As of posting this, I'm also posting a little oneshot following up on that brief encounter with Jessebelle and Donovan a few chapters ago; the oneshot is titled "Where You Belong". It doesn't really have anything to do with this story, and doesn't fit the tone of this story, hence me making it a separate little oneshot instead of a chapter of this fic, but it does take place between the previous chapter of this story and this chapter. If you haven't read/don't care about the events of "Free Together", you don't need to look into it; just know that that brief plot point will not be mentioned again in this story.
While I'm here, does anyone know a way to make the stupid spam bots stop posting collaboration requests as reviews? I get tons of them in my PM inbox, and I can ignore those, but posting spam on my stories is crossing a line.
Three weeks after the turf battle at the cape, Mary-Sue and her friends walked back inside the borders of proper civilization.
"Back in the city," Mary-Sue grinned with a massive stretch, a weight dropping from her shoulders. As much as she loved being on a Pokémon journey, being surrounded by buildings and people would always be incredibly comforting.
"Are you ever satisfied, Masie?" Aaron teased. "You were eager to leave, you're eager to get back…"
"Being a trainer is exciting, no matter where it takes me!" Mary-Sue laughed. He laughed, too, and they caught their breaths and smiled at each other. After only about a month with him and Jovi, Mary-Sue wondered how she could ever have imagined going on this journey without such a good friend by her side.
"So, Aaron," Jovi spoke up abruptly, "have you decided whether or not you'll use Oddish in your rematch with Misty?"
Aaron's smile fell immediately. "No," he groaned. "I know I need to use Thwackey, and Zigzagoon can resist all the psychic-type moves Misty's Pokémon use, but…Toxel and Oddish both have the disadvantage of being poison-type, while also having a type that's good against water. I just…don't know which of them to use."
"I wish I could help," Mary-Sue said. Her friend's conundrum was easy to understand: use the Pokémon he'd traveled with and battled with a lot more, or the one that had shown incredible promise during their training at the cape? Oddish had turned out to be remarkably light on its feet when Aaron had tried directing it against the trainers who came by to meet the famous Pokémaniac in the couple of weeks they'd spent up there, and that would definitely give it an edge with Misty's setup of pontoons over Toxel, but…Toxel was still one of Aaron's reliable old friends, and better-practiced at his battle style.
"You're gonna have to make up your mind pretty soon," Jovi remarked. "Aren't you gonna retake your challenge today?"
"Yeah…" Aaron sighed. "No sense delaying, I've done all the training that I could need. Maybe I won't need to use either of them - Thwackey and Zigzagoon might be able to handle everything on their own."
"Then let's go!" Mary-Sue crowed. "The sooner you get the Cascade Badge, the sooner we can move on to the next gym!"
"Hey, I spent two and a half weeks waiting for you at the cape while you tried to train Gyarados," Aaron remarked. "You can wait for me to get my badge."
"Yeah, of course," Mary-Sue said, "but you want to get the badge as soon as possible, too, right?"
"Well, yeah…" Aaron admitted. His expression hardened with determination, and he squared his shoulders. "Alright. Let's go," he declared, and he started marching towards the gym.
Mary-Sue followed eagerly. Though she and Aaron technically hadn't battled each other yet, Zigzagoon and Budew had been spending a lot of time talking to each other, and she thought that, with just a little more encouragement, her first Pokémon would agree to learn to battle. Poliwag had proved aggressive in the meantime, and that eased the sting of Gyarados's seeming inability to control itself - Bill had promised to spend every day helping Gyarados figure out its own abilities, but Mary-Sue felt a little vulnerable without her most reliable partner hooked to her backpack strap. But, if Budew could just watch a gym battle, maybe it would finally realize how much fun battling could be.
The beaming Dewgong cutout on the gym's front welcomed the young travelers back to the watery arena. They were greeted by the same man at the front desk, who immediately recognized them; he smiled and led them to the massive pool where the Gym Leader and the Sensational Sisters were training together, calling Misty's walkie-talkie and informing her of the challenger's arrival.
