Hey guys. What's up? Do you all hate me? I'm afraid that you do. This chapter took me longer than I anticipated. It's another gym battle, and I have serious issues writing gym battles. I just get so bored after a while! But I know it has to get done. Can't have a journey story without gym battles, after all. So, on with the show!
Last time: Aiden, Michelle, and Brandon meet Fuchsia City's gym leader, Janine. The young woman, however, is more than meets the eye. In addition to being a gym leader and a skilled ninja, she is also a con artist, having fallen into her misguided ways due to her own fears and naivety. Her father is none other than the Elite Four's Koga, who believes a battle with the son of the Pokémon Master could do his daughter some good. Upon finding her, and inadvertently capturing a Shinx that she had been planning on using in a con, Aiden challenges her to a battle, with a caveat that she must give up her con ways if he wins.
Chapter 35: Soul Battle! Aiden VS Janine!
"Hey! There's Aiden!"
"And he's got Janine with him!"
Michelle and Brandon's alerts caught the attention of Koga, who had been busy doing the dishes from the little tea party his daughter had left behind. Striding into the front room where the two young trainers were and peering out the widow, Koga was pleasantly surprised to see his daughter trailing a determined looking Aiden.
"Well, I'll be," Koga whistled.
Michelle and Brandon ran outside to meet Aiden and the gym leader, who was suddenly looking more bashful than she had before.
"Look who I found!" Aiden chuckled, motioning his head towards Janine. "She even agreed to battle me!"
Michelle and Brandon both breathed out quietly, staring up at the purple haired gym leader.
"Really?" Michelle asked hesitantly.
"Yeah!" Aiden continued. "And it's gonna be great."
Walking around the group of younger trainers, Janine stepped in front of her father, who seemed rather pleased with the whole situation. He had his arms crossed and a proud smile on his face, to which Janine hedged at.
"Dad," Janine began cautiously, "I'm going to have a battle. In the gym."
"So I heard," Koga hummed thoughtfully.
"I can't imagine you'd actually want to watch," Janine scoffed, looking distantly over her shoulder.
"This one is different," Koga commented, bringing Janine's attention back to him. "I see so much potential in that boy. He's the perfect challenger for you. And I'd like to see how this battle plays out."
"Dad…" Janine breathed, her dark purple eyes shimmering with disbelief.
"I'd say we should head over to the gym!" Koga announced loudly enough so the three younger trainers could hear him. "Get this exciting match underway!"
XXX
The gym looked just like the rest of the ninja school's buildings, which didn't surprise the young trainers. It was set at the forefront of the property, and was the largest building in the setup. The inside was simple, just like Koga and Janine's home. It was all wooden, with simple windows lining the top half of the battle room.
Upon entering, Janine strode across the battlefield, standing before what looked like a small stage of sorts. Aiden quickly took his own spot across the way, staring intently at the fidgety gym leader on the other side.
"Where is Edgar?" Janine asked her father.
"Not around at the moment," Koga replied nonchalantly.
"What?!" Janine gasped. "Then who's going to referee the match?"
"That will be my honor, dearest niece."
Janine whipped around and her jaw dropped. All of a sudden, on the stage behind her, was a woman with green hair pulled up into a ponytail, her blue eyes piercing and sparkling with mischievousness.
"Aunt Aya!" Janine gasped.
"Aya?" Aiden repeated, knowing the name was familiar.
"It's been so long since I've seen you in the gym, Janine," Aya idly commented. "It's a wonderful sight."
"Y-yes…" Janine stammered, still taken off guard by her aunt's sudden appearance.
"Aya was kind enough to volunteer herself as referee," Koga informed his awed daughter.
"I was excited to," Aya added, giggling softly afterwards. "I've always loved you watching you battle, Janine! I wouldn't miss this opportunity for anything."
"But Aunt Aya-"
"Now, no buts," Aya quickly interrupted her flustered niece. "You're not going to fight me on this, Janine! This is going to be a wonderful match. I'm thrilled to referee it! And your challenger…"
Aya looked across the field, locking her blue eyes onto the dark haired boy who was waiting to battle.
"Well, you look familiar…" Aya hummed. "But I know I've never met you before. How could this be? Why do I feel like I might you in another life?"
"Uh, maybe," Aiden replied weakly, finding Aya's deep spirituality to be a bit strange. "I don't know."
