I want to give a shout-out to LealovesMokuba for writing the 100th review of this story! I didn't think this saga would reach 100 reviews, so I'm very happy to see it. Thank you so much for sticking this long on Ashley's journey, which is still far from over.

Disclaimer: I do not own any Pokémon characters! I only own my OCs!

Chapter 46: Great Bowls of Fire!

My training was done. I had prepared my Pokémon for the Gym battle, but there was one Pokémon missing. It was the same for my brother. Ash, Misty, Brock and I stood outside of the Gym with Clair and Kaburagi and watched the sky looking for something. My eyes widened when I saw three figures flying down from the blue sky coming toward us, one of them pulling an air balloon. They landed a few meters from us before a tall woman jumped off her riding Pokémon.

"Hi, Clair! It's been a while!"

"It sure has been, Liza. Welcome back to Blackthorn City", Clair stepped forward and high-fived with the other dragon tamer.

"Firered!"

"Charizard!"

Ash and I rushed to our Charizards. Firered was so happy he nuzzled me with his head, which made me laugh by the ticklish feeling. I caressed his head in return and gave him many kisses. "I missed you a lot, Firered."

"Rawr!"

Charizard pounced happily on Ash and licked him eagerly, making my brother laugh by the tickling muscle. "Great to see you again, Charizard!"

"Pika pika!" Pikachu laughed when he got a tickling lick from Charizard.

"Raawr!"

Charla, Liza's Charizard, giggled at the sight of the two male Charizards acting like Growlithe puppies. Firered and Charizard released us so we could wipe the saliva from our faces.

"Is it just me, or do Charizard and Firered look a little taller than before?" Brock pointed out.

"Yes, they do", Misty nodded. "When we first met Liza, they were around Charla's size."

"Yep, they've grown a lot since they started training in the Charicific Valley", Liza confirmed while Charla nuzzled against Charizard who acted prideful. "In fact, Charizard is Charla's favorite bodyguard."

"Rawr!" Charizard nodded and put his hands on his hips, puffing his chest out proudly. Charla purred and nuzzled against him. It looked really cute for a moment, but then Misty's comment made me question their behavior.

"They look like they are something more than just a model and her bodyguard."

Something clicked in my mind. I had read about Pokémon becoming mates, but I had never really noticed any of my Pokémon being intimate. "You mean…they are mates?"

Liza giggled at my flabbergasted reaction. "No, they're not mates. They're just very close friends."

Firered didn't look bothered by Charizard receiving affections from Charla, so I guessed he didn't have deep feelings for her.

"Now, are you guys ready for the Gym battle?" Clair asked.

"I am!" I snapped my head up, waving my hand eagerly.

"Well, you better go first then, Ashley", Ash chuckled at my reaction. "Then again, it is your turn."

"More like a twisting turn!" Kaburagi laughed at his own terrible joke. The rest of us just gave him a flat expression.

We stepped inside the Gym and entered the battlefield that contained a pool in the middle. It kinda reminded me of the Mahogany Gym battlefield, but it did make sense. She had a Gyarados and that Pokémon battled better in a water environment.

Clair and I took our stands on the battlefield while Kaburagi went to the referee panel. Firered stood behind me because I had plans on using him after I heard from Liza what kind of moves he had learned during his training.

"The Gym battle between Gym Leader Clair and challenger Ashley is about to begin!" Kaburagi called out. "Each Trainer use three Pokémon and only the challenger may switch Pokémon during battles. The battle is over when one's Pokémon have all fainted. Ladies, are you ready?"

"I am", Clair nodded with a confident gleam in her eyes.

"Me too", I nodded. I could feel the thrill boiling, so I was eager to go and battle full out with my Pokémon against a dragon tamer.

"Begin ba-"

An alarm blasted in the whole building which scared the cruds out of me. I literally jumped by the sudden noise and fell back into Firered.

"What's going on?!" Ash called out.

"It's the alarm from the treasure room where we keep the Dragon Fang, Ms. Clair!" Kaburagi panicked and threw the flags.

"Let's go and get those intruders!" Clair nodded.

We rushed out of the Gym to the storage right next to the building where we got an unexpected surprise. "Team Rocket!"

They were about to flee with a familiar box in James' hands. "They got Dragon Fang!" Kaburagi gasped.

"Well, hello again, twerps!" Jessie giggled.

"Since we couldn't get our hands on those Dratinis last time, we're taking this Dragon Fang as compensation!" James laughed, holding the wooden box proudly.

"So we're not messing with ya today! Bue-bye!" Meowth called back before the trio ran off.

