Misty returned Ash's look with an exaggerated eye-roll.
"This kind of device is normally used only in Professional-level battles or higher," she explained. "At that level, even a huge battlefield might not be enough, if a Pokémon misfires, it can destroy half the Gym or seriously injure the Trainer giving commands."
Then she gave him a pointed look. "But our Cerulean Gym's strongest Pokémon are only Elite Level right now. What would we need this fancy barrier for?"
Ash's expression froze. 'Yeah… that did make sense. What would an Elite-level battle need a League-grade shield for?'
Brock shrugged and added, "Our Gym has one too, but when you came to challenge me back then, you were just a rookie. Why would I bother turning it on?"
Ash immediately turned away, pretending to cough.
So it wasn't that their Gyms didn't have one… it was that he'd been too weak back then.
Erika chuckled softly, amused by their back-and-forth. "Although this barrier is usually only used for Professional-level matches, Celadon Gym is a special case."
She gestured to the sea of blossoms surrounding the arena. "Besides being a Gym Leader, I also run a perfume shop. These flowers and plants are all raw materials for my perfumes. So even during an Elite-level match, I need to activate the shield to prevent any damage."
That made sense. Losing a rare flower here would probably cost her more than the prize money from a dozen Gym battles.
"I see!" Ash nodded earnestly. "Then let's start, Erika! I can't wait to see how this barrier works in a real fight."
Erika smiled, her eyes soft but sharp with confidence.
"Then I'll send out my Pokémon first," she said, her kimono sleeves swaying as she turned. A Poké Ball appeared in her hand with a graceful motion.
The referee—a young woman who had greeted them at the door—stepped forward and announced, "The battle format is three-on-three. The Gym Leader may not switch Pokémon during the match. The first Trainer whose Pokémon are all unable to battle will lose."
With that, Erika threw her Poké Ball.
"Go, Vileplume!"
A burst of red light filled the air, and when it cleared, a Pokémon with a round blue body and a massive red flower blooming on its head appeared.
"Vileplume…" Ash murmured. He'd always wanted to catch an Oddish and evolve it into a Vileplume someday. According to the experts in the group chat, this Pokémon could be really troublesome if used skillfully.
"Vileplume, huh? Then I choose you, Kirlia!"
He tossed his Poké Ball, and in a flash of light, a graceful Kirlia with shimmering blue hair appeared, spinning lightly before taking her battle stance.
Erika blinked. "A… shiny Kirlia?"
Even with her experience, she couldn't help but be taken aback. Shiny Pokémon were rare enough, but a Shiny Kirlia? That was practically a miracle.
First a elite-level Gastly, and now a Shiny Kirlia? This boy's luck was downright unfair!
Kirlia, use Psychic!"
"Kir~lia!"
Kirlia raised her delicate hand, her eyes glowing blue. Psychic energy surged across the field and wrapped around Vileplume, holding it tightly in place.
Erika reacted instantly. "Vileplume, Ingrain!"
"Vile~plume!"
Thick, vine-like roots extended from Vileplume's body, plunging deep into the ground. The moment they took hold, the plant Pokémon's body steadied, and faint green light began to flow up through the roots.
Ash's eyes widened. "It's using the ground to anchor itself!"
Under the effect of Ingrain, Vileplume couldn't be lifted or thrown,
Psychic's main purpose was control, damage was only a side effect.Even with the type advantage, the attack barely scratched Vileplume. Within moments, its roots glowed faintly as it restored its strength through Ingrain.
"Very good, Vileplume! Use Razor Leaf!"
"Vileee~~plume!"
Vileplume flicked the huge flower atop its head, sending a flurry of razor-sharp leaves spinning forward at incredible speed.
A chorus of sharp whoosh sounds sliced through the air as if the leaves were shredding the atmosphere itself.
"Psychic!"
"Kirliaaa!"
Kirlia extended both hands, releasing the psychic hold on Vileplume. Instead, her focus shifted entirely to the storm of leaves mid-flight.
"Throw them back!"
The suspended leaves spun around in midair, then hurtled back toward Vileplume under the pull of Kirlia's psychic power. Though they lacked the cutting edge of the original attack, they still carried considerable force.
"Trying to hit me with my own move? That's a bit naïve, don't you think?"
Erika smirked at Ash's counter, then flicked her wrist gracefully. "Ignore it, Vileplume, use Sunny Day!"
"Sunny Day?"
Ash blinked in surprise, then his eyes widened as he recalled the ability he'd sensed earlier. His expression shifted instantly.
"Stop her!"
Hearing his command, Kirlia's eyes flared a deeper blue. The returning leaves accelerated, slamming into Vileplume with even greater force than before.
But Grass-type attacks like Razor Leaf barely harmed a fellow Grass-type. Vileplume hardly flinched, precisely why Erika had ordered it to ignore the assault.
Yet, the moment the leaves struck, Kirlia vanished from sight, only to reappear behind Vileplume in a flash of light.
From the flower's pistil, a ball of heat gathered, flames flickering as it prepared to launch.
Kirlia clenched her small fist, flames bursting to life around it.
"Fire Punch!"
BOOM!
A thunderous impact shook the battlefield as an explosion of smoke swallowed Vileplume's form.
Erika's composed smile faltered. She had anticipated the Razor Leaf retaliation, but not a close-range Fire Punch.
What was with this Kirlia? How could she chain Psychic, Teleport, and Fire Punch in one seamless motion?
That combination was almost impossibly smooth.