"Hey, you're the boy from Galar!" Misty chimed as her Lapras floated her over to the trio. "It was…Aaron, right?"
"Yes, ma'am," Aaron nodded. "I'm here for a rematch."
"I was starting to worry you'd never come back," Misty giggled. "Have you gotten any more badges since our last match?"
"No, ma'am," Aaron answered; "I've been training at Cerulean Cape with Masie."
"Oh, hey!" Misty grinned brightly at Mary-Sue. "How's your Gyarados doing?"
"It's going to need a lot of time to get used to its power," Mary-Sue told her. "But, I was able to leave it with Bill, he promised to train it while I continue my journey."
"Oh yeah, Bill lives up there," Misty laughed. "Sometimes I lose track of things like that. Well, I'm glad he was able to help out. Anyway, Aaron," she said, turning back to the challenger as her eyes turned serious, "are you ready now?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Aaron declared. "I'm ready when you are!"
"All ready here, sis!" called a woman at the poolside halfway across the room - a different one this time, one with blue hair.
"Thanks, Violet!" Misty called back, and her smile was fierce as she turned back to Aaron and held out a hand. "Everything's set up, so let's go."
"Yes, ma'am." Aaron took her hand and hopped up onto Lapras, which carried them both out to the pontoons set up around the middle of the pool.
Mary-Sue and Jovi hurried to the stands, taking front-row seats that would give them a good view of everything that happened. As they sat down, Mary-Sue grabbed Budew's Pokéball and opened it, carefully catching the materializing little bud in her arms.
"Dewew?" it asked, blinking and looking around.
"This is a gym, Budew," Mary-Sue told it brightly. "Gyms are where trainers practice against masters of different Pokémon types - for instance, this is the water-type gym, run by a master of water-type Pokémon. I got this here." She pointed to the blue gem on her shoulder, and Budew blinked up at it with wide little eyes. "This is proof that I've beaten the water-type Gym Leader. Now, Aaron's gonna try to get the same badge."
"Dew…" Budew turned around to look out at Aaron as the referee called the terms of the battle.
"Misty calls out…Seaking!" the Gym Leader declared, and her spotted fish emerged from its ball and landed in the water with a splash and a roar.
"Hmm." Aaron eyed his first opponent for a moment, and Mary-Sue wondered if he was going to decide which of his two poison-types to use already. His frown wasn't too encouraging, though, and sure enough, when he called on his Pokémon, he shouted, "Let's get started, Thwackey!"
"Thwack thwack!" proclaimed the light-green monkey as it raised and waved its sticks.
"Oh, look at that!" Misty grinned. "I'm guessing your Grookey evolved?"
"That's right," Aaron stated. "Things are gonna be different this time!"
"Don't get too cocky," Misty teased. "Seaking, Horn Attack!"
"Seeeeeeea…!" With a few quick strokes of its billowing tail, Seaking jetted through the water, its horn glowing as it bore down on Thwackey.
"Get ready to counter with Branch Poke!" Aaron directed.
"Key key!" Thwackey's sticks began to glow with green energy, and it took a defensive stance.
"Kiiiiiing!"
Seaking slammed into Thwackey, who struck back with its sticks. The energy of both attacks hitting each other caused an explosion that sent a wave of water radiating out with enough force to splash the spectators.
"Deeew!" Budew yelped, snuggling deeper into Mary-Sue's arms.
"They're going all-out!" Mary-Sue said enthusiastically. "If they held back, they'd be insulting each other, but they respect each other enough to give this battle everything they've got!"
"D…Dew…"
"Dive, Seaking!" Misty cried.
"Nothing to worry about," Aaron told Thwackey. "Just get ready, it can't hit you too hard!"
As Thwackey braced itself, Mary-Sue frowned. Sure, a water-type attack wouldn't do a ton of damage to Thwackey, but that was no reason to just take it…
When Seaking exploded from the water, ready to slam into Thwackey, Aaron yelped, "Double Hit!"
Thwackey took the hit, then struck Seaking once with each stick while the fish was close; the water-type Pokémon was knocked back into the water by the second blow, and Thwackey hardly had a scratch.
"Razor Leaf!"
