The entire gym was filled with silence as tension rose between both Misty and Leaf when the referee announced for the match to begin. After hearing the announcement was made, both trainers threw their Pokeballs which revealed a Wingull and a Buneary who appeared on the field. The Pokemon took their battle stances while the crowd started to pick up in volume as they cheered for the person that they wanted to win. Leaf takes a deep breath before she turns her gaze to Red who gives her a smile and a thumbs up, encouraging a smile from her when she turns to Misty, fixing the brim of the cap on her head with a confident expression. As her patience took its toll, Misty made the first move. "Wingull, use Water Pulse."
As the Flying type starts to charge the attack, Leaf waits with a smile on her face while Buneary looks at its trainer with worry and panic etched on its face. As it is about to shoot the attack, the brunette made a command before the brown rabbit vanishes in a flash before reappearing in front of Wingull, much to it and the gym leader's surprise. Before Misty or her Pokemon could do anything, Buneary slams both its ears together which creates a shockwave that sends Wingull flying backwards along with making its Water Pulse hit it as it fell into the water.
"What the?! That's new." Misty shouted in disbelief, her hands holding onto her hair. Her Pokemon gets out of the water and ascends into the air, flapping its wings and making a battle cry as it awaits its trainer's next command. The orange haired gym leader growls in frustration until she notices the smirk on Leaf's face, angering her more when she sees the cap covering her eyes which reminds her of her previous loss.
"Don't get too cocky over a lucky hit. Twister, Wingull. Now!" Misty stated with a hint of anger and annoyance in her tone. Obeying its trainer's command, the Flying type sends out a massive tornado towards Buneary who is able to barely to hop out of the way of the attack. Just as the brown bunny lands on another platform, the orange haired girl quickly made another command. "Twister again, Wingull."
"Dodge it, Buneary." Wingull creates another Twister which Buneary evades again before another, the action annoying the gym leader when she voices her next move. "Tch! Now Air Cutter, Wingull."
The seagull's wings starts glowing before shooting multiple blades of blue energy that travels through the field towards its opponent, the move increasing in speed due to it using another Twister. Leaf could only watch the attack as it made its way towards her Pokemon, trying to shield her eyes from the shockwave of the move combination.
'Could she chill out with the combos for a minute? Jeez.' She mentally complained. She was barely able to get a glimpse of the attack on the field before she exclaims her next order. "Buneary, use Foresight to dodge and if any attack comes close, knock it away with Double Hit!"
Hearing its trainer, Buneary's eyes begins glowing before it looks at the attack, able to see the directions that it will go as it starts to hop in excitement while it waits for the move to come closer. The moment the blades get close, the brown rabbit nimbly avoids them while moving from platform to platform and knocking away the ones that are unable to be evaded, much to Leaf's delight as she cheers it on. "Good job, Buneary. Keep it up."
Her celebration was short lived when within the midst of the assault, Wingull managed to appear in front of Buneary, surprising it and the brunette as she saw the smirk on Misty's face. "Now I got you right where I want you. Supersonic."
"Get into the water quick." Leaf thought fast. Obeying, her Pokemon moves just as Wingull is about to release the move and dives into the water to avoid the sound wave as it echoes throughout the whole stadium. Happy to avoid what could be a huge problem, a smile appears on the brown haired girl's face as she looks at Misty's direction. 'How do you like…'
She pauses as she watches the gym leader in disbelief, seeing a smile where she expects a scowl is supposed to be as her mind barely finishes its mental comment. '…that?'
"You haven't changed one bit, Leaf. Haven't you learnt anything from our previous matches?" Misty said as her smile broadens. Hearing her question, Leaf was confused, immediately knowing the answer until she was interrupted by the gym leader again when she holds a single finger.
"One: Never underestimate a gym leader no matter how much you outclassed them. Two: A battle isn't over till it's over." Listening, Leaf raises a brow in confusion, understanding what her opponent is saying until the orange haired girl put down her hand and laugh before continuing. "And three: the pool is my domain."
As the comment was made, Leaf's eyes widened when Red muttered one word which stated what both of them were thinking at that moment. "Crap."
"Twister into the pool now, Wingull." The gym leader stated with a devilish smirk on her face. Wingull flies over to where Buneary previously landed, flapping its wings faster until a tornado was created which took up the water from the pool with it along with the Normal type into the air.
"Damn it." Leaf said, lowering the brim of the hat as she clicked her teeth in annoyance.
The attack resumes, taking almost half of the pool within in along with Buneary who tries to flail around and escape but to no avail. Witnessing the battle, Red begins to tap his foot, his expression slowly etching to that of worry as he watches the massive tornado get increase in power before looking at Leaf who is slowly starting to panic. 'C'mon, Leaf. Just keep calm. We trained for this. You can do it.'
Calming herself down, Leaf accesses the situation while observing the stage, seeing Buneary trapped in the Twister and Wingull prolonging the move. The brunette then had a thought as she remembers something from Red's battle against Misty. 'Red had this issue before but he made Shinx endure the attack until Wingull became tired…'
She looks onto the battlefield, seeing the same events playing again when she made a groan.
