SURPRISE! I bet you all thought I had given up, ha. Well, I would never give up on this story! I'm much too proud of it, and I know I have a lot of loyal readers who have been patiently waiting for this update. Well, school got in the way, a lot, because I did transfer and became more involved in school. But I ended up with a higher GPA than I had last semester, so I obviously did SOMETHING right! Now that it's the summer, however, I can put focus back on this story and providing all of you with more timely updates! So, enough out of my mouth, enjoy the newest chapter of A New Era!
LAST TIME: Aiden, demanding a gym battle at the Celadon Gym, ended up being banned from the gym due to insulting the leader's perfume. One problem: he didn't realize it was the gym leader! With the help of a young girl, who turned out to be gym leader Erika's daughter Flora, Aiden manages to sneak back into the gym (as a girl, no less) and earn enough respect from Erika for a gym battle!
Chapter 26: Flower Power versus Fire, Water, and Dark!
Aiden and Erika were staring each other down from opposite ends of the battle field. On the benches on Aiden's left side sat Brandon, Michelle, and Flora, each one patiently waiting for the battle begin. Pichu was still perched on Michelle's shoulder, while Riolu was sitting in front of her feet. Aiden had given the emanation Pokémon to his sister, wanting his newest Pokémon to watch over the battle and learn some things. Aiden still felt that Riolu wasn't ready for a gym battle yet.
The same blonde woman from the perfume shop, who was obviously Erika's assistant, was working as the referee for the match.
"This battle between the gym leader, Erika, and the challenger, Aiden Ketchum, is about to get underway!" The blonde called. "The battle will be a three on three, and only the challenger is allowed to change Pokémon. Whoever knocks out all three Pokémon first wins the match! Now, reveal your Pokémon!"
"I'll go first," Erika smirked at Aiden, who growled in response. Revealing a poke ball, Erika tossed it in the air and called, "Tangrowth, let's go!"
Appearing before Erika was a large, almost monstrous Pokémon made of dark blue vines. It had a pair of small, stubby feet and long arms that hung all the way to the floor. Peering out of the mess of vines were a pair of wide, saucer like eyes, which Aiden felt were staring right through him.
"Tangrowth, huh?" Aiden murmured, pulling out his poke dex to scan the creature.
Tangrowth, the vine Pokémon. It can trap its opponents with its vines and disable them. Tangrowth are unintelligent and slow, but very friendly in nature.
"Tangrowth is a grass type," Aiden murmured before smiling. "Perfect."
He pulled it his own poke ball and chucked it, yelling, "Growlithe! I choose you!"
The puppy Pokémon materialized before his trainer, letting out a small yip as he allowed his fluffy, cream colored tail to wag back and forth.
"Aw, Growlithe is cute!" Flora giggled. She had also changed out of her kimono, and back into her far more comfortable t-shirt and overalls.
"He's excited because he gets to battle," Michelle remarked. "That little fire type just loves getting on the field!"
"Plus, he's a fire type," Brandon added knowledgeably. "Which means that Growlithe has the advantage over Tangrowth."
"You can have the first move, Aiden!" Erika called from the opposite end of the battle field, her slender arms still crossed against her chest. There was a devious little smirk plastered on her face, but Aiden wasn't about to let that get to him.
"Thanks," he muttered, not exactly understanding why Erika would allow his fire type to strike first.
"Alright, let the battle begin!" The blonde assistant yelled from the side of the field.
Throwing his arm out in front of himself, Aiden yelled, "Growlithe, take care of Tangrowth right away! Ember, now!"
The happy fire type's mood quickly changed into one of fiery determination. He charged forward on his paws, firing off a series of small flames at the grass type standing a fair distance away.
"Dodge that, Tangrowth," Erika ordered calmly.
The vine Pokémon tried its hardest to move out of the way on its stubby little feet, but it didn't get very far before it fell over itself and landed on the ground.
"Tangrowth!" Erika gasped.
