"Go, Chikorita!" I exclaimed, my voice filled with determination.
"Show 'em, Lio!" Brown countered, his tone brimming with confidence.
We simultaneously released our starters onto the battlefield. Chikorita taking her stance on my side of the field, her head-leaf shining as the Miracle Seed glistened in its holster. Across from her, Brown’s Popplio materialized, his pink frill flared out with what looked to be a stick tucked behind his left ear. I guessed that it was a Water-type enhancing item, similar to Chikorita’s Miracle Seed.
“Chikorita, alternate between Razor Leaf and Bullet Seed!” I ordered, starting the battle off aggressively. Chikorita nodded as she started to materialize a set of floating leaves.
“Heh, Baby Doll Eyes Lio!” Brown countered as Popplio’s eyes flared with a pink hue, his gaze fixating on Chikorita. The Razor Leaf had already finished forming and was shooting towards Popplio by then but Popplio’s gaze made Chikorita hesitate; her Razor Leaf wasn’t as accurate as usual and she followed up with Bullet seed yet. As a result, Popplio was able to mostly bounce out of the way with only a couple leaves connecting and making the Sea Lion Pokemon wince.
“Chikorita, keep up the pressure, girl!” I encouraged loudly, urging her to push through. She gathered her resolve and restarted her attack as seeds coalesced and rocketed from her mouth while Popplio tried to dodge.
“Lio, counter with a Water Gun! Keep it up!!” Brown commanded as Popplio released short, compressed streams of water as each seed homed in on him. The exchange continued and out of every barrage, 1-2 seeds managed to bypass the aquatic counter as Popplio’s Water Gun was much slower than Bullet Seed.
“Keep it up Chikorita!” I urged, catching a glimpse of our win condition as she wore down Popplio with each successive barrage. To keep up the pressure, Chikorita also started to materialize a handful of leaves around her and shot them in between but Popplio continued to slowly countered, inching his way towards Chikorita. Although we had the type advantage against Popplio, I still expected better from Brown given how our last battle turned out; I had hoped that he had a trick up his sleeve. Just as I felt that I had this in the bag, my expectation quickly went sideways after the next exchange of moves.
“Now Lio! Disarming Voice!” Brown declared. Popplio took a deep breath, releasing a powerful cry infused with Fairy-type energy, the sound waves visible and edged with shining Water-type energy, as it crossed the space between the two Pokemon and reached Chikorita. The mixed energy attack caught Chikorita off-guard as she winced from the combined assault.
“Chikorita, get in there and Vine Whip!” I ordered, hoping to take back the advantage in the fight; Disarming Voice’s mixed damage type was likely due to Popplio’s ability; I wasn’t sure exactly what it was but I knew that abilities could alter the usual type energy of moves. From the visual effects of the move, it seemed to be Fairy and Water typed; while Chikorita could easily withstand the Water-type energy, the move was enhanced quite a bit more than usual due to the Fairy-type energy helping it penetrate Chikorita’s typical resistance. Fairy-type energy was insidious like that and all Fairy-type moves were known to alter a Pokemon’s innate resistance, leading to its well known effectiveness against the Dragon-type.
Shaking off my thoughts, I quickly forced myself to focus on the battle again as Chikorita closed in on Popplio, enduring another Disarming Voice on the way. Thick vines materialized around her, two this time, each replete with Grass-type energy. The vines speedily slammed down on our stationary opponent, knocking Popplio to the side and canceling its continued attack; unfortunately, Brown seemed to have been waiting for this.
“Lio, use Icy Wind now!” Brown commanded, his voice filled with glee at the successful trap.
”Chikorita, dodge quickly!” I ordered, quickly realizing the danger of the Ice-type move; with how wet Chikorita was, and the short distance between the two Pokemon, Chikorita would be far more vulnerable to the freezing Ice-type energy than normal. I knew we had to act fast.
Chikorita swiftly darted to the side but Popplio had been trained well in targeting the move as he breathed out a steady stream of glistening wind that widened as it reached Chikorita, enveloping her in its cold embrace. Chikorita’s movements visibly slowed down as she tried to fight off the winds but it seemed never-ending. I knew we had to get out of this somehow and the only thing that came to mind was super risky.
“Chikorita, use Vine Whip to lift yourself, get out of that wind!” I yelled, hoping that she would hear me. Chikorita’s vines were still deployed from the previous attack and she would only need to renew the type energy inside them to lift herself up as quickly as possible; I could already see her usually vibrant head-leaf start to wilt with icy flakes forming on its surface. Fortunately, Chikorita seemed to have heard my plea as she stopped, gathered herself for a couple of seconds, and launched her now energized vines against the ground, launching herself in the air.
Popplio, taken aback by Chikorita’s sudden ascent, couldn’t adjust his aim in time as she finally left the area of effect of Icy Wind.
“Get in range and finish it Chikorita!” I exclaimed, recognizing the opportunity to completely close the distance; I believed in Chikorita’s superior close-combat abilities and didn’t want to waste a moment while she was airborne and easy to target.
“Popplio, use an Aqua Jet to get away then Icy Wind again!” Brown strategized, determined not to let us gain the upper hand again.
Balancing herself on her two vines, Chikorita swiftly flicked them behind her, propelling herself towards Popplio. A stream of water erupted from beneath Popplio, pushing him off to the sides. Both Pokémon were visibly worn out, and the next move would decide the winner.
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Popplio readied himself, taking a deep breath while adjusting his position. I could see the beginnings of an Icy Wind forming, but before he could unleash it, a large empowered vine slammed into Popplio's side, knocking him across the field and towards Brown.
Popplio staggered before his eyes closed and he fainted, unable to continue the battle.
