Chapter 59
Being a part of the Trainers battling in the Pokémon League competition was certainly a thrilling experience, but it was quite a different one being in the stands at one than watching it on the television. With Brock sitting beside him and screaming fans all around him, Ash sat in the stands of the rock battlefield where he himself had fought in his second round match. His seat wasn't fantastic, but they were at least free because he was a competitor in the league. But it would suffice, as he was able to see the battlefield clearly, and saw as the Trainers battling retrieved their first Poké Balls.
On the green side was a Trainer named Melissa, a young Trainer with messy turquoise hair. It seemed that she didn't care about her appearance, and almost gave her the look of a male. Across from her, on the red Trainer's box, was his childhood rival Gary Oak. This was Gary's fourth round match, and with Ash's match on the grass field not starting until later, he decided to scope out just how much Gary had improved since their last match.
"Let the battle begin!" the referee called, raising both flags into the air.
"Nidoking, I choose you!"
"Go, Gengar!" Both Trainers threw their choices forward, and a pair of flashes lit up both ends of the arena. On Gary's side, his familiar Pokémon let out a roar as it slammed on the ground. Across from it, a dark purple Pokémon with a menacing grin appeared.
"Gengar!" it sneered.
"I remember Gengar..." Ash muttered quietly, a pulled out his Pokédex to scan the new Pokémon.
"Gengar, a Shadow Pokémon. The evolved form of Haunter. Details about this Pokémon are unknown."
"The first round is going to see Gary's Nidoking go up against Melissa's Gengar. That smile just sends a shiver down your spine, but Nidoking's horn isn't going to be piercing that Ghost Pokémon!"
"Gengar, Hypnosis!" Melissa began. Gengar chuckled mischievously and floated into the air before clapping its hands together and holding them forward. Dark rings of energy pulsed out of them, expanding outward as they traveled toward Gary's Nidoking.
"Nidoking, dodge it, and use your Horn Attack!" the Pallet Town prodigy ordered. Despite it being such a heavy-looking Pokémon, Nidoking moved to the side and ducked behind a large pillar of rock so the sleep-inducing waves would pass by it. Once they were out of range, with a heavy roar, it charged forward with its head lowered. Melissa smirked as she watched this happen.
"How did you get this far without knowing that Normal-type moves don't work on Ghost-types?" she asked with a smug attitude.
"Oh, we're not aiming for Gengar," Gary retorted with his own smug grin. As quickly as his showed up, hers disappeared. Looking back down on the battlefield, Nidoking's powerful horn sunk into a stalagmite and shattered it. The rocks and debris from the powerful attack went flying, and pelted Gengar. Like its Trainer, its own grin faded and it flinched in pain before falling to the ground and landing on its back.
"Now that's what I call using the battlefield to their advantage! Normal-type attacks don't work on the ghastly Ghost-types, but flying rocks sure do! It's a makeshift rock slide!"
"Now Nidoking, Earthquake!"
Ash gasped as Nidoking raised its tree-trunk-like leg and slammed it into the dirt beneath it. The whole stadium began to rock violently, showing the extend of the Earthquake attack's power. But no one was feeling it more than Gengar, who was having trouble getting back up onto its feet. A rock formation beside it collapsed and rained down all over it once again, but this time, the rocks covered it over. Finally, the residual effects from the earthquake stopped.
"Gengar!" Melissa called, almost falling over the railing as she peered down to see if she could see her Pokémon through the rubble. A small aftershock moved some of the rocks, and only Gengar's face could be seen, but it was clear that Gengar wasn't getting up after that.
"Gengar is unable to battle! Nidoking wins!" the referee declared.
"And it's over before it's even started! A two-hit combo move brings Gary Oak one victory closer to the finish line of this battle! It's clear to see why many fans have been keeping an eye on this Pokémon Trainer." Ash felt a pang of dread freeze his stomach, and his eyebrows pulled together from annoyance as he looked down at Melissa recalling her first Pokémon.
"I was hoping to save this one for last, but now I have no choice," Melissa stated before pulling out a Poké Ball. "Go, Poliwhirl!" A burst of light poured out of the Poké Ball that was thrown, and a dark blue amphibious Pokémon appeared on a rock formation.
"Poliwhirl!"
"Melissa has chosen Poliwhirl as her second Pokémon!"
"A Water-type to go up against the Ground and Rock Pokémon that were sure to appear on this field," Gary commented, his lips showing the slightest hint of a smirk. "Nidoking, Tackle attack!"
