Blackthorn City, Pokémon Center
It was the morning after the visit to the Dragon's Den. Jackson, Leafeon, Lyanne , & Ledian were near the PC station, the disguised Eon Pokémon looking a bit nervous.
"You're gonna be fine." Jackson assured her.
"Y-Yeah… I know that." Lyanne answered, looking at the PC, "It's just that now that I am able to speak to them… I'm very nervous."
"You're gonna back off on calling them?" Leafeon asked.
"N-No! That's not what I meant!"
"Then we'll leave it to you." Jackson responded, patting her shoulder, "I need to talk to Bugsy about Ledian and Scizor. We'll be over here if you need us." With that, he walked over to the station next to the one they were close to, calling up the Azalea Town gym leader.
Lyanne walked over to the other station, looking at the screen. She took a deep breath, exhaled, collecting her nerves. Then, when she was ready, she used the keyboard to connect herself to Alto Mare, to the PC in Lorenzo's gondola workshop. There was several seconds of ringing, followed by the screen activating, revealing Lorenzo's face.
"Hello, how can I hel-." He started, before noticing the face, and realizing, "Ah! Is that you, Latias?" Lyanne nodded in response, smiling at him.
"It has been a long while." He greeted her, beaming in joy that he could see her, "Hold on. Bianca's outside. I'll go get her." He stepped away from the screen for half a minute. After that, Bianca's face rushed onto the screen, her appearance mirroring Lyanne's.
"Latias!" She greeted excitedly, "It's been too long!"
"Too long indeed." Lyanne finally spoke, "Are you doing well?"
"Yeah. I've been doing…" Bianca paused, before she and Lorenzo gasped in shock, realizing what just happened. "L-Latias?! You're…you're…"
"Yeah. I can talk now." Lyanne answered, pleased with herself.
"My word!" Lorenzo stated, his eyes nearly bugging out of their sockets.
"How?! How is that possible?!" Bianca demanded, "Did Jackson do this?!"
"Sort of." Lyanne answered, "But mainly, it was the people of Blackthorn City who helped me. These dragon masters had a medicine made for me that-." She begun to explain all that happened, from the bet Lance made with Jackson, to what took place in the Dragon's Den.
After hearing the story, Bianca was floored, while Lorenzo was in his thoughts. "So, yeah. Thanks to that medicine, I developed the ability to speak." Lyanne finished.
"I had learned the tales of the people of Blackthorn City having a connection to Alto Mare." Lorenzo recalled, "But I never learned that one of them would create something like that."
"It's…really hard to believe such events perfectly took place." Bianca muttered, before smiling happily as she said, "But I really shouldn't complain. After all, I now am able to speak to you. It's been a real lifelong dream."
"Same." Lyanne agreed, "I have a lot to talk about. But I probably can't say everything at this time, though. I am still on a journey."
"Right…" Bianca understood, looking a bit sad that she couldn't talk with her a lot more.
"You can always call us anytime you want." Lorenzo assured her.
"I'll do that." Lyanne answered.
Just then, there was a girlish scream in the booth next to her, and she spun to see Jackson had fallen back on his hands and butt, his face looking like he got the shock of his life. Leafeon and Ledian looked to him, while he went from shock to anger as he shouted, "Dang it! Bugsy, no offense, but could you PLEASE stop having Beedrill appear on screen like that?!"
"Sorry." The Bug-type gym leader replied, "He really gets curious with who I talk to."
"You really gotta get over this." Leafeon sighed, "Though, with what happened shortly after I evolved, I guess that's not easily done."
"Beedrill really isn't bad." Ledian assured him, "In fact, he's a really nice guy when you get to know him."
"What was that?!" Bianca questioned, surprised by the scream.
"Just Jackson." Lyanne answered with a chuckle, "I can at least say that, for better or worse, it's quite an interesting adventure I have been on thanks to him."
(Insert 'Stand Tall' Movie version, From Pokémon XYZ)
I stand tall 'cause I know I'm a winner
(In a rocky wasteland, under a darkened cloudy sky, an eruption of smoke from an attack could be seen as a battered Scizor was hoisting Gardevoir, equally battered, her arm around his shoulder. Meanwhile, an injured Dewott was on all fours, pushing himself back up, while Weavile was on one knee, one eye open, panting from the pain.)
