The sound of his mother's coughing filled the boy's ears as he stepped into the room. He failed to suppress his wince as he stepped in front of her bed, holding out the cup of liquid.
Her hands weren't too frail yet, and she gladly accepted the cup. "T-thank you sweety." Although he nodded, his face recoiled as she began drinking the substance down. He couldn't imagine how awful it tasted…
Her form steadied, the woman taking a deep breath upon finishing her drink that should help for now, but he was getting tired of these moments of temporary relief. What was the point of medicine when your symptoms just came back with a vengeance?
She noticed his tears, reaching out to pat his head. "Sweety. Don't… It's fine." her condition couldn't be helped. She always talked about making the most of it, but…
"It didn't have to be this way," he responded. Through his tears, he managed to make eye contact with her. "Why… why did he…"
With her condition somewhat improved, the look of betrayal on her face was much more noticeable, although she quickly managed to suppress it. Once more, she reached out to pat his head. "I know... But there's no use thinking about that anymore. It's in the past, and dwelling on it won't change anything. We're not Celebi, sweety…"
His fists balled up. He had just seen her as a tool. Someone that he could cast aside when there was no longer anything left to do with her. Leaving her to… And he'd ejected him, too, without a care in the world.
She had tried to expose him afterwards. An eye for an eye regarding his betrayal. But the League's investigation had failed. Produced nothing. And now, they were suspicious of her, for that. They were supposed to be invincible… but what was the point of turning to the system if the people who needed to be pursued had way too many safeguards? It was impossible…
/
"That's it… she's gone…"
He wasn't crying anymore. He had used up all of his tears the previous morning, when it had finally happened. Now, his eyes were dry, his expression blank, his mind broken.
On the porch, the girl had her arm wrapped around him, him never leaving her gaze. Inwardly, he appreciated her presence more than anything that existed in this universe, but found himself incapable of expressing such a thing. Unlike him, her eyes were wet.
"I'm so sorry I couldn't be there yesterday. My leg hadn't healed up yet, so the Professor…"
"It's fine." The Professor had always taken good care of her, and after she hurt her knee, there was no way she could have gone outside. The sight of her face was soothing, but he wasn't thinking about that right now. "This is all because of…" he trailed off, unable to muster the words.
Her face was formed into a frown at that. 'I know…" she responded. "My parents also… but are you really sure that…"
"I know." he corrected her. "And so did she. But now there's no way too…"
The look in her eyes was bitter. Sometimes, there was no justice.
/
Much time had passed. Ten years old now. It was time to prove himself. And also…
"So… you really managed it, then." her expression was serious as they stood amidst the surrounding trees.
"Yes…" his eyes never left hers as he absentmindedly tossed the Poke Ball upside down.
For a moment, her face turned to a smile. She was quite angelic, the aura she gave off one that soothed the soul. But there was something behind her eyes, something that only he could see.
The way that she was… it wasn't an act, but it wasn't the full story, either. He knew that. And that's why she was the only one that he could trust.
"I won't rat you out for that." she finally spoke. "But what now?"
"I don't know yet." It pained him a bit to see her tight expression, but it was the truth. "The right thing to do didn't work, but I'll find a way."
"What if there is no other way?"
"It's not impossible!" he almost snapped. "I just need to figure it out."
She was unhappy. He could tell. Beneath that understanding look in her eyes, her inner conflict was just as sincere as her own convictions. "Fine… I get it, I really do. I already did years ago." her hand stuck out. "Please get revenge for what happened."
His hand wrapped around hers, each finding their own ambitions reflected within the other's eyes.
Once he was far enough, there would be no reset. No reverse. Never turning back. But that was the nature of it.
He would do anything that he needed to do.
Be anything that he needed to be.
/
Celadon City was a massive place. And a massive place made way for a massive amount of stories. A town like Pallet Town or Lavender Town was a much more focused, and, ultimately, condensed, type of community, where everybody's respective stories intertwined with one another. You knew nearly every face. Absorbed nearly every piece of news. The town was a group. It's own corner within indigo's massive world.
But that was not the case for Celadon. Never had been, never was now, and likely never will be. You might not even recognize half of the people who existed within your own home town. Because it, in and of itself, was its own world, rather than its own corner. Some stories would never be known to one another. Others, only by sheer coincidence.
Beneath the beautiful spread of rooftops that ceilinged the city, so many lives were playing out, some completely independent from one another. A teacher was headed for the school awaiting her class of kids. A construction worker was on his way to help renovate the Celadon Public Library. A famous Breeder was helping her latest client research a foreign Pokemon originating from many shores away. Beneath the game Corner, a group of terrorists resided underground, plotting their next strike. A Gym Leader was seated at her desk, awaiting for her Gym to be open for challengers.
Among those challengers, of course, was Ash Ketchum.
After waking up in the morning, taking his quick shower, and watching his team arise, the young boy had stepped out of his room about an hour later than usual. The unexpected late night had delayed them a bit, but it would all be worth it in the end. After all, they needed their rest.
The team was in high spirits as they chewed into their food. All six of them had that upcoming badge within their collective minds. The badge that they were going to win for certain. Valiant and Tempest seemed especially fired up, albeit not sharing the sensation with one another.
Rather than eating on the floor, Pikachu's food had been placed next to Ash's won as he seated himself on the table, upon the young mouse's own personal request. The boy sunk his teeth into his breakfast sandwich as he and the mouse observed the idle chatter shared by the rest of the team. It was almost as though the previous battle with Gary had never even happened. After all, it was going to be replaced by their latest win.
It made Ash feel a bit guilty, knowing that he couldn't use all of them in the battle. Although, the team collectively seemed to be most excited for the upcoming victory itself, participation or not. Although Tempest still ate a bit further from the others (and was absolutely more pumped up for the battle itself than for anything else), there was clear unity among the rest of the group, a mutual gaze on the prize that they all pursued together.
Stealing a glance at his starter, Ash got the young mouse's attention. "You know, Pikachu," he continued as the electric mouse angled his gaze upwards at him in a smile. "The funny thing is… we're not actually too far from home right now." his thumb pointed backwards. "Viridian Forest is to the west. And south of that is Viridian City… and Pallet Town." At the understanding glint in his young partner's eyes, Ash's own face gave way to a somewhat awkward smile. "I just… find it to be somewhat funny, y'know? We're really not all that far away… and yet it's like we're on a different planet. Do you feel that way?"