"You've met his father, Aya, and his mother as well," Koga informed his younger sister. "But it's his father who he resembles. Ash Ketchum, the Pokémon Master. This is his son, Aiden."
"Aiden," Aya repeated, a smile playing on her lips. "Oh, it all makes sense now! You do look exactly like your father! And I've seen you in magazines and on television before. But mostly as a very young child. You're not so young now, are you? You're old enough to be a trainer!"
"I'm ten," Aiden confirmed. "So is my sister."
Aya made a noise of interest and looked over the boy's head. When she saw the redheaded girl sitting on a bench against the wall, her smile widened, and she even giggled.
"My goodness! The resemblances here are uncanny," Aya remarked. "She looks just like…Misty! Your mother, Misty. And what is her name?"
"Michelle," Aiden replied easily.
"What lovely names," Aya commented. "And the boy sitting next to her…he looks familiar as well."
"His uncle, Brock, was the older friend of Ash and Misty who accompanied them here on their visit," Koga recanted. "He is the son of another gym leader, Forrest."
"Well, isn't that some group," Aya whistled. "And what's his name, dear brother?"
"Brandon."
"You're very lucky, Janine," Aya informed her bewildered niece. "This is a wonderful bunch of young trainers to encounter! They might even be able to help you."
"Aunt Aya, not now," Janine groaned, sagging her shoulders out of frustration.
"Alright," Aya sighed, walking around Janine and taking her rightful place on the sidelines. "Then I suppose we'd better get this match underway. Are you two both ready?"
"Yes," they replied simultaneously.
"Janine, remember our promise!" Aiden called across the field.
The purple haired woman gasped lightly and pulled back, staring at Aiden's face. He was wearing a cheeky smirk, his brown eyes glinting with confidence. Smiling herself, Janine gave Aiden a single nod to confirm that she wouldn't, in fact, forget their agreement.
"The battle will be three on three," Aya informed the two. "Only the challenger is allowed to switch Pokémon. Whichever trainer knocks out the other's first wins! Are we clear on the rules?"
"Yes!"
"Release your Pokémon!" Aya commanded.
"Crobat, let's go!" Janine called, throwing her poke ball. It popped open to reveal a purple bat with narrowed yellow eyes and two separate sets of wings.
"Crobat…" Michelle mused, pulling out her sky blue pokedex to scan the creature.
Crobat, the bat Pokémon, and the evolved form of Golbat. It switches the wings it uses to fly if tired, and by alternating between its front and back wings, can fly all day and night.
"Crobat is a poison and flying type," Brandon noted. "And if I remember everything my dad has told me, this is a poison type gym."
"Which means Aiden is in for some battle," Michelle murmured.
"Shinx, I choose you!" Aiden shouted, throwing his own poke ball. When the blue lynx Pokémon was released, Brandon and Michelle both gasped.
"A Shinx?!" Michelle exclaimed. "But…those are from Sinnoh!"
"They're not commonly found around Kanto, not at all," Brandon breathed. "I wonder how Aiden got his hands on one."
"Shinx, I know we just met, but this will be a great way to get to know one another!" Aiden encouraged his newly captured Pokémon. "You're going to help me win my fifth badge, and help Janine, too!"
"Shinx!" The little electric type yelped in happy agreement.
"Battle, begin!" Aya declared, throwing her arms out to the side.
"Let's get the first move," Aiden decided, throwing his arm out. "Shinx, quick, use spark!"
The electric type's body became surrounded by bright blue electricity as she bounced off of her back paws, flying straight towards Crobat.
"I don't think so," Janine hummed under her breath. "Crobat, supersonic!"
The purple bat opened its mouth and fired off a series of white rings at Shinx, which caused the electric type to cry out in pain and fall to the ground with a hard thud.
"Shinx!" Aiden gasped.
"Good," Janine murmured. "Now, Crobat, use confuse ray!"
The dual type unleashed rays of purple light at Shinx, who was struggling to get back on her paws after landing so harshly.
"Quick, Shinx, get out of the way!" Aiden urged. Fortunately, the electric type managed to leap skillfully out of the way before she could be affected by the attack.
"Ugh, no," Janine hissed under her breath, dark purple eyes narrowing.
