I'm not gonna lie; I shed a tear at Pryce's background story with his Piloswine. It reminded me of Arven and his Mabosstiff in Scarlet/Violet; close bonds and how Arven and Pryce were hiding their true feelings before a wall before they opened up.
Disclaimer: I do not own any Pokémon characters! I only own my OCs!
Chapter 40: As Cold as Pryce
Ash and I decided to wait challenging the Mahogany Gym because we wanted to train our Pokémon first and be fully prepared battling one of the toughest types. My brother also wanted to give Phanpy some training since he was a newly hatched Pokémon and Heracross hadn't been with him for a long time, so he had some catching up to do. I had practically picked out my team of Pokémon for the ice Gym, but it also contained a bit of a risk because my main Pokémon had a weakness against the ice-type Pokémon that had a dual type like water or ground. I had to cover that up somehow, so I added Poseidon as the third Pokémon.
Speaking of Poseidon, it was first a little difficult looking after him as he still felt the aftermath of the evolution-inducement wave, but slowly and surely he calmed down enough so I could touch him and build up the trust between us. It took altogether a week of training when Ash and I felt ready to face the seventh Gym of Johto.
We were excited to challenge the Gym, so imagine our disappointment when we found out it was closed.
"What?! Why is the Gym closed?!" Ash whined when we couldn't open the gate.
"Pika?" Pikachu tilted his head to the side.
"Nurse Joy said the Gym should be open today, but I guess the Gym Leader has an emergency", Brock assumed as he rubbed his chin.
I sighed disappointingly. "I was looking forward to the Gym with Poseidon and everyone else…"
"Hello! Is anybody here?!" Ash shouted while he tried opening the gate. "I want to challenge the Gym, please!"
"Ash, don't try breaking in like that", Misty scolded my twin brother.
"Ya all here for a Gym battle?" a woman in her early sixties walked up to us seemingly friendly.
"Yes, ma'am", Ash replied. "Do you know where we can find the Gym Leader?"
"Oh, Pryce's away for private trainin' so that's why the Gym's closed in th' mornin'", the woman explained. "I'm Sheila, Pryce's friend."
"Nice to meet you, Sheila. My name's Ash and this is Pikachu."
"Pika pikachu!"
"I'm Ashley, Ash's twin sister."
"I'm Misty and this little cute baby here is Togepi."
"Togiprii!"
"And I'm Brock, a Pokémon Breeder."
"Nice to meet ya all, kiddos!" Sheila smiled warmly. "Say, if you're so desperate havin' a Gym battle, I can bring ya to Pryce and see if I can convince him acceptin' your challenge."
"Really?" Ash's eyes lit up eagerly. "That would be great!"
"Do you know where he is right now, Sheila?" Misty wondered.
"He always goes up to the mountains training in th' early mornin', 'specially meditatin' under the waterfall to keep his soul ice and cold", Sheila spoke with such a weird accent it was almost a little funny.
"Wow, that's an impressive method to strengthen your mind", Brock commented.
"I don't think I could do that…", I mumbled to myself.
"Well then, let's go right away!" Sheila smiled widely and jogged ahead of us. She was quite fast for her age. "Hurry up, Slowpokes! Put the metal to the pedal!"
"Wait for us, Sheila!" Ash yelled before we ran after Sheila heading toward the nearby mountains.
XXXXXXXXXX
It was clear that Sheila had built lots of stamina and endurance because she was a very hyper woman. I may have been on a journey for little over a year, so I thought I had good endurance along with Ash and our friends, but boy was I wrong.
"Ya kiddos already tired?" Sheila asked while rotating her shoulder. "You've gotta workout a lot or ya'll be an embarrassment to th' Trainers."
My legs were burning by all the running and jumping so I had no choice but to take a quick break. Ash and the others were in the same position already exhausted by this workout.
"T-This is why…you should never underestimate the elderly people", Brock groaned.
"L-Lesson learned…", Ash grunted as he tried sitting up, but his knees didn't work with him.
"My sisters would hate this kind of training…", Misty whined tiredly.
"I feel embarrassed…getting tired by this", I grunted as I slowly stretched my legs to get rid of the stiffness in my sore muscles.
"Ya did a good job keepin' up with this old hag", Sheila laughed heartedly. "We're here now and Pryce's there too."
Ash recovered quickly. "The Gym Leader's here?!"
I looked up at the waterfall Sheila pointed at and gasped in surprise. The old man sitting under the waterfall meditating was none other than that man with the Dewgong we met a week ago when we tried stopping the rampaging Gyarados.
"Wait! That's the man who saved us from Gyarados' Hyper Beam!" Ash exclaimed in disbelief.
"And the one who said…humans and Pokémon shouldn't be friends …", I mumbled, recalling those harsh words. Now I was getting a little scared meeting him, but I had to if I wanted to earn my next Gym badge.
"Oh? You've already met Pryce before?" Sheila asked in surprise.
