Yui's Journey – The Tokko Adventures

Chapter 10 – A Sky-High Pokemon Duel

               

            Yui stood across the battlefield of the Sky Town Gym, facing Tori, one of her new close friends. Less than half an hour before this, she had found out that this person that she'd allowed herself to get close to was the gym leader… the person she'd have to fight her hardest against. Her three friends, Morty, Teal, and Falkner, stood on the sidelines of the arena, watching both trainers as they gazed at each other.

            "Don't go easy on me," Yui said, "just because we're friends, and all that…"

            "I never go easy on a challenger," Tori replied. From the side, Falkner nodded his head.

            "I've seen her battle," he added. "Watch your back. This gym battle won't be easy."

            "I know that by now," Yui said, thinking back to her battles with Jon and Viola, the two previous gym leaders she'd defeated. Each of them had presented tough challenges to her, and each time she prevailed. She planned not to leave this gym without the leader's badge.

            This gym, like the one in Dream Town, had somebody standing near the field to serve as a referee. The young man with short platinum-blonde hair raised two flags in the air, one to represent both trainers. "As we have already confirmed, this will be a three-on-three match," he said. "Let the battle commence!"

            Yui raised a Pokeball. "This should take care of any Flying-types you can throw at me," she said. "Shuckle, go!"

            The air filled with diamonds of light as the shining Shuckle configured itself onto the battlefield. Tori scowled at this, but you could tell she was determined; she didn't look scared, or willing to back down. Complete confidence shone from her face as she lifted a Pokeball from her belt.

            "I choose Noctowl!" she called, throwing the ball forward. Her Pokemon was a huge brown owl, with sharp-looking eyes. It glared at the small Pokemon on the floor before it; Shuckle, in turn, pulled its head back into its shell.

            "All right Shuckle, let's start off strong. Strength attack!" Yui commanded.

            "Counter it with Double-edge!" Tori called. Both Pokemon charged at each other, their power equally matched as they struggled to throw each other off-balance. Noctowl, however, had the upper-hand, being able to fly. It backed up and dove at Shuckle, knocking the Pokemon onto its back with a downward swoop.

            "Shuckle, are you all right?" Yui asked as her Pokemon rolled back over onto its feet. It did some sort of strange body roll, shaking itself off and nodding its head at Yui at the same time. Yui laughed, and then looked up at Noctowl. The bird was still hovering above the battlefield, staring at Shuckle. "You're okay! Great!" she said excitedly. "Now, use your Rock Smash attack!"

            Shuckle jumped up, throwing itself at Noctowl. There was a crash, and Noctowl dropped to the ground. For a second, it looked like it wasn't moving, but it got up and began to hop around on its feet. Shuckle dropped down next to it, shaking itself off again.

            "Noctowl, can you move you wing?" Tori asked, seeing that it was nuzzling itself under its left wing. The bird proudly spread its wings and, despite its injury, flew a few feet into the air.

            "Okay, Shuckle, try that again!" Yui said. Noctowl flew up out of range, and Shuckle missed it target.

            "Noctowl, use Sky Attack!" Tori called out. Noctowl flew up as high as it could, and bombarded Shuckle with a strong diving attack. Shuckle went flying, and landed on the opposite side of the battle field. It was horribly weakened, but still up and in the battle.

            "Shuckle, try using Rock Slide!" Yui told it. Her Pokemon spun around, causing rocks to fly up around it; it fired the rocks at Noctowl, and the bird Pokemon dropped again. This time, it didn't make an attempt to stand. The referee raised the flag on Yui's side. "Victory goes to Shuckle!"

            Tori called back her Pokemon, and promptly brought up another Pokeball. "Try this one," she said. "Go, Swablu!" This Pokemon greatly resembled the Altaria from yesterday, only it was smaller. It was a tiny round bluebird, and its wings were made out of the cloudy substance that had surrounded Altaria. "Remember your friend from yesterday? This is the un-evolved form of one of them," Tori informed Yui.