The move didn't quite manage to hit Seaking before it went back underwater, but Thwackey still seemed pumped. Mary-Sue blinked, a little embarrassed at her assessment; clearly, Aaron knew what he was doing.
"Get ready with another Horn Attack!" Misty commanded.
"Ready Branch Poke, same as last time!" Aaron declared.
Both Pokémon charged at each other, power shining on Seaking's horn and Thwackey's sticks. Then, at the last second, Misty shouted, "Don't go straight for it! Hop up and aim from behind!"
Even as Thwackey jabbed its sticks at Seaking, Seaking slapped its scaly body against the edge of the pontoon its opponent was standing on, sending it flying up into the air without costing it much momentum. Thwackey missed spectacularly and was thrown off-balance, allowing Seaking to fall on the monkey's back horn-first. Aaron's partner cried out in pain as it was slammed against the floorwith tremendous force, and its trainer yelped with alarm.
"Hey Masie," Jovi murmured.
"Hmm?"
"That looked like something you and Magikarp would have done," the older girl remarked to the younger, and she smiled. "Looks like Misty learned something from you."
"Learned something…from me…?" Mary-Sue's emerald eyes went as big and round as they could go as she turned back to the battlefield, her heart leaping in her chest. A Gym Leader…learned something from me?
"Don't look so surprised," Jovi chuckled. "Didn't Bill say that's the point of battles, to teach and learn from each other?"
"Y-Yeah…but…" Mary-Sue could only stare at the Gym Leader's own fish in amazement as it splashed back into the pool. In her lap, Budew mumbled something, but she wasn't paying attention.
"Try Razor Leaf again!" Aaron all but begged of his injured Pokémon.
"Thwaaaa…" Thwackey groaned as it pushed itself up.
"Waterfall, Seaking!" Misty called.
"Thwaaaa…key!" Just in time, Thwackey rallied and shot leaves from its head at the giant fish that was charging at it with a waterfall in its wake.
Once again, powerful forces collided in a massive explosion…only for Seaking to come flying through the cloud of smoke and ram into Thwackey.
"Keeeeeey!"
"No, Thwackey!" Aaron cried.
"Toxel was able to defeat that Seaking last time," Jovi mused. "Strange that Thwackey would have trouble…"
"But Toxel used Tearful Look to weaken it first, right at the start," Mary-Sue pointed out. "Thwackey learned Double Hit and forgot Screech, so it can't weaken Seaking." As she said it, it occurred to Mary-Sue that weakening the opponent first was a tactic Aaron tended to rely on. But Thwackey wanted to learn attacking moves instead…
Back on the battlefield, Thwackey wasn't down yet, but it was clearly hurting. "If you can just hit it with one Branch Poke, we'll be back in this!" Aaron shouted. "Please, try to dodge for an opening!"
"Water Pulse, Seaking!" Misty directed. "Keep that up until it lands!"
Thwackey started hopping around the pontoons, narrowly evading several resonating blasts, unable to get close to its opponent or ready a Razor Leaf attack.
"If you could just…!" Aaron shook his head. "Take a hit to fire off a Razor Leaf!" he burst out.
"Oh?!"
"But-!"
Aaron's friends both exclaimed in alarm, while Misty just smiled. For its part, Thwackey snarled, but planted its feet as a Water Pulse came flying straight for it.
"Thwackey thwack! Thwaaaa-key!"
A barrage of leaves flew from its head while Seaking was still in the air, just before a reverberating blast of water exploded in its face. The leaves struck true, and Seaking cried out and fell into the water with a painful-sounding splash.
For a tense moment, both Pokémon looked like they might get knocked out. But when Seaking broke the surface again, though it was panting heavily, it still had strength, and a second after that, Thwackey stumbled to its feet…only to keep stumbling.
"Oh no," Mary-Sue gasped.
"Looks like Thwackey's confused!" Misty observed. "Seaking, hit it with Horn Attack before it gets its bearings!"
"Thwackey, listen to my voice," Aaron said calmly. "Please, focus on me."
