OSPREY…SWOOOSH
UO: Geez two week between updates hope you weren't bored.
Dawn: No me and May were able to try some new outfits.
May: Yeah, Dawn looked cute in some of them.
Misty: I can attest to that, they got me into of them.
Ash: As much as I liked the outfits, as a guy that was torture.
Drew: I can agree to that.
Anabel: I'll admit they were a bit excessive. But they were fun
Max: Ash ogling my sister is not an image I want.
Multiple smacks and Max is moaning in pain.
Gabby: Please don't go over protective brother on us.
Tori: Yeah some people are lucky to have a sister like May.
May blushes at the praise which only gets darker as she's pulled into Ash's arms and curling up.
UO: As much as I like fluff guys we have a story to write.
Anabel: Of Course. UnitedOsprey1991 doesn't own Pokémon, Kamen Rider and any other references made in this story, they belong to their respective owners. If he did he would be rich and there would be an established pairing in the anime. Probably Ash and Misty or Ash and May.
Said trio blushed.
Anabel: There would also be a faithful American adaption of Kamen Rider.
UO: Thank you Anabel on with the show.
Normal: Dialogue
Italics: Thoughts and Flashbacks and communications
CAPS: Attacks
Bold: Yelling and Belt Noises
Bold and Italics: Yelling in head:
Underline: Dates and locations
Chapter 32: Aces High
When we last left our heroes they had attended Dawn's first career contest in Jubilife City. Along with May they attempted to dazzle the crowd with their pokémon and their moves. But the contest was attacked by one of Glenn's creations. But thanks to Dawn awakening her gift as Kamen Rider Hanabi, she was able to push back her insecurities and help them.
Now on the road to Oreburgh city we find Dawn dressed in a pink training outfit holding out Sylveon in her right hand and standing with her right side pointed towards her opponent with her feet together and slanted slightly towards the right. Her opponent happened to be May as they were sparing with their weapons. May had Mori out in her preferred stance blade parallel with her hip and her right leg back.
(Think Amy and Xianghua from the Soul Calibur franchise.)
Dawn looked nervous and she voiced them. "I don't know if I can do this correctly."
A sigh was heard off to the side. "Look Dawn I know you have some insecurities about fighting but you will learn." Drew said from the side. Next to him was his three pokémon, Shinx, Swampert and Staravia. His and Ash's Staravia had evolved when a bunch of bird pokémon were captured. They evolved to be able to finish off their captors even shrugging off the injuries that had occurred. Everyone else was off training on their own and Drew decided to supervise Dawn's first real spar with her weapon.
Dawn nodded and reset her stance. Drew spoke again. "Fencing is not about swinging a blade. It is designed as a sport however the practicality of this can make it a weapon. Because the area of effect is so small you have to pick and choose your target. Sabers which is the weapon you are holding are scored on hits above the waist with the exception of the hands. So your best bet is to pierce your opponent. But I don't think you would be a front line fighter. When it comes down to it I think you and Anabel would be in the rear, you being either the medic or supporter. Anabel would be long distance and you both fill the same roles as Tori and Gabby. May would probably be mid-range with Misty with our red head being more offensive than May but both can deal damage. Max would be the speedster meaning he would probably get a couple of hits off to allow time for the rest of your team to get ready. Brock would be the tank or defender which would absorb damage and keep it from reaching our less defensive fighters. Ash and myself would be on the front lines more than likely to deal out considerable damage.
Dawn looked at Drew. "So you are think we are like those RPG's some of my friends played?"
Drew nodded. "Concept fits. I personally like to balance offensive and defensive abilities. But I think some are more capable of fighting than others.
Dawn nodded. "I know I said I wanted to help but fighting doesn't really appeal to me."
Drew walked over to Dawn and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know. I may not like fighting but someone has to do it. May be Tori can teach you some healing."
Dawn nodded. Drew smiled. "Now then let's get started on this spar." Dawn took on a determined look and got back into her stance. Drew walked away and watched as May and Dawn started to spar. Within a few minutes it became evident that while both girls had similar body structure their forms differed. May was willing to keep moving which was necessary to get the most effective use out of her sword. With Dawn, staying in place offered some advantages such as making her opponent come at her. But her inexperience at holding a weapon caught up to her quickly. May had been told to hold back, but her natural playfulness got her opponent to fall down more often than not.
After an hour, Dawn was exhausted and her uniform was slightly dirty.
"I feel this was a good first session. Dawn let's get you cleaned up before we leave.
Dawn smiled from her position on the ground. Drew left to head back to the camp. May walked over to help Dawn up.
"You did great for your first one sweetie." May said tenderly as she pulled Dawn.
Dawn smiled. "Thanks May. I never knew this training could be so tough."
May shook her head and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Don't worry you will get use to the increasing training regiments." At Dawn's look she pulled her closer. "But even if you train, you will always be our little Buneary."
Dawn looked confused. "Buneary?'
May smiled and walked in front of her. "Ash has a pet name for all of us. Anabel is Eevee, Misty is Spheal and I am Beautifly. You are Buneary because you are cute adorable and very fragile."
Dawn looked panicked. "But I am not part your relationship." 'Not yet anyway.'
May looked at her and just grinned. "I know. But I think it's only a matter of time. Really hard not to fall for him you know."
Dawn looked at May with a confused looked. May turned around. "If you wanted to be part of it, just say it. I know you are scared. But give it some time and I promise you, that you will never regret it."
May walked away leaving Dawn to her thoughts.
Meanwhile Max was going through a kata completely lost in his thoughts. He had been feeling really down since before they arrived in Sinnoh. He thought about how everyone including his sister had protected him multiple times.
He picked up his pace and starting kicking and slashing with his staff. Being a wind elemental he had to learn to be unpredictable with his fighting style. Because of his size he also had to contend with the fact he could not take as much punishment as the rest of them. He finished his kata and broke out his staff and started to perform a kata with that. He felt the wind surround him and he fell into the rhythm of the wind as he spun his staff around. He finished his kata and sighed.
"Great job Max." Ash called out startling the young man.
Max caught his breath from being startled. "Ash you scared me."
Ash started walking over to Max. "You seem distracted, what's up?"
Max sighed as the older male. "I know we are supposed to be protecting each other. But it feels like I am getting help more than normal."
Ash sighed. "Max, you know that's not true."
Max looked away. "I am just saying I like to help out more. But every time we have faced off against our opponents I seems to one of the first to be taken out."
Ash shook his head. "Guess that means they got the jump on you. But listen, you are still young, your training and your powers may not be powerful yet. It takes time."
Max looked at Ash and smiled. Ash chuckled. "Good to see your smile. Come on we are heading out soon."
Max nodded and they went back to their campsite.
Next Day Oreburgh City
The group arrived at Oreburgh City after trekking through the Oreburgh gate. Their first impressions it was really small compared to Jubilife.
"This town seems a little…I don't know dirty." Gabby said holding her cheek.
"Oreburgh City is known for its coal mines so I guess that's what you feel." Brock said looking at the map.
"Kind of reminds me of West Virginia." Drew said recovering from the normal beat down he endures from entering the city. "That state is known for a lot of coal mining."
"Isn't right in the middle of the Appalachians?" Tori asked.
"Yep, right in the middle of Appalachia." Drew said nodding.
The group made their way over the gym and to their surprise they saw a familiar mop of purple hair,
"Paul what are you doing here?" Ash asked.
Paul looked up see the group. "I'm here to challenge the gym leader but he isn't here. His assistant told me he is at the city mine."
Paul brushed by them as he finished. The group decided to head
A few minutes later they were at the mine entrance. One of the workers was pushing something that the others were watching very carefully.
The head foreman, wearing a red miner's cap and carrying a pickaxe walking up to it. He lifted what was inside and rubbed it.
"Wow, what could be in here hasn't been seen in over 200 million years." Roark said as he gently put it back in the cart. Roark turned around and noticed the large group.
