19
The next morning, I wake up feeling refreshed and ready to go. Getting a nice warm shower and clean clothes on helps me on the way to a hot breakfast up front. Sitting down in a chair with my meal and a coffee, I look up to see Blue staggering his way towards me.
"Hey loser, how's the grub?"
"Good morning to you, too! Not bad actually. I feel like a new man today! Did you sleep OK?"
"Ah...sort of. I actually got caught up talking to Fuji and..."
"...and Summer!"
He smiles and gives me a shrug.
"You really like that girl huh? You know you are the one that told me she was bad news. Kind of ironic don't you think? I mean she WAS spying on your family."
Blue sits down in the chair in front of me and sighs a serious sigh. Why does he seem so thoughtful? What did I miss?
"Well family is one thing you could call it. It turns out I was wrong about Summer. We have more in common that I thought. I have forgiven her behavior. She actually did want to be close to our family even though it was supposed to be a mission for Team Rocket or something."
"What do you mean? You trust her. I mean you were kissing her before Fuji revealed everything to us."
"TO YOU! I mean I admit when I first saw her at Giovanni's yesterday I was mad. When you both left, she told me the truth, and I didn't want to believe her. How dare she, ya know! But the truth is, both of us have many things in common. We lost our parents or didn't get to know them. We hate Team Rocket. Both of us got into something way over our heads. Both of us have people that say they are helping us in our lives but only to push they own personal agenda."
"What do you mean? What agenda?"
"It's my grandfather, Red! He's. It who he seems. He hasn't been telling us the truth, and he is somehow tied up in this whole thing."
"You mean with Team Rocket?"
"Yes, Summer was supposed to be a mole to monitor him. I don't know what he did, but Team Rocket holds it personal."
"What? Why your grandfather?"
"I don't know, but what I know from talking with Summer is that he gave us these Skillfinders for something more than just being nice."
We both look down at our trusted Skillfinders and their blinking displays. I didn't think to question such a gift when I received it, but then why didn't I? I have been rushing through this quest so fast I guess I never thought to.
"What does that mean? Hey Blue! Where are you going?"
"Summer wants to meet Erika...the real one I mean. She wants to finally meet her sister but doesn't want to go alone. I have to get the next badge anyway."
"I got ya! I'll catch up with you later if you don't mind. I'm going to stick around and talk with Green."
"Oh? Didn't you just tell her good bye? She left five minutes ago."
"What?"
"Yeah…hey man…good luck with that. See ya later!"
"Wait what? Hey Blue!"
But he's gone. I check my phone and see a couple of messages from Green. I look at a clock and see its 9am. I know it's not early but I figured I was going to be up and out in the commons area of the Focus way before Green. Did she really get up early and leave?
I check the texts.
"Red! Good morning! I apologize for not talking to you in person, but I knew if I did you wouldn't have let me go. I want to say this right so please let me finish before trying to call me."
Oh man, this is serious! Is this bad? Is she breaking up with me? I put my food down next to me and take a deep breath before reading on.
"Red, you are so brave and so good to me. Yesterday was a long day with some of the best moments of my life as well as some of the scariest. I am glad that I had you there with me the whole time, but there is something I must do."
Ah, what? What are you going to do?
"Yesterday I realized that the three of us are in over our heads in the fight against Team Rocket. As aloof as Blue is sometimes, he was right to travel on his own as I think he knew that was the best way for us to train and get better at fighting. I want to go back to doing this and develop some independence of my own."
Is this because of what happened at the Rocket base when she froze in the elevator? Green must feel embarrassed that she couldn't be more confident, but going off on her own now isn't going to help! Is she trying to persevere her pride?
"I don't mean to worry you, I just want to spend a week on my own. I talked with Yellow, and he taught me how to do that move Flash. I'm going back through the Rocket Tunnel to train and then from there in not sure yet but please don't follow me. I look forward to seeing you again in a week. XOXO"
I drop the phone on the chair and take a deep breath. Sitting around and making out crossed my mind this morning, but getting a "see you in a week" message couldn't be further from my hopes. I hear her concern about focusing on our training, but she also doesn't want to see me for a week after our first date. Ouch!
I pull out the phone and try my best to breathe as I text.