You've met your match, yeah, I'm no beginner
(Leafeon and Quilava were also injured, but were pushing themselves onto their feet, while Jackson was on one knee, his sword stabbed into the ground as he held the hilt in one hand. Lyanne was on the sidelines, watching them with worry.)
No beginner
(Jackson looked ahead at the opponent, before pushing himself onto his feet, pulling the sword out of the ground. He gave a smirk, accepting the challenge.)
Gotta catch 'em all!
(Jackson and his team regained themselves, as they charged ahead as one, running to five silhouettes standing on pillars, the Indigo Plateau building right behind them. Their images are blurred out as the title 'Jackson in Johto' appeared on screen, with the gold and silver blades and crystal Pokéball emblem right behind it. The camera passes over it, going upwards, before pointing down and zooming in on Jackson.)
I stand tall 'cause I know I'm a winner
(Jackson waves his hand forward as Weavile unleashes an Ice Punch at Xatu, who uses Double Team before unleashing a storm of Wing Attacks, which he prepares twin Night Slash blades to counter, zooming into his eyes.)
Knock me down, I'll just get up again
(The eyes are replaced by Scizor as the camera zooms out, unleashing Bullet Punch against a Crobat, who counters with Cross Poison, creating an explosion, causing them to push off one another in the middle of the air.)
You've met your match, yeah, I'm no beginner
(Gardevoir flies through the smoke, unleashing a Moonblast against Machamp, who uses Stone Edge, sending stalagmites to pre-detonate the attack.)
Pokémon,
Pokémon,
Gotta catch 'em all!
(Dewott has his Night Slash at the ready, avoiding oncoming Dark Pulse and Flamethrowers from Houndoom, jumping over and avoiding its next Dark Pulse, before unleashing a cross slash with his twin scalchops.)
(In between lyrics, Latias is watching from the air, looking down at the battles taking place, with Buneary on her back, watching as well. Cut to a television of the battle of Scizor and Crobat, with Bugsy watching with Beedrill and Scyther next to him, and Ledian cheering on his trainer.)
You've met your match, yeah, I'm no beginner
(In New Bark Town, Professor Elm, Ethan, and Kris are watching on a big screen, anxious about their friend.)
Pokémon,
(His Mobian friends, primarily Sonic, Tails, Amy, & Knuckles, are watching on their screen.)
Pokémon,
(A black-hatted man in a trench coat is standing in a cave, listening to the radio.)
Gotta catch 'em all!
(The man is replaced by Cypher, whose glaring face turns up the stairs that led to the Indigo Plateau.)
I've got all my friends beside me
I'm keeping my eye on the ball
(Back on the battlefield, Jackson, Leafeon & Quilava were together, as they glared at Lance, who had a smirk as six silhouettes surrounding him, one of which was Dragonite flying above him.)
With the wisdom of years to guide me,
I'm gonna catch 'em all!
(Jackson tightened his gloves by the sleeves, before waving a hand forward, as Leafeon readied Leaf Blade, while Quilava unleashed Flame Charge, while Dragonite and a silhouetted winged dragon figure charged together, unleashing Dragon Claw and Fire Fang together. As they collided, there was a ball of light that blinded the screen.)
Route 45
Jackson, Leafeon, and Lyanne were standing together, as Jackson's Scizor stood in front of them. Before this, Jackson had made the trade with having Ledian go back to Bugsy again, while he got Scizor back. It was during that time that Bugsy told Jackson that Scizor's pincers were fully healed from the events of Ecruteak City, and that during his recuperation, he ended up learning a new move. A powerful and risky move.
"Alright, Scizor. Show me what you got!" Jackson ordered, waving a hand forward.
"I shall show you the fruits of my training, sensei!" Scizor answered, raising his right pincer, opening it up, gathering a powerful force of energy. He then shouted, "Hyper Beam!", letting rip a black beam that shot towards a boulder, before striking it and shattering it to pieces.
Everyone was amazed at the power as Scizor held his position for a moment. Then, after a few seconds, he calmed himself, and turned to them. "Will this attack do in replace of Vacuum Wave?"
"Yeah. That's pretty powerful, Scizor!" Jackson stated.
"It is strong…" Leafeon stated, "But Hyper Beam does have the drawback of him not being able to move for a little bit.
"Great power comes with great responsibility." Lyanne stated.
"Then we just have to train for what situations we need to use it in." Jackson understood, looking back to Scizor, "Get ready for some heavy-duty training, Scizor. I'm not gonna go easy on you."