"Oh we have visitors to the mine. What can I do for you?"
Ash stepped up with Drew next to him. "My name is Ash and this is Drew. We were wondering if you knew where the gym leader was?"
The miner looked at him and gained a sheepish look. "Whoops, I guess this discovery took more time than I thought. My apologies, I'm Roark the gym leader here. Pleasure to meet you. Let's head back to the gym."
The group smiled and followed Roark back. Along the way, Drew started coughing to the point he stopped.
"Where's your inhaler?" Tori asked worriedly as the rest of the group stopped.
"Back…pocket…left…side."
Tori pulled Drew's bag off his back and rummaged through his bag. She pulled out an orange cylinder device and shook it. She gave it to Drew who took two puffs of the medicine. His breathing slowly eased up.
"What's wrong with him?" Roark asked concerned.
Gabby looked at Roark. "He has asthma which is a lung condition. He normally would be fine but because of the air here, he is having difficulty breathing.
Max snapped his fingers. "The coal dust and the smog."
The earth girls nodded. Drew stood up. "I'm fine. I can go for a few hours." Drew said coughing some more.
The group continued to walk to the gym. When they got there Roark began talked animatedly with his assistant talking about the fossil they found in the mine. Soon the doors opened and in walked Paul still with the pompous attitude he showed earlier.
"Are you the gym leader?" Paul asked. Roark turned around to address Paul. "Yes I am are you here for a battle?"
"Yes I am." Paul answered.
Ash walked over to the two. "Hey Paul we were here first let us battle him first."
"Ash, let's think about this for a moment. If you go first then you are going in blind." Drew said holding his shoulder. Ash glanced over to Drew and nodded. Roark led the group into the gym. It had a large array of rocks strewn about.
"Wow so cool." Dawn said amazed.
Brock chuckled. "All gyms are designed based on the type used by the leader. My family's gym is like this.
Misty nodded. "Yeah. My gym is an aquarium and a water ballet theater when it isn't a gym. Each gym has their own unique features." She explained. Off to the side the trainers were already jotting down notes.
On the battle field the ref explained it would be a three on three battle. Roark sent out his first pokémon a Geodude which was a staple in the rock themed gyms.
"Azumarill, standby for battle." Paul called out summoning the blue mouse.
"A water pokémon in a rock gym seems like a good idea." Ash said.
"But we know type matchups aren't everything." Drew said writing down what Roark had sent out.
Paul opened up with a Hydro Pump. Azumarill fired but Roark ordered a Hidden Power which protected him from the water attack. Geodude then used Rollout which struck Azumarill and knocked it out surprising the audience.
"Seems like Roark would anticipate water and grass types being used." Brock pointed out, with Dawn being shocked that a water type could lose like that.
Paul returned Azumarill and looked at the poke ball. "I can't believe you are this weak."
Ash growled and stood up alone to be pulled back down. "Calm down. You are better than him." Drew said and Ash reluctantly sat down.
Paul then sent out an Elekid. He ordered a Brick Break which was powerful enough to knock out Geodude.
Roark returned Geodude and released an Onix. Dawn pulled out her pokedex, Onix, the Rock Snake Pokémon. It tunnels through the ground which shakes when it raises its thunderous roar. It can move the ground at fifty miles per hour.
Elekid moved in with another Brick Break. To its surprise, Onix dodged it and brought down an Iron Tail. Paul ordered a Protect which stopped the attack temporarily. Onix smashed through it and sent the electric type flying.
Thinking ahead, Roark ordered a Stealth Rock to hover around the stadium and on the arena floor. Then he charged in with another Iron Tail hitting Elekid. Onix then flinched backwards as electric sparks danced across its body.
Dawn looked to Brock. "What happened to Onix?"
"Under normal conditions, ground types like Onix would not be paralyzed, but Elekid must have Static like Pikachu and Shinx which can paralyze anyone that makes direct contact."
On the battlefield, Elekid was putting up a fight but it was apparent to all in the arena he was not going to last long. In a rare act of kindness Paul pulled Elekid and sent in Chimchar. When he was released the stones from Stealth Rock dug into Chimchar already giving him a disadvantage. Despite this Paul ordered Chimchar to Dig under the surface of the arena. Despite the type mismatch, Chimchar came up and hit Onix hard. When Onix went to attack Chimchar again, the paralysis from Elekid's Static kicked in. Chimchar went in for Dig again and knocked the rock snake pokémon out.
Roark called back Onix and complemented it. He looked to Paul. "I thank you for the great fight. But can you finish the job. Go Cranidos."
The resurrected pokémon stood across from Chimchar.
"Chimchar Dig underground again." Paul ordered.
"Cranidos, focus and find him." Roark called out. Cranidos looked around and then spotted a depression. Chimchar broke the surface and looked around.
"Now use Headbutt." Roark called out. Cranidos charged in and nailed Chimchar. Paul went on the defensive and had Chimchar dodge again. Having figured out Paul's strategy, Roark had Cranidos use Zen Headbutt when Chimchar rose. Chimchar flinched because of the side effect of the attack. Cranidos kept attacking dealing more and more damage to the monkey. Before he could finish off Chimchar, a fiery aura erupted from the monkey.
Paul's face gained a smirk. In the stands Brock turned to the spectators. "That's Blaze, when Chimchar is in a pinch his moves get a powerful boost.
Roark saw the aura and knew he had to finish this fast. He ordered another Zen Headbutt, but Chimchar's Flame Wheel barreled through Cranidos before it could hit. Chimchar came back around and nailed Cranidos again. Paul ordered Chimchar to use Dig again but this time Roark was ready and hit Chimchar with a Zen Headbutt knocking it out.
Paul angrily recalled Chimchar. "I'm going to deal with you later. Elekid Standby for Battle."
Elekid appeared as the Stealth Rocks dug into it. Cranidos used a Flamethrower which shocked the trainers. Elekid dodged and used Thunderpunch to attack the knees. Cranidos stood looking like it didn't affect him until his knee buckled and was paralyze. This left it open for another Thunderpunch and a Brick Break onto its skull. Cranidos managed to recover enough to use Zen Headbutt to counter the Brick Break. The collision threw up an explosion which sent the two back exhausted. They looked ready to fight again but then Cranidos collapsed unable to battle further.
The crowd looked at Paul who just returned Elekid. Roark walked over to Paul.
"That was a great battle Paul. Here this is proof you beat this gym, the Coal Badge."
Paul took the badge and thanked him. Ash could not contain his excitement. "Just you wait Paul me and Drew will win our first gym battles too."
Paul looked at Ash and his curiosity peeked agreed to stay around for their battles tomorrow.
The group separated from the Roark and Paul for the day. As the exited, Drew smacked Ash on the head.
"What have I said about dragging us into your mess?" Drew growled.
Ash looked sheepish at that remark. Drew sighed. "Come one let's go train a little before tomorrow. I need to call Prof. Oak.
Ash nodded with a vigor. All this talk of training also influenced Dawn who decided to do her own training with her pokémon. Everyone else went to do their own thing especially train for many of those with pokémon.
Next Day (Parts of DP018 were used in this)
The two trainers along with their friends and Paul were back at the gym. For the occasion Dawn had gotten a special cheerleading outfit. When asked about, Dawn replied she wanted to give both trainers her support so she dressed like this. At the current moment she was watching with a sweatdrop as Ash and Drew were arguing who was going to go first. This arguing was not making Paul's opinion of them any better.
"I went first last time against Brendon it's your turn Ash." Drew argued.
"I thought that was separate from the gym battles. It's your turn Drew." Ash counter
"Buddy I don't know how you remember that far back." Drew countered. He the sighed. "Fine I'll go first." Drew said tossing his hat over to Gabby and giving Ash his jacket to give to Tori.
Roark stood on the other side. "Are you ready?" He called out. At Drew's nod Roark sent out his Geodude.
Drew nodded and pulled out his poke ball. "Let's ride, Staravia."
