"Tangela, use Vine Whip!"
Erika opened the match by commanding Tangela to strike first.
Sticking to her role as a Gym Leader and mentor, she sent out the weakest Pokémon on her team first—a Tangela around level 20-something.
Kazuki, recognizing this, didn't bother with any complex strategy.
If it was going to be a vine-on-vine clash, then he'd meet it head-on.
Four vines collided with a sharp snap. With the 40% bonus from the Miracle Seed and a sizable level advantage, Bulbasaur's Vine Whip easily overpowered its opponent.
Tangela was knocked off its feet but wasn't entirely out yet—though before it could recover, Bulbasaur lashed out with another powerful strike, sending it flying out of the ring.
Kazuki's response was respectful, matching Erika's mentorship approach without going overboard.
After all, with Bulbasaur an entire tier above, a brutal takedown would've been unnecessarily harsh.
Seeing her Tangela thrown out of bounds, Erika's eyes widened.
She hadn't expected Kazuki's Bulbasaur to be this strong.
With Vine Whip alone, her Tangela had no chance. She had clearly underestimated him.
Time to get serious.
"Weepinbell, it's your turn!"
Erika swiftly adjusted her posture and sent out Weepinbell.
This one was a proper threat—an Elite-tier Pokémon, on par with Bulbasaur in level.
Kazuki had seen a Weepinbell once back at the academy, used by Joe. But that battle wasn't much help; Joe's Weepinbell had been countered and defeated by Misty's Water-type, so Kazuki didn't consider it a reference point.
This Weepinbell, though, was Erika's formal Gym Leader-level ace—no comparison to her earlier Tangela.
"Weepinbell, use Stun Spore!'"
From the command, it was clear that Erika had shifted tactics. No more brute skill exchanges—this was about strategy now.
Weepinbell opened its mouth and released a cloud of paralyzing powder. Kazuki stayed calm and had Bulbasaur leap upward, dodging midair and firing off Razor Leaf in one fluid motion.
"Weepinbell, respond with Razor Leaf!"
But Erika had noticed—Bulbasaur was too fast. There was no time to dodge, so she chose to clash leaf for leaf.
Still, Kazuki's Bulbasaur was equipped with an Everstone. Though it hadn't evolved, its base stats had already broken through their upper limit.
Currently, Bulbasaur's base stats had been pushed to 500.
So using ordinary stat charts for reference left Erika constantly on the defensive.
After several exchanges, Kazuki purposefully had Bulbasaur show signs of fatigue, luring Erika into letting her Weepinbell linger on the field.
Then, he had Bulbasaur plant Leech Seed, which began to drain Weepinbell's stamina—and steadily healed Bulbasaur in return.
Through expert feints and well-timed execution, Bulbasaur sapped Weepinbell of its strength. By the time Weepinbell finally collapsed, Bulbasaur had nearly recovered all the energy it had used.
Watching Weepinbell fall, Erika's expression shifted slightly.
She meant no ill will toward Kazuki—but to be a Grass-type Gym Leader and have a rookie trainer sweep two of her Pokémon with another Grass-type? It stung.
"Hey, Kazuki," Erika called with a soft but sharp tone, "your Bulbasaur's looking pretty tired. Maybe it's time for a switch, no? Wouldn't want to push it too hard…"
She was trying to give Kazuki an out—if he swapped Pokémon now, even in defeat she could save face.
But Kazuki wasn't doing this to show off. The system required him to win this way.
If she had any complaints, she could take it up with the system itself.
"Ah… Thank you for your concern, Erika. But Bulbasaur and I share a strong bond—it always fights to the very end. So please, let's continue to the third match."
"Bulba!" Bulbasaur nodded affirmatively, backing up Kazuki's claim.
Erika smiled wryly. This guy seriously wants to pull off a full sweep, huh?
Well… at least he likes perfume. And loves his girlfriend.
And—fine—he's not bad looking, either.
Otherwise, I'd have thrown out my Vileplume and taught him a lesson by now!
As one of Kanto's top Grass-type Gym Leaders, Erika had stronger Pokémon hidden away, but those were reserved for serious threats. Throwing them at newbies would turn Celadon Gym into a nightmare zone.
Let the kid show some flair. I used to be just as stubborn, running around trying to prove Gloom smells good…
But don't think a clean sweep will come easy!
