Chapter 31
A Not-So-Flying Start
My friends and I were back on the road once again. First, we would be heading to Dendemille Town, where Serena hopes to earn her first Princess Key at the Showcase. Our next stop would be Anistar City, where we hoped to find a new Gym Badge, and in my case, a new Pure Heart. In doing so, we would all be one step closer to our dreams.
One day, we stopped at an open field for a short rest. Serena was brushing the hair on Solsol's back. "Good?" she asked, and she growled in confirmation.
"I wish I had hair…" Magearna muttered. "That looks so relaxing."
Serena held out another brush. "Perhaps you'd like to brush Braixen's tail for me?"
"Okay!"
While they were at that, I was in the midst of special training with my Pokemon. After I discovered my Fighting-type form at the PokeBall Factory, I had to wonder what other forms the Pure Hearts were hiding. I asked Cocoa to act as the Trainer for my Pokemon instead of me.
"Let's see…" I muttered as I thought of which Pure Heart to try. When I made my decision, I made the invocation. "Power of Poison!" I called out. The Sugilite Heart appeared above me and shone brightly as I transformed before everyone. My skin turned scaly and green, my hair seemed to disappear, being replaced by a hood of sorts, and my legs fused into a tail. I looked kinda like an Arbok, but with arms and claws.
"Looking good, Brianna!" Ash told me, "I mean… for a giant snake girl."
"Thankssss…" I replied. "Now, let'ssss get to sssspecial training. I'm counting on you, Cocoa!" And with that, the battle began.
"Lacey, use Psychic!" Cocoa called out. Lacey raised her ears, and the eye-like patterns on her inner ears glow blue in the center. I became outlined in light blue and Lacey lifted me up with her mind.
I tried to break free, but Lacey had a firm grip on me. Then I had an idea. "Ssssecret Power!" From my mouth, I spat out a large clot of purple fluid at Lacey. She released me and jumped out of the way.
I tried again to fire another shot at her, but… "Use Me First!" Cocoa called out. Lacey then formed a stream of the same purple fluid from her mouth. She landed a direct hit, but Poison-types are not very effective against themselves, such is the case with several other types.
"Exccccellent choicccce, Cocoa!" I commented as I reverted to my original form. "You would have made a great Pokemon Trainer!"
"I guess I had a great Trainer myself…" and we both shared a laugh.
Shortly afterwards, it was time for us to go. I had noticed that everyone was collecting their things and were counting their Pokemon. Then, Ash noticed something… "Wait… where's Hawlucha?" It had been a while since last we saw him.
'Look! Here he comes!' Diancie saw him pop out of the forest. He was carrying something large and purple. A closer look at the object, and we realized it was…
"A Pokemon Egg!" Clemont stated.
"I've never seen one before!" Serena commented.
"What kind of Pokemon is inside?" asked Bonnie.
"You can't tell just by looking at it…" James told her.
Ash then looked at the one who discovered the Egg. "Where'd you find this, buddy?" In response, he gestured for us to follow him back into the forest.
A short walk later, Hawlucha spoke and pointed. Squishy translated. 'He says he found it by that dead tree…'
Ash stepped forward with the Egg and looked around. "There's gotta be a nest around here somewhere…"
Suddenly, the Egg began to glow a warm yellow color. It surprised many of us. "What's happening?" Meowth asked.
Apparently, this was not the first Egg Ash had dent with. "It's about to hatch!" Quickly thinking, he tried to keep the Egg warm by wrapping his body around it. One by one, several of us did the same to help, including Ash's Fletchinder. Once he in particular wrapped his wings around it, it began to glow even brighter.
"Whoa…" Meowth muttered. "What's going on?"
"That's Fletchinder's Flame Body ability," Dexter explained. "Contact with the Pokémon causes Eggs to hatch significantly faster."
The Egg started to wobble and jump, and large cracks formed around the shell. Everyone stepped back to give the Egg more space as it hatched with Ash's lap. The Pokemon that hatched was mostly purple, with large ears and bat-like wings.
"What Pokemon is it?" Ash asked. Dexter was quick to answer.
Noibat
The Sound Wave Pokemon
A Flying and Dragon-type
Noibat can cause damage as well as create hearing problems for its opponents by emitting different sound wave frequencies from its ears and mouth.
As it finished explaining, Noibat perked its ears up and opened its eyes. Ash was the first one it saw. "Hi…" Ash spoke softly and gently rubbed the newborn's head.
The Noibat looked around and saw everyone looking down at it. Tears began to form in its eyes, and all of a sudden, it began to cry loudly… REALLY LOUDLY…
We all covered our ears. "THAT'S SUPERSONIC!" Dexter tried to shout over Noibat.
"NOIBAT! IT'S ALRIGHT!" Bonnie tried and stroked his head. But Noibat only cried even louder.
