Hey guys! And Merry Christmas! ... Okay yeah, I know Christmas is a day away, but I do have another story to update tomorrow. So think of this as an early Christmas gift from me to you, my fans! The battle with Blaine was hard to do, but I hope it was worth it for you guys. It's been a pretty warm Christmas for me, which is disappointing since I would love some snow. Enjoy this season, and happy holidays to you all and a happy New Year! :D
Chapter 35: A Hot Battle
The Flareon's Flamethrower was rapidly approaching Eon, and Ash quickly called out to her, "Use Quick Attack to get away, now!"
The little Eevee ran to the side, leaving a silvery streak behind her and barely dodging the Flamethrower. "Geez- that's hot…" She gulped, feeling a bead of sweat slide down her fur.
Blaine didn't seem to want to give Eon the chance to recover, though, as he pointed at her. "Use Fire Fang, quick!"
The Flareon ran up to its unevolved counterpart, opening its mouth revealing its teeth on fire. Eon's eyes widened in surprise as she tried to get away, but she wasn't quick enough as the Flareon bit down on her tail!
Eon let out a scream from the pain and agony of the Fire Fang that scorched her tail. Ash called out in concern, "EON! ARE YOU OKAY!?"
"That hurts!" Eon hissed, feeling her fur burn slightly as tears pricked up in her eyes.
"If you can't stand the heat, then get out of the volcano!" Flareon hissed after tossing her to the side.
"H-hey! I'm far from out ya big fire head!" Eon snapped, whipping her tail.
"Use Fire Fang again!" Blaine ordered, pointing at the Eevee.
"Use Dig to get away!" Ash quickly said, frowning in concern.
Eon didn't hesitate to dig underground, avoiding another painful encounter with those fiery teeth, and she was careful not to dig too deep that would drop her into the lava.
The old Gym Leader frowned thoughtfully at this, giving a nod of approval as he crossed his arms. "Impressive… even without a command, your Eevee knows how deep to not dig so that it doesn't fall into the lava. Ironically enough, that's the most common mistake made on this battlefield…" He chuckled for a moment before raising an arm. "However, for every strategy, there's a counter to it! Flareon! Use Fire Spin around yourself!"
"Flare!" The Fire-type Eeveelution nodded, quickly spinning in place and shooting out decent-sized flames around itself. When it was done, there was a small fire tornado around it, but instead of being hurt by the flames, it seemed to be gaining more power!
"I'm sure you know this Ash, but when a Flareon is bathed in fire it becomes stronger due to its Flash Fire ability." Blaine said to the boy, crossing his arms with a small smirk. "Not only that… but it counters that move of yours."
Ash gritted his teeth, knowing what Blaine meant- there's no way Eon will be able to hit the Flareon while it's surrounded by those flames, and it's helping Flareon get even stronger. There's got to be a way to counteract that somehow! If only I had some kind of water move to douse those flames or… sand…
"Eon! Get out of the ground and start kicking up sand at those flames with your Sand Attack!" Ash called out, giving a small grin as he got an idea.
The spiky haired Eevee jumped out of the hole and back kicked the sand at the Flareon's eyes, making it harder for it to see and weakening the flames surrounding it. "Now use Shadow Ball!"
Eon turned around and formed a dark purple ball in her mouth before shooting it right into the flaming vortex, successfully hitting her potential evolution and knocking it out of the Fire Spin. "Ha ha!" She cheered, sticking her tongue out at the Flareon even though it couldn't see it. "Take that!"
"Gah! My eyes! W-why you little…!" The Fire type hissed in pain, trying to get the sand out of its eyes before Eon quickly hit it in the side with an Iron Tail. "OW!"
"Hold your ground!" Blaine quickly commanded, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully. "Hmm… Use Flare Blitz!"
Ash froze, realizing just what move Blaine was planning to use. "N-no!" Flareon nodded, cloaking its body in fire as it charged at Eon. Ash gritted his teeth, knowing it would be impossible to escape it, even with Dig and Quick Attack. The best thing to do… was to fight it head on. "Eon! Fight back with Take Down!"