The whole arena was startled that they would send a clear disadvantage.
"You seem to be confident in your abilities to use a flying type in a rock gym."
Drew shrugged. "If you can take this Staravia or even all three of my pokémon…then I would like to see you try. Staravia use Aerial Ace.
Staravia flipped up and then began charging in.
"Geodude use Defense Curl." Roark called out. Geodude rolled up into a ball. Drew had a small smirk as he flicked his hand. Instantly Staravia sped up and got behind him startling Roark.
"Now use Steel Wing." Staravia's wings glowed and hit Geodude into the rocks. Roark responded with a Rollout which was doubled powered thanks to Defense Curl. He charged at Staravia. Another flick of the hand had Staravia quickly dodge it and then move into a Drill Peck. Geodude blocked it but it opened itself up for a Steel Wing. That attack knocked out Geodude to the shock of both Roark and Paul who couldn't believe that a flying type could beat a rock type.
Roark returned Geodude. "That was impressive young man. I am curious how much you have trained that Staravia?"
Drew grinned. "All it takes is some dedicated training. It helps when one of your companions trains in the type." All eyes darted over to Brock who rubbed his head.
Roark returned his eyes to the battlefield. "I hope that confidence of yours can stand up to this guy. Go Onix."
Staravia stared down the snake. "Staravia use Double Team then Quick Attack."
Staravia created several clones and charged in. Roark realizing the gambit ordered an Iron Tail. He got a lucky hit and hit the right one and knocked it into the rocks. Before Staravia could retaliate Onix hit him with a Take Down.
Drew grimaced. One of the things with the Aura Link ability they found is that you can feel the pain of the pokémon being attacked, albeit it was more of a phantom pain. The level of pain depended on how in sync they were. For Drew to feel pain they figured it was about 40%.
"Hang in their Staravia. Use Steel Wing." Onix charged with an Iron Tail but Staravia's Steel Wing blocked it like two swords. He parried the tail back and used one of the wings to hit Onix back.
"Onix use Wrap." Roark called out. Onix used its tail and finally caught the elusive bird.
"Now use Slam." Onix rose up into the air and then flung Staravia down. Even before the ref called the battle over, Drew was already running over to Staravia. He looked at the bird who was groaning awake.
"You did great buddy. Tori is going to take great care of you." He said patting the head of the bird. He recalled it and tossed the poke ball over to Tori.
"That Staravia of yours was impressive. You really trust your pokémon to do something like this."
Drew looked at Roark from the other side of the battlefield. "If you thought Staravia was impressive, get a load of this. Let's Ride Shinx."
Now he was being suicidal was the thoughts going through Roark and Paul's minds.
"Onix use Stealth Rock and then Take Down." Onix flung the rocks into the air then charged in to Shinx. Again and Shinx kept their composure and with a flick of the wrist Shinx dodged. Roark ordered Onix to keep at. Drew decided to forgo subtlety and started moving his arms around. To those not in the know it looked like he was waving his arms wildly. But it was in reality directing Shinx. Another thing they found with those that are not bipedal like Shinx, they could not mimic their stance without it looking weird. So they decided to cover it by mimicking a conductor. This allowed them to use the link as a marionette string.
On the battle field Onix swung another Iron Tail that Shinx dodged.
"Shinx use your Iron Tail." With Shinx up in the air he spun brought down the glowing tail hitting Onix's tail.
Roark saw the opportunity. "Onix use Wrap on Shinx." Onix did so and trapped the electric type.
Roark looked at Drew and was confused when he said, "You should not have done that."
Before Roark could comment, Onix reeled in pain and Shinx broke free. But compared to the happy looking pokémon he looked incredibly mad. The onlookers were shocked that an electric attack hurt Onix and paralyzed him
Drew sighed. "Long story short, we rescued him from some poachers and he has a problem with being trapped like that. But this is the first time he reacted this way. Shinx can you hear me?"
Shinx looked at Drew and his eyes lost some of that anger. "I know I said we would not put you through that. I'm sorry. Please just calm down."
Shinx still had that anger and looked to see Pikachu and Buneary her two closest friends. She couldn't hear Pikachu but she saw the mouth move.
'Pika pika' Please come back."
Shinx started to calm down and then let out a roar and started to glow. The crowd was amazed as Shinx evolved. When the light died down, there stood a slightly bigger pokémon. Its black fur extended to its legs and its front paws gained a couple of yellow rings. Its head looked like a lion's head. Despite its intimidating gaze, the new pokémon had the same determined and friendly disposition of its former self.
"LUXIO!" The new pokémon roared.
At this Ash pulled out his pokedex. Luxio, the Spark Pokémon. By touching friends with its front paws, Luxio is able to communicate through the sparks it emits.
Drew watched Luxio with some awe. Then smiled. "Alright Luxio, let's win this."
Luxio nodded and charged in towards the Onix. His fangs glowed blue and it bit down on the head of Onix who was reeling from the electrical charge. (If Ash can beat an Onix with Pikachu so can Drew with a Luxio)
In the stands Brock explained the move. "That was Ice Fang. An Ice-type move."
Luxio still had the edge and Drew ordered an Iron Tail. The Iron tail struck where it froze Onix dealing additional damage. Onix staggered and then fell backwards knocked out. Paul who had been watching was completely stunned that an upstart like Drew could beat Onix with an electric type. If he was this unpredictable now, what will happen when he got stronger?
Roark called back Onix. "Color me impressed Drew. A flying type winning against a rock type and an electric type winning against my Onix. I wonder how you will fair against my Cranidos." Roark called out as he released Cranidos.
"Less talking more battling. Luxio use Iron Tail."
Luxio charged in and Cranidos used Headbutt. The two attacks collided and forced each other back. Drew then ordered a Spark which Roark countered with a Zen Headbutt. The Zen Headbutt forced Luxio back and made it flinch. This opened the door for another Headbutt. Shinx though countered with Spark which seemingly paralyzed him. Cranidos looked at Luxio and in a fit of rage roared and began to glow.
"Aw Crud." Drew called out as Cranidos got bigger and bigger. When the glow died down, Cranidos had gotten taller and had darkened its body considerably. Its blue skull cap had shrunk and gained spikes. To the Earth trainers it looked like a T-Rex.
"RAMPARDOS!"
Dawn pulled out her pokedex. Rampardos, the Head Butt Pokémon and the evolved form of Cranidos. Like a spear, its Headbutt can pierce even the strongest of defenses.
Roark grinned. "Guess it's my turn to benefit from the evolution. Rampardos use Flamethrower."
The T-rex fired the attack and hit Luxio. Before they could respond, Roark ordered a Head Smash which nailed Luxio into another rock. The group could only watch as Rampardos used Zen Headbuttt which knocked Luxio through the rock and knocked it out. Drew ran towards Luxio who struggled to stand up.
"Ref I'm pulling Luxio out." Drew called out. He looked at Luxio. "It's alright you did great." Tori arrived to check on Luxio. He looked to Drew. "Nothing broken except maybe her pride."
Drew nodded and walked away. Tori carried Luxio over to the bench. Buneary and Pikachu walked over to Luxio. They cuddled up to Luxio in a show of comfort get a couple awws from May and Dawn and a picture by Gabby.
Meanwhile, Drew looked across the battlefield. "You did well taking out two pokémon you should have beaten more easily. But I did not want to win cheaply. And I'll show you why. Let's Ride Swampert."
Out came the water ground type which had been reliable for the longest time.
"Meet my starter from the Hoenn region and one of my most reliable pokémon. He was with me when I finished second in the Lily of the Valley Conference."
Paul scoffed. "You didn't win it so what makes it so special."
Drew looked at Paul. "This second place guy lost to one person and that person is going to be battling next. So kindly Shut Up."
Paul looked at Ash and the black-haired trainer grinned. This new information really did make Paul shut up.
On the battlefield, Swampert stared down Rampardos and then got into a fighting stance. Drew mimicked it and got ready.
