Chapter 36

Leaf and Emmet scan the forest below intently from atop their Pidgeots, the wind whipping through their hair. Both wear goggles to protect their eyes as they flew over the forest between Celadon and Saffron City, known as Route 7.

Emmet, who has greater mastery of Psychic energy than Leaf, keeps trying to use his abilities to detect any groups of Abra nests in the forest below. Leaf follows his lead, acting as an extra set of eyes while also using the flight time to develop her fledgling Psychic powers.

It had taken Emmet nearly a full day to figure out how to use his Psychic senses for remote Pokemon detection, which according to a brief talk with Erika should be something even amateur Psychics could do to some extent, though probably not on a Pidgeot's back several meters high. 

He noticed his Psychic skills plateauing due to lack of guidance on how to progress further, he and Leaf were not lacking energy-wise, but having muscles alone did not make one a good fighter. The couple agreed seeking a tutor could jeopardize the secrecy of EM, so they slugged on their own despite the unlikeness that they would quickly develop new techniques.

After hours of fruitless searching, Emmet huffs in frustration and signals to Leaf that it's time to head back, using a hand sign they had pre-arranged. He checks his PokeGear for directions and guides his Pidgeot back towards their campsite, with Leaf following.

Emmet and Leaf land in a forest clearing near a lake at the northern end of Route 7, close to Mt. Moon. They had set up camp there earlier. Both trainers dismount their Pidgeots and start stretching their stiff limbs after sitting for so many hours atop the flying Pokemon.

Leaf stretches her arms over her head, working out the kinks. "Hard to believe we've been doing these Abra search runs for almost two weeks now," she remarks to Emmet.

He takes a long swig from his canteen before replying. "I know, I'm getting pretty frustrated too. I really thought we'd have found one by now."

"It's starting to feel like a waste of time with nothing to show for it," Leaf says with a sigh. She bends down to massage her sore calves.

Emmet gives a noncommittal shrug, digging through his messy backpack. After some rummaging, he locates a bag of Pokeblocks and tosses it underhand to Leaf. She snatches it out of the air with a flash of Psychic power, giving Emmet a smug grin.

He just chuckles good-naturedly. They both start feeding the treats to their tired Pidgeots, who eagerly gobble them up.

As they begin feeding treats to their tired Pidgeots, Emmet adds "It's not a total waste though. Our other Pokemon are still training hard back at camp." He ticks off updates on his fingers. "Your Gloom is just about ready to evolve into Bellossom. And I'm pretty sure both Feebas and your Magikarp only need one more push before they're ready to evolve too."

Leaf nods slowly. "That's true, our teams are making progress on their own," she agrees, stroking her Pidgeot's neck. The bird trills happily, nuzzling her hand.

After some thought, Leaf adds, "But we could be more productive than just flying around pointlessly." She straightens up, hands on her hips. Her Pidgeot starts preening, satisfied with the attention. 

After a thoughtful pause, she asks "What about Firefly? Think she's ready to take the next step?"

Emmet considers the question while packing up the leftover Pokeblocks. "Honestly, she's been ready for a while."

He shakes his head with a frustrated huff. "Problem is Charmeleons usually need intense battle pressure to evolve. Don't wanna waste days fighting weak trainers and we'd have better luck finding a strong opponent around Cinnabar or Viridian. Which I won't waste days traveling to just for the possibility of a tough battle"

Leaf's face lights up as an idea strikes her. "What if Venusaur, Gloom and my Pidgeot battle Firefly together? A three-on-one fight could really push her limits."

Emmet grins, snapping his fingers. "That's perfect! Let's do it today if they are up for it, the fact they are tired from training would only increase the pressure."

They spend a few more minutes resting and eating some canned meals before packing up and getting ready to go back to their campsite.

As Leaf is about to mount her Pidgeot, Emmet hesitantly calls out, "Hey, can we talk for a sec before heading back?"

Leaf pauses and turns back. "What's up?"

