Surmount

by HDK315

Although they travel down a long, merciless road that has overwhelmed all but the very strongest to eventually throw in the towel, they do so with unrivaled resolve and convictions. This is the story of Ash Ketchum and his beloved family of Pokemon, and how they became the greatest of all time. Cover by Atenburgh.

22. Forest Frenzy

The sound of his mother's coughing filled the boy's ears as he stepped into the room. He failed to suppress his wince as he stepped in front of her bed, holding out the cup of liquid.

Her hands weren't too frail yet, and she gladly accepted the cup. "T-thank you sweety." Although he nodded, his face recoiled as she began drinking the substance down. He couldn't imagine how awful it tasted…

Her form steadied, the woman taking a deep breath upon finishing her drink that should help for now, but he was getting tired of these moments of temporary relief. What was the point of medicine when your symptoms just came back with a vengeance?

She noticed his tears, reaching out to pat his head. "Sweety. Don't… It's fine." her condition couldn't be helped. She always talked about making the most of it, but…

"It didn't have to be this way," he responded. Through his tears, he managed to make eye contact with her. "Why… why did he…"

With her condition somewhat improved, the look of betrayal on her face was much more noticeable, although she quickly managed to suppress it. Once more, she reached out to pat his head. "I know... But there's no use thinking about that anymore. It's in the past, and dwelling on it won't change anything. We're not Celebi, sweety…"

His fists balled up. He had just seen her as a tool. Someone that he could cast aside when there was no longer anything left to do with her. Leaving her to… And he'd ejected him, too, without a care in the world.

She had tried to expose him afterwards. An eye for an eye regarding his betrayal. But the League's investigation had failed. Produced nothing. And now, they were suspicious of her, for that. They were supposed to be invincible… but what was the point of turning to the system if the people who needed to be pursued had way too many safeguards? It was impossible…

/

"That's it… she's gone…"

He wasn't crying anymore. He had used up all of his tears the previous morning, when it had finally happened. Now, his eyes were dry, his expression blank, his mind broken.

On the porch, the girl had her arm wrapped around him, him never leaving her gaze. Inwardly, he appreciated her presence more than anything that existed in this universe, but found himself incapable of expressing such a thing. Unlike him, her eyes were wet.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't be there yesterday. My leg hadn't healed up yet, so the Professor…"

"It's fine." The Professor had always taken good care of her, and after she hurt her knee, there was no way she could have gone outside. The sight of her face was soothing, but he wasn't thinking about that right now. "This is all because of…" he trailed off, unable to muster the words.

Her face was formed into a frown at that. 'I know…" she responded. "My parents also… but are you really sure that…"

"I know." he corrected her. "And so did she. But now there's no way too…"

The look in her eyes was bitter. Sometimes, there was no justice.

/

Much time had passed. Ten years old now. It was time to prove himself. And also…

"So… you really managed it, then." her expression was serious as they stood amidst the surrounding trees.

"Yes…" his eyes never left hers as he absentmindedly tossed the Poke Ball upside down.

For a moment, her face turned to a smile. She was quite angelic, the aura she gave off one that soothed the soul. But there was something behind her eyes, something that only he could see.

The way that she was… it wasn't an act, but it wasn't the full story, either. He knew that. And that's why she was the only one that he could trust.

"I won't rat you out for that." she finally spoke. "But what now?"

"I don't know yet." It pained him a bit to see her tight expression, but it was the truth. "The right thing to do didn't work, but I'll find a way."

"What if there is no other way?"

"It's not impossible!" he almost snapped. "I just need to figure it out."

She was unhappy. He could tell. Beneath that understanding look in her eyes, her inner conflict was just as sincere as her own convictions. "Fine… I get it, I really do. I already did years ago." her hand stuck out. "Please get revenge for what happened."

His hand wrapped around hers, each finding their own ambitions reflected within the other's eyes.

Once he was far enough, there would be no reset. No reverse. Never turning back. But that was the nature of it.

He would do anything that he needed to do.

Be anything that he needed to be.

/

Celadon City was a massive place. And a massive place made way for a massive amount of stories. A town like Pallet Town or Lavender Town was a much more focused, and, ultimately, condensed, type of community, where everybody's respective stories intertwined with one another. You knew nearly every face. Absorbed nearly every piece of news. The town was a group. It's own corner within indigo's massive world.

But that was not the case for Celadon. Never had been, never was now, and likely never will be. You might not even recognize half of the people who existed within your own home town. Because it, in and of itself, was its own world, rather than its own corner. Some stories would never be known to one another. Others, only by sheer coincidence.

Beneath the beautiful spread of rooftops that ceilinged the city, so many lives were playing out, some completely independent from one another. A teacher was headed for the school awaiting her class of kids. A construction worker was on his way to help renovate the Celadon Public Library. A famous Breeder was helping her latest client research a foreign Pokemon originating from many shores away. Beneath the game Corner, a group of terrorists resided underground, plotting their next strike. A Gym Leader was seated at her desk, awaiting for her Gym to be open for challengers.

Among those challengers, of course, was Ash Ketchum.

After waking up in the morning, taking his quick shower, and watching his team arise, the young boy had stepped out of his room about an hour later than usual. The unexpected late night had delayed them a bit, but it would all be worth it in the end. After all, they needed their rest.

The team was in high spirits as they chewed into their food. All six of them had that upcoming badge within their collective minds. The badge that they were going to win for certain. Valiant and Tempest seemed especially fired up, albeit not sharing the sensation with one another.

Rather than eating on the floor, Pikachu's food had been placed next to Ash's won as he seated himself on the table, upon the young mouse's own personal request. The boy sunk his teeth into his breakfast sandwich as he and the mouse observed the idle chatter shared by the rest of the team. It was almost as though the previous battle with Gary had never even happened. After all, it was going to be replaced by their latest win.

It made Ash feel a bit guilty, knowing that he couldn't use all of them in the battle. Although, the team collectively seemed to be most excited for the upcoming victory itself, participation or not. Although Tempest still ate a bit further from the others (and was absolutely more pumped up for the battle itself than for anything else), there was clear unity among the rest of the group, a mutual gaze on the prize that they all pursued together.

Stealing a glance at his starter, Ash got the young mouse's attention. "You know, Pikachu," he continued as the electric mouse angled his gaze upwards at him in a smile. "The funny thing is… we're not actually too far from home right now." his thumb pointed backwards. "Viridian Forest is to the west. And south of that is Viridian City… and Pallet Town." At the understanding glint in his young partner's eyes, Ash's own face gave way to a somewhat awkward smile. "I just… find it to be somewhat funny, y'know? We're really not all that far away… and yet it's like we're on a different planet. Do you feel that way?"

A brief gaze outside, towards the towering skyscrapers extending into the air, was all that Pikachu needed to turn back to Ash with an affirmative nod.

Ash smiled sadly. It would be one thing if they were actually planning to return to Pallet Town, but since they weren't, and had currently been on the road for such a long time, the differences had been all the more apparent. Had they been going in Pallet's general direction, they would've been "almost home". Instead, they were in a completely different world, and would continue to be there, for the far foreseeable future.

His gaze found its way back to the rest of the team. Viridian Forest… It was hard to imagine that the place where he and Pikachu had first met Nebula and Valiant was effectively just to the west of the city that they were currently in. Apart from the bad memory of the forest, it also brought back memories of the far smaller team from back then, back when Pikachu, Nebula, and Valiant were all just a trio, and their team barely had anything to its name. He would never stop being proud of their progress. His, Pikachu's, Nebula's, Valiant's, the presence of Eevee, Tyrunt, and Tempest… he wouldn't trade it for the world. But at the same time, it was that exact same progression that had made those days so extensively nostalgic, even in just less than two months.

One of these days, he realized to himself, this moment would be just as nostalgic, too.

/

The Celadon City Gym did not have the reputation of Vermillion, nor was it the first Gym that Ash had ever been too, like Pewter. Nevertheless, it stood just as tall, and along with pikachu on his shoulder, Ash's head instinctively inclined upward as the magnificent building came into view.

The Gym's appearance almost felt… friendlier than he expected, which almost eased Ash's nerves a bit. Despite its massive size, it didn't feel like the Gym was looming above him and his starter, threatening to swallow them up. He wasn't too sure what the cause of such a difference was, but he supposed that it might have something to do with the roof: It resembled the mushrooms on a Vileplume's head. Even the overall color of the rest of the building was similar to that Pokemon's body. From what Ash knew, Erika had a notable fondness of the evolution line, and they even played a role in the makings of her signature perfumes, which were manufactured within the Gym's walls.

It was a Gym nonetheless, however, and as Ash stopped in front of the doors, he and Pikachu still gazing upwards, that familiar anxiety once again crept into his chest.

Erika didn't have the reputation of someone like LT. Surge, and perhaps her Gym reflected that, but she hadn't earned her status from being faint of heart, or docile on the battlefield.

"Alright, pal." Pikachu squeaked with positivity as Ash tickled his cheek one last time, raising a Poke Ball. "I'll be recalling you, okay?" After Pikachu's nod, Ash returned his starter. With some regret, he had already admitted to the young mouse that using him in a grass type Gym wouldn't be overly optimal. Not a horrible choice, as he imagined Pikachu wouldn't struggle, due to his own merits, but definitely among the less likely. Even Tempest, who had a far greater disadvantage against the grass typing, still had ways to mitigate it with his superior defenses and Icy Wind. Thankfully, pikachu was understanding, and likely recognized that he wouldn't be the first member of the team to sit a Gym battle out. After all, Nebula had been absent for the fight with Surge (albeit not envying the participants).

As Pikachu disappeared into his ball, Ash couldn't help but feel somewhat naked. Running his hand across his belt made him feel better, as always, but there was definitely a sense of loss and urgency when alone in front of a Gym. he kept this in mind as he stepped through the automatic glass doors, and into the building.

As he exited the outside world and entered the interior, the pleasant aura radiating off of the Gym suddenly became his surroundings.

The lobby was like a garden, with flowers and other plants ranging from familiar to exotic. An aroma filled the air of the room, almost feeling as though it was specifically designed to relieve stress. Ash could feel the pit in his stomach vanish into the back of his mind, the atmosphere of the room suppressing that of the high-stakes showdown that loomed ahead.

A girl sat at the counter by a door at the end of the lobby, most likely leading to the battlefield. As Ash made his way through the room, occasionally admiring the various plants sprouting from either side of the walkway, he realized that she couldn't be any older than twelve. The Celadon Gym, much like that of Saffron and Vermillion, was a hotspot for those seeking to be a Gym Trainer. Although, from what Ash knew, the academy was structured a bit differently. Out of necessity, from what he gathered, given Erika's responsibilities as both a Gym Leader and a businesswoman. She still ran the school, but couldn't be hands on about it in classes quite as often as other Gym Leaders were. She instead acted more as a school principal. Ash couldn't help but wonder if the woman was arguably the most productive Gym Leader in Kanto. From preserving the environment of such a metropolis (from what he knew, the miracle of her perfume business being eco-friendly came from the highly unconventional manner in which the products were made), monitoring portions of Viridian Forest, running a successful business, leading law enforcement in said metropolis, and running the Gym, it was almost as if her entire existence was that of a miracle woman. But from what he knew, she was also quite beloved for it, both by trainers and also the general populace.

Leaning forward in her chair, the girl folded her hands on the desk as Ash stopped in front of her. Her posture conveyed someone trying to stay on top of things, and appear professional. "Challenger?"

Ash nodded, quickly taking out his Pokedex to hand to her. She accepted the device with a manicured hand, inserting it into a slot as she brought the nearby pair of headphones up to her head.

Her typing wasn't as fast as the others who had managed the counters before her, but her face was still perfectly focused as Ash's trainer information appeared in front of her. "It says you have two badges and are from Pallet Town." leaving the screen, her eyes found their way to him. "Your name is Ash Ketchum, right?"

"Yes." he nodded.

She flashed him a friendly smile. "Good! I'll let Leader Erika know your here. You're today's first challenger, so you shouldn't have to wait."

He grinned at that. "Cool! Thanks!"

Strapping the headphones onto her ears, her finger found its way to the nearby blue button. "Leader Erika, a new challenge ris here. I'm sending you his information." Ash couldn't hear Erika's response, due to the headphones, but the girl grinned cheerfully at whatever it was. "Great! I'll let him know. Thank you!" removing the headphones, she looked up at Ash once more, pushing a small pad with a touch screen towards him, propped up by a stand. "She says she'll be ready for you in just a few minutes. Until then, you can just select your team here."

Thanking her, Ash knelt down with his hands on the pad. Once more, pictures of his team were presented for him to tap.

Select four Pokemon

Without thinking, his finger had already landed on Nebula, and Valiant soon after. He pulled his hand away as his eyes landed on the remaining four.

Pikachu, Eevee, Tyrunt, Tempest. He could only choose two of them. And none of them were bad choices, at that.

Pikachu had a major roadblock to overcome, due to his electricity being resisted by Pokemon with the grass typing. Nevertheless, his speed would always be a valuable asset in just about any sort of battle, and his Iron Tail would also provide him with a fairly meaningful defense against grass type moves, as well as a valuable offense. Eevee provided similar benefits as well. Tyrunt certainly wasn't nearly as fast, but his Fire Fang and Poison Fang, both coupled with Strong Jaw, would be lethal when delivered with any direct hit. Despite his inexperience, this battle was one of his most potent circumstances. Unlike Pikachu and Eevee, he had moves that grass types were vulnerable to. Two, in fact. There was still some risk versus reward involved with him, but it was still tempting as always...

And then there was Tempest. Despite being a water type, he easily had the most brute strength out of the four, and certainly by far the most durability. When coupled with Icy Wind, Ash found that the benefits heavily outweighed the drawbacks.

He selected the river crab.

Just one more to go. Against a grass type, Pikachu provided speed, Tyrunt with damage output, and Eevee probably somewhere roughly in the middle.

He couldn't help but feel frustrated. Four on four battles weren't quite as massive as six on six battles, and therefore somewhat less stressful, but the latter came with the benefit of not having to choose. No matter who he chose, he'd be having regrets for sure. And the fact that this took place in a Gym provided all of the stress that he explicitly did not need anyway.

'Be decisive.' he quickly told himself. If each member of his team was valuable enough for him to regret not picking them, then that also meant that he could be confident with whoever he did choose. He wouldn't get anywhere just staring at a touchscreen.

And with that in mind, his finger pressed against Tyrunt's picture.

The girl beamed as he returned the pad to her. "Great! Just take a seat. She should be on her way soon."

Nodding in thanks, Ash made his way to a nearby chair with a cushion. The next two or three minutes were almost painful. He wanted to battle, yet the knowledge of the stakes behind the upcoming fight made him dread it somewhat. He both wanted to get it over with, yet also genuinely wanted to do it at the same time. It was a confusing mindset.

Running his hand across his belt, though, he allowed himself a small grin. His team was certainly confident. With much anticipation to spare. And that was more than enough motivation for him.

Stakes or not, they would win this battle. And they would be walking out of this Gym with their third ever Gym badge.

Besides, they'd been to Surge's Gym. Even if they had been steamrolled, just the knowledged that they had been to such a place was enough to at least somewhat out him at ease. They were ready for Erika.

He perked up, his head turning to the door as it opened. The girl at the receptiondesk beamed at the figure walking in. As Ash stood up to face them, his eyes widened.

The woman wore a green and white uniform, with short, dark-blue hair that went no further than her neck. A red headband was wrapped halfway across the top.

This… was Erika herself.

After greeting the young receptionist with a nod and a smile, her face evened out as her eyes fell on him.