"It's a long story, but to make it short, he saved us and gave us quite the lecture", Brock explained.
"Now I can't help but wonder how a man who thinks humans and Pokémon shouldn't work together became a Gym Leader", Misty said concernedly.
Sheila turned silent for a second before she laughed heartedly and waved her hand nonchalantly. "Don't worry too much 'bout that, kiddos! Pryce's got a reason behind his cold demeanor."
"Well, I'm gonna heat that up after I make him accept my challenge!" Ash exclaimed and rushed to the waterfall with newfound energy.
"Wait, Ash", I said and lightly jogged after him. Pryce had finished meditating and was currently wiping himself with a towel right next to the waterfall.
"Hi, Pryce, sir!" Ash greeted him respectfully. "I heard you are the Mahogany Gym Leader. My name's Ash and my sister and I want to challenge you to a Gym battle."
"I remember you", Pryce spoke with a chilling voice that made me shiver in fear. "And I see you still got your Pikachu out."
"Yeah, Pikachu and I are really good buddies", Ash smiled at his partner. "He doesn't like staying inside his Poké Ball so I let him be outside."
"How ridiculous!" Pryce spat loudly and pulled his shirt back on. "A battle with a Trainer like you would be pointless!"
"What?!" Ash exclaimed in shock. "Why would you even say that?! How can you say such a thing before we even have a battle?"
"Because the Pokémon must always be tense and stay on the edge so they can be truly prepared for a battle", Pryce replied.
"That sounds…wrong, sir", I spoke up. Pryce threw a glare at me which frightened me so I hid behind my brother.
"If you develop an emotional attachment to your Pokémon, it will cloud your judgment and cause you to make bad decisions", the elderly man stated.
"I don't believe that!" Ash argued. "It's because of the bond Trainers and Pokémon share we can become stronger and help each other no matter what happens! We can only strive for the best if we work together!"
"Pika pika!" Pikachu chirped, agreeing with my brother.
"Well then, prove it to me", Pryce said and grabbed a Poké Ball from his shorts. "Dewgong, come out!"
"Goong goong!" Dewgong chirped before it stood ready for a battle.
"I'll only accept your challenge if your Pokémon can hit Dewgong just once", Pryce informed us.
"That will be easy", Ash grinned and reached for his belt.
"Ash, wait", I stopped him. "You need to think strategically at this."
"Ashley is right, Ash", Brock spoke behind us. "This must be some kind of a test."
"And that Dewgong looks well trained and strong too", Misty added.
"That's why Phanpy will do best!" Ash said and called out his newest Pokémon. "Go, Phanpy!"
"Phanpy py!" Phanpy trumpeted and flapped his ears eagerly.
It was just for a brief second, but I swore I saw a shift of emotion in Pryce's glance when he saw Phanpy. It was like his eyes softened a short second before they switched back to that cold bitter glare.
"Ash, why'd you go for Phanpy?!" Misty gasped.
"Phanpy is a ground-type and ice-type moves are super effective against him", Brock pointed out.
"But… Phanpy's Rollout is a rock-type move and those are super effective against ice Pokémon", I said.
"Phanpy, this will be your first battle against somebody else than my sister, but I know you can do it", Ash encouraged his Pokémon.
"Phaan phaan!" Phanpy bellowed and stomped the ground ready for action.
"Simply relying on affection won't help your Pokémon", Pryce commented coldly. "That doesn't mean a thing if you don't have control and strategy in a battle."
"I'll prove you wrong, Pryce!" Ash retorted. "Phanpy, use Rollout!"
"Phaaaan!" Phanpy curled himself into a ball and rolled toward Dewgong.
"Dewgong, use Ice Beam", Pryce said calmly.
"Gooong!" Dewgong opened its mouth and fired an Ice Beam straight at Phanpy. Before Ash even had time to react, Phanpy got hit and froze into an ice block.
"Phanpy!" Ash shrieked out and rushed to the ice block trying to get Phanpy out of it.
Pryce scoffed bitterly while he recalled his Pokémon. "Do you understand now why I won't battle you? It's because of your emotional attachment your Phanpy failed the battle. You lost because you used your heart to battle and not your brain."
Ash gritted his teeth while he did his best to hold back his frustration and disappointment. "I'm so sorry, Phanpy", he apologized while recalling his frozen Pokémon to his Poké Ball. "I misjudged the situation. Maybe it was too soon for you to have a real battle."
"A battle with you and your sister would be a waste of time for all of us", Pryce frowned before he walked into the woods.
"Wait, Pryce!" Ash called out as he ran after the Gym Leader.
"Ash, wait!" I shouted and picked up Pikachu before I ran after him.
"Pika pika!"
"Wait, kids! It's too dangerous runnin' away in these woods 'round here!" Sheila yelled behind us.
The warning came too late. It didn't take five minutes before Ash and I lost sight of Pryce in the thick forest. "Pryce! Sir, give us another chance, please!" my brother called out.
