Vyser D: Sorry for the late update! Been busy getting ready for school!

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Chapter 29: To the Town of Fighters!

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The morning sun poured into the Pokemon Center Cafeteria's window as the group (now with Duke) sitting down enjoying a healthy breakfast while deciding where to go next.

Blake eyed the map he had while enjoying an apple he managed to get. "Okay…since me and Kurt need only three more badges, there are two close by gyms…The Skyark City gym and the gym in Tai Town. Then there's another gym...but that's far off"

At the mere mention of the city names, both Duke and Kurt choked on the food that they were currently eating. Blake and Silver sweat dropped at the same time as their traveling companions managed to get their food into their stomachs. "Are you two okay?"

"It's all right," Duke wheezed reaching for his orange juice.

"Just a little surprised," Kurt sighed in relief. "So why don't we head to Skyark City?"

"NO!" Duke shouted getting everyone in the cafeteria's attention drawn to him. Adjusting his jacket, Duke sat down and tried his reply once more. "I mean…Tai Town is so much closer…"

"…Duke, why don't you want to go to Skyark City?" Blake asked as Duke laughed into the air.

Scratching the back of his head, Duke fretted on thinking of an excuse to tell his little brother. "Well…you see, um…the reason is…

"I already have the badge from that gym!"

"You're collecting badges?" Silver questioned as Duke nodded. "Trying to go for the gold again?"

"Yeah…in a sense you could say that," Duke replied standing up. "I'm going to go get some supplies for the trip ahead of us…so I'll meet you guys at the Entrance to the city!"

And with that, Duke ran out of the cafeteria with a large cloud of dust following him.

"Man he's fast," Silver commented as she and Blake turned their attention towards Kurt. "And why'd you choke up?"

"Well, Tai Town, is my hometown," Kurt explained with a sheepish laugh in his throat.

"Then I guess you must be pretty excited to get back home," Blake said with a smile appearing on his face.

Kurt sighed loudly lowering his head. "Yeah…I guess so…"

'Wonder why he's down…' Blake thought finishing his apple.

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"HEY! About time you three got here!" Duke shouted waving his arms to get the attention of his three travel companions.

"Well excuse us for not being able to run as fast as you," Blake sighed as Duke slapped his brother's shoulder.

"I'm glad you see it my way!" Duke laughed loudly before he began to walk past the town gates. "Now then! We're off to Tai Town!"

"When did we make him leader of this group?" Silver asked as the three began to follow Duke.

"Don't look at me…" Blake sighed holding his forehead.

'This seems all too familiar…' Kurt thought looking at the various trees and the paved road. 'Reminds me of the training my dad put me through…yikes…'

"Anyone have an idea what's in Tai Town?" Silver asked as Kurt looked up.

"Well, there's a Pokemon Contest hall," Kurt answered while rubbing his chin. "Then there's the gym and dojo…and that's basically it along with a few stores and training fields."

"Pokemon Training fields?" Blake asked as Kurt smiled.

"You're half right," Kurt replied as he scratched the back of his head. "It's also a field for people to practice martial arts. Tai Town is famous after all for producing multiple masters in the martial arts."

"You learn something new everyday," Duke chuckled looking off to the side of the road to see a Sentret scurrying through the bushes. 'Brings back memories…'

"So wait…does that mean you know some Martial Arts Kurt?" Blake asked as Kurt scratched the back of his head.

"Well…I know some of the basics…" Kurt answered.

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The sun gleamed directly over the heads of Dustin, Amdias and Chase as they tracked on the path that went towards Skyark City. Chase lowered his head with a large sigh. "This is not what I sighed on for!"

"Just shut up…" Dustin growled walking past Chase. "Your complaining is annoying…"

"Yes you're acting like a little child…" Amdias commented stretching his arms. "I'm not getting tired at all."

"Cause you're the monkey on my back!" Chase growled turning his head to see Amdias sitting on his back.

"It isn't my fault you're comfortable to sit on," Amdias laughed jumping off Chase's back before the angry TV admin could grab the monkey. "Too slow!"

"I'm going to get one day," Chase growled before following Dustin. "Let's just hurry up to Skyark City…"

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"Ah the fresh air is great!" Duke sighed loudly breathing in the air. "Don't you all agree?"

"Duke…you've been saying the same thing for the past twenty minutes!" Blake shouted as Duke laughed loudly into the air.

