Welcome to the Ikimono League

By Neko (Silver Tru-Neko)

Disclaimer: Still don't own Pokemon.

Author's Note: I'm feeling productive today, so here's a bonus chapter. :) The last gym is coming up! And I almost forgot to mention: the fifth island, Inu, means dog. It's mentioned in this chapter so I thought I'd let you know.

--

Chapter 14 – Kitsune, the Final Challenge!

Ash, Misty, and Brock decided to stay the night in Kame, Ash having completely exhausted himself earlier that day. After dinner, Ash called Professor Oak back.

"Well," he sighed, tired but happy, "I got my Nature Badge!"

"Good work, Ash," applauded Professor Oak. "I understand this gym was the toughest yet?"

Ash nodded, "Yeah, it was pretty – hey, how'd you know that?"

Oak said, "Gary phoned a while after you did."

"And he – he got the badge?"

Professor Oak nodded; Ash slumped, spirits fizzling. He had thought he'd finally been ahead! However, as he went to face Charlie, it seemed Gary had been on his way back from the gym.

Professor Oak seemed to notice Ash's gloom. "Don't worry, Ash. Speed isn't everything."

Yes, it is, thought Ash, but he nodded anyway, signing off.

That night's dinner was lost on Ash; depressed about the fact that he still trailed behind Gary, he barely touched his food. Only the next morning did he regain his confidence, up before even Brock and eager to leave.

And so the three friends set out for the final badge and fourth island in Ikimono, Kitsune.

This time, Ash promised, I'll beat Gary!

Whereas the last two islands had been sites of natural beauty, when Kitsune rose up on the horizon they first saw glints of metal.

"That must be Copper City," mused Brock. Ash glanced back at him; the elder trainer launched into an explanation. "Kitsune is the most populated of Ikimono's islands – even more so than the mainland, Inu. Thus, we've got the most information on it. It's the largest of the four islands, with two major cities: Copper and Umber. The gym is situated on the border between the two cities."

"So we actually know the gym's location?" Ash sighed, relieved. He was getting tired of the whole our-gym-is-a-mystery thing.

Brock nodded, "Yep. And by the looks of it, it's a normal gym, too."

Ash cheered.

*

Copper was a modernized city, much to the pleasure of Misty. "I can't wait for a proper place to stay!" she exclaimed, glancing up and down the street. Imposing structures towered on either side; it was surprising to see, after the natural surroundings of Kame and the rural Karasu.

"So, what's first?" asked Brock, eyeing a stall that was selling mouth-watering pastries. "Lunch, or the gym?"

"The gym, of course!" laughed Ash, rushing down the boulevard. Misty and Brock raced after him.

"Slow down, Ash!" panted Misty. "Honestly, what's the hurry?"

Ash shot over his shoulder, "I have to get there before Gary!"

Misty rolled her eyes, exchanging a glance with Brock. "And what are the odds he's already been through here?" muttered Misty; Brock only sighed and shook his head.

Unfortunately, or fortunately for his lagging friends, Ash didn't know the way to the gym. He hovered on the edge of the next street, glancing both ways in confusion. Pikachu, perched on his shoulder, peered at the street sign above them.

"Pika!"

"It's that way," panted Brock, reaching them and pointing to the leftmost branch. Ash started off, but Misty grabbed his arm.

"The gym will still be there in five minutes," she said crossly. "Can't you walk like a normal person?"

With effort, Ash matched their pace. He was itching to get to the last gym, eager to show up Gary once and for all.

Ash's ears pricked at the sound of a battle; he turned instinctively down the next road and stopped short.

He had stepped into the city park, a grass lawn surrounded by bushes and scattered with benches and a playground. He stood currently outside a short wooden fence ensconcing the field. Nearby, two boys faced off with their Pokémon by their sides.

One boy, who looked quite like Ash did when he started out, with messy dark brown hair and his face shining, said, "Thanks for doing this, Alex. I just got my Charmander and we need some fighting experience."

The second boy, a blond who looked to be a bit older than his friend was, only nodded. A smile adorned his lips. "Ready?"

The friend nodded eagerly, clenching his fists. "All right, Blaze, attack!"

