Ash and Pikachu stared at the Exeggcute.

Misty stared at the Exeggcute.

Iris stared at the Exeggcute, though she quickly resumed eating the scrambled eggs in front of her.

Exeggcute did not seem to mind the eggs being eaten in front of it though, instead it gestured to the envelope in its clutch.

"Exe!"

Gulping down an entire glass of orange juice, Ash reached for said envelope and opened it up, revealing a grass mail loaded with a fancy script.

Ash Ketchum,

This Exeggcute will teleport you and your friends to my Gym for the battle today: I don't feel like dealing with you by the technicality of you being late.

I prefer to beat my opponents with my own skills, not by the horror that is traffic congestion. Honestly they need to finish those subway repairs….

If you do not prompt him, Exeggcute will take you to the Gym 5 minutes before the battle begins Please don't be showering when my Exeggcute does this, or I will be forced to handle your nudity with any clothing I have on hand: by that of course I mean women's clothing.

Gym Leader Erika

"Well, I suppose that's something," Ash observed, really hoping he wasn't going to have to cross dress.

"Wonder if the other Gym Leaders are this bad?" Misty wondered out loud. "I mean Brock was a normal enough guy, but Lt. Surge was a few eggs short of an Exeggcute…."

Exeggcute glared at Misty, clearly not approving of the pun. Misty gave the Egg Pokémon an apologetic look before continuing.

"….and my sisters…..well, makes you wonder doesn't it?"

Ash put a ponderous finger to his chin, wondering what the other Gym Leaders might be want.

…

"You must prove yourself worthy of entering my Gym, by completing this riddle!" His Mental Blaine declared holding up a sheet of paper with a riddle on it, said riddle was radiating evil aura like it had just come out of a Dark Ball.

…

"If you want to fight in my Gym, you've got to be in shape!" Mental Chuck slapped his belly hypocritically. "For that, you've got to beat my Machoke in a thumb war!" Behind Chuck, his Machoke flexed its thumbs threateningly.

…

"Pokémon is 90% battling, 9% luck, and 1% smarts," Mental Roxanne told him, a ruler in hand. "I can test you on the 99%, but you really do need to show me your smarts first. Now, this is a 100 question multiple choice test. If you don't pass, you will not battle me." The test gave off a similar aura to Mental-Blaine's riddle.

…

"I. Love. FOSSILS!" Mental-Byron exploded in enthusiasm. "And I only accept challengers who can prove they love FOSSILS as much as I do! Now, hug all of my FOSSILS!" Behind him, the fossils extended on and on in to a seemingly endless hallway.

…

"I'd love to battle you, but one of my models is out sick today…" Mental-Elesa pouted, holding out a fashion ensemble that would probably make May and Dawn both froth with rage, which too glowed with an evil aura. "I need you to fill in for him, kay?"

…

He promptly shook his head, trying not to think about the possible horrors any more than he had to.

Viridian Gym

The last four to have challenged him were of pitiful skill: how they managed to make themselves worthy of facing him when a 'by the book, no exceptions' inspector was not around bewildered him.

One did seem like he could be, obtainable at least. He sent some of his smooth talkers to the boy's room.

Nothing major though, getting him in his organization would not warrant bribes of money, access, or rare goods.

He couldn't bribe him with women of the night though, Team Rocket did not work in that field. Too traceable in his opinion.

However this challenger…

"Golem is unable to battle!" a lackey of his declared, sadly having to be fair or he'd get a bit of unwarranted attention his way, as he returned his Golem while sat on his shaded throne.

A Lapras, her third Pokémon after a Pidgeot and Butterfree, bellowed in triumph.

The trainer was a young female named Solidad.

She had fought his Bloodliner a while back and had beaten that idiot in Vermillion earlier. She did possess talent, quite a lot of it.

From what he understood she was going to waste it on flashy visuals and playing dress up with the overly feminine and the metrosexuals, and sadly he doubted he could get her to see things his way and thus not waste her talents.

But crimes of waste aside, he had battles to fight.

"Not bad, not bad at all. It is rare that trainers chose to fight me. It is even rarer that they make me want to stand from my chair."

"However…now that I am standing." Lifting himself from his chair, he held his winning Pokémon in his hands. "You will lose. Go!"

Throwing the ball down, it exploded into a burst of light, revealing his most powerful Pokémon.

"PERIOR!" It bellowed, a mighty beast of rock and earth.

"I've never seen that Pokémon…." Solidad mumbled to herself, before resolving herself. "It doesn't matter. I'll be winning this one. Lapras use Ice Beam!"

With an open mouth, Lapras shot out a shockwave of pale white right at Rhyperior. It looked rather powerful.

How pedestrian though, an Ice Beam.

"Rhyperior….Hammer Arm."

Roaring with a glowing arm, Rhyperior charged into the ice attack, shattering it like it was nothing.

Solidad and Lapras both looked like they had just seen something beyond possibility. He so loved that look.

The Hammer Arm slammed into Lapras, before sending the rare Pokémon flying into the wall, with an audible crack.

Shell damage, from what he had read about among Lapras hunters. It would take a considerable amount of time for the damage to completely disappear though Lapras would be battle ready again in a few months.

"No, Lapras!"

"Lapras is unable to battle! The winner is the Gym Leader, Giovanni!"

Smirking, Giovanni returned Rhyperior and retook his seat.

Potential, yes. But not power, not yet.

