Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.
Chapter 37: The Fist of Brycen
It had been eleven days since Ash and his companions had left Ember Town. In that time, Ash had begun vigorous training in order to prepare for his coming gym battle with Brycen. Ash was somewhat nervous about battling Brycen, more so than any other gym battle. The reason of course was because Brycen had stared in a movie along side Riley, that and the fact that Brycen also seemed to be a very formidable trainer. The group was due to arrive in Icirrus City the next day, and that night Ash stayed up with Pikachu and Lucario long after Misty and Chili had gone to sleep.
"It's not like you to be so nervous about a gym battle." A familiar voice suddenly spoke. Ash and his Pokemon companions turned around to see the spirits of Riley and his Lucario walking towards them.
"I thought you could only appear like this at the Celestial Tower." A surprised Ash told him.
"What gave you that idea?" Riley asked.
"I… don't know." Ash admitted.
"So, what is it that's making you so nervous about facing Brycen?" Riley asked, returning to the original subject of the conversation.
"I guess it's mostly because I've been wondering how you knew Brycen." Ash answered. "You never told that you were in a movie once."
"That's because it was sort of a cheesy movie." Riley chuckled. "But you might as well hear the story now. It all started when a production company from Unova came to Iron Island to film a movie. I was there training with my Lucario at the time and we ran into Brycen and his Beartic. We ended up hitting it off. As you already saw in Ember Town, Brycen isn't just a movie star. He's a very powerful trainer as well."
"How'd you end up in the movie?" Ash inquired.
"Brycen's co-star at the time ended up coming down with the flu and couldn't perform." Riley explained. "It almost shut down the whole production. But then Brycen suggested that Lucario and I take his co-star's place. The movie was saved, but I found out while doing it that I didn't have a future as an actor. I had a lot of trouble remembering my lines. Fortunately the movie was mostly action scenes."
"Chili mentioned that movie was the last one Brycen ever did." Ash recalled. "Did Brycen decide to quit acting after that movie?"
"Not exactly." Riley answered as his expression became grave. "Despite my bad acting and the hooky plot, the movie seemed to do very well. So well in fact, that the producers decided to do a sequel. It was going to be called Iron Winter 2: Fists of Ice. And Brycen had convinced me to star in it with him. But… five days into shooting there was an accident. A complicated stunt Brycen was trying to do went wrong and ended up hurting one of the other actors. That actor didn't die, but he ended up paralyzed from the waist down. And even though it was just an accident, Brycen felt responsible and decided to quit acting and become a fulltime Pokemon Trainer."
"And he eventually became the gym leader he is now." Ash assumed.
"One of my reasons for coming to Unova actually was to see Brycen again." Riley admitted. "He never returned to Sinnoh after the accident. But then, I'm not really here to talk about the end of Brycen's film career, am I Ash?"
"I guess not." Ash admitted. "You said that Brycen was a strong trainer. Was he as strong as you?"
"I suppose we were evenly matched." Riley answered thoughtfully. "But then I'm not you Ash. Don't worry about how well I did in battle against Brycen or what I might've done and just focus on fighting him like you would any other opponent. Because in the end, all you can be is yourself."
"Okay, I got it. Thanks Riley." Ash gratefully replied.
"Good luck in your battle, Ash." Riley told him before vanishing with Ghost Lucario.
Ash and his friends arrived at the gym to find the inside completely dark and cold. But as soon as the door shut behind them, a spotlight turned on to reveal Brycen standing atop an icy rock.
"I've been expecting you Ash." Brycen greeted with a smile. "I trust you're ready for our battle."
"You know I am." Ash confirmed.
"Then let us begin." Brycen decided.
The lights in the gym came on completely to reveal a battlefield covered in ice. Ash and Brycen took their positions on the field as the referee came out.
"I hope Ash really is ready for this battle. He hasn't been getting much sleep the last few nights." A worried Misty noted.
"He's fine. Look how focused he is." Chili assured her, pointing out the determined expression on Ash's face.
"This match will be a three-on-three battle!" the referee announced. "Only the challenger is allowed to switch Pokemon during the battle! Begin!"
"Go Vanillish!" Brycen called out as he threw his first Pokeball.
The creature that emerged from the ball was a clump of living snow that had a face and resembled a swirl of ice cream. Next to its mouth on each side were two small ice crystals that served as stubby arms. Jutting out from under the creature was a long jagged icicle that made it look even more like an ice cream cone.
"Go Larvesta!" Ash called as he threw out his own ball. The fire larva burst out of her ball to face the hovering snow creature. "Use Flamethrower!"
"Reflect!" Brycen commanded.
From her top horn Larvesta blasted Vanillish with a stream of flames. But at the last second the floating snow cone raised a transparent wall in front of itself that deflected some of the flames.
"Use Signal Beam!" Ash commanded.
The fire larva shot two beams of light from her eyes, one green and one red. The beams swirled around each other as the hit Vanillish in the face. When the attack ended, Vanillish floated around in a dizzy state.
"Looks like Larvesta's Signal Beam confused Vanillish." Chili observed.