"Mr. Ketchum, right?" as she crossed her arms, her voice was calm. But it didn't come with a stoic tone, or a bored one. It had an air of serenity to it.

Snapping out of his brief surprise, Ash nodded as he quickly made his way to the woman. "Yeah, that's me." As he stopped in front of her, the scent radiating off of her suddenly entered his nostrils.

The sudden aroma startled the boy, almost overwhelming him for a moment. He couldn't quite place it, but… she smelled good.

He felt his cheeks flush at the thought, but quickly broke out of the stupor as her hand extended in front of him.

"It's good to meet you, Ash." a small smile adorned her features. "I am Leader Erika, your opponent for today."

Blinking for a moment, Ash stared at her hand for a second before accepting it. Her grip curled around him with a sense of delicacy. "I-It's an honor to meet you." memories of Brock, Misty's sisters, and LT. Surge flashed through his mind. This woman was so... different. She wasn't trying to intimidate him, nor did she have any condescending subtext to how she carried herself. It was practically night and day in terms of how friendly and compassionate her introduction was.

Separating from him, Erika's fists pressed against her hips as she eyed the boy from above. Her eyes held an analytical glint. "I trust you're all ready?" At his nod, she gestured to the door with a grin. "Good, no need to delay, then. It's just through this door." With one final nod to the receptionist, she opened the door and led Ash into the hallway.

The hallway was a decent bit wider than that of the previous Gyms that Ash had been too, and was fairly well lit, as well. Large, framed photographs of forest and other vegetation adorned the walls, along with a few photos of orchards and soaked fruits.

While attempting to keep pace with the Gym leader's surprisingly swift strides, it suddenly occurred to Ash that none of the previous Gym Leaders had ever escorted him to the battlefield themselves. In Cerulean Gym, he and Misty weren't even escorted at all.

Stopping in front of the door, Erika placed a hand on the doorknob as she moved aside. "You can go first." she gestured to the outside as she opened the door.

Thanking her, Ash stepped through the open doorway, and was greeted with the sight of the battlefield.

The surrounding room was quite bright, and looking above him, Ash could see the sunlit blue sky and white clouds through the glass ceiling overhead. A large set of bleachers extended over one side of the room, occupied by a fair amount of children. Gym trainers, he presumed. A few kids his age making their way to the bleachers held notebooks, chattering innocently in a manner very reminiscent of the school halls he had once walked. Some kids even had Pokemon accompanying them.

And of course, stretching out across the room, was the arena itself. It was of equal size to those of previous Gyms, and to hardly any surprise on Ash's part, was made up of vegetation. Like a supersized garden, or a bite-sized forest. Grass sprouted out from the soil, covering the entire arena in a magnificent, healthy green. Bushes and patches of tall grass were scattered throughout, as were a few trees, fairly small, but still climbable.

Ash couldn't help but admire the sight for a few moments, but his attention broke away from the battlefield as a hand rested on his shoulder from above. Angling his head upward, he could see Erika smiling at him from behind.

"I always think it's important for each student to see at least one battle a day. A few a week, if nothing else." she nodded to the closest end of the arena. "Go ahead and take your position. We'll get started soon." she walked off in the direction of the bleachers, the aroma from her perfume lingering in the air for a few moments as the distance between the two widened.

As Ash stopped at his end of the battlefield, he saw Erika speaking to a teenage girl with a green ponytail. After a few moments, the two women nodded to one another as the Gym Leader started walking to the opposite end. Stopping at her position, she turned to face him, her gaze stretching across the long stream of greenery and into the young challenger's eyes.

Examining the lush arena in front of them, Ash awkwardly tapped his foot against the floor as his eyes darted around the scenery that the battlefield was made up of. There was plenty of flat land of simple, normal sized grass. The majority of it, in fact. Nevertheless, the abundance of bushes, tall grass patches, and even trees would provide each combatant with a fair amount of cover to exploit, not to mention the small amount of verticality that the occasional tree would most likely bring to the battle.

Thankfully, the terrain wasn't nearly as disadvantageous as his Gym Battle against Daisy had been. Ash's stomach churned at the memory.

In front of the bleachers, the teenager had assumed the referee post, her arms stretched outward as her voice called out across the room.

"The Gym battle between leader Erika and Challenger Ash ketchum of Pallet Town will now commence! Each side will use four Pokemon, with substitutions allowed from either party. The battle will be decided when all four pokemon on either side are unable to continue on, or until one contestant surrenders!" her gaze turned to Ash. "Any questions from the challenger?" fiddling with his belt a bit, Ash shook his head. She turned to Erika. "Any questions from the Gym Leader?" Standing straight, Erika declined as well. The referee faced outward. "Then both of you, send out your first Pokemon!"

Ash selected his first Poke Ball almost immediately. 'I don't know what to expect from Erika, but Nebula has the strongest chance against her, so she'll be the best option to gauge things.' he justified to himself. With any luck, they could take advantage of her aerial mobility to avoid any hindrances the patchy terrain might cause, and utilize her flying type moves to gain an early lead.

His feathered friend appeared hovering in front of him, looking back at Ash to exchange both a nod and a grin before planting her feet onto the grass, gaze focused on Erika.

The Gym Leader already had a Poke Ball of her own out, and Ash did not recognize the creature that emerged from the light.

The Pokemon was large and green, and very clearly a sentient plant. It had a large head, housing a fairly dangerous looking set of jaws, and its legs came in the form of red and green vines, notably resembling that of tentacles. Its two arms resembled large leaves, with three leafy fingers each.

"This is Carnivine." Erika stated, as if sensing Ash's confusion. The young boy nodded in return, but said nothing.

Standing next to a tree, Carnivine grinned playfully for a moment, before his expression turned to that of a neutral smile, his jaws chomping on occasion. In return, Nebula shot the plant-like creature a stern glare, wings spread out as she prepared to take off into the air above.

"I don't know what a Carnivine is, Nebula." Ash admitted to his young partner with some embarrassment. "But we definitely had to watch out for that mouth. Don't get in close unless it's guard is down, alright?" he smiled at the young bird's affirmative nod.

"And… BEGIN!"

Just as the referee had thrust her arms downward, Nebula immediately took off into the air, soaring just high enough to position herself above the trees, while still not being too far above the battlefield. As she did so, Carnvine, lumbered forward, his tentacle-like legs carrying him across the grass at a somewhat decent pace, but with a fairly lacking velocity in comparison to what Nebula was capable of.

'Here we are.' Ash thought to himself. It was their long-awaited battle against the Celadon City Gym Leader. The anxiety briefly surged through his chest as the action kicked off, but he quickly suppressed it, allowing the adrenaline to flow through his veins and drown out the pressure.

"Nebula, Wind Blast!"

"Get up there and use Feint Attack!" Erika's response was quick and graceful.

Angling herself diagonally above Carnivine, Nebula flapped her wings with a rapid pace as the beam of air torpedoed downward towards Erika's partner. A pair of vines extended from the grass type's leaf-like hands, however, and wrapped around the trunk of the nearby tree. Before Ash or Nebula could realize what was happening, Carnivine had slingshotted himself above the grassy arena, a blackish-purple set of energy enveloping one of his hands as he closed in on the Staravia.

With a startled yelp, Nebula's wing quickly became coated in metal as she crossed them in front of her. The momentum of Carnivine's flight knocked the young bird backwards as the dark energy smashed against her wings, but she remained unharmed.

As nebula stopped herself, now flapping her wings in place, Ash's eyes widened as Carnivine remained in the air, hovering in place for at least a second or two before slowly descending to the ground.

'It can… levitate…?' Coupled with that slingshot technique that Erika had just demonstrated, a pit suddenly formed in the boy's stomach as he realized that Nebula's aerial advantage had been compromised.

Nebula was moving again, circling around her opponent as he rotated to follow the movements of her form like a predator.

"You've battled Brock and Daisy, have you not?' Erika's voice stretched across the greenery before she raised a hand. "If so, then you should know what it's like to use the terrain against your enemies! Carnivine, Stun Barrage!"

Once again, a pair of Vine Whip shot out of Carnivine's hands, wrapping its way around the tree and slingshotting him above. Stopping his ascent over the top of the tree, he hovered a yard or two in front of Nebula as his jaws spread open, allowing an onslaught of glowing, green seeds to escape. Each of the projectiles was coated in a golden substance, almost resembling that of powder.

Once more, Nebula's wings turned to metala as she defensively crossed them, allowing the barrage of projectiles to harmlessly bounce off. To her surprise, it almost felt as though the force behind the onslaught was going to push her back, but she still remained firm. SOme of the powder substances flew off of the seeds as they clanged uselessly against the metal surface of her wings, and the young Staravia couldn't help but feel a very minor form of irritation as it brushed up against the rest of her body.

Erika lowered her arm. "Sweet Scent!"

Ash grimaced. "Whirlwind! Quick!"

Ceasing his rapid fire, Carnivine closed his mouth momentarily, before opening it once more, allowing a cloud of pink fog to erupt from his throat. As the substance approached her, Nebula began to rapidly flap her wings. As the attack reached her, the young Staravia could feel a strange sensation of disorientation slowly beginning to overtake her, but the process was halted as she kept up her motions (only faltering for a second or two) and produced the mighty gusts of wind. As the breeze grew in intensity, and the Sweet Scent was progressively repelled, her focus became gradually easier for her to maintain.

The wind gusts slammed into Carnivine's front, leaving him to shout out in displeasure as he was propelled away by the blast. Ceasing his levitation, he descended downwards at a diagonal angle, pressing his hands against the ground to break his fall as he slid across the grass and soil.

This was their chance to keep it up, Ash realized. "Air Cutter!"

Nodding in affirmation, Nebula flapped her wings again, this time with her wings glowing, as blades of wind sliced through the air, downward towards Carnivine. The Grass Type wasted no time in trying to swerve out of the way, but with no trees within a reasonably close proximity, he could not utilize Vine Whip. Nevertheless, he made a solid effort to dodge, but yelped out as parts of the barrage clipped his side.

With Carnivine off balance, Ash felt a small bit of anxiety surge through his chest, but nonetheless did not hesitate. "Wing Attack now!"

With Quick Attack propelling her downward, Nebula's wings both glowed white as she prepared to lash out at the plant-like creature. Her eyes widened as Carnivine's jaws shot open, immediately changing her direction to narrowly avoid the snapping teeth.

As Carnivine lumbered backwards as quickly as his legs could carry him, he kept his gaze on Nebula, who circled around before firing another Wind Blast. Now a bit closer to one of the trees, Carnivine latched onto the trunk with Vine Whip, twirling around the trunk before launching himself in the Staravia's direction.

"Sludge Bomb!"

Nebula let out a startled yelp as the rapidly approaching grass type opened his jws, allowing a large glob of dark-purple fluid to escape. Reflexively, she began flapping her wings, a second barrage of Air Cutter meeting the poison type move head on. The blades of wind carved through the thick, toxic substance, and although their momentum was halted, Carnivine's was not, the grass type crying out in pain as the projectiles sliced against his body. At the same time, however, not all of the toxic sludge that was sliced up by the Air Cuter ceased to advance, and Nebula growled in displeasure as a few fairly large droplets found their way onto her body. As her skin burned, Carnivine continued to fly forward, and although his momentum as slowled by the collision with the Air Cutter, he still slammed head first into the young Staravia.

As Nebula was knocked off balance, and launched higher into the air. Carninve's body abruptly became outlined with a bright, blue aura, the grass type forced to put extra effort into his levitation due to his own disrupted balance.

"Slam her down with Vine Whip!"

With his descent fairly slowed from his Levitate ability, Carnivine shot out yet another pair of vines. Nebula responded to Ash's frantic warnings by turning her wings to metal again, but could not react in time as the vines wrapped around her. She snarled in frustrated discomfort and mild pain as her opponent's tight grip binded her, before screaming as the grass type thrusted downward, launching her into the ground below.

"Nebula!" Ash winced as his young friend's form pounded against the arena. As she gasped for air, Carnival quickened his descent back down to the battlefield, his form looming over Nebula's own as his jaws shot open once more.

The pit was back in Ash's stomach again. She was at Carnivine's mercy, now. And those jaws…

"Sweet Scent!"

As Nebula began to push herself up, a familiar pink cloud suddenly enveloped her, her focus gradually beginning to fail.

"Fight back Nebula!" Ash was sweating. He hadn't gone into the battle expecting Carnivine to fight like this, and now that Nebula was pinned, she was practically defenseless.

Erika simply offered her partner a nod. "Good, now finish her with Bite."

Ceasing the Sweet Scent, Carnivne lunged downward and scooped Nebula up in his mouth Holding his head to the ceiling as he stood upright, his opponent began to cry out as he forcefully binded her against his jaws.

Ash felt his stomach churn as he took a small step back. "N-Nebula! Steel Wing! Do something!" he wasn't even sure if she could make out what he was saying. The way those jaws were grinding against her body, all she could likely focus on was the pain that she felt.

Trapped between her opponent's vicious teeth, Nebula squawked continuously at the surges of agony shooting through her body. She could've sworn she heard her trainer calling for a Steel Wing, but could barely process it.

Her wings began to take on the metallic coating, but whenever she made progress, another surge of pain caused it to fizzle out. She could feel her back threatening to break…

Then, suddenly, another order. "Nebula! Try to angle yourself! Turn!"

It was hard to think about what he meant with Carnivine's constant chewing, but…

Struggling to be mobile, Nebula tried to rotate her body in between pain spasms. As her wing pressed against the top of Carnivine's mouth, she kept trying to coat both in metal.

Abruptly, Carnivine let out a startled, somewhat pained yelp as a hard surface suddenly jammed against the top of his mouth.

Taking advantage of the momentary reprieve, Nebula powered through the soreness in her body, bringing her wing upward with full force this time, slapping Carnivine's mouth fully open as she attempted to roll out.

"Don't let her go!" Just as Nebula was almost out, her dangerous opponent clamped down on her wing, leaving her hanging out of Carnivine's mouth, with the other wing free. Still coated in metal, her clamped wing was still fully protected as the gnawing grass type grunted in displeasure. "Keep your grip, Carnivine!"

Ash allowed himself a quick smile at Nebula's efforts, but his face soon turned serious. He knew that they weren't out of the woods just yet. "Great going, Nebula! Now, yank yourself free!"

"Hold on tight!" Erika's voice elicited an affirmative grunt from Carnivine as the large grass type continued to gnaw. Even as he did, Nebula strained herself, desperately trying to pull her wing out, all the while fighting to keep the metallic barrier up in order to avoid further injury.

From where he was standing, Ash could see the clear cuts and bruises lining across Nebula's body. With a grimace, he thought about how badly it must've hurt for her to be trapped in between Carnivine's jaws…

He wondered how much fight she had left in her. She clearly had some, given the amount of effort that she was putting in right now, but even at full strength, he highly doubted it would be an easy task to escape from Carnivine's grip.

"Carnivine!" he heard Erika call out. "Stockpile, then Spit Up!"

Ash's body tensed as Carnivine's body took on a golden glow, which began to slowly transition up to his mouth. The aura wrapped his torso in a brilliant shine, almost like a beacon, as it grew brighter and brighter.

"Get out of there, Nebula!" His voice grew desperate as Nebula continued to struggle harder, her face quickly turning to panic as she realized what was about to happen.

Suddenly realizing what their only other option was, he couldn't help but sigh to himself. It was the beginning of the battle, and they were already going for broke…

"Nebula, Reckless!" Nebula's eyes widened in understanding at the order. The ability that they activated whenever their backs were pushed against the wall.

Her body took on the familiar, crimson aura, outlining her exterior as her eyes flared with a blood red glow, complete with crimson sparks of electricity. Howling an ear-piercing battlecry, the Staravia quickly redoubled her efforts, yanking her wing back as Carnivine desperately fought to hold her in place.

