in a gulp of fresh air. -"Still, I can't help but think who was the one that restore the place?"- He turned back to take one last look at the building.
He froze when he saw what was like a purple cloud appeared in the doorway of the tower. Two red malicious eyes appeared in the ominous cloud and glared back at Nidoran.
-"Hehe, please do come to visit again,"- chuckled the mysterious figure. The door slowly closed with no visible force helping it. The door slammed shut, a low thud echoing.
-"Yikes!"- The poison type yelped fleeing to join his team that left him behind.
The purple cloud in the large tower was joined by several other clouds that appeared behind him. The gases all revealed their true forms as Ghastlys. They all chuckled after seeing their victim run away from fright.
One Ghastly quietly calmed down and managed to say a few words. -"Although, we were forced to do the previous malevolence acts, that was the most fun I had in months!"-
-"Yes, controlling the bodies of those pokemon was my favorite part,"- one Ghastly agreed.
-"As fun as that was, it still a big pain to return the pokemon back to their original resting places,"- another Ghastly remarked.
-"I know but as mischievous and twisted we are, we all still have respect for those Pokemon that have lost their lives,"- the first Ghastly responded in a sad tone. The rest nodded in agreement and one by one disappeared, returning to their usual activities.
With the thick, white fog finally gone, the town was a whole lot clearer to Red. He could now see it was a well organized built town. Houses were equally spaces apart and perfectly aligned with each other.
The streets were half filled with confused people walking around, asking each other questions on what happen recently as they don't recall anything.
Res expected this but didn't want to answer them since they most likely will not believe him. Who will believe a fourteen-year-old boy defeated two members of a secret organization that had a group of Ghastlys engulfed the town with some type of zombifying gas?
Red returned his Pokemon back to their respective pokeballs and followed the row of houses until he finally cane upon a house with Mr. Fuji waiting outside. The elderly man stood upon the porch of his house. Using the side fencing to help support his tired body, Mr. Fuji greeted the young trainer. His bald head shone brightly in the sun that was now high in the cloudless sky.
"I knew that you could do it boy," Mr. Fuji rejoiced. "I was getting a bit worry after you didn't show up a few hours after the fog lifted."
"Hehe sorry, but I was caught in a short sleep trance," Red sheepishly said.
"Oh well at least you weren't hurt in any other way," he said, taking a step back to get a full view of Red. "I am quite interested on knowing what was causing the fog that came from the Pokemon Tower."
Red decided to tell Mr. Fuji part of the truth. "Well, it was just a bunch of Ghastlys that emitted a strange gas that turned into fog and if a person happen to breathe in to much of the gas then they become mindless zombies," Red explained.
Mr. Fuji rubbed his balding head as he tried to decide on what he thought about this. "Well, Ghastlys do happen to emit many different ominous gas that can cause hallucinations if a person gets to close to them," the old man informed. "I hypothesis that these Ghastlys learned how to create this fog by mixing the right gases to affect certain parts of the human brain and give the person the mental state of a zombie if they were real."
Red was astounded by the man's theory. "And are Ghastlys able to control the bodies of dead pokemon?" Red asked curiously.
Mr. Fuji gave him a weird look but still gave him an answer. "Well, it hasn't been scientifically proven that a Ghastly can control dead bodies, but it is theorized that they can. A Ghastly is a Pokemon Spirit with no body and so, can probably take control of body that doesn't have a spirit."
"Ohh...wait! How do you know so much about Ghastlys?" Red questioned him since how could a simple old man like him know so much on one Pokemon.
"Urk! I...I saw this documentary on Ghastlys one time," Mr. Fuji awkwardly replied.
Red raised an eyebrow. He took the answer but wasn't totally convinced.
"Well, you are this town's hero for stopping those mischievous Ghost Pokemon," Mr. Fuji changed the subject. "It must have been a tricky fight since Ghost Pokemon are unpredictable."
"Yeah, my pokemon are pretty badly hurt," Red weakly said. He them remembered his badly poisoned Pikachu. "Oh Mr. Fuji, are there any Pokemon Centers in this town?"
The elderly man frowned. "I'm sorry but the nearest Pokemon Center is in Saffron City," he grimly replied.
Red nodded and immediately made the Pokemon Center his top priority. If Saffron is still off limits, then he will just have to take the underground tunnel to make his way to Celadon City.
"I see...well I need to get going to reach the Pokemon Center since I don't think the potions I have is enough to bring my team back to full health," Red said.
"I understand. The well being of your pokemon should always be the main concern of a Pokemon Trainer," Mr. Fuji stated. "Just follow this road and it will lead you to Route 7. That Route will lead you to Saffron City."
After that he thanked Red once more and went inside to escape the heat of the sun.
Red fixed his hat as the sun became harsher. He endured the heat as it was a short walk to Route 7 where more confused people stopped him to ask him what happen. He simply answered them with an "I don't know" and continued on.
So he refused every battle that people challenged into and all seem to understand on his current condition so they left him alone.
Red finally came upon the building that lead to the city. Red decided to try it again and see if it was open and also he wanted to get out of the heat for a bit. The young trainer stepped into the main part of the room and felt relief wash all over his body when the cool air touched his hot skin.
At the other side of the building was a large blue desk where a guard sat at. He was on a rolling chair with his feet prop up on the counter as he read today's newspaper.
Without looking up, the guard spoke. "Saffron is off limits so you can't enter," he sternly said. He expected the guy leave but he didn't hear the sound of the door opening and closing.
"I said-" the man looked from his reading and saw that no one was there.
"That's strange, I thought I heard someone enter," he muttered to himself.
Red left the building to go wandered into the forest. He didn't want to deal with the guard right now so he went back to his original plan which was to take the underground tunnel that went straight to the other side of Saffron.
He found the small shack that was also the entrance to the tunnel. It was in pretty good shape for a building that was located in the forest with little human contact.
Red entered the shack and found the room empty. It was a plain room with a single window allowing some light in. It also had a pair of stairs going down. No much to look at, Red continued down the stairs that led underground. Light bulbs were widely placed on the walls so it was quite dark and it unnerved Red. Once he made it to the last step, he knew it was just straight forward.
He didn't know how serious the poison would get if he waited much longer. With that in mind, Red decided to run the rest of the way.
He took in a deep breathe. "Aright here I go," Red remarked looking forward to the tunnel that lay in front of him.
