The Ninth Gym Leader

by DJ Rodriguez

Ash and Co. find a hidden city, and a ninth gym leader! Will he win or gain something more? Part of Ultra Warrior series!

The Ninth Gym Leader

By: DJ Rodriguez

            After defeating Team Rocket in the Viridian City Gym, Ash and his friends made their way to the Indigo Plateau. After healing his Pokemon at the Viridian City PokeCenter, Ash heard a conversation from two Trainers that powerful Pokemon lurked in the Victory Road. "According to the map, Victory Road is where Trainers go towards the Indigo Plateau Pokemon League.", Brock told the group. May put in, "Lots of Rock/Ground, Poison/Flying, and Fighting-type Pokemon live in there. Their levels go from level 24 to level 45!". Ash now knew that he wanted to go towards Victory Road. He followed Route 23 and 24, and found the entrance to the Indigo Plateau. Meeting the requirements to enter, the group entered the Road. Little did they know that a secret Gym Leader was waiting for them!

            After 2½ hours of wondering around, capturing new Pokemon, and battling tough Jr. Trainers Eand G, the group decided to rest against a wall. Ash sat down and sighed, knowing he and his Pokemon were very tired. Misty and May sandwiched him by sitting on both sides of him. "You and your Pokemon are looking very strong.", Misty told him. He thanked her for the compliment and blushed a bit. May quickly grabbed his arm lovingly and added, "Yeah. They learned new techniques and developed quite a bit of strategy.". Ash smiled at her and blushed even more. Misty looked annoyed and glared hard at May. Ash stretched his arms and laid back against the wall. His left hand pushed a secret switch and the floor beneath him opened up without warning! He fell inside the gaping hole, and no sooner had his body disappeared from view, the floor closed just as quickly has it had opened. The girls yelled out, "ASH!!!". They quickly got Brock over to where they were and asked him to help retrieve Ash back. "Onix, I choose you!", Brock shouted out as he threw out his PokeBall. Onix came out and awaited Brock's orders. "Onix, use your Dig technique to let us follow Ash.", he ordered it. Onix used his massive body and dug underground. Everyone followed it and a hot pursuit began!

            Ash was tumbling to, what would look like, his final fall, when a powerful gust of wind suddenly slowed his fall. Slowly, the wind gently dropped him to the ground. He looked around and saw a light shining on his right side. He now knew that he was in a tunnel and that light was the exit. He quickly got his act together and followed towards the light. After a 45 minute run, he emerged from the tunnel and saw a grand city before him! He was staring in awe at the city, from which its lights could make Las Vegas look like a dim bulb. He saw a sign above the city entrance and it said, "WELCOME TO IMAGINATION CITY, ASH KATCHEM FROM PALLET TOWN!". Ash couldn't believe that someone in town knew that he was coming, but was more surprised when a crowd, really the whole city, gathered to meet him. The population, mostly beautiful women and girls, gathered around Ash and took him to their PokeCenter. After taking him there and healing his Pokemon, the girls gathered around Ash and began to ask him many questions. He smiled and answered all of them, while also telling about his adventures.

            Meanwhile, the others following Ash were getting pretty tense. After dropping down, Brock recalled Onix back into its PokeBall and the others looked around for the way out. Misty saw the same light that Ash saw and all of them followed it. After emerging from the tunnel, the two girls, Pikachu, and Brock stared in awe at the city. Before long, they all heard voices coming from the nearby PokeCenter. "Let's see if anyone has seen Ash.", May told them. All agreed and went towards the PokeCenter. Upon entering, they saw that the entire population was there, and Brock was in his usual trance from all of the pretty girls that he saw before him. Listing very carefully, the group heard a familiar voice from within the middle of the group. After clearing a path, the two girls were in a total state of shock after what they saw. It was Ash, smiling and blushing like crazy as he was telling everyone about his adventures and showing off his Pokemon. The girls, including Nurse Joy and Police Jenny, were getting awfully close to Ash as he continued to talk. "WHY YOU LITTLE...", the two girls shouted as they dashed towards Ash. Taken by surprise, he was Doubleslapped by each one of them!

