Pokѐmon Journey II: Gwyn's Passage

by Halloween Witch

It's been three years since the disbandment of Team Rocket and Gwyn Jalen is beginning her pokemon journey as well in the Johto region. Things seem normal until she encounters a red haired boy gazing into Professor Elm's laboratory and a young woman who seems like she could kick everyone's asses. And is it fight or flight when an old enemy of the young woman's come into play?

20. The Dragon Challenge

Expect Pokѐmon Journey II: Gwyn's Passage

Chapter 20: The Dragon Challenge

Gwyn's Point of View:

I woke with a groan as I held my head in pain. Something was surely wrong when I tried to sit up and I felt I couldn't move. My eyes opened wide and I was fearful that I'd see the face of 'him' but it was to my shock and relief that it was Tristan instead. I saw Violet on the other side of the bed and she worriedly looked over at me with the boys next to her. Suddenly walking into the room was my mother and the professor.

'He' wasn't there, and I was glad.

"Gwyn? Hon, you okay?" My eyes first trailed over to Violet who leaned over the bed so I could see her better. My mother then rushed around her to get toward me.

"Gwyn! Sweetie! Are you okay? How do you feel? Are you hot? Cold? Thirsty-"

"Mom, too many questions." My mother instantly stopped talking and slowly leaned over to brush her fingers through my hair while I rubbed my temple. "My head hurts…"

"Well that's not a surprise after that fall you took in the Ice Path. Your pokemon were scared to death with you hurt in there and being out for almost three hours."'

"What?" I suddenly pushed myself off the bed and then clutched my head in pain as I fell back down from the throbbing migraine. "Oww!"

"Don't move so quickly!" Violet was quick to her feet and using her moonlight ability on my head. "You practically split you head open out there and I've been doing my best to heal it, but moving around like this isn't about to help you."

"What about my pokemon?" I felt the pain soothing as the woman slowly healed with her abilities. She sighed and looked over at Tristan.

He gently placed a hand on my shoulder. "They haven't left your side in all this time. We only now got to convince them that you were safe and resting fine before they actually left to get a good meal. It's been a few days since we found you in the near basement of the Ice Path."

"Then I need to go see them and ease their worries." I tried to sit up again, slower this time, and pushed Violet's hands away. While it was annoying to feel the throbbing pain the back of my skull, it didn't hurt as much as before and I moved to the side of the bed Tristan was next to and tried to stand up.

"Gwyn! Get back in bed!" I felt multiple hands reaching for me and trying to pull me back down into my bed and I had to grab onto the wall in order to prevent them from really pushing me down.

"All of you let me go! I have to see my pokemon!" I shoved and kicked with all I had against them until I felt something given and moved to that spot and pushed past them. I shoved open the door and ran down the hallways. "Cynder! Shocker! Ticky! Sunrise! Shelly! Scarlet! Where are you?"

I pushed past every person who got in my way as I ran. My eyes kept racing around to every corner of the building. I kept calling out to them, hoping I'd hear them call out back to me, but all I could hear were the surprised screams of other doctors, nurses and other patients in this small building.

I turned another corner and I finally saw them, and I sighed in relief while I tried to catch my breath, leaning over my feet with my head down. I looked up when I could and saw that all six of them were apparently acting hostile to someone. I blinked in surprise. It wasn't like my entire team to do that unless that person was someone who I didn't like or was bad to me, but that doesn't make a lot of people. It's a very tiny list since I'm not the type of person to make enemies, other then with Team Rocket and Rose of course.

"You guys! What's going on?" Out of all of my pokemon, only one of them turned their heads at the sound of my voice, and that was Ticky. She cried out and then cheered when she saw me and it apparently was enough of a squeal for her siblings to realize that I was there and they all came racing at me. Ticky was the first into my arms before the others crowded around me and smothered me with their arms and bodies.

"You guys! I'm so sorry I worried you all…"

"Shuckle!" Shelly cried out and it forced the happiness in the moment to die away as I watched him turn away from our hug and face the person they'd all been angry at. My eyes widened when I saw him. He stood there with his own set of surprised eyes and his eyes met mine. They were frozen, locked in place. It was only a cry from Ticky that brought me back to my senses. I felt Sunrise jump onto my shoulders and lay down there while her eyes were settled on Aaron, ready to attack, as well as the others if they got the chance.