Still, she was a worthy test for his most important asset though, and she could probably take out most of his high ranked minions.

Pity she was too traceable to eliminate then. But sadly in this world, one could not simply kill anyone one wanted anytime one wanted. One had to plan it extensively or ensure they wouldn't be missed. Concoct cover stories for cover stories, research the target's background to figure out the most convenient form of 'accidental' death and of course bribes to the relent authorities to make sure nothing is looked at too closely. All in all sentencing someone to death could be such a tiring and complicated affair.

Celadon City

The time came, and Ash and company found themselves teleported into a greenhouse, where a chalk battlefield had been painted in the grass.

Erika was waiting for them, looking over an I-Pad, though she did look up as they came in and her Exeggcute bounced off into the garden somewhere.

"Oh good, you have pants."

Ash did not respond to that statement, it sounded more like she was just messing with him anyway. Though he did have to fight the urge to look down and check.

"So…..Pikachu? Butterfree, Pidgeotto….all the starter Pokémon in Kanto….you certainly have an interesting collection," Erika observed, suggesting that she was using that I-Pad to look over his stats (which he apparently had).

"It happens." Ash shrugged, Pikachu managing to roll with the shrug as he was well practiced.

"When I have the time, I do like to give my opponents a glance over, I find it helps me put things into context." Erika sheathed the I-Pad and set it down on the grass as she began walking towards the Gym Leader's end of the field.

"I'm not sure if you are aware, but many Pokémon Leagues offer trainers the same privilege. Knowledge is both a weapon for the opponent, and a weakness. Many challengers have lost because they didn't look up their opponents Pokémon, or did not know about a secret weapon."

"You know what Pokémon Ash has, but he does not know any of your Pokémon?" Iris questioned as Erika smirked.

"Oh but he does, I have Grass-Pokémon."

Gloom, Tangela, etc.

"A trainer also needs to know how to improvise, doesn't he, or she I suppose? What trainer would I be if I wasn't able to battle Pokémon I'm not expecting?" Ash pointed out.

Erika actually smiled at that one. "Well said. Glad to see you are using your actual head. Now, let us get started: your friends may have a seat wherever they want."

"Good luck Ash," Misty told him resting a hand on his arm before as she and Iris took a seat on the grass leaving Ash to go to his end of the battlefield.

"Does a four-on-four battle sound good to you?" Erika questioned.

"Four on four?" He hadn't had a Gym battle like that since…Candice. Wow, that was a long time ago, if he measured time in Gym Battles (given his lack of any other metric)

Did Unova have a law about more than three Pokémon in a Gym battle or something on the Leader's end?

"Is that a problem?"

"No, it's no problem at all," Ash confirmed.

A young, short looking woman with blond hair walked to the middle outside of the field.

"The Gym battle between Ash, the Challenger, and Erika, the Gym Leader, will now begin! Each trainer will have the use of four Pokémon, and the Gym battle will be over when either side is no longer able to continue. No substitutions are allowed, if you call your Pokémon back it can't return to battle later on. The Gym Leader will open."

"Very well Krista, I shall." Erika removed a Pokéball from her belt and threw it into the air.

The ball burst open, revealing a creature made of both flesh and leaves.

"Leaf!"

"Leafeon, the Verdant Pokémon. Leafeon is an Eeveelution, and one long rumored in Kanto for years prior to a noble's daughter taking her Eevee into a forest. Leafeon is surrounded by clean air and has been used in large cities for air purification projects," the Pokédex offered.

"Leafeon huh…." Ash was expecting something a bit more Belly or Tangled, but this would do.

"Butterfree, I choose you!"

Throwing his own ball, his first capture came out with fluttering wings.

"Begin!"

"Butterfree, use Silver Wind!" Ash called as Butterfree began flapping his wings, sending a storm of silvery powder right at Leafeon.

"Cut through it with Aerial Ace!" Erika countered. Leafeon gave an affirmative yowl as it jumped into the air, spinning as its forehead leaf and tail glowed blue.

The spin attack cut through the Silver Wind like it was nothing, before landing back on the ground with such grace Ash nearly checked for a contest scoreboard out of habit.

He could almost hear himself losing points.

"It appears your opponent has blast processing," the Pokédex quipped. Ash had no idea what that was supposed to mean.

"Hidden Power!" Erika snapped Ash out of his confusion as a light blue ball formed in front of Leafeon's face and was sent at Butterfree.

"Blast through with Psybeam!"

Ash's command was heard as Butterfree's eyes glowed and fired.

The two attacks met in the middle, with the Psybeam winning out and striking Leafeon.

The Verdant Pokémon was sent skidding back, though it did not seem overly harmed.

"Leafeon…" Erika cautiously asked her Pokémon, even as the Eeveelution gave an affirmative mewl of 'I can still win this easily, hands down, and with one paw tied.'

"Very well! Now use…." Erika was cut off before she could finish as she just….

"Zzzz…."

Ash, Butterfree, Misty, Iris, Leafeon, and all visitors just stared at the now slumbering Gym Leader in either 'what the….' Or 'not now….'

Erika woke up a few seconds later, looking somewhat dazed.

"….Oh yes, Leafeon use Aerial Ace!" Leafeon nodded as its head and tail started glowing blue once more.

"Use String Shot….."

As Butterfree began to spew out string, Erika shook her head.

"Do you really think my Leafeon can't cut through a few threads?"

Leafeon did in fact cut through them with ease, even as Ash grinned.

