"Buneary, Thunder Punch!"

"Block it, Dusclops!"

Buneary lunged forward, darting around the arena before she struck Dusclops who was able to stop it with one hand, a dark energy emanating from it which made the rabbit surprised before she hears her trainer's commands. "Get out of there."

This failed when the Ghost type's grip tightened before it was pulled into an uppercut, sending it flying to its side of the field. The Normal type was able to get up, hopping from side to side while it eyed its opponent.

"You good, Buneary?" Leaf asked, the Normal type nodding then readying itself, its hands on the ground like an Olympic runner. With her trainer's command, the bunny sprinted forward, creating multiple mirages around the ghost while both it and Red observed its movements, waiting for a moment their opponent will strike.

"Now!" Before Buneary could make its move, Dusclops use Shadow Punch on the floor, creating a crater and causing several rocks to protrude from the ground and stopping the rabbit.

"Crap, destroy them! Buneary!" The Pokemon unleashed a flurry of punches to knock away the flying debris, Red decided to make his Ghost type strike again, making boulder pop out of the ground surrounding them. Both Buneary and Leaf continued their offense, having to go around the rocky obstacles in the crater, only for their attacks to be blocked then countered by Dusclops, much to the brunette's chagrin. 'Alright, thaaat's obviously not working. Let's try this.'

"Agility again and then Thunder Punch once you get close. Try to bounce off each rock as fast as you can!" Leaf shouted, her Buneary moving forward, ricocheting off the rocks like a pinball towards the haunted beacon, its Thunder Punch just centimeters from it.

"Alright, let's g-" She stopped when Buneary ears stopped crackling with electricity then getting knocked back by an invisible attack, Dusclops then grabbed unto it and threw it away. As the Pokemon fell to the ground, the girl ran to it, giving it a pat on the head when it folded its arms.

"Man, Red. Dusclops is overpowered."

"It's honestly not. You just didn't have much options to fight it with. Plus, you need to learn how to deal with larger Pokemon, especially if they're defensive. You seem to struggle with them. You're too straightforward with your attacks, only changing up or adapting when the opponent gives you an issue. You need to find your own style. It can help with some of them problems." Red explained, patting Dusclops head while it descended into his shadow.

"Really? This is harder than I thought." Leaf scratched her head, her Buneary mimicking her while he walked towards his boiling pot, making Poli douse the fire before he shared some of the food.

"Well, it comes with time. I'm not gonna say it's easy. But you'll get it."

"Mmhmm." Leaf hummed, Red giving her a bowl of soup and Buneary a dish of Poffins which it happily enjoyed. Seeing the dish of the pastry, the brunette swiped some and ate it, humming in delight at the taste. "I'm not gonna lie. These Poffins taste a-maaaz-ing~"

"Leaf! Those are for the Pokemon!" Red complained, her Buneary grabbing back its stolen food before he gave Kim a bowl. The brunette simply winked at him before she strutted off down the ledge with her bowl, Kimberley slightly chuckling at the girl's failed attempts at doing the catwalk.

"How do you deal with her?" Red asked the bluenette while he sipped his own bowl, Kim giggling at his question. "Surprisingly she's not always like this. Well, she's talkative but this is new...she's got it bad for you."

"Are you sure? I'm not that interesting. I think she deserves better." Upon hearing that, Kimberley gave him a deadpanned look before shaking her head, her Mawile and the other Pokemon sharing the same expression. 'I can't tell if he's dense or have low self esteem. Both?'

"Suuure. Someone better. That'll be the day." She whispered, receiving a perplexed look from him before he took out his egg out of its container and inspected it before he thought out loud. "But this is the first time I've seen her train this hard. What happened with Jessica must've really ruffled her feathers."

"Oh, you have no idea. They have quite the rivalry going on!" Kim said, taking another sip of her soup. "Jessica always hated her for as long as I knew. Probably because of how Nolan treated her back then."

"Nolan, Nolan… Is he a blonde dude with a Houndour?" Red asked, cleaning the egg with a rag which surprised the blue haired girl. "Yeah. I'm surprised you know him."

