The Celadon City gym was the most highly regarded in terms of aesthetics in Kanto, as Erika had ensured upon her inauguration that it would be essentially transformed into a greenhouse. Kanto was scarce in unique and beautiful foliage and flowers, but Erika had been born and raised in Johto, known for its pretty, rural landscape, so she was allowed to pull a few strings.

The gym had glass walls, allowing its interior to be seen by the outside world, and, as most of Celadon was urbanized, the abundance of beautiful shrubs, flowers, and cherry blossoms made the gym quite the attraction. She had designed it to resemble the parks of Fuschia City, and this, coupled with the fact that Celadon was the second biggest city in Kanto, meant the gym was frequently crowded.

Now the gym was downright mobbed by enthusiasts, tourists, and reporters, thanks to the news that Red would be challenging Erika. A cocky upstart from Pallet and the self proclaimed rival of Blue Oak, Red had been getting popular after his string of recent successes. The fact that he was so involved in battling Rocket Industries also fueled the fire.

Ordinarily, Red would have loved the attention, but now he was pushing his way through the crowd, desperate in his attempt to get to the gyms doors. Jackie helped a bit, growling at the hoards of fans harassing her trainer, demanding they give Red a wide berth.

"Red, are you all right?" she mumbled, low enough so only he could hear her. "I know you get pre-battle jitters, but Celadon's really cool! Don't you want to sightsee a bit?"

"Sure, but I don't think I'll be able to focus on anything until we put this battle behind us," Red said. "Trust me, I can't wait to unwind after we win this next badge. Arceus knows we deserve a break."

"Tell me about it," Jackie agreed, but narrowed her eyes, noticing Red still seemed to be worried. She reached up, taking his hand in hers. As the only one on the team with opposable thumbs, she was the only one who could really offer that kind of comfort. "Yeesh, your hand is cold!"

Red blushed. "Oh. Um. Sorry."

She squeezed his hand. "It'll be okay, Red. C'mon, we're fighting a grass gym. Lucina and Star-Lord will mop the floor with them. And even if they can't, I'll be there to kick ass as backup! Calm down, okay? At the very least this can't be as scary as Giovanni, right?"

Red smiled. "I guess you have a point. Thanks, Jackie, I think I really needed to hear that."

"We've known each other forever, dude! You know I'll always have your back!"

Nerves easing a bit, Red and Jackie approached the gym, hand in hand.

Sitting under her favorite willow with her legs folded, facing hundreds of people gathered to watch her gym battle, one might assume Erika to be meditating, mentally preparing.

She was in fact napping.

It was a lovely dream too, at least until she was being shaken awake by one of her attendants.

"Forgive me, ma'am! Red's just arrived."

"Oh!" Erika yawned, slowly rising to her feet. "I'll apologize for keeping him then!"

There he was, dressed in his ridiculous outfit, staring back at her from across the other side of the field. The stands, covered in vines, were full with cheering fans. Red looked uncomfortable under all the attention.

A cold smile formed on Erika's face. Wonderful, the Pikachu's death had softened Red a bit, or at least the persona he typically displayed. It would make the battle all the more easy.

"Please, forgive my tardiness!" Erika said with a curtsey. "I sleep like a rock."

"No trouble!" Red seemed to have steeled his nerves, as he was now smiling confidently. "I'll kick your butt real fast and then you can get back to your nap!"

Erika laughed. "Mmm, if boredom of your lack of skill doesn't put me to sleep first. I suppose we'll see soon enough."

She cleared her throat, gesturing to the people clambering over one another to watch the battle. "I think we've kept you long enough. It's time we finally got started, eh?"

The crowd responded in uproar, loud shouts reverberating around the gym and whistles piercing Erika's eardrums. Red's smile had faded, and he looked up at the crowd nervously, his hands sliding into his pockets.

"Red, you'll be allowed to use six Pokemon in this battle, while I'll be restricted to three. Unlike me, you'll also be able to switch them out whenever you can. The match will end when all Pokemon on one's side is defeated or if either side decides to forfeit.

