Rocking the Virbank Gym!
"So this is the Gym? I must say whoever the Gym Leader is they sure have... personality." Brock lightly sweated as the building was covered in graffiti, all of the art depicted various different Poison type Pokemon. Ash was unfamiliar with a few but he recognized Koffing and Muk among the art.
"We haven't had the chance to fight a Poison specialist in a long time, this'll be exciting!" Ash exclaimed.
"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu cried out in agreement as excitement shined across both their faces. Poison appeared to be a rare option for a Gym Leader as the only other one they knew of was Koga from Fuchsia City! Of course since Ash currently didn't own any Steel or Psychic type Pokemon this wouldn't exactly be an easy fight!
"Well let's get in there, I'm itching to get started!" Ash shouted before quickly barging through the doors to the Gym. Brock was about to follow the others but he couldn't help but notice Hilda was looking a bit tired and sleep deprived.
"You okay? You appear as if you didn't get much sleep last night." Brock asked with a look of concern.
"I'm fine." Hilda shook off the question with a wave of her hand. "Nothing for you to worry about."
Brock couldn't help but feel like she wasn't being completely truthful, he wasn't going to pry her about it though. Perhaps she just spent the night chatting with N on her Xtransceiver?
As the others stepped through the doors they were greeted by loud rock music as a girl the same age as Ash and Hilda was standing atop a stage playing an electric guitar! The girl wore a purple and light blue striped shirt that was just too big for her as it went past her waist, fitted loosely around her arms and covered the upper half of her legs, if she was wearing shorts of any kind they couldn't see them but she sure wasn't wearing pants! She also wore rather large black boots that only covered more of her legs, leaving only a few inches of skin visible around her knees. Her medium length white hair was also tied upwards as to not get in her way as she wildly leaped about the stage and rapidly nodded her head to her music.
"Oh yeah whose ready to rock?!" She shouted to nobody in particular resulting in her quickly falling right off the stage in shock as Ash suddenly shouted out.
"I'm ready to rock, I'm here for my third Gym badge!"
"Ah!" The girl hit the ground with a soft thud before slowly rising with no visible harm having come to her as the stage wasn't that high. "Oh sorry about that, I just get too into my music sometimes that I lose track of the world around me!" The girl let out a light laugh before extending her hand to him. "I'm Roxie by the way!"
"Ash Ketchum," Ash shook her hand before Hilda quickly sprang forward, her tiredness briefly faded away as a bright smile crossed her face.
"And I'm Hilda, fancy going on a date with my brother?" Hilda pointed towards him only for Roxie to rub the back of her neck with a nervous smile.
"I don't swing that way, sorry!"
"Oh, my apologies." Hilda gave her a polite bow before joining back up with the others.
"So Ketchum, you've come here for a Gym battle? I'll have you know the rules here are simple, we'll each use three Pokemon while the standard rules apply. Only the challenger can switch and blah blah." Roxie rolled her eyes lightly before giving off a challenging smirk. "I must warn you that Poison types are not to be underestimated though!"
"I know, there was once a time where I battled Poison types practically every day!" Ash chuckled.
Roxie let out a laugh and gave a light strum of her guitar as she began walking towards the battlefield. "Well then let's get things started!" She leaped into position before strumming her guitar once more but used a different note. "Koffing, let's rock!"
"Koffing!" Koffing emerged from his Pokeball, the Poison cloud Pokemon levitated in the air before Ash as he began thinking over which Pokemon he should use.
"Rufflet I choose you!"
"Rufflet!" The eaglet cried out as he emerged from his ball and began fluttering in the air before Koffing!
"Hone Claws!"
"Let!" Rufflet sharpened his talons while giving Koffing a threatening look.
"Smoke Screen!"
"Koffing!" Black smoke emitted from the Poison type's mouth and proceeded to cover up the area making it difficult for Rufflet to see!
Ash gritted his teeth lightly. Typically he'd solve this using Gust but Rufflet didn't know the move and his wings weren't strong enough to provide a good wind either!
"Tailwind!" Rufflet raised up his wings as a powerful wind surrounded his body, doubling his speed for the next while! "Then follow up with Wing Attack! Close your eyes and concentrate, rely on your senses rather than your eyes!"
Rufflet closed his eyes as he flew straight through the smog, his wings shining brightly as they slashed against Koffing's body!