"I look forward to returning to your training, sensei." Scizor replied, bowing to him.
"Not to change the subject, but what is our next objective?" Lyanne asked, "You were able to obtain your eight badge, right?"
"That's right." Jackson answered, pulling out his badge case, and revealing the eight badges he obtained, "With all eight of these, I am able to go to the Indigo Plateau." This did bring up memories of Lance's last words before they parted.
(Flashback) After they exited the Dragon's Den, Lyanne and Clair were talking to one another, while Lance and Dragonite pulled Jackson and Leafeon to the side to discuss something privately.
"Jackson, I wanted to congratulate you once again for obtaining your eighth gym badge." Lance started.
"Thanks." Jackson replied, "This means I can get to challenge you, right?"
"Yes, but not here." The dragon master corrected him.
"I kinda figured…"
"You will have to go to the Indigo Plateau in order to challenge the Elite Four." Lance started, "Keep in mind, all four members are very powerful trainers. They are even more difficult to beat than my cousin, despite her claims of being on equal footing with them."
"Ouch. Kinda feel bad for her." Jackson muttered.
"I am only telling you this from personal experience." Lance continued, "You already met Karen, and I can tell you felt how strong she was."
"Not gonna lie. Her Umbreon had a powerful presence." Leafeon admitted.
"And she is only one of them. Will, Koga, and Bruno. Those are the names of the other three Elite Four members. You would be wise to take time to train yourself in order to take them on."
"I'll take those words to heart." Jackson replied respectfully.
"Now, as for where Indigo Plateau is, would you kindly pull out your map?" Lance requested. Jackson pulled out his tablet, and displayed the map of Johto on screen. Lance pointed out a certain town as he stated, "You started out at New Bark Town, correct? Well, from there, you go eastward to Route 27, passing the Tohjo Falls, then onto Route 26. From there, you will go through Victory Road, the final trial for trainers who are wanting to reach us before making their way to the Indigo Plateau."
"Got it. Time to head back to New Bark Town again." Jackson summed up, putting the map away, looking to Lance. The two locked eyes, already aware of what the other was thinking. Very soon, they would have their match. And Jackson was gonna climb his way to the top to meet him. (Flashback ends)
Jackson closed his badge case, before looking at his companions. "We've come a long way. Ironically, this route was part of our beginnings, too. Now we gotta go all the way back to the very start, at New Bark Town."
"I'll be pleased to see the professor who gained my Pokéball before giving it to you again." Leafeon stated, "I wonder if Kris & Ethan will be there?"
"That's right. Those two trainers are also on the same journey as you." Lyanne recalled.
"I should check up on them at some point." Jackson stated, putting Scizor back in his ball before looking south, which primarily sloped downward, "Let's start making our way back again."
The trio continued onward, taking a standard pace like most other people, though easily going down rocky and rather difficult paths for normal people. But for two Pokémon and an abnormally athletic trainer, it wasn't too hard.
After a couple hours, they took a break as they sat about the rocks, having some onigiri they bought in Blackthorn City, along with some Pokémon food for all of Jackson's team.
"At this pace, we should be down to the bottom of the route by the end of the day." Jackson stated.
"I must say, this is a lot faster than I expected." Lyanne stated, "With the roads as they are, usually it would take other trainers far longer than this. Maybe a week at best."
"You think this is fast, when we were climbing this route before, he practically had us make it to the top in no time flat." Leafeon recalled, "We barely trained as we made it up."
"Yeah, yeah. I was rather idiotic at the beginning." Jackson admitted, looking amused and ashamed at his own hubris back then. He looked at what remained of his onigiri, thinking back to the person he was before. He then snarfed down his snack, chewing it as he spoke, "Well, that was then, and I know better. Enough said."
"There's no need to get embarrassed, Jackson." Leafeon chuckled, "You were a newbie. That's all there is to it."
"Who said I was embarrassed?!" Jackson demanded, glaring at her.
"You're looking rosy, Jackson." Lyanne noticed, seeing the color of his cheeks.
"Now you're making fun of me!" His accusation caused the two girls to laugh heartily at his dispense. The rest of Jackson's Pokémon also laughed at him, as Jackson was flushed in the face.
Just then, they heard a whinny from up the hill, as a voice called out, "Out of the way!" the group looked up as a horse-like Pokémon leapt over them, landing on the ground in front. It was pale cream, with a single horn protruding from its head like a unicorn, and flames from the mane on its head, down its back, tail, and heels. There was a person riding on it, sitting on a flameproof saddle. A familiar woman.