"Thwaaaa…aaa…aa…"
"You need to dodge," Aaron went on, still speaking in an even tone. "Listen to me, Thwackey. You can see clearly."
"Th…Thwa…aack…"
Come on, Thwackey, Mary-Sue prayed, willing Thwackey to stop teetering before Seaking's attack landed. Come on, come on…!
"King!"
Horn Attack hit Thwackey dead-on, knocking it into the water, where it floated, unmoving.
"Thwackey is unable to battle!" the blue-haired girl called from the sidelines. "The winner is Seaking!"
"Return," Aaron sighed, returning Thwackey to its Pokéball.
"Well…Seaking looks like it's almost done," Jovi said slowly. "Whatever he sends out next can probably finish it off without too much trouble."
"Yeah…" Mary-Sue hugged Budew a little tighter.
"Alright, Zigzagoon, you're up," Aaron said, tossing his next Pokéball with clear frustration on his face.
"Zig-zagoon!" barked his loyal friend.
"If you can just hit Seaking once, it'll be done," Aaron told it curtly. "Try not to get hit before that happens, okay?"
"Zig?" Zigzagoon looked back at him, as though confused.
"Don't take your frustration out on Zigzagoon!" Mary-Sue screamed from her seat. "You need to trust your Pokémon!"
Aaron turned to her, and their eyes met for a moment. Then, he nodded and turned back to the battlefield. "I just mean to be careful," he told Zigzagoon. "I need you to be at full strength for her next Pokémon."
"Don't start planning for my next Pokémon when you still haven't beaten my first one," Misty laughed. "Dive, Seaking!"
"Sea sea…" Seaking could barely speak, but submerged itself all the same.
"Get ready," Aaron instructed. "Be prepared to use Snarl when it comes up, but focus on dodging first."
"Zigza!" The black-and-white Pokémon's fur bristled as it braced itself.
"Go for it!" Misty called.
"Seeeea, kiiiing!"
Seaking leapt from the water, aiming its scaly body at Zigzagoon, but it wasn't as fast as it had been. Zigzagoon jumped at the last second, then turned for it and let out a burst of dark, vicious energy from its snout. The spotted fish hit the pontoon, and on landing, didn't even have the strength to roll back into the pool.
"Seaking is unable to battle!" called the referee. "The winner is Zigzagoon!"
"Oh well," Misty sighed, her smile only dimming a little. "You did your best, Seaking. Get some rest now."
Her Pokémon barely gurgled as it dissolved in a cloud of red light and returned to its Pokéball.
"Now, Misty calls…Starmie!" she shouted, and the two-segmented star with a faceted jewel at its center emerged from her next capsule.
"Aaron was counting on Thwackey to be his ace," Mary-Sue murmured. "Zigzagoon's strong too, but I'm not sure it can handle Misty's other two Pokémon on its own…"
"You've got this, Zigzagoon," Aaron said. "Now, use Baby-Doll Eyes!"
"Ziiiig, za!" The Galarian Pokémon faced down Starmie and tilted its head; from what little of its face Mary-Sue could see, its eyes had gone big and shiny. In response, its mouthless opponent let out an unnerving sound that no human could interpret.
"Don't get distracted, Starmie!" Misty called. "Use Confuse Ray!"
"Try to dodge it!" Aaron yelped.
An unearthly glow slowly floated out of Starmie's jewel; Zigzagoon tried to run, but the light just chased it until it engulfed Zigzagoon completely.
"Ziig…zaa…" Zigzagoon wobbled from side to side, unsteady on its feet.
"Focus, Zigzagoon," Aaron said again, taking on that same calm, even tone he'd used with Thwackey. "You know how to see clearly, we've been through this before. Listen to my voice, and focus."
"Ziig…zaa…"
"Focus," Aaron repeated. "Don't let your sight be clouded."
"Ziig…zaa…"
"Alright Starmie, use Bubblebeam!" Misty directed.
The star-shaped creature screeched, power gathering at the tip of its upward-facing point.
"Listen to me, Zigzagoon. Focus on my voice. Clear your eyes."
