My Pokémon Journey

by Pokebrawler09

In this world of Pokémon, there have lived two Guardians that had served under Arceus to protect the world and teach humans and Pokémon how to live side by side together. Now in present time, the Guardians have been reincarnated and begin to learn of their destiny. Come along with our heroes as they discover their powers and meet many Pokémon that thrive in this world!

30. Chapter 29: Every Rose Has Its Thorns!

Chapter 29: Every Rose Has Its Thorns!

Outside Celadon City Hotel- Morning

The sun slowly rose in the sky as the dark, night sky began to turn morning. The sounds of city began to grow as businesses were opening up for the day. As they opened, Kite and Shay were sitting on top on one of the rooftops on the building across the hotel we were staying. They looked around the area silently for a moment, and then saw both Talonflame and Salamence looking over as well. "Hey, Shay. I forgot to tell you this last night. Congratulations on winning the PokéRinger tournament yesterday." said Kite as he looked at him. "Thank you, Kite. I'll tell ya one thing about yesterday's event... it wasn't easy." Shay replied. "I believe you. I saw it from the broadcast last night with the rest of the team. All of your opponents were pretty tough... especially Taylor and her newly evolved Pidgeot." he replied. Shay nodded his head in agreement to his response, and then looked over to Talonflame; seeing him watching Hurricane sleep on the patio bar. "Heh. You're proud of him, huh Talonflame?" he asked him. "Flame." Talonflame replied as he nodded his head yes to his question. He smiled warmly at him, and then both Trainers heard a sound come from behind them. They quickly stood up, turned around, and then saw three faces appear: Crow and Kilowattrel, Yugo and Absol, and Yuto and Noivern.

"Morning, guys." said Crow. "Morning." Kite replied. "Bought some coffee and breakfast sandwiches for us. You want some?" he replied. "Sure. Thanks." Shay replied. Crow nodded his head, and handed both Trainers their coffee and breakfast sandwiches. They all then sat down on the rooftop and looked at the hotel; seeing some of our team members outside sleeping. "So, Crow? Anything new with Team 5D's recently?" Kite asked. "Yeah. All of the team is here in the region and heading to our Kanto base near Heartland City." Crow replied. "The whole team, eh?" he replied. "Yep. Me, Shinji, Leo, Luna, Yugo, Rin, Akiza, Carly, Kalin, Bruno, Jack, and Yusei." Crow replied. "Wait what!? Yusei's actually here!?" Yugo replied in a light, surprised tone. "Yep. He is. It took him some convincing at first... but once he heard us talking about your brother and Taylor being hunted by Team Rocket, he decided to come and join us." Crow replied. "Wow... that's awesome! That should give the team a big confidence boost!" Yugo replied. Crow nodded his head in agreement to his response, and looked at the hotel again. "Hey, Yuto? Did you ask Lulu how Tay felt after stopping that Dragonite yesterday?" Yugo asked.

"Yeah. I remember seeing that on TV. She okay?" Kite replied. "She's fine. No wounds, no broken bones. She's alright. She was more worried about her Pikachu than anything else when their balloon got destroyed." Yuto replied. "Yeah. But good thing that Hurricane swooped in and saved the day, right? Who knows what he would be like right now if he didn't save them?" Yugo replied. Yuto nodded his head in agreement to his response, and then he and the group saw me walk out to the patio. I yawned quietly, did a couple stretches, rubbed my eyes, and then looked out to the Celadon City Gym. I walked over to the railings, leaned forward on them, closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled; taking in the smells of freshly made breakfast food from the shops, restaurants, and cafés nearby. "Oh? She's up early." said Kite. "Yep. She's usually a night Noctowl person. But when it comes to certain events and stuff, she'll wake up early." Yugo replied. "Plus... its the perfect time for her to clear her mind and help her focus on her plans for the day." Yuto replied. "Oh? And what are her plans for today?" Shay replied curiously. "She's going to the Celadon City Gym and battle the Gym Leader." he replied. "What!? Are you serious!? She's going to battle Lady Erika?" Crow replied in a hushed, surprised tone.

Yuto nodded his head yes to his response. "Whoa... I gotta see this one." he replied. "You have to! The Gym Challenge for her has been crazy! The Gym Leaders have been testing her limits!" Yugo replied in a hushed, happy tone. "Really? How crazy?" he replied. "They will use more Pokémon than they're supposed too." Yuto replied. "And when they put her in a corner... that's when her powers activate and make her and her Pokémon come up with moves and strategies that we have never seen before." Shay replied. "Whoa... that's cool. Wait... if she can do stuff like that with her powers... does that mean he can as well?" he replied as he pointed his thumb at Yuto. Yuto nodded his head yes to his question; making him smile. "So..? What do you say? You guys wanna go to the Gym and watch her battle?" Yugo asked. "Sure." Yuto replied. "Sounds good to me. I wanna know what kind of plan she's got with this one." Kite replied. "Sure. And knowing Talonflame, he wants to see Hurricane be in a Gym battle. Right, buddy?" Shay replied. "Talonflame!" Talonflame replied happily as he nodded his head and spread out his wings in excitement. "I'm down for it. Plus... this would give me the chance to show Yusei and the gang what she looks like and what she can do." Crow replied.

"Then its settled. We'll be going to the Celadon City Gym later this afternoon to watch Taylor's Gym battle." Yuto replied as he stood up. "Aw yeah! Can't wait to see what kind of strategy she's got for this one!" Yugo replied happily; making his brother smile warmly. After that, they stood up and quietly left the area. As they were leaving, Yuto looked back to me once, smiled warmly, and felt his cape gently move by the breeze of the wind. After that, he turned back to his group and left silently with them. As they left, I looked over to the building they were at, watched the sky slowly turn light blue, blinked my eyes, and then went inside the hotel room. I made myself my small breakfast silently, ate it, put my dishes away, found all the Pokémon food I bought yesterday, put them in their bowls to eat with their Vitamins, and gave them to all my Pokémon; making them happy. I watched them eat happily, and then went over to the living room and sat down on the couch.

Inside the Hotel Room

"Good morning, Tay." said a voice. I looked over to the kitchen and saw Zach, Lulu, Zuzu, and Yuya walk into the room. "Morning." I replied as they sat down. "Did you sleep well?" Lulu replied. "Yeah. I did." I replied. "That's good. Sorry that we made you sleep on the floor." she replied. "What!? You guys made her sleep on the floor!?" Yuya replied surprised. "Yeah... we did. All because there were only two beds... sorry, Tay..." Zuzu replied. "Eh... it's okay. It didn't make my back tighten up." I replied. "Really? Was that the only pro for sleeping on the floor?" Zach replied. "Well... that was one of the pros." I replied. "Oh? Then what was the other one?" he replied. "The other one was that all of us were in a huge cuddle pile with our Pokémon." Zuzu replied. "Really? You finally got the cuddle pile that you wanted since the Cerulean Hotel?" he replied. "Yep." she replied happily. "That's awesome, Zuzu! I'm sure you and the girls were having a good time before sleeping." Yuya replied with a warm smile. She, Lulu, and I nodded our heads in thanks to him, and then I picked up the remote and turned on the TV. After the screen turned on, we saw Nico Smiley getting interviewed by Joy Jeever. "Huh? Wait a second..? Didn't she host the Contest back in Vermilion City?" said Yuya. "Yeah. She did. But what brings her here? And why are they at the front of the Celadon Gym?" Zuzu replied curiously.

"I don't know? But let's listen in to what they have to say in case if it's important." Lulu replied. We nodded our heads in agreement to her words, and then we turned our focus on the interview. "Mr. Smiley! Is there anything Trainers watching this interview should know when it comes to facing the Gym Leader, Erika?" Joy asked him. "Of course! Lady Erika uses Grass-type Pokémon in this beautiful Gym. And when she is facing tough opponents... she will rely on using Status moves like Stun Spore, Sleep Powder, and Poison Powder to overwhelm them. But if you Challengers out there try to do the same strategy as her... you will find out that powder and spore moves do not work on Grass-type Pokémon!" he replied. Our eyes lightly widened in surprise to what he said, and then I quickly took out my notebook from my bag and wrote it down; making sure that I will remember this piece of advice. "Wow. She wrote it down quick." said Zuzu. "Yep. And knowing that advice now... it will think more carefully on how to dodge those kinds of attacks." Zach replied. She nodded her head in agreement, and then I tried to put my notebook back in my bag. As I did this, my sketchbook fell out and landed on the floor.

"Huh? A sketchbook? Taylor? Since when did you start drawing?" Lulu asked me. "A few years ago. One of my therapists recommended me to take on drawing lessons to let out my anxiety and stress when I am overwhelmed." I replied as I picked it up off the floor. "Wow. That must be very therapeutic for you." she replied. "Thanks. You wanna see a few of them?" I replied. "Sure! I would love too!" she replied happily. "Can we see them too, Tay? Please?" Yuya replied. "Sure!" I replied happily. "What's going on in here?" replied a voice. We turned around behind the couch, and then saw Rin and the rest of the group there looking at us. "Morning, guys. We're just about to looks at Tay's sketches in her sketchbook. You wanna look with us?" said Yuya. "Sure! I never knew that Tay could draw!" Rin replied. "Me either! Let's see what you got in there, Tay!" Pat replied as he and the others walked over to us. "Alright. Here's what I got." I replied as I opened up my sketchbook and showed the group my drawings. "Whoa! Look at that! It's a Nidoking using Earth Power against a Golem!" said Sora in awe. "And a Nidoqueen using Ice Punch behind it! That's incredible!" Celina replied. "Ri-na!" Nidorina replied happily. "Wow... that is very impressive. The details you put into it makes it look very real." Yuri replied.

"Thank you, Yuri." I replied happily. "Whoa... look at this one! It's Yuya and Zuzu in the finals of the Contest!" Celina replied as I flipped to the next sketch. "What!?" Yuya and Zuzu replied surprised. They looked at the sketch for the first time and saw themselves with Boltund, Charizard, Pikachu, and Ninetales using their final attacks together. "Wow... that is beautiful..." said Rin. "Yeah. She captured their expressions very well in this one!" Zach replied. "And combining both electricity and fire together! Look at that! The elements blend so well together!" Pat replied. Yuya and Zuzu looked at the drawing all speechless for a moment, and then looked at me; seeing me smile and blush on my face. "Tay..? When did you draw this?" Zuzu asked me. "After the Contest. I started this when everyone was asleep when the day ended." I replied. They looked at me surprised for a moment, and then looked back at the drawing. "Tay... this... this is beautiful..." said Yuya. "Thank you, Yuya." I replied with a warm smile. He and Zuzu hugged me happily; making me smile. After that, I showed them a few more sketches of some random Pokémon at different places: a Staryu and a Starmie laying on the ocean floor with Magikarp, Tentacool, Goldeen, Seaking, and Lapras swimming in the background, a swarm of Butterfree and Beautifly in a flower garden eating nectar from the flowers, a Blastoise standing under a waterfall and looking out to the river in front of it, and a Snorlax sleeping in the middle of a forest.

"Wow... these drawings are really good." said Sora. "Yeah. They look really professional. These drawings could make Pokémon Watchers jealous." Celina replied. We nodded our heads in agreement to her response, and then Yuya snapped pictures of my sketches; sending them to Yugo and Yuto. After that, we all walked into the kitchen and we all cooked breakfast. As we ate, Yuya looked down to his Phone and saw the reactions from both his brothers.

Yugo: YOOOOOOO! Tay-Tay sketched these!? They look AWESOME!

Yuto: Wow... she did amazing with these drawings. The expressions and backgrounds are really good. Especially with you and Zuzu! She captured both your expressions and the elements of your teams perfectly!

Yuya: I know right! She did amazing with the sketches! Maybe when we all reunite she can do a huge sketch of all of us together!

Yuto: I guarantee that she will. If she does... we're all getting copies and framing it on our walls back home.

Yugo: Oh, absolutely! With that framed in our rooms, it will be fun to look back to as we grow up!

Yuya smiled warmly to this, and then put his Phone back in his pocket. He blinked his eyes, and finished his breakfast with us. After we finished our meals and put our dishes and utensils away, we feed all of our Pokémon their breakfast and supplements, got ourselves cleaned up and changed within the span of, did our laundry, packed up our bags, and left the hotel within a span of a few hours.

Celadon City Gym- Outside

"Hey, Tay? You ready for the match?" Rin asked me. "Mhm. I sure am." I replied. "Are you nervous?" she replied. "Not really. I'm more anxious than anything right now." I replied. "Anxious? Taylor? Did you take your anxiety medication before we woke up?" Celina replied. "Yep. I did. But this anxiety I'm feeling right now has more of a excited feeling than nervousness." I replied. "That's good to hear." she replied. "Yeah. It's good to see you all excited than nervous." Lulu replied. "Same! Plus, it gives you the time to get all of your jitters out before heading in there and let loose in battle." Rin replied. I nodded my head in agreement to her response. After a minute of walking, we made it to the Celadon City Gym. "Alright! We made it!" said Sora happily. "Munch!" Munchlax replied happily. "Mhm. I can already smell the flowers in the air from here." Yuri replied as he closed his eyes and sniffed the air. "Me too! They smell amazing!" Pat replied. "You can thank Erika for that! Not only is she the Gym Leader, she also teaches classes on flower arranging and environmental protection." Zuzu replied happily. "And she is well known for making and selling perfumes as well." Celina replied. "Really? That's amazing." Zach replied happily; making the girls smile happily. We looked at the Gym silently for a moment, and then we saw a Trainer walk out from the doors. "Hm? Looks like she just finished her battle?" said Yuya.

