Chapter 18: The Fifth Gym
June had no idea how tired she really was until she flopped down on the bed and drifted off to sleep pretty much instantly. Once again, she was grateful that the Pokémon Centre provided places for humans to rest as much as Pokémon.
Once she, Trace and Tricia had left Celadon Gym, the trio had gone straight to the Pokémon Centre and given their Pokémon to Nurse Joy to look after. June and Trace's team still needed recovering from their battle against Sabrina and now they had Pokémon that needed a rest from their battle with Sakaki too. After that had been done, June had gone into the guest room and fallen asleep after lying on the bed. She was woken up again in time for dinner, which they decided to have at the Pokémon Centre's café so they didn't have to walk anywhere and the teens ended up having an early night so they'd be refreshed and ready for the day ahead. June and Trace had another Gym badge to win and they needed to get to Cinnabar Islands to ask Blaine for Mewtwo's whereabouts. Trace decided he would challenge Sabrina again once the Mewtwo mission was over to save on backtracking. For now, he and June would just go forwards in their journey to save on time.
By morning, June woke up at around half past eight and was surprised to see she'd slept for so long. She must've been more tired than she thought! Trace's bed was empty. June rolled her eyes in amusement. Trace was always the early riser here! She collected her Pokémon and had a good tuck in at the café for breakfast before setting off to Celadon Gym again. Tricia was already there having gone with Trace earlier. As June approached the Gym, she looked to Ray.
"This Gym should feel like a walk in the park compared to Sabrina." she said, "But we shouldn't underestimate Erika. Something tells me she's still a tough one to beat."
"No doubt you're gonna use Divebomb and Ace for her battle." Ray acknowledged, "They're both Flying-types and have all you need to handle those Grass-types."
"I am." June confirmed, "But I'll have the rest of you as back-up in case things go pear-shaped. Pity Behemoth can't join us for this one…"
Ray nodded. It would've been suicide to bring an Onix to a Grass-type Gym after all so it was only right they left him behind.
"The rest of us will be enough for this one." Ray said confidently, "That Rainbow Badge will be all yours!"
"It sure will!" June said optimistically, "Then once we're done here, I'll win the badges in Fuchsia Gym and Cinnabar Gym too! I wonder if the Viridian Gym will be open at last so I can win that one too…" she murmured.
The silver-and-purple haired teen was still puzzled on why Viridian Gym had been closed at the time she'd come across it. Whatever the reason, hopefully it was done with and next time she went to it, it'd be open. She'd go to it once she'd had her talk with Blaine and found Mewtwo.
Minutes later, June arrived at Celadon Gym and was instantly greeted by Trace and Tricia. The siblings were looking pretty excited about something and June had a feeling she knew why that was.
"Hi Trace and Tricia!" she cooed cheerfully, "I guess you won your Rainbow Badge?" she asked, turning to Trace.
"Piece of cake!" Trace crowed, showing the multi-coloured flower shaped badge to June, "My Charizard swept her whole team single-handedly! Poor Erika had no chance against a Fire/Flying type like him!"
"Yeah, goes without saying." June joked.
"Oh and I have something else to show you…" Trace acknowledged.
He threw out a Pokéball and June was greeted with a fantastic sight. Trace's Eevee had finally evolved! It was no longer an Eevee. It had become a swift and powerful Jolteon. Jolteon was yellow in colour with spiky fur, large ears and a canine-like appearance. June remembered that Celadon City was home to Celadon Department store and it was possible to buy evolution stones there. Trace had obviously got a Thunder Stone from that place and now his Eevee had evolved into one of many forms it could evolve into!
"Wow, you have a Jolteon now!" June cried excitedly, "It looks so strong too!"
"It'll get a chance to show off how powerful it is but I have a feeling Jolteon's going to really carry me to victory." Trace said gleefully, "Given my Eevee looked up to Ray and learned an electric attack, I assumed it wanted to be a Jolteon, hence why I got a Thunder Stone. Have you ever considered getting one and evolving Ray into a Raichu?" he asked.
June shook her head.
"Don't need to. Ray's strong enough as he is and I love Pikachu too much to ever evolve him!" she said, her voice full of affection.
"Who needs to evolve anyway? I'm awesome enough on my own." Ray boasted.
"That's Pokémon for you." Tricia noted, "Either they want to evolve or they don't. They like to prove their strength no matter what form they're in."