"This isn't going to work," Aiden muttered to himself, staring across the field at Crobat. "Crobat's in the air, but Shinx is on the ground, and she only knows physical attacks. Nothing is going to be able to reach Crobat. Which means I need a new plan." Reaching to his belt, Aiden plucked off the electric type's poke ball and held it out in front of him. "Shinx, return!"
As the blue lynx was pulled back into her sphere, Brandon and Michelle exchanged questioning looks.
"Why?" Michelle asked simply.
"I guess Aiden just thought the matchup wasn't working," Brandon replied. "The air versus ground thing wasn't really compatible. I just wonder who he's going to send out now."
"Sorry, Shinx," Aiden murmured to the poke ball. "You were doing great! But I'm going to save you for later." Clipping the poke ball back on, Aiden reached for a different one and enlarged it, smirking at the now bewildered Janine across the way. "Alright, Ledian, I choose you!"
The five star Pokémon emerged from its poke ball, flapping his wings and keeping himself level with Crobat.
"There," Aiden murmured, a smile reappearing on his face. "That's much better."
"Continue!" Aya called.
"Crobat, quickly, use wing attack!" Janine ordered. The bat Pokémon's wings began to glow white as it soared towards Ledian.
"Dodge it!" Aiden cried.
With expert precision, Ledian avoided Crobat's wing attack, much to Aiden's delight. He watched as the dual type swooped beneath the purple bat's body before leveling out and returning to an upright position, waiting to return an attack.
"Ledian, silver wind!" Aiden called.
Swooping forward, Ledian began to flap its wings even more quickly, creating a brigade of silver crescents. They collided with Crobat before Janine could order another move, leading the poison type to falter.
"Crobat!" Janine gasped.
"Don't let up, Ledian!" Aiden cheered. "Use comet punch!"
Ledian flew closer to Crobat, repeatedly punching it with his white fists. The punches collided in all of the right places, once again sending Crobat towards the ground.
"Crobat, pull up!" Janine ordered.
Only several inches from the ground, Crobat managed to flap its four wings and levitate itself back up, looking tired but not yet beaten.
"That's it, Crobat!" Janine cheered. "Use supersonic!"
Crobat unleashed several rings of blue, which sailed right towards Ledian and caused him to wince and hold the sides of his head in pain.
"Ledian!" Aiden gasped.
"Now, Crobat, try wing attack again!"
Crobat swooped forward, its four wings once again glowing. Aiden, however, was not easily deterred.
"Ledian, look out!" Aiden warned. "Reflect!"
Ledian held his hands out and created a round, blue barrier. Crobat flew right into it and received the recoil, crying out in pain.
"No, Crobat!" Janine shrieked.
"Finish it, Ledian!" Aiden cheered. "Mach punch!"
Ledian pulled its fist back as it began to glow blue. Swooping down, it got close to Crobat until they were only separated by a few inches. Throwing his glowing fist forward, Ledian made contact with Crobat and sent it sailing straight towards the ground, ending in a loud, dusty collision.
"Crobat…" Janine murmured. She knew, however, that it was too late. As soon as the dust settled, Crobat's limp body was visible, letting out soft, squeaky moans as its wings fluttered weakly.
"Crobat is unable to battle," Aya announced. "The winner of this round is Ledian!"
"Way to go, Ledian!" Aiden complimented the five star Pokémon.
"Le!" Ledian cheered.
Sighing, Janine returned Crobat to its poke ball before reaching for another one. "Alright. Let's see what you do with this Pokémon!"
Tossing the sphere, Janine's second Pokémon was soon revealed to Aiden: a spherical, floating purple Pokémon with two angsty looking heads.
"I know that Pokémon…" Aiden murmured, raising his pokedex to scan the creature.
Weezing, the poison gas Pokémon. Its two heads each contains a different toxin. When these gases mix, Weezing becomes even more toxic.
"Talk about a poison type," Michelle breathed.
"Aiden's going to have his hands full with this one," Brandon predicted.
"I'm not afraid of your Weezing," Aiden chuckled. "In fact, I'm going to stick with Ledian!"
"Confident, are we?" Janine hummed.
Aiden smirked. "Of course."
"Begin the next round!" Aya called.
"Weezing, double hit!" Janine commanded.
Weezing began to glow light as it soared towards Ledian, shifting from side to side in an attempt to hit Ledian.