            After settling down, Ash told them all on what happened. "You see, these girls here took me here so I can rest and tell them about myself. I was the first person to find their secret city and that's why they are all here. Pretty cool, huh?", Ash explained to them. Brock and Pikachu agreed, but Misty and May were on fire! "DO THAT AGAIN, AND THAT'S THE LAST THING YOU EVER DO!!!", May shouted at him. He blushed a bit, but everyone was taken by surprise when a young girl stepped out from behind the crowd. She was about half taller then Ash, blond hair, blue eyes, and wearing a blue skirt. She was breathing very hard, almost has if she had ran the marathon. After a few moments of catching her breath, she looked up and locked her eyes on Ash. She smiled and said, "The Master of Fire and Fighting would like to see you. Follow me!". She grabbed Ash's hand and both took off from the center. The crowd was stunned, but Misty and May went ballistic. "HEY! TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF MY MAN!!!", both of them yelled at the girl. Both, with Pikachu, took off after her like a bullet, but Brock decided to stay with the girls.

            After going through the maze-like city, after running for 35 minutes, the mysterious girl and Ash entered a secret elevator shaft. Going in and soon going down, Ash moved away from the girl and demanded, "What's going on here?! Where are you taking me?!". She looked at his eyes, which were on fire and looked determined. She smiled and answered, "Sorry. My name is Amber Inferno, and the Master of Fire and Fighting wants to see you.". Ash calmed down and looked puzzled. Amber continued, "Imagination City was founded by the Ninth Gym Leader of the Pokemon League. He is the Master of Fire and Fighting types and he wants to see you.". Ash shouted out, "What!? A Ninth Gym Leader?! I thought there was only eight Gym Leaders!". Amber said, "He is a secret Gym Leader, from which he has a direct link to the Elite Four! He saw something within you and wants to test you. Okay, we're here.". The elevator opened up and the duo was surrounded by large circle of hot magma! A bridge was extended in front of them and they slowly walked onto it. But, as soon as they took ten steps towards the large door in front of them, two heavy thuds sounded off from behind. Ash looked behind him and saw Misty and May in a tangle.

            "What happened? Are you two alright?", Ash asked them. The duo untangled themselves, got up, and Misty answered, "Yeah, we're alright. Where are we?". Ash explained that they were going to meet a secret ninth Gym Leader and he was summoned. Misty and May were surprised, but were drowning in their rage when they saw Amber cling tightly to Ash. Ash gently squirmed out and saw the door ahead of them. Upon approaching it, he saw a large eye imprinted on the front. Amber translated the words that were written below it, "The Eye of Truth sees all. Only a couple, true boyfriend and girlfriend, can enter and challenge the Master of Fire and Fighting.". Ash was puzzled because of the requirements, but Misty and May wasted no time. Grabbing an arm each, the two dragged Ash towards the door. The eye suddenly glowed red, then light green. The door now opened up and the trio went in. Ash suddenly looked back and saw that Amber was gone. "Forget that blonde bimbo, lets go!", Misty told Ash. He slowly turned back and went inside.

            The room was pitch black and it was very cold. Suddenly, the lights went on and the trio were now standing in a large Pokemon Stadium! The entire population of Imagination City was there, with a blushing Brock right in the middle of it. The crowds cheered as the three took the spotlight, but then quieted down when a lone figure appeared. The figure, sitting down on a throne in front of the group, sat up and went down to the stadium. "Welcome Ash Katchem. You are famous here, in Imagination City. Let's see what you got!", the figure said to him. He took off his cloak to reveal... an 11-year old boy?! "My name is DJ Rodriguez and I'm the Gym Leader here. There are two ways to get my badge, which is this!", the boy said. He lifted up, in his right hand, a badge in the shape of a cloud with PKMN written on the front. "This is the Imagination Badge, which increases the users Pokemon's accuracy and critical hits. The first way is to defeat me in battle. Let's begin!", DJ told him. He also read to Ash the rules: The match was with six Pokemon, but with an exception. Ash must choose the girlfriend of his choice and both must battle together. He and his girlfriend would use three Pokemon each while DJ, by himself, would use all six. The party could switch Pokemon at any time, but not if it faints and can't fight anymore. The rules said and done, Ash chose Misty to come and battle beside him. Smiling a victory smile, she went quickly to Ash's side while making a victory face at the ever-jealous May. The battle was underway!

             First up was Ash. "Bulbasaur, I choose you!", he yelled out as he threw out his PokeBall. Bulbasaur popped out and awaited Ash's commands. "Not bad. It looks strong, but not strong enough! GO CARLOS!!!", DJ yelled out as he threw out an UltraBall. The ball opened up and out popped a large and powerful Primeape! "Carlos, use your Karate Chop and make Bulbasaur see stars!", DJ ordered Primeape. Primeape used remarkable speed and agility to chop away at Bulbasaur for a massive critical hit. Bulbasaur took the attack and was still standing. "Bulbasaur, use your Vine Whip!", Ash ordered. Bulbasaur used its attack technique, but Primeape dodged it with ease. "Carlos, finish it off with your Thrash!", DJ shouted out. Primeape was now just running wild and inflicting massive damage to Bulbasaur. Pretty soon, Bulbasaur was down and out. "First victory goes to DJ!", the announcer said.

