Chapter Twenty-two: A Scent-sational Gym Battle!
Previously, Crash and friends reached Celadon City for his fifth badge. He (begrudgingly) went with Misty to the Celadon Department Store to help her shop, where they reunite with Giselle and Joe from Pokémon Tech.
Crash, being impatient, acts insensitive toward an owner of a perfume store, who just so happened to be the Gym Leader, Erika.
He is promptly kicked out and banned from her Gym and is left to mope until he sees Team Rocket holding one of Erika's Pokémon hostage.
After successfully rescuing her Pokémon and apologizing, She unbanned him and accepted his challenge as thanks.
Now their battle begins!
/-/
"Jetstream, use Quick Attack!"
Jetstream flew at Tangela, faster than what the grass type was used to and knocked it down.
"Tangela, we must slow that Pidgeotto down! Use Bind!" Erika swiftly commanded.
The Vine Pokémon launches its vines at the Pidgeotto, attempting to grab it out of the air, but Jetstream deftly dodges the vines and divebombs, landing another Quick Attack.
"Nice one Jetstream!" Crash cheered.
"Counter with Vine Whip, Tangela!"
Tangela swung its vines at the bird Pokémon, but the Flying-type retreated back to the sky, evading the attacks.
Erika could only growl with frustration as the Pidgeotto retreated back to the sky. Her Tangela couldn't reach or react to anything that the Pidgeotto could do with that speed advantage.
"Grab it with Bind!" Erika commanded. Tangela's vines shot out once again, reaching for the Flying type.
"Quick Attack, again Jetstream!" Crash commanded.
Jetstream dives at the grass type once again with immense speed, only for Erika to smile confidently.
"Now use Stun Spore!"
Tangela emitted a cloud of paralyzing pollen from its body as Jetstream made contact with it.
"Jetstream!" Crash cried out, realizing what Erika had planned.
"Now that your Pidgeotto is grounded, we can do this!" Erika said triumphantly. "Tangela! Bind Pidgeotto!"
Crash panicked. "Jetstream, get outta there!"
Due to Jetstream being noticeably slower due to the Stun Spore, he was unable to fly away in time and was ensnared by Tangela's Bind.
"Erika used that same strategy against me and Giselle!" Joe gasped.
"She did?" Misty asked.
Joe nodded. "Her Tangela is tough, but it's not very fast, so she uses Stun Spore to immobilize opponents."
"That's pretty smart." Brock complimented.
"And that's not all." Giselle chimed in. "Stun Spore serves another purpose."
"What else does it do?" Misty wondered.
Giselle tutted and wagged a finger. "You'll have to watch and find out for yourself."
"C'mon Jetstream, break outta there!"
Jetstream attempted to struggle out of the Bind, but couldn't due to paralysis. On Erika's command, Tangela repeatedly slammed Jetstream into the Gym floor, again and again.
Crash attempted to retrieve his pummeled Pidgeotto, but due to the constant motion of the bird Pokémon being slammed into the ground, he couldn't properly aim the beam.
Once Tangela stopped slamming the bird Pokémon into the ground, it let go, leaving the Pidgeotto in a heap.
Crash blinked in utter confusion and shock. "Jetstream?" His bird was unresponsive to his call.
"Pidgeotto is unable to battle. Tangela wins! The first round goes to Erika of the Celadon Gym!" Said the referee.
"Jetstream's down that fast?" Gasped Misty. "But how?"
"I think I know." Said Brock. "Bind is a move that traps the target and deals damage overtime, but the opposing Pokémon can break out. Combine that with a move that inhibits movement like Stun Spore and the effects are devastating."
Misty caught on. "So… Jetstream couldn't break out in time due to being paralyzed?"
"Grass type Pokémon notoriously have a plethora of weaknesses." Giselle pointed out. "It would be a mistake for Erika to not account for those weaknesses."
Brock nodded. "This will be an uphill battle, even if he has the type advantage."
Crash returns his Pidgeotto and immediately reaches for a Pokéball.
"Agni! I choose you!"
The Fire lizard eagerly wagged his tail as it entered the battlefield.
The referee waved their flag, signaling the start of round two.
"Agni! Wrap this up with Flamethrower!" Crash ordered.
"Dodge it and use Bind!"
Tangela sidestepped, the Fire-type attack singeing its vine covered body and shooting its vines at the Charmader.