Then Ash did the exact same thing, but this time, Noibat stopped. "You don't have to cry. Everything's fine," he told him in a much calmer voice.
We were a little confused by how it worked for Ash instead of Bonnie. "Do you think Noibat sees Ash as its parent?" Cocoa asked.
"It is a possibility," James replied. "I have heard that certain creatures form a strong bond with the first creature they see."
"I'll bet you're hungry," Ash smiled.
Dexter then hovered over. "Though it seems vicious and carnivorous, a Noibat's typical diet consists of fruit."
"I think I saw a Berry tree back that way," Jessie pointed behind herself. "Why don't we give that a try?" The rest of us agreed to her suggestion.
Thankfully, her hunch was on the mark. Cocoa bounced up and snagged a Berry from the branches. As she presented it to him, Noibat aimed his ears at it for a second. Then he shook his head furiously, refusing to eat it.
"Are you sure? It's really yummy…" Cocoa took a bite to show her… and then immediately spat it out. "EWW! YUCK! EWW!"
"Noibat only eats ripened berries," Dexter pointed out. "It determines how ripe they are with soundwaves."
"Mow yuh thell meh…" Cocoa replied, her tongue still out.
The rest of our Pokemon then collected a large number of Berries for Noibat. He scanned them with his ears, But shook his head again. I guess none of them were ripe enough… except for one or two which Pikachu grabbed.
Shortly after his first meal, he started to wander a little in one direction. Clemont pointed out that he might be attempting to fly for the very first time. Noibat jumped and started flapping his wings. His first flight, unlike most other's… covered only twelve inches, but thankfully Ash was there to catch him.
"That's odd…" Clemont muttered. "They should be able to fly as soon as they hatch."
"I'm sure there's some trick to flying," Serena commented, "just like there's a trick to riding a bicycle."
"We have several flying creatures with us," Bonnie added, "including Brianna with her Flying-type form. I'm sure we can all teach Noibat how to fly!"
"Great idea, Bonnie! They could be great examples!" I told her. In the few seconds to follow, he and I released our Flying Pokemon.
Ash stepped forward to a clearing. "I think it would be best if we tried something simple like gliding. Hawlucha, would you like to demonstrate?" The Wrestling Pokemon nodded as he prepared herself. He took a running start, spread his wings and jumped, soaring about five or six feet before landing on a nearby rock. "See, Noibat? It's easy."
So Noibat decided to give it a try. He followed Hawlucha's example to the best of his ability, and he went even further than Hawlucha. As he glided down, Ash was able to catch him, praising him for his effort. That was when we noticed something nearby… There was a large hill nearby, with a steady breeze blowing across. This would be the perfect spot for riding the currents! Our Flying Pokemon were shortly up in the air, enjoying the altitude and encouraging Noibat to join them.
"Don't worry! If you fall, we'll be right here to catch you!" Ash's encouragement seemed to push him in the right direction. He jumped up and caught the wind, quickly gaining altitude. All of us were cheering for Noibat as he started to fly higher and higher.
Suddenly, three other flying Pokemon darted right through our group… specifically a Starly, a Staravia, and a Staraptor. One of them seemed to crash into Noibat by accident, making him lose his balance. As he fell, Ash ran under and caught him. The three other Pokemon left as though they failed to notice us.
"What was that about?" Ash asked angrily. He then noticed there was something man-made in the direction the three bullies were flying towards, so we decided to follow.
Soon, we arrived at what looked like some sort of sports event. There were bleachers, monitors, concession stands, and several Pokemon that can fly. It reminded Serena of the Rhyhorn Race.
We approached elderly man who stood nearby - one who kind of reminded me of Gym Leader Ramos. A large Noctowl stood at his right. "Excuse me, sir? What exactly is going on here?"
The man smiled at us. "You youngsters came all the way out here, and you don't even know what it is?"
"Nope. See we're on a journey…" Then we proceeded to introduce ourselves.
"Ornithol is the name," said the man. Then he proceeded to explain the setting. "What you see here is called the Pokemon Sky Relay - a flying competition held out here annually. Trainers and their teams of flying Pokemon come from all around to show they're the bigwigs, or should I say the 'big wings,' of the sky."
We then saw the tree Pokemon from before. They landed near the boy we assumed was their Trainer. "Nice flying out there! A new personal best! We're gonna do great tomorrow!"
We explained to Ornithol that we saw his Pokemon earlier. "That's Orson," he told us. "He's the previous Sky Relay winner, and he's come back to defend his title." Then Orinthol eyed Ash's Fletchinder, Hawlucha and Noibat. "Are these three yours?"
"Well, most of them are…" Then Ash explained how they recently found Noibat's Egg in the wild.