"Indeed. I can tell by the look on her face. She looks defeated." Yuri replied. "A-la." Alakazam replied as he nodded his head in agreement to his response. "Aw, man... she read me like a book. Even with a type disadvantage, that Vileplume is way too strong for me to face. Golduck, Starmie, Fearow, and Rhyhorn. Please... forgive me. I promise you that we will work on our skills and do better next time." the female Trainer replied as she walked by us. We watched her leave silently after that, and then looked back at the Gym. "Man... Erika must be very pumped up today." said Lulu. "She sure is, Lulu." replied a voice. "Huh!? Shay! What are you doing here? I thought you went back to the base after the tournament?" she replied as we turned around and saw Shay, Talonflame, Crow, Kilowattrel, and Kite looking at us. "I was... but... we decided to come back here today to make sure everyone was safe." Shay replied. "And... a little Pidove told us that your friend, Taylor, here is having her Gym battle today." Crow replied as he wrapped his arms around me and Lulu's shoulders. "Huh!? Who told you, Crow?" Yuya replied. "Yuto and Yugo told us." he replied. "What!? They told you guys!?" Yuya replied surprised. Crow, Shay, and Kite nodded their heads yes to his response. "How did they tell you?" Yuri asked.

"I told them." Lulu replied. "What!? You told them!?" Zuzu replied surprised. "Yeah. I told them through text last night. But... they didn't say that they might be here to watch her battle." she replied. "Huh. Looks like they might be searching for Team Rocket Grunts?" Yuya replied as he crossed his arms. "Maybe?" Zach replied as he crossed his arms as well. "I wouldn't worry that much, Lulu. Knowing those two, they will show up. And if they don't... all that you guys and Taylor have to do is feel their presence in your hearts. That way, they're always with you." Shay replied as he gently put his hand on Lulu's shoulder. "Your brother's right, Lulu. Even when we are far apart... we're still with each other in spirit. As long as our bonds and connections are strong to each other, we'll always be together." Kite replied. "Yeah. You're right. They are still here. Even when we can't see them." she replied with a warm smile; making the three teens happy. After that, we all made our way inside the Gym. As we went inside, Yugo and Yuto were watching us from a rooftop behind us. They put their hoods down, took off their goggles and masks, smiled warmly, and then jumped down to the sidewalk. "So..? You wanna go in and watch?" said Yugo. "Yeah. Let's go. I want to see what her plan is for this battle and what Pokémon she will use." Yuto replied.

Yugo smiled, nodded his head, and then they both walked over to the Gym and went inside. As they door closed gently behind them, they saw the group go through the visitor door, and me go through the Challenger door. Yuto stared at me in silence and awe as I walked through the door; noticing that I had a little pep in my step. Once Yugo saw the look on his face, he couldn't help but smirk at him. Yuto turned to him, saw the smirk, got embarrassed, and then punched him on his shoulder. "Ow... that hurts, man..." said Yugo. "Sorry. That smirk on your face made me do it." he replied. "Yeah, sure... now come on! Let's get to our seats and cheer her on!" Yugo replied. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on a second! We have to make sure not to sit near the group!" he replied as he grabbed his brother's arm. "What!? Aw, man... that means I can't sit next to Rin-Rin... that's not fair." Yugo pouted. "Life isn't fair, Yugo. But we have to sit somewhere they can't see us. And before we do that... I want to do something first." he replied as he let go of Yugo's arm and looked at a flower stand. He blinked his eyes, and walked over to it. "Excuse me? I would like to buy some flowers." he said.

"You do? Aww~ Aren't you a sweet gentleman, young man. And who are these flowers for?" the floral worker replied. "They're for a friend of mine who is having her Gym battle against Lady Erika. Is it okay to get them arranged and have them given to her after the match is over?" he replied. "Of course! What is your friend's name?" the employee replied. "Her name is Taylor." he replied with warm smile and small blush forming on his face; while feeling his heart skip a beat. "Taylor, huh? She must be a very special person to you." the employee replied. "She sure is. She is very special to me... and I want to buy her these flowers to let her know how she is very important to me." he replied. The employee smiled and nodded their head in understanding. Yugo leaned back on one of the poles near the area and lightly smiled at his brother; happy to see him in love. After that, Yuto paid for the flowers, chose which kinds of flowers to be in the bouquet, signed the note card, thanked the employee, and then went through the visitor door with Yugo.

Celadon City Gym- Battlefield

"Everyone watching this battle live in person. Please go to your seats and sit down. The battle is about to get underway any minute now." said a female official. Yuto and Yugo sat down together near the stairs close to the door, while the group sat down together on the other side near the other stairs. As they sat down, I walked onto the battlefield and looked around it silently; seeing a few Cherrim jumping up and down on the tree branches. "Tay! Over here!" Lulu cheered happily. I looked over to my left and saw the group in the stands. I smiled at them and waved my hand to them; making most of them smile and wave back. After that, I turned to my right and saw Tetrax crawl off my shoulder and land on the ground in front of me. "Hm? What's up, sweetheart?" I asked him as I crouched down to his eye level. "Pi-ka. Pika-Pi-ka." he replied as he turned to me and then started jumping from side to side. Once I saw him do this, I couldn't help but smile, stand back up, and jump from side to side too; calming my anxiety down a little bit. "Hey... she's doing that jump again." said Pat. "I guess that it helps her focus on the battle a little bit?" Sora replied. "Or maybe it helps her calm her anxiety?" he replied. "It's both." Zach replied. "Really? She does that for both reasons?" he replied.

Zach nodded his head yes to his question, and then he and everyone saw Tetrax give me a high-five with his tail. "Aww~ They're getting each other pumped up. That's so cute~" said Rin. "It is really cute. And it shows how strong their bond is." Lulu replied. Rin smiled and nodded her head in agreement to her response, and then they looked at their Pokémon; seeing them looking at the environment of the Gym. "I think they like how the place looks." Lulu whispered. "Yeah. It must be very clam and relaxing for them to see a sight like this." Rin whispered. They blinked their eyes, and then they saw a Victreebel hanging onto a big tree branch nearby; relaxing and taking it easy. "And all the Grass-type Pokémon seem to like it here too." said Lulu. "Mhm. With a place like this... they feel right at home." Rin replied. "Yep." she replied. They smiled warmly at each other, and then saw Yuya, Zuzu, and Sora wearing pom-poms on their hands. "Wow. You three came prepared with those pom-poms huh?" said Crow. "Yep! When she sees us moving around with these and hearing our cheers for her, it will give her a confidence boost!" Zuzu replied happily. "Pika-chu!" Zuzu's Pikachu replied happily.

"And we're going to cheer loud too. Right, Nidorina?" Celina replied. "Ri-na!" Nidorina replied happily. Crow smiled happily to this, and then we saw a Pokémon jump out from one of the trees on the other side of the field, land on the ground gracefully, and then stare at me silently; revealing its light green furred, humanoid feline appearance. "Meow!" it said. "Whoa! What is that?" Pat replied. "I'll check it out on the PokéDex." Yuya replied as he took out his Phone and activated his PokéDex. "Meowscarada, the Magician Pokémon. A Grass and Dark type. This Pokémon uses the reflective fur lining in its cape to camouflage the stem of its flower, creating the illusion that the flower is floating, showcasing its talented magician abilities. With skillful misdirection, it rigs foes with pollen-packed flower bombs. Meowscarada sets off the bombs before its foes realize what's going on." said Yuya's PokéDex. "Wow... that's awesome!" he replied in awe. "Yeah! It's cool and cute at the same time! Now I want one!" Rin replied in awe. "Me too! Imagine using it in Contests! Its abilities would blow everyone's minds!" he replied excitedly. "Heh. I think we found their next dream Pokémon to their teams." Sora replied. "Yep. We sure did." Pat replied.

Meowscarada blinked its eyes, made one of its pollen-packed flower bombs appear in its paw, and then used Flower Trick on the ground at its feet; making itself disappear. "Whoa! It vanished!" said Zuzu. "Now that was cool!" Zach replied. After the pollen faded away, I felt a gust of wind blow behind me. I quickly grabbed my hat with my right hand, and then saw a small twister of leaves and cherry blossom petals form on the other side of the field. As it spun, we heard the sounds of a Koto being played in the background. A moment later, we saw a person walked towards the spinning leaves and petals. They stepped into the twister quietly, stood in the middle of it for a moment, and then it stopped in place and faded away; dropping the leaves and petals. As they fell, we saw Erika standing on her side of the field. "There she is. Haven't seen her do that kind of entrance in a long time." said Kite. "Yep. As elegant as ever." Shay replied. Kite nodded his head in agreement to his response, and then looked over to me; seeing a calm look on my face. He lightly smiled for a moment, and then leaned back to the wall; ready to see what I've got up my sleeves this time.

"Taylor. You made it right on time. I welcome you back to the Celadon City Gym." said Erika. "Thank you, Lady Erika. It's an honor to be here." I replied. "You are very welcome. Did you and your team get a good night's rest after our private meeting last night?" she replied. "Yep. We sure did." I replied. "That's wonderful! After a good night's rest, it means we can battle each other with our full strength." she replied. I nodded my head in agreement to her response, took out a PokéBall from my belt, and prepared to throw it. Erika smiled to this happily, took a deep breath, exhaled, and then took out a Friend Ball. Once I saw it, I knew immediately who she was sending out first. "You ready, Taylor? For this match... I won't be holding back. With a Trainer like you and the guidance of the League have given you over the years... I want you to show me not only what you have learned, but show me how much you have grown on your journey. Show me the strength and courage that you have gained from your friends, your Pokémon, and from yourself." she said. "You've got it, Erika. I'm ready to give it my all. Just like the wildflower in the open fields." I replied. She smiled happily to my response, and then readied the Friend Ball in her hand.

"Here we go." said Yugo as he patted Yuto's shoulder. "Yep. Here we go. Time for her to win her fourth Badge." Yuto replied with a nod of his head; making his brother smile. A couple seconds after that, they heard the sounds of PokéBalls opening, looked around each other, and then saw two Pokémon, Umbreon and Jolteon, sitting down in front of them and looking up at their eyes. "Oh! Jolteon! Umbreon! Did you two come out to watch the show?" Yuto asked them in a hushed, surprised tone. "Jolt." Yugo's Jolteon replied. They then jumped up on their Trainer's laps and looked out to the field. The two brothers turned to each other curiously for a moment, lightly smiled, looked back at me on the battlefield, and then gently patted their Pokémon's heads; making them happy and comfortable. "You ready, Taylor?" Erika asked me. "Yep. I'm ready." I replied. "Then let's get this underway! Leafeon! Come on out!" she replied as she threw the Friend Ball up in the air, watched it open, and then saw Leafeon appear on the field. "Leaf-eon!" said Leafeon.

"Leafeon, huh? That's an interesting choice to start with?" Pat replied. "Yeah. I wonder how it battles?" Sora replied as he took out his Phone and activated his PokéDex. "Leafeon, the Verdant Pokémon. A Grass type, and one of the evolved forms of Eevee. Although it doesn't like disputes, it will sharpen the leaf on its tail into a blade and fight if it has to protect its friends. Galarians favor the distinctive aroma that drifts from this Pokémon's leaves. There's a popular perfume made using that scent." said his PokéDex. "Aww~ It's so cute! What do you think, Glaceon? Does Leafeon look beautiful?" Rin replied happily. "Glaceon!" Glaceon replied happily. She smiled at it happily, and then she and the group looked over to me; wondering who I am sending out first. "Starting it off with Leafeon, huh? And with Sunny Day being one of its moves to make it faster... I'll use a Pokémon that can catch up with it!" I said in my thoughts. I readied the PokéBall in my hand again, and then smirked at Leafeon. "Beedrill! I choose you!" I replied as I threw the PokéBall up in the air, watched it open, and then saw my Beedrill appear in mid air. "Bee-drill!" he said. He then sharpened his stingers and pointed his right stinger at Leafeon; ready to fight.

