"I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be," Ash said to himself as he took a deep breath in a waiting room outside the entrance to the arena of the Celadon City Gym. If he was successful today, he would earn the Rainbow Badge. It would be his Fifth Badge and he would be one step closer to the Indigo Conference.

He was alone with his thoughts as Pikachu was with the others, sitting off in a spectator's room meant for an audience. There were fewer open spaces given that the Gym also apparently doubled as a Greenhouse. That allowed him time to just weigh his thoughts as he considered what type of opponent he would face.

Brock, Surge, and Sabrina had all been intimidating as Gym Leaders and each of their battling styles reflected that in some manner. The match against Misty was... different but, considering how limited her Gym was at the time in the type of pokémon they had available for a challenger of his badge count back then, he was trying not to judge her for it. Especially not when he'd seen her get serious.

I'll start strong and go from there, Ash decided in the end as the beacon on the door to signal it was time for his match lit up. It was a little late to be reflecting on his choices and there was no need to overthink things like Gina would. Even if something unexpected happened his pokémon could adapt. "Right. Let's do this!"

Putting on his game face, Ash stepped through the door and entered the arena of the Gym. Perhaps befitting of the fact that the leader specialized with Grass-Type Pokémon, the battlefield was several feet lower to the ground and consisted of a large swathe of grassy terrain. It spread between Ash's side to the opposite end, where his opponent was waiting, with another woman off to the side to act as the referee.

Erika was a Kantonian beauty, dressed in a traditional kimono that seemed to frame her slender body perfectly. Her short, black hair was crowned by a red hairband that had a white flower pattern on it. Standing with a serene smile on her face, she welcomed Ash with a small bow. "Greetings, Challenger. I welcome you to the Celadon City Gym and hope you can prove yourself worthy to advance one step closer to the conference by claiming the Rainbow Badge."

He was caught somewhat off-guard from the formality considering the last two Gym Leaders he'd had to deal with were far less polite. He tried to mimic her formality, but it came off a lot clumsier than he liked. "Um… thanks for having me. I'm looking forward to our match."

That was when the woman standing off to the side acted in her capacity as a referee. "The terms of the match are three-on-three and will end when one side no longer has any pokémon remaining conscious or yields. Trainers, please send out your first pokémon."

Ash drew out his first choice's ball from his holster and set it to its active state before tossing it out. "Come out, Charmeleon!"

The ball burst open and light spilled out. Taking form on the field, the Flame Pokémon emerged with a slight snarl as his long tail with a burning flame whipped back and forth, scattering embers. The sight gave Ash some secondary concerns about burning the Gym down by mistake.

"You needn't worry about the state of the field," Erika assured him as his gaze tracked the embers. "Precautions have been taken to ensure that you may make use of your Fire-Type without concern. As for myself, I will be using this pokémon."

She elegantly tossed out a ball and from it emerged a rather stout figure. As the conversion from its energy state into a solid matter brought in detail, Ash realized it was effectively a plump tree that walked on two legs. It had three faces on what should have been fruits just beneath its leaves, each sporting a different expression as they all stared down the Flame Pokémon half its size.

"Exeggutor," spoke the three heads spoke at once, inclining their heads. It was almost as if they were introducing themselves to their opponent, who only gave a slight crane of the head.

With the summoning of their respective pokémon, the referee announced the start of the match. "Very well then. Let the first match begin!"

"Charmeleon, use Flamethrower!" Ash ordered, taking the initiative to end things quickly. The Flame Pokémon sucked in a sharp breath, his pale-toned chest swelling as the flame on his tail intensified. It was almost like it was feeding off the air he'd swallowed, burning hotter and hotter within his chest. Then he exhaled and unleashed it all in a single breath.

Flames surged forth. Hotter than before he evolved, it was akin to a blazing stream that scorched the grass and charred the soil beneath it. It baked the air that billowed out in every direction to escape the intense heat as it rushed ahead towards the Grass-Type Pokémon that stood there unblinkingly in the face of its weakness.

"Light Screen," Erika calmly said in response. The eyes of the three heads proceeded to grow luminous with a hue that Ash had become familiarized with as being typical of Psychic-Type pokémon. Then the air in front of them rippled before forming a wall of light around them.