"Ledian, dodge it!" Aiden called.
Nodding his head just once, Ledian began to zip from side-to-side, avoiding each of Weezing's attempted hits.
"Perfect!" Aiden cheered. "Try comet punch!"
As soon as Weezing stopped glowing, Ledian began to punch the toxic gas Pokémon repeatedly, causing the poison type to cry out in pain.
"Weezing!" Janine cried.
"Mach punch!" Aiden cheered.
Ledian pulled back his glowing blue fist once again, but Janine was not about to fall for the same trick twice.
"Weezing, dodge and use sludge bomb!" Janine countered.
The poison type managed to glide out of Ledian's way, firing off blobs of sludge from its two separate mouths.
"Ledian, blow it away with silver wind!" Aiden urged.
The dual type began to rapidly flap its wings, creating the silver crescents that successfully blew away the sludge bomb.
"Great!" Aiden chuckled. "Now try your mach punch again!"
Ledian's fist began to glow blue once again. Weezing tried to move out of the way, but it just wasn't fast enough. Ledian's powerful attack collided with Weezing's larger head, and sent the poison type sailing towards the ground, in identical fashion to Crobat.
"Weezing, no!" Janine cried.
It was like déjà vu. Once the dust settled, it was clear that Weezing was no longer able to battle.
"Weezing is unable to battle," Aya murmured, the disbelief evident in her voice. "Ledian wins the round!"
Biting her lower lip, Janine pulled out another poke ball as she returned Weezing to its own sphere. "I have to hand it to you, Aiden. You're a very strong trainer."
Aiden beamed at the compliment. "Thanks!"
"But that doesn't mean I'm going to let you win this battle!" Janine crowed, throwing her third and final poke ball. "I've saved my best Pokémon for last!"
As the poke ball popped open, a very large, six legged bug type appeared on the battlefield. Michelle shrieked and practically jumped in Brandon's lap.
"B-b-bug!" She whimpered.
"Relax, Michelle, it's not gonna come near you!" Brandon wheezed.
"It's still creepy and crawly!" Michelle wailed.
"An Ariados," Aiden breathed, scanning the red and black creature.
Ariados, the long leg Pokémon. It wanders in search of food after darkness falls. Ariados uses its silk to track down its prey.
"No, that thing is way too creepy," Michelle muttered, still shaking as Brandon carefully extracted her from his lap. Koga looked down at the nervous young girl and smirked.
"Not a fan of bug types, I see."
Michelle blushed at Koga's comment. "No, not really."
"I remember Aya telling me your mother had the same fear," Koga mused, his eyes actually sparkling. "Like mother, like daughter, or so they say."
"Well, it's true," Michelle sighed, holding onto her arms. "For this, at least."
Back on the battlefield, Aiden was not at all fazed by Janine's last choice of Pokémon. "Looks strong. But I have faith in Ledian. Who knows? We might even get a clean sweep!"
Janine smirked. "Confidence is key, but overconfidence is destructive. You should learn the difference."
Aiden's expression finally changed into a scowl, his eyes darkening with determination.
"Battle, continue!" Aya called.
"Ariados, psychic," Janine commanded simply.
Shrieking in response, Ariados' eyes turned bright blue, which soon surrounded Ledian. Unable to move on his own, the dual type was left to the mercy of the bug type. And Ariados was not going to be relenting.
"Take Ledian for a spin," Janine requested with a smirk.
Aiden could only watch on helplessly as Ledian was spun in a rapid circle, causing the dual type to become unbelievably dizzy.
"No, Ledian!" Aiden gasped.
"Now, a toss!" Janine cried.
Lifting his head up, Ariados sent Ledian flying, right into the wall behind Aiden. Whipping around, the young trainer watched as his Pokémon yelped in pain before sliding to the ground and crumpling up in a ball, head bowed and eyes sealed shut.
"No…" Aiden breathed.
"Ledian is unable to battle," Aya declared. "Ariados wins!"
"Whoa, it beat Ledian with one move," Brandon marveled.
"Now what's Aiden going to do?" Michelle murmured.
Growling, Aiden reached to his belt and quickly returned Ledian before pulling off another poke ball to utilize. "Shinx, I choose you!"
The blue lynx Pokémon appeared once again, narrowing her bright yellow eyes at the spider who stood over the line.
"Continue!" Aya demanded.
