"Torchic—"
Looking up at the Weepinbell, so much stronger than he was, the Torchic hesitated a few seconds and then decided to stay and fight on.
Fighting at his own tier was nothing much. Today he, the Torchic, was going to do something bold — to take on a fight above his own tier, the way those brothers of his did.
"There's real life in this Torchic, and a strong will to fight in him. One can see your day-to-day raising of him has been thorough."
Erika laughed lightly behind her hand, looking at the strutting Torchic.
"He's all right."
Vance answered.
"Begin!"
At the referee's word the two Pokémon began to fight again.
At level 24, the Weepinbell was naturally a great deal stronger in a fight than the Bellsprout had been.
Right at the start came a Razor Leaf, aimed at the Torchic.
The Torchic dodged it, and then a Vine Whip came down, striking the ground and leaving shallow lash marks in it.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—"
The vines swung through the air with a whistling of wind behind them, then came down to catch and crush the Torchic.
"Dodge, then use Ember."
The Torchic got clear and spat an Ember from one side, but the two vines closed into one and swatted it apart, then came on with their force undiminished, and very fast.
"Torchic—"
Seeing that he could not dodge, in that instant the Torchic seemed to grasp something, and one "Torchic" after another separated away from his body. It was the move Double Team.
"Bang—"
The vines came down and hammered a small crater into the ground; one of the "Torchic" was swatted out of existence, and five "Torchic" were left on the field.
"So he works out Double Team at the critical moment."
Vance was surprised as well. They had worked at it any number of times in the training room without success, and here it had come off. So much the better — he was happy for the Torchic.
"Go on, then. Charge, Torchic."
"Torchic—"
Having dodged that move, and with the vines still tangled together and not yet drawn back, the Torchic took his opening and charged in: a Sand Attack to begin with, and then a whole run of Scratch and Peck together, landing on the Weepinbell.
In the middle of the attack Vance saw the Weepinbell's leaves stir and shouted, "It's about to use a powder attack — Torchic, back off, don't take it head on!"
"Too late. Weepinbell, Stun Spore."
The Torchic pulled back quickly, but the Stun Spore blowing across the field caught the edge of him all the same.
Erika did not have the Weepinbell press the attack, and gave him a word of advice instead.
"Most of the Grass-type Pokémon in our Kanto region learn moves like Stun Spore and Sleep Powder early on. You'll want to watch for them out in the field."
"Yes, I understand. Thank you for the warning, Gym Leader."
Vance nodded and agreed. What she said was genuinely useful to a new Trainer — only of no use at all to Vance, who had known it for a long time.
Still, a Gym's business was to bring Trainers on, so there was nothing to fault in her doing it.
"Good. Weepinbell, use Vine Whip. The Torchic has taken Stun Spore; he can't dodge."
Only then did Erika have the Weepinbell attack.
The purpose of a Gym battle was not winning or losing but instructing the Trainer who came to challenge, which was why Erika had slowed her attack.
"Not necessarily. Torchic, get clear."
"Torchic—"
The Torchic put on speed again and slipped away from the Vine Whip.
"Why — how has this Torchic not been affected by the Stun Spore?"
Erika said, puzzled.
"Out among the factions, how could a man not resist poison?" Vance called back with a smile. As an Advanced Breeder he had naturally given thought to this side of things, and had put a few anti-toxic substances into their ordinary food.
Otherwise the cost of raising them would not have run so high.
So the Torchic could stand a certain amount of poison: the light kinds he could shrug off, and the heavy ones he could at least hold off and delay a while.
Erika's face filled with approval. "Very good, very good. You've prepared thoroughly. Let's see what comes next, then."
Out on the field the Torchic ranged about, fighting the Weepinbell as a skirmisher, breathing out an Ember now and then to do it damage.
But under Erika's direction the Weepinbell adjusted at every moment, leaving the Torchic very little opening to work with.
Against a wild Pokémon Vance would have been confident of directing the Torchic and running rings around the thing until it dropped; but the Trainer opposite was no ordinary person — a Gym Trainer, rich in battle experience, adjusting her counters from one moment to the next.
And the Pokémon she was directing was a great deal stronger than the Torchic besides.
The Torchic was still in his first form and did not know many moves yet. He had the type advantage, but it was not enough.
"Torchic, Torchic—"
Out on the field the Torchic's running slowed by degrees, and his eyelids began to droop.
"That's... was there Sleep Powder in that Stun Spore just now?"
Vance guessed it from one look at the Torchic.
"Yes, quite right, there was Sleep Powder; and besides that a small quantity of Poison Powder, all of it mixed in with the Stun Spore and set off together."
Erika said it with a smile. Under her training this Weepinbell's Stun Spore was no ordinary Stun Spore, but several powders mixed into one.
"So sleepy, Torchic—"
The Torchic grew sleepier and sleepier, his eyelids all but shut. Remembering that he was still on the field, still in a battle, he tried to rouse himself and could not, and only grew sleepier.
Through the blur he seemed to see rank upon rank of delicious food, and the food had grown arms and legs and seemed to be calling to him.
The scene changed, and he saw Poké Dollars heaped up on the ground like a small hill; and the money moved, and sprouted a pair of pure white wings, and gathered all around him.
"Money, money, money. Haha, so much money."
The Torchic felt supremely happy, floating on his back in a sea of Poké Dollars.
Then a voice broke into the lovely dream, and all the money vanished.
"Torchic, Torchic, wake up! You're about to be finished, don't you understand?"
"Torchic?"
The Torchic opened his eyes to find himself bound up in Vine Whip, tied fast and hoisted into the air.
"That's the end of it. Weepinbell, Energy Ball."
With a rush an Energy Ball came through the air and struck him full in the body.
"Boom—"
The Torchic fell out of the air and lay sprawled on the ground.
"Torchic, are you all right, lad?"
"I'm fine, but my money isn't. It's gone. It's all gone!"
On the ground the Torchic's body was shaking. He got slowly to his feet and looked at the Weepinbell with fury in his eyes.
"?? What money? What are you talking about? We're in a battle — where would money come from?"
Vance said it, baffled. Where would money come from? What on earth had the creature just been seeing?
"Torchic—"
The Torchic let out a furious cry, and the next moment a white light wrapped him round. He was beginning to evolve.
"The Torchic — he's evolving."
Erika called the Weepinbell off and stopped the attack. Gym rules held that if a Pokémon was evolving the battle had to be suspended and it must not be disturbed.
It was not only the Gyms; most of the events at the League's conferences were run the same way.
"Torchic—"
Within the light of evolution the Torchic's shape changed and slowly drew out longer.
A few seconds later the light broke apart, revealing the shape of a Pokémon whose body was made up chiefly of pale yellow and orange.
It was Torchic's evolved form: Combusken.