'Buneary can't last that long. So what can I do?' She thought, racking her brains for answers in panic until something came up to her mind. 'I got it!'
Now having a plan, she looks at her Pokemon being spun around by the attack before she projected her voice. "Buneary, keep calm and get ready!"
Buneary's eyes widened in panic before it saw the look of composure on its trainer's face, calming down as it tries its best to level itself in the air, awaiting the next command. As the brown rabbit was taken to the outer section of the tornado, she then shouted her next order. "Fake out, now!"
Hearing the command, the Pokemon obeys as it slams its ears together, using the shockwave of the move along with the air pressure of the tornado to escape the twister and launch itself towards Wingull at an accelerating speed before the brunette made another command. "Great! Now Thunder Punch!"
Before Misty or Wingull could react, one of Buneary's ears starts crackling with electricity until it punches its opponent which instantly send the seagull into the water before it lands gracefully on one of the platform. In disbelief, the gym leader scowls before she calls for her Pokemon in a concerned tone while waiting along with everyone for its response until they notice something coming to the surface.
"Hmm. Nice job, Wingu-" Misty paused when she saw the Flying type come to the surface before she noticed that it was unconscious. She stares at her Wingull with a stunned expression while Leaf celebrates along with everyone when they hear the results of the battle from the referee who stated it was the brunette's victory. She hugs Buneary and twirls around before turning to Red, giving him a peace sign which he exchanges with a thumbs, both smiling along with a giggle from Leaf when she notices some of the guys in the crowd giving the raven haired teen glares of envy. When she turned around, she notices a vein starting to project itself on Misty forehead while the woman is returning her Pokemon, trying her best to hide it behind a smile which is showing signs of failure. Hardening her expression as she takes out her Pokeball, trying to return Buneary who dodges the red beam, stating that it wants to fight more until it becomes fatigued and falls onto the floor, having to reluctantly agreeing in the end with its trainer's decision.
Getting another capsule ready, her thoughts starts to project itself from her mouth. "One down. But…it's only going to get more difficult from here."
As the referee made his announcement for the second battle to start, both of them readied their capsules before they throw them into the air simultaneously. "Go Roselia/ Quagsire."
As the devices release their respective Pokemon on the field, tension starts to rise as comments are exchanged throughout the crowd about the previous match.
"Woah. Gotta admit, the chick's doing better than the previous times. She actually knocked out the first Pokemon without having to switch and lose one of her own."
"Yeah! That's some next level improvement!"
"Doesn't matter. She's still getting wrecked. Just continue watch."
"It's a mantra at this point. Just give it a minute."
"Stop being so salty, man. But you might be right."
Hearing the comments gave Leaf mixed feelings, trying her best to stay confident and adjust the cap on her head to hide her face until she hears a command from Misty which surprises her, snapping her out of her trance. "Ice Punch now, Quagsire!"
The brunette then sees Quagsire rushing towards her Pokemon with its hand glowing blue before she made her own command, not missing a beat. "Stun Spore, now!"
Roselia responds quickly as it raises its flower like limbs and releases a yellow cloud of powder from them which spreads and travels across the field. Thinking fast, Misty commands her Pokemon to swim in order to avoid the powder which it does, staying underwater and waiting for orders. Seeing that the spores spread cover the field, the gym leader made another command out of annoyance. "Acid Spray to remove the spores, Quagsire."
The Water type ejects poison from its mouth which burns the spores, creating an opening before both the Pokemon and its trainer notice the Grass type having a glowing on the platform. Recognizing what her opponent instantly, Misty clicks her teeth in annoyance before she hurriedly shouts to her partner. "Quagsire, stop Roselia quick! Use Mud Bomb!"
Obeying, the Water type inhales before releasing a flurry of mud balls at Roselia which it dodges the projectiles in a rhythmic fashion. Misty growls as she saw the Grass type dancing with a carefree attitude while avoided another barrage of Mud Bomb before voicing a next command. "Alright, you wanna play like that? Use Ice Sphere, Quagsire. And follow it up with some Mud Bomb."
Confusion took Red when he sees Leaf expression contorts to an annoyed one while they watch Quagsire charge a Water Pulse before using Ice Punch on the orb, freezing it and then hurling it towards Roselia. The Thorn Pokemon easily evades the attack along with multiple other mud balls, swaying and having fun while moving from platform to platform. Recognizing the state of the platform that her Grass type is on, Leaf commands for her partner to jump to another podium which it does.
"Use Magical Leaf to fend off the projectiles." The brunette continued. Hearing its trainer, Roselia dances until various leaves of different color shoots from its hands, knocking away and obliterating every projectile that Quagsire throws at it. Clenching her fists, Misty starts to get annoyed when her Pokemon use Ice Punch only for the attack to be avoided effortlessly by its opponent.