"Putting your Pokemon on the field of battle puts them at risk. Knowing this, do you challenge me?"

Red was silent so long that the crowd practically answered for him, chanting his name.

"Yeah, I challenge you." Red unsnapped a ball from his belt. She practically heard his heart beating faster, he had so much nervous energy.

"Good. You'd better not disappoint me!" Erika sang. "Rapunzel, I need your help!"

Her trusty Tangela burst out of her own ball, landing in a defensive crouch. Vines untangled themselves from her body, ready for an attack.

"Lucina, you're up!" Red ordered, and a Butterfree emerged from his thrown poke-ball. She gazed down at the Tangela, performing an aerial somersault.

"I see your Pokemon like to show off as much as her trainer!" Erika said. "Rapunzel, use vine whip!"

Four vines snapped out, each flying at Lucina from different directions. The Butterfree was quick, however, weaving around the first two and performing a pirouette to dodge the next. Wings beating, she flew higher and higher in the air, out of Rapunzel's range. The Tangela grunted in annoyance.

"Psybeam!" Red ordered.

Lucina's eyes flashed pink, and she sent forth a swirling beam of psychic energy, spiraling for Rapnuzel. The Tangela hopped to the side, dodging the attack as it hit the grass, tearing deep into the dirt.

"Ah, yes, the famous psychic Butterfree. One of the fan favorites, isn't she?" Erika gave a cloying giggle. "Still, you'll need to get closer if you expect to hit her."

Red bit his lip, but nodded all the same. "Overwhelm the Tangela. She's not fast enough to land a hit on you!"

Lucina shot down in a spectacular dive, as Erika nodded to Rapnuzel, who had already begun to untangle more vines. Once again, Lucina weaved through them, barely slowing her descent as she came closer and closer, and Erika could see the psychic aura blazing in her eyes…

"Now, sludge!" Erika ordered, and Rapunzel switched gears immediately, blasting a ball of poisonous energy out from where her mouth might be.

"Shit!" Red shouted. "Lucy, use teleport!"

The Butterfree reacted, vanishing from sight instantaneously a mere moment before the poison would have collided with her.

"Now, use confusion!" Red cried, ignoring the poisonous blob zipping past his shoulder.

Lucina reappeared behind Rapunzel, and a powerful wave of psychic energy blasted the Tangela off her feet.

"Quite a few parlor tricks I see," Erika noted. "But unfortunately, Rapunzel's vines can move independently."

Lucina tried to move, but a vine shot out, wrapping around her foot. It slammed her against the ground, and the Butterfree shouted out in pain.

"Lucina, break free!" Red barked. "Use psybeam!"

"Take the attack!" Erika said. "Use leech seed!"

Both Pokemon attacked at the same time. Lucina released another spiraling burst of psychic energy, while Rapunzel's own counterattack was a single seed.

Rapunzel went down hard, shrieking in pain from the psychic attack, as thorny vines burst out of the seed, wrapping around Lucina's wings. With a yelp, she dropped like a stone.

"Now, ingrain!" Erika ordered. Roots sank down from Rapunzel's body, digging into the grass, both keeping her in place and healing her, while Lucina struggled to break free from the vines trapping her.

"Lucina, return!" Red shouted, and the Butterfree was recalled in a red light. Erika smirked at her own genius. Already Rapunzel was healing off the damage Lucina had caused. Red had definitely come off their first struggle worse.

"Looks like someone expected they could defeat me handily with a bug type," Erika said, batting her eyes at Red innocently. "I'm afraid there's more to grass types than you might think."

Red grunted, pulling out his second poke-ball. "Was hoping I wouldn't have to use you too soon, but I don't have much choice.

"Star-Lord!"

A Charmeleon, clearly one of good breeding judging by his size and the intensity of the flame at the end of his tail, stomped forward, letting out a roar. If the crowd had been loud before, they were absolutely deafening now. Star-Lord was Red's most powerful Pokemon, his star player.

And, well, they were about to see him play.