"I battled him back in Pewter City. He was a strong opponent. Gave me quite a problem." He explained, finishing with the egg and putting it back into the container before he petted Luxio. "I thought he was Leaf's ex or something like that?"

"That's what he wants you to believe. Leaf didn't even know the guy. One day, he confessed to Leaf but she declined. He then continued to follow her around, lying to the school that they're in a relationship. It's his way of 'letting everyone learn their place'. Needless to say, Leaf didn't like it and tried to stop the rumors but...it already was too late. It got out of control and the damage was done."

Red looked to the floor, his Poli sat on his lap along with Vulpix before he looked at Leaf, seeing the girl training with Buneary and Zori against a murder of wild Murkrow, the fpx able to take down three of them before the bunny defeated the rest with Thunder Punch and Agility. "Sounds like a huge hassle."

"Yeah. But the person hurt by it the most is Jessica. Nolan's actual girlfriend at the time." This caught him by surprise, making him turn to her with a surprised expression. "Yeah. Had the same reaction as well. I dunno what happened but he split up with her and she did not take it good. After that, she made sure to make Leaf's life a living hell. And the rest's history."

"Oh! Does Leaf know?"

"Oh yeah! She actually tried many times to explain to Jessica the situation but the girl just won't listen." Kim said in frustration while gripping her bowl hard which Red noticed. "Leaf tends to attract a lot of troublemakers. Doesn't she?"

This made Kim let out a chuckle before she finished her tea. "Yeah. Nolan messed up big time...if he had a chance in the first place. She wouldn't go with him even if he was the last person on the planet...especially since she has eyes on...other targets."

"Oh. You mean the Pokemon League? Well, I think she'll be an amazing trainer but in terms of romance, I...I don't deserve her...but when she finds someone in the future that is able to love her...for her, I'll make sure to support her in anyway I can." Red said with a smile which made Kim slightly annoyed and about to yell at him only to be caught off guard when Leaf who yelled for them then dragged them towards the next city, the bluenette sigh before following them. 'That boy...he's going to be a hard nut to crack.'


"Here it is, my home city, le Celadon." Kimberley bowed dramatically, getting a snort from Leaf while Red marveled at the city, his eyes meeting the flashing lights as a smile crept on his face. "This city is soooo cool."

"Haven't you been to bigger places?" Leaf said, her Buneary atop her head viewing the city along with Swablu.

"Yeah. But it has been a while and honestly it doesn't take away the feeling." He said before exploring the mini stalls around the streets and buying some items on their way to the Pokemon Center. While they are watching the boy enthusiastically going around the place, Kim then remembered something, nudging Leaf. "You know, I never thought I would see the day that you would use a Ghost type, considering you're afraid of them?"

"Don't get me started. And don't let Red know." Leaf groaned as she walked up and took one of the juices that Red bought while he was putting a ribbon on both Mawile and Buneary which earned giggles from the two Pokemon. After an hour of exploration, they decided to go to the Pokemon Center to renting a room while they wait on their Pokemon to heal, Kim taking the time to ask a question. "So what's up with it though? She doesn't seem to like you."

"Ya think? She's a huge headache! She only ever fights because she doesn't like getting hurt but she makes it a chore to get a rise outta me. Sadly, I have to fight and bond with it more if I want to understand it, according to Red. Which that by itself is a headache and a half." She complained, drinking her juice with a twitching eyebrow. Sitting down, she folded her arms before she took up a poster, looking at the gym leader roster while Red is waiting for their Pokemon.

"Well apart from that, I want to get myself ready for my fourth gym battle. And since it's Grass typing, I have a lot of options." Leaf pondered on this, tapping the desk before she spoke with Kim. "When you fought with her, what did she fight with you?"

"She changes her team from time to time. Sometimes, a Bulbasaur, other times, a Tangela. Hell, one time, she had a Sunflora. Despite that, she clobbered me. If it wasn't for my Mothim, I would've never won." Crossing her arms, Kim leaned back in her chair until Red returned with a tray with their Pokeball when she snapped her fingers. "Fighting her was a pain."

Leaf and Red shared a look before turning to Kim. "Fighting a Gym Leader is always a pain."