"Good job, Roselia. Now Poison Sting." Unable to land a move on the Grass type, Quagsire notices that the Pokemon's flowers started to glow purple before thorns extrude from them as it takes a boxer's stance. Once again trying to land a hit with Ice Punch, the Water fish was rewarded with failure when Roselia dodges the attack before landing two hits from its Poison Sting on it which knocks it over to the other side of the platform. Going for another chance to hit the Grass type, it was unable to land a hit as the flower simply sidesteps before throwing a flurry of strikes at the Water type and then scoring an uppercut which sends it flying into the pool, making a bow which receives an applause from some of the people in the crowd along with Leaf. 'Nice. The training it had with Clefairy and Beedrill worked after all. She's like a dancing boxer.'
'I always hated that Roselia. It's always such a huge problem. And what makes it worse is that carefree attitude it has. If it wasn't for Starmie, that Pokemon would've beaten me. But somehow she manages to make it more of a headache.' Misty mentally complains while witnessing her Pokemon once again getting knocked around again by the Grass type before it receives a hit that once again sends it back into the water.
"Mud Bomb and Acid Spray now." She commanded with an angered tone. Quagsire follows as it shoots both moves, coating the mud balls in acid when they're falling towards Roselia.
"Growth as much as you can and then Magical Leaf at my signal." Leaf said, adjusting Red's gloves on her hands. The Thorn Pokemon glows while the projectiles get close, much to the confusion of the crowd as they watch the situation unfold.
'Well, this match is as good as mine.' The gym leader thought, the smile on her face getting wider. She then shakes her head, her glance going throughout the crowd before she notices a smirk on Red's face in the crowd which made her skeptical before she hears a command from her opponent. "Now, Roselia!"
The Grass type stops glowing before it twirls around and shoot Magical Leaf which are able to block most of the projectiles, some of the mud balls hitting it which hardly does any damage. Knocking the attacks out of the way, Roselia turns its attention towards Quagsire, aiming its leaves at the Water type who quickly dives into the pool to avoid the barrage.
"Stay in the water and use Mud Bomb and Acid Spray." As Misty said this, the Water Fish Pokemon pops out of the water before it quickly spits a stream of acid which the Grass type dodges. Spinning around, Roselia then aims its flowers to where the attack is but it sees nothing, much to its confusion. The Water type then appears again in a different spot, shooting mud balls before dipping to evade another Magical Leaf attack. Witnessing the failures cause Roselia to get slightly frustrated, ready to lash out until Leaf voices a command. "Wait, Roselia!"
The Thorn Pokemon stops, looking at its trainer in confusion when they exchange looks, the brunette then calmly saying. "Just wait for the right moment."
The Grass type nods and waits along with its trainer while Quagsire pops from the water at different locations, shooting Mud Bomb and Acid Spray which it dodges. After a moment of observing, Leaf notices a certain pattern with the water fish's attacks, a smile appearing on her face before it appears and disappears once more when she shouts an order to her command. "Roselia, to your left. Magical Leaf."
The Pokemon obeys, immediately attacking in that direction when Quagsire pops out of the water, coming face to face with Magical Leaf which it is unable to dodge the attack.
"No Quagsire!" Misty said in concern as the leaves pelts the Pokemon before dispersing, showing an unconscious Quagsire floating in the pool. As Leaf celebrates along with her Pokemon, the gym leader returns the Water type with her teeth clenched while readying her other Pokeball which is a Dive Ball. As she has done so, mentally spouting curses that she is using all the self-control that she has to not make them physically exit her mouth.
"Go, Starmie! Let's end this now!" She exclaimed, a tone of anger being present in her voice despite her trying to hide it. The violet starfish appears on the field, getting into a battle stance as it faces Roselia on the field. Leaf prepares herself as she holds onto the brim of the red cap, trying her best to inhale and exhale and not get excited. Words could express how she feels, having Misty to her final Pokemon while she still has all of hers. Her gaze lowers to the floor, her expression showing that of disbelief as she looks towards Red who silently cheers her on before she mentally mutters a phrase.
'It was all because of you.'
It was all because of him. The black haired, red eyed boy she came across by accident in Viridian forest and used as an excuse to escape two guys hitting on her. He did not need to help her. He did not need to be her friend but he did it anyways. She then giggles before she was taken out of her trance when she hears Misty starts to speak, getting her attention.
"Heh! Gotta say, Leaf. You've done way better in this battle than you did before. This is honestly the first time that you got me to Starmie so quickly. Aaand you haven't lost your whole team as of yet. Bravo!" The gym leader said, clapping her hands before she stops.
"But…" As she paused, Leaf looked at her skeptically before she continued in a low tone.
"This is the end of the line."
As the words left the gym leader's mouth, the brunette felt discouraged when she remembers what Blue told before going to the next city.
"Can't believe you're still struggling with the second gym, that's utterly pathetic. Maybe you're not cut out to be a Pokemon trainer."
She then lost her confidence at the moment that the referee is about to announce the next match, her arms slumped before she got a text from Red.
'Don't give up.'
Seeing the words that he texted her on the Pokegear brings a smile on her face. She then turns to him as he gives her a thumbs up, remembering what he told her during their training.
The sun starts to fully descend which causes the sky to be covered with stars as both Red and Leaf rest by a tree after they finished their day of training. Gaining some of his energy, the red capped teen stands up before getting himself ready and is about to head towards Cerulean City until he notices that his companion still slumped by the tree.