"Poliwhirl, Submission!" The two Pokémon dove at each other, and met in the middle of the arena. But at the last moment, Poliwhirl reached a gloved hand up and wrapped it around Nidoking's horn before flipping its body around up and over Nidoking. The Ground and Poison Pokémon was forced off its feet and was twirled with Poliwhirl before the Tadpole Pokémon tossed Nidoking effortlessly into a stalagmite.
"Wow, that Poliwhirl's strong!" Brock commented. "You can tell Melissa raised her Pokémon really well."
"Now Poliwhirl, Water Gun!" The order came out as soon as Nidoking crashed into the rock obstacle, and just as quickly, Poliwhirl took in a breath and fired a stream of water from the center of its stomach out at Nidoking. The water attack took Nidoking off its feet and it smashed through the rock behind it before sliding to the ground.
Gary's dark eyes watched with minor concern as Nidoking stopped with dirt in its now-matted fur and slowly picked itself up. But Gary didn't call out another attack, and instead held out Nidoking's Poké Ball. "Nidoking, return!"
"Gary's switching out his Nidoking after it took a direct hit from a Super-effective Water Gun attack. A smart move on the young Trainer's part, but which choice will he bring out next?"
The MC's question was answered as Gary replaced Nidoking's Poké Ball with another. "Venusaur, I choose you!" Seconds later, Gary's starter Pokémon appeared on the battlefield.
"Saaauuurrr!" it cried. The Grass-type Pokémon's blooming flower stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the earthy tones of the battlefield, which drew even more attention to it.
"There's Gary's starter..." Ash murmured as the crowd cheered.
"And Melissa's looking pretty nervous about it, too," Brock added with his arms crossed over his chest. But despite the nerves, Melissa was the first to command her Pokémon.
"Poliwhirl, DoubleSlap!" The Water-type glared at its new opponent and dashed forward, and as it closed the distance between it and the bulky Grass Pokémon before it, it raised its gloved hand high into the air in preparation.
"Venusaur, Vine Whip!" Gary countered, and his Pokémon gave a slight utter of its name before a pair of vines lashed out from under the leaves on its back like deadly snakes and struck Poliwhirl with a slashing noise through the air. Poliwhirl flew backwards off its feet, and before it could land, Gary followed up with another attack. "Now use Razor Leaf!"
"Venusaur!" his Pokémon cried, and sent a flurry of razor sharp leaves out at Melissa's Pokémon. The leaves struck it whilst the Water-type was in midair, and it let out a loud yell before plummeting to the ground.
"Poliwhirl is unable to battle!" the ref called after giving Melissa's Pokémon a once-over. "Venusaur wins!"
"The star of Gary's team, Venusaur comes out and instantly adds another win to Oak's belt."
Melissa ran her fingers through her messy turquoise hair, both as a way to try and calm down and out of frustration. Ash couldn't imagine what she was going through – to get this far and to have her back against the wall. But as his eyes looked across at Gary and his hint of a smirk, he noticed something odd. Not odd, but missing. The lack of annoying voices. And that was when he realized: Gary didn't have his usual posse of cheerleaders behind him.
Ash meant to vocalize this to Brock, but when he opened his mouth, Melissa had selected her next Pokémon. "Go, Golem!" A flash of light erupted from the ball launched from her fingertips, and a large Pokémon resembling a living boulder appeared.
"Golem!" it cried.
"Now Melissa is down to one Pokémon while Gary still has all three; will this be the end of the road for Melissa?"
"He got lucky," Ash murmured, but Brock made a hum of disapproval.
"I don't think so," he said, and Ash turned his head to his friend. "Melissa has definitely trained her Pokémon well, but Gary has just been one step ahead of her the whole match."
"Venusaur, SolarBeam!" Gary cried with a point of his index finger forward.
"Saurr!" his Pokémon responded, and began to pull sunlight into the flower's pistil on its back.
"Golem, Rock Throw!" Melissa ordered. Despite having her back against the wall, her voice was cool as a cucumber. Her Pokémon gave a growl of response and launched itself into the air before bringing its full body weight down on Venusaur. The Pokémon couldn't move because it was gathering energy for its attack, so it simply flinched in pain. "Golem, Seismic Toss!" Not giving Venusaur any room to gain its bearings, Golem grabbed Venusaur's head into its three-fingered claws and attempted to lift it.