"You need to get out of the way, now!" The woman ordered the group, "There's a rockslide of Graveler & Golem coming this way!"
"That's not good!" Lyanne exclaimed, as Jackson other five Pokémon could tell danger was approaching.
"Hold on. Aren't you…?" Jackson recognized her. It was Madeline, the Pokémon Ranger he met on this very same route.
"Oh. It's you again." The ranger recognized him.
The ground started to shake beneath them. She shook her head, before getting herself back to her initial attitude, "Never mind. You need to move, now!"
The team looked up the hill, and saw several large boulders rolling down the hill at high speeds. Knowing what needed to be done, Jackson shouted, "Run!" His team raced out of the way as the boulders flew down the hill, rolling right through the area they were at before. As they did, Jackson could hear the sounds of the two kinds of Pokémon rolling past, along with their words.
"Rockin' & Rollin'!"
"Last one down is a rotten Exeggcute!"
"Nothin' gettin' our way!"
Jackson watched all the boulder Pokémon rolling past them, seemingly enjoying their roll down the hill, without a care in the world. After a few seconds, they passed by, and the area seemed clear.
Jackson and his companions gave a sigh of relief, before turning to Madeline as she got off her Pokémon. "Thanks for the save there." Jackson thanked her.
"Just doing my job." She replied, walking over to him, "I must say, it's been a while since we last met." She looked up and down him before stating, "Mm-hm! You're definitely looking different from the last time I saw you. And you're looking more confident, to boot."
"Well, I was in a different headspace back then." Jackson admitted.
"Jackson, you know this woman?" Lyanne asked, curious about her.
"Yeah. This is Madeline." He introduced her, "She was the first trainer I fought seriously with in my journey, and taught me a couple of lessons about Pokémon."
"I see." Lyanne understood, slightly relieved for some reason.
"Is this a traveling companion of yours?" She asked Jackson.
"She is." He answered, looking to her, "Go ahead. Introduce yourself." He did make this request due to the fact that Lyanne, now able to talk, should be doing the greeting in replace of him.
"O-Oh, right." The disguised Pokémon answered, realizing she could do that now, before bowing to her as she started, "My name is Lyanne. I'm joining Jackson on his travels."
"A pleasure to meet you, Lyanne." Madeline greeted her, "Please make sure you don't do anything reckless. For your sake and for the Pokémon around you."
"I'll do just that." She answered with a small chuckle in her tone, while Jackson and Leafeon approached the horse Pokémon, pulling out his Pokédex.
"Rapidash. The Fire Horse Pokémon, and the evolved form of Ponyta. Rapidash usually can be seen casually cantering in the fields and plains. However, when this Pokémon turns serious, its fiery manes flare and blaze as it gallops its way up to 150 mph."
"Is this the Ponyta I remember you having before?" Jackson asked.
"Oh, yes. She evolved not too long ago." Madeline replied, going from Lyanne to her Pokémon's side, rubbing its face, "Since then, she has been indispensable in my duties as a ranger, traversing these rocky hills like they were nothing."
"I merely wish to assist my trainer." Rapidash stated, looking happy with the pats, "After all, she is protecting Pokémon. Who knows what she would do without me?"
"Believe me, I know the feeling." Leafeon compared, laughing at how she does the same with Jackson.
Leafeon's laugh drew the ranger's attention, before realizing, "Say, is this the same Eevee you had before?"
"Yeah. She evolved during my travels." Jackson replied, looking to her, "She's a lot tougher than you remember, as well."
"Oh, really?" Madeline asked, feeling a challenge coming on. She took the bait, and asked, "In that case, I would like to see that strength. You don't mind a battle with me, do you?"
"Not at all." Jackson answered, smirking at her, "I would like to see how tough you gotten since we last met."
"There's a nice open area further down." Madeline pointed out, poking a finger down the hill, "Let's take our battle there."
"Fine by me." Jackson replied as she got onto her Rapidash, and they raced down the hill. He returned his Pokémon to their balls, before he, Leafeon, and Lyanne descended down after her.
The area Madeline spoke of was a nice area for a battle, with the rocks surrounding the area like a semi-wall, obscuring it slightly. By the time Jackson and the two girls reunited with her, Madeline had already her saddle off of Rapidash, loosening any restrictions.