"Yeah, I know but...her. She's a bigger threat. I'd say she's even worse Misty." Hearing this, both Red and Leaf started to become concerned, the brunette contemplating her choices as she goes to the PC and exchange her team members. During this, Red's newly recovered Beedrill and Luxio popping out of their Pokeballs as he let out a long sigh. "This…might be a lot harder than we think."

"Yeah but that doesn't mean we can't try. Who're you gonna use?" Leaf said before he scratched his head, looking at his party. "Probably Beedrill and Vulpix. Depends on the situation and Pokemon honestly."

After some preparation, the trio then visited the Celadon Gym, Leaf's enthusiasm radiating from her when she busted through the doors, Kim following in tow. Red sighed nervously until he noticed the glares that the girls in the gym are giving him, adding to his nervousness. He was about to take a step and enter the building before one blocked the way and roughly pushed him out. "No boys allowed!"

Before he could say anything, the doors were slammed in his face which made him confused. "What...just happened?"

He was about to to knock again before he saw the girls sent out their Pokemon, ready to attack him all at once which made him step back in fear. Meanwhile inside the gym, Leaf fumed when they closed the door on Red. "What's the big idea? He was also a challenger."

The girl who slammed the door turn to the brunette with a smile on her face and said calmly. "I'm sorry but this gym doesn't allow boys to challenge the gym leader. Only girls!"

"How's that fair? How are they going to get their gym badges?" The brunette asked, about to go after Red before she felt a hand on her shoulder, turning to Kimberley who was scratching her cheek which the brunette noticed. "You knew, didn't you?"

"Yeah. Just remembered. Sorry about that." Kim said nervously, Leaf crossing her arms before she heard a beep from her Pokegear. 'Just get your gym badge. I'll wait out here or just explore the city.'

'They're lucky he's understanding.' She thought while typing a swift reply before crossing her arms. "Just call Erika so I can get over with this."

The girls nodded before one of them, a blonde beauty came forward and escorted them to the battlefield. Along the way, Leaf looked around in amazement, seeing a huge greenhouse that housed various plants and trees around the place and some of the women taking care of the vegetation. On their way, her Roselia popped out of its Pokeball to relax and have some of the nourishment that the Grass type Pokemon in the area are eating. After a while, they stopped, Leaf and Kim being told to wait while the blonde went to a room and yelling to the top of her lungs. "Erika! You have a challenger!"

This caught the two girls by surprise before they were rewarded in silence, the blonde sighing. "Sorry, she must be sleeping. It'll be a sec."

Hearing this, Leaf sat down on the grass with her eyebrow twitching, Kim leaning on the wall beside her before she noticed the angry look on her face. "It's not good to be angry that your boyfriend got kicked out...especially with having to face Erika."

"That's not the reason I'm mad. I understand rules are rules but this is soo dumb. Boys not being allowed into the gym, under certain circumstances is understandable but them not being able to challenge the gym. I'm pretty sure League rules state that anyone is qualified to participate as long as they have a trainer card. Isn't that what they're for?!"

"I mean, you're not wrong."

"I know I'm right. Ughh...when girls talk like this, this means that they had bad experiences in the past with men. Now the question is: The hell happened?" The brunette thought before the doors opened, showing a short, black haired woman in a red and green flowery kimono with a huge Vileplume flower on her headband, who yawned before walking to the field, making Leaf get up and do the same. 'And the only way to find out is through the head honcho.'

As they both took their stances on the field, Erika took a bow, giving her a smile. "Welcome to the Celadon City Gym. My name is Erika, a Grass-type specialist. I hope that we will have a good maaaa…"

Silence filled the room, Leaf looking at the woman with a brow raised while Kim and the others laughed nervously. Hearing a loud snore, she quickly pieced everything together before she stomps on the floor in anger. "SHE'S SLEEPING?!"

"Huh? Oh, sorry, I must have dozed off. Teehee." Erika said in a sleepy tone, putting a hand on her cheek which made her challenger angry. "Don't 'teehee' me, damn it! This gym already is pissing me off already with the rules and now this…so why?"

"Hmmm?"

"What's with the man hate? Tradition? A gym riddle? Let us hear it!" Leaf stated angrily, glaring at the raven haired woman. Erika sighed before she looked away. "You wouldn't understand."