"Popplio has fainted. Jr. Trainer Brown has no more Pokémon to battle with. The winner is Jr. Trainer Avery," announced the mechanical voice of the console, confirming our victory. I rushed towards Chikorita, overwhelmed with joy and relief.
“YES! YOU DID IT!!” I exclaimed, running towards and picking Chikorita up in my arms, both happy about the win and relieved that Chikorita was able to disrupt Popplio from forming the Icy Wind in time. It could have turned the tide of the battle against us completely and I was sure that we would’ve lost from that point on. Brown was able to dish out some heavy damage though as Chikorita was covered in bruises, her head-leaf clearly wilted; she slowly started to relax after the high of the battle wore off and went to sleep in my arms.
“Tch, Lio’ll win next time.” Brown muttered after he returned Popplio and started walking towards me.
“Sure, I’m ready for a rematch whenever you are, dude.” I quipped back, rolling my eyes and internally gloating from the win. I couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction from the victory, though I was puzzled by Brown's prolonged stay; I had expected him to leave without saying much just like last time. Instead, he stepped into the middle of the field and extended his hand. I stared at it, momentarily confused, before walking over and shaking his hand.
“Good battle!” Brown replied under his breath, the words barely audible.
"Huh, good battle! By the way, how did Popplio learn so many moves?" I inquired, unable to contain my curiosity and still confused at his amicable actions as we let the hand-shake finish.
“I’ve been making plans for Popplio for over a year now dude, tch.” He answered.
“Cool, that Icy Wind was scary, completely caught me off guard. Oh, and what was up with that Disarming Voice!” I asked, unable to keep my questions in.
"As if I'll tell you. See you later, wuss!" Brown retorted, reverting to his usual self. He swiftly turned around and left the field. It was then that I noticed the audience once again, their numbers seemingly having grown during the intense battle.
Not wanting to be harassed by any of Brown’s hanger-ons, I quickly followed the teen and left the field as well, heading towards the Pokemon Center.
On the way, I stopped by Café Dedenne to reward myself and my team with some treats. Both Chikorita and Fletchling had shown great progress during the battle, and I felt they deserved a special treat to celebrate our victory.
Upon reaching the Pokémon Center, I found myself easily able to enter the previously crowded complex, now nearly deserted. Most of the seasoned trainers were likely gathered in the grand Indigo Stadium or at the bustling Pokémon Village, eagerly anticipating the opening ceremony and matches of the Indigo League Conference.
The battle and the journey to and from the battleground had been relatively short. It was barely 10:30 AM, and the conference was scheduled to commence precisely at noon. I entrusted Chikorita and Fletchling's Pokéballs to Nurse Joy, who greeted me with a warm smile. Afterward, I made my way upstairs, swiftly freshening up and changing into comfortable loungewear. Though I could have watched the match from my room, I felt it would be more enjoyable to join other trainers in the Pokémon Center's lounge.
Before that though, I spent around an hour in my room, checking on my RotomTube channel and jotting down detailed notes about my battle with Brown. I was certain this would make for another exciting highlight video on my channel. Especially since I had just reached 50,000 subscribers, I eagerly anticipated a potential contact from TubeCo to monetize my growing views. While I had received some sponsorship offers from dubious companies, I decided to wait until I could generate revenue solely from my channel.
As the hour drew to a close, a notification chimed on my PokéPhone, alerting me that my Pokémon were ready to be picked up. I descended the stairs and approached Nurse Joy's counter without having to wait in line.
"Hey Nurse Joy, how are they looking?" I inquired, hopeful for positive news.
"They're both fully healed, but no training for a couple of days, young man," Nurse Joy replied, her gaze carrying a hint of sternness. "Fletchling's left claw is in a splint and needs time to heal properly. Chikorita could use plenty of sunshine; I've given her a dose of Vitamin D and multivitamin complexes, but she might be susceptible to catching a cold tonight. Keep her warm and snug."
I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt for the injuries my Pokémon had endured. However, I also breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that their wounds were relatively minor. With their Pokéballs securely attached to my belt, I thanked Nurse Joy for her assistance and advice before making my way to the round couches in the lounge, facing the large televisions.
Most of the seats were already occupied, and I spotted Joey and Mimi sitting together in a corner. I waved at Joey but decided to choose another spot a bit further away, opting to avoid Mimi for the time being. Seeing her again after our battle still felt somewhat awkward to me.
As I settled onto the couch, I released both Chikorita and Fletchling. They nestled beside me, and we spoke softly, celebrating their performances in battle and praising their strengths. We would discuss our mistakes privately at a later time. Within a few minutes, the large flat-screen TV in the center of the lounge illuminated, displaying the Pokémon League and Indigo League logos, followed by a countdown of five minutes.
Realizing it was the perfect moment, I retrieved their plates—the ones I had purchased as part of our camping kit—and served them their PokéFeed. I also unveiled the treats I had bought earlier. For Chikorita, I had chosen the same leafy roll she had relished during yesterday's breakfast (though it seemed hard to believe it had only been a day!). As for Fletchling, I had picked up a bag of cinnamon and paprika-flavored PokéCrisps. For myself, I had grabbed a couple of sandwiches at random. Their eyes lit up with delight
as they recognized their treats, calling out their names and snuggling affectionately against my sides.
By this time, the countdown on the television had dwindled to its final 10 seconds, and viewers all around joined in a collective narration. At the count of three, the atmosphere in the Pokémon Center became charged with excitement as everyone, including myself, chimed in. As the countdown reached its conclusion, a resounding cheer erupted from the TV, the live audience at the stadium, and viewers tuning in from across the region.
The Indigo League Conference had officially begun.