Both Eevee and Eeveelution charged head on at each other before they struck their heads together and created a big combustion of fire, throwing them both back. Eon sadly had taken the worst of the collision as her fur was singed and she staggered for a moment before falling over, unconscious. Ash ran over to her and picked her up. "Eon…" He gulped, checking her chest, before sighing in relief- thankfully, she was still breathing. "You did good Eon… you take a nice long rest." he muttered, pulling out her Luxury Ball and returning her.
After returning his Eevee, Ash glanced up at Blaine, who was returning his own Flareon- although it wasn't burned as badly as Eon had been, it was still unconscious, mainly due to the brunt of the head-on Take Down. "Heh… not bad- you knew how to prevent a major loss and make it a double K.O. instead of your Eevee being knocked out alone. Impressive…"
Blaine nodded to himself before smiling at Ash. "Don't worry, there's a Pokemon Center not too far from here to heal up your Pokemon."
"Thank you for the concern, Blaine." Ash said before he began smirking once more, standing back up. "But we're still opponent's right now. Bring on your worst!" He held up a white Premier Ball. "Because I'll be ready for it!" He threw the Premier Ball and it released a Squirtle.
"This is Kooper ready for action! And… whoa, so this is what it's like inside of a volcano? … If I stay here too long I might shrivel up…" Kooper said as he looked around, already sweating from the intense heat.
"Ah, a Squirtle eh?" Blaine nodded in understanding- somehow he wasn't sweating, even though he had been in the volcano for a lot longer than the others had been. "Fair choice- although I'm surprised it hasn't evolved into a Wartortle yet…" He smiled kindly, pulling out a Poke Ball Ash hadn't seen before- it was blue with yellow stripes shaped like an X, and overall it looked built for speed. "Hopefully its defenses can last up against my Arcanine's speed! Let's go!"
The ball released a huge dog-like Pokemon, a much bigger Growlithe with more hair. It looked elegant and powerful, and it gave a howl as it entered the battle arena.
"So he's using an Arcanine this time." Blue commented, crossing his arms. "When I battled him it was still only a Growlithe."
"Hey cool- are you going to evolve your Growlithe into that awesome looking Arcanine one day Green?" Yellow asked with a big smile on her face.
"You have a Growlithe?" Jayden asked at the same time.
Blue just sighed, rolling his eyes in frustration. "Can we please just focus on the battle!? Arcanine is a very strong Fire type Pokemon. I don't know if a little Squirtle can handle it!"
"Hey- I'll be doing just fine!" Kooper snapped, crossing his arms in annoyance and glaring up at the Arcanine. "C'mon, you big dog- let's dance!"
Blaine raised an eyebrow at the Squirtle glaring up at his Arcanine, glancing at Ash. "Erm… is your Squirtle always this way, Ash?" He sweatdropped, crossing his arms.
"Err… he was once in a gang… so uh… maybe…?" Ash said with a sheepish chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. "A-anyways… Kooper, let's start this off with Water Pulse, go!"
The Squirtle created a blue ball of water in his hands before he threw it at the big fire dog, splashing its face with cold water. "How do you like that?" But to his and Ash's shock, Arcanine looked soaked but hardly flinched from the attack.
"With how many Water types come into this Gym, do you think Arcanine would be too affected by its weakness by now?" Blaine chuckled, his glasses gleaming mischievously. "Besides, no matter how tough your Squirtle is, it's still not nearly as strong as its later evolutions. Now Arcanine, use Bite!"
"Rgh…!" Ash gritted his teeth, seeing that this would be an issue. "Hurry, withdraw into your shell!"
Kooper quickly withdraw his body into his hard shell as Arcanine picked it up with his mouth as if it was some kind of chew toy and began biting down. Ash noticed that one of Kooper's hole was facing the inside of its mouth, and he grinned, getting an idea. "Use Water Pulse in its mouth!"
Kooper shot out a blue ball of water right down the Arcanine's throat. The big dog's eyes widened in shock before it began choking after dropping the Squirtle's shell.
"Never underestimate a Squirtle," Ash smirked, chuckling.
"Ah, I suppose that is true…" Blaine nodded, smiling confidently. "However, as strong as a Squirtle can be, it also has many weaknesses. Arcanine, use Sunny Day!"
The large dog howled, spitting out the water Kooper had fired into its mouth before shooting a number of fireballs into the air, where they remained, increasing the amount of 'sunlight' in the volcano.