"Perfect!" Aiden cheered as Growlithe skidded to a halt. "Don't let up now, Growlithe! Bite!"
Barking, the puppy Pokémon began to run again, baring his sharp fangs as Tangrowth slowly got back up to its stubby feet.
"I won't make the same mistake twice," Erika vowed aloud. "Tangrowth, use vine whip and stop Growlithe in his tracks!"
Two of Tangrowth's dark blue vines stretched from its body and wrapped around Growlithe's midsection, pulling the surprised fire type up in the air and hanging him over the center circle.
"Don't let that stop you, Growlithe," Aiden growled. "Bite!"
Growlithe leaned his head down and sunk the sharp edges of his teeth into one of the dark blue vines that was currently constricting him. Tangrowth cried out in pain as it withdrew its vines, sending Growlithe tumbling towards the ground.
"Land on your feet!" Aiden panicked.
In midair, Growlithe managed to turn himself around so he was falling paws first, leading him to land safely on the pads of his paws and leaving the Pokémon uninjured.
"Erika's not looking too good right now," Brandon remarked.
"My Mom usually doesn't start off so shaky," Flora added, a frown gracing her young face.
"We can't keep making these mistakes," Erika muttered to herself before staring down Aiden. "Tangrowth, ancient power!"
Tangrowth raised its long arms and formed a large silver ball between its slender fingers, throwing it towards Growlithe. This time, the attack made contact with the fire type and sent him skidding across the battle field.
"Growlithe, are you okay?" Aiden called. The puppy Pokémon shook out his orange fur and yelped to confirm that he was, in fact, just fine. "Great. Try bite again!"
The fire type charged towards Tangrowth, who was of course too slow to move out of the way. As soon as Growlithe opened his mouth to use the attack, however, red-orange flames surrounded the Pokémon's mouth before he bit down, causing Tangrowth to cry out in serious pain.
"Tangrowth!" Erika gasped.
"Whoa, what was that?!" Aiden marveled.
"Fire fang!" Brandon answered, causing Aiden to look over his shoulder at the young breeder. "That's amazing!"
"But Growlithe never knew that move before…" Aiden murmured before beaming at his fire type. "Growlithe, you learned fire fang! Awesome!"
"Growl!" Growlithe barked, landing back on his paws.
Tangrowth, who had experienced Growlithe's brand new attack first hand, was really suffering from the blow. The bulky Pokémon was swaying back and forth, blabbering incoherently to itself as it struggled to keep its balance.
"Tangrowth, stay strong!" Erika called.
It was too late for the grass type, however. The vine Pokémon ended up tumbling down do the ground, landing with a very audible thud onto the hard, dusty ground. Erika gasped, while Aiden hooted triumphantly at his successful knockout.
"Tangrowth is unable to battle!" The blonde assistant called. "This round goes to Growlithe!"
"Good boy, Growlithe!" Aiden complimented his Pokémon, causing the puppy to bark gratefully in response.
"Tangrowth, return," Erika sighed, recalling the unconscious grass type to its poke ball before bringing it up to her face. "You did well, my friend."
"I think my Mom is rattled," Flora commented.
"What do you mean?" Michelle asked the younger girl.
"Well, she seems kinda' nervous to me," Flora replied. "And my Mom doesn't get nervous easily! Maybe she can tell that Aiden is a really good trainer."
That was embarrassing, I'm losing my head! Erika seethed internally to herself. I can't lose my focus. Just because this is Misty's son doesn't mean I can't beat him. I will. I just need to concentrate.
"Alright then, Aiden, how about you try this one on for size!" Erika yelled, retrieving a second poke ball and tossing it in the air. The shot of blue light that came out of the red and white sphere materialized into a four legged, tan furred creature with leaf like ears and big, brown eyes.
"Is that…" Aiden trailed off, sucking in his breath and holding it in his chest.
"Awesome, it's Leafeon!" Flora cheered.
"Leafeon?" Michelle murmured, pulling out her pokedex to scan the creature.