"I don't understand him at all", I spoke softly while I held hands with Ash to make sure we wouldn't get separated. "Why does he hate people with emotional attachment to their Pokémon?"
"I don't know, but I won't stop bothering him until he accepts our challenge", Ash growled determinedly.
"Pika…", Pikachu mumbled worriedly.
"Yoo-hooo!" a choir of three familiar voices called out behind us.
"Team Rocket!" Ash and I gasped in horror seeing Jessie, James and Meowth. They always had the perfect bad timing!
"We're back and we want revenge after you ruined our plans at Lake of Rage!" Jessie glared.
"Um, Jess, that plan wasn't exactly ours to begin with", James tried correcting her.
"We participated in the Executives' plan, so yes, we belonged in that plan!" Jessie argued aggressively.
"Jessie often doesn't make sense with her simple brain", Meowth sighed tiredly.
"C'mon, guys, let's go!" Ash said before we ran away from the trio before they could attack us and steal Pikachu.
"Hey, come back, twin-twerps!" Jessie yelled behind us.
Ash pulled me along while Pikachu stayed in my other arm. We got out of the forest, but had to stop in our tracks when we almost fell into a chasm. A pebble crumbled underneath Ash's shoe and bounced down the seemingly bottomless chasm.
"That was a close call", I sighed in relief.
"Yeah, but we've got Team Rocket right behind our back", Ash gasped.
"This time you're right, twin-twerp!" Jessie cackled.
We turned around and saw she and James had called out Arbok and Weezing. "You are cornered now!" James laughed.
"You know the drill; give us Pikachu and your Pokémon and we'll let you go", Meowth told us.
"Never! You're not going to steal any of our Pokémon!" Ash growled back.
"Pika pika!" Pikachu snarled aggressively, making his cheeks sparkle.
"No matter how many times you try stealing our Pokémon, it will never work!" I yelled at them with a harsh glare.
"What is going on here?" Pryce called out as he appeared out of nowhere, casually walking to us. "What kind of idiots would forcibly steal somebody's Pokémon?"
"Pryce?" Ash and I blinked in surprise, not expecting the Gym Leader to show up.
"Don't butt yourself into this, old man!" James yelled at him.
"Yeah, mind your own business!" Jessie added. "Besides, this is almost tradition for us to mess with the twin-twerps!"
"Yeah, a really good tradition!" Meowth laughed eagerly.
"Well, we don't like this tradition!" Ash yelled back.
"Weezing, use Smokescreen!" James shouted.
"Wheeeziing!" Weezing groaned and released a thick smokescreen that engulfed us. It was hard breathing in the smoke, but it was still much easier compared to Smog.
I covered my mouth after I put Pikachu on my shoulder while making sure I still held Ash's hand. "Quick, kids, come with me!" Pryce's voice called out.
Before we even had a chance running to safety, the ground crumbled beneath us and made us slip and fall into the chasm. The additional weight of Pryce's must have been too much for the ground to take right by the edge of the chasm.
But it wasn't the time thinking about that. We had to save ourselves before we could get seriously injured!
"Heracross, go! Grab Pryce!" Ash yelled as he called out his Pokémon.
"Hera!" Heracross flew after the elderly man and caught him with ease with his arms.
I snatched Queendra's Poké Ball and called her in midair. "Go, Queendra!" I embraced her and grabbed Ash's arm. "Ash, Pikachu, hold onto me!"
"Okay!" Ash wrapped his arms around me while Pikachu clung onto my leg.
"Queendra, cushion the fall with Hydro Pump!" I yelled. This was something I had seen in the movies before, so I was nervous performing this maneuver with my Pokémon.
"Dhroooh!" Queendra sprouted a large beam of water at the bottom of the chasm, slowly easing our fall. She reduced the strength in her Hydro Pump little by little until we could land on the now muddy ground. Heracross calmly put Pryce down now that we were safe.
I sighed loudly in relief simultaneously with my brother while still holding Queendra. Her spikes poked me a little, but they weren't so sharp they could make holes on my clothes. "We're safe… You were amazing, Queendra. Thank you."
"Droooh!" Queendra smiled with her eyes, despite being covered in cold sweat. The sudden action must have strained her a little.
"You too, Heracross. Thanks to you, Pryce is safe", Ash praised his Pokémon.
"Herakrosss!" Heracross hissed happily and pounced himself onto my brother.
Ash and Pikachu laughed at Heracross' display of affection. I laughed heartedly along with them while wiping the sweat off Queendra with a napkin I had in my pocket.
"I owe you a huge thank you", Pryce said, now actually having a tiny smile on his face. "You two reacted quickly in such a stressful scene and not only saved yourselves but also me."
"It's thanks to our Pokémon that we can react and help people and Pokémon in need", Ash replied while Heracross got off him. "We owe it to Heracross and Queendra."
"Pika pika!" Pikachu nodded, agreeing with my brother.