A brief gaze outside, towards the towering skyscrapers extending into the air, was all that Pikachu needed to turn back to Ash with an affirmative nod.
Ash smiled sadly. It would be one thing if they were actually planning to return to Pallet Town, but since they weren't, and had currently been on the road for such a long time, the differences had been all the more apparent. Had they been going in Pallet's general direction, they would've been "almost home". Instead, they were in a completely different world, and would continue to be there, for the far foreseeable future.
His gaze found its way back to the rest of the team. Viridian Forest… It was hard to imagine that the place where he and Pikachu had first met Nebula and Valiant was effectively just to the west of the city that they were currently in. Apart from the bad memory of the forest, it also brought back memories of the far smaller team from back then, back when Pikachu, Nebula, and Valiant were all just a trio, and their team barely had anything to its name. He would never stop being proud of their progress. His, Pikachu's, Nebula's, Valiant's, the presence of Eevee, Tyrunt, and Tempest… he wouldn't trade it for the world. But at the same time, it was that exact same progression that had made those days so extensively nostalgic, even in just less than two months.
One of these days, he realized to himself, this moment would be just as nostalgic, too.
/
The Celadon City Gym did not have the reputation of Vermillion, nor was it the first Gym that Ash had ever been too, like Pewter. Nevertheless, it stood just as tall, and along with pikachu on his shoulder, Ash's head instinctively inclined upward as the magnificent building came into view.
The Gym's appearance almost felt… friendlier than he expected, which almost eased Ash's nerves a bit. Despite its massive size, it didn't feel like the Gym was looming above him and his starter, threatening to swallow them up. He wasn't too sure what the cause of such a difference was, but he supposed that it might have something to do with the roof: It resembled the mushrooms on a Vileplume's head. Even the overall color of the rest of the building was similar to that Pokemon's body. From what Ash knew, Erika had a notable fondness of the evolution line, and they even played a role in the makings of her signature perfumes, which were manufactured within the Gym's walls.
It was a Gym nonetheless, however, and as Ash stopped in front of the doors, he and Pikachu still gazing upwards, that familiar anxiety once again crept into his chest.
Erika didn't have the reputation of someone like LT. Surge, and perhaps her Gym reflected that, but she hadn't earned her status from being faint of heart, or docile on the battlefield.
"Alright, pal." Pikachu squeaked with positivity as Ash tickled his cheek one last time, raising a Poke Ball. "I'll be recalling you, okay?" After Pikachu's nod, Ash returned his starter. With some regret, he had already admitted to the young mouse that using him in a grass type Gym wouldn't be overly optimal. Not a horrible choice, as he imagined Pikachu wouldn't struggle, due to his own merits, but definitely among the less likely. Even Tempest, who had a far greater disadvantage against the grass typing, still had ways to mitigate it with his superior defenses and Icy Wind. Thankfully, pikachu was understanding, and likely recognized that he wouldn't be the first member of the team to sit a Gym battle out. After all, Nebula had been absent for the fight with Surge (albeit not envying the participants).
As Pikachu disappeared into his ball, Ash couldn't help but feel somewhat naked. Running his hand across his belt made him feel better, as always, but there was definitely a sense of loss and urgency when alone in front of a Gym. he kept this in mind as he stepped through the automatic glass doors, and into the building.
As he exited the outside world and entered the interior, the pleasant aura radiating off of the Gym suddenly became his surroundings.
The lobby was like a garden, with flowers and other plants ranging from familiar to exotic. An aroma filled the air of the room, almost feeling as though it was specifically designed to relieve stress. Ash could feel the pit in his stomach vanish into the back of his mind, the atmosphere of the room suppressing that of the high-stakes showdown that loomed ahead.
A girl sat at the counter by a door at the end of the lobby, most likely leading to the battlefield. As Ash made his way through the room, occasionally admiring the various plants sprouting from either side of the walkway, he realized that she couldn't be any older than twelve. The Celadon Gym, much like that of Saffron and Vermillion, was a hotspot for those seeking to be a Gym Trainer. Although, from what Ash knew, the academy was structured a bit differently. Out of necessity, from what he gathered, given Erika's responsibilities as both a Gym Leader and a businesswoman. She still ran the school, but couldn't be hands on about it in classes quite as often as other Gym Leaders were. She instead acted more as a school principal. Ash couldn't help but wonder if the woman was arguably the most productive Gym Leader in Kanto. From preserving the environment of such a metropolis (from what he knew, the miracle of her perfume business being eco-friendly came from the highly unconventional manner in which the products were made), monitoring portions of Viridian Forest, running a successful business, leading law enforcement in said metropolis, and running the Gym, it was almost as if her entire existence was that of a miracle woman. But from what he knew, she was also quite beloved for it, both by trainers and also the general populace.
Leaning forward in her chair, the girl folded her hands on the desk as Ash stopped in front of her. Her posture conveyed someone trying to stay on top of things, and appear professional. "Challenger?"
Ash nodded, quickly taking out his Pokedex to hand to her. She accepted the device with a manicured hand, inserting it into a slot as she brought the nearby pair of headphones up to her head.
Her typing wasn't as fast as the others who had managed the counters before her, but her face was still perfectly focused as Ash's trainer information appeared in front of her. "It says you have two badges and are from Pallet Town." leaving the screen, her eyes found their way to him. "Your name is Ash Ketchum, right?"
"Yes." he nodded.
She flashed him a friendly smile. "Good! I'll let Leader Erika know your here. You're today's first challenger, so you shouldn't have to wait."
He grinned at that. "Cool! Thanks!"
Strapping the headphones onto her ears, her finger found its way to the nearby blue button. "Leader Erika, a new challenge ris here. I'm sending you his information." Ash couldn't hear Erika's response, due to the headphones, but the girl grinned cheerfully at whatever it was. "Great! I'll let him know. Thank you!" removing the headphones, she looked up at Ash once more, pushing a small pad with a touch screen towards him, propped up by a stand. "She says she'll be ready for you in just a few minutes. Until then, you can just select your team here."
Thanking her, Ash knelt down with his hands on the pad. Once more, pictures of his team were presented for him to tap.
Select four Pokemon
Without thinking, his finger had already landed on Nebula, and Valiant soon after. He pulled his hand away as his eyes landed on the remaining four.
Pikachu, Eevee, Tyrunt, Tempest. He could only choose two of them. And none of them were bad choices, at that.