Red was tired once he reached the end of the hallway. It was a long run that seem like it took him days to finish. His legs ache as he climbed the steps only to enter a room that was similar to the one he entered. He didn't waste to open the door to be greeted by bright light. He exited into another small forest but it was a less dense than the other forest. He trotted onto the dirt route that wasn't too far from him. He walked on the path, not really sure if it will lead him to Celadon City.
A city soon appeared in the distance and lifted Red's hopes. He went from a slow trot a slow jog. The large sign above the entrance to the city almost made him cry. "Welcome to Celadon City" were the words that filled him with joy. He straight away moved on to the next order of business.
The city buildings tower over him blocked the sun to his relief as he looked for the Pokemon Center. He ran around groups of people and also people on bikes which where many in this city.
Red ran even harder when time began to run out and he needed to find the building. His frantic search was successful as he finally found the important building that was a brighter color of orange than the regular Pokemon Center's. He ran into the building and sprinted to the front counter.
"Oh my clam down," the Nurse Joy at the desk said after seeing her patient's early entry.
"I'm in a hurry because my Pokemon are hurt but one of them has been poisoned," Red explained his actions.
The nurse scrunched up and took on a more serious look. "Well in that case, please give them to me sir and I'll do my best in any way to help." The Nurse took the Pokeballs and left to enter a door that lead to who knows where. Red just went to take a seat in the lobby. That's all that he could do at the moment. On the red leather couch, Red tried to comfortably sit but didn't succeed. He was accompanied by a few others trainers but didn't seem like they wanted to talk.
He picked up a magazine off the table next to him and scanned through it. The page that advertised the Indigo League caught his eye. Looking at the date, Red noticed he only had a few months to prepare. His stomach growling caught him of guard.
Red realized that he hadn't ate breakfast and it must have been sometime in the past afternoon. He couldn't ignore his stomach and thought it would be a good idea if he went to go get a bite at the food court which was free to Pokemon Trainers.
He decided it was better to go eat since it might take a while for him to get a response from Nurse Joy. He left the lobby to go find the food court. He quickly ate a hearty breakfast and returned back to the lobby. Red barely heard his name called when he walked into the room and quickly ran up tot he counter.
"Are they going to be okay, Nurse joy?" was the first thing he asked.
"Well, most of your pokemon were healthy and I fed them since they were very hungry. Your Pikachu, however, has been badly poison by what seems to be Golbat Poison. A powerful amount has been injected, an amount beyond the standards of the Pokemon League allows, and if this was done by a trainer you should tell me his name for he will face charges," Nurse Joy replied.
"It was a wild Golbat," Red lied. "But can he be helped?"
"Well, yes I do an antidote for but it would take a long tine for it to take affect," she answered, which made Red's heart drop. "So I set up an appointment with a specialist that will give you a cure that can work over night."
Red's hope went straight back but fell again when he thought of something. "Specialist? How much will that cost me...?"
Nurse Joy's face lit up she heard his question. "Oh don't worry about that. When I phoned her and told her of the critical situation, she quickly replied that she'll help free if charge. An antidote for your Pikachu would normally cost thousands of dollars for its complex nature, but she wanted to do it free."
Red's mouth dropped when he heard how much he saved by having this person give him the antidote free if charge. He had no words except "thank you."
"Oh don't thank me," she giggled. "Well, hurry up and go. Her building is close by here. Go outside and take a right. Go straight until you come upon a large dome like building with part of its ceiling made of glass."
Red nodded and thanked her again before leaving. He exited into the bustling city and followed Nurse Joy's simple directions. He ran on the sidewalk looking out for the building that the nurse described.
He soon found it. It was quite hard to miss for it was large building to miss. Large concrete building with a large dome ceiling and part of it was made if clear glass. He couldn't help but noticed there were a few trees in the glass.
Maybe she grows her medicine in that forest, Red theorized. He walked upon the concrete path until he got to the glass sliding doors. He entered the lobby of the building which was just a single room with a white tiled floor and a large desk attached to the floor on the other side of the room.
The hairs on his arms stood up as he felt the cold air hit his skin. He shivered a bit as he arrived at the desk.
A dark blue haired woman stood at desk typing the computer she had set up here. She fixed the glasses in her nose with a single push of her hand.
"How can I help you, sir?" she sweetly asked turning her head towards the young trainer.
It took a moment for Red to remember why he was here for. "Oh-uh...I'm here for an appointment with the specialist here because my Pikachu was badly poisoned," Red spluttered.
The worker nodded realizing who it was. "Oh yes the kid with the terribly poisoned Pikachu," she muttered to herself. She grabbed phone but was stopped but a voice.
"No need to call. I'm already here," called out a feminine voice.
Both Red and the girl turned towards there right and saw woman enter the room through a door that Red didn't notice before. She had black, sleek hair that reached to her shoulders with a red hair band in it. She wore a long, yellow dress similar to the ones that traditional Japanese women wore. It reached to her feet where it was decorate with red floral designs. She walked with such grace, perfect posture, head straight, slow steps. She was definitely the signature beauty of Japan.
"I'm Erika, the person in charge of this place," she declared to Red. "Please, follow me." she turned back without a word and went through the door she just came from. Red followed her into a series of halls. White tiled floor illuminated with ceiling lights. Plain blue walls covered Red on both sides. He saw Erika head towards a door at the end of the hallway; she stopped and slightly turned back to see if Red was behind her. Red quickly caught to the mistress. She grabbed the door handle in front of her and slowly pulled it down to give her access to the room. Red was stunned by what he saw.
In the room was a incredible forest that seem exotic. A grassy floor littered by tens of beautiful flowers, each a different color. Trees that reached towards the ceiling which was made of glass. The same glass ceiling that he saw outside. Vines clung onto the tress, holding on as if there life depending on it and the hallway was cold but in her it was quite warm. Maybe trying to replicate the temperature of a tropical forest.
"Are you okay there," Erika interrupted Red's gazing.
He had his jaw wide open in shock and a dumbfounded look on his face. Red quickly snapped is mouth shut and removed any saliva that escaped on the sleeve of his shirt. "I'm sorry ma'am. I was just admiring your forest."
Erika giggled. "Don't be. Every person's first time in this room all had the same expression as you." She walked towards the giant forest, the sun hitting her so her pale skin glowed more.
"But why do you have a forest in this building?" Red asked catching up to her, following her as she made her way through the greenery.
