As the smoke gradually dispersed, Charmeleon charged forward, sinking its fiery fangs into Lombre before the Jolly Pokémon could react.
Charmeleon, positioned outside the thick mist, had pinpointed Lombre's location the moment it launched its Flamethrower barrage. With its superior mastery of Fire Fang and the added boost from Dragon Dance, the attack delivered devastating damage.
Poliwhirl, not far away, couldn't stand idly by as its companion was attacked. However, it faced a difficult decision—whether to rely on physical or special attacks.
If it chose physical attacks, its speed and strength were clearly inferior to Charmeleon. As for special attacks, its Special Attack had been drastically lowered by Cottonee's Captivate. Although the level difference between the two Pokémon slightly mitigated Captivate's effect, the debuff was still significant.
Only a colossal gap in level, like using Captivate against Kyogre, would render the move ineffective. In that case, Kyogre might even glance at Cottonee with mild curiosity, wondering what the little creature was up to.
Left with no better options, Poliwhirl used Bubble Beam again. However, this time its power was visibly weaker. Perched atop Charmeleon's head, Cottonee responded with Smokescreen. Though Smokescreen couldn't completely block the single-target attack, it significantly weakened its impact.
The Bubble Beam barely scratched Charmeleon, failing to impede its movements.
Even so, Maki wasn't satisfied. Cottonee promptly unleashed another Smokescreen at Lombre, thanks to its Prankster ability, allowing it to rapidly spam moves. Smokescreen wasn't the only option—if the situation required, Cottonee could just as easily fire off a high-powered Water Gun.
Nature Power and Water Gun operated on entirely different principles. However, in a water-rich environment, Nature Power manifested as Water Gun.
Perhaps due to the close distance, Cottonee accidentally caught Charmeleon in the smog. Fortunately, Charmeleon's natural fire resistance—and the additional protection granted by the Flame Plate—made the attack negligible.
After enduring Fairy Wind for so long, followed by Charmeleon's Flamethrower and Fire Fang, Lombre was already at its limit. Cottonee's Smokescreen proved to be the final straw.
"You win!"
Without hesitation, Daisy announced Maki's victory. With only Poliwhirl remaining, it was impossible for the Tadpole Pokémon to defeat both Charmeleon and Cottonee.
Charmeleon seemed only slightly fatigued, while Cottonee, despite taking some damage, was under Charmeleon's protection—making it difficult to land a decisive blow.
Even if Poliwhirl's Water-type attacks could wear down Cottonee, Ice-type moves—super effective against Cottonee—would leave it vulnerable against Charmeleon.
This was the defensive synergy of a well-coordinated double battle.
"Big Sis actually lost? Nice job!"
Misty's excited cheer rang out, surprising Maki. He had expected her to feel upset at her sister's defeat, but her reaction suggested she had been on the receiving end of her sisters' harsh treatment for far too long.
Daisy shot Misty an annoyed glare, already plotting how to teach her little sister a lesson later.
"Cotton~"
After the battle, Cottonee floated before Maki, nudging him with its head, seemingly asking him to check if its cotton had been singed.
"No worries, you're still adorable."
Maki smiled, carefully tucking the scorched tuft deeper into Cottonee's fluff. Despite his efforts, the blackened spot stood out starkly against the white cotton.
"Cotton?"
Hearing Maki's reassurance, Cottonee's eyes filled with unease.
"Pfft..."
Mawile, who had been clutching Maki's pant leg the whole time, finally let go, unable to suppress her laughter after seeing Cottonee's disheveled appearance.
"Cotton!!"
Cottonee's worst fears were confirmed. Its meticulously maintained, adorable hairstyle had been utterly ruined.
"It's fine," Maki comforted. "We'll trim that little patch when we get back. With your growth speed, it'll be back in a few days."
Cottonee looked ready to cry. How had using a few moves ended with it accidentally setting itself on fire?
"Alright, Misty, go fetch the badge—"
Losing meant handing over the badge, but Daisy certainly wasn't carrying it around. This was her chance to get back at Misty by making her run errands.
However, before Daisy could finish her sentence, something unexpected happened.
Boom!
A sudden explosion echoed from within the gym. Everyone's heads whipped toward the sound.
Screams followed, filling the gym. Unlike typical gyms, Cerulean Gym was bustling with visitors. Any accident here could have disastrous consequences.
Daisy's face paled. Everyone else's expressions grew equally grim.
"The badge can wait."
Maki quickly addressed Daisy. The priority was to identify the cause of the explosion and assess casualties.