"Unleash as many vines as you can!" Erika shouted. "Overwhelm him quickly!"

Rapunzel untangled more vines from her body, whipping out more than Erika could count, but Star-Lord moved like a puma, his claws flashing, tearing through vines with ease. Rapunzel casted out more and more, but the Star-Lord was moving so fast it didn't even matter.

"Ember!" Red ordered.

Star-Lord opened his mouth, unleashing a jet of flame that Rapunzel wasn't fast enough to avoid. The flame collided with the Tangela in an explosion of smoke, though when it cleared she was still standing. Still, her legs were trembling, and Erika knew she wouldn't be able to take another hit if she didn't heal from her ingrain move quickly.

"Keep attacking! It doesn't matter if you don't cause him damage, just keep him in place!"

The Tangela nodded, and soon sludge attacks were mingling in with her onslaught of vines. Star-Lord ducked to the side like a boxer, but the frequency of Rapunzel's attacks kept him from being more aggressive.

"Alright, Star! I know how we can handle this!" Red said. "Use dig!"

The Charmeleon flashed his trainer a grin before tunneling into the ground, an easy feat considering the flooring had been transformed into a garden. Rapunzel yelped as the ground exploded under her feet, Star-Lord tearing through the roots she was using to heal. He was on her in an instant, tearing into her with his claws, her vines ripping apart…

"Star-Lord, back off!" Red shouted. "She's beaten!"

Star-lord actually rolled his eyes in annoyance, stomping away from the fallen Tangelea. Erika didn't hesitate, recalling her Pokemon.

"An impressive first showing. Dig is certainly a unique move for a Charmeleon." Erika gave a short bow, and applause broke out in the crowd. Red smiled; his old confidence seeming to have returned.

Erika reached for another poke-ball. It was about time she tore him down.

"Flynn, you're up next!"

A Victreebel stood at the ready, letting out a loud screech, its mouth drooling and its tiny eyes fixated on Star-Lord, who let out another roar in challenge.

"If we can take down one grass type, we can take 'em all!" Red said. "Ember!"

Star-Lord bounded forward, unleashing another blast of heat from his mouth. The flame slammed into Flynn so fast Erika wasn't able to call out an order in time, but he only slid back, hissing in pain.

"My grass types are raised to endure pain, sweetie," Erika said. "Razor leaf!"

The Victrebeel shook his body, unleashing a torrent of razor sharp leaves that flew at Star far faster than any of Rapunzel's moves. Unable to dodge in time, Star-Lord moved his arms up to shield his face, and the spinning leaves sliced into his skin, drawing blood.

"That weak attack won't faze you! Charge him down!" Red barked, and the Charmeleon sprinted forward, fire blazing from his mouth and tail.

"Slap him silly with your vines!" Erika said, her voice without strain.

Though he lacked the sheer amount of vines Rapunzel had at her disposal, the two that shot out of Flynn's body moved with much greater strength and speed. Star-Lord was forced to abandon his charge to the first attack, and the vines struck the earth with enough force to crack the dirt.

Star-Lord stumbled back as Flynn pressed his advantage, his vines thrusting them towards the Chameleon. He ducked and the first zipped past his head, but wasn't quick enough to dodge the other, and it slapped hard against his shoulder. Star-Lord groaned in pain.

Erika nodded in satisfaction. That would be enough to leave a bruise at the very least.

"We can still turn the tables on her, Star!" Red said. "Use dig!"

The Charmeleon dove into the same hole he had dug into before, and Erika nodded at her Victreebel. Like Rapunzel before him, roots dug from Flynn's body into the earth, though they were more aggressive and spread out, sensing the Charmeleon's approach.

Erika snapped her fingers, and Star-Lord burst out of the ground, trapped in root-like tendrils that had wrapped around his chest, arms and legs.

"Aw, shit!" Red said.

"Roots are like feelers, sweetie!" Erika said. "We could see exactly where you were coming. Use poison powder!"