"Shinx, thunder fang!"
The electric type charged forward, her mouth filling up with electricity.
"Pin missile!" Janine commanded.
The white horn in the middle of Ariados' head began to glow bright before releasing a brigade of tiny white needles at Shinx. They were moving too quickly for Shinx to avoid, and she was quickly taken down by the attack.
"Shinx!" Aiden gasped before growling, "Alright, use spark!"
Shinx got back up to her paws and began to glow bright blue, charging towards Ariados. Janine, however, was unaffected.
"Ariados, dodge it and then use night shade!"
The dual type scuttled out of the way, causing Michelle to shriek from the bench. In front of her, Aiden rolled his eyes, but quickly refocused on the battle. He wasn't exactly sure what kind of a move night shade was. It didn't sound overly familiar to him. Did he tell Shinx to dodge? Was it a defensive attack that would raise Ariados' stats? He wasn't sure.
Unfortunately, he would soon find out.
The same horn that had unleashed pin missile was now glowing black instead of white. It took less than a second for a beam of black streaked with dark red to fire off at Shinx. Aiden was about to yell for her to dodge, but the attack managed to make contact with her before he could do anything. Once again, she was sent down to the battlefield, and this time, it was not as easy for her to get up.
"Come on, Shinx," Aiden encouraged. "I believe in you!"
It took a lot of strength, but Shinx finally managed to get herself up. She was panting rather heavily, and this told Janine that the little electric type was getting very worn out. Perfect for her.
"Ariados, pin missile!" Janine commanded.
"Shinx, spark, one more time!" Aiden retaliated.
Snarling, Shinx built up her electricity one more time and charged forward, the electricity sparking off of her body. At the same time, Ariados lowered its head as its horn began to glow white. As soon as Shinx jumped up to attack Ariados, the large bug fired off its attacks, both colliding and creating a loud, violent explosion. Shinx fell to the ground, and while Ariados had been affected by Shinx's spark, it was still standing. Immediately, it became clear that Shinx wasn't getting back up, leading Aya to raise her arm.
"Shinx is unable to battle!" She declared. "Ariados is the winner!"
Aiden groaned and recalled Shinx to her poke ball, biting down on his lower lip as he contemplated his next move. From the bench behind him, Brandon and Michelle both looked nervous.
"This battle turned around really quickly," Michelle commented.
"Janine is stronger than she looks," Brandon agreed.
"I also think Aiden got a little too confident," Michelle muttered. "He always does this…he'll never learn."
Nodding his head, Aiden reached to his belt and pulled off another poke ball, his last one for the battle. Picking his head up, he smirked at Janine, who didn't seem fazed.
"Your Ariados is really strong," Aiden commented, enlarging the sphere in his hand. "But I'm not going to lose this battle. I won't."
Pulling his arm back, Aiden tossed the ball and cried, "Riolu, I choose you!"
The red and white sphere popped open to reveal the baby of Aiden's Pokémon, looking around the room with curious eyes. When he set them on Ariados, however, the little thing shrieked and took a step backwards, leading Aiden to sigh and hang his head.
"Maybe that wasn't the best move," Brandon murmured, while Michelle rolled her eyes.
"Oh, look, a little baby," Janine crooned, her dark purple eyes flashing with what Aiden identified as a sense of surefire victory. "This one's in the bag, Ariados."
As the bug type shrieked in agreement, Riolu's eyes narrowed, and his body tensed up. Even from behind, Aiden could tell his Pokémon was angry. Finally, Aiden smiled…and Janine was just confused.
"Begin!" Aya called.
"Let's get this over with, Ariados!" Janine yelled. "Pin missile!"
"Not this time!" Aiden barked. "Riolu, counter!"
Riolu nodded and formed an invisible cloak of energy around himself, which immediately sent the attack back towards Ariados. It was returned so fast, in fact, that Ariados couldn't move out of the way in time. It was struck with the attack, and cried out in obvious pain.
"Ariados!" Janine gasped.
"Now we're rolling!" Aiden cheered. "Riolu, follow it up with quick attack!"
"Ri!"
Riolu charged forward, running from side to side and aiming for Ariados. He collided with the massive spider, actually succeeding in sending the dual type barreling back several feet.
"Come on, Ariados!" Janine urged. "Poison jab!"
