Welcome to the Ikimono League
By Neko (Silver Tru-Neko)
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.
Author's Note: I know, it's been forever o.O My sincere apologies, and I'll try to keep the updates frequent.
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Chapter 13 – Suicidal!!
Gary braced himself against the rock face, feeling the strain of every muscle. Sweat ran freely down his back, while the noon sun baked the rock beneath him. At first, he had been glad for the sunlight: it dried his soaking clothes, warming him. But now it only added to the pain of the climb, causing him to sweat harder while burning his bare hands and neck.
Gary glanced up, checking his progress. He had already made it almost three quarters of the way up; the last stretch of terrain, however, was the most barren. Each step higher was an agonizing process of finding a handhold, checking if it would hold (Gary had almost fallen two times now) and slowly, painfully dragging himself up, finally preparing to do it all again. Every time he moved, his left ankle shot with pain. He didn't dare unbalance his weight, though; applying too much pressure on his right foot would only increase his chances of falling.
Sweat beaded down his face, and Gary swiped his head against his arm. He didn't move his stiffened arms, afraid if he let go of the rock he would fall.
Charlie followed patiently beside him, and Gary couldn't help but feel a twinge of annoyance at how easily the leader climbed. He must be laughing at him right now!
Gary pushed off harder toward the next fissure, spurred by his need to prove himself. As he reached for a hold with his right foot too quickly, his boot missed the hole by an inch.
Unable to hold himself there, Gary's right leg plummeted and he had no choice but to brace himself on his left; the pain came suddenly, and he bit down hard.
"Damn," he hissed, the word still slipping out. He tried again for the ledge; this time, his right foot held, and he eased off his injured foot.
He hung a moment, waiting for the pain to lessen before searching for his next handhold.
The top of the cliff neared agonizingly slowly; his body screaming in protest, Gary forced himself onward. He was almost there. Blinking sweat from his eyes – not daring to stop now – he advanced.
Finally his hands touched the upper level. Gripping the edge of the cliff tightly, he hiked up one step on his right foot and from there easily swung himself onto higher ground.
He hit the ground on his back and lay there, panting, staring up at clear blue sky. Every fibre of his being was drained; it occurred to him maybe this was what a Pokémon felt, after a tough battle. Slowly, he dragged himself to a sitting position.
Charlie sat cross-legged beside him, smiling when he saw Gary rise. "Congratulations," he said, "you made it."
Gary dared to glance at the path leading back down; a sheer vertical wall of rock led to the beach far below. He drew back, dizzied.
Charlie looked out over the inlet; Gary followed his gaze, realizing there was quite a nice view from up here. The water dazzled in the sun, surrounded by deep forest and, far in the distance, ocean. He couldn't believe he'd traveled this far in one day.
"Nurse Joy should be here soon," Charlie commented after a moment. "She makes sure we're at the top before driving up."
Gary nodded distantly.
"And that reminds me." Charlie held out a hand, grinning. "This is yours, now." Gary blinked at the leaf-shaped badge in his palm; it, too, shone in the sunlight.
"Thanks," he managed, accepting it. Holding the Nature Badge to the light, he examined his third Ikimono prize. This one was splotched with greens and grays, perfect camouflage for the forest.
The tests keep getting harder, he mused. I just hope the next one doesn't kill me!
*
Nurse Joy drove them down a winding road back to Charlie's cabin. Charlie hopped out, collecting his stuff from the back.
"Nurse Joy'll take you back to the entrance," Charlie offered to Gary, who only nodded.
The communications radio at the front of the jeep suddenly beeped, and Officer Jenny's voice greeted them.
"Nurse Joy, Charlie, there's another challenger on the way!"
That must be Ash, Gary noted. Then I'm still ahead, he thought, subconsciously rubbing his left ankle.
Charlie nodded. "I'll be ready. Thanks, Officer Jenny."
He turned to Gary. "Good luck with the rest of your badges, Gary!" He shook his hand, and Joy started the car.
"Thanks," Gary said quietly before they drove off.
