Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon and am in no way affiliated with Nintendo or Gamefreak, or other companies that write or produce pokemon. Now that that legal stuff is out of the way, on to the story!
Pokemon Legends: Kanto Saga
Chapter Thirty Three
Battle Who For the Earth Badge?!
Part Two
"Just because a gym is empty does not mean you can use it for your battle!" Lance scolded the two trainers. "Trainers are NOT permitted to be in the gym if no gym leader or league official is present! I can't believe you two, of all trainers, would do something like this!"
"But there is no gym leader here anymore, and Ashley needed a badge!" Rina protested.
"If that were the case, then it would have been the league's responsibility to find a replacement." Lance replied calmly while stepping out into the middle of the battlefield, putting himself between the two trainers. "However, that is not the case. Though he has not been around recently, Giovanni is still leader of this gym."
"But he's the leader of Team Rocket!"
"He's what?!" Said everyone, excluding Rina, in disbelief. Rina was the only one who had found out about Giovanni.
"Well I was in his office and..."
"You were in his office too?!" Lance muttered something under his breath and rubbed his temples. "Rina, just what compelled you to break into the gym leader's office?"
"Uh oh...sounds like Rina is really in a lot of trouble now..." Ashley thought, swallowing nervously. She wanted desparately to say something in Rina's defense, but she wasn't even sure what she could say at this point. "There has to be something I can do...something I can say..."
"W-well the phone was ringing and..."
"Don't tell me you answered the phone too!" Lance yelled, cutting her off. "Rina, I don't know what Brock let you do in his gym, but you cannot just waltz into a pokemon gym like you own the place!"
"I...I..." Rina stuttered, looking as though she were on the verge of tears. Pippi looked up at her trainer but quickly looked away, feeling helpless. If it were anyone else, Pippi could have threatened them with a jolt of electricity. She definitely couldn't zap Lance, though, and she couldn't yell at him as he wouldn't understand her.
"Don't you think you're being a little harsh on her?" Ashley's mother finally spoke up. "Is what she did really so wrong?"
"What she did is in violation of Kanto League regulations." Lance said flatly. "What if she were to steal the gym's badges and hand them out to trainers? Or sell the gym's TMs? 'Earthquake' would fetch quite a price, you know."
"That does it!" Ashley thought, clenching a fist. "I don't care who he is, I'm not just going to stand here while he accuses Rina of being a criminal!"
"How could you say such a thing?!" Ashley interjected, finally deciding she had heard enough. "How could you accuse someone like Rina of criminal intentions?!"
"Why would I dismiss the possibility?" Lance asked in response, glancing over his shoulder at Ashley. "Even though I adopted her, I don't intend to show her any favoritism."
"Adopted her? Thats a laugh!" Ashley shot back. "When was the last time you actually made any effort to take care of her? When have you ever actually been there for her? I bet this is the first time you've even seen her since SIGNING THE PAPERS!"
"A-Ashley!" Rina stuttered in disbelief at Ashley's outburst.
"Lance is...what?" Catherine mumbled to herself, blinking.
"Thats enough!" Lance barked, swiftly turning to face Ashley.
"Too bad, because I'm not finished yet!" Ashley snapped back. "Because you don't have any business standing there preaching about rules and regulations, not after you let two rookie trainers take on the Grand Hunters on their own! If we weren't going up against them for our own reasons then I would have told you to f-"
"I SAID ENOUGH!" Lance yelled, cutting her off. He then took a deep breath and sighed. "I realize I've failed Rina, in more ways then one, and I failed to keep a promise to a friend." Lance slowly turned toward Rina. "Now, explain to me what you two are doing in here."
"HEY!"
"Ashley, just let it go." Her mother said calmly. "He's giving her a chance to explain herself now..."
"Fine..." Ashley muttered defeatedly.
"Isn't this just back where they started, only less yelling?" Rolly thought, scratching his head. "Humans have an odd way of resolving conflicts. They didn't even use Tackle..."
"-Wow, Ashley really got fired up...-" Pippi said, then looked up at Rina. "-Sorry I wasn't able to do anything...-"
"Don't worry about it." Rina said quietly, smiling slightly and wiping her eyes with her sleeve. She gathered her courage and then started to address Lance.
"I came here alone first because I wanted to see who the gym leader here was." Rina began. "The lights were out and there was obviously no one here but I didn't really think anything of it because I could hear the phone ringing. I wasn't going to pick it up but I ended up going into the office anyway and heard the answering machine cut in.
That was when I found out Giovanni was the gym leader here, and I already met him once when Team Rocket took over the Silph building. After that...well..." Rina rubbed the back of her head. "The first thing I thought about was that Ashley wouldn't be able to get her badge, and so I decided I'd wait here for her to show up and she'd battle me for it..."
"I see..." Lance rubbed his chin as he thought over what Rina said. "Well, I suppose at this point there's no avoiding it. As Ashley so bluntly put it, I have no right to be preaching rules to you..."