"Koffing!" The Poison cloud was knocked back before shaking itself off. Roxie looked towards Koffing before a smirk crossed her face. She didn't order an attack and merely waited for Ash to make his move!
"Aerial Ace!"
"Destiny Bond!" A bright light surrounded both Pokemon and as soon as Rufflet swiftly came to blows with Koffing's body, both Pokemon proceeded to promptly drop from the air and land in defeated slumps on the ground with swirls in their eyes.
Ash calmly returned Rufflet with a light smile. "You were great out there Rufflet, take a good long rest you've earned it!" The ball shook in response before Ash placed it upon his belt and reached out for another one. "Gengar I choose you!"
"Gengar!" Gengar emerged from his ball although Ash and his friends couldn't see him at first, the Ghost type then appeared directly in front of Roxie as he stretched out his face and stuck out his tongue at her causing the Gym Leader to let back with a startled scream! "Gen gen gen!" Gengar began laughing before floating back towards Ash as he proceeded to take his place on the battlefield.
Roxie shook herself off and returned Koffing before grabbing hold of another Pokeball.
"Scolipede, let's rock!"
A massive magenta colored centipede Pokemon emerged from it's prison before towering over Ash and Gengar. Gengar began to tease it by pulling at his eyes and sticking his tongue out while Ash pulled out his Pokedex in order to scan the creature.
"Scolipede the Megapede Pokemon, Scolipede latches on to its prey with the claws on its neck before slamming them into the ground and jabbing them with its claw's toxic spikes!"
"What is it with these dark Pokedex entries?" Cilan asked with a light sweat drop.
Ash then looked down at his Pokedex once more as he scanned his newly obtained Gengar in order to see what moves he had learned over the years they were apart.
"Psychic!"
Gengar raised up his arms as a bright blue glow appeared within his eyes, a similar glow surrounded Scolipede as the Pokemon was lifted up into the air before being flung upwards into the air above as Gengar started cackling out.
"Gen gen gen!"
Scolipede hit the ground with a loud thud before quickly rising back up with an annoyed look in his eyes.
"Scoli!"
"Scolipede let's go with Dig!" Scolipede burrowed beneath the ground. Ash knew Roxie was playing it smart by using a move that would be effective against Gengar but she was forgetting one key factor about Ghost types.
"Phase beneath the ground and use Psychic before he emerges!"
"Gengar!" Roxie's eyes widened from terror as Gengar disappeared beneath the ground, Scolipede soon came blasting out of the hole as a blue glow surrounded him before he was promptly dropped to the ground! Swirls were visible within the Poison type's eyes as it now laid in defeat!
"Man that Gengar's strong!" Iris exclaimed.
"Well he did train under Sabrina," Brock stated with a light smirk.
Ash stared at Gengar for a brief moment as the Ghost type levitated above the downed Scolipede while continuing to cackle out.
"Gen gen gen!"
"Gengar I think you've earned a rest," Ash knew he could likely sweep Roxie with Gengar but that wouldn't be fun! He'd only send Gengar back out if this next Pokemon failed!
"Nidoking I choose you!"
It was the evening following the events of the Team Plasma and Team Rocket war and Ash sat looking over his Pokemon. There was a good chance that Team Rocket would come back to avenge their boss at some point and with powerful Pokemon such as Entei and Kyurem already on their side who knew what else they had! Entei had been safely returned to the Johto region after Pikachu made quick work of it but what would happen if something happened to Pikachu or he got his electricity drained and he was unable to fight for the time being? He needed to start training the rest of his team to prepare especially as sooner or later N would find the Dark Stone and they'd all likely have to fight Team Plasma in order to obtain it and find it's chosen hero!
Nidorino suddenly stepped forward and began crying out as he looked towards Ash's back. "Huh? What is it, Nidorino?" Ash questioned before Nidorino helped itself, he opened the bag using his horn before swiftly reaching in with his paw as a bright blue glow surrounded his body! His purple skin turned a darker shade of purple while also looking more protective and rougher than it had been before. He rose up onto his hind legs as he transformed into a bipedal state, large muscles emerged as his front legs turned into a pair of strong arms and a long purple tail grew from his back! The newly evolved Poison type let out a loud roar as Pignite and Dewott gave it looks of jealousy as they were hoping to be the first of Ash's team to reach their final evolution!
"Alright Nidoking, way to go!" Ash laughed before the Poison type wrapped his arms around Ash and brought him into a tight hug as he nuzzled against him!