            "I see," Yui said, admiring the tiny bird. But she knew she couldn't let it beat her… just because she liked the Pokemon didn't mean she'd let it win. "Shuckle, use your Rock Smash!"

            "Swablu, out of the way!' Tori said quickly. Shuckle went flying right past the tiny bird, who zipped out of the way every time Shuckle went in for an attack. Shuckle was having an incredibly hard time keeping up, as it wasn't as fast as Swablu anyway.

            "Now, go in for a Peck attack," Tori instructed. Swablu dove straight down, ramming its tiny beak into Shuckle's head. Shuckle withdrew itself into its shell, motionless.

            "Shuckle! Are you going to be all right?" Yui called. There was no response – and suddenly, Shuckle's head popped out of the hole in its shell. Its mouth had a red streak around it.

            "It must have gone in there to eat a berry it had stored," Teal suggested. "It healed itself a little bit!"

            Yui smiled at her Pokemon. "Great!" she said. "Shuckle, use your Encore attack, quick!"

            The familiar purple glow filled the arena, and Swablu was temporarily suspended in place. Then, it began randomly pecking at Shuckle; the attack had taken its effect.

            "Now all you have to do is stay out of its way!" Yui said with a huge grin. Shuckle curled itself up in the protective layer of its shell, while Swablu kept idly pecking away at it. Eventually, Swablu stopped, and fell away from the shell, dazed from all the shots it had taken to the head. "Good, Shuckle! Now's your chance to Rock Smash it!"

            And that's what it did, sending it opponent across the battlefield. Tori recalled Swablu, and stared in anger at the Shuckle as the referee raised the flag in Yui's favor. "That thing won't be able to beat this. Go, Pidgeot!"

            Yui looked up, blinking absently. All she could do was whine slightly, looking up at the shining Flying-type Pokemon.

            "Gah…" Falkner choked, his eyes wide. "That's Tori's last resort. Her most powerful Pokemon…"

            "Well, that's just lovely," Teal groaned. "Come on, Yui!! You can beat her!"

            "And just remember, Shuckle's only your first Pokemon!" Morty called out. "You still have two more!"

            "I know, I've got everything under control!" she said. "Shuckle, try your Rock Smash attack on it!"

            "Pidgeot! Take off into the air and power up for Razor Wind!" Tori called. The Pokemon flew up; it was completely out of Shuckle's reach. It flapped its wings rapidly, and a cool wind began to spiral around the whole room.

            "Shuckle! Withdraw yourself into that shell!" Yui cried. Just as the command was made, Pidgeot released its attack. Shuckle was carried into the air by the force of the wind; it was thrown around the room several times before finally being deposited back on the ground. It landed with a thud, and the creature inside of the shell was motionless.

            "Shuckle is unable to battle!" called the announcer. "Victory goes to Tori and Pidgeot!"

            Yui frowned slightly and recalled Shuckle. She took up her second Pokeball, and looked at it nervously before tossing it down. "Chikorita, go!"

            Falkner's face went blank, and Teal glared strangely at Yui. "What are you doing?" she asked. "Chikorita's weak against Pidgeot!!"

            Morty was the only one to remain calm. "Relax, guys," he said, "I'm sure she knows what she's doing."

            "Wow, someone who doesn't doubt me," Yui said, turning to smile at Morty. "Okay, Chikorita, get ready!"

            Tori just laughed, and pointed at the small Pokemon opposing her. "Pidgeot, Gust attack!!"

            "Chikorita, use Vine Whip!" Yui called over the rushing sound of the air as Chikorita jumped out of the way of Pidgeot's attack. It released two vines from the seeds around it neck and latched onto Pidgeot's talons, pulling it down toward the ground.

            "Pidgeot, lift it up!" Tori instructed. "Then throw it down with another Gust!!"

            "Let go, Chikorita!!" Yui cried. But Pidgeot already had a grip on the vines, and all Chikorita accomplished by drawing her vines in was pulling herself closer to Pidgeot… and farther away from the ground. "Try attacking it! Razor Leaf!"

