Out of all the gym designs in this story, I think Skyla's is my favourite. It also involves 100% less being thrown into a wall. Ryan is of the lucky generation who didn't have to suffer the dangers of in-game Mistralton Gym.
Today, so far, was what he would consider to be a very strange day.
Breakfast had been relatively normal; trying to eat his own food while simultaneously stopping Jay from trying to get at everyone else's. He hadn't been able to decide what might be considered 'first thing', but seeing as it was still before the time that school would've started, it was still early, by his standards. They set out as soon as breakfast was over, heading straight for the gym.
Having seen a school, a circus tent and a business building so far, finding a structure that looked like an aircraft hangar in the place where the gym was marked on the map wasn't much of a surprise. What did seem a little unusual, however, was the giant pillar which jutted from the roof. It reached up into the clouds, so high that he couldn't see what was at the top. It left him wondering just what awaited them inside.
A gym guide had been waiting for his arrival. "Ah, hello there! I was wondering when you'd get here. Skyla is an early bird, so it's difficult to know what she means when she tells me there's a challenger arriving first thing this morning." He laughed, and held something out to Ryan. "Here, you might need these."
Ryan took the object, staring in amazement at the pilot goggles that rested in his palms. "Goggles…?"
"Health and safety," the guide stated, motioning for him to follow as he walked towards another room. "That's not all you'll need. You're a little short compared to most of our challengers, though, so hopefully we've got one in your size."
My size? Needless to say, Ryan was confused, but he pushed it aside and hopped after him, eager to get the challenge underway.
After being questioned about his height and clothing size, something which initially looked like a folded piece of material had been dropped into his arms. "Oh, and since your hair is a little long, you might want to think about tying it back, if you can," the guide had added, pointing him in the direction of the changing rooms and handing him a key. "All your stuff will be safe in the lockers here until you're done with your challenge!"
And that was how he'd ended up here, staring at his reflection in the mirror. Whatever it was he was wearing, it looked like a dark blue jumpsuit, leaving only his hands and head uncovered. There weren't any pockets, but there was a special trainer's belt where he could attach the Poké balls of his team, and a small bag attached for healing items. He'd managed to tie his hair back into a short but messy ponytail, surprised that the hairband his mother had insisted he pack was actually seeing some use. Ryan shoved his clothes and backpack into one of the lockers, turning the key and storing it safely in the small bag before heading back out to find the gym guide for further instructions.
"Lookin' good there, champ!" he grinned, giving an encouraging thumbs-up. "This way, if you please. Your challenge awaits!"
The man led him down a short hallway, stepping aside where it opened out to let him pass. Ryan emerged out into a decently-sized circular room, with light blue walls and a thin but strong-looking grate just above the floor.
"Alright, Skyla's waiting for you at the top!" the gym guide explained. An amused glint appeared in his eyes at Ryan's confused expression; one that suggested he was used to seeing that exact response.
The top? Instinctively, Ryan looked up – and his eyes widened in surprise. He couldn't even see the ceiling, it was so high up! Was this the tower he'd seen from the outside? How on earth am I supposed to get up there!?
"Put your goggles on and try and stay in the centre if you can," he advised. "Oh, and please return your Pokémon to their Poké balls outside of battle to avoid any accidents. Good luck!" The gym guide held one hand to his forehead in a cheery salute before pressing a button on the wall and closing the door.
What now? Ryan did as he'd asked, shifting the pilot goggles down over his eyes. The guide had told him to wait in the centre of the room, but he was also supposed to get to the top of this place somehow. How was he supposed to do that without his Pokémon? He couldn't fly!
A loud clunk echoed throughout the room. The ground seemed to shake beneath him. Looking to the ground explained everything; the grate was still in place, but the floor beneath was opening up. The sound of a motor started up, and for a brief moment Ryan wondered if one of those Pokémon-like creatures had managed to get into the gym – but no, that wasn't where the noise had come from.
Below the lower floor of the room was a giant fan. Now everything made sense, from the weird noises to the outfit he was wearing.
This whole section of the building was a wind tunnel.
The blades of the fan started to spin faster until soon it was just a blur of a circle below the grate. At first all the draft did was tug at his hair, but as the fan rotated even faster, the force of the air felt like it was going to lift him off the ground like a leaf in the wind. It wasn't long before it did.
