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Pokémon Fan Fiction
The Adventures on the Crimson Isles
Rated 'M' for Language, Violence, and Suggestive Themes
Chapter 10: The Iron Warden
Following another cryptic message from the Benefactor, Ash clears his head for his battle with Xenotime City's Gym Leader, and Serena prepares for her upcoming Showcase, her first on the Crimson Isles. Team Pluto carries out their assault on Team Rocket's hidden vault of Omega Crystal, but their motives remain a mystery. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Pokémon, GameFreak, or Nintendo
Thanks to my beta reader, Wolf.
Kanto Region - Viridian Forest
It was night in Viridian Forest. Nothing particularly out of the ordinary had happened that day. Novice and veteran trainers alike had enjoyed the thrill of fighting against the native Bug-types and relaxing in the cool forest breeze all day. Now, however, the forest was silent, save for the occasional chirp, scuttle, or rustle, but that was nothing unusual.
Deep within the forest, so far off the path that it could never be stumbled upon, was a concrete structure; the entrance to their underground vault of Omega Crystal. Two Team Rocket agents clad in matte black uniforms stood outside on guard.
From the dense vegetation and trees, Team Pluto's strike force emerged the trees like ghosts, silent and wrapped in midnight black cloaks. At some unseen cue, they all pulled violet Pokéballs from their robes.
The Rocket guards didn't know how to respond to this, so one of them reached on their hip for a radio. He hadn't even gotten one word out when an Ariados descended from above and killed them both with a single swipe of one of its razor sharp legs. It landed deftly on the ground, leaving a wispy trail of thin, white web hanging from the tree above.
Macaria emerged from the darkness, her dark purple hood obscuring her face from view. She tossed off her hood, revealing her signature scowling frown and short, bright red hair.
"Time to move."
The Countess motioned forward, and several members of the strike team shuffled forward. They deployed various Rock and Steel-types, which all blasted the thick iron door with their respective elemental attacks. When the smoke cleared, they'd hardly made a dent.
"Stop," Macaria commanded, stepping forward. She withdrew a violet Pokéball from within her robes, and deployed its contents. Crobat appeared in a flash, its wings flapping ominously in the inky, black sky
"Use Sludge Bomb."
A huge globule of purple acid hurled itself from Crobat's mouth and landed on the thick steel doors. At first, nothing happened. Then after a few seconds, the metal began to smoke and melt, the acid corroding through the door like a hot knife through butter. The acid continued to sizzle through the door until only trace amounts were left, and a sizable hole was left in the steel.
Macaria recalled her two Pokémon and allowed herself the luxury of a smile. This was too easy. If she'd known it would've been this easy, she would've just stayed behind.
"Green light."
The Pluto operatives surged forward into the darkness of the vault. Soon, Macaria was the only one left outside. She strode forward, kicking the arms of one of the Rocket guards to the side. It crunched out of its socket in a disgusting squelch, acid and blood alike dripping from the disembodied limb. Macaria gasped in horror as she rushed into the vault after her inferiors.
Inside, the two sides' Pokémon were facing off in a violent clash. Macaria quickly scanned the battle and threw out her ace: Ariados.
The Long Leg Pokémon raced forward at lightning speed, shooting jets of sticky web from its mouth at any opposition, human or Pokémon, that came near it. An enemy Butterfree shot a spray of Sleep Powder at Ariados, but it scuttled up the wall and onto the ceiling, before jumping down and defeating the Butterfly Pokémon with a single Fell Stinger. Seeing the new threat, two enemy Magmar blasted Ariados with Flamethrower attacks, but the Long Leg Pokémon scuttled straight into the fire, coming out seemingly unscathed. The tips of Ariados's legs lit up purple, and the two Magmar were plowed into by Ariados's Poison Jab attack. They hurled into the wall, denting the steel, and falling unconscious immediately.
Macaria casually walked through the hallway, all of the Rocket agents being stalled by her forces. Her Ariados had taken out the stronger opposition, and it was now up to the strike team to incapacitate the rest of the guards.
Ariados continued blasting the enemy Pokémon with Pin Missile attacks until, suddenly, four sharp fangs clamped down on its midsection. It squealed in pain and thrashed about in its attacker's mouth. Clearing its head, Ariados jumped as high as it could. Its attacker disengaged and fell to the ground. Ariados landed and finally got to see who had the gall to attack it.
Petrel's Raticate glared at Ariados, flanked by the Rocket Admin himself, as well as Proton and his Weezing.
"Insects are nothing beside my mighty rat!" Petrel sneered.
Macaria had seen what happened, and rushed forward, deploying Vespiquen and Gliscor along the way. "Rocket scum! Get off my Ariados!" The Countess withdrew a violet Pokéball and recalled Ariados.
"The Team Pluto Countess," Proton snarled. "Macaria, I presume."
Macaria glared daggers at Proton, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth. "Shut it, you inferior piece of shit."
With that, Vespiquen and Gliscor charged into battle against Raticate and Weezing, both fighting for the most powerful substance in the world.
Miner's Isle - Xenotime City
"Read it again," Iris said, stuffing a bite of hash browns in her mouth.
Ash sighed, and began to read again. "Pluto lurks ahead in time. The Crystal is in the Clearing."
Iris snatched the note and examined it closely, furiously chewing her potatoes while thinking just as hard. "Oh, look there!" She exclaimed suddenly. "The 'C' in Crystal is slightly smaller than the one in Clearing! That's gotta mean something!"
Ash and Serena rolled their eyes and exchanged a grin, but said nothing.
Hayden frowned. "May I see?" He asked politely.
Iris pawned off the paper and threw another bite of hash browns in her mouth in defeat.
Hayden brought the paper close to his face and glared at the words. "Yes, yes, you're definitely right. The 'C's' are different sizes."
"I highly doubt that has anything to do with...anything," Serena interjected.
"If I may, have you received any other messages from this...Benefactor?" Hayden asked. "And if you have, may I see them?"
