Journey

Death of Duty

Part 3: The Battle of Celadon

Rainbow

It's important to remember that battles are supposed to be fun. — Nimbasa City Gym Leader Elesa Kamitsure

Good luck, Marcus! Whole bar is rooting for you! Wish I could be there!

I looked up from my gear, a confident smile etched on my face. I had this. I could win this battle. I had people behind me, people I didn't even know who knew my name.

The doors cracked open and the sweet smell of flowers wafted into the hallway. I exhaled one last time and stepped out into the arena.

I held up one arm, blocking the blinding stadium lights. I could barely see, but my feet knew which way to go. I crossed to my waiting platform, peering across the battlefield at my opponent.

Erika was already waiting on her platform, clad in a dazzling kimono that shimmered in every colour of the rainbow. Her smile was kind and genuine and I resolved to speak with her after the battle regardless of the result. She met my eyes with her own and nodded respectfully.

"WELCOME ONE AND ALL!" Boomed the announcer. "WE HAVE A TREAT FOR YOU TONIGHT!"

The crowd roared in answer and I felt my platform rise off the ground.

The lights dimmed and the announcer's voice quieted slightly. "Intermediate challenger, Marcus Wright has challenged Leader Erika Minwha for his fourth Indigo League badge."

The massive screen adorning one wall of the arena lit up, the league crest spinning into view. Erika's face appeared alongside four pokeballs. My own face appeared on my side of the screen, my four pokeballs appearing under my face.

"Both Leader and challenger will be using four pokemon today. The challenger may use two substitutions at any point while Leader Erika may not."

The lights flooded the field and even though I knew what was coming, it could never have prepared me. The ground split open, the two halves of the opening sliding apart to reveal the true battlefield beneath.

I gasped as a slice of tropical greenery rose into place. A canopy of leaves rose towards me, obscuring the battlefield floor. I fought to keep my jaw from dropping as the trees kept rising, stretching far above my head.

The battlefield ground into place with the heavy whirr of machinery. I closed my mouth and smirked across the field at Erika. I'd seen stadiums change battlefield's before but never in person, much less as one of the participants. It was truly awe inspiring.

I raised my first ball, already knowing who I was using as my lead. I pushed away the distractions, tuned out the crowd, and set my eyes on my opponent.

Erika imitated me from her own platform, her first ball ready and waiting. She nodded slightly, giving me the courtesy of releasing my pokemon first.

I tossed my ball up, watching it burst open with a confident grin. I had a heavy edge, with three of my four pokemon possessing type advantages over grass types. Typing wasn't everything, something that I had proved in spades during my challenges, but it definitely was an advantage.

Pride materialized from the flash of red light. He trampled a small path through the underbrush and looked up at me. My nidorino pawed at the ground and snorted impatiently, waiting for an opponent to appear.

Erika's pokemon appeared opposite Pride and I nodded in acknowledgement. The pokemon's signature stench filled the air, making my eyes water even at a distance. The strange little pod shook the flower on its head and I fought back the urge to gag on the smell.

"Leader Erika has chosen 'Gum' the vileplume to start the battle against the challenger's 'Pride' the nidorino."

I smirked. Erika's intermediate team had nothing that could hit Pride effectively. He would be immune to any poison effects and could effectively wall most of Gum's grass type attacks.

Erika bowed her head, ceremonially conceding the first move to me. I bowed my head in return as the crowd began to swell with excitement.

"Light as a feather!" I shouted, my voice booming over the field louder and more confident than any of my previous battles. "Get in close!"

Pride bounded forward, keeping his head up instead of lowering his horn and charging. We'd been working on his agility almost since I had caught him. He would never be as fast as Luna, or even Vector, but he was faster than he looked.

Gum pointed the flower on his head at Pride and I watched it bulge slightly. I waited carefully, watching the bulb of the flower quiver slightly.

"Sidestep turn!" I roared, knowing that the gloom was close to losing hold on the attack.

Pride leapt to the side mid-stride. Gum tried to compensate as my nidorino charged off on a different trajectory, but the vileplume couldn't follow fast enough.

A cone of paralytic spores nearly twenty feet long erupted from the bulb of Gum's flower, painting the forest floor with pale yellow dust.

"Take down!" I roared, spotting our opening.