"Use Head Smash." Roark called out. Rampardos charged in and Swampert stood fast. At the last moment Swampert caught the attack. Looking at Drew he had a small grimace but he stayed firm in the same position as Swampert.
"Now then let's if I can pull this off correctly." Drew said as he lifted his arms. Swampert did the same thing lifting Rampardos straight up. He turned and dropped him into a body press just like Drew did. (Goldberg's Jackhammer)
Swampert looked poised to fight more as Rampardos rolled its self onto its legs. He launched another Zen Headbutt to hopefully get some damage. Swampert powered up an Ice Punch which connected and sent Rampardos back into the ground. The combined force of the Zen Headbutt and the Ice Punch put him on the ground again in pain.
"Roark, I am giving you a chance to surrender, I do not want to harm it any further than I need to."
To emphasize the point Swampert charged up a Focus Punch which if it connected might cause some serious harm.
Roark looked at the battle and then remembered he had a second battle later. He sighed.
"Fine, I give." Roark said.
Drew nodded. "Swampert help him up." Swampert powered down his fist and helped Rampardos up.
"Other that some bruising I think he can go again." Drew said looking at the dinosaur.
Roark smiled. "I thank you for showing mercy on my pokémon."
Paul though showed his displeasure. "Why didn't you finish it when you had the chance, you had the stronger pokémon and the advantage. You are weak to show mercy."
Drew looked calmly at Paul. But to those who can feel the emotions, they were getting scared as Drew would have blown by now.
"I fight the way I want to fight. If you don't like it, the exit is over there. While you are at it why don't you take care of that Azumarill? Oh yeah, you gave it away because you thought it was weak. Well two pokémon that should have lost, won their matches won with my guidance while those who should have won with your team lost. I think it's because your attitude stinks."
Paul wisely shut up and walked to the other side of the bleacher away from the group. Drew sighed and then fell into the embrace of his girls.
"God people like that tick me off." Drew said as he felt the embraces of his girls.
"Don't let him get to you. You are a great person. And your pokémon show it." Gabby said as she started to rub his hair."
Tori just leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You treat them with great respect almost like that they are members of our family."
Drew sighed. "Yeah I know." He said. Looking over he had to chuckle at the site. Luxio was being used as a pillow while Pikachu and Buneary watched from their bottoms. Buneary was leaning on Pikachu and Luxio's tail was wrapped around them.
Drew chuckled. "It's a good thing they are in the same egg group. Otherwise this wouldn't work."
The group decided to break for lunch while Roark went to get his pokémon checked out. Paul was just observing the group. Most of them had their pokémon out and they were eating next to their trainers. That didn't make any sense pokémon are tools not companions. But as he saw the group interacting what he saw made him lose any sense of figuring these people out. With Ash he saw the red head and loud brunette snuggled against his shoulders. The red head was hugging the purple head to her chest and they looked like it was normal. Were they in a relationship? No he thought, maybe one was but all three, ridiculous. But as he watched they felt comfortable in each other's presence even sharing a few tender moments with each other.
Once lunch was done and Roark was back with his fully healed pokémon, Ash took his spot on the battlefield. Dawn was back into her cheerleading persona with Piplup and Buneary. Despite the lack of uniform Luxio was on the bleachers ready to cheer for Pikachu.
The first ones out were Onix and Pikachu. Pikachu opened up with a Quick Attack to which Onix countered with Slam. Pikachu dodged it and used its smaller body to climb up Onix's body. Onix tried to get it off with Screech but Pikachu held on. The mouse launched an Iron Tail which connected. Onix tried to hit Pikachu with Double-Edge but taking a page from Dawn's training, Pikachu spun to avoid. Ash pointed at Dawn as if to say 'thank you.' The poor girl started blushing to Misty and May's delight and Anabel's amusement.
On the battlefield Pikachu had just been slammed to the ground. Onix launched a Stealth Rock. Pikachu then used Thunderbolt to break up the rocks. The attack had the bonus of actually hurting Onix as well. Before Onix could retaliate Pikachu hit it with an Iron Tail and knocked it out to the delight of Ash's friends.
Roark called back Onix and sent out Geodude. Pikachu retreated and Aipom was sent out. Aipom launched a Swift attack which was negated by the Rollout. To avoid the Rollout, Ash ordered a Double Team. Geodude's luck was not with him and hit the wrong copy. Aipom tried to attack with Focus Punch but was blocked and forced into Seismic Toss. Geodude tried a Rollout but Aipom's quickness allowed it dodge it and used Focus Punch to knock it out.
Ash's friends were cheering as Ash was now up two pokémon. Even Drew smiling even though he knew what was coming up.
Roark smiled. "I'm impressed at your battling. But your luck has run out. Go Rampardos.
The T-Rex pokémon roared. Aipom feeling his master's aura stood by mimicking Ash's stance. He ordered a Swift which seemingly bounced off the skin. Before Ash could fully react, Rampardos was on Aipom with a Headbutt and knocked the monkey out. Ash felt the attack in his chest but shrugged it off and returned Aipom complementing it.
He motioned for Pikachu to take the field. Pikachu fired off a Thunderbolt which was dodged. Pikachu then got hit by a Zen Headbutt. Pikachu barely dodged a regular Headbutt with a Quick Attack to get onto Rampardos tail. Pikachu was thrown off the tail but recovered in mid-air. Pikachu then attacked with Iron Tail which was countered with a Zen Headbutt. Pikachu was thrown back, but before he could counter attack another Zen Headbutt finished him off.
Now his friends were worried about Ash. Two of his pokémon were knocked out.
Drew growled. "Ash get your head in the game. You have one more pokémon."
Ash shook his head and released Turtwig. Rampardos tried to hit it with a Headbutt but Turtwig's size allowed him to dodge it. Rampardos tried to hit Turtwig with his tail but the turtle bit it and held on tight until he was forced off. In the air Turtwig fired off a Razor Leaf but was burned by the Flamethrower that followed. He then charged with a Head Smash and connected sending him back.
Turtwig got up and Ash ordered a Synthesis when he saw Rampardos recoiling from the Head Smash.
Rampardos recovered fast and launched another Flamethrower forcing Turtwig to stop healing and dodge.
Ash was now panicking on the inside.
'I can't get close or I will be burned by the Flamethrower. I can't get away because of his surprising speed. I can't form an offense. What am I going to do?'
He looked at his friends who looked worried at Turtwig. When he looked at May, images of her armored form started flashing. He watched as the images showed May being surrounded by petals and vanishing. He snapped out of it and grinned.
(Play Diamond Pearl Theme Song)
"Turtwig charge in and use Razor Leaf. Don't stop until I say so"
Turtwig nodded and began firing off Razor Leafs.
Roark chuckled. "That's not going to work. Rampardos use Flamethrower."
Rampardos did so hitting the leaves. Turtwig, as ordered, kept firing off Razor Leaf.
Drew stood up. "He's got it." Everyone looked to him. "He's taking a page out of your book May. He's making himself disappear." When they focused on the battlefield again they realized he was right. As Turtwig kept firing the burnt leaves were falling around Turtwig almost like a camouflage.
Roark realized what he was doing. "Rampardos stop the Flamethrower and use Zen Headbutt." Rampardos charged in and Turtwig jumped. Rampardos tried to match the jump but Turtwig was revealed to be underneath Rampardos. With one more charged up Razor Leaf Rampardos was toppled over knocked out.
(End Music)
At the ref's call Ash's friends leapt up in celebration. Ash ran over to grab Turtwig and thanking him. Walking over to his girls he turned to May. "Your moves helped me today. Thank you." He kissed May and the brown-haired coordinator swooned at the kiss. He turned to Dawn. "Your training helped as well." He hugged Dawn which got the girl to blush and the other girls with Ash to gain a knowing smirk.
Paul scoffed and walked away to think on some important matters.
Roark approached the group. "You guys did awesome. Your moves and your bonds with your pokémon won the day. Here is proof you won here at the Oreburgh Gym. The Coal Badge (Look it up).
