How is it going folks? So here it is, the climatic final Gym battle Ash Ketchum needs to win before his pathway to the Johto League becomes a reality. Some of you have probably been waiting a long while for this point and hopefully this will all pay off. Let's get this started shall we?

Chapter 19: Chasing the Dragon

Entering Blackthorn City, Ash had his Pokémon healed at the nearest Pokémon center before making his way to the only place that mattered to him at this point. In front of him he was now able to pass through the doors of the city gym that waited for the next trainer to arrive. He gave one push with his hand before entering to find the most regal interior of a gym Ash had seen to date even with the presence of a field of dirt serving as the battlefield.

He called out to the gym interior, "I'm here to offer a challenge! Are you here Clair?"

Another pair of doors opened from in front of him as Clair stepped out on top of a podium that looked over the battlefield. She introduced herself, "Who is the one to challenge me now?" Ash was given a brief chance to view the last opponent who would stand between him and taking on the Johto League. Clair Christensen was blue-haired beauty wearing a skin-tight black and blue outfit to go with a cape that kept her body from being any more exposed. Even with her modelesque looks she was able to display a killer set of eyes once she opened them to view the trainer who entered her gym to challenge her. Ash didn't even have the chance to be entranced by her beauty when she offered a mighty glare at his presence.

As he waited for her to respond, Ash realized that she was waiting for him to speak before answering, "I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. I'm here to challenge you."

Will asked, "Surely you have heard of him recently? He is working his way to become something truly amazing."

Clair grinned when she heard the question and answered, "I have. So Ash Ketchum does have members of the Elite Four following him as I heard. And his woman as well."

Sabrina confirmed, "We've been here to offer him support the whole way here. We'll be watching to see how he defeats you today."

Mew commented, "That is one thing that is going to happen..."

Clair leapt down from her podium when she told Ash, "I hope you don't consider all of the previous gym leaders to be an example of what I will be like boy. They may have revealed their full power to you but I intend to demonstrate why I am where I am. I have held my own against the Elite Four in the past and my power has only been growing."

Karen added, "She's not joking. This is probably the one trainer I've taken on that has actually manage to make me work for my position. And us Elite Four members need to practice among each other to stay the best I might add."

Ash felt his blood pump at the warnings when he told them, "That's what I'm hoping to hear. If I can defeat a gym leader as strong as her, then I'll probably be ready for any trainer that I have to face next. This will be a way more exciting eight gym battle than the one in Viridian City."

Clair pointed to her left side when she told Ash, "Demonstrate that you are ready boy. I am very anxious to see how you plan to fall to my knees." She had a grip on a curled whip on her side that Ash had just noticed and left him slightly uneasy at what else she would do if he did lose.

He dispelled the thought when he told her, "Sure. I bet you are."

Both trainers took their sides on the battlefield in a tense stare down before Clair grabbed hold of a Pokéball and announced, "This will be a three on three between me and you boy. I've always wanted to take down a League Champion. Once I do, I will be prepared to face the world on my own."

Ash took hold of his first Pokéball when he warned her, "Don't think I'll go down that easy."

Espeon watched as she asked, "This is going to get messy isn't it?"

Pikachu confirmed, "I bet this will be exciting at least. I wonder if he'll finally use Mew for this battle?"

Clair gave the first order when she threw her Pokéball and ordered, "I offer my first. Shelgon!"

Ash threw his own after when he ordered, "Go! Spritzee!"

The battlefield was occupied by the small pink avian Pokémon and the quadruped pupal Pokémon staring one another as they waited for their respective trainer to give their attack order. Clair gave her order, "Shelgon! Burn that pipsqueak with Flamethrower!" The eyes of Shelgon retracted within his shell before releasing a red-orange stream of fire towards Spritzee.

Everyone watching was reactively in shock wondering how Spritzee would survive before Ash ordered, "Spritzee! Use Fairy Wind!" Spritzee released a strong gust of sparkling wind towards Shelgon's Flamethrower as it collided and then blew the flames towards Shelgon but only saw them disappear before the attack resulted in a lock of two powers.

As the collision of attacks came to an end from both Pokémon being tired, Clair took the chance to order, "Shelgon! Use Leer!" Shelgon heard the order and made his eyes glow red before seeing Spritzee freeze in place from the intimidating view. Clair immediately ordered, "Now! Use Double Edge!" Shelgon's body glowed gold before rushing towards Spritzee to prepare a mighty tackle.