"Green I got your messages. I'm trying to understand. I want to beat Team Rocket, and I'll do whatever it takes. I'm not happy that you left after our first date and for a week, but you are a proud woman, and I won't stand in your way. I want to see you again, and I hope…I hope we can stay together."
A few seconds go by then I see the typing icon appear and pull the phone close to my face in anticipation. Finally another text comes through.
"Red, please don't worry. I'm sorry for running, but I will see you again and hopefully next time we can go out in our second date."
"You mean that?"
"Yes. I do! OK, for now please let me train alone."
We both text "good bye" to one another, and I take a long breath. I think I can handle a week of good old training. For the next few minutes I keep thinking of things to text her then finally decide that I have already said good bye and it's time to move on.
After accepting reality, I get to my feet. I can't complain or get upset now. I have to get serious! I'll make my way back to Celadon City and see her before long. Time to train!
Getting into my training clothes, I put my fingerless gloves and hat back on before heading out the door. I make my way over to Memorial Tower and slip into the door where the Teleportation Tile was last night. I walk up to it but nothing happens.
I step on the now dark tile a couple of times but don't go anywhere. Did it get turned off? Looks like I'll have to take the long road back to Celadon City. Great! I guess I'm not in any hurry now.
Coming back outside, I have an urge to go back into the main part of the Tower and walk around. Going in the front door this time, I'm greeted not by the caretaker from yesterday but a woman in a similar robe and staff in her hand.
"Hello your man, are you one of the people that scared off Team Rocket yesterday?"
It feels like a loaded question. I was here and wanted to help, but I didn't feel very useful. If anything I was more scared than Team Rocket
was.
"It was mostly the International Police ma'am. I just happened to be here is all."
"The IP told me that you and your friends have been trying to help stop Team Rocket. You blew up the Rocket base in Celadon City so you're a hero in my book!"
"I…wait what?"
She points to a TV I didn't see before by the front door. I see a smoking building and people standing outside of what must be the club I visited last night. It burned down because of the fires we started? Does that make me an arsonist?
"Erika and the International Police showed up after some guests called in reports of strange shaking in the foundation. Everyone made it out fine, but the Rocket members either flew the coup or got taken to jail."
"Did they get the Rocket Boss, Giovanni?"
"I don't think so, but I'm sure that they will, and I know it's because of brave young people like you."
I sigh and tell the woman, Evelyn, my situation with Green.
"Ah that must be so tough young man but don't lose heart. I think you can get plenty of training right here at the tower. Please fight the channelers and Ghosts here. They will make you bold and brave to face any foe."
"Train? Here?"
"Yes, if you go upstairs, you'll see the memorials of those lost in war but behind me is the battle chamber. There you can challenge wild Ghost Pokémon or local Channelers who as you might imagine specialize in summoning Ghosts."
I agree to battle, and Evelyn takes me back to a door I didn't notice last time. Behind the purple painted door with a glass handle is a large room with tall columns and a familiar mist. I step forward, and I'm soon greeted by a Gastly.
The gas ball flies around me like a bee does a hive, and I feel an urge to swat it away but force myself not to. I'm going to take this beast's power and have to do it right. Pulling out my Bill Box, I grab a crystal and hold it in hand. Wait for just the right second to strike. Wait for it!
BAM!
I hit Gastly with the crystal when it gets close enough to Lick me on the face and watch it flinch in surprise.
The creature whines and flies off as some of its power goes into the now dark purple stone. I wait a moment then crack it over my head feeling its powers enter my system.
In my mind, I see the shadow people and Gastly dancing around a camp fire in the woods in the middle of the night. This skill is definitely creepier than my previous ones, but there is no better way I can think of to master my fears of Ghosts then to learn how to fight like one!
I spend the next several days training in the battle chamber. Sometimes I just fight the Gastly here for hours on end, and sometimes a channeler group comes through, and I fight them. The skills used by them are mostly from Gastly though some also use Pokémon skills I've encountered before.
One fighter in particular comes to battle with a bone in his hand like a club. He explains to me that a population of Cubone live in tunnels under Lavender Town and that's where he got the Skill. After thinking it through, I realize that Cubone is the unevolved version of Marowak, the creature Mewtwo pretended to be the other day. As I tell the trainer about my encounter with Mewtwo, he tells me that Cubone always take the skills of dead Pokémon for helmets and a leg bone for a club, but seeing a Marowak in the tower had to have been an omen.
