POKÉMON: INFINITE LEGACIES
THE CIPRYS REGION
CHAPTER 24
GIVE IT ALL YOU'VE GOT! CLASH AGAIN FOR THE PHANTOM BADGE! FLAME VS. DECLAN: II!

Declan caught sight of Flame grinning through the smoke. Puzzled, the gym leader said, "One Flame Charge shouldn't have been enough to topple Tomeinx. What did you do?"

"Eevee wasn't the only Pokémon who learned a new move while we were training. Litten did too."

Litten raised his head and mrrowed confidently.

"I see. Well then"—Declan raised a second Dusk Ball and clicked the button—"I'm going to require your assistance, Shuppet."

The energy from within produced a grey cloth-covered Pokémon, whose multicoloured eyes—yellow pupils, light blue sclerae, and dark blue irises—arrowed outwards in the shape of teardrops.

Selina's gaze was drawn to the horn that jutted out from atop Shuppet's spherical head. If Shuppet had been released earlier, he would have collected a lot of negative emotions from Flame.

Shuppet floated back and forth in front of Declan. His eyes, outlined in black, were narrowed at Litten. Clearly Shuppet had not forgotten who had defeated him in the last battle.

Flame stared at Declan, then at the gym leader's Shuppet. "We may have beaten Tomeinx, Litten, but remember, we haven't won yet."

Litten nodded, teeth bared and glaring at Shuppet.

"Use Screech."

Shuppet opened his mouth, and Flame had to put his hands over his ears, as did Declan and Selina. Litten, lacking arms, could not. The Ghost-type shrieked and shrieked. Flame tightened his grip, the sound too piercing. Shockwaves appeared from Shuppet's mouth and travelled across the battlefield. Litten was hissing away. Flames started to stretch across his pelt.

"Flame Charge!" yelled Flame as loudly as he could.

Flames enshrouded Litten; the fire cat Pokemon was lost beneath his fiery fury. He bounded forwards, claws unsheathed, darting towards Shuppet.

"Quick! Multiple, and dodge!

Shuppet blinked in surprise: Litten had shaken off Screech much quicker than last time. But the puppet Pokémon started to glow and the air around him started to vibrate. Litten blasted closer. Just before Flame Charge could connect, additional copies of Shuppet emerged, masking the whereabouts of the original. Litten stayed on course, though, and a copy vanished upon contact.

Litten landed neatly. He whirled back round at the copies, teeth bared and flames fading.

"Go get 'em! Bite!"

Declan folded his arms. "So," he murmured, "that's the new move." And one that is super effective—we must watch ourselves.

Litten's mouth opened and dark energy, shaped like oversized teeth, appeared in front. Litten turned to the nearest Shuppet and snarled, leaping forwards. As Litten's mouth closed, the dark energy did too, snapping down on the Shuppet copy.

The copy vanished upon contact. Without hesitation Litten moved onto the next copy. Flame's gaze was on Declan: the gym leader was considering his next move and Flame was waiting to respond to it. Bite dismissed its second copy. Litten landed and looked to the next in line.

"Float higher," Declan instructed.

Litten pounced skywards and managed to hook a third copy with Bite, but the remaining five circled out of reach.

"Now, come together . . ."

Anticipation tightened Flame's chest. The thumping in his chest seemed in another world compared to the calmness in Declan's voice. He's up to something big.

The five Shuppet bunched together. The lanterns overhead casted a large shadow onto the ground, near to Litten.

"And use Shadow Sneak!"

"Counter with Ember!"

Both gym leader and challenger watched with narrowed eyes. They were under no illusions; they recognised the importance of this stage in the battle. Whoever's Pokémon lost would be at a two-one disadvantage.

The shadows shifted and snaked towards Litten, stretching out into dark tentacles and growing in height until the Fire-type Pokémon was surrounded, invisible beneath solid black mass to Flame, until red-hot energy shot out of Litten's mouth in the form of a fireball. Shuppet's expression hardened. The shadows reared up, about to crash down on their trapped quarry from every side. Litten could see nothing but darkness. Was Litten about to be eliminated?

"Dodge!" realised one trainer too late.