"So then...what now?" Rina asked him. Lance seemed to think this over as he walked over to the side of the battlefield, stopping near the bench and turning dramatically with his cape swirling behind him.
"Judging by your previous battle it would seem you are at least capable of holding your own against Ashley." Lance said to Rina. "The match will continue with you filling in for the gym leader, just this once."
"You're really going to let us keep going?" Ashley asked in disbelief.
"I don't see why not at this point. As the leader of the Elite Four, I will oversee the remainder of this match. Officially, this will be a trial to find a new gym leader for Viridian City, an offer which Rina will turn down." Lance glanced over at Rina. "Rina, you will have to abide by gym rules for the remainder of the match. Therefore, you cannot switch pokemon."
"Right!" Rina nodded quickly, happy to be able to get back to her battle with Ashley. She hadn't switched pokemon as it was anyway, so she was already abiding by gym rules in a way. Rina quickly took a pokeball from her belt. "Ok! Lets get back to it then! Knight, I choose you!" Rina called out, releasing Knight out onto the field. Knight stretched his arms when he appeared and then looked around the gym. He immediately noticed Lance off on the sidelines.
"-Wow, Lance is here, huh? This must be a pretty important battle then...-" Knight looked straight ahead at Ashley with a determined look on his face. "-In that case, I won't lose!-"
"So Knight has evolved afterall..." Lance thought, grinning to himself. "This should prove to be an interesting battle then."
"Knight...that one's going to be trouble for sure." Ashley thought to herself. "Ivysaur can't take him in a straight up fight I don't think, and he knows Focus Punch so Snorlax isn't going to be able to set up. Charizard seems like my best bet to start off with..."
"Ok, Charizard, lets get this battle started again!" Ashley called out as she drew Charizard's pokeball from her belt and then released him out onto the field. Charizard announced his presence with a roar as he appeared on the field.
"I hope you don't mind my asking, but whats the score?" Lance asked Catherine.
"They're evenly matched so far, three pokemon left each." She replied, then looked toward him curiously. "Is this really alright with you, Ashley battling Rina for her badge? What if the league finds out?"
"As of yesterday, the league is under new management." Lance replied, sounding somewhat bitter. "All things considered, in the off chance he finds out, I doubt he will care too much."
"She's using Charizard? Thats another odd choice for her..." Rina thought. "Knight, start off with Thunder Wave!"
"Charizard, attack Knight with Iron Tail!" Charizard charged across the battlefield, his wings spread and tail held out behind him as though he were ready to take flight. Knight thrust out one arm, sending a pulse of electricity toward Charizard. The electricity passed through Charizard's body, paralyzing his muscles and causing him to stumble briefly.
"-It'll take more than that to stop me!-" Charizard growled and was soon charging toward Knight again. He came to a stop, turning sideways as he approached Knight and raising his tail. A metallic coating formed around Charizard's tail and he then brought it down onto Knight. Knight was ready for the attack, though, and caught Charizard's tail in both hands.
"Charizard, blast Knight with Flamethrower!" Ashley called out, quickly compensating for the blocked attack. Charizard blasted Knight in the face with a stream of fire, catching the dragon pokemon off guard. This distracted Knight long enough for Charizard's Iron Tail to overpower him, landing a light hit across Knight's chest and knocking him back a foot.
"Knight, strike back with Dragon Claw!"
"Charizard, Slash attack!"
Both pokemon turned to face each other and raised one claw-tipped hand. Charizard's hand quickly dropped to his side, though, as he found himself gripped by paralysis. A set of long claws, radiating a draconic aura, formed on Knight's hand. Knight then lashed out at the paralyzed Charizard, raking his claws across Charizard's body. Charizard growled in pain and staggered back.
"-Seems I have the upperhand.-" Knight said to Charizard with a smirk.
"-Enjoy it while you can.-" Charizard growled back.
"-Knight! Knight! Drag-on-ite! Knight! Knight! Drag-on-ite!-" Pippi chanted, getting back into her cheer routine and waving her fans around.
"Charizard, attack with Slash!"
"Knight, Dragon Claw!"
Both pokemon raised a claw-tipped hand, with Knight's claws becoming enveloped in an orange glow. When they made their attack, bringing their claws toward each other, they blocked each other's attacks. They quickly followed up with their other hands, likewise blocking their attacks with their claws intersecting and going nowhere. They were evenly matched at first, but Charizard was quickly starting to lose ground and was straining with the effort to hold Knight back.
"Charizard, blast Knight with Flamethrower, now!" Charizard opened his mouth and let out a blast of flame, hitting Knight in the face with only a few feet between them. Knight held strong through the attack this time, but it was still enough for Charizard to hold against Knight's attack.