"Indeed so." June agreed, "Speaking of, we'll get to see how strong my Pokémon are against Erika. And like with Trace, I have a feeling I'll win this one easily…"
The teens walked inside. As they entered the Gym, June put her hands to her mouth in surprise and awe. Astonishingly…the inside of the Gym was back to normal! All the burnt down trees and plants were gone and replaced with new ones! The result was a giant beautiful garden that made it easy to forget that this was the inside of a building with lush green grass, colourful flower beds and tall trees with brightly coloured berries growing on the branches. Grass-type trainers were very close to nature and Erika was no different. Gyms like her's were always full of grass and trees to make their Pokémon feel closer to home. June was struggling to comprehend how this was possible.
"I don't believe it…it's all beautiful again! But how?!" she gasped.
"I AM a Grass-type Gym Leader Miss Silverlock. I think I know how to regrow a garden." Erika retorted.
June turned to the Grass-type Gym Leader. Erika was standing in her usual spot and this time she was dressed in a green and red kimono. She was smiling sweetly at her new challenger. June observed her and blushed. Like with Misty and Sabrina, she thought Erika was very lovely too and her kind smile and gentle voice only made her more attractive.
"G-g-good morning E-Erika." June stammered, bowing politely, "So h-how did you fix your Gym?"
"I have Pokémon that know Grassy Terrain. It wasn't hard." Erika said simply, "It's easy to regrow a garden or a forest overnight. How are you today? I hope you're well-rested."
"I slept well thank you." June said politely, "How about you?"
"Still worn out from my battle with Trace but I'm ready for one more battle before I have my after battle kip." Erika replied, "The one downside to hanging out with Pokémon who use Sleep Powder a lot is it can make one feel a little drowsy…"
She paused as she suddenly yawned loudly. Trace tried not to giggle. Erika put a hand to her mouth in embarrassment. June rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.
"Um, I can come back later if you'd rather rest." she offered.
"No, no, it's fine. Honestly." the kimono-clad woman insisted, "Now then, are you ready to battle me?"
"Definitely." June said daringly, "Let's go!"
"I love her when she's like this." Tricia said with a smile of adoration.
Trace glanced at his sister quizzically but said nothing. June and Erika took up their positions in the Gym and prepared for battle. The challenger and the Gym Leader were rearing to go and the siblings could feel the tension in the air despite no one throwing a single Pokéball. June knew she had the advantage in this battle, and yet she had to remind herself that she'd nearly been beaten in the previous Gyms because of it. Misty's Starmie had beaten Ray despite a type-disadvantage after all. Erika was likely going to be tricky to battle, even if she was statistically Kanto's weakest Gym Leader.
"Here we go!" June cried, "Divebomb, this is your fight!"
"Roserade, let your petals blossom!" Erika called as she threw her own Pokéball.
The Pokémon made their appearances on the battlefield. June was surprised to see Erika using a Sinnoh Pokémon like Roserade but she didn't blame her for it. Roserade was a beautiful Pokémon and quite powerful. She knew as much from seeing her Uncle Tony's in action. Trace wasn't surprised to see that Erika was using a different team than the one she'd used against him to battle June. He hadn't fought Roserade in his own battle so he wasn't sure what June was in for with this battle.
"I LOVE Roserade!" June squealed excitedly, "It's one of the most beautiful Pokémon I've ever seen! I'm glad you're gonna be using one!"
"Why thank you June." Erika said appreciatively, "I knew once I saw this one that I had to catch my own. Roserade is a true beauty in my wonderful garden that I'm always happy to battle with. And she's full of surprises too…" she added, winking slyly.
"I think I gathered." June chuckled, "Divebomb, use Wing Attack!"
"Dodge it and use Rain Dance!" Erika cried.
Divebomb swooped towards Roserade like a prehistoric monster about to snatch up its prey. He swiped at her with his wing but Roserade somersaulted in a graceful backflip to dodge the move. Then she followed up on Erika's command and held out her rose hands. All at once, a grey rain cloud came up out of nowhere and rain began to sprinkle down over the Gym. Erika pulled out a parasol and opened it up to shelter herself while June was left to get soaked by the rain. Divebomb winced as he got wet too. As a half-Rock type, he naturally hated water.
"I don't get it. How's this supposed to achieve anything?" June asked.