Iris nodded impatiently and picked up her backpack from between her legs. She dug around a bit, but eventually pulled out another white envelope, identical to the one from they'd received last night. She zipped up her backpack, threw it back under the table, and tossed the envelope in the middle of the table.
Ash picked it up immediately and scanned the note quickly. "What is this?" He demanded.
Serena giggled. "Iris found it on her doorstep the morning of your Gym Battle with Vladimyr."
Ash grinned. "Ooh, Iris. Someone's got a secret admirer!"
"That's what I said!" Serena snorted, and Ash planted a kiss on her head, laughing as well.
"Little kids! Both of you!" Iris grumbled in embarrassment, but the couple continued to laugh. Even Hayden chuckled lightly, but stopped when Iris turned to him, quickly picking up his glass of water to take a large gulp, to cover his face from her piercing glare.
When it was clear Iris's attention had been diverted, Hayden picked up the Benefactor's first letter from Ash, and read it over. "That's quite vague, no? It could be a trick."
"Yeah, that's what we thought," Serena said, wiping a tear from her eye.
Iris snatched up both of the papers and lay them next to each other. "There's probably a secret message...or something. It's...hmm, what's that...oh just some dust. Wait, is that a secret code?"
As Iris continued muttering to herself, Hayden and Serena finished up their breakfasts, Ash having already finished his and Iris having momentarily forgotten about her's. They dumped their trays in a nearby trashcan, joking about Iris's mental state and her general *aggressive* demeanor.
"I think she likes you," Serena commented as she slid back onto the bench, next to Ash.
"You think so?" Hayden said, taking his place next to the Unovan Champion to-be.
Serena shrugged with a smile. Iris was still studying the two notes, and seemed to be oblivious to their conversation, despite it being about her.
The violet-haired Champion finally looked up from her work. "Nothing. Nothing but words on paper."
"Well then," Ash said, standing up and shouldering his backpack. "We should probably get going. I want to leave as much time for Serena to practice for her Performance as possible. Which means I need to win as soon as possible."
"And if you lose?" Iris chortled.
Ash straightened as cap and looked directly at her. "Not an option."
Iris raised an eyebrow, but Ash was already walking towards the door. Serena turned around and gave a wink, to which Iris wiggled her eyebrows in crass suggestion. Serena glared back at the violet-haired Champion, and Hayden stepped in between them.
"What is this? A silent conversation?" He asked innocently.
"Agh, forget it," Iris grinned, and she and Hayden walked out behind the couple.
The quartet hopped on a public bus after obtaining directions to the Gym from Nurse Joy. The bus clattered through the busy streets of Xenotime City, sailing down street after street. Finally, they arrived at the bus stop nearest the Gym, and they got off there. From there they walked a block until they arrived at another skyscraper, seemingly no different from all the others in the City.
It was taller than most of the surrounding buildings, however not taller than the black obelisk of Top Amulet Tower, about a half a mile away. The Gym was silver, looking slightly more modern than the rest of the buildings, which were more brown and gray in color. The symbol of the Pokémon League sat just above the sliding glass doors, which Ash promptly stepped through.
A blast of cool air met him, and he surveyed his surroundings. He was in a small waiting room, much smaller than he would've anticipated, given the size of the building. An elevator sat at the far end of the room, just beside a receptionist's desk, which Ash walked over to.
"Excuse me, do you know where I can find the Gym Leader? I've come for a Gym Battle with the Iron Warden."
The woman behind the desk smiled sweetly. "Floor thirty. Good luck. Willium is a tough opponent."
Ash thanked the receptionist, and the four of them headed into the elevator. Ash pressed the thirty button and they were off.
"So Ash, do you think your newest Pokémon is up for this?" Hayden asked. "Its first official battle against a Gym Leader?"
Ash shrugged. "I've trained it as much as I could. There's nothing I can do about it now if it isn't."
"And if you do, somehow, lose?" Iris questioned. "We should have a plan if that happens."
Ash nodded. "You're right. If...if I lose...we'll have to go on to the next Isle for Serena's Showcase...then, come back here, I guess, for a rematch."
Hayden planted a hand on Ash's shoulder. "This won't be a problem. I am confident you will win. Have faith in Ash, Iris."
Iris threw up a sarcastic thumbs-up as the doors of the elevator opened. "No pressure."
The elevator opened up directly into vast battlefield chamber. Willium himself sat at the opposite end of the battlefield, drumming on the top of a pickaxe. Upon seeing the new arrivals, he stood up and then walked over to greet Ash.
He was tall, well over six feet. His body bristled with strength, but his older age gave him a pocket of pudge on his stomach as his muscle melted into fat. He had an old-fashioned handlebar moustache, and his hair was graying. He wore a simple gray button up shirt and gray sweats. A squashed up nose suggested he was a boxer before becoming a miner. Three Pokéballs were clipped to his belt.
"Hmph!" He said, frowning down on the raven-haired boy.
Ash was taken aback. "Uh, I'm Ash, and I'm here to challenge you. This is my girlfriend Serena, and, um, that's Iris and Hayden."
Willium nodded and motioned to the stands.
Iris and Hayden headed up after giving Ash pats on the back for luck. Serena locked eyes with Ash and gave him a peck on the lips.
"Win for me, okay?" She said.
Ash smiled. "Always."
Serena broke away and walked up into the bleachers, blowing him a kiss when she was situated.
A referee had come out of the gate on the opposite end of the chamber, and he positioned himself on the sidelines. Willium took his place back at his end of the battlefield, and Ash walked into his spot as well.
"This will be a three-on-three match between Ash, the challenger, and Willium, the Gym Leader. The match will be over when either side's Pokémon are unable to continue. Furthermore, only the challenger is permitted to substitute Pokémon. The challenger will have the first move."
Willium gave a gruff smile and pulled a Pokéball from his belt. He enlarged it and lobbed it onto the battlefield. Doublade appeared in a flash of light, hovering above the ground.