"Since you have not explained yourself, no, I don't but I can at least hear you out."

"It's none of your business, anyways. Men are just monsters that create destruction wherever they decide to touch. Now you came for a gym battle." Erika sighed, folding her arms. During this, Kim checked the scribbles on the gym statues before she thought out loud. "Odd. Thought I would see Oak's name here."

"He tried to challenge us but he's a boy so no battle!"

"That explains why he was pissed. Well, more than usual." She put a finger on her chin while Leaf was cursing under her breath. "I'd be pissed too if I can't get my badge for a dumbass reason."

The gym leader looked at the brunette incredulously. "I do not remember telling you the reason."

"Exactly! Which makes it a dumbass reason!" Leaf rebutted before she got her Pokeball ready, the raven haired woman sighing while she snapped her fingers. "Julia, can you be the referee please?"

"Yes. Miss Erika." The blonde beauty, Julia, walked to the referee section and clearing her throat. "Now let this Gym match begin."

"We have our gym leader, the beautiful Erika versus Leaf from Viridian City! This battle will be a four on four Pokemon match. Subs are allowed. Any questions?" Julia stated, waiting only to see Leaf shake her head before she held her hand up into the air.

"Without further ado, now the Celadon Gym battle will begin!"

"Leavanny, be a dear and show your beauty." Erika said, throwing a Net Ball from her robe, it revealing a large insect-like Pokemon with blades for arms which Leaf looked at in confusion before she checked her Pokedex. 'Leavanny, the Nurturing Pokemon and the final form of Sewaddle. It keeps its eggs warm with heat from fermenting leaves. It also uses leaves to make warm wrappings for Sewaddle.'

"So it's Bug and Grass, huh? Alright then. Let's go Swablu!" Leaf threw her capsule, revealing her Pokemon who immediately took flight, leering at its opponent as they both got ready. The brunette got ready as she made the first move by making the Flying type swoop and rush forward, its opponent ready to intercept which made her smirk. "Hyper Voice!"

Swablu immediately uses the move which hit Leavanny, disorientating it before striking it with Peck, taking it into the air. About to use X-Scissor, the Bug type was once again surprised when the bird started glowing before releasing a strong Dragon Pulse which send it flying into a tree. Happy that she was able to land another hit and continuing her assault, Leaf turn to Erika, seeing the girl asleep which made her baffled. "What the?"

At that moment, the gym leader move immediately, her eyes opening. "Oh! Electroweb."

Leavanny dashes throughout the forest, dodging Swablu's move while shooting a barrage of electrified webbing towards it. Before long, Leavanny made a swipe with its arms which did nothing, Leaf confused by the gesture until she heard a cry, seeing Swablu getting hit by a barrage of air blades. "Air Slash? But its arms didn't even glow."

"You think the Pokemon needs to glow before using Air Slash? If that's the case. This battle is going to be an eye opener for yoooo…" Erika said confidently before dozing off, much to the brunette's annoyance. The move continued until Swablu used Mirror Move which was able to match with the attack, cancelling it out.

"Hmm, this does not...seem to be good. Catch it with Electroweb." Before the Flying type could dash up, its talon was caught by Leavanny's Electroweb before it was slammed into the ground. Not losing momentum, it resumed its attack by repeatedly hitting the bird with Leaf Blade and X Scissor before it was stopped by a Hyper Voice. Before the Bug type could continue, it was hit by Dragon Pulse, much to its trainer's glee.

"Alright, let's try that new technique. Dragon Beak!" Swablu nodded, glowing intensely which Erika noticed something. "So pretty…"

The Flying type then dashed forward, its beak glowing and opening to release some of the attack which cloaked its body, turning it in the form of a bigger bird until it tackled its foe, sending it into the wall. Leaf and Kim celebrated until the brunette saw the smoke cleared, Leavanny extremely bruised but it was still standing while Swablu started descending, signs of its fatigue. 'That attack took more out of it than I thought.'

Seeing the bird's condition, she was about to command another move but she was too late when her Pokemon got hit with another barrage of blades which knocked out the blue bird. Seeing Swablu on the ground, Leaf quickly returned her Pokemon before she saw Leavanny fall to the ground on one knee, Erika returning it before smiling at her which made her click her teeth.

