Chapter 33

"What the..." Lily jumped in scare at the sudden pop behind her.

"Language, Lily!" Daisy admonished her before she could cry something foul.

"Aizen!" Lily didn't mind what her sister said and happily greeted the handsome man who was amused at her behaviour.

"Hello, Miss Williams." He took the hand she offered and planted a kiss on its back. "I hope we are on time."

"You are!" Lily blushed and nodded her head as she pulled her hand free. "And you will be facing, Violet, young lady." She looked at Leaf and smiled at her.

"I am ready!" Leaf clenched her fist and nodded her head.

"Bebe!" The little fairy nestling on her head seemed ready as well.

"She's waiting at the Gym, let's go." Lily grabbed her hand and took off with her.

"What's up with her?" Misty frowned at her sister's behaviour.

"Oh, she's just pumped up to see Aizen in a battle." Daisy off-handedly answered and smiled at their group. "How was your visit to Professor Bill? It's been years since we last heard of any news about him." She gestured for them to follow her and walked to the gym.

"He will be in the news soon. His research led him to his latest discovery." Aizen smiled at her and recalled Dexter in his Pokeball.

"Tell me about it." The oldest Waterflower was interested.

"It's about a special hereditary trait where Pokemon are twice the average size of their species. They will be called Alpha Pokemon." He informed her.

"I have seen a few such Pokemon." She nodded her head and curiously looked at him. "Anything special about them besides their size?"

"They can be trained to be stronger than others, but inherently, they are not stronger or have any other advantage than their size." He shook his head.

"Size can come in handy at times." Though not too excited about the latest discovery, she did appreciate new knowledge about the Pokemon.

"True."

They talked some more about their time on the Journey before they made it to the Gym's Battlefield. It was more of a Water Arena since it was a Pool that had discs floating on it to provide some footing.

On one side of the Pool, stood Violet, smiling at Leaf. And the Hazel-eyed girl stood at the opposite end, pumped up for the battle.

Lily took her spot at the Referee's Square.

Edric was calmly sitting on the other end of the stands. He greeted Aizen and the girls with a nod before looking back at the arena where Lily was about to announce the rules.

"This is the Gym Battle for the Cascade Badge. The Challenger is Leaf Green, representing Blanc Island. She is up against Violet Williams of the Cerulean Gym. The Match will be held with standard rules, the only exception is the substitution rule for the Gym Leader." Lily glanced at her sister and Leaf before explaining the rules. "The Match will be 2v2 since it is the Challenger's first Gym Battle. Gym Leader will choose their Pokemon first, and they are not allowed to substitute their Pokemon. The Challenger may substitute their Pokemon if it has battled for 5 minutes, or if it has won the previous round. Any questions?" She turned to look at Leaf and asked.

"No." She shook her head.

"Please pick your first Pokemon." Lily smiled at her sister.

Violet looked Leaf in the eyes before plucking a ball from her belt.

"Go, Seel!"

"Seel!"

Seel happily started swimming in the water before surfacing and looking in the direction of Leaf.

"Go, Fiona!" Leaf patted her little Fairy's head and chose her.

"Bebe!"

"Seel vs Flabebe!" Lily submitted the info on the Pokedex and raised her hand in the air. "Start!"

"Seel, stay underwater, and circle Flabebe." Violet issued her first command.

"Fiona, use Magical Leaf!"

The little fairy shined a little before a whirlwind of energy shaped in the form of leaves smashed onto the water.

Leaf was taken aback when Seel without its Trainer's command chose to dive deeper in the pool and managed to evade the attack.

"Play hide n seek, Seel." Violet lightly smiled. "Aurora Beam!"

The white Seel started swimming fast in the water before hiding under the discs and making Flabebe lose sight of it.

"Bebe..." The little fairy started spinning around, looking for the opponent in worry.

"Stay calm!" Leaf called out to her Pokemon. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists tightly. "Use Lucky Chant."

It was too early to use it since it could only be used once every few hours. But she knew that she could not afford to have Flabebe take damage here.

"As soon as Seel surfaces to perform its attack, use your Vine Whip to capture it." She commanded after Flabebe finished her Lucky Chant.

"Seel!" The white water Pokemon suddenly appeared right behind Flabebe and fired a rainbow-coloured beam at her.

"Now!" Leaf called out.

"Bebe!" The little fairy used her move without fear and managed to wrap Seel in her Vines.