"Doublade, huh?" Ash murmured. "Well then, I choose you! Palpitoad, go!"
Ash threw out Palpitoad's Pokéball, and the Vibration Pokémon materialized into the chamber, its tongue whipping back and forth.
"Very well," the referee said. "Battle, begin!"
~ Pokémon Trainer Ash V.S. Leader Willium ~
"Let's get started!" Ash grinned. "Palpitoad, Mud Shot now!"
Willium smirked and grunted. "Hmph!"
Doublade seemed to understand its partner's command, as it rocketed to the side as the globs of mud sailed past it.
Ash frowned. Willium hadn't said a word since they walked in; all he'd done was grunt. That would make fighting him much more difficult.
"Hrfff!" WIllium bellowed.
Doublade blitzed forward, its body cascading into shadows as it went, until, once it was almost upon Palpitoad, it was just a thick purple cloud of fog. It lashed into the Vibration Pokémon, sending into sprawling backwards, before billowing back to its own side of the field, where it solidified back into twin swords.
Ash gaped. "What was that? Shadow...Sneak?" He thought aloud.
"C'mon Ash!" Serena yelled from the bleachers. "You can do it, I know you can!"
Ash shook his head. Serena was right. He needed to get his head back in the fight if he wanted any hopes of winning.
"Alright Palpitoad, Muddy Water! As wide as you can! Don't let it dodge!"
Palpitoad inhaled, then blasted a huge torrent of brown liquid at the Sword Pokémon.
Willium grunted again, and Doublade crossed its swords, blocking the attack and sending it up in a plume of water all around it.
Ash glared at the battle as a bead of sweat dripped down his neck. This was going to be tougher than he'd originally thought.
"Palpitoad, return," the raven-haired trainer commanded, and the Vibration Pokémon was sucked back into its Pokéball. "Pikachu, it's your turn. Get in there and turn this around for us!"
"Pika pika-chu!" The Mouse Pokémon chanted.
Willium smiled and shrugged, as if that switch wouldn't help him at all.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt now!"
Static swirled around Pikachu like paper on a windy day. A powerful electric attack charged from its cheeks, and launched itself at Doublade. The Sword Pokémon took the attack full-on, Pokémon nor trainer making any attempt to dodge or block. When the static cleared, Doublade looked the same.
Ash grit his teeth. "Alright then, try Electro Ball! Get in close!"
PIkachu nodded and raced across the sand towards Doublade. When it was close, electricity began to crackle on its tail, slowly forming into a sphere of lightning.
"Hmph!" Willium snorted.
Doublade flew forward and twirled its swords expertly before dipping down and slicing up on Pikachu. At the same time, Pikachu's Electro Ball collided into it, and the two attacks generated a wild spew of smoke as Pikachu leapt back onto its side with minor injuries.
"That was definitely Aerial Ace," Ash murmured. "But why use a Flying-type move on an Electric-type like Pikachu?"
"Hurrr!" Willium roared.
Doublade flew forward and raised its swords, preparing to strike.
"Dodge!" Ash yelled.
At the last second, Pikachu slipped to the side just as Doublade's Slash attack came crashing down on the spot it'd been moments ago.
"Now, while it's close, hit it with Iron Tail!" Ash shouted. He'd almost said Quick Attack, but he quickly remembered Doublade was also a Ghost-type, so naturally, Normal-type moves didn't affect it.
Pikachu grinned and brought its hardened tail crashing down on the Sword Pokémon. Doublade hummed in pain as it crumpled to the ground, despite the type resistance.
"Capitalize, and use Thunderbolt!"
"Aghhh!" William commanded.
Pikachu shot an arc of electricity at Doublade, who promptly deflected the attack yet again by crossing its swords. The Sword Pokémon then hovered back to its side of the battlefield.
"Raghhah!" Willium squawked.
Doublade's form began to sparkle, becoming shinier and shinier by the second. When the glisten faded, although the was seemingly no difference, Ash knew exactly what had just happened.
"Iron Defense," he spat. "That rules out Iron Tail...not that it matters much," he thought a moment before delivering his next command. "Iron Tail, let's go!"
Pikachu dashed towards Doublade, tail hardening as it went. Willium, knowing not to underestimate his opponent, grunted out another command, and Doublade began morphing into purple fog once more. Once close enough, Pikachu swung his tail at the mass of smoke that had become Doublade. It passed through harmlessly, and Doublade lunged at Pikachu. The Mouse Pokémon wailed into agony as it bounced across the ground, but Ash already had a plan in mind.
"Now Pikachu! Get up and use Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu heaved itself up and blasted a bolt of electricity at the mass of smoke that was slowly transforming back into Doublade. Electricity arced through the cloud, and since Doublade wasn't in its physical form, it was unable to block the attack. When it finally did solidify, it lay in a singed heap on the ground of the field, unconscious.
"Doublade is unable to battle! This round goes to Pikachu and Ash."
"Nice job buddy," Ash congratulated. "Now c'mere and take a rest."
Willium's face was stoic as he beamed Doublade back into its Pokéball, whispering a few words to it before securing back on his belt.
"Good job Ash!" Serena hollered from the stands.
Ash grinned back up the bleachers and blew up a kiss, to which he saw Serena blush, and Iris roll her eyes in amusement. Hayden just smiled, looking more excited to be watching the Gym Battle, than the antics between the other three.
Willium grunted, and Ash turned back to the field. The Gym Leader threw out another Pokéball, which opened to reveal the whirling, hovering form of Klang.
"Klang, huh?" Ash muttered. "Alright then, I choose you!"
Ash unclipped a Pokéball from his belt, and Serena instantly recognized it as his newest addition, the one he'd received from the Vulcan Tournament.
The Pokéball sailed through the air, and snapped open to reveal...
"Fenn-ekin!" The Fox Pokémon snarled.
Willium raised his eyebrows at his opposition, but seemed to decide against grunting something Ash wouldn't even be able to understand anyways.