"Whoa—" Ryan barely even heard his own voice as it was carried away on the wind. He didn't try and fight against it; this was how he was supposed to get through the gym, and besides, why wouldn't he jump at the opportunity to fly?
This is so awesome! He was floating. The power of the fan was carrying him into the air, slowly towards the top of the room.
It wasn't long before his progression slowed, however. The fan wasn't going fast enough to carry him all the way to the top, and he wasn't even a third of the way there before he realised he was just hovering in place. Above the noise of the motor, there was a rattling sound; another grate was sliding out from a thin slice in the wall on either side, closing together below him. The room got quieter, the fan slowed, and he was lowered down onto the higher floor.
A door in the wall hissed as it slid open, and through it came a man dressed like a pilot. Ryan hadn't noticed the entrance at first, but a quick glance upwards showed that there were a few more slight indents in the walls above him too. To hazard a guess, there would be a trainer at each one, and he'd have to fight them all before he could battle the gym leader.
"Good morning, young sir!" the man boomed, lifting one hand in greeting – or at least, that was what he thought it was until he realised he was holding a Poké ball in his hand. Maybe he'd intended it to be both. A simple press of a button and a Ducklett was hovering beside him. "We must test your abilities before you continue on your flight to Skyla!"
As usual, the gym trainers weren't particularly challenging. After defeating the first one, the man had explained that the person controlling the fans had a CCTV view of each level in the room, and for the fan to start up again he'd need to signal by looking towards the camera and waving. The device wasn't too obvious, just a dark circle in the wall, but it was easy enough to notice when he was actually looking for it. Waiting for the signal meant that after the battles, trainers could give their Pokémon a chance to rest, and it made sure the challenger was ready to progress. The man had taught him the signal for wanting to forfeit as well, holding his arms out in front of him like an X, but Ryan didn't plan on using that one.
Jay managed to take down the Ducklett without too much trouble. The second gym trainer had a Tranquill and an Archen; Mariana was able to best them. Ryan had been a little nervous about sending Smith out, but the third trainer had assured him that the grated floors were strong enough to withstand even the weight of a Snorlax. Either way, his Skiploom hadn't been any match for the Garbodor.
As they ascended to the top of the wind tunnel, the ceiling finally came into view. There wasn't really much to see; just a blue colour, and he couldn't tell where Skyla was. When he and his team finally defeated the last gym trainer and the wind carried him up to the final level, he found himself unable to do much but gaze around in amazement.
That hadn't been the ceiling he was looking at. It had been the sky. At the very top of the large cylindrical room the space opened out to a large glass dome, giving a view of what was around them. They were so high above the ground that he could see clouds floating past, and condensation on the hemisphere window glittered in the sunlight.
In all honesty, Ryan was glad that the floor wasn't see-through as well. As amazing as it was to be almost in the clouds, he wasn't sure he wanted to see just how far up they really were.
When he stepped off the grate, another floor slid over in its place; one sturdy enough to withstand anything a gym battle could throw at it. Skyla was waiting for them at the side of the room with a Swoobat perched lazily on her shoulder. Once Ryan finally looked over and spotted her, she smiled.
"Isn't there a great view from up here?" she asked, face beaming. "Flying-types get to experience this all the time, and they don't need fans or planes or anything of the sort—just their own wings, and they're free to go wherever they wish. Doesn't that sound amazing?"
"I… guess?" Ryan had experienced flying once, weeks ago when he and Alder had flown across the region on the ex-champion's Pokémon, and even though it had been cool, it'd also been rather scary being up so high.
"Aww." Her smile dropped to something akin to a pout, and she reached up with one hand to gently pet the Swoobat's ears. "He doesn't sound too sure. Maybe we should convince him, huh, Hattie?"
The flying-type butted her head against her trainer's hand. A second later, she puffed out the fur around her neck, stretching her wings and taking off into the air.
It looked like the bat flying circles above them was Skyla's first Pokémon. None of Ryan's team could use any moves that flying types would be weak to, but Swoobat was a psychic type as well. They could deal with that.
"Jay!" He dug the right capsule out of his pocket within seconds, releasing the Umbreon.
"Ooh, interesting!" Skyla chirped. She clicked her fingers, pointing to the challenger's Pokémon. "Hattie, acrobatics!"