"Knock it back, Venusaur!" the Pallet Town Trainer instructed. Venusaur's four feet dug into the earth beneath it as it tried with all of its might not to be picked up by Golem. The two struggled in a small grapple before the Grass-type whipped its head up. The sudden move sent Golem rolling back. "Do it now, Venusaur!"
"Venu... SAUR!" Its loud battle cry rung through the stadium as a beam of bright energy fired from the flower on its back. Golem's eyes only had a chance to widen before it was enveloped by the powerful Grass-type attack. Silence covered over the stands like a thick fog as everyone waited on the edge of their seats for the results of the attack, and finally, they came.
"This battle goes to Gary!" the referee declared. Once their eyes adjusted to the fading light, they could see that Golem was completely knocked out on its backside.
"He's done it! After a fierce battle, Gary has won the match in his fourth consecutive Pokémon League victory!"
"I can't believe it..." Ash murmured as the cold grip of nerves clasped his insides, forcing him to bite his lip.
o 0 o
"Gary!" Ash ran through the crowd just in time to see his rival leaving the stadium. Like a moth to a flame, he was able to find out where Gary was from the sound of his cheerleaders calling excitedly to him. When he heard his name, the auburn-haired Trainer stopped and instantly, his dark eyes flickered over to Ash. "Gary..."
"So, you were watching my match, huh?" he asked with a small hint of a smirk. Before Ash could open his mouth to retort, he interrupted. "Don't worry, I've been watching yours as well." This surprised the black-haired Trainer even more, and his eyebrows raised slightly. "I told you: I'm going to be the one that knocks you out of this competition. So make sure that you win your next match, okay?"
Ash opened and closed his mouth like a fish. It was as if his brain knew what he wanted to say, but the words crumbled before they made it past his tongue. With a small smirk, Gary closed his eyes and stuck his nose in the air before going off with his cheerleaders in tow. "Gary, Gary, he's the best; Gary, Gary beats the rest!" He watched silently as his rival disappeared from view amongst the sea of people, and finally, his vision fell to the concrete beneath his feet.
"I can't believe how strong Gary is..." Ash murmured. "Was he that strong when he battled against me?" Two months before the Pokémon League, he and Gary had had a Pokémon battle that ended in a tie, and the entire thing flashed through his mind's eye in a fraction of a second. "I don't know... should I quit while I'm ahead?" A shadow crossed over his sneakers, and he looked up to see that his traveling companion had caught up to him after Ash left him in the stands to talk with Gary, and a knowing smile was planted on his face while his palms rested on his hips. "Brock!"
"Listen, you're a great Trainer, and as long as I'm around, you're not even gonna think about quitting, okay?" Ash exhaled the extra air in his lungs and slightly deflated, but Brock kept his smile. "I believe in you."
"Okay, I guess you win," he replied quietly, trying not to let Brock see the small smile that was curling the corners of his lips.
"Now, I think you have a match to win on the Grass field, don't you?" the former Gym Leader asked rhetorically, and Ash now lifted his head and grinned a toothy grin at his friend.
"Right!"
o 0 o
"Our next Trainers are coming onto the grass field for the fourth round!" The announcer's voice gave way to screams of joy that signaled the start of the match, and with a newfound invigoration in his system thanks to Brock, Ash stood on the green Trainer's box as it shifted beneath his feet and rose from the ground. "The green Trainer is Pallet Town's Ash Ketchum!" The Trainer's box clicked to a stop, and he glanced behind him. As per his request, Brock wasn't there to coach him. He needed to do this last round by himself. If Gary could do it without his cheerleaders, Ash could do it without Brock.
"And now the red Trainer is coming out onto the field!" Seconds passed with silence, and suddenly, a red carpet was spit out of the darkness coming out from the hallway behind the red Trainer's box. Ash's eyebrows furrowed together in wonder as he tried to make sense of what was happening. Slowly, a figure appeared through the dark.
Walking along the rolled out carpet with her eyes closed, she walked with elegant and grace while an older man trailed behind her, throwing out flower petals with each step she took. She was breathtaking, and her long dark violet hair was tied up in a traditional way that matched her floral kimono. Once the sun fully embraced her body, she opened her viridian eyes and smirked across at Ash. "Jeanette Fisher from Crimson City!"
"I am honored," she said lightly before stepping up onto her platform. Just then, the crowd to their right loudly began to chant, almost in a reflection of Gary's cheerleaders.
