Flight, Fight to the Finish
It was morning and Emily was ready for her gym battle. The boys were just as excited. They came to the Violet gym, but before they could pass through the door, a Pidgeot came and landed in front of them. On his back was a young man with navy blue hair. "Welcome," he greeted. "I apologize if my Pidgeot startled you."
"No, not at all," Emily insisted. "I think it's beautiful. Look at the colors and the texture of the wings. I can tell you're very close with your Pokémon."
The young man nodded. "Bird Pokémon are truly marvelous. They're brave and reliable. And the only thing better than seeing a flying-type Pokémon in action is being in action with it; soaring the skies alongside them."
"I agree," said Emily. "Bird Pokémon are magnificent."
The boy explains why he's so passionate about flying-type Pokémon by saying ever since he was a child, he had a dream of flying in the sky. He also had a hobby of hang gliding because he thought it would help him understand flying-type Pokémon better.
Emily remembers her manners. "Pardon me, but I don't think we've introduced ourselves. My name is Emily and these are my friends Yugi, Joey, and Kaiba."
The young man's eyes widened. "You don't mean the four champions of Duel Monsters?"
"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Joey said modestly, "but we are heroes and idols when it comes to the game."
"It's truly amazing to meet every one of you. I'm Falkner, the Violet City gym leader," he said, shaking their hands. That was even more surprising, even for Falkner. He didn't usually become acquainted with trainers and become friends with them before finding out they would be challengers. Nonetheless, he gladly accepted Emily's challenge and took her and the boys to the roof of the gym.
The referee made his announcement. "The challenge between Emily, the challenger and Falkner, the Violet gym leader, will now begin. At stake is the Zephyr badge. Each will use three Pokémon and only the challenger will be permitted to substitute Pokémon. Battle begin!"
Falkner made the first move by calling on Hoothoot. Emily decided to try something simple like battling with Luna. For the first move, Luna charged with a Tackle attack. Hoothoot dodged and took flight. He dived down and used Tackle on Luna and began pecking at her. Luna tried to fight back with Swift, but Hoothoot evaded it and was ready to make the same move again. To avoid getting tackled again, Luna rolled over. When Hoothoot was coming in again, Luna charged in with a Quick Attack. When their attacks collided, both Pokémon got knocked out.
"Well, it's not too bad," said Joey. "Now both trainers have two Pokémon remaining."
"Maybe, but I don't think the match is going in Briar's favor," said Kaiba. "Bird Pokémon are known for their speed and strength. They may be graceful, but they can use that to their advantage to fight like the predators they are. A bird Pokémon won't let anything bring it down."
"I wouldn't count Emily out yet," said Yugi. "She believes in her Pokémon and they believe in her too."
Emily knew that if she wanted a good advantage when it would come to type and level, she would have to call on the Pokémon she had been training. So she tossed the Pokéball and Sylphid came out. Falkner called on a three-headed bird called Dodrio. Emily wasn't expecting this. Of all Pokémon, why Dodrio? It can't even fly. Falkner was ready to surprise his opponent. He decided to let Emily make the first move. Sylphid tried to charge in with a Quick Attack. His speed had certainly improved since he evolved. Unfortunately, Dodrio was faster. It couldn't fly, but it could jump at a great height. Dodrio began jabbing Sylphid with all three of its beaks as it used Fury Attack. Without giving Sylphid a chance to fight back, Dodrio used Drill Peck. Normally, flying-type attacks weren't very effective on electric-type Pokémon, but Sylphid was taking a good amount of damage from those jabs. Dodrio was about to finish him off with a Tri Attack, but Sylphid dodged and jumped on Dodrio and launched his Thunder Shock. Dodrio tried to get back on its feet, but the electric attack took its toll and knocked it out.
Proud of his Pokémon, Falkner called back Dodrio and called upon Pidgeot. Sylphid was in no condition to keep battling, so Emily called him back and sent Shade to take it from here. With Pidgeot in the air, Shade tried to attack with Swift. But Pidgeot sent the attack away with a Whirlwind. Emily decided to try a different approach by having Shade confuse Pidgeot. But the bird was too far away for Shade to focus and aim. Pidgeot was diving down, giving shade the edge he needed. He used Confuse Ray to daze Pidgeot. The bird became confused, but he still ended up attacking Shade. With Pidgeot on the ground, Shade tried attacking with Bite. He held on to the wing, but Pidgeot shook him off while trying to use Whirlwind. At the same time, Pidgeot shook off his confusion and got back in the air. Shade tried to confuse Pidgeot again, but ended up getting hit with a Wing Attack. He was no longer able to fight.
Emily had no choice now. Sylphid was still recovering from the last battle, but Shade and Luna were both out of commission. She had to rely on him now. So she tossed the Pokéball and sent Sylphid back into battle. Sylphid was still a little out of it, but he hoped he would last long to end this battle. Falkner decided to take the match to the next level. He activated his Keystone and the Mega Stone on Pidgeot's collar glowed. The bird had now Mega Evolved. Pidgeot was coming in for a Quick Attack, but Sylphid ducked just in time. To pick up the pace, Pidgeot used Agility and tried another Quick Attack. There was no escape this time. Sylphid was just going to have to take the attack that was coming. Sylphid stood up on all four paws and gave everything he had to make it the strongest Thunder Shock he could give. Pidgeot began to slow down as he was reaching the ground. Sylphid jumped on Pidgeot's back and ended it with another Thunder Shock. Pidgeot tried to get up, but couldn't. He collapsed on the ground and the effects of Mega Evolution wore off. The match was over.
Watching from the sidelines, Yugi, Joey, and Kaiba cheered for Emily's victory. Even the rest of the family cheered for Luna, Sylphid, and Shade.
Falkner approached Emily and congratulated her. "You were smart to realize that there are certain attacks that can't be dodged when it comes to speed. Your Pokémon used that to their advantage and brought you to victory. It's clear that even Pokémon without wings can still have soaring spirits. You definitely earned the Zephyr badge," he says, presenting it to her.
"Thank you, Falkner," Emily says, taking the badge and cheering in triumph.
"I know I've said this before with many of my other opponents, but for every new challenge, I'm inspired to train hard and learn more," said Falkner. "That's the only way I can achieve my goal of becoming a flying Pokémon master. The best of luck to you in the Johto league."
"Good luck to you too." And Emily and Falkner shake hands.