The secret passage led down deeper into the volcano. It was a dimly lit unpolished stone tunnel full of stale, sweltering air that ended at a large metal automatic door. When they stepped through Ash was immediately greeted with a blast of cold wind that had the unmistakable quality of air conditioning.
"Phew," Ash said, wiping sweat off of his face as he stepped into a carpeted room with shiny walls and fluorescent lights.
"If you think that's bad, wait until you see what happens when I get all fired up," Blaine said, once again smirking as Brock and Misty groaned.
"Tell me, do trainers actually lose to you or do they give up so that they don't have to hear any more of your so-called jokes?" Brock asked.
"I hate to say it, but I'm glad my sisters do shows instead of following his example," Misty said, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"See, it's a good thing I don't get people who appreciate my wordplay," Blaine said, still smirking. "Because if I had fans then they'd just fan the flames."
"Do you think Lorelei wants to retire and become a gym leader?" Brock asked, looking over at Misty. "I think Cinnabar Island would be a great place for her to retire to."
"Oh please, she appreciates my jokes," Blaine said.
"See, I know you're lying," Misty said, shaking her head. "No one likes your jokes."
Ash didn't mind them, but after what Blaine had said to him, he wasn't going to defend the gym leader.
"Some might say that my jokes go up in smoke," Blaine said, leading the way down a transparent hallway overlooking a cave filled with magma and taking a turn at the end. "But wait until you see me battle."
He led them down another hallway with doors at semi-regular intervals. Blaine passed by some without comment but others would get remarks like "Too easy" or "Needs repairs" as they walked by. They came to a stop in front of a door that Ash couldn't see anything remarkable about.
"Yes, this one will do," he muttered, punching in a code on the keypad next to the door. Metal slid up and the group was greeted by an arid gust of wind.
Inside was an arena suspended over a pool of magma. There were two pods with benches for spectators on either side, with transparent tubes leading to them. On two opposite edges of the arena there were two more pods, each big enough for a single person. Ash figured that those were for the trainers. Blaine pressed a button on the wall by the entryway and a metal bridge extended from a doorway by the transparent tubes.
"This way," Blaine said, waving Ash towards the bridge.
"Good luck," Brock said as Ash followed the gym leader.
"Please get the badge this time," Misty pleaded. "I don't want to come back and have to sit through more of his 'jokes'."
"I'll try," Ash said, not getting what the big deal was about Blaine's jokes.
As soon he left the tubing the heat hit his face and the air around him was tinged with the faint odor of sulfur. It was like being assaulted by the halitosis of a desert. The boy couldn't feel the slightest hint of moisture in the atmosphere around him.
"Ack," Ash gagged.
"Don't worry," Blaine said as he strode out onto the arena. "It's safe to breathe… for a couple of hours."
"Then what?" Ash asked, getting control of himself.
"Then… it would be wise not to be in here anymore," Blaine said and chuckled in a low tone. "Now get to your spot."
Ash hurried over to the pod opposite Blaine and got in. Once he shut the door, he felt a cool breeze and sighed in relief. At least he wouldn't have to battle in that environment.
But his pokémon would, Ash realized. They would have to fight in that extreme dry heat, which would hinder water-types, but would also dehydrate most non-water-type pokémon as well, which would limit their effectiveness as well. And Ash was betting that the heat would also interfere with water-type attacks.
So, in this environment, Ash thought he would want to use water-type pokémon who knew non-water-type attacks. Which meant…
He'd want to use Magikarp.
Ash let out a little breath. He wouldn't want to use Magikarp by himself. If Blaine wanted to do a one-on-one battle or a series of one-on-one battles then Ash had no pokémon that fit the criteria.
But at least he knew not to rely on Squirtle, so Ash was confident that he wouldn't fall for Blaine's trap… or at least the surface trap. If there was another catch hidden under the first layer then Ash couldn't see it.