"Alright Fennekin, just as we practiced, okay?" Ash said, pumping his fist.
"Fenn-e-kin!" Fennekin confirmed, punching out its front paw as well.
"Hmph," Willium smirked.
"Battle, resume!"
"Rahhh!" Willium roared.
Klang zipped forward and unhinged its gears, swiveling them so they were positioned around Fennekin.
"Fennekin, dodge!" Ash screamed, and the Fox Pokémon sidestepped just as Klang's gears crashed together, spinning furiously.
"That was Gear Grind," Ash murmured.
"Hnhhh!" Willium commanded.
Klang turned toward Fennekin and began charging a Flash Cannon, silver light collecting in front of its spinning gears. The attack finished charging and Klang launched it at the Fox Pokémon.
"Use Flamethrower!"
A spray of fire spewed from Fennekin's mouth, and burned through the incoming Steel-type attack. It continued on and blasted the Gear Pokémon.
The air above Klang shimmered, and a red Air Balloon faded into view. It remained visible for a view seconds before vanishing and reappearing above Fennekin. Then it disappeared again.
"Nice Fennekin! You got Klang's Air Balloon with your Magician ability!" Ash exclaimed.
Willium frowned, but quickly regained his composure and fired off another grunt-command.
Klang's gears started to rotate faster and faster, static electricity fizzling around them. Soon, they were spinning so fast that pure electricity cascaded from Klang's form.
"Watch out Fennekin! That's Discharge!" Ash warned. "When it launches its attack, use Light Screen!"
Lightning exploded from Klang and a golden crest of light erupted in front of Fennekin. Electricity crackled about the battlefield, and every time a tendril of it hit the Light Screen, it would lose some of its power before slipping through the barrier and hitting Fennekin. Soon, the attack ended and the Light Screen faded.
Willium nodded in satisfaction, clearly having previously underestimated Fennekin, but now seeing it was trained well, despite its low evolutionary form.
Ash grinned. His immense training session with Fennekin had clearly paid off. Learning Flamethrower and Light Screen on top of the standard Scratch and Growl had been the biggest upside, but Ash was still amazed that he'd been lucky enough to receive a Fennekin with its hidden ability. According to Hayden, they'd been selected at random from his father's Pokémon ranch.
Ash made a mental note of remembering that the Air Balloon had been incinerated before giving his next command. "Alright Fennekin, now use Flamethrower!"
A column of fire shot from Fennekin's open maw as it raced towards the Gear Pokémon.
"Hmph!"
Klang blitzed away from the fire as Fennekin sweeped the flame after it. Eventually, however, Fennekin couldn't keep the attack up any longer and was forced to accept that Klang had dodged the attack.
Ash grit his teeth. Was Fennekin still not trained well enough? No, this was the Crimson Isles. The Gym Leaders were tougher, it was as simple as that. Victory wouldn't just fall into his hands.
"Fennekin, Scratch, let's go!"
The Fox Pokémon raced forward towards Klang, claws alight with energy. He glanced at Willium. The Gym Leader was paying the attack no mind. His loss.
Fennekin was just closing in on Klang when Ash shouted his next command.
"Flamethrower, full power!"
Willium's eyes widened, and if Klang had eyes, it probably would've too. A searing inferno of fire blasted from Fennekin's mouth right into the Gear Pokémon, who went flying across the battlefield before crashing to the ground.
Ash leaned forward in an effort to peer through the rising smoke, to see if Klang was down. However, when the smoke cleared a bit, the silhouette of the Steel-type wavered through the gray. Klang's gears whirred eerily as it pushed a clump of sand out from between its gears. When the clump disintegrated, Klang continued its ominously slow rotations.
"What! That was a super effective attack at point-blank range! And that thing is still standing!" Ash thought incredulously.
The sound of Willium's low claps echoed through the cavernous battle chamber. The Gym Leader was smiling...or was he smirking? Ash couldn't tell, for his mouth was partly covered by a bushy, gray moustache.
"Hmpah!" Willium shouted, pointing at Fennekin.
Klang's gears began to spin faster and faster as static dripped from the metal. Soon it they were spinning so fast that Klang itself began to become engulfed in a bright sphere of glaring electricity.
"Fennekin...!" Ash sputtered, still in shock that his last move hadn't taken Klang out. "Use...uh, dodge!"
"Fen!" The Fox Pokémon shrieked as it raced across the battlefield, dodging rogue splatters of electricity that zapped off Klang's sphere.
Then Klang unleashed its Discharge. Electricity rippled from its floating body and ripped across the sand towards Fennekin. Stray bolts flickered up into the ceiling and into the walls. A few even arced towards the stands, but an energy shield around the bleachers protected Serena, Iris, and Hayden. As the sphere continued to expand, Ash could only watch as Fennekin frantically scampered away from the electricity. He himself was beginning to inch away from the battlefield, not knowing on whether to stay in his box and hope the attack would dissipate before it got to him, or let it fry him to a crisp.
Eventually, the attack overtook the entire battlefield, and Ash tore his gaze away from the blinding explosion of light. He felt static pop on his skin, and the hairs on his arm stood up. As the light faded, Ash slowly turned back towards the battlefield.
First, he saw Willium standing triumphantly on the other side, as well as Klang hovering stoically in front of him. Then Ash's gaze fell upon Fennekin. He had just caught the sight of a shimmering translucent, golden box around Fennekin, when the Light Screen cracked and faded away. The Fox Pokémon itself stood firm, eyes clamped shut, soot tarnishing its fur.
Ash simply stared at the sight in front of him, before cracking into a grin. "Alright Fennekin! Finish this with Flamethrower!"
Fennekin's eyes snapped open, as if it had been asleep, and it quickly shot a spray of fire at the unsuspecting Klang. The attack hit dead on, and Klang fell to the ground once more.
