Chapter Four: Poisonpowder Unfortunately, before that happened, they had a little problem to deal with first. "Well, look on the bright side," Matt stated. "At least it's only a 40 foot tall Vileplume." Vileplume was short, but it was also rather wide. Unlike the others, Vileplume made the first move. It unleashed a cloud of Poisonpowder over the trainers! Choking, Uiru shouted, "Don't breathe it in!" That was proving exceedingly difficult, however, as there was nothing else to breathe. "Pidgeotto, Fearow!" Robert choked. "Whirlwind the powder away!" Within a few seconds, the two birds had cleaned out the air. Coughing, Uiru summoned Sandslash and Butterfree. "It's part Poison, right?" he asked Matt. He nodded. "Okay! Sandslash, hang back and use Earthquake! Butterfree, Psychic!" Leah called out Cubone, Sandshrew and her reclaimed Onix. "Don't get too close," she warned them. "Grass attacks will heavily damage Rock and Ground types." Vileplume shot out green orbs of energy. They struck Sandshrew and Sandslash! In an instant, it had sapped all their energy dry! They fainted! "Ground is no good!" Uiru shouted as he recalled Sandslash. "Water isn't either!" "I don't think Fighting would work," Allison said, referring to her Primeape. "Fire should though!" Geoff shouted. "Arcanine, go! Fire Blast!" Vileplume definately did not like Fire Blast. "Grass attacks are ineffective on Bugs and Flying, as well as other Grass," Matt announced. "So send them out!" Matt deployed his six: Venusaur, Victreebel, Tangela, Parasect, Exeggutor, and a normal sized Vileplume. He ordered them to attack with their Powder moves. Patrick summoned all six of his Pokémon: Butterfree, Beedrill, Pincir, Scyther, Venomoth and Parasect. "Butterfree, Venomoth, Psychic! Everyone else, attack!" Robert sent Pidgeotto and Fearow to peck at Vileplume. It hit them with it's Mega Drain attack but didn't do that much damage. "If Dragonair was here, it'd smash this thing," Geoff complained. "Hey, wait... Robert! If Flying types are strong against Grass, what about my Gyarados?" "I think it'll still be ineffective!" Robert replied. "Pidgeotto, Wing Attack! Fearow, Drill Peck!" Geoff called out his Gyarados and Kadabra. "Gyarados, Bite! Kadabra, Disable!" Using it's incredibly powerful Psychic strength, Kadabra actually managed to lock out Mega Drain! It then opened with a PSY Beam attack. Seeing Patrick's Scyther taking chunks out of Vileplume's body, Jessica, Geoff and Robert summoned theirs as well. With all the bugs flying around it, though, Geoff's Arcanine had to be careful where it aimed the Fire Blasts. "Leech Life, Parasect!" Matt shouted. The Bug attack was Super Effective on the Grass-Poison giant. Pittman chose Pincir and Thomas called out Dodrio. Both leapt high in the air and Scratched and Slashed at Vileplume. It released a second Powder attack! The orange Stun Spore showered over the party. Robert quickly called Pidgeotto and Fearow to Whirlwind it away again, but some of their Pokémon were Paralyzed and had to be returned. "Is Arcanine all right?" Leah asked Geoff. "It'll be fine!" Geoff declared. "Arcanine! Ninth Hell, now!" "Ninth Hell?" Uiru asked. "Watch!" Geoff replied. Arcanine glowed an unholy shade of red, then began running around the giant flower. Soon, only a red ring could be seen circling Vileplume. The many Bugs attacking Vileplume suddenly decided to vacate the premises. It was a good thing too, because the intense fire energy exploded in a brilliant eruption of pure magma! The pillar of molten rock solidified, and sank back underground. Vileplume was fried, and it disappeared! "Yeah!" the trainers cheered. "And now, with no further ado... To the chopper!" Nick repeated. "Wait!" Eric shouted. "Heidi's unconscious!" At the hospital, it was determined that Heidi was sick due to the poison. Leah and Robert were poisoned as well, and Matt and Erin weren't moving properly due to the allergic reactions caused by Stun Spore. "I've got to stay with Heidi," Eric told Uiru. "Can you guys handle it?" "Yeah, we can do it," Pittman declared. "Let's go, quick!" Geoff shouted. "I want my Dragonair back!" "We'll be back to see you guys when we catch Sunder," Patrick promised. Matt nodded- sort of. At Uiru's suggestion, they didn't go inside the Pokémon Center. He knew very well that the