"Like this." Erika said impishly, "Use Weather Ball!"
June recoiled in shock. Of course! Now it was raining, Roserade could use a Water-type Weather Ball attack! It was a handy cover for Fire-types and it gave Roserade an advantage over Divebomb as he was weak to Water attacks! Roserade conjured up a water sphere between its roses and then shot it at Divebomb. The Aerodactyl reeled back as he was splashed by the energy sphere. He was still airborne despite the blow and he shook himself off.
"Divebomb hate water!" he wailed, "Splashing me is not nice!"
"Keep it together Divebomb. We can still win this!" June insisted, "Use Wing Attack!"
Divebomb swooped towards Roserade again and this time he was more successful. His huge wing scythed into Roserade and made her cry out in pain. In order to keep up the pressure, June ordered Divebomb to use Wing Attack back-to-back so she wouldn't have a chance to fight back. The pterosaur like Pokémon obeyed, slamming Roserade repeatedly with both wings hitting her once at a time. Roserade grunted and yelled from each powerful hit. Then Divebomb gave one final swing of his wing and the super-effective hit threw Roserade across the field towards a tree. Despite the heavy pummelling it had taken, Roserade somersaulted into position and bounced off the tree. She launched herself like a missile towards Divebomb and fired another Weather Ball. The Rock/Flying Pokémon was soaked again and he cried out in a mix of irritation and anger. He was NOT enjoying getting wet! Annoyed, he tried using Wing Attack again but unfortunately, Erika sprung her next surprise. Roserade thrust her arms forward and sprayed her opponent with Stun Spore. The yellow and orange spores sprinkled over Divebomb and he winces as it caused his muscles to lock up. June gasped in shock. Her Pokémon was paralyzed!
Unable to move, Divebomb was at the mercy of Roserade once again as it used another Weather Ball on him. The energy ball hit him and he was brought down to the ground by the blow. While he was still able to fight, he wasn't looking too good now. He panted heavily and he rubbed himself vigorously as the Stun Spore continued to make him feel sore. This was just what June had to be wary of: Erika loved using status effects like Sleep and Paralysis! She wouldn't let it overwhelm her. June returned Divebomb and exchanged him for Ace. At least Weather Ball wouldn't do any harm to her. The mighty Pidgeot squawked loudly and spread her wings.
"Aha! A worthy challenge indeed!" she crowed, "A Gym Leader with some Grass Pokémon that are more than they seem will be worthy of my talents!"
"Heh, heh, quite proud of herself isn't she?" Erika sniggered.
"That's just Ace. Always seeking a worthy challenge." June chuckled, "Now Ace, hit Roserade with Aerial Ace!"
The huge bird flew up into the air and performed a speedy dive towards the ground. Then she pulled up at the last second and sped towards Roserade. She was much too fast for the rosy Pokémon to dodge and she scored a direct hit. Roserade flung backwards across the arena and crashed into a tree. At the same time, Rain Dance finally finished and the arena was back to how it was before. Erika was tempted to use Rain Dance again but what good would it do? It wouldn't make Weather Ball any stronger as Ace wasn't weak to Water attacks. At the same time, it was better than using Roserade's fourth move, Energy Ball. She ordered her Pokémon to use Stun Spore again, hoping to paralyze Ace. Roserade sprayed the spores at the flying Pokémon but June was ready this time. Ace charged up in to the air safely out of Stun Spore's way. Roserade aimed up but it still did no good as Ace simply used Twister to blow it away. The cyclone of wind swirled through the air and swallowed up Stun Spore, then continued down to Roserade and blew her away too. Roserade was spun around like clothes in a washing machine and then she was flung into the ground. She crashed down hard, lay flat on her back and didn't get back up again. It had been a tougher battle than anticipated, but June had managed to take the first win. Trace and Tricia cheered for their friend.
"Alright June! Way to take the lead!" Trace cheered.
"It looked tough at first but you're the one who pulled through in the end!" Tricia cheered, "Keep up the momentum sweetie!"
"As if I'm going to stop for a second!" June retorted.
Erika returned Roserade to her Pokéball.
"Thank you sweetie. You were excellent out there." she complimented, "OK June, let us see how well you handle my next Pokémon. Tangrowth, show her your powerful vines!"
