The next morning I woke with Butterfree in my stomach, all fluttering away with my nerves. I was too nervous to eat but I made sure my Pokémon had a good meal before giving them all a health check. Pidgeotto was the one I was worried about. Her wing still needed time to heal, which meant I was one Pokémon down and I couldn't use her in my three on three battle.
"It's alright, I'd much rather you rest and heal properly Pidgeotto rather than risk getting more hurt now." I assured her whilst stroking her feathers. "We've got a long journey ahead of us to collect more badges, so I'll need you in top shape for that which means you need to relax for now."
"Pidgeo." She nodded her head then looked down at Eevee who was rolling on the floor with a ball of wool I had given her. "Pidgeo?"
"Yes, I might need to use Eevee, though I'm not sure if that's fair. She may have high experience, but she's never been in a tough battle like this before. I don't know whether or not it's fair to ask her to battle right now." I sighed but then looked over to Eevee. "Eevee? Can I talk to you for a minute please?"
"Vee!" Eevee nodded and bounced over, bringing her ball with her as Dratini lay curled up in my lap fast asleep.
"Eevee…I know I haven't really battled you properly yet, so I want you to tell me that you're ready for this. You saw Blaine's Pokémon when Ash battled and they were all pretty difficult to beat, so I need to know that you want to do this."
"Vee!" Eevee nodded her head, springing in front of me with eager excitement. "Vee, Vee Vee!" I laughed as she jumped onto my shoulder and licked my cheek, making me giggle and tickle her chin.
"Okay, that's all I needed. I'll use Eevee, Dratini and Charizard for this battle and we'll win! I know we will, because you are all amazingly strong Pokémon and I believe in you." I said to them, looking up at Charizard. "All we have to do is work as a team and we'll be alright." I said, putting my arm around Pidgeotto and smiling at Eevee as one last moment of family time before I had to head down to the gym.
Mom and dad had already stopped by to wish me luck, wearing shirts with my face on it, their faces painted red and blue for my favourite colours and waving large flags in the air. It was enough for me to consider dropping out of the battle.
All the same, I returned everyone to their Pokéballs, picked up Eevee then head up to the volcano mouth where the gym had been moved since the one below had been totally trashed. When I got there, panting for breath, my jaw dropped open.
The layout was literally over the volcano with only a few podiums to move about on which I knew both Eevee and Dratini would be too small to handle. "Vee…"
"I know don't worry." I whispered to her. "I'm not going to risk it. I'll save you for another battle, okay? I don't want to lose you in there so I'm not even going to try." I still had Charizard, it should be enough. He was pretty powerful and had a lot of experience, so I was confident I could manage to make it through with just him.
"Welcome to my gym!" Blaine yelled from the other side. "I trust you are rested well? You're going to need it. I'm not about to go easy on you, so let's get things started. Rapidash! I choose you!" Huh? Rapidash? Blaine hadn't used that Pokémon before!
"Rapidash, very competitive, this Pokémon will chase anything that moves fast in the hopes of racing it." Dexter supplied so I sucked in a deep breath then nodded.
"Okay Charizard, I choose you!" I yelled and threw the Pokéball forwards, catching it again when it flew back. Charizard roared as he came out of his Pokéball, snarling towards Rapidash who lowered its head and pounded a hoof against the ground, scraping it to try and look more intimidating but Charizard wasn't all that impressed. "Easy now Charizard, don't get too cocky. Remember, this is meant to be the seventh badge we battle for, so these Pokémon are going to be pretty high levelled. Let's go!" Charizard roared then rose up into the air as Blaine kicked things off.
"Start with Fire Spin!" Rapidash rose up onto its hind legs and shot a vortex of fire towards Charizard who easily dodged around it, flying over the battlefield as Rapidash began to circle, galloping around and leaping from podium to podium and calling out in frustration.
"Charizard, Wing Attack!" I decided, watching as Charizard then took the dive.
"Rapidash, use Stomp!"
"Change your course Charizard! Hit anywhere but the front!" I countered and smiled as Charizard easily circled around Rapidash as it tried to land a Stomp attack but with one glowing wing, Charizard slammed into it so it was knocked off its hooves and to the ground.
"Rapidash!" Blaine called out as the Pokémon struggled back to its feet.
"Nice hit Charizard, now use Flamethrower!"
"Counter with your own Flamethrower!" I waited, hoping that the plan would work. So far it was, Blaine had done exactly what I had anticipated. So with my parents cheering and gasping in the background, I watched as two powerful Flamethrowers collided.
"Keep going Charizard, you're doing great!" I yelled to him with a smile, watching as the power began to gather. Finally the two attacks exploded so I quickly ordered Charizard to fly low between the rocks and he dived down, missing the explosion but it hit Rapidash full force, making it cry out then land on the broader platform at Blaine's feet.