Pride changed direction again, bearing down on Gum as he waddled away lethargically. The vileplume would never be fast enough to dodge effectively though. Pride slammed into his opponent, tossing the grass type into a tree with the impact.

"Follow up! Fury attack, keep up the pressure!"

Pride skidded to a halt, careening off a tree and bouncing through a particularly thorny bush. I heard him bellow in frustration and he burst out of the bush a moment later.

Gum closed his eyes, face screwing up in concentration. Nothing happened for a long moment and I counted the moments until Pride connected with the vileplume.

The sun hadn't completely set yet, still bathing the arena in a warm evening light. I had to shield my eyes as the sunlight grew harsher and hotter than a dry summer day. It nearly blinded me with the sudden intensity, but Pride knew what he was doing.

Again, my nidorino smashed into Gum. Instead of launching the vileplume with a toss of the shoulder, Pride had him pinned against a tree. My nidorino hammered Gum back into the tree a second time, then a third.

I heard the sharp blast of a whistle come from Erika and followed her eyes down to her pokemon. Gum hit the tree a fourth time and I saw a puff of yellow dust eke out of the pokemon's bulb

"Clear away!" I shouted, hoping Pride was fast enough.

He reacted before the words had even left my mouth. Gum's bulb exploded again, covering the place Pride had just been with another cone of yellow spores.

My nidorino came back around, pacing the vileplume just outside of spore range. Pride snorted, his eyes glued to the flower dancing towards him.

"Shit, look out!"

A storm of petals shook from the vileplume's flower. Gum's seeming clumsiness must have been feigned, because he dashed forward faster than Pride could react to.

The storm of petals wouldn't be overly effective against poison types like Pride, but Gum had sudden speed and surprise on his side. He thrashed my nidorino with the storm, growing closer with every step. Pride shied back, his eyes shut as he dashed through the storm.

We didn't have the advantage anymore. I needed to do something.

"Poison jab!" I shouted as Erika yelled her own desperate response.

Pride closed the gap, his horn lowered as Gum turned to face him. Pride buried his horn up to the base even as Gum opened his mouth and vomited a gob of putrid purple sludge in my nidorino's face.

Erika's vileplume shrieked with pain as Pride happily shook the toxic sludge off his face. Nidorino blood for all intents and purposes was poison. While vileplume could produce their own toxins, they were not overly fond of foreign toxins.

What that meant, was that Pride could practically bathe in whatever vomit Gum was producing. He happily would frolic through a lake of the stuff and probably come out smiling.

I saw Gum's bulb compress and quiver again and knew that we had moments. Erika wasn't going to let us do what we wanted, even if she was at a type disadvantage.

"Clear away!" I shouted.

Pride tore his horn free, bounding away as fast as his legs could carry him. He made it three paces before Gum lowered his head. A second cone of spores exploded from the vileplume, shimmering slightly in the bright stadium lights.

I inhaled sharply. The spores were different, falling slower than the first batch had. They were pale silver, with none of the brilliant yellow sheen that the paralytic spores possessed. Soporific, most likely.

"Pride, run!" I shouted.

He doubled his speed, plowing his way through the spores. I watched his head droop and he plowed off a tree trunk. He landed heavily on his side, snoring deeply before he even hit the ground.

I swore as Gum lumbered over towards Pride with all the time in the world. The round little pod pressed his bulb up against Pride as dozens of tiny vines grabbed hold of him. I watched helplessly as Gum lifted my nidorino into the air and began to drain the life out of Pride.

It was slow at first, watching the vileplume get a good hold on the larger pokemon while I shouted my lungs out. He couldn't quite get his vines all the way around Pride, even if Pride offered no resistance whatsoever.

Then I saw it. The telltale glow of fain green swirling around Gum's bulb that told me he had a hold. He would drain the life out of Pride before my pokemon could even wake up, erasing all the damage we had done like it had never happened.

I gritted my teeth. I had no clue when Pride might wake up. He was as good as useless to me until he did though. I raised his ball and did the only thing I could. I returned him, conceding my first substitution.

The crowd roared as Pride disappeared in the usual flash of red light. I slotted the ball back onto my belt, taking a long moment to select my next while the massive screen flashed with a thirty second timer.

Pride's eyes closed and his icon greyed out. The league's theme swelled over the dull roar of the crowd.

"Challenger Wright has used his first substitution! Looks like Gum is more than that nidorino can handle."