"Jeanette, Jeanette, she's the greatest Trainer yet!" they all chanted in unison. "Jeanette, Jeanette, she's the greatest you can get!" But unlike Gary's cheerleaders, there were much more of them, and even some males among them. Not only did they also hold posters praising her, but some even played a fanfare of instruments.
"It looks like our opponents are ready to face off!"
The referee in the middle of the field looked at both Ash and Jeanette and gave them each a nod before raising his flags in the air. "Trainers, go!"
Instantly, Ash was prepared with his first choice, and immediately plucked his selection of Poké Ball from his belt before twisting his cap backward and tossing it forward. "I choose you, Bulbasaur!"
"Bulbasaur!" his Pokémon cried as it jumped through the air upon being released.
Seeing Ash's choice, Jeanette closed her eyes, and then opened them once she made a decision. "My Pokémon should create quite a buzz. Beedrill, go!" With a backwards flick of her arm, the Poké Ball flew out from her palm and burst open, releasing a large bee-like Pokémon.
"Speee!"
The Poison Bee Pokémon didn't look too intimidating, and neither did its Trainer, but Ash knew better than to judge based on appearances. Either way, as he took in a breath to call out his first order, Jeanette beat him to it. "Beedrill, Tackle attack!" A loud buzzing erupted from Beedrill's clear wings as it shot down at Ash's Bulbasaur like a yellow blur. The Grass-type Pokémon saw this incoming and knelt closer to the ground in preparation for the strike, and right before Jeanette's Pokémon was going to slam into it, Bulbasaur jumped high into the air to dodge it.
"Bulba-zaur!"
It and Ash were in sync, and as Bulbasaur twisted its body around in midair to face the ascending Beedrill, Ash spat out his own command. "Bulbasaur, Razor Leaf!"
Jeanette wasn't going to let Ash land a single hit, it seemed, and she instantly countered. "Beedrill counterattack Bulbasaur with your Twineedle now!"
"Bulbasaur!" the Seed Pokémon cried, and as it landed in the grassy arena, it let loose a spiraling stream of leaves from its bulb up at Beedrill. The Bug and Poison Pokémon didn't hesitate in swooping toward the Razor Leaf attack, and weaved back and forth through it, skillfully dodging the razor-sharp leaves before reaching its opponent. Unfortunately, the Grass attack was cut short without a hit as Beedrill began to repeatedly jab its arm stingers at Bulbasaur's head. Continuing to close in on Bulbasaur at the same time, Bulbasaur twisted its body back and forth and was forced to move backward with each jab of Beedrill's Twineedle.
"Good! Now Poison Sting!" Not skipping a beat, Beedrill retreated its arm stingers only to switch with its abdomen stinger, and jabbed at Bulbasaur with the sharp appendage back and forth in the same manner. Though it was much slower than the pair of stingers, Bulbasaur was still forced to twist its body this way and that to avoid getting stung by the poisonous attack. All the while, it was still being pressed backwards, closer and closer to the opposite side of the arena.
Ash sat staring with his hands gripping the metal of the railing. The bum rush of attacks was quickly throwing off his game, and he needed a way to get back into it. "She's winning..." he grumbled. "Bulbasaur, Leech Seed!"
"Bul... ba!" Trying to put some distance between them, Bulbasaur leapt backwards and as it landed, a small seed sprouted from the opening in its bulb. "Saur!" With a cry, the seed was launched up at Beedrill and it planted itself directly on the tip of its stinger. It only looked down with a cocked head before four vines sprouted from the seed and quickly wrapped themselves around Beedrill's body. The Poison Bee Pokémon gave a cry of surprise, which soon turned into pain as red energy sizzled and surrounded its body.
Across the battlefield, Jeanette gasped and leaned forward over her Trainer box. "No!" she exclaimed as Beedrill, who could no longer flap its wings and stay airborne due to being restrained, plummeted and fell to the grass below.
"Bulbasaur, finish it!" Ash declared, and his Pokémon immediately rushed forward on all four before stopping in front of its opponent and giving it a powerful headbutt. The helpless Bug Pokémon flew through the air and landed on its back. Soon, the vines around it stopped glowing red, and they detached themselves from Beedrill before the seed was discarded into the ground. Finally free, Beedrill's arms and legs slumped along with the rest of its body.
