Chapter 6
The hours passed by like years for Ash. He was finally back on the road to Blackthorn City, where he would challenge the Gym of said town.
Latios was not enjoying the cruise. He was not a fan of crowds and was currently watching Latias, Ash, and Misty in the ship's pool, while Brock sat at a table over by the edge of the pool with Pikachu. Latias seemed to be really enjoying herself, as she was splashing Ash and Misty so much that Latios was worried she might drown them.
Latios was invisibly watching his sister, mainly because people kept staring at her with a mix of jealousy and awe. He guessed it was because Ash had "managed" to catch a legendary, and he wanted to make sure that no one tried anything funny.
Meanwhile, Ash noticed that Latios wasn't really paying attention to him or Misty. He swam over to Misty slowly, trying not to let the eon see him. He got Misty's attention and pointed at the spot where Latios was. They looked at each other and smirked, each thinking the same thing.
Latios was still watching Latias invisibly, but he felt that something was missing. He looked around the pool and realized what it was. 'Where are Misty and Ash?' He thought to himself, right as he felt something shove him hard, causing him to fall into the pool and lose his invisibility.
More people started to gather around at the sight of another legendary as Latios looked over to the edge of the pool where he saw the two 'missing' trainers laughing themselves silly.
Latios realized he was already spotted, so turning invisible would be pointless. Knowing this, he just played along.
"Oh, you asked for it!" Latios telepathed with an evil grin, as he psychically picked up Ash and Misty and pulled them into the pool.
Latios smirked and used his psychic powers to lift a wall of water from the pool and drop it on the pranksters. Ash decided that they needed an even match, so he blew into the Eon Flute that he always carried on him in its proper case.
The crowd gasped and a few people even fainted in the large crowd that had gathered as a blue light covered Ash and disappeared a few moments later to reveal him in all his orange-feathered glory.
Ash used his own psychic powers to lift a large bubble of water and chuck it at Latios, who was surprised by Ash's sudden public transformation and was unable to get away from the blob of liquid as it landed on him, soaking him to the bone.
The two continued to soak each other for a few hours until a voice came over the PA system. "We will be arriving at the port in approximately fifteen minutes. Please gather your things and line up at the ramp when you are ready. We hope you have enjoyed your travels on the S.S. Star Shower, and we hope to see you again."
Ash, Misty, Latios, and Latias got out of the pool and dried off. Latios, Latias, and Ash just used a small psychic pulse to dry their feathers instantly. Ash turned back into his human form, and they prepared to dock.
A few hours later…
Ash, Brock, Misty, and the eon twins had been walking for about three and a half hours and were finally on the outskirts of Blackthorn City.
"YES!" Ash suddenly yelled so loud that it got some people all the way in Castelia City to think that Arceus was coming down from the heavens.
"IT'S FINALLY TIME FOR A GYM BATTLE!" Ash yelled to the skies above. He then turned into Latius somehow without even blowing into the flute, and flew off toward the city, leaving a sonic boom behind him.
"Well, we should probably make sure he doesn't forget to go to the Pokémon Center before he gets there," Brock stated before running after Ash.
"How are you going to catch up to him?" Latias asked.
"We don't have to," Misty answered. "Ash has the worst sense of direction of anyone on Earth. He'll come back as soon as he realizes that he doesn't know where the gym is."
As if on cue, Ash shot back up to them. "Uh, which way is the gym, again?" He asked. Latias giggled.
"Not this time, Ash! First, it's off to the Pokémon Center!" Brock said sternly.
Ash sighed, knowing that his team needed to come first. "Okay, let's go," he said.
After about twenty minutes, our heroes were sitting in the Pokémon Center's waiting room, discussing Ash's lineup for the Gym battle.
"According to my guidebook, the gym leader of this city uses dragon-type Pokémon," Brock said. "I suggest that you pick a team that will do well against that particular type."
"I think I have a team in mind," Ash said.
Ash suddenly heard Nurse Joy call into the waiting room. "Ash Ketchum, your Pokémon are fully healed. Please report to the main desk."
Ash did as he was told and obtained his Pokémon. After doing this, the group headed towards the Blackthorn Gym.
Ash pounded on the gym doors. "Hello?" He yelled. "I'm here for a gym battle!"
After a few seconds, a man in his 30s opened the door. "Ah," the man said. "a challenger. Please, follow me." He motioned for the group to follow him, and they did.