The shadows crumbled and shrivelled up. It was Shuppet who fell from above, his copies no more. Shuppet had exerted too much energy in replicating himself and manipulating the shadows. He could not strike quickly, nor move away quickly enough, and had taken a direct hit from Ember. He tried to stop himself from falling, but the pain was too much—he had lost his balance and was unable to stop his descent.

A stream of energy rushed towards him.

"I forfeit Shuppet," announced Declan, holding out his Dusk Ball. He murmured something to Shuppet, then returned the Dusk Ball to his belt in exchange of another. He stroked his white beard with his other hand. On my honour as a gym leader, after that last battle against that kid, I cannot lose without at least a good fight.

Selina tried her best to contain her happiness now that Flame was ahead. "Shuppet is unable to battle!" she declared. "Gym Leader Declan has one Pokémon remaining."

Flame waited as patiently as he could manage. He knew who Declan's last Pokémon was.

Declan took another Dusk Ball from his belt. "Well, well, well, my boy, I bet you are glad you kept going now. Still, you have not earned the Phantom Badge just yet, I'm afraid. Yamask, you're going to twist this story in my favour!" He threw the Dusk Ball overarm.

And from it, his third and final Pokémon appeared: a black, red-eyed Pokémon whose tail-like appendage curled under and clutched a beige-coloured mask, expressionless and if Flame was honest, a little creepy-looking.

"Yamask," Yamask said simply in a high-pitched voice, stretching his long, lanky arms.

Flame pointed at their newest opponent, grinning. "Litten, let's get this done! Flame Charge!"

Litten mrrowed in agreement. Before Flame knew it, Litten was enveloped in flames and was streaking across the battlefield.

Yamask's gaze was concentrated on Litten. The spirit Pokémon stayed where he was, floating in the air.

"Show them your Unovan strength, Yamask. Hold firm."

Flame sensed Declan had something planned, but it was too late to halt Litten's attack. The Fire-type smashed into Yamask, who was propelled back with great force. Yamask sped past Declan and into the bookshelf behind. The bookshelf was unimpressed by the offering, only accepting books, and Yamask was thrown to the floor, alongside a few hardbacks.

Flame looked towards Selina to see if she would make the call, but she was focused on Litten instead.

It's not over yet, he knew. "Follow up with Bite!"

Litten snarled. The flames broke apart as quickly as they had appeared. Dark energy formed ahead of Litten as he dashed forwards.

Yamask floated back up.

"Protect!"

"No!" Flame muttered. Even though they had lost, he remembered how effectively Frost had used the move in their battle against Alyssa.

Yamask raised his mask. Purple energy surged outwards and formed a shield.

It made little difference to Litten's mindset. He shut his mouth and black fangs slammed against the shield. Not much damage was inflicted, though; only a few shards broke loose.

Declan smiled, an intense look across his face. "Yamask, Brutal Swing please!"

He's really enjoying this, Selina thought.

Yamask shot forwards and seized Litten's forelegs. Before Litten knew what was happening, Yamask had spun round and catapulted him into the nearest pillar. Litten crashed against the pillar and landed awkwardly.

Flame's jaw dropped. How's Yamask so strong?

But after a moment, Litten staggered back up, fur bristling. A few flames sparked across his fur, but did not ignite into anything bigger. He mrrowed in surprise.

Litten must be low on energy. Why isn't Blaze kicking in?

"My boy, you aren't the only one with tricks to play. I'm afraid, Litten won't be using Blaze like our last battle. Let me enlighten you. Yamask's ability is Mummy: When another Pokémon makes contact with Yamask, their ability also becomes Mummy for the remainder of the battle."

Flame gritted his teeth. "Whatever," he mumbled. "We'll still win! Ember!" But he was feeling nervous. He didn't want to admit it, but Declan had outsmarted him. The Ghost-type gym leader had lured Litten in by not asking Yamask to dodge and then using Protect. Flame had relied on Blaze in lots of battles with Litten, but now the Fire-type could gain no extra power to turn the battle around.

"Night Shade!"

Litten crouched and exerted every last bit of energy he had left.

Yamask focused. His eyes glowed bright pink, and he produced a series of crimson rings that darted towards Litten.