Leafeon, the verdant Pokémon, and an evolved form of Eevee. Leafeon obtains its food through photosynthesis, like a plant. They also clean and purify the air around them if it is dirty or polluted.
"Cool, it's like a living plant!" Michelle giggled. "Well, plants technically are living creatures. But Leafeon is like a...moving and living plant!"
"My Leafeon is very strong," Erika informed Aiden. "I wouldn't go about thinking that Growlithe's fire type attacks are going to get you out of this one!"
"I'll take my chances," Aiden replied with a smirk.
"Begin!" The match's referee shouted.
"Get right in there, Growlithe!" Aiden shouted. "Fire fang!"
"Dodge that!" Erika ordered.
As Growlithe got closer to Leafeon, with flames fanning out of his mouth, the grass type eeveeloution moved gracefully out of the way, barely batting an eye as it avoided the attack.
"What?!" Aiden gasped.
"Surprised?" Erika laughed. "Leafeon is much faster than Tangrowth. This time, I can actually rely on speed!"
"In that case…use ember!" Aiden called out to Growlithe. The puppy Pokémon spit out the tiny bits of fire, but this didn't seem to deter Erika.
"Leafeon, use quick attack to dodge, then use magical leaf!"
Effortlessly, Leafeon jumped over every single piece of fire and threw its head forward, glowing light green leaves emerging from the tips of its ears and colliding with Growlithe, creating a decent sized explosion around the fire type.
"Growlithe?!" Aiden cried. Once the dust settled, Growlithe's body became visible again, but this time it was lying crumpled on the battlefield, the fire type unmoving and clearly in no shape to continue battling.
"Growlithe is unable to battle, which means the winner is Leafeon!" The blonde yelled.
"Excellent work, Leafeon," Erika complimented her Pokémon.
Sighing, Aiden returned Growlithe to the sanctuary of his sphere and smiled down at it. "You did great, Growlithe. You deserve a nice, long rest."
"Who's Aiden gonna' use now?" Michelle wondered aloud.
"Well, since Riolu isn't in his rotation, he's only got two choices left," Brandon mused. "And Squirtle is weak against grass types…"
"Alright, Absol, I choose you!" Aiden shouted.
The disaster Pokémon appeared before his trainer, staring across at Leafeon with narrowed eyes. The grass type didn't quite seem affected, simply staring back without much emotion.
"We've gotta strike first, Absol!" Aiden yelled. "Night slash!"
Absol took one long stride forward, slashing Leafeon with his crimson hued claws before the grass type could even react. Shaking off the attack, Leafeon straightened itself out and finally gave Absol a glare.
"Good, Leafeon," Erika murmured. "Giga drain!"
The green leafed tips of Leafeon's ears began to glow a bright green before firing off at a confused Absol and forming a circle around him, closing in and engulfing the dark type in a green glow as he cried out in pain.
"Absol!" Aiden gasped.
"Giga drain absorbs the opponent's energy and gives it to the attacking Pokémon," Brandon muttered. "Absol is in trouble."
Once the green glow disappeared from Absol's body, the disaster Pokémon began panting and leaned down on his forelegs, trying to catch his breath.
"You'll be fine, Absol," Aiden tried to convince his Pokémon. "Use quick attack!"
"You use quick attack too, Lefaeon!" Erika ordered.
The two Pokémon ran straight for one another, streaks of white appearing behind them as they dashed. Absol had the advantage, however. He weighed twice as much as Leafeon, and as soon as their bodies collided at full speed, Leafeon was knocked all the way back towards its trainer, skidding through the dirt and wincing at the severe pain.
"Oh no, Lefaeon!" Erika gasped.
The grass type eeveeloution struggled to pick its head up, and after only a few seconds of attempt, allowed it to fall back down onto the ground as its eyes squeezed shut.
"Leafeon is unable to battle…Absol is the winner!"
"Yes, way to go, Absol!" Aiden cheered.