Kooper suddenly felt very weak and hot, and he groaned, tugging at his shell. "I don't feel so good…"
"Hang in there Kooper!" Ash knew this was bad- Mew had practically shoved it into his head about how Sunny Day makes Fire type's even stronger while it weakens Water types.
"Now let's see how well your Squirtle can take the heat. Arcanine, use Flamethrower!" Blaine ordered, crossing his arms.
Arcanine shot out stream of fire that was even stronger and hotter than Flareon's, it could also be because of Sunny Day raising its power.
"Kooper jump into the air and begin spinning now!" Ash quickly said, having an idea.
The Squirtle used his tail to help jump before tucking into his shell and began spinning rapidly, trying to gain more distance in the air to avoid the large Flamethrower. He barely dodged it, but his bottom shell was scorched a bit from the intense fire.
"Now use Bite!" Ash said, grinning as he saw his plan unfolding.
Kooper's shell fell back down, landing on top of the Arcanine's back and he clamped down his teeth onto its tail. Arcanine growled in anger rather than pain before flinging its tail around to force the Squirtle off of it.
"W-whoa!" Kooper yelped, but he kept holding on even as the large dog began chasing its tail, spinning him around and around!"Calm down, you big mutt!"
Blaine blinked before groaning, rubbing his forehead. "Arcanine, stop chasing your tail! Use your own Bite and get that Squirtle off of your tail!"
Arcanine grabbed Kooper's tail with its teeth and caused the Squirtle to cry out in pain before the dog threw him across the volcano, almost landing Kooper in the lava. Kooper yelped as he hung on to the edge of the arena and climbed back up, sighing in relief. "That was close… I almost became turtle soup…"
Blaine didn't let up for a moment and snapped his fingers. "Now then, use Solarbeam while your Sunny Day is still in effect!"
"What!?" Ash gulped, gritting his teeth- of course, Blaine knew just as well as he did that with the extra 'sunlight', this attack was going to take half the time to charge that it normally would…
Arcanine howled as it began charging up the Solarbeam into its mouth. Ash frowned, knowing he'd better act fast. He looked down at the battlefield- the entire thing was a normal rock full of dust, which is how Eon was able to use Dig and Sand-Attack on it. "I wonder what will happen when a heated volcanic rock is covered in water… Kooper, quick, use Water Pulse on the ground!"
Kooper didn't waste time questioning his Trainer, and he immediately began firing his Water Pulse on the ground, turning it all soggy and soaked.
Arcanine yelped, feeling the ground beneath it suddenly get slippery, but it did its best to stay upright, still charging the Solarbeam. Ash grinned, the idea forming itself more in his head. "Keep firing off those Water Pulses, Kooper! Make the whole ground as slippery as possible!"
"Fire the Solarbeam!" Blaine ordered.
Arcanine shot out a beam of light with green grassy energy at the Squirtle, but Kooper managed to dodge it as he slipped on the ground. Arcanine frowned at this and tried to run at the Squirtle but its paws were all wet and slippery and having trouble staying upright.
"Alright!" Ash smiled when he saw the Sunny Day was fading away. "Now's our chance! Use Water Pulse again!"
Kooper shot out another Water Pulse at the Arcanine. The fire dog growled in irritation, but Blaine still seemed oddly calm, pointing at Kooper. "Not bad, not bad at all- but Solarbeam isn't the only anti-Water move Arcanine has…. Use Thunder Fang!"
"You'll have to catch him first! Slide across the wet battlefield Kooper!" Ash said, giving a cheeky grin.
Kooper used the muddy slippery ground to his advantage as he slide under Arcanine, avoiding those fangs that were sparking with electricity.
"Very well, then we'll use it to our advantage too. Arcanine, chase down that Squirtle with your Thunder Fang!" Blaine ordered, nodding confidently.
Kooper yelped when the Arcanine was now catching up to him, both of them sliding on the muddy floor. "Hey! No fair! I'm the only one who's supposed to use this to my advantage!"
"Well, too bad! Now get back here you coward!" Arcanine snapped back. Eventually Arcanine's bigger feet splashed some of the mud over Kooper's eyes.
"WAH!" Kooper yelled pausing to get the watered-down dirt out of his eyes before Arcanine bit down on his head with his Thunder Fang, shocking the poor Squirtle!