He paused for a moment, then continued droning on about Erika's invincibility. I tuned him out, tuned out the crowd, tuned out the lights. I shut it all out until it was just me and Erika. The noise and the light was still there, but it didn't bother me anymore.

Acolyte was at a disadvantage to grass types and I wasn't keen on sending him to fight a suddenly empowered Gum. Luna was to be kept in reserve until I really needed her, which left me with only one choice.

I lifted my newest ball, a cocksure grin on my face. It was all fake confidence, false bravado that I prayed would win me the round. Vector didn't know any proper commands, barely listened to the simplest of order. But he could fight. He was fast. He was fierce. He was perfect.

"Go, Vector!" I shouted, tossing the ball up into the air. He materialized just above the treetops and disappeared into them with a flutter of his wings.

"Looks like challenger Wright has brought a new pokemon onto his team, folks!"

I smirked at the announcer's words. Erika hadn't been expecting another pokemon with an advantage over hers. She was going down.

I cracked my knuckles and blew a quick whistle blast. I hadn't had much luck with teaching Vector any proper commands, but he had at least learned to come when called. He buzzed above the treetops, looking up at me with his beady black eyes.

"That vileplume is hurt. It's fast. It'll try to take you by surprise. Wait for your opening and watch out for spores."

I didn't know whether he could understand my words. But pokemon understand intent better than any person I've ever met. He knew what I wanted. He knew that I believed in him. He buzzed his wings and disappeared back into the trees. He was on the ground in a flash, glowering menacingly at the vileplume.

The horn blared to signal the start of the battle and I leaned back with an easy smile on my face. Vector didn't need my help. Not yet.

"Gum, petal dance!"

The vileplume bounded forwards, racing towards my heracross as a storm of pale pink petals billowed out from the flower on his head. Vector buzzed his wings and took off before the grass type could close the distance. A few of the petals whipped against Vector's carapace, but the rest whistled harmlessly through the air.

Gum stumbled and tripped over his own feet suddenly. He flailed wildly, trying desperately to right his oversized head.

I howled an order to attack, but I didn't need to. Vector knew an opening when he saw one.

My heracross sliced through the air so quickly that I would have missed it if I had blinked. 'Aerial ace,' I thought to myself, recognizing the move from one of the videos on heracross' move pool. I leaned over the edge of my platform as Vector clipped Gum as he soared past.

The vileplume was catapulted from the force of the impact. He soared through the air, bouncing off a pair of trees before crashing heavily through a bush and out of sight.

Vector landed in front of the bush triumphantly and I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. That had to have done it. No way Gum had tanked tha-

"Solar beam!"

I didn't have time to shout. I didn't have time for anything. The sun was still beaming down from above and Gum hardly needed any time to gather the necessary energy. A beam of pure sunlight erupted from the bush, blasting my heracross through the artificial forest.

Vector rolled to a halt in the dirt, hardly making a noise as a pair of trees clipped by the beam crashed down. He struggled to to rise, his limbs fighting the pain. He was resistant to grass type attacks, but something like that was going to hurt regardless.

I grimaced as I realized that Surge's words were painfully true. I had to tighten up and stop leaving myself open to counters. Forget clearing intermediate rank, I was in danger of losing this battle. Something that would get Curie killed.

I clenched my fists and stared down at the field. Vector hardly knew a single command. But I had a feeling that it was more him refusing to listen than a lack of understanding. I had to change that fast.

I did the only thing I could think of to slow the battle down and give me a second to talk to my pokemon. I lifted Vector's ball and returned him. The thirty second timer appeared on the screen again as I released Vector beside me.

"What's this?" exclaimed the announcer. "It looks like challenger Wright has burned his second substitution before Erika has lost a single pokemon! This battle is not going the way the challenger was hoping."

I reached out to my bug and tuned out the announcer, brushing my hand against Vector's still warm carapace. His chitinous exterior was still smoking where the solar beam had hit him. His wings buzzed warily and I swore a sigh of relief when I saw that they weren't damaged. He jumped at the touch but didn't move to fly away.

"Look," I started in a stern tone. "I know I didn't ask if you wanted to come with me. I know I didn't give you a choice in the matter, and you're smart enough that I'm uncomfortable with that." I softened my face and smiled warmly at my heracross. "Listen to me for this one battle. Let me prove to you that I can help you be stronger than you are. I promise you that I can help you be stronger than you would ever be on your own." I reached into my pack, pulling out one of the sugar cubes I'd bought to woo my newest pokemon over. "What do you say?" I asked.

