Alex sighed before retrieving Ceruledge. He quickly assessed his current situation. Shiftry was known to learn Heat Wave, and with the harsh sunlight and its Chlorophyll ability, it could easily knock out Forretress and Frosmoth in a single hit before they had any time to properly react.
His best options were Altaria and Togekiss, but it wasn't time for his ace yet, so Togekiss would have to do. He released Togekiss and swiftly commanded, "Nasty Plot."
"Taunt."
As Shiftry was faster, Togekiss's attempt to buff up failed as he was filled with anger over the Taunt.
"Dazzling Gleam."
"Light Screen."
A psychic barrier appeared just in time to protect Shiftry from the bright dazzling light, but Dazzling Gleam still landed, leaving Shiftry at a bit more than half health.
"Again," Alex urged.
"Amnesia."
Shiftry glowed with psychic energy, boosting its special defense and further reducing the damage from Dazzling Gleam. It was now at roughly 30% health left.
Alex was growing frustrated. The way things were going, Togekiss wouldn't be able to deal decent damage anymore.
'Wait a minute,' Alex thought, 'Shiftry is weak to Fighting and has relatively low Defense. Even with Togekiss's low Attack, it should still do something, right? He also has Hustle so the damage shouldn't be insignificant.'
"Brick Break."
"Will-o-Wisp."
Togekiss charged at Shiftry, cloaked in orange energy, ignoring the wisp of flame that seared its feathers causing burns. The Brick Break pierced through the Light Screen and struck true, dealing just enough damage to leave Shiftry hanging on by a thread.
"Extreme Speed."
With a sudden burst of speed, Togekiss slammed into Shiftry before it could rely on its absurd speed, knocking it out with one final hit.
Erika sighed. Type advantages were difficult to overcome. Togekiss, in particular, was a powerful Pokémon. Noticing the lack of harsh sunlight, Erika sent out Jumpluff to set up again, preparing for the final stretch of the battle.
"Sunny Day."
"Safeguard."
Jumpluff started setting up again, as though it were the same as before, while Togekiss followed suit, the Taunt having already expired.
"Tailwind."
"Imprison."
'Another Imprison to prevent Baton Pass,' Erika lamented.
"Swords Dance."
"Leech Seed."
"Swords Dance."
"Memento."
Jumpluff released Leech Seeds that attached to the dancing Togekiss, who was now both drained and burned. Togekiss wouldn't last much longer. His health was dangerously close to Jumpluff's kill range. Still, he continued his dance until he collected 4 stacks of Attack.
Suddenly, Jumpluff used Memento neutralizing some of Togekiss's stacked Attack and reducing its Special Attack further in exchange for what remains of its health.
Alex was shocked by Erika's ruthlessness. It was clear that Jumpluff, despite its efforts, would never be able to knock out Togekiss. Togekiss still had half health left and could heal with Wish in due time. Either way, it was fine with Alex. As far as he was concerned, he had already won.
Alex quickly retrieved Togekiss, deciding not to rely on Baton Pass. With Leech Seed and Memento in play, it was already useless.
Erika watched him curiously. She thought he had a good chance against her last Pokémon with the advantage a Baton Pass would give.
"You've done well so far, Alex, but the Pokémon before have not been much of a challenge for you. This last one, though, will be your real challenge," Erika said, tossing out a Poké Ball. It revealed Venusaur.
Alex had guessed as much, given Erika's reputation. But what happened next completely shocked him.
Erika focused on her wrist as energy surged between the Keystone embedded in her bracer and the Venusaurite hanging from the necklace around Venusaur's neck. In a flash of white light, Venusaur evolved further—into Mega Venusaur.
Alex noted the slight increase in size and the presence of the flower on its head. He thought the transformation was a bit underwhelming.
"What do you think, Alex?" Erika asked, a sly smile playing on her lips.
"I think we'll be just fine," Alex replied, releasing his final Pokémon, Altaria, causing Erika to narrow her eyes. It was clear what Alex's next strategy would be.
"Perish Song," Alex commanded, and Altaria began to sing an ominous, haunting melody.
Erika thought furiously, trying to figure out how to bring down Altaria. It still had one more turn of Safeguard, so it couldn't be poisoned or put to sleep yet. All of Venusaur's strongest attacks were Grass-type, which would be 4x resisted. Her best chance was to use Normal or Poison-type moves to deal damage.