Erika collected herself and called, "Very well! If that's your decision… Gloom, let's show them the power of our bond!"
Erika sent out the very same Gloom that had once saved her from a Grimer. This one was level 36—more than ready to evolve into Vileplume.
But its bond with Erika ran deep. Gloom had expressed its wish not to evolve, and Erika respected that. They remained partners in their original form.
Which was why Erika had been so drawn to Kazuki's explanation about Bulbasaur refusing to evolve. It hit close to home.
As Erika released her Gloom and Kazuki still chose to stick with Bulbasaur, murmurs rippled through the crowd of perfume shop clerks and spectators.
"What? She actually brought out Gloom?"
"I didn't think a rookie trainer could push her this far!"
"Wait, is Kazuki not planning to switch Pokémon at all?"
"Isn't this a bit too arrogant?"
"He's seriously trying to sweep a Grass Gym with just a Grass Pokémon?!"
The girls in the crowd were split—some in awe, others annoyed.
Misty had almost stood up cheering after Kazuki's two victories, but surrounded by Erika's shop staff, she held back, cheering quietly in her heart.
Kazuki, you're amazing…
But maybe let Erika save a little face? If you actually win all three… won't we get kicked out of the store later?
Misty sighed, but still called out, "Kazuki! You can do it!"
After all, cheering for your boyfriend was the right thing to do.
Kazuki gave her a wave and turned back to the field, refocusing as Erika gave her command.
"Gloom, use Stun Spore and Poison Powder!"
Though primarily a Grass-type, Gloom was a master of poison techniques thanks to the massive bloom on its head, which generated a variety of powders.
The double-powder combo was well-aimed. Bulbasaur looked too weak to dodge.
But Kazuki was ready.
"Bulbasaur, Vine Whip!"
Bulbasaur lashed its vines against the ground to launch itself upward. Midair, it spun its vines like propellers, creating a tiny gust that blew the incoming powders right back—and then struck.
"Now—Razor Leaf!"
"What? It can dodge like that?" Erika blinked in disbelief. "Was that… an act earlier?"
She finally realized: Kazuki had faked weakness to delay her from bringing out her ace, letting Bulbasaur recover even more energy from Leech Seed.
"Haha… Kazuki, you really are impressive."
"Good tactics—but your biggest flaw is your obsession with using one Pokémon!"
"Gloom, Growth!"
Gloom inhaled deeply. Its body expanded, bracing against the blown-back powder and the Razor Leaf.
"Gloom, Stench!"
Bulbasaur staggered as the stench hit its senses.
"Gloom, Giga Drain! Now!"
Green light burst from Bulbasaur as its energy was siphoned away, rejuvenating Gloom.
This was one of Erika's dirtier tricks—spamming draining moves to stall out the fight.
Though Erika focused Gloom's training on powders for her perfume work, she kept Giga Drain as its secret ace.
Bulbasaur was taking heavy damage now, its stamina plummeting. But Kazuki didn't panic.
He hadn't used Bulbasaur's trump card yet—for good reason.
Against an opponent like this, high recovery meant one chance was all you got.
Now… that chance had come.
"Now! This is it!"
Bulbasaur's HP had dipped low enough to trigger Overgrow. Grass-type move power was now up 150%, plus 40% from the Miracle Seed—bringing the total to a staggering 190%.
"Bulbasaur! Power Whip! Full force!"
"Bulba—SAUR!"
With a fierce battle cry, Bulbasaur surged through the foul air. Its twin vines struck down with incredible force.
"Power Whip?" Erika frowned. "But my Gloom has a higher level—it shouldn't get one-shotted! If I can just time Giga Drain at the end of the attack, I'll turn the tide…"
"At that point, Bulbasaur will be truly exhausted. All I need is one move, and I'll—"
Her thoughts cut off as her Gloom collapsed.
KO'd.
In one hit.
Erika's eyes flew wide in disbelief as she stared at Kazuki.
"One move? Just one?! But my Gloom still had more than half its HP!"
"How… how can this be?!"
"That wasn't even a super-effective hit!"
Power Whip hadn't just knocked out her ace—it had shattered the composure of Erika and her staff alike.
Even Misty, seated among the perfumers, was momentarily stunned speechless by the overwhelming display.
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