Willium frowned. Fennekin's eyes had been shut. It had fainted! But, no. He it was, clear as day, blasting his second Pokémon into unconsciousness!"
"Klang is unable to battle! So the victors of this round are Ash and Fennekin!"
"Yeah! You did it, Fennekin!" Ash cheered. "You won your first battle in a Gym!"
"Pika! Pikachu-pi!" Pikachu cried in delight.
"Fenn!" Fennekin squealing, pouncing on Ash and giving him warm licks to the face. Ash smiled.
"You did great Fennekin. How about you take a break? We might need you against Willium's last Pokémon."
Fennekin smiled back as his trainer beamed him back into his Pokéball.
"This is it," he muttered. "Just one more to go." Despite the fact that he was winning two to zero, Ash's heart still palpitated. Willium was a Gym Leader of the Crimson Isles. Winning couldn't be this easy.
As if to confirm his fears, Willium recalled Klang, and without hesitation, tossed out his last Pokémon.
The Pokéball burst open to reveal the Steel/Flying-type: Skarmory.
"Skarrr-mory!" The Armor Bird Pokémon squawked menacingly.
"You'll be going with Skarmory, then?" Ash said. "Then I'll go back to Pikachu!"
"Pika!" Pikachu growled, leaping onto the battlefield, cheeks glistening with electricity.
"Battle, resume!"
"Shahhh!" Willium roared.
Skarmory's wings flapped furiously as glowing chunks of light began to appear around the Armor Bird Pokémon. Once a decent number of jagged chunks floated around it, Skarmory gave one last beat of its wings, and the chunks shot into the ground beneath Pikachu.
"What in the world was that?" Ash wondered. "It's no use stressing over right now. I need a plan of attack if I want to bring this thing home!" He thought a bit before delivering his first move.
"Pikachu, Electro Ball, let's go!"
"Hmph!"
A crackling orb of electricity whirled into shape on Pikachu's tail, and the Mouse Pokémon threw the ball towards Skarmory. The Armor Bird Pokémon's wings began to glow silver, and it promptly swatted the Electro Ball into the sand.
"Hmm, Steel Wing," Ash muttered.
"Hurahh!" Willium bellowed, thrusting his hand out.
Skarmory flew forward, aligned like a bullet towards Pikachu. Its wings began to glow violet and it swung them forward like swords.
"Dodge Pikachu!"
Pikachu flipped backwards just as a blade of darkness hurled off Skarmory's wings and slammed into the ground where he'd been a second before. Skarmory continued slashing its wings in mid air, sending knives of violet at the rapidly tiring Pikachu. Finally, Pikachu tripped on his foot, and one of the Night Slash attacks hit it across the chest.
"Pika! Pi-ka-chuuu!" Pikachu wailed as it sailed across the battlefield and onto the ground.
"Agh, get up Pikachu!" Ash demanded. "Use Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu lifted itself up creakily and sent a high voltage zap straight towards Skarmory, who was calmly hovering on its side of the field.
"Rahhh!"
Skarmory's entire form glowed pink, and it blitzed to the side so fast it looked to have teleported. Wavering after images trailed its path, and Ash instantly knew the move it had just used was Agility. Pikachu's Thunderbolt darted into the ceiling harmlessly, and Willium smiled.
Ash clenched his fists. He thought he'd had it in the bag; having defeated two of Willium's Pokémon without any casualties. Apparently, the Gym Leader's trump card wouldn't go down like the others. Ash needed a new plan. Skarmory's drastically increased speed gave Willium an enormous upper hand, so he decided to match fight fire with fire.
"Alright Pikachu, Quick Attack, let's go!"
Ash knew Quick Attack only granted Pikachu a short burst of speed, so he'd have to use this small window to hit Skarmory where it hurt. So as Pikachu raced forward, Ash called out his next command.
"Use Electro Ball and Thunderbolt alongside Quick Attack!"
"Pika?!" The Mouse Pokémon squawked, but did as he was told. Electricity danced across its fur and a sphere of electricity began to charge up on its tail.
"Hmphh!"
Skarmory flew up, a pink aura decorating its body as the Agility granted it extra speed. Pikachu launched off the ground like a rocket, electricity trailing behind him like lightning from a storm cloud. The Mouse Pokémon crashed into Skarmory and smoke exploded into the battlefield.
Ash threw up his arm and the rush of sand whipped into his face. He fought desperately through the whirlwind in hopes of seeing the outcome of his attack.
The smoke and sand faded, and both Pokémon lie on top of each other in a heap in the middle of the battlefield.
The referee crained his head in an effort to call the correct result, but it was still unclear.
Then, slowly, Skarmory's arm shifted back to its side and Pikachu slid off its body. Slowly, it raised itself and began beating its wings, rising back into the air, triumphant.
"Pikachu is unable to battle! Therefore, the victor of this round is Willium, the Gym Leader!"
Ash sighed. His trinity of attacks had been miscalculated. He'd been a fool to even consider it. How could Pikachu have pulled off three attacks at once? The acceleration from crashing into Skarmory's metal body must have knocked it out cold, since Skarmory itself didn't perform a damaging attack on Pikachu.
Ash quickly picked up Pikachu and brought him back to his side of the field. Then, Ash tossed out Palpitoad's Pokéball.
"Palll-pi-toad!" The Vibration Pokémon warbled, surveying its new opponent.
The ground beneath Palpitoad's feet began to tremble, and sharp spikes erupted from the sand. Palpitoad squealed in pain as the spikes disappeared back under the sand, waiting for another victim.
"Damn! So that's what Skarmory's first move was!" Ash thought. "Spikes!"
It didn't look like the Spikes had done that much damage on Palpitoad, so Ash now took time to analyze the effect Pikachu's attack had on Skarmory. Much to his dismay, it looked the attack had barely scratched Skarmory's metal body. The only evidence Pikachu had attacked at all was a scorched spot on Skarmory's wing, but other than that, it looked fine.
"Battle, resume!"