"Use Icicle Spear!" Brycen commanded.
"Dodge and bring Vanillish to the ground with String Shot!" Ash ordered.
Still in a disoriented state, Vanillish aimed its icicle down at Larvesta and began to fire a barrage of shards at the fire larva. But Larvesta easily skittered out of the way of each shot and spat a silk thread up at the snow cone Pokemon. With one jerk of her head, Larvesta pulled Vanillish down to the ground.
"Now use Flame Charge!" Ash commanded.
Larvesta took off at the fallen Vanillish like a missile as her body became shrouded in flames. The fire larva rammed hard into Vanillish, knocking it into the air. When the snow cone Pokemon crashed back to the ground it was out cold.
"Vanillish is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "Victory in the first round goes to Ash and Larvesta!"
"Very good." Brycen commented as he called back the fallen Vanillish. "But let us see how well your Larvesta does against this Pokemon. Go Cryogonal!"
Emerging into the air from Brycen's second ball was a light blue crystalline creature that resembled a cross between a snowflake and a mask with an angry-looking face. Its eyes glowed blue and in its mouth was a sort of blue glowing chain. As soon as Cryogonal appeared on the battlefield, Larvesta suddenly glowed red and became covered in an egg-shaped ball of flames that floated up off the ground.
"What's going on?" Ash wondered.
"Ash! I think Larvesta is evolving!" Chili called on the sidelines. "Remember? Your Pokedex said that Larvesta evolves using a fire cocoon!"
"Oh yeah." Ash recalled. "Looks like this battle just got a lot more interesting."
"You know, that cocoon actually is pretty." Misty admitted.
"That's unexpected from someone who doesn't like Bug Pokemon." Chili remarked.
"Well, there are some bugs I don't mind like Butterfree." Misty admitted. "Hey, maybe Larvesta will become a Pokemon like that."
The cocoon burned on the battlefield like the sun before bursting apart to reveal an insect that resembled a sort of plum moth that was just a little over five feet tall. She had six leaf-like wings that were orange and speckled with tiny black spots. Her torso was covered in smoky white fuzz and had four tiny stubby legs. The moth's abdomen was bluish-white with black spots and a thick strip of black in the middle. Her black head, which had a pair of blue compound eyes, was framed by a pair of red horns that made the head look almost like an Egyptian sun disk. Ash got out his Pokedex to find out more about the fire moth.
"Volcarona, the Sun Pokemon, and the evolved form of Larvesta." The Pokedex identified. "Legends say that this Pokemon is the embodiment of the sun itself, and that its fire replaced the sun in ancient times when the sky was darkened by volcanic Ash."
"Wow! A real live Volcorona!" Chili said excitedly. "Isn't it cool Misty?"
"It's… so big." Misty replied with a cringe as her face turned a bit blue.
Before Ash could issue another command, Volcarona began to flap her wings and weave around gracefully in the air. When she finished moving, her body glowed briefly with a multicolored light.
"What was that?" Ash wondered.
"That was Quiver Dance." Brycen explained. "It's a move that boosts the user's power and speed. Now Cryogonal, attack with Rapid Spin!"
"Attack with Flamethrower!" Ash commanded.
Before Cryogonal could move, Volcorona blasted the snowflake mask with a blast of flames shot from her forehead. When the attack was over, Cryogonal fell to the ground unconscious.
"Cryogonal is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "Victory in the second round goes to Ash and Volcorona!"
"Very impressive." Brycen praised as he called back Cryogonal. "I expected nothing less from one who was trained by Riley."
"How'd you know?" a surprised Ash asked.
"Little things, like the way you carry yourself." Brycen answered. "It seems that Riley has taught you well. Which means I shouldn't hold back any longer. Go Beartic!"
The polar bear Pokemon burst forth from Brycen's third ball with a roar.
"Use Flamethrower once more!" Ash commanded.
The fire moth shot another stream of flames at Beartic from her forehead. The polar bear Pokemon raised his arms to block the attack. Beartic withstood the attack and gave another loud roar when it was over.
"Beartic's still standing after taking a Flamethrower head on?" a surprised Misty exclaimed.
"Remember Misty. This is Brycen that Ash is up against." Chili pointed out. "And he's up against Brycen's strongest Pokemon too."
"Now Beartic, use Stone Edge!" Brycen commanded.
Two rings of sharpened stones appeared around Beartic and orbited him before launching off at Volcorona. The stone barrage hit the fire moth in the midsection and wings.
"Hang in there, Volcorona!" Ash called. "Use Signal Beam!"
"Strike with Aqua Jet!" Brycen commanded.
Before Volcorona could fire another attack, a water-shrouded Beartic slid on the ground at top speed and rammed into the fire moth. Volcorona fell to the ground unconscious.
"Volcorona is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "Victory in the third round goes to Brycen and Beartic."
"Do not feel bad about this loss, Ash." Brycen told him. "Your Volcorona has only just evolved. With more time and training she will reach her full power."
"Thanks." Ash replied as he called Volcorona back to her ball. "But for now it looks like I should stop holding back too. Get in there, Lucario!"