His tongue flitted out, curling around the sugar cube. It disappeared into his mouth and he nodded at me.

"Good," I said as the horn marking the thirty seconds blared. "Don't get caught admiring your last attack. Always expect a counter and be ready to evade."

Vector nodded and his wings buzzed out. He took off onto the field, hopefully ready to listen to my direction. He landed in front of Gum, his wings buzzing as he tended for action.

Erika pointed forward, already mouthing her next order.

I did the same, drowning her order out with my own. "Aerial ace!"

Vector lifted off like he had been shot from a cannon. He weaved a jagged path through the trees as motes of sunlight began to gather in the bulb of Gum's flower.

The solar beam erupted with the same ferocity that it had before, carving through a half dozen trees as the vileplume tracked after my pokemon.

Vector changed direction suddenly as Gum's attack veered closer. My heracross cut directly across Gum's path, cutting under the solar beam as Gum failed to correct fast enough.

Trees fell in droves as Gum carved his beam after Vector. But he was too slow, too slow to stop my heracross from ending it.

The solar beam fizzled out just before Vector connected with his pronged horn. I saw the exhausted look on Gum's face and almost felt sorry for him. Then my heracross tossed his head and catapulted the beaten vileplume into one of the few remaining trees. The trunk snapped and slowly but surely, the tree toppled to the ground along with the unconscious vileplume.

Gum's battered body disappeared in a flash of red light. I finally let out my breath and caught the happy look in Vector's eyes. We had won the round. I almost didn't care that we were losing the battle. Gum was the strongest pokemon we had battled yet and I couldn't help the swell of pride in my chest.

A squat reptilian pokemon landed on all fours, the bulb on her back quivering in anticipation. I smirked as a tangle of vines emerged from the base of the flower. An ivysaur. We could take an ivysaur.

"Erika has chosen Lush, the ivysaur to battle against the challenger's heracross. Let's see if that tenacious bug can handle a real battle!"

I pointed forward, crowd roaring in my ears. "Horn attack!"

Vector buzzed off the ground, charging the squat ivysaur. She shook the flower on her back, casting a storm of razor sharp leaves at my heracross. Vector plowed through the razor leaf with his head lowered.

Lush attempted to bound out of Vector's path, but my heracross adjusted effortlessly. He buried his horn in Lush's left flank, drawing a spurt of blood that painted his face.

"Get above it!" I shouted. I saw the tensing up of Lush's bulb and I knew what she was about to do. We would only have moments.

Vector rose straight into the air, buffeting the ivysaur with wind from his wings. It wasn't strong enough to inflict damage, but that hadn't been the point.

Lush let loose with a spout of spores that would have put Vector out of commission. The wind off his wings caught them, pushing the stun spore back onto Lush and the surrounding area. The pale yellow dust painted the ground, coating Lush in such a thick layer that she was more yellow than green.

I knew the spores wouldn't affect Lush, but it was supremely satisfying to see the ivysaur's attack nullified so completely. Made me proud of my newest pokemon.

"Now, horn attack!"

Vector cut his flight, dropping back towards Lush like a rock. He led with his wickedly pronged horn, wings guiding him down onto the fleeing ivysaur. He skewered the grass type again, burying his horn deep into Lush's other flank and lifting her off the ground. The ivysaur struggled desperately as Erika shouted orders but there was no escape now.

"Now seismic toss!"

Vector tossed Lush off of his horn, smashing her into one of the fallen tree trunks. His wings buzzed and he took off again, a storm of yellow spores kicked up in his wake.

Lush stumbled to her feet, clearly dazed by the blow. A a pair of vines extended out from her flower but she wasn't moving fast enough to grab a hold of Vector.

My heracross slammed into the ivysaur bodily, bowling her onto her side. He wrapped both arms around her torso and grabbed hold with a crushingly strong grip.

I heard Lush wail in pain and realized that Erika had started with one of her stronger pokemon. Gum had been far stronger than Lush was and I was realizing that I wasn't quite as overmatched as I had thought. Perhaps I could still win this battle.