Litten released the fire energy he'd built up, but the fireball was smaller than his previous Ember attacks. Night Shade was too powerful. The crimson rings clattered into the fireball and pushed through.

Litten tried to tough it out, but his body couldn't take the pain. He collapsed and went limp. It took a moment for Selina to make her call: "Litten is unable to battle . . . Flame has one Pokemon remaining!"

Litten was absorbed in a stream of light; Flame clutched his Poké Ball. "You did all you could, Litten. Thank you."

After a moment Flame returned Litten's minimised Poké Ball to his pocket and pulled out Oriota's. He breathed in, then out. If I'd refused the three-on-three, I would have won by now . . . He grinned. Oh, well. This is too much fun! He flicked Oriota's Poké Ball into the air, caught it, and threw it. "Oriota, I choose you!"

His Poké Ball released a small but chubby yellow-feathered Pokémon. Below his chin, under his body, and under his wings were white feathers. Around oval eyes were black markings and his talons were small and grey.

Surprise widened Oriota's eyes. He flapped his wings and looked around himself until he had turned towards his trainer.

Flame smiled. "Change of plan," he explained. "I know you weren't expecting to battle today, but I know you can win it for us. Give it all you've got, Oriota!"

Oriota nodded. He flapped with more ferocity. His wing had fully healed; he was ready to go.

"Sudden death," commented Declan. "Whatever happens I want you to know this has been a thrilling battle to participate in."

"Same here," agreed Flame, "but I'm not losing."

"Me neither, my boy. Me neither. Yamask, Night Shade!"

"Dodge, Oriota!"

Yamask charged his energy and released crimson rings towards Oriota, but the Flying-type was too quick. He adjusted his flight path and swooped clear behind a pillar.

"Thunder Shock!"

"Protect!"

Oriota clung onto a pillar, his talons tight against cracks that had formed from earlier collisions. The small, messy tuft of black feathers atop his head started to fizz away with tiny sparks. Seconds later, electricity was zapping towards Yamask.

Just in time, Yamask constructed his shield from the energy oozing from his mask. Some of the shield shattered, but not completely.

Flame wiped his forehead. "Blow 'em away with Gust, Oriota!"

"Counter with Night Shade!"

Oriota took flight once more, his wings glowing white. He hovered, then flapped his wings until the wind had been whipped up into a frenzy. With one last beat, he sent the current whirling in Yamask's direction.

A pale purple glow outlined Yamask's body, his eyes a bright pink, as he crafted crimson rings with his hands. He fired them off one by one at Oriota. The attacks collided, and the competing energies erupted into mini explosions. One of the crimson rings got through, though, and glanced Oriota's wing. Pain erupting across his face, and unbalanced, Oriota veered groundwards.

"Pull up!" Flame shouted as the hard, glossy purple floor rose to meet Oriota.

Gravity pushed down on Oriota. Flame felt his heartbeat quicken. With each thud, the closer and closer Oriota was to disaster.

Selina's hands were clasped together. Come on, Oriota. You can do it.

Oriota narrowed his eyes. He couldn't do much else, air rushing against his vision. A similar moment flashed in his mind. When he was a young Oriota, like many others, he had used up too much electrical energy and had fallen from the clouds. Terror had gripped him then as he fell and fell through blue sky, but his flock had been there; they had saved him from falling further. But now there was no flock to protect him; it was up to him, knew Oriota, to grow stronger until they met again.

Oriota started to force out his wings. He cried out, but kept going. He had to be strong to find them again, he knew. Air lashed against his fully-extended wings. He straightened before swinging up with all his might, his talons dangling below him and scraping against the floor.

"Phew!" gasped Flame, as Oriota ascended back towards the ceiling. "That was too close. Now, use Thunder Wave!"

"Protect!"

In the blink of an eye, Oriota had swooped downwards and rings of bright yellow energy were racing towards Yamask.

Yamask produced his shield just in time. The purple energy deflected the first ring, but the second sliced Protect into minuscule shards. The third and the fourth and the rest struck Yamask. The Ghost-type trembled from the pain as electricity sparked across his body.

"No matter—Haze!"