She threw her next Pokéball. June wasn't surprised to see Erika owned a Tangrowth. Tangela were native to Kanto so why wouldn't she own its evolved form? Tangrowth looked like a walking pile of vines with long arms tipped with red fingers, stumpy legs and no visible face aside from a pair of eyes staring from amongst the tangle of vines around its body. It looked somewhat goofy, but June knew Tangrowth was nothing to laugh at.
"Tangrowth, a Grass-type Pokémon. It's six foot seven in height, weighs about 128.6kgs and it evolves from Tangela when it knows Ancient Power, thus meaning it's very likely this Pokémon will know the move to cover its Flying weakness…" June muttered to herself, "Luckily for me, I have the perfect counter."
She returned Ace for now and sent Divebomb back out to battle. Despite him being paralyzed and having taken damage from the battle with Roserade earlier, it was still the better option as Divebomb didn't have a weakness to Rock-types due to being half Rock-type himself. Erika frowned.
"Clever of you to anticipate that my Tangrowth might know a Rock move. But with any luck, I can exploit your Aerodactyl's crippled state." she said darkly, "Tangrowth, use Ancient Power!"
Tangrowth raised its arms and a bunch of fossils rose up from the ground around it. It launched them straight at Divebomb but the Aerodactyl ploughed through them with Iron Head. Each rock broke away harmlessly against his iron-coated cranium and Divebomb kept on going until he eventually crashed into Tangrowth. The attack caused it to flinch so Divebomb was able to launch another attack to take advantage of the situation. Tangrowth reeled back was it was sliced at repeatedly with Wing Attack. The large Pokémon stumbled and fell to its knees but it wasn't defeated yet. It picked itself up and fought back with another Ancient Power. The fossils flew towards Divebomb and this time, they found their target. Paralysis had stopped him from being able to react in time so the rocks crashed against him. After that had happened, Ancient Power's side-effect kicked in and gave Tangrowth a boost to all of its stats. June felt nervous. Now Tangrowth would be stronger than before!
"I've got to hope paralysis won't screw me over…" June murmured, "Finish it off with Wing Attack!"
Divebomb spread his wings and flapped hard. He charged towards Tangrowth and scythed into it with Wing Attack. He scored a direct hit, but Erika's smirk told June the terrible truth…she'd played right into her hands. Now Divebomb was up close to Tangrowth, Erika made her move.
"Ensnare him with Power Whip!" she ordered.
Tangrowth grew a large vine from its back and the wine wrapped itself around Divebomb's body. The wine was very thick and while it wouldn't do much to a strong Flying type like him, it did the job Erika needed. Divebomb flapped his wings furiously to try and break free but Tangrowth slammed the vine down onto the floor, bringing him with it. Then it pulled on the vine and dragged Divebomb closer to itself and grabbed hold of his shoulders. The Aerodactyl screeched angrily and chomped down on its shoulder with Crunch to make it let go. Unfortunately, Tangrowth held on despite the pain and to June's amazement, it then hit Divebomb with Shock Wave! It was the only Electric type move Tangrowth could learn and it provided handy coverage against Flying-types. The electric wave swept over Divebomb and made him cry out in pain. Then with steam drifting up from his body, he collapsed onto his back and lay still. Tangrowth remained standing. Everybody was speechless. Neither of them could've anticipated a turnout like that! June had the type-advantage yet Tangrowth had triumphed! Tricia shook her head grimly.
"It's just as I feared. Even a weak Gym Leader like Erika is no push over." she muttered.
"I'm lucky that wasn't the team I was battling with my Charizard!" Trace exclaimed, "I would've gotten my butt kicked otherwise!"
June returned Divebomb to his ball and patted it softly.
"You tried Divebomb, and I'm proud of you for your efforts." she said kindly, "They won't go to waste."
She put the ball away and considered her options carefully. Ace would be the logical next choice to use but she was weak to two of Tangrowth's attacks. Leonardo and Ray wouldn't fare any better as one was weak to Grass attacks and the other had no attacks that were effective against Grass-types. So that left only one choice…
"You may have no type-advantage, but you'll be my best weapon regardless." June declared, "You're up next Paige!"
Erika did a double-take in astonishment as the Fighting/Ghost Pokémon materialized before her Tangrowth and pounded her chest. Trace and Tricia were equally as surprised by June's unorthodox tactics but they assumed she knew what she was doing. Ray smirked knowingly. If June chose Paige, it's because she was the best Pokémon to use! He'd never known June to mess up when choosing which Pokémon to fight with.