Ash tried to order, "Spritzee! Watch out!" Spritzee twitched slightly before finding the opportunity to dodge too late. Shelgon's body made contact with Spritzee as it knocked the pink avian Pokémon across the battlefield. Ash asked, "Spritzee! Have you got everything together?" Spritzee sprung back to life as its face offered one of determination to see his opponent be defeated despite his injury.

Clair didn't let herself be discouraged when she ordered Shelgon, "Shelgon! Finish it with Zen Headbutt!" The top of Shelgon's head glowed blue while his head was surrounded by a see-through reflective shield. Shelgon then launched himself towards Spritzee prepared to end the match with a final attack.

Ash wasn't ready to see the end however when he ordered, "Spritzee! Use Misty Terrain!" Spritzee released a thick light blue mist from his body as he covered the ground around him. Shelgon dove headfirst into the mist with a mighty crash when both trainers were left to wonder what had been accomplished.

Clair asked, "Shelgon! Did you hit it?"

Clair's answer was given when Spritzee flew out of the mist and above Shelgon's position. Ash took advantage of the position when he ordered, "Spritzee! Use Moonblast!" Spritzee gathered energy in the form of a pink orb of energy in front of his nose before firing into the mist. The first shot created a mighty explosion of energy on the field, but Spritzee's continued attacks flew to the ground as the attack continued.

It wasn't long before the mist was cleared and revealed Shelgon scuffed and visibly hit by the series of Moonblast attacks. The quadruped Pokémon's eyes had the look of one that would fall over at any second. This was not allowed when the crack of a whip sounded in the air and Clair ordered, "Shelgon! You will not fall!" Shelgon snapped to attention when he looked down Spritzee and prepared for another attack. Clair had a visible face of being concerned for the outcome when she ordered, "You will finish this now! Flamethrower!" Shelgon fired another series of red-orange streams towards Spritzee hoping to see the small Pokémon fall at the attack.

Ash was ready for the attack when he ordered, "Spritzee! Use Draining Kiss!" Spritzee flew past the series of flames that Shelgon gave in an attempt to defeat him but found each attack pass it by before Spritzee flew right on top of Shelgon and kissed the area of its forehead. Lines of yellow waves went from Shelgon to Spritzee as he felt his energy drained. it was only another second before Shelgon felt the drain from his body and fell over backwards on his back in defeat.

Clair cracked her whip again when she commanded, "Shelgon! Is that all you have?" Shelgon didn't get up as his eyes gave a visible sign of being too defeated by the pink avian Pokémon to be able to continue his stand. Clair sighed as she held up her Pokéball and ordered, "You did fine for today. Return."

Shelgon returned to his Pokéball when Clair told Ash, "I will offer this, few have ever been able to make this much of a stand. But don't assume you've already won. Kingdra! Put him in his place!" In Shelgon's place as a large, seahorse-like Pokémon balanced on a tightly curled tail as it waited for his trainer to instruct him.

Ash accepted the reminder when he told her, "That much is for sure. Spritzee! Use Moonblast!" Spritzee gathered energy in the form of a pink energy orb again as he fired towards Kingdra.

Just as the attack made contact Kingdra, Clair ordered, "Kingdra! Use Hydro Pump!" A mighty stream of water pulsed out of the smoke that formed around Kingdra before hitting Spritzee square in the face and forcing him across the battlefield and rolling across the field.

Ash asked, "Are you okay Spritzee?" Spritzee nodded lightly as he remained face first on the ground before Ash told him, "You did more than enough return." Spritzee returned to his Pokéball and both trainers were now left at an even number of Pokémon left. Ash reached for another Pokémon when he ordered, "Azumarill! It's your turn!" In place of Spritzee now stood Ash's blue, bipedal, ovoid Pokémon ready for a fight.

Clair accepted the continuing challenge when she realized how tight her luck was running. "He is still Pokémon that resist against my dragon moves. No matter. Kingdra! Use Swift!" Kingdra fired multiple yellow stars from his mouth towards Azumarill with absolute precession as each one manage to hit the ovoid Pokémon where he stood.

Once the attack was finished, Ash ordered, "Hit him back with Superpower!" Azumarill's body was surrounded in a light blue aura as he picked up a large chunk of dirt from the ground and threw it on top of Kingdra where he kept his balance.

The might crash sounded through the gym as Clair tried to keep herself from losing her composure and ordered, "Kingdra! Use Twister!" Among the rubble that had been formed around Clair's Kingdra, the rocks were all summoned into a small hurricane of projectiles that threatened to make contact with Azumarill.

