"Machoke, Leer!"
A massive beam shot out of Machoke's eyes, blinding Bulbasaur momentarily, weakening its defenses.
"Now, Karate chop!"
As the hand came back down again, Red looked at Bulbasaur pull out its vines.
That's it!
"Bulbasaur, launch yourself in the air!"
The dinosaur whipped out its vines and slapped the ground, propelling it backwards as Machoke's chop crashed into the ground. As it safely landed near Red, it turned towards its trainer in shock and excitement.
"Bulbasaur, your Special is better. Poison powder!"
A cloud of gas blew into Machoke's face. It staggered back in a slow gait as the poison slowly weakened him.
"Forget that poison! Low Kick, NOW!"
Machoke shook away the daze and lumbered towards Bulbasaur.
"Now, sleep powder!"
Another cloud of gas overtook the massive Pokemon, sending it crashing to the floor in a deep sleep. Blue's hands grabbed his head in frustration.
"Take down that Machoke!"
The Bulbasaur charged down and slammed into its opponent. It went tumbling backwards.
Red couldn't believe his luck as he reached for what he thought would be the final command.
"Now, VINE WHIP!"
The vines grew out of Bulbasaur once again, smacking down on Machoke in succession.
No one noticed the Pokemon wake up from its slumber...
And grab the vines in its hands.
Once Red saw this, all confidence washed away.
While holding on, it pulled the vines, sending Bulbasaur flying into the air.
"BULBASAUR, NO!"
Blue smiled as Machoke slammed Red's champion to the ground in a fantastic seismic toss. Bulbasaur barely moved as Red cried to his little Pokemon.
"Get up, Bulbasaur! GET UP!"
Blue laughed aloud, drowning out Red's pleas.
"This is how you train your Pokemon, Red! Finish him so we can go home, Machoke!"
Bulbasaur came to as its vine got pulled again.
No, not this time. My trainer needs me.
It dug all four feet into the ground as their battle turned into a tug O war. Machoke gripped hard on the vines, with Blue smugly watching. Bulbasaur pulled with all of its might, Red's encouragement cutting through the crowds around them.
Red saw Ray and Delia from a distance, standing close by as they willed his Bulbasaur to keep going.
The poison slipped Machoke's grip as it got weaker by the moment. As the vines slipped away, Bulbasaur and Red knew what to do.
"NOW, VINE WHIP THAT SUCKER! SHOW BLUE WHAT A SMUT CAN DO!"
It grabbed the Pokemon in its vines and sling-shot it towards Blue, sending the two of them tumbling down a sand dune, with one of them seeing spots, the other with its eyes swirling.
"Machoke is unable to battle! Red wins the round!"
The crowd cheered as loud as Red. Bulbasaur smiled as Red rushed to it with a super potion.
After spraying the little toad with healing energy, Red realized just how big his tiny Pokemon had become. No longer was it a baby, rubbing its body against his ankles like a dog. Now it reached his knees, with its bulb extended out above its body to his thigh. As he finished scratching its ears, he noticed the bulb start to glow. Not from a solar beam, but from something else. Something even better.
Blue rushed up the dune, overlooking Red and his champion.
"There's still one battle left! I can still show you how doomed you'll be at being a trainer! I will take everything from you! With this one battle, I will show you why you should never have tried to become anything better than the smut you are!"
Red stood and walked back to the trainer's box, calm and collected.
"If so, then BRING IT! Bulbasaur, let's see what you grow into!"
The little dinosaur, with a bulb on its back and a roar in its lungs, turns bright and iridescent. Waves of energy absorbed into the Pokemon, causing it to grow exponentially. The bulb opened to reveal a flower as the Pokemon's roar deepened. Two fangs grew outside the jaw and protruded out of its mouth. Its eyes narrowed as its three-toed feet gripped the ground, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
Bulbasaur just evolved into Ivysaur and, like its trainer, it isn't backing down.