Vector buzzed his wings again, carrying the ivysaur up into the air. I saw Lush's vines flailing and whipping uselessly against Vector's armoured exterior and knew that the round was won. It was only a matter of time.

Vector turned in mid air, diving towards the ground with all the strength that he had. Lush's vines wrapped around him, desperately holding on for dear life. She would never be strong enough to hold.

My heracross let go of Lush as he flipped and put everything he had into gaining altitude. The ivysaur's vines would never have been strong enough to hold on. Erika's pokemon lost her grip and plummeted down into the earthen field. I didn't watch the impact, but I knew from the cold stare Erika gave me that Lush was down for the count.

"How the tables have turned!" boomed the announcer. "Challenger Wright seems to have turned this battle back onto our dear Leader with a single pokemon. Can that heracross keep it up?"

Erika tossed her next ball into the air. A sweet scent filled the air as the victreebell bounced on its leafy feet. A tangle of vines snaked out from the bell-shaped pokemon and it locked its unfeeling eyes on Vector.

"Leader Erika is bringing out the big guns for this challenger! Ronin the victreebell, one of Erika's original league challenge team, has joined the battle here today!"

I clenched my fists. I'd seen Erika's challenge run six years ago, watched her crush team after team with seemingly frail grass-types. Ronin might have been getting a little softer with age, but an elite level pokemon never really forgets those skills.

Vector landed in front of the victreebell, waiting for my order. He was ready. I closed my eyes for a moment, listening to the roar of the crowd. I let the smile cross my face. We could do anything.

Erika pointed forward as the horn blared to start the round. "Leaf blade!"

"Aerial ace!" I answered.

Vector buzzed off the ground, accelerating towards Ronin. The victreebell bounced himself into the air, extending a wickedly sharp vine. The two pokemon collided in a vicious crash, both of them bouncing through the brush.

Ronin popped back up like nothing had happened, already slashing at Vector as he regained his composure. He bounded forward at an unnatural speed, looking almost comical on the leafy appendages he used as feet.

My heracross launched himself off the ground, pushing through a whipping vine and burying his horn as deep as he could in the victreebell's body.

The victreebell recoiled, swinging another leaf blade at my heracross as he pulled himself off my Pokémon's horn. Ronin caught Vector in the shoulder, hewing through the chitin armour like it was nothing and spraying green-blue blood across the forest floor.

Vector shrieked in pain, his wings buzzing and carrying him out of harms way. He looked at me fearfully and I knew that Ronin had likely just dealt my heracross the worst blow he had ever received.

"Aerial ace!" I roared again. We could still take him, but we had to be aggressive. Ronin was too skilled, too experienced to let him have the initiative. We had to force him on the defensive.

My heracross dove back in, trying to hit Ronin before he could set up another attack. We were not fast enough.

A beam of vibrant sunlight erupted from Ronin's mouth just as Vector made contact. The solar beam went wild, clipping Vector in the side as Ronin tumbled away from the impact. My heracross crashed heavily into the dirt, unable to control his flight after such a heavy blow.

I grimaced. The sun was speeding Ronin up, just like it had for Gum. Except this time, Ronin had all the learned experience of an elite level pokemon.

Ronin came up swinging, his vines slashing at Vector's armoured exterior as my bug drove a fist into the grass type's side. Both pokemon leapt back, smarting from the blows and giving the other space.

"He's fast in the sun," I shouted. "Use your power!"

Vector's wings buzzed out and he lifted off the ground. Ronin bent towards my heracross and belched a stream of leaves that smote him in the side.

Vector flailed and wobbled as the leaf storm battered his wings. He struggled to gain some altitude, but he was tiring and couldn't rise as fast as he had before.

Ronin bounced up at my heracross, slashing with his vines again. Vector bobbled and dropped out of the air, bouncing off the ground and landing heavily on his feet.

Vector groaned, retreating towards me slowly. His armoured hide was cracked and bent in a dozen places. He held his fists up, still committed to the fight.

I knew Vector couldn't finish off Ronin right then and there. The grass type was just too fast in the sun. But we could still do damage.

"Get in close! Don't let up!"

Vector charged, leading with his horn. Ronin deflected his horn away with a vine but my heracross followed up with a vicious cross punch.

The victreebell jerked back, surprised by the quick follow up. Vector kept up the assault, swinging wildly with his other arm. Ronin was ready though and we'd gotten greedy.