Lucario nodded, calmly walked onto the battlefield, and took a fighting stance before Beartic. Beartic narrowed his eyes at Lucario and took a fighting stance of his own.
"So it has come to this, eh?" Brycen commented with a small smirk. "Okay Beartic, use Icicle Crash!"
"Dodge and use Aura Sphere!" Ash ordered.
Beartic breathed out an icy mist that formed into several small icicles that flew at Lucario. The icy projectiles grew in size and became gigantic before falling to the ground. Lucario weaved and dodged the sharp slabs of ice as the fell and leapt into the air before throwing a ball of blue light at Beartic. The polar bear Pokemon was hit in the chest but withstood the attack.
"Use Ice Punch!" Ash and Brycen commanded at the same time.
The two Pokemon warriors charged at one another with raised fists covered in icy mist. Both fists collided with each other with a loud bang and in seconds a ten-foot wall of ice formed by both attacks divided the battlefield. Brycen and Beartic became obscured from Ash and Lucario's eyes.
"Amazing. What fiery intensity they both have." Chili observed with awe. "Yet what calm cool focus."
Meanwhile, both Ash and Lucario closed their eyes and took a breath. In his mind, Ash could see exactly where Brycen and Lucario were on the other side of the wall.
"Strike now with Aqua Jet!" Brycen commanded.
"Dodge and use Aura Sphere!" Ash ordered.
Lucario's eyes shot open and he jumped out of the way a split second before a water-covered Beartic burst through the wall. Twisting in midair, Lucario threw another ball of blue light that hit Beartic in the back and caused the polar bear to stop.
"Now use Bullet Punch!" Ash ordered.
Just as Beartic had gotten back to his feet, Lucario dashed up and hit him in the snout with a hard glowing white punch. Beartic staggered backward a few steps before falling forward unconscious.
"Beartic is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "Victory of the match goes to Ash and Lucario!"
"That was a superb battle Ash." Brycen told him as he walked out from behind the wall of ice. Beartic regained consciousness and got up to join Brycen. "In my eyes, you are truly a worthy successor to Riley's legacy."
"Thanks, that means a lot." Ash replied as Lucario walked over to his side.
"As proof of your victory, I bestow upon you the Freeze Badge." Brycen said as he handed the badge to Ash.
"Thank you." Ash told him as he took the badge and put it in his case. "It was an honor to battle you Brycen."
"The honor was mine." Brycen replied as he and Ash shook hands. At the same time, Lucario and Beartic bumped fists.
"Well, now I guess you only have one badge left to get." Chili pointed out as he and Misty walked up.
"So where do we find the next gym?" Ash wondered.
"The closest one should be in Opelucid City." Chili answered as he consulted his map. "It shouldn't take us long to get there."
"I'm afraid that a battle at the Opelucid City Gym is impossible at the moment." Brycen revealed. "The leader of the gym, Drayden, is in the hospital."
"Is he sick?" Misty inquired.
"Not exactly." Brycen replied. "The story is that Drayden's apprentice was training her Axew and accidentally blew up half of the gym. Unfortunately it was the half that Drayden was in at the time. He'll be fine, but he's going to be immobilized in a body cast for the next few months."
"So now what?" Misty wondered.
"I have heard talk of another gym far away in Virbank City." Brycen informed them. "They say that the leader of that gym is quite powerful."
"Virbank City?" Chili repeated in disbelief as he checked the map. "That's a long way away. We'd have to do a lot of backtracking to get there."
"There is a shortcut through the underground pass in Twist Mountain you could take." Brycen suggested. "Through there, the journey would only take you a few weeks."
"Then I guess Virbank City is our best bet." Ash decided. "Again Brycen, it was an honor to meet you."
"Indeed. May our paths cross again Ash." Brycen replied.
After visiting the Pokemon Center to tend to Lucario and Volcorona, Ash and his friends immediately headed for the Twist Mountain pass that Brycen told them about. Chili took point while Ash and Misty walked behind.
"That was pretty awesome battling someone who knew Riley." Ash declared.
"You seemed a little nervous about it in the beginning though." Misty noted.
"Well, I was a little intimidated facing someone who was probably as strong as Riley." Ash admitted. "But I got some advice the night before the battle that told me not to worry about that and just treat it as another gym battle."
"Who gave you that advice?" Misty asked.
"I'll tell you about it one day." Ash assured her as he took her hand. "Anyway, now I only have one badge to go before the Unova League. All we gotta do is just go through that pass Brycen told us about."
"Before that Ash, could you do me one small favor?" Misty requested.
"Sure, what?" Ash replied.
"Could you please put Volcorona back in her ball now?" Misty begged as she pointed her thumb at the giant fire moth that was flying a little too closely behind her.
Author's Note: Some of you reading may have noticed that I slammed Iris a little at the end there. Anyway, I may've mentioned this before, but it is kind of hard sometimes to make these gym battles interesting. In this case though I decided to have a connection between Riley and Brycen to make things a little more personal for Ash.
Please review and let me know what you think.