Erika sighed and took Leafeon's poke ball into her hand, returning the defeated grass type to the safety of its red and white sphere.
"You did well, Leafeon," Erika murmured, "take a long rest." She looked back up at Aiden and scowled, trying to figure out how the boy was managing to beat her again and again. She knew that if she wanted to beat him, she was going to have to pull out her secret weapon.
"Uh oh," Flora murmured, much to Brandon and Michelle's confusion.
"What is it, Flora?" Michelle asked curiously.
"My Mom is going to use her favorite Pokémon," Flora replied, "and it's her strongest one, too!"
Giggling, Erika held the last poke ball in front of her face and eyed Aiden over the red top of the sphere, which sent a nervous shiver up the spine of the young boy standing across from him.
"You may have taken out my Tangrowth and Lefaeon, Aiden," Erika drawled, "but I've saved my best and most reliable Pokémon for last. And now, you're going to meet my little partner! Let's go, dear friend!"
She tossed the ball forward and it burst open, releasing a ray of sparkling blue light that formed a ball and then evened out into a more noticeable shape that burst into nothing more than white sparkles, revealing a Pokémon that Aiden had not at all been expecting based on Erika's words.
"A…A Gloom?" Aiden questioned aloud.
Michelle and Brandon seemed just as bewildered, but Flora wasn't. Not at all. She knew full well that Gloom was her mother's partner Pokémon. Taking out his pokedex, Aiden held it up in front of the Pokémon and scanned it.
Gloom, the weed Pokémon. Gloom's special ability is producing and emitting a horrible scent capable of bringing both humans and Pokémon to unconsciousness. This same scent can be toned down, however, when it has a strong bond with its trainer.
"So…her secret weapon is a Gloom?" Michelle murmured.
"Don't underestimate it," Flora warned, causing the two older spectators to raise their eyebrows. "Mom has had that Gloom since she was a little girl, my age I think. They've been together since then and have trained all this time. It may look like a little innocent thing, but it's super strong."
"Don't let your guard down, Absol!" Aiden warned, causing the dark type to narrow his blood red eyes.
"Gloom, stun spore!" Erika ordered. Gloom shook its head, causing a flurry of orange powder to appear from the center of the flower that adorned the Pokémon's head.
"Absol, quick, dodge it!" Aiden cried urgently.
Absol tried dashing out of the way, but the stun spore was too widespread. No matter where he ran, Absol was completely trapped under the falling powder. It started to fall on him, and instantly, Absol was left unable to move.
"No, Absol!" Aiden gasped.
"Absol is paralyzed," Brandon noted. "He won't be able to move!"
"This is bad," Michelle murmured.
"Perfect, right where I want you!" Erika giggled, causing Aiden to wince. "Now, Gloom, mega drain!"
Gloom bent down until its flower was pointing directly at the paralyzed Absol. An orb of green light began to form in the flower's center, and after a few seconds, it was released in a powerful beam right at Absol. As soon as it hit, Absol was glowing bright green and crying out in severe pain, much to Aiden's horror. That same green light soon faded into white and shot back towards Gloom, outlining the dual type in the light before breaking away and leaving Gloom with a big smile on its face.
"That drained a bunch of Absol's power and gave it to Gloom," Flora commented. "Now it's even stronger than before."
"But what about Absol?" Michelle breathed.
The dark type was bending down on his front legs, panting heavily and hanging his head down so low that it was nearly touching the ground. Aiden was biting the bottom of his lip, watching Absol's struggle with a sense of great concern.
"Absol, please, stay strong!" Aiden urged the Pokémon. "Get up!"
It was no good. Absol soon fainted, falling right on the ground with a loud thud and a low groan of exhaustion. Sighing, Aiden smacked a hand over his face, while Michelle and Brandon both watched on in pure shock.
"Absol is unable to battle, which means Gloom is the winner!" Erika's assistant dictated.
Removing Absol's poke ball from his belt, Aiden held out the sphere and called, "take a long rest, Absol. You deserve it!"