The man led them to a large room with a battlefield. There was a girl standing on the opposite side of the field. She had light blue hair that seemed to float behind her, defying the laws of gravity, and wore a black cape.
"I am Clair, the Gym Leader of the Blackthorn City Gym." The girl said. "I will be your opponent." Clair motioned to the man who had led them to the field, and he took his spot at the referee stand. 'Another weak challenger… Let's get this over with.' Clair thought.
"This will be a 4-on-4 Gym Battle between Clair, the Gym Leader, and Ash Ketchum, the challenger!" The referee said. "The winner will be the first person to knock out all of the opposing trainer's Pokémon. The challenger may switch, while the Gym Leader cannot. The challenger gets the first move. Begin!" He waved his flags, signaling that the battle had begun.
"Go, Dratini!" Clair yelled as she tossed out a Pokeball. A blue Pokémon that resembled a snake materialized on Clair's side of the field.
"Get in there, Pikachu!" Ash told the yellow mouse Pokémon.
Pikachu nodded. "Right!" He said as he jumped onto the field, electricity crackling on his cheeks.
"Pikachu, use thunderbolt!" Ash commanded.
"Dratini, dodge it," Clair responded calmly.
Pikachu fired a bolt of electricity at Dratini, only to have Dratini twist out of the way. "Use dragon breath!" Clair said. Dratini fired off a beam of green fire from its mouth. The flames collided with Pikachu, causing moderate damage.
Ash gritted his teeth. "Use Agility to boost a Quick Attack!" Ash called.
Pikachu shot off randomly making Dratini look around frantically, trying to figure out where Pikachu would hit from. Dratini suddenly was hit in the chest by a fast-moving object, Pikachu, causing it to fly through the air from the momentum and crash into the wall behind Clair, its eyes turning to swirls.
"Dratini is unable to battle! Pikachu wins!" The referee said.
Clair recalled her downed Pokémon. "You did well. Have a good rest." She said, before pulling out another Pokeball and throwing it onto the field. "Go, Bagon!" She called. 'That was quick! Maybe this kid will offer an actual challenge!' Clair thought
A small blue Pokémon appeared on the field. "Ash!" Brock called from the sidelines. "That's a Pokémon from Hoenn! Be careful!"
Ash nodded. "Can you keep going Pikachu?" He asked. Pikachu nodded. "Yeah," he said.
"Bagon, use headbutt!" Clair said. Bagon charged at Pikachu, hitting him in the chest with its hard helmet-like head. Pikachu cringed in pain. "Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" Ash called.
Pikachu rushed at Bagon at high speeds. "Bagon, counter with Dragon Rage!" Clair commanded. Right as Pikachu got close to Bagon, it shot a ball of draconic energy at Pikachu at extremely close range. Pikachu was thrown across the field and hit the ground, rolling a few feet before coming to a stop, completely knocked out.
"Pikachu is unable to battle! Bagon wins!" The referee said.
Ash walked over to his downed friend and carried him over to Brock. "Look after him, okay?" Ash said.
"Of course, Ash," Brock responded with a smile.
Ash walked back to his box and pulled out another Pokeball. "Go, Snorlax!" Ash called as he threw out the Pokeball. A colossal Pokémon materialized on the battlefield. Luckily, it was awake.
"Snorlax, use Ice Punch!" Ash called. Snorlax's fist was coated in a layer of ice. The large Pokémon punched the startled Bagon, causing super-effective damage, and instantly knocking it out.
"Bagon is unable to battle! Snorlax wins!" the referee said, as Clair recalled Bagon.
'How is he so strong?' Clair thought, grinding her teeth. "Gyarados, you're up next!" She called. A blue serpent-like Pokémon appeared on the stage. "Use Dragonbreath!" She commanded.
Gyarados launched a beam of green fire at Snorlax. "Snorlax, counter with Ice Punch!" Snorlax punched the Dragonbreath with an Ice Punch, but the flames quickly overpowered the punch. Snorlax toppled over, and passed out from the critical hit.
"Snorlax is unable to battle! Gyarados wins!" The referee called.
Ash recalled his Pokémon and smirked. 'Why isn't he worried? I just took out his Snorlax in one shot!' Clair thought to herself.
"You ready?" Ash telepathically asked the blue dragon that floated invisibly to his left. He had found that he could still use telepathy in his human form, making it perfect for battling.
"Yeah, they don't stand a chance," Latios telepathed.