"Rapidash! Can you still battle?" Rapidash tried to get up but after a moment, fell back down again with a weak cry. "It's alright. You battled a tough opponent and stood your ground. I am proud of you, so take a good rest." Blaine said as he returned Rapidash to its Pokéball. "Quite impressive, but I'm not done yet. Go Rhydon!" There we go, that's a little more like it.
"Charizard, Rhydon is very strong and has a thick hide, so flying and fire attacks won't do much good, I need you to focus on dodging its attacks to wear it down first, okay?" I said quietly to Charizard who nodded his head. "I know you can do it, go Charizard!" I smiled, pointing up to the air so he rose up and glided easily on the thermals.
"Rhydon, use Rock Smash!" Blaine called and Rydon leaped forwards, landing on a column and smashed it up to throw the rocks up into the sky.
"Dodge left! Now right!" I called, giving Charizard an extra pair of eyes. "Now circle around in an arc!" Charizard did so and moved exactly as I wanted to avoid the rocks that came flying up at him, all of them missing their mark.
"Woo! Go Ruby! Go Ruby!" I laughed at mom's cheering, reminded of Gary's cheerleading squad. Turning my attention back I saw Rhydon throwing another set of rocks.
"Alright Charizard, fly a little lower and circle around Rhydon, make yourself an impossible target to strike! Keep him moving!" Charizard dove down and began to circle around the battlefield with speed, causing a rush to hit me as he soared past and I stumbled a step back but then held my ground, holding Eevee to make sure she wasn't blown away.
"Vee! Vee!" Eevee cheered for Charizard as he missed all the rocks.
"Rhydon, use Hyper Beam!" Blaine changed his tactics, going for a more aggressive and powerful attack.
"Watch out Charizard! Remain stationary to see make sure you know where the attack is coming from!" I called and Charizard instantly became still, flapping his wings to remain hovering in the air as light gathered in Rhydon's mouth. The bright burst of energy flew forwards and Charizard dove out the way, missing the attack by bare inches as Rhydon prepared another attack. "Charizard, hit the Hyper Beam with your Flamethrower!" I called and he turned, opening his mouth to send a jet of fire forwards.
The two attacks collided and instantly blew up into a massive explosion, hitting both before either could move to stop them. Charizard slammed into a pillar, making him groan from the hit and I gasped with worry. "Charizard!"
"Vee!" Charizard slipped down but shook his head, flapping his wings to get airborne again.
"Charizard are you alright?" He nodded his head with a grunt, landing on a podium to get some rest and recover, glaring at Rhydon who was now on one knee, shaking slightly as it tried to stand.
"Rhydon, can you battle still?" Rhydon nodded his head and stood up, glaring with equal fire at Charizard who growled at the back of his throat, narrowing his eyes to near slits so I thought quickly. How could I beat Rhydon? He's pretty heavy, Charizard might not be able to lift him up to use Seismic Toss, but if I don't think of something fast, we're going to be lava soup! "Rhydon, use Mega Punch! Go!"
Rhydon's fist began to glow and he raced forwards, leaping easily from platform to platform at Charizard who waited for my order. An idea suddenly struck to mind. "Okay Charizard, when Rhydon get's close, dodge his attack and grab his arm, I want you to swing him around for a Slam attack!" I called and Charizard nodded his head.
Barely a moment later Charizard had to leap to the right to get out of the way but gripped Rhydon's arm with both his hands, swinging him around by using the momentum Rhydon had gather for himself then flung him, slamming him into a rock column which smashed to pebbles and Rhydon struck three more before going perfectly still, groaning. "Rhydon return!" Blaine quickly called and his Pokémon was brought back to rest.
Charizard landed on a podium, hardly out of breath and still kicking for another battle. "You've done well so far, but this last Pokémon of mine, as you know, might be too hot for a little girl like you to even handle!"
"My Charizard and I can handle anything!" I yelled back.
"Magmar, I choose you!" There were no theatrics this time, Magmar appered with a flash of light from his Pokéball with a low groan, looking at Charizard and instantly flames sparked all over its body, rising to the challenge.
"Okay Charizard. If Ash can beat Magmar with his Charizard then we can do the same. Right?" Charizard roared in agreement, flapping his wings once with anticipation.
"Magmar, use Fire Blast!" Blaine yelled and before I could do anything to get Charizard out of the way, a fire symbol shot towards my Pokémon.
"Charizard!" I cried out in fear but then Charizard did the most amazing thing. He lifted himself up into the air and spun around, beating his wings and the fire began to roll around him, spinning it into a fiery caccoon which completely engulfed Charizard but then with a fast spread and flap of his wings, the fire disappeared and Charizard stood there, still battle ready and almost unaffected by the attack.