"Hold on tight!" Erika repeated, tone of voice significantly less at ease this time.

The glow finally reached Carnivine's mouth in full, now lit up completely. It wouldn't be long until-

With one final cry, Nebula yanked her wing free with an upwards swipe, sending her startled opponent staggering back in surprise as she rose into the air, glowing eyes locked onto the grass type with killer instinct.

Ash felt his blood pumping, but didn't grin just yet. They had to finish this now. "Great, Nebula! Now Wind Blast, then Double-Edge!"

Nebula howled once more, her wings flapping far harder than the previous occurrences as the blast of air tore its way into Carnivine's direction and smashed against his torso. Erika called out to her screaming partner as he flew across the arena, back slamming against the trunk of a tree as Nebula angled herself to take aim at him again.

The Staravia let out the loudest shriek of the battle yet as her body became coated in white. Her eyes locked onto Carnivine, she reared back and prepared to charge.

"FIRE!"

Just as she rocketed forward, Carnivine's mouth opened. With his back still pressed against the trunk of the tree, the large grass type practically roared as a large beam of pale light rocketed out of his throat. Unrelenting, Nebula smashed into the blast head on, the Spit Up exploding against her as shockwaves spread across the greenery. A couple of nearby bushes beneath her were uprooted as the windforce found its way back to Carnivine, Erika's partner feeling further pressure on his back as the shockwaves squeezed him against the trunk of the tree. Although Ash couldn't see him from where he was standing, a few bruises began to form on the large grass type's exterior.

The smoke cloud from the explosion began to obscure Nebula's position as she fell to the ground. As Carnivine pushed himself off of the tree, the grass type allowed his hands to briefly fall to his knees, gasping for air before straightening himself out, staring at the fading cloud of smoke.

Nebula lay atop a patch of charred grass. The crimson sparks of electricity dancing across her feathers lingered as she began to push herself up, panting as she propped her body up by the wings. Then she collapsed.

"Staravia is unable to battle! Carnivine wins!"

Fumbling for Nebula's Poke Ball, the dejected Ash couldn't hear Erika congratulating her partner over the sound of the students applauding. Thankfully, it was a much more relaxed applause than back at Vermillion.

Looking back at his opening strategy, Ash couldn't help but let out a defeated sigh of displeasure after returning his young partner. He had thought that sending Nebula out early would have been the safest way to help gauge Erika's team. Instead, they were on the backfoot. It hadn't helped that he had no idea what Carnivine would do.

Still, her efforts were certainly not for naught. The bruised plant was breathing fairly hard, albeit still standing perfectly steady.

"You put up a good fight, Nebula. Don't worry, we'll still win this." Ash smiled kindly at the orb before reattaching it to his belt. Running his hand across the other balls, he began racking his brain as he returned his attention to Erika.

"Your Staravia's fairly well trained." Erika complimented from across the battlefield after noticing she had Ash's attention. "We're used to flying type's here, however." As Carnivine nodded in affirmative, Ash sent the Gym Leader a look of understanding as his hand stopped on a Poke Ball.

'Carnivine's ability is probably Levitate.' the boy assumed to himself as he eyed the plant-like creature. 'I'm not sure if it would have full mastery over that kind of ability at its current level, though. It's probably mentally taxing for it to lift itself into the air, so instead, it uses that slingshot technique with Vine Whip to gain some altitude on its own. That way, all it really needs to do is focus on maintaining it.' Levitate was a fairly difficult ability to learn, and often wasn't fully utilized until the user was ready for high-level battling. It required mental prowess, so being a psychic type certainly helped, as did having experience with psychic type moves in general, but based on what he'd seen so far, Carnivine didn't have either of those qualities.

Finishing it off hopefully shouldn't be too much trouble, unless Erika chose to substitute. But it abruptly occurred to Ash that the large plant might have some means of healing itself… didn't Stockpile also work with another move that could recover the user instead of attack?

And… it was a grass type, so having healing properties wouldn;t be overly unusual. They couldn't afford to expect an easy win. He needed to figure out who the best possible option for this opponent was.

And with Nebula gone, that had left three. He wouldn't send Tyrunt out against an aerodynamic opponent. He had done so against Paul and his Murkrow, but the young dinosaur just didn't have the proper means of attacking an opponent in the air. He supposed none of them really did, but it was especially noticeable with their youngest team member. And Tyrunt wouldn't be the only combatant with a fairly dangerous jaw, the royal heir Pokemon's greatest strength.

Tempest might not be fast enough to avoid Sweet Scent, which had tripped Nebula up after hitting her. Tyrunt might not be either. And that left…

Valiant appeared in front of him on the grassy arena. Eyes immediately widening with alertness, the young Kirlia's body quickly tensed as he observed his surroundings, gaze finally falling on the vicious plant stationed a few yards away.

Erika's eyes narrowed at the sight of the Kirlia, but Ash didn't notice her suspicious gaze as he looked down to address his young partner.

"Valiant, that's a Carnivine, and it's already beaten Nebula." As if in acknowledgement, the tenseness in Valiant's muscles sharpened. "It goes without saying, but watch out for its mouth. It can use Vine Whip to slingshot itself into the air, and seems to have levitation capabilities. Use your barriers to block out its Sweet Scent. That can disorient you, and especially inhibit your psychic moveset."

On full alert, the Emotion Pokemon nodded back at his trainer, eyes narrowing to observe his grass type opponent.

This was it. Worst case scenario, it would be his last chance, so he had to make it count. He'd make sure they wouldn't lose this battle.

On the opposite end, Carnivine ceased his heavy breathing and sunk into a fighting stance. Ash didn't notice it, but the tree behind the bug catcher Pokemon had nearly been uprooted by the impact of the previous clash.

As the grass type's jaws began to absentmindedly click together, a brief wave of unease made itself known to Ash. he pushed it away, however. Carnivine was dangerous, but they had an idea of how it fought, now. As long as Erika and her partner didn't throw anymore curveballs at them, they should hopefully be able to plan this out.

"BEGIN!"

At the referee's declaration, Valiant sprinted ahead, legs carrying the Kirlia across the grassy arena as Carnivine's large mouth opened for another Stun Barrage. Leaping out of the way, the emotion Pokemon continued his advance, eyes glowing pink as the familiar orb of Dazzling Gleam began to manifest.

"Grass Knot!"

It didn't take too long for Valiant to reach his target, although he certainly hadn't closed the distance nearly as quickly as Pikachu or Eevee would have, Ash noted. As the space between Valiant and Carnivine had shrunk down considerably, the patch of grass in between the two of them suddenly expanded, lashing out at the Kirlia.

Leaping backward to avoid the attack, Valiant finished charging the fairy type move, firing the blast of pink light in Carnivine's direction. Vines extended from the large plant's hands and wrapped around the damaged tree trunk, propelling Erika's partner into the air once more as the tree teetered forward from the pressure. As the Dazzling Gleam collided with the trunk, its balance was finally lost, unstably leaning, as if to topple to the side at any minute.

"Great move, Carnivine!" Erika encouraged. "Now use Sludge Bomb!"

Valiant bit his lip as his gaze followed the plant soaring above him, quickly turning around to pursue. As Carnivine passed by the young Kirlia, he angled his body in midair, mouth opening wide to unleash another glob of toxic substance that rocketed downward towards its target. Rolling out of the way, Valiant halted his advance and backed towards a patch of bushes, Carnivine never leaving his sight.

This was the same as yesterday, Ash quickly remembered. Gary's Skarmory in midair, Valiant unable to go on the offensive without straining himself to teleport on top of him. But unlike Skarmory, Carnivine could not remain above the arena just by flapping his wings. Assuming he really did have the Levitate ability, there was going to be a limit.

"Stockpile!"

Still in the air, hovering in place, Carnivine's body began to glow once more. Still watching his opponent from below, Valiant began to tense.

"Be careful, Valiant!" The Kirlia remained attentive as his trainer called out to him. "When Carnivine stockpiles, he can use a move strong enough to match Nebula's full strength. Don't try to block it!" After watching the Spit Up clash with the Staravia's Reckless boosted Double-Edge, Ash doubted the team had anything else that could contend with it. \

Carnivine remained hovering in the air, not too far from the tree that was on its last roots, as the golden glow in his body began to intensify.

"Swallow!"

Ash's fists tightened as the glow reached Carnivine's mouth, only for the large grass type to perform a gulping motion, as all of the golden aura quickly transitioned down to his stomach. With the golden light becoming less intense, and more… of a delicate, evened out shine, the energy began spreading throughout his body, flowing through his veins as the aura shined from beneath his skin. The bruises in his mouth and on his body began to mend, and as the shine started to dissipate, the plant allowed himself a refreshing, deep breath.

That was the nature of Stockpile. Storing up as much power as the user could, until they either expend it all at once, or absorb it into their system for rejuvenation purposes.

Ash wasn't sure if Carnivine had stored enough power to fully heal himself after the battle with nebula, but it had certainly done the bulk of it, at the very least. His body's injuries and fatigue were likely to be mostly gone.

But this only applied to physical attributes. Mentally speaking, he still had not recovered what was lost from maintaining Levitate, and although Ash had already figured that Erika had found a way to minimize such a thing, the young rookie hoped it was still something that they could exploit. Carnivine had still been in the air quite a lot throughout the match so far. Even if he hadn't needed to use his levitation ability in order to get up there in the first place (most likely the most stressing part, Ash imagined to himself), the young rookie doubted that maintaining the height for a prolonged period was effortless.

"Stun Barrage!" Valiant was on the move again as the familiar onslaught of projectiles rained down from above. With the Stun Spore-coated Bullet Seed pelting the battlefield, the Kirlia ducked behind the damaged tree just as Carnivine ceased his offense.

Gazing up at his opponent, Valiant watched as Carnivine slowly started to float backward, beginning to distance himself from the tree. Tapping his hand against the trunk, the emotion Pokemon racked his brain as he thought back to his fight with Skarmory the day prior.

The only way to reliably attack Carnivine would be to teleport up to him. Otherwise, he'd be left firing projectiles from the ground, waiting for the grass type to come down to him. And Carnivine might just pull another Vine Whip trick when that happened.

Teleporting up to Skarmory hadn't been very easy, however. Valiant would have to ask Ash to let him practice the move a bit more. They had grown fairly complacent with it, but had never accounted for verticality. But perhaps Ash was already considering such practice, given the situation had now presented itself to them in back to back battles.

That is, of course, assuming they were still-

Valiant shook the thought from his mind. Not now. Focus only on winning.

Only allowing his gaze to leave Carnivine for an, Valiant's eyes traveled across the small tree he was holding. It was damaged, teetering to the side, and on the verge of collapsing, but if he could just gain some quick elevation…

Ash perked up as he watched his partner scale the tree. The Kirlia almost lost his balance for only a moment, before recovering and approaching the top. Valiant didn't have a lot of climbing experience, but since the tree wasn't fully upright...

"Energy Ball!" Erika grinned.

Carnivine's large mouth shot open yet again, a dark, yet brightly glowing, emerald orb of aura appearing in his throat. Valiant had just reached the top of the tree and turned back to face his opponent when the ball fired. Carnivine let out a powerful shout as the orb left his jaws.

Tensing himself, Valiant's gaze zeroed in on the grass type as the move rocketed towards the tree. Horizontally speaking, he was now further away from Carnivine than before, especially since the large plant was still backing away in midair. Vertically, however, he was now a lot closer, albeit not as much as he would've been if the tree hadn't been damaged prior. It would still be a bit taxing, but…

Closing his eyes for a moment, Ash's partner flashed out of existence. As the Energy Ball struck the tree, the trunk finally gave out. Even as it toppled over with a crash, Carnvine had just barely processed Valiant's retreat when the Kirlia had appeared behind him, fist reared back and coated in fire.

The Fire Punch slammed into the back of Carnvine's head, and even as the large grass type's body bent forward from the sudden blow, Valiant used the opportunity to grip onto the plant's back. Having lost all focus, the bug catcher Pokemon descended into free fall. As his body struck the ground, cushioning Valiant's own fall, the Kirlia lost his grip, bouncing off of his opponent. Although he landed on his feet, the emotion Pokemon nearly lost his footing, before wobbling forward and righting himself.

Ash's face brightened. He could always count on Valiant to think on his feet. Now they just needed to find a way to keep Carnivine on the ground…

...That would mean keeping him away from the trees, but hopefully Valiant already knew that. If he blurted it out loud, Erika would know.

Forcing himself to stand, Carnivine teetered around for a moment before shaking his head and focusing himself. The sudden blow to the back of his head had cost him a great deal of concentration, coupled with the rough fall leaving him more than a little bruised. Glowering at Valiant, the bulky plant reopened his mouth as he heeded Erika's next order.

"Sweet Scent!"

The pink fog was only halfway to its target when the golden cube had already encased Valiant, just a few feet away. The alluring mist harmlessly washed over the Light Screen, it's sweet aroma never reaching the target. Before the cloud could clear up, however, Carnivine had already dove forward, jaws wrapped around the top end of Valiant's golden shield.

The Kirlia strained as the barrier cracked, teeth clenched as the pressure of Carnivine's Bite gnawed away at the Light Screen. He tried to drop the barrier before a chunk could be ripped off, but was too late, as a large portion of the golden cube was torn off of the top, crumbling away within Carnivine's jaws as the bulky grass type chewed it up. The rest of the barrier dropped involuntarily as a mild sensation of disorientation made itself known to Valiant.

"Great work, now Bind!" Erika pressed.

"Thunderbolt!" Ash called out as fast as he could.

Stumbling backwards, Valiant could see Carnivine lunging for him, attempting to wrap his tentacle-like legs around his body. Although he couldn't fully focus just yet, he pressed his hands together anyway. As long as he could just get the attack off, his counteroffensive could hopefully keep the bug catcher Pokemon at bay.

An uneven bolt of lightning rammed into Carnivine's torso, forcing him back as Valiant righted himself in front of a patch of bushes. Not letting up, Carnivine (after taking a deep breath) spread open his jaws as another Stun Barrage made itself known. Hastily erecting a golden wall in front of him, Valiant felt himself straining once more, as the barrier (which he had spawned too recklessly to utilize at full power) absorbed the onslaught of projectiles. As cracks began to scatter across the Light Screen, Carnivine ceased his fire, and, ignoring the fatigue beginning to make itself known to him, shot forward again, jaws subtly outlined with that familiar dark aura of Bite.

Managing to drop the barrier far more quickly this time, Valiant, eyes narrowed as the grass type's open-mouthed form loomed over him, leapt backwards, traveling over the bush just before Carnivine's jaws could claim their prey.

"Leaf Tornado!' Erika continued.

Ash's brow began to raise as Carnivine reared back, Valiant landing on his feet and trotting backwards. He had never heard of that move before…

With his leaf-like arms spread out wide, Carnivine's body began to rotate in place, progressively gaining speed as an increasing number of leaves began to materialize around him. The mass of leaves continued to grow, rotating along with the user, before sprouting up to a fairly decently sized cyclone that shot away from the bug catcher Pokemon and towards the young Kirlia.

Ash grimaced. "Shadow Sneak, and Fire Punch!"

The tornado of leaves had just passed over the bush as Valiant sank into his shadow, safely traveling underneath the rapidly advancing grass type move and towards Carnivine as the creature's movements began to slow.

Right around the moment his target's momentum ceased, Valiant had already reached the large grass type. Having stopped spinning, Carnvine's gaze turned downward to respond to the shadow's movements, only for Valiant to have already sprung out, flaming fist smashing into the bulky plant's chin with a mighty uppercut.