"Ziig…zaa…" Zigzagoon tottered as a stream of bubbles came straight for it…then shook its head wildly and steadied. "Zigza!" it declared.
"Alright!" Aaron cheered. "Now, Snarl, there's no time to dodge!"
"Ziiiiig!" Another blast of dark energy burst from Zigzagoon's snout as it shouted, the short-range burst flying out to meet the bubbles. Colliding power exploded, and Zigzagoon darted out from the cloud of smoke, apparently unharmed.
"Go for Headbutt!" Aaron shouted.
"Ziiiigza!" his partner cried as it leapt towards Starmie's floating form. "Ziiiig-zagoon!" Its head smacked squarely into Starmie's jewel, sending the creature flying.
"Dive, Starmie!" Misty called.
Starmie spun both halves of its body wildly, trying to redirect its momentum, and it managed to fall back into the pool right on the very edge of the expanse of water and disappear below the surface.
"Let's try to hit it with Lick when it comes," Aaron told his Pokémon. "That could give you an opening to use Snarl, and that'll do massive damage!"
"Goon goon!" Zigzagoon nodded, spreading its weight out slightly.
Aaron and Zigzagoon work so well together, Mary-Sue thought. It's like they're totally in sync, more so than any of his other Pokémon. That's wonderful, but…maybe he should try to learn to meet his other Pokémon halfway?
A dark shadow darted around deep in the pool, and Zigzagoon and Aaron both did their best to keep track of it. Only when it managed to escape them for a split second by flying under the pontoon Zigzagoon was standing on did Misty shout, "Now!"
With an unearthly shriek, Starmie erupted from the water behind Zigzagoon; in the time it took the black-and-white creature to turn around, Starmie manage to slam into it.
"Goooon!"
"Lick it!" Aaron yelped.
Zigzagoon twisted around in midair, its lolling tongue growing massive and running up the length of Starmie's body as they tumbled into the pool together. When they breached the surface again, Zigzagoon immediately started paddling back to the pontoon, while Starmie let out distressed noises.
"Alright, got the paralysis!" Aaron cheered. "Use Snarl, Zigzagoon!"
It was a bit far for the attack to reach, but Zigzagoon didn't hesitate to jump back into the water in order to obey its trainer's command. Starmie jerked and shuddered, unable to dodge, as Zigzagoon descended on it and blasted it with dark energy before landing with a splash, forcing an earsplitting scream from the mouthless creature.
"Yeah! Good hit!" Aaron thrust a fist into the air triumphantly. "Now hurry, get out of the water!"
"Goon goon!" Zigzagoon paddled its little legs as quickly as it could for the nearest pontoon, while Starmie reoriented itself and turned to face its opponent.
"Bubblebeam, Starmie!" Misty called.
Hissing and screeching, the battered Pokémon mustered its power and fired a jet of bubbles at Zigzagoon from the uppermost tip of its body. Zigzagoon was still trying to swim for dry ground, but couldn't go nearly fast enough to avoid the attack.
"Duck under the water!" Aaron yelped.
Mary-Sue bit her lip; that was the sort of call she would have made, but considering the force of the oncoming blast and Zigzagoon's limited swimming ability, it might be risky. Still, Aaron's trusted partner obeyed, turning tail up and clawing its way under the surface as the Bubblebeam attack reached it. An explosion of water filled the arena, and Aaron lifted his arms to shield his face from the spray; when the air cleared, Zigzagoon was nowhere to be seen.
"Zigzagoon?!" Aaron called. "Buddy?! Where are you?!"
"I was worried about that," Mary-Sue mumbled.
"Use Dive and find it!" Misty commanded Starmie, and the creature stuttered its strange noises and vanished into the pool.
"Come on, Zigzagoon," Aaron begged into the empty air. "Come on, buddy, you need to get out of the water…!" He closed his eyes. "Please…"
A soft splash barely reached Mary-Sue's ears; squinting, she was just able to make out a little black-and-white head poking out of the pool just behind the pontoon Aaron was standing on. Aaron didn't turn around, didn't even react, and Zigzagoon didn't climb out, either. There's no way they don't know where each other are, Mary-Sue thought. So…they must be planning something…?