Pikachu had a major roadblock to overcome, due to his electricity being resisted by Pokemon with the grass typing. Nevertheless, his speed would always be a valuable asset in just about any sort of battle, and his Iron Tail would also provide him with a fairly meaningful defense against grass type moves, as well as a valuable offense. Eevee provided similar benefits as well. Tyrunt certainly wasn't nearly as fast, but his Fire Fang and Poison Fang, both coupled with Strong Jaw, would be lethal when delivered with any direct hit. Despite his inexperience, this battle was one of his most potent circumstances. Unlike Pikachu and Eevee, he had moves that grass types were vulnerable to. Two, in fact. There was still some risk versus reward involved with him, but it was still tempting as always...
And then there was Tempest. Despite being a water type, he easily had the most brute strength out of the four, and certainly by far the most durability. When coupled with Icy Wind, Ash found that the benefits heavily outweighed the drawbacks.
He selected the river crab.
Just one more to go. Against a grass type, Pikachu provided speed, Tyrunt with damage output, and Eevee probably somewhere roughly in the middle.
He couldn't help but feel frustrated. Four on four battles weren't quite as massive as six on six battles, and therefore somewhat less stressful, but the latter came with the benefit of not having to choose. No matter who he chose, he'd be having regrets for sure. And the fact that this took place in a Gym provided all of the stress that he explicitly did not need anyway.
'Be decisive.' he quickly told himself. If each member of his team was valuable enough for him to regret not picking them, then that also meant that he could be confident with whoever he did choose. He wouldn't get anywhere just staring at a touchscreen.
And with that in mind, his finger pressed against Tyrunt's picture.
The girl beamed as he returned the pad to her. "Great! Just take a seat. She should be on her way soon."
Nodding in thanks, Ash made his way to a nearby chair with a cushion. The next two or three minutes were almost painful. He wanted to battle, yet the knowledge of the stakes behind the upcoming fight made him dread it somewhat. He both wanted to get it over with, yet also genuinely wanted to do it at the same time. It was a confusing mindset.
Running his hand across his belt, though, he allowed himself a small grin. His team was certainly confident. With much anticipation to spare. And that was more than enough motivation for him.
Stakes or not, they would win this battle. And they would be walking out of this Gym with their third ever Gym badge.
Besides, they'd been to Surge's Gym. Even if they had been steamrolled, just the knowledged that they had been to such a place was enough to at least somewhat out him at ease. They were ready for Erika.
He perked up, his head turning to the door as it opened. The girl at the receptiondesk beamed at the figure walking in. As Ash stood up to face them, his eyes widened.
The woman wore a green and white uniform, with short, dark-blue hair that went no further than her neck. A red headband was wrapped halfway across the top.
This… was Erika herself.
After greeting the young receptionist with a nod and a smile, her face evened out as her eyes fell on him.
"Mr. Ketchum, right?" as she crossed her arms, her voice was calm. But it didn't come with a stoic tone, or a bored one. It had an air of serenity to it.
Snapping out of his brief surprise, Ash nodded as he quickly made his way to the woman. "Yeah, that's me." As he stopped in front of her, the scent radiating off of her suddenly entered his nostrils.
The sudden aroma startled the boy, almost overwhelming him for a moment. He couldn't quite place it, but… she smelled good.
He felt his cheeks flush at the thought, but quickly broke out of the stupor as her hand extended in front of him.
"It's good to meet you, Ash." a small smile adorned her features. "I am Leader Erika, your opponent for today."
Blinking for a moment, Ash stared at her hand for a second before accepting it. Her grip curled around him with a sense of delicacy. "I-It's an honor to meet you." memories of Brock, Misty's sisters, and LT. Surge flashed through his mind. This woman was so... different. She wasn't trying to intimidate him, nor did she have any condescending subtext to how she carried herself. It was practically night and day in terms of how friendly and compassionate her introduction was.
Separating from him, Erika's fists pressed against her hips as she eyed the boy from above. Her eyes held an analytical glint. "I trust you're all ready?" At his nod, she gestured to the door with a grin. "Good, no need to delay, then. It's just through this door." With one final nod to the receptionist, she opened the door and led Ash into the hallway.
The hallway was a decent bit wider than that of the previous Gyms that Ash had been too, and was fairly well lit, as well. Large, framed photographs of forest and other vegetation adorned the walls, along with a few photos of orchards and soaked fruits.
While attempting to keep pace with the Gym leader's surprisingly swift strides, it suddenly occurred to Ash that none of the previous Gym Leaders had ever escorted him to the battlefield themselves. In Cerulean Gym, he and Misty weren't even escorted at all.
Stopping in front of the door, Erika placed a hand on the doorknob as she moved aside. "You can go first." she gestured to the outside as she opened the door.
Thanking her, Ash stepped through the open doorway, and was greeted with the sight of the battlefield.
The surrounding room was quite bright, and looking above him, Ash could see the sunlit blue sky and white clouds through the glass ceiling overhead. A large set of bleachers extended over one side of the room, occupied by a fair amount of children. Gym trainers, he presumed. A few kids his age making their way to the bleachers held notebooks, chattering innocently in a manner very reminiscent of the school halls he had once walked. Some kids even had Pokemon accompanying them.
And of course, stretching out across the room, was the arena itself. It was of equal size to those of previous Gyms, and to hardly any surprise on Ash's part, was made up of vegetation. Like a supersized garden, or a bite-sized forest. Grass sprouted out from the soil, covering the entire arena in a magnificent, healthy green. Bushes and patches of tall grass were scattered throughout, as were a few trees, fairly small, but still climbable.
Ash couldn't help but admire the sight for a few moments, but his attention broke away from the battlefield as a hand rested on his shoulder from above. Angling his head upward, he could see Erika smiling at him from behind.
"I always think it's important for each student to see at least one battle a day. A few a week, if nothing else." she nodded to the closest end of the arena. "Go ahead and take your position. We'll get started soon." she walked off in the direction of the bleachers, the aroma from her perfume lingering in the air for a few moments as the distance between the two widened.
As Ash stopped at his end of the battlefield, he saw Erika speaking to a teenage girl with a green ponytail. After a few moments, the two women nodded to one another as the Gym Leader started walking to the opposite end. Stopping at her position, she turned to face him, her gaze stretching across the long stream of greenery and into the young challenger's eyes.