Charmander bounded forward with a cry; Alex's Pokémon – with a gasp Ash recognized it as an Eevee – rose to meet it.

"Blaze! Ember!"

Charmander opened its mouth, shooting a burst of flame at the Eevee. Nimbly, the other Pokémon jumped aside.

"Okay, Eevee, tackle!"

Eevee launched itself at Charmander, paws outstretched. Unable to dodge in time, Blaze fell back with a grunt of pain.

"Don't let it push you around! Ember again!" Blaze spat fire, Eevee retreating to avoid it.

Ash watched the match, fascinated; these junior trainers brought back memories of his own days starting out. Subconsciously he patted Pikachu's head.

"Now, Eevee, use bite!" Alex ordered.

Eevee charged once more; Charmander tried to defend itself as Eevee leaped at it. Teeth sank into its arm firmly; Charmander wailed.

"Scratch!" panicked Alex's friend. Charmander lashed out, hitting Eevee in the face. The fox Pokémon let go, tumbling to the ground. It bounded to its paws momentarily, swiping at the blood dripping from its muzzle.

Ash grinned; the opponents seemed evenly matched, despite Eevee's rarity. It would be interesting to see who won!

At that moment, however, Alex stepped forward. "That's enough!"

Ash's jaw dropped. "What?"

He didn't realize how loudly he'd said it; Alex's friend whirled to stare at him. Alex himself bent, scooping up Eevee; blue eyes examined Ash carefully from beneath golden bangs.

"Ash," Misty hissed warningly, as the two young trainers approached.

"Cool! Are you a trainer?" Alex's friend asked, noticing Pikachu seated on Ash's shoulder.

Ash grinned, proud. "Yep!"

The boy's face shone with excitement. "Wow! And you're here to get your Elemental Badge, right?" He glanced quickly at Alex; the older boy stroked his Eevee, only staring at the newcomers.

Ash nodded brightly. "I am! I've already got three badges in Ikimono!"

The boy's eyes widened. "Really? That's amazing! I hope I can be as good as you someday!"

Ash swelled with pride. "With hard work, you could be."

Brock addressed Alex. "Hey, that was pretty smart of you, to stop the battle before either Pokémon got seriously hurt."

Alex's eyes flickered to him. "Thanks," he said shortly. Brock was surprised; during the battle, the trainer had seemed so easy-going and loose… now, why was he suddenly acting cold?

"Cole," Alex murmured, "I should be heading back."

Cole nodded; Charmander copied the gesture. "'Kay, see you later."

Alex walked away with Eevee in his arms; Ash thought his behaviour rather rude, but decided not to say so in front of the boy's friend.

"So, what's Kitsune's gym like?" Ash inquired casually, hoping maybe this time he'd get some snippet of information.

Cole smiled indulgently. "Well, everyone says it's the hardest gym in Ikimono. I don't know about that, but once I've trained my Pokémon I'll beat it in a snap!"

Ash had to grin at the kid's enthusiasm. "So is it a Pokémon battle against some really tough type?"

"Yep! The toughest of all," Cole simpered.

"What type is that?" asked Ash, confused, running through them in his mind. Victor of Karasu had already used dark type, which was hard to beat but not impossible. This gym wouldn't repeat that, would it? Even if they did, Ash decided, he and Pikachu had beaten Victor's Houndoom. This battle wouldn't be any different!

Cole glanced both ways, and then leaned in conspiringly. "All of them," he whispered.

Ash's brow furrowed. He was about to ask how that was possible when a group of younger kids ran up, begging to see their Pokémon.

Ash allowed Cole to flaunt his new Charmander before showing off Pikachu; in the blaze of pride, he completely forgot his query.

*

"For once, a normal gym!" sighed Ash, gazing up a dirt path to a rounded building. Another path led in to the gym from the other side; there, Ash could see the edge of another town. Copper and Umber, he mused.

He crunched up the walkway to the double doors topped with a Poké ball, symbolizing a gym. Grinning to himself, Ash had to reign in his step as he hurried to the doors.

"I wonder what this gym leader tests," commented Brock.

"Didn't you hear Cole?" Ash said abruptly. "It's a gym match like in Kanto!"

