Working together

These are the days we've been waiting for,
And days like these you couldn't ask for more.
Keep them coming
Cause we're not done yet.
These are the days we won't regret!
These are the days we won't forget!

These are the days we've been waiting for.
Handle the cage and slam that door,
And the rhythm is calling us as we're not just yet.
These are the days we won't regret!
These are the days we won't forget!
The days, Avicii

At last, the group reached Violet City. According to Silver, the local Gym Leader was the Flying specialist Falkner. And both Gary and Ash wanted to take him.

"So, are you going to tag-team against him or will you take him separately?"

"Separately." Ash decided. "There's no tag-teaming in a Conference so we better not take the habit now."

Misty looked worried.

"Are you sure you'll be alright? Of the Pokémon you caught in Johto, both Heracross, Chikorita and Ledyba are weak against Flying, and Heracross doubly so. And knowing you, I don't think you'll go with the Pokémon you caught in other regions."

Gary nodded.

"You're right. We're in Johto so it's only normal we use Pokémon we caught in Johto. Besides, our older teammates would take on this Gym single-handedly. It just wouldn't be fair for Falkner."

Silver chuckled in the back. Gary's Pokémon were naturally strong and Ash's partners had taken on Legendaries and won. The psychic's statement was complete truth.

"Planning on challenging Falkner?"

The group stopped before the two Trainers on the road. One was a woman in a pretty magenta dress and a hat and the other was a man with a bourgeois-looking suit.

"Yes we are. What about you?"

The man took a Pokéball.

"We faced him. He's tough. Lilly and I are wondering if you've got the skills to face him."

Gary took Misdreavus's Pokéball.

"Bring it."

(Play Pokémon Johto)

Lilly took a Pokéball.

"Meowth, take the field!"

"Meowth? Alright. Beat it, Chikorita!"

The fierce Starter surged from her ball and faced the creamy cat.

"Chiko! Chi-rita!" (Oh yeah! Let's do this!)

The boy bowed before Gary.

"My name is Marc. I hope you're ready for a sound beating! Natu, here you come!"

"Misdreavus, up yours!"

The little Ghost appeared and cheered. Marc winced. Natu was half Psychic and it wasn't a good thing.

"Meowth, Slash!"

"Chikorita, dodge and use Razor Leaf!"

The girl jumped aside and sent a flurry of leaves Meowth slashed with its claws.

"Bite!"

"Whip Vine!"

The cat rushed to Chikorita, only to back away when two vines launched a furious barrage that kept it at three feet from the girl. Lilly frowned.

"Pay Day!"

"Razor Leaf full power!"

Chikorita grinned, remembering her lesson with Clefable. Spinning her leaf faster and faster, she hurled a powerful cloud of leaves to counter the flurry of gold coins. Ash grinned.

"Nice! Her Razor Leaf has become Magical Leaf. Keep going, Chilorita!"

The cloud of leaves overcame the coins and sent Meowth flying. Chikorita caught it in her vines and launched it higher in the air. Then, her head leaf glowing bright green, she jumped after the cat by propelling herself with her vines. It was a trick she learned from Gaya. Meowth gasped when it saw the little Starter going after it. Chikorita's Leaf Blade was merciless. Ash turned to Gary. Natu had tried to use Sucker Punch but Gary had combined Confuse Ray and Will O'Wisp and the poor bird was now flying everywhere with its tail feathers burning. Gary nodded.

"Misdreavus, Return!"

Glowing with a pink light, the little Ghost hit the bird dead on, knocking it out. Return was stronger the more a Pokémon and its partner were friends and Gary and Misdreavus shared a close bond. Marc took a new Pokéball.

"Furret, go!"

"Misdreavus, return! Ledyba, here you go!"

Rodent and ladybug faced one another. Marc made the first move.

"Furret, Quick Attack!"

"Bug Buzz!"

As Gary hoped, the buzzing stopped Furret dead in its track.

"Follow with Acrobatics!"

The bug gladly obeyed and started harassing his opponent with lightning-fast attacks. At the same time, Lilly had called for Smoochum. Ash had chosen Axew.

"Smoochum, Ice Punch!"

"Axew, dodge and Dragon Claw!"

