The atmosphere in the Eterna Gym had reached a fever pitch. The humid air, thick with the scent of pollen and scorched grass, felt heavy against my skin. On the other side of the field, Gardenia's eyes were locked on mine, no longer just playful—she was in the zone.
"You've fought a brilliant match, Julian," she called out, her voice echoing off the glass dome. "But my ace is more than just a beautiful flower. She's a thorn that never stops stinging! Go, Roserade!"
The Poké Ball opened with a sharp clack, and a figure emerged that defined elegance and lethality. Roserade stood tall, her white rose-like hair shimmering under the skylight. With her blue and red floral bouquets held like fencing foils and her dark green cape fluttering, she looked like a duelist ready for a masquerade ball.
"We don't have time to let her dance! Sylveon, everything you've got—Mystical Fire!"
Sylveon was swaying, her ribbons heavy with the weight of the Leech Seeds still sapping her life, but she let out a defiant cry. She gathered the last of her energy into a massive, roiling ball of purple flames. It was huge—nearly half the size of the arena floor—and it hurtled toward the newly appeared Roserade.
"Roserade, move! Now!" Gardenia shouted.
Roserade was fast, but even she couldn't outrun a blast of that scale. The edges of the flames caught her, scorching her green cape and sending her tumbling backward across the grass.
"Rose-rade!" she cried out in pain.
But then, the green vines on Sylveon's body pulsed with a sickeningly bright light. Tiny orbs of vitality were ripped from Sylveon and funneled straight into Roserade. The scorched marks on the Rose Dancer began to fade instantly as she absorbed my partner's strength.
Sylveon's legs finally gave out, her knees hitting the dirt.
"That's enough," I said, my voice soft but firm. I raised the Poké Ball, and the red light finally claimed her. "You did incredible, Sylveon. You weakened her ace and cleared the path. Now, rest."
I tucked the ball into my pocket and grabbed the next one. "Floette, it's all on you. Let's finish what we started in the forest!"
Floette appeared, her flower parasol held high. She looked at the Elite-class Roserade and didn't flinch. She was ready.
Gardenia didn't waste a second. "Roserade, use the sun! Weather Ball!"
I knew what was coming. Under this intense sunlight, Weather Ball wasn't just a normal move—it transformed into a Fire-type attack with double the usual power. Roserade pointed her blue bouquet forward, and a searing orb of crimson energy materialized, screaming through the air toward Floette.
"Floette, don't dodge! Psychic! Send it back with interest!"
Floette's eyes glowed with a deep, pulsating violet light. The Weather Ball didn't just slow down; it stopped dead in its tracks three feet from her face. With a sharp flick of Floette's head, the fireball reversed its trajectory, doubling in speed as it roared back at its creator.
Roserade's eyes widened behind her mask. She had no time to react. The fireball slammed into her chest, and she was engulfed in a spectacular blast of her own making.
"Roserade!" Gardenia gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.
Through the smoke, the Rose Dancer emerged, her petals charred and her movements sluggish. But she wasn't done. She waved a bouquet at Gardenia, indicating she could still fight.
"Good! Then use Flash!"
"Floette, close your eyes! Now!" I screamed.
But Roserade was a professional. She crossed her floral arms, and a blinding, strobe-like burst of white light filled the entire Gym. I had to shield my own eyes, but Floette was caught right in the center of it.
"Floette! (Ah! Everything is white! I can't see, Jing!)" She began to hover erratically, her tiny hands reaching out blindly.
"Now, finish it! Sludge Bomb!"
Roserade's blue bouquet aimed true. A stream of viscous, purple poison shot toward the blinded Floette. In the Pokémon world, Type advantages are life or death. If that Sludge Bomb hit my Fairy-type Floette, it would be a one-shot knockout.
"Floette, calm down!" I shouted, trying to keep my voice steady so she could find me in the dark. "Don't try to see! Listen to the air! Use Fairy Wind while spinning—create a Counter Shield!"
Floette took a deep breath and began to twirl. She became a pink blur, her flower parasol acting as a rotor. A beautiful, violent pink gale erupted around her, forming a protective dome. The Sludge Bomb hit the spinning wind and was splashed harmlessly into the grass nearby.
Sizzle...
The grass where the poison landed turned black and dissolved instantly, emitting noxious fumes. I shuddered. That was close.
"Floette! (Jing, my eyes are back! I can see her!)"
"Then let's end this dance! Psychic! Grab that storm and throw it!"
Floette didn't just stop her spin; she used her mental powers to seize the pink wind she had just created. She condensed the entire gale into a massive, concentrated blast of Fairy energy and hurled it at Roserade.
"If you can't dodge it, break through it! Leaf Storm!" Gardenia commanded, her voice reaching a crescendo.
It was a repeat of the Turtwig clash, but on a much more massive scale. Roserade unleashed a tidal wave of glowing, razor-sharp leaves that spiraled into a green hurricane, meeting Floette's pink wind in the center of the field. The collision was violent, a literal clash of pink and green light that painted the walls of the Gym.
BOOM!
The shockwave actually rattled the glass dome above us. When the smoke cleared, both Pokémon were panting, their bodies covered in scratches and bruises. Roserade was leaning heavily on her bouquets, her 'mask' looking cracked and weary.
"She's at her limit," I whispered. "Floette, one more!"
"Roserade, one final Sludge Bomb! Give it everything!" Gardenia cried.
Roserade raised her blue arm, her body trembling with the effort. She coughed out a final, concentrated ball of purple poison. It was her last gasp, her final attempt to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
"No more tricks," I said calmly. "Floette, Psychic."
This time, there was no Flash to distract her. Floette's eyes flared with violet light. The Sludge Bomb stopped mid-air, frozen like a bug in amber. With a simple, elegant wave of her flower, Floette sent the poison ball hurtling back at the exhausted Roserade.
The Rose Dancer didn't even try to move. She watched her own attack return to her, her eyes closing as the purple energy erupted against her chest. She fell backward, her cape settling over her like a shroud.