Ash called Bulbasaur back and called out, "Squirtle, win this one for me!". Out popped Squirtle and it awaited Ash's orders. "Pretty strong turtle. But lets see it battle with a super-power! GO, DAVID!", DJ commanded. He threw out an UltraBall and out popped an over-powering Machamp! He called back Primeape and the Machamp was ready for battle. "Focus Energy, now!", DJ ordered. Machamp began to focus his energy and glowed red. Ash commanded, "Squirtle, use your Water Gun!". Squirtle used his powerful water-type attack, but it didn't even phase Machamp. "David, use Submission and make that puny thing scream out 'Uncle'!", DJ told it. Machamp quickly grabbed Squirtle and gave it a massive submission hold! Squirtle was now hurting all over, but Machamp was it with recoil and damaged itself. "Squirtle, use your Skull Bash! Maybe we can still win this!", Ash told it. Squirtle slowly got up, lowered its head, and took aim. However, DJ saw this move and told Machamp, "David, after he launches the attack, use your most powerful attack!". Machamp understood and waited for Squirtle to attack. Launched like a rocket, Squirtle fired his whole body at Machamp. Taking it easily, Machamp saw Squirtle emerge from his shell and fired his most powerful attack, the Hyper Beam! Squirtle was KO'd in one hit! The second victory went to DJ!

Ash called Squirtle back and said, "Okay. Your my one last hope. Let's go, Pidgeotto!". Out popped Pidgeotto and was ready for battle. Calling Machamp back, DJ was impressed by Ash's determination. "Pretty cool, kid. Now, it gets interesting! LET'S GO, JOSHUA!", DJ shouted out. Out popped a very powerful Hitmonchan! "Joshua, use Ice Punch and try to freeze that bird with one blow!", DJ commanded. Hitmonchan's left hand began to glow blue and it took aim. Pidgeotto flew up to avoid its punch, but Hitmonchan was ready. It jumped up and punched Pidgeotto hard! The bird wasn't frozen, but the attack was super effective against it. "Pidgeotto, use your Wing Attack!", Ash told it. Pidgeotto flew in fast and lowered its wings. DJ saw that move coming and winked at Hitmonchan. Hitmonchan knew that signal and was ready. As soon as Pidgeotto was in range, Hitmonchan threw out his Hyper Beam technique! Pidgeotto was KO'd right on the spot. Round three belonged to DJ!

            Ash called back Pidgeotto and Misty went to his side. "It's all up to you now, Misty. Good luck.", Ash told her. He went back to the outer ring, May was waiting for him. Before he left, Misty gave Ash Togapi to hold on to. After that, she stood ready for battle. "Okay, lets go Staryu!", Misty called out as she threw out her PokeBall. Out popped Staryu, vigorously awaiting battle. "Now, we see what your made of. ALRIGHT, TAKE IT AWAY KENNETH!", DJ yelled out as he threw another UltraBall. Out popped a lava-hot Magmar! "Kenneth, use your Fire Punch!", DJ told it. Magmar drew in his own flame power and channeled it through its right fists. Taking aim, it connected! Staryu was a Water-type, but now it was burned! "Staryu, use your Water Gun, now!", Misty shouted out. Staryu let loose some powerful water from its top, but Magmar used Flamethrower to counter-attack. "Kenneth, use your Fire Blast and try to fry that star!", DJ shouted out. Magmar used his most powerful flame-technique and fried Staryu to a crisp! Staryu was badly burned, but it didn't give up. "Staryu, use Swift on it!", Misty told Staryu. Staryu fired its attack technique from its core, but didn't do enough damage. "Magmar, fish it with Hyper Beam!", DJ commanded. Magmar drew in all of its energy and fired the awesome beam! Staryu was it and taken down! Fourth victory to DJ!

Calling Staryu back, Misty took out another PokeBall and commanded, "Come out, Starmie!". Starmie popped out, revealing itself in full glory. Calling Magmar back, DJ was smiling. "This match should be fun. LET'S WIN THIS ONE, MATTHEW!", DJ shouted out. From another UltraBall, out popped a large but sleek Rapidash! The fire horse was burning up, literally! "Starmie, use Water Gun! Try to drench that horse!", Misty told it. Like Staryu, Starmie fired a large blast of water from its top and hit Rapidash. Although fire was weak against water, Rapidash was still standing! "Matthew, use your Agility and close in on Starmie. Then, use your Fire Blast!", DJ commanded. Closing in fast and avoiding the Starmie's water attack, Rapidash got close enough and let loose his powerful flame. The flames were intense and Starmie backed away quickly. "Now, finish it off with Hyper Beam!", DJ shouted out. The horse gathered up enough energy and blasted Starmie away! The star was out!