Ash's eyes lit up as Carnivine staggered backwards with a notably pained cry, the bulky creature's hands shooting up to grasp his chin as Valiant backed away by just a step or two, still in fairly close proximity, but not to the point where the grass type could freely lash out without moving forward. As he did so, the young psychic half-circled his opponent, facing the plant's side, and seeing that his body was lined up with another nearby tree.

"Psychic!" At his trainer's orders, Valiant's eyes flashed a bright blue, glowing with increasing intensity as his arms stretched outward in Carnivine's direction. Although he hadn't yet fully mastered the powerful move, the blow from the previous Fire Punch had given him the opening that he needed to charge it up. Erika's partner had just regained his bearings and turned around to face him as the Kirlia nearly completed his preparations. Squeezing his eyes shut for just barely a moment, the young emotion Pokemon quickly shot them back open as wide as possible, as a wave of equally bright blue aura smashed its way into the bulky grass type.

Screeching out in agony, Carnivine smashed backfirst into the nearby tree trunk, sliding unceremoniously into a sitting position as his head tilted to the side. After a moment of straining himself to rise, his body stilled, slumping sideways while still propped up against the tree.

Lowering his arms, Valiant allowed himself a deep breath as he tried to regain his bearings, before pressing his fists against his hips and observing his opponent's fallen form.

"Carnivine is unable to battle! Kirlia wins!"

A wave of surprise passed over Ash as the students cheered for them this time, with an applause no different from the one that they had offered Erika and Carnivine just one round ago.

As Erika recalled her Pokemon, Valiant made his way back to Ash, a satisfied grin adorning his features as he looked up to his trainer.

"Excellent job as always, buddy." Ash remarked with a returning smile, reaching down to pat his friend's head now that the barriers were temporarily down. Taking the time to observe Valiant, it didn't seem like he had come out of the fight all too scathed. He had definitely exerted himself quite a lot, but no clear signs of fatigue had presented themselves just yet.

He knew not to take that at face value, however. The battle hadn't been easy.

Having finished congratulating her friend, Erika returned Carnivine's Poke Ball to her belt, before immediately plucking off another one. Enlarging the red and white sphere in her hand, the woman held onto the device in a delicate grip as she gazed across the arena, and towards Ash and Valiant.

"Carnivine still needs to work on Levitate." she stated firmly. "He isn't able to rise all that fast, and has a habit of expending too much energy whenever he gets started. That's why we use Vine Whip to give him a head start, and take away the brunt of the work." Giving the enlarged Poke Ball a light toss, she added. "It's a trainer's duty to find ways to work around their teammates' limitations, until they're ready to be fully addressed. I trust you'll remember that, Mr. Ketchum."

As Ash and Valiant processed her words, she chucked the ball. The newcomer that emerged from the light looked like a round cactus with arms.

Ash had seen this species before, but didn't know it's name. All he knew was that it was definitely a foreigner, much like Carnivine. Once again, however, Erika seemed to pick up on that.

"Cacnea." she stated simply.

After nodding back, Ash looked down at Valiant, who, having turned to face the newcomer, angled his head back to address his trainer.

"Take a break for now, alright?" the young psychic nodded, and was sucked into the Poke Ball.

Looking over their newest opponent for a brief moment, Ash released Tempest. As Cacnea glared at the Krabby, making provocative gestures with its arms, the water crab responded in kind, clicking his pincers together as his eyes fixed into an aggressive glare.

"The score is tied, Tempest." Ash addressed the barbaric river crab as Erika began to speak to her own partner. "Keep your defenses up with Metal Claw, and strike with Icy Wind." The only response that he received was a quick nod of acknowledgement, but that was good enough for him.

"BEGIN!"

"Advance, Bullet Seed!"

Predictably, Tempest had already taken off upon the referee's announcement, pincers dangerously open as he prepared to fire off an Icy Wind once within range. At Erika's calm command, however, Cacnea rushed forward, glowing arms outstretched as an onslaught of emerald-colored seeds erupted from them. Halting his approach, Tempest crossed his metallic claws, allowing the grass type move to uselessly bounce off of his dual Metal Claws. Cacnea continued to advance, however, not ceasing the attack.

Tempest continued to comfortably shield himself from the barrage, not dropping Metal Claw as long as the Bullet Seed was still being fired. When Cancea got within a few feet of him, however, the attack finally stopped, his advance abruptly quickening as one of his arms glowed orange.

The Brick Break pounded against the dual Metal Claws and broke off a chunk of the coating, a sharp pain making itself known to Tempest as the river crab slid back a yard or two.

He grinned to himself. Erika's partner was strong. Yes… this was what he wanted to see.

Just before the water type's backwards slide stopped, Cacnea, now stationary, pointed an arm in his direction. The arm glowed a bright green as more emerald seeds erupted from it. Once more, the barrage proved ineffective as the projectiles were intercepted by a second set of dual Metal Claws.

"Energy Ball!"

Raising his arms, glowing orange once more, Cacnea slammed a dual Brick Break down onto the arena floor, pushing himself upwards as he launched his body over Tempest. Pincers leaking an icy air, the young Krabby glared up at his opponent as an emerald sphere appeared between the grass type's fists. As the Energy Ball fired, the snowy wind erupted from Tempest's pincers.

As the Energy Ball exploded against the Icy Wind, Cacnea fell through the brief smoke cloud that was kicked up by the clash, emerging on the other side to bring a glowing, bright-green arm down onto Tempest's face. Shouting out in displeasure, the Krabby slid backwards again, stopping a few feet in front of his trainer as he nearly toppled backward, righting himself at the last second.

As Cacnea landed, the glow of Needle Arm dissipating, Ash felt his face scrunch up. Erika had put Tempest on the backfoot the moment the fight began. Even right after they had managed to turn things around with Carnvine, she was very much looking to claim her advantage back.

He didn't have much time to process it, however, as the moment Cacnea landed, another barrage of Bullet Seed was already rocketing out of his arms. As Tempest once again crossed a dual Metal Claw to block, Ash narrowed his eyes while watching Cacnea advance forward, still firing as he moved.

Based on first impressions… Maybe Erika was trying to keep Tempest on the defense to bait him? At the start of the fight, just now, the Bullet Seed had been useless against Metal Claw, but had also left Tempest open for Brick Break. And the same thing had happened with Energy Ball immediately after.

They needed to find a way to bait her too. "Tempest, run forward!"

With the Bullet Seed barrage ricocheting off of his crossed, metallic pincers, Tempest maintained Metal Claw as he charged ahead towards his advancing enemy. The two were now on a collision course, Tempest's bulk threatening to intercept the approaching Cacnea, with the crossed, dual Metal Claws acting as the front runner.

Now Cacnea would be going for Brick Break, so… "Tempest, Vise Grip!"

Sure enough, Cancea's arm was raised, glowing a bright orange. The grass type prepared to swing forward, and pound into his opponent's metallic defenses once more, only for one of Tempest's pincers to lose its metallic coating as the river crab raised it. With the pincer shooting open and glowing a bright blue, Tempest clamped down on the orange arm just as it swung forward. As the water type squeezed as hard as he could manage, Cacnea couldn't help the minor shriek that escaped from his throat, his eyes squeezed tightly shut as the young krabby pulled him forward…

Only for Tempest's other pincer to open up, unleashing a familiar blast of snowy air. Now Cacnea was hollowing in surprise as the Icy Wind slammed into him, Tempest opening up his other pincer to release his hold and allow the grass type to be launched backward several feet. The abrupt drop in temperature passed over a good deal of Cacnea's skin as he landed in the soil ahead, just to the side of a patch of tall grass.

"Keep going, Tempest!" As Cacnea began to pick himself up, Tempest was already running forward, pincers clicking in excitement as he fixed the rising grass type with a glare. After the Icy WInd, Cacnea was probably either shivering, or, at the very least, hsi exterior was left uncomfortably cold. Which meant… "Use Scald!"

Raising his arms forward, Cacnea was about to blast away at Tempest with another Bullet Seed, when the stream of boiling water suddenly erupted from the krabby's open pincers. As the Scald washed over his now cold skin, Cacnea let out an agonized howl, teetering backward as Tempest reared back a pincer.

Coated in metal, the pincer smashed into Cacnea's face, leaving a noticeable bruise as the round grass type's back crashed into the trunk of a nearby tree.

Cacnea caught himself on his arms as Tempest advanced forward again, eager to keep up his offensive. Although he picked himself up with haste, Erika's partner stumbled, pressing a fist against the ground to catch himself as he took in a deep breath of air. He didn't have much time to regain his bearings, however, and as Tempest quickly closed in on him, the grass type rose with franticity, scattering backward as two seeds shot out of his arms, sharp vines sprouting out of them as they closed in on the Krabby.

Leech Seed. Ash was about to call out a warning to his partner, but Tempest had already acted, pincers letting loose a blast of winter air as Cacnea scurried off in the other direction. The vines froze as they fell, failing to wrap around the Krabby and ensnare him as he turned back to observe his opponent.

By now, Cacnea had created a decent bit of distance between the two. Just as Tempest was about to pursue, the grass type halted at the sound of his trainer's voice.

Erika's tone maintained its serenity as she commanded. "Swords Dance, and Poison Sting."

Cacnea's arms took a white light as the grass type spread them out. Somewhat slowing his approach, Tempest's eyes began to squint as the brightness gradually increased in intensity, Erika's round partner spinning around like a top.

Finally, he came to a stop as suddenly as he had begun rotating, the muscles in his arms sharpened and bulged, as Cacnea, sunk into a fighting stance, fixed Tempest with an even, determined glare.

As the grass type lunged forward, one of his arms took on a bright, pinkish-purple glow, coated in venom. Ash glared. They were planning on using Swords Dance to inject as much venom into Tempest's system as possible, by making the blow as decisive as they could.

Thankfully, Tempest quickly raised a double Metal Claw in response. The water type somewhat strained as Cacnea's power-boosted arm pounded into his pincers, but remained steadfast, feet barely moving back a few inches as the metal coating effortlessly intercepted the toxins.

He was given no breathing room, however, as the grass type's other powered up arm was already being raised, coated in orange as it smashed against the two crossed Metal Claws. The sound that escaped Tempest's throat sounded something akin to both a pained yelp and a frustrated snarl as the Brick Break tore through the metallic exterior, the young river crab sliding back what felt like more than a couple of yards.

The pale glow in Cacnea's arms dissipated, along with the enhanced muscles, as Tempest grinded his feet against the soil, successfully halting his backward momentum, while Ash bit his lip at the sight.

That Cacnea seemed to be fairly good with Swords Dance. Not even Tempest could likely match him in brute strength when he was boosting his arms like that…

But Erika hadn't used the move right away. Stat boosting moves were known for being taxing, a big part of why they weren't universal. An overuse of the move would most likely injure Cacnea's arms. She must want to take Tempest out as quickly as possible if she was resorting to enhancers. Which means,she recognized him as a threat.

"Swords Dance again, and Drain Punch!"

The bright, white glow in Cacnea's arms returned as he began to advance forward. However, after his arms returned to their powered-up state, it was quickly replaced by a green aura in one of them as the grass type broke into a run. Chewing his lip, Ash watched as Tempest sunk into a stance, pincers clicking in preparation.

The Krabby was a head to head fighter. Taking advantage of his high defenses to fight his opponents upfront. But with Cacnea's newfound offensive prowess, that was no longer a very comfortable approach…

"Icy Wind, across the grass!"

Perking up at the unexpected command, Tempest's pincers shot wide open, the stream of frigid wind flowing along the sea of grass separating him from his advancing opponent. As the lush greenery took on a beautiful, winter white, the cold air surged across, Cacnea feeling the surrounding temperature begin to plummet. Particles of ice fell from the grass as Erika's partner continued to run through.

'He's gotta be uncomfortable with that.' Ash told himself. 'Water types can handle the cold better than grass types could.' Which means…

"Tempest, use Scald!"

Cacnea barely had time to change direction as the dual blasts of boiling water surged towards him. The steam breezed against his side as he narrowly avoided the attack. The snowy grass was blasted by the hot air, some of the water spilling over as well, as the ice melted away as abruptly as it had appeared, the temperature rising as jarringly as it had previously dropped.

"Keep going!" Erika encouraged. "Needle Arm this time!" Cacnea kicked off the ground even as the air around him couldn't make up its mind, glowing arms shooting forward as Tempest crossed two Metal Claws together. The Drain Punch in his arm had begun to dissipate in the confusion, and was now replaced with a bright, green aura, this time in both arms. As the Needle Arm slammed into the metallic surface, Tempest's teeth grinded together as Cacnea pushed forward, attempting to shove the Krabby away. As Tempest pushed back, the coating of Metal Claw grinded against the Needle Arm. Although his defenses didn't give in, his momentum never came, the grass type continuing to step forward and force him back. Finally, a mighty shove sent the river crab staggering away, his metallic pincers raised into the air as the grass type took aim.

A stream of Bullet Seed escaped from the cactus' arms. With the Metal Claw no longer blocking its path, the barrage pelted against the yelping Krabby's torso. Already off balance, the water type could feel his body toppling over.

The finality in Erika's voice was unignorable. "Finish this, Cacnea!" Her partner rushed forward again, prepared to clear what little distance separated the two combatants as his still glowing arms rose into the air.

Ash watched as Tempest began to fall backward. Just as he was about to call out his partner's name, however, the Krabby's pincers shot down and struck the arena floor. Pressing firmly into the soil, Tempest continued to topple, but rather than rolling back with no control over his movements, he instead flipped over, landing on his feet a few feet back, and sliding a couple of inches as Cacnea continued to rush him.

Ash allowed himself to grin for a split second before his face turned serious. "Catch it, Tempest! Point-blank Icy Wind!"

As Tempest raised his head, and his pincers, Cacnea was already on top of him, bringing both Needle Arms down like two sledgehammers. Just barely in time, Tempest's two pincers shot out, glowing a familiar, bright blue as they intercepted the incoming assault, latching onto both arms with Vise Grip.

The momentum and strength of Cacnea's dual strike immediately pressed down onto Tempest as his body forcibly leaned backwards, his pincers being shoved downwards as a tight pain radiated from their openings. His muscles strained as he struggled to push back upward, biut Cacnea redoubled his own efforts, glaring tightly as he continued to bring his arms down.

Tempest snarled as his eyes momentarily squeezed shut, trying to block out the pain and fire off an Icy WInd, but the strain demanded his undivided attention. Slowly, his pincers and body began to lean further down…

Ash grimaced, but just before he could encourage Tempest further, Cacnea's eyes widened. Although the grass type's momentum momentarily increased, as Tempest began putting effort into summoning the frigid air, it was only almost an instant later when a frigid sensation overtook his arms.

Still clamping down on his opponent's arms, a frustrated Tempest watched with a determined glare as ice began to spread across both of the Needle Arms. WIth Cacnea growling in pain from the sudden cold, Tempest could feel his struggle somewhat easing, as he stepped forward and pushed upwards. As Tempest released his grip, Cacnea was abruptly shoved away, struggling to maintain his balance as he staggered backwards.

Excitement surged through Ash's chest. "Now you finish this, Tempest!"

With a powerful shout, the Krabby rushed forward. Ignoring the soreness in his pincers, Tempest quickly clenched them shut, coating them in metal as he raised them above the grass type's head, and brought them down on Cacnea's already bruised face.

Having just barely begun to regain his balance, Cacnea was quickly smashed back-first into the arena's grassy floor. Lifting his pincers back up, Tempest backed away just enough to take aim at Erika's partner as the grass type lay sprawled out. After a momentum or two, Cacnea pressed his fists against the soil, attempting to pick himself up, only for his arms to give out less than halfway through, collapsing onto his back once more.