"An Annihilape? Goodness me, you're full of surprises little one." Erika said in amazement, "That's the first time ANYONE's fought me with one of those!"
"Oh is it?" June said in surprise, "Heh, glad I can give you a new experience then. Now Paige, use Leer!"
Paige did so and Tangrowth's Defence was lowered. Trace and Tricia nodded knowingly. It was a useful tactic that helped her win against Brock and Sabrina so why not use it again for Erika? Unfortunately, the Grass-type Gym Leader was able to retaliate just as quickly by ordering Tangrowth to use Poison Powder. The third of her status effect tactics was being put to use and June knew this one was worse than the Stun Spore as Paige's health would gradually grow weaker because of the poison. She had to make this a quick win or Paige was done for! Paige coughed and winced as the purple powder spread over her and poisoned her instantly. Yet despite that, all that seemed to do was make her mad. She clenched her fists in rage.
"Poison me will ya?! I'll show you, you giant walking bush!" she roared.
"You tell em' Paige!" June chimed in, "Use Rage Fist!"
Paige stampeded towards Tangrowth, steam blowing out of her ears and nostrils all the way. Then she pounced on Tangrowth and drove her ghostly fist straight between its eyes. Tangrowth reeled back and fell down onto its back. The punch made it feel as if its face was about to shatter. Paige rose her fists in triumph but was cut off as the poison suddenly kicked in and sapped away some of her health. Tangrowth was looking weak thanks to the beating it'd taken from Divebomb earlier so Paige was still at an advantage but June knew it could change very quickly if she didn't finish this now. She ordered Paige to use Rage Fist again but Tangrowth recovered and lashed out with Power Whip. A huge vine grew from its back and walloped Paige hard in the side of the face. Paige was more surprised than hurt by the blow. Tangrowth raised the whip and slapped Paige with it again. But as it tried to use Power Whip a third time, Paige suddenly grabbed the vine and yanked on it to pull Tangrowth closer to her. Then she socked it again in the face with Rage Fist, this blow much harder than the first one as she'd been hit.
"Hey! It's rude to whip people you jerk!" she shouted.
Tangrowth stood up again and hit Paige with Shock Wave. The electric wave swept over Paige and she winced in pain. After that was done, the poison sapped away more of her health. But once more, any damage Tangrowth inflicted to Paige just seemed to make her angrier and angrier. It was as if Tangrowth could whale on her all it liked and it still wouldn't do anything. In retaliation, Paige lunged at Tangrowth with her newly learned Lash Out attack. She sprinted quickly towards the vine bush Pokémon and socked it in the stomach with a dark powered punch. Tangrowth huffed as the breath was punched out of it and it was hurled off its feet by the power of her attack. It then crashed down at the foot of a nearby tree and lay there dopily. Erika called to it but it was no use. Tangrowth was defeated and unable to battle any longer. June jumped up for joy.
"Fantastic! We're in the lead again!" she cheered, "Just one more Pokémon left and I'll have won my fifth Gym badge!"
"She may not be sweeping her as I did, but she's still owning this match!" Trace complimented, "She's totally got this!"
"Quite so." Tricia agreed, "Unless Erika pulls an amazing Raboot out of her hat, June's walking out of her with an extra badge to put in her case. I do wonder what her last Pokémon will be…"
Erika returned Tangrowth to its Pokéball and thanked it for a good battle. She drew out her last Pokéball.
"I knew facing the daughter of a champion would be a tough and fun battle, but you're making this more exciting than I expected." Erika said jovially, "I really should thank you for such a fun battle!"
"Don't thank me yet Erika, it's not quite over." June said modestly.
"True, and while my back's truly against the wall, I want to at least end this on a high note." the Kimono-clad woman declared, "Venusaur, let your petals blossom!"
The Grass/Poison Pokémon appeared out of its ball and bellowed a deep, throaty cry of determination. June had grown up with Sapphire's Venusaur that she'd named Bloom so she knew full well what she was looking at. She also knew that Venusaur were pretty powerful Grass-types that use a variety of status effects moves and knowing Erika, it probably knew any one of those moves. While Paige was still fighting strong, she didn't want to keep her out any longer and push her beyond her limits, especially as she was still poisoned. She returned the Annihilape to her ball and returned Ace to the field. Against a Pidgeot, Venusaur's chances for victory were very slim. But Erika looked determined to give it a go regardless.