"Well, I specialized in making medicine which requires many types of herbs. So I have created an environment that allowed me to grow many rare and exotic plants that can be turned into useful medicine for Pokemon and people," Erika explained. "I'm also am breeding Pokemon that can release spores useful for making medical drugs as well and these Pokemon usually live in a tropical, humid environment."
Red was in awe. He never thought of growing plants in a building instead of having them imported from a different region.
"And also, I'm the Grass Gym Leader," she quickly added.
"Wait what!?" Red barked. "You're the Gym Leader of Celadon City?"
"Yes I am," she answered not discouraged by Red's sudden outburst. "May I please have your poisoned Pikachu?"
Red without a second thought took out his Pikachu's pokeball and handed to the Gym Leader who accepted it in her outstretched hand. With Pokeball in her hand, Erika continued onwards until she reached the end of the forest, to Red's dismay. The door read, patient's hallway.
"Hey, why have your rooms for patients across from the forest instead of having the hallways connect the other halls?" Red asked.
"I find it to be more calming for the person to walk through a beautiful forest than a boring, cold hallway towards the patient room," she simply replied. She led Red into another set of dull halls. She took him into the room that was for the patient. It looked quite similar to the one that a regular doctor's room would look like. A single plain color for the wall filled with two small chairs and a rolling chair. In the middle of the room was however a metal plated table that went up to Red's waist.
On that table was where Erika released Red's Pikachu. The rodent materialized on the cold metal. He lay on the table with his eyes closed, oblivious to the world around him. It seemed as if he was in a great deal of pain for the way he moved around. His cheeks glowed red signifying he was sick.
"Your Pikachu is suffering from a fever," Erika said, placing a hand on the Pikachu's cheeks. A few sparks flew from his cherry cheeks. "Are you certain it was a Golbat that bit your Pikachu?"
"Yes, I'm certain," Red confidently replied.
Erika nodded. A knock from the door interrupted the analysis. Erika went to the door and opened up to find a woman carrying a tray that had two glass bottles with caps on them.
"Your antidote is finally ready," Erika's assistant rejoiced.
Erika accepted the tray. "Thank you," she nicely responded. The lady bowed before she left to return to her other duties. The graceful lady closed the door and placed the tray next to Pikachu. The metal tray started Pikachu when it clattered on the table.
"Shh, it's okay," she whispered in a soothing voice that calmed the electric Pokemon down.
"This is the antidote that I conjured up which should be able to eradicate the poison in less than a day," Erika explained, taking the cap off the bottle. The top resembled to those that a perfume bottle will have. The bottle filled with a red-orange liquid, was lifted towards Pikachu. With a few quick pushes of the cap down, the glass container sprayed the liquid into the air. The contents landed on Pikachu's fur to be absorbed by his skin and enter his body.
Pikachu stirred as he felt the liquid land on him. Erika sprayed more over his body to the point that Red could actually smell the antidote. It was a sweet smell that somehow made him think of roses. Roses of different colors was what the smell told which was silly since it was after all just a fragrance. Perhaps he haled too much antidote and it was affecting his brain. Regardless of that, Erika stopped spraying after she thought that it was enough.
"That should be enough for your Pikachu. Having a small body, he needs less than antidote than a bigger Pokemon," the specialist told the young trainer. She picked up the next bottle which was smaller in size and hand more of a red hue to it. She handed it to Red who hesitated a bit to take it.
"Use this if your Pikachu still feels terrible in twenty-four hours," she informed him. "And it can also be used as a quick antidote for if your pokemon gets bitten again by any pokemon of the Golbat family.," she further added. Red took the remedy and decided to pick it in his backpack.
Erika ran a soft hand through Pikachu's fur, rubbing his back, to which Pikachu found pleasurable. She smiled and returned him back into his pokeball to allow him to rest.
"I don't know how I can thank you for your generosity," Red told Erika.
"It's fine," she replied. "I just love to help Pokemon in need. I don't do it for the money. I do it to relieve Pokemon of their suffering."
"But still, can there be a way to repay you?" Red asked, looking up to the Gym Leader.
"Well, you're a Pokemon Trainer…how bout if you challenge me to a Gym Battle," Erika offered.
Red looked at her with a confused face. She helps him and in exchange she wants a battle.
Erika noticed Red's face. "I haven't had a good match in weeks and I hope that you're a trainer that can rise up to my level and at least give me a good match," she explained.
Well, I guess it is the only way I can repay her for her kindness, Red thought.
"Well, I accept your offer and I'll promise your that I'll give you the best battle in a long time," Red accepted.
"Good, we'll have the battle in my forest which is also my Gym battle field," she said. "Right now if your Pokemon are up for it."
Red smirked and nodded. He killed two birds with one stone by coming here. He got his Pikachu cured and is going to get his fourth badge.
Red and Erika stood at opposite ends of a clearing she led him into. Only a few trees where in the way but the white lines signify it was her official battlefield. The glass ceiling was covered by a white ceiling that went over it at a push of a button. She did it because she didn't want to give herself an unfair advantage, whatever that meant.
No one moved for a while so Red decided to release his first pokemon.
"Alright, Eevee time for your first Gym Battle," Red announced. He chucked a pokeball at the battlefield. His normal-type pokemon materialized on the battlefield. She had a confident smile and raw determination in her eyes.
Erika observed Eevee for awhile before producing a pokeball and throwing it at the field. Her first pokemon was nothing that Red expected.
A small, round creature completely covered in bluish-greenish vines stood on two feet that looked like as if he was wearing red shoes. Only his two eyes were the visible part of his face, as he hopped around, his vines shaking as he moved.
-"Battle! Battle! Battle!"- gleefully shouted the strange pokemon in a very childish voice. Eevee found him quite strange and a little frightening but she wasn't going to back down now.
Red took out his handy Pokedex from his pocket and carefully aimed the camera at the strange pokemon that unnerved him a bit.
"Tangela: the Vine Pokemon. Its vines easily and harmlessly break off when someone grabs them. It makes escaping easier and the vines grow back on the next day."
"Let's begin," Erika began. "Tangela lets start with a Leech Seed attack."
"Eevee, be ready to evade the attack," Red ordered, not sure what to expect next.
Tangela vigorously shook his body. From the depths of his blue vines, five small, green seeds were fired. Eevee hopped to the side and avoided the seeds that harmlessly landed on the ground.
"Eevee, retaliate now with Tackle," Red called out.