"What are you doing here Aaron?" I growled at him. But why wouldn't I? He betrayed our friendship and all my trust I had in him when he forced himself on me however long ago it was.

"Gwyn…" he lowered her head away from me. "I…"

I narrowed my eyes at him, not that it really did any good since he wasn't looking at me, but it seemed as if he could feel the intensity of my gaze that bore into him. My furious glare due to his betrayal. I saw him flinch and move away, it didn't seem to help him in the form of explaining things to me.

"I… I came here… to talk…"

"You mean you actually want to talk instead of attacking me? Instead of molesting me with your mouth?"

"Gwyn! You know I would never-"

"Well you might as well done that since you trampled all over my trust for you as my best friend and brother and stole my first kiss from me!"

"Okay stop!" He put his hands out before him and held it up in a motion of stopping. I breathed heavily as I paused and waited for his excuse for what he did. "I'm not going to do this like I've done in the past; I'm going to do this right this time."

"There's a right way to do 'this'?" I questioned with a heavy sarcastic tone. Aaron sighed.

"Yes, there is." Aaron looked me square in the eye with a determined look I hadn't seen for a while. All I'd seen is worry and anger. "There is no excuse for what I did. I was out of control and an ass. I should have never treated you like I did and I don't expect you to forgive me, but I need to say I'm sorry. I really am."

I blinked in confusion and weariness as I watched him from within my horde of powerful pokemon that were all still growling at Aaron. What was he up to?

"I'm not up to anything, if that's what you're thinking." I gasped in surprise when he gave me a soft smile with that remark. "I know I messed up things big and I should have never gotten in the way of your dream, but I let my emotions get the better of me and I ruined everything. I don't expect you to forgive me, hell… I don't expect you to ever speak another word to me in all my life!"

He shook his head and sighed before I saw him pull out a pokeball and out came pidgeot. It looked at its trainer angrily before it sighed and its gaze turned to more of a worried one.

"I really am sorry Gwyn, that's all I wanted to tell you before I leave for a while. Well… that and something else. I know you may not want to hear this, but I wanted to also wish you luck on your next gym badge since you here in Blackthorn City, and if I don't see you again before you go for your Pokѐmon League challenge, I wanted to wish you luck on that as well."

I couldn't help but stare in wonder at this boy-no, young man that stood before me. He was mature, owned up to his mistakes and was wishing me luck instead of begging me not to do anything or trying to hold me back.

"…Who are you and what have you done with Aaron?"

"It is really me Gwyn; I just came to realize how much of an ass I've been all this time." He shook his head. "As much as it kills me to say this, you should know that I think Tristan would be a good match for you, even if I really don't like him. He's a good person and I know he'd never hurt you, and he'd support you in every way since he practically sees you as some sort of amazing goddess or something." He shook his head and quickly grabbed onto his pokemon. "I really should get out of here before something else weird happens and you get mad at me. So… good luck and maybe I'll see you later."

He took off without another word. Pidgeot flew off with Aaron holding onto its back feathers and he disappeared in the mountains.

I turned back to look at my pokemon once he was gone. "What the heck just happened?"

HalloweenWitchHalloweenWitch

Aaron had greatly confused with me with the way he acted this morning when he talked to me. Since then I'd gathered my team and we were spending some time by a lake that was perfect for everyone to rest in, not to mention for Scarlet to get a good drenching for her body since she needed that type of habitat to live in, even if she was able to be out of the water for a given amount of time.

Violet had met up with me later on with my mother while the others gave us some space to talk, just between us girls. The boys would be looking for Aaron and talking with him about what's going on with him, or something like that. While I was talking with them, they told me that I'd been out for almost three days since they found me. It annoyed me greatly since this was the third or fourth accident I've had since I began my journey, and where I'd gotten hurt, and most of those injuries seem to happen with my head.

We were also in the city of Blackthorn. Violet and Tristan had brought me here the day they found me rather then take me all the way back to Mahogany Town. It made it much easier to head over to the next gym and also get my next gym badge, which at first my mother and Violet were against because of the strain it would put on my head, and I'd apparently be dealing with one of the most hard-headed gym leaders in all the regions combined: Clair Ethelinda. She was a dragon type gym leader and from what I heard from Violet, even if you do beat her in a battle, you have to complete some task of hers before she'll let you have a badge. The last time someone got a badge from her was almost two or three years ago, not since Violet challenged here last for some training.