"Cut the vines with Scratch and counter with another Flamethrower!"
Agni rakes his claws against the vines, managing to cut them before breathing another Flamethrower at the Tangela.
This time, the Fire-type attack hit, leaving the Grass-type blackened on the ground, unconscious.
"Tangela, no!" Cried a worried Erika.
"Tangela is unable to battle. Charmander wins! Crash Betchum takes the second round!" The referee called.
Crash pumped his fist. "Alright Agni! One down, three to go!"
Erika returned her Vine Pokémon. "I can't say I didn't expect that to happen. But fret not, I expected that to happen. I send out my next Pokémon! Victreebel!"
A large pitcher plant Pokémon with a gaping mouth and two sharp teeth pops from the Pokéball. Its semicircular eyes stare at Agni, eager to battle.
Crash pulled out his Pokédex.
"Victreebel, the Flycatcher Pokémon. The evolved form of Weepinbell. A Grass and Poison type. Victreebel has a long vine that extends from its head. This vine is waved and flicked about as if it were an animal to attract prey. Victreebel then swallows their prey whole as their acid dissolves everything, bones and all."
"Doesn't matter how strong the acid is if we just use Flamethrower." Crash remarked.
Erika smiled, which threw Crash, Brock and Misty for a loop.
"She doesn't seem worried at all." Brock remarked. "In fact I'd say she's confident."
Misty cupped her chin with a hand. "But why? Even someone like Crash won't fall for the same trick twice…"
/-/
The referee waved their flag, signaling the start of round three.
"Ok Agni! Let's make this quick!" Said a confident Crash. "Use Flamethrower!"
Agni breathed the stream of flames at Victreebel, but Erika wasn't worried in the least.
"Predictable!" She shouted. "Victreebel, use Sword Dance!"
Victreebel spun in places, completely negating the flames. Crash, Brock and Misty blinked in shock.
"What?" Stammed Crash.
Misty gasped. "It was… completely negated."
Crash shook the shock off his face "Agni! Try again!"
Agni breathed another Flamethrower on his trainer's command, but the result was the same.
"Wha?! B-but how?" Blurted Crash.
"You think that I wouldn't prepare for the most notorious weakness of the Grass-type?" Erika questioned.
Crash gulped. Sorta… but it's not like her Victreebel is gonna use a move that'll instantly beat my Charmander-
"Victreebel! Use Razor Leaf!" Erika commanded. The moment the word "Victreebel" left her mouth, the Flycatcher Pokémon was already dashing at Agni at an alarming speed, its leaves gleaming like the blade of a sword.
"Agni! Counter with Scratch!" Crash said, thinking quickly. Agni's claws made contact with the sharpened leaves, and the two Pokémon repeatedly clashed.
They stopped and made a mad dash at each other, jumping into the air and striking each other with their sharpened appendages. Both Pokémon land, back to each other.
They remain standing for mere moments before Agni falls to the ground, writhing in pain.
"Agni!" Crash cried with surprise and worry as he heard his lizard Pokémon cry in pain. He knew that Victreebel were fully evolved Pokémon, but even then, Agni was a Fire-type Pokémon. "H-how?"
Erika wagged a finger. "Sword Dance raises a Pokémon's Attack power significantly if used even once."
"But what about stopping Agni's Flamethrower?" Crash asked.
"I trained it to do that." Erika smiled as she explained. "I utilized the energetic dancing of the move to have Victreebel negate almost any long ranged attack by spinning. And it's completely tournament legal as well."
Crash gulped.
"Wow…" Brock gasped with amazement. "Erika really thought of everything."
Misty nodded. "Yeah… but I believe in Crash. He won't lose!"
"Is that so?" Giselle questioned, attempting to get a rise out of her. Misty only nodded without taking her eyes off the battle.
"Ok Victreebel, finish this with Wrap!" Erika ordered.
Victreebel whipped its vine toward Agni, lifting the fire lizard off the ground and squeezing him tight.
"Agni!" Cried Crash. "Try to break out!"
Agni flailed about, trying to get free, only for the attempt to be punished with a tighter squeeze by Victreebel.
"You're better off surrendering your Charmander to protect it from further harm." Erika suggested.
"I believe Agni can break out." Crash said defiantly.