            "Now, Pidgeot!" Tori yelled. As Chikorita started her attack, Pidgeot released its grip on her vines, and smacked her away with its wing.

            "NO!" Yui screamed, running out into the battlefield. She caught Chikorita seconds before it would have hit the ground. "Chikorita… I should have known you couldn't battle that thing."

            "Chiko!!" it growled, jumping down from her arms.

            Yui blinked. "You're not going back out there," she said. "It's way too dangerous."

            "Ko," it said, shaking its head. It stepped back out onto the arena, and motioned for Yui to take her place at the side.

            "But… Are you sure?" Yui questioned. Chikorita looked up at her; it was clearly weak and injured, but its expression was determined. "…All right," she finally said. "Get ready to win this battle!"

            "Getting a little too hopeful there, are we, Yui?" Tori said with a smirk. "Pidgeot, Quick Attack!"

            "Chikorita, try your Sweet Scent!" Yui said, naming the first attack that came to mind. Chikorita bent her head and waved her leaf ever so slightly. Pidgeot slowed its flight, and hovered in mid-air, watching Chikorita intently.

            "Pidgeot, snap out of it!" called Tori.

            "Good, you've got it distracted! Now headbutt it!" Yui said. Chikorita jumped up, hitting Pidgeot dead-on. Yui could tell it hadn't taken that much damage from the attack, but it was still weakened.

            "Try it again, Chikorita!"

            "Pidgeot, ignore that sweet scent and use your Gust attack again!" Tori instructed. Chikorita jumped at Pidgeot at the worst possible moment; just as her feet left the ground, Pidgeot swung its wing forward, knocking Chikorita back with a gust of slicing wind. She flew across the gym, landing helplessly at Yui's feet, Yui picked her up, staring mournfully at her.

            "I'm sorry, Chikorita," she apologized again, "it was too much to ask of you in the first place. Return."

            "Heh… Sorry about that," Tori said. "I didn't mean to hurt your Chikorita so badly."

            "She'll be fine," Yui said, giving one final look to the Pokeball as she replaced it with another one from her belt. "But right now, I do believe we have a battle to finish."

            "Right," Tori said. "Send out your last Pokemon."

            "As if that wasn't obvious enough," Yui laughed. "Eevee, go!"

            The small evolution Pokemon came out of the spherical device in Yui's hand, growling as it looked up at its opponent. The size difference between the two Pokemon was immense; Eevee was merely a chew toy in Pidgeot's eyes.

            "You know, if you keep giving away easy wins like this to your challengers, Yui, you'll never make it into the Pokemon League," Tori joked.

            "I'll show you an easy win," Yui said. "Eevee, swift attack now!"

            "Vee!" Eevee smiled, jumped up to balance itself on its tail, and released a wave of golden stars from its glowing eyes. Pidgeot was temporarily thrown off course, but it was definitely still in the battle.

            "Pidgeot, you can stand up to that! Use Gust!" Tori said.

            "Counter it with another swift attack!" Yui said quickly. Eevee attacked again, but it was a fraction of a second too late; she was blown backward, and she landed on the ground, sliding a few feet before stopping.

            "Quick Attack, Pidgeot! Make sure it stays down!" Tori yelled as she watched Eevee stand to her feet.

            "Sand attack, Eevee!" Yui commanded. Eevee dug her feet into the ground, pulling small pieces of gravel and dirt up from the floor and flicking it into Pidgeot's face. The bird cried out, and was sent spinning temporarily off-course… which gave Yui the chance she wanted.

            "Now, jump onto its back!" she said; Eevee dug her claws into the ground once more, but this time she pressed upward and propelled herself into the air. She landed with a smack on the bird Pokemon's feathers.

            "Shake it off!" Tori said. "Fly up and try doing a barrel roll!"

            "Just hold on with your claws, Eevee!" Yui told it. Eevee buried her claws into Pidgeot's feathers, holding on for dear life as Pidgeot spun wildly in the air, trying to shake her off.

            "What do you think she has planned?" Teal asked, tapping Morty on the shoulder. The blonde gym leader shrugged, looking up at the Pokemon.