"Are you sure you'll be okay Gwyn? Maybe you should have another day to rest and get more of your strength back." My mother nervously fidgeted with my hair as she walked with Violet and I to Clair's gym.

"Mom, for the last time, I'm fine!" I gently swatted her hand away. "And stop doing that! I'll end up turning bald at the rate that you're tugging and twisting my hair."

"Please relax a bit Mrs. Jalen, we'll be right there in case anything happens to her. We'll be watching the match from just up in the stands." Violet reminded my mother and put a reassuring arm around my waist since Sunrise occupied my shoulders. "You'll get to see how amazing your daughter and her team are and how powerful they are!"

"And I'll get my final badge!" I grinned at that. "I'm gonna get it and then train to beat the Pokѐmon League!"

"You and many others have that dream sweetie," my mother reminded me. "But do your best and we'll see how fate decides to take your dream."

"We're here Gwyn." I looked up before me and saw the large gym that seemed to be right in the side of a mountain. Statues of dragons were placed outside of it and its walls, from the outside, seemed to be black with some red accents. I pushed the doors open and stepped inside the gym, taking a good look around before my eyes settled on the battlefield before us. It was like a shallow lake in the middle of this field with platforms that were attached to the ground and tall pillars off against the walls that kept the ceiling up. Fire was burning in small metal pits that hung before each of the pillars, creating the only light in the gym with no windows.

The doors slammed shut behind us and I whipped my head back to look at them lock for a moment before I turned back to the field. A young woman walked out there that was dressed in some kind of material that covered all parts of her body that needed to be, but was cut off on her top half as a sleeveless top would, and as shorts would on the bottom, but all one piece. It was a light blue. She also had a shade darker boots and gloves on and a dark black cape with a maroon underside. Her eyes were blue and at the base of her neck was a large pearl like piece that was a pale light blue while she had on a set of gold diamond shaped earrings. Her hair was almost a sky blue color and very long, which was held back in a tail while other shorter pieces framed her hard looking face, which made her look older then I bet she really was.

"Welcome challenger, I am Clair Ethelinda and I am the gym leader of Blackthorn City, you being here gives me the impression that you're here for a battle, yes?" The woman stepped into her box on the other side of the field and watched me. "And you are?"

"Gywn Jalen, I'm here for my final gym badge needed to enter the Pokѐmon League challenge." I stepped forward into my own trainer box on the opposite side of the field.

"Your last badge… Gwyn Jalen…" Clair smiled to herself before she looked up at me with a grin. "I've been waiting for this battle. To see if a child such as yourself is really all that."

I blinked at her in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"I can hold my own against the Elite Four, I've only loss a select few times to only the worthiest of trainers, and that included Johto Champion Lance and Kanto Champion Violet, who apparently came to watch our show."

"Oh don't mind me Clair," Violet smirked from up in the stands where she now had my mother and herself placed. All of her pokemon released themselves and watched us from over in the bleachers. "Show us an awesome battle, girls!"

"And that we shall, but I already know who the victor is going to be." Clair snorted and threw out her first pokeball. "Let's go Gyarados!"

Out from her pokeball that she threw came a blue version of Scarlet. It roared out and took a place against us in the water on the other side of the field.

Now who should I use against you?

"If you don't mind, hurry it up." Clair snorted from her side of the field. "I'd like my win now."

"Your win?" I was flabbergasted at her. "Who said it was your win? We haven't even started the match yet! I haven't even chosen my pokemon!"

"It doesn't matter, I know I won't lose to a child like you." Clair, for some strange reason, turned her gaze to Violet and my mother. "Even Violet had trouble with dealing with me as a trainer; it was only luck that graced her victory."

"Shut up." I felt my arm shaking as Clair raised an eye brow on the other side of the field. "No one ever knows the conclusion of a battle until it's faced! And Violet would never have a hard time facing you! She's an amazing trainer! I bet she beat you with a single pokemon that entirely destroyed your team!"

"Why you…!" I never heard the rest of her words; I was taken over by my own fury and that of my pokemon who valued Violet as a friend and strong opponent that even we were not quite ready to face you. She was a strong individual that could and would never be beaten, not for a long time. To hear this woman sputtering such lies about her made me sick.