"How's about a three Pokémon match?" She asked Jackson.
"I'm down with that." Jackson replied, walking to one side of the open field, getting into position.
"This is pretty nostalgic." Leafeon stated, walking over to Jackson.
"So a rematch with the first trainer Jackson ever faced." Leafeon stated, taking a stance on the sidelines, "I'm interested on how far they have gotten."
"Lyanne, wanna referee us?" Jackson asked her.
The disguised Latias seemed surprised, before realizing this was something she could also do now she could speak. And Jackson knew it, too. She nodded, and took to her position.
"I'll start things off." Madeline called out, putting Rapidash into her ball to rest, before pulling out another one, "Go, Furret!" She tossed out the evolved form of a Pokémon Jackson remembered her having before.
"So Rapidash isn't the only one who evolved." Leafeon understood.
"Wanna take a crack at this one, Leafeon?" Jackson asked her.
"Gladly." She replied, taking to the field.
"If I remember correctly, you allowed me to make the first move, didn't you?" the ranger recalled.
"And I stick by that!" Jackson replied.
"In that case, Furret, use Hyper Voice!" Furret inhaled and blasted out a sound wave with its cry at Leafeon, who took the hit and endured with all she had.
"Leafeon, shut her off with Leaf Blade!" Jackson shouted through the attack. Leafeon responded by making her tail glow, and raced through the attack, before slashing Furret with the move, shutting him up and sending him tumbling in pain.
"Quite the endurance." Madeline stated as Furret got back up, before hearing Jackson shout, "Now go into Iron Tail!" Leafeon bounded up and readied a steely tail.
"Protect!" Furret heard his trainer, and created a barrier that surrounded its body, blocking the attack Leafeon landed.
"Dance with blades!" Jackson called out, which Leafeon interpreted and started her combo of slashes with her Iron Tail, putting the pressure on Furret and his Protect.
"I never seen anyone use Iron Tail like this before." Madeline responded, surprised, "But Protect can take all those hits."
"Yeah, but for how long?" Jackson asked, clueing her in on what he had planned. Sure enough, the Protect started to fail, and a slash from Leafeon's tail sent Furret flying, soaring high into the sky, before crashing to the ground, with spirals in its eyes.
Lyanne noticed his condition, and called out, "That's it! Furret is unable to battle! Leafeon wins this match!"
Madeline was taken aback, muttering, "In just two hits?!" The shock wore off, and she pulled out Furret's Pokéball, stating, "You did your best. I just didn't expect Jackson's Pokémon to be so tough." Returning Furret to his ball, she put it away before pulling out another ball, stating, "That rather surprised me, Jackson. You are a lot tougher than I gave you credit for."
"Well, my team and I went through a lot and got stronger together." He answered.
"That said…" Madeline replied, "I have improved since our last battle. And there were Pokémon I had yet to show you then. Here's one now. Pidgeot, go!" She tossed out a ball, and out came a large bird similar to the Pidgey and Pidgeotto line. It flapped its wings, and landed on the ground, crying out as it looked ready to take off any moment.
Jackson pulled out his dex, looking at the info. "Pidgeot. The Bird Pokémon, and the final evolved form of Pidgeotto. This Pokémon has a dazzling plumage of beautifully glossy feathers. Many Trainers are captivated by the striking beauty of the feathers on its head, compelling them to choose Pidgeot as their Pokémon."
"A Flying-type. Not a good matchup, Leafeon." Jackson noted, "Want to keep going?"
"Not sure. We could use Sunny Day." Leafeon suggested, looking back at him, "But that would benefit Rapidash, wouldn't it?"
"Figured out what I was thinking, huh?" Jackson replied with a smirk.
"In that case, lets leave it to someone else."
"Leafeon, take a rest, then." He told her, and she bounded back to his side.
"Playing it smart, huh?" Madeline noticed, "Even the smallest choices in battle can make a difference."
"True." Jackson answered, thinking about who to choose. 'That Pidgeot seems fast. Weavile would work with taking in the Ice-type advantage. But… maybe I should focus on the aerial standpoint.' He pulled out his Park Ball, and called out, "Scizor, time to fly!"
Out came his Steel/Bug-type, sitting on his knees, before standing up and fanning out his wings, stating, "As you wish, sensei." He took to the sky, as Pidgeot flapped its wings, taking to the sky.