"Come back, you thieves!" Clair yelled before we chased after them.

Lucky for them, Team Rocket rushed to a nearby bridge where a powerboat was docked. They jumped right into it and drove off to the large river. "Sayonara~!"

"They're getting away!" Brock gasped.

"Not for long! Dragonair, go!" Clair threw a Poké Ball, calling out one of her dragons.

"Kryuuuh!"

"A Dragonair!" I exclaimed happily before I clapped my cheeks to snap out of it. Now wasn't the time to admire dragon Pokémon.

Clair and Kaburagi climbed onto Dragonair who levitated in the air before they flew after Team Rocket. "We're going after them!"

"Firered, we should go too!" I told my partner.

"Rawr!" Firered nodded and lowered himself so I could climb onto him. He flew up to the sky and followed Dragonair.

"We're coming too!" Ash yelled behind me as he and Pikachu flew on Charizard.

"Pika pikaa!"

"Raawr!"

I realized Liza had strapped the air balloon onto Charla and used the basket to transport Misty and Brock. We followed Clair and Dragonair for a few minutes until we stopped in front of a cave that looked like a dragon with its mouth wide open.

"No! They actually went in there?!" Kaburagi gasped in terror.

"What do you mean? Does a dangerous Pokémon live in that cave?" Ash wondered.

"No, but the Dragon's Den is a huge labyrinth created by dragons", Clair explained. "If Team Rocket makes it through, they're going to arrive to the Holy Land."

"The Holy Land?" Ash repeated.

"It's a special place where many dragon tamers come to train", Liza explained. "I've trained there too with Clair and Lance."

"It's a peaceful place where the harmony should never be disturbed", Kaburagi added. "The Blackthorn City's first Gym Leader chose that land to become a safe haven for dragon Pokémon and left behind his Dragonite to protect the place and the Pokémon after he passed away."

"Knowing Team Rocket, if they make it to the Holy Land, they're going to manipulate Dragonite thinking we're the bad guys!" Misty pointed out.

"Right! They have a way convincing innocent Pokémon into their tricks!" Brock nodded.

"We must intercept them before they can meet Dragonite! She has a very naïve nature, so she's vulnerable against manipulators!" Liza exclaimed. "Clair, you and Dragonair follow them through the cave! Charla and I will lead the others to the Holy Land through the sky!"

"Okay! Call me on my PokéGear if you find Team Rocket!" Clair replied before Dragonair levitated inside the cave.

Charla flew ahead leading Firered and Charizard toward some mountains away from the city. We crossed those mountains and were greeted by a beautiful sight of clean nature and colorful flowers. Wild Pokémon were enjoying themselves and had fun, not caring about a single thing. They didn't even react to us when we landed and got off our Charizards.

"What a beautiful place!" Misty smiled as she took in the sight.

"And it smells so refreshing", I inhaled deeply.

"The Holy Land is completely untouched by mankind, which makes it a paradise for Pokémon to live in", Brock nodded.

"But this might get destroyed by Team Rocket's disturbance", Liza reminded us of the situation. "We need to find them and chase them out of here."

"Rawr!" Charla exhaled smoke from her nostrils.

"Right! We must find Dragonite first before they find her!" Ash nodded determinedly.

"Pika!"

It turned out we didn't have to look for Dragonite for long. She found us and welcomed us with a Hyper Beam. Charizard and Firered quickly stepped forward and intercepted the move with their Flamethrowers. The attacks collided with one another and created an explosion, kicking up dirt and smoke that swiftly dissipated with the help of Charla flapping her wings.

"Groooh!" Dragonite growled aggressively behind Team Rocket.

"Dragonite! Do you remember me?!" Liza shouted. "It's me, Liza! You can trust me and my friends!"

"Don't listen to them, Dragonite!" Meowth snarled. "They're the bad guys who want to destroy this paradise and take the holy Dragon Fang for us, the true protectors!"

The next thing we knew, Dragonite grabbed Team Rocket and flew away with them in her arms. We were very surprised by the sudden move and watched the dragon Pokémon fly farther away from us, deeper into the Holy Land.

"No! Dragonite, come back!" Liza called desperately.

"RAAAWR!" Charla screeched after the poor manipulated dragon that soon became one with the blue sky.

"What happened?" Clair called out after she, Dragonair and Kaburagi reached us. "We just heard Charla's roar."

"Clair, it's awful! Dragonite has taken Team Rocket's side and flew away with them deeper into the Holy Land with the Dragon Fang!" Liza exclaimed.

"Oh no! If they get further into the Holy Land, they might find the Dragon Shrine!" Kaburagi panicked.