"What do you mean?"
"About a year ago, some punks came through trying to steal Pokémon including the Cubone. A Marowak tried to defend its kind and the men beat it to death. They chased it to front door of the tower and it died ugh they in front of the whole town. What a tragedy!"
That is sad! This Mewtwo is something else. I guess even Pokémon have feelings. He probably feels like Summer, wanted only as a tool for some scheme.
I agree to fight the trainer but quickly learn that he is quite tough for my current skills. After taking down my Charmeleon and Scyther skill, I transition to Gyrados. I have learned a new Water type attack called Twister which allows me to form a tornado like body of water out of my hands. I push it forward like a shopping cart at the trainer, and he quickly dodges. I form two more and he throw then his way. He dodges the first but can't escape the second.
Crack!
With that I win the match. We bow to one another, and I decide to take a lunch break at Sheeban's.
As I sit down to wait for my food, I check my Skillfinder and notice that all of my Skills except for Gastly are up to level 25. It's hard to train Ghosts against one another given the fact they tend to easily knock out the other. I'll try to train that skill on the road back to Celadon City. After a few days, it's become clear to me that that's where I last left my Monster Training journey as planned so I might as well go back there first.
"Hey stranger!"
I look up to see none other than Mr. Fuji.
"Hi sir! How are you?"
"I'm wonderful. I'm actually sleeping at night for a change and so are the children. They have been helping double time over at the shelter but they aren't afraid of Team Rocket anymore."
"Shelter?"
"Yes, I operate a no kill Pokémon shelter next to the tower. People bring wild and domesticated Pokémon they find and drop them off for my care. Sometimes to board and other times because the animal has no home."
"Wow, that's kind of you! So people here keep Pokémon as pets?"
"Not just here in Lavender, son, but yes, they do. Anyway I appreciate you for your help the other day."
"I'm afraid I can't take credit Mr. Fuji. I nearly got myself and my friends killed the other day. We just weren't ready for them, and Green is off on her own out there hoping to get stronger. I've been training, too, but…"
"This Green you mentioned…is she the girl that was holding your hand? You like her don't you?"
"I...yes."
"Well she left town didn't she?"
"Yes, she went to train in the Rock Tunnel and then from there I don't know."
"You don't know? Why are you here and she somewhere you don't know?"
Fuji sits down at the booth with me, and when the waitress comes by he orders a coffee, black.
"She wanted a week to focus on training. I agree we need to train, but I miss her."
"Well then how many days has it been now?"
"I think today is day six. I was thinking of heading bank to Celadon City after lunch. You don't know how to get there do you? I got here by Teleportation Tile."
"Oh! That sounds like something Bill would make. Well you know you can just head west to Vermillion then up through Saffron and west again to Celadon. It would take me days, but you could probably make it there before night fall."
"Oh cool!"
"Of course I've heard that a giant beast called Snorlax has been blocking that path. You might have better luck running through the Rock Tunnel."
"Ah Green told me to go another way. She may not be in the tunnel, but I'd rather not try and find out. At least not for another day, and I feel ready to leave today. Is there any way to make Snorlax move?"
"There may be a way! Well...can I tell you a secret?"
I nod.
"Well let's be honest, without some sort of crane, the animal cannot be coerced to move. It's just so heavy and sleeps most of the time. I know because I treated it for poison at my shelter before it walked off."
"You've seen it walk? Did you do something to make it move?"
"Yes, I mean don't get me wrong he was royal pain and at first I thought nothing would move that animal from my shelter. The only thing I ever found that worked was this flute."
He pulls out a flute with his name carved into the side.
"I don't know how I lucked upon such a thing as this, but I got the idea that he might like music, and well I used to build things with Bill and one day he gave me this. I thought it was an ordinary flute, but it really got Snorlax moving. I've been so busy at the shelter that I've not been able to free up enough time to visit him across town."
"Why not give the flute to someone else?"
"That's the other thing! The animal won't move if you just blow through the pipe but he responds when I play this one song, the 'Siren Serenade.' No one in town that I've asked seems to know how to play flute let alone try to learn the song."