Watching the gym leader, Ryan had completely lost sight of her Pokémon – until the Swoobat dived right out of the sky, crashing into the Umbreon. Jay didn't seem to have noticed either, completely taken off guard and unable to dodge as the bat swooped back into the air and attacked again from the other side.
"Jay, payback!" They had to attack as soon as possible. Swoobat might not have been the strongest physically, but if Jay let her keep hitting him without fighting back, he was going to get worn out very quickly.
As Hattie dived towards him once more, Jay took his chance, pouncing to meet her head-on. Stored energy from the damage he'd taken forced the Swoobat away from him, sending her crashing to the ground. The dark-type attack was too much for her to handle.
"Poor Hattie," Skyla sighed, returning the defeated Swoobat. "Just wasn't your battle, having to fight a dark-type." She switched the Poké ball with another one from the small bag attached to a strap on her leg. "You're up, Melody!"
A female Unfezant fluttered to the ground once she was released, landing gracefully and folding her wings at her sides. Melody didn't seem nearly as energetic as the Swoobat had been, but she also most likely had a much larger wingspan and therefore less room to move in the dome.
Ryan knew that Jay was still able to fight, but the attack had injured him. He'd rather have one of his other Pokémon fight this battle rather than risk him getting hurt even more. "Alright, Jay, return for now. We might need you later."
The Umbreon looked like he'd been about to protest; at the trainers later words, however, he shut his mouth, vanishing into the poké ball without another word.
A second flash of light, and a Samurott landed slightly unsteadily on the floor next to him. Maybe she still wasn't used to her new form just yet. "Mariana, are you okay to battle?"
Despite any trouble she may have had, however, there was a look of determination in the sea lion's eyes, and she gave a strong nod. "Yeah." Claws scraped against the smooth floor as she waddled forward to make sure her trainer was out of range of any attacks aimed at her. Had Ryan not known her this whole time, he wouldn't have believed it if someone told him this was the same nervous Oshawott who'd joined their team a couple of weeks ago.
How far they'd come since the start of this journey – but there was no time to reminisce right now. "Water pulse!"
"Melody, leer!"
The bird stepped forward, eyes narrowing in a piercing gaze, feathers rising to make her look more intimidating. She had the act down to a T, and it was enough to make Mariana back away ever so slightly. Her claws scratched against the ground. A snort escaped her muzzle. She lifted her head to look at her powerful foe, took a deep breath and shot a ball of water towards the bird. As soon as it hit her feathers, the water exploded into droplets.
Melody let out a shriek of annoyance, wings spreading and carrying her into the air at last, where she floated in place to shake the damp from her feathers.
"You're okay, it's just a little water," Skyla assured, waving one hand. "Now, Melody, quick attack!"
He barely even saw the bird move. Just milliseconds after the gym leader had called her order, the bird smashed into Mariana's side. Whether Melody had been looking for a weak spot or whether it was just pure luck, he couldn't tell, but the force was enough to knock the Samurott to the ground.
Oh no… "Quick, fight back! Razor shell!"
Her eyes watered; he had a stinging feeling that was involuntary. Before the bird could fly out of range, Mariana drew one of her seamitars and slashed at the flying-type with the watery blade.
It did a lot of damage. Melody was thrown back across the room. But it wasn't enough to defeat her.
"That's my girl!" Skyla cheered, as the Unfezant climbed back to her feet. "Aerial ace!"
Ryan didn't dare risk letting Mariana take another serious hit, especially with her defences lowered. "Aqua jet!"
With as much energy as she could muster in only a few seconds, Mariana shot a small stream of water at her target. There wasn't a lot, but there was force behind it, and Melody was hit before she even made it half way across the battlefield. She may have been left with a thread of energy to fight before, but this time she was unable to muster the strength to get back up.
Skyla let out a quiet whistle. "Certainly wasn't expecting that one. You sure got some strong Pokémon, don't ya? I'm already down to my last!" Melody was sent back to her Poké ball with a few words of praise, and the gym leader tossed the final capsule in her hand a few times.
"Mariana, you can rest," Ryan offered, drawing the Samurott back into her own ball. As weak of an attack as it may have been, she'd been hurt pretty badly.
"Withdrawing your Pokémon already?" Skyla asked. One eyebrow raised, giving way to a questioning expression. "She still had the energy to fight. You haven't even seen what my last Pokémon is yet; I could have an Archeops in here."