"Dragon Shrine?" I asked confusedly.

"It's a shrine built by the ancient people who believed that humans and Pokémon could live in peace", the old man explained. "The shrine stores the Prayer Flame which has burned for over five hundred years."

"Is there anything special or perhaps valuable inside that shrine?" Brock asked.

"The bowl that stores the Prayer Flame is of pure gold, so it's a pretty pricey artifact", Kaburagi replied.

"Team Rocket will certainly steal that gold bowl", Misty pointed out.

"Togi…", Togepi chirped worriedly.

"We better find them before they find the Dragon Shrine and cause a disaster!" Ash nodded.

"Yeah! And they should know better it's dangerous playing with fire!" I said. "They could cause a forest fire if they're not careful!"

Clair and Kaburagi joined Misty and Brock in the balloon while the rest of us flew on our Charizards. The view of the Holy Land from above was breathtaking with lush nature and emerald forest among flowers that looked like glittering gems. It would be a huge loss of Team Rocket or somebody else with an evil heart dared to pollute or destroy this lovely paradise.

We arrived to a large lake that was surrounded by some mountains and forest, but instead of having a vibrant green color it was being engulfed by hungry flames that spread fast. Wild Pokémon were running to save their lives from the disaster. Explosions erupted from the lake like there was a battle ongoing.

"No! The Holy Land is in danger!" Kaburagi shrieked in terror.

"We must hurry and calm Dragonite down! She must have found out the truth about Team Rocket!" Clair exclaimed.

"You heard her, Charizard! Let's go!"

"You too, Firered!"

"Raawr!"

Charla flew after our Charizards as we headed toward the danger zone. My heart tugged in pain when I saw Pokémon running in panic as their home was getting destroyed. The pain got replaced with anger when I spotted Team Rocket running away from a very angry Dragonite. She got in front of them and launched a Hyper Beam without hesitation.

"Flamethrower!" Ash and I yelled simultaneously.

Our Charizards breathed their fire moves and blocked the Hyper Beam from injuring Team Rocket and damage the Dragon Fang. Firered and Charizard landed in front of Team Rocket and we quickly got off them to confront Dragonite.

"Dragonite, calm down!" Ash yelled. "We're here to help you!"

"Oh, twerps! You may be our enemies, but we can't help but appreciate you right now!" Jessie cried happy tears.

"You've come to save us!" James couldn't quit wiping his tears while he clutched the box with the Dragon Fang with his other arm.

"We're so grateful!" Meowth nodded.

"Woobbuuffet!"

"Dragonair, make it rain!" Clair summoned her Pokémon out while Ash and I kept our attention at Dragonite who had a deadly glare.

The area became dark by rainclouds and it didn't take a second before it started pouring down, slowly putting the fire out before it could spread even further. "Charla, we go and help the Pokémon!" Liza called out.

"Rawr!"

"Guys, save Dragonite before it's too late!"

"What do you mean by that?" Misty asked while Charla flew off to help the wild Pokémon.

"There's no time to waste, Misty!" Brock told her. "We better help putting the rest of the fire out with our Pokémon!"

"Right!"

"We're leaving that to you, guys!" Ash yelled over his shoulder.

"Be careful!" I shouted.

Dragonite growled aggressively at Firered and Charizard who didn't hesitate to bare their fangs back at her. There was something different with the way Dragonite glared at us like there was a haze in her eyes.

Team Rocket crawled to our feet and clawed onto us in desperation. "Oh, our heroes! We cannot thank you enough!" Jessie cried.

"How can we ever repay you for saving us?" Meowth sobbed.

"You can pay back your troubles by returning the Dragon Fang right this instant!" Clair growled at them.

James panicked and immediately held the box out. "Okay, okay, fair enough!"

Kaburagi snatched the box and opened it to see the Dragon Fang was still in there and intact. "The Dragon Fang is safe."

Clair stepped cautiously toward Dragonite. "Dragonite, it's me, Clair. Don't you remember me? We used to train together all the time."

Dragonite's response was a Hyper Beam, which Charizard and Firered blocked before it could hit Clair. The explosion threw her back to the ground so we quickly gathered around her. "Clair, are you okay?!" I asked worriedly.

"I… I'm fine…", Clair grunted while she slowly got up. "But…why did she do this?"

"Ms. Clair, Dragonite might be suffering from attack rage!" Kaburagi exclaimed.

"What is attack rage?" Ash asked.

I recognized the term. "I read it before in a book about dragons. Attack rage is when a dragon Pokémon gets overwhelmed after using attacks repeatedly they get confused! It's like when they use Thrash, Petal Dance or Outrage and get confused afterward!"