"Whoa! She's using Beedrill!" Sora replied. "Yes! That's a good choice!" Pat replied excitedly. "You've got this, Beedrill! You can do it!" Zuzu cheered happily. "Yeah! Go, Beedrill!" Lulu cheered happily. As the group cheered, Yugo took out his Phone and activated his PokéDex. "Beedrill, the Poison Bee Pokémon. A Bug and Poison type, and the evolved form of Kakuna. Beedrill fly quickly and attack using poison stingers on their forelegs and tail. Beedrill is extremely territorial. No one should ever approach its nest—this is for their own safety. If angered, they will attack in a furious swarm." said his PokéDex. "She's using a Beedrill, huh? That's an interesting choice." he replied. "Mhm. And Leafeon is weak to its dual typing. But with the advantage, Erika has something up her sleeve." Yuto replied. "Yeah. That means Tay has to be quick on the draw when she sees Leafeon doing something." he replied. Yuto nodded his head in agreement, and then looked at the official on the field. "Lady Erika? How many Pokémon will you be using in this battle against the Challenger today?" she asked her. "I will be using five Pokémon for this match." she replied. "What!? She's using five Pokémon!? I thought she only uses four Pokémon in her matches?" Crow replied surprised.

"Normally she does. But with Trainers that have a gift like Taylor does, they will use upto a full team against her to test her limits and see if she truly has what it takes to get to the League." Shay replied. "Really?" he replied curiously. Shay and Kite nodded their heads yes to his question, and then looked back to the battlefield. "Alright! To the people watching this battle on the Indigo League livestream, this battle will have our Gym Leader, Lady Erika, use five Pokémon for the match, while our Challenger will use six Pokémon at max! And as per Gym rules, the Challenger is the only one who can switch Pokémon in battle! Challenger! Are you ready?" said the official. "Ready!" I replied. "Gym Leader Erika! Are you ready?" she replied. "I'm ready!" Erika replied. The official smiled, nodded her head in understanding, and then raised up her right hand in the air. "Alright! Battle, begin!" she said.

Battle! Taylor vs. Erika!

"Leafeon! Use Sunny Day!" said Erika. "Eon! Leaf-e-on!" Leafeon replied as it used the attack; making the sunlight shine down onto the field and the leaves on its body glow. "Oh no..." Zach replied nervously. "This is it... the Chlorophyll ability has been activated..." Yuri replied. "Yep. But what does Tay have in mind against it?" Celina replied. "Beedrill! Agility!" I replied. "Drill! Bee-drill-drill-drill-drill!" he replied as he used the move; increasing his speed. "Leafeon! Use Aerial Ace!" Erika replied. "Leaf! Leaf-eon!" Leafeon replied as it used the attack. "Block it with X-Scissor!" I replied. "Drill! Bee-drill!" he replied as he used the attack to protect himself from Leafeon's attack. They pushed each other for a moment, and then pushed away from each other a moment later. "Whoa! That was cool!" said Rin. "Yeah! They both found a way to use X-Scissor as a shield!" Lulu replied. "Wow... I guess that watching that livestream from yesterday was worth it, huh guys?" Zach whispered to Yuya and Yuri. "Yeah." Yuya whispered. "Yes. It was. But she can't use that strategy for long." Yuri whispered. "Because Erika would find Beedrill's weak spot?" Zach whispered. Yuri nodded his head yes to his question, and then looked back at me; wondering what will my next attack will be.

"Leafeon! Use Swords Dance!" said Erika. "Leafeon! Leaf-e-on!" Leafeon replied as it used the attack; boosting its attack strength. "We'll use Swords Dance too!" I replied. "Drill! Drill-Drill! Bee-drill!" he replied as he used the attack too; increasing his attack strength. "Now use Twineedle!" I replied. "Drill! Bee-drill!" he replied as he used the attack. Leafeon turned to see the attack, smirked, and then dodged it on its own. "Whoa! It dodged the attack without her command!" said Yugo surprised. Yuto's eyes lightly widened in shock to this, and then he watched Leafeon jump up in the air. "Leafeon! Leaf Blade!" said Erika. "Leafeon! Leaf-eon! E-on!" Leafeon replied as it used the attack; hitting and pushing away Beedrill. "Oh! That's gotta hurt!" said Pat. "Not really. Grass type moves won't do that much damage to Pokémon like Beedrill. If Taylor finds a way to catch Leafeon off guard while the sun is out, Beedrill has a chance to win this fight." Sora replied. "Right." he replied with a nod of his head. He blinked his eyes, and saw Beedrill shake off the pain from Leafeon's attack.

"Beedrill! Are you alright?" I asked him. "Bee! Beedrill!" he replied; showing me that he is okay. I smiled happily to him, and then looked back at Leafeon. "Okay, Beedrill! Use Swords Dance and Agility at the same time!" I said. "Bee! Bee-Bee! Bee-drill! Drill-Drill! Bee-drill!" he replied as he used the two moves together to fully increase his attack and speed power. "Leafeon! Combine Aerial Ace and Leaf Blade!" Erika replied. "Leaf! Leaf-e-on!" Leafeon replied as it used the combined attacks. "Beedrill! Use Twineedle and Poison Jab at the same time!" I replied. "Drill! Drill-Drill! Bee-drill!" he replied as he used the attacks on Leafeon; making both attacks collide. They pushed each other away for a few seconds, and then clashed again with the same attacks multiple times; showing each other that they are not giving up in this fight. "Yeah! You got it, Beedrill! Keep it up!" Yuya cheered. "Yeah! You can do it, Beedrill!" Zuzu cheered. After a couple moments of clashing, Leafeon pushed itself into Beedrill's abdomen with Aerial Ace, and then saw it twitch in pain. "Leaf-Leaf! Leaf-e-on!" it said as it pushed Beedrill hard from the attack to one of the trees behind me; making him fall down.

"Beedrill!" I said worriedly. The official ran over to Beedrill, checked his condition, and then raised her hand to Erika's side of the field. "Beedrill is unable to battle! Leafeon is the winner!" she said. The group's eyes widened in shock to this, and then looked at each other. "No way... Beedrill lost..." said Celina. "Yeah... and even with the type advantage... Leafeon is just too strong for him..." Rin replied. "Yeah... and this is also the first time she loses her first Pokémon in a Gym battle. And knowing her right now... this just put more pressure on her." Lulu replied. The group nodded their heads in agreement to their responses, and then saw Leafeon twitch a little bit. Yuri's eyes lightly widened in shock to this, and then saw purple bubbles appear above its head; revealing that Leafeon has been poisoned. "Huh? Is Leafeon okay?" said Zach curiously. "No... way..." Yuri replied in a light, surprised tone. "Huh? What is it, Yuri? You see something?" Yuya replied. "Yes. Leafeon has been poisoned." he replied; making the group's eyes widen in shock. "Wait... did this happen before he fainted?" Zach replied. Yuri nodded his head yes to his question. "Whoa... so... what you're saying is, even with the first knock-out on Tay's side... she somehow just found a way to knock out Leafeon with her next choice?" said Sora curiously.

"You are correct, Sora. But as her for her next choice, who knows who it might be? Does she stick with the Bug types on her team? Or does she go with either Flying, Fire, or Poison types?" Yuri replied. "Who knows? But if Tay saw what's going on with Leafeon right now... she better think fast." Yuya replied. "Right." Sora replied as he nodded his head in understanding. After that, the group looked back to the field. "Wow... did you hear all of that, Yuto?" Yugo asked. "Yep. Heard them loud and clear." Yuto replied. "I still can't believe that Leafeon got poisoned that quickly from the onslaught of Beedrill's attacks. You think the goal of this match-up was to find a way to slow down Leafeon?" he replied. "I believe so. But who knows what will happen next?" Yuto replied. "Um-bre-on." Umbreon replied as it nodded its head in agreement to its Trainer's words. After that, I returned Beedrill to his PokéBall. "Thank you, Beedrill. You were great out there and gave it your all. I'm proud of you, now take a good rest." I said. I put his PokéBall back on my belt, and took off another PokéBall from it.

I blinked my eyes at it, smiled, and then looked over to Leafeon; seeing the poison status effect on it. My eyes lightly widened in surprise to see this happen so quickly. But I knew that with Leafeon like this now, I had to get the upper hand fast. "Butterfree! I choose you!" I said as I threw the PokéBall up in the air, watched it open, and saw Butterfree appear in mid air. "Free!" said Butterfree as he flapped his wings. "Alright! She's using Butterfree!" Zuzu replied happily. "Go, Butterfree! You can do it!" Celina cheered happily. "Ri-na!" Nidorina cheered happily. Yugo and Yuto looked at Butterfree silently for a moment, and then Yuto took out his Phone and activated his PokéDex. "Butterfree, the Butterfly Pokémon. A Bug and Flying type. In battle, it flaps its wings at great speed to release highly toxic dust into the air. The wings are protected by rain-repellent dust. As a result, this Pokémon can fly about even in rain." said his PokéDex. He blinked his eyes, out his Phone in his pocket, and then looked back at me. "Okay, Tay... what's your plan with this one?" he said in his thoughts. Umbreon blinked its eyes, and looked over to me; watching my stance silently.

"A Butterfree, huh? Well, this should get interesting." said Erika. She blinked her eyes, looked up at the ceiling, and saw that Sunny Day had now ended. "Leafeon! Use Sunny Day once again!" she said as she looked back to us. "Leafeon! Leaf-e-on!" Leafeon replied as it used Sunny Day again. "Free..." Butterfree replied in a concerned tone. "Stay strong, Butterfree! You've got this!" Zach cheered. "Yeah! You got this! Just stayed focused on your opponent and you will win!" Lulu cheered. Once Butterfree heard those cheers, he nodded his head and stared down Leafeon; ready to fight. "Leafeon! Aerial Ace!" said Erika. "Leaf! Leaf-eon!" Leafeon replied as it used the attack. "Dodge it!" I replied. "Free! Free-Free!" he replied as he dodged the attack. "Eon!?" Leafeon replied surprised. "What!? How did Butterfree dodge that so fast!?" Erika replied surprised. "Butterfree! Use Quiver Dance!" I replied. "Free! Free-Free! Butter-free!" he replied as his body glew white, danced around Leafeon, left behind after images of himself around it, and then flew away from it; increasing his Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed power.

Yuri's eyes lightly widened in surprise and curiosity after the move ended, and then watched him move faster than before. "O...kay? What's her plan with this one?" Crow asked. "The same strategy from Beedrill but attacking at a distance, maybe?" Kite replied curiously. Crow nodded his head in understanding, and then looked back to the field; seeing Leafeon ready to attack again. "Leafeon! Use Leaf Storm!" said Erika. "Leafeon! Leaf-e-on!" Leafeon replied as it used the attack. "Counter it with Air Slash!" I replied. "Free! But-ter-free! Free-Free-Free-Free-Free! Butter-free!" Butterfree replied as he used the attack; destroying the Leaf Storm and hitting Leafeon. "Eon!" cried Leafeon. "Ah! Leafeon!" Erika replied worriedly as Leafeon fell to the ground. Both groups stood up quickly for a moment, and then saw Leafeon slowly get back up. "Damn... this Leafeon is a tough one... that Air Slash should've knocked it out." said Yugo. "Yeah. But from what I see... Leafeon's bond with Erika is very strong. And at this moment... it's willing to let out one more attack before it faints." Yuto replied. "Yeah." Yugo replied with a nod of his head.

Leafeon panted slowly from the exhaustion for a moment, and then felt the poison drain its energy a little bit. It shook its head, blinked its eyes, and then looked up at Butterfree. "Leaf-eon!" it said; showing its determination to us. Erika blinked her eyes, put her right hand to her heart, took a deep breath, exhaled, and then looked at Butterfree. "Leafeon! Use Aerial Ace!" she said. "Eon! Leaf-e-on!" Leafeon replied as it used the attack. "Butterfree! Use Bug Buzz!" I replied. "Butterfree! Free-Free! But-ter-free!" Butterfree replied as he made his wings glow green, flapped them towards Leafeon, and made green sound waves appear from them. "Leaf-eon!" cried Leafeon. "Leafeon!" Erika replied worriedly. The attack ended a moment later, and then Leafeon fell to the ground. The official ran over to it, checked its condition, and then raised her hand to my side of the field. "Leafeon is unable to battle! Butterfree is the winner!" she said. "Alright! Good job, Tay and Butterfree!" Pat cheered. "Yeah! You two were awesome!" Sora cheered. All of the group's Pokémon cheered for us happily for a moment, and then watched Butterfree celebrate happily.

"Aww~ Look how happy he is!" said Zuzu. "Yeah! I haven't seen a Butterfree this happy before! It's so cute!" Yuya replied happily. Zuzu nodded her head in agreement, and then watched Ninetales and Pikachu celebrating together. She smiled at them happily and then looked back to me on the field; seeing Butterfree spin around me and Tetrax happily. "Butterfree! You were awesome out there! The way you stayed calm when you saw that Aerial Ace coming towards you was flawless! I'm so proud of you!" I said. "Free-Free! Free!" he replied happily. "Aww. They look so happy." Yugo replied. "Jolt-eon." Jolteon replied. "They sure do. But they know that this is only the start of it all." Yuto replied. "Yep. One down. And four more to go. Even though Tay lost first, she found a way to bounce back and avenge Beedrill." Yugo replied. Yuto nodded his head in agreement to his response, and then looked back at the field. Erika returned Leafeon to its Friend Ball, and then looked at it. "Thank you, Leafeon. You were excellent out there. Now take a good rest." she said. She put the Friend Ball away, and then took out a Safari Ball. "Taylor. I'm very impressed on what you have done so far. You found a way to bounce back with your Butterfree after your Beedrill was defeated by my Leafeon. It was perfect." she said. "Thank you, Erika." I replied.