Charizard's tactic didn't help him for long, however. Paralysis soon took effect, causing him to lose his grip entirely. Charizard's hands were pushed out of the way by Knight, and Charizard ceased blasting him with flames as well. This gave Knight a chance to deliver a powerful blow, making an X-shaped slash across Charizard's chest with both claws. Charizard growled in pain and staggered back, clutching his stomach with one hand.
"Ashley's Charizard is pretty strong." Rina thought. "Its a good thing I had Knight use Thunder Wave, this match would probably be a lot closer if I didn't..."
"Knight, use Slam!" Knight whipped his tail around and smacked Charizard with it while Charizard was still reeling from the double Dragon Claw. Charizard took a heavy blow to the gut and was knocked to the ground.
"Charizard's really taking a beating out there..." Ashley thought. Just then, Charizard quickly leaped back to his feet. A red glow surrounded him briefly and the fire burning on the tip of his tail grew larger as well. "Charizard! Lets finish this now, Blast Burn!" Charizard grinned widely and nodded, opening his mouth and beginning to gather a ball of flame for his attack.
"Blast Burn?!" Rina thought frantically. "Knight, quick! Dragon Claw!" Knight raised his hand back, gathering energy in his claws and then jumping toward Charizard to attack. A sudden blast of flame stopped him, though, as he found himself enveloped in an expanding cone of fire. The flames Charizard was spewing out swirled around Knight while expanding in all directions.
Charizard eventually let up and the flames soon died down, and Knight was still standing. His body was scorched, but he held strong and was still ready to make his attack. Knight quickly lashed out at Charizard, slashing vertically down the fire pokemon's stomach. Charizard cried out and collapsed to the ground, falling unconscious while an exhausted Knight stood over him. Despite Ashley's loss, this time her mother did take a picture.
"That one was too good to pass up if you ask me." Catherine said, then handed the picture off to Rolly.
"What are you doing exactly?" Lance asked her, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm taking pictures for Ashley." Catherine explained. "She wants to become a photographer, and I guess she wanted pictures of her battles. Though, getting someone else to take pictures for her doesn't help her much I suppose."
"Ah, right, the photographer..." Lance thought, frowning slightly. "With her skill she could become quite the trainer. On the other hand..." Lance looked over at Ashley curiously as she was preparing to send out another pokemon. "Didn't she once say she had no intention of challenging the Elite Four? I know she's been collecting badges...but why? Has she changed her mind?"
"Ok, Ivysaur, you can handle this one now! Go!" Ashley called out, taking Ivysaur's pokeball in hand and releasing Ivysaur out onto the field.
"-Damn. Its about time.-" Ivysaur said, grinning widely.
"IVYSAUR?!" Rina and Pippi shouted simultaneously.
"-Wait a sec...why are we battling Rina?-" Ivysaur wondered, then took a look at his surroundings. "-Correction...why are we battling Rina in a gym with Lance watching?-"
"Thats right! Bulbasaur finally evolved a stage!" Ashley replied smugly. "Now, Ivysaur, attack Knight with Leech Seed!"
"-Right, screw you if you want an explanation.-" Ivysaur muttered while positioning himself to fire a seed at Knight. "-Dragon over there, seed his ass.-" Ivysaur fired a seed from his flower, but Knight evaded it easily by taking a quick hop back.
"Ok then, lets see how much stronger your Ivysaur is then!" Rina said to Ashley. "Knight, slow Ivysaur down with Thunder Wave!" Knight thrust out his right hand toward Ivysaur, sending out a pulse of electricity. The electricity passed through Ivysaur's body, paralyzing his muscles.
"Well thats getting annoying..." Ashley thought bitterly. "Ivysaur, attack with Leech Seed again!" Ivysaur fired another seed at Knight, moving a bit slower to attack due to paralysis. As a result, Knight easily evaded the attack with another quick hop back.
"Knight, move in and attack with Dragon Claw!" Knight flapped his wings and took off flying low to the ground to move quickly across the field. He then came to a stop and dropped down in front of Ivysaur, raising one hand back while gathering power and then slashing across Ivysaur's backside. Ivysaur let out a low growl and winced in pain.
"Ivysaur, now's your chance! Grab Knight by the head with Vine Whip!" Ivysaur quickly extended a pair of vines from the base of his flower. The vines shot up toward Knight and quickly wrapped around his head, covering his eyes as well and leaving him blinded.
"Use Dragon Claw and shake him off!" Rina called out. Knight gathered energy in his claws and took a swipe at Ivysaur's vines, but only managed to graze them. Ivysaur was still holding on tight.
"Ok! Now for the finishing technique! Ivysaur..." Ashley struck a dramatic pose and pointed toward Knight. "Double Edge!"
"-Shoulda just done that from the start...-" Ivysaur muttered. He jumped toward Knight, throwing himself toward the dragon pokemon in a full body tackle. He then reeled himself in with his vines, pulling himself toward Knight to smash him in the face with Double-Edge. Ivysaur then released his grip on Knight, knocking him out and letting him drop to the ground. Ivysaur landed next to him, shaking off the impact.