The victreebell caught the wild punch on impact with a vine and seized hold. Another vine whipped out, wrapping around Vector's horn and pulling him closer. More vines curled around my heracross as he thrashed wildly, trapping him in a tight wrap even as he hammered his free arm into the victreebell's side.

"Seismic toss!" I roared, knowing this was our last chance to deal damage. Vector's wings were still free, but it wouldn't be long until he was completely entangled in Ronin's vines.

Vector's wings buzzed out and he rose a few inches off the ground. More of Ronin's vines whipped out, wrapping around Vector's free arms but missing his wings.

My heracross struggled with all his might, rising higher and higher as more vines worked their way around him. His legs were tangled in vines, crushed closer to Ronin's body.

Then it happened. One of Ronin's vines curled around his back, crushing Vector's wings against his body and cutting their thrust. The two pokemon rose a few more feet in the air, carried higher by the momentum Vector had been building. They hung above the ruined treetops for a long moment, suspended in the air at the top of their arc. Then gravity asserted her control over the two pokemon.

They dropped like a pair of imbalanced stones that had been glued together. The two pokemon tumbled through the air, flipping end over end in an inescapable embrace. I lost them in the mangled forest and heard a sickening crash as they landed. A puff of spores spewed into the air from the impact and I knew that Vector was down for the count.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I don't believe it! The challenger's heracross has taken Ronin down!"

I peered through the cloud. Sure enough, both pokemon were splayed out on the ground. I smirked and lifted Vector's ball. He had proved himself stronger than I had ever imagined. I only hoped that I had proved myself a worthy trainer.

I returned him to his ball, hand hovering over my three remaining balls. Erika had ended Blue and Red's challenges with a tangela. There was no reason to assume that would change. My smirk widened. Even if Pride was still fast asleep, Luna alone could probably take a tangela.

Erika raised her last ball, a smug looking smirk on her face. She tossed the ball, the beam of red light growing into the shape of a tangela. It kept growing. Arms sprouted from the sides of the tangela and it tripled in size.

A full-grown tangrowth raised its arms, thick vines all over its body writhing erratically. I felt a shiver run down my spine as my smirk died and immediately knew that I did not like this pokemon.

"LOOK AT THIS SURPRISE!" The announcer's voice was booming, nearly drowning out the ecstatic crowd. "Bramble, the tangela, seems to have evolved since Erika's last match! Erika seems set on crushing this newest challenger!"

My hand dropped to my belt. I only had one pokemon who stood a chance against a tangrowth at full strength. Luna was my only choice. I raised her ball. I tossed it up and lost it in the scorching hot evening sun.

Luna materialized in the midst of the destroyed forest. She padded carefully over a patch of spores and looked up at me. I nodded and she looked back at the tangrowth with no fear in her eyes.

The horn blared for the start of the match. Erika pointed forward as Bramble began to charge. "Poison jab!"

"Agility!" I shouted in response. We couldn't win on strength alone. We had to tire out Bramble, exhaust her as much as possible and only then would we be able to overpower her.

Luna slipped away through the tangled underbrush, practically made for this kind of battle. She was damn near impossible to see, let alone catch. She was born for a test of speed like this.

Bramble charged anyways, barrelling through the underbrush that Luna would slip under or around. Luna was faster, but the tangrowth was larger and heavier. With the sun beaming down, she was even faster still. It would only take one mistake.

"Confuse ray!" I shouted. We had to give ourselves an advantage. We had to slow Bramble down. Or Erika would turn the battle around in a flash.

Luna skidded to a half, her eyes glowing. A spinning vortex of light shot from her eyes and sank into the side of Bramble's head. The tangrowth stumbled suddenly, then tripped over a fallen log. The mass of twisting vines crashed to the ground, crushing the log underneath.

"Flamethrower!"

Luna leapt atop of a tree stump, giving herself a bit of elevation. She sucked in a breath and exhaled a stream of blindingly hot flames.

Bramble shrieked in pain as her vines ignited. She flailed her arms, attempting to put out the fire. The spores coating the ground burst into flame, racing along the ground as the underbrush began to catch.

I smirked. All those spore attacks hadn't done a whole lot to my team, but they had coated most of the forest in a layer of flammable dust. A layer that was now catching alight.

"More fire!" I shouted to Luna.

She was already sucking in another breath. I had barely finished my command when she let another flamethrower loose.