"You're very welcome. Now... are you prepared to face my second Pokémon?" she replied. I nodded my head yes to her question; making her happy. "Okay! Now, Tangrowth! Come on out!" she replied as she threw the Safari Ball up in the air, watched it open, and then saw Tangrowth appear. "Tan-growth!" said Tangrowth. Zach, Yuya, and Yuri's eyes widened in shock and fear to see Tangrowth on the field next; remembering what we saw of it on the livestream yesterday. "Oh man... there it is..." said Yuya nervously. "Yeah... it's Tangrowth... how is she going to handle this one? It looks like the tank of her team." Zach replied nervously. "If I were Taylor right now... I would switch Pokémon immediately. Butterfree and its frail size will get knocked out right now if she doesn't switch." Yuri replied. Both Zach and Yuya nodded their heads in agreement to his response, and then looked back at me; wondering what I will do next. Meanwhile, Yugo and Yuto were staring at Tangrowth in shock. They blinked their eyes, and then Yugo took his Phone back out and activated his PokéDex. "Tangrowth, the Vine Pokémon. A Grass type, and the evolved form of Tangela. Tangrowth has two arms that it can extend as it pleases. Recent research has shown that these arms are, in fact, bundles of vines. Vine growth is accelerated for Tangrowth living in warm climates. If the vines grow long, Tangrowth shortens them by tearing parts of them off." said his PokéDex.

"Dude... how is she going to defeat this one?" Yugo whispered nervously. "I... I actually don't know? I've never seen a Tangrowth used in battle before... but if I was in her position right now... I would not underestimate it." Yuto replied. Yugo nodded his head in agreement to his words, and then he saw me return Butterfree to his PokéBall. "Man... she did the smart thing." he said. "Yep. She did. But now does she bring out one of her heavy hitters? Or does she have another speedster on her team?" Yuto replied. "Who knows? As long as she has the type advantage, she should be okay." he replied. Yuto smiled warmly to him, and then looked back to me; seeing another PokéBall in my hand. Tangrowth moved its arms silently for a moment, and then stared at me; wondering who will be its next opponent. "Tangrowth, huh? She brings out a heavy hitter. Okay... let's see if it can handle this one! Scyther! I choose you!" I said as I threw the PokéBall up in the air, watched it open, and saw Scyther appear on the field. "Scy-ther!" said Scyther. "Oh hell yes! She's using Scyther!" Celina replied. "Alright! Go get 'em, Scyther! I know you can do it, buddy! I believe in you!" Yuya cheered happily; making his old Pokémon smile happily and boost his confidence. As the cheers went on, both Yugo and Yuto stared at Scyther in complete shock and surprise. "What the hell!? Yuto? Isn't that Yuya's Scyther? What's he doing on Tay's team?" Yugo replied in a hushed, surprised tone. "Looks like he traded him to her when they were still in Vermilion City a while back." Yuto replied. "So... would that mean... he has the Clefairy he asked Tay to catch for him?" he replied. Yuto nodded his head yes to his question. "Isn't he still planning on giving it to Zuzu to show that he likes her?" he asked. "He is. But he is waiting for the right time to do so." Yuto replied. "Ah..." he replied.

After that, they looked back at the field; seeing Scyther get into his battle stance. "Okay, Tangrowth! Use Ancient Power!" said Erika. "Growth! Growth-Growth! Tang-rowth!" Tangrowth replied as it used the attack. "Scyther! Use Detect!" I replied. "Scy! Scy-ther! Scyther!" he replied as he used the move; dodging all of the rocks from Tangrowth's attack. "Growth!?" Tangrowth replied surprised. "Now use X-Scissor!" I replied. "Scy! Scy-Scy! Scy-ther! Scy!" he replied as he used the attack on Tangrowth; hitting it in the chest. "Growth!" Tangrowth replied. "Tangrowth!" Erika replied worriedly as Tangrowth was pushed back a bit. It shook its head, brushed its chest, clenched its hands into fists, and then glared at Scyther. "Tan-growth!" it yelled angrily. "Uh oh..." Pat replied in a worried tone. "Yeah... it's angry now..." Sora replied nervously. Zach and Yuto's eyes widened in shock to this, and then gripped their hands onto the railings in front of them. Tangrowth then slammed its arms down to the ground, and got into its battle stance. "Tangrowth! Use Power Whip!" said Erika. "Growth! Tan-growth!" Tangrowth replied as it used the attack; hitting Scyther a few times. "Now use Ancient Power once again!" she replied. "Growth! Growth-Growth! Tan-growth!" Tangrowth replied as it used the attack. "Dodge it!" I replied. "Scy! Scy-Scy! Scyther! Scy-ther!" he replied as he dodged the attack. "Energy Ball!" Erika replied. "Tang! Tan-growth!" Tangrowth replied as it used the attack. "Slash it in half, Scyther!" I replied. "Scy! Scy-ther! Scyther!" he replied as he slashed the Energy Ball in half; making it explode and surround himself in smoke.

"Whoa! Look at that! He literally just sliced that Energy Ball in half!" said Crow surprised. "Yeah. That was some quick thinking they did together." Kite replied. "Yep. And now with the smoke surrounding her side of the field, they can plan something that will throw off their game." Shay replied. "Flame." Talonflame replied with nod of his head. Erika and Tangrowth stared at the smoke silently for a moment, and then Tangrowth moved it with its hands. "Growth? Tang? Tangrowth?" it said curiously. After moving its hands away, it was hit by multiple Air Slash blades. "Tangrowth!" it said. "Ah! Tangrowth! Are you alright?" Erika replied. Tangrowth shook off the pain, looked to my side of the field, and saw that Scyther had disappeared! "Growth!?" it said surprised. Once I saw the expression on its face, I grew a little smirk on my face. "Now, Scyther! Use X-Scissor!" I said. "Scyther! Scy-ther! Scy!" Scyther replied as he flew through the smoke and used the attack on Tangrowth; making it fall back a little bit. After regaining its balance, Tangrowth slammed its hands onto the ground; making its broken vines fall off. "Tangrowth! Combine both Energy Ball and Power Whip!" said Erika. "Tang! Tang-Tang! Tan-growth!" Tangrowth replied as it used the two attacks. "Scyther! Use Detect and Air Slash!" I replied. "Scy! Scy-ther! Scy-ther! Scy-Scy-Scy-Scy-Scy-Scy! Scy-ther!" he replied as he used the two attacks; dodging the attacks and destroying them with Air Slash. The group stood up excitedly and most of them started jumping up and down.

"Yeah! Way to go, Scyther!" Rin cheered excitedly. "That was great, Scyther! Keep it up!" Lulu cheered excitedly. "Yeah! Show those vines who's Boss, Scyther!" Sora cheered excitedly. Zach and Yuya whistled excitedly for what they just saw, and then shared a high five with each other. A moment later, the barrage of attacks ended; making both Pokémon exhausted. As they breathed heavily, Scyther looked down to his right foot and saw a lone Oran Berry next to him. He picked it up with the tip of his right blade, and ate it; giving him some energy back. "Tangrowth! This last attack should be it! Ancient Power!" said Erika. "Growth! Tan-growth!" Tangrowth replied as it used the attack. "Scyther! X-Scissor!" I replied. "Scyther! Scy-Scy! Scy-ther!" he replied as he was hit by a few of the rocks, dodged the rest of Tangrowth's attack, and used X-Scissor for one final time; hitting Tangrowth in the chest. "Growth!" cried Tangrowth. "Tangrowth!" Erika replied worriedly. Tangrowth fell down to the ground a moment later, and then the official ran over to it; making both groups look closely. After checking its condition, the official raised her hand to my side of the field. "Tangrowth is unable to battle! Scyther is the winner!" she said. "Alright! Way to go, Scyther!" Zuzu cheered excitedly. "Woo hoo! Great job, Scyther!" Sora cheered excitedly. "You did it, Scyther! Great job, buddy!" Yuya cheered excitedly.

"Wow... that battle was intense. She read Tangrowth's pattern like a book." Crow replied. "Yeah. And once she saw how Power Whip was moving around... she knew that Air Slash was the best way to strike back." Kite replied. Crow nodded his head in agreement, and then both teens looked over to Shay; seeing a light smile on his face. "Looks like he's impressed." said Crow. "Yep. He is. With strategies that we just saw... it will inspire both our factions to do the same thing against our opponents." Kite replied. Crow nodded his head in agreement to his response, and then looked back to the field. "Alright! Scyther! You were awesome out there!" I said as Scyther flew over to me and gave me a hug. "Scy-Scy! Scyther!" he replied happily. "Man... she and Scyther were incredible. The way they trusted each other for using Detect from the barrage of attacks was incredible." Yugo replied. "Jolt-eon!" Jolteon replied happily. Yuto nodded his head in agreement to his response, and then looked at me and Zach a few times; seeing smiles on our faces. He smiled happily to the looks on our faces, and then looked back at Erika as she returned Tangrowth to its Safari Ball. "Alright, Taylor... two down... and three more to go... don't get cocky now. Who knows who she will send out next?" he said in his thoughts.

Erika looked at the Safari Ball in her hand and smiled warmly to it. "Thank you, Tangrowth. You gave it your all out there, and I am very proud of you. Now take a good rest." she said. She put the Safari Ball away, and then took out a PokéBall. "Amazing... her skills are something that I have never seen before. Finding ways to counter my teams attacks and using combinations of up close and distance attacks. Even with the voices of her friends cheering her on, she found a way to stay completely focused on how her opponents moves when they attack and which direction they go at times. Red... you have trained and raised her well. You must be so proud of the girl she has become today. I know that in my heart... you are the reason that she wanted to be a Pokémon Trainer." she said in her thoughts. She looked over to me with a warm smile, and then we saw Scyther go down on one knee. "Scyther!" I said worriedly. "Pika-Pi!" Tetrax replied worriedly. I knelt down on one knee beside him and let him rest his arm around my shoulders. "Scy... Scy... Scy..." said Scyther in a exhausted tone. "Scyther? How exhausted are you?" I replied. "Scy-ther." he replied with a nod of his head; confirming that he is very exhausted right now. I blinked my eyes, nodded my head in understanding, and then took out his PokéBall. "Scyther? Do you want to go back to your PokéBall and rest up? I know that in your heart that you still want to fight... but after getting hit by both Ancient Power and Power Whip... it took a toll on you. And if there is one I don't want to do as a Trainer is overexert you and our teammates. I don't want you all to push yourselves way too hard to the point where you pass out on your own. Every warrior needs their rest when they get as exhausted as you are right now." I replied.

He thought about what I said for a moment, and then nodded his head yes to me. I smiled warmly to him and then gave him a gentle side hug. "Thank you, Scyther. You were incredible out there. You've made both Yuya and I proud of you and your performance." I said. "Scy-ther." he replied in a warm, happy tone. After that, I returned him to his PokéBall, and stood back up on my feet. "Wow... that was... very noble of her to do that." said Yugo. "Yeah. It was. And something like what she did is something not many Trainers do anymore. Seeing their Pokémon become heavily exhausted in battle. Trainers like her know when they get to that point in battle... you have to pull them aside and make them rest to save their strength." Yuto replied. "Um-bre." Umbreon replied as it nodded its head in agreement to Yuto's response. After that, I put Scyther's PokéBall away, took out another PokéBall from my belt, and then looked at Erika as she looked at me. "Taylor? Are you ready for my third Pokémon?" she asked me. "Yeah. I'm ready." I replied. She smiled warmly to me, and then looked at the field. "Okay! Vileplume! Come on out!" she said as she threw the PokéBall up in the air, watched it open, and saw Vileplume appear. "Vile-plume!" said Vileplume. "Whoa! It's Vileplume!" Lulu replied surprised. "Yep. The ace of her team." Rin replied. Lulu nodded her head in agreement to her response, took out her Phone, and activated her PokéDex. "Vileplume, the Flower Pokémon. A Grass and Poison type, and the evolved form of Gloom. Vileplume has the world's largest petals. They are used to attract prey that are then doused with toxic spores when they loudly flap around itself. Once the prey are immobilized, this Pokémon catches and devours them. Vileplume's toxic pollen triggers atrocious allergy attacks. That's why it is advisable never to approach any attractive flowers in a jungle, however pretty they may be." said her PokéDex.