Erika shook her head. "I'd hate to put a Pokémon through this… But you leave me no choice. Victreebel, use Hyper Beam!"
Victreebel began to charge a mouth beam aimed at the lizard Pokémon.
"HYPER BEAM?!" Crash shouted in fear. "Agni! Get outta there! Now!"
Agni continued to struggle as he attempted to escape but Victreebel kept its grip on the Fire-type, squeezing him tighter.
But this made Agni angrier. Agni's struggle was beginning to work as his Rage began to build.
Crash was beginning to lose hope as Victreebel's Hyper Beam got close to firing. Until Agni broke free, leaving everyone including Crash in shock.
"What in the-" Erika gasped. "But how?"
Crash calls back to his battle against Haohmaru the Samurai, and that Rage increases every time the user sustains damage.
Agni must've gotten angry and broken free with Rage when Victreebel squeezed hard enough.
Despite its foe being freed from its hold, Victreebel fired the powerful beam of energy at the enraged lizard, but Agni evaded the attack and rammed into Victreebel's stomach, knocking it back.
Crash breathed a sigh of relief. "Nice job Agni!" He noticed that his Fire lizard was out of breath.
It took a lot outta Agni to break free, and he's tired. Even with the type advantage and power boost from Rage, he's exhausted.
He called back the lizard Pokémon into his ball, wanting him to take a well deserved break.
"Interesting." Erika commented. "I thought that you would keep your Charmander in longer."
"I know how to choose my battles." Crash said, grabbing a different ball from his belt. "Ekho, I choose you!"
The Zubat happily nuzzled Crash, happy to see his trainer. The scene warmed Erika's heart slightly.
"C'mon Ekho, we can play later. We're battling right now." Crash said, rubbing Ekho's head. The Zubat flew to his opponent, ready to battle.
"Ekho, use Wing Attack!"
Ekho flew towards the Grass-type, preparing the attack. The Grass-type however, countered with a Razor Leaf that knocked the Bat Pokémon out of the air.
"Now use Wrap!" Erika commanded. Victreebel whipped its vine toward Ekho, ensnaring the Bat Pokémon.
"Ekho, use Leech Life!" commanded Crash. Ekho sung his fangs into the vine, causing the Flycatcher Pokémon to scream in pain and let go.
"Victreebel! Use Hyper Beam."
Victreebel fired the powerful beam of energy toward Ekho.
"Use Double Team, Ekho!"
Ekho quickly created afterimages with his speed, allowing him to dodge the attack.
"Now close in and use Wing Attack!" Crash commanded.
Victreebel was still recharging from the Hyper Beam, and didn't have the energy to counter or dodge, taking the Wing Attack head on.
"Nice one! Go for another!"
Ekho dove for another Wing Attack.
"Victreebel, use Sword Dance!"
Victreebel spun in places, knocking the Bat Pokémon away with the force of the spin, causing him to flip backward.
"Now use Hyper Beam, Victreebel!" Victreebel began charging the beam of energy.
"Use Confuse Ray Ekho!" Crash thought quickly.
Ekho managed to right himself midair and sent a sinister orb of light toward Victreebel. The Victreebel blinked, looking dazed as it began to wobble back and forth.
As it prepared to fire the Hyper Beam, it lost focus, causing the orb to blow up in its mouth, leaving it singed.
"Oh no!" Erika gasped, realizing what was about to happen next.
With Crash's command, Ekho closes in with a Wing Attack, slamming into Victreebel and knocking it over.
Victreebel, after sustaining damage from its own Hyper Beam and the Wing Attack, couldn't remain standing and fell over.
"Victreebel is unable to battle. Zubat wins. This round goes to the challenger, Crash Betchum."
Crash cheered. "Way to go, Ekho! Two down, two to go!"
"You did wonderful, Victreebel." Said Erika as she returned her Flycatcher Pokémon to its ball. "Please rest now."
She grabbed another ball and sent out her next Pokémon. "Go Ivysaur!" The evolved Seed Pokémon shook itself, readying for battle.
/-/
The referee waved their flag, signaling the start of round four.
"Ivysaur, use Razor Leaf!"
The Seed Pokémon immediately began firing razor-sharp crescent shaped leaves at the Zubat.
"Dodge it with Double Team!"
Ekho quickly created afterimages with his speed, allowing him to dodge the leaf barrage.