The Evolution Pokemon charged at Tangela then tackled him full forced. The blow sent the small grass-type flying and land into a nearby lush bush.
"This is too easy," Red smirked seeing that Eevee's attack was quite powerful against his opponent's pokemon.
"Don't think that it will be that easy to defeat my Tangela," the gym leader retorted, though not a bit offended by Red's earlier remark. "I'll show how I managed to become the Gym Leader of Celadon city. Tangela, get out of there and use Stun Spore."
Tangela reappeared, jumping straight out of the bush. He jumped high for a guy of his height and spun around. After a twirl, yellow spores were released from his body. The spores scattered as they began to float down to earth. The wide range of the spores didn't give Eevee a chance to dodge.
The Stun Spore fell onto her fur but some bypassed the hair and landed onto her skin. The foreign substance was then absorbed by the normal-type's skin. With the Stun Spore now in her system, Eevee felt her body locked up as the Stun Spore reached her muscles.
"Tangela, now take advantage of her paralysis and attack with Mega Drain," Erika commanded.
-"Okay! Tickle time!"- Tangela rejoiced and hopped towards the immobile Eevee. He extended a few vines as if they were tentacles. The vines emitted a green glow that shot towards Eevee and engulfed her in the green light.
Eevee's knees buckled as she felt some of her energy drained away by the strange Vine Pokemon. She gritted her teeth as she tried to overcome the paralysis but to no avail.
"Eevee, you got to get up and fight back," Red shouted. "You can do it! I know you can. Just a Quick Attack will do!"
-"Red,"- Eevee weakly muttered. -"I won't fail you."- She struggled to get back onto her and after a hard fight; she managed to stand up straight to Erika's surprise.
Eevee trembled after losing some of her energy and a bit to help her get up. She stopped quivering when she felt finally regained control of her body.
-The Stun Spore must have wear off. - Eevee thought. She became a brown blur as she took off at an incredible speed. Her speed stunned Tangela who didn't see the blow that launched him into a nearby tree.
Tangela roughly fell onto the battlefield floor after the strong blow. For moment it looked like he was out for the count, but the ball of vines rolled back onto his feet. His shoes still shined brightly under gym lights as he hopped towards with its goofy eyes staring down Eevee.
"Your Eevee is quite something since she managed to resist the paralysis but I don't think she has enough energy left to lay a powerful blow on my Tangela," Erika observed. "Tangela, finish her with Power Whip."
"Eevee dodge it and give it your best Shadow Ball," Red ordered. "Show her that you are not one to be underestimated."
-Red...I'll do it,- Eevee determinedly thought. She was feeling quite hopeless about this match but sensing how much faith Red had in her, she knew that she had to win this for Red and for herself as well.
-"Take this,"- Tangela cried out as sprinted towards Eevee as fast as his small feet could take him. A single vine extended from the rest and rapidly tripled in size. A bright, green glow cloaked the large vine as Tangela brought back to be ready to strike his foe.
Eevee quickly reacted to the threat by flexing her legs to be ready to dodge it at the last moment. To her dismay, the Stun Spore kicked in again and caused all of her muscles to lock up again.
-"Urrgh,"- Eevee muttered as she felt her legs stiffen, giving her a very uncomfortable feeling.
-"Here I go,"- Tangela chirped as he finally got in range for his attack. He swung his body to launch his glowing vine.
Eevee felt her heart sink as she saw the incoming vine and tightly clenched her eyes to prepare herself for the blow.
Tangela's vine was inches away form Eevee's face before it lost its green glow and shrunk back to its thin stature. The blue vine smacked Eevee across the face with enough force to simply slap her head to the side.
An awkward silence was bestowed upon the gym as Tangela simply stood there shocked while his furry foe still had her head tilted to the side.
Red turned to Erika as for an explanation. "Uhh...well...you see...we haven't mastered that technique yet, hehe," Erika sheepishly explained, clearly embarrassed by her pokemon's failure.
"Well, that's nice to know," Red awkwardly responded, but then he noticed something crucial. "Eevee, quick launch a Shadow Ball when he still right in your face!"
"Tangela!" Erika cries out in distress.
Eevee was far ahead of Red since she was already collecting energy for the move.
"Ahh," Tangela cried as he saw the Shadow Ball forming on his opponent's nose. He quickly turned around to escape it but wasn't fast enough.
"Take this you stupid plant!" Eevee yelled as she snapped her head back forward and launched her attack that contained shadow matter and a bit of her anger. The Shadow Ball struck Tangela's back and exploded on contact. Tangela was sent flying once more and landed in front of the gym leader with a daze look.
"Well, I guess I lost this round," Erika sighed, feeling quite rotten since her last move made her look like a total joke. "Well, my next pokemon will trickier to deal, though."
Erika pulled out another pokeball from her kimono and threw it to release Red's next opponent.
Another plant-like pokemon took the floor, only this one literally looked like a plant. It was a large, yellow pitcher plant with two healthy leaves on its side. It gave Red a gleeful look as it jumped from side to side.
"What about this one?" Red said taking out his Pokedex.
"Weepinbell: the Flycatcher Pokemon. Armed with razor sharp leaves, it douses unaware prey by dousing them in a toxic pollen that immobilizes it."
"This is one is going to be harder to deal with," Red remarked, pocketing his Pokedex. He looked at Eevee to check on her condition.
Eevee was panting very heavily. Every gulp of air was difficult to grasp and she trembled as she tried to keep her body up. Her silky fur was messed up in some places but not too badly ruined.
Red knew what he had to do. "Eevee, that's enough for now," Red said in a tone that sounded somewhat relieved.
-"What!? Why!?"- Eevee turned back to get an explanation. She gave him a determined face to show that she could handle more.
Red smiled at his pokemon. "I know you want to battle more but you shouldn't push yourself to hard. You manage to defeat a Gym Leader's Pokemon which us great feat for any pokemon."
Eevee was going to talk back but fatigue set in and she nearly collapse. She managed to catch herself before she did so and realized she lost more energy than she knew.
Winning the argument, Red recalled back into her pokeball and swiftly took out his next pokemon. He released his Charmeleon who smugly smiled at his opponent ready to wreak havoc.
"My Fire-type is going to seriously wreak holes in your team," Red pointed out the Gym Leader's weakness.
Erika didn't seem a bit deterred by the threat. "I can deal with fire pokemon if I play my cards correctly," Erika simply answered.