"I hope Red's faring better than I am."


"Oh no, Venomoth!"

"Alright, Vulpix. Another Flame Burst!"

Before Venomoth could get up, it was hit by a huge fireball that knocked it into a building, putting it out of commission. The owners of the mini stalls made a round of applause as the Juggler returned his Pokemon, looking at Red with a smile while Vulpix jumped onto the teen's shoulder then rubbed cheeks with him.

"Damn, kid! I never expected to accept my challenge, let alone beat my Venomoth. Congratulations!" The man clapped before he handed Red a bag of items, the teen bowing out of gratitude. "Thank you, sir. I was just lucky."

"Don't say that. Have pride in your strength. I train at Koga's gym so you beating me is impressive. Now go have fun!" After hearing that, Red nodded before walking down the street. "Man, this city is huge. I felt like I haven't done anything yet."

At that, Poliwag popped out of his bag. 'Seriously! But we participated in like, five conwes-contess.'

"Contests. Nice effort, Poli. It's too bad Milotic ain't here. She would enjoy the beauty ones." Red said before turning down a district then observing a map of the city along with a location. "Hmm. According to this, we went around in a circle…kinda. Let's take a break. What would you guys like?"

As he walked into a restaurant, he made orders for his Pokemon's food along with food for him and Kim and Leaf once she is finished with her match. Getting the food, he went to the corner of the room until he notices a gloomy old man who is muttering to himself. "…my money, my hard earned money…"

The teen followed the man's gaze, noticing his wallet being empty before he gave him some money. "It's not much but at least it's something, right?"

The man looked at Red with tears coming from his eyes before he took a glance upon his trainer card. "Thank you, boy. I won't forget this."

"It's no prob-" Red was about to say until he saw nothing, much to his confusion. "Huh, where did he go?"

After finishing his food and exiting the restaurant, he starts stretching before he noticed something from his peripheral which made his eyes widen when he turned towards it. As he was about to run towards it, the Pokemon disappeared without a trace, leaving the teen in confusion as he looked around him only to find nothing.

'Was that who I thought it was? Or did I imagine that? It couldn't be…'


"Misdreavus! Psybeam now!"

Misdreavus shot lasers only for the move to be useless, seeing that Exeggutor was unfazed, making it turn to Leaf with an annoyed glare. 'Ugh, this is getting annoying.'

Leaf then waited, looking for Exeggutor to attack but was rewarded with no movement when both of them seem to be in a trance, much to Leaf's annoyance. "Aren't you going to attack soon?"

"Why should I? Isn't the weather niiiiiiicccccceeeee…" The Gym leader fell asleep, adding more to Leaf's aggression before she shouted in anger. "That's it! Misdreavus, Round!"

The Pokemon nodded before using the move, Exeggutor stood still and withstood it while Erika slowly woke up with a serious expression, observing both her opponents. Her impatience and rage fueling her, Leaf starts attacking again, this time using Icy Wind which managed to push the tree back. 'Alright, this should stop it from doing anything quick.'

Despite their assault, the Psychic type continued enduring the move until Misdreavus lost its temper, immediately shooting a Psybeam which created a veil of smoke when it hit the Grass type. Unable to see through, Leaf clicked her teeth before ordering Misdreavus to phase into the ground in order to avoid any attacks but it ignored her, rushing forward and blowing away the smoke with Icy Wind only to see it gone.

"Where did it go? It didn't move the whole match!" Leaf and Misdreavus searched for their opponent only to be caught by surprise when a blue blast hit the ghost, making them turn to see a glowing tree in the distance. "There's Exeggutor, shoot it with Psybeam!"

The phantom took a while before it begrudgingly attack which hit the Grass type only for it to vanish, much to Leaf's confusion. "What the?! Did it teleport?"

Erika smiled, clasping her hands and giggling. "Wrong choice~ You need to be more sharper. Also, watch out."