Ash knew how little damage the oncoming attack would actually do but ordered, "Azumarill! Use Aqua Ring!" Water droplets formed around Azumarill's body before combining to create three rings that protected Azumarill from the potential damage that the flurry of rocks would potentially do to him and offered an additional boost of power he needed for the future attack.

The twister attack calmed down as the battlefield had endured its most recent tearing of the ground which left Kingdra and Azumaill against one another before Clair ordered, "Kingdra! Hyper Beam!" From Kingdra's mouth, energy gathered and shot an orange beam towards Azumarill with a might display of power prepared to make contact.

Ash was ready when he ordered, "Azumarill! Rollout!" Azumarill curled himself into a ball before rolling at an incredible speed towards Kingdra. The Hyper Beam attack managed to hit him but essentially bounced off as Azumarill continued to roll towards Kingdra and hit him square in the face.

Kingdra was knocked back but brought himself back up as he heard Clair order, "I've had enough of this! Hydro Pump until he stops rolling!" Kingdra heard the order and fired a mighty stream of water in every direction he could muster while continuing to take hits from one Rollout attack after another as he tried to hold his own against the evasive Pokémon.

By the time Kingdra had endured the fifth hit from the Rollout, Ash ordered, "Finish him with Play Rough!" Azumarill jumped towards Kingdra and clocked him with a thick, white smoke surrounded by stars. He then stuck out his tail and hit Kingdra's face multiple times with his tail as he wagged it back and forth from left to right before the smoke dissipated and revealed Kingdra being smacked around like he was nothing.

Dizzy and unable to receive any other orders, Kingdra fell over on his side and was no longer able to battle after all the damage he had endured. Clair was visibly angry with the result as she withdrew her Pokémon and ordered, "Return Kingdra."

Even with her most recent defeat, Clair didn't show any sign of being worried about her current situation. "You have set yourself up for a mighty defeat in the end. Now to claim my dominance over you boy. Dragonair! Destroy him!" As Clair sent out her final Pokémon, the gym was treated to the sight of the long, serpentine Pokémon that towered over Azumarill. Instead of the sky blue scales many trainers were familiar with, this one was dark pink.

Ash was caught by the majestic view of the semi-legendary Pokémon when he asked, "Oh man. A shiny Dragonair? Better make this quick. Azumarill! Superpower!"

Azumarill lifted a hunk of rock off the battlefield before throwing it on top of Dragonair before Clair ordered, "Dragonair! Tonn na toirneach!" The call was unexpected but Ash was able to quickly see what sort of order Clair was making. Dragonair released a blue stream of electricity from her horn that wrapped around Azumarill and froze the ovoid Pokémon in place. Unable to hold the chunk of land above his head any longer, the mass of land fell on top of Azumarill as it left him crushed beneath the attack he had prepared.

Ash called out, "Azumarill! Come on! Get up!"

Clair took advantage of the opportunity when she ordered, "Dragonair! Hyper Beam!" Dragonair summoned an orb of orange energy from the tip of her horn before the attack made contact with the debris and resulted in an explosion of ground where Azumarill was caught underneath. The Hyper Beam attack did reveal where Azumarill was buried but to Ash's dismay his Pokémon was no longer anywhere near close to being able to fight.

Ash held up his Pokéball when he offered, "Good job. Azumarill return."

As Azumarill returned to his Pokéball, Clair stood in front of Ash with a look of satisfaction at the results. She told him, "This is normally when many cower in fear at what they face. I have to admit you have more misneach than most. It is not too late for your to give up however."

Ash was at a loss for what Clair was referring to but there was only one part of her claim that he was focused on at the moment. The fact that she wanted him to give up. He took hold of his final Pokéball when he told her, "I didn't come all this way just to lose. I don't care how strong you are, I'm more than what you think." He declared his final Pokémon, "Go! Piloswine!" In front of the massive Dragonair, Ash's newly acquired big, golden, furry Pokémon stood ready to stand against Clair's mightiest Pokémon.

Clair was only left with a smile as she considered her absolute victory to be soon at hand. She would not be standing against Ash's Mew thanks to his intention to win with his other choices. Even better she would have more attack opportunities to work with than she did with the previous ones. She warned, "Shiny or not, this will not defeat me. Dragonair! Eireaball aqua!" Dragonair stuck out her tail as a small water stream spiraled around her tail and slammed towards Piloswine.