Amid the swirling smoke, a glowing orb of light shot upward, rising to the top of the Gym's dome. It flared brilliantly, transforming into a suspended miniature sun.
Sunny Day had succeeded.
As the smoke cleared, Vileplume emerged, singed but standing firm. Scorch marks blackened parts of its petals, yet its stamina steadily recovered, thanks to both Ingrain and the fact that Fire-type moves weren't Kirlia's specialty.
"Vileplume, put some distance between you two!"
Close combat had never been Vileplume's strength. The moment Erika spoke, the Pokémon pushed off lightly with surprising agility, retreating across the field.
In truth, Kirlia wasn't suited for melee either, but that Fire Punch had startled Erika nonetheless. For a brief second, she'd even wondered if this Kirlia specialized in physical attacks, absurd as that sounded.
With quick, bounding steps, Vileplume widened the gap. Its speed was astonishing for something so large, almost unnatural. The roots that had anchored it to the ground snapped cleanly, and as soon as it stopped, new ones extended and re-rooted themselves to restore more energy.
"You're really intent on stopping my Sunny Day," Erika said, smiling faintly now that the distance was reestablished. "That means you've guessed Vileplume's ability, haven't you?"
"Chlorophyll," Ash replied immediately. "Under Sunny Day, your Vileplume's Speed doubles."
Indeed, Chlorophyll, the sunlight-boosted ability, was what made Vileplume's earlier retreat so blindingly fast.
"That's right," Erika admitted smoothly. "But since Sunny Day's already active, it doesn't really matter that you've figured it out."
Her elegant smile returned as she raised her hand again. "Vileplume, use Grassy Terrain!"
Ash's eyes narrowed. "Kirlia, Light Screen! Reflect!"
The moment Erika's Vileplume began shaping the battlefield, Ash reacted instantly. If he couldn't stop her from setting up, he could at least fortify his side.
Grassy Terrain spread across the Gym floor, coating the ground in lush, emerald light. The soothing energy pulsed rhythmically, restoring health to any Pokémon touching the ground and amplifying Grass-type attacks by thirty percent.
This was Erika's ideal stage, every one of her Pokémon thrived under such conditions.
But Ash wasn't one to fall behind.
If Erika could prepare the field, he would build his own defenses.
"Kir-lia!"
With a graceful motion, Kirlia raised both hands. Two faintly glowing barriers shimmered into existence, one gold, one silver, before fading from sight. Though invisible, both walls now encased her in twin layers of psychic protection, ready to halve any incoming damage.
On the opposite end, Vileplume's petals glowed brilliantly as its roots dug into the earth, spreading Grassy Terrain's life force throughout the arena.
"To cast both walls at once," Erika mused, a note of admiration in her voice, "and to combine Teleport with Fire Punch earlier… It seems your Kirlia has an exceptional ability to multitask. Now that our preparations are complete, shall we see whose setup holds stronger?"
Ash's lips curved into a confident grin. "I couldn't agree more, Erika. Let's settle this!"
Though his field advantage wasn't as perfect as Erika's, this was the best configuration he could achieve. And Kirlia, glowing softly in the green light, was perfectly poised for battle.
"Vileplume, Solar Beam!" Erika commanded, her hand cutting sharply through the air.
Normally, Solar Beam demanded time to gather energy, but under the blazing sun of Sunny Day, it fired instantly. Countless motes of light converged on Vileplume's bloom, condensing into a blinding golden sphere.
Ash's eyes narrowed. He waited, just long enough.
"Protect!"
Vileplume unleashed the Solar Beam in a brilliant column of radiant destruction. It roared across the field like a falling meteor, crashing into a sudden, shimmering green barrier that Kirlia summoned before her.
BOOM!
The explosion shook the arena, but the barrier held firm, halting the beam's fury just short of impact.
"Hmph. Let's see how long that lasts. Vileplume, don't hold back! Increase output!"
Erika's calm demeanor hardened into command.
Vileplume roared, pouring even more energy into the beam. The radiant torrent pressed against Kirlia's Protect, the ground trembling beneath them. Under the combined power of Sunny Day, Grassy Terrain, and the inherent strength difference between the two Pokémon, the barrier began to fracture.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the shield's surface.
Ash's eyes flashed. "Now, Kirlia, Ally Switch!"
"Kir-lia!"
Though visibly strained, Kirlia's body pulsed with psychic light. In an instant, her and Vileplume's positions swapped.
Erika's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?!"
The Solar Beam tore through the collapsing barrier, and slammed straight into Vileplume.
A resounding explosion echoed through the Gym, the recoil shaking the flower Pokémon violently.
"This is possible?!" Erika gasped. "To use Ally Switch while maintaining Protect… That Kirlia's a monster!"
Her composed tone faltered for the first time. Psychic-type moves really were infuriating, if not powerful, then endlessly unpredictable. Teleport, Ally Switch, dual barriers… all of them could turn the tide of a battle in an instant.
"Don't underestimate my Kirlia!" Ash called, seizing the opening. "Use Psychic!"
"Kirliaaa!"
The air shimmered as waves of telekinetic energy surged forward, slamming into the staggered Vileplume and freezing it in place. The invisible grip was far stronger than before, this was no mere Confusion. Vileplume's body trembled as it struggled, unable to move an inch.
"Very good!" Ash's eyes gleamed. "Now, Hypnosis!"
The decisive move.
As long as the opponent was hit, the outcome of this battle would be decided!