"Wow... that's... horrifying." Pat replied nervously. "Yeah... but now we know what not to do when we end up traveling through a jungle." she replied. He nodded his head in agreement, and then both groups saw Tetrax cover his nose with his paws. "Aww~ That's so cute!" said Rin. "It is very cute. But knowing him... he doesn't want to start sneezing up a storm if the pollen gets to him." Celina replied. "Yeah. Hopefully Tay has something up her sleeve when it comes to Vileplume's pollen." she replied. "She does. Knowing Tay... she's got a plan that is outside the box." Celina replied with a confident smirk. "Oh... sounding pretty confident over there, eh Celina?" Yuri replied. "Maybe." Celina replied as she turned to him. Once they locked eyes with each other, they began to blush and feel their hearts beat a little faster; making them quickly look away from each other. "Hm? Celina? You okay?" Pat asked her. "Hm? Oh. Yeah... I'm fine." she replied. "You sure?" he replied curiously. She nodded her head yes to him, and then looked back to the field. "Okay, Taylor. Who do you have up next to go against Vileplume?" Erika asked me. "I've got the perfect one for this match-up. This Pokémon is ready to take nature to sky heights! Hurricane! I choose you!" I replied as I threw the PokéBall up in the air, watched it open, and saw Hurricane appear in mid air. "Ge-ot!" he said as he spread out his wings.

"Yeah! There he is!" Zach replied excitedly. "Alright! Go, Hurricane! You can do it!" Zuzu cheered happily. "You've got this, Hurricane!" Sora cheered. "Flame-Flame! Talonflame!" Talonflame cheered excitedly. Hurricane looked over to all of them, smiled, and then looked at Talonflame; seeing him form a smirk on his face. He smirked back to him, and then looked back at Vileplume. "Wow. Haven't seen him that excited in a while." said Kite. "Yeah. I guess that ever since they first met... he saw some potential in him, huh bud?" Shay replied. "Flame!" Talonflame replied confidently. Shay smiled warmly at him and gently patted his head; making him happy. "Alright! Hurricane is up next!" said Yugo excitedly. "Yep. Let's see how he can handle any kind of spores or powders that come his way." Yuto replied. Yugo nodded his head in agreement, and then took out his Phone to take pictures of the match-up. "Hurricane! Air Slash!" I said. "Geot! Pid-ge-ot!" he replied as he used the attack; hitting it successfully. "Vileplume! Sunny Day!" Erika replied. "Plume! Vile-plume!" Vileplume replied as it got its balance back and used the move; making sun light shine down on the field again. Once it saw Hurricane's attack come towards it, it dodged them with ease. "Geot!?" he said surprised. "Plume!" Vileplume replied with a smirk. "Vileplume! Use Stun Spore!" Erika replied. "Vile! Vile-plume!" it replied as it used the attack. "Hurricane! Back out of there! Quick!" I replied. "Geot! Geo-Geo!" he replied as he dodged the attack. "There you go, Tay... keep it at a distance." Zach replied.

Hurricane flew up a little higher in the air, looked down at Vileplume, and watched the Stun Spores disappear into thin air. "Vileplume! Use Solar Beam!" said Erika. "Plume! Plume-Plume! Vile-plume!" it replied as it used the attack; hitting Hurricane in the face. "Geot!" he said. "Hurricane!" I replied worriedly. "Now use Moonblast!" Erika replied. "Plume! Vile-plume!" Vileplume replied as it used the attack; hitting Hurricane and making him fall a little bit. "Hurricane! Below you!" I replied worriedly. "Pika-Pi!" Tetrax replied worriedly. Once he heard our voices, he quickly opened his eyes, shook his head, and flew back up in the air. "Ge-ot!" he said as he flew back up. "Vileplume! Use Solar Beam!" Erika replied. "Plume-Plume! Vile-plume!" Vileplume replied as it used the attack again. "Dodge it! And then use Aerial Ace!" I replied. "Pidgeot! Pid-ge-ot!" he replied as he dodged the attack by tucking in his wings, descending, and spinning around in the air. When he got close to the ground, he began to use Aerial Ace; aiming at Vileplume. "Vileplume! Moonblast!" said Erika. "Vile! Vile-plume!" Vileplume replied as it used the attack. "Steel Wing on the ground!" I replied. "Geot! Pid-ge-ot!" he replied as he used the attack on the ground; making dirt get into Vileplume's eyes and make the Moonblast miss its target; making it explode in the air above us.

"Whoa! That was awesome!" said Yuya surprised. "Yeah! She found a way to make Vileplume lose focus of aiming its attacks!" Zuzu replied. "Yeah! Great thinking, Tay!" Celina cheered. "Rina!" Nidorina cheered. Vileplume shook its head for a moment, rubbed its eyes, and then looked up at the ceiling; staring at Hurricane with slightly blurred vision. "Vileplume! Are you alright?" Erika asked it. "Plume!" it replied; confirming that it is okay. She breathed a sigh of relief to the answer, and then pointed up at Hurricane. "Okay! Vileplume, use Stun Spore!" she said. "Plume! Vile-plume!" it replied as it used the attack. "Hurricane! Dodge it and use Air Slash!" I replied. "Geot! Pidg-eot!" he replied as he dodged the Stun Spore and used Air Slash on Vileplume; making it lose balance a little bit. After a moment of losing balance, Vileplume regained it and shook its petals again and finally got its full vision back. "Plume!" it said. "Vileplume! Use Solar Beam!" Erika replied. "Plume! Vi-le-plume!" it replied as it used the attack. "Brave Bird!" I replied. "Geot! Geot-Geot! Pid-ge-ot!" Hurricane replied as he used the attack. He spun around the Solar Beam, looked straight down in Vileplume's eyes, and then hit it successfully; making an explosion. We all covered our eyes for a moment as this happened, and then uncovered them a moment later as the smoke faded; seeing both Pokémon laying on the ground.

The official ran over to them to check their conditions. As she got to Hurricane, she saw him open his eyes slowly and stand back up on his own. He shook his feathers for a moment, and then looked down at Vileplume. He blinked his eyes, looked over the official, saw her staring at him, and then nodded his head to her. She blinked her eyes at him, nodded her head in understanding, and then raised her hand to my side of the field. "Vileplume is unable to battle! Pidgeot is the winner!" she said. "Alright! Way to go, Hurricane! You were awesome out there! I'm so proud of you!" I replied excitedly as Hurricane flew over to me and Tetrax; giving us a hug. "Ge-ot!" he replied happily. "Pi-kachu!" Tetrax replied happily. "Flame! Flame-Flame! Talon-flame!" Talonflame replied excitedly as he jumped up and spun around in the air; celebrating Hurricane's victory. He then flew back down and celebrated with the group's Pokémon; making the group smile happily at them. "Wow... I gotta admit... the kid is good." said Crow. "Yeah. She's handling these Gym battles like a pro. Maybe that's why the Gym Leaders have been giving her these kinds of battles. Just the way they see her keeping a cool head and not giving in to the pressure of the crowd... it shows to them that she is worthy of a challenger." Kite replied. Crow nodded his head in agreement, and then looked at my friends celebrating with each other; making him smile warmly at them.

"Vileplume, return." said Erika as she returned Vileplume to its PokéBall. She blinked her eyes, looked down at it, and smiled warmly to it. "Thank you, my dear. You were great as always. Now take a good rest." she said. She put its PokéBall away, and then took out a Nest Ball. She looked over to me and saw me turn my hat backwards, wipe off some sweat off my forehead, and then look at her. We blinked our eyes a couple times, and then showed confident smirks to each other; knowing how much this battle is pushing our limits as Trainers. "You know? This is the most exhilarating battle that I have had in a long time. Seeing the way you command your Pokémon to do thing like what your Pidgeot did to make my Vileplume's Moonblast miss. It shows how much you have grown and used the nature of the field around you in ways that haven't been done here before. It's incredible." she said. "Thank you." I replied. "You're welcome. Now, let us continue this battle! Go! Meganium!" she replied as she readied the Nest Ball in her hand, threw it up in the air, watched it open, and saw Meganium appear. "Me-ganium!" said Meganium. "Whoa! Look at that!" Zuzu replied surprised. "Wow... so that's what a Meganium looks like." Zach replied. "Eee! It's so cute!" Rin replied happily. She took out her Phone and activated her PokéDex. "Meganium, the Herb Pokémon. A Grass type, and the evolved form of Bayleef. The fragrance of the petals of Meganium's flower soothes and calms emotions. In battle, this Pokémon gives off more of its becalming scent to blunt the foe's fighting spirit. Its breath has the fantastic ability to revive dead plants and flowers." said her PokéDex.

"A Meganium, huh? It's beautiful. It suits you well for your love of flowers, Erika." I replied. "Thank you. I knew that you would be impressed with this Pokémon on my team. But... you should know not to takes its beauty at face value. Because this rose of a Pokémon has its thorns when it comes to battle." she replied. I nodded my head in understanding, and then looked at Hurricane; seeing him breathing heavy and all of the battle damage he took from the previous fight. I blinked my eyes, and then looked at Meganium; seeing it ready to fight. I took a deep breath, exhaled, and then took out Hurricane's PokéBall. "Hurricane, return." I said as he returned to his PokéBall. "There you go, Taylor. Play it smart." Yuri replied as he crossed his arms. "Yeah. She knew that she couldn't risk him taking more damage after a Sunny Day boosted Solar Beam and a Moonblast to the face." Sora replied. "Yep. But now to wonder who she will use next?" Celina replied. After a moment of silence, I took out another PokéBall off my belt. I looked at it silently, looked back at Meganium, and then smirked at it. "Pi-ka?" said Tetrax curiously as he tiled his head to the left slightly. "Don't you worry, Tet. I got the perfect ally that can take on its bulk. Bronx! I choose you!" I replied as I threw the PokéBall up in the air, watched it open, and then saw Bronx land down on the field on his paws; letting out a loud bark/roar. "What the hell!? She has an Arcanine!? That one is huge! When the hell did this happen!?" Yugo replied in a light, shocked tone.

Yuto stared at us surprised for a moment, and then he took his Phone back out; activating his PokéDex. "Arcanine, the Legendary Pokémon. A Fire type, and the evolved form of Growlithe. Its magnificent bark conveys a sense of majesty. Anyone hearing it can't help but grovel before it. There are so many old tales about them that they're called legendary Pokémon, but there are way more of them around than you'd expect. The sight of it running over 6,200 miles in a single day and night has captivated many people." said his PokéDex. "Wait... doesn't Zach's brother have an Arcanine as well?" Yugo replied. "He does. But... how did Taylor get one this early?" Yuto replied. "I don't know? I guess we will have to ask her when we both properly reunite with her." he replied. Yuto nodded his head in agreement to his response, and then looked back to Bronx and I. "Bronx! Use Flame Charge!" I said. Bronx let out a loud bark, got into his battle stance, and then used the attack on Meganium; giving it some damage and increasing his speed. "Meganium! Synthesis!" said Erika. "Mega! Me-ga-ni-um!" Meganium replied as it used the move; regaining its health. Bronx growled to this and got into his battle stance again. "Synthesis, eh? So this one is the stall of the team..." I said in my thoughts. After the move ended, Meganium grew a smirk on its face.

"Bronx! Flame Charge!" I said. Bronx barked and used the attack again; aiming at Meganium. "Meganium! Bulldoze!" said Erika. "Gain! Me-gan-ium!" Meganium replied as it used the move by jumping up and down on the ground; damaging Bronx and lowering his speed. "What!?" I replied surprised. "Now use Body Slam!" she replied. "Me-ga! Me-gan-i-um!" Meganium replied as it used the attack; giving Bronx some powerful damage. He yelped in pain from this and fell down. "Bronx!" I said worriedly. He stood back up, shook his fur, and then roared at Meganium. I breathed a sigh of relief, smiled, and then pointed at Meganium. "Okay, Bronx! Use Flame Charge to increase your speed, and then Fire Fang!" I said. He barked loudly to my command, and then used Flame Charge to increase his speed. After that, he quickly charged at Meganium and used Fire Fang; giving it some damage. "Grab him with your vines!" said Erika. "Gain! Me-ganium!" it replied as it grabbed him in its vines. "Now what!?" I replied surprised. "Hyper Beam!" Erika replied. "Mega! Me-ga-ni-um!" it replied as it used the attack; hitting Bronx directly. He yelped in pain as he flew back from it and landed on his stomach. "Bronx!" I said worriedly with tears in my eyes starting to form. "Now use Body Slam!" Erika replied. "Mega! Me-gan-i-um!" it replied with a smirk on its face, ran towards Bronx, jumped up in the air, and landed on his back with its stomach; making him roar and yelp in pain. It then got off of him and looked down at his face.

"Oof. That's gotta hurt..." Sora replied as he uncovered one of his eyes. "Munch-lax..." Munchlax replied. "Yeah... a Body Slam like that to land on his back... that's gotta hurt a lot..." Pat replied as he and the group looked at me and Bronx worriedly. "Come on, Bronx! We know that you can get back up and fight back! You can do it! We believe in you!" Zach cheered. "War-War! Wartortle!" Zach's Wartortle cheered. "Zach's right! You can do it, Bronx! Show Meganium the true power of Fire types!" Celina cheered. "Ni-do!" Nidorina cheered. "Tile! Tile-Tile! Sceptile!" Rin's Sceptile cheered. "Tar-ia!" Lulu's Altaria cheered. With their cheers echoing in the room, Bronx's ears twitched for a moment and he opened his eyes; seeing Meganium looking down at him and taunt him with one of its vines to stand back up and fight. "Me-ga. Mega-Mega. Meganium." it said as it moved its vine. Once he watched it move its vine in that manner, his eyes widened in shock and anger. He growled at Meganium for this, slowly stood back up on his paws, shook his head and body, and then let out a powerful roar; making everyone in the stands look at him in shock. He growled again, and then turned to me; seeing the surprised look on my face. He then walked over to me, stopped in front of my face, stared deeply into my eyes, and then rested his head onto my forehead; making me do the same.