"Now close in with Wing Attack!" commanded Crash.
With Crash's command, Ekho closes in with a Wing Attack.
"Counter with Sleep Powder!"
Ivysaur sprayed a green powder at Ekho as the Wing Attack made contact. As Ekho inhaled the powder, he fell to the ground, now completely asleep.
"Ekho? Hey Ekho!" Crash called out to his sleeping Pokemon, but the Poison-Flying type didn't respond.
"Uh oh." Misty gulped. "Ekho's wide open."
"Ivysaur! Use Growth!" Erika commanded.
Her Ivysaur roared, glowing green and growing larger in size. Its bulb in particular seemed to become more vibrant.
Crash blinked in shock, as Erika chose to not attack his sleeping.
Why didn't she attack? Unless…
Crash's eyes widened as he realized what Erika was doing.
"H-hey! Ekho! Wake up!" Cried Crash. But his Bat Pokémon remained asleep.
Erika commanded her Ivysaur to continue using Growth, causing it to grow in size with every use. While Crash continued to call out to his Zubat, begging for it to wake up.
"Now Ivysaur! Use Razor Leaf!" Erika commanded. The Ivysaur fired the razor-sharp crescent shaped leaves at the sleeping Zubat, but unlike the ones before, these were larger.
Crash, Brock and Misty eyes widened in terror.
"Ekho! Wake up!" Crash begged, yelling as loud as he could. The Bat Pokémon manages to awaken in time to avoid the barrage of sharp leaves.
As Ekho dodged, the razor-sharp leaves had left cuts deep in the battlefield. Crash flinched in shock.
What the!? If that had hit…
"Continue with Razor Leaf, Ivysaur!"
Ivysaur continued to fire the sharpened leaves at the Zubat.
"Don't get hit! Dodge it with Double Team!"
Ekho quickly created afterimages with his speed, allowing him to dodge the leaf barrage.
"Now use Confuse Ray!"
Ekho sent a sinister orb of light toward Ivysaur. The Seed Pokémon blinked, looking dazed as it began to wobble back and forth. The Ivysaur slammed its head into the floor, hurting itself in confusion.
"I-Ivysaur!" Erika cried worriedly.
"Now close in with a Wing Attack while Ivysaur's confused!" commanded Crash.
Ekho flew towards the Grass-type and firmly struck it in the face with his wings.
"Ivysaur! Please recover quickly, and use Sleep Powder!" Erika commanded. Her Ivysaur continued to wobble back and attempted to spray the powder, only for it to slam its head into the ground again.
Crash continued to call for multiple Wing Attacks as the Ivysaur wobbled back and forth in a daze.
Erika begged with all of her heart. "Ivysaur! Please snap out of it!" Her Ivysaur heard her voice and shook itself out of confusion and immediately retaliated with a Vine Whip as the Zubat circled back for another Wing Attack.
"Ekho!" Crash called out. But he was too late as his Bat Pokémon was grabbed and slammed into the ground by the vines, leaving a small crater.
"E-Ekho!" cried Crash as his Flying-type lay on the ground. "How did Vine Whip do so much damage to Ekho?"
"Growth increases a Grass-type Pokémon's offense." Erika said with a smile. "Now, the question I have is, can your Zubat take any more?"
Crash looked at his fallen Flying-type. "What do you say, Ekho? Can you still battle?"
The Bat Pokémon attempted to fly, but fell to the ground, no longer moving.
"Zubat is unable to battle. Ivysaur wins! This round goes to Erika of the Celadon Gym." Called the referee, raising the flag in favor of the Grass-type specialist.
"I guess not." Crash gave a sad sigh as he returned Ekho into his Pokéball. "You did great, Ekho. You deserve a break."
Misty nearly jumped out her seat. "What's Crash supposed to do now? That Ivysaur might be more powerful than her Victreebel!"
"And I don't think Agni is in any condition to fight yet." Brock commented.
"I wonder who he'll be using this time." Giselle said.
Crash plucked a fourth ball on his belt and prepared to throw it. "Gasper! I choose-" Crash stopped, remembering what had happened last time when he used the Ghost-type against Sabrina.
Yeah… I'm not taking that risk.
He placed the ball back on his belt and grabbed a difficult one.