"…then Silver Wind!"

The string spitting stopped as the dust storm followed, the string shot pieces around Leafeon being covered in the bug-powered particles and slammed right into it.

"No, Leafeon!" Erika cried out as her Pokémon was sent tumbling back from an enhanced super-effective attack.

"Great job Butterfree!" Ash cheered, a sentiment shared by Pikachu (Pika!)

"Free!" 'It's not over yet.'

Butterfree was proven correct as Leafeon began to stand up again on shaky legs.

"Well, I don't think you can win this battle Leafeon, but you can win the match here. Leafeon…" Erika began.

Ash, having horrible visions of some sort of grass type move that was Stealth Rock and Sticky Web's nightmare child, was not going to have it.

"Quickly, use Psybeam!"

"….use Rain Dance, heavy misting!"

"Rain Dance?" Ash repeated, not sure what that was supposed to do, other than delay Charmeleon.

Leafeon reared its head into the air, yowling as a heavy band of what Ash could only describe as 'wetness' covered the field like some sort of haze.

Wherever this wetness reached, everything around it got soaked.

The Psybeam was unaffected, and it still hit Leafeon and knocked it out.

However, the wetness had reached Butterfree, soaking him to the bone (if he had any) and….

"Free!" 'My wings…..!'

Butterfree found his wings starting to seize up, the additional weight from the water interfering with his ability to stay airborne.

He quickly began to lose altitude, before crashing to the ground, his wings sodden to a point of uselessness.

"What just…..what is going on!?" Ash questioned in shock.

"I didn't know you could use Rain Dance like that." Misty was surprised. She had never heard of anyone using Rain Dance as some sort of….attack?

"Leafeon is unable to battle, the winner is the challenger's Butterfree!" the referee Krista declared as Erika returned Leafeon.

She quietly thanked it, before taking out another Pokéball.

"So Ash, how do you like my new Rain Dance? I like to call it, the Ultimate Grass-Protection Technique. Do you like the sound of it?"

"The Ultimate….?" Ash asked as Erika grinned wickedly.

"Grass-types have the most weaknesses of any Pokémon that are not made of stone. However, these vulnerabilities all have one weakness: water. It puts out fires, dilutes poison, dampens wings to a point of uselessness, and either melts or binds ice to the floor. Your Butterfree is crippled, your Charmeleon and Pidgeotto sealed. Your Fire-Pokémon can't ignite here, and I wouldn't suggest your Pidgeotto fly in this weather. Now, to deal with the rest of your Pokémon. Go, Tangrowth!"

The second ball was thrown, revealing the massive vine Pokémon.

"Growth!" It declared, and based on Pikachu's eyes narrowing at it he suspected what was said was not friendly.

"Tangrowth, the Vine Pokémon and the evolution of Tangela. Tangrowth's body is mostly made of vines, which can be cut off with no damage. Tangrowth's interior body is unknown," the Pokédex offered as the battle resumed.

"Tangrowth, use Knock Off!" Erika declared. The red tips of Tangrowth's arms glowed black as they swung right at the downed Butterfree.

"Cut the arms off with Psybeam!" Ash called, noting the Pokédex's comments. Butterfree nodded, wing still flapping pitifully.

The beam shot forth, slicing both arms off Tangrowth. The arms landed at the edge of the field, damp and rapidly browning.

Tangrowth ended the attack, but looked none the worse for wear as the arms grew back.

"Shock Wave!"

"Wait, Shock Wave?" Ash questioned, shocked as he heard the command.

The blue electricity formed in Tangrowth's regrown arms, before being fired right at Butterfree.

The electric attack hit Butterfree straight on, letting off only to allow Butterfree to collapse in defeat on the sodden ground.

"Butterfree is unable to battle, the winner is Tangrowth," Krista declared to cheering from the other side of the field.

Ash returned Butterfree, even as he looked at the still damp fighting area.

"Thank you," Ash told Butterfree as he returned him to his belt, now quite stuck.

What was he to do now?

"Pikapi." 'Ash, all the water should help me fight.' Pikachu offered to go out and handle the fight. 'It conducts electricity, and that Tangrowth is as wet as a Magikarp.'

"Maybe later buddy. I think she's expecting me to do that," Ash told him as he took out another Pokéball. "Here's hoping we can wait it out."

"No, you can't," Erika informed him, gesturing towards the soaked field. "I trained my Leafeon's Rain Dance to be highly energy efficient, the water lingers in the air instead of falling to the earth. It won't burn out for quite some time."

Dang.

Well, he'd have to tough it out then, even if that meant Charmeleon and Pidgeotto had to sit out for now. Oh, he could feel Charmeleon fume over that thought now….

"Go, Ambipom!"

Spinning mid-air, Ambipom landed on the ground and grimaced as she felt the soggy ground, even as her fur noticeably dampened.

"Begin!"

"Tangrowth, use Focus Blast!" Erika went for the early kill as a glowing orb was formed between Tangrowth's tentacles.

"Block it with a Counter Shield!"

"A what!?" Erika questioned as Ambipom jumped into the air, before spinning and releasing a Swift attack in the formation of a giant shield.

The Focus Blast struck the Counter-Shield, and the small fragments of the once proud attack were sent flying back at Tangrowth.

"Oh, that's a Counter-Shield then, not bad. Tangrowth, block it!"

"Tang!" The vine monster declared as its body began to grow thinner. The vines retracted from the main body, before reforming in the arms, which thickened.

