Chapter 8 – Rainbow
"Why are we leaving so quickly?" Blaze asked as he and Arthur made their way towards Celadon.
"Because I need to. If I stay, I won't leave. Not for some time. And we've still got the rest of this region to explore." Blaze looked at his trainer. Arthur had been quiet since leaving Saffron. He wasn't sure if it was because of the gym leader back there, but… No he was sure that was exactly the reason. Blaze's battle against Sabrina's Alakazam had been very different. Arthur didn't say a word, but neither did Sabrina. Verbally. Blaze knew what to do however. He had trained with Arthur for so long, he didn't need the young man to give out commands. Blaze already knew what Arthur would say. Because of this, he was able to win, even though Sabrina was psychically linked to her Pokemon.
But what he couldn't get over was why Arthur had left so quickly. He obviously had some feelings for the psychic, but it was like he couldn't bring himself to explain them. Or follow through on them. The fire type dropped back slightly to walk alongside Delphin.
"What did he say?" the water type asked.
"Just that if he hadn't left, he wouldn't have at all."
"So he likes her. It's just as we suspected." Delphin looked at their trainer in thought. Blaze huffed causing Delphin to look back at the fire type.
"First I thought he and Lyra would be together, now Sabrina… Perhaps I don't know him as well as I thought I did" Blaze said.
"You know him better than any of us do. Perhaps he's just not ready. Arthur needs to travel. He needs to understand. And I doubt he could do that staying in one place" Delphin noted.
"I suppose you're right. It's just confusing is all."
The group made their way towards the rainbow city. It would take them a week before they reached the outskirts, a week in which Arthur was pretty much back to his normal self and the team was once more behind their trainer. The feelings and thoughts about others were lost amongst the sparks flying into the night sky and the late nights spent talking. Finally, Arthur and his team made it to Celadon.
An old man was attempting to look through a window into the gym, by a sign stating women only. Arthur shook his head as he walked through the doors. At the front, he was instantly accosted by two younger girls.
"Hey! This is a girl's only gym!" they yelled.
"I saw that on the sign. However, I'm a challenger" Arthur replied.
"Doesn't matter! You need to leave!"
"I think we'll let the gym leader make that decision" the champion said, this time with a force and authority that made both girls shrink back. Arthur's eyes had hardened to a cold steel blue colour, which also made the two scurry back deeper into the gym. A few minutes later, a mid-twenties woman came flanked by the two younger girls.
"See miss Erika? This guy won't leave!" Erika's face went red with embarrassment.
"I'm so sorry sir. These two obviously did not recognize you." The two girls looked at their leader in confusion.
"Who is he?" They asked in unison.
"Girls, this is the champion, Arthur." Both faces fell into looks of shock and surprise.
"But I thought Lance was champion! This guy isn't near as good looking." Arthur smirked and raised an eyebrow.
"Jo, Zoe, please go back to your training. Arthur, if you would be so kind as to follow me."
Arthur and Erika went towards the battlefield. The young champion marveled at the gardens they wandered through. He had forgotten that the gym was also a greenhouse of sorts.
"I apologize for the girls behaviour sir" Erika said as the approached the battlefield.
"Don't worry too much about it. Though I'm not sure why they were so against men in the gym."
"Unfortunately, here in Celadon, we've had some issues with some of the men accosting the young ladies who choose to train here. As such, I've had to instigate the no male rule, though that does not apply to challengers. They know better than that." Arthur nodded, slightly troubled that the girls here had been having issues. Perhaps that was something he should bring up to the league.
"So you'd like to battle?" Erika asked
"I would yes. I've been travelling Kanto getting an understanding of the region. What better way than to also battle the gym leaders?" Arthur responded. The gym leader smiled and waved her hands free from her kimono. The ladies who trained and worked the gardens at the gym gathered around as the champion and gym leader took their places.
"This will be a four versus four battle!" the ref cried out. Arthur readied his Pokeball with his first Pokemon. Erika was a grass type leader, and that gave Arthur quite a few advantages in multiple Pokemon. He didn't imagine this being an overly long battle.
Erika began with a Jumpluff. Arthur responded by beginning with Lucky. The Togekiss immediately jumped into the air and began gliding around. Jumpluff was watching carefully as the battle began.
"Start with leech seed!" Erika called out.
"Up Lucky!" Arthur countered. The flying type flew up higher, dodging the seed which would have wrapped its energy draining vines around the happiness Pokemon. Erika didn't stop calling for sunny day which caused Arthur to smile. Lucky slammed into the opposing grass type, dealing a significant amount of damage. The sun glared, increasing the heat noticeably and the grass types speed was already faster. However, that attack played perfectly into Arthur's advantage. Lucky flew up once more, out of the reach of any of Jumpluff's attacks. Erika looked skyward as the avian folded in its wings and dropped down from the sky once more. Lucky landed its fly attack for the second time, this time knocking the Jumpluff out. The ref lifted its flag and Lucky landed beside Arthur.
"Excellent battle Lucky."
"Thanks. Though she went down easy enough" was the Pokemon's reply.
"Or perhaps you're just as your name says." Lucky smacked Arthur lightly with his wing making the champion smile more. Erika sent out her next Pokemon, a Tangela. Arthur switched out Lucky for Blaze this time.