"We always play with our Pokémon and come up with different ways to play and imagine what kind of situation we might end up into, and we improvise from there", I explained, feeling a little at ease with Pryce slightly opening up.
"You might be onto something…but you still need to maintain strict discipline in battles the closer you are to your Pokémon", the Gym Leader frowned, his bitter expression returning.
Ash and I shared a worried glance. Here we had thought Pryce was breaking through the ice, but I guess we still had a long way to go. After I finished cleaning Queendra, Ash and I recalled our Pokémon and looked around trying to find a way out of the deep chasm.
"Pryce, do you know if there's a way out of here?" Ash asked.
"I've only been down here once before many years ago", Pryce replied and walked over to a tunnel. "I remember there's an icy cave down this way and it leads to the other side of the chasm where it should be safe to climb out."
"Then I guess we have to start from there", Ash nodded.
"It's too bad Misty and Brock don't have a PokéGear", I commented. "They must be worried about us."
"Pika pi!" Pikachu called out from my brother's shoulder.
"What's wrong, Pikachu?" Ash wondered.
I noticed something half-buried in the ground only a few feet from us. "There is something in the ground there."
Pryce gasped in shock and rushed to pick up the object. "I-It can't be…!"
I took a closer look and realized the item was some kind of a bracelet. And the way Pryce stared at it with disbelief and mixed emotions in his eyes told me he knew something about it.
"Pryce, does that bracelet belong to you?" Ash asked.
"Y-Yes…and no", Pryce replied, his voice shaking. "This leg bracelet…belongs to my Piloswine!"
"A Piloswine?" Ash repeated confusedly.
I opened my Pokédex and found the data of said Pokémon and showed the image to my brother and Pikachu.
Piloswine, the swine Pokémon. Ice and ground-type. The evolved form of Swinub. Because the long hair all over its body obscures its sight, it just keeps charging repeatedly. If it charges at an enemy, the hairs on its back stand up straight. It is very sensitive to sound.
"So that's a Piloswine…", Ash mumbled, his expression turning soft while he turned back to Pryce. "Did…something happen to it?"
"I used to be like you, Ash…a long time ago", Pryce opened up. "I once loved all my Pokémon like they were my family…but Piloswine stood closest to my heart like he was my brother…" Ash and I sat down next to him and listened carefully at the story. The more Pryce told us, the more emotions spilled out with his words. "We fought and won every battle together. We made it to the Johto League when it all came crashing down. Piloswine got seriously wounded by an opponent's Magmar. Because of my emotions, I jumped in to cover Piloswine from Magmar's Fire Blast, which resulted with me receiving serious burn marks."
I never could have thought he once had burn marks. I remembered from the short time we saw him without his shirt under the waterfall. His skin looked a little wrinkled, but it had no marks left of burns.
"Piloswine and I retreated to our cottage in the cold mountains to recover. I apologized to him numerous of times for losing the match, but it wasn't enough. Piloswine was still weak when he left in a heavy snowstorm and never returned. Since then, my heart got shut and I refuse to form emotional bonds with any of my Pokémon. His betrayal…hurt me so much like my heart was bleeding forever."
I got very emotional hearing the story. I did my best to hold back my tears, but a few still ran down my cheeks. I sniffled and wiped them quickly away while Pikachu curled up on my lap letting me pat his soft fur.
"That explains why you don't want to battle me and my sister… Because you don't want us to get hurt in the same way as Piloswine hurt you", Ash put it together. "But…what if it was just a misunderstanding-"
"It was not a misunderstanding!" Pryce spat, gripping the leg bracelet tightly. "Piloswine started resenting me because I broke the promise of becoming the best and win the Johto League!"
"But… A Pokémon having such a strong bond with its Trainer…couldn't just leave without a proper reason", I spoke carefully.
"Enough of this!" Pryce spat, clearly not wanting to talk about the past anymore. "Let's get going! We need to get out of here before nightfall!"
Ash and I shared a silent glance again before we followed the elderly man through the tunnel. Now we had an explanation as of why Pryce was so cold and bitter. Because he had suffered from heartbreak and he tried putting up walls around him to make sure he wouldn't take the same pain again from another Pokémon. He could have thrown the leg bracelet away, but he still carried it with him.
The deeper we walked in the tunnel the colder it got. The walls and ground had a thin layer of ice, so we walked very carefully to not slip and break a bone. We soon found ourselves in a cave where the ice sparkled like crystal by the thin ray of sun that peeked through a tiny hole in the ceiling.
"Wow… It's so pretty…", I mumbled in awe.
"It reminds me of the cave on Seafoam Islands where we met Articuno", Ash nodded.
"Pika…", Pikachu gasped in awe at the sight.
"You two saw an Articuno?" Pryce asked, his voice full of surprise.
"Yes, almost a year ago back in Kanto", Ash replied.
"Pika pika!" Pikachu shrieked out which echoed around us.
"W-What is it, Pikachu?" Ash asked, surprised by the suddenly yell.