After the dark type was safely returned, Aiden stared at the ball for a few seconds before closing his eyes and shrinking the sphere down.
I've only got one Pokémon left, and he's not strong against grass types…in fact, he's weak against them, Aiden thought to himself. But I don't have much of a choice. I have faith in you, buddy. Let's win this match!
Returning Absol's poke ball to his belt, Aiden removed the last available one and pressed the center button, expanding the red and white sphere to its full size. Flora leaned forward on the bench, but Brandon and Michelle didn't make a single move. They knew who Aiden's only Pokémon left was. And they were both nervous for him.
"Okay, it's time to go," Aiden murmured exclusively to the ball before hurling it up in the air and yelling, "Squirtle, I choose you!"
The ball popped open and released Aiden's starter Pokémon; his partner. The blue turtle narrowed his red-brown eyes at Gloom and stared down the dual type with determination.
"A water type?" Erika mused aloud. "Well, that's not a very good choice. They're weak against a grass type like Gloom!"
"Maybe so, but I have confidence in my Squirtle," Aiden refuted. "Besides, if there's anything that my Dad has taught me about Pokémon battles, it's that type advantage isn't everything!"
"You idolize him, huh?" Erika sighed. "Why am I not surprised? You act just like him, and you look just like him too. A Pokémon Master in the making, perhaps. But that doesn't mean I'm going to let you win this battle! Gloom is going to take your Squirtle down."
"I'd like to see you try," Aiden smirked.
"Let the final round begin!" The referee called.
"Quick, Squirtle, use water gun!" Aiden ordered.
With a super-fast reaction time, Squirtle unleashed his most powerful water attack, which made contact with Gloom before the weed Pokémon could react. The water gun was so powerful, in fact, that Gloom ended up colliding with the wall of the gym.
"Gloom!" Erika shrieked.
"Great work, Squirtle!" Aiden complimented. "But we can't let up. Not yet. Follow that up with bite, hurry!"
"Squirt!" Squirtle charged forward, opening his mouth as he prepared to sink his teeth into the fallen dual type.
"Gloom, out of the way!" Erika demanded.
"Gloom Gloom!" Gloom cried, rolling out of the way before Squirtle could get to it. Whipping around, the small turtle glared at Gloom, who had rolled itself back onto the battle field and, before long, back onto its feet.
"Excellent," Erika sighed. "Gloom, use acid!"
Gloom fired a violet colored ball from its mouth that struck Squirtle dead on. The water type fell onto his back with a strip of purple covering the front of his face, crying out in severe pain as the poison seeped into his body, in addition to being stuck on his back.
"Squirtle, no!" Aiden wailed.
"This is exactly what I was hoping for!" Erika trilled. "Gloom, while Squirtle is down, use mega drain to regain some of your power!"
Just as it had done to Absol before, Gloom began to focus all of its energy into the center of its head, where the green orb of energy formed in the middle of its flower. It exploded into a beam of light, engulfing Squirtle and rapidly sucking out the poisoned and already injured Pokémon's energy.
"Squirtle!" Aiden screamed.
The green light turned to white and was returned to Gloom, who regained some of the energy it had previously lost from Squirtle's water gun attack. While the weed Pokémon was replenished, Squirtle wasn't doing as well. He was still on his back, but no longer struggling. His big eyes were halfway closed, the purple strip on his face growing longer and darker. Every few seconds, his arms and legs would spasm, and his breathing was becoming heavy.
"Squirtle, please, get up!" Aiden begged. "I know you can! I believe in you! You can't give up!"
Squirtle managed to rock himself back and forth just once, but that soon seemed to be too much for the tiny turtle Pokémon. He leaned his head back and groaned, his eyes slipping closed even further. Aiden clenched his fists by his sides and lowered his head, grinding his teeth together before squeezing his eyes shut and, in a last ditch effort of desperation, shouted, "SQUIRTLE!"