nurse would march them all off to bed. It was past midnight already. "Ever been in a really good chopper?" Nick asked Thomas. He shook his head no. "Well, you're in for a treat then." "Does your PLM give helicopters to all it's teenage units?" Pittman asked as they boarded. "Nope," Allison replied. "We happen to be one of the Boss's personal favorite units." "We worked really hard to build up our rep," Geoff added. "Smashing bases, defeating enemy empires, and now taking down supersize Pokémon hellbent on mindless, wanton destruction." Pittman nodded. "Evil enemy empires... The only thing that even closely resembled an evil empire on this side of Mt. Moon was Team Rocket." "But they were destroyed like a decade ago," Thomas stated. "What kind of stupid name is that?" Patrick asked. "It's almost as bad as 'Sunder Force'." By this time the helicopter was in the air. "You know I'm one of the PLM's youngest pilots?" Nick shouted back. Thomas nodded. "Show me how to fly this thing later, okay?" Nick laughed. "I'm not training rookies on *my* baby." In the back, Uiru held up a Poké Ball. "I think... I'm going to have Butterfree here dump every powder it has right down Sunder's throat. Just because." Jessica nodded. "If he's hurt our Pokémon, I'm going to rip out his intestine and strangle him with it." Uiru suppressed a laugh. Jessica was one of most seemingly harmless people he knew. "What are you laughing at?" "I'm not laughing." "You think something's funny. What is it?" Uiru shook his head. "Not a thing." The helicopter flew over Viridian Forest and soon the trainers could see Cycling Road. Even at this hour of the night, Bikers tore up and down the steep slope. Nick landed the chopper just outside Celadon City. "I havn't been here in years," Pittman announced. "Place has gotten bigger." "You do know where the hidden basement is, right?" Thomas asked. "Of course. All we have to do is find the pool in the middle of the city." Forty minutes later, it became apparent that the pool not going to be found. "Dammit!" Pittman cursed. Nearby was a newspaper stand. Allison looked at the headlines. "Major Renovations to Celadon Grand Casino Halted," she read. Pittman picked up a paper. "I think that might be the site of the old Rocket Game Corner," he declared. He read the story. "Hey, buddy!" the vendor shouted. "That'll be 45 Pokéyen." "Oh... right. Sorry." Pittman tossed him some cash. "Anyway... Yep, this looks like the place. Apparently, the removal of the 'expansive' basement was halted. Some rich guy wanted to rent the basement for an undisclosed reason." "I didn't know Sunder was rich," Jessica stated. "He IS the leader of Sunder Force," Patrick reminded. "Oh, right." Jessica looked at the paper. "So where is it? I say we go blow the place to pieces and get our Pokémon back." "The casino part is legitimate, as legit as casinos get, anyway," Pittman declared. "The owners and patrons probably have no idea what the basement is used for." "Man..." Geoff complained. "I havn't destroyed a building in ages! Uiru, after we pick up the others, we're finding one of their bases and smashing it flat out of principle." Uiru laughed. "I know what you mean." "I like you guys. You're so destructive," Thomas stated. "Fire Strike built it's reputation on flattening enemy bases," Allison informed him. "So, where is this casino?" Pittman pointed. "Should be down this street a ways." "Sorry, you can't come in," the guard repeated. "Why the hell not?!" Patrick demanded. "This is important!" "This is a casino," the guard said. "All of you are underage. Nobody comes in!" "We're not here to gamble," Nick told him. "We want to clean out the scum infesting the basement!" The guard shook his head. "There's no evidence of anything going wrong in the basement. Now you're not coming in and that's final. Do I have to call the police?" "No, that's quite all right," Uiru said with a big fake smile on his face. "We'll be on our way now." He pushed the others around the corner, out of earshot. "Okay, any ideas?" Uiru asked. "A bomb," Geoff suggested. "Right in front of that guard. During the chaos and confusion, we slip in, grab all the cash and escape before they know what's going on!" The others sighed. "Geoff, we're trying to get into the basement, not rob the place," Allison informed him. "Oh." "Would