"I think we'll do a three-on-three battle," Blaine announced and the side of the pods that faced the arena slid up. "With the victory conditions being when one team is unable to continue battling."
Ash nodded and then grabbed two pokéballs from his belt.
"Go Magikarp!" He shouted, throwing the pokéballs. "Go Primeape! And go get them Pikachu!"
"Go, Niners, Lawyer, and Marc!" Blaine shouted in return. Pickachu leapt from Ash's shoulder while the light from the thrown pokéballs blazed, temporarily overriding the orange glow of the magma and casting everything in harsh shadows.
On Blaine's side of the arena stood a ninetales, a magmar, and a rhydon. Pikachu, Primeape, and Magikarp faced them from Ash's side.
"Your choice of pokémon is…." Blaine tilted his head as he surveyed Ash's choice, the pods closing once more, "…is… well, I'm sure I'll see what you were getting at… eventually."
Ash said nothing, instead trying to figure out how he would handle Blaine's team. He had not been expecting anything like the rhydon, but at least Primeape would have type advantage. He just wasn't sure that would make up for the rhydon's immunity to Pikachu's attacks.
"Nothing more to say?" Blaine asked, smirking. "Well, then it's time to get fired up! Let the match begin when the buzzer sounds!"
A holographic display appeared in the center of the arena, a blue five that turned into a four and then a three. Ash grit his teeth and narrowed his eyes. The holographic display reached zero and the buzzer sounded.
"Cloak of Fire!" Blaine cried out before Ash could say anything and the ninetales opened its mouth, scarlet flame streaming forth. The stream became a wave and the wave circled around the three pokémon, hiding them from sight.
"Scatter!" Ash shouted and his pokémon obeyed, jumping away from each- the rhydon barreled through the red fire, draped in a crimson blaze, barging through the space where Ash's pokémon used to be. If Ash hadn't pre-empted it then he didn't think either he or his pokémon could have reacted in time. Scarlet flames closed up behind the rhydon, hiding the magmar and ninetales once more.
"Pikachu! Use Thundershock to sweep away that fire!" Ash ordered as the rhydon skidded to a stop.
What am I, your maid? Pikachu snarked as sparks flew from his cheeks. Electricity buzzed and crackled, competing with the roar of the fires. A multitude of galvanic streams erupted from Pikachu, twisting together into a wide front that slammed into crimson flames.
"Primeape, Close Combat that rhydon!" Ash ordered, trying to predict Blaine's next move.
"Marc, Take Down that pikachu!" Blaine ordered, just after Ash.
The buzz of electricity overcame the roar of the flames as Primeape dove into the rhydon, Marc. Primape's limbs blurred together as he launched a flurry of powerful and precise blows, wincing whenever he came near one of the rapidly fading remnants of the flame cloak.
With a flash of yellow light, Pikachu's sweeping Thundershock overcame the fire, blasting it away, sparks and embers from the conflict falling all over the arena.
Below Pikachu's sweep more flame seeped forth, billowing, rushing, roaring, bearing down on Primeape as he assaulted Marc.
And then the stream of flame broke right before it could reach Primeape. Magikarp had thrown himself into its path with a Tackle, carving through the center and disrupting it.
Little blazing streamers surrounded Primeape as he sent the rhydon skidding back with a powerful blow to the midsection.
"Magikarp, are you alright?" Ash shouted, his pulse quickening.
I'm fine, Magikarp said, remembering to nod for the benefit of the audience.
"Niners, Lawyer, Blowtorch!" Blaine shouted. The ninetales and magmar opened their mouths and light flared. Two columns of condensed plasma, dense enough to be mistaken for solid objects, shot out, brilliant white centers surrounded by orange.
Ash's pokémon dodged without needing orders from their trainer. Where the beams hit they melted or carved gouges in the arena floor. Blaine's pokémon kept Ash's team dancing, quickly slashing with the concentrated flame, giving them no time to rally.