"Just stating a fact!" Duke laughed before turning to his watch. "Not even noon yet…"

"It usually takes a day and a half to get to Tai Town," Kurt stated while everyone turned towards him. "What? I like to state the obvious once in a while…"

"Hey what's that?" Silver asked pointing towards further along the path.

Quite a few yards along the path, there was what appeared to be a strange, yet familiar, brown crazy haired teen standing next to a blue haired girl who seemed to be kneeling next to something. The crazy haired teen seemed to spot the group and began to run towards them. "Hey! Blake! Kurt!"

Kurt and Blake blinked their eyes as the teen ran forward and finally his details came into view. "Its…Kakashi?"

The crazy lightning bolt haired teen jumped in front of the group with a large smile on his face. "Been a while since we all saw each other…you all seemed to get a couple of different companions though…"

"Hey Blake…who's this weirdo?" Duke asked as Kakashi narrowed his eyes at Duke.

"MY NAME IS KAKASHI!"

Duke stepped back before stomping his foot down "AND I'M DUKE SABERS! NICE TO MEET YOU!"

"What's going on Kakashi?" Kurt asked as Kakashi smirked.

"Well, me and Rain found this girl on our way to Tai Town…" Kakashi explained walking back to where he originally was with the group following behind him. "And well…she was on the side of the path on lying down on her face."

"Ouch…what happened to her?" Blake asked as the group reached behind Rain.

"Don't know…" Kakashi said tapping Rain's shoulder. "Hey Rain, look who's here."

Rain turned her head and smiled at Blake and Kurt. "Haven't seen you two since the Battle Frontier…"

Next to rain was a young girl; she looked around to be ten or eleven years old. Her candy-pink hair had long bangs, two hair locks link-like on her ears, more of her hair was pulled back into two pony tails attached with deep blue butterfly like ribbons. Her clothes consisted of a short red dress with a deep blue belt in the middle. She was also wearing brown boots and finger-less gloves. And slung around her shoulder was a cute soft blue handbag with a deep blue butterfly on one side of it.

"…Interesting outfit to say the least," Duke commented as he looked in his backpack.

"Look whose talking," Blake sighed as Duke pulled out a packaged lunch.

"What say you all to some lunch?" Duke asked as everyone thought about it for a second.

"We're in!"

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"So…you're the Duke Sabers who challenged the elite four?" Kakashi asked taking a bottle of water and opening it.

Duke beamed while still holding onto his sandwich. "I see you've heard of me! Yes! I am Duke Sabers, the same person who 'coughalmostcough' defeated the elite four."

"…I heard you lost in the final battle," Rain commented as Duke lowered his head in shame.

"That hurts badly…" Duke sighed loudly.

"I didn't expect him to be so…" Kakashi stuttered not noticing that the pink haired girl behind him had begun to stir.

"Unique?" Kurt asked.

"Weird?" Silver inserted.

"Embarrassing to be with?" Raine sighed as pink haired girl sat up.

"How about all of the above?" Blake commented before he noticed the pink haired girl sitting next to him. "Uh…hello."

"Hi!" The girl said taking some of the fruit that Duke bought. "Looks good!"

Duke just blinked as the girl ate some of the food he had quickly; no doubt she was hungry. "I see you like the food, you got a name?"

The pink haired girl stopped eating for a second and smiled at everyone. "Silk Bonbon."

Everyone was silent for a minute but then Kakashi broke that silence. "What in the world happened to you?"

"Well, Silk was traveling through Saora trying to get to Tai Town," Silk answered taking a few seconds to take a sip of water from a spare water bottle. "But Silk had forgotten to pack food so Silk ended falling to the ground out of exhaustion."

'That's just creepy, the way she's talking in third person…' Blake thought as Kakashi stood up.

"Good story…" Kakashi sighed turning towards Blake. "Hey Blake…you still weak?"

Blake just lowered his head, but then he jumped up onto his feet. "I was never weak!"

Before Kakashi could make another comment, Rain began to pull on his hair making him groan in pain. "Kakashi…what happened to our deal?"

"Don't insult people?" Kakashi moaned as Rain released her grip on Kakashi's hair. "Okay…what I meant to say is…how many badges you have now?"

"I just got my sixth," Blake replied taking out his deck case and opening it up for Kakashi to see.

"Nice…you must've improved then…" Kakashi snickered lifting a pokeball into his hand. "Up for a battle to pass the time?"

"I've been meaning to have a rematch with ya," Blake replied as he reached for one of his pokeballs.