Opening his eyes all the way, Squirtle let out a loud cry that was just as determined as his trainer's. With that, his entire body began to glow, causing Aiden to gasp and draw his shoulders back.
"No way…"
"Brandon…is this what I think it is?" Michelle breathed.
"You're exactly right," Brandon marveled. "Squirtle is evolving!"
"WOAH!" Flora cried, her green eyes sparkling with pure excitement. She had never seen a Pokémon evolve before!
Still enshrouded in the bright blue light, the shell on Squirtle's back began to grow larger, which helped the water type back onto his feet. He quickly became taller, and two fluffy appendages soon grew out of the sides of his head. His tail grew larger as well and also became fluffy, much like his newly visible ears. When the light finally disappeared, it was obvious that Squirtle was no longer…well…Squirtle. His skin was darker, his grin more mischievous with two sharp little teeth sticking out, and his eyes no longer so big and innocent. They were more brown than red now, and a small, dark blue oval was now visible beneath each of the Pokémon's eyes.
"Wow…Wartortle!" Aiden crowed, instantly pulling out his pokedex to scan the newly evolved creature.
Wartortle, the turtle Pokémon, and the evolved form of Squirtle. Wartortle can swim and spit out water faster than its pre-evolved form. It is said that a Wartortle can live for 10,000 years.
"That's the coolest thing I've ever seen!" Aiden bellowed. "You evolved right in the middle of battle! And all because I believed in you! Way to go, Wartortle!"
"War!" Wartortle cried. His voice was now deeper as well.
"Hmph," Erika scoffed. "Evolution or not, I'm still going to win. Look, Wartortle is still poisoned!"
Aiden examined the Pokémon's face. The strip of purple was still visible, but for some reason, it was not as dark as it had been in the moment before the evolution had occurred.
"You must have regained some energy once you evolved," Aiden murmured. "That's great! But it's still not perfect. You're going to get weaker, so we've got to work with what we've got! Use water gun!"
"Tortle!" Wartortle drew his head back and unleashed a water gun that was far more powerful than any time he had used it as a Squirtle. It hit Gloom fast and hard, sending the weed Pokémon straight into the dusty ground of the battle field.
"Great job, Wartortle!" Aiden cheered. "Quick, use tackle!"
Wartortle charged forward, but instead of executing a proper tackle, he pulled his head, legs, and arms inside of his shell, which soon started spinning through midair, right towards Gloom who was just getting back on its feet. The shell collided with Gloom, sending the dual type sliding across the battle field and crying out in pain.
"WHAT?!" Erika shouted.
"Whoa, that's not tackle!" Aiden gasped. "You learned rapid spin!"
"That's so cool!" Flora shrieked, getting to her feet and jumping up and down like a crazy person. "This is the coolest battle I've ever seen ever!"
"Gloom, get up!" Erika begged. "Come on, let's go! I know you're not done!"
Gloom tried its hardest to stand up, but it just had no energy left. The water gun followed by the rapid spin had all been too much for Gloom to handle. Letting out a withering cry, Gloom toppled back down to the ground with swirls in its eyes, left unable to battle.
"Wh…what?" Aiden murmured out of disbelief.
"Gloom is…unable to battle," Erika's assistant stammered, hardly able to believe it herself. "Which means the winner is Wartortle. And the battle goes to Aiden!"
Aiden blinked just once before laughing joyfully and holding his arms out towards his newly evolved water type, shouting, "WARTORTLE! WE DID IT!"
"War!" Wartortle yelped, spinning around and running towards Aiden, actually allowing his trainer to pick him up and hold him in the air.
"I can't believe I got beaten by a water type," Erika sighed. "He really is just like his father."
Still chortling along with Wartortle, Aiden stopped right away when Erika approached him with a wooden case held in her hands. Peering inside of the box, Aiden found a flower shaped metal pin, painted with all the colors of the rainbow.
"Aiden, because you managed to beat me in a battle, you have officially won the Rainbow Badge," Erika announced with a smile, holding the wooden box closer to Aiden. "Please, take it!"
