Luo Yuan clipped Dragonair's Poké Ball back onto his belt, his expression steady.
As a Team Rocket executive, setbacks of this level wouldn't faze him.
"Well then, my second Pokémon…"
He reached for another Poké Ball at his waist.
Given his "rookie Trainer" cover, the only Pokémon left at his disposal were Charmeleon and Gyarados.
Using Charmeleon was out of the question—he couldn't risk burning down Erika's entire Gym.
"Go, Gyarados!"
With a toss of his hand, the Poké Ball hit the ground, and with a heavy thud, Gyarados appeared.
Normally, a Gyarados weighed around 200 kilograms, but after Luo Yuan's intensive feeding, his Gyarados weighed over 300 kilograms.
Roar!
Gyarados let out a fierce bellow, sending tremors through the leaves of nearby plants.
Facing an opponent several times its size, with a body exuding raw power and aggression, even Vileplume trembled slightly, a flicker of fear flashing through its eyes.
Gyarados's Intimidate ability had taken effect.
Erika was visibly surprised.
She'd expected Luo Yuan's second Pokémon to be one of the usual starters, but she hadn't anticipated Gyarados.
"A Water and Flying-type Gyarados? From a type perspective, that's a good choice…"
Vileplume's moves were mostly Grass- and Poison-type.
Gyarados, being Water and Flying, wouldn't be at a disadvantage. In fact, Grass and Poison types were weak against Flying moves.
This meant Gyarados had the upper hand here.
Luo Yuan smiled, skipping any small talk.
After three battles, both he and Erika had a good grasp of each other's strategies.
Without hesitation, Luo Yuan went on the offensive.
"Gyarados, use Twister!"
After his experience with Vileplume's spores, there was no way he'd let himself get caught again.
Gyarados opened its mouth, unleashing a swirling Twister that quickly took shape and swept across the battlefield like a massive vacuum, sucking in everything in its path.
The spore barrier shattered instantly.
As the Twister moved closer to Vileplume, Erika called out urgently.
"Vileplume, Root yourself!"
In most cases, Ingrain was used to recover health. Here, however, it had a different purpose.
"Vileplume!"
Vileplume complied, digging its short legs into the ground and rooting itself firmly.
With its roots anchoring it, Vileplume held steady.
As the Twister began to lose its power, Erika launched her next attack.
"Vileplume, use Petal Dance!"
From Vileplume's flower, a flurry of petals shot out, spiraling towards Gyarados.
Luo Yuan remained unfazed.
Dragonair had struggled with Petal Dance due to various circumstances, but Gyarados was different.
"Gyarados, another Twister!" he ordered, signaling with a subtle upward gesture while mentally instructing Gyarados through their psychic link.
Gyarados immediately understood.
It opened its mouth and released another Twister, catching the incoming petals and pulling them into its spiraling winds.
Neither Erika nor Vileplume could anticipate Luo Yuan's next move.
Seeing Petal Dance swept up by the Twister, Erika smiled.
Petal Dance was only the first stage of her plan; her true strategy lay in the next move.
The sun was high in the sky, streaming through the Gym's glass ceiling.
"Vileplume, Solar Beam!" Erika commanded with a graceful wave.
"Vile~!" Vileplume clenched its small fists as its enormous flower absorbed sunlight, radiating a brilliant glow.
The charge time for Solar Beam was remarkably quick, completing just as Twister dissipated.
But as Vileplume prepared to unleash it, it realized its target had vanished.
"Vile?"
Vileplume looked around in confusion.
Unbeknownst to it, a dark shadow was plummeting down from above, right in its blind spot.
"Vileplume, look out above you!" Erika called out.
But it was too late by the time Vileplume raised its gaze.
"Bounce!" Luo Yuan declared with a smile.
Taking advantage of Twister's cover, Gyarados had launched itself skyward, now descending rapidly under the force of gravity.
In a last-ditch effort, Vileplume released its fully-charged Solar Beam.
However, due to the awkward angle, Vileplume struggled to aim accurately.
The beam shot past Gyarados, smashing through the glass ceiling of the Gym instead.
Then Gyarados came crashing down.
Boom!
Dust and debris filled the air.
Having already been worn down from battling Dragonair, and facing a Flying-type's super-effective hit, Vileplume lay on the ground when the dust settled, unable to continue.
"Vileplume is unable to battle. Gyarados wins!"
"The final victor is the challenger, Luo Yuan!"
Erika looked at her defeated Vileplume and sighed. "I lost. I guess I've been too absorbed in making perfumes lately and neglected my Pokémon training."
"You're actually really strong," Luo Yuan replied. Surge wouldn't be much stronger than Erika, after all.
Erika took his words as polite flattery and pulled out a badge from her pocket, offering it to him with a smile.
"Thank you for indulging me with this battle, Luo Yuan. Here's your Rainbow Badge. Also…"
She signaled to a nearby Gym employee, who brought over a box.
"This is a new perfume I recently created. It's not on the market yet, so consider it a gift for your girlfriend."
With a playful wink, she handed him the box.
Taking the badge and perfume, Luo Yuan heard the familiar chime of his system notifying him of his win, but he only looked at the perfume box, falling into contemplation.
He had several girlfriends—who should he give it to?
---
After reviving Dragonair at the Pokémon Center, Luo Yuan returned to his hotel.
The sky had darkened, though Celadon City was still aglow with lights.
He pulled his gaze from the bustling streets below.
Just as he was about to head down to the hotel restaurant for dinner, his communicator suddenly buzzed.
"Calling at this hour… Could it be Misty?"
Usually, Misty liked to check in around this time to talk about her day and the challengers at Cerulean Gym.
But when Luo Yuan glanced at the device, his brow furrowed—it was more serious than he'd thought.
The communicator displayed Team Rocket's emergency channel.
He answered immediately.
Before he could even speak, Matori's voice cut in.
"Luo Yuan, we have an emergency! The Sevii Islands base is under attack!"
---
T/N: SEVERAL? WHOOO? THERES SABRINA AND MISTY WHO ELSEEE
Thanks for reading! Let me know if you spot any mistakes or inconsistencies!
Posture and water check! Remember this is a fan translation!
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