The flames were rebuked the moment they hit the wall. The blaze incinerated the grass and charred the ground before the barrier, but it didn't manage to break through before the elongated breath petered out. Thus, the Coconut Pokémon was unharmed. "Well done. Now, use Barrage."

The Flame Pokémon and Ash stared in surprise that their initial attack was so easily warded away when a corona of shining spheres popped into existence at the Gym Leader's second command. They were roughly the size of coconuts and had a pale-white glow that suggested they were made of energy rather than a solid construct. But that didn't matter as the three sets of eyes glowed and the first of six of the glowing orbs was launched forward.

Instinct moved Charmeleon's body as the first of the Barrage devoured the distance with devastating speed. Turning hastily resulted in the sphere slamming into the wall that marked the boundary of the lowered battlefield rather than in his chest, soil erupting out of the point of impact. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead as the three heads grinned, smirked, and sneered at the same time.

Then the rest were launched one after another and Charmeleon struggled to avoid being overwhelmed. Darting with all the speed he could muster as each sphere left the ground beneath his feet tremoring, spouts of soil and grass shot into the air around the fleeting red figure. Eventually, the Flame Pokémon fell onto all fours to keep his balance as the Barrage went unimpeded until he was swept up by one of the earthen geysers and vanished from view.

"Charmeleon!" Ash called out the moment his red figure and flickering embers of his tail became impossible to perceive as the rupturing founts of scattered dirt turned into a veil of dust that lingered in the air. The Barrage ceased as the three sets of eyes lost track as well, leaving an ominous silence that he filled in to call out to his pokémon. "Are you okay?"

"CHARRRRRRR!" A roar that was followed by billowing flames was the answer he received from the dust cloud. The stream of flames heated the air, which caused it to rise and sent the dust fleeing to clear their vision. Ash could see the Flame Pokémon was covered in dirt with a bruise visible on his backside from a near miss as he sent a blaze surging forth towards the Coconut Pokémon once more.

The Light Screen was raised in anticipation of walling it off by a single set of eyes that grew lucent. But the flames began to twist and curve around, leaving the other set of eyes to shine as well, creating panels around Exeggutor to wall itself in from every angle. Even so, the inferno twisted on itself to form a blazing twister with the makeshift box in the center.

Of course, even if it can stop the flames from hitting directly it can't keep that up forever, Ash realized. Even when facing Sabrina's Pokémon they typically focused on avoiding the attacks rather than continuously blocking them. Fire Spin would continue to flow, and the intense heat would bake the Grass-Type until its concentration broke, leaving it exposed and vulnerable...

Or at least that was what Ash expected until, suddenly, there was a blink as space distorted and the situation changed entirely. "Charmeleon, above you!"

The Flame Pokémon ceased breathing flames and looked up to see the Coconut Pokémon was in the air just over him. The color of its eyes was a cerulean hue that indicated the use of Teleport before it slowly faded out. Then it began to fall with both legs primed to Stomp the smaller pokémon into the ground in a single, crushing move.

There was no time for any kind of elegance in getting out of the way. Charmeleon simply threw himself to the side in an ugly tumble, embers scattering from his tail as he rolled along the quaking grass. Then he got back up on all fours and snarled warily. "Charrr…"

"Type-Advantage alone will not suffice to best a Gym Leader once you have reached this point," Erika called out to the pair, speaking in her role as one who would guide challengers towards the conference. "Exeggutor maybe slow, but she's part Psychic too. That affords her a lot more leeway in dealing with threats. Now, use Barrage again!"

As the corona of shining spheres popped into the air and Charmeleon struggled to avoid the bombardment anew, Ash tried to think of a way to turn things around. But as long as it could lock its eyes on Charmeleon it would know how to respond whether it was by putting up the Light Screen or Teleporting... Wait, that's it! "Charmeleon, stay on all fours and use Smoke Screen above you!"

The Flame Pokémon obeyed, his chest swelling as he took a deep breath post-bombardment and exhaled into the air. What came out wasn't the red-hot flames, but instead a thick, black plume of smoke that spread out into the air above him to form a blanket. One so thick it completely hid him from the Coconut Pokémon.

Exeggutor shifted its eyes around trying to find the Flame Pokémon as it prepared yet another Barrage to be used against him. It might have been able to get around its speed being hampered by being able to Teleport, but it couldn't reduce its height or bend down to get small enough to see beneath the veil. And being such a large target meant that Charmeleon could see it just fine.