Examining the lush arena in front of them, Ash awkwardly tapped his foot against the floor as his eyes darted around the scenery that the battlefield was made up of. There was plenty of flat land of simple, normal sized grass. The majority of it, in fact. Nevertheless, the abundance of bushes, tall grass patches, and even trees would provide each combatant with a fair amount of cover to exploit, not to mention the small amount of verticality that the occasional tree would most likely bring to the battle.
Thankfully, the terrain wasn't nearly as disadvantageous as his Gym Battle against Daisy had been. Ash's stomach churned at the memory.
In front of the bleachers, the teenager had assumed the referee post, her arms stretched outward as her voice called out across the room.
"The Gym battle between leader Erika and Challenger Ash ketchum of Pallet Town will now commence! Each side will use four Pokemon, with substitutions allowed from either party. The battle will be decided when all four pokemon on either side are unable to continue on, or until one contestant surrenders!" her gaze turned to Ash. "Any questions from the challenger?" fiddling with his belt a bit, Ash shook his head. She turned to Erika. "Any questions from the Gym Leader?" Standing straight, Erika declined as well. The referee faced outward. "Then both of you, send out your first Pokemon!"
Ash selected his first Poke Ball almost immediately. 'I don't know what to expect from Erika, but Nebula has the strongest chance against her, so she'll be the best option to gauge things.' he justified to himself. With any luck, they could take advantage of her aerial mobility to avoid any hindrances the patchy terrain might cause, and utilize her flying type moves to gain an early lead.
His feathered friend appeared hovering in front of him, looking back at Ash to exchange both a nod and a grin before planting her feet onto the grass, gaze focused on Erika.
The Gym Leader already had a Poke Ball of her own out, and Ash did not recognize the creature that emerged from the light.
The Pokemon was large and green, and very clearly a sentient plant. It had a large head, housing a fairly dangerous looking set of jaws, and its legs came in the form of red and green vines, notably resembling that of tentacles. Its two arms resembled large leaves, with three leafy fingers each.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
"This is Carnivine." Erika stated, as if sensing Ash's confusion. The young boy nodded in return, but said nothing.
Standing next to a tree, Carnivine grinned playfully for a moment, before his expression turned to that of a neutral smile, his jaws chomping on occasion. In return, Nebula shot the plant-like creature a stern glare, wings spread out as she prepared to take off into the air above.
"I don't know what a Carnivine is, Nebula." Ash admitted to his young partner with some embarrassment. "But we definitely had to watch out for that mouth. Don't get in close unless it's guard is down, alright?" he smiled at the young bird's affirmative nod.
"And… BEGIN!"
Just as the referee had thrust her arms downward, Nebula immediately took off into the air, soaring just high enough to position herself above the trees, while still not being too far above the battlefield. As she did so, Carnvine, lumbered forward, his tentacle-like legs carrying him across the grass at a somewhat decent pace, but with a fairly lacking velocity in comparison to what Nebula was capable of.
'Here we are.' Ash thought to himself. It was their long-awaited battle against the Celadon City Gym Leader. The anxiety briefly surged through his chest as the action kicked off, but he quickly suppressed it, allowing the adrenaline to flow through his veins and drown out the pressure.
"Nebula, Wind Blast!"
"Get up there and use Feint Attack!" Erika's response was quick and graceful.
Angling herself diagonally above Carnivine, Nebula flapped her wings with a rapid pace as the beam of air torpedoed downward towards Erika's partner. A pair of vines extended from the grass type's leaf-like hands, however, and wrapped around the trunk of the nearby tree. Before Ash or Nebula could realize what was happening, Carnivine had slingshotted himself above the grassy arena, a blackish-purple set of energy enveloping one of his hands as he closed in on the Staravia.
With a startled yelp, Nebula's wing quickly became coated in metal as she crossed them in front of her. The momentum of Carnivine's flight knocked the young bird backwards as the dark energy smashed against her wings, but she remained unharmed.
As nebula stopped herself, now flapping her wings in place, Ash's eyes widened as Carnivine remained in the air, hovering in place for at least a second or two before slowly descending to the ground.
'It can… levitate…?' Coupled with that slingshot technique that Erika had just demonstrated, a pit suddenly formed in the boy's stomach as he realized that Nebula's aerial advantage had been compromised.
Nebula was moving again, circling around her opponent as he rotated to follow the movements of her form like a predator.
"You've battled Brock and Daisy, have you not?' Erika's voice stretched across the greenery before she raised a hand. "If so, then you should know what it's like to use the terrain against your enemies! Carnivine, Stun Barrage!"
Once again, a pair of Vine Whip shot out of Carnivine's hands, wrapping its way around the tree and slingshotting him above. Stopping his ascent over the top of the tree, he hovered a yard or two in front of Nebula as his jaws spread open, allowing an onslaught of glowing, green seeds to escape. Each of the projectiles was coated in a golden substance, almost resembling that of powder.
Once more, Nebula's wings turned to metala as she defensively crossed them, allowing the barrage of projectiles to harmlessly bounce off. To her surprise, it almost felt as though the force behind the onslaught was going to push her back, but she still remained firm. SOme of the powder substances flew off of the seeds as they clanged uselessly against the metal surface of her wings, and the young Staravia couldn't help but feel a very minor form of irritation as it brushed up against the rest of her body.
Erika lowered her arm. "Sweet Scent!"
Ash grimaced. "Whirlwind! Quick!"
Ceasing his rapid fire, Carnivine closed his mouth momentarily, before opening it once more, allowing a cloud of pink fog to erupt from his throat. As the substance approached her, Nebula began to rapidly flap her wings. As the attack reached her, the young Staravia could feel a strange sensation of disorientation slowly beginning to overtake her, but the process was halted as she kept up her motions (only faltering for a second or two) and produced the mighty gusts of wind. As the breeze grew in intensity, and the Sweet Scent was progressively repelled, her focus became gradually easier for her to maintain.
The wind gusts slammed into Carnivine's front, leaving him to shout out in displeasure as he was propelled away by the blast. Ceasing his levitation, he descended downwards at a diagonal angle, pressing his hands against the ground to break his fall as he slid across the grass and soil.
This was their chance to keep it up, Ash realized. "Air Cutter!"
Nodding in affirmation, Nebula flapped her wings again, this time with her wings glowing, as blades of wind sliced through the air, downward towards Carnivine. The Grass Type wasted no time in trying to swerve out of the way, but with no trees within a reasonably close proximity, he could not utilize Vine Whip. Nevertheless, he made a solid effort to dodge, but yelped out as parts of the barrage clipped his side.