"This is it Ace, our chance to take home the Rainbow Badge." June declared, "And there's no way Venusaur will know anything that's very effective against you. Let's make this quick and easy with Aerial Ace!"
Ace flew quickly towards Venusaur and landed a powerful hit on the toad-like Pokémon before Erika even had chance to call an attack. It was as if Ace had simply teleported from one spot to the next with how fast she'd moved! Venusaur staggered backwards but it held its ground firmly and showed no signs of being in any real pain despite the super-effective attack. It shook its head and retaliated by using Sludge Bomb. It opened its mouth and blasted explosive sludge balls at Ace. Ace banked to the left and flapped her wings furiously to dodge the bombs. She was just fast enough and managed to avoid all of them. Then she used Aerial Ace a second time. But Erika was ready this time, expecting that to be Ace's next move. Smirking, she called the next attack…
"Use Sleep Powder!" she commanded.
"Oh no!" June cried in worry.
Ace was going too fast to try and dodge the attack. Venusaur sprayed a sparkling powder directly into her face and it caused her to feel drowsy within seconds. Ace had enough energy left in her to touch down on the ground safely before she eventually succumbed to the powder and fell asleep. She collapsed onto the floor and began snoring instantly. June put her hands to her mouth in shock. No, this was just what she'd been worried about! Erika was infamous for abusing the Sleep Powder move and now she'd fallen right into her trap!
"Ace, please wake up! You've gotta wake up!" the Galarian girl shouted frantically.
But Ace was in too deep a sleep to hear her. The Pidgeot was a sitting Psyduck for Venusaur to do with as it pleased. Erika took advantage of the situation by first ordering her Pokémon to use Synthesis. Venusaur's petals rose up as it absorbed sunlight through the glass dome in the ceiling above and healed itself up. June found herself in awe of Erika. What a clever strategy, combining Sleep Powder and Synthesis like that so Venusaur could heal while its opponent was taking a nap! One Venusaur was healed up, it took further advantage of Pidgeot's situation by using Sludge Bomb. The exploding sludge balls bombarded Ace and the poor Pidgeot was unable to do anything about it. Sleep Powder had put her in such a deep sleep that even Sludge Bomb didn't wake her up! She continued to snore loudly as Venusaur pummelled her mercilessly. June kept screaming at the top of her lungs for Ace to wake up but it did no good. She could only watch helplessly as her Pokémon was bombed by Venusaur. Eventually after at least two rounds of Sludge Bomb, Ace's eyes shot open and she grunted as the last sludge ball exploded in her face. She reeled back in confusion and alarm and wiped her face with her wings.
"Who, what, where, when and why?!" she cried out, completely flabbergasted, "What's going on here?!"
"You're awake at last!" June cried happily, "Now you can fight back with Aerial Ace!"
Ace flapped her wings and charged up towards the ceiling. Venusaur watched her helplessly from the ground. Pidgeot then dive-bombed towards the Grass/Poison Pokémon, moving like a speeding arrow. She struck Venusaur directly on top of its flower, causing immense pain to surge through its back. Venusaur lay flat on the ground and cried out from the blow. Then Ace spun around and walloped Venusaur in the back with Wing Attack. Venusaur cried out again and Ace flew back into the air for another Aerial Ace. It looked as if she might be about to land the final blow that would seal the fight. But then Erika made her next move.
"Blind her with Petal Blizzard!" she commanded.
Venusaur raised the leaves on its back and all at once a huge cloud of leaves swarmed around it and whooshed towards Ace. It was like a snowstorm had kicked up but it was made of leaves instead of snow. Ace tried to dodge the attack but she was hit by Petal Blizzard. It wasn't very effective, but it did the trick. The leaves kept flying up all around her and in her face. She couldn't see and that would give Venusaur the chance to make another move. Ace was too high up for it to use Sleep Powder again but while she was distracted, it did give Venusaur the chance to heal up using Synthesis again. By the time the blizzard had died down, Venusaur was healing up some of the damage it had taken. June gritted her teeth anxiously. Things were going to get tricky if Venusaur kept stalling with Synthesis like so! She was tempted to use Aerial Ace again but she hesitated. Supposed Ace just ended up flying into another Sleep Powder? Maybe it was best to keep her distance for now. In the end, June ordered Ace to use Twister. The bird Pokémon flapped her wings and sent a draconic powered tornado whooshing over Venusaur. It was too heavy to be blown away but it was still doing the damage as June was hoping for.