Pikachu pointed at a large ice block several meter from us. It had an odd shape and looked like there was something inside of it. We walked over to that block as carefully as we could. Ash slipped once and fell on his backside, which made me giggle a little. Pryce went ahead while I helped my brother up on his feet. We caught up with the Gym Leader who broke down in front of the ice block which turned out it contained a Pokémon and not just any Pokémon.
"A Piloswine is frozen inside that ice block!" Ash gasped in realization.
"I-It's him…!" Pryce sobbed lightly. "It's my Piloswine!"
"Are you sure?"
I noticed something green under Piloswine's nose. "What are those leaves he's holding?"
"Those are herbs…used for healing burns…", Pryce sobbed. "I understand now. Piloswine went out foraging those herbs for my burn marks, b-but…he never made it back. He must have fallen down to the chasm like we did and…couldn't find a way back."
"So he stayed here…holding onto those herbs and froze into ice while waiting for you to rescue him", I smiled, wiping another stray tear from my eye. "I knew it. Piloswine loved you so much he didn't want to see you in pain so he went out that night getting those herbs for you. He wanted to help you."
"H-He wanted…to help me…", Pryce couldn't hold his tears back any longer and cried waterfalls. "I'm so sorry, Piloswine! I thought you left me because you hated me! I'm so sorry I didn't realize the truth sooner! Please forgive me for resenting you, Piloswine! I-I'm sorry!"
Ash also shed a tear at the painful reunion. "Let's free Piloswine from the ice and return home! Go, Cyndaquil!"
"Mm-hm!" I nodded and grabbed Victor's Poké Ball. "Come out, Victor!"
"Cynda!"
"Hoooun!"
"Use Flamethrower on the ice block!" Ash and I yelled simultaneously.
Pryce moved out of the way so our Pokémon could melt the thick ice. It took a couple of minutes until all the ice was melted. Even though Piloswine was free and got wet after the ice melted, he didn't show any signs of movement.
"His body must have shut down", Pryce mumbled, losing hope of reuniting with his friend.
"Pikachu will wake him up!" Ash said after we recalled our fire Pokémon.
"Are you sure that will work, Ash?" I asked. "Ground-type Pokémon are immune to electric moves."
"Yeah, but maybe the shock will revive him like a defibrillator", Ash replied. "It's worth a try!"
"Well, when you put it like that… It might work."
"It will work!" Ash yelled determinedly. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
"Pika!" Pikachu got in front of Piloswine and fired a lightning bolt. "PikaCHUUU!" We waited a couple of seconds for any reaction, but Piloswine remained in his same position.
"Try again and stronger!" Ash said.
"PikaCHUUU!" Pikachu fired another lightning bolt at the half-dead Pokémon. This time Piloswine lightly moved his nose like he was slowly waking up from his long sleep.
"M-Muuh…?" Piloswine mooed weakly and shook his fur drying himself.
"It worked!" I shrieked happily.
"Yes! Piloswine is waking up!" Ash smiled, pumping his fist in victory.
"Piloswine!" Pryce cried out in joy and rushed to his Pokémon. "I-It's me… Pryce. Do you…remember?" Piloswine sniffed Pryce for a few seconds before he replied with a happy moo. "Y-You remember me…after all these decades…" He cried out like a child and embraced his long-lost Pokémon. "It's true! Real friendship is so powerful it will last forever!"
"Mooh… Mooh mooh…", Piloswine hummed weakly.
"Piloswine might still be feeling weak after he was frozen in ice for such a long time", Ash pointed out.
"Piloswine, use Rest and heal up first", Pryce informed his Pokémon, a warm smile on his face. "Then we're going home…together."
"Mooh…", Piloswine's body glowed in a gentle green light while he fell asleep and recovered his energy.
"Happy endings are always the best", I spoke softly, smiling widely at this beautiful moment. It felt so nice helping out people and Pokémon like this. And the best reward was the smiles and warm feeling that blossomed in my chest.
XXXXXXXXXX
After Piloswine recovered and woke up from his quick sleep, we made our way out of the cave and got help from Sheila and our friends getting out of the chasm. Sheila was just as stunned seeing Piloswine again after so many years. Even Misty and Brock were dumbfounded after they learned about the story of Pryce and Piloswine.
Team Rocket hadn't given up on us for the day, so they jumpscared us trying to steal Pikachu, but Pryce and Piloswine defeated them with ease. It was hard to imagine they had been separated for so long. They worked great together, but Piloswine did show signs of some rustiness, therefore Pryce suggested Ash and I should challenge him and his Gym three days later so he could train Piloswine until he was in perfect shape.
Three days had now passed and Ash just finished his Gym battle with Pryce earning a Glacier Badge with the help of Heracross and Cyndaquil. Now it was my turn after Pryce healed up his Pokémon after an hour break. He and I stepped up to the frozen battle field with a small water pool in the middle while Sheila took her place as an official Gym referee.