Axew swiftly stepped aside the little pink Pokémon and hit her twice in the back. Smoochum glared at him and darted her tongue at the Dragon. Lick! Axew knew the paralyzing danger of the attack and jumped aside repeatedly, all the while harassing her with Dragon Claw.

"Oh, enough of this! Smoochum, Ice Beam!"

"Counter with Dragon Breath!"

The two attacks collided and fought for dominion. At the same time, Furret was trying in vain to catch Ledyba with Hyper Voice. Gary turned to Ash and winked. Ash caught it. Ledyba landed in Axew's back, who was still fighting and winning against Smoochum's Ice Beam. Brock's eyes widened when he saw the two Pokémon back to back. The Trainers' voice came at the same time.

"Dodge now!"

Furret was rushing with Quick Attack. Ledyba was faster to jump away, Axew following close. The poor Normal Pokémon found himself on the receiving end of Smoochum's attack and didn't resist. As for the duel-type girl, Axew channeled his remaining strength.

"Yeah, Axew! Dragon Pulse now!"

The little Dragon made a sphere of energy that hit Smoochum in the head and knocked her cold. Lilly and Marc watched in disbelief. Gary and Ash, however, were cheering.

"We got them!"

(End music)

Silver grinned.

"Well played, kids. Really, well played. I didn't see that move coming. Looks like you're ready to face Falkner."

"Of course, we are!" Ash grinned. "Axew's fangs were glowing during the fight. I'll use him alongside Chikorita and Heracross."

Gary nodded.

"Then I'll add Umbreon to Misdreavus and Ledyba. That should do. Now, time for them to rest a bit and the Gym is ours!"

After a quick nap in the Pokémon Center, the team went to the Gym. The building was a spiraling tower whose arena was located at the top. Surprisingly enough, there were Trainers on the way that challenged them. Gary and Ash took their turn fighting them off until they reached the arena. Falkner was waiting for them, a sly grin on his face. The Gym Leader knew the duo. Gary was a powerful Trainer and the grandson of Professor Oak and he got word of Ash's reputation. He had even watched his fight against Drake. Two fierce opponents, most likely invincible if they chose to team up. Ash turned to Gary.

"I go first or do you want to take him on?"

"I'll take you on this offer. Nice to meet you, Falkner. Ready to fight?"

The Flying specialist nodded. Apparently, they had chosen to fight separately. Good for him.

"I am, Gary Oak. What will the modalities be?"

"Three against three. First with three Pokémon out loses. Ash will go by the same rules. We agreed on it before coming."

"Fair enough. Let's battle!"

Gary's eyes glowed as Misdreavus's Pokéball came to his hand.

(Play Saber's Edge, from Final Fantasy XIII)

"Misdreavus, let's do this, girl!"

"Mis-dreavus!" (Right on it!)

Falkner nodded.

"Noctowl, I choose you!"

Gary winced. Noctowl was a fully-evolved Pokémon. Misdreavus would have it rough.

"Will-O-Wisp!"

The purple flames went to the owl that took flight and chased after it. Falkner grinned.

"Foresight!"

The owl's eyes glowed red. A sphere of red energy expended around its body and hit the girl, removing her immunity to Normal and Fighting damage. Gary snorted.

"No big deal. Misdreavus has more than Ghost attacks up her arsenal."

This said, Noctowl was half-Normal, which meant Confuse Ray wouldn't work. Return would do just fine, though.

"Noctowl, Air Slash!"

"Dodge and keep using Will-O-Wisp!"

The field slowly filled with purple fire, and yet Noctowl managed to dodge them all. Misdreavus was getting annoyed. Then an Extrasensory hit her from nowhere. The girl growled. The owl was much faster than she was so she simply couldn't reach it with Return. Then Pikachu jumped on Ash's shoulder.

"Pipichu, pipika kapi pikachu!" (Misdreavus, use Thunder Wave!)

The girl's eyes widened. That's right, Pikachu had taught her the attack so she had an easier time reaching her opponents. Her necklace glowed yellow. Next thing it knew, lightning was coursing through Noctowl's body, hampering its moves. Falkner's eyes widened. The attack was totally unexpected. Gary was just as surprised. He turned to Pikachu and frowned. The yellow mouse looked innocently.

"Pikaaa?"

At the same time, its clumsy flight had taken Noctowl through several orbs of fire and its feathers were now burning. Gary grinned.

"Now! Return!"