Orinthol looked at the three once again, seeing their personality… and smiled. "That's what I call spirit. I like it. So, how about this… Howzabout you join the Sky Relay too? I know this course like the back of my hand, and the only requirement is having three Pokemon that can fly."
The Kantonian thought about it for a second… "Maybe we should do it, guys."
"Daddy?" Magearna tugged on his shirt. "Are you sure about this? Noibat, too?"
"Sure! Win or lose, this would be perfect for Noibat to learn to fly!" Noibat let out a mild screech so as to agree.
Orinthol's cottage was not too far away from the race course. There Orinthol explained to us how the Sky Relay worked.
He set up a map on his blackboard and pointed to various locations. "Basically, the Sky Relay is a race around this plateau. Each of the three participating Pokemon are set up at a different checkpoint, and they begin their flight after receiving a sash from the previous Pokemon. Meanwhile, the Trainer guides their Pokemon from a balloon high above.
"From the starting gate, the first Pokemon makes his way into the forest in the west. Exceptional mobility and evasion is the key here. Looking and planning ahead is paramount; any drop in speed, and you haven't got a chance. After passing the sash off, the second Pokemon makes his way through the cliffs. It is the greatest challenge of the course, where carefulness is important. The third section is fairly easy - pretty much a straight line through a valley back to the starting gate. Even a newborn could fly through with ease… weather permitting, that is."
"Sounds simple enough," Ash commented as Orinthol concluded.
"The way you explained it," Jessie commented, "it sounds like you've had plenty of victories under your belt."
"I'll bet," James added, "that your dream has always been to be the best, win first prize, and set unbeatable records for all time!"
His face suddenly drooped down, as though he was disheartened by the praise given by him. "The truth is… I've never participated in the Sky Relay even once. I always wanted to, but I was never able to catch more than one flying Pokemon no matter how hard I tried."
The rest of us looked at each other in remorse. James spoke up again. "Sorry. I didn't mean to step on any toes."
"It's no trouble at all. Actual racing experience may have eluded me, but I haven't been watching all these many years for nothing. That's who I was hoping I could get help from strong, young Trainers like you, Ash. Will you help me make my dream come true?"
Ash simply smiled and said, "Yes, sir…" and soon they would formulate their strategy.
The next morning was the Pokemon Sky Relay. There was a huge crowd out there today, and the weather seemed to be perfect. The competing Pokemon completed their warmups and were in their positions across the course. One by one, their Trainers were starting to enter their balloons. Fletchinder, Staravia, and several other Pokemon were at the starting gate, waiting for the race to begin.
There was just one problem. One of the official Sky Relay balloons was not working… the one Ash was going to use. The burner system had gotten damaged in the transit from storage, and they could not repair it in time. Now, Ash was in danger of forfeiting the race before it even started.
"I know!" Ash smirked with confidence. He turned to Jessie and James. "We can use your balloon instead!"
They were a little embarrassed to say this… "We sold our balloon," Jessie explained. "It's probably somewhere over Santalune City by now."
Then I had an idea. I talked it over with one of the referees, who was surprisingly in favor of the suggestion. Then the two of us spoke with Ash about it, and although he was concerned about it, we eventually talked him into it.
. "All team's Pokemon proceed to the starting line!" called another referee. "Trainers, time to take flight!"
As the balloons rose, I summoned the power of my Pure Hearts… "Power of the Sky!" … and took my Flying-type form. Then, Ash carefully climbed onto my back and we elevated with the other Trainers. I could see a countdown appear on one of the screens…
10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…GO!
And the race had begun! All of the opposing Pokemon zoomed out of the starting gate, some leaving others in the dust. Fletchinder took an early lead, followed closely by Staravia.
"Off to a great start!" Ash smiled. "Let's keep close to Fletchinder, Brianna!"
"I'm on it!" I adjusted my wings and flew close to the racing action.
Within the first minute or two, the racers made it to the forest. One by one, they disappeared into the trees. It was difficult, but Ash was able to keep an eye on Fletchinder, though I had some trouble. Nearby, I could hear several of our rivals calling out to their Pokemon.
"Show me some speed, Combee!"
"Give it all you got, Ninjask!"
"Keep it up, Fletchinder!"
Suddenly, I could see a chaotic force plowing through behind the leaders. It was one of the rivals smashing through the trees - specifically a Hydreigon. I had to wonder if that was allowed, but then again, I did not hear any callouts from the referees. Hydreigon brute force was short lived, however, when he crashed into a tree that literally stood above the rest.
As the Hydreigon fell to the ground and out of the race, Berries and branches fell everywhere. We had to drop our speed to better evade the debris, but so did several others. An Altaria saw its chance and took the lead. By the end of the forest, Altaria was far ahead, followed closely by Staravia. Fletchinder was behind, but still in third place - a good position to be in.