"Kooper!" Ash yelled, clenching his fist worriedly.
The Squirtle hissed as he weakly opened his eyes and glared at the Arcanine. "You just made a big mistake… you've activated my Torrent." Without waiting for any orders, Kooper blasted a ball of water into the Arcanine's face, sending the dog flying back!
Blaine winced sympathetically as his Arcanine crashed into the wall, and it began falling towards the lava before he quickly recalled it, frowning thoughtfully. "Hmm… not bad- it was fairly obvious that the last move KO'd my Pokemon, otherwise he would have launched himself back onto the battlefield." He glanced at his challenger, giving a small chuckle. "In fact… you've done quite well for only having non-evolved Pokemon on your team so far. I have to congratulate you for that, at the very least!"
Kooper groaned before he withdrew into his shell. It was clear he was out now. "You did well Kooper. Take a nice long rest." Ash said before he returned the unconscious Squirtle into his Premier Ball. "Thank you Blaine, I guess my team isn't ready to evolve yet, but they're still strong in their own right. I guess it's just down to one Pokemon for the both of us."
"Can you let me fight now Ash? I want to fight too!" Storm spoke up, looking battle ready.
Ash pat the Pikachu's head and said, chuckling slightly, "Thanks Storm, but I think it'll be better if I let Scorch handle this next one, okay?"
Storm pouted but sighed. "Fine… I guess she would do better in a volcano than I would…"
Ash turned his attention back to Blaine. "Alright, I'm ready." He held out a red Cherish Ball, smirking. "This will be the last round for both of us."
Blaine just smirked back, chuckling slowly. "I agree with that- but just so you know… this last Pokemon will be the toughest on my whole roster for people with six badges like you, Ash." With that, he picked up the last Poke Ball he had taken from the slot and… put it back in, along with the others? "I won't be needing this Charmeleon… not like I had originally planned."
"Huh? So what are you going to use?" Ash asked, though he found it kind of funny how both of them were going to use a Charmeleon.
"It's a Pokemon who lives in this volcano as a matter of fact." Blaine smirked, raising an arm dramatically. "Now then… Rise up, Magmar!"
The lava below suddenly began to bubble before it rose up onto the battlefield, almost as if it became sentient. From that lava came out a Magmar, and as soon as it stepped onto the battlefield, it instantly dried it up from Kooper's dousing.
"Now send out your Pokemon." Blaine said, smirking.
"Ooh… a Magmar… this is going to be tough." Ash said as he was sweating, holding the Cherish Ball tightly in his hand. I really hope Scorch can handle it…
"So Ash, are you ready to send out your final Pokemon against mine?" Blaine asked the boy, waiting for him to release his Pokemon.
The Magmar standing before him was intimidating to say the least…
But it's not as bad as Hunter J's Salamence. Ash thought to himself as he threw the Cherish Ball. "Let's do this, Scorch!"
The Cherish Ball released the shiny Charmeleon into battle and she gave a battle ready roar as she glared at the opponent before her.
"I'm impressed, Ash. It's not every day a Trainer brings in a shiny Pokemon." Blaine said. "But shiny or not, a Charmeleon is still a Charmeleon. Magmar, use Confuse Ray!"
Magmar created a shiny orb in his hands and it began to flash in front of Scorch's face.
"Intercept it with Dragon Rage!" Ash quickly said.
Scorch shot out a dragon-like energy attack from her mouth as it chomped on the Magmar and the orb, but it didn't dissipate. The orb flashed and Scorch's eyes began to glow red in confusion.
"Scorch!"
The golden Charmeleon began to stumble around a bit, not sure what's going on. She tried to slash at the Magmar but ended up slashing her own face and she hissed in pain.
Dang it, now Scorch is confused… this is going to be a lot harder than I had hoped. Ash clenched his teeth, trying to figure out the best course of action in this situation.
"So what will you do now, Ash? Fighting with a confused Pokemon is a risky move." Blaine said, smirking. "Now use Skull Bash!"
Magmar lowered its head and charged at the confused Charmeleon. Ash knew he better do something soon or this battle will be over.
"Scorch! Jump!" He called, hoping Scorch would be able to hear him in that confusion.
Scorch shook her head and managed to see the incoming Magmar, she crouched and jumped as high as she could as the Magmar ran under her. Scorch landed but was still having trouble staying stable.