Blaine gasped in horror as my mom and dad cheered. "Go Ruby! Go Charizard! Go Ruby! Go Charizard!"
"You can do it Ruby!" I heard a voice yell and I blinked in surprise, turning to see Gary there. He gave a little salute and smiled, nodding his head. "You got this." He was here? Watching the battle? Well, at least he gets to see the grand finale, let's heat up this battle!
"Okay Charizard, I want you to use Growl on Magmar!" I ordered, spreading a hand out towards Magmar and Charizard instantly roared, the air vibrating as it hit Magmar and lowered his attack capability. "Now grab Magmar and fly him up into the air, let's take away his ground then use Rage!" Charizard instantly darted forwards, hands outstretched for Magmar.
"Magmar, use Fire Punch!"
"Just like Rhydon, grab that arm!" I countered and Charizard nodded his head. Magmar swung a flaming fist at Charizard but my Pokémon darted out the way and grabbed Magmar's arm, flapping his wings to shoot up into the air.
"No! Magmar!" Charizard's eyes glowed a flaming red and once Magmar was high up in the air, he let go then dove down, ramming the other Pokémon with his Rage attack which hammered into Magmar as it groaned from each blow, unable to come back on it. "Magmar, use Smokescreen!" My eyes widened as Magamr suddenly shrouded both himself and Charizard in a thick smog, making him cough against it as he now struggled to see.
"Charizard, get out of there! Fly before Magmar can attack!"
"Feint Attack!" Blaine countered and as Charizard tried to get away but Magmar managed to get in front and powered into Charizard, knocking him clean out the sky with a roar.
"No! Charizard!" Charizard began to fall, plummeting down towards the volcano mouth before smashing into the rocks, his claws scrabbling to dig in and slow him down so that he didn't fall into the lava. I sighed with relief but saw that Charizard was now beginning to struggle, tired from the last two fights. "Charizard, do you need to rest?" I asked and he looked at me and shook his head but as he did so, he winced in pain. "Charizard, now is not the time to be brave. I know you are doing your best to win this battle for me and you're doing amazingly well, but you've already battled two other tough opponents and you won't last much longer. You need to know your limits if you're going to grow stronger, so I'll ask again, do you need to rest?" I told him in my best authoritive voice, putting my hands on my hips as he gazed up at me.
He panted for breath, trembling and sweating. Although he hadn't taken much damage, he'd be a sitting duck out there if he can't keep up with Magmar and dodge his attacks. Charizard finally seemed to realise this as he gave a deep sigh then nodded. With a peaceful smile I nodded back and lifted his Pokéball. "Return Charizard, I'm very proud of you." I said to him as he went back into his Pokéball. Who should I use now?
"Come on little girl, I don't have all day." Suddenly I had an idea. It was crazy and possibly a little on the insane side, but it was worth a go. My other two Pokémon were too small to compete with Magmar effectively, though I didn't doubt there they had a chance of winning, however I couldn't risk them getting hurt. I needed a Pokémon that could fly.
I needed…Areodactyl.
"Areodactyl go!" I called and flung the Pokéball forwards. Instantly everyone gasped, even Gary who stared as Areodactyl came out of his Pokéball with a shrill prehistoric cry, flapping his wings then began to circle. When he saw me, however, he dove down and landed on a column, glaring at me slightly but I held my ground. "I need your help Areodactyl, I need you to battle Magmar for me so I can win a badge. How would you like to put your skills to the test?"
Aerodactyl snorted then looked away, using one of the claws on his wings to scratch his chest. Placing a hand on my hip I arched an eyebrow. "Oh I get it, you're scared, aren't you?" I questioned and Areodactyl froze in place for a moment before bellowing at me. "No I understand, Magmar is a little scary isn't he? Never mind, you'd better return then and I'll use Eevee to take down that other Pokémon."
In answer Areodactyl flew up into the air to turn around then landed, prepared to attack Magmar who looked with concern back to Blaine. "This will be easy. This Pokémon is totally uncontrollable Magmar, you'll have no problem taking down that old fossil, so let's kick things off and end them with Fire Blast!"
"Areodactyl, use Scary Face!" I retorted and Areodactyl instantly flew forwards. To my shock, he flew right through the Fire Blast attack. I blinked in surprise then turned to Gary, wondering if he had an answer.
"Maybe Areodactyl is resistant to fire type attacks." He answered with a shrug. "And he seems a pretty strong Pokémon, so don't be too surprised if you have the advantage here." I grinned.
"Alright!" Turning back I watched as Areodactyl loomed over Magmar, using the Scary Face attack and it jumped backwards in slight fear. "Awesome Areodactyl, now use Hyper Beam!" Aerodactyl flew back a few paces and as he did so, opened his massive jaws to gather a ball of energy there, creating space as Magmar recovered from the Scary Face.