The two trainers smiled and thanked Roark. They held up their badge and did their victory poses confident of the road ahead.
A week later (Post DP027 Mostly originally content for the rest of the chapter but Nintendo fans might recognize something from another series.)
The group had stopped for lunch alongside the road outside of Floaroma Town. Dawn was still happy over the fact she won her first ribbon at that contest. It was thanks to both Piplup and the newest acquisition to her team. A white and blue squirrel was chasing around Skitty in an effort to burn off some energy. The Pachirisu was mischievous when they first found him. Dawn was smitten with the squirrel but was shocked but it when she tried to hug it. Her hair ruined she ordered Piplup and Buneary to help chase it. When they became exhausted the others provided pokémon to help out. This led to a comedy of errors that eventually tired out every one of their pokémon and Pachirisu which aloud Dawn to capture him. But after a disaster at training it Dawn decided to release it only for her to have a change of heart and sought to recapture it which happened after they were nearly captured by Team Rocket.
As for the Floaroma Contest, Dawn ran into her old classmate Kenny who was also a coordinator and had an evolved Prinplup. With both of them reaching the final, Kenny beating May who was still looking for her first win and Dawn beating a disguised Jessie, it came down to who wanted it more and it evidently was Dawn.
"I still can't believe I won my first contest." Dawn said looking at the ribbon.
"Yeah, you were so beautiful Dawn with the way you were dressed." May said getting the blue haired girl to blush.
The girls smiled and then they heard an explosion. Tori and Gabby sighed and turned to see Drew floating back down. "Did you take your medicine today Drew?" Gabby called out.
Before Drew could answer, he sneezed again sending out a column of flame that propelled him towards the girls.
"No is it that obvious." He said when he landed. When they got to Floaroma Town and heard about the flowers, Gabby and Tori were scared because of Drew's allergies. Their concerns were sound because the moment he started sneezing he started sneezing fire columns. This was comical because most of the time he ending up crashing into someone or something.
Tori rolled her eyes and gave him one of the allergy pills she had on hand. He took the pill and seemingly fixed the issue. Then reared back and let out a massive sneeze. Fortunately the girls were fast enough to get away.
Tori looked at Drew floating down, "Bless you." Tori deadpanned.
"Shut up." Drew said.
After cleaning themselves up, the group proceeded to head towards their next destination which was Eterna City the site of the next gym battle.
As they began to walk, the wind picked up. Max heard something calling his name. He stopped as the wind stopped. He started walking again and the wind picked up again. His repeated stopping caught May's attention.
"Max what's wrong?" May said.
He disregarded May and concentrated on the voice. He looked around to determine the direction it was coming from. He looked to see a canyon off in the distance. Without prompt he started running in the direction he thought the voices were coming from.
"MAX!" May called out which got everyone else's attention. They saw Max running and May not that far behind him. The rest of the group ran after them.
Max eventually found his way to a canyon while where the wind was blowing really hard. He tried to move against the wind but was blown back.
He was caught by May who had caught him after running through the canyon after him.
"Max what the heck are you doing running off like that?" She said. Max looked back and saw the others who were catching their breath.
"I'm sorry but I heard something calling my name. The pull was really strong. Sorry I made you guys worry."
May sighed and hugged her brother. The rest of the group looked at the blowing wind.
"So how the heck do we get past that wall?" Ash said crossing his arms.
"Whatever it was that called Max must have been really powerful for him to risk it getting up here." Anabel said.
Drew was concentrating though. "For some reason this looks really familiar I just can't place it."
Gabby looked at Drew and then at the wall. "This looks like something out of a video game. You know that one series Legend of Zelda?"
Drew had a look of realization. "Your right and I think I know which one it is. Brock." The dark skinned man looked to Drew. "Can you dig your feet into the soil?"
Brock looked at the walkway. "Ah I see let's try it." Brock walked up and at the edge of the wind gusts he dug his feet into the ground. The wind couldn't even move him. He slowly walked towards the wall that was unleashing the wind. Once on range he brought out Mortar and swung at it breaking it and stopping the wind.
"Great job Brock." Ash called out as the rest joined him. He pounded Ash's fist and they all went inside.
Inside was a stone cavern lit up torches. At the other end of cavern was a stone grey tablet.
"So now what? There is nothing here but a large tablet that looks really out of place." Misty said crossing her arms.
Dawn approached the tablet and noticed there was some writing on the tablet. "Hey guys take a look at this." The group walked over as she read it. "For those who wish to venture beyond this point, present the emblem of this temple and the path shall be made clear." Everyone began thinking of what that could mean. Max looked up and saw a familiar shape.
"I wonder?" Max said reaching into his bag and pulling out the Ace Buckle. He held it up to the stone and the emblem glowed. Soon the tablet glowed and collapsed getting everyone's attention.
"So that's what it meant?" May said.
"Guys I think this place might be bigger than what we realized." Drew said as they walked into the room. They saw a hole in the middle of the floor.
"Are we supposed to go down? Tori asked.
"Yeah we are." Drew said. He looked to Max. "Your emblem broke the barrier I think you should go first."
Max gulped and looked at the hole.
"We'll be right behind you Max." Ash said.
Max nodded and then stepped in the hole. After what seemed like forever to the young man but in reality it was a few seconds he landed softly at the bottom stepping out from where he landed.
He looked around and saw a door on the other side but not much else. He looked up to see the hole he came down from.
"Hey guys I made it." He called out.
This actually made everyone sigh with relief especially May. One by one they went inside and floated down. Dawn though had some reservations because of her skirt which got some rebuttal from Drew and a smack from Gabby before they went on. Ash offered to carry Dawn which she was grateful for. Picking Dawn up bridal style Ash hopped down the hole. When they landed Dawn had a large blush on her face but stepped out of Ash's arms, albeit reluctantly.
They turned to see the rest of their friends across the way in front of a door.
"Come on guys." Misty said as Brock and Drew pried the door open. Ash and Dawn hopped across the path as the door opened. Once in the next room, Max tried to get his GPS on the pokénav to work.
"Those aren't going to work down here." Drew said. "If we are going to get through this we need to find the map for this place."
"And how would you know this?" Anabel said.
"If it's what I think it is then we need it badly." Drew said looking around. Spotting a patch of dirt he turned to May. "May can you produce seeds?"
May scratched her brain. "Would a Bullet Seed work?"
"Maybe, try it out." Drew shrugged. May dropped down into the pit. As soon as she did two robed enemies showed up and prepared to attack May. Max quickly fired one of his sais while Gabby fired off an arrow on the other.
"Okay so this place might be harder than I thought. May you alright?" Drew called out.
"Yeah. I found the patch. Putting a seed in now." May said. She dropped a seed and instantly a tree grew from the soil.
"There should be another. Max when she does this fly over and there should be a switch on the top of the ledge. We can probably either jump or float up there."
May did so and Max spun his staff and floated up the ledge. He spotted the switch and stepped on it. The gates to the door beside him opened.
"Alright we're good."
The rest approached the wall wondering how to get up.
"Stand back guys I am going to try something." Drew said walking back. He started running towards the wall and then hopped up planted his foot and caught the edge of the platform. Max ran over to help him up.
"That was cool what as that?" Ash said.
"That is an element of Parkour, or the free running. Let's see you guys try it." Drew said. Ash, Misty and May tried it and with some help they also climbed the ledge. The others decided to take the safer route and had Max and Anabel float them up. Once safely on the ledge they went through the door. In the next room they saw a large gate towards the other side.
"Now how do we get a across?" Misty asked.
Drew pointed towards the spinner in the middle. "Max can use the wind to blow that spinner and we walk towards the back of the room. But anyone want to take out those armored statues?" He said not even looking behind them.
Sure enough two statues had indeed snuck up on them. Max spun and tried to strike the eye hole but it glanced off the armor.
"Try the back!" Ash called out getting out of the way of the other one.