With Carnivine off balance, Ash felt a small bit of anxiety surge through his chest, but nonetheless did not hesitate. "Wing Attack now!"
With Quick Attack propelling her downward, Nebula's wings both glowed white as she prepared to lash out at the plant-like creature. Her eyes widened as Carnivine's jaws shot open, immediately changing her direction to narrowly avoid the snapping teeth.
As Carnivine lumbered backwards as quickly as his legs could carry him, he kept his gaze on Nebula, who circled around before firing another Wind Blast. Now a bit closer to one of the trees, Carnivine latched onto the trunk with Vine Whip, twirling around the trunk before launching himself in the Staravia's direction.
"Sludge Bomb!"
Nebula let out a startled yelp as the rapidly approaching grass type opened his jws, allowing a large glob of dark-purple fluid to escape. Reflexively, she began flapping her wings, a second barrage of Air Cutter meeting the poison type move head on. The blades of wind carved through the thick, toxic substance, and although their momentum was halted, Carnivine's was not, the grass type crying out in pain as the projectiles sliced against his body. At the same time, however, not all of the toxic sludge that was sliced up by the Air Cuter ceased to advance, and Nebula growled in displeasure as a few fairly large droplets found their way onto her body. As her skin burned, Carnivine continued to fly forward, and although his momentum as slowled by the collision with the Air Cutter, he still slammed head first into the young Staravia.
As Nebula was knocked off balance, and launched higher into the air. Carninve's body abruptly became outlined with a bright, blue aura, the grass type forced to put extra effort into his levitation due to his own disrupted balance.
"Slam her down with Vine Whip!"
With his descent fairly slowed from his Levitate ability, Carnivine shot out yet another pair of vines. Nebula responded to Ash's frantic warnings by turning her wings to metal again, but could not react in time as the vines wrapped around her. She snarled in frustrated discomfort and mild pain as her opponent's tight grip binded her, before screaming as the grass type thrusted downward, launching her into the ground below.
"Nebula!" Ash winced as his young friend's form pounded against the arena. As she gasped for air, Carnival quickened his descent back down to the battlefield, his form looming over Nebula's own as his jaws shot open once more.
The pit was back in Ash's stomach again. She was at Carnivine's mercy, now. And those jaws…
"Sweet Scent!"
As Nebula began to push herself up, a familiar pink cloud suddenly enveloped her, her focus gradually beginning to fail.
"Fight back Nebula!" Ash was sweating. He hadn't gone into the battle expecting Carnivine to fight like this, and now that Nebula was pinned, she was practically defenseless.
Erika simply offered her partner a nod. "Good, now finish her with Bite."
Ceasing the Sweet Scent, Carnivne lunged downward and scooped Nebula up in his mouth Holding his head to the ceiling as he stood upright, his opponent began to cry out as he forcefully binded her against his jaws.
Ash felt his stomach churn as he took a small step back. "N-Nebula! Steel Wing! Do something!" he wasn't even sure if she could make out what he was saying. The way those jaws were grinding against her body, all she could likely focus on was the pain that she felt.
Trapped between her opponent's vicious teeth, Nebula squawked continuously at the surges of agony shooting through her body. She could've sworn she heard her trainer calling for a Steel Wing, but could barely process it.
Her wings began to take on the metallic coating, but whenever she made progress, another surge of pain caused it to fizzle out. She could feel her back threatening to break…
Then, suddenly, another order. "Nebula! Try to angle yourself! Turn!"
It was hard to think about what he meant with Carnivine's constant chewing, but…
Struggling to be mobile, Nebula tried to rotate her body in between pain spasms. As her wing pressed against the top of Carnivine's mouth, she kept trying to coat both in metal.
Abruptly, Carnivine let out a startled, somewhat pained yelp as a hard surface suddenly jammed against the top of his mouth.
Taking advantage of the momentary reprieve, Nebula powered through the soreness in her body, bringing her wing upward with full force this time, slapping Carnivine's mouth fully open as she attempted to roll out.
"Don't let her go!" Just as Nebula was almost out, her dangerous opponent clamped down on her wing, leaving her hanging out of Carnivine's mouth, with the other wing free. Still coated in metal, her clamped wing was still fully protected as the gnawing grass type grunted in displeasure. "Keep your grip, Carnivine!"
Ash allowed himself a quick smile at Nebula's efforts, but his face soon turned serious. He knew that they weren't out of the woods just yet. "Great going, Nebula! Now, yank yourself free!"
"Hold on tight!" Erika's voice elicited an affirmative grunt from Carnivine as the large grass type continued to gnaw. Even as he did, Nebula strained herself, desperately trying to pull her wing out, all the while fighting to keep the metallic barrier up in order to avoid further injury.
From where he was standing, Ash could see the clear cuts and bruises lining across Nebula's body. With a grimace, he thought about how badly it must've hurt for her to be trapped in between Carnivine's jaws…
He wondered how much fight she had left in her. She clearly had some, given the amount of effort that she was putting in right now, but even at full strength, he highly doubted it would be an easy task to escape from Carnivine's grip.
"Carnivine!" he heard Erika call out. "Stockpile, then Spit Up!"
Ash's body tensed as Carnivine's body took on a golden glow, which began to slowly transition up to his mouth. The aura wrapped his torso in a brilliant shine, almost like a beacon, as it grew brighter and brighter.
"Get out of there, Nebula!" His voice grew desperate as Nebula continued to struggle harder, her face quickly turning to panic as she realized what was about to happen.
Suddenly realizing what their only other option was, he couldn't help but sigh to himself. It was the beginning of the battle, and they were already going for broke…
"Nebula, Reckless!" Nebula's eyes widened in understanding at the order. The ability that they activated whenever their backs were pushed against the wall.
Her body took on the familiar, crimson aura, outlining her exterior as her eyes flared with a blood red glow, complete with crimson sparks of electricity. Howling an ear-piercing battlecry, the Staravia quickly redoubled her efforts, yanking her wing back as Carnivine desperately fought to hold her in place.
"Hold on tight!" Erika repeated, tone of voice significantly less at ease this time.
The glow finally reached Carnivine's mouth in full, now lit up completely. It wouldn't be long until-
With one final cry, Nebula yanked her wing free with an upwards swipe, sending her startled opponent staggering back in surprise as she rose into the air, glowing eyes locked onto the grass type with killer instinct.