The jet of flames washed over Bramble, igniting mores spores and drawing another shriek of pain from the thrashing tangrowth. The forest floor was alive with fire and I lost both pokemon in the smoke.

"Solar blade!" Erika roared over the fire.

I sucked in a breath as a blade of pure sunlight pierced the smoke. I could hardly see Luna, could only see Bramble by the blade of light she wielded.

"Confuse wisp!" I shouted.

An eerie light appeared in the smoke. It split in two wisps of blue flame, spinning around the tangrowth. It split again, then again. Bramble roared and raised her blade as the wisps of flame circled closer.

Bramble swung her blade, tearing into the mangled and burning forest with a blade of pure sunlight. Shards of flaming wood and chunks of molten earth spewed into the air as the sunlight blade tore into the arena floor.

Luna hit the arena wall hard, catapulted out of the inferno by her opponent's attack. She slid down the wall and limped a step away as she attempted to get her bearings. She collapsed in a heap, her rear legs giving out on her.

Bramble rose from the flaming forest, her vines aflame. It had to be excruciating, but the tangrowth stood strong. She bellowed furiously and charged towards my prone starter.

"Luna, get up."

My vulpix whined in pain, struggling to get her feet under her. She had been tossed headlong into a wall by the solar blade, to say nothing of the damage by blade itself. She attempted to rise, but whimpered in pain

"Luna, please get up."

She planted her feet, hauling herself back up. I could see she was hurting. I scowled at Erika. She had brought the strongest intermediate team I had ever seen. She was playing for keeps. It was something I would make her regret.

I set my feet as the sun dipped below the edge of the stadium. Bramble lost a step as she charged headlong into the shade. I saw her vines burning, saw that her arms were just a braid of vines that was beginning to fray.

"Tear off her arm," I ordered coldly. We hadn't used her newest abilities in battle yet, but she had proved she could manage in practice. "Use psychic."

Luna's eyes flashed purple and time seemed to stop for half a moment. A flash of purple light tore across the field, taking Bramble at the base of her right arm.

The arm tore free effortlessly, spinning off into the ruined forest. Bramble continued her charge unperturbed.

"Again!" I roared as Bramble raised her good arm.

Luna's eyes flashed as the tangrowth swung her good arm like a club. The psychic attack hit dead centre, catapulting the tangrowth across the arena as she smacked Luna back into the wall.

Luna hit the wall with a thud and slumped to the ground. She stirred slightly, looking up at me in pain.

I felt something touch my mind, felt a strange presence intrude for half a moment. All I could feel was sorrow and the crushing pain of failure. My eyes widened as I realized that Luna had finally figured out telepathy. The sensation faded and Luna slumped back to the ground.

I raised her ball, swallowing the lump in my throat. The announcer was booming and the crowd was roaring, but I shut it all out. I returned Luna and prayed that she would be alright.

I lifted my next ball, knowing that the match was coming down to the wire. It would be decided here, decided by my next pokemon. Pride wouldn't be able to do a damn thing to Bramble, leaving me with only one choice.

"Acolyte, go!"

My marowak appeared in the ruined forest, his club already spinning at the ready. He didn't waste any time, locking eyes on the tangrowth and planting his feet.

Bramble strained herself for a moment, and I watched the vines covering her side shift and twist around themselves. A new arm braided around itself and extended to the length the old one had.

Bramble bellowed a challenge, spotting her new opponent. She flexed her arms and I saw a glimpse of blackened skin through a gap in the vines.

I couldn't help the smug smirk. I had just seen the path to victory. Erika had just shown me how to win without even knowing it. The horn blared and I let the smug smirk fade.

"Acolyte, get in close! Bone club!"

Erika pointed forward. "Intercept it with power whip!"

The tangrowth reared back, raising both arms. It snapped the vines forward like a pair of whips, snagging both vines around Acolyte's swinging club.

My marowak grunted as the tangrowth attempted to tear the bone out of his hands but he held fast.

"Tear off those vines," I ordered, a cold calmness coming over my voice.

Acolyte tugged back, spinning his club deftly. He tore the vines from the tangrowth's body at the base, watching as the larger pokemon shifted and braided more of her vines into new arms.

More patches of blackened skin peeked through the tangrowth's vines and I knew that we weren't far off from ending the battle. We just needed to expose a little more.