All of my pokemon suddenly released themselves from their pokeballs and before all of us appeared Scarlet who took a stand before Clair's. She screeched out and Clair had to hold onto the ground around her to actually stick around for the battle.

"My baby!" I heard my mother scream out.

"Gwyn! Calm down! You're turning into a changeling!" Violet screeched out.

I honestly didn't care.

I felt something extend from my arms and legs and back and I felt that they were fins when I looked. They were a pale red color while my hair turned a scarlet red, just like that of Scarlet's scales. I felt my teeth get pointier and my eyes felt sharper, I noticed things even more then I had before with my other vision. Even in the dim lighting I could see dust particles moving in the air around us.

I snorted when I felt my change was complete, not to mention I felt I had better control over myself compared to last time. "Let's do this Scarlet; no one gets away with insulting our friends!"

"Gya!" She cried out and whipped around her tail. The other gyarados saw that as a challenge and swung around its tail too. The two of them collided and Scarlet apparently had more strength as she shoved it down onto the ground and screeched out again in anger, which she also seemed to feed off from me and my own and that of all my other pokemon.

"Gyarados!" Clair called out in surprise and worry to her pokemon, but I didn't give her a chance to attack.

"Now Scarlet! Use thunder and send that pokemon packing!" Scarlet cried out and from her body came an electrical charge that she sent flying back at her opponent. The opposing gyarados cried out in pain as its body flung around and soon came crashing down into the ground. Clair watched in fear and shock as the pokemon didn't get back up with the small sprouts of electricity jumping off its body still.

"I guess Clair better watch what she says from now on," I heard Violet say.

"Why is that?" my mother questioned worriedly.

"Because Gwyn's just jumped another level in power, she apparently now is deeply within her anger and has figured out, to a certain degree, how to control her changeling abilities." I watched from the corner of my eye, without having to turn my head from the position it was already in, as Violet sat back down where she had previously been standing up and prepared to take me down should I have lost control. She crossed her arms and her legs as she glanced out onto the field. "This should be a quick battle, and most certainly not with the ending that Clair has planned out."

Tristan's Point of View:

Alex, Vince and I were on the fast track to following after Aaron and finding out what the hell he was doing. No one exactly knew what was going through his head right now since he drastically changed in such a short period of time. While I still hated the idiot for what he did and it'd probably be never that I'd forgive him, Gwyn still needed him, even if she herself didn't realize it. That and we also sadly had to make sure the idiot didn't kill himself, wherever he was.

Vince had allowed me to fly on the back of his moltres with him while we looked over head to the long routes of forty-five and forty-six through the mountains and valleys in the direction Gwyn had said Aaron had taken off in. He could be in any one of the small caves that were here in the mountains or the mountain path that led down south along the same pathway as the routes, but it would be inside the mountain instead and also below ground, away from all of us to see, but seeing as he left off on his pidgeot, its probably safe to assume that he's still flying on that bird.

A sudden 'kaw' grabbed out attention and looking out ahead, we saw that the idiot was out there on his bird, flying down south just as we'd predicted. I saw him turn back his head and he looked me square in the eye before I saw him look back down to his bird pokemon, talking to it, which I couldn't hear, and the pidgeot started to fly down to the ground.

It landed just before a small pond and an entrance to the internal mountain path. Vince and Alex followed after his lead on their own flying pokemon and once we hit the ground, we jumped off and walked over to Aaron who sighed atop of his flying pokemon before he looked over at us.

"Hey guys, what's up?"

"What's up? That's all you can say? No questions?" In raised my eye brow at him. "You don't want to know why we were following you? You don't want to know why we're even here?"

"I'm guessing it has to do with what I did to Gwyn, and my appearance at the hospital where she was resting."

"Actually, no Aaron," Alex told him. "We're here because we wanted to find out why you were leaving."

"Leaving? I'm only heading back to New Bark Town." He shook his head. "I just wanted to give Gwyn some space. I know she really needs it after what I did. I was an ass and I know it, so I'm doing what's right. I apologized to her and then I left so she could have time to think things over and so I wouldn't end up pissing her off again."

"Why?" I demanded a reply from him.