Ash felt his blood pumping, but didn't grin just yet. They had to finish this now. "Great, Nebula! Now Wind Blast, then Double-Edge!"
Nebula howled once more, her wings flapping far harder than the previous occurrences as the blast of air tore its way into Carnivine's direction and smashed against his torso. Erika called out to her screaming partner as he flew across the arena, back slamming against the trunk of a tree as Nebula angled herself to take aim at him again.
The Staravia let out the loudest shriek of the battle yet as her body became coated in white. Her eyes locked onto Carnivine, she reared back and prepared to charge.
"FIRE!"
Just as she rocketed forward, Carnivine's mouth opened. With his back still pressed against the trunk of the tree, the large grass type practically roared as a large beam of pale light rocketed out of his throat. Unrelenting, Nebula smashed into the blast head on, the Spit Up exploding against her as shockwaves spread across the greenery. A couple of nearby bushes beneath her were uprooted as the windforce found its way back to Carnivine, Erika's partner feeling further pressure on his back as the shockwaves squeezed him against the trunk of the tree. Although Ash couldn't see him from where he was standing, a few bruises began to form on the large grass type's exterior.
The smoke cloud from the explosion began to obscure Nebula's position as she fell to the ground. As Carnivine pushed himself off of the tree, the grass type allowed his hands to briefly fall to his knees, gasping for air before straightening himself out, staring at the fading cloud of smoke.
Nebula lay atop a patch of charred grass. The crimson sparks of electricity dancing across her feathers lingered as she began to push herself up, panting as she propped her body up by the wings. Then she collapsed.
"Staravia is unable to battle! Carnivine wins!"
Fumbling for Nebula's Poke Ball, the dejected Ash couldn't hear Erika congratulating her partner over the sound of the students applauding. Thankfully, it was a much more relaxed applause than back at Vermillion.
Looking back at his opening strategy, Ash couldn't help but let out a defeated sigh of displeasure after returning his young partner. He had thought that sending Nebula out early would have been the safest way to help gauge Erika's team. Instead, they were on the backfoot. It hadn't helped that he had no idea what Carnivine would do.
Still, her efforts were certainly not for naught. The bruised plant was breathing fairly hard, albeit still standing perfectly steady.
"You put up a good fight, Nebula. Don't worry, we'll still win this." Ash smiled kindly at the orb before reattaching it to his belt. Running his hand across the other balls, he began racking his brain as he returned his attention to Erika.
"Your Staravia's fairly well trained." Erika complimented from across the battlefield after noticing she had Ash's attention. "We're used to flying type's here, however." As Carnivine nodded in affirmative, Ash sent the Gym Leader a look of understanding as his hand stopped on a Poke Ball.
'Carnivine's ability is probably Levitate.' the boy assumed to himself as he eyed the plant-like creature. 'I'm not sure if it would have full mastery over that kind of ability at its current level, though. It's probably mentally taxing for it to lift itself into the air, so instead, it uses that slingshot technique with Vine Whip to gain some altitude on its own. That way, all it really needs to do is focus on maintaining it.' Levitate was a fairly difficult ability to learn, and often wasn't fully utilized until the user was ready for high-level battling. It required mental prowess, so being a psychic type certainly helped, as did having experience with psychic type moves in general, but based on what he'd seen so far, Carnivine didn't have either of those qualities.
Finishing it off hopefully shouldn't be too much trouble, unless Erika chose to substitute. But it abruptly occurred to Ash that the large plant might have some means of healing itself… didn't Stockpile also work with another move that could recover the user instead of attack?
And… it was a grass type, so having healing properties wouldn;t be overly unusual. They couldn't afford to expect an easy win. He needed to figure out who the best possible option for this opponent was.
And with Nebula gone, that had left three. He wouldn't send Tyrunt out against an aerodynamic opponent. He had done so against Paul and his Murkrow, but the young dinosaur just didn't have the proper means of attacking an opponent in the air. He supposed none of them really did, but it was especially noticeable with their youngest team member. And Tyrunt wouldn't be the only combatant with a fairly dangerous jaw, the royal heir Pokemon's greatest strength.
Tempest might not be fast enough to avoid Sweet Scent, which had tripped Nebula up after hitting her. Tyrunt might not be either. And that left…
Valiant appeared in front of him on the grassy arena. Eyes immediately widening with alertness, the young Kirlia's body quickly tensed as he observed his surroundings, gaze finally falling on the vicious plant stationed a few yards away.
Erika's eyes narrowed at the sight of the Kirlia, but Ash didn't notice her suspicious gaze as he looked down to address his young partner.
"Valiant, that's a Carnivine, and it's already beaten Nebula." As if in acknowledgement, the tenseness in Valiant's muscles sharpened. "It goes without saying, but watch out for its mouth. It can use Vine Whip to slingshot itself into the air, and seems to have levitation capabilities. Use your barriers to block out its Sweet Scent. That can disorient you, and especially inhibit your psychic moveset."
On full alert, the Emotion Pokemon nodded back at his trainer, eyes narrowing to observe his grass type opponent.
This was it. Worst case scenario, it would be his last chance, so he had to make it count. He'd make sure they wouldn't lose this battle.
On the opposite end, Carnivine ceased his heavy breathing and sunk into a fighting stance. Ash didn't notice it, but the tree behind the bug catcher Pokemon had nearly been uprooted by the impact of the previous clash.
As the grass type's jaws began to absentmindedly click together, a brief wave of unease made itself known to Ash. he pushed it away, however. Carnivine was dangerous, but they had an idea of how it fought, now. As long as Erika and her partner didn't throw anymore curveballs at them, they should hopefully be able to plan this out.
"BEGIN!"
At the referee's declaration, Valiant sprinted ahead, legs carrying the Kirlia across the grassy arena as Carnivine's large mouth opened for another Stun Barrage. Leaping out of the way, the emotion Pokemon continued his advance, eyes glowing pink as the familiar orb of Dazzling Gleam began to manifest.
"Grass Knot!"
It didn't take too long for Valiant to reach his target, although he certainly hadn't closed the distance nearly as quickly as Pikachu or Eevee would have, Ash noted. As the space between Valiant and Carnivine had shrunk down considerably, the patch of grass in between the two of them suddenly expanded, lashing out at the Kirlia.