Once Twister had finished, Erika commanded Venusaur to use another Petal Blizzard to distract Ace. But this time, it wasn't successful as Ace used Twister to blow the leaves away. But that didn't matter as Venusaur followed up on the failed attack with Sludge Bomb. Ace wasn't able to react in time as she'd just finished blowing Petal Blizzard aside so the bombs hit her. She was knocked down to the ground and left wincing from the impact. What made things was worse was that the Sludge Bomb had poisoned her as well. June watched her Pokémon's body flash purple as the poison kicked in and sapped away her strength. It was incredible to see but it looked as if Venusaur was actually winning at the moment! Ace was starting to look fatigued as the damage she'd taken and her tiresome efforts to take down Venusaur only for Synthesis to undermine it was wearing her down. June felt very worried. If Ace went down then Venusaur would be too tough for the rest of her team to beat! She had to win it with Ace or it was all over!
"Hang in there Ace! You've gotta hang on just a little longer! We can win this!" June cried desperately.
"Yes…yes we can! I will not fail this challenge!" Ace squawked furiously.
She picked herself up and took to the air once again. But then an incredible thing happened. As Ace flew into the air, a white aura suddenly surrounded her. She let out a screech of awe of as a surge of power began to sweep over her body. She felt as if Arceus had suddenly blessed her with new strength and she was about to unleash it on her opponent. June watched in amazement.
"Oh my gosh, look at this! I think Ace just learned a new move!" she cried.
"She has!" Tricia exclaimed, "She's using Sky Attack!"
"Just like my mum's Crobat!" June squealed with glee, "This is amazing! Let's see what you've got Ace! Use Sky Attack now!"
Ace screeched loudly as she positioned herself above Venusaur. Then with the white aura glowing at its brightest, her body was completely surrounded by the light and it left a trail behind her as she whooshed down to earth. She was like a falling meteor about to destroy anything in her path. Venusaur could only watch in horror, unable to do anything about the oncoming attack. Even if it tried to use Sleep Powder it wouldn't slow Ace down! Venusaur braced itself as Sky Attack landed. Ace slammed down onto Venusaur with so much force that it felt as if its spine had snapped in two. It let out a gasp as the wind was punched out of it. The impact caused its whole skeleton to shake inside its body. Ace then flew away and settled down in front of June, looking proud and triumphant. Venusaur collapsed onto its stomach…and lay still. The battle was over. Erika could see for herself that she would be handing out a second Rainbow Badge today. She'd fought well, but the challenger was the rightful winner of this match. Erika smiled softly and bowed in respect.
"All my Pokémon are unable to battle. As sad as it is to say, I have truly been defeated. Congratulations June, you're the winner!" she applauded.
"That was amazing! Whoo hoo! We did it Ace, we did it!" June squealed at the top of her lungs, "Another Gym battle ends in victory for us!"
She threw her arms around the large bird Pokémon and hugged her in congratulations. Ace wrapped her wings around June and returned the hug. Nobody was more pleased with her than herself! They seemed to be hugging for ages before Erika eventually approached June and handed her the Rainbow Badge.
"If I have to hand anymore out today, I might have to restock on badges!" Erika joked, "Still, congratulations again June. You've earned your badge fair and square."
"Thank you Erika, both for being such a great opponent and for being such a lovely Gym Leader!" June said appreciatively, "I'll take great care of this badge."
She admired it happily. True to its name, the Rainbow Badge resembled a flower with its petals coloured like the rainbow. It was the prettiest Gym Badge June had ever seen and she already knew it was going to be her favourite one in her collection. She placed the badge in her case and beamed happily. Only three badges left and the Gym Challenge was complete!
"So what's next for you?" Erika asked, "Will you go to Fuchsia City next and challenge Janine?"
"I'll have to." June acknowledged, "She's the next Gym Leader after you. Then after that, I'll go to Cinnabar Islands and challenge Blaine. And with any luck, he can help us find Mewtwo so I may catch it and keep it safe out of Team Rocket's hands. Then after that, I'll challenge the Viridian Gym Leader."
"I wish you luck in all your endeavours." Erika said kindly, "I do hope you'll be OK with Mewtwo. Even with the Master Ball, it won't be easy to capture."
