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"Although I have no way to help Gabite recover, I will not sit here and wait for defeat."
A determined light flashed in Eddie's eyes. He still had one final trump card up his sleeve!
At that moment, petals filled the entire battlefield, swirling through the air as they launched their assault on Gabite. The sight was both beautiful and dangerous, like a deadly flower storm.
Bellossom danced gracefully in the center of this petal hurricane, its movements elegant and precise. While spinning and swaying with obvious joy, it skillfully controlled each falling petal to strike Gabite again and again. The Grass-type Pokemon moved like a master performer, completely in control of its deadly flower show.
The scene reminded Eddie of a certain legendary clan leader from stories he'd heard, who would taunt enemies even while fighting them with overwhelming power.
"Do you want to dance too?" Bellossom seemed to say through its graceful movements.
Unfortunately, Bellossom was not as invincible as that legendary warrior from the tales. While that warrior could knock enemies away with a single devastating blow after such words, Bellossom's situation was quite different.
Even as Bellossom continued its happy dance, controlling the endless stream of petals, Eddie quickly gave a direct command to his struggling Gabite.
"Gabite, use Outrage!"
Eddie had decided to go for a mutual knockout strategy. It was a desperate move, but sometimes desperate times called for desperate measures.
Although Gabite was currently suffering from confusion, making its attacks wildly inaccurate and causing it to potentially hurt itself, the move Outrage was naturally chaotic by design. Even in its confused state, Gabite could still execute this powerful Dragon-type attack, though there was a high chance it might strike itself in the process.
Sure enough, Gabite began its frenzied assault. With one claw, it managed to land a solid hit on Bellossom, while its other claw accidentally struck its own body. The Land Shark Pokemon thrashed about wildly, caught between its confusion and the overwhelming rage of the Outrage attack.
"So this becomes a battle of mutual destruction," Eddie explained to Erika, his voice carrying a mix of strategy and resignation. He then raised his eyebrows and gave Erika a slight, knowing smile. "Anyway, Gabite will definitely go down soon, so before it falls, it might as well take down an opponent with it."
Erika watched intently as Gabite continued its wild rampage, occasionally landing powerful blows on her Bellossom. Just as Eddie had predicted, Gabite's attacks were inconsistent—sometimes the confused Pokemon would strike itself instead of its target. However, when Gabite did connect with Bellossom, the damage was significant.
The power of Outrage was not to be underestimated. Combined with the Dragon Fang that Gabite carried, which boosted the strength of Dragon-type moves, each successful hit dealt serious damage to Bellossom. Since Bellossom's physical defense and HP were not particularly high compared to other Pokemon, the accumulated damage quickly began to show.
The battle reached its climax as both Pokemon pushed themselves to their limits. Bellossom, despite its graceful nature, was clearly struggling under the assault. Its petal dance became less coordinated, and its movements showed signs of exhaustion and pain.
Finally, both Pokemon collapsed almost simultaneously. Bellossom fell first, unable to withstand the repeated Dragon-type attacks. Gabite followed moments later, succumbing to both its confusion-induced self-inflicted damage and the accumulated wounds from the earlier parts of the battle. However, even though Gabite was severely injured and on the verge of fainting, it managed to remain conscious just long enough to gain valuable experience from the victory.
Suddenly, Eddie heard the familiar sound of experience notifications in his mind:
"Ding! Charizard gained experience! Level increased by 1, now at level 49!"
"Ding! Lucario gained experience! Level increased by 1, now at level 49!"
"Ding! Sceptile gained experience! Level increased by 1, now at level 48!"
"Ding! Greninja gained experience! Level increased by 1, now at level 48!"
"Ding! Eevee gained experience! Level increased by 2, now at level 43!"
"Ding! Gengar gained experience! Level increased by 1, now at level 43!"
"Ding! Snorlax gained experience! Level increased by 1, now at level 47!"
"Ding! Pupitar gained experience! Level increased by 1, now at level 47!"
"Ding! Gabite gained experience! Level increased by 1, now at level 47!"
The experience points contributed by the level 49 Bellossom were substantial enough to boost Eddie's entire team. Finally, his main Pokemon were gaining the levels they needed to become even stronger.
Although each Pokemon only gained one level, Eddie knew there was still another opponent ahead—one that would likely be even stronger than Bellossom. That meant even more valuable experience points were waiting.
Eddie felt a surge of excitement as he realized he might actually reach gym leader-level trainer status by the end of this very battle.
"It's getting harder to level up now," Eddie sighed thoughtfully. "After this gym battle ends, I wonder when I'll find another opportunity for my team to gain this much experience in a single battle."
The concern was real. Without challenging opponents like gym leaders, Eddie would have to return to training in the wild. While that was certainly an option, the leveling process would be much slower and less efficient. Eddie made a mental note to seek out more challenging battles and training opportunities in the future.