"I already know I've lost her. I've betrayed her in that field so far beyond repair that if I can at least get our friendship back, that would almost be pushing at the boundaries all over again." He shook his head and snorted. He hid his eyes behind his hands and I saw the tears slip past them. "I should have known we never would have been able to go out, or that we weren't made for each other. I was too energetic for her; I kept annoying her so far beyond the point of annoyance that I'm surprised she didn't kill me by now, even with her beliefs and what not."

He pulled away his hands and looked directly at me. "You're a better match for her Tristan, as much as I hate to admit that to you." I blinked in surprise, but he continued on. "Your just the right amount of energy for her to deal with, you two hardly have any disagreements, and that only seems to happen when it comes to Team Rocket or when she gets hurt. Gwyn's fascinated by you and if I didn't know any better… I think she likes you just as much as you her."

"But… why would she like me? Why are you giving up?'

"I already said, I ruined any chance I would have had, and that still would have been much too slim. Gwyn only thinks of me, or I should say she used to think of me, as a brother." He closed his eyes for a moment before looking up to the vast, blue sky. "While she cared about me, that didn't mean she loved me in the way that I wanted her to love me back. You…" He glanced back at me. "You're the one that has the better chance then I do. Just promise me this, don't break her heart and love her as much as you can."

"I…I-" I wasn't exactly sure what to say to him. Here we were coming up to tell him how he shouldn't leave Gwyn because she still needs him and here he is practically giving me advice as to swoon her and make her my own. "I… I have no idea what to say to this."

"Then don't say anything and go back and watch her match." Aaron walked over to me and patted my shoulder. "You're a good guy Tristan, sorry if I ever made it seem otherwise of my opinion." He hurried back over to his pokemon. "I'm still going to head back to my home town; if Gwyn wants to talk to me, I'll be waiting for her there. I won't force her through, and please don't force her."

Without another word, he took off. He left the three of us stunned and honestly worried for our (I think) friend.

Gwyn's Point of View:

"Dragonair! Hang in there!" Clair was on the ropes as Scarlet simply played with her pokemon and tossed them aside. Her gyarados was already through and the dragonair that she also had quickly followed with it. I was facing the most powerful gym leader, and I was toying with her and her pokemon. Oh well, this match may have been more interesting if she hadn't infuriated all of my pokemon and myself. Now she has to deal with the factor of all of us extremely angered at her and she hasn't made a single bit of head way in yet. Not a single hit has been made on Scarlet and she hardly tired.

"Return Dragonair." Clair sighed and bit the inside of her lip as she called back her pokemon, and she was now down to one. My arms were still crossed as I watched her angrily on the other side of the field. She was down to her final pokemon, and I was waiting on it to finish her off and get my badge. I still didn't like her, and I doubt I ever would.

"This is impossible… I can't believe this is happening…" Clair glared over at me while she pulled out a final pokeball. "I won't loose here, and this is where I'll turn this around! Go Kingdra!" Out from a pokeball came a large seahorse looking pokemon with fancy looking wings and extended bones covered in a thin layer of skin were on its wings and head. It had a long snout which it huffed when it saw us and it was a light blue in color with a pale, darker yellow under belly and red eyes.

I pulled out my pokedex for a moment to see what this pokemon was. Kingdra, the dragon pokemon and the evolved form of seadra. It is said that is usually hides in underwater caves. It can create whirlpools by yawning. It's said to cause tornadoes as it wakes. There are no known nests in this region for kingdra.

With my craving of knowledge for this pokemon out of the way I looked back out onto the battlefield. Apparently Clair had decided to start without me and that seemed to be her own mistake. Her pokemon kept trying to hit at Scarlet, but seemed to be having no luck penetrating her thick scales, not to mention her large pride and determination to defeat them. Scarlet wasn't about to go down any time soon, and neither was I.

"Kingdra use hyper beam!" A large beam of light left the mouth of our opponent. Scarlet simply stayed where she was and took the hit. As she was engulfed by the light, I felt through our connection for whether she was okay or nor, and I felt no pain. The light soon vanished and Scarlet was still standing. She was quite angrily at the move that was used before her. Clair's eyes were wrecked with fear and rage.

"This can't be happening!"