"Marc, Take-Down again!" Blaine ordered and the rhydon charged forward; Ash could feel the vibrations from its footfalls even in his pod. The magmar and ninetales used their blazing beams to separate Pikachu from the others and herded him right into the path of the charge.
"Pikachu! Thunderbolt to the eyes, bright as you can make it!" Ash yelled, thinking as quick as he could.
An instant later a spear of electricity blasted into the rhydon's face, shining bright enough to leave spots in Ash's eyes, earthing itself in Marc's horn, writhing, buzzing, and flaring right in the rock-type's face.
Marc's charge drifted off target and he nearly ran into one of his teammate's burning beams.
"Niners, Lawyer, stop!" Blaine said, sharp and fast. The ninetales and magmar let their fires die as Marc came to a stop, shaking his head.
"Primeape, get that rhydon!" Ash commanded. His pokémon became a tan blur as Primeape threw himself at the rock-type. There was a vicious series of blows, the cracks and thuds echoing throughout the volcano chamber, and the rhydon backpedaled.
"Marc, Body Press!" Blaine directed.
The rock-type slid, Ash couldn't think of a better way to describe the motion as the rhydon held itself still as a statue while also moving forward, into Primeape. Ash's pokémon flew back, shooting over the surface of the arena, crashing down, and then rolling to a stop.
"Body Press again!" Blaine called out. "Niners, Fireball Barrage! Lawyer-"
"Primeape, attackthatninetails! Magikarp, help him! Pikachu, keepblindingthatrhydon!" Ash shouted, speaking so quickly some of his words blended together.
On it, Ash, Magikarp replied, flopping over to Primeape, who caught Magikarp by the tail, and then the two charged towards Blaine's backline.
Pikachu didn't say anything, he only darted forward, zig-zagging as he bore down on the rhydon, cheeks sparking.
"Lawyer, Flamethrower, keep them back!" Blaine ordered. "Marc, cover your face and get that Pikachu! Pebble Blast!"
A gout of broiling, burning, searing flame came from the magmar, heat distorting the air, blasting towards Primeape and Magikarp. Primeape threw Magikarp above the fire and then dove low and slid under it; Ash could see some of Primeape's hair singe despite being a meter under the flames.
At the same time Pikachu let loose with a bolt of blinding galvanic power, but this time the rhydon blocked it with one forearm while the other covered its eyes. The buzzing bolt broke into sparks and the rhydon bore down on Pikachu.
"Agility!" Ash shouted and Pikachu became a blur darting away from the rhydon. But Marc was methodical and slowly began to corner Pikachu at the edge of the arena.
Primeape came out of his slide and caught Magikarp by the tail again. Magikarp held himself like he was preparing to use tackle and Primeape came at the ninetales, lashing out with punches, kicks, and Magikarp. The ninetales, ducked, dodged and weaved back.
The magmar fired off another spout of fire at Primeape's back. Primeape didn't see it and Ash saw it too late to do anything. But Magikarp flopped out of Primeape's hand and into the path of the flame, once again shielding another pokémon.
Ash felt his heart catch in his throat. He could see the scorch marks on Magikarp's scales, even as the water-type flopped back to try and Tackle the ninetales. He told himself it was okay, Magikarp was just looking out for his comrade. It didn't get rid of the unpleasantness writhing and twisting, burrowing deeper into Ash's gut, but it let him focus on the battle again.
Pikachu, despite his greater speed and maneuverability, was still being backed into a corner by Marc. Every attempt to go around was cut off, every attempt to go over was countered by a sling-deadly barrage of small stones. Pikachu was going to be cornered in seconds if Ash couldn't think of anything and staring at the rhydon's horn Ash couldn't think of any-
"Pikachu! Magnetize that horn and use it to doge!" Ash shouted, not bothering to think the idea over at all.