Her body glowing pink, the girl assaulted the bird repeatedly. The poor Pokémon managed to land a powerful Air Slash that sent the Ghost reeling, but the harm was still done. One last Return and Gary had won the first round. Falkner nodded.

"Impressive. I wasn't expecting you to win."

"And I wasn't expecting her to know Thunder Wave. Our Pokémon have the habit of learning new attacks in our back, most often to make us a surprise during our next fight. So, what's your next?"

"Xatu. What about you?"

"I think I'll go for Umbreon."

Playing with type advantage? Alright, fine. The two Pokémon appeared. Falkner made the first move.

"Aerial Ace!"

The bird raced toward Gary's Pokémon. Gary nodded.

"Let's match speed with speed! Quick Attack!"

The two Pokémon started racing across the arena, each clash sending white sparks through the air. Xatu suddenly rose and came down with Steel Wing. Umbreon talked it and Bit hard in the bird's wings. Xatu shrieked in pain and Pecked the Dark Pokémon repeatedly before flying away, albeit somewhat clumsily. A glowing beam of light came from its eyes and hit Umbreon dead on, sending the Pokémon away to the edge of the arena. Gary gasped.

"Dazzling Gleam!"

Xatu flew to his opponent, ready for the final flow. Suddenly Umbron's eyes snapped open and his yellow lights turned purple. He tackled his opponent hard and unleashed a devastating Dark Pulse, defeating the bird for good. Falkner winced. Payback. Gary grinned.

"Well played, Umbreon. Take some rest now."

Falkner nodded.

"You are worthy of being the grandson of Professor Oak. Let's see what Pokémon you'll choose against this one: Honchkrow!"

"Honchkrow? For him, I'll pick Ledyba!"

Raven and ladybug faced one another. This time, Gary took the initiative.

"Ledyba, Silver Wind!"

A burst of white wind breezed toward Honchkrow who frowned and opened his wings.

"Wing Attack! Tear through that breeze!"

Ledyba narrowly avoided the attack and started harassing the bird with Acrobatics. Falkner frowned. He didn't like the sight of a bugger winning against one of his teammates using Flying attacks. He found it insulting. Gary grinned.

"Deal with it. Ledyba, Bug Buzz!"

Honchkrow winced at the sound of screeching Ledyba made. Charging Dark Pulse, he managed to hit the Bug in the head. Ledyba flew away, dazed. His opponent used the distraction to hit him three times with Wing Attack. Then he came down with Sky Attack, a move that was outright lethal to the ladybug.

"Reflect!" Gary ordered.

Ledyba focused and a field of blue energy appeared. Honchkrow crashed against it. Seizing his chance, the little bug focused all his powers and unleashed a deafening Bug Buzz that forced everyone to block his ears and sent the giant raven right at Falkner's feet, unconscious. The Gym Leader nodded.

(End music)

"Three rounds, three defeats. Well played, Gary Oak. Here is the Zephyr badge."

Gary took the badge and put it on his shirt, then turned to Ash.

"Your turn."

Ash nodded dangerously and took a Pokéball.

"Let's do this, guys. We're gonna get this badge for sure!"

Falkner's eyes narrowed. He had seen the boy during Drake's crowning. He was good. Good enough to be the Champion of the Orange Islands, though his young age prevented him from fully assuming this function.

"Let's see if you're really as good as the rumor says. Be happy, I saved the best for you."

"I wouldn't have it an other way, Falkner. Battle, start!"

(Play The man with the machine gun, from Final Fantasy VIII)

Falkner took a Pokéball.

"Togekiss, here you go!"

"Togekiss? Chikorita, she's yours!"

Falkner raised a brow.

"A Grass Pokémon against a Flying one?"

"Don't misjudge her. Chiko here was trained by my Clefable."

Falkner paled a little. He had seen some of the fights involving the Fairy. As cute as she was, the creature was hardcore. And, apparently, the Starter's mentor.

"Not gonna stop me! Air Slash!"

"Dodge it!"

The girl jumped dexterously to avoid the attacks and launched her vines at the bird's face, leaving a mark. Togekiss winced.

"Extreme Speed! Let's get rid of her!"

Ash frowned. Chikorita tried to dodge the attacks, but she couldn't avoid them all. She focused her energy and, when Togekiss appeared in front of her, hurled a cloud of Magical Leaves. Togekiss was taken in the storm and flew away. Falkner checked the arena.