Max used his agility to sneak around and strike the gem behind them. After a couple of strike the statue started to spin nearly striking the others with the spikes before blowing up. Max ran around and struck the other before it followed its friend.
"What the heck are those things?" Misty called out.
"If what I think is happening, then someone has either bypassed this place's security or whoever designed it put them there intentionally." Drew said.
"So what is this place supposed to test someone?" Dawn asked.
"Yeah, and I think its Max. His buckle released the seal so it might be for him." Drew said turning to the younger rider.
Max gulped. "Are you sure I can do this?"
Anabel walked over to him. "I know you can. You might be feeling scared but we all know you can do it."
Max smiled thankful for the encouragement.
"Now then let's get this gate opened and move on." Ash said. Max nodded and got in stance he spun around unleashed air at the spinner. The wall came up and every one ran to the other side of the room in case of the wall coming down. Two planted seeds latter and they were on their way.
They went into the next room and they encountered a similar issue as the previous rooms. May claimed she had it and then started going up the platforms.
Drew though was getting a really bad feeling.
'If it's the temple I'm thinking of, then there is something in this room. But what?' Drew thought. He wracked his brain for the answer and then got a memory flash.
Memory flash
Drew was playing on his gaming console and was at one of the temples. He was playing the temple that was eerily like this one. As he was controlling the partner for the temple he was planting seeds not unlike this temple. As he placed the last seed, the partner was grabbed by shadowy hands.
"Well that stinks. I got to save him again." Drew said as he went to the next door.
End Flash.
'OH NO MAY!' "MAY GET OUT OF THERE!" Drew said scaring the rest of the group. May had just planted the last seed needed and was on top of the tree that sprouted. Before she could respond, shadowy hands reached up and grabbed her. She put up a struggle as she was pulled in and let out a scream as she was taken away.
The whole group was stunned and then Max let out a pained cry. "MAY!" Max said collapsing to his feet.
They heard pounding and turned to see Drew pounding his head. Gabby ran to him and slapped him.
"What the Heck are you Doing!?" Gabby said. When she looked, she immediately regretted her actions as he was in tears.
"I'm sorry, but I stinking knew what was going to happen and my lapse of judgment got May taken."
He turned to Max and Ash. "I'm sorry, I should have said something earlier." Drew said bowing his head.
Ash walked up to him and picked him up. "Look May, may be gone for now but we aren't leaving this place till we find her."
Drew looked up sniffling. "Yeah, no man or woman left behind."
Ash patted his shoulder. Brock chose this point to speak. "Okay before we go any further I think your knowledge of this place would be appreciated."
Drew nodded. "Right. So if I am not mistaken this temple is from a very popular video game series that revolves around temples and exploration. Specifically this is the Wind Temple from the one of the more recent additions to the series."
"How appropriate that this is called the Wind Temple and this is supposed to test Max." Anabel said.
"So what do I need to do to get through this place?" Max said.
"Well if memory serves the boss chamber is way down stairs but we need to get something to free May and open the way to get there."
Ash and Max widened their eyes. "You mean May's okay?" Ash asked.
"Yes and if this temple is correct." Drew said as he walked over to the door and pried the door open. When they got inside they saw May inside a cage to the left of the door. The two boys ran over crying tears of relief at the brunette who was also tearing up.
"Guys! Oh thank god you are alright. I was so scared when I was captured." May said pressing against the fence.
"May…sniffle…I am glad you're okay. You're my sister I don't want to lose you." Max said trying to reach out to May.
"It's going to be alright Max. I know how you can break me out. Somehow you need something to pull this statue down." May said pointing to the statue.
Drew nodded. "I know what we need but this is supposed to test Max so wherever we need to go Max needs to find it."
Max nodded. Ash walked over the fence and became level with May. "We'll get you out, I promise May. No man or woman left behind." Ash said.
May nodded and leaned as close to Ash as possible. They nuzzled their noses and then separated.
"We'll be back." Misty said doing the same thing though this time with some tears. Anabel approached and sent her feelings into May to calm her down. She was thankful for it and
"Thanks guys, now get going and get me out of here." May said restoring her confidence.
The group firm in their convictions turned to Drew. "Alright we are going to go now?"
Drew pointed to a door. "If I'm right the map is over there but Max is going to need to some flying to get to it."
The group nodded and went through the door. Inside there was a divider like a previous room.
"So how do we get down?" Misty asked.
Drew looked around and pointed at the two panels which looked weak with age.
"If we go down the right one someone is going to get captured. We don't want that. Brock break the left panel and Max can hope down to beat the enemies."
Max and Brock nodded. Brock swung his axe down breaking the panels. Max hopped down and sure enough there was one of the shadow hands that took May. Throwing one of his sai at the hand which stunned it, he charged at the hand and stabbed it with a righteous fury defeating it.
"Alright it's beaten. Now what?" Max called out.
"Now hit the spinner and come back up." Drew said. He looked up. "We are going to need our fliers to keep up or at least those that can float."
Ash and Anabel released Staravia and Metagross as the panel was flipped. Helping Max up the crossed the divider where they looked up.
"Now we need to use the wind gusts hear to fly to each platform. The map should be in a dark colored chest. Max is going to need to press the switches to open up these grates."
They watched as Max flew using the wind drafts. He stepped on the switch to open the grates and then floated over to the plateau with the map.
After a few more minutes of floating they reached the other side.
"Alright step on the switch. This will open up panels down there." Drew said pointing to the center of the room.
The group looked down and gulped.
"If was use our elements we could probably soften the fall." Drew said as he stepped back and ran off the ledge.
"That idiot." Gabby said as he followed with Tori in tow.
Max looked at everyone. "If Anabel and I combine our skills, we can probably float down a lot more safely."
Agreeing with Max they slowly dropped to bottom floor. When they got there Gabby was scolding Drew with Tori off to the side. Once calmed down they went through the door.
"Alright so I think Max can pole vault and get the chest over there." Drew said pointing over the spikes. Max nodded and held his staff. Running and planting the staff he jumped and landed on the other side. Prying open the chest he saw the key. Grabbing it he noticed the spikes were gone.
"Great job Max!" Ash called out as Max walked over.
They left the room and approached a door that was locked.
"Guess this key goes here." Max said putting it in. The lock came undone and the door opened. Everyone walked inside which closed behind them and locked.
"Great now what?" Misty asked.
Drew traced his finger. He widened his eyes. "Guys get ready for a fight!" Drew said pulling out Leonid.
Not questioning the logic their weapons were out and ready to fight.
Just then they heard a whining scream. They watched as ma new form appeared. This looked like a Mismagius but was dress as a wizard. It pulled out a wand and summoned two creatures a clone of its self and an armored figure.
(Play the Wind Waker Mini boss music.)
"That wizard can summon others. Take it out and we can finish this fight. Gabby Max take care of it!" Drew called out parrying the giant sword of the armored figure.
Sure enough the clone of the wizard started summoning other creatures and then starting shooting fire. Tori and Misty were immediately on the defensive deflecting the fire balls and trying to counter attack.
Anabel and Dawn were picking off the smaller creatures that showed up. This included birds and flower creatures. Anabel swung her chakrams and stunned them, with the chakrams returning like a boomerang. This left them open for Dawn to pierce their opponents.
Brock and Ash were left to take care of the faster opponents, the wizards. This actually worked in their favor. With Brock taking the attacks, it allowed Ash to sneak in and strike the wizards who had a weak physical defense.
Drew was off to the side dueling the armored foe. He had parried several attacks and tried to break through the armor.
'Damn it what were these guys again? Dark Nuts? What was their weakness…I am an idiot.' He thought as he remembered what it was that defeated these guys. He waited until his opponent swung then duck and rolled behind him, where sure enough there was the straps. A quick slash undid the straps and destroyed the armor. A few more slashes had his opponent on his back and then thrust Leonid through the heart.