His fire type was silent as he entered the field. The sun was still extremely fierce and the heat was intense. Arthur just stood still and silent still smiling. Erika wasn't sure what he was waiting for, but she wasn't waiting around for a fire type to start attacking.
"Tangela, use wring out!" Vines shot forward, wrapping themselves around Blaze. They squeezed and twisted, but still the volcano Pokemon kept its eyes closed, and flames out.
"Alright Blaze, that's enough. Let's do this." At those words, Blaze's eyes snapped open. Their deep blue gaze locked on the grass type whose vines still held him in their grip. Then the fire type lit the fire on his back. With the increased sun, the heat was astounding. Breathing was becoming more difficult and one of the girls along the sidelines almost passed out. The Tangela appeared scared as Blaze opened his jaws and loosed a flamethrower directly at it. The attack was scorching and all plant life that came even close to the flames wilted and died. The fire engulfed the vine Pokemon, knocking it out instantly.
"Your Typhlosions power is quite astounding Arthur" Erika noted.
"Thank you, but that sunny day attack is helping." Blaze rolled his shoulders. He was completely in his element here in the extreme heat. The next victim appeared in the shape of a Victreebel. Blaze smiled, a look matching his trainer.
"You and your Pokemon appear to be on the same level. But you'll see that grass types are not as fragile to fire as you might think!" The fly catcher screamed its defiance, and began brewing a leaf storm.
"Don't even let it get close" Arthur said. Blaze roared his answer and unleashed another flamethrower as Victreebel sent the leaf storm towards Blaze. The flames burnt the storm down, disintegrating all the razor sharp leaves headed Blaze's way. The flamethrower attack struck the plant, whose screams of defiance quickly turned to cries of pain. Erika's eyes were wide as she withdrew her third Pokemon. Never before had she come face to face with a fire type who had unleashed such power.
"Is this everything you've got?" Erika asked scared of the answer. Arthur looked towards Blaze who shook his head. Shaking slightly, she sent out her last Pokemon. Arthur withdrew Blaze this time, which surprised Erika. She thought that, once more, she would have to send one of her Pokemon out to face that nightmarish fire. Looking around, she noticed that her battlefield was blacked and smoking. Also, it appeared that two of the girls who worked and trained here had passed out from the heat. Yet looking across, Arthur was barely even sweating.
The champion calmly sent out his third Pokemon, this time a Scyther. The mantis appraised his opponent, a Bellossom. The tiny flower Pokemon stared down the bug type without fear.
"You want me to fight that? Can it even fight?" Syrio asked Arthur.
"I can you ignorant male!" the flower responded.
"Oh ignorant am I? Let's see how you handle this!" Syrio burst forward in a flash. However, the Bellossom avoided his first strike. Barely, but still managed to avoid it. Syrio looked back in surprise.
"Syrio, Bellossom's ability is chlorophyll. That means that in this sunny weather, its faster than you!" Arthur called out.
"I was wondering why it's so hot in here! Wait, you let Blaze redecorate too didn't you?" Syrio asked finally noting the blackened plant life.
"Wasn't my intention but sort of yeah."
"I told you he was shitty at that sort of st… WHOA!" The mantis was almost cleaned out by a solar beam attack. While she normally needed to charge the attack, the sunny weather allowed Bellossom to launch the strong grass type attack at will. Still gathering sunlight, the grass type sent another solar beam at Syrio. This time the attack connected, but not quite in the way Erika and her Pokemon were expecting. Syrio had crossed his scythes to defend against the attack. The damage was negligible.
"Alright time to wrap this up Syrio. Wing attack!" The bug type was once more a blur moving across the field, landing the strike this time and knocking the Bellossom out in one shot. Erika stood there stunned. The champion had completely crushed her without barely blinking. His attacks were perfectly coordinated and so strong she didn't even stand a chance.
Arthur headed west once more. His travels so far had not revealed many answers as to what he needed to balance. Celadon did not give him any more answers even though it was there that Team Rocket had hid away three years ago. Nothing about what the legends had asked of him was easy. Without knowing what to do, Arthur felt he was simply spinning his wheels. However, he wouldn't give up. He would keep searching for answers and keep searching for whatever it was that the legends needed help with.
Entei roared, but the attack did nothing. Rivers stood facing the beast down, his Crobat darting this way and that. The legend was angry and powerful. Not a good combination. But that had never mattered to Rivers. His Pokemon were trained to battle against the legends. And to defeat them.
The old adventurer recalled his bat and replaced it with another powerful Pokemon. The water type began its battle with the legend, cries from both sides shaking the ground. Caleb watched in awe as the two beasts traded attack after attack. This was something completely unheard of. The young researcher didn't know what to expect, but this wasn't it. How Entei didn't completely burn the group down, Caleb didn't know. But he could see that it was weakening. And this, more than anything, scared the researcher of Rivers. This man he was here with was close to legend himself. What did that mean for the rest of the trainers out there?
Arthur's team:
Blaze (Typhlosion) - lv. 50
Lucky (Togetic) - lv. 50
Muscle (Machoke) - lv. 50
Delphin (Vaporeon) - lv. 51
Syrio (Scyther) - lv. 50
Spark (Magneton) - lv. 51
Hope this update finds you all well. A simple chapter, with another badge here. I'll be honest, this was more of a filler chapter for me, as I never was a huge fan of Erika's gym. I've always found it to be a very simple battle. Anyways, please let me know what you thought.