This shield promptly took the Counter-Shield, to minimized damage. The arms deflated as regular density was returned to Tangrowth.

Ash gritted his teeth, an act mirrored by Ambipom and Pikachu as the attack failed.

"Hmm, you and your Pokémon sync quite well." Erika commented as she noted their shared frustration.

"Now use Vine Whip!" Tangrowth responded to Erika's command with extending arms.

"Block it with Power-up Punch!" Ash countered as Ambipom's tails glowed orange.

The two extended limbs began colliding in a rapid fury of strikes, the punches having more power but the whips being more flexible as to avoid serious damage.

"Ambi, ambi, ambi!"

"Tang, tang, tang!"

The grunts of the Pokémon were all that vocalized in the Gym as the two moves continued their collision. It was a stalemate, and would remain so until one side gave it.

Ash decided to make the first attempt to break it.

"Ambipom, launch yourself into the air, then use Double Hit!"

"Ambi!" 'Got it!' With one final harsh shove of Power-up Punch, Ambipom's fists turned purple and smashed the wet ground, sending Ambipom into the air above Tangrowth, before launching both tails right at Tangrowth.

Both tails collided with Tangrowth's central mass, striking the great beast and nearly causing Tangrowth to tip over. With flailing limbs and effort though, the massive Grass-type managed to avoid falling over though.

"Tangrowth! Quickly, fire a Shock Wave!"

Ambipom didn't have much time to prepare as she landed on the ground, before getting a solid electrical blast to the chest.

"Ambipom!" Ash shouted in concern as the attack ended, leaving only some singed fur behind.

Both evolutions that Ash had first seen during Sinnoh glared at one another, a shared eagerness to win glowing in both of their eyes.

This glow was mirrored in both their trainers.

"Your Ambipom is well trained, but it won't matter! Tangrowth, grab Ambipom!"

"Get out of the way!" Ash shouted as Tangrowth's arms shot out and bound around Ambipom like a rope, preventing any such escape as they pulled Ambipom towards it like a rope.

"Now," Erika declared. "Shock Wave!"

As Tangrowth turned Ambipom blue, Ash found himself at a loss of what he could do.

Ambipom's tails were bound: that meant she couldn't use any sort of punching move, or Swift.

What other move did Ambipom even have!?

"Ambipom, use Astonish!" Ash shouted after a moment, catching his concerned buddy off guard.

"Pika?" 'Astonish? Ambipom can use that attack?'

Ambipom heard him, and she opened her mouth and let loose a red sonic attack. It was small, but the attack struck Tangrowth, breaking its concentration.

As the Shock Wave died down and the arms laced around Ambipom, Ash was quick to capitalize on it.

"Now, Double Hit!"

"Ambi!" The cry of reply that followed had Ambipom's uncharged tails force the arms of Tangrowth apart, allowing Ambipom freedom to jump out of its grip.

Then, once Ambipom was in the air, her tails glowed purple.

"Pom!" 'Taste this, you overgrown weed!' Ambipom declared as both her tail fists slammed into the sides of Tangrowth's head.

Ambipom then jumped back from the goliath, even as it fell to the soggy ground in defeat.

"Oh no!" Erika exclaimed as her second Pokémon fell in defeat.

"Tangrowth is unable to battle, the winner is Ambipom!"

At Krista's declaration Erika returned Tangrowth, thanking it quietly before placing it's Pokéball out of sight even as Ash, Pikachu, and Ambipom gave a synchronized fist pump.

"I must say, you are proving to be fairly talented Ash," Erika told him truthfully, looking a tad amused after seeing their triple fist pumping. "I suppose not just anyone can defeat Brock or Lt. Surge on their first try. You do have potential, regardless of how you do for the rest of this battle I will leave you with that compliment. The question is, however, just how much potential? Let's find out, shall we?"

Erika took out a third Pokéball and threw it out, releasing in a burst of light her third Pokémon.

Ash privately assumed it would be something related to either a Bellsprout or an Oddish, and was surprised to see what she had chosen instead.

Misty's screams almost came before he saw it himself.

"Paras," the red mushroom Pokémon declared in a monotone.

"Parasect, the Mushroom Pokémon. Parasect is controlled by the mushroom on its back, which commands it to drain the nutrients of trees," the Pokédex offered him as Ash noted his tiring Ambipom.

"Hey Ambipom, can you still battle?" She turned her head to him and nodded. "Great, let's try and get this over quickly then. Ambipom, Swift!"

Jumping into the air, Ambipom spun as a storm of stars flew at Parasect.

However, Erika was silent. Ash briefly wondered if she had fallen asleep again, thought that was quickly dashed.

"Use Swords Dance!" she called as Parasect rose its pincers up, said pincers glowing red and more powerful.

This did nothing to stop the Swift barrage though, all of which impacted into Parasect without fail.

Ambipom, Ash, and Pikachu gave once more a synchronized movement: staring in confusion.

"Huh?" Misty exclaimed, not sure why Erika didn't call for anything in response that could have helped. "That, that didn't make any sense, though what sense is there to use that….that thing…."

"She might think Parasect can take that hit without it mattering much." Iris offered a possible reason for Erika's actions.

"That doesn't seem right though….why take so much damage so quickly…and without a fight? I mean, getting rid of it as quickly as possible makes sense, but why send it out at all then…."

As the stars faded, Parasect was once again easily visible, and was glowing a light green. Parasect was also remarkably unbruised from the attack: and what bruised were there quickly dissolved away.