"Briar! I choose you!" Said Crash, as his own Seed Pokémon entered the field, intriguing Erika and her Ivysaur.
"So he's using Briar." Brock mused. "I didn't expect that."
"I expected him to use Mark here actually." Misty admitted. "But I guess even a broken clock is right twice a day."
"Oh? How interesting." The Grass-type specialist remarked. "I wasn't aware you owned a Grass-type Pokémon. Let alone a Bulbasaur."
"Well I'm full of surprises!" He replied.
Erika smiled. "I look forward to seeing what your Bulbasaur can do."
"Well ya won't have to wait long! Briar, use Vine Whip!"
Briar's vines shot out at his evolved form.
"Ivysaur, counter with your own Vine Whip."
The two Seed Pokémons vines intertwine, getting them stuck in a tug-of-war, the two Pokémon pull back and forth, not giving an inch. but Erika's Ivysaur, with its sturdier and stronger body, and the power increase from Growth, won the tug of war.
The evolved Seed Pokémon pulled Briar in and lifted him into the air, before slamming him into the ground.
"Briar! Are you ok?"
Briar shook the pain of the slam off and stood back up.
"Try a Razor Leaf, Briar!"
Briar fired a barrage of sharp leaves at Ivysaur, who immediately retaliated with its own Razor Leaf.
Ivysaur's Razor Leaf was far sharper than Briar's own, allowing it to cut through the attack.
"What?!" Gasped Crash as the leaves knocked his Bulbasaur back. "Razor Leaf too?"
Erika wagged her finger. "Did you forget that Growth increases a Grass-type Pokémon's offense?" Crash could only groan as he realized he had.
Ivysaur's attacks are too strong to counter with my own. I have to think of something, and fast!
"Ivysaur! Use Razor Leaf!" Erika commanded, snapping the boy from his thoughts. The Ivysaur fired the razor-sharp crescent shaped leaves at the Bulbasaur.
"Dodge it Briar!"
The unevolved Seed Pokémon immediately jumped away, evading the leaf barrage.
Crash threw his fist forward. "Now charge forward!"
Briar charged toward his evolved form fearlessly, as Erika called for another Razor Leaf that the Bulbasaur dodged again.
"Grab it with a Vine Whip!" Erika said, attempting to end this battle as fast as possible. A smile appeared on Crash's face as Ivysaur's vines shot out at his Bulbasaur.
"Launch yourself with Vine Whip, and grab Ivysaur!"
And on his trainer's command, Briar slammed his vines into the ground, launching himself over the Ivysaur's attack and grabbing its exposed vines and landing behind it, leaving everyone in awe.
Before Erika could issue another command, Crash was a step ahead of her. "Now use Razor Leaf!"
Briar fired the sharpened leaves at Ivysaur's backside, with the evolved Seed Pokémon unable to turn around in time to do anything.
Erika gasped as she saw her Ivysaur take the sharpened leaves to the back. "Ivysaur! Try to swing Bulbasaur back with Vine Whip!
Crash gave a confident smirk and gave his own command. "Pull yourself close with a Vine Whip and use Tackle!"
Briar retracted his vines as the Ivysaur attempted to swing him around, using the momentum to launch himself into the Ivysaur and slamming into his evolved form, causing it to fall.
The referee waved their flag in Crash's direction. "Ivysaur is unable to battle. Bulbasaur wins! This round goes to Crash the challenger!"
"Way to go, Briar!" Cheered Crash. Briar gave a triumphant cry, proud of its victory.
"Woah!" Joe gasped. "What happened?"
"He got his Bulbasaur to trick Ivysaur into using Vine Whip when it got close. And when it did, he used his Bulbasaur's vines to grab Ivysaur's vines and jumped behind it to leave it more open to attacks." Giselle explained, legs crossed as she spoke in an impressed tone. "I wouldn't have come up with that."
"That's amazing!" Clapped an impressed Joe.
Brock and Misty only shook their heads. "No, that's just Crash."
Erika returned her Ivysaur into its Pokéball, thanking it for fighting so hard before turning to Crash. "I have to say, I'm impressed with your Bulbasaur's speed and your strategy."
The boy gave a semi-embarrassed smile as he scratched the back of his head.
Erika smiled and grabbed her last Pokéball, prepared to send out her final Pokémon. "But don't expect my last Pokémon to be easy to defeat. Vileplume, Go!" The Pokéball soared through the air, landing on the ground as a small blue Pokémon entered the field.