Sneaking beneath the obscuring smoke, Charmeleon only popped out from the side to lunge at Exeggutor. His claws were shrouded in with a white veil and left a glowing trail in the air as he delivered a ruthless Slash to its large body, eliciting a shriek of pain. Then he dove back into the smoke as the prepared Barrage was unloaded into that area in a blind attempt to retaliate.

It was to no avail as Charmeleon emerged from behind this time and unloaded a Flamethrower against its unprotected backside. The scent of burning wood filled the air as all six of its eyes widened and they let out a shriek. "EXEGGGGGUTORRRR!"

"Light Screen," Erika ordered hastily. The six eyes shone with the psychic hue as they raised the protective screen that warded off the rest of the flames before they could finish it off. But the damage had been done as its body sported a deep scorch mark from where the flames had met it. Smoke was wafting off its quivering frame to show how devastating that hit had been.

"Nice job," Ash said, pumping his fist into the air and then thrusting it out. "Now, finish it while it's weak!"

The Flame Pokémon's claws grew luminous as he tensed them and then rushed forward. Seeing the opponent closing in, the corona of spheres reappeared around the Coconut Pokémon and were launched towards the enclosing threat. Charred grass and blackened soil spouted into the air as each one hit the ground amidst Charmeleon's path. Even so, he advanced as the dried and burned soil hung in the air until—

"MELEON!"

—he swung his chambered claws. The attack drew a luminous cross in the air as they cleaved into the midsection of the walking tree, the impact of which was so hard it doubled over and left all three sets of eyes to go wide. Then Exeggutor collapsed forward onto the ground as Charmeleon landed behind it and shook his claws that were no longer glowing.

The referee who had been monitoring the situation observed the pair before declaring the round over. "Exeggutor is unable to battle. Please recall her and send out your next Pokémon, Lady Erika."

Red light speared from the ball the Gym Leader held in her grasp and pulled the Coconut Pokémon within its confines once more. Then she shrunk it down and stored it away before pulling out her next choice. "Tangela, your turn!"

From her ball emerged a medium-sized pokémon whose body was hidden behind a mass of blue vines. The clinging flora were dense enough that they cast a deep shadow on everything hidden within, with a pair of eyes being the only thing visible aside from its red feet. The Vine Pokémon hopped up and down twice before shaking its vines towards Ash and Charmeleon, as if it was ready to go.

"…Charmeleon, take a breath for a second," Ash decided when the referee looked in his direction to see if he wished to continue as he was or swap out his pokémon. He didn't know what other tricks this one knew and the last thing he wanted was to risk losing one of his best options so soon. So, he recalled the Flame Pokémon into its ball and then swapped out his second choice. "Pidgeotto, you're up!"

The moment he tossed the ball into the air it burst open, and the Bird Pokémon took his place in the air by flapping his wings to remain aloft. The predatory avian regarded the moving bundle of vines with some confusion until it bristled towards him in a challenge. Then his eyes narrowed. "Otto."

The referee regarded them both for a moment before nodding that all was in order. Then she made the call. "Let the second round of the match begin!"

"Attack with Gust!" Ash called out, taking the initiative once more. The Bird Pokémon's wings beat rapidly and riled the air, imbuing it with force and directing it towards the Vine Pokémon. The hammer of wind rushed towards the Grass-Type pokémon and slammed into it unimpeded. They had expected it to take the assault and be knocked back, but what happened instead was that it tore the pokémon entirely as thick clumps of vines were scattered everywhere to their surprise. "What?"

"That would be her Substitute that took the hit," Erika said, her tone completely placid in contrast to seeing her pokémon getting torn to shreds. "They're quite fragile but useful for creating openings. Tangela, take advantage and use Bind!"

The Vine Pokémon appeared on the ground behind him, and its vines began to grow luminous before they grew longer, multiplied, and speared themselves into the air. The mass of tendrils all sought out the Bird Pokémon, who twisted in the air as he registered the attack coming and looped around with a single flap to avoid the first bundle of tendrils that attempted to ensnare him. But more followed, emerging from below as the bundle unraveled and descended like a tidal wave of lunging serpents, seeking to drag him from the sky back down into the ground.