"How so?" Red asked.
"Like this! Weepinbell, set up the weather with Sunny Day," Erika smoothly ordered.
Weepinbell brought its large leaves together and formed a bright, white sphere between them. The Flycatcher pokemon threw the ball high into the air. The glowing orb abruptly stopped high in the air, suspended by a mysterious force. The sphere suddenly came to life as it grew in size and a red-orange hue took over it. A strong fire engulfed the sphere that released extreme heat.
After the transformation was done, a ball of burning fire the size of an Electrode floated above the battlefield. The miniature sun did a great job of heating up the room to the point that Red felt sweat form on his forehead.
Red was awe by the move but couldn't figure out why Erika would want to heat the room. "Why would you recreate a sun inside of your gym?"
Erika innocently giggled. "By Weepinbell create a fake sun, his Chlorophyll ability would be activated," she explained. "Chlorophyll doubles the speed of a pokemon while in the presence of extreme sunlight," she further explained.
Red finally understood. "I see, you plan to dodge my Charmeleon's fire moves with your now speedy pokemon," Red realized, but still didn't think was still a solid method to counter Fire-types.
"Let's see how that technique will fair against my Charmeleon. Charmeleon, Flamethrower away and don't let that Weepinbell out of your sight for one moment."
-"Got it,"- Charmeleon confirmed his command.
"Weepinbell, dodge the incoming fire attacks and fight back with Razor Leaf," Erika ordered.
-"Here comes the sun,"- the jolly Weepinbell sang as he felt his cells react to the excess sunlight in the room. He hopped up and down as he waited for Charmeleon to attack first.
Charmeleon eyed the merry Flycatcher before he fired a large stream of fire. Weepinbell swiftly dodged the Flamethrower by jumping to the side at an incredible speed. He spun around and fired several leaves at Charmeleon.
The fire lizard nimbly jumped out of the way of the sharp leaves. He was about to fire another Flamethrower but felt something wrapped around his foot which stopped him from continuing. He looked down at his foot and noticed three thin plant vines were tightly wrapped around his right foot and extended to part of his ankle.
-"What is this?"- Charmeleon asked out loud. Before he could figure it, the three vines suddenly turned into a dozen more and instantly grew up to his neck. The plant vines wrapped themselves around his arms, legs, and abdomen while keeping a tight hold.
The fire-type grunted as he tried to walk away from the strange plant. It looked like he wasn't going to able to break free from the vines but with one last mighty pull he freed himself, sort of. He pulled out a seed from the ground that reeled in close to his body.
Red's eyes grew when he saw the seedling. The Leech Seed! Red thought alarmed. The seedling has now sprouted roots that ensnared Charmeleon's arms and legs, limiting his movement.
-"What is this?"- Charmeleon grunted. He felt a jolt go throughout his body and also felt some of his energy leave him.
Erika smirked as she saw Charmeleon succumb to the Leech Seed. "Now, with the Leech Seed on Charmeleon, my Weepinbell will occasionally be gaining health from your pokemon," Erika explained the move. "But the main reason I use Leech Seed is to limit the movements of my opponent's pokemon. I think you can figure out the rest." She mischievously giggled, seeing that things were now in her favor despite the type advantage.
I see…Red finally realized the true intentions of Erika's little seedlings. It will harder to lay an attack on her Weepinbell due to Charmeleon's restrictions and with the Sunny Day active, her pokemon becomes very fast. In other words, landing a super effective fire move on Weepinbell sounds like a near impossible task!
Red gritted his teeth at his ignorance. He should have been more cautious around this gym leader.
"Weepinbell, lets slow them down even more with Stun Spore," Erika ordered.
Weepinbell quickly jumped to action. He quickly bounced his way towards Charmeleon while he sang a merry tune to himself.
-"Such a lovely place, Such a lovely face,"- He sang as he hopped. With one final jump, he launched himself at his defenseless foe. He quickly coughed out a cloud of yellow dust from his wide mouth.
Red watched in fear as he saw the powder escape Weepinbell's mouth but then realized Charmeleon's mouth wasn't being restrained.
"Charmeleon, quick incinerate the powder with Flamethrower!"
Charmeleon didn't think twice before firing his attack. The fire burnt the Stun Spore, making it harmless as the remains fell to the ground. He snapped his head back and fired another one at Weepinbell who landed right behind him and was currently looking away.
"Weepinbell, watch out behind you!" Erika warned.
The jolly plant turned around just in time to see the incoming fire move. He smoothly spun to escape the reach of the flames but the tips oh his leaves were still burnt by the raging fire.
Weepinbell cringed and weakly tried to put it out by slapping his on burning leaves onto the ground. He proved successful but was left with nasty burns. The heat of sun wasn't making things any better as they intensified the pain of the burns.
"Charmeleon, rip out of Leech Seed with your claws!"
Charmeleon nodded and lashed at the strangling vines. He had some difficulty due to the same vines restricting his arms reach. Nevertheless, he slashed a few thin vines and easily cut them as if they were made of paper.
"Weepinbell, stop him by using Vine Whip to restrain his arms," Erika urgently ordered.
The Flycatcher Pokemon lashed out his two green vines that were much thicker than the ones Charmeleon was caught in. He wrapped both of his vines around Charmeleon's wrist before covering his claws with his vines to prevent him from using them.
Charmeleon growled but then suddenly let out a loud shriek. He fell to his knees as some of his energy left his body.
Despite Charmeleon getting weaker to the Leech Seed, Red thought that this was their chance. "Charmeleon grab on tight to his vines while you can!"
The fire lizard tighten his claws while they were in the bundle of vines and grabbed a hold of a few vines as tightly as he could.
Erika finally realized what her challenger was up to and she needed to act fast. "Weepinbell! Try to lift up Charmeleon and slam him to the ground with all your might!"
"Not going to let that happen," Red proclaimed. "Charmeleon, now pull Weepinbell's vines towards you and give him a taste of your Flamethrower!"
Having heard his orders, Charmeleon clenched the vines and with all his strength pulled them. Weepinbell didn't weigh much so he easily pulled the Grass-type towards his way.
-"Ahhh!"- Weepinbell cries as he was pulled towards his foe. He panicked which led him to not being able to think clearly as to come up a counter strategy.
He fell silent as a large stream of fire engulfed him. He wasn't visible again until after Charmeleon seized his assault. He lay on the ground covered in nasty burns.