"Good boy, Bronx. Ready to settle this?" I asked him. He nodded his head, and licked my face; showing me that he is ready to end this fight. I smiled back to him, gave him a gentle pat and Sitrus Berry to eat, and then watched him walk back to the middle of the field. He growled at it again, and then let out a mighty roar; ready to fight back. Erika and Meganium looked at him surprised, and then saw him get into his battle stance again. "Bronx! Flame Charge!" I replied. He barked loudly and then used the attack. "Meganium! Bulldoze!" said Erika. "Gan! Me-gan-ium!" Meganium replied as it used the attack. "Dodge it!" I replied. Bronx barked a few times and used Flame Charge to jump over the little shock waves from Bulldoze; surprising both it and Erika. He then roared and hit Meganium with the attack; pushing it back a little bit. It shook off the pain, glared at him, and then stomped its feet on the ground; ready to fight back. "Bronx! Use Fire Fang!" I said. He roared, charged at Meganium, and felt the inside of his mouth grow flames; ready to use the attack. "Grab him with your vines!" said Erika. "Mega! Me-gan-" it replied as it made its vines appear from around its neck and tried to grab Bronx. "Bite down on the vines!" I replied. He roared and grabbed the vines with his mouth; making Fire Fang's power singe them a little bit as he held them in his teeth.

"Ganium!" it replied in pain. "Ah! Meganium!" Erika replied worriedly. "Now spin it around in the air!" I replied. He barked, growled, pulled Meganium towards himself, and then began spinning it around in the air; making it dizzy. "Meganium! Synthesis!" said Erika. "I don't think so! Throw it up in the air and use Close Combat!" I replied. Bronx barked loudly, threw Meganium up high in the air, jumped up after it, and then used Close Combat on it; hitting it with his paws and tail multiple times. "Whoa! Look at that!" said Lulu surprised. "Wow! They quickly used this strategy before Meganium got the chance to hear Erika and heal itself!" Rin replied surprised. "Yeah! Get 'em, Bronx! Show 'em what you're made of!" Zach cheered. "Atta boy, Bronx! Let Meganium feel your fire power!" Pat cheered. After a few more kicks, Bronx then grabbed Meganium's vines again in his mouth, looked down to the ground, and then threw it down with brute force. It landed on the ground, slowly stood up on its own a few seconds later, and looked at Bronx; seeing him begin to fall back down to the ground. Once Erika saw this, she clutched her hands into fists. "Meganium! Use Hyper Beam!" she said. "Gan! Me-ga-ni-um!" it replied as it used the attack. "Block it with Fire Blast!" I replied. Bronx roared loudly to my command, made fire in his mouth, growled as he charged up its heat and power, and spat it out towards the Hyper Beam. As it flew down, it formed into the shape of the danji symbol for kai, and then collided with Hyper Beam; keeping them at a stand still. "Me... Me-gan..." said Meganium as it tried to make its attack stronger and push the Fire Blast away. Once we saw this collision happen, Bronx and I grew little smirks on our faces.

"Bronx! Jump into the Fire Blast with Flame Charge!" I said. "What!?" Erika replied in a shocked, surprised tone. Bronx let out a powerful roar, used Flame Charge to get to the Fire Blast, and then jump into it; becoming part of the attack and pushing the Hyper Beam in front of him. Erika and Meganium's eyes widened in shock to see what Bronx was doing for a moment, and then Bronx pushed himself through the Hyper Beam; destroying it and hitting Meganium with full force. "Gan-ium!" cried Meganium. "Ah! Meganium!" Erika replied. The attack ended a moment later, and Bronx jumped away from Meganium. He looked over from my side of the field, saw Meganium staring at him for a moment, and then finally fell to the ground. He breathed heavy as the official went over to check Meganium, and then watched her raise her hand to my side of the field. "Meganium is unable to battle! Arcanine is the winner!" she said. "Alright! Bronx! You did it! You did it! You were awesome out there!" I replied happily as I ran over to him and gave him a hug. He barked happily, licked my face. and nuzzled me happily. "Pi-ka! Pika-chu!" Tetrax replied happily as he ran over to us, jumped into Bronx's mane-like fur, and nuzzled us. "Yeah! They did it!" Zuzu cheered excitedly. "Alright! Way to go, Tay and Bronx!" Yuya cheered excitedly as the group and their Pokémon cheered, whistled, and celebrated happily.

Shay, Kite, and Crow smiled happily to the result of the match, and then looked at Talonflame and Kilowattrel celebrating with everyone else. "Heh. Just seeing them celebrating like this almost wants me to bring Salamence out to join the festivities." said Kite. "Oh, really? How come he isn't out now?" Crow replied. "Because if he saw how intense this battle was... he would've joined in and make it even more intense." Shay replied. "Really?" he replied curiously. "Yep. It's true." Kite replied. Crow blinked his eyes, nodded his head in understanding, and then looked back at Kilowattrel; seeing him dancing in the air with Talonflame and Altaria happily. "Hell yeah! They did it! They showed that Meganium who's boss on the battlefield!" said Yugo happily. "Jolt-eon!" Jolteon replied happily. "Don't get too excited yet, Yugo." Yuto replied. "Huh? What are you saying, Yuto?" he replied curiously. "Erika has one Pokémon left. And from what we've seen from Taylor's past battles, her opponent's strongest Pokémon are the ones who push her to the limit and make her Synchronize with her Pokémon that she chooses. So, whoever Erika has next... Taylor better be wise on who she chooses and how to land the perfect strike." Yuto replied.

Yugo blinked his eyes, nodded his head in understanding, and then saw Yuto's Mark begin to lightly glow golden yellow. "Uh... Yuto? Your Mark is glowing a little bit." he said in a hushed tone. Yuto blinked his eyes, looked at his left hand, and saw his Mark lightly glow. "I guess that your Aura is sensing hers?" Yugo asked. "Yeah. It is." he replied. "I guess it's trying to tell you that she will use her Synchronization ability with her final Pokémon soon?" Yugo replied. Yuto nodded his head in agreement to his response, and then looked back to the field; ready to see who will Erika send out next. "Meganium, return. You were incredible. You have truly grown and bloomed into a strong and beautiful fighter. I am very proud of you. Now take a good rest." said Erika as she returned Meganium to its Nest Ball, looked at it, and smiled warmly at it. She then put it away and then took out a second Safari Ball. She blinked her eyes, smiled warmly to it, and then looked over to me; seeing me looking at her. We smiled at each other happily, and then I saw her ready the Safari Ball in her hand. "Alright, Taylor. This is my final Pokémon. Are you ready?" she asked me. "I'm ready." I replied with a light smirk on my face. "Excellent. Now! My true green force of nature! The master of solar energy! Venusaur!" she replied as she threw the Safari Ball up in the air, watched it open, and saw her Venusaur appear on the battlefield. "Saur!" it roared.

Yuto and Yugo's eyes widened in shock to see Erika's Venusaur for the first time, and then looked at each other worriedly. "Uh... since when did she have a Venusaur?" Yugo asked. "Probably since the beginning? But the only people we've known to have a Venusaur on their teams are Red, Leaf, and Celina. But from what I can see from this one... this one looks more ferocious than the others." Yuto replied. "Yeah. I can tell from the battle stance that it is strong. But what does Tay have in order to counter it?" he replied. "Her Lucario, maybe? His part Steel type would make him resist any Poison type attacks it might have?" Yuto replied. "True... but what if Venusaur has any Ground type moves? That would throw him off balance, don't you think? Maybe she will use her Charizard to take advantage of the field from above?" he replied. "Yeah... that's true..." Yuto replied in a stunned tone. "See? And you guys always say that I never pay attention to type match-ups." he replied with a smirk on his face and nudged his arm. "Alright, alright. I apologize for doubting your type match-up knowledge." Yuto replied. "Thank you. I accept your apology." he replied with a warm smile and patted his shoulder; making him smile warmly too. After that, they looked back to me and saw me return Bronx to his PokéBall.

"Oh? She's switching again?" said Yugo. "Yep. Let's see who she's got for this one." Yuto replied as he leaned forward. Yugo nodded his head in agreement to him and then leaned forward as well; hoping that my next Pokémon has the advantage. They then looked over to the group, and saw Zach, Yuya, Zuzu, Pat, Celina, Rin, and Lulu leaning forward as well. "Come on, Tay... you've got this. You've seen how a Venusaur moves in battle. You know exactly who to pick." said Zach. "Yeah. You know who to use for this moment, Tay. This is the Perfect time to use him now." Yuya replied. "Him? Who's this Him they're talking about?" Yugo whispered. Yuto didn't say a word, looked back to me, saw me ready a PokéBall in my hand. "Venusaur, eh? Okay... so this is what you meant by the Green Force of Nature? Alright. Let's see if it's ready for this! Now! Time to unleash the blazing fire red force of the earth! The fiery legend of the skies! Dragonfire! I choose you!" I said as I threw the PokéBall up in the air, watched it open, and saw Dragonfire appear in mid air; surrounded in fire. He roared loudly, made the flames around him disappear, spread out his wings, and looked down at Venusaur; ready to fight. "Alright! She did it! She's actually using Dragonfire!" Sora cheered excitedly.

"Hell yes! Finally! He's been waiting a long time for a Gym battle!" Celina replied excitedly. "I know right! His brothers already had their times to shine first, and now it's his turn!" Zuzu replied excitedly. "Go, Dragonfire! Show that Venusaur the true power of all the Charizard's!" Yuya cheered excitedly. "Yeah! You've got this, Dragonfire! Show 'em your real fire power!" Zach cheered excitedly. A moment of silence filled the air on the battlefield, and then the sun began to shine through the glass ceiling. Dragonfire and I watched this silently for a moment, and then saw Venusaur begin to glow green a little bit. "What the? It's glowing already? It hasn't used any attacks yet? But now to see it like this... I've gotta act fast." I said in my thoughts. After saying this in my thoughts, I snapped back into reality, and then pointed at Venusaur. "Okay, Dragonfire! Let's do this! Use Flamethrower!" I said. He roared loudly and used the attack; hitting Venusaur in the face. After the attack ended, Venusaur shook off the pain and smirked at him; making him do a surprised sound. "What!?" I said surprised. Erika lightly chuckled to my reaction, and then pointed at Dragonfire. "Now, Venusaur! Use Sludge Bomb!" she said. "Saur! Ve-nu-saur!" it replied as it fired multiple brown sludge balls from its mouth. "Dodge it!" I replied. Dragonfire grunted in understanding and dodged the attack.

"Okay. Let's try it again! Flamethrower!" I said. Dragonfire roared and used the attack. "Stop it with Sludge Bomb!" said Erika. "Saur! Ve-nu-saur!" Venusaur replied as it used the attack again; making it hit the Flamethrower and ending it. "What!?" I replied surprised. "Now! Grab his wings with your vines!" she replied. "Saur! Saur-Saur! Venusaur!" it replied as it used its vines to grab Dragonfire's wings; leaving him shocked and surprised. "Dragonfire! Slash them with Dragon Claw!" I said. He roared and used the attack to make Venusaur release him from the vines. "What!?" said Erika surprised. "Dual Wingbeat!" I replied. Dragonfire roared, made his wings glow light blue, fly down to the field, and then dashed towards Venusaur. "Venusaur! Protect yourself with Frenzy Plant!" said Erika. "Saur! Venu-saur!" it replied as it stood up on its hinds legs, stomped its front legs on the ground, and made giant roots appear from underground; aiming them at Dragonfire. "Slash them away with Dragon Claw!" I replied. Dragonfire roared a few times, used Dragon Claw on some of the roots, got close to Venusaur, and then hit it with both Dragon Claw and Dual Wingbeat. "Venusaur!" said Erika worriedly. Dragonfire tried to fly away from it, but as his tail almost left its sight, it grabbed it with its vines; surprising everyone except Erika.

Once she saw this, she knew that this was her only chance to strike. "Venusaur! Sludge Bomb!" she said. "Venusaur! Ve-nu-saur!" it replied as it used the attack; hitting Dragonfire on the back and face successfully. He shook off the sludge on his body and tried to wiggle his tail out of Venusaur's grasp, but to no avail. "Dragonfire! Use your tail flame to burn the vines!" I said. He roared and tried to put his tail flame closer to the vines, but then he saw a intimidating look in Venusaur's eyes; surprising and immobilizing him. "What!? Dragonfire! What's wrong? What did you see?" I said worriedly. "Pika-chu!" Tetrax replied worriedly. Before he could make a sound, he saw a light smirk grow on Erika's face; leaving him speechless. "I'm sorry, Dragonfire. But this is where your fire meets its end! Venusaur! Frenzy Plant!" she said. "Saur! Saur-Saur! Venu-saur!" Venusaur replied as it used the attack; giving Dragonfire some powerful damage. "Oh no!" Rin replied worriedly. "Tay! Dragonfire!" Lulu replied worriedly as she and Rin held hands. "Now! Throw him up in the air and use Solar Beam!" Erika replied. "Saur! Saur Ve-nu-saur!" Venusaur replied as it threw Dragonfire up in the air, charged up the attack in its flower, and fired it at him; making him fall to the ground. "Dragonfire!" I replied worriedly.