*
Ash stumbled upon the shoreline around noon, his stomach growling. Clutching his middle in hunger, he decided to take a break for a quick snack. He pulled off his knapsack and rummaged through it for something to eat. He found some health bars – probably Brock's doing – and popped one into his mouth.
After his snack, Ash trudged along the sandy beach, alert for any sign of the cabin he'd seen. He finally broke into a run, seeing a form appear in the distance.
Out of breath, Ash doubled over outside the cabin's door and knocked.
He waited a long moment for someone to answer; as he raised his fist to try again, a voice called out to him.
"Over here!"
Ash whirled and saw a man standing in the shallows, waving him over. Ash approached cautiously, embarrassed that he hadn't noticed him before.
The red-haired man waded toward him. "Are you here for the gym?" he asked conversationally; Ash nodded.
"I'm Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town, and I challenge you to a battle!" He paused a moment, uncertain. "Well, except Officer Jenny confiscated my Pokémon, so I'm not sure how-"
The man laughed. "Don't worry, no one's allowed Pokémon in here." Ash still looked utterly confused, so he held out a hand. "I'm Charlie, leader of Kame gym. Things work a bit differently here. You don't use your Pokémon against me. In fact, you're not even against me at all."
Ash raised his eyebrows. A bit different?
Charlie stepped out onto the beach, fishing for something in his pile of clothes. He held his palm out to Ash, and a camouflage-coloured leaf glinted at him.
"To get this Nature Badge," he said, "you have to complete two out of three challenges. The first was to find this gym, which you've already done. Then, you have to swim across Konoha lake-" here he swept his arm out over the water, "-then on the other side, you have to climb a cliff."
He retracted the badge; Ash was still absorbing this information. "So you mean there's no battle at all?"
Charlie shook his head.
Ash couldn't deny how unusual this gym was. No Pokémon, indeed! If there's no Pokémon, how can it even relate to a trainer? Shaking his head, Ash reminded himself that he had to do this if he wanted to best Gary.
"All right," he grinned, "let's do this!"
Charlie seemed taken aback by his sudden enthusiasm. "First we have to wait for Nurse Joy."
Ash shrugged and began to ready himself. First he stripped off his outer clothing, his bag, and his hat. He then stretched out his arms and legs, hoping to quell his nervousness. As long as he didn't think too much of what lay ahead, he was fine – but waiting like this, it drove him crazy.
A rumble in the distance made him glance up. A green jeep roared up to the cabin, and Nurse Joy leaped down.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," she said apologetically. She collected their two piles of accessories, carrying them back to the jeep.
Charlie nodded to Ash. "Ready?"
Ash took a breath and charged into the surf. The cold shocked him, turning his blood to ice. He hadn't expected the water to be freezing on such a nice day!
Gritting his teeth, Ash stepped out further into the lake. The ground below water felt slick, but the lake was still shallow at this point. He waded out further and further until he could barely touch on tiptoe.
Taking a deep breath, he plunged into the water. He sensed Charlie draw even with him, and paddled even faster.
Now Ash realized that he really didn't know how to swim. He thrashed his legs and arms rapidly, sending up splashes. Coughing as he inhaled some water, Ash struggled but went nowhere.
He felt his lower body sinking into the water; gasping, Ash swung out randomly but, as if in quicksand, slipped further down.
"Gack!" he choked out before his head went under.
His feet touched the bottom; had he really sunk that fast? Ash raised his head, seeing the shimmer of sunlight just above him. Desperately needing air, he shoved off and his head emerged from the water.
Ash inhaled deeply, paddling again.
Charlie drifted beside him. "Hey, are you all right?"
Ash forced a nod, struggling. His limbs already burned with exhaustion.
"You're not going anywhere," he pointed out, gently.
Ash growled, "I will be!" He accidentally splashed Charlie in the face during his next effort.
Charlie shook water from his hair, blinking. "You're just wasting energy."
Ash finally had to admit the gym leader was right; his arms and legs strained with the effort of keeping himself afloat.
"Fine. I give in," Ash sighed, stopping. Before he could sink again, Charlie pulled him back into the shallows. Ash realized, embarrassed, that he had not even reached the deepest part of the lake.
Nurse Joy hadn't moved her jeep yet; saying nothing, she only passed Ash a towel.