Are you serious? Pikachu asked, cheeks already sparking. You know what, no time to think, only time to SHOCK! Streams of electricity speared out from Pikachu, reaching around Marc's limbs to earth themselves in his horn. The streams died out and the horn sparked as the rhydon closed in on Pikachu.
Magnetic fields, don't fail me now, Pikachu said, dashing towards Marc, the electric-type's body sparking as he created an electromagnetic field around himself. He dashed forward and jumped and then was seemingly yanked towards the horn. Marc saw him coming and fired off another Pebble Blast, but Pikachu twisted and squirmed in midair and was suddenly shooting straight up and away from the rock-type.
Another twist and Pikachu hurtled back down like a blazing yellow meteor. He shot right past the back of the rhydon's head and dashed towards the center of the arena.
Meanwhile, Primeape had finally managed to land a series of clean hits on the ninetales, but then Blaine had given an order that Ash hadn't heard and suddenly waves of flame surrounded the ninetales, driving Primeape and Magikarp back.
Ash's pokémon regrouped in the center of the arena, Primeape putting himself between Marc and the others. The waves of fire died down, letting the magmar and ninetales step forward.
"Lawyer, Niners, Fireball Barrage!" Blaine shouted.
"Pikachu, Thundershock to counter! As strong as you can!" Ash commanded in response.
Red light flared from Blaine's side of the arena, mixing with the orange glow of the magma below, and a rain of fire began to crash down around Ash's team. Yellow light shone forth in response as Pikachu lashed out with tendrils of buzzing galvanic power that cleaved the fireballs out of the sky, leaving small explosions and smoke in their wake.
While dancing electricity warred with fireball artillery the rhydon charged again, backlit by a sky of clashing red and yellow. Primeape darted forward, light on his feet, landing in his path and the two clashed again. Every blow Primeape landed caused the rock-type to shudder and flakes of stone to fall off, but the rhydon had Primeape's measure and was making Ash's pokémon work for each of those blows. Primape was beginning to tire from bouncing around the arena, just enough for him to lose his edge over Marc in close combat.
Marc used Body Press again and Primeape stumbled while dodging it. During the milliseconds Primeape took to recover the rhydon launched a massive downward blow-
And Primeape was flying sideways, Magikarp having Tackled him out of the way. Ash gasped and went pale, his heart seemingly stopping as Magikarp was slammed into the floor hard enough for it to vibrate.
Without needing orders Primeape swiftly counter attacked, a devastating flying punch to the rhydon's midsection. It bellowed as it flew back towards Blaine's pod.
"Magikarp!" Ash cried out, looking at the still water-type. At the sound of his voice, Magikarp managed to flop back to his 'standing' position, the movement limp and as slow as it could be while still working.
Magikarp said something that Ash couldn't hear and then repeated it, I'm fine, barely audible over the clash of flame and electricity above.
"Enough of this," Blaine said, his voice cutting through the din. "Flame Cyclone!"
The magmar and the ninetales quit the barrage of fireballs and took a deep breath.
"Thunderbolt them!" Ash ordered, but even as Pikachu summoned up the galvanic power, Marc was moving and by the time the Thunderbolt was in the air, the rhydon was already in the way.
Pikachu's bolt shattered on the rock-type's chest and the two fire-types behind Marc let out billows of flames that became currents that became waves that circled around the arena. A whirlwind of flame, a hurricane of cinders, a tornado of fire surrounded them all, swiftly coalescing, gathering around Ash's team.
Ash sucked in a breath, ready to order Pikachu to break out with a Thunder, but stopped, remembering Magikarp's feeble movements.
"I give up!" Ash shouted.
"You're forfeiting?" Blaine asked, his eyebrows high above his sunglasses.
"Yes! I give up!" Ash yelled back.
"Everyone return," Blaine said. The flames died down and beams of red light recalled the gym leader's team.
Ash rushed out of the pod, yanking a potion out of his backpack as he ran, and started applying it to Magikarp before he even came to a complete stop.