The official ran over to him, checked his condition, and was ready to raise her hand to Erika's side of the field; but before she got the chance to do that, Dragonfire growled and slowly stood back up on his own. Once he got back on his feet, he blinked his eyes, looked around himself, shook his head, and then roared loudly; making everyone in the stands stand up slowly. "Holy shit... I know that the Grass types moves were not very effective against him, but he took a beating..." said Yuto. "Yeah. He never realized that Venusaur knew how to trap him when trying to get away from it. But now what do they do? What kind of move can they use to keep Venusaur's vines at a distance without it using Sludge Bomb?" Yugo replied. After the roar ended, Dragonfire slowly turned to me, walked over, and stared at me. We blinked our eyes silently, and then he put his paw to his heart; feeling it beat faster than normal. "Dragonfire? You alright?" I asked him. He nodded his head yes to my question, took his paw off his chest, and then clutched it into a fist; showing me how frustrated he was. Once I saw this... I realized that Venusaur had mentally put him in a corner. "Look like Erika and that Venusaur has outplayed you two, correct?" said Necrozma as it spiritually appeared beside us. "Yeah... it sure did. We've never battled this one before. And it seemed to know how to block Flamethrower with Sludge Bomb and using its vines to keep him from flying around." I replied in my thoughts.

"Yeah. She's right about that, Necrozma. They've read us like a book. How the hell are we supposed to take down an opponent that knows exactly what we're going to do before we even do it?" Dragonfire replied in his thoughts. "Well? I think you two know what you must do. When you are put into a corner and give then the chance to think they've won... that's when your true power is unleashed." it replied. Our eyes lightly widened in surprise to what it said, and then we looked at each other. "Dragonfire? You know exactly what Necrozma is talking about, right?" I said. "Yeah. I do. It's helped you and our friends before in your last Gym battles. And ever since I watched you use that ability with my brothers... I knew that one day we will use it together to show our opponents our real blazing spirit." he replied. "Yeah. So? What do you say, buddy? You ready to turn up the heat of this battle?" I replied. "I was born ready, Mom. Let's do this." he replied. We smiled warmly at each other, and then I used my Synchronization ability with him. After I did this, we both looked at each other with emerald green eyes. "Whoa... so this is what it feels like with this ability. Our hearts and minds are fully connected." he said. "Mhm. And look. Your wounds are healed too." I replied. He looked at his healed wounds, smirked confidently, and then we shared a fist bump.

"Ready?" I asked him. "Ready." he replied. After that, he walked back onto the field, spread out his wings, and took flight in the air again. "Guys! Look! Their eyes! They're green!" said Crow surprised. "Yes! They're doing it! They're fully in sync now!" Rin replied excitedly. "And here we go. This is where the true battle begins." Yuri replied with a smirk on his face. "Yes! They're doing it! They're doing it!" Yugo replied as he nudged Yuto's shoulder. "Yep. This is it. Venusaur better watch out now." Yuto replied. He blinked his gray eyes, looked to his left hand, and saw his Mark begin to glow again. "Come on, Taylor... you've got this. Show them the true nature of the Guardian's power." he said in his thoughts. After that, Venusaur moved its feet a little bit and was ready to fight again. "Venusaur! Use Sludge Bomb!" said Erika. "Saur! Venu-saur!" it replied as it used the attack. Once the attack came close, Dragonfire dodged it on his own by tucking in his wings and diving down towards the ground. "Saur!?" said Venusaur surprised. "Venusaur! Frenzy Plant!" Erika replied. "Saur! Saur-Saur! Venu-saur!" it replied as it used the attack. "Dual Wing Dragon Claw!" we replied as he used the attack to slash the roots in front of them with a combined Dragon Claw and Dual Wingbeat; ending the attack early. "Whoa! That was fast!" Crow replied surprised. "Yeah. Knowing what they just went through... they wanna end this one quickly." Kite replied. "Yeah. And ending the Frenzy Plant like that is a way to start." Shay replied.

After that, Dragonfire hit Venusaur with Dragon Claw; giving it some damage. "Saur!" cried Venusaur as it was pushed back. "Oh no! Venusaur!" Erika replied worriedly. Venusaur regained its balance a moment later, and then roared loudly at Dragonfire. "Venusaur? Are you alright?" Erika asked it. "Saur." it replied with a nod of his head; ready to fight. She smiled to this, and then pointed at Dragonfire. "Venusaur! Use Petal Dance!" she said. "Saur! Ve-nu-saur!" it replied as its flower glew pink and fired multiple pink petals in a spiraling motion in the air three times. "Flamethrower!" we replied as Dragonfire used the attack; burning all the petals away and hitting Venusaur in the face again. It roared, shook off the pain, and then looked back up at him; seeing him spread out his wings. "Venusaur! Sludge Bomb!" said Erika. "Saur! Venu-saur!" it replied and used the attack. "Ancient Power!" we replied as Dragonfire made multiple ancient rocks form around him with emerald green energy and fired them a the Sludge Bombs; making them explode. Once we saw he smoke, we looked down to the ground and saw the holes made by the Frenzy Plant attacks. We smirked at this, and then he flew down into the holes in the ground; ready for our next move. "What the? Why did he go underground? Did he just use Dig?" Yuya asked curiously. "I don't think so. Take a look at the holes on the ground. They were made by the roots of Frenzy Plant." Yuri replied as he and the group looked at the holes on the ground.

"Yeah... and what's the idea with this one?" he replied curiously. "Yuya. With those holes that Venusaur made. They're planning to attack it from underground." Yuri replied. "What!? Underground!?" he replied in a light, shocked tone. "Yep. They're waiting for the next Frenzy Plant to appear and then strike from underground, making it have nowhere to run." Yuri replied. "Wow... that seems... dangerous." he replied. "Indeed. Dangerous and unpredictable as well. They know that Frenzy Plant is its strongest move and leaves holes on the ground after the move ends. So with the holes on the ground... they want to exhaust it to the point where its stamina is low and has nowhere to run. And when it uses that move again... that is when they will strike." Yuri replied. "Whoa... and if this works?" he replied. "Let's just say there might be a firestorm if this works. From what we see of their Synchronization, she's going to wait for the roots to grow and make more holes. And once it does happen, that will be their only chance to counter strike." Yuri replied. Yuya blinked his eyes and nodded his head in understanding, and looked back to me; seeing my glowing eyes and a little smirk on my face. "Come on, Tay... you've got them in a corner now. This is your only chance to win this match." he said in his thoughts.

The smoke disappeared, and then Venusaur saw that he had disappeared. It looked around itself for a moment, and then slammed its feet onto the ground; wondering if it was under him. "Venusaur! He might be underground! Use Frenzy Plant to draw him out!" said Erika. "Saur! Saur-Saur! Venusaur!" it replied as it used the attack. After it ended, both Venusaur and Erika realized that Dragonfire didn't pop out of the ground with the roots. "Saur!?" said Venusaur surprised. "What!?" Erika replied in shock. "Oh... close. You were so close." I replied. "Huh? What do you mean by that, Taylor? What is your plan this time?" she replied. "Well... before I tell you my plan and where he is... I've got a question to ask you, if that is alright?" I replied. "Um... sure? What is your question?" she replied. "Does Venusaur like to fly?" I replied with a small smirk; making everyone's eyebrows raise curiously. "Um..? I don't think so? Why?" she replied. "Oh... I don't know? I just wanted to see if Venusaur is ready for a fiery ride?" I replied. After I said that, they both saw multiple Flamethrowers appear from the holes of Frenzy Plant on the ground; making the ground crack apart and surround Venusaur in a veil of fire. "Saur!?" said Venusaur surprised. "Whoa! So that was her plan all along! She using the holes underground to her advantage!" Sora replied surprised. "Wow! That's some massive fire power!" Yuya replied. "Alright! Way to go, Tay! That's how you use the battlefield to your advantage!" Celina replied excitedly.

As the flames continued, Venusaur looked under its feet, saw the ground crack under them, and then saw Dragonfire appear and push it up into the air. "Saur!" it said. "Venusaur!" Erika replied worriedly. We watched it begin to fall slowly, and then Dragonfire quickly flew upto it. "Blazing Dragon Claw!" we said as we combined Flamethrower and Dragon Claw; hitting Venusaur and giving it some damage. "Saur!" Venusaur replied in pain. "Venusaur! Use Solar Beam!" Erika replied. "Saur! Ve-nu-saur!" it replied as it charged up the attack and then fired it. "Ancient Power!" we replied as Dragonfire used the attack to block the Solar Beam; making an explosion above us. "Saur!?" Venusaur replied surprised. "And now for the grand finale! Crimson Wing! And, Spiral Flame Strike!" we replied as Dragonfire made his wings glow fiery red, quickly descended towards Venusaur, hit it with his wings, sent it to the ground, watched it stand up slowly, made his tail flame bigger and brighter, charged up the attack in his mouth, and then fired a powerful Flamethrower that spun in a spiraling motion; hitting Venusaur. "Yo! That was... Fire!" Crow replied. "Wow... now that's how you turn up the heat in battle..." Kite replied. As the smoke and dust began to go down, Dragonfire flew down to the ground gently, landed on his feet, looked over to me, and we ended our Synchronization ability. "Mom? You okay?" he asked me. "Yeah. I'm okay. How about you? You okay?" I replied. "Yeah. I'm okay." he replied as he nodded his head and gently put his right paw on my shoulder.

We smiled warmly at each other for a moment, turned back to the field, and saw Venusaur laying down on its side. The official ran over to it, checked its condition, blinked her eyes, and then took a deep breath; making both groups in the stands stand up slowly. She blinked her eyes again, stood up, and then raised her hand to my side of the field. "Venusaur is unable to battle! Charizard is the winner! Which means that the victor of this match is Taylor!" she said. "Alright! We did it! We did it, guys! I'm so proud of all of you! You were all amazing!" I replied as I hugged Dragonfire. "Pi-Pikachu!" Tetrax replied happily as he joined in on the hug. "Let's go! She did it!" Rin cheered excitedly as both groups celebrated my victory. "Glace-on!" Glaceon replied happily. "Alright! You did it, Tay! Congratulations!" Lulu cheered excitedly. "Esp-eon!" Espeon replied happily. "Wow... the kid was incredible..." Crow replied. "She sure was, Crow. From what you just saw is only a small experience of what the Guardians can do." Shay replied. "Yeah! And it was awesome! Hopefully I get to see her and Yuto do this kind of stuff together. Just think about it... with those two together at full strength... imagine the possibilities of their abilities on how they can change the world." he replied. Shay and Kite smiled to this, nodded their heads, and then looked to my group as they jumped over the rails and ran over to me; giving me hugs and high fives.

"Tay! Congratulations!" said Zuzu as she hugged me. "Thank you, Zuzu." I replied happily. "Great job, Tay. We all knew that you could do it." Celina replied. "Thank you, Celina." I replied as we shared a fist bump. "Congratulations, Taylor. You and your team were a spectacle to watch." Yuri replied. "Thank you, Yuri. I'm glad that you, Rin, and Lulu got to see this fully in person." I replied as I shook his hand. "Aww~ You're welcome, Tay." Rin replied. "Of course. We knew that once we reunited here with you, we had to see a battle like this when we're not in disguise. You and your team were incredible. We're so proud of you." Lulu replied as she and Rin hugged me. Zach smiled at us warmly as we talked with the others, blinked his eyes, looked to his right, saw a patch of Gracidea flowers near his right foot, knelt down, picked one out, stood back up, walked over to me, and poked my shoulder. "Hey, Tay?" he said. "Hm?" I replied curiously as I turned to him. He smiled warmly at me and gently put the flower in my hair; letting it rest on my right ear. "Congrats on your win. You were awesome out there." he said as he felt his face turn pink. I touched the flower gently and felt my face turn pink too. "Thank you, Zach." I replied. "You're welcome. Hey... you look pretty cute with the flower in your hair." he replied. "I do? Is that why you put it in my hair?" I replied. "Maybe..?" he replied as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. We smiled at each other shyly; meanwhile Pat, Yuya, and the girls were smirking at us. "You all saw what I just saw, right?" Pat whispered. "Oh yeah. They definitely like each other." Rin whispered. "And don't forget, guys. She likes Yuto too." Yuya whispered. "She does!?" Rin whispered in shock. "Mhm. She does. And he likes her too." he whispered. "It's true." Lulu whispered.