Erika sighed while she returned her pokemon. As she brought out her next pokemon, Charmeleon quickly savaged the vines that covered his body. Having rid his body of the troublesome vines, Charmeleon looked up to face his next opponent.
A large, orange crab-like pokemon faced at his fiery for with its blank white eyeballs. Its red-orange shell covered its whole back and was covered in dull yellow dots.
"Parasect: the Mushroom Pokemon. It usually lives in dark, damp places not because it's the preference of the bug, but of the big mushroom on its back. The mushroom controlling the bug is able to release poisonous spores."
What the hell?! Red thought shocked. That's a mushroom on its back and it controls the pokemon!
"My Parasect has helped me make many kinds of medicine from her spores. In fact, the antidote for your Pikachu has a few spores from my pokemon," Erika informed Red.
Red dumbly nodded as he stares at the strange specimen who just gave him a blank stare or at Charmeleon? Having no visible pupils did send chills down his spine but he kept his calm composure.
"This is where your crusade ends, Red," Erika remarked confidently. "Parasect can also use her mushroom not only for medicine but also can create poisonous spores. Parasect release you Poison Powder!"
The Mushroom Pokemon hissed in response sending shivers down Red's back. The giant fungi on the strange pokemon's back swayed back and forth. Purple dust was soon being produced and formed a toxic cloud as it floated towards to Charmeleon.
Think fast, Red thought of a counter strategy that might possibly work. "Charmeleon, incinerate the Poison Powder with your Flamethrower!"
Charmeleon reared his head back as he saw the purple cloud get closer. He unleashed his most powerful attack that incinerated the poisonous dust. He swung his head from side to side to take care the rest of the powder. When he thought that he took care of most of the spore, Charmeleon seized his flames. He surveyed his work which was burnt grass covered in blacked specks of dust.
"I see. So, I guess I have to switch my strategy from using spores to a more offensive," Erika remarked, shuffling around in her kimono and adopted a different position. "Parasect confuse our foe with your Double Team."
Parasect got to work by creating many mirage copies of himself. The clones circled around Charmeleon, enclosing him and blankly stared at him as they waited for his next order.
"Its fine Charmeleon, we just have to wait for them to make their attack and from that we can deduct who is the real Parasect," Red assured his pokemon to keep him from panicking.
-"Right!"- Charmeleon grunted in agreement and felt more relaxed when he heard the calmness in his trainer's tone.
Erika smirked. "Good, just stay there as we continue with our plan," Erika remarked. "Parasect set up with Swords Dance!"
Red's eyes glanced at each of the Parasect clones, keeping a close to eye to know which one is the real foe. Through Red's eyes, all he saw was that all the Parasect's front, large claws glowed purple and then they twirled in their place. Other then that, nothing else happened.
Red and his trusty Pokemon waited but were pretty sure that was to it. "Umm what was that suppose to do?" Red asked, very confused on what he just witnessed.
The Grass Gym Leader shifted around once again before answering. "Well, I see you don't know what Swords Dance is," Erika stated the obvious. "Swords Dance is a move that doubles the user's Attack. So my Parasect's physical attacks will be doing double damage but I can keep setting up until I get six times Parasect's attack stat, because six is as far a Pokemon can go," Erika explained in a calm manner.
Red felt his stomach drop when he found out that his opponent will be doing double more damage. Got to hand it down to these Gym Leaders who always have these tricks up their sleeves…and she has large sleeves. Red eyed Erika's large traditional dress that seem a bit to large for her.
Erika gave Red a weird look when she noticed his staring. Red snapped out of it and returned his attention to the Gym Battle.
"Charmeleon, this is getting serious so we have to take drastic measures," Red loudly declared. "Burn all the clones to the ground with your Flamethrower!"
-"Burning things is my specialty,"- Charmeleon grinned summoning up the fire from within him. He snap his jaw open and unleashed his fire on the Parasect behind him. The stream of fire went through the fake and caused it to disappeared. He expected that to be a fake but he was still a bit annoyed that it wasn't the real Parasect. So he twisted his head and went onto the next one who also turned out to be a copy.
Erika needed to act fast before her opponent figure out which one was the genuine one. "Parasect, quick attack with X-Scissor!"
The remaining Mushroom Pokemon all raised their largest claws. A bright white light engulfed their sharp sickles. Simultaneously all the Parasect dashed towards the fire type in the middle of their circle.
Charmeleon desperately tried to take them all out. He turned his from side to side hoping that he might get the real one. His frenzy firing did manage to his a few clones but he also left his back wide open for attack. He realized that too late when he felt a pair of razor sharp claws slashed into his back.
Even though he resisted the bug-type move, the Swords Dance canceled it out and Charmeleon roared in agony. He felt to his knees and kept his face from hitting the ground with the help of his laws on the ground that was now supported his weight. His face was twisted as he felt pain surge throughout his back.
"Finish him now with Cross Poison," the Gym Leader ordered.
"Charmeleon, you got to get up and fight back with you fire moves," Red yelled out.
The Mushroom Pokemon brought it purple glowing claws up to prepare itself to strike down Charmeleon again. The Flame Pokemon clenched his sharp teeth as he felt his pain replaced itself with adrenaline. He unexpectedly turned back and raised his claws covered in a metallic sheen to interlock themselves with his foe's own set of claws.
"Let's see how you can you handle the heat," Charmeleon snarled. He let loose a powerful stream of fire at pointblank range. Parasect immediately jumped back and placed its claws in front to block the flames. The scaly insect claws were tough enough to take the heat and made Charmeleon stop since he wasn't going to make any progress.
Parasect was left with nasty burns on his mushroom and he also had some burns on his claws which would be a huge problem since he wouldn't be hitting as hard with his claw. He let out a low hiss at his opponent as a sign that he didn't appreciate the fire attack.
Erika saw the burns on her pokemon and figure that she have to take out Charmeleon as fast she can or her partner will succumb to the burns and faint. "Parasect, Cross Poison again!"
"Charmeleon, we are almost done just Flamethrower again!" Red ordered, feeling this round coming to a close soon.
A red glow surrounded Charmeleon which meant his ability has awoken and gave Red a sense that he might win this. He took a deep breathe in before firing another stream of flames but these flames were short lived than the ones before. Parasect got a taste of fire again but his soon foe ran out of fire.