The Pokémon had rudimentary hands and feet, with its torso and head being a joint segment. On its head was a massive red flower with five bulky petals and an orange-brown center. It stared at Briar with its red beady eyes, then to Crash, beginning to jump up and down happily, as if recognizing him.
Crash pulled out his Pokédex upon seeing the new Pokémon. "Vileplume?"
"Vileplume, the Flower Pokémon. A Grass and Poison type and the final evolved form of Oddish. Vileplume has the world's largest petals. It uses these large petals to fill the air with a powerful toxic, allergy inducing pollen."
"Wait, final evolved form?" Crash connected the dots in his mind and came to a quick conclusion. "You evolved your Gloom?"
A giggle escaped the lips of the Gym Leader as she nodded. "Yes. In fact, we discussed this the other day. We agreed to give you the best fight we could, so Gloom decided to evolve."
Giselle's gaze hardened. "This battle might be harder than I thought."
Misty gave her a confused look and raised a brow. "What does that mean?"
Giselle shook her head and continued to watch the battle with great interest. "Just watch."
Misty rolled her eyes, turning her eyes back to the battlefield, knowing that she wouldn't be getting a straight answer from her.
Crash looked at his somewhat battered Bulbasaur, worried for his well-being after the attacks that Ivysaur dished out. "Can you still fight, Briar?"
Still riding the high of his victory over his evolved form, his Bulbasaur smiled, and gave an affirmative cry. Crash respected his Pokémon's wishes and nodded.
/-/
The referee waved their flag, signaling the start of the next round.
"Briar! Use Razor Leaf!"
Briar fired a barrage of sharp leaves at Vileplume, who didn't seem to be worried at all as Erika swiftly countered with a move of her own.
"Vileplume, use Acid!"
The Rafflesia headed Pokémon sprayed a glob of thick orange liquid from the center of its flower. The attack melted through the leaf barrage with ease, shocking Crash and his Bulbasaur.
"Dodge it Briar!"
The Bulbasaur hopped to one side and the glob of acid melted the spot where he once stood, shocking Crash.
"That was too close. Try Vine Whip!"
Briar launched his vines at the Flower Pokémon, who was struck hard by the attack.
"Vileplume, counter with Acid!"
Vileplume once again sprayed a glob of acid from its head, stinging the vines of its opponent, causing him to recoil in pain and retract his vines.
"Ooh! A direct hit." Joe winced.
Brock's gaze hardened. "With that attack, I don't think that Briar's going to be using Vine Whip for a while."
Crash called out to his Bulbasaur. "Briar! Are you ok?" The Grass-type shook himself off and gave a pained smile.
"Vileplume! Use Acid once more!"
The Flower Pokémon once again sprayed acid at the Seed Pokémon, who dodged to the side.
"Close in with a Tackle!"
Briar continued to dodge the globs of acid, getting closer and closer to charge into the Flower Pokémon. Erika smiled and gave a quick and concise command.
"Petal Dance!"
Vileplume spun around in place as Briar came closer, getting faster and faster, whipping up a tornado of pink petals that launched Briar into the air. The Bulbasaur hit the ground with a loud thud.
"Briar!!!" Crash ran to his badly beaten Bulbasaur. "Are you ok?"
Briar attempted to stand, only to fall back down, unconscious and unable to move.
The referee raised their flag in Erika's direction. "Bulbasaur is unable to battle! Vileplume wins! This round goes to Erika, the Gym Leader!"
Crash returned his defeated Grass-type to his Pokéball. After thanking the Seed Pokémon for his efforts, he pulled out his fourth and final Pokémon.
"Agni! I choose you!"
The Charmander entered the field, still injured, but with more stamina than before.
"This is it." Said Brock. "The final round."
Joe gulped, the anticipation getting to him. "This'll decide it all." Joe turned to Giselle. "Who do you think will win, Giselle?"
Giselle closed her eyes, deeply thinking about the question. "It all depends. But I'd say Erika due to how tired his Charmander looks."
He turned to Brock and Misty. "What about you guys?"
"It could go either way." Brock said, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "Erika has him beat in power, experience and skill. But Crash's natural skill, outside the box thinking, and type advantage most likely equalizes it."