"Nidoking!"
"Garbodor let's rock!" Roxie strummed her guitar once more before throwing forth another Pokeball, what appeared to be a large pile of trash burst out before Ash made out a pair of eyes and arms.
"What's that Pokemon?"
"Pika?" Pikachu tilted his head as Ash pulled out his Pokedex.
"Garbodor the Trash Heap Pokemon, it clenches opponents with its left arm and finishes them off with foul smelling poison gas belched from its mouth!"
"Body Slam!" Roxie shouted as she threw out her arm.
"Dig!"
"Nido!" Nidoking burrowed beneath the ground while Roxie gritted her teeth as she was given a taste of her own medicine!
"Get ready to fire off Dark Pulse!" Roxie shouted. Garbodor gave a nod of acknowledgement as he stood ready, dark purple static energy formed within his mouth and as soon as Nidoking burst from the ground he fired! The blast pushed Nidoking away but not before Garbodor was struck by the attack! The trash heap Pokemon fell onto it's back for a moment before slowly rising up as Nidoking rose to his feet as well. Both Pokemon gave each other a glare as they awaited further orders.
"Horn Drill!" Ash shouted out. "It was a risky move but with Garbodor being such a massive and slow moving target there was no they'd miss!"
"Body Slam!" Garbodor leaped up and prepared to body slam his opponent only for him to land directly on top of Nidoking's spinning horn! The trash Pokemon's eyes widened before he let out a cry as he was hurled across the gym and swiftly landed in front of Roxie in a defeated slump as Hilda and the others began clapping their hands as they cheered Ash on for his victory. Well most as Zach was still staring off. Roxie stared in shock for a moment before throwing her head back in laughter. "Haha, your Poison types are quite powerful! I'm honored to have lost to you and had the chance to see them in action!" The girl then lifted up the bottom of her massively long shirt as she began fishing around before removing a badge, indicating that she was wearing shorts of some sort under there as there wasn't much else the badge could have been.
"You've definitely earned the Toxic Badge," Roxie stated as she held out a badge that consisted of several small purple dots connected to a Poison marking by a small trail. "Take it and good luck with the rest of your journey, I hope that you succeed!"
Ash took the badge and thanked her while flashing her a smile before turning to face his Pokemon. "Alright we've got the Toxic Badge!"
"Pi Pikachu!"
"Nido!" Nidoking grabbed Ash and pulled him into a tight hug rather than posing alongside him resulting in Ash and Pikachu letting out light gasps from how strong Nidoking's grip was. Gengar burst from his ball and joined in the pose as he levitated above them while cackling out in laughter.
Ash immediately got right back into training his team the following morning and Hilda took the chance to head off to Aspertia City alongside her brother as their two childhood friends were in the area and it was the perfect chance to show that he was back rather than just saying so over the Xtransceiver. Aspertia City didn't have a Gym so she figured they wouldn't waste the others time by dragging them along with them. Cheren and Bianca were already there as Cheren was filling in for a teacher during their absence and strangely enough he was taking quite the shine to it, had it not been for the lack of Pokemon battles it just might be his future calling if winning the Unova League didn't work out! The students sure took a liking to him and his methods and the visiting Gym Leader Lenora couldn't help but take notice as she rubbed her chin thoughtfully. Cheren was definitely quite the remarkable trainer and a perfect role model for the kids, he had all the right makings for a Gym Leader and as it so happened Lenora was considering retiring at the end of this year's Unova League season as she wanted to spend more time with her husband and looking after her museum. Perhaps she should drop Cheren's name as her replacement for the League's consideration? She wasn't going to push it right now as he did seem to be looking forward to the Unova League and perhaps his performance there would help her case!
Bianca meanwhile still only had a singular badge to her name, she simply found traveling around and meeting 'cute' Pokemon far more fun than battling with them. While Cheren was assisting the teachers, Bianca was helping Juniper with some field work such as showcasing the strange evolution method that Shelmet and Karrablast had that no other known Pokemon appeared to share! Bianca traded her Shelmet off for a Karrablast that Juniper had caught and what was supposed to be a simple trade back turned into a full on trade as Bianca took a liking to her newly obtained Escavalier!
"It's so cute!" Bianca squealed out as she threw her arms around the bug type. Escavalier began sweating nervously while Pignite crossed his arms from behind Bianca's back as he gave the Pokemon a jealous look.