"Cacnea is unable to battle! Krabby wins!"

While turning back to face Ash, Tempest seemed somewhat surprised as another cheer emerged from the audience. With Erika recalling her fallen comrade, Ash shot an approving smile and nod at the Krabby approaching him.

"We're in the lead now, thanks to you." As Tempest gurgled in satisfaction, Ash raised his head to face Erika once more. "Just two more to go."

Although he couldn;t quite place it from where he was standing, the Gym Leader had a somewhat amused smile adorning her features as she raised her third Poke Ball. As she chucked the orb, the creature that emerged from the white light was immediately recognizable to the young rookie.

Blue and bipedal, head topped off by flower and its spherical petals, surrounded by four reddish-brown leaves.

Being the evolved form of Oddish, Gloom weren't known for being uncommon, although their infamously stench-like aroma triggered a stigma among certain parts of the trainer populace. Those who were willing to brave it, however, found that it could very easily be weaponized.

Noting the aggressive clicking of Tempest's pincers as the Krabby zeroed his gaze in on the grass/poison type, Ash nodded in approval, albeit somewhat apprehensive. He was worried that Erika might use a Pokemon like this… The Oddish line was widely associated with her, after all.

"Be careful, Tempest. Gloom have a very strong odor, and it worsens whenever they feel threatened. It'll be impossible to fight that thing without dealing with it." scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, he added. "We need to play this a bit more cautiously. Think you can do that?"

Tempest's eyes narrowed in mild irritation, but he did not outwardly complain, instead shaking his head after a few seconds of contemplation. Ash's thumb shot up.

"Good! Gloom is a poison type as well as a grass type, so keep your Metal Claw ready. And of course, Icy Wind is probably your best means of offense."

Erika's partner eyed Tempest wearily as the water type slowly approached. A mildly nervous expression appeared on Gloom's face as the Krabby stopped a few yards in front of him, although his face quickly evened out. With his glare tightening into a focused, somewhat analytical gaze, Tempest began clicking his pincers together somewhat slowly.

"BEGIN!"

While Gloom remained stationary, Tempest quickly took off, prepared to get in range for an Icy Wind. As he approached his opponent, however, his face began to scrunch as a strong aroma entered his nose.

Remembering Ash's warnings, Tempest opted for a different strategy. After getting a bit closer than initially planned, he abruptly began backing away as the stream of frozen air exited both of his open pincers.

Somewhat startled, Gloom scurried sideways, the grass where he once stood turning pale as Erika called out to her partner. "Poison Powder!"

Tempest continued to fire as he backed away, and moved to the side, keeping his distance from the enemy grass type as the frigid gusts of wind continued to flow from both of his pincers. Startling, Gloom leapt over the grass even as the greenery froze over, however, head tilting forward for the flower to face in Tempest's direction.

The foul odor grew stronger as a cloud of dark, purple powder exited the flower. Eyes widening, Tempest quickly squinted them as his nose began to burn, the substance descending upon him…

Straining his face, he aimed upwards and fired a second stream of snowy wind into the cloud. As the ice type move blew the powder back, and the substance froze over, Gloom had already landed, taking aim and charging for the river crab while his pincers were still raised.

"Acid, and Razor Leaf!"

Head still lowered, a purplish-blue liquid erupted from the flower as Gloom closed in on the water type. Seeing the move coming a second too late, Tempest had begun to defensively lower his pincers just as a holler escaped from his throat, a burning sensation coming over his torso. Staggering back, he opened his squinting eyes just in time to see Gloom perform a quick, few second rotation, a barrage of leaves forming around the weed Pokemon and flying in the Krabby's direction.

Tempest quickly coated his pincers in metal, attempting to ignore the burning from the liquid still lingering on his torso. Before he could cross them, however, the Razor Leaf had already hit, eliciting more pained snarls just before the Krabby punched the two metal Claws together, the remaining leaves bouncing off harmlessly.

Ash watched the exchange as Gloom backed away once more. No doubt, Erika was trying to leave cuts on Tempest's body so the Acid could seep in better…

"Run forward with Icy Wind, don't get more than a few feet close!" This would still put them in close proximity to Gloom's aroma, but at this point, Ash wasn't overly sure how Tempest could avoid it properly and still fight. At the very least, if they could knock the grass type off balance, they could capitalize and go from there…

As if to try and fight off the stench he would be exposed to, Tempest scrunched his face as tightly as he could manage as his legs carried him across the grass. Opening his pincers, he allowed the familiar stream of frigid wind to escape in Gloom's direction.

"In the grass, and Dazzling Gleam!"

Scattering sideways into a nearby patch of tall grass, Gloom's eyes flashed pink as a beam of light the same color collided with the frigid gale. Not letting up, Tempest switched gears and fired a stream of boiling water over the patch. Squealing, Gloom scattered out.

"Metal Claw, but make it quick!"

The odor grew horrific as Tempest approached Gloom, rearing back a metallic pincer and whacking his enemy in the face. Bruised, the grass type was flung backward, bouncing along the grassy soil as more frigid wind escaped the Krabby's pincers.

"Close in, and Sleep Powder!"

Curving forward to the side, Gloom evaded the icy blast, only running slightly slower than normal as his face scrunched up in pain. The flower on his head opened wider as a trail of light blue powder erupted upwards, stopping just above Tempest and descending downward.

Hastily, the river crab began to move back as his pincers aimed upwards, the powder freezing over as the continuous Icy Wind pushed it back. Erika was grinning, however.

"Toxic!"

Just as Ash shouted a warning, Gloom was running directly in Tempest's direction, head lowered in full as a stream of darkish-purple sludge flowed out of the flower like a Water Gun. Tempest lowered his pincers just as the liquid was upon him, coating both of them in metal as the lingering Icy Wind clashed with the sludge.

It was too late, however, and the majority of the toxic splashed over him. No longer able to ignore the burning in his skin, the wincing Krabby lowered his pincers, momentarily dissipating the double Metal Claw just long enough for a barrage of sharp leaves to collide with his outer shell.

The Razor Leaf was painful, but not excruciatingly. It was only able to form tiny cuts across the river crab's sturdy surface. Those cuts, however, immediately welcomed the sludge from Toxic to freely seep through, and Ash couldn't help but step back at the agonizing screams exiting his partner's throat.

Erika didn't let up. "Great! Now, Venoshock!"

Before Tempest could recover, more liquid pelted his skin. Suddenly, the burning in his cuts amplified, as the pained response in his nerves went into overdrive. Venoshock was a move that increased the pain and discomfort triggered by poison, and much like Paul before her, Erika had determined that to be the best way to get over Tempest's durability.

Tears were streaming down the Krabby's face as he sank onto his bottom. A few feet away, Gloom assumed a stance.

"Finish this quickly, Moonblast!"

Eyes widening, Ash called out a warning to Tempest. Even as he did, however, Gloom stepped forward, a faint glow appearing across his body as he crossed his arms together.

As the glow strengthened, Ash couldn't help but be reminded of a nighttime moon by the aesthetic. As a pink orb formed in between the grass type's hands, the lunar glow suddenly became slightly outlined by the same color.

Moonblast was a high level fairy type move that took a great deal of practice to utilize properly, and no doubt would take a toll on the user if not mastered.

Erika was going all in, striking Tempest as hard as she could while his guard was down, blowing past all of his defenses while he was already wallowing in pain.

"Get up and use Metal Claw!" he tried to hide his worry with an encouraging tone, but the panic seeped through. Struggling to his feet, Tempest crossed his pincers, eyes squinted in discomfort as the metal he tried to surround his claws with continued to flicker in and out.

And then Gloom fired.

It wasn't quite a proper Moonblast, but it was far from weak. The pink orb was almost the size of the weed Pokemon himself, and crashed into the young Krabby as the explosion spread smoke across the nearby surroundings.

As the blast struck him, Tempest felt it all. The burning in his cuts, the pain within his body that he was just now beginning to somewhat process. And the force of the powerful blast smashing into his exterior. His feet left the ground, and the next moment, he was sprawled out on his back, one of his pincers sinking into the patch of tall grass next to him.

"Krabby is unable to battle! Gloom wins!"

Ash's heart sank as he reached for Tempest's Poke Ball, but his eyes did not leave Gloom as a chorus of cheers left the stands for Erika and her comrade. The grass/poison type pokemon had stumbled for just a second, before righting himself and taking a couple of unignorable deep breaths.

That Moonblast hadn't been Erika's way of showing off. Not if just one usage of it was enough to tax her partner. She genuinely believed that they needed to finish off Tempest in the quickest way possible, and had weighed the costs of using the move against the costs of a drawn out brawl. Given that Gloom wasn't a fairy type, and likely wasn't as well equipped to learn the move as a result, Ash couldn't help but wonder if usage of the attack at such a capacity was more draining for the weed Pokemon than Psychic was for Valiant.

And to think, that wasn't even the full extent of what the move should be capable of. Ash had only ever seen fully powered Moonblasts on TV, but they were magnificent, and according to interviews, seeing one in person truly did give off a familiar, majestic feeling to that of the move itself.

He sighed as the red beam of light sucked Tempest back into his Poke Ball. Despite the defeat, the river crab had certainly left an impression on the Gym Leader, it seemed. And he deserved to know that.

Although… Thinking back to the uncharacteristic screams the Krabby had been letting out was more than enough to make the boy wince.

"She was scared of you." he spoke to the orb. "You pushed her to use a really risky move. You did great." tucking the sphere back onto his belt, his hand rummaged between Valiant and Tyrunt's Poke Balls.

He had known that Gloom's odor would be a problem, as well as its toxins, but as expected, there were definitely more tricks that Erika had up her sleeve. And much like her with Tempest, he wasn't comfortable having such a drown out fight with the creature.

Valiant's psychic moves and Fire Punch were all attacks that Gloom's species were naturally vulnerable to. Valiant had already used Psychic once against Carnivine, and using the move a second time would surely make the fatigue kick in, but it would also do tremendous damage. Tyrunt's Fire Fang would be similarly lethal…

But he wouldn't use Tyrunt. The dinosaur didn't have enough tools to safely get in close, as long as the risk of Erika weaponizing her partner's stench was still in play. Valiant had ways around that, and his barriers could hopefully shield him from the smell altogether. And quite thankfully, his psychic moves could be used at a range, rather than up close. There was no doubt in his mind that Erika had some way to deal with psychic types, but they would just have to figure her strategy out and plan accordingly.

As Gloom positioned himself to view Ash in full, the Kirlia appeared in front of his trainer. Taking a moment to observe who his opponent was, Valiant turned to Ash expectantly.

"It's two to two." the rookie spoke while nodding to the emotion Pokemon. Valiant followed Ash's gaze to Gloom. "That's a Gloom. It's part poison type, so your psychic moves will give us great offense. Be careful, though. It has a foul odor that gets worse when under stress, and trainers have been known to weaponize that. Try using a barrier if you end up too close to it." As Valiant turned back to face Gloom in full, his trainer added. "They beat Tempest. Gloom's dangerous, so we need to end this as quickly as possible, before they have a chance to try anything drastic. Use Psychic if you feel the need to. That'll be our ace in the hole." Not turning his body, Valiant looked back just enough to offer Ash a nod and a determined glare as he made his way forward, stopping within a few yards of the weed Pokemon, who didn't move from his own position, instead opting to fix the young Kirlia with an uneasy gaze, which soon mellowed out somewhat.

From where he was standing, Valiant could slightly make out some sort of aroma, carrying what felt like a rather strong scent with it. His face mildly scrunched in an attempt to block the smell out.

No distractions. They couldn't afford that now.

Ash's face tightened. Erika wasn't recalling Gloom. He likely wasn't at one hundred percent after the usage of Moonblast, or at the very least was on his way out of being able to operate at full capacity. But she was still confident enough to keep him in the game…

'She's planning something. Gloom has an answer to Valiant for sure.'

All the more reason to end this as fast as possible.

"BEGIN!"

Erika's authoritative voice stretched across the lush arena. "Close in, and Stun Barrage!"

Gloom kicked off the ground, head lowering to expose the open flower as a stream of glowing, emerald seeds coated in Stun Spore rocketed out. Not missing a beat, Valiant took off in a sprint to the side, the onslaught pelting a nearby bush as Gloom rotated to pursue his fleeing target.

Ash observed Valiant's evasion with a nod of approval. The young psychic's speed had certainly improved since he had started practicing with Eevee a while back. It still needed to be worked on, but the gradually increasing agility was putting itself to good use for the moment.

Teleport would provide them with a good way to approach Gloom quickly, but that would still expose Valiant to the suffocating stench. Shadow Sneak wasn't as fast, but would provide the Kirlia with shelter.

Still, it'd be best to avoid using those moves until they needed to. Attacking from a distance was the best way to go.

"Quickly, Psybeam!"

Kicking off the grass soil, Valiant pressed his hands against the battlefield floor and flipped into the air. Eyes shining with a rainbow glow, his arms extended outward as a narrow beam of the same color shot forward towards its target.

"Hidden Power!"

Glaring up at the Kirlia, Gloom raised his hands as a series of glowing, white orbs materialized around him. As they finished taking form, however, the pale spheres solidified into shining, silver metal. The spheres levitated in front of their user, coming together to take the form of a makeshift wall that intercepted the rainbow beam.

As Valiant landed, the orbs dissipating, Ash crossed his arms, frustration forming across his features. That was a steel type Hidden Power. So that was Erika's thought…

Erika's form was graceful as she extended an arm outward. "Now, Razor Leaf! Barrage formation."

A mass of leaves hovered around Gloom as the weed Pokemon took a deep breath and twirled in place. As his rotation increased in speed, the leaves rotating around him quickened as well, before rocketing towards their target in a barrage of tiny, green blades.

Ash watched carefully as the glass cube encased his partner, just in time for the mass of leaves to cut against the surface. The emotion Pokemon's face scrunched tightly as the horde of blades sliced against his shield. After a few seconds, he was beginning to feel the strain of holding the cube together, redoubling his efforts as tiny cracks began to form.

Erika lowered her arm as she shot the other forward, a tranquil flame in her pupils. "Now, Hidden Power!"

The front and sides of Valiant's barrier were covered in cuts of varying sizes by the time Gloom ceased his attack, with a few cracks (mostly in the front) as well. The weed Pokemon barely took a breather, however, the metal orbs once again floating around him. With an abrupt holler, Gloom performed a tossing motion with both arms as the metallic spheres rocketed towards Valiant at similar speeds.

The Kirlia felt the shockwaves as the balls crashed into the shield. Moments later, the continuous blows finally shattered the front of the glass, windforce slamming into his face as a momentary vertigo overtook him. The next moment, the remaining orbs pounded into his body, one striking his forehead as the agonizing feeling of high-speed metal overwhelmed his disorientation.

With a pained yelp, the bruised psychic landed on top of a bush that almost immediately sunk from the force of his fall. The rough leaves irritatingly brushed against his bruises as Gloom dashed for him.

Erika's outstretched hand closed firmly. "Mega Drain!"

Propped on his hands, Valiant raised his head to see the dark, emerald orb forming in Gloom's arms as the grass/poison type stopped in front of him just a few feet away. In his frazzled state, it took a moment to process that his energy was about to be sapped.

As the realization dawned on him, the adrenaline surging from his fight or flight instincts fought against the lingering delirium. Roughly pushing himself onto his feet, he nearly lost his balance, staggering back as the orb's glow reached its highest intensity.

The thick, dark-green vine of energy erupted out of the ball, angled right for Valiant. His newly formed glare tightening, the young Kirlia reared his fist back as flames began to coat it. Thrusting forward, his Fire Punch struck the front of the vine.