            "She must have some sort of idea what she's doing," he said. "Otherwise, she'd never get Eevee to do this… Or any of her Pokemon, for that matter…"

            Meanwhile, Pidgeot was starting to tire, and its trainer was getting more and more restless and frustrated. Pidgeot couldn't attack Eevee when she was on its back… It couldn't throw her off… There was almost nothing Pidgeot could do. Then again, there was probably nothing that Eevee could do either…

            Yui noticed Pidgeot's increasing fatigue just as much as Tori did. "Okay, Eevee, it's getting tired and slow," she said. "Jump up a little bit, and use Swift to push it toward the ground!"

            "What?" Tori exclaimed as she watched the blast of golden stars send her Pokemon crashing down to the ground. It hit the ground hard, and stopped moving; it was hard to tell if it was fainted or asleep. But either way…

            "Pidgeot is out of the battle!" said the announcer. "This match goes to the challenger Yui and her Eevee!"

            "YAY!" Yui cried, jumping up and hugging Eevee. "My strategy worked!"

            "Ooie," Eevee squealed. It hadn't known anything about any strategy, but what she had done had worked, and it had seemed to be important… so she was happy anyway.

            "Great job, Yui!" Falkner called from the sidelines. "That was a great battle!"

            "Thanks," Yui said, blushing. "Wow, I have fans…"

            "He's right, though. You did do really great," Tori said. "You deserve this…" She held out her hand. Inside was a small badge, shaped like a wing with a small curl in the middle. "Here's the Breeze Badge. Please take in on behalf of Sky Town."

            "I… I plan on it," Yui said, pinning the badge next to the other two. Morty came up to her and picked her up, spinning her around in a circle.

            "Great battle," he said. "You did really well out there."

            "So I hear," Yui smiled. "Thanks, Morty."

            "It's no problem at all," he said. "After all, I'm only telling you what I truthfully think…"

            "Morty, you're the sweetest thing ever," Yui said with a little giggle.

            "Uh, I hate to interrupt, but shouldn't we be heading down to Aurora City?" Teal asked. "I heard that place is the hugest tourist spot ever… Malls, attractions… Even a water park!"

            "Water park?" Yui's eyes lit up. "Count me in!!"

            "I can help you get down from the city," Tori said. "We can call my bird-types to come and carry you again."

            "Thanks a lot, Tori," Falkner said. "We really appreciate this."

            "Aww, no problem, Fal," Tori replied. "Let's go out there and call the birds before it gets to be late… They don't like traveling by night usually…"

            "Okay," Falkner agreed, following after Tori; Teal followed close behind the two of them, making sure there was nothing going on between them. And that left Yui and Morty to just hang back and walk together…

            "I can't wait to see the water park… can you?" Yui cried, latching herself to Morty's shoulder. "It's gonna be so much fun…"

            "If you say so, Yui-chan," Morty responded. "At least you're excited about something else besides shopping…"

            "Oh, come on, I'm not that boring," Yui laughed. They exited the city through the double glass doors, following Falkner and the other girls to the edge of the city.

            "Look down there," Tori was saying. "From here, you can see all of Aurora City. It's really beautiful."

            She wasn't lying, either… The whole city was alight with neon signs and fluorescent lamps from the windows of tall apartment buildings. "Wow," Yui said. "It's amazing. Everything in Tokko is so pretty."

            "Glad you like it," Tori said, raising the bird-calling whistle to her lips. "Ready to go see it all up close?"

            ~To Be Continued…~

            A/N: Yay! Probably the shortest chapter in Yui's Journey history!! ^-^ I liked it anyway… Just a straight and to-the-point gym battle episode. I think it'd be a lot more exciting if it was animated… And it'd be longer. But I like it, and I hope you did!! ^^ And I know that everyone who is just dying for two certain people to be paired up will love Chapter 11…. But then again, there are people who aren't looking forward to the pairing of these two certain people… Hehe… Well, you'll just have to wait and see! ^-^ I'll have it written as soon as I can! ^-^ Bai now!