"Come on Scorch, fight through the confusion!" Ash called out to her. "Use Slash!"
Scorch groaned as she used her claws to smack herself in the head. Ash frowned when he saw she had hurt herself.
"Now use Fire Punch while that Charmeleon's still confused!" Blaine ordered.
The Magmar's fist blazed with fire as he ran at the still confused Charmeleon. The Fire Punch made contact with Scorch's face and she gave a hiss in pain. Despite being a Fire type, Scorch was still hurt from such a powerful attack.
"Your Charmeleon's strong and resilient, I'll give it that." Blaine said when Scorch wobbled but didn't fall from her feet.
The Fire Punch may have hurt, but it also knocked some sense back into the confused golden Charmeleon. She glared as her eyes were back to normal.
"Alright Scorch, let's do this. Use Dragon Rage!" Ash ordered.
Scorch didn't hesitate to let loose a powerful energy that shaped into a dragon as it chomped down on Magmar, causing it to flinch back.
"Impressive, very impressive, but this battle is far from over." Blaine smirked. "Magmar, use Confuse Ray again!"
Ash gritted his teeth as he knew that would be trouble, he couldn't afford to have Scorch confused again.
"Scorch, shut your eyes now!" Ash quickly commanded.
The golden Charmeleon shut her eyes quickly just before Magmar shined a bright light to daze her.
"You can't keep your Charmeleon's eyes shut forever, Ash!" Blaine said.
"Maybe I won't have to." Ash said before smirking. "Scorch, use Smokescreen, cover this whole gym with black smoke!"
Scorch didn't hesitate to open her mouth and shoot out black smoke, covering the gym in its smog. Blue, Yellow and Jayden were glad they were above the gym to avoid the smoke, but even Ash and Blaine were covered in it.
Scorch opened her eyes and was relieved she's safe from the Confuse Ray, but now she'll have to act fast before the smoke cleared.
She ran at the Magmar, which was trying to look for her, and used Slash with her deadly claws, she didn't need a direct from Ash to know when to fight back. She and Ash had been through alot together, enough to know when to attack without his input, because what good is a Smokescreen if the enemy knows you're coming? The Magmar gave a loud scream in agony as she slashed his chest. The Spit Fire Pokemon's body was made of fire and magma, only another Fire type could withstand being so close and touching it without the risk of being burned by it. Ash had chosen well when he went with Scorch.
"Magmar! Fight back, don't let that Charmeleon get the better of you!" Blaine called blindly through the smoke, he could hear the Magmar yelling in pain.
Ash smirked, as he knew Scorch was attacking. That's it Scorch, keep it up, we have the advantage as long as the Smokescreen lasts.
Magmar growled as he felt the Charmeleon just landed another Slash attack on him, and if he didn't act fast she would defeat him.
"Magmar! Calm down and focus, this Smokescreen can't last forever, and there's one easy way to clear it." Blaine said. "Use Clear Smog!"
Ash looked up in shock, he hadn't known Blaine's Magmar knew Clear Smog! The Spit Fire Pokemon took a deep breath and shot out white smoke from its mouth, and the white smoke covered the battlefield, clearing out all the black smoke Scorch used with her Smokescreen. Soon the white smoke cleared and the gym was completely clear.
Scorch glared in annoyance that her covered was blown before she could've defeated the Magmar.
"Impressive Ash, most Trainers don't think to use Smokescreen in a battle nowadays, not unless they're Koga." Blaine smirked, "But now it looks like you're at a disadvantage, my Magmar had taken on Trainers with Charizard before and had beaten them."
"Don't underestimate Scorch just because she's a Charmeleon." Ash hissed before trying to assess the situation.
Blaine's Magmar is strong… I'm not sure how much Scorch can take from it. She may be strong in her own rights, but if we don't do something to end this battle soon, she'll be defeated. But what can I do? Magmar was able to counter everything we do, Smokescreen was our best option… there must be something we can do that I haven't thought of yet.
"Ash… there's a move that I've learned not long ago… and I wanted to try it out. We don't have a lot of options, so we might as well, right?" Scorch spoke up to her Trainer.
"... You mean…" Ash nodded, it was a long shot, but it may be the very thing they need. "Alright Scorch, get in close and then use Dragon Rage!"