Even as the Mega Drain wrapped around the flaming fist, the part of the vine latching onto its target quickly caught fire. Valiant could feel his arm becoming restricted as the vine binded against his fist. Gloom grinded his feet against the soil as the Kirlia fought to pull his arm back.

It was quick thinking on Valiant's part, Ash thought to himself. Even though his friend was still binded, he had at least stopped the attack from sapping his energy. Still, they needed to fight back before Gloom and Erika capitalized on the restriction.

"Psybeam!"

Gloom's eyes widened in surprise as Valiant's eyes flashed rainbow. The psychic didn't bother charging the attack too much, instead firing the beam from his eyes as quickly as he had begun to form it. Immediately, Gloom allowed the orb between his hands to dissipate, taking several, quick side steps to keep out of the beam's path while Valiant pulled his arm free.

There was no comfort to be had, however, as the distressed weed pokemon somewhat lowered his head, the stench rapidly increasing in intensity as a barrage of dark-purple powder exited the flower. Valiant nearly felt his nose closing up as the smell invaded his nostrils, and the purple cloud of Poison Powder descended from above.

Before the overwhelming sensation could disrupt his mental focus, he was speedily surrounded by the golden cube of Light Screen, which the cloud of powder washed over. As the shield form, the odor left his nose, even as it continued to spread outside of his shelter.

He could hear Erika calling for Gloom to add on to the offense, and immediately picked up on what she wanted: To wait him out, until he dropped the cube, suffocated from the stench, and collapsed from the toxins.

Sweat ran down his face as the realization was made. All he was doing was delaying a miserable defeat, probably the most agonizing manner he'd ever gone out. The thought of the poison burning through his bloodstream as the odorous aroma choked him dashed through his mind, playing on repeat, and his eyes widened as he suddenly felt the golden glow of the cube he was in become somewhat faint.

He needed to concentrate. His shields were mental constructs. He'd lose his grip if he…

The Kirlia inhaled, trying to think of something, anything, to block the stressful inevitability from his thoughts.

...Just think of a way to get out of this, he told himself. If he dropped the barrier, how long would he have to teleport away before the stench overtook him, and quelled his ability to focus? Seconds or less? He needed to be ready, but it already took effort to keep the barrier up, and he'd have to immediately switch that effort over to something else the very moment that he dropped it…

The glow momentarily grew faint again, before readjusting itself. Almost like a flash. A reminder to not get distracted by anxiety.

Another deep breath, and then...

The most horrific aroma invaded his nostrils as the cube went down. There was one thing he hadn't taken into account: Allowing the smell time to accumulate.

The powder was coming down onto his body, just waiting to be breathed in, just in time for the smell to cut off his breath. For a moment or two, his mind went blank, only able to think of the agony that would just grow within the next few moments alone.

The next moment was one of desperation. He had hoped to teleport in front of Ash, but as he flashed out of existence, he was merely a yard or two away. Out of the purple powder's range, but he could still smell the odor. As Gloom turned to face him, threatening to exacerbate the smell once more as he approached, Valiant flashed away again, this time in front of his trainer. Not as close as he wanted to be to Ash, but far enough away from Gloom to be satisfied.

The powder ceased its emergence from Gloom's flower as the grass type stood up straight. Erika nodded in approval as her partner repositioned himself to look Valiant in the eye, neither combatant moving as the Kirlia ceased the opportunity to inhale a refreshingly clean, odorless gasp of air. Already, he could feel the nerves easing, although the reminder of the still-standing opponent in front of him did not allow them to relax in full.

Ash took the time to release the breath he had been holding for the past moment or two. "That was a close call, Valiant. Good work." Not looking back at his trainer, the psychic merely offered a nod of acknowledgement as he and the weed Pokemon stared each other down.

'End this quickly.' he reminded himself. The events that had just transpired did little else but remind him of the importance that goal carried.

As though he had telepathy of his own, Ash couldn't help but sense that Erika and Gloom were getting ready to end the break in the action. He had to be quick.

Not to mention, he had no way of knowing how much of that powder Valiant had inhaled. Optimistically, very little, but planning around the best case scenario was a mistake he had already made at the beginning of his career.

"We gotta knock them off balance, first." Valiant didn't respond, or even make any motions, but Ash knew that his partner was listening intently, as he could always count on him to. "We know they have a steel type move now, to attack and block against ranged moves, but we'll get in close in a way that bypasses that, and the smell."

Still no gestures on Valiant's end, or even any indication that the rookie was talking to a Kirlia and not a statue. But it wasn't an attempt to ignore Ash's words. It was to absorb them.

Ash's command came just in time, as Gloom began to move. "Shadow Sneak, then Fire Punch!"

Gloom's newfound sprint quickly slowed into a walk almost immediately after it began as Valiant sunk into his shadow and traveled along the greenery. Even as he approached the grass type, no odor made itself known. He was sheltered.

Erika's face tightened, but her eyes held no signs of irritation. "Run back!"

Gloom took off backwards just as the shadow began to approach. Ash immediately knew what Erika was planning. It was the same strategy as before: Drawing him out, waiting until he could no longer maintain the move. Of course, she obviously knew that Shadow Sneak would slowly become taxing if used for too long.

Valiant seemed to catch on as well, exiting his shadow as the distance between him and Gloom increased. Gloom stopped a yard or two away from a patch of tall grass. About a yard off to the other side was a tree.

Valiant's hands balled up in frustration, before a glint appeared in his eyes. Closing them just long enough to take another deep breath, the Kirlia crouched down and vanished.

Almost immediately, Gloom's stench faintly filled his nose as he found himself surrounded by grass, trying to keep his body as low as possible, in hopes that the greenery around him would shield him from his opponent's observing eyes.

A few moments later, he sank back into his shadow.

Standing on his side of the arena, Ash blinked in unease as Gloom looked around, a feeling of paranoia coming over the weed Pokemon.

"Uh… Valiant?" The Kirlia was no longer visible. It was like he really had flashed out of existence, rather than teleported.

"GLOOM!"

Ash and the weed Pokemon both jolted up at the urgency in Erika's warning, as a shadow abruptly shot out of the tall grass, making its way towards its target as the distance between the two closed faster than Gloom could process.

Ash's face had just begun to light up in realization as Valiant rose from the shadow, fist ablaze. The merciless stench blasted into his nostrils as his face became scrunched. With strain, he thrust his arm ahead as the Fire Punch smacked into the grass/poison type's face. The odor lessened as his opponent was launched two or three feet away, teetering backwards with imbalance as he landed on his feet.

As Ash cupped his hands around his mouth, a far more optimistic sense of urgency overcame him. "You know what to do!"

Eyes glowing a familiar shine of blue, Valiant took off running after his stumbling target for just a split second before rising into the air with a leap. With his hands outstretched diagonally downwards in Gloom's direction, his eyes briefly squeezed shut before opening back up as widely as possible, the wave of bright blue energy firing down onto Gloom's forehead. With his balance gone, the Psychic was met with no resistance.

Struck between the eyes, Gloom flew backward even as Valiant landed. After watching his opponent smack backfirstm into the tree, the Kirlia brought his arms up to grasp his head for a second or two, lowering one and leaving the other hand to rub his head as the grass type collapsed onto his side.

"Gloom is unable to battle! Kirlia wins!"

Ash grinned with satisfaction as Valiant turned to face him. Although his partner wore a somewhat tired smile as the familiar chorus of cheers extended from the bleachers, the Kirlia's posture was straight and uncompromised while making his way back to his trainer.

Ash's eyes moved just long enough to watch Erika recalling Gloom into his Poke Ball. As his gaze returned to the approaching psychic, the sensation dawned on him.

Just one Pokemon left. They were going to win this. This wasn't like their miracle comeback against Daisy, or the slaughterfest they had been subjected to against LT. Surge. They had been keeping pace with Erika this entire match, and they would see that through to the end.

Stopping in front of Ash, Valiant's eyes felt somewhat heavy as his head angled upward. He had used Psychic twice at this point, along with all the other exertion he had put himself through. But they were almost at the finish line, and he wouldn't run out of gas now.

Ash noticed his partner's somewhat tired expression. The Kirlia wasn't spent, but aftereffects of his previous two fights had finally showed themselves. "You okay to keep going?" at his nod, Ash bit his lip for a moment, before smiling. "Alright. Just one more to go."

Satisfied, Valiant turned back to face Erika, just as the Gym leader readied her final Poke Ball.

"You haven't disappointed me today, Mr. Ketchum." her lips slightly curved upwards. "However this match plays out, you have our praise. Me and my comrades."

Ash couldn't help the smile that lined his features at her statement. Erika didn't give him much time for it, however, immediately tossing the ball in the air.

The Pokemon that appeared in front of her was another round creature, this one covered almost entirely in vines, with only its eyes unexposed. A Tangela.

The species was known for its odd appearance and mannerisms. Their evolved form, Tangrowth, had a history of being fairly niche in major tournaments, yet almost always high-performing whenever used, but Ash had very seldom seen a Tangela in action before. Although he had seen Tangrowth a handful of times, he'd only seen a Tangela fight twice in junior tournaments, and neither occurrence had been any less than two years ago. He couldn't even remember the details of how they had performed, although he was aware of how little that mattered. Erika was a Gym Leader, after all. Any Pokemon she had on her team knew how to fight.

Still… It meant it was harder to come up with specific advice for his teammates.

"Tangela are… weird, Valiant." the boy spoke awkwardly. "I know that thing is going to put the vines around it to good use, so try to keep your distance. Not sure how to look for an opening…" he scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment, but Valiant nodded back as the referee gave her signal.

"BEGIN!"

Erika raised an arm, her hand delicately rising into the air. "Stun Barrage!"

Tangela's goofy appearance did little to mask her capabilities once she sprung into action. After staring at Valiant with a painfully blank expression (or maybe it just looked blank, because her eyes were all that could be seen?), her visible features tightened upon hearing her trainer's order, and she broke into a run. Valiant quickly sunk into a stance to prepare for her upcoming attack, brushing aside the fatigue in his eyes, only for a vine to shoot out from the grass type, wrapping around the tree behind her.

Ash and Valiant watched with wide eyes as Tangela swung around the wooden trunk, slingshotting herself over the grassy arena. Now airborne, and sailing in Valiant's direction, the vine Pokemon let loose the familiar barrage of Stun Spore-coated Bullet Seeds that had been utilized throughout the match.

As the projectiles rained down from above, Valiant almost erected a Light Screen to intercept them, only to decide against it at the last second, the slight heaviness in his eyes reminding him that his mental prowess was on the verge of declining. He wasn't as physically strained as he was mentally (although the steel type Hidden Power had certainly hurt in the moment), but the presisiting strength in his body wouldn't matter very much if he tired his mind out.

So instead, he used his body, which had more juice left in the tank than his mind, and took off into a sprint, evading the onslaught of substance-coated seeds that pelted the ground where he once stood. His gratitude towards Eevee suddenly amplified: It had always been obvious to him that boosting his physical prowess would prove useful from a versatility standpoint, but in practice, the importance of said versatility was just now occurring to him.

"Slam!"

Valiant and Tangela's backs were now facing each other as Tangela's body descended towards the grass. Before she could land, however, another vine shot out, wrapping around a different tree. Valiant turned to see his opponent spinning around again, this time slingshotting in a far more straightforward direction, her body pulsing an orange glow that gave the vines wrapped around her a shiny aesthetic.

As his rotund opponent catapulted towards him with an angry glare, Valiant's features tightened as fire enveloped one of his clenched fists. Rearing back, he cleanly struck Tangela's face, although her momentum knocked him over, even as she let out a pained noise in response.

Although his fist was sore from the impact, Valiant quickly rotated himself, breaking his fall with his hands and flipping back over as his grass type adversary tumbled away. As he took off to pursue her, this time with his other fist on fire, she managed to right herself, turning to face him with a steel glare as an emerald orb of energy appeared in front of her.

"Valiant, don't get too close!" Ash's reminder filled his ears just as the Energy Ball formed, and Valiant inwardly cursed himself for jumping the gun. Tangela had regained her balance faster than he expected.

With no time to change tactics, he quickly coated his other fist in flames, pressing both Fire Punches together, and defensively held them out in front of him just as Tangela fired. With one of his fists still sore from the previous collision, Valiant felt the lingering pain spike from further aggravation as the grass type move slammed into him, although the Fire Punches still absorbed most of the impact. Rather than being knocked over, he simply staggered, teetering on one foot as he wobbled to prevent himself from falling on his back.

But even as he fought to maintain his posture, he suddenly felt a vine wrapping around his ankle. Before he could process it, all he could hear was Ash's warning as his body was suddenly yanked in Tangela's direction, his back colliding with the arena floor as he slid across the grassy soil.

Tangela was running in Erika's direction, straining herself to drag Valiant's body along with her. Turning over onto his stomach, Valiant fought to resist the grass type's pull, grabbing away at the grass to try and dig his hands into the soil. He wasn't close enough to any bushes or branches to find something to grab onto and fight back, the only available option being to make fruitless attempts at crawling forward, with no results to speak of as the uncomfortable sensation of his belly sliding against the dirt continued to persist.

Ash chewed his lip as he observed his friend's pitiful struggle. Before long, Tangela would cease the opportunity to bind Valiant with additional vines, either to squeeze him into submission… or worse, suffocate him. As a second vine began to rise from the grass type's body, Ash suddenly realized that she was already preparing to do so…

"Teleport into the air and attack!"

Hearing his trainer's orders, Valiant closed his eyes, trying his hardest to concentrate even as the second vine worked its way around his waist. Thankfully, his arms were outstretched, desperately grabbing at the grass and dirt, so they weren't binded for the moment.

He wasn't able to teleport very high. Between the momentum of being dragged backwards against his will, and his mental fatigue making it increasingly more difficult to execute his psychic abilities (not to mention, he still wasn't quite used to using teleport vertically), he felt grateful that he gained the height that he did.

Ash's plan became apparent as a startled Tangela appeared in the air as well. Those vines were a part of her body, so when he teleported… so did she.

With adrenaline coursing through him, he angled his body around as best he could, eyes flashing pink as he tried to summon the concentration for a Dazzling Gleam. Thankfully, it wasn't a psychic type move, and although his fatigue hindered it somewhat, as did the startling sensation of his descent as gravity took over, the strength of the pink beam wasn't as compromised as he fired it into the grass type, just before his body smacked into the dirt.

It wasn't a direct hit, as Tangela's own falling had thrown off his aim, but he had thankfully struck her rather cleanly in the side, prompting a pained yelp from his opponent as she tumbled across the greenery. At first, Valiant was dragged along with her, only to be freed from the hold of her vines soon after. He found it wasn't too difficult to get up: Not only was the grassy soil not as hard as the pavement that he had fallen onto during his battle with Gary's Skarmory on the previous day, but he hadn't even fallen from as great of a height, either. Only mild soreness was felt as he picked his body up and dashed after the vine Pokemon.

Tangela righted herself yet again, however, sliding backwards as two vines extended out from her, one on each side. Valiant leapt back as the two Vine Whips lashed out, cracking at the ground he had occupied mere moments before, and fired a second Dazzling Gleam.

As the vines retracted, Tangela formed another Energy Ball, which met the pink beam shortly before it could collide with her. Due to her close proximity to the explosion, she was pushed back a bit, but remained relatively unharmed apart from feeling the discomforting force of the shockwaves. As she slid backwards, Valiant took off running to the side, in an effort to encircle her.