"The best defense is an offense here," Ash decided. There were too many for Pidgeotto to avoid forever, so they had to go on the offensive. He made a slashing motion with his hand to imitate a blade. "Cut through them with Wing Attack!"

"OTTO!" The Bird Pokémon's pinons grew lucent as they became imbued with power. Twisting his body and picking up speed, a luminous trail was left in his wake as they sliced through the flora with ease as he speared towards Tangela's main body through the overgrowth and then angled his left appendage for a clean stroke... only for the body to split open and leave behind only a bundle of vines again—it had used Substitute again.

"That's exactly the response I expected," Erika said. "Now, Stun Spore while it's close!"

Tangela reappeared, its body popping out from the grass before the clinging plants quivered violently. Then it released a cloud of golden, glistering powder as Pidgeotto reoriented himself from the failed attack. The Bird Pokémon managed to break through the top of the obscuring cloud of powder, but as he rose into the air to put distance between them his wings began to lock up.

The Paralysis took hold, his muscles growing tenser to the point where he could no longer flap them. That was when numerous tendrils took to the air once more and ensnared their prey at last, coiling around his body to offer him no escape. Tremors ran through his body they squeezed so tightly that the hollow bones that ran through his frame could feel the pain.

"A Bird Pokémon whose wings are bound loses its only advantage," said the soft-spoken Gym Leader as the Vine Pokémon continued its death grip. "End it with Mega Drain, Tangela."

With that command, the vines that had ensnared Pidgeotto in a crushing bind suddenly began to glow a luminous viridian hue. Then it began to pull the very life out of Pidgeotto while he was trapped. His energy was being sapped, flowing down into Tangela's main body while the paralysis prevented him from escaping the Bind.

"Ooo…tto…." The Bird Pokémon's movements, strained jerks that showed he still had some fight left him, quickly petered out. Crushed by the vines, muscles seized, and his strength sapped, in mere moments there was nothing left. The vines stopped glowing and then lowered him to the ground, where he lay twitching weakly in place.

The referee fixed her gaze on him for a moment to see if he would rouse on his own before declaring, "Pidgeotto is unable to battle further. The match goes to Lady Erika. Challenger, please bring out your next pokémon."

Ash gritted his teeth as he recalled the avian back into his ball and went over his choices. If Charmeleon could entrap it within the flames then he could likely take out her Tangela, but the Flame Pokémon had already been wounded and he didn't know what else the Gym Leader had prepared for him. So, he decided to send out his final choice instead. "I choose you, Bulbasaur!"

The referee acknowledged the choice with a nod. Then she turned back to the Gym Leader to see if she intended to swap out her current pokémon. When Erika made a slight shake of the head, the referee nodded to her as well. "Very well, let the third match begin!"

And with that, Erika took the initiative. "Tangela, Bind it!"

The vines that shrouded the Grass-Type promptly lengthened like unfurling snakes as they reared back to make the Vine Pokémon more imposing. Then they surged out towards Bulbasaur as one. Lacking the same level of mobility that Pidgeotto had meant there was less space to evade, and he would surely be ensnared with even greater ease…

"BULBA!" And in response green blades flew forward in a barrage, ripping the onrushing vines into smaller segments that scattered and fell. The faux foliage of Bulbasaur's Razor Leaf cut through the impending wall of floral appendages like sawblades and created an opening. He didn't hesitate to rush in, putting his weight and momentum into a ramming attack only for the Vine Pokémon's body to break open on impact.

"It's a Substitute!" Ash warned as he noticed a bundle of vines lying on the ground next to Bulbasaur stirred as he came to a stop upon hitting the decoy. "On your right!"

The warning came too late. No sooner than Bulbasaur wheeled around, catching the movement in the corner of his eyes, did the bundle shoot forth like a rocket. The body hidden beneath the overgrowth barreled into the Seed Pokémon to deliver a well-placed Slam attack that hit hard enough that Bulbasaur was sent flying backward.

"Don't let it get away with that!" Ash said. "Grab it and hit it back with Take Down!"

The command snapped the Seed Pokémon attention back to the fight as he lashed out with his vines. The sinuous pseudo-appendages lassoed the Vine Pokémon and jerked forward so quickly that it couldn't brace itself, pulling it off its feet towards Bulbasaur. At the same time, he lunged forward into a headfirst charge and then rammed right back into Tangela, paying back the damage he had taken. "SAUR!"