As Ash rubbed himself dry, Charlie explained, "We'll head straight to the cliff, then, since Ash forfeited the second challenge."
Ash gathered his things, burning once again with determination. He had to climb this cliff!
A roundabout route through the forest took them to the other shore; Ash couldn't help but grin as air rushed by the jeep, playing through his wet hair. Pokémon flashed by, camouflaged shadows in the forest with glowing eyes, before the jeep stopped at the base of the cliffs.
Ash gaped upward; a wall of rock faced him now. He gulped.
I can do this, he reminded himself, hopping from the jeep.
He was still exhausted from his efforts in the lake. Despite this, Ash trudged forward. I have to beat Gary! his mind screamed.
Ash began pulling himself up the cliff. The noon sun burned mercilessly on his back, setting his skin aflame. Sweat leaked down the sides of his face, and dark stains in his shirt clung to his underarms. He squinted upward, seeing his path stretch endlessly upward. His only comfort was that Gary would have to suffer through this, too.
Hands slick, he reached for another handhold. He lifted his left leg, bracing it; then came his right.
Suddenly he felt the rock beneath his foot give way. For an agonizing moment, his leg was dangling until he felt it land on a stable rock. Ash continued upward.
He had no idea how much time had passed, as his watch had stopped moving. He assumed it had malfunctioned during his time in the lake. Thinking of the lake made Ash wish for a moment that he could dive into its cool waters to escape the incessant heat. However, he pushed himself onward.
Ash looked upward, gauging he was about halfway to the top of the cliff. He reached for another handhold, accidentally pulling too hard and dislodging the stone he'd grasped. At this his body swung away from the cliff face, leaving Ash dangling and groping for another handhold. Ash cried out as he felt himself slipping, scraping against rock as he scrabbled fruitlessly. At the last minute, he grabbed onto a jutting stone. Forcing himself not to look down and taking rapid gasps, he found new holds on the cliff.
Eventually, Ash managed to climb most of the way up. He could barely move his arms anymore. Well, I least I don't have to beat Charlie, Ash thought. His clothes, finally dried from his dip in the lake, were now soaked with sweat. He wasn't sure which one of Charlie's tests was harder: swimming across a frozen lake, or climbing the burning cliff.
Ash was using every ounce of his strength to climb. His muscles screamed protest to each movement, stiffened from clinging to the cliff-side so long. He hugged the stone, peering upward. He struggled to swallow, throat dry. He was worn; it seemed impossible to make it up the last few feet of the cliff.
Ash knew he was probably dehydrated. Maybe Nurse Joy had a water bottle in her jeep.
Just a little bit more to go, Ash told himself. Then I'll have beaten Gary! Keeping his mind on all the rewards of finishing this task – water, victory over his rival, and just maybe a refreshing swim – he strived onward. The top of the cliff loomed a couple of handholds away. Ash viciously grabbed onto every rock he thought could hold his weight.
Finally Ash's feet touched flat, solid ground and he sank to a sitting position, absolutely exhausted. Stopping a couple of seconds to appreciate the view, he swiped freely at the sweat on his brow. His heart pounded in his ears, chest heaving.
The sun was climbing down in the horizon, rays spilling over Konoha Lake's shimmering, dancing surface. The forest blanketed the rest of the island, and far out Ash could see the ocean.
"I'm ready to fall into bed right now!" Ash spoke for the first time in what felt like hours, slumping to the ground.
"Don't tell me you forgot about this," Charlie grinned in reply, reaching into his pocket. He deposited something from his clenched fist into Ash's palm.
"My third Ikimono badge!" Ash shouted in joy, suddenly rejuvenated by his rush of excitement. "Three down, one to go!"
He lay back down, observing the Nature Badge. A camouflaged leaf settled comfortably in his gloved hand. He smiled faintly.
Despite his cheerful attitude, deep down Ash still wondered – and worried – about what he'd need to do to receive his final badge. He had climbed a cliff for this badge; what would the next challenge be?
To be continued...
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Please review! In my opinion, the best part is coming up next so stay tuned! Here's the preview: Kitsune Island - Fox Island! ^.^