NOVEL NEXT Chapter 61: Chapter 61: The Blue Badge Earned
"Bellossom, Leaf Blade, Magical Leaf, and then use Shave (Soru) to retreat!"
Upon seeing that Bellossom narrowly avoided a direct hit from Sheer Cold, Ron's next command rang out.
Using Leaf Blade to block Dewgong's Iron Tail, Bellossom pushed off to retreat while simultaneously releasing Magical Leaf, forcing Dewgong to abandon its offensive.
The surface of the water had turned to ice, allowing Bellossom to execute Shave (a high-speed movement technique) to create distance.
"Bellossom, use Moonlight!"
Once enough distance was secured, Ron instructed Bellossom to restore its health with Moonlight.
Under clear skies, Moonlight can recover two-thirds of a Pokémon's maximum health. Without any weather effects, it recovers one-third, and under adverse weather conditions, only one-quarter.
In Cerulean Gym, with no active weather-altering moves, it was a neutral environment, allowing Bellossom to restore one-third of its maximum stamina.
Though this didn't bring Bellossom back to peak condition, it was a significant improvement.
Ron knew Dewgong could learn Sheer Cold, but he wasn't particularly worried, believing he could easily direct Bellossom to dodge it.
Unlike the games, where Sheer Cold could instantly knock out Pokémon of comparable levels, here, the move had significant drawbacks: its slow activation speed, susceptibility to interruption, and ease of evasion.
What Ron hadn't anticipated was that Daisy would use Water Pulse as a medium to transmit the freezing effects of Sheer Cold via the water.
If not for Bellossom's quick reflexes, it might have been frozen solid, incapacitated in one strike.
This incident taught Ron an important lesson: never underestimate an opponent. Sometimes seemingly meaningless actions might lay the groundwork for a devastating move.
Having learned his lesson, Ron decided to end the battle as swiftly as possible.
"Bellossom, disrupt with Magical Leaf!"
"Dewgong, counter with Signal Beam, then use Headbutt to break the ice!"
When Bellossom had retreated earlier, Daisy realized she'd lost the chance to capitalize on her momentum. She quickly instructed Dewgong to break through the icy surface and return to the water.
While Dewgong could slide across the ice using its body without losing speed, the icy terrain made controlling its direction and speed more difficult, leaving it vulnerable without the cover of water.
However, Ron preferred this scenario. Dewgong lurking underwater was far more troublesome for him.
Just as Dewgong executed its Headbutt with its horn, Daisy noticed Bellossom had already appeared behind it.
Daisy hadn't paid much attention earlier when her attack missed, but now she realized Bellossom possessed astonishing speed.
"Dewgong, use Iron Tail behind you!"
Despite her confusion, Dewgong obeyed Daisy's command.
Its gleaming metallic tail swung, only to hit empty air.
Thanks to its high mobility granted by Shave, and extensive training on various terrains, Bellossom had adapted to performing Shave even on icy surfaces.
Flanking Dewgong from the side, Bellossom unleashed a Leaf Blade. Though Dewgong sensed the danger and narrowly dodged, it still suffered a visible wound.
"Bellossom, disrupt with Magical Leaf and follow up with consecutive Leaf Blades! Don't give the opponent any chance to retaliate!"
Once in close range, Dewgong's clumsiness became glaringly apparent.
Faced with Bellossom's relentless assault and the distraction of Magical Leaf, neither Daisy nor Dewgong could find an opening to break free. They could only rely on Headbutt and Iron Tail for passive defense.
Under the unrelenting pressure, Dewgong's wounds multiplied, and its stamina drained rapidly.
If this continued, Dewgong would inevitably be defeated by attrition.
"Dewgong, Sheer Cold!"
"Bellossom, Magical Leaf, then Shave!"
Having fallen victim to Sheer Cold earlier, Ron was now extra cautious.
Bellossom, too, remained vigilant, maintaining its fast-paced offensive while guarding against Dewgong's final desperation move.
As Magical Leaf pushed Dewgong back, preventing it from fully executing Sheer Cold, Bellossom used Shave to retreat quickly, avoiding any possible retaliation.
"Dewgong, unleash one last attack: Blizzard!"
Daisy cheered for Dewgong while jumping excitedly—causing Ron to briefly wonder if her theatrics were a deliberate distraction.
"Bellossom, use Hyper Beam!"
Both sides launched their final moves.
The freezing winds of Blizzard howled, snowflakes swirling into a powerful storm aimed directly at Bellossom.
In response, Bellossom focused its energy, a warm orange glow building and intensifying. The Hyper Beam was fully charged.
A beam of orange light shot forth, cutting through Dewgong's Blizzard as if it were paper.
With Dewgong's attack obliterated, Bellossom's Hyper Beam struck its target dead-on.
Due to the side effect of Hyper Beam, Bellossom stood immobilized, while Dewgong succumbed to its accumulated injuries and fainted.
"Come back, Dewgong. You've done your best."
Though Daisy was a bit disheartened after Ron defeated two of her Pokémon in a row, she fulfilled her duty as a Gym Leader, congratulating him.
"This Blue Badge is yours."
Retrieving the badge from her clothing, Daisy handed it to Ron.
Receiving the warm Blue Badge, Ron suddenly understood why so many trainers sought to conquer the Cerulean Gym.
With the badge secured, Ron's brief moment of joy passed, and he quickly returned to training.
This Gym battle had revealed his weaknesses. Since leveling up wasn't an immediate priority, Ron dedicated more time to refining his strategies and techniques.
The day after tomorrow would mark the start of the tournament. With Machoke's raw power, Ron believed it could give its all in every match.
What Ron needed to focus on was how to win as efficiently as possible and decide how to use the three Technical Machines he had acquired.
Confident in Machoke's strength, Ron felt assured it could triumph even against opponents with Level 39 Pokémon that had a type advantage.
Ron's task was to control the tempo of the battles and avoid mistakes like those in today's match—a confidence born of his accumulated experience.
Perhaps sensing Ron's eagerness, the next two days flew by, and the tournament day arrived.
On the open grass fields, surrounded by cheering crowds, battle arenas were set up.
Here, they would witness the birth of new champions.
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