Misty was worried as she called back Starmie and she was even more worried as she took out her last PokeBall. "It all up to you. Let's hope I get this right. Come on out, Psyduck!", Misty shouted out. Out popped Psyduck and it was very funny to watch this duck fight. DJ smiled and said, "Psyduck's a good choice. But now, witness a Pokemon with awesome power and speed! I CHOOSE YOU, DANIEL!". He threw out a PokeBall and out popped the most powerful Charizard anyone has ever seen! "Psyduck, use Confusion on it!", Misty commanded. Psyduck's headache worsened and it released a heavy load of mental energy! The attack did some decent damage on Charizard, but it retaliated with its Flamethrower technique. Psyduck was burned bad and it was running around screaming in pain. Charizard flew around while blocking Psyduck from using any attacks with Fire Spin. "Psyduck, use Disable! Try to disable one of its attacks!", Misty shouted out. Psyduck concentrated hard and it soon glowed blue. Charizard glowed blue and DJ found out that its Hyper Beam was disabled! "Daniel, finish this match quick with Fire Blast!", DJ commanded. Charizard roared out in full fury and began to power up. Misty didn't know what to do, and sure enough, Charizard let loose his mighty flame attack! Psyduck was out and the battle was over!

            DJ called back Charizard and called Ash and his two girls up. "You tried and I was impressed by your determination. Although I won, there is another way to earn this badge. Ash, its up to these two girls now. Ready?", DJ told them all. Ash was puzzled, but soon DJ pushed a button on his throne. A floor opened up beneath Ash, May, and Misty. The three plummeted to the ground below. The floor closed and DJ called Amber. "You may go with them.", DJ told her. Amber nodded and went to where the trio was. DJ teleported to his room and turned on his T.V. "I hope that this will be good.", he said to himself. Meanwhile, the three hit the ground after a long fall. Smarting from the fall, they got up and looked around. Suddenly, the pitch-black room was lit up to reveal that they were in a carnival! Rides, games, and attractions by the thousands were set up before them! Lots of people were there and the scene was beautiful. Misty was about to ask Ash if he wanted to go on one of the rides, but soon, Amber showed up. Lovingly grabbing Ash by both arms, she and May took Ash on a tour of the carnival. Misty shouted a protest, but it was drowned out by the noise of the crowd. She was on her own. She took Togapi and both went to tour the carnival.

            After a while, Misty got bored and took Togapi to a Pokemon Nursery. She was still sad that Ash wasn't with her. On her way through the carnival grounds, she saw Ash with the other two girls, playing games and riding rides. He tried to make time for her, but May and Amber quickly took him away from her as soon as he was near her. Misty was very sad and very angry. After looking up from her standing position, she saw that one of the pieces of wooden boards that held up the nursery had writing on it. She read it and it said, "Nothing is worth having, unless you're willing to fight for it.". Misty closed her eyes and saw the memories that were buried in her mind. She saw on how much she and Ash have been through, ever since they first met. She smiled and a happy tear drop came from her left eye. But then, she saw on how May came in and what has happened since then. She grew very angry, but it was nothing when she now saw Amber and May with Ash. Opening her eyes, she now knew what to do. Leaving Togapi with a caretaker at the nursery, she went out to look for Ash and confront the two girls. After a frantic search for about 25 minutes, she saw Ash being forcefully put into a boat in the shape of a swan by May and Amber. Ash was noe sandwiched between them. Misty saw the ride's sign and it said, The Tunnel of Love. Misty was now burning with unbelievable rage and fury. Quickly, after the three went into the tunnel, Misty jumped into the pool of the ride and started to swim underneath the water, following the boat. "This time... IT'S PERSONAL!!!", Misty said to herself in her mind.