"Pika." 'Well,' Pikachu noted the aftermath of the attack. 'That happened.'

"My Parasect has the ability Dry Skin: a constant supply of moisture is like a permanent recover," Erika informed Ash as to what was going on. "My Parasect can't be simply defeated by hitting it….."

"It'll just have to be defeated by hitting it harder and faster than it can recover!" Ash declared as Erika frowned.

"….No…..That's not a solution." She lied, badly. Clearly she left her politician self at home today.

"If ranged attacks won't do it, let's go in closer! Ambipom, use Double Hit, again and again!"

"Pom!" 'Yeah, I don't think a single Double Hit would work.' She seemed to be quite aware of the weirdness of saying 'a single Double Hit' (and Ash had to agree, that did sound confusing when you thought about it too much), though she ran right at Parasect regardless.

"Seed Bomb!" Erika called as Parasect's mandibles glowed green, before firing seed after seed Ambipom's way.

Each time a seed was fired Parasect flared out its claws, sort of resembling a pinball machine. It was almost comical, if explosive plant matter wasn't involved.

"Ambipom, block it!" Double Hit glowing tails shot out in front of Ambipom, blocking the seeds in a rapid defensive move that one could only see among the most skilled ping pong players.

While slowed, Ambipom still managed to reach Parasect, quite ready to start hitting the mushroom until it stopped healing.

However, just as the palms reached Parasect, a yellow dust shot out from all sides.

"Spore," Erika declared, as the powder reached Ambipom's mouth.

While the attack did hit Parasect, it was only a single outing and Parasect was already healing.

Meanwhile, Ambipom lay on the soggy ground, out like a light.

"Ambipom!" Ash called out in concern. Pikachu echoed his sentiment as Parasect flared its claws again, as it was about to go back into 'killer pin-ball machine' mode.

Getting the message quite clearly, Ash returned Ambipom before she got bombed.

"Ambipom is withdrawn, the winner is the Gym Leader's Parasect!" Krista declared as Erika nodded.

"Good call Ash, Ambipom would not have woken up fast enough to respond. Now, choose your next Pokémon."

Who to choose though: the rain made Charmeleon useless, and probably Pidgeotto too. He wasn't an expert on how rain affected feathered wings, but he didn't want to risk it. The rain would eventually let up, and he'd prefer to try and use them then.

But that left Pikachu and…..

‘You know what, that would actually work.’

Pikachu prepared to jump off his shoulder, ready to win the battle for him, and promptly fell off him in shock as he reached for a different Pokémon entirely.

Holding the Heal Ball in hand Ash through it, releasing his third Pokémon.

"Sliggoo!"

Everyone in the battlefield stared at Ash's surprise choice.

"A Sliggoo….." Erika mouthed.

"Sliggoo?" Iris stated in confusion.

"A what?" the referee asked, frankly quite confused.

"Sliggoo is a Pokémon from the Kalos region," Ash explained to her. "It evolved from a Goomy."

"Oh, you're Kalosian then. Is Sliggoo, or Goomy I suppose, your starter Pokémon then?" Krista assumed as Ash shook his head.

"No."

Pikachu puffed out his chest made a statement about how being the starter was his position and his alone.

"Oh, then where did you get a Sliggoo then? Your records don't mention any former Pokémon you may have Wonder Traded." Erika now seemed curious herself, even as Parasect looked quite ready to get on battling. Sliggoo a bit less so. Ash briefly wondered what Wonder Trade was before shrugging and bringing his mind back to the battle at hand.

"The sky," he stated, providing no further context to the confused twosome. "Now, let's get this battle going again!"

"Very well, though I question how either of you got into the sky in the first place. Parasect, use Spore!"

As Parasect sprayed its water-proof spores at Sliggoo once more, Ash and Sliggoo didn't move.

The spores made contact, but they were quickly washed away in the rain. Erika blinked as Ash grinned.

"So, that Sliggoo can use Hydration…..well that's inconvenient. No matter, X-Scissor!" With its enhanced claws, Parasect formed large, glowing purple extensions and leapt right at the Dragon-type.

"Block it with Sludge Wave!" Ash called for Sliggoo's newest attack. Sliggoo nodded, even as a purple wall of sludge formed between him and Parasect.

X-Scissor struck the poison wall and was thrown back, though without damage, even as the moisture in the air ate away at Sludge Wave to a point that it was virtually dissolved away.

"Again, before Sliggoo can reform the wall!" Erika called as the wall began to recede. Parasect flew right at Sliggoo, ready to slice him down.

"Dragon Breath!" Ash responded, as a hazy blue flame struck Parasect head on. The bug was sent skidding back, trembling though otherwise unaffected, and healing quickly.

"Hmm, not bad, but it will take more power than that to defeat my Parasect. The moisture in the air will prevent you from making Parasect fall, you can't use Dragon Breath or Sludge Wave fast enough." Erika stated her opinion on the outcome of this fight.

"Yeah, I won't be able to beat you until I deal with your weather effects!" Ash declared as Erika blinked.

"How do you plan on doing that? You can't Dragon Breath it away, and I am fairly certain none of your Pokémon known Sunny Day, Sandstorm, or Hail."

"But my Sliggoo does know Rain Dance!" Ash commanded, a command that took Sliggoo a few seconds to pick up that he was in fact being told to use it. Sliggoo shone light blue for a couple of seconds before the move took effect.