"She's hurt." Ryan deemed that enough of a reply to hopefully satisfy her, letting Smith out into the room with them.
"Ahh, I see!" She stopped tossing the Poké ball, examining the red-and-white orb in her hand as if it were some kind of fascinating device. "That's why – your Pokémon are strong, so you must have done a lot of training with them. You train so that they can fight without you having to worry about them taking too much damage – am I right?"
He watched the gym leader in surprise, not really sure how to respond. Was that true? His team had battled a lot in preparation for the gym, and in hindsight, he considered that if he fought the way most other trainers did – keeping each Pokémon in the battle so they could do as much damage as possible before they became too tired to fight – he would probably be able to beat the gym just as well.
But if he let them get too tired, and they took an attack too powerful for them to handle, what happened to Jay in their first battle in the region might happen again – or to one of his other Pokémon instead.
He couldn't say that to the gym leader. He was scared of seeing any of his Pokémon get knocked out – she'd probably just think he was being a baby. That was one of the realities of battle, after all, and she'd probably seen it happen to lots of Pokémon before. It didn't even leave any permanent damage. The Pokémon Centre could heal them in seconds.
So why was he so afraid?
Given his silence, Skyla continued, a smile on her face once more as if she'd noticed his sudden misery and was trying to cheer him up. "I bet that's why you have such a strong bond with them too, though!"
"Uh—yeah." Ryan forced a grin. If only she knew…
Smith glanced back at his trainer, looking a little concerned, but decided not to act on it. "Is she the gym leader?" he asked, and Ryan nodded.
"Anyway, enough chatter." Skyla held up her final Poké ball, pressing the button at long last. "Sylvie! It's time to fly!"
The Swanna burst into the room with a flash of light and an elegant cry. Her pure white wings kept her hovering gracefully in the air, and she puffed out her feathers, proud of her gleaming appearance. Sylvie looked so spotless it almost gave the impression she didn't battle, but there was a certain look of strength to her as well – she must have spent a lot of time and effort cleaning her plumage after every fight.
Ryan felt a little bad that they were going to have to dirty her feathers if they were going to win. "Smith, sludge bomb."
"Air slash!"
The Garbodor was preparing to fire a ball of gunk at the opponent when Sylvie whipped her wings forward, creating a blade of air. He took the full attack, wobbling back a step and holding his arms in front of him to try and protect himself if there was another attack he couldn't see.
A moment of flinch was too long. "Now, Sylvie, scald!"
Smith let out a pained cry as the boiling water splashed onto him, hissing as it was cooled by the air. Thankfully the attack had missed his face, but parts of his arm and body were left miscoloured, almost flushed.
He was burned.
"Smith, return, now." Ryan wasn't going to leave him out to suffer through this fight, and the Garbodor had an understanding but relieved look in his eyes as the light pulled him back into the capsule.
What should he do now? There were three of his Pokémon who hadn't battled yet, including Charlotte whom he didn't want to send out against a flying-type, so that left two options. With the Swanna being able to use an attack that could potentially leave a burn, he didn't want to have Axle fight – even if his injury had healed by now, Ryan didn't want it to happen again.
So, that left one option. It looked like they were going to take this battle to the skies. "Sigilyph!"
"Happy to be of service, Master Ryan!" the avian creature chirped once he was released. The gaze of his three eyes darted around the room. "Oh, this is quite a nice place, I must say!" At least someone seemed happy with the sky-high battlefield.
"Ooh, a flying-type!" Skyla beamed, giving a thumbs-up of approval. "Sylvie, we can't let them outshine us, right? Air slash, again!"
Sigilyph let out a shrill of surprise as he was hit, but flew right back into place afterwards. Good; he didn't flinch. "Psybeam!"
The psychic-type's eyes and feathers glowed as he shot a beam of colourful light at the Swanna. A caw escaped her, and her flying was off-rhythm for a few flaps, but after a second she managed to pull herself together. Sylvie was a lot tougher than she looked.
An order Ryan had sensed incoming was given, a lively glow in the gym leader's eyes as she pointed upwards. "Alright! Take to the sky!"
The water-type let out a cheerful cry, flapping her wings strongly so that they'd carry her up higher into the air.