The shiny Charmeleon didn't hesitate to run at the Magmar before blasting out an energy that formed into a dragon and was coming down to chomp on the Magmar.
"Dodge it now!" Blaine ordered.
The Spit Fire Pokemon ran off to the side, avoiding the Dragon Rage, however Scorch was right there. Seeing the Flame Pokemon there so suddenly, Magmar shot out a Fire Punch at her, but Scorch ducked to avoid a direct hit, and she grabbed its leg before pulling the Magmar off its feet.
"That's it! Now use Seismic Toss!" Ash yelled.
Scorch began spinning in place while holding onto the Magmar's foot tightly, making sure it can't do anything to make her let go.
"Magmar! You can't let that little Charmeleon drag you around like that!" Blaine shouted.
But Magmar could not do anything as Scorch threw it right into the volcano wall with a SMASH!
"Now finish it off with another Dragon Rage!" Ash commanded.
Scorch didn't hesitate to shoot out the dragon-like energy right into the Magmar. The Magmar gave a scream in pain before it fell onto the arena, its eyes were spiraling as it fainted.
"Looks like Magmar lost this round," Blaine said after seeing his Pokemon had fainted.
Ash couldn't help but give a very excited smile and fist pump into the air, "We did it… Scorch, we did it!"
The golden Charmeleon turned and smiled, "We sure did, Ash!"
"Whew, for a second there I thought I might had to step in," The Pikachu, who was silently rooting beside Ash, said in relief as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Blue and Yellow were both sighing in relief.
"Ash is a good Trainer, he even beat Blaine with non-fully evolved Pokemon, not an easy feat," Blue said with an impressed tone.
"He's definitely something, that's for sure. At least we can finally get out of this volcano," Jayden grumbled, though she couldn't hide her own awe at how the boy managed to beat Blaine with a puny little Squirtle, and unevolved Eevee- a rare one at that- and a Charmeleon that's not even a Charizard yet.
"He's really connected with his Pokemon, that's why they're able to battle so hard together." Yellow smiled.
"Well Ash I must say I'm impressed, you've certainly proven yourself worthy. Do you know why I gave you those trivia questions before our match?" Blaine asked the boy as he walked across the battlefield to approach the boy.
Ash, Storm and Scorch looked at him as the boy said, "You were testing my knowledge of Pokemon and the Kanto region in general?"
"Of course. I believe a good Trainer is a wise Trainer, able to think on their feet as well as having knowledge," Blaine said. "Many Trainers who came before you, before this place was turned into a tourist trap, usually never get all the questions right, and by the time they get to me I always see extremely powerful, fully evolved Pokemon. It's fitting since my Gym is usually out of the way compared to the others in this region, and is known as one of the Elites. But the fact that you answered all the questions correctly and used Pokemon most would believe to be weak and foolish and won against me, shows you have more connection and belief in your Pokemon than most would."
Ash gave a nod of understanding; unlike most Trainers, Ash would let his Pokemon decide whether or not they're ready to evolve.
"And with that said…" Blaine reached into his pocket and pulled out a fire shaped badge and handed it to Ash. "This is the Volcano Badge, you've earned it."
The young boy from Pallet smiled as he took the badge, looking at its red glory, "Thanks Blaine!"
Ash then turned to Storm and Scorch, "And thank you for helping me. We've won this badge because you all worked so hard."
"Aww, I didn't do anything this time. The credit all goes to Scorch here, Eon and Kooper," Storm said sheepishly.
Scorch gave a proud smile, "That Magmar was nothing compared to Hunter J's Salamance, now that was a real challenge!"
"Heh, of course, but don't underestimate what we did here today," Ash said with a smile before holding up the newly acquired badge proudly. "I've won a Volcano Badge!"
Memma, were you here? Did you watch me? Ash couldn't help but think.
"Yes Ashy, I've been here watching you the whole time~" Ash smiled at hearing Mew's voice in his mind, she always liked being unpredictable.
"So now that you've gotten your seventh badge, Ash, where will you go to get your eighth one? The Pokemon League will start in three months, so you better not dawdle too long," Blaine said.
Ash looked up at the riddle man, "Wow, three months… I can't believe how fast time flies. Well I'm going to explore for a bit and see if I can meet some new friends before I look for the last Gym to take on."