Ash nodded in approval. Valiant was taking his time, not rushing her and leaving himself opened to be snatched again. If they could wittle her down from a distance…

"Grass Knot!" Erika, however, was still rather calm, and Ash's features tightened at the sound of her order. Much like with Carnivine before her, the grass between Tangela and Valiant abruptly sprung to life as the vine Pokemon closed her eyes. Just as Valiant's eyes began to flash pink again, he felt himself tripping, his Dazzling Gleam missing its mark by a yard or two as something wrapped around his ankle. He quickly managed to free himself as the pink beam uselessly collided with the barriers next to Erika, but the Gym Leader was already calling out again. "Power Whip!"

Ash's face paled. "Valiant, watch out!" As Kirlia teetered forward, still making an effort to fully regain his balance, Tangela began to close the distance, the vines wrapped around her body glowing as a few of them rose upwards.

Valiant turned his head just in time to see it. Closing her eyes, Tangela made a straining noise as the rising vines grew in size, the bright light enveloping them amplifying in intensity. Coming together, the vines formed one, giant tentacle of grass, glowing with a blinding greenish-golden aura.

Power Whip was among the strongest grass type moves. In the simplest terms possible, it was essentially a roided variant of Vine Whip, one that couldn't be used in the same consecutive, rapid fire manner, but dished out a single, devastating strike in return.

Valiant's eyes began to squint in irritation at the brightness of the bind, all the while Tangela reared her body back and prepared to swing forward.

Still having not fully regained his balance just yet, Valiant rotated his body to face the incoming blow, hastily shooting his arms outward as a glass wall erected in front of him.

But he had mentally taxed himself throughout the match, the barrier had been summoned with too much haste to be at full power, and, above all, the Power Whip, despite likely not being a high level, mastered version of the move, was still a Power Whip.

The golden tentacle smashed into the Reflect, and Valiant's mind immediately glazed as the glass shattered upon impact, shards of mental constructs scattering about the greenery before evaporating into lingering light. Pain overwhelmed the Kirlia's entire front as the shockwaves flung him backward. He could faintly hear Ash calling out to him amidst the disorientation, before his head struck the soily greenery. As he lay sprawled out in the grass, it was as though the last reserves of a battery had been depleted, his vision blurring as the world around him spun.

Had he been careless? Let emotions get in the way? Let his guard down? Was simply outplayed? He barely had time to faintly ask himself these questions, as his eyes failed to stay open, and his head tilted to the side.

"Kirlia is unable to battle! Tangela wins!"

A minor sensation of disheartenment passed over Ash as the cheers sounded over the arena, but he pushed them down as he reached for Valiant's Poke Ball. Between the two knockouts he had scored, and the couple of hits he had landed on Tangela, the young psychic had done more than enough.

As the red beam sucked the Kirlia into the orb, Ash's eyes fell on Tangela, who had turned to face him after a quick exchange with her trainer. It seemed like she might've been breathing somewhat harder… no doubt because of Power Whip. Using it a second time would likely drain her further, not to mention take longer to charge up.

Despite the loss, he found himself smiling.

"You were incredible, Valiant." he spoke to the sphere. "We're definitely going to win this."

And with that, he exchanged the emotion Pokemon's Poke Ball for Tyrunt's.

The royal heir Pokemon appeared in front of him in a bright flash of light, and Ash could feel a wave of confidence briefly passing over him as he eyed Erika from the other side.

"Valiant lost to Tangela." As Tyrunt turned to greet him with a happy chirp, Ash returned the dinosaur's gesture with a welcoming nod as he pointed out to the vine Pokemon. "You two are the only ones left." he added as Tyrunt's head angled back to take the grass type into view. The youngest member of the team turned around to face Tangela in full, his expression growing a bit more serious as Ash crouched down.

Tyrunt was still smiling, but his posture conveyed determination. He knew where they were, and he knew what had happened the first time he had stepped inside of a Gym. He wasn't going to repeat his battle with Raichu.

Taking advantage of the temporary absence of the barriers, Ash reached out to pat Tyrunt's head. "Tangela can use Vine Whip on the trees to slingshot itself around. It also has a really strong move called Power Whip; don't give it enough time to use it. It can make you trip with Grass Knot as well, so be careful." he removed his hand from Tyrunt's head as his gaze made its way back to the vine Pokemon. "But your opponent's the last thing standing between us and that badge. We won't let that stop us, right?" An excited growl escaped from Tyrunt's throat as the eager child scraped his feet against the grassy soil. Nodding in approval, Ash raised his arms, his hands closing up. "Great! Make sure you get in close; no matter what Erika does. The moment you sink your teeth in, this battle is over." As the royal heir Pokemon vigorously nodded away at the declaration, the rookie rose back up to face Erika in full.

Just one more Pokemon. They'd be holding that badge soon.

"BEGIN!"

Tyrunt knew the plan. The moment the referee gave the signal, he took off in a sprint. He wasn't the fastest member of the team, nor the strongest, but watching his legs carrying him across the greenery reminded Ash how much progress had been made since they had visited Bill.

"Stun Barrage!"

As Tyrunt cleared a decent amount of distance between the two (albeit not in attacking range just yet), Tangela lunged forward as the projectiles threatened to snipe the royal heir Pokemon. The dinosaur responded by changing course to the side, although he still winced as a few of the seeds clipped him. He wasn't the most agile member of the team, apart from Tempest, everyone else was probably more mobile than him.

As he changed direction again to resume his approach, Tyrunt opened his jaws as Tangela fired a second set of projectiles. A barrage of rocks erupted from his throat, intercepting the seeds. The Stun Barrage pounded through the rock blast, its grass typing no doubt giving it an advantage. The remaining seeds that managed to break through, however, had their momentum somewhat slowed, and even as he got closer, Tyrunt was able to sway to the side while continuing to run forward, the barrage just barely passing by the side of his head as Tangela began to run backwards.

The grass in front of Tyrunt sprang to life as Grass Knot threatened to ensnare and trip him. Thinking quickly, Ash's partner only struggled for a moment before remembering his jaws, which snapped and shredded the grass blades just in time for him to leap to the side and avoid another Stun Barrage. Before long, he was moving forward again.

Erika's lips curved up at the sight as she watched the dinosaur's movements, although the Gym leader showed no signs of concern. "On the tree, Tangela!"

Ash watched as Tangela neared one of the trees at the far end of the battlefield. Two vines extended outward from her back, wrapping around the wooden trunk and slingshotting her to the top. Without a doubt, Erika was aware that Tyrunt's jaws weren't just for show. She was taking him on from a distance.

Tyrunt didn't have much reliable means to fight Tangela from far away, while Tangela wasn't safe within close vicinity of him. Unfortunately for them, the two fighters both started far away by default, giving them the uphill battle to fight.

Standing atop the tree, Tangela appeared to be catching her breath as a frustrated Tyrunt stopped in front of the trunk and irritably growled up at her. Ash's face tightened ina aggravation, inwardly cursing himself for not considering this. Vine Whip was certainly a versatile move, as Erika had proven in this match. In comparison, he and Tyrunt had no way of-

He paused. Tyrunt didn't need to climb the tree!

"Use Fire Fang on the trunk!" Erika raised an amused brow as Tyrunt looked back at Ash in surprise, before nodding and lunging forward. Angling his jaws sideways, the dinosaur brought his fire-coated teeth around the trunk of the tree. These trees were relatively small compared to the typical ones found in a forest, and Tyrunt's Strong Jaw gave him and his bite attacks a great deal of might behind them.

Tangela stumbled as Tyrunt gnawed against the wood, feeling the tree teetering back as the royal heir Pokemon ripped a large chunk of the trunk out. He was still young, and the attack hadn't been enough to completely topple the tree just yet, but it was on the verge of losing its balance, and Ash had a contingency.

"Great work, now Roar!"

Tyrunt backed away by a couple steps to take aim at the damaged, tilted trunk. Opening his mouth, the noisy shockwaves erupted from his throat and pounded into the compromised bruise his Fire Fang had left behind on the wood. The foundation snapped, and Erika quickly took a step forward as the small tree toppled.

"Don't give in!" As she spoke, Tangela hastily wrapped a Vine Whip around the falling tree, slingshotting herself away as Tyrunt pursued her. An upwards Rock Blast missed its mark, and a downwards Stun Barrage left the royal heir Pokemon to swerve to the side as the vine Pokemon landed on her feet, running off to the last remaining tree in the nearby area. As their opponent scaled it, Ash's eyes lit up with a budding flame as he watched Tyrunt take off in hot pursuit.

"Chomp all the trees down if you have to!"

A Stun Barrage was fired from the peak of the tree, and avoided by Tyrunt before the process repeated itself. With all the remaining trees not close enough for Tangela to reasonably reach, Erika cupped her hands together.

"Slam!"

Tangela's Vine Whip wrapped around the falling trunk even as it descended to the soily floor of the battlefield. Rotating around the tree, her body glowed orange, and Tyrunt turned just in time for her to collide with his front. With a yelp, he quickly found himself pinned onto his back as Tangela stood atop his abdomen.

"Energy Ball, point blank!"

Tyrunt gasped anxiously as the emerald sphere formed in front of Tangela, ready to explode against him without delay, when Ash, quickly pushing down the surge of panic in his chest, called out to him with cupped hands.

"Use Roar!"

Tyrunt didn't take the time to hesitate in his panic, completely falling back on his trainer's commands to survive. As the shockwaves left his throat, the halfway charged Energy Ball exploded prematurely. With no control over the detonation, Tangela was abruptly catapulted into the air as the explosion pounded against Tyrunt's body, sandwiching him between the shockwaves and the grassy dirt.

His body aching, Tyrunt pushed himself up as the vine Pokemon landed a yard or two back. Head lowered to the floor, he let out a couple of cloughs before raising his gaze to the rotund grass type, as she staggered to her feet.

The fire in Ash's eyes reached his chest. Tangela was off balance, they needed to take the chance now.

"Poison Fang!" The small dinosaur must have been sensing victory too, as the aches in his body did little to slow him down as he sprinted to his opponent. Just as his jaws opened to reveal a familiar, purple glow, Tangela was fully upright again, two vines extending out of either side of her body as she lashed out at the royal heir Pokemon.

With two consecutive, tiny hops, Tyrunt evaded the strikes with the most deft Ash had ever seen from the team's youngest member, before lunging up into the air. As his body came down on Tangela, his ajws wrapped around her, sinking through the vines as his teeth injected the toxins.

Tangela let out a shrill scream as the teeth pierced her skin, and the venom burned her insides. Although she tried to struggle, Tyrunt's grip remained firm, and she was quickly forced into a sitting position as two vines extended out of her. Using the last of her strength, she shoved Tyrunt off of her body, a chunk of vines and flesh painfully ripping out as his grip remained intact. As the young dinosaur spit the chunk out, the grass type struggled to rise, only to find that she could not, collapsing down onto her bottom once more.

Ash's heart was hammering. They were right there! "Dragon Tail!" his voice was almost too eager as he gave the command.

The same, however, could be said for Tyrunt's response. Sprinting across the expansive arena, knocking down two small trees, and being struck by a point-blank explosion had left his muscles tiring, but the adrenaline surging through his blood drove those same muscles to action as he broke into one, final run. His tail rose behind his head as he performed a twirling motion, and smacked Tangela in the face.

The purple tail sent her rolling several feet away before stopping on her back. A brief attempt at rising came to an end before she even had a chance to get halfway. Panting, Tyrunt watched her fall back.

As Tangela definitively collapsed, the referee raised an arm. "Tangela is unable to battle! Tyrunt wins!" her arm pointed in Ash's direction. "The victory goes to our challenger, Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!"

As she spoke the words, a swarm of Butterfree flew through Ash's stomach. Moments later, his lips progressively spread out, as though someone had cut his face in two.

As if on autopilot, his legs carried him across the field as Tangela disappeared back into her Poke Ball. Tyrunt turned around in time for his trainer to scoop him up into an overjoyed embrace.

"Buddy, you did it! You were so awesome!" It was rough, and almost painful, as Tyrunt happily rubbed his face against the rookie's cheek, but Ash barely cared-and any potential bruises could always be patched up at the hotel room later on anyway-both trainer and Pokemon were consumed by mutual elation.

Tyrunt was tuckered out, his jaws were likely sore from chomping on the trees, and his muscles were aching, but it didn't stop him from sharing in his trainer's excitement. Or from reveling in his first victory at a Gym.

After a few moments, the two parted, Ash setting his friend down as he heard Erika approaching them. The audience had finished clapping-he had barely even noticed it until the end- as he turned to face the Gym Leader, his smile evening out, but not vanishing.

Erika took the time to clap her hands together twice, before lowering her arms as she stopped in front of the duo. The aroma from her perfume was back.

"Congratulations, Mr. Ketchum." her expression had lost its professional composure, the smile on her face appearing as if addressing a friend. "I think it's safe to say everyone here enjoyed watching your performance." she briefly gestured to the students on the bleachers, some of whom were excitedly talking amongst themselves.

Ash followed her hand, the Butterfree in his stomach suddenly returning for a moment.

Throughout the battle, they had shown no favoritism. Just joyful excitement and fun. Had he ever battled in front of an audience like that before?

Unable to suppress a chuckle, he looked down at Tyrunt for a moment before returning to the Gym Leader. "Glad to hear it. We had our eyes on this Gym for a while."

Her hand slipped into her pocket as her eyes remained on him. "The way you and your team responded to our attempts at pressuring you were consistently competent. Your Kirlia is especially good at thinking for himself, and it almost felt like I was the one being pressured at the end when I felt the need to risk Tangela's stamina with Power Whip, an error on my part. And it didn't take long for you to realize your Tyrunt's biting attacks could be used for means other than direct offense." The tired dinosaur's grin widened as glanced down at him for a moment. "You're also clearly aware of how there's more to matchups than just typing, based on your Krabby's performance. Most rookies have a lot more trouble getting around that." her hand left her pocket, and Ash's heart skipped a beat as she opened your palm. "It was fun seeing the way you all adapt. I'd say you've earned this Rainbow Badge wholeheartedly."

Ash's face was as bright as the sun as he stared at the small object for a moment. As he reached over and took it from her hand, the rookie rested the badge between his fingers, as though it were the most fragile of decorations.

It was in the shape of a flower with a shiny, white center, the petals sticking out in all directions each in the colors found on a rainbow. Much like all Gym Badges, the texture and aesthetic reminded the young rookie of a precious treasure.

Any lingering disheartenment that may have remained from their unfortunate encounter with LT. Surge had all but evaporated as he took in the sight of their latest prize.

Two months of hard work had awarded them with three Gym Badges, and that meant that their journey to the Indigo Plateau was almost half over.

Ash's almost goofy grin made its way down to Tyrunt as he held the object in front of his partner. "Take a look, buddy. This is what we've earned." The royal heir Pokemon giddily clicked his teeth together before sinking onto his bottom, in hopes of giving his legs a break.

"You know, Mr. Ketchum." Ash's attention returned to the Gym Leader as the young dinosaur fiddled with the grass blades in front of him. "I've actually heard about you before, from a friend of mine."

He perked up at that. "Elacia?"

She nodded affirmatively. "Yeah. She loves giving detailed stories whenever she talks about what she's been up to. Seemed pretty taken with you."

A pleasant warmth passed over the boy as he recounted his time in Pewter. "She was a big help." a thought occurred to him. "Do you know when she'll be back?"

She let out a deep sigh at that, before her smile turned apologetic. "Sorry, kid, but it likely won't be for a while. She was already off doing something elsewhere, but she ended up finding a last minute project just last night, so who knows when she'll be getting back at this point." Although still grinning, she seemed a bit exasperated. "Unlike Suzie, she's hardly ever been content with just staying home. And then she talks about how taxing and demanding her profession is." She brushed it off with a small shrug, however. "She used to be a trainer, after all. Guess she never grew out of traveling. Can't hold that woman in one place for long."