"You are going to fight my Rain Dance….with Rain Dance?" Erika stated the statement like someone had just told her they were going to fix a city destroyed by bombs, with more bombs.

As a dark cloud formed over the field, water poured down onto the already soggy soil and wet plants. On the side of the field Iris skirted out of the way of a few rogue droplets.

All present quickly noticed something though, the rain drops got thicker as they got closer to the ground, as if they were absorbing moisture in the sky around them.

The rain quickly cleared away, and the battlefield's air lacked the ever-present 'moisture' that had plagued it since Leafeon's bout.

In essence, Erika's water seal was gone.

Erika had a shocked look on her face, the sort of look that was rather comical looking. It was somewhere between 'no, this cannot be, it isn't possible!' and 'System Error: system crashed. Rebooting'.

"Ash beat rain…..with rain." Misty sounded both impressed, and shocked.

"My weakness sealing techniques, my protection maneuver…..foiled…." Erika muttered to herself in shock.

"Yep, it's foiled all right, but we still have a battle to fight. Now Sliggoo, Dragon Breath!"

Erika snapped back to full attention as the Dragon-attack struck Parasect, pushing the Mushroom Pokémon back the same as before. This time however, it was not recovering.

"You are proving to be quite….crafty, boy! Parasect, Seed Bomb!" The seeds were sent flying once more, impacting into Sliggoo with small explosions. Sliggoo took the hit well, but more of the attack was probably not welcome.

"Now, X-Scissor!" Erika sounded a bit more peeved than she had been pre-Rain Dance, even as Parasect jumped at Sliggoo again with charged claws.

"Sludge Wave!" Ash responded as a sludge wall rose up and blocked Parasect again.

However, the wall this time had more integrity, meaning that Parasect got damaged from the attack.

It slipped off the wall, only to tilt to one side as a purple sheen covered it.

"No!" Erika exclaimed: her Parasect was poisoned.

"Now end this with Dragon Breath!" Ash called for a finisher as the dragon attack charged in Sliggoo's gullet. The attack fired, slamming into Parasect and sending it flying.

It landed on its side at Erika's feet, defeated.

"Parasect is unable to battle: the winner is the challenger's Sliggoo!" Krista declared as Ash grinned, Sliggoo cheered for itself, and Pikachu nodded.

Erika returned Parasect in silence, though she gave its ball a pat before pocketing it.

"You've….proven to be quite unique. Clearly you do have the potential to be quite good. You have a very unique mind. However….." Erika held up a last Pokéball and pointed it at Ash. "It is still my duty to defeat you. Badges don't go to just anyone after all. Go." She threw her Pokéball into the air, releasing her final Pokémon.

A Pokémon that made Misty cringe and back away faster than Parasect had, confusing Iris quite visibly.

Ash however, knew why this was the case.

"Vile!" the dark plant Pokémon with a large flower on its head declared.

"Vileplume, the Flower Pokémon and the final evolved form of Oddish obtained by use of a Leaf Stone. Vileplume's flower is filled with toxic pollen, do not eat, inhale, or lick it. Vileplume are often associated with the night compared to its sunnier counterpart Bellossom," the Pokédex noted as the Grass/Poison-Type and the Dragon-Type eyed one another, ready to fight.

"Begin!"

"Sliggoo, let's get this going with Dragon Breath!" Ash ordered as Sliggoo fired the breath attack right at Vileplume, dead on center.

"Dazzling Gleam." Erika declared as Vileplume lowered its flower and pointed it at the attack.

"Dazzling what?" Ash questioned as a pink glow formed in the center of the flower.

The glow quickly exploded out into a giant storm cloud of pink dust. The dust tore through Dragon Breath and slammed right into Sliggoo, doing massive damage and leaving several odd coloration spots on Sliggoo's form,

"Is that a Fairy-type…." Ash began asking as Erika grinned.

"Yes, yes it is. Now use it again!" The pink dust attack fired at Sliggoo once more.

"Quickly, block it with Sludge Wave!" Ash commanded as Sliggoo, with some struggle, rose up the toxic wall.

Dazzling Gleam failed against the toxic wall, leaving an open battlefield, a still energetic Vileplume, and an exhausted Sliggoo.

Ash briefly considered returning Sliggoo and starting over with another Pokémon: Pidgeotto or Charmeleon obviously, though Sliggoo gave him a quick look that discouraged this plan.

Unlike Ambipom, Sliggoo could still fight, and now that Dazzling Gleam was stopped he had to see what else this Vileplume had.

"Dragon Breath!" Ash called again as Sliggoo began to charge the attack once more.

"Mimic," Erika replied as Vileplume glowed purple briefly, before opening its mouth wide and firing its own Dragon Breath, before Sliggoo could finish charging.

The attack struck Sliggoo, causing the slug dragon to fall over in defeat.

"Sliggoo is unable to battle, the winner is the Gym Leader's Vileplume!" Krista declared as Vileplume cheered.

"Good job Sliggoo, take a good rest." Ash told his Dragon-type as he returned him.

"She's impressive, isn't she?" Erika referred to her large flower Pokémon, who adjusted her flower as if it was a large brimmed hat. "Among all of my fourth badge Vileplume, she's my top choice for defeating Pokémon who are normally hard for Grass-types to overcome. Now, who will choose to face me in this last battle?"

Ash's hands lingered over two specific Pokéballs, each good for this battle….when he noted the ground.