I laugh for a minute then explain to him how I used to play flute in school. He smiles from ear to ear like a child and hands me a slip of paper with notes on it. I look over the song and test the flute out for a second then begin to play the catchy tune. It's actually quite simple and soothing. It takes no effort to learn at all, but I quickly stop when I notice other customers looking at us.
"SORRY!"
They all go back to eating and act as if they weren't listening. One guy smiles and gives me a thumbs up.
"Oh that's it!" Fuji says, "You got it! Just play that, and he'll be sure to wake up and follow you around. Good luck!"
I leave the restaurant feeling full and confident to head back west at last.
20
I take the flute and head out west towards the edge of town. It's not long before I see him, the big snoring creature that completely blocks the path west to Vermillion City. A small band of men must have tried to wedge shovels under him to make flip out of the way because there are broken ones lying next to its belly.
"Darn thing does nothing but eat and sleep!"
"I need it to move. I'm going to lose my job if I wait another day."
"Should we try to burn it or something?"
I walk through the crowd and pull out Fuji's flute, and the chatter about burning Snorlax dies down as I start playing the Siren Serenade. I don't hit all the notes right the first way through, but after a while I feel like a have the hang of it.
Snorlax opens its eyes and slams its paws on the ground to help it sit up. The crowd jumps back as he stands up right on his hind legs and towers over us. Snorlax bares his teeth, and foams at the mouth. Why does he look so angry? I thought Fuji told me he would like this song!
SLAM!
Snorlax tries to fall on top of me, and I dodge his bulk by mere inches. He rolls back and tries to Scratch me with his terrible claws.
I get out of the way of the first two swipes but the next know makes impact knocking the wind out of me. Another strike knocks me hard into a nearby tree. I peel myself off of the itchy bark and roll out of the way as Snorlax precedes to strike me down with a heavy paw.
"OH NO!"
"SOMEONE CALL FOR HELP!"
I can't get mauled to death in front of these traders. I have to fight back!
I transition to my Nidorino Skill and barely side step out of harm's way in time as Snorlax Slams the earth with its colossal frame once more. As it tries to get back to its feet, I race forward and use Doublekick on its massive head.
Snorlax growls and falls back on its behind. As it Pounds the ground with its front paws like fists, I Doublekick again. Making a fist with my right hand, I feel a pointy mass grow out from my knuckles. I have can remember how Giovanni used a metal device with a similar shape to make a Horn Attack and decide to rush Snorlax in the same fashion.
BOOOOM!
He doubles back. I go in again with more Doublekicks. Several strikes to the head, and the beast finally turns and runs away through some trees. I take a deep breath and grab my thighs as Snorlax climbs up a rocky hill and disappears into the mountains.
"YAY!"
"Great job!"
"Hey aren't you Red?"
"Yeah, it's Red from TV!"
I turn to the small crowd with a smile and nod. They ask me about my training, and I learn that apparently I've been a hot topic on the news, and I've got a sort of fan base going.
"You know Red, we all want to know. How do you improve so quickly? You and your two friends are so much stronger after three weeks than most people are in a year!"
"I...don't really know..."
That is true of course. I hadn't thought about it much before due to my own excitement of just getting out there and seeing the world, but now things are less simple.
Team Rocket is trying to take over Kanto. My best friend is falling for a girl that was born in a lab who spent the past two years or so spying on his family. His grandfather is the one that helped us start our journey, but he hasn't been totally honest with us about his motives, and we seem to have some unfair advantage in training. The only thing I feel certain about it that I like Green though I'm not sure when I'll see her again. I make a mental note to text her that I'm on my way to Celadon City.
"So how did you know that Giovanni's was the Rocket home base? You know at first people thought that the club was legit and under attack by terrorists. Everyone thought you were a criminal!"
"What? No!"
"Oh yeah. Of course it was later revealed that building was some sort of factory for Team Rocket, and then everyone was glad that place blew up, but we believed in you Red! We knew you weren't the bad guy for a second."
"Yeah, and I know you're tough, too. We saw you take on Lt. Surge and beat him the first time through! No one has ever done that!"
"Really?"
"If they have, it's been awhile because I don't think so."
"Oh, we heard about what happened the other day at Memorial Tower! The Ghosts are back to normal, and those missing people got home safe."
"Yeah, nice job!"
"Yeah, well the International Police did all the hard work there. I was just present."
"Ah, this guy is too modest! We know you're a real hero, Red!"