"Alright Palpitoad, let's set up an Aqua Ring," Ash said cooly.
"Pal!" Palpitoad agreed, and several orbits of wispy, blue matter swirled into existence around him.
"Hmph!" Willium commanded.
Once again, Skarmory's wings glowed silver, and it raced forward at lightning speed; no doubt another Steel Wing.
"Palpitoad, dodge!"
Palpitoad sidestepped, but Skarmory swerved and bashed into the Vibration Pokémon, sending him sprawling into the sand.
"Damn! I forgot about Agility!" Ash thought. "I need a counter!" He pondered all possible solutions until he thought of a vague possibility. "Could it be?"
"Palpitoad, use Rain Dance!"
Dark clouds formed above the field, and droplets of water began to fall. Soon it was pouring, and everyone on the battlefield was drenched.
"Alright Palpitoad, now use Muddy Water!" Ash commanded, and a blast of brown liquid fired from Palpitoad's gaping mouth.
"Hmph!" Willium roared.
Skarmory dipped and the Muddy Water shot over it. Then, its wings turned purple, and blades of shadow hurled towards Palpitoad.
"Dodge it!"
Willium smirked, knowing a slow, bulbous creature like Palpitoad couldn't possibly dodge the incoming attack.
Nevertheless, Palpitoad zipped to the side and the Night Slash attack careened into the ground beside it.
"Yes! I knew it!" Ash cheered. "You've got Swift Swim!"
Willium simply frowned and fired off another command. "Hrahhh!"
Skarmory's body glowed pink, as it charged up another Agility.
"Oh no you don't!" Ash growled. "Muddy Water, now!"
A torrent of water flew from Palpitoad's mouth, the rain strengthening its power as it rocketed towards the Iron Bird Pokémon. Skarmory, occupied with charging its Agility, was hit dead on by the attack. The mud caked on Skarmory's wings, and it plummeted to the ground.
"Don't give it time to retaliate!" Ash yelled. "Follow up with another Muddy Water!" Again, he almost made the mistake of calling out Mud Shot, but quickly remembered that, as a Flying-type, Skarmory was unaffected, even if it was grounded.
"Rarghh!" Willium hollered.
The blast of water bulleted towards Skarmory. At the last second, the Iron Bird Pokémon threw up a glowing, silver wing. Smoke flooded the battlefield, but when it cleared, Skarmory was revealed to have taken no damage, having deflected the attack with Steel Wing. The mud on its wings had been washed away by the attack, so naturally, it was back in flight.
Ash grit his teeth. He was so close, but clearly, still so very far. Around him, the rain began to cease and the clouds started to fade. Rain Dance wasn't powering up Muddy Water or Palpitoad's speed any longer. He needed to wrap this up quick.
"Alright Palpitoad, Rain Dance again!"
Once again, rain flooded the battlefield, but Ash ignored it, pushing slick, wet hair out of his eyes. Muddy Water was his only attack against Skarmory, so he was already at a disadvantage, so it needed to be powered up at all times.
Willium smirked, as if the battle was already over in his favor. "Hngh!"
Skarmory blitzed forward before Ash even had a chance to react. Over and over Palpitoad was struck with Steel Wing. Finally, the Iron Bird Pokémon let up its assault, and Palpitoad crumpled to the ground in an unconscious heap.
"Palpitoad is unable to battle! The victor of this round is Willium, the Gym Leader!"
Ash's jaw went slack. Palpitoad had been taken out in one move. One not very effective move. He shuddered to think how Fennekin would fare. Fennekin! Fennekin would have to come out in the rain, and the Spikes! He was doomed to lose!"
"Palpitoad...return," Ash said glumly.
Willium grinned. Another challenger that thought he could sweep through just because he'd taken out his first two Pokémon flawlessly. That was, in fact, William's strategy; to lower his opponent's guard by letting his first two Pokémon go down easily, just to sweep them with Skarmory.
"C'mon Ash! You can do it!" Serena encouraged. "Don't give up! Not till it's over!"
Ash smiled and felt his cheeks warm up. That's exactly what he would've told her had she been in his situation. Having it said to him made him realize how cheesy it sounded, but that didn't matter now.
"Fennekin, come on out!"
It was now or never. Holding back wouldn't stop the inevitable Spikes, or rain.
The Fox Pokémon burst onto the battlefield, instantly getting drenched by the rain, and growling in irritation.
"Sorry Fennekin, that's Palpitoad's Rain Dance. Also sorry about..."
"Fenn!" Fennekin cried in agony as the spikes shot from the ground, stabbing at the Fox Pokémon's small form.
The Gym Leader smiled. "Hmph."
Night Slash flew from Skarmory's wings and crashed into Fennekin.
"Agh, Fennekin, sorry," Ash stuttered. "Use Light-no, no, Skarmory uses physical attacks. Ugh, go with Flamethrower, then!"
The attack was pitiful, and as such, Willium, nor Skarmory made any effort to counter. An already diminished blast of fire shot from Fennekin's maw, but the rain watered it down so much that it was almost pencil-thin by the time it reached Skarmory.
"Hmph, haaah! Harrr!" Willium bellowed triumphantly.
Skarmory's wings glowed violet as countless blades of darkness hurled into Fennekin, each one smacking the Fox Pokémon in a different direction. Smoke billowed around it, but the Night Slash attacks kept coming. The rain continued to pour, and Ash could only watch as his chances of defeating the Gym Leader were slammed to smithereens.
Suddenly, the cloud of smoke around Fennekin lit up blue, and Ash looked up hopefully.
"Could it...be?"
The glowing silhouette of Fennekin burned through the smoke, and as Ash had expected, its physical form was morphing. Its hind legs elongated as it began tot stand bipedal. Its tail grew fluffier, and a rough shaft rose out of it. Crests off fur grew from its arms like shoulder pads. Finally, its snout lengthened, and the hair in its ears grew out more. The glow faded, and Ash was left gazing on his evolved Fennekin.