"Beedrill is out of the match!" As the scoreboard deducted a glowing box from Jeanette's side, her eyes flashed with annoyance and Ash smirked.
"Yes!" But despite this, Jeanette's fans could be heard calling out amongst the noise of the crowd.
"Jeanette, Jeanette, our girl isn't finished yet!" A glare was shot out at the direction where the cheers were coming from, and Ash almost would have rathered hearing Gary's cheerleaders at this point. Movement caught Ash's attention, and as Bulbasaur trotted back to its own side of the battlefield, Jeanette recalled her Beedrill back into its Poké Ball.
In her other hand, she already had another Poké Ball waiting, and she held it forward. "This one won't be so easy!" she promised, and swung her arm. "Gooo... Scyther!" The ball opened up, and from the inside let out a bright green Pokémon with long scythes for arms.
"Scyyyther!" it shrilled, its wings buzzing as it steadied itself through the air and landed on its feet.
"Woah, a Scyther..." Ash murmured. It was certainly a powerful Pokémon to contend with, but he believed in Bulbasaur.
As with the start of the last round, the referee looked at the two Pokémon and could see that they were ready, and raised his flags in the air. "Let the battle begin!" And very similar to how the first round started, Jeanette was the first to give a command.
"Scyther, use your Slash attack now!" Scyther's wings began to hum as it lifted off the ground and sped toward Bulbasaur.
"Scyther, Scy!" it declared, and swung one of its scythes at Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur quickly stepped back to avoid the slice, but Jeanette's Pokémon were all trained very similarly, and it was quickly forced to step backwards, weave back and forth, and jump around as Scyther unleashed a flurry of Slash attacks.
"Now Scyther, Swift attack!" she ordered. Not even giving itself a minute to breathe, Scyther hovered backwards and began to slash at the air repeatedly and moving its arms so fast that they could barely be seen. Green blades of energy shot out at Bulbasaur, and though the Grass and Poison Pokémon was able to just dodge and jump over some of them, a good number of them were able to land their mark.
"Bulbasaur, Vine Whip!" Ash countered. He needed to do something to put the brakes on Jeanette's oncoming victory. Sidestepping a Swift attack, Bulbasaur jumped backwards and sent out a pair of vines from under its bulb at Scyther, but the Mantis Pokémon didn't falter in its attack in the slightest, and the vines were repelled by a combination of the powerful offensive shield Scyther was putting up, and the Swift attack itself.
"Bulba?!" Bulbasaur exclaimed, and Ash let out a cry of surprise along with it.
"Good job, Scyther! Now let's show 'em how to really cut Bulbasaur's Vine Whip down to size!" When Bulbasaur pulled its vines back into its body, Scyther landed firmly on the ground, and suddenly, its whole body began to shimmer in a rainbow light. When the light faded, two more of the Bug Pokémon formed, coming out of either side of its body. Ash's eyes widened, and he blinked, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him. "You'll lose twice as fast against Scyther's Double Team!"
Bulbasaur was completely thrown off by the fact that there were now three Scyther that it had to worry about, and its head whipped back and forth to try and figure out which one was the real one. Meanwhile, Jeanette's fans seemed to think that she already had the round in the bag. "Jeanette, Jeanette, Double Team will beat him yet! Jeanette, Jeanette!"
While this brought a smirk to Jeanette's face, Ash didn't find it amusing. "Bulbasaur, Vine Whip now!"
"Bulbaaaa!" Wanting to get rid of a potential target, Bulbasaur sent out two vines from its bulb straight ahead, aiming for the Scyther in the middle. But as the vines made contact with it, the Scyther disappeared, and they simply reached past it.
"Try the... right one!"
"Bulba-saur!" Curling its vines up and backward, the Scyther it was aiming at simply looked over its shoulder, and as the vines made contact with it, like the previous one, the clone disappeared. They had guessed wrong both times.
With both clones gone but their jobs done, Scyther cried out and hovered off its feet before dashing forward with one of its claws extended forward. Bulbasaur only had time to cry out and widen its eyes before Scyther drove its scythe into it. "Bulbasaur just can't cut it against Scyther," Jeanette smirked.
Still in the air, Bulbasaur snapped back from the strike and landed on its feet, but as quickly as it had, Scyther whipped around and dove at it again. This time, Bulbasaur was prepared and skillfully sidestepped, however Scyther quickly swooped around and continued to make figure eights in the grass to try and hit its opponent. "It looks like Bulbasaur is about to get mowed down by Scyther!" the MC commentated.