Ash saw Clair's intention to exploit Piloswines weakness when he ordered, "Piloswine! Ice Fang!" Piloswines tusks glowed light blue, grew larger and became covered by ice before opening his mouth and jumping up to take the water doused tail into his mouth. The water around her tail froze into a giant hunk of ice while Piloswine backed away and waited for the next order from his trainer.

Clair saw the disadvantage she had when she realized how her Pokémon's only water attack wouldn't be able to do the damage she wanted. She prepared herself, "Consider this a compliment. Few ever get to endure my dragon attacks. Dragonair! Dragan Anáil!" Dragonair released a thick green beam towards Piloswine as it traveled along the ground and forced her opponent to scuttle for safety. For every area of ground that he was able to travel to, the escape was soon all for naught when he saw Dragonair slither her head behind him and offer a mighty blast of her attack. Piloswine tumbled and rolled across the battlefield as he endured the attack and struggled to stay up.

Ash didn't let the display be the end however when he ordered, "Piloswine! Earthquake!" Piloswine got on his hind legs before slamming his front legs to the ground. The earthquake that ensued split a crack in the battlefield and Dragonair fell into the newly formed chasm while trying to keep herself balanced.

Ash took advantage of the situation when he ordered, "Now! Use Blizzard!" Piloswine followed on the order as he blew a mighty storm of ice into the chasm and saw it fill with the dreaded weakness of dragon types. Dragonair's frozen tail had slowed her down while the ice that formed around her only served to create a newly formed prison of encasing ice.

Clair saw the problem continue to escalate when she cracked her whip and ordered, "Dragonair! Dragan Rush!" Within the newly formed ice prison that Dragonair was trapped in, a mighty blue, dragon-shaped energy covered Dragonair's body as it broke free of the ice and soared up into the air. Dragonair took a view of Piloswine far beneath and prepared for a mighty dive to crash to end the battle.

Ash stared up at the intimidating display of power when he ordered, "Go all out Piloswine! Hit it with the biggest Blizzard you have!" Piloswine sucked in and from his mouth released a mighty gust of ice towards the skyward Dragonair. As Dragonair came flying down, it progressively became more and more encased in a new case of ice that managed to overpower the image of the dragon that overpowered the ice. With a final attack Ash ordered, "Finish it with Giga Impact!" Piloswine leapt up into the air while his body was surrounded by spiraling orange streaks before a purple energy sphere surrounded his body. Instead of the power of the dragon to free Dragonair, this time it was the mighty eruption of power that shot projectiles of ice in every direction across the gym.

Dragonair fell to the ground with a mighty thud and visibly tired from the growing defeat that she was forced to endure for her trainer but the crack of Clair's whip was followed with, "You will not stop! This battle has only begun!"

Ash told her, "She's taken a lot of damage. I don't think she can take too much more."

Clair shot back, "I will decide when this battle is lost! Dragonair! Hyper Beam!"

Dragonair struggled to get back up as she prepared another Hyper Beam attack while Ash ordered, "Piloswine! Icy Wind!" Piloswine released a strong wind from his body not as powerful as Blizzard but strong enough that it made its way towards Dragonair and blanketed her with a coat of sparkling blue snow. Before Dragonair was even able to attempt another attack, the energy of the Hyper Beam faded as Dragonair fell flat on her belly from the exhaustion of enduring another attack.

Clair was taken aback by the weaker move finishing her mighty dragon and resorted to cracking her whip one time after another when she ordered, "Get up! We are not done fighting!"

Karen stepped forward when she told Clair, "Hey, enough! I'm sorry but your Pokémon is finished. Face it, you've lost."

Clair fell down on one knee when she realized the reality of her situation. Her last Pokémon was no longer in any condition to continue fighting. She held out her Pokéball as she returned her Pokémon and cursed, "My Dragonair... How could you?"

Ash told her, "I'm sorry, but this is a battle. I had to give my best." He returned his Piloswine to his Pokéball when he walked up to Clair ready to receive his badge and offered, "You sure managed to give me a match that had me on the edge of my pants I have to give you that."

Clair looked up at Ash with a glare when she told him, "You may have won Ash Ketchum... But I will not accept something like this from a lesser trainer!" She threw her hand down as she caused a capsule of smoke to explode right beneath Ash's eyes and temporarily blind him from being able to see her.