"This Gym battle between Gym Leader Pryce and challenger Ashley is 'bout to begin! Each side will use two Pokémon and th' Trainer who defeats th' opponent's Pokémon first is declared th' winner! Th' challenger may substitute Pokémon whenever they want during th' battle. Pryce, Ashley, send out your first Pokémon!"
"I look forward to a great battle", Pryce smirked while he grasped a Poké Ball. "Don't disappoint me. Go, Dewgong!"
"Gogong!" Dewgong hissed and dived into the pool, poking its head out from the water glaring with ice cold eyes.
I suddenly felt a little reluctant with my choice of Pokémon after watching my brother's battle. The perfect counter against Dewgong was actually Hikaru because Dewgong was part water, but he was at Professor Oak's laboratory.
No. I couldn't back out now! I clapped my cheeks to snap out of it and grabbed the Fast Ball on my belt. "Let's go, Poseidon!"
"Ghyaaaaah!" Poseidon screeched as soon as he got called out, his scales glittering the same way whenever Ash called out his shiny Noctowl. He stood tall on the ice field glaring down at the small Dewgong who let out a fearful shriek.
"Hoh? Don't tell me you caught that red Gyarados that almost invaded Mahogany Town the other day?" Pryce asked curiously.
"Actually, there were two red Gyarados", I corrected him. "The one that almost hurt us on the bridge was caught by Champion Lance."
"Ah, I see", Pryce's soft eyes shifted into a serious glare full of coldness. "Then show us what you've got!"
"Begin battle!" Sheila called out, waving both flags in her hands.
"Dewgong, use Ice Shard!" Pryce yelled.
"Deeewgong!" Dewgong shrieked while forming icy projectiles in front of its mouth. It then launched the ice shards toward Poseidon.
"Poseidon, counter with Hydro Pump!" I called out.
"GhyaaAAAH!" Poseidon fired a large water beam that collided with Ice Shard causing a watery explosion with ice dust scattered across the air.
"Poseidon, strike with Dragon Rage!" I yelled.
Poseidon's mouth got filled with blue fire before he fired the Dragon Rage in the shape of a fiery phoenix.
"Dodge underwater, Dewgong!" Pryce shouted.
Dewgong dived underwater thinking it could avoid the move. However, Dragon Rage was a move that definitely hit the target like Swift or Sonic Boom. The dragon phoenix followed Dewgong under water where we soon heard an explosion echoing, which meant Dragon Rage was a success.
"Yes! Now we've got to lure Dewgong out of the water!" I hissed excitedly. "Poseidon, use Whirlpool!"
"Ghyaaah!" Poseidon screeched in response. His eyes began glowing blue as he used his inner energy to make the water in the pool raise up into a whirlpool in the middle of the field. It was fascinating watching a Whirlpool like this. I spotted a silhouette inside the water, knowing it was Dewgong.
Pryce didn't appear concerned. He remained stoic as he watched the battle unfold. Since he didn't call out any commands, I decided to proceed with the battle.
"Poseidon, use Dragon Rage again!" I shouted.
Poseidon launched another Dragon Rage that flew into the aggressive whirlpool. Dewgong shrieked from the water when it got hit by the dragon-type move.
"Dewgong, take all your strength to launch yourself out with Headbutt!" the Gym Leader finally called out a move.
Dewgong started swimming around in the whirlpool following the current to build up the momentum. The next thing I knew, it shot itself out of the water and headbutted Poseidon on his chest causing him to screech out in pain. I had no doubt it hurt because of Dewgong's sharp horn on its head.
Poseidon stumbled back a little by the impact while Dewgong landed on the field. The water from Whirlpool dropped down into the pool like a stone.
"Are you okay, Poseidon?" I asked concernedly.
"G-Ghyaah!" Poseidon rumbled back determinedly.
"Good job, Dewgong", Pryce praised his Pokémon.
"Gong", Dewgong responded tiredly. The two Dragon Rages must have affected it a lot because it had visible bruises on its snow white body. We weren't far away from defeating Pryce's first Pokémon.
"Dewgong, use Aurora Beam!" Pryce yelled.
"Gooong!" Dewgong fired a colorful beam from its mouth aimed at Poseidon.
"Block it with Whirlpool, Poseidon!" I called.
Poseidon's eyes glowed as he lifted up the water from the pool into a swirling water tornado. The Aurora Beam got sucked into the whirlpool and made the water shining in northern light colors which made it so pretty.
"Now, strike Dewgong through the Whirlpool with one more Dragon Rage, Poseidon!" I called out determinedly.
"Ghyaaah!" Poseidon breathed a third blue phoenix that flew toward the whirlpool.
"Dewgong, freeze the whirlpool with Ice Beam!" Pryce shouted.
"Goooong!" Dewgong quickly fired an Ice Beam at the whirlpool and froze it as soon as the Dragon Rage went inside the water. The ice glittered by the burning Dragon Rage that got stuck inside the block. It looked like a beautiful gemstone including the light of that Aurora Beam.