"An aerial battle, huh?" Madeline understood, "We can handle that. Pidgeot, Air Slash!" Pidgeot started flapping its wings, sending a deluge of sharp blades of wind at Scizor.
"Dodge with Agility!" Jackson's called out, and Scizor used his speed-boosted aerial skills to dodge out of the way of the attacks, flying about them to avoid getting hit. "Now, Bullet Punch!" his trainer followed up, and Scizor got in close with a glowing pincer, punching the bird, and knocking it backwards.
"Quick, regain yourself!" Madeline called out, and Pidgeot managed to soar back up before it could hit the ground. "That's the way! Use Aerial Ace!" With the momentum of the fall to the climb, Pidgeot was encased in a cone of energy. Scizor saw it coming, and crossed its arms in defense, taking the unavoidable attack, and knocked upwards.
"Hang in there!" Jackson shouted, seeing the position Scizor was in, and coming up with a plan. "Yeah, that can actually work." Jackson muttered, before calling out, "Scizor, unleash a Hyper Beam!" Scizor heard and raised his pincers, gathering up a powerful energy within them.
"Not good." Madeline realized the dangers of the attack, "Counter with Mirror Move!" Pidgeot's eyes looked at Scizor's attack, reflecting under the sheen, before opening its beak, and concentrating its own blast of energy.
"It's preparing a Hyper Beam, too!" Leafeon noticed, "Mirror Move is allowing Pidgeot to use the same attack!"
Both Pidgeot and Scizor fired off their attacks, the powerful black beams meeting one another head on, before there was a great explosion, causing both Scizor and Pidgeot to be blown away by the detonation. But while Scizor was tossed higher into the sky, Pidgeot crashed into the ground hard by the force, sending a dust cloud to consume its body. When the dust cleared, Pidgeot was struggling to get back up with its wings, trying to move.
"Pidgeot, are you able to move?!" Madeline asked, seeing her partner struggle.
'Pidgeot can't move because of the effects of Hyper Beam.' Lyanne understood, looking to the sky, where Scizor had reached the height of the knockback, 'But while Pidgeot was grounded, Scizor was knocked upwards, too far for any attacks to come at him. This is giving him time to recover!'
As Scizor fell immobile, he eventually recovered from the Hyper Beam's after effects. Jackson, seeing this, smirked as he called out, "Okay, buddy. Use that momentum, and unleash a Bullet Punch!"
Scizor took the falling speed, and shot down at the now regained Pidgeot. It looked up at him as he soared down, and with a mighty crash, struck him with twin glowing pincers. Everyone shielded their eyes from the dirt flying from the attack. When it died down, they saw that Pidgeot was down for the count, while Scizor remained standing.
"That's it! Pidgeot is unable to continue!" Lyanne shouted, "Scizor is the winner!"
Madeline was baffled at the power that was delivered to her companion, before calming down and pulling out her ball, returning Pidgeot back in. She looked to Jackson, watching him as he praised Scizor for such a skillful defeat. "You are hardly the trainer I once met back then." she said, though it was too quiet to be audible to Jackson, "First meeting him when he was starting out. And now…"
She flashed back to during the Team Rocket radio station takeover. She had her Pokémon in their balls to prevent them from going wild, and nervously turned on the radio again. It was then that she heard the news about the trainers who stopped the takeover, including Jackson's name among them. This took her by surprise, hearing this.
"I shouldn't underestimate him…" she told herself, watching Jackson return Scizor to his ball, "I need to push him to the limit." She pulled out her Pokéball, calling out, "You are a strong trainer. But I was saving my best for last. Rapidash, go!" She tossed out her final Pokémon, the fiery horse, onto the field.
"I knew that was gonna appear." Jackson stated, putting Scizor's Park Ball away.
"Planning to use Dewott?" Leafeon asked.
"I bet anything she has a plan for that." He answered, pulling out another ball, "So I'm gonna get a little unorthodox." He tossed the ball high, and out came someone that was a bit unexpected; Gardevoir.
"Jackson is using Gardevoir?!" Lyanne asked, surprised.
"I was sure you had a Water-type with you." Madeline noted.
"I'm sure you have a counter for one. But I've got my own idea." Jackson replied, "Ready to go, Gardevoir?"
"Of course. I'll be happy to help." She replied.