"Well then, if you really want to test your skills, you should try the Viridian Gym. The Viridian Gym is said to be the strongest Gym in the Kanto region, the perfect place for your last Gym Badge if I do say so myself," Blaine suggested.
Ash looked up at Blaine when he suggested this, he remembered seeing the gym back in Viridian City, but at the time he was caught up with Team Rocket and an angry Misty. He didn't know how the Gym Leader was over there, not many people did. A battle with a mysterious, powerful Gym Leader, such an idea made Ash feel both nervous yet excited.
"Maybe I will try that, thanks." Ash nodded to him before turning to where the audience were. "Hey guys, we should leave this place now! I don't know about you but I'm cooking in here!"
"Don't remind me!" Jayden snapped.
The group, including Blaine, made their way out of the volcano. Scorch following close behind as she was still out of her Cherish Ball, she rather enjoyed being in an environment for Fire types.
"Well Ash, if you're leaving right away I guess this is goodbye. Be sure to stop at the Pokemon Center before you leave," Blaine said to the young boy.
Storm climbed up on Ash's shoulder as the boy nodded, "I will. Thanks for the battle and the Inn."
"Yeah, that was nice of you," Yellow said, smiling.
"If we're ever in town, maybe we can ring you up again," Blue said, not liking the idea he may have to be in a crowded hotel if he ever came back here for vacation.
"You kids take care of yourselves now." Blaine waved to them as they began walking away, heading to the Pokemon Center.
Jayden sighed as they were leaving before she said, "Well guys, I'm glad we had fun together. And Ash… I thank you and your Memma, wherever she is, for saving my life. Maybe you guys aren't as bad as I thought… but I'm still a member of the Elite Rocket."
"Yeah, we know," Ash said as they stopped near the Pokemon Center, glad that the crowd wasn't as bad as last night.
"So what are you going to do now, Jayden?" Blue asked.
"Are you really going to go back?" Yellow frowned, she was starting to like the Shaymin hybrid.
"Hey, don't get too attached to me now. It was nice watching you battle, Ash." Jayden gave a small smile to the boy. "Maybe we'll meet again on better terms, who knows? But I have to go now… I… wish you luck in your journey."
Before anyone could say anything anymore, Jayden turned the other direction, pulling out a Gracidea Flower from her pocket. She ran and jumped before transforming into her Shaymin form with a green light, and then transformed into her Sky Forme and flew away into the sky and over the ocean horizon.
The people who were passing by just watched in awe, since most of them were ignorant about Pokemon, they kept murmuring to each other how street magicians were so realistic these days.
"She just flew away… does that mean she managed to get one of Blaine's Volcano Badge while we were in there?" Blue wondered, he didn't see her sneaking away during the battle, but then again he was pretty focused on it. "Maybe she used a Flareon or something to get it while we were watching the battle."
"Who know… but… I think maybe we did change her mind a little about Memma," Ash said with a smile.
"I sure hope so, but if not then we'll have to teach her a lesson for messing with us," Scorch said from beside Ash.
"Not that I don't like your presences Scorch, but why are you still out of your Cherish Ball?" Storm asked the golden Charmeleon curiously.
"I figured Scorch deserves to look around Cinnabar Island with us before we leave since it has a nice environment for her, and she deserves a little reward for winning that battle." Ash smiled.
"Wait until your stuck up brother hears about Ash's victory with one of the Elite Gyms, Green!" Yellow said, feeling all pumped up.
"I think Gary would just sneer at Ash anyways, Yellow." Blue sighed.
"Well, we should get to the Pokemon Center and heal up Kooper and Eon, they worked hard to get us that victory too. Then I guess we should head to One Island to recruit Moltres," Ash said as they entered the Pokemon Center, thanking his Memma that it wasn't so full.
"We could take a boat there, or we could just fly you there ourselves, like how we flew you to Vermilion City," Yellow suggested. "It was pretty fun."
"Yeah, it was… I like being the sky," Ash sighed as he remembered how beautiful the view was from way up in the sky. "Hey Scorch. If you ever evolve into a Charizard, I'd like to ride you through the skies."
Scorch gave a chuckle, "That's fine by me, Ash. I'd like to be able to fly too one day. And it certainly would be easier to fly rather than just walk everywhere."
