Several more days passed. Celadon City's security measures gradually eased and the patrols on the streets grew less frequent.
The mood in the city eased a good deal with them.
"Under the leadership of Elite Four Lance our forces have rooted out seven Team Rocket strongholds and taken or killed one Elite-Four-class Trainer, seven Gym-class Trainers and twenty-five Elite-class Trainers.........."
The presenter on the television delivered it with fervour, as though some of the glory were his.
Over these days, while Vance had been training his Pokémon and quietly building himself up, the League's operation had been going forward.
The television showed genuine photographs as well. It was exactly as the presenter said; the record had not been watered down.
Under Lance's leadership those results really had been achieved.
"This Elite Four Lance is fierce. Fast and hard together. Even an Elite-Four-class Trainer is dead."
Ambrose said it with feeling, watching the report on the television.
"If they can move that fast, I should think the League has people inside our organisation. There's no other way they could find the places so quickly."
That was Vance's judgement. Team Rocket could put men inside the League, and in the same way the League could put men inside Team Rocket — slipping in, gathering intelligence, waiting there until they were needed, and to good effect every time.
It was a contest between two organisations, and planting men in each other's ranks was one of the shapes it took.
"Then has our Celadon branch got a League mole in it? Because if it has, doesn't that mean we're.........?"
Ambrose got that far in a single jump.
"No idea. But I expect the Division Commanders and the Branch Chief have realised it too and will take the appropriate measures. We carry on as usual and do nothing out of the ordinary."
"Besides, we haven't been here long, and we haven't spent much time with the rest of the branch. We're out of the city most of the time, which is a great deal safer."
Vance laid it out with a calm face.
"And stay away from the Game Corner base for now. Small people like us are hardly going to bring anyone important out to arrest us." With that Vance rose from his chair and went out.
"Boss, where are you off to?"
Ambrose asked from behind him.
"The Celadon Gym. It's open today."
Vance answered, and before long he was standing at the door of the Celadon City Gym.
The Celadon Gym was a Grass-type Gym, beautifully planted: flowers in brocade masses, grass and trees growing thick, everything in it alive. Step inside and you caught a faint clean scent of green growing things, with a good many Grass-type Pokémon moving to and fro among it.
Some of those flowers and plants were raw material for perfume. Most of the perfume in Celadon City came out of the Celadon Gym, whose Gym Leader, Erika, was a great lover of it.
The people inside the Gym all wore classical clothes, something like kimono.
"Good day. I'm today's challenger, Vance. Here is my Pokédex."
Vance came up to the front desk and showed his Pokédex to the Gym's staff.
"Very good."
The Pokédex was taken, a few operations performed on it, and then handed back, and he was sent through to his challenge.
"Will the next challenger, Mr Vance, please take the field."
Vance heard it just as he came in.
"Perfect timing."
Vance murmured it and stepped up onto the battlefield.
The field was laid out as it was in the anime: the two Trainers at either end, the middle of the ground given over to the Pokémon's fight.
"This match is between Trainer Vance of Celadon City and Gym Leader Erika of the Celadon Gym. Three Pokémon each."
The referee on the floor announced it loudly the moment Vance was up.
Gym matches were comparatively formal; the officials and the ground alike were held to a set standard.
In this Pokémon world the Gyms also served to pick out talent.
"Trainer, is there anything you don't follow? Or anything you would like altered — the number of Pokémon in the match, for instance?"
From the far side of the ground Erika spoke, unhurried, her tone gentle.
Perhaps it came of loving Grass-type Pokémon; there was something very mild about her.
"No, thank you. This is fine as it is."
Vance answered with a smile.
"Very well. Referee, if you would."
Erika said it, looking at the referee.
"The match begins. Will both sides send out their Pokémon."
"Torchic, this one's yours."
Vance took up the Torchic's Poké Ball and threw it. The Torchic appeared on the field with his head high, cutting quite a figure.
Facing him was a Bellsprout.
Vance checked with the system: this Bellsprout's energy level was 19.
"A Fire-type Torchic. A good Pokémon to open with."
Erika said with a light laugh.
"By type, Fire beats Grass, so a few levels either way is no great matter. Torchic, Ember!"
"Torchic—"
At the order the Torchic breathed out streak after streak of Ember.
"Bellsprout, Bullet Seed."
"Sprout—"
Shots shaped like seeds fired from the Bellsprout's mouth and met the Torchic's Ember. There was a bang, the two moves destroyed one another, and a cloud of black smoke rose over the ground.
"Torchic, in — Peck."
"Tor—"
The Torchic charged out of the smoke, came up in front of the Bellsprout at speed and drove his Peck forward.
"Good sense of timing. A competent Trainer." Erika gave a slight nod and issued her order to the Bellsprout.
"Bellsprout, get clear."
Against the Torchic's Peck the Bellsprout showed how nimble it was, slipping away from one Peck after another; and in the middle of one dodge it brought a leaf round and slapped the Torchic with it.
"Torchic, put an Ember under its feet."
Watching the Bellsprout dodge so many times, Vance had noticed that it held itself up chiefly on the root-like feet beneath it.
"Torchic—"
The Ember flew out and landed under the Bellsprout's feet. It tried to get clear, but the Ember caught it all the same and did no small amount of damage.
"Bellsprout, Vine Whip."
Unable to dodge, the Bellsprout stopped trying. Two vines flew at the Torchic and came whipping down with a rush of air behind them.
"Torchic, get clear — keep moving."
The Torchic ran faster and faster and the vines could not touch him; they came down several times and he dodged them every time.
Using speed far beyond the Bellsprout's, he ranged about the field and put in an Ember whenever he found the moment for it.
After one such Ember the Torchic charged in, Peck and Scratch one after the other, and beat the Bellsprout.
The Bellsprout lay on the ground with its eyes going round and round. The referee raised the flag in his hand and announced loudly, "Bellsprout is unable to battle. Torchic wins."
"Hee hee. Your Torchic has been very well raised, and your grounding in battle is good too."
Erika said it in praise, taking up a Poké Ball and recalling the Bellsprout; then she brought out another and threw, and a Weepinbell appeared on the field.
"A Weepinbell. Bellsprout's evolved form, at level 24."
Vance saw exactly what the Weepinbell on the field was made of at a glance.
"Torchic, do you want to go on?"