The little water Pokemon was still in shock at how its move had missed the target.

"Seel, dive down. Try to pull Flabebe into the water. Force her to free you!" Violet did not seem worried and commanded.

"Bebe!" The little fairy tried her best to keep the seel on the surface, but she slowly started losing the contest of strength.

"Don't give in! Use Magical Leaf on Seel!" Leaf commanded.

"Bebe!" The Fairy shined brightly before she shot a wave of energy leaves at Seel.

"Uss Aurora Beam to eliminate all the magical Leaf!"

"Seel!"

The green energy leaves and a raindow-coloured Beam of light collided with each other, cancelling them both out.

"Lucky Chant won't allow Seel to hit Flabebe for a few rounds, but it doesn't work on countering her moves." Seeing the surprise on Leaf's face, Violet explained to her.

The hazel-eyed girl nodded her head and then narrowed her eyes.

"Let's see what you can do about this. Fiona, use Giga Drain!"

Violet could only furrow her brows when Seel cried out in pain as soon as it was engulfed in a green light that blinked every second to sap its energy.

"Pull through it! Drag Flabebe into the Water!"

Seel managed to gather some strength and do as it was commanded, but Flabebe let go of it before she could be dragged underwater.

"Dive!" Violet gave the call. "Then surprise her with your favourite move!" She smirked.

Leaf panicked a little, not knowing what move to expect. But she calmed down, hoping that Lucky Chant might still be in effect.

"Flabebe, use Vine Whip the moment Seel comes into sight."

What followed was a show of ingenuity. Seel would surface now and then and try to playfully tackle Flabebe, only to miss. But the way it evaded the Vine Whips headed its way was a spectacular sight to behold.

The little fairy who failed to hit it with her Vine Whip seemed very frustrated.

"I believe your luck should be over by now." Violet smiled at her Challenger. "Seel. Dive, and send Flabebe out of the Pool with a special courtesy."

Leaf's heart skipped a beat when she saw Seel suddenly surface behind Flabebe with its tail glowing blue.

"Fiona, behind you! Dodge!" She cried out in worry.

"Bebe!"

The little fairy did her best to evade but could not escape the Aqua Tail. The power behind the move rattled her and she dropped at the end of the Pool, floating on the water on her flower, barely in shape to continue.

"Fiona..." Leaf looked at her Pokedex and saw that there was still over a minute left in 5 minutes. She could not recall Flabebe without forfeiting. "Use Wish!"

"That's a tough fellow." Violet smiled at the struggling fairy that regained some energy after using Wish. "Seel, Aqua Jet." She was not going to play around anymore. "And keep at it."

"Bebe!"

The little fairy who had just recovered a little got slammed again.

"Giga Drain!" Leaf could not think of anything else and commanded.

"Seel!" The white water Pokemon was already tired after all its moves, and taking damage previously. It started shivering in the water as green light blink around it for a few seconds. But it was still better off than its opponent.

Even though Fiona recovered some energy that eased her pain. She did not seem to be in a position to continue.

"Fiona..." Leaf made the decision and took out the Pokeball. "Return." She said.

"Challenger has forfeited their Pokemon. Seel wins. First Round goes to the Gym Leader!" Lily called out as soon as Leaf recalled Flabebe in the Pokeball. "Challenger, please choose your next Pokemon."

Leaf took a few deep breaths and glanced at the stands where Aizen was sitting. She was worried that he would be disappointed with her, but he smiled and nodded at her encouragingly.

All the panic that was filling up her heart drained away, and she fiercely looked at Violet.

"Go, Exeggutor!" She threw her Pokeball at a floating disc, and the multi-headed grass Pokemon appeared on it.

"Exeggutor..." It called out in a heavy voice.

"Seel vs Exeggutor!" Lily submitted the information on her Dex. "Begin!"

"Just finish it off," Leaf commanded. "Use Extrasensory."

Exeggutor's eyes glowed in a pink light, and the little Water Pokemon swimming in the pool was hit with an invisible force that sent it out of the water, up in the air.

Seel dropped down on a disc, unconscious. It had taken considerable damage against Flabebe, and Exeggutor had not held back on that Psychic-Type move.

"Seel is unable to continue. Exeggutor Wins! The second round goes to the Challenger!" Lily called out the result. "Gym Leader, please choose your next Pokemon."