Another blast hit the ghost which made it retaliate, hitting nothing in the direction. This continued until it started glowing, unleashing a wide area Confuse Ray which resulted in no change, neither Leaf nor her Pokemon are able to hear anything. 'Damn it! Nothing is happening. Does it have a berry or so-"

She could not continue when another shot hit her Misdreavus, she tried to search for her foe until she noticed something that made her eyes widened. "Oh no…"

Around the Ghost type are blue orbs in the air, the two unable to make their move when her Pokemon was bombarded by the attack which knocked it out of commission.

"Misdreavus!" Leaf said, seeing the Ghost type barely conscious before she picked it up. "You did well, today. Thanks."

The Pokemon looked away in frustration before she recalled it, turning to Erika while contemplating her choices until she threw her capsule. "Nida, stand by!"

"Whimsicott, it's your time to shine!"

Both Pokemon appeared on the field, Kim watching nervously while cheering Leaf who was thinking her options while Erika patiently waited. The brunette checked her Pokedex before she put it into her bag. 'According to the Pokedex, Whimsicott is usually fast so speed is a no go. However, with Nida's Poison Touch and her Poison typing, it should help me to hold out the entire match. I just need to get one strike.'

"Nida! Let's start with Poison Tail!" Leaf started, Nida running forward with its tail glowing purple. The fairy readied itself, Erika giving it a nod before it starts singing, an intense wave of energy coming from it which made the grass on the field glow brightly. Seeing what occurred, Leaf made Nida stop before she looked around the field, noticing her Whimsicott jump into the trees. "Hold on and wait, Nida!"

'So she's playing defense now. Good.' Erika said, slowly opening her eyes before turning to the trees and nodding. After a moment of silence, Leaf heard something before she saw Nida jump to the left, a huge branch falling on the ground.

"What the?"

"You have to be careful. Falling trees and branches can be very dangerous."

'She's getting on my nerves.' The brunette growled before calming herself and thinking of her move only to be caught off guard when another branch fell, they both noticed Whimsicott giggling on top of the tree. She then commanded her Pokemon to hit the tree, managing to topple it over before it ran upon it, jumping towards the branch that Whimsicott was on only for the fairy to hop away.

'This is getting out of hand. I can't hit it.' She thought when she saw her opponent dodge a Poison Tail and Chip Away from her Pokemon while they both hopped from tree to tree. This continued while Nida tried to dodge the falling debris before Leaf had the idea to use them as footholds, making Nida use Double Kick to increase its speed which caught his opponent off guard, the Grass type barely able to move out of the way.

"Alright, we got it where we want it. Poison Tail!" Nida immediately jumped forward, able to intercept the Grass type who tried to dodge its attack and was about to jump to another branch which made a smirk come across Leaf's face as she snapped her fingers, her Pokemon spat a stick that hit the Grass type, much to the gym leader's surprise.

"Alright, now!" While Whimsicott was staggered, it suffered a strike to the face which sent it to the ground, barely able to get up which made the girl jump in excitement. 'Alright. Nice. It's poisoned. Just one more and it'll be out for the count. I admit, this planning thing is kinda fun.'

Erika on the other hand, looked at the situation before she made a single command. "Sunny Day."

Whimsicott started glowing, making the sun rays more intense as some of the people had to shield their eyes and some of the green house from them. Leaf observed the situation before she played defensive, dodging most of her opponent's attacks before it succumbed to the poison, much to her glee. "Yes. Finally one down!"

"Go Leaf! You can do it! Kick her butt!" Kim cheered from the sidelines while Erika recalled her Pokemon. "Hmm, I thought I almost had you there. I guess I have much to learn. That move with using Double Kick to make yourself faster and the stick strategy were very clever."

"Thank you. I try my best." Leaf said, giving Nida a thumbs up before noticing a sinister smile on the raven haired woman's face before she threw her Pokeball, releasing a Roserade who dropped on the field, a confident smirk on its face.

"How will you deal with this?"

"Simple, Poison Tail!" Nida rushed forward, making a quick swipe after boosting its speed with the strength of Double Kick which created a collision; Leaf surprised to see Roserade easily blocking the attack before it placed one of its arms on her Pokemon's face, both her and its trainer surprised to see fire seeping from it. "Wha-"

"Weather Ball."