Ash's lips peeled back from his teeth in frustration. Bulbasaur was quickly getting fatigued from all the dodging, and it was slowing down, evidenced by Scyther now landing hits on it left and right. Finally, with one powerful hit, Bulbasaur was knocked through the air and out of Scyther's aiming zone. "Bulbasaur, Razor Leaf, now!" Ash recited quickly since they finally had a moment.
"Bulbasaur!" his Pokémon called, and sent out a wave of spinning leaves from the front of its bulb out at Scyther. Instead of dodging, Scyther flew toward the leaves and just before the leaves were about to hit it, it used Double Team once again and split into three. The three Scyther all shot out in different directions. "Saur!" Ash's Pokémon panicked upon seeing this, and instinctively shot out a Vine Whip attack at the front Scyther. Instead of taking it, Scyther barrel rolled through the vines' strikes and shot at it. The other two Scyther copied its movements, and they all closed in on Bulbasaur with their scythes extended.
"Oh, no! Bulbasaur, look out!" Bulbasaur's head whipped from side to side, but all three Bug Pokémon met in the middle and crashed into it, sending the Grass Pokémon high into the air.
"Bulbaaaa!" it cried.
"Bulbasaur!" Ash exclaimed, and then an idea lit up above his head and raised his eyebrows. "Hey, wait. Use your Vine Whip against all three!" Now they were on the same wavelength. Bulbasaur's red eyes flashed open and it grinned before sending out its vines. Now that it was up in the air, it had an aerial view of the field, and it sent its vines out at opposite sides. The two vines hit the left and right Scyther at the same time, and they disappeared upon impact. This quickly gave Bulbasaur time to bring its vines together and lash out, driving the bulbous ends into the real Scyther's chest. It wasn't done with that, and it kept pushing onward with its vines, not stopping until it forced the Bug Pokémon down onto its back. When the Mantis Pokémon stopped struggling and slumped down, Bulbasaur landed and retracted its vines.
"The Scyther has been defeated!" the referee announced, raising the green flag in his left hand.
"All right, Bulbasaur!" Ash praised with a smile. Now Jeanette only had one Pokémon left, and if he won this next battle, he would win the match. He tried not to be too excited as he saw the look of annoyance and disappointment cross Jeanette's face, and she held up Scyther's Poké Ball and drew it inside before pressing it close to her chest. "Two down, and one to go!"
"Jeanette's down to her last Pokémon as she's forced to play catch-up with Ketchum!"
"It's victory time," he smirked quietly to himself. After a Beedrill and a Scyther, there wasn't much left that Jeanette had up her sleeve that could scare him. Finally, Jeanette made her decision and drew her Poké Ball.
"Goo... Bellsprout!" The Poké Ball opened in the middle, and from the light formed a skinny flower-like Pokémon with a yellow head.
"Saur?" Bulbasaur asked with its head cocked. Even Ash seemed thrown off by the decision, and he looked as the Pokémon scratched the side of its head and gave Bulbasaur a coy grin through narrow eyes.
"Bellsprout," it uttered.
"Why would she save a Bellsprout to battle last?" he asked rhetorically, and then grinned with pity and shrugged. "Unless she ran out of strong Pokémon and doesn't have anything left but a puny little Bellsprout."
"This looks like a desperation move by young Fisher."
"Bellsprout, get ready," Jeanette said with a smirk, ignoring the murmurs that circled around the audience.
"Bulbasaur, get set!" Ash added. The two Pokémon trotted closer together in front of the ref, and he raised his flags.
"Go!"
"This is gonna be the shortest match in Pokémon League history!" Ash began. "Bulbasaur, take it down!" Bulbasaur ran on all fours to close the distance between it and Bellsprout, but the Flower Pokémon just stood in place without any guard at all. Giving all it had, Bulbasaur launched itself through the air at Bellsprout. "All right!"
But seconds before it was going to make contact with its opponent, Bellsprout leaned backwards to dodge, and then grabbed Bulbasaur by its front legs and tossed it backwards all in one fell swoop. Bulbasaur's face planted into the grass and it bounced before landing upside down. Ash let out an audible gasp as Bellsprout pulled itself back upright and glanced its tiny eyes back at Bulbasaur over its shoulder. "Go Bellsprout! Go Bellsprout! When this one battles, you better watch out! Go Bellsprout! Go Bellsprout!"