            Inside the dark cavern, the girls were enjoying every minute with Ash. He took them to the Ferris wheel, played games, rode the roller coasters, and won them prizes of every kind. Ash was very sleepy and asked if he could lay his head down. The two agreed and Amber gently, and lovingly, laid his head down on her lap. He slept peacefully while the two talked. "He is something else, isn't he? I just like to be with him.", Amber said to May. She smiled down upon Ash and nodded. "Yeah, he's sweet and handsome. As well as a very good Trainer. He treats Pokemon more like friends then fighters.", May whispered. They both began to stroke his hair lovingly. The two were near a waterfall when suddenly, the boat began to speed up. "What's happening?!", May shouted in panic. Ash woke up, but then the boat collided into shore! The trio was tossed into the air and Ash's head smashed into the solid wall! He was knocked out-cold. The girls, after recovering from their flight, went to check up on Ash. Before they got to him, the water behind them started to bubble. The two turned around and saw the bubbles getting bigger and bigger until... MISTY JUMPED OUT FROM THE WATER!!! The duo were surprised, but very angry when they saw Misty quickly running and comforting Ash. She laid his head down gently and kissed his forehead. But, as soon as she looked at the others, her eyes were on fire! "You try to steal the one I love... YOU WILL PAY!!!", she screamed at them as she charged at them at the speed of a freight train!

Tackling both down, the trio now got into a monstrous catfight! Punching, kicking, biting, and throwing each other around, the three made the WWF seem mild by comparison! Misty grabbed May by the hair, swung her around five times, and threw her hard! Then, she grabbed Amber, picked her up, and gave her a monster of a running power slam! After the two attacks, the duo slowly got up, recovered, and attacked Misty with such fury! First, May lifted Misty up and gave her a gigantic JackKnife! Then, Amber picked her up and gave her a high-flying back-breaker! The trio were mixing it up, like never before in history! After 1½ hour of fighting, Misty slowly got up from the duo's attacks. "You... two... can... have... Ash... but, it's... over... my... dead... body.", Misty said to them coldly. The duo smirked and both said, "Now, that's a deal worth taking!". The trio were about to rumble again when a voice cut in, "STOP!!! THAT IS ENEOUGH!". Suddenly, the world was enveloped in darkness, then in a moment, the four were standing near the entrance of the PokeCenter. DJ, Brock, and the entire citizens of Imagination City were there, waiting for them. "Quick, let's bring Ash in here to rest.", Nurse Joy told them while pointing to the center. The trio agreed and slowly, gently, picked up Ash. The rest helped as they all entered the PokeCenter. The three girls were pretty messed up, so they healed themselves in the showers that were in the center. After an hour, the three got out of the showers, got dressed, and quickly went to the ward to check up on Ash.

The girls got there, only to find Ash surrounded by girls. He was still unconscious and the crowd of girls were watching over him. Misty, May, and Amber got so mad, that they chased the entire lot of girls out. After that, they shut the doors behind them, locked it, and kept a close eye on Ash. After 30 minutes, he started to come around. He woke up slowly, seeing the girls ever so watchful over him. He moaned as he got up from his bed. The three rushed quickly to his side. "Are you all right, Ash?", Misty asked him. He rubbed his head and answered, "I've been better. But, yes. I'm okay.". May asked, "Did you see what happened before you became unconscious?". He shook his head. The others looked relived. Suddenly, the group were teleported and appeared near the exit of Imagination City. DJ was there to greet them, with Brock coming to be with them. "Congratulations, Ash Katchem from Pallet Town! You have earned the Imagination Badge! Here you go!", DJ told him as he pointed to his jacket. Ash opened his jacket and saw the badge pinned on, next to all of his original eight badges he won at the Gyms. He smiled, but then asked, "How did I win it?". DJ grinned and answered, "You have your girlfriends to thank. But, they like it to keep it a secret. I think its for the best.". Ash looked at May, Misty, and Amber, who were blushing as red as a rose. Amber shook it off and said, "I decided to go on my own journey. I'm leaving here to compete in the Indigo Plateau.". She winked at Ash, who blushed as red as ever. Misty and May were both annoyed and sandwiched Ash between them. He sighed out, but before the group left, he thanked the city for everything. The citizens waved good-bye and shouted for him to comeback soon. He promised he would, soon. The group left the city, only to find themselves near the entrance to the Indigo Plateau League! Amber kissed Ash good-bye, took out one of her Pokemon, a Pidgeot, and flew off. "See you later, lover boy!", she shouted to Ash before she flew off. He blushed again, but May and Misty were seething in rage.

DJ Rodriguez was back on Monster Island, looking at the ocean. "That was something else. Making that phony city and battling Ash. The badge and its powers are real, but that city was not. Amber and the citizens are real, but they are now returned to their original cities, with only the city and the battle in their memories. Ash, this time, you got to battle the League and the hearts of the ones who love you.", DJ said to himself. He went to the middle of the island, and began to wrestle around with all of the monsters. Now that, anyone can just imagine! See ya!

THE END