Flynn unleashed purple spores from his shaking leaves, and they sank into Star-Lord's skin. Now under the poison status effect, Star-Lord noticeably began to pale, the light at the end of his tail beginning to weaken.

"Dammit, Star, break free! Use your tail!" Red cried, desperation in his tone.

The prehensile tail shot up, searing through the tendrils with the flame at the end. Star-Lord rolled free, retching from the poison all the while.

"Return!" Red cried, and the Chameleon disappeared in red light.

"Impressive," Erika noted. "That would have spelled the end for most trainers. You think quickly. Still, I have two Pokemon at full strength, and your most powerful Pokemon is crippled. Not the best position to be in, hmm?"

Red seemed to hesitate, but his grin eventually returned. "Back to you, Lucina!"

The Butterfree was definitely a bit worse for wear after the damage she had taken in her previous battle, face beaded with sweat, and she definitely wasn't showing off her fancy flying anymore. Still, her eyes were churning with psychic energy, and her wings were beating powerfully.

Triumph surged in Erika, but she bit her tongue. She could relish later, when Red was at his weakest. Still, she allowed herself the satisfying knowledge that Red had fallen into her trap. How apt that the bug was fighting a venus flytrap.

"Razor leaf!" Erika ordered, knowing the Butterfree would dodge. To all those spectating, it was clear that the Butterfree had the advantage with her speed and ability to fly. Roots didn't help if her opponent stuck to the sky, after all.

"Dodge and use confusion. Make sure to lift him in the air. It's time we take Erika out of her element!" Red said, clearly thinking victory was in his grasp.

Lucina danced around the leaves, and Flynn gasped out in pain as a psychic force slammed him down, before lifting him high in the air; presumably at Lucina's mercy.

Lucina flew in front of him, closing her eyes to concentrate. In the air, Flynn writhed in pain from the super effective damage, his eyes rolling up.

"Looks like we've got this one in the bag!" Red crowed. "You should probably surrender—"

"Use acid, Flynn," Erika said. Quiet though her voice was, it silenced Red instantly.

The Victrebeel ducked his head so its mouth was facing Lucina. He blasted her with a powerful stream of poison.

Lucina screamed in pain, but the psychic connection wasn't immediately broken, and Flynn was unrelenting. A horrible hissing sound could be heard as one of Lucina's wings burned away, and she and Flynn spun to earth, the Victreebel landing in a roll and Lucina against the earth with a devastating crack.

Lucina couldn't seem to pull herself up. Erika, who was facing her, stared impassively. The poison had burned her face so badly it was almost unrecognizable, and drops of the stuff were streaming down to her abdomen. One eye was still blinking, though any semblance of psychic energy was gone. Her remaining wing was beating furiously, uselessly trying to pull her off the ground, and to safety. It was a pointless gesture.

Erika looked up to Red, who's mouth opening and closing uncomprehendingly, and smiled, as cheerfully as any of her other smiles.

"Now, use sludge bomb. Put the poor dear out of her misery."

Red seemed to come to life. "No, wait! WAIT!"

But Flynn had already dropped an ocean of sludge that swept over Lucina's body. When enough of it had dissipated, or else splashed onto the grass, there wasn't much of Lucina left. Her sole wing was still beating weakly.

The nerves in that wing hadn't been informed that she was dead yet.

Red didn't hear the cries of disgust that exploded from the crowd, he was too busy tapping the button on Lucina's poke-ball, trying to recall her. His finger was going numb, but if he could just get her in there, he knew the Pokemon Center would be able to heal her. She wasn't like Rocket she wasn't like Rocket—

Erika cleared her throat, and when Red's eyes shot to her, she smiled sweetly at him. "Are you going to send out your next Pokemon?"

Rage beat denial. She hadn't an iota of guilt for what she'd done. He needed to beat her first, then he could—

He caught another sight of Lucina had become. Her wing had finally given up.

Bile rose up in his throat, but he forced it down. Red couldn't be like how everyone thought he was. This was just a cruel test. He had steeled himself for this.