Getting knocked on its back by a Bellsprout didn't sit right with Bulbasaur, and it jumped back onto its feet and slammed its foot into the ground angrily before trying again. The Seed Pokémon ran forward to try and slam into Bellsprout again, but when it jumped, Bellsprout caught Bulbasaur's legs in its leaves and used the momentum of its jump to swing it around in a circle before tossing it right back where it originated.
"Bulbasaur!" Ash yelled as his Pokémon ate dirt once again. "I can't believe what's happening...!"
"It looked like this match was over, but Bellsprout sprung into action, and now this mighty mite has Bulbasaur sucking the sauce!"
"Bell-sprout!" Jeanette's Pokémon uttered with an expressionless face.
"Make Bulba-sore!" Jeanette joked, and threw her head back and laughed at her own pun. While Bulbasaur was still down from Bellsprout's throw, the puny Grass Pokémon casually trotted up to its opponent and held onto its back leg with a single leaf. Using incredible strength, Bellsprout lifted up Bulbasaur and used a powerful Slam to swing the Grass Pokémon over its head and slam it into the ground. But it didn't stop there, and continued to swing and slam it over and over again. After repeating this five or six times, Bellsprout spun its body and released Bulbasaur's foot, sending the Grass Pokémon flying. The Seed Pokémon cried out while it flew through the air, and didn't stop until it slammed into the Trainer's box Ash was standing on, and slowly slid down onto its stomach.
Seeing this, the referee ran over and quickly inspected Bulbasaur before raising up the red flag. "Bulbasaur is out of the match!"
"Ah, no!" Ash yelled.
"Bellsprout wins, and Ketchum is down one Pokémon!"
"Bellsprout, Bellsprout! You're the best without a doubt! Bellsprout, Bellsprout!"
Not sure if he was more disappointed or embarrassed, he pulled out Bulbasaur's Poké Ball and wordlessly recalled it inside. "Okay." Placing Bulbasaur's shrunken Poké Ball back on his belt, he retrieved another one. He already knew exactly who he would choose. "Charmeleon, let's go!" A few seconds and a flash of light later, and Ash's second choice came together in the form of the red Fire-type Pokémon.
"Char!" it growled, and across the battlefield, Jeanette gasped and slapped her hands over her mouth. This action gave Ash a small confidence-boost.
The two Pokémon walked closer to each other in front of the referee, and he raised his flags. "Let the battle begin!"
Knowing that Fire had the advantage over Grass, Ash immediately jumped into action. "Charmeleon, Flamethrower!" he called with a smirk. Pulling in oxygen through its nostrils, Charmeleon let it out in a stream of orange flames that sailed at Bellsprout. But the flexible Flower Pokémon dipped backwards and easily backflipped away from the attack. When Charmeleon's brow thickened in confusion, it moved its head, but Bellsprout skillfully jumped over the Super-effective attack.
Jeanette's confidence was slowly coming back as well, and she planted her hands on her hips and sneered. "Razor Leaf, now!"
"Bellsprout! Bellsprout!" Waving the leaves on the side of its body once each, a pair of razor-sharp leaves like spinning Frisbee's came shooting out at Charmeleon. The Fire-type Pokémon jumped over the first leaf coming for its legs, and then quickly ducked under the second one at its head. The two leaves continued backwards until they reached a boulder on the side of the arena, but instead of stopping, they went through the boulder, and as they finally landed, the rock separated and the tops of where they had been cut slid off.
"A double-edged Razor Leaf! This is one spectacular sprout!"
"If that hits us, we're over!" Ash said with worry clear in his voice upon seeing the gruesome display. "If only there was a way to get Bellsprout to stop moving around..." Another idea flashed in his head, and his face lit up instantly. "That's it! Charmeleon! Try your Fire Spin attack!"
"Chaaaarrr..." Charmeleon began, pulling in another gulp of air before releasing it. "Meleon!" Like before, the stream of orange fire shot out at Bellsprout, and like before, Bellsprout leaned in order to dodge it, but instead of flying over it, the flames curled around, stopping Bellsprout from completing its somersault.
"Sprout?" the Grass Pokémon questioned. Jeanette gasped as the flames circled in the grass, and trapped Bellsprout in them while at the same time slowly rising in the air. Bellsprout's head whipped back and forth as it tried to find an out, but it was hopeless, and soon the flames completely enveloped it.
