After being knocked away, Arbok crashed into a Team Rocket grunt who was engaged in battle not far away. It rolled on the ground for a few rounds before adjusting its posture, raising itself halfway up with its slender eyes glaring coldly at Florges, who had hit it.
"Oh my! No wonder you're the Verdanturf Gym Leader. At this rate, our mission is going to be in jeopardy," Ariana said with frustration as she looked at Yuga, who was heavily guarded by Gengar and Florges.
Listening to Ariana's tone, Yuga couldn't help but feel that she seemed to know him, even though this was their first meeting.
While Yuga was observing Ariana, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine and an indescribable sense of danger washed over him. However, Florges reacted faster than him.
Florges's two vine whips grabbed Yuga's arms, pulling him behind her. Then, she raised her hands forward, and Dazzling Gleam shimmered as Yuga saw a black shadow being flung away.
After the black shadow landed, Yuga could finally see that it was a Weavile that had attempted to ambush him. This cunning Ariana had diverted his attention to create an opportunity for Weavile's sneak attack.
"Tsk, quite vigilant!" Ariana muttered in dissatisfaction as her Weavile's ambush failed.
Once on the ground, Weavile quickly jumped next to Arbok, and together with the Honchkrow that was flying above them, confronted Yuga's Florges and Gengar.
Tensions immediately rose.
Seeing the situation, Yuga silently released his Charizard.
As soon as Charizard appeared, without hesitation, it unleashed a bright orange Sunny Day weather ball into the sky. At the same time, Florges silently activated the Grassy Terrain.
Florges's Grassy Terrain blended seamlessly with the surrounding natural grass, making it nearly impossible to detect its presence.
Spring had already arrived in Verdanturf Town, and the lush grass on the outskirts of the town greatly facilitated Florges in creating the Grassy Terrain.
Seeing Yuga's actions, Weavile from the opposing side sprang into action. It turned into a high-speed projectile, claws glowing with dark energy, and fiercely lunged at Gengar.
However, halfway into its charge, countless vines burst from the ground, one of which wrapped around its hind leg and yanked it backward, sending it flying.
Yet, Weavile hadn't even hit the ground before the Honchkrow that was still in the air grabbed its arm and hurled it back towards Yuga's group.
As Weavile was tossed, it adjusted its posture and once again used Sucker Punch, aiming for Gengar.
Seeing Weavile charging at him, Gengar conjured eerie blue flames around itself. The flames emitted a ghostly, chilling light as they drifted towards Weavile, landing on it as it approached Gengar.
At this time, Charizard appeared in the sky above Weavile. At the same time that Weavile was hit by Gengar's Will-O-Wisp, it delivered a powerful Fire Punch to its midsection.
Weavile let out a miserable cry as it crashed heavily onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Weavile was a glass cannon; if it weren't for its status as a Elite level Pokémon that had beed undergone life transformation, it would have been knocked out to death by Charizard's punch.
Under the Sunny Day, the power of Fire-type moves was greatly enhanced, and Fire Punch also had the advantage over the Ice-type Weavile.
Enduring the intense pain, Weavile climbed to its feet, and small blue flames dotted its fur, burning and tormenting its body while diminishing its abilities.
Due to the influence of Gengar's Will-O-Wisp, any physical-type moves Weavile used would have their power halved. This was particularly disadvantageous for Weavile, which excelled in physical attacks.
Furthermore, while in a burnt state, the Will-O-Wisp continued to consume Weavile's stamina.
Just as Charizard was about to deliver another powerful blow to Weavile, a Dark Pulse approached. However, Gengar quickly neutralized it with a Sludge Bomb, and Charizard managed to evade it in time.
It turned out that, at this critical moment, the Honchkrow appeared next to Weavile.
Charizard, with flames raging on its body, glared at the Honchkrow that blocking its path. The flames on its body burned even brighter. It used Flare Blitz and rushed toward Honchkrow.
In response, Honchkrow also emitted a blue glow and used Brave Bird to charg towards Charizard.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the Arbok that had been stealthily lurking in the tall grass was looking for an opportunity to ambush Yuga, who was being closely protected by Florges.
However, what Arbok didn't know was that all the grass around them was an extension of Florges's senses. She could clearly perceive Arbok's movements.
Just as Arbok was about to dart out of the tall grass to launch an attack, the seemingly harmless vines that had been clinging to its body suddenly sprang to life. They twisted and turned like serpents, swiftly entwining Arbok, effectively immobilizing it.
The vines grew longer and thicker, lifting Arbok high into the air. Arbok struggled violently to break free, but the vines only became stronger and more resilient with every attempt.
These vines were incredibly pliable and tough, resisting all of Arbok's efforts to snap them.
With a green glint in Florges's eyes, the surrounding grass began to wither slowly. The released green light merged into the vines that bound Arbok, making them thicker and tighter.
Although Arbok was a snake-like Pokémon with a flexible body, the binding force of the vines grew stronger, causing its bones to emit a cracking sound as it struggled.
Witnessing this incredible scene, Ariana widened her eyes in astonishment. She knew the power of her Arbok; it could easily strangle a robust Machoke with its body alone.
However, at this moment, it was screaming in agony while being ensnared by the mysterious vines.
As Arbok was immobilized, Florges used Psychic repeatedly, launching wave after wave of mental attacks at Arbok.
After several painful cries, Arbok lost its fighting spirit.
With Arbok immobilized and incapacitated, the vines that held it were nonchalantly tossed aside by Florges, and they withered away into dust.
However, it was not easy for Florges either. She had only recently undergone her transformation, so this effort took a toll on her as well.
Ariana was even more surprised that her Arbok had been defeated so quickly.
"Verdanturf Gym Leader, you're becoming more formidable!" she commented sarcastically.
"Don't flatter me too much. After all, this is my territory. If I let you succeed easily, I'd lose face," Yuga replied calmly.
James' Japanese name (Kojiro) comes from the name of a famous Japanese samurai, Kojiro Sasaki.
This is a part of a series of puns with Team Rocket members' names, such as Jessie's Japanese name (Musashi) being the name of the famous Samurai Musashi Miyamoto, one of Kojiro Sasaki's rivals.