I feel excited at the attention and the rush as people give me high fives and cheers, but I can't stay here. Now with the path open, it's straight ahead to Vermillion, then hopefully through Saffron again, and lastly back to Celadon. Can I do that in one day without trouble? Now that is the question!
I text Green.
"Hey been almost a week, and just letting you know that I'm heading back to Celadon City to catch up with Blue and maybe face Erika today. Hope to see you soon."
I wait a few minutes but get no response. Maybe she's busy? I hope she isn't going to act super technical and ignore me until tomorrow.
Focusing on the road ahead of me, I cut through some tall grass and see wild Drowzee. These Psychic Pokémon have long snouts and like to keep to themselves, but when they do come out they try to use Confusion on me.
Probably my least favorite Pokémon to fight other than Ghost of course is Psychic. Confusion is so disorienting with the bright lights and headaches. Ugh! What's nice is that when I'm using the Gastly Skill, the Drowzee aren't effective against me as they would be otherwise however whenever I do manage to use the fabled Lick attack on one, they pretty much always faint!
Deciding that this might be easy pickings, I take the next few hours to train just my Gastly skill and get it caught up with the others. Once I do I'm rewarded with the warm tingling and glow in my body I've come to enjoy so much. In my head I can see the Haunter form from the gall that was once Gastly. This big and pointy gas figure looks scarier than its predecessor and comes with floating hands to boot. Cool!
Feeling accomplished I decide to make my way into Vermillion City in time for a snack. I don't want to rest too long just grab a wrap at a food truck. Fish wrap of course! I go to the first one I see not realizing until I get there just how hungry I am. I just ate not too long ago. Hey, this trying is delicious! What is it? Seadra? Huh!
A few minutes later, and I'm heading up to Saffron. I have a sudden tinge of nervousness. Last time I came this way, I had the sneak around guards while stalking members of Team Rocket.
Now there are people peacefully waking back and forth on the route north. No sign of trouble. I get to the gate without as much as a dirty look from the guard and walk casually into Saffron City.
The buildings are still under repair from the explosions, but some of the damages have been fixed up, and the people seem less gloomy. As I turn a corner though, I get that familiar sense that I'm being watched.
Checking the reflection of the windows of various buildings, I keep seeing people looking my way once I pass them. The mailman, the police officer, the lady toting her baby, the man painting a fence...the list goes on. Am I hearing whispers, too?
"Red...at Giovanni's..."
"...just said he was at Memorial Tower!"
"He's not one of us..."
"I'm watching you, cutie!"
I stop on my heels and look all around me. That last voice was so loud and clear! I look everywhere, but no one seems close enough for me to have heard them. An instinct makes me look up, and I notice an unusually tall woman with long black hair staring down at me. She has chrome colored eyes and restrictive looking black dress on that covers most of her skin from head to toe.
I open my mouth to speak, and the woman vanishes before my eyes. What the heck? I take a minute to search around, but whoever she was she's gone now.
Once I decide it's time to move on and leave town to the west as before, I feel some relief that no one seems to actually be following now. The next guard politely waves me through, and I head down the road to Celadon.
I'm greeted once more by trainers and welcome the challenge. No one really puts up that much of a fight, but they have plenty of questions.
"What happened the other day?"
"How did you get back here so fast?"
"Where are your friends Blue and Green?"
I try my best to field the questions down to short and simple answers. The three of us split up to get back into training for a few days and "spread our wings." It's not entirely untrue, but I don't feel like giving a mass reveal of my life to every person I see. Once I finally get back to Celadon, I feel exhausted.
Cutting through town, I head straight for the Celadon Gym. Outside of the building which looks more like a greenhouse then a training center lies a large a small pond and rows of various crops. I read signs for different flowers but can't keep them straight. The fruits are more familiar: strawberries, blue berries, peaches, and apples.
Apparently Erika is involved in some sort of agricultural project in an otherwise urban environment sponsored by the local college, Kanto University. At one point I think Blue's grandfather taught classes there come to think of it.
Looking past the pond and a row of houses to the south, I can see some of the campus buildings in the distance. Some people may be visiting Celadon for shops or higher education, but as I wave at some students and enter the gym, I focus on why I'm here: to advance to my fourth belt in Monster Training.