"I'll try." June said, trying to sound optimistic, "With any luck, I can just talk it into joining my team."
"Somehow I doubt it's interested in a chat." Ray murmured.
"It's worth a shot." June said with a shrug, "Bye Erika, and thanks again for the great battle!" she said with a wave.
"Pleasure's all mine." Erika said sweetly, "And do give Ruby and Hop my dearest regards if you meet up with them."
"I will!" June promised.
She, Trace and Tricia left the Gym to make their way to Fuchsia City. With both June and Trace in possession of their fifth Gym Badge, they would be moving on to claim their sixth badge. Janine would be a tricky opponent with her Poison-types but June already had a plan for her. Trace had a plan of his own too. But the two would need some training first before they went ahead with their next Gym Battle. They had to see if they were ready for the next step…
Sakaki was amazed he hadn't been fired for losing the Master Ball. He'd expected to be out on the streets and out of Team Rocket but it seemed Giovanni still thought he was worth keeping around.
Once he'd gotten back to Team Rocket's secret underwater base, he'd given his report and braced himself for Giovanni's wrath. But the Rocket boss didn't get angry with him. If anything, his reaction had merely been disappointment and like he couldn't even muster up the energy to get angry. All he'd said was "That is…most unfortunate." and then he'd dismissed Sakaki. Giovanni told him to remain on standby as he thought over what to do next.
It was the next day now and Giovanni still seemed to be mulling over what to do. Both he and Sakaki agreed that hypnotizing June again was not an option as she'd only find out and get Sabrina to help her again. They had to use a different tactic so they wouldn't be found out and wouldn't anticipate their next move. They had to tread VERY carefully as Ruby, Hop and Ash were still looking for them. One wrong move and they'd be arrested. There were only about ten Rocket members that hadn't been locked up yet, eight plus Giovanni and Sakaki. They couldn't afford to make mistakes now.
After what seemed like an eternity, Giovanni finally rose up from his seat and hummed to himself. Sakaki stood up with him.
"Do you have a plan sir?" the Rocket spy asked.
Giovanni nodded.
"We will observe the girl and her friends again. But this time, we won't do anything." the Rocket boss declared, "Rather, we will observe and follow her."
"Oh? Why is that?" Sakaki asked.
Giovanni gave a dark smile to his top spy.
"Because it's very likely that Miss Silverlock will discover Mewtwo's whereabouts." he explained, "She was clearly given the Master Ball because that fool at the Silph Company expects her to be able to find Mewtwo so she can use it. And remember, one of the Gym Leaders was involved in Mewtwo's creation. So once she arrives at his Gym…"
"She'll learn where Mewtwo is from him!" Sakaki exclaimed excitedly, "And if I'm following correctly, we'll just follow her and essentially she'll lead us to it!"
"Precisely." Giovanni purred, "We'll let June find and catch Mewtwo for us. Then when she least expects it…"
He clenched his fist as if imagining himself crushing June in his palm like a bug.
"…we'll relinquish Mewtwo from her." he finished.
Sakaki nodded approvingly. He knew his boss would have the perfect plan! June would be playing right into their hands! By following her, she'd lead them to Mewtwo and then the Pokémon would be theirs. And Team Rocket would be back, bigger and stronger than ever. The power of Mewtwo alone would allow them to free their captured members and get their organization back into operation again. And not even Ruby, Hop or Ash would be a match for Mewtwo's unrivalled power…
June and Trace have their Rainbow Badges! Now it's off to Fuschia City to challenge Janine, the Poison Gym Leader! But first, our heroes may want to visit "The Safari Zone" on their way...
Trivia: Trace evolving his Eevee into Jolteon is an obvious reference to the fact in Let's Go Pikachu!, he does just that.
Erika using Tangrowth and Venusaur also was me wanting to give her a more interesting team to use and to make her more of a challenge for June. And given she uses a Tangela in the Gen 1 games, it makes perfect sense for her to use a Tangrowth as well.
Also she HAS used a Roserade and given I like Roserade more than Victreebel, I had to let her use Roserade instead. ^^
And before you ask, Pidgeot can learn Sky Attack via the Move Relearner in the Let's Go games so Ace learning Sky Attack makes sense. I was gonna have her learn Brave Bird but Pidgeot can only learn that via breeding so Sky Attack made more sense.