-"I think I used up all of my fire,"- Charmeleon coughed, having no more flames in him. Parasect quickly took advantage of this situation and dashed towards Charmeleon with glowing poison claws. Charmeleon lashed out his Metal Claws that his Bug opponent blocked with his own claws.
-"I may be out of fuel but I'm still able to fight,"- he snarled as he slashed again, and he managed to get the mushroom this time. He also was slashed across his belly by his foe's sharp claws.
-"Urgh! I'm out,"- the fire lizard muttered taking his last breathe before falling on the floor unconscious. He was alone for long as Parasect also fainted right next to him for a double knockout.
Red was surprised by the sudden turn of events. He was sure he was going to win that round but he guessed that Charmeleon ran out of fire to continue. He sighed and recalled his pokemon.
"This is really getting exciting," Erika remarked even though she was down to his last pokemon.
Red nodded in agreement. Red considered his next pokemon and figured out who was right for the job. Pidgeotto resisted grass-type moves and could fly to stay out of reach of the Leech seed that littered the ground below. Red reached for his pokemon's ball and chucked it at the battle field.
Pidgeotto appeared with its wings spread out, taking flight as soon as he materialized. "Pidgeotto don't land on this side of the field because there are these seeds that if you land on them will grow vines and trap you," Red warned.
-"Great I just arrived to fight and I already have to worry about hazards on the ground."- Pidgeotto murmured but didn't complain any further.
Erika released her next pokemon. It was another plant Pokemon that had a huge, red flower on its head and a small, purple body.
"Vileplume: The Flower Pokemon. The larger its petals, the more toxic pollen it contains. With every step, the petals shake out heavy clouds of toxic pollen." The Pokedex informed.
"You're my last Pokemon, Vileplume so give it your best shot!" Erika ordered.
-"Right its time to bring the pain,"- Vileplume tried to say it in a tough but his high pitches voice failed him. He lifted up his head up to glare at his foe.
"Pidgeotto start with an Aerial Ace attack."
"Vileplume use Sunny Day and escape the attack."
Vileplume lower his head down and fired a glowing red orb from the center of his flower as Pidgeotto looped in the air preparing to dive. The avian dodged the large fiery sphere and dived down towards the Flower Pokemon.
The orb reached its rightful place and expanded to become an artificial sun.
-Grr... It's getting hot in here,"- Pidgeotto thought after he felt a heat wave struck the whole room. White streams spiraled around his body as he began to mark his foe for a non-miss super effective tackle. In the blink of an eye he disappeared.
Vileplume wasn't deterred by his opponent's disappearance and confidently looked forward. Just as Pidgeotto reappeared behind him, Vileplume sprinted to the side completely dodging the Aerial Ace.
The Bird Pokemon was shocked by his foe's quickness, so shock that he didn't stop himself from crashing into the ground. He quickly regained his footing and faced his opponent who was grinning right back at him.
-"Bleh- how could avoid my attack. It's suppose to be impossible to dodge?"- Pidgeotto spat, ruffling his feathers to get rid it of dirt.
-"It's just that I'm faster than you,"- he smugly smiled.
So her Pokemon must also have the Chlorophyll ability as well, Red concluded. Pidgeotto is not going to able to hit him and I can't think of a way to maybe slow him. How can Pidgeotto match that kind if speed...!
"Pidgeotto, listen carefully! I got an idea that might let you match your speed with Vileplume's," Red said getting his Pokemon's attention.
-"Humph there us no way you cam match my speed,"- Vileplume sneered.
"Okay first, you got to start with a Quick Attack," Red began. "And then at the last moment use Aerial Ace to hit it with super-effective damage."
Erika thought about Red's idea. "Are you sure your little combo will work?" Erika questioned him.
"Yes, it will because I trust that Pidgeotto will get it right," Red confidently replied. "Let's go Pidgeotto!"
-"Right!"- Pidgeotto shouted and crouched to take off.
"Vileplume, dodge the incoming blow," Erika simply ordered.
-"Try to hit me,"- Vileplume mocked.
Pidgeotto clenched his beak and took off at an incredible speed with only a white light trailing behind him to mark his whereabouts. He suddenly disappeared at the time Vileplume began to move but he was too slow. Pidgoetto had timed his Aerial Ace perfectly and was able to catch his speedy foe. Covered in white stripes, Pidgoetto tackled his grass foe for a critical hit.
-"Oof!"- Vileplume didn't know what hit him. He fell to the incredible pain on his side and saw a dash of feathers go right past him.
Pidgeotto reappeared above, high in the sky accepting the bright light that the Sunny Day had to offer.
Red saw him and quickly gave him an order. "Great job Pidgetto, go for it again!" Red shouted.
Erika wasn't going to let that happen again. "Vileplume quickly release your Stun Spore," Erika ordered.
Vileplume sucked up the pain and brought his heavy head up high to release small, yellow spores.
"Wait, don't go Pidgeotto!" Red cried urgently.
Pidgeotto looked at his trainer. -"Yeah you don't need to tell me twice. I'm not going to fly into a cloud that the plant just made,"- Pidgeotto muttered under his breathe.
"Now yours chance, Vileplume," Erika said. "Regain your health with Synthesis."
The Flower Pokemon weakly smiled as he looked up towards the artificial sun he made and began to absorb the light rays. The process was going to leave him vulnerable but he had his spores to keep his foe at bay.
Red saw that Erika wanted to take advantage of this but he can also make use of this. "Pidgeotto, attack Vileplume with your Air Cutter attack."
Red's only flying Pokemon flew closer to get a better aim. Bringing his wings together, Pidgeotto fired his attack when he unfurled his wings with one swift motion. The blades of air went through the Stun Spore and slashed across Vileplume's body. The attack accomplished to do reasonable damage as well as blowing the paralyzing powder away.
Erika changed her tactics to be more offensive. "Vileplume, fire your Solar Beam!" she commanded, as she raised her arm towards the airborne foe.
-"Fine then, let's see how you can take this!"- Vileplume shouted, bringing his head forward. The middle of his red flower formed a bright, green orb that absorbed the fake sun's rays and converted into usable energy. Vileplume than used the collected energy to fire a green beam towards Pidgeotto.
-"Heh you talk to much but you nothing to back up your words,"- Pidgeotto mocked as he gracefully dodged the Solar Beam.
Erika saw that this wasn't going to end well if she didn't change the battle into her favor. She sighed as issued her next order," Vileplume, I'm sorry but you're going to have to use Sweet Scent to lure him in."