"Where is she? I don't see her anywhere!"

Ash looked at the sky and grinned. The little girl had wrapped her vines on Togekiss's paws and was being carried away. She charged an attack she had recently learned, Energy Ball, and threw it at the bird. Togekiss jumped in pain. Falkner growled.

"Togekiss, slam her down!"

The bird gladly obliged. She twisted on herself, forcing Chikorita to release her hold and land clumsily on the ground. Falkner nodded.

"Now, Sky Attack!"

Ash clenched his fists. The girl was knocked high by the attack and landed in a thud. The Gym Leader crossed his arms.

"It's all but over now, Ash. Give up."

"Sorry, I never learned to."

"Then I'm gonna teach you! Togekiss, Aerial Ace!"

The angelic bird flew toward its opponent. Chikorita saw her come. Suddenly, her body glowed bright green with energy. Ash cheered. Overgrow was active.

"Chikorita, Leaf Blade!"

The girl grinned. Time to use her favorite move! The energy focused on her blade, which took a white and green glow and extended. The moment Togekiss reached her, she struck twice, targeting the wing joint. The bird landed heavily on the ground.

"Finish it! Energy Ball!"

"Ko-rita!" (And stay down!)

The sphere was as big as she was. Togekiss took it straight in the back, passing out from the pain. Falkner nodded.

"Well played, Ash. Well played. Togekiss, return. My next will be my old friend, Pidgeot!"

"Then I'll choose Heracross! Take the field!"

The armored beetle faced the bird of prey. Instantly, Heracross took a fighting stance. Falkner shook his head.

"Gary played with type advantages. You, you choose to put yourself at a disadvantage. Let's see if you can do as good as your friend!"

"I'm past the point where typing is meaningful. Ready, Heracross?"

The bug nodded. Pidgeot took flight.

"Pidgeot, use Hurricane!"

"Endure it!"

The burst of wind pushed Heracross before Ash. The boy nodded.

"Chain with counter!"

Pidgeot was flying to the bug. Heracross dashed head-first and sent it reeling to its Trainer who winced.

"Follow with Megahorn!"

"Pidgeot, Wing Attack!"

Heracross grinned. At the last moment, he seized the Pokémon's wings and sent it rolling in a familiar motion. Ash grinned. Reversal was a classic of the bug that went perfectly with his knowledge of taichi chuan. And Hurricane had starkly reduced Heracross's vitality, which meant it was even stronger, Reversal increasing in strength as its user was weaker. Falkner frowned.

"Hurricane!"

"Protect!"

A green energy shield appeared around the bug. This made Falkner understand why Ash had chosen him. The bug acted as a tank. It had solid defenses and an apparently great vitality and knew a certain array of defensive and countering moves. Pidgeot rushed with Wing Attack. Heracross jumped on its back and delivered a point-blank Close Combat he finished with Brick Break. Pidgeot crashed and didn't rise.

"Alright, you're as strong as the rumors say. Pidgeot is one of my strongest partners. You chose your teammate wisely. I wonder how you will counter him, though. Take to the sky, Skarmory!"

Ash's eyes gleamed.

"Axew, all yours!"

The little Dragon jumped from his Pokéball, eager to fight. The steel bird faced him. Axew crossed his arms and made a Bring it gesture. Skarmory gladly obliged … with Steel Wing. Axew jumped above and used Flamethrower, only for an Air Slash to cut it. He managed to hold it with Dragon Claw and landed. Falkner grinned.

"Flash Cannon!"

"Flamethrower!"

The two attacks fought one another to a standstill.

"Autotomize!"

Skarmory shed its metal feathers, gaining in speed, and rushed at Axew with Sky Attack. Axew jumped away, charged Dragon Pulse and hit the creature's flank. However, it didn't seem to hurt much …

"Swift!"

Axew winced and braced himself. There was simply no way to avoid the stars. Skarmory knocked him away with Night Slash and followed with Flash Cannon. Axew growled. Summoning all his strength, he made a sphere of draconic energy and held it against the beam as a shield. Slowly, the light engulfed him, followed by an explosion. Falkner cheered.

"Finish him, Skarmory! Steel Wing!"