"Morning Sun, you are truly strong—really, genuinely strong," Erika said, her voice carrying both admiration and determination. "So for my next Pokemon, I will use the full strength of a gym leader to battle you!"
"Originally, I planned to use only Peak-level Pokemon to fight you, but I am a gym leader after all. This situation where I'm being constantly pushed back by your strategies..."
Although Erika maintained her characteristic gentle smile, it was clear that she was far from satisfied with how the battle had progressed. Her competitive spirit as a gym leader was now fully awakened.
To be completely honest, Erika had initially felt that using her full gym leader strength against Eddie would be unfair. She had been concerned about overwhelming a challenger who was still developing his skills as a trainer.
But now the tables had turned completely. Instead of Eddie being overwhelmed, it was Erika herself who found herself in a difficult position. Eddie had already used only two Pokemon, while she had already lost three of her team members.
In every single battle so far, Erika had found herself being outmaneuvered and outmatched strategically. While Grass-type Pokemon were admittedly not designed for direct, aggressive confrontations, she was still an experienced gym leader and a trainer at the quasi-elite level.
Despite all her experience and skill, she had been consistently suppressed by Eddie's tactics. Now she was down to her final Pokemon, while Eddie still had two team members ready to battle.
Before this gym battle had begun, Erika had been confident that she could defeat both of Eddie's remaining Pokemon with just one of her own. Her pride as a gym leader had assured her of this outcome.
But now, after witnessing Eddie's strategic brilliance and the strength of his team, she wasn't even sure she could defeat one of his Pokemon, let alone two in succession. This was true even though Eddie was technically still classified as an elite-level trainer.
"Erika, it's perfectly fine if you want to use gym leader-level Pokemon," Eddie replied calmly, though his words carried a deeper meaning. "But you should be mentally prepared for what comes next."
"I've fought against gym leader-level Pokemon before, even when I had just reached elite level myself."
Eddie's statement was loaded with implications, but his meaning was crystal clear. In simple terms, he was saying: go ahead and use gym leader-level Pokemon if you want—I've dealt with opponents like that before, and I'm ready for the challenge!
"Well then, I will not hold back any longer," Erika responded, thinking that Eddie was simply trying to be encouraging and supportive.
She had no idea that Eddie was speaking from genuine experience. He had indeed faced such challenging situations before and emerged victorious.
Eddie's mind briefly recalled his previous encounters: Lt. Surge's gym leader-level Electabuzz with its devastating electrical attacks, Koga's incredibly fast and venomous Golbat, and even Agatha's terrifyingly powerful Gastly. Each of these had been gym leader-level Pokemon or even stronger opponents. Agatha's Gastly, in particular, had been at champion level—a truly formidable adversary.
While it was true that Eddie had only managed to fight Lt. Surge to a standstill rather than achieving a complete victory, the important fact remained: he had genuinely faced and held his own against such powerful Pokemon. These experiences had taught him valuable lessons about battling opponents above his current level.
"This final battle is up to you! Come out, Venusaur!"
Erika's expression became completely serious as she threw her Poke Ball with determined force, releasing her ace Pokemon onto the battlefield.
A massive Venusaur materialized on the field, its presence immediately commanding respect. Even though the Seed Pokemon didn't let out a threatening roar, it radiated such an intense and powerful aura that even ordinary people in the audience could feel the pressure just from its mere presence. This was clearly a Pokemon that had seen countless battles and emerged victorious from most of them.
Eddie quickly checked his Pokedex to assess his new opponent:
Name: Venusaur
Type: Grass/Poison
Ability: Chlorophyll (Speed doubles during sunny weather or harsh sunlight)
Level: 52 (Gym Leader)
Potential: Elite-level
Held Item: Venusaurite (Mega Evolution Stone)
"A gym leader-level Venusaur with elite potential, and it's carrying a Mega Evolution Stone," Eddie observed aloud, his analytical mind already working through the implications. "Erika, this must be the future ace Pokemon you're training for your gym team."
Eddie looked at the Pokedex readout without showing any surprise at all that Erika would choose Venusaur, one of the three original starter Pokemon from the Kanto region. This choice made perfect sense for a Grass-type gym leader.
The reason Eddie remained so calm was simple: he had grown accustomed to facing powerful opponents. As long as his adversary wasn't a legendary Pokemon like Mew or Lugia, Eddie would maintain his composure regardless of what kind of Pokemon he faced. Experience had taught him that panicking in the face of strong opponents only led to poor decision-making.
"Yes, this Venusaur is indeed the future ace Pokemon that I'm currently training," Erika confirmed with a nod. "Since I have now brought out my strongest Pokemon for this gym battle, regardless of whether you can defeat it or not, Morning Sun, I will award you the Rainbow Badge for your impressive performance today."