Vileplume face turn into a disgust one when he heard his order.
"I know that you don't like it because the smell doesn't live up to your tough demeanor but just do it this time. Do it for me," Erika sweetly begged. Her pokemon turned around and thought for a moment and then gave her a look that showed he was determined to do it. Erika smiled back.
Vileplume twirled back and lowered his head, his giant flower hiding him from view. From the flower, Vileplume released a powerful smell that drifted throughout the room and the smell was noticeable due to the pink particles that emitted the aroma.
"Pidgeotto, don't go into the pink dust," Red ordered to which Pidgeotto rolled his eyes.
-"Geez it's a good thing you warned me before I-that does smell nice," Pidgeotto's voice drifted slowly when a very sweet smell entered his nostrils. He was far from the pink spores but the scent was strong enough to be sniffed from afar and that scent has already infiltrated Pidgeotto's beak.
Pidgeotto fell to the aroma. An aroma that was the similar to those of exotic flowers and it was irresistible to get any closer for a better sniff. Disregarding his trainer's earlier warnings, Pidgeotto drifted towards the source of the smell.
"Pidgeotto, I said don't go! Can't you hear me?!" Red shouted at the top of his lungs.
"It's useless," Erika interrupted Red's futile yelling. "He has caught scent of Vileplume's Sweet Scent which is an overwhelming smell that a Pokemon has to get nearer to the source."
Red gritted his teeth as he heard this piece of information. He had to do something to help his Pokemon escape.
"Pidgeotto, snap out of it and use Whirlwind to blow away the Sweet Scent!" Red yelled to which made Erika rolled her eyes to.
"Vileplume, Sludge Bomb while he is in range!"
Red's shouts fell onto deaf ears as his pokemon kept flying to his very opponent wide open for attack. Vileplume smirked at his careless foe and took careful aim with his flower. He fired a large glop of sludge at Pidgeotto. The blob hit right smack on Pidgeotto's face and exploded on contact.
Brought back to reality by the sudden pain to his face followed by a nasty smell, Pidgeotto went to panic and lost his balance. He felt towards the ground and landed with a hard thud. The avian quickly got back into his feet and began to shake his head crazy, the disgusting smell from the recent attack has clogged up his nostrils.
-"What is this horrible stench?"- he cried to no one in particular.
Seeing Pidgeot snap out of his trance, Red decided to give him a order. "Pidgeotto, blow the spores away with your Gust!"
Pidgeotto did manage to hear his order but wasn't sure if he wanted to blow away the sweet smelling particles and keep the smell in his nose that stunk worse than a Gloom on a hot day. Ultimately he did as he trainer ordered. Flapping his wings at a rapid rate, Pidgeotto created a gust of wind that easily blew away the particles and also made it hard for his flower foe to stand his ground.
"Quick Vileplume, Solar Beam!" Erika ordered.
Vileplume struggled to keep his eyes open so he could see the location of Pidgeotto. Having located him, Vileplume lowered his head, felt a stronger push against him now that he has more body mass for wind to push against. He might blown away he didn't try hard to push against the vicious wind. Just as he began to charge, the sun dwindled away lifting up the heat wave.
"Pidgeotto, now go in for Aerial Ace attack followed by a series of Wing Attacks," Red ordered.
Erika heart sunk when she saw the battle was quickly turning into the favor of her opponent. Before she could give her Pokemon an ordered, Pidgeotto immediately dashed towards Vileplume for a powerful Aerial Ace.
Vileplume lost concentration of his attack and fell backwards after the blow. He ignored the pain and hopped back onto his feet only to be slapped across the face by a powerful wing.
-"This is for the bad smell you gave me with your attack after humiliating me!"- Pidgeotto cried as he gave Vileplume one final slap that sent back onto the green carpet.
Vileplume didn't make any smart comebacks for he was already knocked out. His unconscious body brought relief to Red as he knew this battle was over.
Erika was stunned for bit before she finally accepted the fact that she lost.
"I got to say, I'm quite surprise that I was beaten so quickly and quite badly," Erika spoke up, returning her fallen Pokemon. "I lost 3 to 0 which is quite a surprise to me."
Yeah, I did demolish her, Red grinned. But technically I won 2 to 0 because I know I wouldn't have sent Eevee back to fight.
The Gym Leader sighed at her lost but regained her positive attitude.
"That's just a sign that I need to get stronger," she replied. "And this means that you managed to overcome another obstacle on your journey. As your trophy for conquering my Gym you win the Rainbow Badge." She produced a small badge in her hand and gracefully walked towards Red.
Red met her halfway, sweating a river. He didn't notice the sweat before but it must have been from the Sunny Day that caused him to sweat so much. Feeling uncomfortable in his soggy clothes, Res accepted the badge. It was the shape in a flower, each petal colored in a different color so it looked like a rainbow.
"And also have this TM," Erika said producing a green disc from her kimono and handed it to Red. "It contains Giga Drain. A move that drains your opponent's energy and replenishes your own Pokemon's health."
Red gladly accepted the disc. He found this win to be the most rewarding even though it wasn't much of a match. He felt he was getting stronger since he badly defeated a Gym Leader. He guess it could be called cockiness but he felt that he could have what it takes to defeat the Pokemon League and become Champion.
The veiling above began to pull back to allow natural light enter. Red could tell it was getting dark by the orange hue the sky gave off. It has been a long day an so much he had accomplish.
"I see that you have potential," Erika abruptly told Red.
"Huh?" he dumbly responded.
"You could make it far at the Pokemon League," she rephrased herself. "You have the qualities of a good trainer. You know how to command your Pokemon, even under a great stress. You have a great team of Pokemon and you have a caring heart. You definitely care for your Pokemon by the way I saw battle. Most important of all, you have an incredible trust in your Pokemon and your Pokemon have that same amount of faith in you." She took out her green PokeGear that had a small flower accessory hanging from it.
"If I don't mind, I will like to have your Pokemon," she said. "We could have rematch in the near future to see if can get stronger and also to see check on your Pikachu's well being."
Red agreed and registered her phone. It was last thing he did before he had to leave. Getting dark, the Gym/ Herbal Specialist had to close down. As Red passed by the reception desk, he held out his badge to the aide at the desk. The woman looked in shock as she saw him leave.
"Humph, I never thought a little kid like him would beat our gracious Gym Leader Erika," she muttered to herself, grumpily turning off her computer.