Deep in the water, a dark shape began to materialize, the water stirring as Starmie charged for the surface. Tension stretched across the scene as Aaron and his partner held perfectly still - until, all of a sudden, Aaron whirled around and flung a hand out commandingly towards where his friend was waiting.
"Jump and Headbutt!" he yelled.
With the claws it had been using to perch on the edge of the pontoon, Zigzagoon pushed off and launched into the air just as Starmie burst from the water; the Galarin Pokémon changed direction by kicking out with its hind legs and scraping the corner to turn around, then dove towards Starmie, ready to meet it head-on. The two Pokémon collided, Zigzagoon's head slamming into Starmie's jewel, the force of the water-type Pokémon's attack ironically lending more force to its opponent's move. Zigzagoon was flung backwards, straight at Aaron, who caught it in his arms before letting it nimbly leap out and land lightly on its feet. Starmie, meanwhile, crashed into the water with a tremendous splash, and when it floated to the surface, it did not move.
"Starmie is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "The winner is Zigzagoon!"
"Yes!" Aaron cheered, jumping with elation. "Way to go, buddy!"
"Zig zig!" Zigzagoon barked happily, shaking water from its spiky fur. "Zig-zagoon!"
"Not bad," Misty remarked, smiling as she called her defeated Pokémon back to its capsule. "Time for my own best friend. Misty calls…Golduck!"
"Gooool, duck duck!" proclaimed the new, beaked creature as it emerged, standing on a pontoon and raising its webbed hands menacingly.
"Zigza!" Zigzagoon barked, weaving its way through Aaron's legs to face its new opponent. "Zig zig!"
"Alright," Aaron said softly, his fingers curling into fists. "Here we go."
"We still don't know exactly how this Pokémon fights," Jovi remarked. "It beat Grookey out of nowhere last time."
"We do know it uses psychic power, though," Mary-Sue pointed out, "and Zigzagoon's immune to that."
In the young redhead's arms, Budew had gone completely still, its gaze fixed on the battlefield.
"Baby-Doll Eyes, Zigzagoon!" Aaron called.
"Dive, Golduck!" Misty shouted at the same time.
Before Zigzagoon could even tilt its head, Golduck disappeared into the pool, the dark shadow unnervingly swift as it darted around beneath the pontoons. Mary-Sue gave Budew a light squeeze in alarm.
"Brace yourself," Aaron told Zigzagoon. "Get ready to use Lick, maybe we can slow it down."
"Zigza," Zigzagoon nodded gravely.
"Now!" Misty yelled.
Quick as a flash, the blue blur erupted from the water, flying towards Zigzagoon; Aaron's partner didn't even have time to react before Golduck slammed into it, knocking it into the pool with it.
"Try to Lick it!" Aaron begged as Zigzagoon went flying. "Come on, buddy, you can do it!"
"Zigzaaaaaa!" Zigzagoon wailed, floundering.
"Use Scratch, Golduck!" came Misty's command.
"Try for Baby-Doll Eyes, or Lick, or - or something!" Aaron pleaded, and Mary-Sue winced internally. A trainer needs to keep their head in battle; if they can't stay calm, neither can their Pokémon…
"Ziiig…" Zigzagoon turned towards the oncoming water-type Pokémon, and its red eyes went big and round. Golduck faltered slightly before its glowing claws reached their target, and the blow didn't hit as hard as it could have. Even so, Zigzagoon was exhausted, and Golduck's Scratch was enough to knock it out.
"Zigzagoon is unable to battle!" the referee declared as Zigzagoon floated belly-up in the water. "The winner is Golduck!"
"Shoot," Mary-Sue muttered, eyeing Aaron as he called his best friend back to its Pokéball.
"Toxel and Oddish both have a disadvantage here, since they're both weak to psychic power," Jovi remarked softly. "I'd say their odds are about the same."
Mary-Sue just watched gravely. Toxel has the Static ability, but Golduck won't need to touch it to defeat it, she reflected; Oddish is light on its feet, but it doesn't have any means of slowing Golduck down. She squeezed Budew a little tighter. Aaron…
"Alright, who's your last Pokémon?" Misty called to the young trainer who was standing still, staring at the capsules in his hands. "Choose wisely!"