"Hey…you alright there?" Red asked as he crouched on one knee and put a hand on the brunette's shoulder. He breathes a sigh of relief when he feels her forehead, recognizing that her temperature is normal before waiting for her answer. Leaf resumes her silent routine which bothers him when he starts to worry, shaking her slightly for a desire of a response.
"It's ok, Red. I'm fine." The brunette said, putting her hand on Red's as she tried to sit upright. She then pauses once more before continuing. "I'm just more tired than I thought."
The boy lets out a sigh of relief before noticing the depressed look on the girl's face, making him sit down in front of her as he looks in her eyes. He then snaps his fingers in front of her which gains her attention before she sees the worry in his eyes.
"Sorry…I'm just thinking. Will I be able to beat Misty? What if…what if I lose the battle and we're unable to get our necklaces, what are we going to do?" Leaf asked, biting her lips and her body shaking as she voices her question.
"We train more and then try again." The straight and quick answer from Red surprised her, making her speechless as she stares at him. The brunette drops her gaze to the grass, remembering what had took place before with her friends as her thoughts starts to arise. 'Everyone left. Blue said I'm pathetic. Yellow went with Blue and even Kimberley left. I'm the only one left. I'm stuck here. They didn't even help me train…but you…'
"But…what if we lose…again?" Leaf asked desperately, hoping that the answer is not as she predicted.
Red then puts a hand on his chin, pretending to think about the decision until he looks over to the brunette, seeing the depressed look on her face. He was no stranger to that feeling, knowing how it feels, the helplessness, the frustration. Like everything that you have went through and endured before was all for naught. However when his mind descended in the darkness called depression, she held out a hand and helped him. He owed her a favor for what she has done for him before. His loss against Brock made him devastated especially with the string of events that led up to that moment, simply giving him more stress. She was there for him to comfort him after his defeat from Brock back at Pewter City. If it was not for her cheering him up, he might have given up on his journey. She helped him before when he was depressed.
And Red is willing to return the favor and help her now. It is the least he can do for what she's done for him.
He then pats her shoulder which made her look at him when he said. "We try again. I'll stay with you until you win."
Hearing those words is what Leaf needed as she holds back her tears and starts trembling when she looks on the floor which made Red worried before he asks. "Are…you ok?"
'That's all…I need.' She thought, wiping the tears that threatening to fall from her face.
The brunette's smile transforms into a smirk as she holds out her hands, waiting before she notices the look of confusion on her companion face which made her roll her eyes. Before Red could say anythinh=g, she beats him to the punch as she requested. "Can you…give me a piggy back ride? My legs are still in pain."
The red capped teen lets out a breath and smiles before he turns around and positions himself, motioning for her to get on. Surprised by the gesture, a pink line appears across Leaf's face as she is suddenly glad that it was night time and he could not see her face. She then put her arms around Red before he lifts her up and carries her to the Pokemon Center. Along the way, she starts to make herself comfortable by leaning her face against his shoulder, watching the features on his face and playing with his hair while she reminisces all the events she had on this journey which brings a huge smile on her face when her mind stated one thing.
'Thank you, Red.'
As the memory finished playing, Leaf felt calm as bow down and took some of the water from the pool to splash her face with before slapping her cheeks together. After drying her face, she opened her eyes which showing a look of determination that did not go unnoticed by Misty. 'She calm herself down. She's more confident now. This isn't good.'
Watching the battle and seeing the brunette calm and looking more determined, Red starts smiling as his mouth states. "Here's where the real battle starts."
"Rapid Spin." Hearing its trainer's command, Starmie quickly rotates its body as it travels through the field towards Roselia who braces itself for the attack.
"Stun Spore now!" Leaf exclaimed. The Grass type lifts its arms and releases its Stun Spore move which made its way towards its opponent. Seeing the attack, Misty looks in worry before she was able to get an idea. 'You're not gonna get me with that again.'
"Use Psychic to stop yourself and retreat." Due to her command, it stops using its psychic powersue aura before and starts retreating from the yellow mist. As it did, they both notice that the Thorn Pokemon is glowing which causes the orange haired girl to worry when she realized what her opponent is trying to do. "Water Pulse, Starmie."
"Magical Leaf."
When both trainers made their commands, their Pokemon follow as they use their respective moves, the result being an explosion that made them have to shield their eyes. The moment that Misty opens her eyes, she instantly the notices that more leaves are coming towards Starmie as she quickly spits her counterattack. "Dodge the attack and then Psychic."
The violet starfish dodges the leaves as it prepares to use Psychic only to stop as Roselia redirects the multicolored leaves back which it has to evade again, much to the gym leader's annoyance. Having enough, the orange haired girl made the Water type stop the attack with its psychic powers before turning her sights on her opponent. She commands for another Psychic which is about to hit before Leaf comes up with an idea. 'Wait! It can't use Psychic if it isn't able to concentrate. Wonder if it works this way as well…'
"Quick Roselia. Hide yourself using Stun Spore." She commands, checking to see if her theory would work.