"Braiiix-en!" Braixen snarled. He whipped his wand out of his tail, and an orb of light shot into the air like a flare. The rain clouds burned away, the falling water replaced by scorching heat.
"That's Sunny Day," Ash murmured. Then he realized the battle wasn't over yet. "Alright Braixen, finish this with Flamethrower!"
Braixen nodded, and a searing inferno shot from Braixen's wand, the attack powered up by the Sunny Day.
Skarmory simply closed its eyes, knowing that no amount of Steel Wings or Night Slashes would win the battle in its favor. The inferno consumed Skarmory, and smoke billowed around the battlefield. When it cleared, the Iron Bird Pokémon was left in a burned heap on the ground, definitely unconscious.
"Skarmory is unable to battle. Therefore, the victor of the match is Ash, the challenger!"
"Oh yeah!" Ash yelled, pumping his fist into the air. He ran forward and embraced Braixen in a tight hug. "You were awesome Braixen!"
"Ash!" Serena called, clambering down the stairs as fast as she could. When she got to the bottom, she ran forward and embraced Ash in a long passionate hug. They kissed, earning more sarcastic remarks from Iris, and chuckles from Hayden.
"Congratulations Ash," Hayden said. "For your victory, and Fennekin's evolution."
"Braixxxen!" Braixen said proudly, spinning its wand expertly.
"I wonder how it would fare against Serena's Delphox," Iris commented. "Nevertheless, congrats Ash. I didn't think you'd be able to pull that off."
"Thanks for your support guys," Ash thanked. "It really means a lot, but it was my Pokémon who did all the work."
Iris rolled her eyes at Ash's typical victory modesty. "Either way, I'm just glad you won, for your own health."
Ash frowned, and Iris nodded at Serena.
"She's right," Hayden interjected. "Had you not won today, you would've prevented your girlfriend from entering the Showcase."
"It's fine, it's fine," Serena said, waving her hands. "He won, and that's that."
Willium walked over to the quartet, having pocketed Skarmory, the referee beside him. He nodded to the ref, and the ref produced a small silver tin. He then offered it to Ash.
Ash accepted, and opened the tin. The inside was embroidered with velvet, and resting on the bottom of the tin was a small piece of metal.
"That's the Ore Badge," the referee explained. "It's your proof of victory here at the Xenotime City Gym."
"Thank you very much," Ash said, picking out the Ore Badge and fastening it in his badge case. "Alright! I got...the Ore Badge!"
"Pika! Pikachu-pi!"
"Braiiixen!"
"What a little kid," Iris said, shaking her head.
"Thank you for giving me the chance to battle you Willium," Ash said, ignoring Iris.
Willium simply crossed his arms and nodded, giving a respectful smile.
With that, the quartet left the Gym. They took a taxi back to the Pokémon Center, and since it was right around noon time, they decided to have lunch. After downing sandwiches of various varieties and sizes, Serena immediately declared that she had to go do something really quick, and that she'd be back in a minute.
"I'll go with you," Ash offered, starting to stand up.
"Oh, that's fine Ash, I won't be long," the honey-blonde replied.
Ash shrugged and sat back down, and Serena left the cafeteria.
Serena strolled across the linoleum floor of the Pokémon Center, over to the PC by Nurse Joy's desk. After giving a smile of greeting to the Nurse, Serena logged on to Cassius's PC. Once the page finished loading, Serena selected the only two Pokémon in her boxes, and confirmed the withdrawal. Beside the PC, the retrieval tray glowed and two Pokéballs materialized onto it, one after the other.
Satisfied, Serena picked up the two Pokéballs, bid farewell to Nurse Joy, and walked back to the cafeteria.
When she returned to her friends' table, that Ash and Iris were both leaning expectantly at Hayden, as if he knew something they wanted to know.
"Hey guys...uh, what's going on?" Serena asked, seating herself back down next to Ash.
Hayden laughed. "Iris and Ash were simply wondering what other Pokémon I have besides Yanmega."
"Yeah, and Hayden is simply saying that, even though he has five other Pokémon, he won't show us!" Iris said, her tone light with exasperation.
Hayden smiled nervously. "I was just trying to explain to them that I'd prefer showing all of you at once. Speaking of which, did you do what you needed to do?"
Serena grinned. "Yes, in fact, I did," she said, holding up her three Pokéballs.
Ash temporarily lost interest in Hayden as his attention turned to the two additional Pokéballs in his girlfriend's hands.
"Is that...Pancham and Eevee?" He asked.
"Not anymore," Serena grinned. "C'mon, I'll show you!" She motioned to the back door.
Ash and Iris leapt off their chairs and sprinted outside, while Serena and Hayden followed in a more civilized manner. Once outside, Serena threw out her two newest Pokéballs.
"Pangoro! Sylveon! Come on out and say hi!"
The Pokéballs snapped open and Serena's other two Pokémon were revealed. Pangoro was wearing its red sunglasses over its eyes, while Sylveon danced gracefully around Serena's legs, both seemingly overjoyed to be in their trainer's company again.
"Wow, Pancham and Eevee evolved!" Ash exclaimed, running up to them. "Hi, you two! Long time no see!"
Pangoro lumbered over and picked Ash up, bringing them face to face.
"Woah, hey Pangoro. What's up?"
The Daunting Pokémon pointed to Serena, then slammed his chest with his other hand.
"Oh, um Ash," Serena began. "I think Pangoro...well he was mad that you left so suddenly. I think he thinks that your departure made us lose...since I became unmotivated, like I said before."
Ash frowned. "I'm really sorry Pangoro. I didn't mean to hurt anyone. I-it's just that my mother fell ill, and I had to go back to Kanto immediately."
Pangoro retained its glare on Ash, but gently set him down. "Goro," he growled.
"Uh, it's okay now, though," Ash said. "We're dating now!"
"Pan! Goro!" Pangoro exclaimed jumping back and looking to its trainer to confirmation. When Serena nodded, Pangoro threw up his sunglasses and examined Ash up and down, as if Serena saw something in him that he didn't.