With Growth no longer giving two stacks of Attack and Special Attack due to Altaria's Cloud Nine nullifying Sunny Day, Swords Dance and physical attacks were her only options. Hyper Beam or Giga Impact would need an extra turn, so those options were out.
His next moves were predictable: Protect, Substitute, then Protect again—each designed to minimize exposure to damage. All three offered resistance to status effects, though Substitute remained the weak link, crumbling once enough damage broke through.
Alex was ready. He had her cornered. His Altaria was specifically meant to fight Erika's last Pokemon.
'I've lost,' Erika thought, her gaze narrowing. 'But I won't be going down without a fight.'
"Sludge Bomb," Erika finally called out, and the attack hit Altaria, leaving her with 60% health.
Alex stood his ground, calmly awaiting Erika's next move. With Protect being a high-priority move and Substitute also upgraded to Priority +1, he had little reason to fear an upset.
"Swords Dance."
Mega Venusaur swayed gently, its vines flicking in the air. Its Attack was now at +2.
Alex continued to wait. No use using a move now and taking risks.
"Poison Jab," Erika commanded as Mega Venusaur charged at Altaria, its vines glowing purple.
"Protect, then Substitute," Alex countered.
"Bullet Seed," Erika ordered after the Poison Jab was blocked entirely.
Mega Venusaur unleashed a barrage of seeds from its flower. They hit Altaria's Substitute one by one, breaking it apart.
Because of Sludge Bomb, Altaria was down to roughly 60% health. After using Substitute, that amount fell to 30%. The last two seeds managed to deal damage, taking Altaria from 30% down to 20% after the final seeds hit.
It was close—Erika had nearly succeeded. If she had +6 Attack from the start of the second move, it could have been enough. But ultimately, Alex had her figured out.
The battle ended as Perish Song reached its crescendo. Mega Venusaur and Altaria both fainted from the effects of the ominous song.
With that, Erika had no more Pokémon left, while Alex still had three.
"Winner, Challenger Alex," the referee finally declared.
Erika and Alex retrieved their Pokémon before Erika stepped forward and handed him the Rainbow Badge—his second official badge.
"Congratulations on earning the Rainbow Badge, Alex. That was a well-fought battle," she said with a graceful smile.
"Thank you, Gym Leader Erika," Alex replied, offering a polite bow.
"What are your plans now? More chaos, perhaps?" she asked, a teasing lilt to her voice.
"Rest for the next week… then yes, maybe a little more chaos," Alex said with a soft chuckle.
"Just don't go overboard," Erika warned gently. "I know you can handle yourself in the wild and even against most Elite trainers, but there are still some out there you can't possibly stand against—at least, not yet."
"I'll take your warning to heart."
"Very good." She waved him off lightly. "Now run along. I have a garden to fix up."
Alex looked around and finally noticed the aftermath of their intense battle. Scorched leaves, singed flowers, and gaping holes in the once-pristine wall of greenery surrounded them.
Their battle had left quite the mark.
Alex quickly left the gym, already registering online for his next challenge. His target: the Ghost-type Gym in Lavender City, led by the former Elite Four member, Agatha.
Agatha had retired from the Elite Four over a decade ago. Since then, she had devoted her time and resources to revitalizing Lavender Town—now known as Lavender City.
As part of that effort, she had founded the Ghost-type Gym, the city's only official gym and a testament to her legacy.
Alex noted that his next scheduled appointment was eight months away—by then, he'd be eighteen years old.
Upon returning to the hotel, he decided his Pokémon had earned another week of relaxation. Training at the hotel wasn't feasible, and venturing into the wilds was pointless given the lack of Elite-ranked Pokémon nearby.
Thanks to his bond with Hydreigon—an Elite-tier Pokémon—Alex's aura alone was enough to terrify any Pokémon ranked Expert or lower, making meaningful encounters nearly impossible.
Instead, he resolved to pamper his team.
Celadon City was best known for retirement and luxury, so it had to offer some of the finest grooming services in the region.
Sure enough, a quick check of the hotel's amenities revealed a full-service Pokémon spa. It featured grooming, saunas, artificial hot springs, professional chefs, and even on-site breeders who could craft custom Pokéblocks.
It wasn't cheap—but with a sizable windfall expected in the coming week, Alex figured he could afford to treat his team to a week of indulgence with his remaining four million Pokédollars.
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