Yamask grimaced, but he still managed to breathe deeply and expel plenty of smoke. Both gym leader and Ghost-type vanished beneath the black smoke as it rolled across the battlefield, reaching out for challenger and Flying-type.

Like before, but this time I didn't want it to happen . . . Good thing I've got Oriota. Flame knew exactly what he had to do:"Blow the smoke away with Gust!"

Oriota started flapping his wings frantically. The smoke stopped advancing and was beginning to recede until, suddenly, two black arms shot out from the smoke and seized his wings. Oriota cried out in shock. Flame looked on, feeling helpless. Yamask's red eyes were visible for a moment before smoke plunged both Pokémon out of sight.

"It's Brutal Swing!" Flame realised with dread, unable to see Oriota amid the smoke that had drifted across the battlefield. What he did see, though, were sparks of yellow.

Yamask is paralysed. "Thunder Shock!" yelled Flame as loudly as he could, hoping his voice would reach Oriota.

Nothing happened.

Until Flame heard Oriota cry out and he feared the worse.

But then some of the smoke whisked away, revealing their battling Pokémon, and it was . . .

Yamask . . .

Yamask who dropped to the floor, sparking with electrical energy. Oriota flapped away overhead. He quivered with exertion, but seemed okay. Yamask tried to float back into the air, but could not manage it. He collapsed and his eyes closed.

Selina couldn't stop herself from smiling. "Yamask is unable to battle," she called, joy radiating from her words. "The challengers Flame and Oriota win!"

Flame barely heard the official announcement. He had rushed onto the battlefield and was holding out his hands. Oriota fluttered into his palms. He chirped happily.

Flame couldn't put how good he felt into words, so he just went with, "Haha! I can't believe it! Yes! Yes! Yes! That was amazing, Oriota!"

Selina strolled towards him and nudged him lightly on the shoulder. "All thanks to my training."

"Thanks! And for the pep talk." He fiddled with his headband. "I don't know what came over me."

"Don't mention it! And well done! I'm really pleased you did it!"

Declan had returned his Yamask and now approached with a big smile on his face. "I'm upset the battle's over, but I'm delighted to be able to give you this . . . the Phantom Badge!"

Surprise overwhelmed Flame's face. "What's this?" he asked.

"A gift," Selina answered. "I picked it up at the market the other day. I figured you would need a case to hold the badge in once you won."

In Declan's hands was the badge case: wood so blackened it could have been charred, the Fire-type symbol positioned centrally. Flame could hardly wait. He opened the case and within its soft orange interior was a crescent-shaped badge with shadows extending from the main piece. "The Phantom Badge . . ." breathed Flame. He picked it up and ran his fingers over its metallic surface, savouring the moment.

"Thank you, Declan. Thank you both. I really appreciate this. I don't know what to say, but I'm glad I won!" Flame returned his first badge and carefully closed the case.

Declan's smile hadn't faded; he looked at his victorious challenger fondly. "You deserve it, Flame," he said. "You really deserve it. A lot of trainers, young and old, would struggle to go through what you did. I normally only use Pokémon that haven't evolved against new trainers, but you overcame Tomeinx, and I'm delighted to see you persevered and stayed true to yourself. Don't compare yourself to others at the cost of your own personal growth. Focus on yourself first and the great trainer I sense you will become. Good luck! I hope to see you at the Paradial Conference at the end of the season."

Helia smiled at her brother through the screen. "Hi!"

"Hi . . ." Flame did his best disheartened greeting.

Helia's smile vanished. "You sound down. Don't tell me . . . you lost?"

Flame raised the Phantom Badge up so it was visible on the screen. He grinned. "What does this mean?"

Helia's smiled returned. "You! You had me nervous for a second." She turned and called out, "Grampa! Grampa, he did it!"

After a moment Flame's grandpa appeared on the edge of the screen. He was smiling too. "That's brilliant news! Well done! I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks!" Flame replied, despite the lump forming in his throat. "I couldn't have done it without my Pokémon!"

That night Flame let all his Pokémon out of their Poké Balls and thanked them for their efforts. Litten mrrowed, Eevee cried out her name, and Oriota chirped. They all rested on the bed beside him as he watched reruns of previous Paradial Conferences, and when he turned the lights off and tried to go to sleep, he was still smiling.

