Sorry this has taken so long! The transition from high school to college has been tough on me, and Stets hasn't been able to help me out! But don't worry, we will be getting back into writing shortly. Meanwhile, enjoy this newest edition of From Childhood to Destiny!
Present day…
Skylar sat in the elevated seats of the Fortree City gym, biting her nails as she watched the scene in front of her unfold. The delcatty to her right chewed on its claws in the same fashion, eyes fixated on the battlefield.
"Lairon, rock tomb!"
"Dodge it, Swellow and use wing attack once more!"
Large boulders appeared in the air above the steel type and were launched at the airborne swellow. The bird pokemon dodged each rock in turn with blinding speed and, once directly above Lairon, it dove. Its wings shone a brilliant white, and collided directly with Lairon's head.
"Ron!" it roared. The attack appeared to do nothing more than make the pokemon angry.
"Rock tomb again!" commanded Carson from his trainer box.
"Get higher in the air!" the Fortree gym leader Ava called. Swellow flapped hard, but was having trouble gaining altitude. Attacking directly on Lairon's hard hide had injured its wing, and it was struggling.
Rocks formed above Lairon once more and were launched at Swellow, but this time it wasn't fast enough to dodge. Rocks pelted Swellow's body, and the flying type crashed into the gym floor, knocked out.
"Swellow is unable to battle," declared the referee.
"Yes!" cheered Sky from the sidelines.
"Catty delcat!" meowed Delcatty excitedly.
"Great job, Lairon," Carson encouraged. He squared his feet, ready for his opponent's final pokemon.
Ava smiled and returned Swellow with a flash of red light. "You may think you have this won, but think again! Go, Altaria!" She threw a ball in the air, and light flowed out like water onto the battlefield.
The light solidified into a fluffy, yet formidable pokemon. The dragon type floated above the ground like a cloud, which was fitting as it appeared to be sitting in one.
"Taria," it hummed like the breeze.
"We won't be beat!" Carson announced. "Let's go, rock tomb once more!"
"Altaria, get in the air!" commanded Ava. The cloud surrounding Altaria shifted and opened, revealing that it was actually a pair of wings. It soared high in the gym, level with Sky's seat. She gaped in awe at its grace. She promised herself that she would one day train her own Altaria to fly as smoothly and beautifully as the gym leader's.
Lairon's attack missed completely, the rocks crashing into the floor once again.
"Earthquake, Altaria!"
The dragon type dove straight for the battlefield and, pulling up just before crashing, flapped its wings. The motion created a shockwave that entered the ground and caused it to start shaking. The gym floor began to move in waves, knocking Lairon on his back and tossing him around.
"Lair!" it cried, panicky.
"Stay strong Lairon. You can do this!" Carson said with a mask of confidence.
The rock type was thrown around a few more times before the earth stopped shaking. Altaria floated in the air, waiting for its next command.
Lairon didn't move. Sky could not tear her eyes from the sight.
"Get up," she whispered. "Oh!"
Lairon was moving, but this was not the shocking part. It was also turning a brilliant shade of white. It grew and grew, standing on two legs and growing a large horn. "Aggron!" it roared.
"Yes yes yes!" squealed Sky. She hugged Delcatty excitedly. "Go get 'em Carson!"
"Awesome!" cheered Carson. But he wasn't letting up just yet. He knew that Aggron was still very weak from that last attack. "Alright, let's try a metal claw, Aggron!"
"Gron!" it roared again, and charged directly at Altaria.
"Get in the sky and use earthquake again!" shouted Ava.
Altaria flapped downward to gain altitude, and its wing was eye level with Aggron. The steel type slashed at the fluffy white wing, knocking it sideways. But it was not enough to stop Altaria. Though wobbly, the pokemon managed to take off to the sky again.
It dove, and, flapping its wings at the optimal moment, created a second earthquake. This one was not as massive as the first, but was enough to take down Aggron. The rock type hit the ground hard, and was out.
"Aggron is unable to battle," announced the ref. Carson returned Aggron in a blanket of red light.
"You did great buddy," he said before clipping the ball into his belt. Altaria hovered above the ground once more. Carson narrowed his eyes.
Even on his last pokemon, Carson wasn't yet beginning to panic. He knew that his ace in the hole could get the job done. "Feraligatr, let's go!"
Liquid light poured out of the pokeball and solidified into the big jaw pokemon. "Fera!" he growled.
"Go Feraligatr!" Sky cheered. Feraligatr looked up at her and grinned. He stomped his feet and squared his shoulders, ready for Altaria to make a move.
"Alright Altaria get in the air!"