"You said it,"Storm said as he nodded in agreement with the Charmeleon.
"Well if you're going to fly, then we should find a spot to transform," Blue said quietly.
"I don't think it matters where we transform here, Blue," Yellow said. "I mean Jayden transformed in front of all these people and they just called her a magician."
"Yes, one person doing that could just be called a magician, but if three people do it then even the ignorant will know something's up," Blue said to his half sister.
"And besides, there are some Pokemon Trainers here, look over there," Ash said as he pointed at a few people with Pokemon.
One of them was a young boy about Ash's age, looking at his Poke Ball with a troubled expression on his face. Then he looked up before noticing Ash and the group, but his attention was on the shiny Charmeleon beside them.
"H-hey, is that your Charmeleon?" The boy asked.
Ash blinked in surprise; he hadn't expected anyone to walk up to him suddenly. "Well yeah, she is. I know she's a shiny and rare, but-"
"Yeah, and that's cool, but that's not why I got your attention," The boy said as he looked at his Poke Ball again.
"Hmm? What's wrong?" Ash asked.
Blue and Yellow looked at the boy themselves, but they decided to let Ash do the talking for now.
"Well it's just… I have a Charmeleon too. It's not a shiny like yours is, but… well… it recently evolved from a Charmander when I used it to help stop an Exeggutor's stampede, and ever since then, it… hasn't been listening to me. I was hoping since you're raising a Charmeleon you could help me with my own?" The boy asked with a hopeful look in his eyes.
"Huh? Oh… well…" Ash hesitated, he didn't have plans to help someone with their troubled problems like that, especially since he already had enough on his plate as it is.
"Please? It won't take long." The boy begged and promised.
"Hey Ash, you should leave your Pokemon with Nurse Joy so she can heal them while you help out this kid," Blue said to the boy.
Scorch gave an intense look, as though there was something inside the boy's Poke Ball that caught her attention."Ash, allow me to accompany you for this. There's something I want to confirm, you can hand me to Nurse Joy after we're done."
Ash blinked at Scorch's sudden want to accompany him for this, but he nodded to her, "Alright, let's see what's the problem then."
"Since I didn't battle with Blaine I can stay with you too, Ash,"Storm said from Ash's shoulder.
"No Storm, you should get checked out too. I want to make sure you're healthy," Ash said to the Pikachu.
Storm gave a sigh,"Fine, but you two better not do anything without me!"
Yellow took Storm from Ash's shoulder as he handed Blue the rest of his Poke Balls. "I'm counting on you guys. Come on Scorch."
Blue and Yellow nodded as Ash and Scorch followed the other boy outside of the Pokemon Center.
As soon as Ash, Scorch and the boy were outside, he gave a sigh, "Well… I'll show you how my Charmeleon is like whenever I get it outside of its Poke Ball."
The boy didn't bother throwing the Poke Ball, instead he just held it out and said, "Come on out!" and the ball opened, releasing a white flash of energy before it formed into the familiar shape of a Charmeleon.
Scorch and Ash watched as the glow faded, leaving a red Charmeleon there, looking quite fearsome, but before long it suddenly gave a lazy yawn and scratched its neck.
"Charmeleon, I want you to show these guys your Flamethrower attack!" The boy commanded.
The Charmeleon just looked at the boy lazily before shooting a weak Flamethrower in his face, scorching the boy's face in soot before the fire lizard laid down in a lazy way, giving a loud yawn.
Ash knew how some Pokemon become disobedient to their Trainers, but this Charmeleon looked especially lazy and stubborn.
"You see? This has been going on ever since my Charmander evolved! He was always such a loyal Charmander… I don't know what changed," The boy said sadly as he wiped the soot off his face.
Scorch was looking at the Charmeleon before she approached it, Ash noticed and decided to let her interact with it.
"Sometimes a Pokemon could go through a personality change when they evolve," Ash said. "I think my Charmeleon's going to interact with yours."
The boy looked and tensed a bit, "I hope they don't fight… Charmeleon may be lazy, but when he sees a strong opponent he'll battle on his own without my input."
The red Charmeleon looked up when he noticed the golden Charmeleon beside him.
Scorch frowned before she said, "It's been a long time since we've last seen each other… brother."