I'm fine, Magikarp whined, but Ash paid him no mind.
"You know, that magikarp was capable of battling," Blaine said, his voice surprisingly close. Ash looked up from Magikarp and saw that the gym leader had come over at some point.
Yeah! Magikarp said.
"So?" Ash asked, returning to attending to Magikarp right away.
"Why'd you surrender then?" Blaine asked.
"It wasn't working," Ash said, tipping Magikarp's head back so he could pour the remainder of the potion into his mouth.
"What wasn't working?"
"The battle," Ash said. "Magikarp got hurt too much and Primape was having trouble with the fire attacks and the rhydon at the same time and we weren't hitting your pokémon and-"
"Why did you pick that magikarp in the first place?" Blaine interrupted, eyes hidden behind his opaque sunglasses.
"Because he's a water-type so he would have type-advantage, but he doesn't use water attacks so he wouldn't have to worry about the volcano e-evap-evaporating his attacks." Ash answered.
"And what went wrong?" Blaine continued to question.
"He wasn't able to hit your pokémon and he kept taking attacks and getting hurt," Ash said, getting out Primeape and Magikarp's pokéballs and recalling them.
"Why did you choose the other two?"
"Pikachu has strong special attacks and knows how to do long range fighting. Primeape's just a good close-range fighter."
"Did you see any problems with how those two performed in the battle?"
"No," Ash shook his head, standing back up. Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder. "I mean other than your pokémon were too good to be hit by Primeape and that rhydon was too strong to knock out fast enough."
"Yes, my long range pokémon undergo vigorous evasive training regimens to stop any two-bit trainer from taking them out with a close ranged pokémon," Blaine explained, corners of his mouth quirking up. "It comes in handy during these multi-pokemon battles."
"I should have used Primeape and Pikachu to force an opening," Ash said. "But then your rhydon would get Pikachu."
"Correct," Blaine nodded. "How would you summarize your mistake?"
"I relied on type advantage too much when picking my team," Ash sighed, shaking his head and looking at the floor.
"Again correct," Blaine said, his voice softer than Ash had ever heard previously. "Come on, let's get out of the fire and into the kitchen. I want to grab a snack."
Luckily for Ash, the snacks in the break room were free to visiting challengers. He wolfed down a cinnamon roll and then dug straight into a bag of chips.
"Does he always eat like that?" Blaine asked Brock and Misty, his eyebrows high above his sunglasses.
"Yes," Misty sighed.
"He's a growing boy," Brock said, crossing his arms and giving Blaine a look.
"He'll grow round if he keeps this up," Blaine commented, giving the impression he was rolling his eyes behind his dark lenses.
"He's hiked around almost the entire region in under a year," Brock pointed out.
"And he can roll around it next year."
"It might keep him out of trouble for once," Misty said.
"I can hear you, ya know," Ash said, between handfuls of chips.
"Then take the hint and slow down," Misty called over to him.
Ash rolled his eyes and joined the others.
"Anyway, Aaron," Blaine said, looking Ash in the eyes, "from what I heard from Saffron City, I figured you for a reckless, bull-headed, idiot. And, after battling you… I know I was largely correct in my assumption."
Ash opened his mouth to defend himself, but his insides were curdling at the mention of Saffron City. Instead, he grimaced and looked down at the break room floor.
"But," Blaine went on, "you did surprise me. You were willing to give up when you saw that your strategy wasn't working and you were able to identify your missteps. I thought I'd have to force you to surrender."
"Magikarp was getting too hurt," Ash admitted, still looking at the floor. "It wasn't worth it."
"Yes," Blaine nodded. "Learning when to give up is very important. Knowing when you're in over your head, when you should withdraw and try something else, knowing how to tell if your current approach is valid, these are all important skills. Perhaps more important than traditional battling skills.