"Aim carefully and use surf!"
Altaria flapped its wings and got airborne as Feraligatr prepared his surf attack. He swung his tail around his body, creating a wave out of thin air that crested at the apex of the arc. He launched the wave at the nimble Altaria, who flew in circles around the water type. Feraligatr continued to launch waves, trying to guess where Altaria would be after dodging the previous attack.
"Get above him and use dragonbreath!" commanded Ava. Altaria flapped hard, zipping back and forth through the air like an acrobat, and soared directly over Feraligatr.
"Counter with surf! Shield yourself!" Carson yelled. Blue and yellow flames poured out of Altaria's beak like water, headed straight down towards Feraligatr. The water type used his tail to flip the water over his shoulder, creating a wave that encased his body. He twisted and turned like a dancer, spinning the water around and around, creating a flowing shield. The flames were doused as soon as they hit the barrier, leaving Feraligatr untouched.
"Amazing!" Sky cheered. She looked at Delcatty. "Feraligatr must have been watching us train for the contest. That was so graceful!"
"Catty!" agreed Delcatty.
"Great Feraligatr!" Carson encouraged. "Use toxic while Altaria is close to you!"
"Dodge it!" screamed Ava, panicky. Altaria flapped hard, but it had lost altitude when using dragonbreath, and couldn't escape fast enough.
Purple sludge shot out of Feraligatr's mouth like a missile, and hit Altaria cleanly in the belly. A purple aura encased its body, and the dragon type winced. It sunk lower to the ground.
"Try surf again!" Carson commanded, tasting victory.
"Block it with dragonbreath!" shouted Ava. The two pokemon's attacks clashed in the air, neither prevailing. But, Altaria winced again, giving Feraligatr his chance. He pushed the attack through, soaking the cottony wings of the flying type. Altaria sank to the ground, landing for the first time on the battlefield.
"Let's finish this with ice fang!"
"Not so fast. Hold him off for as long as you can, and use sing!" Ava cried out, knowing her plan was desperate.
Altaria began to sing a sweet lullaby to Feraligatr. But it was too late. The big jaw pokemon's fangs turned a clear blue, and bit down hard on Altaria's soft wings. Altaria had just enough time to finish the song before fainting, and both pokemon fell to the ground.
The referee ran to the collapsed pokemon and gave his final say. "Altaria is unable to battle, and because Feraligatr has the ability to wake up and continue, Carson and Feraligatr are the winners!"
"Yes!" cheered Sky from the second-floor bleachers. She stood in a rush, and sprinted down the stairs, Delcatty at her heels. She arrived on the battlefield and grinned in Carson's direction.
Carson smiled back as he jogged over to the sleeping Feraligatr. He kneeled down next to the water type, and shook his shoulders. He woke up and bared his fangs in a toothy grin.
"We won bud!" Carson said excitedly.
"Congratulations," Ava said as she approached. Her long, black hair covered her face as she looked over her fainted pokemon. She returned Altaria into its pokeball and pulled out a small bag from her pocket. "That was a great battle, you're pokemon are very skilled."
"Thank you," Carson said, blushing. Sky rolled her eyes.
"As the Fortree gym leader, and the sixth gym leader in the Hoenn League, I am proud to present you with the Feather Badge!" She opened the small satin bag and shook it over her hand. A small, turquoise badge fell into her palm and glistened in the lighting of the gym. It was feather shaped, with a silver lining and a bluish interior that seemed to capture every beam of light and reflect it in varying hues of blue, green, purple, and silver.
Carson bowed his head. "Thank you Ava." He pulled out his pokedex and pushed the 'badge acceptor' icon on the touch screen, and laid it flat in his hand. A small, rotating square spun in the center of the screen, and two thin scanners rose out of the body of the machine. Ava placed the badge in the center of the square, and it stopped spinning, turning a greenish-blue. The scanners shone a red light all over the little badge, and it dissolved into particles of light as it was absorbed into the pokedex, much like a pokemon is absorbed into a pokeball. A crystal clear image of the badge appeared on the touch screen.
"Fortree badge acceptance complete," the little machine beeped. "You may choose from two TM moves: Aerial Ace and Earthquake. Choose wisely."
Carson thought for a while. Both of these moves were very powerful. After a minute, he nodded.
"I'll take earthquake," he announced. He touched the brown colored CD icon on the screen, which enlarged to cover the light blue one. The pokedex beeped again as it saved the data for earthquake to its database.
"Earthquake; a powerful ground type move that shakes the battlefield, damaging everything in its radius," the pokedex beeped.