The still soggy ground, even if the air had been cleared.

Both Flame Charge and Fire Pledge touched the ground.

….Well, he was going to have some heat for this, but the choice was obvious.

"It's all up to you!" Ash declared as he sent his last Pokéball flying. "Go, Pidgeotto!"

With fluttering wings, his first Flying Pokémon found herself out, ready to battle.

"Begin!"

"Pidgeotto, use Quick Attack!" Ash called. White streaks formed around Pidgeotto, as she took a sharp dive and sped right at Vileplume.

"Block it with Sunny Day!" Erika called as Vileplume lowered her flower right at Pidgeotto, from within a bright light flashed.

However, despite the blinding light Pidgeotto still flew through and smacked into Vileplume, flying past the plant Pokémon and fluttering on the other side.

"Caw!" 'Keen Eye for the win!' she declared, even as the light engulfed the entire field.

Sunlight and Grass-types….that meant two things.

Chlorophyll, and probably Solar Beam.

He'd have to be fast then.

"Pidgeotto, use Quick Attack again!" Ash called as his white-streaking bird flew at Vileplume once more.

"Dragon Breath!" Erika called as Vileplume fired the copied Dragon-move quicker than before, right in the path of Quick Attack.

"Use Aerial Ace and dodge!" Ash quickly responded as Pidgeotto dove lower skimming the damp grass, the white streaks vanishing and the Flying-type coming from near the ground, under the Dragon Breath.

The attack hit, sending Vileplume flying back. However, it wasn't done yet.

"Let's finish it up with one more Aerial Ace!" Ash called as Pidgeotto swung back around for another attack.

However Erika was ready this time.

"Use Façade!" Shimmering red Vileplume charged at Pidgeotto, faster than Pidgeotto was flying thanks to the sunlight enhancement.

The attacks collided, sending Pidgeotto flying back out of control, pin-wheeling through the air in a flurry of singed feathers and smoke.

"No, Pidgeotto!" Ash cried out as Erika pressed on further.

"Now, Dazzling Gleam!" Vileplume jumped into the air, spinning as she let out a huge burst of pink light that rained down on the still out of control Pidgeotto like a rainstorm of pain, and pink.

"Block it with Gust!" Hearing Ash's call, Pidgeotto began flapping her wings, creating a wind storm that blew the dust away before it could hit.

Grinning as both their Pokémon landed on the ground safely, the battle continued.

"Aerial Ace!"

"Façade!" Both trainers shouted as their Pokémon charged at one another again, natural speed against speed of the sun.

Both attacks collided, and both pushed off each other in equal strength.

"Dragon Breath!"

"Steel Wing!"

The breath attack was reflected off the metallic wings, completely ineffective.

"Gust!" Ash called as the metallic wings faded away, even as Pidgeotto prepared to unleash a ferocious windstorm at the Vileplume.

"Get in Pidgeotto's face, and use Dazzling Gleam!" Erika shouted. Vileplume nodded, before dashing and putting her flower right in Pidgeotto's face.

"Caw?" 'Wha?'

*BANG!*

Pidgeotto was sent flying, blinded by the harsh, bright powder

"Pidgeotto!" Ash called in concern, Pikachu echoing him in his own tongue.

"Is that…..it?" Misty whispered, unsure if Pidgeotto could survive that hit.

"No…." Iris observed, even as Pidgeotto was continually pushed back by the pink light, slowly being absorbed into the damaging mass.

All eyes were drawn to the mass, where a new light had begun to glow within it.

A blue light.

"Is that….." Ash asked no one in particular, even as the light grew more intense, and the vague shape of Pidgeotto within the light began to grow larger.

Wings, talons, body, beak, head, crest feathers….it was all getting bigger.

"Well ****!" Erika swore with a word Ash didn't quite catch, with Vileplume looking like she was seeing the moon devour a thousand innocents with a straw.

The Dazzling Gleam was torn apart, revealing what had happened in full.

"Pidgeott!" the evolved Flying type declared loudly. 'Well, this was unexpected!'

"I can't believe it!" Ash shouted in joy at this. This hadn't happened last time until after Indigo, this was wonderful!

….Even if this was not going to make Charmeleon any easier in trying to re-evolve.

"…Neither can I," Erika muttered, sounding quite sure of her own imminent defeat.

"Pidgeot, the Bird Pokémon. Pidgeot is strong enough to carry passengers on its back across entire continents, moving at Mach 2 speed. Mach 2 speed cannot be generally achieved in Gym battles or League matches, but this Pokémon is quite fast. Pidgeot prefer to live in old-growth forests with tall trees, with a particular preference towards Sequoioidae trees."

"What trees?" Ash wasn't sure what a Sequoioidae tree was: though he doubted they grew apples.

"A sub-family of Cupressaceae," the Pokédex offered unhelpfully. What did that even mean anyway: was it a tree they used to make cups?

"I can give you a Dendrology book later, let's finish this first." Erika seemed to have regained some luster, as if she had managed to figure out a way to possibly win this.

"Very well!" Ash declared, even as his brand new Pidgeot spread her wings out imposingly at Vileplume.

"Ash, the evolution did not lead Pidgeot to learn any new moves," the Pokédex informed his master as Ash moved to turn his hat backwards.

"That's alright; I don't think that's necessary: Pidgeot, Aerial Ace!" Pidgeot lunged towards Vileplume, wings outspread and flying faster than before.