"It can and it is Clair," I spoke with no remorse to the woman who'd infuriated us all. With Scarlet's eyes nearly glowing in rage, she cried out once more, ready to fully destroy the last pokemon on the field. "Finish it Scarlet, outrage!"

With a war-raging cry, Scarlet's eyes glowed a furious blackish red color before she dived into the shallow water and a tail swung out of its surface. The tail hit the kingdra head on and threw it up into the air before the tail of Scarlet's snapped forward and wrapped itself around the flying pokemon before chucked its body down into the water. I heard it cry out on impact.

Clair could only watch in horror as the scene continued on and she was forced to watch in silence as her pokemon took the beating and she was unable to do anything against it since she apparently had lost her voice and all movement to her fears. I shook my head. She was done…

"Enough Scarlet, bring the pokemon up and give it back. We've won here." With a last slash of the tail that hit the water, Scarlet stopped her attack and gently lifted the body of the kingdra to where Clair stood. She slowly watched as her pokemon was placed before her and then left for her to deal with. She dropped to her knees when she saw the true and painful damage that had been done during the time that she'd been submerged in her fears.

"NO!" Clair shouted finally once her fears had begun to wear off. "No! I can't lose! I can't believe I lost to a child!"

"Technically you've lost to two children Clair, since I was her age when I beat you too." Violet grinned from her side of the field and I finally felt myself calm down from my high that I was on of anger. I felt the features of a changeling slowly fade away and I smiled back at her, heck, I even grinned lightly.

"I don't care! I won't give her my badge since she's not worthy!" Clair huffed and turned her back to us. "If you want to prove yourself and get my badge, take the dragon master challenge and go into the cave at the back of the town, on the other side of the lake. A shrine to our tribe is there where an elder is. Speak with him and he'll tell you if you've passed and gotten my badge, or failed and get sent home packing!"

"Whatever… grumpy." I saw the woman flare up as soon as I said that and I back tracked out of her gym with my pokemon, Violet and my mother in toe. All of our larger pokemon had been returned, but some smaller ones were still out and that included Ticky, Sunrise, Amber, Chalcedony and Shelly.

"Alright, let's get going and pass this test for my badge!"

HalloweenWitchHalloweeenWitch

Following after the few instructions that the sour leader had given me before hand, my mother, Violet and I went to the back of the city to where we saw a wooden pillar gate of red wood that apparently led into the mountains. We walked through that and entered the practically glowing cave from below.

Once I got a good look out to where all the light was coming from deep in the cave, I was amazed by the beauty of this place. An underground lake sat in the middle of it with glowing rocks all over the place and small, hung, pits of fire to light the path that led around it and then to the shrine that was on the other side.

I looked over at Violet and my mother. "Let's go."

With a nod from both of them I called out Scarlet, she landed into the lake with the other magikarp that were already in there and some dratini and even a few gyarados. We didn't bother them and they us, so we kept on moving forward. The lake was crystal clear and you could practically see to the very bottom, only thanks to the glowing rocks that were below the surface and the fact that this cave wasn't all that deep compared to the ocean. Some vegetation was down here as well from the bits of long grass, moss and flowers that I could see from down here.

"This place is beautiful…" my mother gasped in amazement.

"This is where the Ethelinda dragon clan of Blackthorn City resides," Violet explained. "It's their training ground that's kept hidden and protected from most people that are not of their tribe, much like the hidden tribe of the Noxious poison clan in Kanto's Fuchsia City."

"You've been here before, right Violet?" I turned my head around to face her.

"Of course, Clair couldn't believe I beat her either, especially with only Zircon." The young woman shook her head. "No, she made me take the dragon master challenge as well, and I beat it, became a member of their clan, and got Clair's badge." Another shake of her head and a yawn escaped her. "Clair doesn't often loose, but even so, it's even rarer for her to ask someone to take the dragon challenge, thought I wasn't surprised when she gave it to you. She gives it to trainers that beat her and are either around her age or younger, something about since she's older it's ensured her victory over them."

"That's stupid."

"Well duh, but she's not going to admit to it." The woman chuckled. "Clair is the most stubborn person in her clan, even though she was trained by her older cousin Lance, the current champion of Johto. Anyway, I'm getting off track here, what I've been trying to say is that, if Clair believes you fit to take the challenge, its not just because your younger then her, since this is such a rare opportunity in itself. Clair must have some faith in you, even though I know she didn't show it."