"Again!" I roared, letting the roar of the crowd fuel me. It was intoxicating. "Bone Club!"

Acolyte raised his club again, ready to deliver a decisive blow. Bramble's arms whipped forward, grabbing at my Pokémon's ankles before he could swing.

Acolyte went down, his club swinging wildly at empty air. Bramble descended on him like a feral beast, arms whipping forward as a dozen more vines extended themselves to strangle the fight from my marowak.

Acolyte got his club up in front of him, intercepting most of the vines before they could snare him.

"Headbutt!" I shouted, hoping that Acolyte had enough room to pull off the attack.

Acolyte thrust his head forward with as much force as he could muster while Bramble attempted to get a few vines around my marowak's club. He connected just between Bramble's eyes, drawing a sickening crunch that I could hear clearly over the crowd.

The roar of the crowd died as Acolyte pushed the dazed tangrowth off him. He got to his feet, tearing his tangled club away along with a half dozen vines that were still holding on.

"Finish her," I ordered.

Bramble staggered to her feet, vines shifting to cover the new gaps that had been created. The tangrowth's body shape was half visible through the gaps in her vines and I could tell that she was humanoid for the most part. She had no arms to speak of and was thicker than I was where her shoulders would have been.

Acolyte charged, raising his club. Bramble shifted her vines into a pair of arms that were barely half the length than she had started with. She raised her arms and charged, a futile exercise at this point. The battle was done, barring any unexpected surprises.

Acolyte swung his club to intercept the tangrowth's arms, tearing them off the grass type in the same movement. He followed up with the butt-end of his club, driving it into the tangrowth's face and knocking her flat.

He planted a foot on the tangrowth and raised his club, ready to deliver a final blow. Bramble disappeared from under him and a horn blared to end the match.

I stood there in stunned silence for a moment, unwilling to believe that it was really over. Then the crowd erupted and I felt the cheers shake my platform. I let my fists relax and breathed out. I had done it. I had won.

I scrubbed at the impurity, squinting my eyes as the stubborn speck of dirt refused to leave the boulder badge. I sprayed it with another squirt of the polish solution and picked up the rag again for another go.

After another several minutes of scrubbing, I held up the badge and scowled at the stubborn speck of dirt. Resolving that Brock must have purposely marred the badge with a bit of dirt, I reluctantly placed my badge back into the case I had bought for them. My other badges shone brightly at me, all spotless and reflecting light gorgeously at me.

I leaned back in the comfortable chair, looking at the vibrant rainbow on the badge Erika had given me. It twinkled in the low light, seeming to change colours before my very eyes. I closed the badge case and smiled happily to myself.

A hard knock at my door shattered the calm scene. I got up, slipping the badge back onto the table beside the polish kit. Luna stirred, but I shook my head and let her lay back down.

"Hello?" I said as I opened the door.

A pair of hooded boys in black outfits pushed in past me, shoving me back a few steps. I opened my mouth to protest as Luna growled a warning and rose to her feet.

"Mister Wright, if you would please return your vulpix."

I turned my head to the door and nearly let my jaw hit the floor. Her kimono was gone, replaced by form fitting body armour that was darker than anything I'd ever seen her in. Erika closed the door behind her, folding her arms across her chest.

She cocked her head to the side and looked at me inquisitively. "I have an infestation in my city," she started. "And you're going to help me wipe it out."

I looked over at the boys and nearly did a double take. Blue pulled his hood down, a cocky grin worn on his face. The other boy did the same and I recognized him as the boy who had been standing beside Blue when he'd set his record.

I looked back at Erika with a knowing look on my face. I knew what infestation she was referring to. "What do you need from me?" I asked, finally ready to face Team Rocket, and Domino, on my own terms.

Pokédex Entry #465 – Tangrowth

Tangrowth were long thought to be a myth, simply due to the rarity of discovering them in the wild. Tangela are exceedingly rare even in their home grasslands of southwest Kanto, and Tangrowth are even more scarce.

They are a large bipedal pokemon with a fuzzy black body. Their arms are formed from masses of vines that are braided together. It is unfazed if these arms are torn off, as it can easily braid more vines into a new arm.

Intermediate Trainer KT# 07996101, Marcus Wright, current team

Luna, Vulpix

Pride, Nidorino

Acolyte, Marowak

Vector, Heracross