Chapter 17
Centuries ago, Kanto's first settlers saw a tall rainbow arching over a certain acre of woods. Taking it as a sign, they picked that area as their home, gradually building and expanding to create the Kanto known today. The initial settlement turned into Celadon City, called the City of Rainbow Dreams to reference the settlers' colorful vision for the future. Saffron City became the capital due to its centralized location, but Celadon was the most populous city in Kanto and, without a doubt, the most beautiful. There were modern, glittering skyscrapers and quaint, classical buildings. Every corner was clean and had brightly colored flowers. Children ran around laughing while couples, both old and young, strolled hand-in-hand. At the city square was a grand fountain; each drop of water shone under the sun like crystals.
Red's mom was from here, Leaf remembered. Mrs. Woods had spent the first twenty-five years of her life in Celadon. She attended Celadon University, the most prestigious school in the region, and worked as a nurse in the Celadon Pokemon Center. It was through her job that she met Red's dad: she'd treated his Pokemon after he defeated the Celadon Gym. When she became pregnant, Red's dad convinced her to move to Pallet Town. Celadon was the most expensive city to live in, especially for young soon-to-be parents. Wouldn't it be nice to raise a child somewhere peaceful and quiet? And so she left the rainbow city to plant her roots in a town that didn't even have its own grocery store.
If Mrs. Woods had chosen to stay in Celadon, Leaf would probably never have met Red. Leaf had felt strange thinking about it when Red told her the story. She felt strange thinking about it now. It was funny, the direction life could take.
Standing in front of the Celadon Gym, which somehow seemed more sleek than the other gyms despite having the same design, Leaf wondered even more about Red. How did he feel being in the city where his parents met? Embarking on the same journey his dad went on? Leaf wanted to ask Red these questions the next time she saw him, but wasn't sure how she would bring them up. Red, understandably, didn't like talking about his dad very much.
Leaf stepped inside the Gym and the breath she'd been holding was whisked away.
All of her senses were being triggered. She felt the air, warm and sticky on her skin. She saw the plants, greener than emeralds, and the flowers that came in vibrant shades of red, orange, yellow, pink, blue, and purple. Their aromas tingled her nose. They were so sweet, she could even taste them on the tip of her tongue. All around her were the sounds of trainers and Pokemon.
"Welcome to the Celadon Gym!" Leaf turned and saw that the registrant was, for once, a woman. She had plump, ruddy cheeks and wore a white floral dress.
"Thank you. My name's Leaf Green and I'm from Pallet Town."
"Pallet Town? The last two challengers were from there. One of them was Professor Oak's grandson––yes, you heard that right––and the other…let's just say he was unlike any other trainer we've seen." The registrant smiled slyly, as if expecting Leaf to interrogate her about these challengers. When Leaf showed no reaction, the registrant's smile faded and she cleared her throat. "This Gym is a maze. Our Leader, Erika, is at the center of it. You'll need to figure out how to get to her. Along the way, you may encounter our several Gym Trainers. Good luck."
Leaf glanced around. The sensory overload had made her not notice the single path ahead, surrounded by a wall of plants. Though she could hear them, she couldn't see the other trainers. The exception was the Gym Leader, Erika Albright, who stood on a tall glass platform at the center of everything. She appeared to be sewing.
Leaf went down the path, eventually arriving at an intersection. She stopped to ponder which direction to take. Leaf strained to hear the other trainers. Maybe the louder side was where she should go. Maybe someone would unintentionally say something helpful.
It was loud everywhere and she couldn't clearly make out a single thing. Trying to channel whatever energy led her through the Viridian Forest, Leaf turned left.
Some time later, she reached another intersection. Immediately, she decided to go right. As she began to make the turn, she heard a high-pitched, "Hey!"
Leaf looked back. On the left side of the intersection was a deadend: a wall of hydrangeas. Standing in front of it was a beautiful blonde woman. She wore a white tank and purple mini skirt that showed off her toned limbs.
The woman tossed her perfect golden locks back. "I'm Bridget, one of the Gym Trainers. I'm not gonna let you near Erika."
Bridget's sapphire eyes trailed down Leaf as she introduced herself. There was vague disgust in them. Though Leaf made a point to wash her clothes at every Pokemon Center, there were still some stains on them. Compared to the shimmering Bridget, Leaf looked like she stepped out of a dumpster.