disguises work?" Jessica suggested. "No," Nick replied. "We'd never be able to make you look 18." "And why not?!" "Well because. You're so short and... well... young-looking!" Jessica arched an eyebrow at him. "Young-looking?" Uiru motioned to Pittman and Patrick. "Fifty bucks says she hits him soon," he whispered. They nodded. "Yeah, young-looking," Nick answered. "Not to insult you or anything, but you'd need some kind of enhancement just to pass for a teenager." Jessica nodded, then punched him. The others laughed. "How ladylike," Geoff remarked. "Come on Uiru! We're going to dress up and get in there." Jessica grabbed his arm and stormed off to the nearest designer fashion shop. "This should be good," Allison declared. "I have a feeling I'm going to want a camera," Thomas stated. "I have the feeling they're going to spend a fortune in there," Patrick added. It soon became apparent that Jessica was serious about sneaking into that casino. After spending 40 minutes shopping for clothes, she went to the shoe store and then to the hairstylist, dragging the helpless Uiru with her. "How long do you think it'll be before she spends all the PLM's money?" Patrick asked Allison. The waiting six were seated on one of the many benches in Celadon's commercial district. "At the rate they're going, it'll be any minute now," she replied. "It's a good thing Celadon City stays open all night," Pittman added. "It would be so funny if the casino closed just as we got there," Thomas stated. Nick agreed. "You got a wierd sense of humor. And it's open all night," Pittman informed him. Uiru and Jessica emerged from the hairstylist. "Help," Uiru moaned weakly as they passed. "Aren't you finished yet?" Allison asked. "One more place to go!" Jessica announced. "He needs a tie." "A tie?" the others echoed. "You didn't say anything about a tie," Uiru tried to protest. "Stop whining. Here we are." Jessica took him inside a small specialty store nearby. Nick and Geoff laughed. "A camera," Geoff declared. "My kingdom for a camera. I know this is going to be worth it." At long last, they were ready to try their luck at the casino doorway. Uiru was apparently locked inside a black tuxedo. "I have never worn one of these before," he stated, "and after tonight I am never wearing one again." His longish sandy hair was cut much too short for his liking, and darkened considerably. And although the fake mustache didn't really suit him, it did add years to his face, which was the whole point of the exercise. "Very good," Allison congradulated. "You look almost 20 now." She grinned. After trying both the long blue satin dress and the two inch heels on at the same time, Jessica determined that walking would be a rather difficult experience. "Stop complaining, you look great," she said to Uiru. "And older. Which is good." There wasn't much they could do with her hair except give it a more ladylike trim. Before Nick realized what he was saying, the words 'You look great too' had escaped him. The others laughed as he turned red. "See, Nick?" she asked. "We'll have no problem getting in now. Let's go, Uiru... Slowly." "We'll let you guys in from the kitchen, after we find out how to get to the basement," Uiru told the others. "Now stay out of sight! If the same guard is there, you'll blow our cover." He pulled at his tie. "I can't breathe in this stupid thing!" They headed for the casino. "Matt and Erin will be sorry they missed this," Patrick declared. "They'll never believe it," Geoff added. Uiru and Jessica headed down the street to their destination. "If only my parents could see me now," Jessica muttered to herself. "Pardon?" "Nothing." The guard looked at Jessica suspiciously when they presented themselves at the door. "Weren't you just...?" The guard shook his head. It looked like one of the girls he had sent away earlier, but there was no way a bunch of scruffy kids could have gotten the money for disguises this elaborate. Besides that, she was on the arm of someone who could have been that girl's father. "Never mind. Enjoy yourselves at the Celadon Grand." Uiru nodded and they entered the casino. "Son of a bitch," Nick declared. "She actually got them in." "Okay, around back," Pittman announced. "We can't go past that guard, so we'll have to take the long way around." They scampered off.