I could see the first checkpoint ahead. There was Clemont, Bonnie and Hawlucha. Suddenly, I could see a Ninjask emerge from Altaria's fluff. Losing its balance, Altaria crashed below and was out. The hitchhiking Ninjask then passed its sash to a Honchkrow, and it took off. Shortly afterwards, Staravia and Staraptor did the same, and then Fletchinder and Hawlucha. Clemont and Bonnie tended to Fletchinder's weary body while we focused our attention on the next leg of the Sky Relay.
Honchkrow was still ahead, but Staraptor and Hawlucha were closing in fast. It seemed that the others were left so far behind we did not have to worry about them anymore. The Honchkrow proved to be even stronger than I imagined. It was smashing through the rocks like a wrecking ball.
"We can't fall behind any further!" Orson called out from behind us. His Staraptor tried to catch up, but could not close the gap between them.
Then Ash had an idea. "Hawlucha! The rocks! Use the Rocks!" I did not understand what he meant until after I saw it. The Wrestling Pokemon was using the Rocks like a springboard to increase its own speed. It worked like a charm, having Hawlucha pass Staraptor like he was sitting there.
In no time, Hawlucha and Honchkrow were neck and neck. But the latter was not going to allow it. It banked hard and tried to slam Hawlucha into the cliff.
"Hey!" I called out. "Is that even legal?"
"Don't quit! Hang in there!" Ash encouraged his partner.
Hawlucha tried to fight back but to little avail. Then it had its own idea. Waiting for the right moment, Hawlucha dove down to evade Honchkrow, and the offender dove into a small cave… too small. Honchkrow's head was stuck in the cave mouth and out of the race.
Shortly after that, we arrived at the second checkpoint, where Noibat was waiting with Serena and Magearna. Hawlucha slid to a halt and bequeathed his sash to Noibat. "You ready, Noibat?" asked Ash, and the little one called out in affirmative. "Great! Then take off!" He got a good run and flew off. Shortly afterward, Staraptor arrived and passed his sash on to Starly. It all came down to this…
Noibat had a tremendous lead thanks to Hawlucha, and it would seem that Starly was unable to close the gap. We were poised to win it all.
Or so we thought…
As Noibat flew over a steep drop, a large gust of wind blew from below, sending him out of control. Orson's chance had come. "Starly! Fold your wings!" he called out. Taking advantage of the sudden situation, Starly dove through the current and into the lead. Meanwhile, Noibat failed to recover and began to fall.
"Keep it together, Noibat!" Ash instructed. "Straighten your wings, and regain your balance!"
Hearing his voice, Noibat did precisely as told. He was back in the game and closing in fast. Now, Starly and Noibat were practically neck to neck next to each other. It was gonna be close.
They crossed the finish line…
"Starly wins by a nose!" the announcer called out. "Orson wins the Pokemon Sky Relay!"
Ash and I landed nearby, the rest of our group gathered around Noibat as I changed back to my normal self. "What a great last leg, Noibat!" said Ash as he picked Noibat up. "I'm so proud of you!"
But Noibat looked upset. "Noibat… Noi Noibat…"
"Hey, second place ain't nothing to sneeze at," Meowth assured him.
'Especially for your very first race,' Diancie chimed in.
"Meowth is right!" Serena added. "You were amazing!"
Seeing everyone's praise and assurance, Noibat felt a lot better about himself.
Orinthol stepped up. "I can't thank you enough, Ash. You allowed me to finally live my dream. I am deeply grateful to all of you."
"Glad we were able to help, sir," Ash told him, "but Noibat deserves most of the credit here."
"I suppose you're right," Orinthol rubbed the little one's head. "Thank you, Noibat…" the Noibat smiled in response, and shortly afterwards came the award ceremony…
Later that day, after a hearty meal, we decided to resume our journey. Ash kneeled down to our little friend, who had just finished his fourth Berry. "I've been thinking… you were all alone when we found you, and I wouldn't like to leave you alone again. Do you want to come on our journey with us?" In response, the little winged one leaped into his arms and wrapped his wings around him.
"I knew Noibat thought you were its parent!" Cocoa smiled.
"Yep. Glad you're here!" As then pulled a vacant PokeBall from its pocket and tapped Noibat on the cheek with it. The device did its thing, and Noibat was caught. Then Ash released the newest member of his party. "Hawlucha, Fletchinder, please help me take care of Noibat, okay?" And they responded in the affirmative.
Flying freely through the sky… the eternal dream of humankind, and the Pokemon Sky Relay is where we entrust that dream to our Pokemon. Strengthening the bond between people and Pokemon with an unending friendship - that's what the Sky Relay is all about. Although Noibat came in second this year, he has gained valuable confidence and strength. Because of that, everybody is a winner, as the journey continues…