"Magmar, use…" But it was too late. A massive plume of light struck forwars and hit Magmar full on, sending him backwards flying through the air and he landed with a thud on the ground, groaning softly.
"Magmar…" He trembled and tried to get up, managing to stand but then, after a few brief seconds on his feet, he collapsed back down again. "Mag…mar…"
"Return Magmar." Suddenly it dawned on me. I won. I actually won. I won my third gym battle!
"Alright! Woo hoo! Yeah! Go Areodactyl! That was amazing!" I cheered as it screeched, spreading its wings wide before he turned to face me. It gave a low growl then flew forwards, making mom scream in fear and dad faint but I stayed perfectly still, watching as Areodactyl landed before me, looking intently into my eyes. "You enjoyed the battle, didn't you?" I asked and Areodactyl nodded his head. "Well then, if you like, you can do more battling in future." I promised, reaching up and rubbed his face. "I'd like to have you on my team, if'd you'd like to join. I know we can do great things together and I promise to always look after you. We'll be friends, family even."
Areodactly nodded once more then strangely, began to purr. I gasped then giggled as it began to rub his hard face into mine, careful of its teeth before I lifted his Pokéball. "Come on, you deserve a good rest now." I said to him. "Return." He did so without a complaint and I turned to my parents. "I won!"
"That's my girl! You completely obliterated your oppoenents and showed them how we Battle Girls truly battle!" Mom cheered, running forwards and lifting me up into a crushing hug which squeazed all the breath from my body and Eevee squeaked, eyes going wide so I struggled to get out of mom's grip.
"Thanks mom." I laughed then lifted Eevee up towards the sky. "We did it Eevee! We won! We won!" I spun around with her as she squealed, my laughter joining hers until I stopped and found myself face to face with Blaine.
"An excellent battle. You have talent, Ruby, I look forward to seeing the day you finish making something of yourself." He said with a smile then held out his hand. "Here, this is yours now by right. The Volcano Badge!" The little flame sat in the palm of his hand and I took it proudly, lifting it up to the morning light to see it glint before leaping up into the air, Eevee copying my movement as I punched the air with the badge in hand. "Alright!"
"Vee!" Mom crowded over me as I put the badge into its case and I smiled proudly down at it before putting it away. "Vee?"
"Yes Eevee, time for more breakfast I think." I agreed with her thoughtful expression. "I'm starving!"
"Wonderful! Let's go out for breakfast, my treat!" Mom proclaimed, hugging Eevee and I tightly. "You're welcome to come along too Blaine, you too Gary of course." No not Gary!
"Thanks Mrs Bates but I gotta get going. I promised some friends of mine I'd show them how to windsurf." Instantly I knew he was talking about his cheerleading squad. I picked up Eevee and shot him a dark expression.
"And by that you mean you're going to try and show off to the whole world how great you are. I just hope you fall in."
"Ruby!" Dad choked in surprise at me but I ignored him as Gary folded his arms.
"I'm not that clumsy. You manage to fall in all the time. Shall we tell your parents about how you nearly drowned twice in one day?" Instantly my expression became stormy and I towered over Gary, glaring at him angrily.
"You keep your fat mouth shut you jerk!"
"Don't call me a jerk, you're the twerp!" I growled, whole body tensing as Gary leaned towards me and we got in one another's faces, tempers rising and the rivalry intensified.
"Fine, you're just a vain, dumb moron!" I retaliated, angling my body to keep Eevee out of the line of fire though she struggled in my arms and jumped down, looking up at me with worry as I put my hands on my hips, still glaring at Gary.
"And you're a stuck up, stubborn little brat!"
"Argh…I hate you Gary Oak!" I yelled at him and he smirked darkly, our nose only a hair's bredth apart from one another.
"That the best you got? I'm disappointed in you Rubes." Finally my anger burst free like a Charizard using Inferno.
"RAAARGH! DON'T CALL ME 'RUBES'!" We both glared at one another, not another word passing between us but then we both noticed the adults staring at us.
"And I thought my fire Pokémon had a temper." Blaine mused with a shocked expression.
"I never knew my Ruby had such a little tempest inside her. This is a whole new light I'm seeing." Dad agreed but mom just clapped her hands and laughed.
"Oh it's so romantic!" Instantly I retched and took a large step back from Gary.
"Gross. That is never going to happen mom, so don't even think about it. Come on Eevee, let's go get some food." I said as I began to walk away.
"Vee!" She bounced after me, stopping only to rub her head against Gary who looked down with surprised confusion but before he could say or do anything, Eevee was racing after me.