Somehow, Ash's face was surprisingly serene for someone about to lose his round. Skarmory dived into the cloud of smoke … and grinded to an abrupt halt when something held its wings and pushed back. The cloud faded, revealing a glowing dragon whose form was morphing. Falkner's eyes widened. That was why Ash looked so serene. Axew was evolving, and his evolved form was tough enough to block Skarmory barehanded. The light faded, revealing an average-sized dragon whose scales were a darker shade of green than Axew's.

"Fraxure."

The Pokémon's tusk glowed white. The next second, two cuts tore Skarmory's metal hide and made it fall. The Gym Leader winced.

"Guillotine. And at point blank range at that. Alright, Ash. You win."

(End music)

Coming to the Trainer, he held him the Zepyr badge. Ash grinned and caressed Axew, now Fraxure.

"I knew you'd evolve soon. You did an awesome job."

"Xure!"

Falkner sighed.

"You two are as strong as your reputation says. Those were impressive fights you put on. I wonder how you'll fare against the other Gym Leaders."

"They are going to storm them." Silver grinned. "Bugsy, Whitney, Morty and the others better hold on tight. Now that Gary's traveling with us, there's double trouble coming for them."

The group laughed and bid Falkner goodbye. Brock smiled.

"Axew blocking Skarmory and evolving was impressive. And Ledyba sure fought fiercely. You two are impressive Trainers."

"But when it comes to caring for Pokémon, you're the best, Brock." Ash held his friend's shoulder. "You're the one who keeps our Pokémon healthy."

"Well, I do plan on becoming a Breeder. Knowing to care for Pokémon is the base of the base."

Misty took a map.

"The next Gym is in Azalea Town. They say Bugsy is a Bug specialist. This said, there's also the Sprout Tower near Violet City, who's famous for its Bellsprout Trainers."

Ash grinned.

"Sounds interesting. What about you guys?"

"Why not?"

The tower was near the town's exit. Snubbull was walking at the group's side when her ear twitched. Reacting on instinct, she jumped aside to avoid a Pokéball.

"Snubu-bull!?" (What was that!?)

Pikachu jumped before her and made his cheek spark threateningly. Ash frowned.

"Hey, whoever did that, show yourself!"

Gary came to his side, scanning the surroundings with his mind.

"Two kids. In the bush before us. They're coming."

Indeed, a boy and a girl came who looked rather sheepish.

"Sorry. Is that Snubbull yours? We thought it was wild."

"It isn't wild per say." Brock looked at the two. "Instead, it chose to travel with us without belonging to us. It's just a tagalong friend. And a valuable one."

The two children looked at one another.

"I didn't think Pokémon could choose to follow someone without belonging to him. That's weird."

"So …" Ash crossed his arms. "Why did you try to capture Snubbull?"

"For the Bellsprout Tower challenge. We don't have a Pokémon yet, but we really want to challenge the Sages there. People say they're extremely strong."

Gary and Ash looked at Misty.

"Bellsprout, huh? How about it, Mist? Wanna sic your Water Pokémon against the Bellsprout Sages?"

The girl took a Pokéball and grinned.

"Why not? This might be interesting." She turned to the two children. "Wanna tag along?"

Grass against Water, Grass wins. Usually. Misty fidgeted the Tide Pendant, feeling the power within. When they passed by the fountain, she stopped and focused on it. She could feel the flow of water through her connection with the Pendant and it made her want to try something. Holding her hand, she felt the water curve in the air as it felt in the pool. She took hold of its move and accentuated the curve, again and again until it curled on itself and the jet was making a sphere of water above the fountain. She then brought the ball to her and played it around. Silver grinned fondly.

"Someone's getting a hold on elemental manipulation …"

She sent it to Gary who held it with a psychic field and made it levitate, then sent it to Ash. The boy caught it in an Aura Bubble and made it spin on his finger. He then sent it to Silver who froze it and played with it. Misty tried to reach it but backed away.

"It's completely still. It is inert. I can't control it in this state. It is … dead."

"Funny." Silver thought aloud. "In Eä, the last of the ten elements was Matter and allowed manipulation on of any substance of the periodic table on the atomic level, but only as long as it was inert. In other words, you could turn dead wood into diamond since both are made of carbon, but good luck doing that with green wood. And flesh and anything 'living' was out of question."