Hearing the brunette's command, Roselia starts twirling as the powder from its flowers cover it, shrouding itself in a yellow mist of paralyzing spores. Leaf watches as her opponent cannot use its move due to not being unable to pinpoint the Grass type's location, a smile coming across her face. 'Guess I'm right after all. Now…'
Before anyone could notice, various multicolored leaves pop out of the mist and secure a hit on Starmie, knocking it from the platform and into the water.
"Damn it! Use Rapid Spin and use Water Pulse to get faster." Misty stated with an annoyed tone. Her Pokemon nods as it rotates, it's speed increasing due to using Water Pulse as it flies across the field in almost no time, much to Leaf's annoyance. "Again with the combos. Could you give it a rest?"
"What's wrong? Can't handle the heat? Need Mommy to hold your hand?" The gym leader taunted, receiving a growl from her opponent.
"Grr… Dodge the attack, Roselia." The brunette said, her Pokemon dodging the move effortlessly before it starts to sway its body. The violet starfish uses its psychic powers to redirect itself, once again attacking its opponent who is able to avoid the attack while dancing happily. Repeating the same formula, Starmie tries attacking again only for Misty and Red to recognize that this time, it is slower than it originally was.
"What the? Starmie, are you ok? You shouldn't be tired already." The gym leader said in confusion before she continued with a command, not noticing the smile on Leaf's face. "Use Recover now."
Leaf watches as the starfish sluggishly itself, saying another command to not allow it the time to finish. "Magical Leaf now."
Roselia obeys when it dances as it uses its move, multiple leaves surrounding it before they spread around Starmie, each going towards it direction. Due to Misty's command, it jumps into the water to avoid the attack to fend off the incoming attacks. Seeing this, Leaf thought quickly as she lets her Pokemon let the leaves hover over the spot that their opponent previously dived at. Realizing the state of the situation, the gym leader bites her lip when she notices Roselia glowing again as she tries to rack her brain to find a way to stop her opponent.
"Starmie, stop everything with Psychic." She said, her emotion into her command. Hearing the order, Starmie emerges from the water when it lets out a force field of psychokinetic energy which stopped all the leaves and the spore coming towards it. It then started to fly itself towards Roselia, readying itself to use Psychic on the Grass type.
"Stop using Growth and surround yourself with Stun Spore." The Thorn Pokemon once again surrounds itself with Stun Spore, making it hard for Starmie to attack it before Misty exclaims. "Now use Psychic to blow away the Stun Spore."
On command, the Water type starts glowing before it creates a massive shockwave that blows away the Stun Spore which leaves Roselia exposed, much to Misty's delight. Without a second thought, the violet starfish levitates the Grass type into the air, quickly slamming into a wall before letting it quickly descend to the floor. Seeing her Pokemon quickly falling due to Starmie's telekinetic abilities, she gets an idea before she yells a command. "Use Magical Leaf and Stun Spore to slow yourself down."
Listening to its trainer, Roselia aims its flowers at the ground, shooting its spores and leaves which managed to make it decelerate as it made its way to the pool. It then positions itself, making it able to fall towards the direction of a platform as it spins around before it is able to land softly before making a bow, causing everyone in the crowd to cheer it on.
"Not gonna lie. That Roselia is awesome."
"I agree with you. It's holding its own despite the type disadvantage."
"Give the trainer some props as well. She's a quick thinker."
"C'mon, Leaf. You can do this." Red muttered, looking at the fight when he noticed Starmie's condition. 'Wait. Is it…'
"Rapid Spin and use Psychic to make yourself faster." As Misty said this, Starmie lunges forward, darting across the field as it goes towards Roselia. The Thorn Pokemon quickly goes on the defense, barely able to dodge and block its opponent's attacks along with using Poison Sting and Magical Leaf to fend off and counter its quick movements. After a few clashes, Starmie was then commanded to use Water Pulse, shooting the move only for it to be stopped by Magical Leaf which overpowers the move and secures a hit on the Water type, much to Leaf's glee. It was however short lived as Starmie lets out a powerful telekinetic wave, knocking Roselia back before levitating the Thorn Pokemon and slamming it onto the ground. Not missing a beat from Misty's commands, it then summons a tornado of water of water which engulfs the Grass type, knocking it unconscious as it lays on the platform, showing no signs of movement.
"Roselia!" Leaf shouts in a worried tone. After the referee announced the end of the match, she ran onto the field and picked up the Grass type before going back to her side of the field while cradling the Pokemon.
"Are you alright?" She asked, getting a weak nod as a response before she returned it into its Pokeball. With confidence present in her eyes, she readies another Pokeball and throws it into the air which releases Wartortle on the field who roars loudly to show its determination before facing its foe. As the referee announced the beginning of the match, both trainers yelled a command at the top of their lungs. "Water Pulse!"
Both Water type obeyed as they charged their attacks, both releasing their attacks which resulted in a clash that created a huge wave in the pool, almost knocking both Pokemon into the water. Misty made another command before Starmie starts glowing, targeting Wartortle who dives into the pool in order to avoid the attack which ruined its concentration.