When I make my way into the building, I'm greeted by the sensation of dirt under my shoes. The whole property from inside looks like a home that got taken over by plant life. As you make your way through the building, a dirt trail leads you to different locations over an otherwise grass covered floor. Tall hedges and colored trees form fences or since we're inside, walls.
A young girl in a kimono comes running up to me with wide eyes and an eager grin. A bounce in her step tells me she knows me before she blurts it out for all to hear.
"RED! YOU'RE HERE!"
Looking around the room, I see some heads start to turn my way and it dawns on me that I'm surrounded by girls. Squeals fill the room, and the shine of twinkling eyes becomes almost blinding. Questions come from every direction and the struggle to think and speak like a normal human being leaves me in a haze of euphoria and hyper-vigilance.
"Oh Red, I like your hat. Where did you get it?"
"So I heard you came here all the way from Pallet Town. Is that true?"
"Hi Red, are you seeing anyone right now?"
"Red, what's your favorite type of Monster Skill?"
For a minute all I can do is smile and nod as the crowd closes in around me. A sensation I can only compare to what I think drowning must feel like comes over me.
"Red! Hey you're here!"
I turn to see Blue behind the mob leaning against a hedge. For once in actually relieved to see him. Blue motions me over, and I carefully make my way over to him trying to be polite and brief as possible.
"Ha ha. Excuse me. Excuse me."
"Man, aren't you the ladies' man?"
"I...wasn't expecting this..."
"Well don't sweat it. I got the same treatment until Summer met with me then all the chatter switched to you!"
"Really?"
"Yeah, it seems you're becoming a hero on social media because of the Team Rocket stuff."
"Oh."
"Which is whatever, I mean I was there, too. Anyway you're here to meet with Erika right?"
I nod, and he walks me around the hedges to a courtyard at the back of the building. More trees make walls for the privacy of the room by circling around the edge of the room jutting out from the building walls into the city. I look up and see half of the room is covered by ceiling while the other half of open to the sky. Some bird Pokémon fly overhead at a casual pace, and I watch as they disappear over the tree line.
In the middle of the room are a small group of people standing around a very tall and thick tree with brown leaves that stops right below the ceiling of the room. Dead center is Erika and Summer talking to one another. Summer wears a black top and skirt on the left while Erika wears brilliant pink kimono.
As we enter the room, they both turn and smile at us though Summer also blows a kiss at Blue. I laugh as he awkwardly waves back instead of returning the gesture causing her to roll her eyes at him. He can't flirt with her in front of everyone? I notice some other girls in the room quietly laugh and talk to one another, but Erika the Gym Leader keeps her shimmering pink eyes trained on me. I've never seen anyone with pink eyes before. I suddenly remember the woman in Saffron and wonder if I have seen anyone with grey eyes either.
Summer waves at us excitedly, and I suppress my inner dialogue for the moment. As she walks up to me in her black outfit, I realize Summer wore this the other night only this time there is no "R." Erika follows close behind her "sister" and with each step I notice light reflect off of her kimono forming a little rainbow above her cropped black hair. In the face and hair, their build and height, the two are almost identical except for aforementioned wardrobe differences. This is too crazy!
"Hey Red! Glad you made it! We've been waiting for you."
"It's good to see you again Erica...I mean Summer. Wow, I knew it was you but was looking at Erika and…"
"Ha ha. That's OK! Really I understand. Just be glad, we joked about wearing matching clothes for a day and mesa with you and Blue just for fun."
"Oh great, I sense a prank in our future," Blue groans.
We all laugh.
"Those days are over I promise!"
Summer gives Blue a hug. As she starts to step back, he kisses her on the temple and caresses her face for a second making her stay.
"Yes, we have been waiting," adds the Gym Leader.
We all turn to face her.
"I am so thankful to be meeting my sister and now her friends. The media has been here already once today asking questions, and I know they'll be back. They expect me to be mad or something and want some juicy story I suppose, but I'm sadder for Summer and what she had to put up with. I'm so lucky to have such a sweet surprise of a sibling! Oh, but you aren't here for my family reunion are you?"
"I'm happy for you, but no, I am here for the Rainbow Belt."
"Very well, in that case, let us leave our company behind for now and do battle under my maple tree."
We wave to Blue and Summer and the girls still following me and the group under the tree clears some space for us. At last I will have a chance to fight for my next belt.