Both girls held their breaths.
"I choose…" Aaron looked back and forth between the balls in each hand one last time, then lifted his chin and threw one. "…you, Oddish!"
"Oddish dish!" the little plant declared happily as it emerged, and it twirled on one tiny foot.
"Oddish, it's all up to you," Aaron told it. "This is the last battle for our gym badge, and I'm counting on you."
"Dishish, dish," Oddish nodded at him, and it turned to face down the water-type Pokémon that would have towered over it if it was standing.
"That Golduck is fast," Aaron told his newest partner, "and it can use psychic power. But I have an idea…"
"Use Confusion, Golduck!" Misty ordered.
"Goooool-duck duck!" Golduck crossed its arms, the red gem on its forehead glowing, and Oddish was surrounded by blue light and lifted into the air.
"Use Sweet Scent, Oddish!" Aaron called.
"Oooooodd…" Oddish's leaves began to flutter and sway, fanning a pleasant aroma into the air that even the onlookers could smell after a minute.
"Gol…?" Golduck's head tilted, as though its concentration was being broken.
"Don't get distracted!" Misty encouraged. "You can beat it with one good hit!"
But the light surrounding Oddish was fading.
"Now, use Absorb!" Aaron told Oddish.
"Oooodd-dish!" Oddish declared as it began to glow; green light surrounded Golduck, then exploded from it to soak into the grass-type Pokémon.
"Duuuuck!" Golduck cried, and its Confusion attack broke completely, depositing Oddish back on the pontoon.
"Alright, use Sweet Scent again!"
Oddish twirled around and fanned its leaves, a second wave of soothing aroma filling the stadium.
"Golduck, concentrate," Misty said to her partner. "Can you try using Confusion again?"
Golduck shook its head hard, as though trying to fling something off its beaked face, but when it crossed its arms again, the tiny red dot on its forehead didn't shine.
"Use Poisonpowder before it rallies!" Aaron called out.
Again, Oddish fluttered its leaves, but instead of a scent, a cloud of purple powder rose from its body, and it fanned the shimmering dust towards Golduck. The powder settled on Golduck's blue skin, and it cried out and began to list to the side.
"Dive, Golduck, wash it off!" Misty ordered.
"Alright Oddish, be ready to move," Aaron said as Golduck vanished.
"Oddish dish!" nodded the little plant.
"Dew…" Mary-Sue barely heard the friend in her arms give a soft remark.
When Golduck emerged from the water again, Oddish didn't hesitate; it hopped along the pontoon before leaping towards another, twirling in midair. It wasn't faster than Golduck, but Golduck always had to commit to an arc of movement every time it lunged, and Oddish danced in just an irregular enough pattern that Golduck couldn't quite hit it.
"You're doing great, Oddish!" Aaron cheered. "If it flies over you, try using another Poisonpowder!" For Golduck had apparently dived quickly enough to prevent the poison from setting in.
"Diiish diiish, diiish…" the bulb chirped, almost happily, as it kept dancing.
"Fall back and regroup!" Misty commanded her Pokémon. "Dive!"
"Gooooool…" The water-type monster disappeared under the surface again, grumbling in frustration.
"Fill the air with Sweet Scent before it comes back up!" Aaron shouted. "Give it everything you've got!"
"Oooooooodd…!"
The Sweet Scent was so thick it was almost cloying; a pink tint filled the air. When Golduck emerged again, it immediately lost its bearings.
"Use Acid!" Aaron called. "We've got this, Oddish!"
"Oooodd, dish dish!" Oddish crouched down and aimed the top of its head at Golduck, firing a glob of purple goo at the creature. It hit directly, and Golduck wailed and fell back into the water.
"You've really got me backed into a corner, huh?!" Misty laughed. "If Golduck could get just one hit on your Oddish, this would be over, but you're running us in circles!"
"We're not gonna let you get that one hit," Aaron declared. "Oddish, ready Acid again for the next time it comes up!"