"Grand…" Duke sighed. "It'll be good for you two to enjoy a nice battle, pass the time, but we do have to get to Tai Town…"

"We've got plenty of time to get there," Silver commented as Duke slapped his forehead.

"Nice…" Duke groaned as he stood up. "Okay…if you're going to do this then do it quick…"

"Alright, how about a one on one battle?" Blake offered as Takashi just smiled.

"Cool…then I won't be giving any of my strategy away that you haven't seen before," Takashi replied throwing his pokeball into the air. "GO! Ninjask!"

From the pokeball emerged the powerful light that formed into the black and yellow insect buzzing around every which way.

"If that's the case…then come on out Spirit!" Blake shouted throwing his pokeball into the air.

The pokeball opened and released the large golden haired fox with nine tails throwing its beautiful hair into the wind. Duke looked at both pokemon and trainers then raised his hands. "And go…before I change my mind…"

"Then let's start things out with a flash! Use agility Ninjask!" Kakashi ordered as his Ninjask began to fly faster and disappear and reappear in different places.

"Wait for it, then use Will'o Whisp!" Blake shouted as the Ninetails lifted all nine of its tails into the air with a spark on each of the tails.

"NOW! Shadow ball Ninjask!" Kakashi roared as the Ninjask appeared right in front of Spirit with an orb of darkness appearing in between its two claws.

"The time is now!" Blake announced as Spirit jumped into the air just in time to dodge the shadow ball. Then the fox pokemon launched the barrage of blue flames towards the insect pokemon.

"Double team!" Kakashi countered, as multiple Ninjask appeared to take the flames leaving the original unscathed. "Oh yeah! You all see that?"

Blake and Kakashi turned to the rest of the group continuing the lunch. Blake, Spirit, Kakashi and Ninjask fell to the ground in embarrassment. Even Duke was eating an apple.

Blake and Kakashi stomped their feet into the ground and raised their fists. "Hey! Are you paying attention?"

"Nope!" Duke answered through his food.

"Silk is watching," Silk replied sitting next to the tree smiling at the. "It's a very good match…"

"Why thank you," Kakashi commented not paying attention to Blake.

"Spirit! Use Quick Attack!"

Kakashi turned back to see his Ninjask being slammed into the ground by the Ninetails' multiple tails. "We're not just going to stand by and let that happen! Use slash attack!"

Still on the ground, the Ninjask took full advantage of Spirit's close range and swiped the fox pokemon across the chest. Spirit yelped in pain as she jumped backwards and growled at the insect pokemon began to return to the air. "Spirit! Keep calm…we'll show him that we can win this!"

"Fat chance Blake!" Kakashi laughed loudly.

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Meanwhile…

"Dang it Amdias! We're not even on the road to Skyark City!" Chase yelled loudly looking at the map that he had in his hands. "We're on the road to Tai Town!"

"Hey just shut up…" Amdias replied before un-peeling the banana he was going to have for lunch.

"Idiot…" Dustin scoffed before sipping some coffee he made before the group left Sparksburg.

"Why me?" Chase moaned loudly before slumping to the ground.

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"Combination! Double Team with Shadow Ball!" Kakashi ordered as multiple Ninjask pokemon appeared around the confused Ninetails with many orbs of darkness charged up.

"Spirit! Jump into the air to dodge!" Blake yelled as the fox pokemon jumped into the air.

"Change the target area!" Kakashi shouted as the Ninjask aimed upwards.

Only one word could summarize what happened next…

Ouch!

The multiple orbs of darkness flew directly into the Ninetails, only one hit the mark right on the back of the pokemon sending the fox pokemon straight into the ground.

"Next up! Another Slash attack!" Kakashi shouted as one Ninjask flew towards Spirit.

Just as Ninjask was about to slash the Ninetails, Spirit jumped to the side spinning to the right. "Now! Quick attack!"

Spirit quickly slammed into the Ninjask sending the insect flying through the air. But Blake wasn't done yet. "Now then! Use Flamethrower!"

With amazing speed the fox pokemon launched a powerful flame that flew directly into the Ninjask, engulfing the insect completely.

Takashi's jaw dropped as the flames subsided and Ninjask fell from the ground burned and dazed from the attacks. "Man…that was unexpected…good job Ninjask, you deserve a rest."

As soon as Takashi returned his insect pokemon, Blake called back Spirit and the two trainers walked towards each other. "Not bad Blake…but my pokemon was tired from the training I've been giving it."

"…That's what everyone's been saying…" Blake sighed as the two trainers returned to the rest of the group.