"Jackie, I need you!" he muttered out, and he pressed the button on her ball.

For a moment, Jackie's expression brought Red to a better time. She was winking at him, giving him a thumbs' up. She was silently telling him that she'd support him because she believed in him, knew he wouldn't let her down.

Then she caught sight of Lucina too, and she let out a horrible wail. Red let out a choked out whimper. He couldn't think of anything to say.

He didn't even have time to try. Jackie was rabid now, charging down Erika's Victreebel in a full sprint, her battlecry a horrible mix of fury and misery. Erika grinned at her reckless attack like Christmas had come early.

"Jackie, no!" Red screamed after her. "She'll kill you if you attack her like that!"

But Jackie was beyond reason, kneeing the Victreebel with all her strength. Crying and laughing, she was beating down on the Victreebel with her fists, so drunk on her own desperate attempt at revenge she hadn't noticed tendrils wrapping around her body.

"Use bind!" Erika ordered. She was laughing too. It wasn't like Jackie's sobbing cackles, but a delighted giggle, as though she were watching an amusing show.

Jackie's cries turned into strangled gasps as the Victreebel's roots began to wound tight around her body, tight enough to squeeze blood out of her. Her cacophony of anger and sadness was replaced with pleading, and she clawed desperately at the tendril crushing her throat.

"Return!" Red cried, but the Victreebl merely pulled Jackie away from the red light. "Erika, stop! I surrender!"

"Oh, there's no running away from a trainer battle that's already in motion!" Erika giggled again.

Desperate tears were leaking from Jackie's eyes, and she looked back at Red, silently begging him to free her. Instincts kicked in and Red charged onto the field, willing to pry off the tendrils himself if he had to.

"Snap its neck, dear," Erika said, merely raising an eyebrow at Red.

"NO!"

The Victreebel's vines jerked, and Jackie hung limply in his arms. A moment later he dropped her down to the grass.

Red fell to his knees halfway across the battlefield. His vision went blurry, and he let out a strangled sob. They were like Rocket…

"Would you like to surrender now?" Erika asked. Red stared up at her. She was looking at him like he had gotten an equation wrong at the blackboard.

Strangely, it was now that the uproar of the audience began to ring true to his brain. They had gotten over their surprise and were now beginning to chant.

"Send out Star-Lord! Send out Star-Lord! Send out Star-Lord!"

"Obnoxious, aren't they?" Erika said. "Two have lost their lives and they're simply enjoying the show."

"Why are you doing this?" Red mumbled out. "How can you possibly get so much enjoyment out of causing pain?"

Erika laughed. "Because it's my job! I'm entertaining people, sweetie! If you don't love what you do then you're in the wrong career!"

Her cheery countenance transformed to cold dislike. "Send out your Pokemon or run away, little boy. I abhor wasting time."

"SEND OUT STAR-LORD! SEND OUT STAR-LORD!"

"Star!" Red snapped out, insistent on shutting out their noise. The Charmeleon let out yet another roar as he was unleashed from his ball, and for a moment, it drowned out the audience.

"I-I screwed up, Star," Red mumbled, as the Charmeleon looked at the two bodies still littering the grassy field. "I'm sorry."

Star-Lord stared from Lucina's obliterated form to Jackie's limp corpse. When he turned to Red, pain and rage lit up his eyes like a kaleidoscope. "When I bring that Victreebel down, you better not stop me from fucking murdering it in cold blood."

Red managed a weak nod. "Please, just get it over with. I want to go home."

Star-Lord whipped his head around, blasting Flynn off his feet with a dragon rage. Not expecting the move, the Victreebel hit the grass hard, and Star-Lord launched himself forward, hissing in pain slightly from the poison effect.

"Flynn!" Erika said, sounding slightly more alarmed. "Use sludge—"

But Star-Lord's claws were already cutting deep into the Victreebel's flesh, drawing blood. Flynn blasted him in point blank range with a blob of poison, causing his head to snap back, but he quickly regained his footing, growling.