His friends rushed up to him while Sabrina waved the smoke away and Will and Karen attempted to rush towards Clair's escape route only to find that she barred the door shut with a wooden beam that fell across. Will used his power to lift the obstacle when he opened the door to shout, "Clair! You know this is against the rules!" Clair didn't show any sign of slowing down as she ran out of sight and used her whip to throw herself up to the first ledge that was waiting for her.

Will turned around to see the interior of the gym when he lamented, "This is not going as I anticipated."

Karen asked, "Which part? Ash not having a one-sided match or how he was caught off guard?"

Will answered, "A little of both. But we are facing a bit of a predicament that we might have to deal with if this doesn't work itself out.

As soon as Ash opened his eyes he asked his friends, "Hey! Where did she go?"

Sabrina answered, "I saw her run out of the gym. I don't know where she could be headed though."

Ash prepared to run out the nearest door when he grabbed hold of his belt and told his friends, "I've got to catch up to her!" Ash made his dash towards the doors that led outside as he looked to find the slope of the mountain behind Blackthorn City's gym. He didn't stop to view the scenery but did look up to see a streak of blue making one leap after another up the rocky cliffs.

Right behind Ash, Will, Karen, and Sabrina all saw their trainer of interest making his way up the mountain while putting his powers to the test even as the running trainers easily passed over the steps that were already in place for other mountain climbers to use. Ash was able to notice them trying to catch up to him in an effort to offer help but knew that only he and the Pikachu grabbing for dear life on his shoulder were the most surefire chances he had of getting Clair to give the recognition he had earned.

He shouted up to Clair, "Hey! Get back down here!" Noticing that she would not slow down or recognize what Ash had to say, he summoned two small rocks from beneath the ground that levitated in the air as he leapt up and began to run up the slope in his effort to catch up to Clair. Every step he took, the rocks found their way back under Ash's feet as he made his ascent and hurried to reach his way to his defeated opponent.

After what felt like a few minutes of struggling to reach up to her, Ash saw Clair right next to him when he told her, "Come on! Give it up! I won fair and square!"

Clair turned to acknowledge him when she answered, "It's one thing to win. It's another to prove your worthiness." She gave another mighty leap far above Ash's head as Ash realized that he was now reaching one of the tops of the mountain ranges. He had a brief look behind him to notice that he was far above the view of Blackthorn City. When he turned his gaze back to his goal, he saw Clair no longer running but instead standing defiantly against Ash's eventual rise.

Ash made his way up to her level before discarding the rocks and walking up to her before saying, "I don't know what you're trying to do, but you aren't achieving anything by not giving me my badge."

Clair held up the Rising Badge in front of him when she told him, "If you really want this, demonstrate that you truly earned your victory." Clair leapt up into the air as she did a spinning twirl and dove headfirst into a pit that was right behind her.

Ash ran up to the area where she leapt and saw a deep black pit that offered no visible sight beneath with the sun in its current position. He shouted down to the pit, "Clair! Where are you?"

Even Pikachu added his shouts and calls when he tried to find out where the blue-haired beauty had disappeared to. Just then, Mew flew up to him and asked, "Well in a bit of a predicament aren't you?"

Ash saw Mew and told her, "I don't know what happened. For some reason Clair just leapt down there and she won't give me the badge."

Mew looked at the hole when she told him, "Down another hole huh? I though I might have prepared you for this. Well if you need assurance that you won't get lost down there or you wont come back out, I can offer that to you. Besides you do have the ability to avoid being harmed once you make your descent."

Ash took a deep breath when he realized what he had to do. He told Pikachu, "It looks like this is the only way. Let's see if we can catch up to Clair now."

Pikachu held on tight when he agreed, "Jump on the count of two... Two!" Ash held on as he made his leap to the bottom of the pit and waited for the chance to find himself face to face with Clair again. In his drop there was only the rush of the fall and nothing else. Even with Ash's eyes wide open he wasn't able to see a thing in front of him and he couldn't see the bottom coming any closer to his feet.

The fall had continued for many long minutes before he finally summoned a piece of the wall to spike out and land him safely. He observed, "It is darker than anything I've ever seen down here. I wish I had brought Charizard along, guess I'll have to see if Growlithe can be as helpful." Ash gently set the Pokéball containing Growltihe on his spire when he waited to hear his small canine Pokémon appear from its ball. Ash told him, "Okay buddy, I'll need your help. Can you keep a slow ember going just so we can get a look of where we are right now?"