Ash nodded in understanding. It was a bit disappointing that he probably wouldn't be able to see his friend again for a while, but he more than understood that her job came first.

'Guess we'll be visiting Suzie tomorrow, then.' He thought to himself. Elacia had asked him to do so if she wasn't around.

The referee approached them from the side, handing Erika a small case as Ash placed the beautiful badge with the others. His eyes lingered on them for just a moment before looking back up to Erika.

"Thanks." she nodded to the referee before turning back to him. "I'll be sure to tell her you were here. In the meantime…" She opened the case, revealing a set of discs. TMs, as Ash quickly realized. Plucking one out, she offered it up to him. "This is Bullet Seed, a move that you're probably more than familiar with after today."

Ash accepted the disc with a nod. "Thanks."

"No problem." her hand pressed against her hip as her eyes scaled the rookie. "You definitely have a long way to go, but I'd say you've found your momentum. I'll bet Professor Oak really likes having a kid like you in town." her hand extended to him. "Keep honing that spirit of yours, and I'm sure you'll be ready for the others."

The boy inwardly flinched at the mention of the Professor's name, memories of the previous night suddenly flooding back.

He pushed them down as quickly as he could, however, before they could become visible. He didn't know what to think of Professor Oak's words anymore… but that was fine for now. He and his team had made it for now, and they would keep on doing so.

Right now, the only thing that mattered was this moment.

His hand wrapped around hers as the two shook, each putting an equal amount of pressure on one another as they locked eyes for one final time.

Right. This moment.

Ash spoke to a few Gym trainers on the way out while carrying Tyrunt. Their energy was a lot brighter and more casual than Surge's students. The entire environment felt more welcoming, like something he could get used to.

It didn't last long, however. He had a team to take to the Center, a phone call to make to Delia and give her the good news.

After a long battle, they had overcome Erika and her team's tactics. The hurdles ahead were looking a little bit bigger than the ones behind them, but their jumps were only increasing in height.

/

Damian sat back in his steel chair as he observed the pendulum swinging from the tall clock propped up against the wall.

The room he was in was somewhat underground, with well-refined, stone walls and a large lantern hanging from the ceiling to brighten the surroundings. In his hand was a sausage, which he had heated up after plucking it from the refrigerator nearby.

He was just in the midst of finish the snack when his father walked in, holding a Poke Ball. Perking up, the boy stood to greet the man, who smiled with a satisfied glint in his eyes.

"How's it been treating you, son?" They had just gotten relocated to the newest hideout a couple of days ago, but his dad was off in Blackthorn on business, while his mother and a few other soldiers accompanied Proton to the board meeting.

"I've been fine," the nine year old rubbed the back of his head as the tall man stopped in front of him. The blue-haired boy's features took the form of a fairly relaxed smile as he angled his head upward to lock eyes with him. "I wasn't expecting you back for another couple of days. Guess you beat mom."

A modest chuckle from the man. "I suppose so. After I got Proton's approval to head on up to Blackthorn, I figured I wouldn't waste any time. I was in and out, and I have permission to give this to you." his hand extended outward, allowing Damian to take the Poke Ball. He tried to suppress the excitement welling up in his chest, but could only barely. "Go on, see."

Nodding with a confident smile, Damian enlarged the poke Ball and activated it. An orange lizard with a flame at the tip of his tail appeared out of the bright flash of light, dozing on the stone floor.

"A Charmander." Damian's eyes lit up. "Nice." he nodded up towards his father. 'Thanks dad."

His dad shook his head with a thumbs up. "No need for thanks. I told you I was gonna nab you the best one I could. With the way your tutoring has been progressing, you'll likely be in the ranks less than a couple of years from now, so it was time to speed up that process." kneeling downward, the large, red R on his uniform loomed over the Charmander's sleeping form as he lightly tapped against the creature's neck with the tip of his index finger. "That's part of why I asked to be the one to go on the mission. My old man's a fairly prominent Breeder back where I grew up in Blackthorn. Swift and efficient, the fool didn't even know I was there overnight. His database was a joke to crack into as well, given I know him and his way of thinking is like the back of my hand." he grinned up at his son. "I looked through all of them, to see which one had which Abilities, checking for Egg Moves, what their health indicated, all the reports I could find. And out of every lizard I ripped from the geezer's place, this one was the most potent. His masterpiece. Perfect way to get your foot in the door when the time comes for you to join the cause."

Damian's eyes shined with an inspired determination as his father rose back up. That was right… the cause. Everything his parents worked for. Everything their superiors worked for. To put an end to the Indigo League's reign and remind the people what truly shaped, guided, and governed the world.

"Remember, son. Pokemon are the sword and shield of all mankind. And it's our purpose to use their powers the best out of everyone, in order to come out on top in this world."

/

Damian tucked the picture back into his pocket as he rose from his seat and wandered the halls of the underground hideout. The overhead lights dimly lit the corridor, a hard floor surrounded by metallic walls and ceiling.

It had been a hot minute since he'd last seen his parents. Ever since they had left with Proton's division to claim power in Ever Grande. He didn't know when they'd be back, but their words were always in his mind.

Even so, the anxiety flooding through his chest made his body feel heavy. It was only a matter of days before his first ever mission as a soldier. Not the botched evaluation that he and the other kids have been given, but an actual, on the record assignment that he would be participating in. No longer would he be sheltered by the bunkers of the various hideouts and forts. No longer would he be a spectator who watched, and listened, and heard about the battles fought.

Now, he would be a component of those battles. He would be on the attack. Just as he had been preparing for for over half a decade. He would be stepping outside of the secure safety of the shelters that had served as his comfort zone and out into the world his body and spirit had been promptly honed for.

It was exhilarating. It was horrifying. And it was all coming in days.

His head angled upwards towards the ceiling as the occasional adult soldier passed by in the opposite direction. He was no stranger to wandering the halls, whether it be for the sake of curious exploration, or just out of boredom while his parents went off to perform whatever the latest task that Proton had handed out to them was. It was such a major component of his life, and he had occasionally gone over two months without ever stepping outside. But now, that would only be a small part of it. It wouldn't go away, but it abruptly made him feel nostalgic.

A small grin formed on his features as he plucked a Poke Ball from his belt. He gazed at the orb for just a brief moment before returning it to where it belonged.

Those preparations would all pay off… in just days.

A noise caught his attention, and, as if on instinct, he broke into a run. A few moments later, he was in one of the warehouses, the scene in front of him spotlighted by the overhead lights directly above.

The red-haired teenager was there, a massive, blue reptile with incredible jaws standing next to him. In front of them was a Machoke, kneeling down, a man in a blue-collared uniform pinned onto his stomach with muffled protests. Next to the Machoke stood a woman in a standard Rocket uniform.

The teen with red hair turned his head to see Damian jogging towards them, raising a signaling hand to slow the boy's run to a walk.

As Damian stopped in front of them, he gazed down at the victim in suspicion. "Intruder?"

"Afraid so." replied the teen. His expression was stern, but neutral as he leered down at the struggling man, who was currently on the verge of just giving up. "Using the network beneath the Game Corner has been very beneficial to us, but it appears that an employee has wandered in. No matter."

Damian's face tightened as he nodded at the explanation. He had seen intruders before, albeit only three times previously. The first occurrence had been at the age of six, when he had watched one of Proton's assistants have his Arcanine devour the head of a police officer who had charged in without backup. "Got it. What is gonna happen to him?"

"Interesting question." the teen stoically responded, sparing the younger boy a glance before bringing his attention back down to the man. "That is just what we were about to discuss."

"P-Please…" the man moaned pathetically (intruders were always so wimpy when caught) "I'm sorry, I-... I didn't-"

"You didn't know, I'm aware." the teen interrupted in response. "Just an average worker who took a wrong turn inspecting the basement, and ended up further down. I'll have to double-check the entrances. Can't have any more inconveniences." the blue creature beside him rumbled in agreement, as its fierce eyes locked onto the man. The teen nodded to the soldier and her Machoke. "Help him up."

As the terrified man was brought back up to his feet, the sight of the blue creature froze him in place as Machoke's hands rested on his shoulders, and the teen removed a belt with four poke Balls on it. "We won't kill you, but we can't have you leaving so soon before our mission. We'd lose the element of surprise once you go off flapping your lips all the way over to the police station." his face somewhat tightened. "You will remain here, for now. When the coast is clear, you will be clear to walk free, without your Pokemon, who will remain with us."

A brief surge of anger filled the man's eyes, but it was in stark contrast to the clear helplessness on his face. "If I'm gone for too long-"

"Your family will call the authorities and request a search party. I am well aware." the teen crossed his arms. "Once we've further secured the entrances-which you only discovered by chance, I might add, it won't be a problem. We won't even be here for much longer anyway." he nodded to the woman. "Show our guest his new room." With a salute, she led the Machoke out of the warehouse, as the fighting type guided the man.

Damian watched them go, before an awkward weight hung in the air as the doors closed behind them. Damian's gaze briefly lingered on the blue behemoth accompanying the teen, a dreadful sense of unease passing through his heart, before his gaze returned to the teen himself. The Agent was leaning his back against a crate, with his arms crossed for just a few moments, before nonchalantly pushing himself off, walking past the boy.

"Walk with me."

Damian did as he was told, speeding up to keep pace with the older boy as the blue creature followed from behind. The trio passed through a different door than where Damian had entered. A few soldiers chatting in the hallways paused to salute as the teen walked by them, although a couple paled as their eyes made their way to the blue Pokemon.

It felt as though it had been silent for a moment or two before the teen finally spoke. "So, how's your nerves?"

"What do you mean?" Damian responded, speeding up just a little bit more so that he was traversing the corridors next to his superior, angling his head to face him in full.

"I'm just making sure your heart is ready for the upcoming assignment. You've never done this before, have you not?"

Damian's expression tightened. "That doesn't matter, I assure you I'm ready." his gaze turned ahead. "We attack in the next two to three days, and "we" includes me. I'm well aware of my role."

"That's easy for you to say," the teen responded, but it hasn't exactly been long since your run in with those two."

Damian's face twisted at the memory of Ash and Paul. His voice was hoarse and bitter. "Those two…"

The teen's gaze left the boy, focusing on the pathway ahead of them. "I just want to verify that you know what it means to be on a mission like this. It's very easy to freeze up when the time finally comes to put all of your training into practice, as occurred with me on my first mission."

Damian allowed a small smirk to form across his lips. "Has it ever occurred to you that I might get off to a better start?"

"That remains to be seen." it was almost infuriating how unfazed the teen was. "Anyway, it just so happens that I ran into one of those rookies at the Department Store yesterday."

Damian's head whipped in the teen's direction. "What…"

"Yeah, the Ash kid. Didn't know who I was, obviously, but he's in the city."

Damian's face gazed off to the path ahead once more, tightening again as his eyes narrowed, almost into slits. A deep glint appeared within his pupils as he processed the information. "Good…" he almost couldn't help the small, toothy grin that spread across his face while his teeth grinded together. "I'm looking forward to seeing him again. The prick…"

"Hmph, I take it you're planning to kill him and Paul?"

"And why shouldn't I?" the blue-haired boy barked out. His fists squeezed together. "Those two pieces of… They're not going to get away with humiliating me the way that they did. I'm not some idiot who can be toyed with whenever they want, I'm gonna-"

His focus was broken as the teen scoffed. "Roughly two dozen of the other kids that were given that evaluation alongside you were captured because of those two rookies, and yet your vendetta against them stems entirely from the mild bruise done to your misplaced ego."

"Watch it, prick." Damian snarled at the teen, only for his face to pale as a low rumble escaped the blue Pokemon's throat behind them.

"Relax, Neptune." The noise settled down as the teen angled his head back at the creature, before resuming his focus on the path in front of them as the trio took a turn. "No need to get temperamental about it, kid. It's not like it matters much to me, anyway, you can feel free to kill that Ash fellow if you run into him during the mission, just make sure you don't jeopardize yourself over trivial affairs. He was silent for a moment, before the look in his eyes shifted. "By the way, Damian… your parents, they work under Executive Proton, correct?"

Trying to recover from the brief, yet deep scare, Damian resteadied himself as he nodded a bit too hastily, his gaze briefly turning to the duo of soldiers (a man and a woman) that passed by them in the opposite direction. "Yes. in his good graces too, I might add." he added that last bit somewhat proudly.

The teen nodded in approval. "A capable man. I was actually mentored by him. His vouching is the reason I was promoted." his chin rested against his finger. "Right now, he's working to get our organization a hold on the Hoenn Region. Quite ironic, since he used to be the one most staunchly against branching out to foreign territories in the past. The risk of splitting our sources thin was always the argument, but I suppose now that's no longer an issue." with his hand somewhat lowering, before his arms crossed against his chest, he added. "In the past five to ten years, Recruitment has been a lot more steady. The child soldier program that Petrel had proposed is finally coming into its own, we've annexed most of the gangs that we had our eyes on, and more people in general have been persuaded as our advertising continues to improve. Not to mention, Commander Archer's connections have been a huge boon." his head angled slightly upwards towards the ceiling. "To think we have the Iron-Masked Marauder fighting with us. An international legend, underneath our banner."

Damian hummed thoughtfully for a moment. "You said you were promoted because of Proton? When did you start working under him?"

"When I was twelve." the teen responded. "About a year after I joined, he recognized my potential, honed it for a couple of years, and then persuaded the Commander to grant me my current position. Said I was a prodigy."

"No wonder you're so stuck up…" Damian scoffed under his breath.

"It takes one to know one." The teen was still unfazed. "Unlike you, I've earned my confidence. You, on the other hand, are acting like you've proven yourself the moment you started trying to." his gaze shifted to the side in order to face the boy. "I've made more than my fair share of hiccups during my climb up the ladder. I know what it entails. I'd rather not watch you lose your grip."

A low grumble escaped Damian's throat, but it quickly died down as soon as it started as he eyed his superior carefully. "I suppose mom did bring you up once. Can't remember when."

"It was probably about six months ago," the teen responded. "I was frontrunning the most successful mission we've ever had."

Damian processed that for a split second before his eyes widened like dinner plates.

"Wait a minute… the assassination?! In Goldenrod?! Are you trying to tell me that was you?!"

"Believe what you want. All I'm saying is, I've been in your shoes before. Maybe not quite in the same way, I became a part of this organization after the gang I joined was annexed, you've been here since the day you were born, but I've had to climb up similar steps to the ones that you'll be facing pretty soon." his head turned to Damian. "You obviously don't have to like me, but lending an ear every now and then might do you some good in the long run."

Damian hummed quietly at that. He wasn't sure if this older boy had done what he'd just claimed to have done, but he was given his rank for a reason regardless, after all.

His whole life had been spent preparing to join the ranks of Team Rocket. Now that he had, it was up to him to ensure that it was worth it.

"...I'll take it under advisement." he simply stated.

"Good…" the teen nodded in approval. The trio stopped at a branching path as he turned to face him in full. "Well, I have to go check on those entrances for now. See you once the operation starts." He nodded to his partner. "Come on, Neptune." The behemoth spared one final, passing glance at Damian as it followed its trainer down the hall.

Damian watched the duo depart for a few moments, trying to take in the older boy's words for a bit as their forms grew smaller, the distance between them expanding with every stride. Eventually, they both took another turn, and were out of sight.

Tapping his foot with crossed arms for a few seconds, the blue-haired boy turned around and headed off in the opposite direction.

Ash's Pokemon:

Pikachu (Male)

Nebula-Staravia (Female)

Valiant-Kirlia (Male)

Eevee (Female)

Tyrunt (Male)

Tempest-Krabby (Male)