Inside Celadon Gym, both sides found themselves in a brief standoff.
Dragonair circled above, searching for an opening, while Vileplu stood firmly on the ground, its small eyes fixed on Dragonair in a defensive stance.
For the past thirty seconds, Vileplu's massive petals had been steadily quivering, creating a soft, rhythmic whoosh-whoosh sound as they trembled. Just as when it first entered, Vileplu continued releasing Poison Powder, clouding the air around it with a dense, toxic mist.
Using these spores as a deterrent, Vileplu seed intent on creating a poisonous barrier to keep Dragonair at bay.
"A strategy to stop Dragonair from getting close, huh?"
Luo Yuan saw right through Vileplu and Erika's tactic.
The idea was to build up a cloud of poisonous spores as a shield, hoping to prevent Dragonair from landing a boosted hit with Outrage.
"Not an easy situation...."
Despite Luo Yuan's psychic efforts to keep Dragonair calm, it remained locked in Outrage, unable to use other moves. Normally, a single Twister could clear out the spores instantly.
To make things worse, when the Outrage effect wore off, Dragonair would almost certainly beco confused.
Erika had clearly considered all this, setting up the Poison Powder barrier from the mont Vileplu took the field.
The battle seed deadlocked.
In front of him lood the toxic cloud, while behind him was the threat of confusion once Outrage ended—a rock and a hard place.
But Luo Yuan didn't deliberate long. Second-guessing was never his style. A successful Trainer knew when to be decisive.
Watching Vileplu release more and more spores, he realized he had to act.
"Dragonair, we're going in!" Luo Yuan called out, raising his head to his circling Pokémon.
Letting Vileplu continue spreading Poison Powder would only put them at a further disadvantage.
Rather than sit back and wait, it was ti to make a bold move.
He'd bet that Dragonair could take down Vileplu before succumbing to poison.
"So decisive...."
Erika couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.
Her original plan had been to delay Dragonair, waiting for it to slip into confusion after Outrage ended, then moving in for a finishing blow.
But Luo Yuan had acted too quickly.
Dragonair, now spurred by its Trainer's command, wasted no ti. Its sleek body adjusted mid-air as it plunged toward Vileplu below.
Erika quickly cleared her mind of distractions and activated her backup plan. "Vileplu, use Protect!"
A blue energy shield flared up in front of Vileplu.
Dragonair tore through the spore cloud, its tail smashing into the barrier with enough force to send both Vileplu and its shield skidding backward.
Crack!
The powerful impact left spiderweb cracks across the barrier.
Boom!
The energy barrier shattered with a deafening crash as Dragonair's tail landed squarely on Vileplu, sending it sprawling.
Even with the damage reduced by Protect, the force of the Outrage enhanced by Dragon Dance had taken a serious toll on Vileplu.
"Vileplu, stay with !" Erika shouted.
Yet Luo Yuan wasn't celebrating. The fact that the first attack hadn't ended the fight left him uneasy.
"Dragonair, finish it!" he ordered, suppressing his doubts.
Dragonair readied itself to strike again and end the battle.
But just then, the poison Dragonair had absorbed from the spores began taking effect, spreading through its body and causing a brief mont of paralysis.
What seed like an unlucky mont was actually the result of Erika's careful planning.
"Now, Vileplu! Use Leech Seed!"
Vileplu, sensing its chance, pushed off the ground with its stubby legs, rolling onto its back to face Dragonair. The massive flower in its center unleashed three seeds, each aid directly at Dragonair's weakened form.
Thwip, thwip, thwip
The Leech Seeds struck Dragonair and quickly took root.
Fine vines sprouted from the seeds, winding around Dragonair's body and emitting a faint green glow as energy was siphoned away and absorbed back into Vileplu.
"La-boo~!"
Vileplu looked rejuvenated as the absorbed energy eased its pain.
anwhile, Dragonair was in a rough state, its scales tinged with purple from the poison, and its strength ebbing from the Leech Seed.
Crisis lood.
"Hang in there, Dragonair!" Luo Yuan encouraged his Pokémon.
He knew they'd missed their best chance to defeat Vileplu, but now, all he could do was provide moral support. With Dragonair unable to switch moves, immobilized by poison, and bound by Leech Seed, there was little else he could do tactically.
Cry!
Inspired by Luo Yuan's words, Dragonair steeled itself, coiling its body in preparation for one final, desperate Outrage.
But Vileplu was ready.
"Vileplu, Seed Bomb!" Erika ordered.
Still prone on the ground, Vileplu opened its blossom, firing a rapid barrage of explosive seeds that veered Dragonair's tail off course as it fell.
The tail smashed into the ground beside Vileplu, sending rubble flying and leaving Vileplu with several cuts and bruises.
Neither Erika nor Vileplu seed fazed by the damage.
"Now's our chance! Give it everything you've got—Petal Dance!" Erika called out, her voice filled with resolve.
Countless pink petals launched toward Dragonair in a storm of sharp, swirling projectiles.
Whoosh, whoosh
Though light on their own, the petals moved faster than Dragonair could dodge.
Before Dragonair could launch a third strike, the petals collided with its scales, each one dealing a quick, cutting blow.
Cry!
Between the poison, the draining effect of Leech Seed, and the final flurry of Petal Dance, Dragonair's energy was finally spent, and it collapsed onto the ground, unable to continue the fight.
"Dragonair is unable to battle. Vileplu wins!" Kiku declared, her voice a bit breathless after witnessing the intense battle.
"You did well. Co back, Dragonair...." Luo Yuan recalled his Pokémon to its Poké Ball.
In truth, he'd suspected this outco from the mont the first hit failed to knock out Vileplu.
Now that it had happened, he wasn't exactly surprised.
"Your Vileplu is really sothing!" he remarked to Erika, smiling.
He didn't bla Dragonair's loss entirely on the drawbacks of Outrage.
While the move's drawbacks had played a part, Dragonair had also benefited from Dragon Dance's power boost in this fight.
From Erika's command precision and Vileplu's resilience, it was clear her Vileplu was on a whole different level, exceeding Dragonair's capabilities.
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T/N: Damn imagine losing oh wait Charleon lost against Surge...
Thanks for reading! Let know if you spot any mistakes or inconsistencies!
Posture and water check! Rember this is a fan translation!
If you wish to support or read ahead here's a link! [/WiseTL]
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