Ariados' front arms began to glow purple as it raised them up towards Riolu, who was still suspended in midair from the quick attack.
"Riolu, endure!" Aiden commanded.
Whipping around, Riolu reached out with his front paws and managed to grab one of Ariados' arms, sending it right back down. The second arm, however, succeeded in making contact with Riolu's back and causing damage. The young fighting type yelped and fell to the ground, rolling for a few feet before halting.
"No, Riolu!" Aiden shrieked.
"I think this battle is just about over," Janine idly commented. "Ariados, psychic."
"Riolu, quick attack!" Aiden cried.
Right away, Riolu began to run. He just kept on running and running. And he was going so fast that Ariados couldn't locate the little thing. Therefore, Ariados couldn't use its psychic attack.
"Focus!" Janine yelled at her Pokémon. "If you don't, you'll never be able to find Riolu!"
Aiden, however, wasn't about to let that happen. With a smirk, he leaned forward and beckoned, "Riolu, force palm!"
Emerging from behind Ariados, Riolu threw out his paw and pressed its palm against Ariados' backside. In a matter of seconds, a burst of yellow light emerged and engulfed Ariados before sending the dual type flying across the field. It landed just a few feet short of Aiden, and once all was said and done, the giant spider lay limp and unable to continue.
"Ariados is defeated!" Aya announced. "Which means the winner is Riolu! This match goes to Aiden Ketchum!"
Aiden began jumping up and down and whooping with joy. Riolu, in turn, laughed and ran over to Aiden, joining in on his trainer's celebration. With a hearty chuckle, Aiden knelt down and patted the baby Pokémon's head, who sighed contently in return.
"You did amazing, Riolu!" Aiden complimented. "I'm so proud of you!"
"Well, would you look at that," Brandon marveled. "Riolu's first gym battle, and he wins the whole thing!"
"I thought Aiden was making a mistake, but I guess not," Michelle breathed, a smile appearing on her face.
As Aiden continued to celebrate with Riolu, he was surprised when a pair of pink lace up boots approached him. Glancing up, he found Janine to be standing there with a smile on her face.
"Congratulations, Aiden," Janine complimented the boy as he stood back up. "You're definitely much stronger than I was anticipating. A pleasant surprise."
"Thanks," Aiden chuckled bashfully.
"I believe this is yours," she hummed, holding out her hand. In the middle of her palm was Aiden's newly earned gym badge, this one colored pink and in the shape of a heart. "The Soul Badge."
Aiden's eyes lit up as he took the symbol and held it up in the air, chuckling as he did so. "Alright, I did it! The Soul Badge!"
"Ri!" Riolu chimed in.
"And…I'm going to keep the promise we made."
Aiden looked back over at Janine and blinked, earning a small giggle from the gym leader.
"I'm going to leave my con days behind me," Janine murmured. "Battling with you has made me realize that I still have a lot to learn when it comes to being a Pokémon trainer, let alone a gym leader. There's an amazing teacher my Aunt Aya used to train with, and I've decided that I'm going to follow in her footsteps and do the same."
"That's great, Janine!" Aiden cheered. "You'll do awesome!"
Janine smiled at this. "Thanks, I hope so."
Aya, who was still watching the scene from the sidelines, was beaming even more brightly than her niece. She was so absorbed in the whole thing, in fact, that she didn't hear or even notice her brother walking towards her.
"Aiden is an amazing young man, isn't he?"
The ninja looked up at her elite brother and smiled. "Incredible. Like his father."
"I know that this will help Janine to excel in ways she couldn't have possibly imagined," Koga continued. "And for that, she will become a better person."
"I've always told her that her grandparents would be proud of her," Aya murmured. "But now I am certain of it."
At the same time, Janine's eyes were glimmering, and, as though she were psychic and in total connection with Aya, her head was filled with the thought of her late grandparents.
Don't worry, Grandma Siana and Grandpa Akio. I will honor this family, and make you all proud. I will change my ways, and become an even stronger trainer. Just like Aiden.
Look at Aiden, already inspiring people just like his dad :)
So, Aiden now has his FIFTH gym badge! Just three more to go until he can enter the Indigo League. How exciting! What will happen next on their journey? Where will they go, who will they meet? I know, I just have to write it! And you guys just have to stay tuned and keep reading and reviewing! Until next time!