Both breathing heavily now, Star lunged once more as Flynn's tendrils burst out of the dirt, thrown aggressively at his foe. Star sliced through three with his claws, but a forth stabbed deep into his stomach. Howling in rage and anger, Star-Lord bit down hard onto Flynn's throat, mouth coated in flame. With all of his effort he hurled the Victreebel to the earth.

Before Star-Lord could attack further, Erika returned the badly beaten Flynn to her poke-ball. "Not bad."

Star collapsed on one knee, shuddering in pain. Blood poured from the wound in his stomach, staining the grass below. He was sweating from the poison effect.

"Return!" Red shouted, and the Charmeleon vanished. With Star so badly hurt, he only had two Pokemon left to use...and one of them was at a disadvantage against grass types.

"I'm down to my last Pokemon," Erika said, pulling out an ultra ball. "And she just so happens to be my strongest, too! Won't that be fun? You'll be next, Gothel!"

A Vileplume's red eyes glittered cruelly, her small smirk matching Erika's. Red could tell instantly from her level that she was as powerful as Erika said, perhaps even as strong as Surge's Raichu.

"Groot, I'm counting on you!" Red cried, tapping the button on the Ivysaur's ball. Like Jackie and Star-Lord before him, he stared at the carnage in front of him, uncomprehendingly.

"Red?" he looked up at his trainer, right now more confused than sad. "What happened?"

A sludge bomb blasted Groot while he was distracted, sending him rolling away, yelping in pain.

"Now's not the time to get distracted!" Erika tutted. "Gothel, toss some sludge attacks!"

"Groot, try and focus, all right?" Red said, trying to keep his voice from breaking. "Use razor leaf!"

Groot's torrent of leaves was dodged with ease, however, and the poor Ivysaur was sent sprawling from a second sludge bomb. Struggling to his feet, he casted out his vines, but Gothel merely allowed them to wrap around her stubby arms.

"I'm a professional grass type user, Red," Erika said. "Do you really think you can beat me at my own game?"

Gothel yanked on the vines, and Groot was thrown off balance, thrown forward to meet her. The Vileplume performed a vicious roundhouse kick, striking Groot in the head and sending him slapping against the wall. Above his head, the audience groaned in sympathy.

As Groot was once again struggling to rise, Erika nodded at Gothel.

"End it with one last sludge bomb!"

"No!" Red shouted. "Return!"

The Ivysaur was recalled before the attack could land. Erika didn't look very bothered.

"It seems to me that you're running out of options, Red," she said. "And you've essentially given me a free attack to whatever you choose to switch in. Trust me when I say I won't waste it."

Red bit the inside of his lip, trying to think of a way to win without losing anyone else. Groot was completely outclassed, and Drax was a water type. Star-Lord was the one Pokemon who had a chance, but he was badly wounded. Unless of course, he had the chance to heal the Charmeleon…

"Star! Drax!"

Two Pokemon emerged. Star was taking gasping breaths. It didn't take long before Drax's usual smile slowly faded when he saw the look on Red's face.

"Drax, we can't win this without Star. You don't have to fight, you just have to hold that Vileplume off long enough for me to heal him."

"What?" Star hissed. "Forget that! Send me out, he's going to die out there!"

"Star, you're dead on your feet! If you try to fight now you're going to get yourself killed!"

Drax, meanwhile, seemed to have finally caught on. He took in the bodies on the battlefield, Star about to succumb to poison, the pleading look on Red's face…

He smiled. "Sure, man. I can handle one turn."

He stepped onto the battlefield. Erika chuckled.

"We can still pull through, just hold still!" Red cried, rummaging through his backpack,finding an antidote.

"I can handle this!" Star snarled, trying to look for an opening, but Red blocked his path. "If you don't let me fight, he's going to-"

"Use petal dance." Erika said.

"N-no!" Red screamed, fumbling for Drax's poke-ball, but it was too late.

A tornado of razor-sharp petals pierced Drax's body with enough force to lift him up in the air. For a moment he seemed to float, before he fell down hard on his shell. Petals were protruding from his legs, his hands, his chest…

And three had sliced through his throat.

