Author's Note: Can anybody see the reference in this chapter's title? It's linked to the title of the previous chapter. Let us know if you have a guess.
I stood on my side of the battlefield in the Cinnabar Gym, staring at Harrison, the gym leader. Jason and Michelle sat on the side, watching me. The referee was standing on the side by the middle of the field. I was about to have the toughest gym battle of my Pokemon journey thus far. I knew how difficult it would be, so I had trained continuously yesterday and well into the night in preparation for today. I was so excited that I had barely slept.
"The gym battle between the gym leader, Harrison, and the challenger, Adam, will now begin. Each trainer will use one Pokemon." the referee said.
"Go, Blaziken!" Harrison yelled.
"Go, Pidgeot!" I yelled.
I knew that Blaziken was partially a Fighting type Pokemon and that I would have an advantage using a Flying type Pokemon. Pidgeot had trained with my Machoke the previous day so that we could get an idea of what moves Blaziken might know and how it would move and act in a battle. It was time to see if our training would pay off.
Harrison didn't seem worried. "Using a Flying Pokemon against my Blaziken, huh? Well, don't think that type advantage will win you your badge!" he said.
"I did some special training yesterday with my Pidgeot and Machoke. I'm ready for you, Harrison! I'm going to succeed where my dad failed and defeat the one Pokemon that he couldn't!" I replied confidently.
"Let the battle begin!" the referee announced.
"Blaziken, Flamethrower!" Harrison commanded.
"Pidgeot, use Gust!" I shouted.
The strong wind blew away the fire.
"Fire Punch!" Harrison yelled. Blaziken's fist began burning with fire as it charged towards Pidgeot.
"Pidgeot, fly up out of the way!" Pidgeot ascended into the air, up above the battlefield.
"Blaziken, jump!" Blaziken used its powerful legs to push itself up into the air and landed a direct hit with Fire Punch.
"Blaziken can't fly, but when it can jump as high as that, it doesn't need to." said Harrison.
I had heard about how Blazikens could jump, but to see it for myself? Wow.
"Okay, let's see what you think about this! Pidgeot, spin and use Aerial Ace!" I shouted. Pidgeot spun in the air and zoomed towards Blaziken like a spinning bullet.
"Shoot it down with Flamethrower!"
"Dodge left!"
Pidgeot managed to roll to the side and avoid the flames. Pidgeot continued zooming towards Blaziken and hit it with Aerial Ace.
"I've never seen Flying attacks used like that before!" Harrison said in surprise.
"Not bad, huh? I learned those spinning and dodging techniques from my mom." I said proudly. "Now it's time to show off our new move that we learned yesterday. Pidgeot, use Air Slash!" Pidgeot flapped his wings and a sharp wave of air sped towards Blaziken.
"Deflect it with Blaze Kick!" Harrison yelled. Blaziken's foot began to burn with fire and it kicked the Air Slash, but the attack was just a little too powerful for Blaziken to completely block and it fell backwards, landing on its back.
So even if it didn't do much damage, Air Slash could still knock down Blaziken and temporarily immobilize it. I would keep that in mind for later in the battle.
"Blaziken, Flamethrower!"
"Use Gust to stop it, just like before!"
But what I didn't know was that the Flamethrower was just a distraction!
"Quick Attack, Blaziken!" Blaziken ran at fast speeds around the Gust winds and hit Pidgeot with Quick Attack. Pidgeot fell to the ground but was able to get back up.
"Air Slash!" I yelled.
"Flamethrower!" Harrison yelled.
Both moves flew through the air and met in the middle of the gym, exploding and creating smoke when they hit each other.
"Use Wing Attack!" I shouted as the smoke cleared.
"Use Fire Punch!" said Harrison.
Glowing wings met burning fists and both Pokemon went flying backwards in the ensuing explosion and landed on the floor in pain.
"They're trading blow for blow! This is really intense!" Jason said in amazement.
"Go, Adam! You can do it!" Michelle shouted, cheering me on.
"Blaziken, jump!" Blaziken jumped into the air.
"Pidgeot, here it comes! Fly up!" Pidgeot zoomed into the air.
"Flamethrower!"
"Air Slash!"
Both moves exploded in the air. Both Pokemon were caught in the explosion and fell to the floor, covered in bruises and scratches. Blaziken and Pidgeot managed to get back up, but very slowly.
Then I remembered about what happened to Blaziken earlier in the battle when I used Air Slash. Pidgeot had taken quite a lot of damage so I needed to end this right now with everything that Pidgeot had!
"Pidgeot, use Air Slash and keep it going!" I ordered. Pidgeot kept sending wave after wave of air towards Blaziken. Blaziken blocked the first few with its Blaze Kicks and Fire Punches, but it was eventually worn down and fell to the floor.
But I didn't let up yet! I had to make sure that this was finished for good! Pidgeot kept using Air Slash, pounding Blaziken into the floor, creating a crater. As the dust cleared, Blaziken lay in the crater, motionless. Its body was covered in even more bruises and scratches than before.
"I have to say, Adam, your Pidgeot is really strong, almost as strong as your dad's Charizard was when he battled me. But my Blaziken is still stronger!" Harrison said. "Blaziken, get up!" Blaziken somehow managed to climb out of the crater and back on its feet.
I couldn't believe it! Pidgeot had put everything that he had into that attack! All of those Air Slashes and Blaziken still wasn't beaten?!
"Quick Attack, Blaziken!" Harrison screamed.
"Dodge, Pidgeot!" I yelled.
But Pidgeot was too exhausted from using Air Slash and couldn't dodge in time.
"Now use Blaze Kick!"
"Block it with Wing Attack!"