"Sigilyph, follow her and use air cutter!" Ryan called. They'd have to make use of the flight-based battlefield as well. He guessed that Skyla was only taking advantage of the arena now because Sigilyph could too, and that was why she hadn't done so earlier; that way it would still be a fair fight.
The colourful Pokémon fluttered after Sylvie, the two flying-types zipping around the dome. Just watching them made Ryan feel like he was losing his balance; a feeling he didn't particularly like having, knowing how high off the ground this room was. The thought only made it worse.
Sigilyph fanned his wings vigorously, stirring up a sharp air current that blew through the arena. Sylvie dipped and soared in the air, evading the attack with graceful moves.
"Well done, girl!" Skyla cheered. "Now scald!"
As much as he tried, Sigilyph didn't quite have the agility that Sylvie did. He swooped and dived, trying to outmanoeuvre the Swanna, but she easily caught up to him, spraying a jet of boiling water from her mouth. It almost knocked him out of the air, and Sigilyph only just managed to focus enough to catch himself before he could hit the ground and take even more damage. The faint light disappeared from around him as soon as he righted himself, wings carrying him once more rather than his psychic powers.
He wasn't completely unscathed, though. Some patches of his feathers seemed to have a red tint to them, a sign that the skin beneath had been burned by the harsh temperature of the water attack.
"Oh no, Sigilyph…" Ryan's face fell once he realised, and he held up the avian Pokémon's capsule, ready to call him back.
"It's okay, Master Ryan!" the psychic-type assured. "The burn does not bother me; I can continue to fight!"
Magic guard. Sigilyph was one of a few psychic-type Pokémon whose abilities could keep away any harm, other than from a direct attack. That didn't mean Ryan wouldn't heal him as soon as he possibly could after the battle was over, but at least his powers would keep him from being in pain during the rest of this fight. "Okay. If you're sure, in that case—psybeam."
Sylvie tried to dodge her way out of getting hit once more, but she couldn't avoid the powerful energy beam. The psychic power coursed through her body once it hit, her wings stopped for a moment too long – and she didn't have telekinetic powers like her opponent did. She crashed to the ground with a screech, a few feathers fluttering down nearby.
Ryan watched, holding his breath. Had they defeated her? And, more importantly, was she okay?
The Swanna lifted her head. She climbed unsteadily back to her feet, letting out a low coo. She'd managed to get up, but she was exhausted after taking so much damage.
Skyla seemed to have noticed that, too. "It's okay, Sylvie. Roost."
Sylvie settled where she was, catching her breath and trying to regain as much energy as she could. They needed to end this battle quickly, or Sigilyph was going to get tired as well. "Air cutter!"
This time, Sigilyph had a clear shot. Sylvie couldn't dodge away from the attack while she was resting unlike last time, and the current caught her. She tried to fight against it, lowering her head and spreading her wings, but as it lashed against her feathers there wasn't much she could do. A slice of the wind hit her in the stomach and she was thrown backwards. A defeated cry escaped her.
The dome settled in a brief silence. After a few seconds, Skyla clapped her gloved hands together.
"Well done, challenger!"
They won. They won! Ryan sighed as the wave of relief hit him; he'd been worried, for a moment, what would happen if Sylvie was able to continue the battle. Despite his injuries, Sigilyph fluttered around him, chirruping in joy and a proud look in his eyes that he'd won them the gym challenge.
After returning her defeated Pokémon and promising the Swanna a swim in the bath later for her efforts, Skyla marched towards him, pulling something else from her small bag. "TM62; Acrobatics. It's a really awesome move – and really powerful too, if your Pokémon aren't being weighed down by items!"
"Thank you!" Ryan smiled, eyes gleaming at his victory. The TM might not be much use for Sigilyph, the flying-type being better at attacking from a distance rather than up close, but he knew another member of his team who might be able to try it out.
"Here's proof of overcoming your challenge, too," Skyla nodded, holding out her other hand, showing a blue-and-gold pin shaped like a feather. "This is the jet badge. It helps you embrace the freedom of the skies!" She giggled. "Well, not really – but I like to think it shows something like that."
The badge gleamed in the light of the sun as he picked it up. Though it didn't make him feel any different towards flying, it was cool that they'd managed to beat another gym.
Only two more to go – and who knew what would be waiting for them them after that?