"When did this battle turn into a Pokémon Contest?" Misty wondered in the background.
I got an interesting idea when I realized the Dragon Rage trapped inside the ice didn't die down. It was like it was still alive and needed to get out and strike something to get extinguished.
"Poseidon, break the ice with all your strength!" I shouted.
"What are you doing?" Pryce questioned confusedly.
Poseidon raised his tail fin and swung it at the ice with everything he got. He struck the ice block repeatedly, cracks forming on the surface. At the fifth strike, the ice shattered into thousands of pieces releasing the burning phoenix. The blue fire shrieked like a legendary bird and flew straight at Dewgong, tackling it back into one of the ice pillars scattered across the battlefield.
Dewgong shrieked in pain and collapsed on the ice, never attempting to get up and continue fighting. Sheila raised the green flag. "Dewgong is unable to continue battlin'! Gyarados wins!"
"Great job, Poseidon!" I praised my Pokémon, happy to see how well he performed. "You did it!"
"Ghyaaah!" Poseidon shrieked with a big smile.
"Return, Dewgong", Pryce recalled Dewgong with a soft smile. "You performed well. Rest well." He switched to his second Poké Ball and nodded at me. "It was a very interesting battle we just had. Like your friend said, it was almost like a Pokémon Contest."
"Yeah, kinda", I giggled before I switched back to my serious glare. "But I'm not done yet!"
"Neither am I! Go, Piloswine!" Pryce yelled and called out his old friend.
"Moooh!" Piloswine mooed and stomped the ground, eager to battle.
"Poseidon, do you feel like you can battle a little longer?" I asked.
"Ghyaah!"
"Then let's do this", I glared determinedly. I took a quick glance at the pool, seeing it was already full of water even though most of it got frozen before. Perhaps it was an automatic pool that pumped in water when it sensed it was low on it.
"Battle two begin!" Sheila declared.
"Poseidon, let's go straight with Hydro Pump!" I shouted.
"Ghyaaaah!" Poseidon fired a water beam from his mouth straight at Piloswine.
"Piloswine, use Blizzard!" Pryce yelled.
"Mooooooh!" Piloswine blew a powerful wind full of snow and ice from his mouth. It was first aimed on the floor before it raised up to collide with the Hydro Pump, the water instantly freezing into ice. The Blizzard pushed itself up the Hydro Pump slowly freezing the rest of the water attack.
I panicked at the sight. "Poseidon, dodge and use Dragon Rage!"
Poseidon swiftly canceled the Hydro Pump and dodged down so the compacted Blizzard flew right above his head. He responded with the Dragon Rage, breathing blue fire in the shape of the phoenix. The bird screeched when it made impact with Piloswine pushing him back.
"Piloswine, use Fury Attack!" Pryce called.
"Moooh!" Piloswine recovered from the surprise attack and dashed toward Poseidon. I then realized the pool in the middle of the field was frozen solid, so he could easily run across it. Piloswine snapped his tusks against Poseidon repeatedly pushing my Pokémon backwards.
"Poseidon, grab Piloswine with Ice Fang!" I shouted.
"Ghyaaah!" Poseidon leaned down and grabbed Piloswine with his teeth that had frozen into a thin layer of ice. Piloswine dangled his legs mooing and struggled to get out of the grip.
"Mooh moooh!"
"Throw him down on the pool with everything you've got!" I yelled.
Poseidon leaned back and swiftly threw his body forward, letting go of Piloswine so he flew straight to the frozen pool. The impact was strong enough to break the ice so Piloswine was now struggling swimming in the water.
"Piloswine!" Pryce called out worriedly.
"Now, use Whirlpool, Poseidon!" I yelled determinedly. I had a good feeling the end of this battle was near.
Poseidon raised the water from the pool with his inner energy and created a violent Whirlpool. Piloswine was caught in the current mooing helplessly in the water.
"Mooooh!"
"Alright! They caught Piloswine!" Ash cheered excitedly in the background.
"Piloswine, hold on tight and use Blizzard!" Pryce shouted.
Piloswine blew a Blizzard inside the whirlpool freezing it into solid ice. I got shocked to see Pryce allowed his Pokémon getting frozen inside the water.
"What are you doing?" I asked in surprise.
"Piloswine, use Rest!"
Piloswine's petrified body started glowing in a gentle green light while he fell asleep inside the ice block. This actually put me at an advantage as ideas popped up in my head.
"Poseidon, return!" I recalled him and switched to my second Pokémon of the Gym battle. "It's your turn, Victor!"
"Hoouun!" Victor howled as he appeared on the field, wagging his tail eagerly.
"Th' challenger has changed to her second Pokémon!" Sheila announced. "Continue battlin'!"
"Victor, use Flamethrower on the ice!" I shouted.
Victor breathed fire on the frozen whirlpool melting the ice. Piloswine had stopped recovering energy, but he was still asleep as he bounced on the ground once he was free from the cold prison.