"Use Water Tornado." Leaf said, interrupting the gym leader. Before anyone could react, they were all caught off guard by a water tornado that emerged from the pool, engulfing Starmie and sending it flying into the air as it is trapped within the attack, much to Misty's annoyance.
"Take yourself out of there with Psychic." Hearing this, Starmie sends out a wave of psychic energy which disperses the water tornado before it barely notices Watortle speedily coming towards it, baring its fangs, ready to use the move Bite. The moment that the turtle got close, it was stuck in midair just inches away from Starmie when it was held in place due to Psychic. Before Leaf could voice a command, her starter was sent into the water by its opponent, much to her worry.
"Water Pulse and then Bite." She said with defiance. Before anyone could notice, Watortle emerges from the pool, using Water Pulse to thrust itself towards its opponent, slamming itself on Starmie which cause the Pokemon to stagger and almost fall. The blue turtle then bit the starfish, holding it in place before using Rapid Spin, rotating itself until it slams its opponent on the floor.
"Damn it! Water Tornado." Misty said. Starmie obeys, it creates another water tornado before they both hear Leaf yell a counterattack. "Counter it with your Water Tornado."
As she said this, Wartortle creates its own water tornado which causes both attacks to clash, much to the gym leader's surprise. The clash continued before Starmie starts to overpower Wartortle, sending it flying to one of the platform before Misty made another command with the desire to not let her opponent be able to recover. "Starmie, use Water Pulse."
Obeying its trainer's command, the violet starfish throws an orb of water which speedily collided into its opponent.
"Watortle, are you ok?" The brunette asked, receiving a shaky nod from her starter which reassured her. Looking towards her opponent, she outstretched her arm as she voiced her move. "Wartortle use Water Pulse."
Obeying its trainer's command, the turtle charges out a sphere of water only for it to suddenly feel dizzy, making it to trip and accidentally release the attack which explodes into a wave that knocks it in, much to Leaf's bewilderment. Red raises a brow in confusion as he looks at Wartortle while it climbs back to the platform before he gasped, realizing what is wrong with the Water type. 'Oh no! It's confused.'
"Rapid Spin now." Leaf said desperately only to be rewarded with failure as Wartortle fails again to use the move, hurting itself when it trips and collides onto the platform. Clicking her tongue in frustration, she returns her starter, not wanting it to cause any more damage to itself while she swaps to her next capsule. She then readies her Great Ball, throwing it and releasing Buneary who lands on a platform in a battle stance.
"Psychic, Starmie." Misty said with a smirk before her Pokemon started glowing when they hear Leaf suddenly speaking. "Stop it with Fake Out."
In an instant, Buneary vanished which startled everyone before reappearing in front of Starmie. It then slaps its ears together, creating a shockwave which sends the violet starfish back into the pool.
"Don't give up, Starmie! Water Pulse." Misty said as her eye twitched in frustration. Starmie gets up and releases a Water Pulse which the brown rabbit dodges by hopping to another podium, bracing itself for any sneak attacks. Leaf's mind clicked when she realizes the positioning of the platforms at the moment, seeing that they all are surrounding Starmie, her hand ascending to her chin before snapping her fingers. "Got it! Alright. Brace yourself, Buneary."
Misty lifts a brow in confusion before she made another command, her partner obeying when it starts to attack when it was interrupted again by Buneary who smacks it aside then lands on another platform.
"Good job, Buneary. Keep it up." As she said these words, the Normal type nods before it jumps again towards Starmie, knocking it aside before it lands on another podium. Without missing a beat, the Pokemon then turns on its heel and continues the assault, not giving its opponent a chance to rest. Misty watches in awe and frustration as her partner gets knocked around by the brown rabbit speedy attack, making commands that ends in failure due to their opponent. The orange haired teen taps her feet in frustration as she waits for an opening, finding one when she sees a delay in Buneary's movement which made her yell one word. "Psychic!"
Hearing the command, Starmie lets out a powerful shockwave which parts the water and stops Buneary, leaving it suspended in midair. Seeing that its opponent is unable to move, the violet starfish lets out two spheres of concentrated water which failed when the Normal type counters the attack by using Thunder Punch to knock away the watery spheres before it decides to send the Pokemon into the pool. Almost instantly, it was electrocuted when it descends into the pool.
"What the hell?" Misty said in confusion. Noticing something in the water, she puts her palm to her face and groaning in annoyance. "I forgot…it's still using Thunder Punch. Get out of the water, Starmie."
Still in pain, the violet starfish tries its best to move only to be granted with failure because it is in too much pain. Misty clenched her teeth as she cringes while seeing her Pokemon still in pain as it continues to receive damage from Buneary attack, her thoughts spiraling out of control. 'Damn it. C'mon, c'mon, c'mon. It's making this hard by channeling the electricity through the water. Wait. The Water!'
"Starmie, use Water Pulse now." As the starfish heard this, it focused its power by creating a shockwave in the water near Buneary which knocked it around the pool, much to Leaf's dismay as she made a statement. "Endure this and continue. We can beat them, Buneary."