"Golduck, all you have to do is Scratch it!" Misty called. "One hit is all it'll take, so just concentrate!"
Another glob of goo hit Golduck in the face as it swiped its glowing claws at Oddish, not only hurting it but momentarily blinding it enough that Oddish was able to jump out of the way. Both Pokémon were standing on one pontoon now, Golduck seemingly realizing that trying to use the water to protect itself would only give Oddish time to prepare a counterattack.
"Dodge it, and use Poisonpowder when there's an opening!" Aaron called. "Use its size against it!"
"Duck! Duck! Duck!" Golduck snarled as it lashed out at its tiny opponent again and again. Oddish, meanwhile, ducked under its legs and jumped onto its arms to avoid the attacks, and when Golduck stumbled, more purple powder wafted from its leaves and blew directly into Golduck's face.
"Oh?" Mary-Sue blinked.
"It's just like how Budew fought Onix!" Jovi exclaimed.
"Now Absorb!"
Golduck staggered, its very skin tinted with a sickly purple color, but kept trying to Scratch. Not a single one landed, and Oddish managed to fire off three Absorb attacks uninterrupted. Gasping, Golduck went still, as though trying to catch its breath, though that would only give the poison more time.
Then Misty yelled out, "Confusion, now!"
Aaron flinched; the Sweet Scent had long since dissipated, and when Golduck crossed its arms, a blue glow began to surround Oddish.
"Oddish, use Acid!" Aaron shouted. "We're so close, give it all you've got!"
"Ooooooooddd…!"
"Goooool, duck duck…"
"Diiiiiiiish…dish!"
Just as Oddish rose to Golduck's eye level, it launched a glob of purple gunk at the water-type Pokémon, which smacked directly into Golduck's face hard enough to send it flying backwards. It tripped and fell into the water, and Oddish was released, landing lightly on its tiny feet.
All was silent for a long minute. Then, Golduck floated to the surface of the water.
"Duuuck…"
It didn't move.
"Golduck is unable to battle!" called the referee. "The winner is Oddish, which means victory goes to the challenger, Aaron!"
"YEAH!" Aaron flung up his fists and leapt into the air. "Way to go, Oddish! I knew you could do it!"
"Dish dish!" Oddish twirled around and around on one little foot with joy.
"Wow," Jovi said, letting out a deep breath. "That was quite a battle."
"Good going, Aaron!" Mary-Sue called to her friend as he climbed onto Misty's Lapras.
The two girls hurried around the side of the pool to meet him as he landed on the edge. Budew was still in Mary-Sue's arms, oddly silent as she carried it along.
"That was impressive, Aaron," Jovi smiled as the trio reunited.
"Not my best," Aaron admitted; "I kinda panicked at one point there. But good thing Oddish likes to move."
"Dewew, Budew dew!" Budew spoke up.
"I guess we owe you some thanks too, Budew," Aaron said to it. "The way you fought Onix in Mt. Moon gave me a last-second idea that totally saved me."
"Dew…?" The baby Pokémon's eyes were big and shining as it looked up at the humans around it.
"Well, Aaron," Misty spoke up, and everyone turned to see her walking over with a small object clutched in her hand, "you've definitely improved. I'm happy to present you with the Cascade Badge!" She grinned and opened her palm, revealing a shiny blue teardrop-shaped gem. "Congratulations!"
"Thank you so much, ma'am," Aaron grinned, taking the little blue jewel. He pulled a box out of his backpack and placed his new badge inside it; curious, Mary-Sue leaned over his shoulder and saw two other badges nestled within.
"So…any idea where you're going next?" Misty asked the group.
"Saffron's closest," Mary-Sue shrugged. "And didn't you tell me the Gym Leader there had a story to tell about the Champion?"
Misty laughed. "Oh, she has quite a story," she nodded. "Make sure she gives you all the details, okay?"
"I will!" Mary-Sue chirped.
"Well, good luck to all of you on your journey," Misty said, and her smile softened, going almost sad as she panned over them. But she didn't say anything more, and the three young travelers thanked her and walked outside, ready to continue.