Grinning widely, Aiden reached into the box and plucked out the badge, holding it high in the air as Wartortle jumped out of his arms and smiled just as wide.
"Alright!" Aiden cheered valiantly. "I won the Rainbow Badge!"
"War war!" Wartortle chimed in, holding his own claw up in the air.
"Now I'm halfway towards the Indigo League!" Aiden laughed happily to himself. "Four badges down, four to go!"
"The next closest gym to here is in Fuchsia City," Erika informed Aiden, who lowered the badge to his chest. "The gym leader there, Janine, is a tough one! But you're a pretty talented young trainer. I think you might just be able to win!"
"Wow, thanks so much, Erika!" Aiden beamed.
"As much as I hate to admit it, I think I'm going to have to compliment your mother on what a wonderful son she has," Erika sighed playfully. "You're definitely a handful, but you're an amazing trainer. I really think you might just catch up to your father at some point!"
"That's my goal!" Aiden laughed.
"Aiden!"
The boy looked up and found Flora running towards him, with Michelle and Brandon trailing behind.
"Hey Flora, what'd you think of that battle?" Aiden asked the younger girl.
"It was amazing, the best battle I've ever watched!" Flora gushed. "I'm so glad I got you back into the gym! You're the best!"
She and Aiden both laughed and gave one another a high five, much to Erika's delight. "Well, it would appear that you and my daughter have become fast friends! How could I possibly complain about that?"
"Erika?" Aiden questioned softly, fully catching the attention of the grass type gym leader. "Flora really loves you a whole lot. I can tell! We talked after she made me…uh…dress up like a girl to get back in here. You gotta' make sure you support her no matter what, okay? She may not be a girly girl, but she's pretty unique, and I think that's a lot cooler. You two can be great partners if you just stick together!"
Smiling softly at Aiden, Erika nodded and murmured, "I know what you're saying, Aiden. And I don't know exactly what Flora told you, but I do know she sometimes feel like our relationship is strained. But I love my daughter more than anything in the entire world, and I'll make sure that she knows it more often."
"That's great!" Aiden beamed. "I'm glad!"
XXX
"So, you beat Erika, huh?"
"Yep!" Aiden cheered. "And now I'm halfway towards the Indigo League! Just four more badges to go!"
"That's quite the accomplishment, champ!" Ash, who was speaking to his son on the other end of a video phone call, chuckled. "I'm really proud of you! And I'm sure your mother is too!"
"Of course I'm proud of him!"
"Ow!"
Ash grimaced and rubbed the back of his head, where Misty had just swatted him with a rolled up magazine.
"Oh, don't be such a drama queen, I didn't hit you that hard," Misty commented with a smirk on her face.
"You know me so well," Ash sighed, still rubbing the back of his head.
"I'm so glad you beat Erika!" Misty informed her son. "It's always good to knock her down a peg or two, that self-absorbed little-"
"Keep it in, Mist," Ash interrupted.
"She wasn't that bad, Mom!" Aiden laughed. "I mean, except for the whole kicking me out of the gym thing because I insulted her perfume…"
"What, she still does that?" Ash complained.
"Apparently," Aiden replied. "Oh, that reminds me! Dad, how come Erika said I'm just like you when I had to dress up like a girl to get into the gym?"
Ash's eyes widened, while Misty burst out laughing hysterically.
"That doesn't mean anything!" Ash rushed out, a blush overtaking his face. It disappeared, however, as he leaned back in his chair and wondered aloud, "wait…what do you mean you had to dress up like a girl to get into the gym?"
"Uh…nothing?" Aiden chuckled nervously.
"Oh no, I'll never hear the end of that!" Misty groaned, covering her face with her hands. "Aiden, why would you do that just to get into the gym? I didn't need her to have any more dirt on me!" Glancing at Ash, she mumbled, "I knew having your son would be trouble!"
"There's nothing wrong with cross-dressing to earn a gym badge!" Ash shouted, causing Aiden to furrow his brow.