Professor Juniper smiled at how much fun Bianca was having and began stroking her chin as she wondered if perhaps Bianca would want to become her research assistant? Juniper decided not to ask for the time being as Bianca was enjoying traveling around with Cheren and she didn't want to interfere with that.
As Hilda arrived within the city she led her brother up a hill towards the small park area where Cheren and Bianca would be waiting for her. She hadn't said anything yet but she was hoping that their presence would brighten things up a bit, perhaps she could even pop the question to Bianca!
"Oh my gosh, that's Zach!" Bianca let out an excited squeal and shot straight towards them like a rocket before pulling her friend into a tight hug. "It's been so long, where were you?! We all missed you so much!"
"Hey Bianca, Cheren..."
"Car."
"Where he was doesn't matter," Hilda waved it off. "What matters is that he's back." Cheren narrowed his eyes as he could tell that Hilda wasn't being truthful but he guessed she was just trying to protect Bianca or perhaps both of them.
Cheren grabbed Hilda's arm before dragging her off and away from Bianca as he had a feeling whatever it was, he didn't want to make Bianca worry either. "Okay what's up? And don't insult my intelligence, I can clearly see that you're lying to Bianca. You've never lied before so what's up?"
"I-Promise you won't tell?" Hilda asked.
Cheren gave a light nod before glancing towards Bianca to ensure the blonde was still out of earshot. "What's up?"
"He-He was brain washed and forced to work as Team Plasma's enforcer for all these years, ever since we last saw him! Ghetsis had him training Pokemon for Ghetsis' own personal use along with disposing of... he killed every last one of Zach's Pokemon, Lucario's the only one left!"
"No wonder he's so depressed then, he had a close bond to each and every one of the ones he had." Cheren turned to look towards Lucario, the jackal was still skinny and weak looking but he was slowly recovering. "If that was so long ago then why is he still depressed? Surely he'd have gotten over them."
"Well he had a black scaled Haxorus, it was his only friend for all these years and he sacrificed himself in order to ensure that we all escaped from Ghetsis' grasp!"
"Geez that's awful!" Cheren gasped.
"That's not the worst of it though, remember the legend of the Unova dragons?"
"Of course, it was Zach's favorite bedtime story when we were kids. I practically know every word by heart!"
"Well there was a third dragon, one who had a master that manipulated both sides to fight against one another. That dragon was sealed away by the two Dragon's chosen heroes and sealed away deep within the desert with a seal that could only be broken by the touch of somebody from the bloodline of a hero."
"And I assume that just happened to be him as well?" Cheren shook his head. "This Ghetsis guy sure sounds like a genius. So the third dragon is out?"
"And currently under Ghetsis' control, yep!" Cheren clenched his fists upon hearing her response. "My boyfriend is currently searching the region for hints as to where the Dark Stone lays and once that happens, we'll surely have a large battle on our hands as Team Plasma won't let us have it without a fight!"
"Well if you need my assistance just give me a call and I'll come offer my aid, we can't let Ghetsis take over the region!" Cheren growled out.
"Thank you Cheren, this means a lot." Hilda smiled before turning her gaze back towards Bianca who was still holding Zach. She quickly shot towards Bianca before speaking up. "Hey Bianca I remember you thinking that he was hot when we were younger do you still think that way? He's single and a date would likely cheer him up!"
"What?!" Bianca's face shot bright red. "T-That was years ago, I've moved on! Cheren's my boyfriend!"
"She's correct." Cheren spoke with a light smirk as he approached Bianca before kissing her cheek.
"I was only hugging him to be a good friend, honest!"
Hilda frowned as she realized she misread the situation. "No worries, it's my bad."
Bit of catching up with Bianca and Cheren.
"But why Roxie, why no Burgh?" Cause Roxie's cool and like Ash mentioned there are hardly any Poison type Gyms out there. Bug has quite a few and seeing how Ash will be facing Viola in the sequel I decided to pass on Burgh, Pignite would have cleaned house anyways so this gave Gengar and Nidoking a chance to show off their strength!
Next time the gang return to the Desert Resort and make their arrival to Nimbasa, meeting the lovely Elesa who is sure to make Brock's heart beat like crazy! Operation Tempest is still a way's off as I need to introduce the Kami trio haha
Let me know what you all think and if there's anything that you'd like to see.