"-Wow...I can't believe Bulba...I mean, Ivysaur managed to beat Knight so easily.-" Pippi said, blinking in disbelief.
"The fight with her Charizard took a heavy toll on him." Rina explained to Pippi as she recalled Knight. "It wasn't likely he was going to beat Ivysaur at that point anyway."
"An impressive technique." Lance mused. "Using Vine Whip, Ivysaur can use a tackling technique to greater effect on a larger opponent, like a Dragonite..."
"-Wow...those vines must come in handy a lot.-" Rolly commented. Catherine then handed her most recent picture to him. "-Well, he couldn't do that to me anyway! I'm too small!-" Rolly smiled to himself and then set the picture down with the others.
"That did look pretty impressive. Her father would have been proud of such creativity." Catherine said with a bit of a sorrowful smile as she recalled the few times she had watched her husband battle.
"Geri, go!" Rina called out, releasing her Tangela out onto the field. Ivysaur cringed when he saw the viney pokemon emerge from its pokeball.
"-OH! Do I get to battle now?!-" Geri cried out excitedly. "-Yay! I get to battle my bestest friend!-"
"-Thats about the last pokemon I wanted to battle...-" Ivysaur muttered, shuddering.
"Geri, start off with Sleep Powder!"
"Ivysaur, Poison Powder!"
Ivysaur fired off a burst of purple powder from his flower while Geri moved closer before shaking her body and releasing a green powder toward Ivysaur. Ivysaur's Poison Powder attack hit Geri first, soon followed by Sleep Powder raining down on Ivysaur. Ivysaur dropped to the ground, falling fast asleep, while poison spread through Geri's body.
"Ivysaur won't be able to hurt Geri much because she's a grass type, but the same applies moreso to Geri." Ashley thought to herself. "So, if I wait out the sleep and then mess up Geri a bit more, I can switch to Snorlax and win this!" Ashley smirked, confident in her strategy.
"Geri, dig in with Ingrain and then use Sunny Day!" Rina called out. "Solar Beam is our best chance to cause any harm to Ivysaur." She thought. "Ivysaur can resist the attacks from both my remaining pokemon pretty well though, and so can her Snorlax. I'm in a bit of trouble here I think..."
Geri extended a few vines from the lower part of her body, digging them into the ground. The vines held her in place and drew nourishment from the gym's soil, slowly restoring her health at the same rate she was losing it from poison. She then sent a ray of light up into the roof of the gym. The light spread out, causing a warm glow to shine down on the battlefield.
"Now, Geri, use Solar Beam!" Rina called out. Geri wound up several vines in front of her, forming them into the shape of a pair of cupped hands. Meanwhile, Ivysaur shook off the sleep and opened his eyes.
"Ivysaur, get ready with Sleep Powder!" Ashley called out just before Geri fired off a bright yellow energy beam. The beam lanced across the gym and Ivysaur braced himself for impact, withstanding the attack as the beam broke over his body and pushed him back. He then quickly responded by firing a burst of green powder. The powder floated through the air and sprinkled down around Geri. Her eyes slowly closed and she fell to the ground, fast asleep.
"Ok, now use Synthesis!" Ivysaur nodded and began drawing light to himself. He paused briefly and seemed to struggle to stay standing for a moment as paralysis kicked in, but he was soon over it and gathered light energy through his flower. Thanks to the Sunny Day effect, the Synthesis technique left him fully healed.
"Ok, thats enough for now then." Ashley then said to him, taking his pokeball in hand. "Return!"
"-Can't say I'm complaining for once.-" Ivysaur muttered, taking one last look at the sleeping Geri before disappearing into his pokeball. Ashley then took another pokeball in hand, which had her only other fighting-condition pokemon inside.
"Snorlax, go!" The pokeball opened in Ashley's hand, releasing Snorlax out onto the field for a second shot at battle. However, due to Ivysaur taking so long to use Synthesis, Geri was starting to wake up by the time Snorlax was released.
Tangela slowly opened her eyes and blinked in disbelief when she saw Snorlax. "-Oh wow...-" Geri smiled, though only her eyes showed it. "-She's a big one!-"
"Snorlax, power up with Belly Drum!" Ashley called out, choosing to go with her usual tactic despite Geri waking up. Snorlax pounded on her chest, maximizing her physical attack power but causing injury to herself in the process.
"Geri, Sleep Powder!" Rina commanded Geri, despite knowing Snorlax could attack with Snore. She was solely planning to deny Snorlax the chance to heal and follow up with a powerful attack, crippling Snorlax. Geri proceded to attack as directed, spraying Snorlax with a green powder and immediately sending her to sleep.
"Thats not going to stop Snorlax, Rina, and you know it!" Ashley called out to her. "Snorlax, finish Geri off with Snore!"
"It might not stop her, but it'll leave her weakened!" Rina shot back. "Geri, Solar Beam!"