"Well I think that Crash can pull this off." Misty said, sounding hopeful. "As much as I say he's gotten lucky a few times, and he has. But I think- no." She shook her head. "I know he can win this."
The referee waved their flags for one final time, signaling the start of the final round.
"Let's end this quickly Agni! Flamethrower!"
Agni breathed a stream of flames at Vileplume.
"Continue with the Petal Dance!" Erika commanded.
Vileplume spun in place and launched the torrent of petals at the Charmader.
Crash gave a cocky smirk. "That's not gonna-" His confidence was shattered at the moment the two attacks clashed, the wind of Petal Dance overpowering the Flamethrower and knocking the Charmander back.
The Fire-type staggered to his feet, the Petal Dance having done more than Crash had expected.
"Wh-what?! How?" Blurted an incredulous Crash.
Erika giggled. "As I said before, I've faced far too many Fire-type Pokémon to not be prepared."
Crash groaned.
This isn't good. My only hope was to use Flamethrower to end this quickly, but Vileplume is too powerful to try and land it directly. I gotta find an opening! But how?
Erika took the opportunity to strike as Crash was distracted. "Use Poison Powder!"
Vileplume sprayed toxic pollen from its head, practically coating the entire battlefield and catching Crash and Agni off guard.
"Agni!" Crash shouted worriedly. He was too late as the fire lizard was caught in the blast zone, a feverish look appearing on his face.
Joe gulped. "This isn't good, his Charmander's poisoned now."
Brock's gaze hardened. "He's on a timer now. If he doesn't beat Vileplume soon, the poison will finish Agni."
Crash gulped and began sweating bullets. He felt his hands clam up and his breath get shaky as his heart rate rose from the anticipation.
This just got so much harder. I gotta end this quickly! But how?
His gaze turned to Vileplume who seemed to be slightly dizzy from the spinning. Crash felt a light bulb go off in his head.
"Agni! Charge at Vileplume!"
The Charmader charged at the Grass-type, claws bared.
"Use Acid!"
The Rafflesia headed Pokémon sprayed a glob of thick orange liquid from the center of its flower. Agni, on Crash's command, dodged the attack and continued towards the Flower Pokémon.
"Petal Dance!"
Vileplume spun around in place as Agni got closer and sent the fire lizard backward with the torrent of petals.
Crash grit his teeth as he felt his heart beat faster and faster, realizing that his Charmander couldn't take another hit like that. Let alone while being poisoned.
"Continue with the Petal Dance Vileplume!"
Vileplume spun faster, making the tornado stronger before launching it Agni.
"Agni!" Crash pointed to a spot on the ground. "Use Scratch on that spot!"
Agni ran to the spot that Crash ordered him to and repeatedly used Scratch on the ground. The torrent of petals came close to the Fire-type, causing the Lizard Pokémon to panic and dig faster.
The dust kicked up from the digging and the numerous petals from Petal Dance hindered everyone's sight. Everyone kept their eyes on the field, waiting with bated breath as the dust soon settled.
But to everyone's surprise Agni was nowhere to be found, with only a singular hole in the ground where Agni was.
Erika was greatly flustered, looking frantically for the fire lizard. "W-what?! Where did your Charmander go?!"
A confident smile grew on Crash's face. "Looks like my risk paid off! Hop out Agni!"
The Charmander hopped out of the hole, poisoned, but still battle ready.
Erika looked at her Ace Pokémon, who was stumbling about, looking dizzy. Erika gulped in worry. "Oh dear…"
"Ok Agni! Flamethrower!"
Agni breathed the flames at the Grass-type, this time, the Fire-type attack hit, leaving it blackened. Erika audibly gasped as she saw her charred Vileplume struggle to stay standing.
Erika knelt to the Flower Pokémon's side. "Vileplume, are you alright?" The Vileplume managed to stay standing, sensing its trainer's worry. Erika breathed a sigh of relief before turning to her challenger.
"I underestimated your ingenuity and your Charmander's tenacity." Crash smiled and rubbed the back of his head. "But this isn't the end! Vileplume! Use Mega Drain!"
Crash felt his heart sink. "M-Mega Drain!?"
Vileplume closed its eyes, focusing hard as an orb of energy was drained from Agni. A taken aback Crash gasps in fright as his Charmander falls to his hands and knees panting heavily. "Agni!"