"Bellsprout!"
"That's it! It's all over!" Ash grinned. The seconds passed like years until the fire tornado faded, and when it did, the grass where it had began from was burnt to a crisp. In the center lay Bellsprout, charred and brown. The referee ran up onto the field to inspect it, but only looked at it for a moment before raising his flag.
"Bellsprout is out of the match, and the fourth round victory goes to green Trainer, Ash Ketchum!" A fanfare of screams and cheers echoed through the stadium, and Ash added his own to it, pumping his fist high in the air and jumping excitedly in victory.
"Yeeeaaaaaahhhhh!"
Confetti cannons shot out from four sides of the battlefield as per tradition of a Trainer winning all four field rounds, but the Pallet Town Trainer didn't pay any attention to this and climbed down hurriedly off the Trainer's box and rushed up to his Charmeleon. "We did it, Charmeleon!" he exclaimed with his arms wide open. Charmeleon grinned a toothy smile and jumped into its Trainer's arms.
Across from him, Jeanette walked across the grass, and despite having lost, she had a small smile on her face as she picked up her defeated Bellsprout and cradled it in her arms. "I'm very proud of the way you battled, Bellsprout. Let's go home." And without another glance toward Ash and his Charmeleon, she left the battlefield.
o 0 o
In the locker room of the Grass field, Ash was soon met by Brock. "Congratulations on making it past all four rounds, Ash!" he congratulated.
"Thanks!" Ash couldn't help but grin from ear-to-ear, and Charmeleon standing beside him seemed to be feeling the same way. But before anything else could be said, two more people came in, and Ash gasped and stood upon seeing them. "Mom! Professor Oak!"
"Hi, honey!" his mother greeted with a smile and wave.
"We hoped to make it here before your last match ended, but it seems we were a bit too late," Professor Oak explained. "But either way, congratulations to both you and Gary are in order."
"You didn't make it to Gary's match, either?" Ash questioned, and the gray-haired professor shook his head.
"No, but I hear he performed admirably. In fact, I've watched all of his matches, and I must say, Ash, thank you."
"Thank you?" the Pallet Town boy repeated. "For what?"
"Your battle with Gary instilled something in him that I have been trying to teach him from the very beginning: that along the road there are always a few bumps. Until then, his Pokémon journey has been a smooth one. But when he saw that you had quickly caught up with your training as opposed to his own, he reshaped his efforts and trained as hard as he could in preparation for this tournament." Ash seemed dumbfounded by the explanation, and stared on in silence.
"Now that you mention it, Gary has been a little different since your battle," Brock agreed with a finger curled around his chin in thought.
"Yes, and I look forward to seeing you two go up against each other in the upcoming league," Professor Oak said.
"And I'll be behind you one hundred percent," Mrs. Ketchum added. The thought of a stronger Gary left a heavy feeling in Ash's stomach, and he couldn't help but wonder... just how strong had Gary gotten?
-end-
Ash:
Party:
Blastoise (Poké Ball)
Moves: Skull Bash, Dig, Hydro Pump, Withdraw
Pidgeotto (Poké Ball)
Moves: Gust, Quick Attack, Whirlwind, Double-Edge
Bulbasaur (Poké Ball)
Moves: SolarBeam, Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, Leech Seed
Charmeleon (Poké Ball)
Moves: Flamethrower, Fire Spin, Skull Bash, Slash
Primeape (Poké Ball)
Moves: Thrash, Mega Kick, Scratch, Seismic Toss
Kingler (Poké Ball)
Moves: Water Gun, Bubble, Crabhammer, Hyper Beam
At Professor Oak's Lab:
Muk (Poké Ball)
Moves:
Tauros (Safari Ball) x2
Moves: Fissure, Horn Attack, Take Down
Badges:
Boulder Badge
Cascade Badge
Thunder Badge
Marsh Badge
Rainbow Badge
Soul Badge
Volcano Badge
Earth Badge
Brock:
Party:
Onix (Poké Ball)
Moves: Tackle, Bind, Dig
Geodude (Poké Ball)
Moves: Seismic Toss, Tackle
Zubat (Poké Ball)
Moves: Whirlwind, Supersonic
Psyduck (Poké Ball)
Moves: Tail Whip, Water Gun, Disable, Confusion
Vulpix (Poké Ball)
Moves: Fire Spin, Flamethrower, Agility, Quick Attack