"Got that right," I muttered that line under my breath.

It was another few moments before Scarlet landed us on the other side of the lake, on a small little deck like dock that was attached to the small shrine building. We stepped off of Scarlet and I returned her after telling her job well done. I felt a hand on my shoulder before I could open the door and saw it was Violet.

"Once we get inside Gwyn, I can't help you with your own task or quiz, whatever the elder decides to do with you, so we'll be there, but silent. Don't look to us for answers; I could get you instantly failed that way." I nodded to her and she lifted her hand as I opened the door.

It was entirely dark inside. Our only light sources were two pits of fire that were hug like all the others. I heard Violet close the door behind us and as my eyes adjusted to the limited amount of light, I saw that there were other older men here in the building. Three of them to be exact, but one of them stood out from the others, which was the one dressed in red and black robes on the far side of the building. The old men looked up at me as I stepped inside, the elder of them looked up as well and smiled when he saw me approach. I glanced back to look at Violet and my mother and their pokemon who could only nod to me in encouragement before I turned my head back to the elder.

"And what is your name and your reason for being here young miss?" The elder questioned me with a gaze that frightened poor Shelly in my arms. I tried to clam him before I turned back to the elder.

"My name is Gwyn Jalen. I'd beaten Clair at her gym and she requested me take the dragon master challenger here before she would admit that I had defeated her and was worthy of the gym badge."

"I see… very well." He walked toward me. "Then answer me one single question my dear, what are your pokemon to you?"

"What exactly do you mean by that? Can you elaborate any?"

"Don't try to make the question more in itself then it isn't. Just answer it to the best of your abilities."

"What I think of my pokemon…" I looked down and around to all my pokemon and thought of the others. Cynder, my fire misfit; Shocker, temperamental electrocuter; Ticky, the baby of the family; Sunrise, my graceful and temperamental psychic type; Shelly, my berry eater; and Scarlet, my temperamental water dragon.

That a lot of temperamental pokemon on my team…

But never mattered to me, because they only acted that way toward others who refused to understand them or give them a chance like I had. In a sense, I was their savior, but they were mine as well. They were always there for me, getting me out of tight jams and protecting me and others when we needed it most. People may call them all insane; I call them my understanding family.

They are my family; my sisters, my brothers, my little daughter. We're all a huge family that looks after and protects one another. While they fight physically, I fight mentally. They protect me with their strength, and I guard their hearts and them from other humans who just don't understand. If it wasn't for me, many of them probably would have been put down from just the way they acted. I could see that happening to… all of my pokemon, even Shelly from his fear of humans and if he may lash out at them if he had been left out to the wild after I'd saved him.

But I'd never let that happen, I'll stay alive until they've all passed on to that eternal plane where they can run happy and free, and only then will I join them when I know they've all happily and safely gone there first, so no one here in the human would could hurt them.

"They're my family." I looked back up to face the elder. "They're my family, and just like any family out there, we fight for each other and protect one another, no matter what. They're irreplaceable and invaluable because I would never give them away or value them as anything less then a family. We don't have to be crazy strong or have a will to keep fighting, it doesn't matter if we are weak, because when we come together, we can overcome any obstacle that faces us and that's when we become strong, when we stand as one rather then seven."

"Is that your answer?" the elder questioned me as he actually looked back and I could see the smile forming on his face.

"Yes sir."

"Then… you have passed my dear. Congratulations."

"Really?" I gasped and my hands quickly covered my mouth.

"Yes, Clair should be here shortly, when she does-" he was cut off by the door opening. There, standing in the doorway, was 'miss grumpy' herself. She had a grin set upon her face as she strode into the shine building. "Ah Clair, just who I was waiting on."

"Afternoon Grandfather." She bowered her head to him before she looked snooty like over at me and my pokemon, who all growled at her. "And Gwyn Jalen, have you had your test yet?"

"I have."

"I bet you failed from the look you're giving me!"

"No Clair," her grandfather and the elder said to her. She turned to him in surprise. "This young girl has passed, what I believe she is unhappy about is you from the way you treat her. No different then her pokemon don't seem to like you either."

"What!" She screamed out, thrusting a finger in my direction. "There's no way that girl passed! She was violent and over-confident and she's a changeling! How could she know the meaning of her pokemon to her?"