Brock shrugged. "Think what you want, Ash, but be careful – none of the other gyms followed Kanto's rules, and I doubt they'd start now."

Ash grudgingly accepted the other trainer's wisdom. "Yeah, I'll be careful. But, hey, it's a battle! I can do that, easy!"

Ash stepped up to the double doors, placing a palm on each one. He glanced back at Misty and Brock, grinning. "Elemental Badge, here I come!"

He pushed open the doors and stepped inside.

Kitsune's gym was laid out in a beautifully familiar pattern: stands on either side, dirt floor with white lines painted on it. Spotlights shone down from the ceiling. Halfway down the field on the right side, there was an electronic scoreboard, currently black.

Ash frowned, suddenly noticing two changes. Either it was just his long withdrawal from such basic gyms, or this gymnasium was more square than rectangular; the distance between trainers' positions was shorter, the field, wider. As he observed the lines, he took note of the second difference: instead of a white box on either side of the arena for trainers to stand, there was a rectangle with a line down the centre.

"See?" Ash said, grinning, "Not so bad after all." He strode down to the nearest box and stood, waiting for the gym leader to make an appearance.

A figure ducked out from behind the stands, making a beeline for them; as she approached, it hit Ash that this gym leader did not look much older than he did. She paused beside the group, swishing back a mane of long flaxen hair. Her blue eyes quickly skimmed over Misty and Brock, landing on Ash.

"You're here to challenge the leader?" she asked expectantly; it was more a statement than a question. Ash nodded, reminded of Laura from Uma.

"Are you the gym leader?" He was anxious to begin.

The girl laughed, unhurried. "Yes, I am. You want this, then." She held out a small, star-shaped object; Ash stepped closer to examine the Elemental Badge.

It shone in the beam of the lights above, with a circular middle swirled black-and-white like a ying yang. Around this circle were rainbow rays of orange, blue, yellow, purple, and red; even as Ash watched, the colors seemed to change, shifting smoothly from one to the other in the light.

The girl snatched the badge back. "Pretty, isn't it?" She smiled.

Ash was now getting impatient. "I, Ash Ketchum of Pallet, challenge you to a match!"

"Not just yet," the girl said calmly. "Honestly, be patient! We're still waiting for someone."

Ash glanced about dubiously. "Uh…who?"

Rolling her eyes, the girl muttered, "My idiot brother."

"Oh. Okay." Ash's eyes moved magnetically toward the scoreboard; perhaps her brother was the referee.

"While we're waiting, I'll explain how this gym works-" the girl began, but at that moment one door swung open and a boy rushed into the gym.

As Ash and his friends whirled to take in the newcomer, the girl barked, "About time, you slowpoke! We've got a challenger here!"

The boy flicked blond bangs out of his eyes. "Jeez, sorry," he growled sarcastically, nearing.

Ash suddenly gasped; "Hey! You're that kid in the park – Alex!"

The boy narrowed his eyes at him, his Eevee bounding onto his shoulder. "Oh, it's you. Figured you'd come here sooner or later."

Ash was rather confused; so that kid was the gym leader's younger brother? No wonder he'd refused to talk about the gym.

"Eevee!"

The cry came from somewhere behind them; again, Ash turned to see a second Eevee rushing toward them, eyes sparkling. It pounced, landing lightly on the girl's shoulder. She gave it a pat, smiling.

Very suddenly something occurred to Ash; jaw dropping, he stared from the girl to Alex. Now he saw a resemblance; the blond hair, the bright blue eyes…the Eevees perched on their shoulders.

"Wh-what's going on here?" he spluttered. "Are you guys-"

"Twins?" supplied the girl, with a roll of her eyes.

"Unfortunately," Alex cut in, "yes."

Ash stood in shock, gaping from one to the other. Identical smiles met him on either side.

"Okay, which one of you is the real gym leader?" he asked.

The girl smiled wider. "Both of us. We're Rachel and Alex-"

"Leaders of Kitsune's gym," finished Alex, stepping to his sister's side.

To be continued...

--

I love twins ^.^ Weirdly, I've known so many of them in real life - even my best friends are twins. So, um, yeah... cliffie! :P