Leaf backed away. Once there was enough distance, she sent out Vulpix, who raised her head and sniffed. Bridget sent out a blue bulb with five green leaves the size of its body sprouting on top. It glowered at Vulpix with beady red eyes. The Pokedex told Leaf that this Pokemon was called Oddish.
"Oddish, use Sleep Powder!"
"Vulpix, use Ember!"
Vulpix leaped away from the green powder and spat flames at the weed Pokemon. It tried to dodge, but the flames caught on the tip of its leaves. The Oddish shrieked and ran in circles in panic.
"Use Ember again!"
The flames hit the Oddish squarely. Bridget returned her Pokemon with a grimace. The next Pokemon she sent out had a yellow, bell-shaped head that was supported by a brown stem-like body. It stood on roots that looked like feet and had a green leaf on each side of its body. Its pink lips were open, forming an O. The name of this Pokemon was Bellsprout.
"Bellsprout, use Acid!"
"Ember!"
Vulpix dodged the Acid. Her Ember hit the Bellsprout's face and the battle was over. With a pout, Bridget handed over $1512.
The maze, Leaf ended up realizing, wasn't too difficult after all. She went straight for the most part and whenever there was an intersection, it wouldn't take Leaf long to figure out which way to go. The wrong side always quickly led her to a deadend, which sometimes had a Gym Trainer stationed there. Once, she even stumbled upon a Gym Trainer while headed in the right direction. Most of the trainers had Oddishes or Bellsprouts, but one had their evolutions, Gloom and Weepinbell. Gloom had a red flower with orange leaves and white spots on its head. Its eyes seemed to be closed and nectar dribbled out of its purple mouth. Weepinbell had the same lips and leaves as Bellsprout, but larger eyes and didn't have a stem body. Instead, its whole body was the yellow, bell-shaped form.
Leaf was smoothly winning every battle using only Vulpix. Each battle left her feeling increasingly confident. She already knew that she had an advantage with Vulpix, but she didn't think it would be this easy challenging the Celadon Gym. Vulpix didn't even seem to be getting tired. With each win, the fire fox was glowing brighter.
Before long, Leaf saw Erika's platform standing several feet ahead of her. Adrenaline pumping through her, Leaf walked up the glass stairs. When she reached the top, the Celadon Gym Leader set aside her sewing project and stood. Erika Albright had a petite frame and round face. Her jet black hair was cut into a bob and she had bangs that went straight across her forehead. She wore an elegant kimono: the top was yellow and the skirt was a deep red. Matching it was a red headband. She was breathtakingly beautiful.
Erika smiled sweetly. "Hello. Lovely weather, isn't it? It's so pleasant." Her voice was clear and soft as a bell. "Anyways, welcome. My name is Erika Albright and I am the leader of the Celadon Gym. My Pokemon are solely of the grass-type. Many see grass Pokemon as weak, but the truth is, they can be the most deadly. Do you wish to challenge me?"
Leaf nodded. Erika seemed so…dainty. It was almost difficult to believe that she was the fourth Gym Leader.
"Very well, but I shall not lose."
At that moment, Leaf noticed faint lines drawn on the platform. As Erika moved to the side, Leaf realized that she was already standing on the battlefield. Clenching her fists, Leaf went to her side. The Gym Trainers gathered at the bottom.
Erika's first Pokemon looked like a much larger, inverted version of Weepinbell. Its semicircular eyes, which were directly under its lips, glowered at Leaf. Two sharp teeth glinted under the light. A large leaf covering the mouth had a brown vine growing from it. The vine waved back-and-forth menacingly. This Pokemon was Victreebel, the final form of Bellsprout. Leaf sent out Vulpix, who growled at the sight of her opponent.
"You may have the first move," Erika said.
Leaf took a deep breath. "Vulpix, use Ember!"
"Victreebel, use Acid!"
There was an explosion when the flames and acid collided. As the boom died down, Leaf heard, "Razor Leaf!"
Sharp leaves shot out of the smoke from all sides. Vulpix tried to dodge them, but there were too many. A single hit from a Razor Leaf wouldn't affect the fire fox much, but the leaves buffeted her as if she were inside a pinball machine. If this were to continue, the leaves could inflict significant damage.
"Burn the leaves with Ember!"
Vulpix wildly spat out flames, but could only hit a few leaves. She let out a distressed wail.