"Sylll-veon," Sylveon purred, giving a reassuring smile to Pangoro.
Pangoro seemed to calm down after seeing Sylveon was okay with everything, and he walked forward and smacked Ash on the back. "Pan-goro-hoho!" Pangoro laughed.
Ash fell forward onto the ground, and Serena snickered.
"Ash, are you alright?" Hayden asked, offering a hand.
Ash took it and stood up, repositioning his hat and backpack. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just glad me and Pangoro are good."
"You've got some impressive Pokémon here," Iris commented with a satisfied smile, hands on her hips.
"Indeed," Hayden agreed.
"And speaking of which," Serena said, turning to Hayden. "Let's see yours now."
Hayden smirked. "Very well."
He unzipped his leather jacket and threw it open. Six Pokéballs were displayed on his belt. He unclipped them all.
"Come out! My Pokémon! To my side!"
There were five flashes of light, and five different Pokémon materialized into existence.
Yanmega fluttered in the air, but aside from it, Hayden also had an Onix, a Porygon-Z, a Nidoking, and a Hypno.
Ash frowned. "What about that one?" He asked, pointing to the remaining Pokéball in Hayden's hand.
"This was my first," Hayden explained. "I am blessed to have him as my partner." He paused for a second before tossing out his last Pokémon.
Trevenant appeared in a flash of light.
"Trevenant, huh?" Ash murmured.
"Yes," Hayden said proudly. "So, what do you think?"
"Well, they look very strong and well trained," Iris noted. "And they're fully evolved."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ash demanded.
"Pika!" Pikachu spat.
Iris laughed. "I'm not teasing either of you, I'm just saying."
"Very impressive," Serena commented. "But if you all will excuse me, I have a heap of practicing to do."
Ash nodded. "That's right. You've got a Showcase coming up in two days."
"I'll be happy to help you in any way I can," Hayden piped up.
"Me too," Iris added.
Serena smiled. "Thanks guys. I'll let you know if I need anything."
The rest of the afternoon Serena spent practicing with her three Pokémon for the Showcase. Initially, Ash decided he'd help his girlfriend, but it was quickly evident that he was complete rubbish at coming up with dance moves or performance sequences. So from then on, Ash trained his own Pokémon. Iris and Hayden made various suggestions throughout, but they were both mostly interested in watching Serena practice for her Performance.
Ash and Serena both trained for about four hours, non stop. Only after Iris demanded they stop, did they come back inside for dinner. Though after dinner, Serena and her Pokémon went right back at it, practicing vigorously for the upcoming Showcase. The other three joined her outside and watched as she and her Pokémon put on a miraculous performance...at least the start of one. There was still a bit more to iron out, and of course, lots more practice.
The quartet headed to bed at ten o'clock after booking tickets aboard a ship called the Lavender, which would take them to the next Isle the following day. They split off to their separate rooms, and were asleep within ten minutes. All of them had a dreamless night.
Kanto Region - Team Rocket Headquarters
Giovanni clenched his fists, ignoring the pains on his hands the action caused. The Rocket Vault had been hit by Team Pluto, and every last speck of Omega Crystal had been stolen from it.
Angrily, he jammed his finger into the remote he'd been given, sending for one of his Executives immediately.
A minute later, the doors of the chamber slid open and Archer swept inside.
"Boss," Archer greeted. "How are your injuries?"
Giovanni glared at the Executive beneath his bandaged face. "Tell me what happened at the vault."
Archer shifted on his feet. It was as he suspected; he was the one who had to give the report.
"In the early hours of this morning, the Rocket Vault was broken into by the organization known as Team Pluto. They were led by an exact description of the woman Jessie and James encountered at the Gloomy Tower."
"Macaria," Giovanni spat.
"Yes, boss. Her team annihilated our forces and they were in and out within ten minutes. All of our Omega Crystal is now in their possession."
Giovanni lay silently for a few seconds before speaking again. "How is this possible?"
"Unfortunately, their Pokémon were superior to ours. Their coordination was perfect. The execution was flawless."
"You're no stupid man, Archer," Giovanni growled. "I'll ask again. How is this possible?"
Archer gulped. There was, of course, only one viable answer to his Boss's question, and the Executive knew he wouldn't like it.
"Our undercover agent has been broken. She gave them our intel."
"First the headquarters, now the vault," Giovanni snarled. "You fool, she hasn't been broken. She's joined them!"
Next - Chapter 11: The Crystal in the Clearing
Author's Note
Sorry for the wait. It's hard to write when your English teacher assigns papers and essays everyday for homework. But, enough of the excuses.
Just to clear up any confusion on the whole Ash-leaving-Kalos-because-his-mother-fell-ill thing, this story takes place in an AU where everything stops being canon after season 1 of the Pokémon XY anime. To make a long story short, Ash leaves Kalos after his victory against Olympia, to be with his mother, who has fallen ill (how or why is irrelevant). Then, probably, about a year later, he returns to complete his Kalos adventure (without Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie), and along the way, he stops Team Flare. Then, presumably he returns back to Kanto up until the start of this story.
Next order of business: the poll. I closed it a while ago, because a whopping three people voted, but hey, that's fine. In the end, I got to choose the Pokémon that makes the most sense for Ash to choose: Fennekin. I mean, it's perfect! His girlfriend has a Delphox; the choice is obvious. I realized this soon after I posted chapter 8, but by then it was too late, and I was kicking myself for not thinking of it. Anyways, it's moot now.
Lastly, information on characters and locations can be found on my profile page, alongside updates and synopses for future chapters. The information will be updated as the story progresses.
Please don't forget to leave a review; it's what keeps me motivated to keep writing, after all. Other than that, if you haven't followed/favorited yet, it'd make my day if you did.
That's all now now. Happy Chinese New Year, and congrats to the Broncos for winning Super Bowl 50.
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