I knew that Pidgeot couldn't dodge quickly enough, so I hoped that he could block the attack with Wing Attack...and he did. Pidgeot used his wings to block Blaziken's leg and send Blaziken flying backwards.
"Use Aerial Ace!" I said to Pidgeot. Pidgeot managed to get back in the air and sped towards Blaziken.
"Dodge!" Harrison shouted. But Blaziken fell down on one knee and couldn't move because it was too weak. It looked like Blaziken was reaching the end of its rope, just like Pidgeot was.
Pidgeot's Aerial Ace hit its mark and I felt that it was the winning blow...but again, Blaziken got back up!
"It's time to wrap this up! Blaziken, use Fire Punch!" Harrison said.
"Pidgeot, use Aerial Ace!" I said.
Both attacks hit right at the same time and both Pokemon fell to the ground. They had both fainted.
"Both Pokemon are unable to battle. Therefore, this match is a draw!" declared the referee.
I could hardly breathe due to the excitement from the battle. I returned Pidgeot, saying, "You were great and you really hung in there against such a strong opponent."
Harrison returned his Pokemon as well and walked over to me. "I have to admit, you're just like your dad, Adam. You have his drive, his passion for battling, his determination, and his skill. My Blaziken hasn't had a battle that tough in a long time, so you should be very proud of yourself." he said to me.
"Thank you, Harrison. That means a lot coming from you." I replied. "But...since the battle ended in a tie, what happens to the badge?"
"In the event of a tie, the gym leader is the one who decides if the challenger gets the badge or not."
"And what would your decision be for Adam?" Michelle asked as she and Jason joined me.
"Well, let's just say that you gave me the greatest gym battle that I've had in years, you fought with my toughest Pokemon and were able to defeat it. And you beat Blaziken, something that not even your dad could do the first time he faced it. I think you've definently earned that badge."
Harrison held out his hand to me and said, "Adam, I present you with the Volcano Badge."
I took the badge from him and put it in my badge case. "My seventh badge, only one more to go!" I exclaimed.
As we walked out of the gym, I felt very proud of myself. I couldn't wait to tell my dad all about my battle. Then I remembered that my dad was gone and had been missing for almost eight months. I had been hoping to discover where he was, but all I had to go on was my hunch that Team Rocket may have captured him. But I had no idea where their base would be and I wasn't strong enough to face all of Team Rocket in their base, even with my friends' help.
"Are you okay, Adam?" Jason asked.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." I replied. "So now that we're all done on Cinnabar Island, where should we go next?"
"Well, my final contest is in Viridian City. Maybe we should go there." said Michelle.
"Our final gym battle is there, too." said Jason.
"Pallet Town is north of Cinnabar Island, right on the way to Viridian City. Why don't we stop there first and say hi to our families?" I suggested.
"Why not? We haven't seen them in a while." Jason agreed.
"I've never been to Pallet Town before." Michelle said.
"It's a great place to live and I know you'll like it, too. Jason and I will show you around when we get there. And I'm sure that you want to talk to my mom while we're there, too." I said to her.
"Of course! Your mom is my idol and was my inspiration to be a coordinator!" she said happily.
"Then it's settled. We'll fly to Pallet Town as soon as Pidgeot is feeling better. Let's go to the Pokemon Center." I said to the others. I just wished that I was heading home and bringing dad with me.
A little while later after Pidgeot had healed, we were in the sky, heading home to Pallet Town.
Normal POV
"Guys, I've received a message from Officer Jenny." Lance said to the other members of the Elite Four. "She and her team of researchers and computer experts were able to hack the device that the captured Team Rocket grunt was carrying. They traced its signal back to Team Rocket's computer mainframe in their base and hacked into their data banks remotely."
"What did they find?" asked Lorelei.
"Not a lot. They began downloading the data but their hack was detected and Team Rocket was able to lock them out." Lance replied.
"Was any of the data helpful? Do we know where their base is?" Karen asked.
"No, they don't know where their base is. But I think you should take a look at what we did uncover."
The five of them looked at the monitor and Lance showed the files that Officer Jenny had sent.
"Look at all of these soldiers under their command! They have enough manpower to take over half of Kanto!" Koga said in amazement.
"That's right. HALF of Kanto. That's why they need the Temple of Legends to summon and capture the Legendary Pokemon to take over ALL of Kanto." said Bruno.
"It also says that Team Rocket has four Pokemon Hunters working for them, too. But how is that possible? Pokemon Hunters always work solo." Lorelei wondered.
"Well, it seems that Team Rocket is much more powerful and influential than we originally thought. We're going to need help if we plan to stop them." Lance said in a worried voice.
"Is there anything else, Lance?" asked Karen.
"Yes, and this is the best part." Lance said as he opened the computer file.
In Team Rocket's base, a grunt that had been searching the area where Darien had reported that the Temple of Legends may be found, stood before the boss to report their progress.
"How is the search going?" he asked the grunt.
"Sir, I have good news." the grunt replied.
"What is that?" asked Karen.
"It's a map of Kanto with special coordinates." Lance replied.
"Coordinates to where?"
"Guys..."
"We have found the Temple of Legends." said the grunt.
"We have found the Temple of Legends." said Lance.
Author's Note: OH NO! Both Team Rocket and the Elite Four have found the Temple of Legends!
Meanwhile, Adam receives his seventh gym badge from Harrison after his toughest gym battle yet! He defeated Blaziken, something that not even Ash could do! And now, with a sense of pride (but also regret from not being able to find his father), Adam and the others head home to Pallet Town.
What awaits our heroes in Pallet Town? Will Team Rocket succeed in their plan to capture the Legendary Pokemon now that they've found the temple? Will the Elite Four be able to stop them? What really happened to Ash?
Only two chapters are left until the big showdown with Team Rocket, so stay tuned for the next chapter of Pokemon NG!