Drax's smile was still there, but now it seemed sad. It seemed knowing.

Red didn't react, but behind him, he heard Star-Lord snort.

"They should have listened to me."

"Star?"

Red watched the Charmeleon limp past him, hand covering his gut wound. "Star, let me try and—"

"You've done enough, Red." Star-Lord stared back at him, his teeth grinding together. "You never should've become a trainer. You don't have it in you. And we all paid the price because you couldn't accept that."

Red tried to say something, but his voice caught in his throat. "You're right."

"Then promise me never to battle again. That kid, Thor. He deserves someone better."

Red cursed, realizing too late what Star-Lord was going to do, and tried to reach for Star's ball, but the Charmeleon's tail whipped towards, and Red was thrown on his back, screaming in pain from the fire that was burning through his shirt, searing his skin.

Ignoring the fact that he was on fire, Red forced himself up just in time to see Star-Lord sprint through another petal dance, the petals stripping his very flesh away. He still kept running.

Star-Lord pounced on Gothel, wrapping her in a tight bear hug. They screamed in agony as flame exploded between them. Star had used all of the energy that remained in him to bring the Vileplume down with him.

They both collapsed, Gothel on her back and Star-Lord on his stomach. Brave, powerful Star-lord no longer looked immortal but weak and scrawny, strewn about on the grass. The light at the end of his tail, now little more than a candle, flickered.

Then it went out.

Red tore off his now ruined shirt, tossing it away and ridding himself of the fire, his eyes still stinging from the pain. He couldn't see Erika's reaction, but he did see Gothel the Vileplume slowly rising back to her feet.

She was burnt badly, and a few of her flower petals had been seared off, but she was still standing, and she was smiling.

Erika began to laugh. It was a hysterical, shrill giggle. "Oh my, what a light show! But, ultimately pointless!"

She wiped a tear from her eye. "You have one Pokemon left, Red. It's time for your story to end."

Red didn't remember making his hand move, but it did, and Groot was set free from his ball.

"I'm the worst trainer ever, Groot," he said. "Please, run away."

"We need to get you to a hospital, Red!" Groot said. "You're hurt really badly."

"I can't give up." Red apparently wasn't standing anymore, because he was eye level with Groot now. "I'm not going to walk away from what's supposed to happen. But you should. You can't help me anymore."

Groot smiled at Red sadly. His vine reached out, wiping away tears Red hadn't even known he had. "I'm not going anywhere, Red. I'm with you until the end. And I don't think I'd be able to forgive myself if I didn't try to win."

"Groot, please!" Red whimpered, trying to grab on to him, keep him from leaving. "You can't win! You'll die!"

Groot was crying too now, and his fragile smile was trembling. "I know."

He turned and bounded off to fight the Vileplume.

"Groot!" Red cried after him, and he tried to force himself onto his feet, trying not to vomit from the smell of his own burnt flesh.

"Petal dance," Erika barked, and the torrent of petals threw Groot back, slashing his skin. The Ivysaur curled into fetal position, managing to protect his vitals. He rose to his feet, unsteady but sure.

"I surrender!" Red screamed. "Just stop!"

But Groot was shouting in outrage, charging down Gothel once more. The Vileplume performed another petal dance. Groot's vines casted out in an attempt to deflect the attack, but the petals sliced through them with ease. Petals impaled themselves into Groot's face and front legs, and he went down hard.

"Why isn't anyone stopping this?" Red sobbed.

"Because this is what battling is!" Erika said. The Vileplume took one last satisfied look at Groot's bloody body and was now approaching Red. Poison dripped from her hands. "Brutal and primitive? Certainly, but do you see anyone jumping to your defense? I'm simply providing entertainment on a grander scale then they're used to, and they're eating it up, watching in fascination like it's a car crash in motion!"

"You won't get away with this. This battle violated every law the league has. You're going to get arrested! They'll never let this fight air! What could you possibly be trying to accomplish?"