Geri began twisting her vines around while quickly absorbing energy from the light hanging over the gym. Snorlax let out a loud Snore, sending a shockwave across the gym. Geri managed to fire the beam before the shockwave reached her, but Snorlax easily withstood the blast and barely moved an inch. Geri, however, was quickly thrown back by the shockwave until her anchored vines pulled her back down. She was knocked out immediately, forcing Rina to recall her.
"Well that leaves it two against one now, hopefully there will be at least one good finish." Catherine commented, looking at the camera in her hands. Once again, Snorlax's Snore attack made for a poor photo opportunity.
"Ashley has brought the match down to a two-on-one..." Lance thought to himself. "However, I have a feeling Rina has something up her sleeve..."
"-My turn now, right?-" Pippi eagerly asked Rina. Rina nodded to her, and Pippi quickly dropped her fans and moved out onto the field. "-Ok! Lets do this!-" Pippi grinned widely, her cheeks sparking with electricity.
"Ok, Pippi! Finish what Geri started, Volt Tackle!" Rina called out, pointing across the field toward Snorlax.
"-I knew you'd say that!-" Sparks gathered around Pippi's body as she took off charging across the gym. The electricity continued to build up as she ran, leaving a trail behind her.
"Snorlax, quick! Use Snore again!" Ashley called out desparately. Snorlax opened her mouth to let out a Snore, but Pippi plowed into her first. Snorlax groaned as if she had been punched hard in the chest, which Pippi's Volt Tackle was comparable to relative to Snorlax. Snorlax, woken up by the attack, flailed her arms as she fell back and hit the ground. She tried to push herself back up, but had no energy left and simply collapsed again.
Pippi staggered back from the impact as well, wobbling around a bit and rubbing her head. "-Ow...that one hurt a lot...-" She quickly shook it off, though, and ran back to the other side of the gym as Ashley recalled Snorlax.
Meanwhile, another picture printed off from Ashley's camera. Her mother took a picture shortly after the impact, showing Pippi hitting Snorlax but without any interference on the camera from her electricity. "That was a much better end at least, though that means the battle is tied now and Ashley is down to Ivysaur." Catherine passed off the picture to Rolly, who simply set it down instead of looking for a change.
"-This is getting really interesting now, though!-" Rolly said excitedly after Catherine passed him the picture. "-I think this will be close!-"
"Seems Rina is proving herself quite capable." Lance thought with a smirk. "Of course, its only fair that they'd be equal or near equal. They've faced similar challenges along the way, even if Rina didn't challenge any gyms."
"Looks like its down to our last pokemon each then." Ashley said to Rina with a smirk. "To think, you used to doubt yourself and hated battling."
"I still don't like battling." Rina replied quietly, then allowed a slight smile to cross her lips. "But why would I have any reason to doubt myself now? The Grand Hunters are almost gone, aside from the ones with the legendary pokemon, and I've rescued my parents pokemon. I'm ready for anything now!"
"Legendary pokemon...if my guess is right, each of the remaining five hunters will have one of those." Lance thought, closing his eyes momentarily. "Come to think of it, once this battle is over..." Lance opened his eyes again and looked between the two girls.
"Whats all this about my daughter taking on a criminal organization in your place anyway?" Catherine asked Lance, casting a menacing glare in his direction. Lance felt somewhat unnerved when he looked over and saw the look she was giving him, but quickly cleared his throat and began to explain.
"We needed the help of trainers like them to catch the hunters off guard." Lance said to her. "Of course, we were always nearby ready to lend a hand if needed but we kept out of sight so we wouldn't draw suspicion." Lance was lying to her about having backup ready, of course, but Catherine seemed to buy it as she relaxed slightly when he said this.
"You better have been keeping a very good eye on her." Catherine said coldly.
"I can see this will be one of those days..." Lance thought, rolling his eyes.
"Well, however this ends, I'm glad to have had this battle with you." Ashley said to Rina, then took Ivysaur's pokeball in her hand. "Ivysaur, this is it! Come on out!" The pokeball opened and released Ivysaur out onto the field again, just as the intense light from Geri's Sunny Day was fading.
"-Ah, I see I'm up against the spawn of the demon mouse this time.-" Ivysaur said, grinning and snickering to himself.
"-H-hey! You can't say that about my mother!-" Pippi shot back. "-Rina, let me at this guy!-"
"Just wait, we need to see how Ashley plans to start this..." Rina quietly said to Pippi. Pippi nodded hesitantly, realizing Rina was right.
"Ivysaur, start with Stun Spore!" A cloud of spores fired out of the flower on Ivysaur's back. The spores then began to float toward Pippi, rapidly approaching her.
"Pippi, attack Ivysaur with Surf to counter it!" Pippi nodded and summoned a pillar of water from under her feet. She rose up with the water, but then jumpep back out of it as it was sent speeding off toward Ivysaur. The spores were gathered up by the wave, which then crashed down on top of Ivysaur. Ivysaur coughed and sputtered after the water washed over him, but easily shook it off.