"I choose you, Latios!" Ash called, causing Clair to raise an eyebrow. She knew very well what a Latios was. That was the moment that Latios dropped his invisibility on Ash's side of the battlefield. Clair gasped in shock.
'That's a Legendary Pokémon!' Clair thought in shock. "Ash," She said. "Just how did you manage to catch a Latios?"
"I befriended him and he decided to come with me," Ash replied.
"A very honorable way to catch a legendary. Now, let's begin the battle. Gyarados, Hyper Beam, full power!" Clair commanded, hoping to end the battle quickly. Gyarados fired a beam of supercharged energy at Latios, who floated to the side a little causing the Hyper Beam to pass by harmlessly.
Ash knew a Pokémon had to recharge after using a hyper beam, so he took this to his advantage. "Latios, use Ice Beam!" Latios nodded and fired a beam of frozen energy at Gyarados, who couldn't dodge it due to it having to rest after hyper beam. Gyarados' head was frozen in a block of ice, and it started to swing wildly, trying to get the ice off.
"Latios, use Dragonbreath!" Ash called.
Latios fired off the said attack, and Gyarados was pushed back a few feet. "Gyarados, use Ice Fang!" Clair yelled, glad her strong Gyarados had endured the hit. Gyarados' fangs were covered in ice and Gyarados launched at Latios.
"Latios, counter with Psychic!" Ash called. Latios' eyes shone a bright blue as he psychically grabbed Gyarados and flung him into the battlefield. Gyarados hit the field so hard that it formed a crater from the momentum of the throw. Its eyes turned to swirls as it fell unconscious.
"Gyarados is unable to battle! Latios wins!' The referee said a little too excitedly.
Clair gritted her teeth. 'How am I supposed to beat a Latios of all things? And that isn't even his last Pokémon!' She thought to herself. "You are a great opponent, Ash. Let's see how you do against Dragonair!" Clair complimented while throwing a Pokeball onto the field. A blue serpent-like Pokémon that seemed to look a lot like Dratini appeared on Clair's side of the battlefield.
"Latios, use Dragonbreath!" Ash commanded. Latios fired off the attack but was surprised when Dragonair twisted its serpent-like body and cleanly dodged the flames.
"Dragonair, use Ice Beam!" Clair shouted.
Dragonair's mouth opened as it gathered freezing energy and fired it as a beam at Latios.
"Latios! Turn invisible and dodge!" Ash called, getting an idea. 'What?!' Clair thought shocked as Latios turned invisible to the naked eye.
Latios smirked, getting Ash's plan. 'Shall I?' He asked telepathically.
Ash nodded. "Latios use tackle!"
"Dragonair, use Dragon Pulse where Latios was!" Clair commanded. 'Maybe he hasn't moved,' Clair thought.
This wasn't the case, as Dragonair's Dragon Pulse passed harmlessly through the air. Suddenly, Dragonair was blown backward as Latios tackled its face. Dragonair barely got up and had a large goose egg on its forehead.
"Latios, finish with Luster Purge!" Ash called. Latios took on the light from when he charged the tsunami back in Altomare and fired it at Dragonair in a large sphere of psychic powers.
Dragonair, already weak, could do nothing as the energy enveloped it. Dragonair gave a cry of pain, and fell to the floor, unconscious.
"Dragonair!" Clair yelled.
"Dragonair is unable to battle! Latios is the winner! Since Ash still has two Pokémon remaining, he is declared the winner!" The referee called, raising a flag.
Clair recalled her fallen partner and walked over to Ash, who was now hugging Latios. "You did it Latios! We won!" Ash praised.
"It wasn't that hard," Latios said, although he was actually quite pleased with himself. Latias couldn't keep a straight face, and rushed over and tackled her brother.
Clair smiled. She had a feeling Ash had a Latias. Wherever there was one of the eons, the other would probably be near. It was quite adorable to watch Latias nuzzle Latios' face happily, while Latios tried his best to get her off of him. "I presume she was going to be your last Pokémon?" Clair asked, motioning to the female eon.
Ash nodded. "Yea, I think this match was decided the second it started. I guess it was a bit of overkill," He chuckled.
"Here is your Rising Badge. It is proof of your victory at the Blackthorn Gym" Clair said as she handed Ash a metal badge in the shape of a dragon's head. Ash happily accepted it and did his signature pose.
"Alright! I got the Rising Badge!" Everyone else sweatdropped.
Well, that's all for now, happy (day after) Thanksgiving!
P.S. Don't forget, I have a discord server! (link on my profile page)