Emmet shuffles his feet awkwardly. "This is gonna sound dumb, but do you think our pokemon are only as strong as they are because of the EM?"

Leaf frowns. "What do you mean?"

"Like, if we didn't have access to EM, would we even be considered good trainers?" Emmet continues uncertainly. "Or are our pokemon only powerful because of the EM boost?"

Leaf considers the question. "Hmm...I think the EM has definitely accelerated their growth a ton. But we're still putting in all the hard work of actually training them, strategizing, bonding. That's on us as trainers."

Emmet nods slowly. "Yeah, that's true. But don't you think most of the credit goes to the EM itself? We just got lucky stumbling on it."

"I mean, in a way sure," Leaf concedes. "But EM doesn't do anything on its own. We had to figure out how to activate and utilize it properly. And there are probably lots of trainers way less qualified who would totally mess it up if they had access to the same powers."

She places a hand on Emmet's shoulder. "The fact that we've managed to use EM responsibly at our age says something. We can't sell ourselves short."

"I get what you're saying," Emmet replies, scuffing his shoe on the ground. "But sometimes I still feel like all this power is kinda wasted on me, you know? Like I don't deserve it or live up to it."

Leaf gives his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Don't be so hard on yourself! You've already accomplished more with EM in a few months than most trainers could in a lifetime. Look at your team, by the time we are over with the gym circuit they will be so above 8-badge level that some will pressure you to start a career at the League to one day become an Elite 4."

"I guess," Emmet says uncertainly. "But shouldn't someone more wise and experienced have found it instead? All we did was get lucky."

"Look, no one starts off worthy of any kind of great power, they have to grow alongside it," her expression becomes earnest. "I really believe that if you keep pushing yourself, using EM for good, there will come a day soon where you feel completely worthy of this power. You've got this!"

Emmet finally meets her earnest gaze. "You really think so?"

Leaf smiles and nods. "Absolutely! You've already come such a long way. And I'll be right by your side to keep encouraging you." She playfully punches his arm. "So chin up, okay?"

Emmet meets her sincere gaze, feeling his doubts start to lessen. "Thanks Leaf, you always know just what to say. Having you in my corner really means a lot."

Leaf grins. "What are girlfriends for? Now come on, last one back to camp has to cook dinner!"

With that, she leaps onto her Pidgeot. Emmet's smile widens as he mounts his own bird Pokemon, spirits lifted.

The couple arrives back at their forest campsite and are greeted by the sight of all their Pokemon training vigorously despite moving sluggishly under the effects of Clefairy's Gravity.

Emmet had coached Clefairy on how to expand the area of effect for her move and use it creatively to keep everyone's training challenging. At first she could only increase the downward gravitational pull, but now Clefairy continuously varies the direction and intensity of the force, keeping the Pokemon off-balance.

As Emmet surveys the training, his gaze lands on Firefly. She is intensely focused on making her flames burn hotter and last longer, unleashing a searing white colored Flamethrower at a poor boulder. The sustained fiery assault has the rock glowing red-hot, nearly melting under the scorching heat.

Emmet smiles proudly at Firefly's dedication to perfecting her firepower. Her diligence is clearly paying off based on the white-hot intensity of those flames. She must be getting close to unlocking the blue fiery breath that only the strongest Charizards ever seen can produce, although he thinks it has more to do with Charizards being capable of channeling Dragon type energy than their Fire type prowess.

Emmet approaches Firefly, who is too into her own exercise to notice his approach and jumps a little when he starts speaking. "Firefly, how would you feel about facing off against Leaf's three strongest pokemon at once?" he asks. "Prove you can hold your own against the odds, and I know you'll be ready to evolve."

Firefly's eyes blaze with fiery determination in an instant and she lets out a resonant roar, showing her willingness to take on the challenge. Emmet grins, her fighting spirit filling him with confidence.

Soon, both teams stand ready on opposite ends of the clearing. Leaf is practically vibrating with excitement as she talks to her three strongest. "Alright you three, give it everything you've got! But watch out to not severely injuring each other," she instructs. The pokemon nod, fired up for the battle.