Erika shrugged. "It might not air legally, but this fight will still go viral throughout all of Kanto. Me being arrested won't change that. I've been watching your progress as trainer, Red; your whole persona was a perfect example of the Pokemon League's hypocrisy. A foolish boy, skilled though fragile, you tried to dominate the sport without accepting the sacrifices that come with it. I'll admit I got far more carried away than usual, but I just can't help it, you're too much fun!"

"It's not like that." Every atom in Red told him to just let his body shut down and let himself heal, but he stayed on his feet. "You're just a monster. You only reflect the worst parts of battling."

"Honey, of course I'm a monster," Erika said, as though this were obvious. "But I'm also the only one who embraces Pokemon for what they're meant for. If you take part in battling without relishing the innate violence, or try to downplay it, you're lying to yourself. And I hate liars."

The audience was still shouting, no doubt unable to hear what Erika was saying. Maybe they wanted Red to send out another Pokemon. Maybe they wanted him to lose. Red wasn't sure it mattered anymore.

What did matter, however, was the vine that managed to curl around Gothel's leg.

The vine jerked back, and the Vileplume cried out, falling flat on her face. Both Red and Erika whipped their heads back, staring at Groot, who had risen to his feet.

Blood was mingling with his tears, and his feet were trembling, but the expression of pure malice and hate in Groot's eyes scared Red. He let out a scream, and lifted the dazed Vileplume up, before slamming her into the earth.

He continued, slamming Gothel down, again and again, over and over, not letting up, even when the Vileplume stopped struggling. Red was too weak to stop him, and Erika didn't seem to care to.

Groot did finally stop, releasing the Vileplume's foot. He limped over to Red, blood sliding down his fresh wounds. Groot managed to share a weak smile. Red tried to return one, but his body finally gave in, and he collapsed.

"Amazing," Erika said. She turned the Vileplume on her back with her foot. Goethel whimpered in response. "You still couldn't muster up the desire to kill my Pokemon." She huffed "It looks like I've failed. I didn't teach you anything at all."

"I did learn one thing," Red said, as Groot helped him to his feet, and they stumbled for the doors. The crowd had broken into uproarious applause, cheering Red on for his victory.

He couldn't look back to the bodies of his ruined team. He knew he'd break down completely if he did, maybe do something drastic. Instead, he simply hugged Groot close and kept walking away.

"I'm not good enough. I'm never going to battle again."

Okay, usually I'm not one for author's notes because I prefer to try and let my writing speak for itself, but I think this chapter warrants an explanation.

To nip things in the bud right away, yes, Groot survived the battle. The Nuzlocke isn't over. The story will be split into two books, and the first book ends two chapters from now. Red's story isn't finished.

I hadn't started writing this story until after the Nuzlocke was finished, so I went in knowing this chapter was coming. I'm not really a fan of characters in general, and I knew my generally lighthearted and comedic style of storytelling would make these deaths as shocking and uncomfortable as they were when Erika kicked my ass. I was definitely taken out of my comfort zone with this chapter, especially considering that I've been writing this characters for basically two years.

Still, these deaths happened in my run, and I'm not going to pretend they didn't. I severely underestimated how overpowered bind was in Gen 1, and got some really bad luck, and nearly had a team wipe. A morbid part of me thinks that this kind of exactly what you guys as readers want. I mean, we read Nuzlockes for the deaths, don't we?

This story is far from finished, despite the carnage, and I hope you guys stick with it. Red still has a lot of development to go through, and he basically needs to raise his team from the ground up. If seeing so much death killed your enthusiasm for the Nuzlocke, though, I get it. I can hardly imagine continuing without Lucina, Jackie, and the rest.

I'd like to give props to my editor, Prem, for talking me through this chapter. It was definitely the most challenging for both of us, and I think he helped change it for the better.

Life goes on, folks! Sorry for sucking so much at Pokemon, guys, and always I'm appreciative of your support! Review if you want, give me shit for killing off your favorite Pokemon if you fancy, and have a nice day!