Both Pokemon continued their attacks, their determination preventing them from fainting and succumbing to the other's attack. As it got hit with one of the Water Pulse, Buneary starts to get dizzy however it continues to hold its move, its status condition making it slow and wobbly. Seeing the Normal type's behavior, Starmie starts knocking it around before blasting it out of the pool and onto a platform, the result being the brown rabbit sprawled out unconscious.
"Buneary!" Leaf exclaimed worriedly. She then jumps over to her Pokemon, taking up the Normal-type who pushes her away and trying its best to get up and continue the fight which ended in failure when it descends to its knees. It then tried again before it felt a hand on it, shrugging it off and glaring at its opponent before it succumbs to its wounds. Falling to the floor, Leaf picks up the Pokemon to only to be surprise when she sees its expression, expecting a frustrated look but instead sees the Normal type crying. Understanding how her Pokemon feels, Leaf hugs the bunny and then carries her off the field.
"I know. I know. I want to beat her too. You've been frustrated with losing every time." She whispers while cradling Buneary who simply clutches onto her as more tears fall out of its eyes.
Seeing the Pokemon made tears appears on the brunette's eyes until she looks at Red who is silently cheering for her, not a look of doubt on his face which puts a smile on her face. She then drops her gaze on Buneary, setting it down on the podium beside her and patting its head before she gets up and faces Misty. The Normal type ears twitched as it heard her say one statement before she readied her Pokeball. "Just watch" It then looks at her when she continues. "It will all end today. All our losses. All our tears. It will all end in this battle. I will win this."
As she said this, she threw her Pokeball which released Wartortle who made a battle cry as it faces Starmie, both trainers ready to put this battle in a finish.
"It's all over, Leaf. The result is going to be the same." Misty commanded, laughing before she resumes. "Now Starmie. Water Pulse."
"Dodge then Rapid Spin." The brunette said, lower the cap to only her mouth being seen.
As Starmie shot a Water Pulse, Wartortle ducks before it rotates itself and then lunges forward, crashing into its opponent before hopping away which did not go unnoticed by Misty when she sees an opportunity for a counterattack. "Psychic while it's still in the air."
"Protect." Leaf said quickly. The gym leader's eyes widens when the turtle surrounds itself in a force field, protecting itself from the attack. Hearing another command, she watches as the Protect fades and then Wartortle starts spinning, using Water Pulse to accelerate itself until it knocks Starmie back once again before landing on a platform.
"Great job, Wartortle. Now Bite." Before Starmie could do another move, Wartortle quickly leaped towards its opponent and then bit the starfish who started squirming to escape the attack. Without missing a beat and thanks to Misty's command, it uses its telekinetic abilities to send the blue turtle away to the other side of the pool before the starfish flies out of the water and on a platform. Watortle got up, trying to stay on its feet before it staggers until it falls into the pool. After seeing that the blue turtle is not showing up, Starmie looks at its trainer in confusion when Misty made a command. "Use Recover for now. We need all the energy we can get."
As it was about to sit down and glow, it's suddenly attacked by Wartortle who bit the starfish before it starts rotating until it throws its opponent into the air. Due to Misty's command, Starmie uses Psychic as a gravitation force which made it hard for the blue turtle to move, much to Leaf's dismay.
"Use your strongest Water Pulse into the air and then Protect." She said, making hand gestures to her starter as she does so. Following the orders, it charges and sends out a huge sphere of compressed water before it covers itself in a veil when the Water Pulse descends and hits it, causing Misty to laugh when she witnesses the scene.
"Give it up, Leaf. I gotta say you did well in this battle but…the result is the same. You lost. Again!" Misty stated before she starts laughing as her Pokemon continues its attack before they both notice that there is nothing on the platform after the water disperses which astonish the gym leader and her Starmie.
"I…trained for this. I'm done with losing…Not showing any form of progress. I will not be stuck here any longer. I'll show you that I can beat you. Right here in this match…I'll beat you and get my badge and you're gonna have to accept it!" As the brunette said this, her starter pops out of the water at blinding speed, colliding into Starmie before it rebounds from the ceiling, attacking it from various angles like a pinball, much to everyone's surprise. It then ascends to the ceiling until it lets gravity does it job as it descends towards the Psychic type which made Misty worry as she yells a command. "Psychic on Watortle now!"
"Oh no, you don't. Protect!" Leaf said, her emotions represented in her voice. Starmie lets out a blast of psychic energy which is immediately stopped by Wartortle's Protect. Seconds pass as the violet starfish continue its attack on the force field, both not willing to give in until the blue turtle starts struggling to hold up the force field which shows as the veil started to disappear.
"Yes! You lost. Now end it." Misty said with a huge smile on her face. Starmie starts to glow intensely, the strength of the blast getting stronger which broke the Protect, much to Leaf's disbelief as she closes her eyes. All she hears is silence even from her opponent before she opens her eyes, unable to believe the scene that she witness. There she sees Wartortle in one piece, panting as it starts falling however when she turns her gaze to Starmie, she sees the Pokemon twitching which surprised her along with everyone. Seeing what happened, Red smiles as he did a high five with Clefairy. 'Looks like the paralysis came in handy."