"Thats right, Pippi can use Surf now." Ashley realized. "So she can use that to block Ivysaur's spore or powder attacks rather easily. So back to the usual starting strategy then..."
"Ivysaur, use Leech Seed!" Ivysaur grimaced for a moment as he tried to produce a seed to fire at Pippi. Nothing came of his efforts, however, and instead he fell forward onto his face. His body had become gripped by paraysis again.
"Pippi, now's your chance! Thunderbolt!" Pippi quickly gathered electricity in her cheeks. She then fired a Thunderbolt from her body. The bolt of electricity zipped across the gym and struck Ivysaur, sending a powerful shock through his body. Ivysaur cried out in pain, but when it was all over he shook it off and hopped back up onto his feet.
"-Not bad, kid, but thats nothing compared to the jolt your mother gave me.-" Ivysaur said to Pippi. Pippi growled and clenched her teeth.
"Thanks to that paralysis, Ivysaur's managed to take a bit of a beating..." Ashley thought. "Good thing we can take care of that!"
"Use Synthesis now, Ivysaur!"
"Pippi, hit him hard with Thunder!"
Ivysaur began gathering light to restore his strength with while Pippi gathered static electricity in the air. She then made a motion with her hand, directing a large bolt of electricity that seemed to come out of nowhere. Ivysaur cried out as the powerful lightning bolt passed through him, but the damage was soon repaired once he used the energy he gathered to restore himself.
"Ok, lets think here. Status effects won't work because all of them can be blocked with Surf, and Pippi could probably evade a Leech Seed pretty easily anyway. So how can we do this? Hmm..." Ashley thought for a moment and was soon struck by an idea.
"Ivysaur, grab Pippi with Vine Whip!" Ivysaur extended two vines, reaching across the battlefield toward Pippi. Pippi made no effort to dodge the attack, nor did Rina make an effort to order her to. They both knew that, by grabbing Pippi, Ivysaur was leaving himself more open to Pippi's electric attacks. Ivysaur's vines wrapped tightly around Pippi's body, at which point Rina was ready to call out an attack.
"You've left yourself open, now!" Rina said to Ashley. "Pippi, blast Ivysaur with Thunderbolt! That will make him let go in a hurry!"
"-Take this!-" Pippi send a powerful jolt of electricity through Ivysaur's vines to shock Ivysaur directly. Ivysaur braced himself and managed to shrug off the shock pretty well, managing to keep his grip on Pippi in spite of her attack.
"Ok, Ivysaur, now reel her in and start charging Solar Beam!" Ivysaur grinned as he started to drag Pippi across the gym, while light began to gather into his flower. Pippi struggled against her bindings, trying to pull back, but she wasn't strong enough to hinder Ivysaur in the slightest.
"-Looks like this is where it ends.-" Ivysaur said to Pippi.
"Solar Beam?!" Rina thought, shocked to learn Ivysaur knew the technique now. "Then she must be trying to..." Rina gulped nervously, realizing Ashley's plan.
"Pippi, quick! Try to shake him off with another Thunderbolt!" Pippi launched another Thunderbolt attack through Ivysaur's vines as she drew closer and closer to him. Ivysaur cried out in pain as the electricity shot through him, but again he managed to withstand it and maintained his grip. Worse, the attack brought him into range for Overgrow to activate, causing his body to glow briefly and his flower seemed to grow slightly.
"You know what to do now, Ivysaur!" Ashley called out with a smirk. "Fire the Solar Beam and finish this!"
"Pippi, try to counter it with Volt Tackle!" Rina called out desparately. She wasn't sure if it'd work, but it seemed like her best bet.
Ivysaur lifted Pippi up and positioned her over his flower, while Pippi began charging electricity around her body. Ivysaur let go of Pippi and then blasted her straight up with a Solar Beam attack. Pippi was nearly pushed into the ceiling of the gym before she started to push back against the beam.
Pippi strained with the effort, using her electricity to try to protect herself while pushing back against the beam. The beam was losing strength, but Pippi was still slowly nearing the ceiling. She was only inches away from hitting the ceiling when the energy finally dissipated. The electricity around Pippi's body dispersed and she fell back to the ground, flipping around in the air to land on her hands and feet in front of Ivysaur but then dropping to the ground. She was still conscious, but exhausted from the effort.
"Phew...that was close..." Rina mumbled, breathing a sigh of relief.
"-Geez, you're a persistant one.-" Ivysaur muttered.
"-Like I'd...let you win...that easily...-" Pippi replied weakly. She shakily stood up on her hind legs, slowly regaining her strength to continue the fight.
"I thought that'd end the battle for sure..." Ashley thought, blinking in disbelief. "Ivysaur, use Synthesis!"
"-Well, you might have survived, but unlike me you can't heal.-" Ivysaur said to Pippi, grinning as he started to gather energy.