"Awesome!" said Sky. Carson turned and smiled when he saw her. Sky ran towards him, crossing the battlefield with Delcatty at her side. "You were great! Did you already dissolve the badge?" Carson nodded. The two teens and the gym leader began walking towards the gym's exit. "Which TM did you pick?"
"Earthquake." He grinned, attempting to maintain eye contact. But Sky was already distracted.
"Oh! Ava! Your Altaria was awesome! So graceful, I hope one day mine can match its beauty," she rambled towards the gym leader.
Ava smiled, confused. She looked at Carson. "Is this your girlfriend?"
He opened his mouth to answer, but Sky got to it first. "No, we're just friends." Carson closed his mouth with a snap, and exhaled loudly instead.
Ava gave him a knowing look. "Well you two enjoy the rest of the day. Your next gym will be in Mossdeep city Carson. Good luck." She turned to Sky. "I hope you come back again sometime and I can give you some tips for your Altaria missus…"
"Skylar. But most people call me Sky. I'm a contester." She smiled and shook hands with the flying type gym leader. The automatic door slid open and fresh air flooded the building. Orange light cast shadows on the tile floor as the three said their farewells.
"Well Sky, good luck in Lillycove." Ava smiled and waved as the two trainers made their way out the door.
"Goodbye!" they said in unison, and started towards the pokemon center.
In the orange light of the setting sun, there was one blemish. A forest green helicopter sliced through the sky, appearing to be ebony colored in the receding light. It appeared to be nothing but a speck in the eastern heavens, but the ominous feelings it brought with it were not lessened by distance.
A woman with lime green hair in a harsh ponytail gave barking orders to the men on the chopper. Jade was her name, and her aura was commanding. Her striking figure in the deep green leather suit she wore was not missed by the men in her charge. But she was not one for flattery. Their respect for her was ten times their desire to bed her. No one stepped out of line in her unit without dire consequences.
She and her team sat strapped in in the chamber of the helicopter. "Once again, WHAT is the purpose of this mission?" she questioned. There was silence, then a timid grunt raised his hand.
"Speak," she barked.
"We are to infiltrate the dragon's lair and obtain an egg ma'am," he stuttered. She nodded.
"That is correct. And I don't care what you have to do to get that done, am I clear?" The grunts nodded. "This mission is very important to the future success of Team Revival am I CLEAR?"
"Yes ma'am!" said the voices in unison.
"This will not be like any pokemon you have encountered before. She is the queen bee, and we will be entering her beehive. This flygon will stop at nothing to protect her eggs, but we will stop at nothing to obtain one."
"Yes ma'am!"
"Admin Jade, permission to speak freely?" said a more confident grunt. She nodded. "Admin, why do we need this flygon's eggs? Why not another flygon? One that is less guarded?"
She nodded again. "A logical question, but that information is currently classified. I can tell you this: the boss wants her eggs and her eggs only. All I can tell you is that only the Queen Flygon's eggs will work. That is all you can know."
She looked over each of her grunts. "We will be entering the quarters of the first flygon to ever exist. Trapinch, vibrava, and flygon will be everywhere. Use your pokemon, and do what you must, but the deepest chamber is our goal. If you have a shot, take it. If you get an egg, get out of there. The mission is your first priority, understand?"
"Yes ma'am!"
"Good. We make camp tonight, the assault is on tomorrow."
"And… there you are! Your pokemon are feeling good as new! Thank you for using the pokemon center!" Nurse Joy handed Carson the last of his pokeballs, and he thanked her, and headed upstairs to his room.
Sky was already in bed. Her blonde hair, free of its ponytail, framed her face in a waterfall of loose curls. Delcatty sat on her lap, purring contently as her trainer absentmindedly scratched behind her ears. A notebook was on the bed in front of Sky's crossed legs, and she was focused intently on the writing within.
Carson was careful not to disturb her and quietly slipped into the bathroom. He took out his contacts and grabbed his glasses, brushed his teeth and turned the light off.
"What are you doing?" he asked Sky as he climbed into bed.
"Huh?" she said, glancing up. She flashed her ivory teeth. "Oh this? Just going over my strategy for tomorrow."
"For the twentieth time," he chuckled, but she was already bent back over the notes. Her bedside lamp cast dramatic shadows on the wall, and contrasting highlights on her skin. Carson swallowed and laid down, shutting off his lamp and turning towards the wall.
"Goodnight Carson!" Sky chirped.
"Goodnight Sky."
I haven't been able to get a hold of Stets today, so we will hold off on the questions for this chapter. Please review and favorite! Also check out our other individual stories, Allora Silverfield for me and Drake Smith's Pokémon Adventure for him!