"In what is it fun?"

"The fun part is that you can't control frozen water because it is, in your own terms, dead and inert. Matter magic works the other way around. You can manipulate anything as long as it's not alive. I found the parallel interesting."

Misty's answer was a sphere of water to the face. She then turned to the ripples made by the jets into the pool and focused on them. The ripples slowly turned into miniature waves, the Pendant's power amplifying them to the point they went over the edge. Ash grinned. Misty's water manipulation was due to the Tide Pendant, but it was still cool to watch her manipulate water like he manipulated Aura. They finally entered the tower alongside the two kids. Brock passed a hand on the middle column.

"They say this pillar was made with the body of a giant Bellsprout. The tower is built around it, which means it sometime swings along the wind or the people inside."

Silver nodded.

"It has the side effect of making it earthquake-proof. You know the tale of the oak and the reed? Well, compared to concrete buildings, this tower works just like a reed. I heard people use this kind of infrastructure in quake-sensitive areas."

A clerk waiting for potential challengers was waiting next to the stairs.

"Which of you will be taking the challenge?"

"I will." Misty grinned. "I'm a Water specialist."

"Ooh? You're looking for trouble, milady."

"I know and I'm out to get it. Bring it on. Two of my friends just beat the Gym Leader, so I thought I'd do something similar and storm that tower."

The clerk chuckled.

"Climb at your own risks, milady. The challenge is in two steps. First, you get to face each Sage one after the other. One loss and you're out. If you win, you can climb the next level and face our master, Li-sensei."

"Alright, here I come."

The group followed her and went to the first floor. The six Sages were kneeling on the ground, waiting for her.

"Welcome, Miss." One of them smiled. "Ready to fight?"

"I am. Bring it on."

The Sage took a Pokéball.

"Then I will be your first opponent. Bellsprout, go!"

"Poliwag!"

To say the fights were short was an understatement. Most of the Sages were taken with a single attack and even two Sages tag-teaming against her resulted in Poliwag simply KO-ing both Bellsprout with Double Slap. Misty raised a brow.

"Aren't these guys supposed to be a challenge?"

Gary turned to Ash.

"When she said she felt like storming that tower, she wasn't kidding."

Ash shook his head, amazed. His friend had gotten much stronger. They climbed the stairs and finally reached the last level. An old man in monk robes was waiting for them.

"Alas, the challenger has come. Welcome, miss. Given what I heard from below, my students didn't last long against you."

Misty took a Pokéball.

"As I said, I feel like storming a tower. Gotta keep up with my friends."

"Very well. Then I shall be your final opponent. Bellsprout, go!"

"Vaporeon!"

(Play Alraune, Whisperer of Dementia, from Bayonetta 2)

Bellsprout instantly took the offensive with Energy Ball. Vaporeon jumped aside and launched a Shadow Ball. The attack was blocked by two purple vines that made Misty understand her opponent was on a different level than the disciples below. This was a Power Whip attack. Vaporeon understood it too because he jumped before his Trainer, eyes narrowed to slits.

"Vapo, reon-po on vaporeon?" (So, what's the plan?)

Misty's lips curled in a smirk. Her partner had an attack that was lethal to a Pokémon like Bellsprout, and even more so that Vaporeon weren't mean to know such a move.

"Here is my plan: Quick Attack!"

Vaporeon obliged and rushed at Bellsprout. Elder Li looked at the Pokémon.

"Bellsprout, Solar Beam!"

The Grass Pokémon had been charging its attack since Vaporeon's retreat. A burst of solar energy erupted from its lips, forcing Misty to dive out of its way. Ash winced. Vaporeon? He just jumped above. Misty grinned.

"Now! Take Down!"

The Water Eeveelution landed paws first on the plant, jumped on a wall to bounce and bit Bellsprout's head. Using his momentum, the Pokémon threw his opponent away, only for Bellsprout to land on a beam of the ceiling. Its vines glowed purple and lashed at Vaporeon who quickly rushed past them with Quick Attack. Leaping on the beams of the walls and the ceiling, he reached the Flower Pokémon and launched his tail at it. Bellsprout dodged it gracefully, forcing Vaporeon to land.

"Solar Beam!"

Misty clenched her teeth.

"Confusion!"