"Hurry and attack with everything you've got!" Brock shouted behind me.
"Continue using Flamethrower!" I told Victor.
Victor breathed as much fire he could and engulfed the sleeping swine Pokémon. He had to deal as much damage as possible before it could wake up and use Rest again.
"Now, switch to Fire Fang!" I yelled.
"Houn!" Victor barked and quit using Flamethrower. His teeth were still on fire while he dashed toward Piloswine, but he slipped on the ice losing his balance.
"Oh no!" I shrieked in fear. And to make matters worse, Piloswine had just woken up.
"Piloswine, use Takedown!" Pryce shouted.
"Mooooh!" Piloswine dashed forward with intentions of colliding with Victor. My Pokémon was already too close to dodge the incoming move, so I hoped he could at least get a bite on the swine.
Piloswine had a big advantage with his tusk as they struck Victor first before he threw his body at him. Victor howled in pain as he got thrown into an ice pillar.
"Victor!" I shrieked worriedly.
"Moooh…", Piloswine mooed before something unexpected happened. He collapsed on the field without getting up again. Victor got a big hit, but he made it up on his paws and carefully walked over to Piloswine exposing his teeth.
"Piloswine knocked 'imself out by that Take Down!" Sheila called out raising the green flag. "Houndoom wins by a self-knockout, so th' winner of th' Gym battle is challenger Ashley!"
It took me a few seconds to process the news. "What?" I asked dumbfounded, not expecting this kind of ending of a battle.
"Piloswine took a huge amount of damage while he was sleeping so your Houndoom's Flamethrower was very effective against him", Pryce explained while he walked to me after he recalled his fallen Pokémon. "I got surprised myself that Piloswine's Take Down literally took himself down. I didn't realize he was that low on energy after he woke up from Rest."
Victor walked to me and nuzzled his head against my side. I chuckled at him and lightly caressed his head. "I didn't know Victor's Flamethrower was so powerful. Maybe it has something to do with him being the former leader of a pact."
"Houn!" Victor barked happily.
"I firmly enjoyed our battle, so take this Glacier Badge as a proof of your success", Pryce held his hand out with a polished badge.
"Thank you, Pryce", I nodded and accepted the snowflake badge.
"Awesome!" Ash cheered when he ran up to me with Pikachu on his shoulder. "Now we've only got one badge left to get and we can battle in the Johto League!"
"Pikachuu!" Pikachu smiled widely.
"Mm-hm", I nodded eagerly. "I can't wait to meet Clair and battle her dragon Pokémon!"
"Clair is one of the toughest Gym Leaders in Johto, so I recommend using some ice Pokémon against her", Pryce told us.
"Thanks for the advice, Pryce", Ash replied. "We're gonna do our best and make it far in the Johto League!"
"Wait!" Brock suddenly yelled out surprising us all. "Haven't you all forgotten something extremely important?!"
"What, Brock?" Misty wondered.
"Togi?"
"We've got tickets for the Kimono Sisters' performance for this month!" Brock explained. "We've got to hurry back to Ecruteak City so we can watch them!"
"You're right, Brock. I almost forgot about them!" Misty gasped.
"Then we should grab a flying taxi tomorrow and fly to Ecruteak City", Ash suggested. "We still have lots of time heading to Blackthorn City and then Mt. Silver."
"Pika pika."
"Takin' a break from trainin' always helps your mind and soul heal up!" Sheila laughed heartedly. "Good luck out there, kiddos!"
With one badge left and couple of months before the opening ceremony of the Johto League, we could take some time-off from our journey and enjoy ourselves.
XXXXXXXXXX
Ashley's party:
Cedric the Pupitar (male)
Mystic the Togetic (male)
Victor the Houndoom (male)
Lily the Espeon (female)
Queendra the Seadra (female)
Poseidon the shiny Gyarados (male)
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Ashley's Pokémon at the Lab:
Trica the Furret (female)
Wanda the Gyarados (female)
Aria the Lapras (female)
Hikaru the Ampharos (male)
Axel the Scyther (male)
XXXXXXXXXX
Ash's party:
Pikachu (male)
Bayleef (female)
Cyndaquil (male)
Dunsparce (male)
Heracross (male)
Phanpy (male)
XXXXXXXXXX
Ash's Pokémon at the Lab:
Tauros (male)
Ivysaur (male)
Snorlax (male)
Kingler (male)
Poliwrath (male)
Wartortle (male)
Shiny Noctowl (male)
Croconaw (male)
XXXXXXXXXX
Misty's party:
Staryu (genderless)
Psyduck (male)
Togepi (female)
Poliwhirl (male)
Lanturn (female)
Corsola (female)
XXXXXXXXXX
Misty's Pokémon in the Cerulean Gym:
Goldeen (female)
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Brock's party:
Geodude (male)
Onix (male)
Crobat (male)
Pineco (male)