Chapter 1
The Ponyta, his whipping mane of flames flowing around
his body like a
cloak, snorted and pawed the ground. Through flaring nostrils, near
clouds of steam lingered in the air for only a moment, his breath hot.
FireSkyRun was at level 14, and the strong Pokemon's muscles tensed
beneath his snowy white fur. With an arsenal of the original Fire
attacks, he was hardly defeatable, but along with his new attacks,
was
unstoppable. He narrowed his oval, dark black eyes, as his flames roared
in anticipation. The familiar surge of speed coursed his veins, and
he
was determined to win.
It was his first step to fame, in a long race. Much
like human
trainers, FireSkyRun wanted to be the strongest Pokemon in the world,
and he'd do it as a Ponyta. Now, Ponytas had a reputation of being
weak
in battles; only good at racing. But even then, compared to Rapidashes,
they were still considered inferior. He'd prove everybody wrong, when
he
became the first wild Pokemon to ever defeat all the gyms.
Brock, across the rocky battlefield, just stared
back at the Ponyta. He
was confused at the sight of a wild Pokemon challenging a gym leader,
especially a fire one against his ground and rock. But a challenger
was
a challenger, no matter how unbelievable it was. Foolish thing.
"Are you sure you want a battle? You're only a wild
Pokemon. And a
fire Pokemon doesn't stand a chance against a rock," Brock warned,
folding his arms. "This is your last chance to back out. Otherwise
you
might get seriously hurt."
FireSkyRun just stomped a diamond-hard hoof against
a stone, and it
crumbled easily. An insolent smirk curled back his lips, and the slight,
hot wind from his breathing stirred his flames. "NEEiii!" he shrilled,
and it sealed the challenge.
"Fine then." Brock turned stone hard against his
opponent. "Rhyhorn,
attack!"
As the Poke Ball struck the ground, with a loud
metallic echo, the
flood of pure energy spilled from its hold. The red light began to
swirl
together, gradually lightening to a white, as the Pokemon formed from
its raw energy state. From the vague, rounded outline, jagged spikes
formed all sides, and finally the Rhyhorn emerged. The Rhyhorn was
larger than normal, and the horns that normally were short spikes had
grown into jagged knives of stone.
From its jaws, a low rumble rolled from its throat.
The Rhyhorn
narrowed her eyes coldly. FireSkyRun matched the gaze, but his eyes
were
aflame with determination. With a short blast of a scream, the Ponyta
quickly took advantage of her sluggish nature. It only took a few
strides to reach his top speed of eighty, and the flames that grew
down
his back blurred to form a straight line of fire. He ran toward Rhyhorn,
pivoted suddenly, and gave a swift kick at the Pokemon's unguarded
eyes.
His hooves hit home, and smashed just an inch below her eyes.
But Brock had been expecting just that. He knew
a smart move would be
try speed attacks against a slow Pokemon, but he was ready. "Rhyhorn,
Bite attack! Pin him to the ground!"
With a gravelly rumble, she reacted to her master's
command. Incredibly
fast for a rock, Rhyhorn snapped at his heels and closed her his jaws
around his heels. Caught off balance, FireSkyRun toppled to his side.
He screamed a shrill war cry, and he swung his free leg at the small
gap
in his stone jaws, where he could see the her soft mouth. There was
a
ominous crack of stone shattering, and the Rhyhorn froze in place,
as
his hoof was lodged fiercely into her soft mouth. FireSkyRun froze
as
well, catching his breath as he lay on his back.
Brock just stared on in awe. No way this was a wild
Pokemon. No
untrained thing could be that strong, to crack a rock Pokemon's skin,
probably even a trained one. Rhyhorn's thin, black eyes glazed over,
wide with shock, as she felt the pain spear through her mouth and
throat. Her jaws loosened in gut-wrenching pain, just enough to allow
his legs to scrape free. FireSkyRun wildly scrambled to his feet, and
the leg that had been bitten now limply trailed the working three.
Whinnying in anger and pain, he staggered drunkenly
off. The once
proud, billowing flames that were his mane and tail hung limp at his
sides. Embers weakly swirled around his tail and he snorted angrily,
turning to face the Rhyhorn again. Blood had begun to stain his white
fur, foaming around his injured heel. Now was the time to call on his
fire, the burning flicker of power that flared in his chest. Physicall
attacks were just going to be canceled by his stone armor.
Rhyhorn stared up at him, her jaws cracked. Rage
burned in her eyes,
and a thunderous rumble shook her body, along with the ground. "Alright
Rhyhorn, give him a tackle while he's injured. That ought to defeat
him," Brock ordered coolly.
Rhyhorn nodded. She clawed at the ground with her
bowling ball feet,
squareing up her body to charged. She tensed, growled lightly, then
charged.