Growlithe heard the command and began to blow a light fire from his mouth but not in the direction Ash had hoped for. Reaching the cuffs of his pants, Ash felt himself on fire as he let out a yelp and panicked to put it out. The fall backwards led him to fall once again but this time only for a few seconds onto a fragile floor.

Ash rubbed his back as he endured the fall and began to process where he was now sitting before realizing something frightening about where he had ended up. Beneath him were the scattered remains of bones. Not of Pokémon, but human ones. Skulls were still in tact and bodies had long ago fully decomposed to give way to only the sight of their white remains. Ash felt a very real chill run down his spine as he was met face to face with what he had just disturbed.

Ash found he was not alone either. As his attention was focused on one of the skulls beneath him, he saw an Ekans slither out of its eye socket and into another one before popping out of the teeth to stare him down. Along the ground he saw several other Ekans making the same observations while sitting right next to a few Dunsparces as well. Most frightening of all was the feeling of a giant slithering sensation that was right between his legs. Looking to see the blade on the tail confirmed that it was not an Ekans either.

Ash stepped away as he chose to take his chances with the smaller snake Pokémon and saw his worst fear confirmed. A mighty Seviper had taken up residence along with the other Pokémon of the pit and it was not pleased to see an intruder make his way down. Either that or it was prepared to enjoy its newest meal.

Ash didn't chose to find out as he slowly backed away from the gazing giant snake and used his psychic power to summon a pillar from beneath him and up to the splinter of stone in the wall he had made earlier. Ash made a leap to Pikachu and Growlithe when Pikachu warned, "Hey watch out! You're bringing company!" Ash saw the Seviper making a series of coils up the pillar he had just created with the same intention to nab Ash as its meal.

Ash waited fro the right moment and as soon as Seviper was no longer on the ground he made the base of the pillar crumble and fall away from him. The Seviper beneath hissed at being denied the chance to eat him but Ash looked away and prepared to use the stone splinter as he had intended. He lifted a small disc of Earth beneath him, Growlithe, and PIkachu as they ascended up the hole to find out what they were searching for.

Ash thought to himself, "There's no way someone would kill themselves for having lost a battle. Especially if it meant falling into that."

Pikachu agreed, "Yeah. I'm not looking to have another brush with the circle of life any time soon if that's okay."

Growlithe pointed out, "Ash! Look! I think that's a way out!"

Ash looked in Growlithe's direction before seeing him light another ember and saw a stone archway leading into a series of steps. Ash was surprised at the discovery and realized, "She knew about this." He moved the stone platform towards the archway and stepped into the passageway where Growlithe continued to offer a light by setting his body on fire and leading the way.

Fortunately there were now only a few Gligar and Zubats to worry about in this deep cave Ash had now come to discover. The more remarkable discovery were the words on the wall that eluded Ash's knowledge. Ash wondered allowed, "What is all of this even supposed to say?"

Pikachu answered, "I don't know. Help Wanted?"

Growlithe looked around the caverns when he told them, "I don't know what you guys are looking for but I don't think whatever's been down here is exactly fresh."

Ash looked forward as he saw another slithering Pokémon in front of him, but was fortunately only a Dratini as it slithered out and back into a wall that offered a stone doorway in front of him. Ash looked at the giant door only to find more of the words that he couldn't read and only more obvious being the small hole at his chest level.

Even with the only immediate option Ash could see at the moment, he heard Pikachu tell him, "I don't know about you, but I didn't want to get out of one gaping hole just to be asked to gaze into another one."

Ash agreed, "Believe me. I didn't want that either. But it looks like I don't have anything else to choose from." Ash looked into the hole and caught a glimpse of something sparkle. He was briefly tempted to reach for it but wondered, "Is this how we open this thing?"

Pikachu pointed out, "I don't know what you're trying to find but I think you have the more friendly option for getting something out."

Ash nodded when he brought up his hand and brought his thoughts outwards. he focused on everything that was beyond the door. Within the small gap there was a something he had to reach for. He only had to allow the process of reaching out for it to properly form. Without his desire to reach out physically he had placed his body in a position where he had to achieve this task in a new way entirely. Both Pikachu and Growlithe waited patiently next to him as they waited for their trainer to accomplish what he needed to while watching every movement of the cavern dwelling Pokémon that had taken up residence.

After what felt to be an unusually long period, Ash had felt something move. He felt something within the hole begin to wiggle as though his hand had grabbed hold of something. The object within slowly moved and made its way towards Ash's reaching grasp. Before long he felt something fly into his hands while a loud clamp sound could be heard before the stone door in front of Ash rose to the ceiling.