"Whatever you say, sweetheart," Misty sighed. "Aiden, we have to go start getting ready for dinner. But we're both very proud of you for winning the badge! And tell Michelle good luck in her Contest tomorrow for us!"
"I will, thanks Mom!" Aiden smiled before ending the call.
Back in Cerulean City, Ash groaned and hit his head against the desk where the videophone was perched on. Misty giggled and gently rubbed her husband's back, cooing to him, "it's alright, honey! There's no shame in having to dress like a girl just to win a little gym badge! Just like you said!"
"All my life…" Ash murmured.
"It's been twenty one years, I'm sure you'll survive," Misty giggled. "Now, come on. We have to start getting dressed if we ever want to get to dinner on time!"
"Yeah…" Ash sighed and got out of the desk chair. "Wait! There's something I have to give you first!"
Misty spun around and raised a wry eyebrow. "Give me something? What is it? Oooh, is it a kiss?"
"No, that's too easy," Ash chuckled. "It's something a little more substantial than just a kiss."
"Alright…" Misty drawled on uncertainly. "But I still want a kiss later!"
"Sure, why not," Ash laughed. "But this is what's important right now. It's something that I got for you, and I've been saving it for when Aiden got his fourth badge."
"That's sort of a strange milestone to save it for," Misty mused. "I'm not the one traveling around the region collecting badges! Shouldn't you reward our son for that? And why the fourth badge? Why not the first or the last?"
"Misty, stop asking questions!" Ash whined in a childlike fashion. "This is a gift for you because I want you to use it when Aiden finally battles you for the Cascade Badge. I figured I would save it for when he was halfway there, because it will give you some time to work with my gift."
"Work with it?" Misty repeated before gasping as she came to realization. "Ash, did you catch me a Pokémon?"
"I did," Ash replied, a small smirk gracing his lips as Misty's entire face lit up. Reaching down to his belt, Ash plucked off a poke ball and expanded the sphere before handing it off to Misty. "I think this Pokémon is perfect for you. It wasn't easy to catch, but it was worth all the effort I put into it."
"Oh, Ash, thank you!" Misty squealed, jumping at her husband to engulf him in a tight, bone crushing hug. "I'll have to start training with this one right away! Is it a powerful Pokémon?"
Ash let out a husky chuckle at this, causing Misty to raise an eyebrow. "It's very strong."
"And…you caught it for me so I could use it against our own child?" Misty asked skeptically.
"This isn't to punish Aiden!" Ash quickly refuted. "It's to help him prove himself. By the time he gets to you, he'll have earned seven badges. And you're his final test before entering the Indigo League. Our son can't go around thinking that every battle in life will be easy. He needs a challenge. And by defeating your newest Pokémon, he'll be able to show us and everyone else just how strong he's become, and how ready he is to take on the League."
"You would do this," Misty murmured, still staring at the red and white sphere that she held in her hand.
"I'm willing to do whatever it takes to help Aiden realize his full potential," Ash continued. "Michelle too, for that matter. I want them to be confident, but I also want them to be aware. I believe in them with all of my heart, but they have to as well."
"I know exactly what you mean," Misty whispered, looking up at her husband with clear eyes.
"We've always been on the same page, whether we want to admit it or not," Ash snickered. "Now, let's start getting ready for that dinner. I want us to finish as soon as possible so you can see your newest battle partner!"
Sooo, who is Misty's new Pokémon, a gift from Ash? I'm not telling ;) You can guess, though! But it's going to be a BIG secret! Because I like that :P
Hopefully the battle didn't suck. That was part of the reason it took so long: I'm bad at writing battles. It takes me FOREVER because I get bored so easily! And school on top of it? Doesn't help. But, I finally finished it! And now you can all go back to leaving your reviews and guesses, if you all don't completely hate me ;) WHICH I REALLY HOPE YOU DON'T!
And don't worry: the next chapter isn't going to take months and months! :)