Mind racing, Leaf tried to study the Razor Leaf storm. There had to be some pattern in the leaf formation, some clue as to how to combat or escape it. But it was hard to concentrate with Vulpix's cry slicing through the air and there were so many leaves flying so fast. They spun around her Pokemon like a hurricane.
A lightbulb turned on in Leaf's head. "Vulpix, use Ember while spinning around!"
Vulpix immediately began to spit out flames. Whenever she tried to stand, the leaves would knock her back down. Leaf had so far been finding that each of her Pokemon had distinct personalities, but if there was anything they had in common, it was determination. Vulpix continued to try regaining her footing and didn't stop using Ember.
It was difficult to see, but it looked like Vulpix, at one point, hit some leaves aimed at her paws. Almost instantly, other leaves began to go for the paws, but there was enough time for Vulpix to get up and start spinning. Vulpix spat out flames like there was no tomorrow, burning enough leaves to keep herself standing. She was doing a good job, but this plan couldn't go on forever. Eventually, the fox would become too exhausted. Plus, she needed to actually attack the Victreebel somehow.
As Leaf thought of a new strategy, she noticed the ring of fire begin to grow, in both size and power. She could feel the heat on her face. The fire grew and grew, stretching towards the ceiling, until it was no longer a ring, but a twister.
Leaf didn't need to check the Pokedex. She had seen this move before.
Leaf pointed at the Victreebel, whose eyes were wide in shock. "Vulpix, use Flamethrower!"
Vulpix stopped spinning and launched the fire twister at the Victreebel. Leaf heard it shriek before getting consumed by the flames. Erika hastily returned her Pokemon.
Vulpix looked back at Leaf. Her fur was ruffled up, but her proud smile let Leaf know she was alright. Leaf beamed.
Erika's next Pokemon was a peculiar one. It was a ball of blue vines that had red boot-like feet. There was a small opening at the center of the vines, revealing large eyes surrounded by black space. It was called Tangela, and it had no known evolutions.
"Vulpix, use Flamethrower!"
"Tangela, use Bind!"
The Tangela jumped out of the Flamethrower's way and shot a blue vine at Vulpix. The vine wrapped tightly around Vulpix's body and began to squeeze.
For a Gym Leader, this seemed like an incredibly stupid move. "Flamethrower!"
The Tangela cried as the fire shot down the vine and hit its body. Erika returned the Tangela with an expression that Leaf couldn't read.
"We are down to my third and final Pokemon now," Erika said matter-of-factly. She closed her eyes for a moment before tossing a PokeBall.
It was a Vileplume, the final form of Oddish. It had the same red flower on its head as Gloom, only it was much larger and Leaf could see it had an orange center. It had beady red eyes and seemed to be smiling at Leaf.
Leaf had a feeling that Vileplume was Erika's strongest, but she wasn't concerned. She'd basically won the battle already. In a confident tone, she pointed at the flower Pokemon and said, "Vulpix, use Flamethrower!"
Leaf heard Vulpix take a deep breath. In a moment, a powerful stream of fire would be launched and Leaf would receive the badge. The thought made her hold her breath.
The moment passed and there was no fire. Leaf let out her breath and blinked. Another moment passed and still, nothing happened. Instead, Vulpix stood still.
"Uh, Vulpi––"
Suddenly, Vulpix collapsed and began to violently convulse. Her cry of pain was so intense, Leaf teared up.
"Vulpix!" Leaf's gaze snapped towards Erika, who was very calm. "What did you do to my Pokemon?!"
Erika brushed a strand of hair away from her face. "I'm sure you're aware that some moves can poison your opponent. There are many of them…Poison Sting, Poison Powder. The most dangerous is Toxic."
A chill ran down Leaf's spine. Erika didn't need to explain this move to her. She'd seen it used in many tournaments. A Pokemon would poison their opponent with a toxin that, at first, did mild damage. Over time, however, the toxin would worsen and the resulting damage could be significant. It was to the point where some Pokemon never truly recovered from it and needed to retire from battling.
Leaf immediately returned Vulpix. Toxic was a great way for Erika to get rid of the fire Pokemon. But when did––
Erika smiled as Leaf's eyes widened. "Yes, my dear Tangela injected the toxin when she grabbed onto Vulpix. It's a very useful trick I taught her."