"Water Pulse!" Misty yells, panic present in her tone. Her eyes widened as Starmie tries to use the move only to stop abruptly due to its uncontrollable twitches showing that it is once again affected by the paralysis.
"Now Wartortle! End it with Bite!" Leaf yells at the top of her lungs. Misty's Pokemon could only helplessly watch as the Water starter's descent became faster as it bares its fangs, colliding into the starfish before they both crash into the platform, making it turn over and create huge ripples from the attack. The tension starts rising when both trainers waited, all eyes are directed towards the pool as they awaited for the survivor of the match. After a while of anxious waiting, a Pokemon pops out of the water which shocked everyone. Leaf's heart stopped when she saw Starmie at the surface, getting light headed until she sees something else. Everyone but Red were in shock when they see Wartortle with Starmie in its mouth before it spits out the starfish who is showing no signs of movement.
Leaf looks in disbelief as she watches the referee looking at the results of the battle before he made her the winner of the match, her mind blanked until she heard the announcement. "The victory of the Cerulean Gym battle goes to Leaf from Viridian City which means that the winner of the bet is Red and Leaf!"
Everyone applauded as the brunette descended to her knees, looking at Buneary with tears in her eyes as she hugged it along with Watortle. Releasing itself from its Pokeball, Roselia joins the group hug while they celebrate their victory over Misty. Red comes down from the stands with a smile on his face, waiting until the brunette's finished before he congratulates her. Seeing Red, Leaf quickly got up before she rushes and tackles him into a hug, her mouth voicing a mantra of 'Thank you' while she tries her best not to sob. Understanding how she feels, he returns the hug and pats her back as he whispers. "…Congratulations, Leaf…"
When she calmed down, both of them realize that they're receiving looks from the crowd which caused both teens to be embarrassed as Leaf hides her face under the cap and Red looking down. They both notice Misty heading towards with a scowl on her face before she starts chuckling which made the couple look at her in confusion.
"That was unexpected. However, a loss is a loss. For winning the bet, here you go." The orange haired girl said as she returned the necklace and their bracelet back to them before the referee came behind the gym leader with a case in his hands before she continued. "Also, I give you both the Cascade Badge as proof of your victory. Don't let it get to your head though. I had to give you guys a fighting chance, you know."
As she said this, both Red and Leaf look at her with disbelieving looks which cause the gym leader to turn around and clear her throat as she opens the case. She then gives both teen their badges which is in the form of a water drop. Leaf raises the badge into the sky as a tear went down her cheek when she said quietly with a smile on her face. "Finally. I got the Cascade Badge."
Misty then clears her throat to get both of the teenagers' attention as she holds out her hands, giving each teen a blue CD which made them look at her as she explains. "It's the TM Water Pulse. Hope you like it. It confuses your opponent sometimes. You guys did…well. You better not lose to anyone else, got that? Or I won't forgive you."
Both trainers starts smiling at each other as they clipped their badges on their clothing, Red on his jacket and Leaf on her bag. After doing so, the brunette wraps her arms around the raven haired teen, surprising him as she says. "Thanks, Red. For everything you have done for me. Thanks also for helping me win this battle. You're the best."
The teen simply pats her head, taking off his cap as he placed it back on his head which made her giggle at him feeling comfortable in his cap. The brunette then lifts her hand towards his face before he holds them, shaking his head which made her sees his eyes along with the small smile on his face, happy as she had a thought. 'I wonder…if I ask him to travel together with me...will he say yes?'
Her thoughts were short lived when a loud noise of a gunshot startles everyone in the gym before police sirens echo through the air, causing everyone to be worried. Curious, Red goes to check what is happening before he felt a grip on him, turning around and seeing that Leaf is holding onto his arm tightly while having a worried expression on her face.
"A-are you gonna check w-what's going on?" She asked to which the teen responded to with a nod. She was going to try to stop him however she is also curious about wanting to know what is going on as they both quietly made their way towards the entrance before they peek through the windows. Seeing multiple police vehicles outside, both of the teen observe the area before Red notices something from the corner of his eye, seeing a man dressed in all black running down the alleyway while the police chase him. He then hears Misty calming down the crowd within the gym before she gets a phone call, her eyes widening as she mutters something that sounds familiar to him, making him sweat on instinct. "You said Team Rocket is here? Oh no! How do you know? You need help now…but ther-"
She was interrupted by the call as she sighed in defeat and stated. "Alright. I'll help."
As she said that, she hanged up before another explosion shakes up the area, causing everyone to be on edge and Leaf's grip on Red's arm to be tighter as the red capped trainer starts to voice his thoughts.
"What on earth is going on?"
I'm gonna say this right now. This chapter has caused me so much frustration. Not by the length but by the fact that I had to write this down twice due to the first time I write it. I lost the data which made me very frustrated but I got to write it. Hope you guys like it. Tell me your thoughts on the story. Thanks for the views and just for sticking around. Stay safe, guys. Enigma out!