Vaporeon's eyes glowed pink. The Solar Beam was heading his way, only to be blocked by a pink barrier. Elder Li watched, dumbfounded. Misty looked at her partner.

"Focus! You have to counter it!"

Not a problem. Turning his mind in an arrow of pink, he sent the psychic blast straight through the beam of light and straight at its caster. Bellsprout fell on the ground. Misty saw her chance.

"Finish this! Take Down!"

Her partner gave her a toothy grin and tackled the Grass Pokémon in one jump. Bellsprout didn't rise.

(End music)

Li looked at the Water specialist and nodded.

"An impressive fight. Never have I seen a Vaporeon knowing Confusion before. How did it happen?"

"He nearly evolved into Espeon." Misty sheepishly smiled. "I loved training with him as an Eevee, so our bond became tight faster than I thought. One day, I was fighting an other Water Trainer when Eevee started evolving. He was halfway through when my opponent gave him a Water Stone."

The old sage chuckled at the tale.

"I see. A chance your opponent reacted fast, then. Here." He gave her a Leaf Stone. "I know you train Water Pokémon but you never know. Maybe it will prove useful one day."

Misty took her prize and smiled.

"Alright. Thanks for the stone. And for the fight too. It was a good challenge. Now, come on. Let's go boy!"

A huge smile on their lips, the group left the tower.

Here is the new chapter. For those who complain about long waits, it is done when it is done. Calm down, I'm writing. And I'm also in University so you can understand I can't spend all my time writing ... That apart, how did you find that chapter? Four battles, two Gym Battles for the price of one and I think I didn't do that bad. Also, I took some of the soundtrack from The great adventure. The old ways are the best, right?

I'm going to post a new story about Pokémon, but this time in French. I do not expect it to be as popular as this one, but the style is similar. It's just that it isn't in English. Long thing short, Ash decides to take Unova by storm. I'm not telling you why yet. Do you think it could work?

For the reviews ...

- Acorbe: sorry, no mega-Evolved Pikachu, and I will give Ash a Dratini that will only evolve into Dragonair. Ash has a bit of an issue with Dragonites because those he faced gave him some of his Most Challenging Fights ever. And Hitmontop will return.

- TheMythWriter: family problems aren't the best situation when you want to write, especially when you want to make quality work. Maybe that's why the quality isn't as great as before. It's rough at home.

- : you're right, Ash will be two, three months short of 13 at best. And Misty ... Well, Ash sure is handsome, right? Don't worry about Red, he's still as Deadly as the son of a Champion can be ... For Zorua, I don't know yet.

- Nightshadegirl: Falkner's Pidgeot will mega-evolve. Just not right now. For Snubbull as Granbull, I don't know yet.

- Sj929: long review? Compared to others, yours is rather short. For OCs, I don't accept them and create new characters depending my needs. As for Red, he isn't a pushover. Drake is just that tough. You'll see next chapter, or maybe the one after.

- dloold87: don't worry, AshXGarry will be teased but just that. Teased. Ash is straight and, at the moment, single and glad to be. Gary ... can't say the same.

- Siggimondo: Ash smoked nothing. Just a normal day in a Chosen's life. And yeah, the game mechanisms are unrealistic. That's why artistic licence exists. And now, you know where all those bred Pokémon disappear. Now for Aura Web ... doable. I think. Muchoney ... Yeah, sure. Long live the dub *snicker* For the songs, you forgot the one Ash plays before his fight with Drake, when he's feeling down: the Rhapsody of Get A Hold On Yourself, Dammit! So, epic enough?

- Birdy1210: don't worry, no slash. No Yaoi either, just some tease. I think Ash will his "official" father one day. Don't know when, though. And yeah, Chiko and Starlight are a lot alike.

- zackattack999: Delia kidnapped? Silver's one-liner to Mewtwo is strangely like Ash's sentence in the Entei movie. There's a reason for that.

- MidnightHunter563: I think Ash will meet Pokémon like Clefable and Chikorita. In Hoenn, that would be Treecko-Sceptile. Skandara? Ralts-Gardevoir. Sinnoh? Either Infernape or Lucario. For the rest, I don't know yet.

- No.1 YoshiFan: I don't know yet. Maybe during the final battle with the Rebels.

Okay, that's all. Now, I've gotta work on my other story. See you soon! Also, is there any Pacific Rim fan out there?