There was a loud thump and a soft cry as he slammed into the body hidden behind the vines, indicating there was no substitute this time. The impact had enough weight that the Tangela went sailing in the air, only to snap back as Bulbasaur's vines around it went taut once more and left it to fall onto its face. It got back onto its red feet unsteadily for a moment, but then braced itself to avoid being reeled back in by the Seed Pokémon for a second hit.

"Tangela, remember the training we did with Jeanette," Erika said as the two strained against one another. "Use its force against it and then pay it back two-fold."

Tangela's eyes narrowed as it obeyed, suddenly slacking so that the Vine Whip pulled it along towards Bulbasaur who hadn't expected it as Tangela twisted its body and rammed its feet into him. The bolstered momentum struck hard enough that the Seed Pokémon was left briefly dazed. Just long enough for the clinging flora covering the Vine Pokémon's body to lengthen and coil around his bulb and body alike before lifting him higher into the air.

"GELA!" With a battle-cry Tangela jumped up before it somersaulted, dragging Bulbasaur around at the end of its vines like a pendulum. Delivering the Slam attack, using all the strength and momentum it could in a single motion before it released the vines, sod and soil erupted along with a shriek from the Seed Pokémon as he crashed into the earth.

"Bulbasaur!" Ash called out, a note of panic in his voice as the dirty veil obscured his pokémon from view. Then as it began to clear he spotted a beacon in the dust, a faint light that steadily grew stronger. The Seed Pokémon was still standing, battered but not beaten. But the most peculiar thing was how his bulb was growing more luminous as motes of light from the surroundings were pulled into it as the rest of the dust settled.

The Gym Leader's brows rose in surprise for a moment before they furrowed. "Stop it, Tangela! It's trying to use Solar Beam!"

The Vine Pokémon lashed out with its vines once more. The sinuous flora speared towards Bulbasaur to stop the final card he had to play. As long as he was still charging the attack, he couldn't put his focus on launching any attack that could intercept them, so it was confident it could at least deal with the Seed Pokémon before it could launch the attack.

But then Bulbasaur did the unexpected. His own vines came out, jutting themselves into the ground to pole-vault himself into the air. Tangela's vines passed through the empty space and, as they curved around to try and catch him above, the building radiance reached its peak as Bulbasaur twisted his body forward and opened fire. "SAUUUURRR!"

Light burst forth. The opening in the bulb served as a barrel and unleashed all the stockpiled luster in the form of a searing beam. It bridged the space between the sky and ground and the moment it connected with the surface, the bound light unleashed its radiance in the form of an explosion. The floor of the gym rumbled, air rushing away and leaving Ash's clothes to billow as he shielded his eyes from the sudden glare as the roar of the attack drowned out all sound.

The Seed Pokémon caught himself with his vines and used them to slow his descent as he landed at the edge of the battlefield, having been blown back by the recoil in the middle of the air. He was panting fiercely, still tensed as if ready to fight if the battle hadn't come to an end. Fortunately, it had.

Tangela was unmoving as it lay in the middle of the blast zone. It was unconscious, which was verified by the referee as she held out a hand to stall any further combat as she went to check on the Vine Pokémon. "Tangela is unconscious and no longer able to battle, Lady Erika."

Erika accepted the declaration with a nod and then recalled Tangela into its ball. Then she withdrew her final choice and enlarged the ball. "Your Bulbasaur has been raised magnificently. However, you'd do well not to drop your guard against my final pokémon. She's rather skilled."

And with that, she tossed the ball and released from it what appeared to be a blue pokémon with a round body and thin limbs. Atop of its head were four round bulbs that each had a single white dot on them, and there were reddish curving leaves beneath them. Its mouth had thick lips from which nectar drizzled out.

The female Gloom yawned as she brushed her eyes as if only waking up before rocking back and forth. Having one side of the field occupied by a new pokémon, the referee looked over to Ash to see if he was going to switch out his pokémon before the next match began. After taking a glance at Bulbasaur, Ash decided to do so to err on the side of caution.

"Bulbasaur, take a breather for now," Ash said before recalling the Seed Pokémon back into his ball. Then he pulled his first choice once more. "Okay, it's up to you now, Charmeleon!"