"Pippi, quick! Finish Ivysaur with Slam!" Pippi gathered her strength and quickly spun around, striking Ivysaur across the face with her tail. Ivysaur reeled back and his legs gave out from under him but, to Pippi and Rina's dismay, it wasn't enough to knock Ivysaur out. Ivysaur continued to gather energy and used it to restore his strength, then hopped back onto his feet.
"If I can hit Pippi with just one attack, this should be over..." Ashley thought. "Ivysaur, attack Pippi with Razor Leaf!"
"Pippi, evade it with Quick Attack!" Rina called out to Pippi. Ivysaur fired a barrage of sharp leaves from the base of his flower, but Pippi quickly shot off to the side to evade the attack. "Now use Double Team!" Pippi focused and split off into multiple images of herself, forming into a semi-circle around Ivysaur.
"-Damn it...-" Ivysaur grumbled.
"Ivysaur, distract Pippi with Sweet Scent!" Ivysaur nodded and released a sweet fragrance from the flower on his back. The scent spread out and Pippi got a whiff of it. Each of the images of her looked like they were in a daze, leaving them open to attack.
"Ok, now sweep across them with Bullet Seed!" Ivysaur turned to the right-most Pippi and began spitting a steady stream of small seeds. He turned quickly, sweeping across the entire group of them until only a single Pippi was left standing in front of Ivysaur. Pippi winced when the seeds hit her, gritting her teeth in pain for a moment before shaking it off.
"Now finish this with Vine Whip!" Ivysaur quickly extended his vines and lashed out at Pippi, bringing them down on her like a pair of whips. Pippi quickly hopped back to evade the attack, but Ivysaur was quick to follow up. He continued trying to whip Pippi with his vines while she continued to flip, hop, and roll out of the way of each. She managed to hold up long enough for Ivysaur's vines to get tired, forcing him to retract them. By then, Pippi had backed away almost to the middle of the gym.
"Wow, Pippi must really be determined to win..." Rina thought, surprised by the manuevers she was pulling to evade Ivysaur's attacks. "Ok, Pippi, fire back with Thunderbolt!" Pippi gathered electricity in her cheeks and then fired a bolt across the gym at Ivysaur. The bolt of electricity passed through Ivysaur, sending a powerful shock through his body.
"-If I keep this up I'm going to evolve into an electric type when this is over...-" Ivysaur growled weakly, shaking off the attack.
"Ivysaur, Synthesis!" Ivysaur began drawing energy to heal himself, but his body ceased up and prevented him from healing any. His paralysis had gone quite a while without causing him any problems, but now he was left open for attack again.
"Ok, Ivysaur could probably survive a Thunderbolt..." Rina thought, gauging her situation. "Pippi's in rough shape, but so is Ivysaur. I think she could handle the recoil from a Volt Tackle."
"Pippi, now's your chance to end this!" Rina called out. "Use Volt Tackle!"
"-Gladly!-" Pippi replied with a grin. "-Volt...-" Pippi chanted while she gathered electricity around her body. She then shouted and took off charging across the gym. "-TAAAAAAACKLE!-"
"No time to heal now! Best I can do is..." Ashley clenched a fist determinedly. "Ivysaur, counter with Tackle!"
"-This plan of your's better work!-" Ivysaur growled, shaking off the paralysis and charging toward Pippi. He didn't get far before the two of them collided, sending a bright flash through the gym from Pippi's Volt Tackle. Both pokemon were thrown back from the impact and knocked off their feet. Ivysaur and Pippi lied unconscious on the ground, both of them knocked out.
"Urk...maybe I should have just used Thunder..." Rina said to herself, realizing her mistake too late. "Wait a minute...does that mean this is a draw?" She wondered, looking at the two unconscious pokemon.
"Neither of them are getting up." Ashley said to Rina. "That last attack took a lot out of both of them, neither of them are getting back up thats for sure."
"Then it is a draw..." Rina blinked and then looked questioningly to Lance. "What do we do if there's a draw?"
"In the event of a draw between a gym leader and their challenger, the challenger is declared the winner and receives their badge." Lance replied. "Rina, as you were taking the role of gym leader for this match, you may give Ashley her badge."
"Well at least I still get my badge then." Ashley thought as she recalled Ivysaur. "Still...it came down to a draw, and against Rina? She really surprised me today..." Rina likewise recalled Pippi and started across the field. Ashley starting walking toward her as well, to meet her in the middle of the gym.
"That battle was amazing. Its just too bad I used up all of Ashley's film..." Catherine looked at the handful of photos she took and chuckled to herself. "I got so carried away in that last battle, it seemed like every move could have ended it. I can't get a picture of Ashley receiving her badge now..."
"-Whats the badge for anyway?-" Rolly wondered. "-I have no idea how these gyms work at all actually. I'll have to look into that!-"
Ashley and Rina stopped when they reached the middle of the field. Ashley held out a hand toward Rina and Rina, mistakenly, held out Ashley's badge to her.