This is the life, he thought. Whatever happens, even if things get hard, if I lose, I will keep going. I nearly blew it because of one guy's words. Frost was partly right, I guess. I should be winning more, but I need to remember what Declan told me. I should focus on my own growth before comparing myself to others. That's how I will grow stronger. He opened his eyes and looked at each of his Pokémon in turn. You guys are the best, he thought before tiredness overcame him and, unlike the night before, he enjoyed a glorious, uninterrupted sleep.

Flame grinned at his reflection in the mirror. He wore white trainers, black capri shorts, a fresh black-and-orange top, black monostrap backpack, and a new black-and-purple headband he'd bought after yesterday's victory. He brushed sleep from his eyes, double-checked his Poké Balls were in his pocket, and exited the room.

As he walked the corridor, nerves pulled at his stomach, but he wasn't concerned. It was a different type of nervousness to what he'd felt during his battles against Declan. After the last week he struggled to picture travelling without her, but he had promised himself he would accept her decision either way.

The lobby was quiet. He saw her straightaway, waiting under the Whistltree Town Pokémon Centre's signature tree, massive and that stretched up and up and out of a hole in the roof. She had come dressed in a purple hoodie, black shorts, and faded white trainers. She'd dyed her hair black and her three ponytails were all dyed purple. He glanced away, nerves hitting him again. Up close, he thought the tree had grown; it seemed bigger somehow.

He adjusted his headband. "Uh, hi . . ."

"Hi."

She wasn't going to give him much to work with. He shuffled his feet. "So, what's your decision?" he blurted out. "What did your dad say?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she teased.

"I really, really would, actually."

"I explained to him how I felt, what I told you at the top of Spectre Tower."

"And!" Flame demanded. He could bear the wait no longer. "What did he say?"

A smile burst onto Selina's face, and that was all Flame needed to know.

Author's Notes:
Right now, I'm smiling like Selina. This, effectively, resolves Part I of the story: Flame has his triumphant win and first gym badge and will be joined by Selina for the foreseeable future.

Frost's words were particularly brutal before the battle, and he wasn't necessary wrong (Flame knows he should be winning more), but it struck Flame hard and it played on him psychologically in the first half of the battle. Tomeinx, a near powerhouse for Declan, is a tough challenge to face early on and that didn't help Flame's confidence. Also, since he cares deeply for his Pokémon, Eevee getting wiped out didn't help matters. Without Selina's support, both training and verbally, I'm not sure Flame would have won this one! And that's precisely what you need in a good travelling companion.

Happy 1-year anniversary Infinite Legacies! A year on and Flame has finally earned his first gym badge! Honestly I posted the first chapter last year on a bit of a whim. I didn't have much planned out at the time, but I wanted to post something to kickstart writing a Pokémon fanfiction. The region of Ciprys and the stories of its characters have really grown since then. I hope you are enjoying and will continue to enjoy my stories. I am excited to share them with you as we head into Year 2, including an upcoming standalone special!

I would like to say a BIG thank you to anyone reading this sentence right now! I really appreciate that you have taken the time to read my this story. Thank you to those who have followed and/or favourited; it helps the story reach new readers! But in particular, I would like to say thank you to KokoroEcho, SudiptoDam19, and CrescentApple who have all left many a review while reading my chapters. I always love to read your reviews and respond to any thoughts/feedback you can give me on the story!

It has taken him 365 days (in the real world), but finally, Flame has his first gym badge. Here's to many more. (And hopefully it doesn't take him 2,920 days to earn all eight!)

Thanks again for reading and very, very best wishes from myself, UKEagleclaw. :)

If you wish to keep reading after the Reviews below, there is a post-credits scene that I wanted to include, but was cut from the main chapter because I decided the chapter proper would end better with the above scene.