"Vileplume, Dragon Breath with all your strength!" Erika declared as Vileplume breathed in, before unleashing a torrential storm of draconic energy, larger than all previous Dragon Breaths.

Pidgeot slammed into the Dragon Breath, and sliced through it like a knife through butter all the way to Vileplume.

The attack hit home as Vileplume was sent flying, leaving a muddy trench in her wake.

Vileplume came to a stop right in front of Erika, spraying mud on the Gym Leader's pants that would probably require a dry cleaner to remove.

"Vileplume, is unable to battle," Krista declared as the Sunny Day finally dissipated, "The winner is the challenger's Pidgeot. The battle goes to Ash of Pallet Town!"

Pidgeot landed in front of Ash, even as her trainer and Pikachu ran up to the bird and engulfed her in a big hug.

"That was amazing! You were wonderful Pidgeot!" he gleefully stated. Pikachu's mirrored statement caused Pidgeot to let out a joyous cry.

Footsteps behind him had Misty and Iris come over, smiles on their faces, even as he heard Erika return Vileplume and offer some words to her.

"That was amazing Ash! Good job!" Misty congratulated as Iris noted Pidgeot.

"So, Gym Battles really do make you stronger," she observed as Erika began to walk over towards them. "How strong will you become if you beat all of them, however many of them there may be?"

Ash laughed, not quite sure how many Gyms there were in a region anyway. One only needed eight after all…..

"The minimum amount of Gyms in a region at any time is equal to the amount of Types: a Gym for Grass, Fire, Water, Normal, Flying, etc." Erika answered Iris's question as she came upon the three cheering teens and their Pokémon, "Of course, some Gyms are easier than others. I'm certainly better than Kanto's Bug, Flying, or Fairy Gyms, as are Brock, Surge, Blaine, and a few others. Generally though, 8 Gyms in a region stand out as the toughest: for example the Rock, Fighting, Electric, Fire, Normal, Flying, Psychic, and Water Gyms of Hoenn, the Rock, Grass, Ghost, Fighting, Water, Steel, Ice, and Electric Gyms of Sinnoh, and the Bug, Rock, Fighting, Grass, Electric, Fairy, Psychic, and Ice Gyms of Kalos."

Well, it looked like he took the high road in Hoenn and Sinnoh at least: Ash wondered about his other travels though.

"But enough on that: Ash Ketchum," she told him directly, "You've proven to be a quite exceptional battler, one I rarely see in my Gym at any time, let alone in my male challengers. Giving you this badge, I recognize I am probably going to have to let all challengers in again, but perhaps they'll be more like you and less like….some people." Erika said the last part darkly as she took the Rainbow Badge from her pocket and held it to Ash, "However, you have earned this badge, and all the headaches it's going to give me. Good luck in the Pokémon League, no matter how many more badges you may choose to earn."

"Thank you," Ash told Erika respectfully, reaching for the Badge and preparing to enter the customary 'Badge Get' pose, only to find that Erika would not let go of it.

"Zzzzz….."

Awkward silence dominated the room as the Gym Leader had fallen asleep standing up, holding his badge in the sort of night grip that reminded him of his mother with a pillow, or him with a pillow according to her.

Viridian Gym, several days later

The girl came back sooner than he had expected.

This time, she was ready for his original plans. Pidgeot's Defog had ruined his Onix's Stealth Rock and then her Butterfree had Bug-Buzzed his Dugtrio.

"So, you've done better thus far, and you weren't too shabby the first time. I however," Giovanni noted as he took out a Pokéball once more, "will not be standing this time."

"I doubt you'll remain that way," Solidad quipped.

"We shall see….go Rhyperior!"

The moment his mightiest Pokémon hit the floor, she returned Butterfree and sent out Pidgeot again.

Probably fearing that Butterfree would end up much worse than her last Pokémon she used to fight Rhyperior, being much less solid and all.

"Use Steel Wing!"

"Thunder Punch!"

….

Pidgeot laid on the ground, quite thrashed.

Rhyperior looked little the worst for wear. Solid Rock was a wonderful thing.

"That was an improvement, I suppose," Giovanni noted, still in his chair.

"You haven't seen anything yet," Solidad promised, holding a Pokéball in hand.

"Did your Lapras exit the E.R when I wasn't looking?"

Solidad scowled his way at that comment, but she responded with throwing out a new Pokémon for this contest.

"Slow!" the Slowbro declared, a headband adorning the creature's vacant head.

"A Slowbro, with a Muscle Band? Or is it Focus, I can't quite tell and frankly it matters not. You cannot defeat me so easily with such a paltry Pokémon."

His Rhyperior had been trained to fight the Elite Four, to one day be used to capture the Legendary Pokémon of Kanto and Johto! What could one Slowbro do against it!?

In response, Solidad put her hand to her necklace, where a bright light glowed.

Giovanni's eyes went wide with recognition, as the bands of light met up with Slowbro's headband.

She found one of those stones, and the right one at that, in only a few days!?

As the light engulfed Slowbro, it began to change as the shell elongated up the Slowbro's body.

"This changes nothing," Giovanni declared to all present as Rhyperior prepared to fight the Mega-Evolving Pokémon. "I've fought such Pokémon before, I've beaten more impressive evolutions!"

The light burst away, revealing a Slowbro who was now spinning in a way that would make a Hitmontop envious.

"We'll see about that," Solidad declared: as both of them ordered their Pokémon to go at each other. (*)