"It's not enough to train a pokémon to use Flamethrower if you don't know when it should be used and how it should be used," Blaine continued. "And if you should be even thinking of it in the first place. Our gym system only rewards straightforward combat potential. It does not encourage trainers to develop useful skills and most importantly it does not teach them to think about the situation."
"Oh, and you think your riddles do?" Misty said, leaning back, crossing her arms, and rolling her eyes.
"I think it does more for that than any other gym," Blaine countered. "Except maybe Koga's."
"The Fuchsia gym's gimmick is at least directly related to the non-combat skills it claims to test," Brock pointed out. "Your riddles on the other hand…"
"Oh, you complain about my riddles, but you should have seen the fits the other gym leaders threw back when I was doing written exams instead," Blaine said. "It made everyone testy."
"I will sponsor the first person who challenges you for leadership of the gym just to stop the damn puns," Misty growled under her breath.
"You're actually the fourth- no fifth, gym personal to say those exact words to me," Blaine told her with a smirk.
"So, what didn't I think about?" Ash interrupted.
"Well, you definitely didn't think about your actions in Saffron City," Blaine said, turning back to face Ash. "But here you only failed to account for the skill difference between your magikarp and my pokémon and you were able to recognize that your approach wasn't working. You exceeded my expectations, though they were low. With that in mind…"
Blaine reached into his coat and then drew out an emblem shaped like a round three-pronged flame, all done in shades of red.
"Aaron Autumns, you've managed to earn the Volcano Badge," Blaine said. "But, kid, you got very lucky. Keep that in mind."
"I will!" Ash exclaimed, jumping up and snatching the badge from Blaine's hand.
"Hold your ponytas," Blaine said while Ash held the badge up to the light to get a better look at it. "Savor the moment, because it is extremely unlikely that you'll get Giovanni's badge any time soon. The man is a harsh judge."
"At least he doesn't make you go through a bunch of riddles before the badge match," Misty muttered, rolling her eyes.
"Well, given how strict he can be, one could argue that he's worse," Brock said.
"At least you don't have to worry about losing half your advance with him," Misty shot back.
"Because you'll never get it in the first place," Brock shot back.
"Oh, he's not that bad," Misty replied. "He's a bit of a bottleneck, but enough trainers get through or the League would be complaining about him."
"Eh, I haven't looked into it, but I remember Flint complaining that Giovanni's passing criteria seemed arbitrary," Brock said with a shrug.
"Personally, I think it depends on his mood," Blaine added. "But I don't have the gio-scanner needed to analyze the results-"
"That was a pun wasn't it," Misty said, narrowing her eyes at the man.
"Obviously," Blaine smirked.
"Ugh," Misty groaned. "Aaron, you got the badge, let's get out of here."
"Do you want your advance as cash, check, or direct deposit?" Blaine asked.
"Cash, please," Aaron answered.
"Ah, not moneying around, are we."
"Get that money so we can get out of here NOW Aaron!"
Later, after night fell and Aaron and Misty turned in, Brock sat alone in the deserted lobby of the pokémon center. The television was on, but muted and Brock gazed at it without really seeing what was on.
All the old questions about Aaron, the ones that Brock hadn't managed to settle on the cruise, were back with a few new ones as well. Mainly, Brock didn't understand how Aaron figured out the riddle so fast. If nothing else Aaron's language skills, or lack thereof, should have made it difficult. But Blaine hadn't accused him of cheating and had also confirmed that he had people watching Aaron.
Blaine had also said something about a pizza and a wingull, which Brock honestly thought should be nothing more than an amusing anecdote, but became another disconnected piece of the puzzle that was Aaron Autumns.
Just another thing about the boy that he couldn't make sense of.
Brock's thoughts bothered him long into the night until exhaustion finally forced him to bed.
AN: I'd like to thank Amationary for beta reading.
The next chapter will be released Decemeber 7th, 2022
Feel free to leave a review, concrit is welcome!