The Flame Pokémon emerged onto the field once more. He was still showing signs of the previous battle but with his breathing was steady and focus centered. Upon seeing the Gloom sitting on the other end of the battlefield, he exhaled a puff of fire and his muscles tensed in anticipation while the Weed Pokémon only waved towards him in response.

Seeing both sides were prepared left the referee to declare the beginning of the match. "Let the fourth match begins!"

He fully expected her to have a strategy to deal with it at this point considering how the last two pokémon had a way around their weaknesses, so he wanted to unveil the card she had up her sleeves right from the start and watched carefully as Charmeleon let loose a stream of fire.

"Protect!" Erika ordered as the flames barreled towards the Weed Pokémon, immolating the stretch of grassland between them. But before it could reach a dome of light sprung up and sheltered the living plant from the flames. They rolled over the protective dome until the last of the flames flickered out. "Now, use Sweet Scent!"

"Glooo!" Gloom's smile widened slightly before she aimed her head towards the Flame Pokémon, and a plume of pink mist burst from the opening in her flower. It washed over the battlefield as it billowed towards Charmeleon, blanketing him to the point where it obscured him from their vision as a tantalizingly sweet scent loitered about in the air.

Ash found the smell to be overbearing and held his nose, as it reminded him too much of perfume that he was never fond of smelling on his mother. His eyes squinted as he spied the silhouette of his pokémon within the pink veil as it thinned. Then confusion set in as he spied Charmeleon's current state. "What are you doing?"

The Flame Pokémon was tipsy on his feet as he wore a slack smile, nose raised high as he took in the smell. His tail wagged happily back and forth, thin grayish smoke coming from where it met the pink mist. It was almost as if he was in a world of his own, surroundings forgotten about as he basked in it.

"The aroma of Gloom's Sweet Scent is a potent relaxant and quite captivating, especially to most other pokémon," Erika explained to him. "Suddenly blanketing them in it is enough to practically send them into a world of their own for just long enough for Gloom to use prepare herself."

Prepare herself? He turned his attention back to the Weed Pokémon to see that she was being slowly swaddled in glimmering motes of light. They were clinging to her body and sinking in, leaving it to softly glow in a way that told Ash it was probably a bad thing. He quickly whipped out his Pokédex. "Move Analysis, Dexter!"

The sensor registered the optical input and matched the database before the Pokédex revealed its findings. "Growth—a technique that raises the physical and special capabilities of a Grass-Type Pokémon over a short period of time by drawing upon ambient light to hypermetabolism their bodies. It is especially potent in strong sunlight."

Hearing that sent a chill up his spine and he turned his attention back to the Flame Pokémon. "Charmeleon, remember the match! The opponent is getting stronger! Snap out of it!"

Charmeleon's head tilted to the side before the words registered. Then he tilted his head upwards and breathed fire straight into the air. The heat burned away the lingering Sweet Scent and eyes regained their full focus.

"Begin your Petal Dance, Gloom!" Erika said, extending her hand out. The round petals of the Weed Pokémon grew lucent before shedding a curtain of what looked to be pink flower petals into the air. They were coated in the sparkling beads of light that Ash had seen before.

Then she spun around and all at once they came rushing towards Charmeleon in a spiraling stream. Faster than expected, they slammed into him hard enough that his body was swept along. Trapped in the twister of petals, the Flame Pokémon howled as each one tried to cut into his body like Razor Leaf while he was trapped within the twister. "CHHHAAAAAA!"

"Try to burn them away with Flamethrower!" Ash commanded, having recognized the pattern in her plans to this point. If the other two pokémon relied on constant attacks to put on pressure, then this one did the same after increasing its power to attempt to take the opponent out. If they didn't breakthrough, then the moment Bulbasaur came out he would be taken out as well.

Straining against the pull of the twister, Charmeleon cracked open one eye and wisps of flames escaped his maw as he gathered his breath and expanded his chest. Then he let out a stream of flames against the wall of the floral petals that held him captive. However, no sooner than the flames hit the petals were they snuffed out and he was left trapped.

"It's useless," Erika said. "Because of Growth, the petals are too durable to burn from flames of that intensity. They'll be snuffed out by the twister before more than a few of them can be charred. And until her dance is done, she'll continuously create more petals, leaving him trapped until he faints."