Leaping backward to avoid the attack, Valiant finished charging the fairy type move, firing the blast of pink light in Carnivine's direction. Vines extended from the large plant's hands and wrapped around the damaged tree trunk, propelling Erika's partner into the air once more as the tree teetered forward from the pressure. As the Dazzling Gleam collided with the trunk, its balance was finally lost, unstably leaning, as if to topple to the side at any minute.
"Great move, Carnivine!" Erika encouraged. "Now use Sludge Bomb!"
Valiant bit his lip as his gaze followed the plant soaring above him, quickly turning around to pursue. As Carnivine passed by the young Kirlia, he angled his body in midair, mouth opening wide to unleash another glob of toxic substance that rocketed downward towards its target. Rolling out of the way, Valiant halted his advance and backed towards a patch of bushes, Carnivine never leaving his sight.
This was the same as yesterday, Ash quickly remembered. Gary's Skarmory in midair, Valiant unable to go on the offensive without straining himself to teleport on top of him. But unlike Skarmory, Carnivine could not remain above the arena just by flapping his wings. Assuming he really did have the Levitate ability, there was going to be a limit.
"Stockpile!"
Still in the air, hovering in place, Carnivine's body began to glow once more. Still watching his opponent from below, Valiant began to tense.
"Be careful, Valiant!" The Kirlia remained attentive as his trainer called out to him. "When Carnivine stockpiles, he can use a move strong enough to match Nebula's full strength. Don't try to block it!" After watching the Spit Up clash with the Staravia's Reckless boosted Double-Edge, Ash doubted the team had anything else that could contend with it. \
Carnivine remained hovering in the air, not too far from the tree that was on its last roots, as the golden glow in his body began to intensify.
"Swallow!"
Ash's fists tightened as the glow reached Carnivine's mouth, only for the large grass type to perform a gulping motion, as all of the golden aura quickly transitioned down to his stomach. With the golden light becoming less intense, and more… of a delicate, evened out shine, the energy began spreading throughout his body, flowing through his veins as the aura shined from beneath his skin. The bruises in his mouth and on his body began to mend, and as the shine started to dissipate, the plant allowed himself a refreshing, deep breath.
That was the nature of Stockpile. Storing up as much power as the user could, until they either expend it all at once, or absorb it into their system for rejuvenation purposes.
Ash wasn't sure if Carnivine had stored enough power to fully heal himself after the battle with nebula, but it had certainly done the bulk of it, at the very least. His body's injuries and fatigue were likely to be mostly gone.
But this only applied to physical attributes. Mentally speaking, he still had not recovered what was lost from maintaining Levitate, and although Ash had already figured that Erika had found a way to minimize such a thing, the young rookie hoped it was still something that they could exploit. Carnivine had still been in the air quite a lot throughout the match so far. Even if he hadn't needed to use his levitation ability in order to get up there in the first place (most likely the most stressing part, Ash imagined to himself), the young rookie doubted that maintaining the height for a prolonged period was effortless.
"Stun Barrage!" Valiant was on the move again as the familiar onslaught of projectiles rained down from above. With the Stun Spore-coated Bullet Seed pelting the battlefield, the Kirlia ducked behind the damaged tree just as Carnivine ceased his offense.
Gazing up at his opponent, Valiant watched as Carnivine slowly started to float backward, beginning to distance himself from the tree. Tapping his hand against the trunk, the emotion Pokemon racked his brain as he thought back to his fight with Skarmory the day prior.
The only way to reliably attack Carnivine would be to teleport up to him. Otherwise, he'd be left firing projectiles from the ground, waiting for the grass type to come down to him. And Carnivine might just pull another Vine Whip trick when that happened.
Teleporting up to Skarmory hadn't been very easy, however. Valiant would have to ask Ash to let him practice the move a bit more. They had grown fairly complacent with it, but had never accounted for verticality. But perhaps Ash was already considering such practice, given the situation had now presented itself to them in back to back battles.
That is, of course, assuming they were still-
Valiant shook the thought from his mind. Not now. Focus only on winning.
Only allowing his gaze to leave Carnivine for an, Valiant's eyes traveled across the small tree he was holding. It was damaged, teetering to the side, and on the verge of collapsing, but if he could just gain some quick elevation…
Ash perked up as he watched his partner scale the tree. The Kirlia almost lost his balance for only a moment, before recovering and approaching the top. Valiant didn't have a lot of climbing experience, but since the tree wasn't fully upright...
"Energy Ball!" Erika grinned.
Carnivine's large mouth shot open yet again, a dark, yet brightly glowing, emerald orb of aura appearing in his throat. Valiant had just reached the top of the tree and turned back to face his opponent when the ball fired. Carnivine let out a powerful shout as the orb left his jaws.
Tensing himself, Valiant's gaze zeroed in on the grass type as the move rocketed towards the tree. Horizontally speaking, he was now further away from Carnivine than before, especially since the large plant was still backing away in midair. Vertically, however, he was now a lot closer, albeit not as much as he would've been if the tree hadn't been damaged prior. It would still be a bit taxing, but…
Closing his eyes for a moment, Ash's partner flashed out of existence. As the Energy Ball struck the tree, the trunk finally gave out. Even as it toppled over with a crash, Carnvine had just barely processed Valiant's retreat when the Kirlia had appeared behind him, fist reared back and coated in fire.
The Fire Punch slammed into the back of Carnvine's head, and even as the large grass type's body bent forward from the sudden blow, Valiant used the opportunity to grip onto the plant's back. Having lost all focus, the bug catcher Pokemon descended into free fall. As his body struck the ground, cushioning Valiant's own fall, the Kirlia lost his grip, bouncing off of his opponent. Although he landed on his feet, the emotion Pokemon nearly lost his footing, before wobbling forward and righting himself.
Ash's face brightened. He could always count on Valiant to think on his feet. Now they just needed to find a way to keep Carnivine on the ground…
...That would mean keeping him away from the trees, but hopefully Valiant already knew that. If he blurted it out loud, Erika would know.
Forcing himself to stand, Carnivine teetered around for a moment before shaking his head and focusing himself. The sudden blow to the back of his head had cost him a great deal of concentration, coupled with the rough fall leaving him more than a little bruised. Glowering at Valiant, the bulky plant reopened his mouth as he heeded Erika's next order.
"Sweet Scent!"
The pink fog was only halfway to its target when the golden cube had already encased Valiant, just a few feet away. The alluring mist harmlessly washed over the Light Screen, it's sweet aroma never reaching the target. Before the cloud could clear up, however, Carnivine had already dove forward, jaws wrapped around the top end of Valiant's golden shield.