With Max and Gabby, they were still trying to pinpoint where the wizard was coming from. Seeing it appear again Max created a twister to hold it in place and Gabby fired off multiple arrows incapacitating it. Max flew in with his sai and finished it off. They figure it was a true kaijuu with the way it was being damaged.
With all of the enemies being destroyed a chest appeared in the middle of the room.
(End music.)
"Alright Max whatever is in this chest is what is going to help us finish this temple. As a general rule whatever is found in the dungeon is normally needed for the boss."
Max nodded and walked over and pried it open. Inside Max pulled out what appeared to be a metal spear.
"That is the hook shot. There should be a trigger inside the handle. Try to reach that switch up there."
Max nodded and turned and fired. He was instantly pulled up. "Woah. I can land more accurately now." Max called out as he stepped on the switch to unlock the door.
"So where do we go from here?" Ash asked.
"Now it's time to bust May free." Drew said as they walked out.
Max decided to test out his new toy and started launching himself all over the place. Despite the seriousness of the situation it was nice to see Max acting like a kid. When they got to May's prison she had sat up from where she was resting.
"May! We're back!" Max called stepping onto the floor. The others had decided to levitate or fly up there instead. May ran to the fence. "Oh thank god. What did you find?"
Max held up the Hookshot. "This will help pull the statue down. But I don't think I can do it on my own." Max said
"Just fire at the statue. Brock hold him down." Drew called out. With Brock holding him down Max fired the Hookshot. The mechanism wanted to pull Max but the weight of Brock, Drew and Ash and little help from May the statue came down. With the amount of force that was applied they almost went flying off the edge. Fortunately they were caught by both Anabel and Misty who were behind them.
When Max regained his bearings he was in the embrace of his sister.
"Thanks little brother. I was really worried about you." May said looking at him.
Max let May have her moment and then they let go. May turned to her partners and embraces them individually.
Drew cleared his throat. "I know May is free and all but Max still needs to finish this. Now then we are going to have to split up soon. Let's work through the next couple of rooms."
Everyone nodded. They went back to the room where May was capture where thanks to the Hookshot he was able to clear the ledges. Everyone else climbed up their own way and went through the next room. In the next room they found a similar lay out but with more enemies.
"Gabby snipe anything that gets close to May." Gabby nodded and watched as May climbed up the platforms. Sure enough there were enemies that were going towards May and Gabby made short work of the flying enemies. May placed the seeds in the appropriate spots then swung back over to help the group across the gap.
The next room had a couple of switches which when depressed by Max and May opened up the basement.
"Okay, so the boss door is down stairs but the key is over there. Everyone head downstairs. Ash, Max and I will get the key."
They group agreed with some trepidation. Max flew over while Drew and Ash used Staravia. Recognizing the room they ran over to see a grey stone tablet like the one from the entrance. Max stepped up and held out his buckle. The tablet glowed and it broke apart. They proceeded to the next room.
Inside the next room were three of the armored foes from their fight with the wizard.
"Alright trick with these guys is their armor straps are on the back. Get behind them and cut them." Drew said as they unsheathed their weapons and got into their stances.
The three armored warriors picked their opponent and moved in.
Max had the unfortunate luck of getting the leader of this group. But he kept his composure and kept on his toes. Soon his opponent attacked. He ducked out of the way and jumped on the sword. Running up the blade he ran and kicked the helmet off. This stunned the opponent long enough to cut the straps.
The armor stripped off Max now had the advantage due to his size. The smaller weapons might have done less damage per strike but being able to strike repeatedly added up as his opponent fell after several slashes.
Turning to see Ash and Drew walking over having finished off their opposition, Max smiled. "Thanks guys."
The two smiled. Drew pointed to the treasure chest that just appeared. "Grab the key and let's go everyone is waiting for us."
Max went over and pried the chest open to pull out a different looking key. It had his symbol on it and it was quite big but still able to be carried around.
They left the room and went back to the big room. They flew down to meet with the rest of the group. They went through the door and the gasped at what stood before them. There were moving blades and giant fans. (If you have been following this closely you will know I skipped a few areas intentionally because they have skills that could get through this temple and the others weren't important to the plot.)
"NOW WHAT DO WE DO!" Dawn yelled over the wind. She was keeping her skirt and hat from flying away and those with hats decided to put them in their bag.
Drew looked around as best could. He spotted three heavy looking blocks. "Brock dig in. Anabel, Ash use your Iron Defense. We got to push those blocks forward!
"What about the blades!?" May called out.
"Tori and I got defense let's go. Group up and let's go!" Drew called out.
Brock went to the left while Anabel and Ash who now was covered in a metallic sheen got the center and right respectfully. May and Max helped out Anabel while Tori and Misty helped Ash. Brock seemed fine but Max decided to help him out too. Drew and Tori kept an eye on the blades as they moved forward into the wind. After a few tense minutes they reached the end of the tunnel and ran to the last door way where they found a third grey tablet.
Max held up his buckle and watched the tablet dissolve. They went through the new opening to see a larger locked door. Figuring this was where the key had fit, Max walked up and put the key in. The door unlocked itself and the opened up.
Once inside the door closed behind them. The room was circular in appearance and aside from a few platforms there was nothing in here save Max's emblem.
As they attempted to walk towards the middle a barrier came up and knocked Ash and Drew back.
"What the heck?" Ash said recovering from the shock.
"I think it's a defense mechanism." Drew said. "Keep those not designed to be tested." He turned to Max. "Try going in Max."
Max gulped but walked slowly up to where they were stopped and passed through with no issues.
"Good luck Max!" May called out.
Max waved to his sister and then faced the center.
"Ye who wields the Buckle of Adaptation. Present proof of your heritage." A mysterious voice sounded, surprising the group.
Max pulled out the Ace Buckle. A bright light shined towards the center of the circle.
The wind began to pick up around the group causing shivers in some of those that didn't like the cold.
The wind concentrated and formed a figure. When they got a good look at him it was like looking at Max that was 10-15 years older than him. He had what looked like a fighter pilot's outfit on without the helmet and was wearing aviator sunglasses.
He lifted the glasses and looked at Max. "Well now, it has been a long time since my temple was disturbed. If you are here than that means it is time for you to access your final form."
"Final form?" Max asked.
"Yes. Sorry I forgot to introduce myself. I am Masato (Max's Japanese name). I was a fighter pilot for the Kingdom's air force. As well as being one of the Knights of Aura. My designation as a rider was Ace. My call sign was Maverick."
"What is this place?" Max asked.
"This is a testing ground for those who wielded the Ace buckle. Each knight and guardian had set up a temple for their chosen descendants to find and defeat in order to access their final forms." Masato explained.
"So each of us has a temple on our worlds?" Drew asked.
Masato regarded Drew. "Ah yes you have the other Aura riders and three members of the Zodiac riders. Yes each of you has a test awaiting you. But it is possible to access an upgrade of sorts before then because some of the riders were really powerful in my time."
Masato turned to Max. "In order to get the final form you have to beat me. The way to do it is to force me to dehenshin. But unfortunately this means causing my demise."
Max widened his eyes. "You mean you will?"
Masato shook his head. "My body is already dead. This is just a spirit that has been tied to this place. My resting place and my portion of the kingdom's fortune lie beyond this room. But in order to access it you need to prove your worth."
Max nodded and placed the Ace Buckle around his waist. "Ready when you are." Max said getting into his stance.
Masato chuckled. "Very well. Time to see if my descendent has learned anything." He said pulling out a similar buckle and wrapping it around his waist.
"Let's Ride!" Masato called out.
HENSHIN
EVOLVE
The duel sounds of their belts sounded and the both were in their Ace forms.
"Time to fly." The older Ace sounded. Wings popped up from the older man and started charging at the younger one. Max dodged it ready to strike at the back of his opponent, but he shocked when his opponent was on him slashing at him.
His friends were shocked that he could turn around that fast. Drew started thinking about what this could mean. 'So for him to be able to turn like that, he would have to perform a high g turn. Very effective.'