A huge blast released from Roserade's flowers which blasted Nida behind, knocking it into the wall.

"Nida!" Leaf turned to her Pokemon, seeing it barely able to stand on its feet as it slowly made its way to the field. As it got to the field, it looked at Roserade, panting heavily which made Erika look at it in pity. Watching her Pokemon struggle, the brunette decided to bite her lip as she returned, telling it to take a rest, much to the gym leader's elation. 'Oh, nice decision. Good to fight smarter and not harder.'

Thinking of her options, Leaf took out another capsule, sending out her Roselia who twirled before bowing.

'Every move counts from here.' She thought before noticing Roserade lunging forward with Poison Jab, thinking quickly and intercepting the move with Poison Sting, the evolution easily overpowering Selia before she resorted to using Stun Spore which made its opponent back away.

"Good. I was able to spook it away. Continue with Stun Spore!" Leaf commanded, her Pokemon spun around and shrouding itself in the yellow cloud which was getting closer to Roserade who kept its cool, Erika doing the same. 'Using Stun Spore to scare away Roserade and to conceal itself as well. Good move. At least she knows Roserade can't be affected.'

Meanwhile, she started to see something glowing in the mist, thinking quickly before she outstretched her hand. "Weather Ball to burn the spores."

Nodding, Roserade outstretched its hands which formed a huge fiery sphere before it shot it, the attack burning the spores then hitting Roselia, the Pokemon barely able to protect itself with the vines of Giga Drain.

"You alright, Selia?" The Pokemon nodded, brushing off its burns before it readies itself, having a standoff against its opponent. Leaf then made the first move, her Roselia about to use Giga Drain but it was stopped as the vines from the move were cut by energy blades which made it twirl away from the blasts, much to Leaf's dismay.

"This is going to be very difficult."


"Darn it. Kid, you fight weird. Had me on my toes the entire fight." A hiker laughed heartily, returning his Graveler while Red congratulated Poli on his victory. The teen found himself on Route 16, enjoying the view of the Cycling Road from one of the rocky cliffs around the area. After defeating a few hikers on the route on his way to the cliff top, he took out some water and drank it, looking at his path with a smile. 'Awesome! I still got it.'

"There are a lot of private limousines in that area of Celadon City. Guys look like spies or something. Why does that one look like the president of the Silph Co.?" Red thought aloud, seeing a section of the city near where the restaurant was. He noticed a lot of rich people there, some of them in skimpy clothing as they went into a huge casino building. "So that's where the Celadon Game Corner used to be. They now call it the Celadon Casino according to the pamphlet. It's out of bounds for kids and teenagers. Well, at least I know where our Game Corner is. Maybe we will be able to visit it sometime."

He was about to release his Pokemon before his eyes glanced at the gym, a serious expression on his face. "Hope she's doing alright in her fight."


"Are you finished, Leaf Green?" Erika said in a serious tone, her Roserade standing tall while Roselia is panting heavily with one knee to the ground. The Pokemon slowly got up and readied itself, its feet shaking as it got itself in a battle stance.

"No. We can still win." Leaf said, her Roselia slowly walking towards its opponent which made the raven haired woman sigh before the brunette shouted her command. "Poison Sting!"

"Poison Jab."

Both Pokemon dashed forward, their moves clashing with each other before Leaf made her command. "Giga Drain to trap it!"

"What?" Erika said before whips went around Roserade's hand, the vines absorbing energy which made Selia gain more strength. The moment Erika's Pokemon's arm was about to lit ablaze, Roselia opened its mouth and its other arm, shooting a barrage of poison needles which sent it back, the vines holding its foe in place as it took the assault.

"Roserade, Weather Ball." Enduring the strikes, Roserade tried its best to charge its Weather Ball, Leaf unable to stop it when it shot the attack, the move burning vines of the Giga Drain, knocking back Roselia as well as burning some of the grass on the field. Once it got up and looked ahead, Selia saw its foe walking towards it, unfazed by the flames around it before it used Hidden Power, dousing the fire. Seeing this showcase of power, Roselia started to shake in fear as Roserade looked down on it before it outsretched its hands. Within a second, it shot a barrage of white bullets, hitting Selia who could not defend against the attack even with Giga Drain.