Erika stops and raises her arms high above her head like she herself is a tree sprouting branches.
"OK Red, let us begin!"
We bow to one another then Erika once again raises her hands above head. I make the mistake of staring as she begins to glow, and the tree overhead rustles.
Zip! Zip! Zip!
"Ow!"
I grab my face as a Razor Leaf cuts my cheek. Erika is using some skill that allow hers to summon leaves from the try and make them fly at me like small blades! I have to do something fast.
Zip! Zip! Zip!
This time I doge the floral assault and switch to my Charmeleon Skill. I reach into a pocket for a pouch of gas I just learned how to make and lay down a Smokescreen so that Erika will have trouble aiming her leaves at me then I jump high above the smoke long enough to see her. I'm actually impressed with how high I manage to jump as my foot looks to be at level with her nose. She looks surprised too and hesitates to redirect her attack. I take the moment to spew some Embers her way.
Crack!
I hear the sound of her first Skill break and look to see a monitor on the ceiling overhead show that she only has two Skills left.
"It's not over yet!"
I hear her yell and see a purple liquid come flying at me through the smoke. Oh no, it's Acid! I jump out of the way, but she keeps throwing more and more. Some Acid falls on the ground in front of my toes before I can catch myself, and I slide right into it.
"Ahhhhh!"
The poisons stings the cut on my face and my palms as I push my way back to my feet. Once I look up, I see Erika making her way to me through a clearing in the smoke. She holds up a single hand of some sort of dust then blows it right into my face.
"Ah man, what is this? I…I feel so tired."
"Enjoy some Sleep Powder, young trainer!"
My eyes feel heavy and try as I might I can't keep my head up. I fall down and pass out.
"RED! RED! Get up!"
I shake my head and find myself lying face down in some grass. I look up to see sandals and the bottom of a dress in front of my face. Erika!
Pulling arms back to my side, I recognize that my Charmeleon Skill has broken, and I now have the instincts of Nidorino. I ball up my fist and my knuckles merge together into a large spike as I jab at her shin with my Horn Attack.
"Whoa!" Erika cries as she jumps back.
I get to my feet and hold my horned fist in front while forming Poisonstings in the opposite hand. Erika readies another handful of the Sleep Powder, but I throw my needles at her causing her to drop the grain and get back. She pulls her arms up high with her fingers hanging down, and I watch as purple fluid starts to drip from her fingertips. She's making more Acid!
I rush forward and try to strike with Horn Attack then alternating by throwing a Poisonsting here or there. With each attack, Erika gently avoids my movements like we are in some sort of dance then flings some of the Acid at my chest when I'm right where she wants me.
"Argh!"
The Acid burns, and I resist the urge to rub it in which would only make things worse. I decide to switch tactics and transition to my Scyther skill. She starts building up more Acid during my transition, but I take her off guard at the crucial moment before she can strike by using Quick Attack! The fast tackle knocks her back on her butt and I hear another satisfying crack.
Erika doesn't stay down for long before getting back to her feet. She puts her arms out towards me and green vines come streaming out of her kimono sleeves at me like angry snakes. I try to dodge the vines, but I fail and get caught up in a Bind. In just a few seconds my whole upper body is completed encased. I feel my feet come off the ground as the Bind tightens.
I concentrate hard on my Scyther skill but nothing I think of works. I feel my chest emptying getting tighter and tighter. She's going to smother me! I can barely feel my fingers when I notice my ring fingers starting to twitch. In my mind, I can see Scyther attacking a tree by rapidly striking it with their scythes.
Chop! Chop! Chop!
The vines break loose, and I fall back to the ground and take a heavy breath. Erika's eyes go wide as I look at my now pointy fingers which worked to separate the vines from my flesh. Erika grits her teeth and sends more vines at me, but I use my new found skill as a Fury Cutter to dismiss them quickly. When Erika brings another group of vines my way, I lift my hand up to the sky and Cut them all in half just Captain Hakudo chopped the tree in half on the S.S. Anne.
"No!"
Finding a gap in between us at last, I use Quick Attack and again knock Erika back. This time I hear a crack and she remains seated on the ground.
"All right, you win!"
Yes, with the addition of the Rainbow Belt, I'm now half way done with this journey!