"This is coming down to the wire." Said a nervous Joe. "Vileplume may have healed thanks to Mega Drain, but I don't think it healed much."
"My thoughts exactly." Nodded Brock. "Crash has one more chance to turn this around. I doubt Agni can take much more."
Misty looks on worriedly as the Charmander struggles to stand.
"Vileplume! Finish this with Petal Dance!"
Vileplume spun around in place, getting faster and faster, whipping up a tornado of pink petals.
I can't take another attack like that! It's now or never!
Crash was prepared to take another risk, turning his cap around, and issuing another order. "Agni! Spin around like Vileplume and use Flamethrower!"
Agni spun in place and breathed his flames as hot as he could make them. The two elemental vortexes clashed, with Vileplume getting a slight edge due to the poison in Agni's body.
Agni felt his body weakening with every passing second. This made the Fire-type angry. Crash put his hopes into him, and now he was going to let him down because he was too weak. Agni couldn't let that happen. With defiant roar, Agni's body glowed as the fiery vortex grew in size.
Everyone gasped, not expecting this at all.
"What's going on!?" asked Erika. The flames grew in size, soon overtaking the Petal Dance and consuming her Vileplume as it shrieked in pain.
As the flames died down, Vileplume was on its back, unconscious. While a red reptilian Pokémon remained standing.
"CHARMELEON!"
The referee snapped back to reality and called the match. "Vileplume is unable to battle. Charmeleon is the winner! The victor is Crash from Pallet Town!
Crash blinked in complete astonishment as he let out a breath he didn't realize he held in as he pulled out his Pokédex with a shaky hand.
"Charmeleon, the Flame Pokémon. The evolved form of Charmander. It is very hot headed by nature, so it constantly seeks opponents. When it encounters an extremely strong opponent, the flame at the tip of its tail flares with a bluish white color."
"AGNI EVOLVED?!" He ran toward his fire lizard and hugged him tightly. "Not only did we win! You evolved too Agni! I'm so proud!"
The Charmeleon rose his head victoriously, roaring proudly as he spewed a small flame from his mouth.
Misty pumped her fists proud and cheered. "WAY TO GO CRASH! YOU DID GREAT TOO, AGNI!"
Brock did the same. "He managed to pull it off."
Joe looked on in amazement. "That was amazing! I had my doubts, but he won!"
Erika approached her exhausted Grass-type and petted it gently, thanking it for its effort as she returned it to its ball."Vileplume you did wonderful. Now take a good rest."
She approached Crash and handed him an orange spray bottle. "Here is an Antidote. It'll heal your Charmeleon's poison."
Crash nodded gratefully and sprayed his Flame Pokémon. A few moments later, his Charmeleon looked noticeably better, the sick shade of red no longer present on his complexion. The Fire-type gave a roar, signifying that he felt better.
"Thank you Erika!" Crash bowed respectfully, but Erika gave a refined giggle.
"It was no problem. You deserved it. Although you should return your Charmeleon just in case." Crash nodded and did so.
Erika extended out her hand, which held a Rainbow patterned flower. "And to honor your victory here today, I give you the Rainbow Badge."
Crash happily grabbed the badge and posed with it. "ALRIGHT! I won my Rainbow Badge!" Mark jumped up and hi-fived his trainer with his tail.
"And this." Erika put a hand into her sleeve and handed a disc to Crash.
"A TM?" Crash raised a brow.
Erika nodded. "This one contains the move Mega Drain. I'm sure you can use this one to its fullest potential."
Crash nodded and put his badge in his vest and his new TM in his bag.
/-/
After another close battle with the Princess of Perfume, Crash is more than happy as his Charmander evolved thanks to being pushed to near his limits. But this isn't the end of his time in Celadon City.
What other adventures await him in the shopping capital of Kanto? Well you'll find out, as the journey continues…
I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and the changes in the story so far. If you did, make sure to check out the forum for this fanfic, where you can ask questions or make suggestions for the story going forward…
Catch ya later, Pokéfans!
Crash's Owned Pokémon
Main Party
Markus "Mark" Voltsy - Pikachu
Jetstream - Pidgeotto
Briar - Bulbasaur
Agni - Charmeleon
Gasper - Haunter
Ekho - Zubat
Back at the Lab
Sidon - Squirtle
Kong - Primeape