"Trap it now!" Roselia could not move when it was quickly wrapped by vines, making it unable to move as it struggles in the hold. Leaf tried her best to think of a escape before she saw Roserade charging a huge Weather Ball above it, the orb almost changing the color of the room to red and looking like a miniature sun. Erika then snapped her fingers, her Pokemon throwing the ball towards Roselia which created an explosion that nearly blew everyone back.

"Roselia!" Leaf yelled before the shockwave subsided, seeing her Pokemon on the floor, unconscious as Roserade stood over it. Erika sighed, returning her Pokemon then glancing at Leaf, noticing the slightly broken look on her face. "You have done well but your battle style leaves much to grow. I look forward to see you polish your skills from here, Challenger Leaf. You are also welcome here to train here if you'd like to learn more about how to use your Roselia."

"I...understand." Leaf sighed, returning her Pokemon and bowing before leaving the gym. Once she reached outside, she looked to the sky, walking away.

"You ok?" Kim asked, getting her answer when the brunette punched a random tree several times, stopping when her gloves are ripped.

"Yeah. I'm a bit bummed that I lost but I understand now." Leaf sighed, throwing her ripped gloves in a bin and taking her time to calm herself down before she gave the tree one last punch, denting the bark. "I'll remember this. I'm gonna have my revenge against her."

She started giggling before it turned into full blown laughter, Kim giving her a deadpanned look along with her Mawile. "Yep. She's alright."

"Alright, let's go! Red must be lonely without us." She said as both her and Kim made their way to the Pokemon Center, Leaf healing her Pokemon while they both looked around and waited for their fellow raven haired friend. After they finished healing and went to their room, Leaf sending him a text. "Hmm. I wonder where he is."

"Knowing him from what you've told me, he must be still gawking at the stalls." Kim joked before they hear the door open and a bag fell on their table, the duo frightened and almost falling off their chairs as Poli and Vulpix hopped onto the table.

"Hey there, where were you all of today?" Leaf smirked, giving the boy a bear hug while he had a huge smile on his face.

"Around. I was playing games with the stalls and I got some prizes. You guys can take anything you like from the bag." Red explained, his Pokemon coming out of their capsules, exploring the bag along with the two girls.

"Woah. How did you get a Nugget? We could sell this for some dinero." Kim said as she took out the piece of gold. Leaf gasped when she saw a couple TMs in the bag along with "I hope you didn't spend too much money on these."

"Well, I kinda did but I got it back. Apparently, some of the scientists in the city were on an expedition was in the city and bought most of the fossils I had."

"How the? So much happened in the time frame of my battle." Leaf looked down in surprise when Kim put a hand on her shoulder. "I mean. Erika was basically trolling with you the entire fight...which took hours."

"And most of the games didn't take long. Also, how was your fight with Erika?"

"Terrible. She destroyed me." She released her Pokemon team, looking through the TMs bought while she pointed at Red. "So what are you going to do that Erika is not allowing you to use the gym?"

Upon hearing their question, Red thought about it before he shrugged. "I guess I'll just have some fun and train before going to Fuschia."

"Alright! And you'll help me train. With all these TMs along with you being my training partner from here. I'm gonna clobber her in no time." Leaf said, her Pokemon cheering her while Misdreavus simply scoffed. After some time, they spent time with each other and eating the food that Red bought for them, enjoying themselves. While they were enjoying themselves along with Leaf and Kim were conversing with their friends through group chat, Red was sitting outside the Pokemon Center, enjoying the cool breeze that passed through the city. After a while, Luxio joining him before the lynx noticed the concerned expression on Red's face. 'What happened, Red?'

Gazing at the stars in the night sky, the raven haired teen exhaled before taking a sip of the hot coco before he turn to his Pokemon. "Luxio. I saw her today. I don't know why she's here but I saw her."

'Who? Wait! You don't mean?'

"Yeah. Pikachu is here."

I'm honestly enjoyed making this chapter. It was a lot of fun to write it. Celadon City is gonna be a treat to write and things are just getting started. Hope you all will look forward to the next chapters from here. Hope you all stay safe and enjoy the story. Enigma out!