Leaf clenched her fists. It was no wonder Erika didn't bat an eye when Vulpix knocked out the Tangela. The Gym Leader knew exactly what she was doing. It was extremely clever but also a bit twisted. She essentially sacrificed her Pokemon to take down Leaf's. Erika wasn't so dainty after all.
In the PokeBall, the toxin's growth would slow down. Still, Leaf needed to finish the battle quickly so that Vulpix could receive treatment sooner. She sent out Fearow, who raised her head and cawed.
Erika's eyes flashed. She clearly hadn't expected Leaf to have another Pokemon with an advantage over grass-types, especially not one that was fully evolved. Leaf felt a flicker of satisfaction.
"Fearow, use Aerial Ace!"
"Vileplume, use Giga Drain!"
As Fearow lunged at the Vileplume, it bowed so that the center of the flower faced her. The center glowed a soft green and when Fearow was close enough, the light wrapped around her like tendrils. Fearow squawked, broke the tendrils with her wings, and pulled away.
Leaf was aware of this move as well. Like Leech Seed, Giga Drain allowed its user to absorb the target's energy. The amount of energy Giga Drain stole was much greater than Leech Seed's, but Fearow still had the type advantage.
"Aerial Ace!"
Before the Vileplume could react, Fearow slashed at it. The flower Pokemon tumbled away and Leaf ordered Fearow to use Aerial Ace again.
"Giga Drain!"
The glowing tendrils latched onto Fearow, who continued to slash the Vileplume.
"Toxic!"
To Leaf's horror, the tendrils turned purple. Fearow pulled back. She seemed fine now, but at any moment, she could start convulsing like Vulpix did.
Erika smirked. "Use Giga Drain again!"
The Vileplume stepped forward and bowed. The center of the flower began to glow. Leaf opened her mouth to tell Fearow to use Aerial Ace.
Then, the glow vanished and the Vileplume fell forward.
For a moment, nothing happened. Leaf and Erika stared at the Vileplume in shock. When it became apparent the Vileplume was not getting up, Erika returned it and approached Leaf.
"I concede defeat," Erika said. Her tone was so gentle, Leaf couldn't believe it came from the same woman who poisoned Vulpix. "You are remarkably strong indeed. I must confer on you, the Rainbow Badge."
Erika pulled out the badge from her kimono, took Leaf's hand, and placed it in her palm. The badge was flower-shaped. Each petal was a color of the rainbow.
"Congratulations."
The Gym Trainers began to clap politely. Leaf barely heard them. Up ahead, Fearow's neck twisted strangely and soon, her entire body was convulsing. Without a word, Leaf returned the bird Pokemon and dashed out of the Celadon Gym.
To Leaf's relief, neither Vulpix nor Fearow were in critical condition. The nurse assured her that the toxin would safely leave their bodies and they would be running around in no time.
As Leaf waited for her Pokemon, she ran a finger along each petal of the Rainbow Badge, finally able to take pride in her accomplishment. She chuckled a bit at the thought of her hasty departure. Leaf had thanked Brock, Misty, and even Lieutenant Surge for the badges. This time, she'd been so worried about Vulpix and Fearow that she left without saying anything. Leaf wouldn't have changed that, but she decided she should go back later. Although she was sure Erika would understand, she wanted to let the Gym Leader know she was grateful for the battle and that she'd underestimated her.
Leaf tucked the badge away and looked ahead. Trainers milled about, talking to each other with their Pokemon by their sides. Every now and then, a nurse would push a cart through or call a trainer to them. It was a mundane scene that Leaf had grown accustomed to.
Nearby, Leaf heard laughter. She glanced over and saw a nurse speaking with a handsome young man. Leaf couldn't hear what they were saying, but she knew what was going on. The man gestured charismatically as he spoke. The nurse giggled and blushed.
Leaf looked away and shifted in her seat. She wondered now, not for the first time, if Red's mom regretted leaving Celadon City. Leaf had never been able to tell. Like Red, Mrs. Woods was fairly reserved.
And, for not the first time since her journey began, Leaf found herself missing Red.
Got a chapter in right before the end of the year! My resolution for the new year is to post many more chapters :)
Leaf won her 4th badge! The Erika battle was tough to write because I wanted it to be a challenge for Leaf, but not too big of a challenge since she has such a big advantage. I hope I was able to achieve that!
As always, I appreciate you all for following this story. See you in 2022!