The Kirlia strained as the barrier cracked, teeth clenched as the pressure of Carnivine's Bite gnawed away at the Light Screen. He tried to drop the barrier before a chunk could be ripped off, but was too late, as a large portion of the golden cube was torn off of the top, crumbling away within Carnivine's jaws as the bulky grass type chewed it up. The rest of the barrier dropped involuntarily as a mild sensation of disorientation made itself known to Valiant.
"Great work, now Bind!" Erika pressed.
"Thunderbolt!" Ash called out as fast as he could.
Stumbling backwards, Valiant could see Carnivine lunging for him, attempting to wrap his tentacle-like legs around his body. Although he couldn't fully focus just yet, he pressed his hands together anyway. As long as he could just get the attack off, his counteroffensive could hopefully keep the bug catcher Pokemon at bay.
An uneven bolt of lightning rammed into Carnivine's torso, forcing him back as Valiant righted himself in front of a patch of bushes. Not letting up, Carnivine (after taking a deep breath) spread open his jaws as another Stun Barrage made itself known. Hastily erecting a golden wall in front of him, Valiant felt himself straining once more, as the barrier (which he had spawned too recklessly to utilize at full power) absorbed the onslaught of projectiles. As cracks began to scatter across the Light Screen, Carnivine ceased his fire, and, ignoring the fatigue beginning to make itself known to him, shot forward again, jaws subtly outlined with that familiar dark aura of Bite.
Managing to drop the barrier far more quickly this time, Valiant, eyes narrowed as the grass type's open-mouthed form loomed over him, leapt backwards, traveling over the bush just before Carnivine's jaws could claim their prey.
"Leaf Tornado!' Erika continued.
Ash's brow began to raise as Carnivine reared back, Valiant landing on his feet and trotting backwards. He had never heard of that move before…
With his leaf-like arms spread out wide, Carnivine's body began to rotate in place, progressively gaining speed as an increasing number of leaves began to materialize around him. The mass of leaves continued to grow, rotating along with the user, before sprouting up to a fairly decently sized cyclone that shot away from the bug catcher Pokemon and towards the young Kirlia.
Ash grimaced. "Shadow Sneak, and Fire Punch!"
The tornado of leaves had just passed over the bush as Valiant sank into his shadow, safely traveling underneath the rapidly advancing grass type move and towards Carnivine as the creature's movements began to slow.
Right around the moment his target's momentum ceased, Valiant had already reached the large grass type. Having stopped spinning, Carnvine's gaze turned downward to respond to the shadow's movements, only for Valiant to have already sprung out, flaming fist smashing into the bulky plant's chin with a mighty uppercut.
Ash's eyes lit up as Carnivine staggered backwards with a notably pained cry, the bulky creature's hands shooting up to grasp his chin as Valiant backed away by just a step or two, still in fairly close proximity, but not to the point where the grass type could freely lash out without moving forward. As he did so, the young psychic half-circled his opponent, facing the plant's side, and seeing that his body was lined up with another nearby tree.
"Psychic!" At his trainer's orders, Valiant's eyes flashed a bright blue, glowing with increasing intensity as his arms stretched outward in Carnivine's direction. Although he hadn't yet fully mastered the powerful move, the blow from the previous Fire Punch had given him the opening that he needed to charge it up. Erika's partner had just regained his bearings and turned around to face him as the Kirlia nearly completed his preparations. Squeezing his eyes shut for just barely a moment, the young emotion Pokemon quickly shot them back open as wide as possible, as a wave of equally bright blue aura smashed its way into the bulky grass type.
Screeching out in agony, Carnivine smashed backfirst into the nearby tree trunk, sliding unceremoniously into a sitting position as his head tilted to the side. After a moment of straining himself to rise, his body stilled, slumping sideways while still propped up against the tree.
Lowering his arms, Valiant allowed himself a deep breath as he tried to regain his bearings, before pressing his fists against his hips and observing his opponent's fallen form.
"Carnivine is unable to battle! Kirlia wins!"
A wave of surprise passed over Ash as the students cheered for them this time, with an applause no different from the one that they had offered Erika and Carnivine just one round ago.
As Erika recalled her Pokemon, Valiant made his way back to Ash, a satisfied grin adorning his features as he looked up to his trainer.
"Excellent job as always, buddy." Ash remarked with a returning smile, reaching down to pat his friend's head now that the barriers were temporarily down. Taking the time to observe Valiant, it didn't seem like he had come out of the fight all too scathed. He had definitely exerted himself quite a lot, but no clear signs of fatigue had presented themselves just yet.
He knew not to take that at face value, however. The battle hadn't been easy.
Having finished congratulating her friend, Erika returned Carnivine's Poke Ball to her belt, before immediately plucking off another one. Enlarging the red and white sphere in her hand, the woman held onto the device in a delicate grip as she gazed across the arena, and towards Ash and Valiant.
"Carnivine still needs to work on Levitate." she stated firmly. "He isn't able to rise all that fast, and has a habit of expending too much energy whenever he gets started. That's why we use Vine Whip to give him a head start, and take away the brunt of the work." Giving the enlarged Poke Ball a light toss, she added. "It's a trainer's duty to find ways to work around their teammates' limitations, until they're ready to be fully addressed. I trust you'll remember that, Mr. Ketchum."
As Ash and Valiant processed her words, she chucked the ball. The newcomer that emerged from the light looked like a round cactus with arms.
Ash had seen this species before, but didn't know it's name. All he knew was that it was definitely a foreigner, much like Carnivine. Once again, however, Erika seemed to pick up on that.
"Cacnea." she stated simply.
After nodding back, Ash looked down at Valiant, who, having turned to face the newcomer, angled his head back to address his trainer.
"Take a break for now, alright?" the young psychic nodded, and was sucked into the Poke Ball.
Looking over their newest opponent for a brief moment, Ash released Tempest. As Cacnea glared at the Krabby, making provocative gestures with its arms, the water crab responded in kind, clicking his pincers together as his eyes fixed into an aggressive glare.
"The score is tied, Tempest." Ash addressed the barbaric river crab as Erika began to speak to her own partner. "Keep your defenses up with Metal Claw, and strike with Icy Wind." The only response that he received was a quick nod of acknowledgement, but that was good enough for him.
"BEGIN!"