The phantom 41st floor isn't included in the 40 floors of the Silver Building but is a special space opened separately.
The grass here is green, and there's a healthy vibrancy everywhere.
But Gary, surrounded by green, didn't look healthy at all. The cute Vileplume opposite him was putting immense pressure on him.
As we all know, in the world of Pokémon, the more harmless a creature looks, the more terrifying it is.
Even though he was now using the type-advantaged Arcanine, he still didn't dare to be careless.
"Arcanine, use Fire Spin!"
Arcanine raised its neck and spit out a spiral of fire from its mouth. It swirled and rotated in the air, and in the blink of an eye, it had surrounded Vileplume.
"Hoohoohoo!!"
The ring-shaped flame suddenly shrunk, about to burn the target in the center!
The flames in the sky made Athena's face glow red. She licked her lips, her face full of teasing.
"Vileplume, dance with your petals!"
Upon hearing this, countless pink petals instantly emerged from the huge petals on Vileplume's head. Upon closer inspection, they seemed to be flowers from its homeland. They all floated around its body but didn't fall to the ground.
"Plume~~"
As Vileplume's body swayed, the petals in the air swirled around with an inexplicable hurricane. Soon, every petal became extremely sharp, with bursts of cold light.
The petals danced, actually repelling the fierce vortex of fire, and not even a spark could touch it.
As the dance of flames and petals faded away, a fierce ghostly figure suddenly pounced from the periphery of the flames. It had a ferocious lion's head and terrifying flames burning on its teeth.
"Arcanine, use Fire Fang!!" Gary roared loudly.
Compared to special attacks, Arcanine's physical attacks were the real killing weapons!
"Tsk tsk."
Athena chuckled and didn't even give any instructions.
Just as the Fire Fang was about to bite its target, cherry blossoms suddenly appeared around Vileplume's body again. The sharp wind from the petals made Arcanine's Fangs stop less than three inches in front of it, unable to move forward even a single step.
"Plume!!"
Taking advantage of Arcanine's position in mid-air, Vileplume suddenly attacked.
It lowered its body slightly to dodge Arcanine's charge, then kicked out with its short legs and rushed out headfirst.
"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!!"
Surrounded by dancing petals, Vileplume rammed into Arcanine's lower back. Even though its type didn't restrain Arcanine, the latter still let out a muffled groan and was knocked back several meters.
Whether it's the big head or the mane-covered neck and tail, these parts are not Arcanine's weaknesses.
The waist, however, wasn't covered with hard bristles, and one collision made Arcanine lose half its stamina.
"Haha, Petal Dance isn't a one-time attack."
Athena covered her mouth and smirked.
Each attack of Petal Dance lasts for 2 to 3 rounds, which trainers can't fully control.
Of course, some trainers can indeed train Pokémon to control the number of times this skill can be used, but in comparison, she preferred the random excitement.
"Plume~"
This time, the petals stopped dancing after two rounds, and Vileplume's body began to shake, obviously in a state of confusion.
Seeing this, Gary's eyes lit up and he shouted,
"Good opportunity, Arcanine, use Flame Charge!"
Even if there's a huge level gap, type-advantaged moves can still cause great damage!
"Aohou!!"
Arcanine's fur flew, its whole body covered in flames. With agile limbs, it began to rush toward the confused Vileplume.
Flames and hurricanes swirled all the way, looking cool and powerful.
Athena still didn't panic at all and calmly instructed,
"Vileplume, use Sludge Bomb!"
"Plume~~"
The still-dazed Vileplume began spewing out purple venom from its flower mouth, spreading out in all directions like a wave.
A wave of venom surged, reaching one or two meters high!
Since it was in a confused state, Vileplume attacked indiscriminately.
"Arcanine!"
Gary was anxious. It was outrageous for the venom to turn into a surfing wave!
Faced with the venom wave, Flame Charge looked like a flash of fire in the waves and was quickly extinguished. White smoke from the flames' contact with the venom filled the floor with an unpleasant smell.
"Roar!!"
Arcanine didn't dare to be careless. Before the sludge wave could sweep it away, it kicked the floor hard and bounced up, its powerful jumping ability allowing it to step directly on the ceiling.
At the highest point, it could see everything with sharp eyes. The venom waves were dangerous, but Vileplume at the center was defenseless.
Arcanine's eyes turned serious!
Gary understood and shouted loudly, "Use Flamethrower now!!"
"Awooo!!"
Arcanine howled, and without hesitation, a thick column of flame burst out from its teeth.
The intense heat burned the surrounding venom, filling the air with white smoke, and finally hit the confused Vileplume directly.
Flamethrower burst!!
"Plume…"
Under the scorching flames, Vileplume let out a whine. Even though there was a level gap, being burned by fire still hurt!
Even Athena couldn't help but be impressed by Gary's strategy. She didn't expect Arcanine's jumping ability to be so strong that it could launch an air attack while dodging the venom wave.
Then she showed a sinister smile and suddenly instructed,
"In that case, use Photosynthesis."
In the next second, Vileplume, no longer confused, looked serious. Even though there was no bright sun in the room, the petals on its head began to light up with sunlight.
Gary quickly shouted, "Don't give it a chance, use Flame Fang!"
Arcanine didn't delay. As soon as it landed, it kicked the ground again, becoming a fiery red afterimage, with flames burning on its fangs.
"There's enough time!" Gary clenched his fists.
Photosynthesis takes time, long enough for Arcanine to finish Fire Fang!
Why would Athena choose to use it now?
Was this really a core member of Team Rocket? Could she battle against the Elite Four?
How ridiculous!
Gary sneered, watching Arcanine rush toward Vileplume with its flaming fangs, ready to bite the petals.
However, something strange happened!
Gary suddenly realized something was wrong.
Athena burst into laughter and lightly tapped her fingers.
"Vileplume, use Solar Beam!"
Just as Firee Fang was about to strike, the light on Vileplume's petals reached its peak, and a blazing white beam of solar energy shot out.
Boom!!
Caught off guard, Arcanine was hit head-on!
Firee Fang was instantly defeated, and Arcanine was blasted dozens of meters away, crashing into the wall, leaving a deep crater.
Gary: "?!"
Athena smiled softly, shaking her finger at Gary.
"Handsome boy, don't believe everything a beautiful woman says~"
(End of this chapter)