"Being a changeling already gives me that answer Clair. She understands her pokemon and what they mean to her more then you ever will." Her grandfather gave her an ugly eye. "Now give her the badge she has earned. She deserves it after what she's gone through with dealing with you."

I couldn't help but snort a laugh at that, which I hid behind my hand. Clair glared at me, but sighed and walked over to me.

"Fine, here's my badge. It's the rising badge, and the last badge you'll need before getting into the pokemon league." She handed me a black badge that was in the shape of a dragon head with small black eyes and white fangs. I smiled at the badge and put it with my others before looking back up at the woman. "You better do something with your life if you were able to beat me, or I'll never accept it."

"You aren't accepting it now!" The nerve of this woman!

"No, I've accepted it now with my grandfather's consent, but you better become the champion or a gym leader or something big if you beat me." I sighed; there was no getting through to this woman.

"Fine, but we better get going then. I've got some last minute training I need to get in before I go to the Pokѐmon League." I bowed to the elder. "Thank you for allowing me into your clan, I promise I won't let you down."

"You couldn't if you tried my dear, you understand the underlying rule of pokemon, so long as you remember that, I don't fear you could ever let us down." The elder smiled and he walked over to me with the cane he had next to him. He hugged me in his thing, boney arms and kissed my cheek in friendly fashion. "Now go my dear, your journey has not ended yet."

"Right!"

HalloweenWitchHalloweenWitch

We'd left the Dragon's Den, the location of where I too had passed my dragon master challenge, and headed back out into the city, getting ready to head south back to my home town and train for a short while before I'd head up to the Pokѐmon League.

"Violet! Gwyn! Mrs. Jalen!" We were just about to head out when we saw the boys coming toward us. Tristan and Vince jumped off of the fire bird while Alex jumped off his electric bird and hurried over to his girlfriend. With a passionate kiss to her, he hugged her and settled down before he took her hand in his, each finger laced together.

Vince pretended to cough. "Whipped." Alex glared over at him with furious eyes, moments away from a changeling transformation, Vince the same way, but in a more playful manor, before Violet stepped between the boys and used her free fist to hit them both over the head. They both cried out in pain, but Violet kissed her boyfriend's wound while her brother flipped out at her.

"Why are you kissing his head and leaving mine?" Vince growled.

"What, you want to kiss your boo-boo too?" Violet's mockery was enough to get us all laughing right when we needed it.

"Gwyn?" My attention was draw to Tristan as the others were laughing about in their group.

"What is it Tristan?"

"I know you may not want to hear this, but Aaron's back in your home town." He slowly said the words and was careful about what he said to make sure I wouldn't get mad. "He said that if you still didn't want to talk to him after all that's taken place, he understood and would leave you be, but he wanted to let you know he was there so if you wanted to talk things over with him, you can."

"Oh…" I slowly nodded to his words and took them in. I didn't know yet if I'd been happy with that information now or not, knowing that my (I'm not sure if I should call him an 'ex' or not) best friend was back in my home town and waiting on my answer.

But he never said that I had to come to him, heck, he said he'd understand if I never wanted to talk to him again. That gave me a whole bunch of time to think about what I wanted to do while I trained and got myself ready for the Pokѐmon League.

"I… I guess its better to know then not. I'll think about that as we go home and during the time I spend there." I sighed slightly and walked ahead of Tristan slightly before I looked back to him. "Walk with me? I want to waste as much time as I can before we get home."

He walked up next to me and nodded. "Sure." It was then that I took his hand in my own; I just needed someone to hold onto. He seemed shocked that I did it, but he didn't pull his hand away.

And while the others still were talking back in the middle of the street, Tristan and I walked hand in hand down the mountain side, enjoying each other company in silence.

Witch's Note:

Alright! Another chapter done and we're getting more into the good stuff now! It's almost time for another set of teens to get together! Oh it won't be long now! I can't wait, but it will be soon! That I promise you!

Alright now, did anyone expect Clair to be as sour as she was? I know that she was in the game, not so much in the anime, but I'd like to know what you guys think about that.

Alright, now I'll stop blabbing and let you guys enjoy this chapter while I work on the next! I can't wait for it either! Love you all and please remember to Review and send in Questions for me and the characters! We only have nine chapters left!

Halloween Witch