"Begin!" Emmet shouts. As the battle begins, Venusaur immediately fires a blistering Solar Beam. Firefly narrowly dodges, the sand vitrifying from the intense heat. Before she can counter, vines erupt all around, courtesy of Gloom. The vines constrict around Firefly, immobilizing her.

Firefly thrashes and spews flames, incinerating the vines. But more keep emerging, with Gloom tightening her grip while releasing some spores to the air. "Redirect those with Gust!" Leaf commands. Above, Pidgeot whips up furious wind funnels. The wind blasts Gloom's powders onto Firefly. Stun Spore and Poison Powder coat Firefly as she struggles violently.

"Keep the pressure on! Venusaur, hit her with Razor Leaf!" Leaf yells. Venusaur pelts Firefly with a barrage of spinning, serrated leaves. Firefly screeches as the leaves slice her skin. Gloom sprouts more vines, lashing and constricting Firefly.

Pidgeot dives from the sky, striking Firefly with repeated Aerial Aces without Leaf's prompts. Firefly staggers under the brutal combination. She tries spewing flames, but the powders have partially paralyzed her.

Emmet expected Firefly to be overwhelmed by being attacked from three fronts, but even he was surprised by how effective the numerical advantage was showing itself to be.

"We've almost got her! Venusaur, Energy Ball!" Energy explodes against Firefly, making her roar in pain. Gloom's vines hurl her through the air. She crashes down smoking.

Emmet watches uneasily as Firefly struggles to rise, looking more enraged than ever. "Maybe we should stop..." he says uncertainly.

But Leaf is too focused on victory and Emmet could not blame her, Firefly has been a prick lately and has been trashing her pokemons around everyday. "Gloom, Sleep Powder! End this!" she commands. As the glittering powder descends, Firefly's eyes blaze with limitless fury.

With a guttural roar, she unleashes a white-hot Flamethrower, vaporizing the powder. Ignoring her injuries, she charges Venusaur in a Fire Blitz. Venusaur fires a rushed Solar Beam, trying to stop her, but her rage fuels her through the pain.

Pidgeot dive bombs for an Aerial Ace finisher. But this time Firefly anticipates it, changing directions and managing to clamp down viciously on the bird as he strikes. Pidgeot screeches in agony, trapped in her jaws.

Something in Firefly's eyes catch Emmet's attention and he feels his stomach drop, she is unhinged.

"Firefly stop!" Emmet pleads, seeing she's lost control. But consumed by wrath, she hurls Pidgeot away and unleashes an earth-shattering roar. Her body glows white, evolution energy activated by sheer rage.

When the light fades, Charizard emerges, eyes burning with fury and her tail flame momentarily flashing blue. Emmet looks on uneasily, having a bad feeling.

Rage blazes in her eyes. She spews a jet of flames, forcing Venusaur and Gloom to scatter. Pidgeot dives from above with yet another Aerial Ace, though its hurt wing makes it a tad bit slower, but Firefly anticipates it, clamping the bird's other wing in her jaws again, this time thrice more viciously judging by how many feathers starts falling to the ground. She whips Pidgeot violently one last time, then hurls him away.

Pidgeot rights himself in the air, though clearly injured. He comes around for another pass, gaining speed. But Firefly inhales deeply, then unleashes a blistering Dragon Pulse.

The draconic beam slams into Pidgeot head-on. He careens backwards, crashing into the sand, clearly unconscious given its raising chest, much to Emmet's relief. Firefly roars victoriously at the fallen Pidgeot.

"No, Pidgeot!" Leaf cries in dismay. She recalls Pidgeot to his pokeball, then turns angrily to Gloom. "Hit her with Sleep Powder, don't hold back!" she commands.

Gloom runs forward, releasing a thick cloud of the glittering powder. But Firefly is ready. She opens her maw and spews a wide arc of Heat Wave, instantly incinerating the incoming powder.