"Agreed." Daisy nodded, her face tense. Without another word, she sprinted toward the source of the blast. It had been a long time since Cerulean City experienced such an incident.
Maki glanced at Misty, who stood frozen, lacking her sisters' experience in handling crises.
"Let's go see what's happening." Maki suggested.
"Huh? Oh... okay!" Misty stammered, still in shock.
Maki recalled Mawile to its Poké Ball. The Deceiver Pokémon's combat abilities were too limited to be of much help.
However, when the Poké Ball's light hit Mawile, she immediately deflected it with a quick gesture.
"Mawile!"
She waved her small hand, indicating that she could protect Maki herself.
"If there's any real danger later, you must remember to return to the Poké Ball, okay?"
Although Maki found his Pokémon to have somewhat peculiar personalities, Mawile's gesture genuinely touched him. He gave her one more gentle reminder.
"Mawile!" Mawile nodded repeatedly, showing that she would definitely obey.
The group ran toward the outdoor stage of the gym. Along the way, Cottonee floated beside Mawile, declaring that if anything happened, she would protect Mawile as the big sister.
Mawile merely glanced at Cottonee out of the corner of her eye. In her opinion, with Cottonee's small body, she could take down two of them with one Iron Head.
On the way, Daisy and the others encountered staff members rushing toward them. One of them quickly reported the situation to Daisy.
"Gym Leader, it's bad! For some reason, the underground pipelines have exploded, and water is gushing out!"
As a Water-type gym, Cerulean Gym used large amounts of water and had strict quality requirements. To maintain this, Daisy and the others had even captured several Lapras to live in the gym, as these Pokémon could purify water to a certain extent. However, due to excessive illegal poaching, Lapras were nearly extinct and were now protected by the League.
Of course, there were exceptions—like in the distant Alola region, where overprotection caused Lapras populations to surge, even threatening the numbers of local Fish Pokémon.
"Are the Pokémon and spectators safe?" Daisy asked, her face serious.
The staff member shook his head. "Luckily, the exploded pipes are in relatively remote areas, so no one was hurt. We evacuated the spectators immediately, but... the other Pokémon are in safe locations—only the Lapras..."
Hearing the first part, Daisy sighed in relief, but the latter part made her expression darken again. She wanted to rush there immediately, but her rational mind forced her to stay calm. Having managed the gym for many years, she had handled plenty of emergencies—but none as severe as this.
"Can you handle things here?" Daisy asked.
"No problem. Repairs started immediately, and things should be back to normal soon."
"Good. I'll leave this to you." Daisy nodded, then turned to Lily. "You stay and help. Violet and I will check the situation."
"Understood!" Lily agreed.
With that, Daisy and Violet hurried off. None of them noticed that only Maki vaguely saw the staff member smirk as Daisy left. But when Maki looked directly, the man wore a solemn expression.
Did I imagine that? Maki withdrew his gaze. Staring too long would arouse suspicion, and without concrete evidence, he couldn't make accusations. Still, his instincts told him something was off.
"You lot, stay put and don't run around!" Lily warned, glancing at her younger sister and the untimely challenger.
In the underground area of Cerulean Gym, Daisy and Violet arrived quickly. Before them stretched a vast artificial lake, home to many Lapras. Any Pokémon hunter would be green with envy at the sight. With Lapras nearly extinct, their value had skyrocketed.
Not all these Lapras belonged to the Cerulean Gym—many were entrusted by the League, placed here at Daisy's request. Lapras could significantly improve water quality, which greatly affected the habitat of Water-type Pokémon.
The water quality in the artificial lake was already high, but Lapras made it even more suitable for aquatic Pokémon.
However, as the sisters arrived, they froze—not because something had happened, but because nothing had happened. The Lapras swam peacefully, some even chirping cheerfully at their arrival.
"Nothing's wrong... Right, Sis?" Violet breathed a sigh of relief.
But when she turned to Daisy, she noticed her sister's odd expression.
"What's wrong, Daisy?"
"It's strange... those pipes are connected to this area. If they exploded, this place..."
Realization dawned on Daisy, and her face paled.
"Something's wrong. We need to get back, now!"
Meanwhile, high above Cerulean City, a figure stood atop a Crobat, face twisted in frustration.
"Too late... Those guys are bold—targeting a League gym directly this time."
Without wasting a second, the figure directed Crobat to dive toward the Cerulean Gym, smashing through the glass roof. There was no time to worry about collateral damage.
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