Max stood up to look at Masato who was flying around. He picked up a card and scanned it.
BULLET SEED
He fired the grass move but Masato seemingly disappeared. A sonic boom was heard before Max was thrown into the wall.
May gasped as Max impacted the wall. Masato landed and looked at Max crawling out of the wall.
"The Ace buckle is called the Adaptation buckle for a reason. It adapts to the wielders likes. For me being a fighter pilot allowed be to adapt the wings of the Kingdom's fighter jets."
As if to emphasize this he started to hover off the ground. It was because of the jet engine that was pointed at the ground.
Drew saw this and widened his eyes. 'There is only one jet that can do that.'
Masato looked at the struggling Max and shook his head. "I am only using planes that were from my predesscor's time. Phantoms, Tigers, War Chiefs each of their different strengths and weaknesses are available to me. This was from a jet that the fire troops used. Appropriately, the guardian that I worked under called it the Lightning."
Drew was grinding his teeth. 'Those are all American jets. I wouldn't be surprised if they bust out the other countries as well.
Masato landed and hit a button on his belt
RAPTOR
His wings changed again. They became more streamlined and had straighter outlines.
"Now experience the force of my strongest form." Masato said rising up. He angled his feet down and aim for Max who was still dazed.
Max looked up to see his opponent preparing for his finisher.
'Am I truly this weak?' Max thought as the engines revved up. 'Is all my training for nothing?' He turned to see May who was looking horrified. He turned to see Drew, which sparked a memory.
Memory
"All dungeon items are useful for the boss of the temple."
End Memory
He looked at the hook shot on his waist. 'So how can I use this…I got it! I just need to time this right.
Masato came in with his attack and collided with where Max was. A huge plume dust came from the broken walls and floor.
Masato looked at the floor and then flew up into the air.
"Confirming kill." Masato said almost instinctively. He flew around noticing Max's friends. "A shame my descendant could not keep our skills alive. Instinct in a fighter pilot is key. Too much thinking can get you killed on the battlefield."
Masato flew over the battlefield observing the damage. "There was a reason why they called me Maverick. I am extremely wild and unpredictable."
Ash looked at Masato and started using his Aura sense.
"Don't bother, he's gone and my belt will be lost until a new person is found." Masato said flying around.
Ash ignored them and focused his aura. He widened his eyes when he picked up Max unharmed on the balcony. In his arrogance, Masato thought only to look down. Max had at the last second jumped up and landed on the ledge with his Hookshot out. He waited until Masato was facing his friends and then unleashed the Hookshot.
A siren went off in Masato's helmet. "What the? Someone is on my six? Impossible!" Before he could react the Hookshot impacted on the tail wing. Max was pulled up to him and he latched onto his back.
"What the? Get Off!" Masato said as he fired off his jets in an attempt to shake him off.
Max reached his shoulders and took out his sais. "You can't fly without wings." He said stabbing the metallic wings, despite the g-forces.
"What are you doing we are both going to crash!"
"Just what I was hoping for!" Max said as the wings broke off and they both went into the wall.
Max jumped out and landed holding his staff towards his opponent.
Masato pulled himself out of the rubble. "You sneaky little bastard." He tapped something on his leg and pulled out a knife. He started attacking Max who was immediately put on the defensive. As they weapons fight continued, it started becoming obvious that while Masato was older he had neglected his weapons training when he became a pilot.
Max blocked the knife swung and executed a sweep kick and attempted to stab Masato. The older male recovered quickly and rolled out of the way.
"This is insanity. I am a guardian knight, I was among the best fighter pilots in the Kingdom, how are you beating me?"
Max looked at Masato. "You may be a fighter pilot but you severely neglected your fighting skills and became over reliant on technology. You may have been a great fighter but physically I think you were among the weaker fighters."
Masato roared and pressed another button on his belt.
WARTHOG
He pulled out what looked like a Gatling gun and started warming it up.
Max though stayed calm and pulled out one of Anabel's cards.
IRON DEFENSE
The armor took effect as the gun finished warming up and unleashed its load. But with the Iron Defense in effect Max barely felt it while he scanned another card.
THUNDERBOLT
Max unleashed the electric move which enveloped his opponent and sent him spiraling into the air.
He landed with a thud with his armor sparkling with electricity. Max scanned his finishing card.
METEOR MASH MAXIMUM ENERGY
His hand glowed brightly and used his air powers to give himself a boost to the attack. With one mighty yell he connected with Masato sending him into the wall.
(Play the Baten Kaitos To the End of the Journey of Glittering Stars.)
Masato groaned as his armor disintegrated. "Wow…I never knew my descendants could be this good, this young."
He started walking towards Max as his body started to break apart. "You were right…I was arrogant. I always neglected my physical abilities believing technology would be our saving grace. I was a fool, instinct only gets you so far."
He turned his head to show a door being opened on the other side of the room. "When we went to our new worlds we carried with us the fortune of the kingdoms. The treasure trove over thousands of years of peacekeeping, conquests and tributes made it extremely valuable. There were several vaults some only open to those who wielded our respective belts. I can only say that my portion was mostly books, but there is a considerable amount of treasure in there. I can say that the princes and princesses of each realm had a massive store. They always used it for the good of humanity like their predecessors taught them."
Masato turned to Max. He held up a glowing card. "This is the card to access your final form. Fittingly the Ace Buckle's final form was called Maverick."
Max took the card. Masato's top half was now the only part visible.
"My descendent, no Max, intellect only gets you so far. Instinct is what drives pilots and those who take to the sky. Trust them and be as unpredictable as the wind."
Max nodded. Masato smiled and looked up at the ceiling. "I'll see you soon my love." Masato said as the last part of him faded away with the wind.
The barrier separating Max and his friends broke and May was the first to run up to him.
"Great job Max. You did awesome little brother." May said hugging him.
Similar praise was heaped on him causing the young boy to blush. They turned to see the open door. They walked over and the gasped at the room. Gold jewels and books covered the room. In the middle was what was assumed to be Masato's body. In front of them was a pedestal with a scroll on it.
"So how do we clear all of this out?" Misty asked.
Max approached the pedestal and found a hand print on it. Pressing it they watched as the scroll unfurled and absorbed all of the treasure in the room with the exception of Masato's preserved body.
Max looked to Ash. "Can we give him a proper burial outside?"
Ash smiled and nodded and grabbed the body while Max put the scroll in his bag.
Outside of the temple, they prepared a small grave for Masato's body. They put a small headstone on it and had a moment of silence. Once satisfied they began to leave. Max was the last one to leave. He started walking behind everyone looking up at the sky. He could have sworn he heard jets overhead. Looking up he saw four jets flying overhead, then suddenly one broke away to fly into the sunset.
"Max? Are you alright?" Ash looked at the young rider.
Max looked at Ash and then back at the sky, the jets having disappeared.
"Yeah, I feel fine." Max said smiling. He ran to catch up with the group
With one rider with a new final form, what sort of adventures will our heroes get into next time? Find out on the Journeys of the Dreamer
END OF CHAPTER
UO: Chapter done finally. As you can see Max has a final form. I decided to hold off until next time to reveal the form. . It makes sense the jet themed rider gets to face off against a fighter pilot as shown here.
As for the fighter jets mentioned, with the exception of War chief which I am not sure of, all the planes mentioned are real jets in or were in the U.S military. So I don't own them Preview:
As the gang makes its way towards Eterna City, another temple tests May and her abilities. When they reach Eterna City, they not only have to beat the gym there but protect the city from a new villainous team. Will Max and May's new forms help? Find out next time.
Next time: Spirits of the Forest
Please Review constructively. Next update is Bleach Grand Prix. Check out all of my pals, Lalapie203, Kage Bijuu, Code-Emperor07, Spartan719, Giratina Zero and Vanishing Raptor and new partner Kurogane7. I consult with many of them.
OSPREY…SWOOOSH