FireSkyRun had no time to react. The stony blur
descended upon him, her
bony shoulder extended to ram him. But he did have time to think. With
his mind whirling, he quickly saw the disadvantage to a Tackle. The
Ponyta pivoted to leap away to the left, on his good leg, and paused.
He
needed her to be in the right position next to him.
Brock saw this, and his jaw again dropped in shock.
This thing was
unbelievable! A wild Ponyta couldn't possibly be this smart! He'd seen
the weakness to his Rhyhorn's Tackle, a thing he'd polished and honed
to
perfection. He knew that he couldn't evade such a wide bodied tackle,
or
kick it away because of weight, but Brock had never thought of it being
canceled with a special attack.
FireSkyRun narrowed his eyes, the embers that drifted
around his tail
brightening steadily. The ominous light they emitted grew brighter
and
brighter, liting the gray stone around him, until it was a glowing
flash. Instantly, the Rhyhorn flinched at the Flash attack, and the
creature began to lose momentum from his hesitation. She landed with
a
loud crackle of fire clawing widly at stone.
"No!"
The Rhyhorn was caught by the thick tail of flame,
and FireSkyRun's
plan was set in motion. If everything went well, and Rhyhorn was as
slow
as he hoped, this battle was already sealed. Instantly, the Ponyta
lifted his opponent to a slight angle. Despite the danger of this
combination, he knew it was well worth it. If he couldn't pull off
a
combo like this, against a low level Gym Pokemon, he'd never make it.
Screaming in effort to lift her, the Rhyhorn began to slide down his
rigid tail.
She hit his body like an anvil, and the thin aura
of fire that clutched
her protected him from being impaled. He had to heat the flames to
a
scalding tempature, to create enough energy to hold such a creature.
But
the hit from the Rhyhorn sent him flying toward the stone barriers
on
all sides of the rock battlefield. FireSkyRun turned in midair, as
the
unheld Rhyhorn crashed to the ground, and his good leg struck the stone.
He turned to face the rock Pokemon, his flames whipping around him
wildly.
"Rhyhorn! Block his attack with a Horn Attack!"
Brock commanded, almost
frantic. This Ponyta seemed too strong to be a wild one, and he was
afraid for his Pokemon's health. Anything could be up that horse's
sleeve.
FireSkyRun curled back his lips, as he was flung
toward Rhyhorn, and
the fire that fumed there anxiously began to bloom into its full force.
Smiling on the inside, he began to form one of his created attacks,
one
he'd been perfecting just days before battle. Although it had failed
eminently in practice battles with wild Pokemon, the dangerous attack
had k.o. strength he needed. With an lame leg, he'd have little evasion.
It was a one shot duel; he either hit and won, or missed and lost.
FireSkyRun was leaning over the edge of his destiny. And the name of
the attack fit the aura of intensity surrounding this fight, almost
too
uncanny.
Destiny Burner.
The flames FireSkyRun produced thinned into a fine
stream of embers,
ones that joined to form a ring of fire only slightly bigger than his
eye. Inside the ring, a thin layer of transparent crimson energy formed
a shimmering panel. And in that panel, a swirl of contrasting gold
flames swirled and swirled in the red energy until it was blurred.
And
to finish the stunningly beautiful attack, the gold light shot out
toward Rhyhorn, in the shape of a flying dragon.
Rhyhorn just stared. She had lost.
The attack was perfect.
FireSkyRun staggered up from the blast. His beautiful,
glistening white
fur reflected the fading light, and his body lit up in a stunning shade
of crimson. The heathily roaring fire mane he possessed bristled and
brushed the air in a crackling display of power. Despite the burning
pain from his bloody heel, the triumphant Ponyta tossed his mane, black
eyes smiling.
The impact of his Destiny Burner attack had caused
some sort of
reaction against Rhyhorn's skin, and a minor explosion had happened.
FireSkyRun had been flung a few feet back, along with Brock, but the
Rhyhorn never had a chance of withstanding that. The unconscious body
of
the rock Pokemon lay at his feet.
"What's your name?" The sudden voice echoed loud
and strangely in the
room. Brock stood up, and his eyes remained locked curiously on the
Pokemon.
FireSkyRun cocked his head curiously at the human.
How could he tell
him that? Hesitant, he considered this, then walked up to the Gym
Leader. In the dirt at his feet, the Ponyta used his hooves to carve
the
letters. F-i-r-e-S-k-y-R-u-n.
He lifted his head to lock gazes with the human,
his mane crackling
slightly in the thick silence of the battlefield. Brock smiled slightly.
"FireSkyRun, is it? Well then, I admit you have
beat me. Have your
badge," Brock offered.
He held out his hand, and the steely-gray badge
glinted the firelight
brightly. On the inside, Brock laughed to himself. I must have gone
crazy, he thought to himself. But he deserves it.
FireSkyRun picked up the badge with his lips, savoring
its cool feel
against his skin. A grin curled up his lips, and he nickered happily.
He
was on his way.