The fire move engulf Gloom, who staggers back with a choked cry, then collapses, singed and defeated. Firefly snarls, relishing her triumph before turning to glare at her last opponent.

Leaf recalls Gloom in disbelief. In mere moments, Firefly had decimated two of her strongest pokemon. Only Venusaur remains against the frenzied Charizard.

Venusaur steps forward, sunlight gathering for a massive Solar Beam. But Firefly barrels towards him in a fiery tackle, plowing through the gathering solar energy. She slams Venusaur with terrible force, sending him skidding back.

Before Venusaur can recover, Firefly is wreathed in fire. She unleashes a blistering Fire Blast at point-blank range. The impact blasts Venusaur off his feet. He slams upside down into an oak tree, the trunk snapping from the force.

Venusaur struggles to rise, but collapses from his injuries. In just the blink of an eye, Firefly looms over him, flames licking from her jaws, ready to finish him off for good.

"Stop, the fight is over!" Emmet pleads desperately. For a moment, Firefly hesitates, rage battling her loyalty to her trainer, which is just the time needed for Leaf to quickly recall her fallen pokemon back to his pokeball.

Firefly bellows furiously, the force of her rage sending shockwaves across the surrounding. Consumed by fury, she spews scorching flames skyward. The air shimmers with heat as she lashes her tail, pulverizing boulders to rubble.

Nearby, Sylveon and Clefairy watch anxiously. "Sylveon!" Sylveon cries in alarm. "Clefairy!" Clefairy responds, knowing they must stop Firefly before she seriously hurts someone.

As Firefly continues rampaging, they sprint into action. "Clefairy, use Gravity!" Emmet shouts. Clefairy's body glows as she activates the move without any of the restraint shw shows during training. Intense gravity slams down on Firefly, forcing the raging Charizard to her knees.

Firefly fights violently against the pressure, clawing deep furrows in the sand. But Clefairy keeps the gravity mounting. "More power, keep her pinned!" Emmet yells. "Clefaaairy!" Clefairy shouts, increasing the force. Firefly's efforts are thwarted, enraged motions slowed.

"Sylveon, hit her with Fairy Wind!" Emmet commands. "Syl...veon!" Sylveon summons a powerful Fairy Wind. The glittering gale batters Firefly, disrupting her frenzy.

"Dazzling Gleam, let's go!" Emmet calls. At point-blank range, Sylveon blasts Firefly with brilliant Dazzling Gleam. Firefly screeches as the potent Fairy energy jolts her senses.

"Swift, don't let up!" Emmet orders. Stars erupt from Sylveon, pelting Firefly's body. Each starburst jars Firefly further from her rage.

In the sky, Emmet's Pidgeot sees his moment. He folds his wings and dives, picking up tremendous speed. His body wreathed in the blazing white aura, Pidgeot crashes into the immobilized Firefly with devastating Brave Bird.

The force hurls Firefly back, plowing through several trees before she crashes down smoking. Finally overwhelmed, she lies limply on the sand.

Noticing the opportunity to end the debacle, Emmet pulls out her pokeball. "Return, Firefly!" he shouts, firing the recall beam.

But Firefly stirs, eyes burning. She disrupts the beam path throwing dirt with her tail, followed by spewing flames that force Emmet to dive clear. Though weakened, her fury persists.

"One more time, full power!" Emmet calls to his Pidgeot. He screeches acknowledgment, gaining speed for another Brave Bird.

This time the explosive impact leaves Firefly utterly spent. She collapses motionless as Pidgeot pulls up safely.

With Firefly immobilized, Emmet fires the pokeball beam again. This time it makes contact, dematerializing the rampaging Charizard at last. Emmet lets out a relieved breath as the ball seals shut.

Sylveon and Clefairy cheer tiredly beside him. Firefly is contained, but it's clear she will have a hard time getting her temper in check. The glare Leaf was throwing towards him was certainly not helping.