That certainly seemed to be the case as Ash saw Charmeleon's pained expression. He was steadily growing more and more wounded, scratches biting into his flesh from the sharp petals. It was likely only because he was resistant that they hadn't finished him off yet, but he wouldn't last long. Even so, Ash didn't want to give up on him. "I know you can do it Charmeleon! Turn up the heat!"

His words, faint over the growing howl of the floral twister, managed to reach as Charmeleon began to strain against the force of the twister tearing at his body. And then the flame on his tail flared to life to a greater degree, burning hotter than ever before as it grew in size. Howling at the top of his lung, the Flame Pokémon twisted his body with all might and swung his enlarged flame along with the twister. "CHARMELEONNNNN!"

The flames caught on. Instead of being snuffed out by the twister, the flames rode on them and turned the howling twister into a roaring firestorm as the heat intensified to the point where they all had to take a step back. Then the charred cinders scattered as the Flame Pokémon landed on the earth beneath him that had been turned to black sand from the intensity of the heat…

And revealed his battered body was wreathed in a reddish hue. It seethed around his figure like it was on fire, tongues licking all over as the blaze on his tail burned even brighter with a powerful, large crimson flame.

"Char…meleon…." For a moment, Ash was worried that he had begun to use Rage once more. But then Charmeleon's gaze shifted towards him, and he saw that he was still aware of himself. It alleviated the fear he felt. "Okay, I don't know what's going on but if it's working then that's good enough. Flamethrower!"

Wicked flames escaped from the sealed maw of the Flame Pokémon as he drew in a deep breath through his nose as chest expanded. Then with a roar he let loose the most powerful Flamethrower to this point, sending the surging torrent of fire rushing towards the Gloom. The protective dome from Protect went up to shield it against the onslaught almost reflexively.

The roiling flames howled as they slammed into the protective field, hammering at it almost like a ravenous beast trying to devour the Weed Pokémon nestled safely within it. The intensity of the flames as they flared up strained the eyes of all as it eclipsed the light with its brilliance. But when Charmeleon's breath ran dry and his flames petered out, the barrier still held even through the field between them had been reduced to a charred wasteland with the dried earth glowing orange from where the residual heat continued to bake it as Gloom reasonably looked terrified.

"Don't panic, Gloom! Give it your all with a Petal Dance!" Erika said. The Weed Pokémon regained its resolve and steeled itself. Its round flowers began to glow with the pink lucent that indicated it was going to unleash its strongest Petal Dance.

"Beat it back with Fire Spin, Charmeleon!" Ash ordered in turn. The Flame Pokémon's flame burned even more fiercely as he roared. Then he swung his tail around and sent the flames on the end rushing forward in the former of a spiraling firestorm.

The floral twister, the pink maelstrom with glimmering sparkles interwoven into it. The burning tornado, its flames searing the very air itself. The two met in the center of the field and clashed with ferocity as their users pushed themselves and brought forth the full might that they could to win over one another…

And flames swallowed the petals. Intensified by the aura emanating from Charmeleon's body they burned hotter than ever before. Running along with the twister they spiraled the pink and devoured it until they swallowed the Gloom itself with her small silhouette overtaken by the shroud of flames and her pained cry drowned out by the howl of the inferno.

The Flame Pokémon cut the flames as he reared back, panting as he caught his breath. The firelight faded out as the blaze petered out and revealed the Weed Pokémon lying on the charred ground, weakly twitching. The referee assessed her condition before making the final call. "Gloom is no longer able to battle. With no pokémon remaining, the victor is the Challenger."

"You did it!" Ash cheered as leaped down into the lower battlefield and then embraced Charmeleon whose body stopped glowing as he collapsed onto his hind, tired and panting. "We'll have to ask Professor Oak what happened later, but that was great!"

"I've seen that happen before," Erika said as she returned her defeated pokémon into her ball as slowly made her way around the outer edge of the arena. "Some pokémon have notable increase in power that comes about when they are severely injured, though I don't know the specifics. Nevertheless, it is your victory, and I must confer onto you this Rainbow Badge."

Ash returned Charmeleon into his ball and climbed out of the arena as she reached his end. That was when she pulled out a case, which revealed the badge this time was shaped in the form of a flower with the petals being the different hues of the rainbow. He took it gingerly and held his fifth badge up to the light.

There were only three to go before he could enter the Indigo Conference.