Madeline didn't expect the caution, but knew he was right to make the call. "I assume this was what you were thinking." Madeline stated, before shouting, "Rapidash, Wild Charge!" Her partner charged forward, encased in sparking yellow electricity as it came at Gardevoir.
"Called it!" Jackson answered, "Use Teleport!" Gardevoir suddenly warped out of the way, avoiding the attack, before appearing on another part of the field.
"You made a good judgement call, Jackson." Leafeon stated.
"Now, time for the counter!" Jackson declared, "Moonblast!" Gardevoir gathered up the power of the moon's energy into a sphere, before firing it off at Rapidash.
"Megahorn!" Madeline called out. Rapidash turned around, the horn on its head shining as it grew large. She thrusted the Moonblast with her horn, creating a detonation that minimized the damage she would've taken.
"That's how we deal with falling boulders." The ranger told Jackson.
"That is a great counter for them." Jackson stated, "Now, let's see how you deal with this. Magical Leaf!" Gardevoir raised her hands up as she gathered glowing energy leaves around her, before firing at Rapidash.
"Fire Spin!" Madeline called out. Rapidash unleashed a spiraling swirl of flames that eradicated the attack, and surrounded Gardevoir, causing her to endure against the heat and flames.
"She's trapped!" Leafeon exclaimed.
"She has nowhere to go." Madeline stated, "Try to teleport out of this. Flame Charge!" Rapidash charged as it was encased in flames, charging at the trapped Gardevoir. This looked like it might hit.
"Psychic!" Jackson ordered. Gardevoir's eyes leered at the charging Rapidash as they glowed. It's power was intense enough to disperse the flames around her, followed up by trapping Rapidash in psychic energy, lifting her slightly off the ground.
"Rapidash!" Madeline called out.
"Sorry…" the swordsman trainer's voice called out, "But Rapidash can't really do much without her hooves on the ground. Send her flying!" Gardevoir squished and squashed Rapidash with her psychic energy, before hurling it into one of the rock walls far off. The impact was enough to wind Rapidash, before she collapsed to the ground, unable to continue.
"Rapidash is unable to battle!" Lyanne shouted, "Gardevoir is the winner! The victory of this match is Jackson!"
"Yes!" Leafeon cheered.
"Nice finisher, Gardevoir!" Jackson stated, running over to her as she came to join his side, "You're not hurt, are you?"
"A little singed, but I am fine." She replied, seeing the marks from the Fire Spin.
"I'm glad you were able to win." Leafeon sighed in relief, "Scizor and I would never be able to beat that."
"Fair enough. It was a gamble, but one I was glad paid off." Jackson answered.
Madeline walked over to her partner as Rapidash regained consciousness, looking at her. "We failed, Rapidash. But you were amazing, as always." She told her, caressing her head, before returning her to her ball. "Seems like doing so much ranger work didn't give me enough time to improve my Pokémon battling skills." She muttered, before looking to Jackson, seeing him talking with the two female Pokémon as Lyanne came to join them, "Or maybe…Jackson is just that much stronger."
She walked over to him as Jackson thanked Gardevoir before placing her back in her ball, before turning to his opponent. "You managed to completely floor me. I couldn't defeat a single one of your Pokémon. The strategy of switching out for each of my Pokémon was clever enough to take me out."
"Well, I did go on a journey to become better than who I was." Jackson answered, "Still, the journey is not over, yet."
"Oh? Where do you plan on going next?"
"To challenge the Elite Four and Lance."
Madeline was surprised, stating, "I see. So you defeated eight gym leaders?"
"Yep, I did." He replied.
"I see. And you were able to defeat Clair, I assume."
"Right again."
"Well, that explains a lot." the ranger sighed, "Defeating her was no easy feet. If you could beat her, no way I stood a chance. I'll just have to improve my team in between my ranger duties."
"And when you do, hopefully we'll meet up for another battle, okay?" Jackson asked, raising a hand to her.
She smirked as she took his hand, replying, "I look forward to that day. In the meantime, stay safe, and don't do anything reckless."
"When do I ever do anything reckless?" Jackson asked sarcastically.
"Do we even need to answer?" Leafeon and Lyanne answered simultaneously. This made Jackson laugh, knowing full well his own demeanor. This was followed by everyone else laughing, finding the situation amusing.
Jackson stopped his laughing, looking to his companions, before looking back down the hill. With all the times he was looking back to who he was on this route, to who he is now, he could tell they were night and day. He has really come a long way. And he wasn't stopping anytime soon.