In front of Ash was now something very imposing, a statue of a mighty draconic Pokémon he had never seen before that had its head level with the hole he had just reached into. Its face was almost like that of a grin that had just snatched something into its mouth. Ash felt another shiver when he realized, "Man, the alternative was a serious risk." He didn't bother to take in any observation of what sort of Pokémon he was seeing be honored and made his way around it before seeing a series of steps that he was now able to walk down.

Ash had Pikachu and Growlithe follow him when he told them, "I think we might be getting close. Right now I just have a feeling that we might be getting out of here soon."

Growlithe accepted the news when he told his trainer, "That's good news. I just want to get out of here now."

Pikachu added, "I think the others are probably worried as well. I don't know if Mew was planning to just have some fun watching us fumble around in the dark or something."

Ash agreed, "As long as we get out and get that badge I'll be happy to see this all end."

The three continued their way down the steps for a long period of time before Pikachu's ears perked up and asked, "Hey guys! I hear running water! Are we headed to a river?"

Ash told him, "I hope it is! If it means we're getting out of here then I'll take it!" Ash and his Pokémon rushed to the source of sound Pikachu had pointed to and made their way further down the steps before coming to discover their new location. Ash was disappointed when he observed, "We're not outside but at least we have some elbow room."

Pikachu looked around before asking, "So what's that little temple down there supposed to be?"

Ash observed, "Whatever it is, it has lights. That has to mean there's someone in there. I guess we'll have to start by checking there." Looking at his feet, Ash noticed that he had no further steps to walk down when he prepared to make his final walk. He kept one hand on the ground as he brought his legs forward and made a slide down to the ground where he was greeted with a narrow passage of land that invited him to the seemingly out of place temple.

Ash continued his walk as he looked around him to wonder what sort of building he was stepping foot on. On the water that surrounded the small island, there were statues of humans with writing beneath them in the same language that Ash wasn't able to understand. The sound of only water running and the occasional splash from a nearby Magikarp was enough to create a feeling of isolation as Ash prepared himself for whatever he was stepping into.

It was only a short walk before Ash found himself at the steps and was being led up to the shut sliding door when he told Pikachu and Growlithe, "Okay guys. Be ready for whatever's back there." His companions nodded as Ash took hold of the handle and slid the door open.

To Ash's delight he saw a sight he did not expect. Sabrina and his companions were right there waiting for him. Sabrina was the first to notice, "Ash!" She rushed up to him and wrapped her arms around him before kissing him and told him, "We were worried about you. What happened down there?"

Ash told her, "A lot happened. I had to go through a lot just to get here. How did you guys get here?"

Karen answered, "Well we took the steps up and we found a path that led all the way down here. It wasn't a hassle for us at least."

Ash groaned at the potential easy path he could have taken before Mew told him, "It was important that you did jump down that hole. You'll find it was a necessary thing in a short while."

Ash asked her, "Could you stop speaking in riddles please Mew? I shouldn't have to go through all this just to get one badge that I've earned. Does anybody here know if Clair is down here?"

Sabrina told him, "She went behind this door and instructed us to wait until the end of the day before she would see us. She didn't seem very sure that you would get here by then either."

Karen added, "She did add a few words that I haven't been able to make sense out of. It must be some secret language among the Dragon Clan."

Ash accepted the answer before knocking on the sliding door and asked, "Hey Clair! Are you back there? I want my badge!"

He heard a gravely high-pitched voice ask, "What do you want? I'm busy."

Ash was confused about who was speaking before he heard Will answer, "He has arrived Master. Ash Ketchum is now in our presence." Another door slid open and behind it was the sight of Clair standing next to a short old man donned in dragon armor.

The old man stepped forward while Clair gasped as she realized the sight of Ash Ketchum had once again come into her life. This time however her face was an even more concerned one. One that showed a greater display of defeat than when her Dragonair lost their match. She seemed as though her very life was now being placed at the end of a pistol aimed at her head.

Before Ash could read her thoughts he heard the old man ask, "And who are you boy? What brings you here?"

Ash didn't care about the consequences when he simply told the old man, "I'm here because I had to chase Clair all the way down here. You have to believe me, I beat her fair and square but she won't give me the badge I need to get into the League."

The old man paused as he processed this information and the only visible indication Ash had was his giant right eyebrow rising slightly under his Rayquaza helmet. He then turned to Clair when he asked, "Tell me girl. Does this boy speak the truth?"