"Taylor?" replied a voice. We turned to the field curiously and saw Erika walk upto us. "Lady Erika." I said. She smiled happily to my response, watched me smile back, and then gave me a hug. "Taylor. Congratulations on your victory." she said. "Thank you." I replied with a warm smile. We ended the hug, and then stared at each other. "You have grown so much as a Trainer. The way you completely trust your Pokémon and how you found ways to take down my team was something that I haven't seen in a very long time. The way you moved and commanded your Pokémon reminded me so much of your brother, but with your own twist to it. I know that he and your family were out there somewhere watching this battle and cheered you on with all their hearts. And I know that they are all very proud of you for the person you have become today." she replied. "Aww~ thank you. It means a lot to me to hear that from you." I replied. "You are very welcome." she replied with a warm smile. She blinked her eyes, and then saw the flower in my hair for the first time. "Oh? I see that you have a Gracidea flower in your hair." she said. "Hm? Oh! Yeah. Zach found it and put it in my hair." I replied. "Really? That was very sweet of you, Zach." she replied. "Thank you, Lady Erika." he replied. "You're very welcome. With this flower, you've shown that you have a deep appreciation and gratitude for her. She must be a very special person to you." she replied.

"Yeah... she sure is. She's my best friend. She always knows how to make me laugh and helps me boost my confidence as a Trainer. If it weren't for her... I would be just like Blue five years ago." he replied. I couldn't help but smile and hug him after that; making him smile back. "Aww~ That was very sweet." said Erika. "Yeah. It was very sweet. Thank you, Zach." I replied. "You're welcome." he replied. After that, we saw Meowscarada appear in front of us. "Meow." it said. "Oh! Hello, Meowscarada. Did you enjoy the performance?" Erika replied. "Meow!" it replied happily. It then did a little dance, let its flower drop onto the palm of its right paw, made it open, and then showed us what was inside it. "Hey! It's the Rainbow Badge!" said Sora. "Wow... it's beautiful..." Lulu replied. Erika smiled warmly to Meowscarada, gently took the Badge off the flower, and then gently patted its head. "Thank you, Meowscarada. Your performance was beautiful as always." she said. "Meow~" it replied happily. It then bowed to us, walked a few steps away from us, and then used Flower Trick on the ground; making itself disappear. "Oh, we are so getting one of those one day." Rin whispered to Yuya. "Absolutely." Yuya whispered back; making her smile. After that, we all looked at Erika and she then presented the Rainbow Badge to me. "Taylor. As proof of your victory here in the Celadon City Gym, I present you the Rainbow Badge." she said.

I stared at the Badge in silence and awe for a moment, and then gently picked it up in my hand. "Erika... thank you. Thank you for an amazing battle." I replied. "Your very welcome. Though... I should be the one thanking you. We had our moments when we were on the ropes and put in the corner, but in the end we showed that we were able to overcome those obstacles and give it our all out there. This battle that we shared together will be something that I will never forget." she replied. "Yeah. Me too." I replied with a smile. She smiled back, and then I raised the Badge up high in the air. "Alright! I got the Rainbow Badge!" I cheered. "Pi-Pikachu!" Tetrax replied happily. Dragonfire let out a victory roar and celebrated with the group again. After that, we said our goodbyes to Erika, Shay, Kite, and Crow, and left the battlefield. We walked into the reception area, and saw the flower employee wave over to us. "Excuse me? Are you Taylor?" they asked. "Um..? Yes?" I replied as we walked over to the stand. "Great. I have this bouquet of flowers that someone bought for you. Here you go." they replied. "What!?" the group replied surprised as the employee gently handed them to me. I stared at them in shock and surprise for a moment, and then looked at the employee. "Wow... these are beautiful. Thank you." I replied. "You're very welcome." they replied. I smiled warmly to them, gave them some cash as a tip for their hard work, and then we all left the building.

Celadon City

"So, Tay? Who bought you this bouquet?" Zuzu asked me. "Probably a secret admirer from far away, maybe?" Sora replied curiously. "Or someone close to home?" Celina replied. "Well... there is a card inside the bouquet. That should tell me who did this?" I replied. "Well? What are you waiting for? Open it and find out." Yuri replied. I took the card out of the bouquet, opened it up, and saw a message inside it. I read it silently for a few seconds, and then saw the name of the person who bought the bouquet for me. Once I saw the name, I felt my face turn red and my heart beating out of my chest. "Well? Who's it from?" Sora asked me. "Oh..! I know who it is! You can tell by the look on her face!" Celina replied; making the group surprised. "No... way..." Yuya replied surprised. "Taylor..? Did Yuto buy you the bouquet?" Pat replied. I blinked my eyes and nodded my head yes to his question; making the girls squeal in excitement. "Aww~ That was very sweet of him to do that." said Lulu. "Yeah it was. And same with Zach too. You finding that one flower for her was very sweet as well." Rin replied. "Thank you, Rin." Zach replied with blush forming on his face. "You're welcome. And hey... don't feel down on the number game with these. All that matters is that you both made her feel very special today. You both showed her how she means a lot to you two." she replied as she patted his shoulder. He blinked his eyes a couple times, and then showed a warm smile.

"You're right, Rin. It's not about the gifts and all the fancy stuff. It's the thought that really counts more than anything when it comes to showing your appreciation for someone you care for most. Right, Tay?" he said. "Right." I replied with a warm smile. After that, he gently took the card from my hand, and then read it aloud to us. "Taylor. Congratulations on your fourth Gym victory. I'm so proud of you and the person you have become. You have shown that you have definitely stepped out of your brother's shadow and battle as a Trainer in your own right is something very special. And that is one of the things that I admire you for. The way you have cared and helped me and the others grow is something that I and our friends truly admire about you. You always know how to make us smile and laugh, and know how to take care of us when we are at our lowest. If anyone were to ask me on how to describe you, I'd tell them that you are the definition of a person with a Heart of Gold. I hope to see you again soon, and if we do, I want to give you a big hug and know everything that you have been up too ever since we last saw each other. Sincerely, Yuto." he said.

After hearing those words, I felt my heart beat faster and my eyes swell up in tears. "Aww~ Tay." said Yuya as he patted my back. "Wow... you can tell that meant a lot to her." Sora replied. "Mhm. And what he said is right, Tay. The ways on how you take care of us and help us get through the bad days is something that we truly admire about you. You are always there to listen to what we are going through and give us a shoulder to cry on when we need it." Lulu replied as she patted my back. "Yeah. You are always there when we need you the most. Like he said, you are the definition of a person with a Heart of Gold. And that is something that is very rare to find in this world because not everybody understands and appreciate of what people like you do when it comes to caring about others. You do what you do because you know that it is the right thing to do as a person." Pat replied. "Mhm. It's people like you that make us see that there are good people out there. And it's something that don't ever want to lose." Zach replied. I wiped away my tears, and smiled at the group happily. "Guys... thank you..." I said. "You're welcome, buddy." he replied as he gave me a side hug. After that, I gently took out the Gracidea flower in my hair, and put it in the bouquet. "Hm? Tay? What are you doing?" Rin asked me.

"Sending the flowers back to my house and ask my Mom to plant them in our flower garden." I replied. "Oh... that's a good idea. She loves to garden a lot, right?" she replied. "Mhm. It's always been a hobby of hers that makes her happy. And knowing her, she would love to make a garden with these kinds of flowers together." I replied. "Aww~ That's sweet of you, Tay." Lulu replied. "Thank you, Lulu." I replied. "Wait... since she'll know the bouquet is from Yuto... how can she tell that the Gracidea flower is from Zach?" Pat replied. "I got it. There. Now she'll know that this one flower I gave you is from me. " Zach replied as he took out a notebook from his Bag, wrote down a little note that he described about me in the Gym, and then put it in the Gracidea flower. "Good thinking, Zach." Celina replied. "Thanks." he replied. After that, I used my powers to teleport my flowers back to my house. After that, we began to walk to Route 16. "So, Rin? Lulu? Do you two have any plans with the Resistance or anything?" Yuya asked. "Us? Um... I don't think so? Have we got plans with the team, Lulu?" Rin replied. "I don't think so? But... what do you have in mind, Yuya? Since you're part of the team as well." Lulu replied. "Oh... nothing much. I was just wondering if you two would like to join us on the journey together?" he replied. They looked at him surprised for a moment and then looked at us.

"Are you guys serious? You want us to join the group and go on the journey with you?" Lulu replied. "Of course. It would be an honor if you two would join us on our journey. And knowing these three girls here, they are in dire need of some girl power on their side." Yuri replied as the three of them turned to me, Zuzu, and Celina; seeing us looking at them. "Is that true, girls? The boys are out numbering you?" Rin replied curiously. "Yeah... it's true." Zuzu replied sincerely. "Hey!" Yuya, Sora, and Pat replied in a surprised tone; making us giggle a bit. "Oh, my... you three must've had a hard time to talk about "girl stuff" with this boys nearly attached to the hip, huh?" Lulu replied. "Yep. We sure have. But... we can admit that they are not as crazy as we might think, right Tay?" Celina replied. "Right." I replied; making them smile. "So? What do you girls think? Do you want to join us on our journey to travel around the region together?" Zuzu replied. They thought about it for a moment, and then smiled happily to us. "Sure! We would love to join you guys!" said Rin. "Really?" Pat replied happily. "Of course! It would be so much fun to join you guys. Plus... it gives the group a little bit more girl power." Lulu replied as she winked her eye at us. "Alright!" he replied happily; making all of us smile. After a few minutes of walking, we stopped and looked over to the entrance of Route 16.

"So? Where are we off to next, guys?" Sora asked us. "Let's see. According to the Indigo League map, it says the next Gym is in Fuchsia City." Zach replied. "Fuchsia City!?" he, Celina, Yuri, and Yuya replied surprised. "Wait... isn't that city where the Academy is?" Pat replied. "It is. And it's also home to the Safari Zone." Lulu replied. "Oh yeah! The Safari Zone! I always wanted to go in there and explore it! Wait... doesn't Rose's family own and operate the place?" Rin replied. "Yep. They do. When we saved Rose from that Dhelmise attack on Vermilion Beach a while back, she and her family gave us free passes to go into the Safari Zone." Zach replied. "No way!? Really!? You guys got free passes!?" she replied surprised. "Yep. And, we also got them for you two, Yugo, and Yuto." he replied. "Ah! You guys are the best!" she replied happily; making us smile. "Wow... I wonder what else the city is known for?" Lulu replied. "It's known to have the Gym inside a ninja village near Mt. Fuchsia." Yuri replied. "What!? A ninja village!? That's so cool!" Pat replied excitedly. "It is cool! We've went there on a little field trip last semester. There were so many Trainers that are real ninja's and they taught us to never underestimate our opponents on the battlefield." Sora replied. "That is correct, Sora." Yuri replied.

"Really? That's awesome! But speaking of ninja's... is Koga still the Gym Leader there?" Yuya replied. "Nope. He's not the Gym Leader there anymore." I replied. "Oh? That's interesting. Did he retire or give it to someone else?" he replied. "He gave the role to his daughter." I replied. "What!? His Daughter!?" the group replied surprised. "Yep. Her name is Janine. Koga gave her the Gym Leader a few years ago after he accepted the role of being a Elite Four member in the Johto region. But when they aren't battling Trainers, they spend their time in the village and help train future generations of ninja's." I replied. "Whoa... that's amazing. How did you know about this? You met her before?" Zach replied. "Mhm. She's the same age as us." I replied with a nod of my head. "Wow... a Gym Leader at 11 years old... that's gotta be tough on her to take her Dad's place." he replied. "It is, but she has taken the role very well after a couple years." I replied. "Does she use Poison-type Pokémon like her Dad?" Celina replied. "She does. But recently, she's been using Pokémon that fit the ninja theme to counter Psychic and Ground types." I replied. "Really? Well... looks like you gotta step up your game and mentally prepare yourself for this one." she replied. I nodded my head in agreement, and then we began to walk onto Route 16; starting our journey to Fuchsia City.

Thank you so much for reading Chapter 29 of the story! And there we have it! Our time in Celadon City is officially over! I had a lot of fun while writing these three Chapters in this area; especially the tournament and the Gym battle. That will be something I will never forget for the time our heroes spent here. It's been a blast for the time we had in this city, but now it's time to head off for Fuchsia City! I'm so excited to show off the Academy, the Safari Zone, the Ninja Village, Mt. Fuchsia, and the Gym! I promise you that the setting of the city will have strong ninja and ancient Japanese vibes. And with Janine as the Gym Leader for Fuchsia City, we will be seeing a mix of Poison types and ninja-like Pokémon in her possession. But before we get there, we got some paths we need to cross before meeting Janine and the people of Fuchsia City.

Anyways, thank you so much for reading Chapter 29 of the story, and have yourself an awesome day!

Next time, Chapter 30: Operation: Mew! While walking down Route 17, the group encounter Mew injured on the Pokémon Road. While they spend time with it, they meet Team Rocket again in the area and find out their plans to capture Mew and Taylor for Giovanni! How will the group keep Mew and Taylor safe from their clutches? Find out in Chapter 30, as the Journey continues ;)