"Umm...I was offering you a handshake..." Ashley said to her.
"Oh...s-sorry..." Rina blushed in her embarassment. She shook Ashley's hand with one hand and rubbed the back of her head with the other.
"That was a great battle, Rina! You're even better than I thought you were." Ashley said to her.
"Thanks, but you're the one who earned the badge!" Rina replied, retracting her hand and then giving Ashley the Earth Badge. Ashley took out her trainer card from her bag and placed her final badge on the card.
"You two battled well." Lance said as he approached the two. "Which is why I now have a favor to ask." Ashley and Rina blinked and looked over at him curiously.
"A favor?" They asked him simultaneously.
"Its about the Grand Hunters." He began. "We know where their base of operations is now, they are located within the Sevii Islands. The remaining five hunters all appear to be gathered there. With the help of the rest of the Elite Four, it is my intention to attack their base directly. Given your history with them, and your battle capabilities, I feel it wouldn't be right if you were left out of this final attack..."
"The final attack on the hunters? Well there's no way I'm going to back down, count me in!" Ashley replied enthusiastically.
"Right, I can't back down now either." Rina said, nodding to Lance. "You should know that already..."
"Of course." Lance nodded solemnly and rested a hand on Rina's shoulder. "Rina, I promise you I will make up for my absence when this is over..."
"Don't I get a say in this?" Catherine asked, casting a stern look at Ashley. Lance looked at her for a moment and then nodded to Ashley.
"We'll be waiting outside..." Lance and Rina walked toward the door and left the gym. They were greeted by a crowd outside, leaving Lance to explain the situation to them while Ashley dealt with her mother.
"You heard him, mom! The Elite Four is going to be there and you just saw how strong my pokemon are!" Ashley said to her mother, determined not to back down from her position.
"I know..." Catherine replied quietly, her expression softening. "I had no idea you were out there facing criminals all this time, do you have any idea how worried I would have been if I knew you were? Especially the Grand Hunters, you know their reputation!"
"-Who are the Grand Hunters anyway?-" Rolly wondered. "-This just raises so many questions...-" Rolly picked up the pictures from the bench and hopped down to stand next to Catherine.
"You already became an alcoholic just because I was gone, how much worse could it have been?" Ashley thought.
"Mom, I'll be fine..." Ashley said quietly, trying to sound reassuring. "They were never a big deal anyway, they all just use one pokemon. They'd have to be a lot stronger than my pokemon to be a threat, which they're not. Its six against one, though, so the odds are in my favor anyway!"
"If you say so..." Catherine let out a sigh. "Just promise me you'll be careful..."
"Don't worry about it! We'll beat them all and be back before the day is out!" Ashley replied confidently. "So stop worrying! Besides, I've already faced these guys a while ago and they were pushovers then too"
"I'll take your word for it then." Catherine replied, chuckling lightly. Ashley and her mother finally exited the gym, by which point the crowd was starting to disperse. Lance and Rina were sitting on his Aerodactyl waiting for the.
"Ready to go, then?" Lance asked Ashley. Ashley gave no response, she was at a loss for words when she saw the prehistoric pokemon Lance was riding. "Is there something wrong?" Lance asked her, raising an eyebrow.
"Umm...n-nothing..." Ashley replied, smiling nervously. "We're fine! Think we can give my mom a lift home first, though?"
"Of course." Lance replied with a nod. "I will explain the situation on the way."
"By the way...whats with the Aerodactyl?" Ashley asked him.
"I came here to investigate a rogue Aerodactyl, I thought it would be easier to find if I had my own with me." Lance explained. "Why do you ask?"
"N-no reason..." Ashley replied while rubbing the back of her head. Catherine looked at her suspiciously, knowing full well her daughter was hiding something, but said nothing.
"I wonder what happened to that Aerodactyl anyway?" Rina wondered, remembering the message left for the Viridian gym leader. "Oh well, someone must have caught it I guess..."
Author's Notes: I was planning to have this up last night, and probably could have if I stayed up another half an hour or so. However, toward the end, I realized the Pippi/Ivysaur battle I originally had seemed like a bit of a copout. It originally had Pippi being knocked out by Ivysaur's Solar Beam, so I decided to have her narrowly survive instead and draw out the battle to a draw. This chapter, combined with the last chapter, would have totalled about 33+ pages in word pad with 12-pt Arial font.
Ended up leaving out some character development for Snorlax. Originally, the battle between Snorlax and Tangela was going to draw out a bit with Snorlax taking constant damage and eventually getting annoyed enough to attack. The way it was set up didn't make much sense, though, so Snorlax finally deciding to get up off her fat ass and attack will just have to be left for another chapter.
Also, in the last chapter's notes I said this would set up for Chapter 35. But when I said that, I was thinking of this chapter as 34. So really, chapter 34 is when stuff happens. In other words, next chapter will start another two-parter.