Reviews (last chapter, Chapter 23):
KokoroEcho: 'Four chapters?! What are you, some kind of KokoroEcho?! Also, congrats on one year! Most fanfictions aren't able to stick around for a week, so I'm glad you've been able to get a year out of your story. This was another solid entry. I enjoy the crisis of confidence that Flame is having (which is a sadistic thing to say). Eevee being the first Pokémon to faint is definitely discouraging, but Litten seems more than capable of pulling off a win. If he manages to win this battle, it'll definitely feel like he's earned it. I'm also rooting for Oriota to do good things. I believe that you're going to have either Litten or Oriota evolve to help get a win for Flame.'—Yeah, I'm gimmick-infringing there, haha. And I liked Flame's crisis of confidence too; it was fun to write. Honestly without our chats, I might not have been motivated/inspired to stick around and to reach this point, so thank you! And turns out you were right about Oriota doing good things!

Crescent Apple: 'After you explained it, I can see now why Flame was less confident. But he is doing very well in this battle. Taking out Tomeinx, Declan's strongest should make this a win for Flame. I see Litten as his strongest for now. It felt like he only began using Eevee because he had to. Before that it seemed like he was hesitant to let her battle. Frost still acting . . . frosty . . . Just realised Flame and Frost. Hot and cold.'—Yep, absolutely. Because Flame has raised Eevee ever since she hatched from an egg, he can get overprotective of her, more so than his other Pokémon. Instinctively he doesn't like it at all when she gets hurt. And you were right too about Flame emerging victorious!

SudiptoDam19: 'I am quite happy with this chapter. Everything unexpected that happened to Flame was truly intriguing. I always love how you describe the battle scenes. And although I am a bit late, I still say congratulations for completing 1 year of this amazing work'—Thank you! I love that you are enjoying how I'm describing the battles, that's useful to know! To be fair, my upload speeds have been pretty quick for once this week, so that's partly my fault. :P

Deleted Scene:
As they ate breakfast, Selina returned to her let's-get-out-of-Whistltree-as-soon-as-possible attitude. She insisted there was no point hanging around: "After all, there's plenty of Ciprys to see!"

Flame could tell she was excited to go travelling. He was too, but was prioritising food at the moment.

He had woken up earlier than usual to hear Selina's decision and they left the Pokémon Centre around 9:30am—which may not seem early, but teenagers work differently to other humans—and normally Flame would have protested and groaned, but he was in a good mood, delighted that Selina was joining him and still high on winning his first gym badge. Selina looked more visibly happy than he'd ever seen her, invigorated by the resumption of her travels.

As Whistltree Town was pretty much in the middle of Whistltree Forest, Route 3 was wooded, the trees tall and thin, forever stretching skywards. Mud lingered on the trail, but the end of summer had hardened the path and it wasn't particularly deep for Flame and Selina.

Selina smiled brightly. "Listen," she said.

Flame didn't hear anything until he picked up on it: wind whistling through the branches overhead.

"That's how the town and forest got its name."

"It's an awesome sound," admitted Flame.

"The forest is beautiful. I think I'll miss the view from the top of Spectre Tower and all the Ghost-types. Dad says he'll check on them every week, but . . ." her voice trailed off and she looked downcast.

"You're not thinking of—"

But only for a moment. "No, of course not," she reassured him.

Flame avoided a puddle. "I understand, you know. Sometimes I really do miss my sister and grampa."

"I know I'll miss Whistltree. And my parents and Phyllis. But I really can't wait to travel around Ciprys."

Flame grinned. "Nothing beats it."

"So, Hotshot, now that you've won your first gym badge, do you think you're ready for the next gym?"

"I looked at the map last night. It'll take time to get there, so I'll prepare on the way. There's no gym in Ridgecho, but that's directly on the way, so we can maybe stop off there and then we need to cross the water to reach the Ashidue Islands—and the second gym."

Selina nodded. She hadn't travelled to the Ashidue Islands before, but as a gym leader's daughter, she knew where each of the gyms were located. "Makes sense. So," she continued, the sounds of battling trainers and wild Pokémon reaching them from further down the winding Route, "you think you're ready to face Charine? She's good, you know."

Flame gave her a thumbs-up. "Well, if me and my Pokémon aren't ready now, we will be when we get there!" Normally he would have turned to his Pokémon and said, "Right, guys?" and they'd yowl back, but he'd kept them in their Poké Balls after their hard work the day before.

A smile lit up his face.

"What is it?" asked Selina.

"I still can't believe I won my first badge."