Clair got down on one knee when she allowed the shame of the situation to fall on her shoulders. She finally gave an answer, "He did defeat me in battle Master Elder."

The old man asked, "And you denied him the right to the Rising Badge. You know that all Gym Leaders are tasked with honoring their victors the right to wear their newly acquired badges. It has been five years since our Gym has had to offer one to anyone thanks to you and that is an achievement to be proud of. But that honor is all to come to an end if this boy is not treated as every other trainer is."

The old man slammed his cane in front of Clair as she endured the blow as though it physically hit her. He continued, "Moreover what you have done is an act that is beyond anything the Dragon Clan will ever tolerate! One of our oldest laws dictates that such an act is worthy of expulsion from the Clan!"

Clair raised her gaze when she told the Dragon Elder, "You misunderstand Master Elder! I did not mean to deny him his privileged win!"

The Dragon Elder asked, "Oh is that the case? Well what other purpose did you have in dragging this boy down to almost certain death?"

Clair answered, "First... I made him try his uaillmhian. Then I made him reveal his inner oiriúnú. Then I made him demonstrate his féidearthacht. I desired to see him fulfill every one of these stages."

The Dragon Elder observed, "Interesting. The three stages of the sacred Dragan Tionscnamh. But your reasoning will have to be for more than just wanting to give the boy a hard time. You know the circumstances in which we allow others to attempt this sacred test. You may also know that being able to return alive does not cut it. The boy must bring back a Dragon's Fang and from what I have seen, he still has two arms."

Ash didn't fully understand the situation but wanted to correct the Elder, "I have it sir. I just... well got it without hurting myself is all."

The Elder looked at the fang Ash held out when he nodded, "So you did. You may have some of me in you for all I know. The good news is my descendant's desire to test you has given us some potential fruit." He turned his attention back to Clair when he told her, "Which brings us back to the question of what made him subject to these trials in the first place. Now answer me girl. What were you hoping to achieve?"

Clair clenched her fists as she looked down with a cloud of shame above her when she heard the question hit her. He face visibly trembled and she struggled to even remain kneeling as she tried to get the words out when she was forced to answer.

After a long minute of waiting, everyone in the temple heard Clair's answer as she trembled through her words. "Master Elder... I brought Ash Ketchum through the trials of the Dragan Tionscnamh with the intention of discovering how worthy he was of us... I wanted to offer him no chance to deny the opportunity and this was the only way... Now that he has passed, my desire here can be confirmed... My desire can be made clear to all who are currently present... I want to take Ash Ketchum... as my mate."

Whew. There we go, the longest chapter to date and full of a lot of content to potentially process. Did you all enjoy that three on three there? I think I've given Clair the spotlight she deserved and the power to rival Ash himself. Didn't change the outcome as you might have guessed.

Throughout this story you might have noticed that there was some Irish sprinkled into Clair's speech. This is the "Dragon Language" of the Dragon Clan in this iteration of the Pokémon world. Since the Irish language doesn't exist in the Pokémon universe and I thought it would work to give the Clan some identifiable trait, this is what has been added. Believe me, creating a language from scratch takes work so hopefully nobody has a problem with this.

This introduction of the concepts was also brought up in one of my previous fics "A Future Dragonmaster". Basically a Rule 63 Dragonfangshipping fic that had some of these elements in there that I fulfilled out of a request one time. Like I said last time, this was planned to be its own Dragonfangshipping fic before, but I decided that this would be a great way to introduce the harem element into this fic.

Speaking of introducing that element, how about that twist at the ending huh? Yeah it looks like Ash is going to have a bit more to worry about now that Clair has brought this proposition in the air. Makes you wonder how the main woman in his life is going to handle this as well.

If this situation seems familiar, it's probably because it is. From what I can recall, I think there was a fic that had a similar plot where Clair had to force herself to accept a marriage declared by the Dragon Clan with either Ash or the main character of Gold/Silver because of denying him a badge for his win a long time ago on this site. I'm not sure if the fic never existed or if it's just been lost to the ages but I can't seem to find it. Regardless, hopefully this is seen as a welcome adaptation of the games and maybe this can inspire others to try this spin themselves.

But we have just had a super long chapter and a bit more of my talking than you might have needed. And it all ends on a hook, line, and cliffhanger. Something that will have to be resolved next time when we move forward from the Gym journey and into the period where Ash will prepare himself for the upcoming Johto League.

Until then, I look forward to seeing you all next chapter.