"GROOOOH!" Dragonite took off to the sky and flapped her wings with such sheer force that Dragonair couldn't stay any longer in the air and control the weather. It got thrown down while the rainclouds faded away. To make matters worse, Dragonite fired Hyper Beam after another, setting the forest back on fire again.

"Dragonite, stop it!" I yelled. "You're destroying your own home!"

I caught her attention, but she flew toward me faster than I expected to tackle me. Firered got in the way and tackled her back before she could touch me.

"Thank you, Firered!" I breathed in relief.

"Dragonite, can't you hear the voices of all the Pokémon that live in the forest?!" Ash shouted, hoping his voice could reach her. "This place is both their and your home!"

"What on earth caused Dragonite to get so upset?" Kaburagi wondered.

James raised a shaking hand. "I think I know…"

"What did you guys do?" Clair asked with a stern voice.

James flinched back by her deadly glare. "I-I tried to take a bowl of gold with some weird fire, but it was too hot so I dropped it and-"

"You touched the holy bowl with the Prayer Flame?!" Clair yelled angrily.

"That explains everything! Nobody is ever allowed to touch that bowl with malicious greed!" Kaburagi raged.

"Sorry!" Team Rocket apologized by throwing their foreheads down on the scorched ground.

"You take care of that flame, we take care of Dragonite!" Ash told the others.

"GROOOOOH!" Dragonite flew up with Charizard and Firered joining her, ready to have an aerial battle.

"Charizard, Flamethrower!" Ash yelled.

Charizard breathed a beam of fire at Dragonite, but she swiftly dodged the move which was an opening for Firered. "Firered, use Metal Claw!"

"RAWR!" Firered extended his claws and slashed Dragonite. It caught her off guard so she couldn't dodge the next Flamethrower coming from Charizard. She was engulfed in flames and fell down to the river. Ash and I thought that was enough to snap her out, but she got out of the pool still enraged.

"That wasn't enough?!" Ash gasped.

"Pika pikaa!"

"GROOOO-!" Dragonite was about to fire a new Hyper Beam when Dragonair paralyzed her with a Thunder Wave.

"We must battle together to calm down Dragonite!" Clair called out.

"Right!" I nodded. "We need to immobilize her as much as we can."

"Charizard, use Fire Spin!" Ash shouted.

"Firered, help Charizard with Flamethrower!" I yelled.

Firered assisted Charizard by combining his Flamethrower with the Fire Spin, increasing its strength and endurance. Dragonite got trapped inside the fiery vortex and tried to move, but she was still affected by the Thunder Wave.

"I've got an idea!" Clair suddenly called. "I'm going to need Pikachu's help for it."

"Okay! Ready to battle, Pikachu?" Ash asked his partner.

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded determinedly.

"Dragonair, use your power to summon thunderclouds!" Clair shouted to her Pokémon.

"KryuUUUUH!" Dragonair shrieked as she used her powers to call upon new dark clouds. The air got tense and full of static it made my lips tingle. Electricity crackled among the clouds as it was ready to unleash its fury.

Dragonair manipulated its power and summoned one lightning bolt after another on Dragonite. She was free from the Fire Spin and Thunder Wave, but even as she tried to flee the thunderbolts kept striking her, forcing her to slow down.

"Now, it's your turn, Pikachu! Thunder!" Ash yelled.

"PikaCHUUUU!" Pikachu blasted a massive thunderbolt as soon as Dragonite was right above him. The move hit her and made her scream in pain while she tried enduring the lightning bolts coming from the sky.

"We caught her! Now we must attack together!" Clair yelled.

"Charizard, use Fire Spin!" Ash shouted.

"Use Flamethrower, Firered!" I yelled.

"Dragonair, use Hyper Beam!" the Gym Leader called out.

Our Pokémon unleashed their moves just as Dragonite was about to fire her own Hyper Beam. However, our Pokémon were much faster than her this time. So with all the moves combined and with the help of Mother Nature, the energy exploded around Dragonite into a massive inferno. Dragonite fell into the lake once again like a boulder while the clouds cleared up.

Everyone turned silent as we waited for Dragonite's next move. It took a few seconds before she emerged from the lake, but this time her eyes were no longer foggy. She showed no signs of aggression which meant we had saved her from the attack rage.

But sadly, we weren't able to save the forest around the lake. It had burned down into ashes. Dragonite howled while crying after she saw the destruction around her, not even a single flower had survived. Heavy tears ran down her cheeks as she howled repeatedly like she was apologizing to everyone and everything around her for what she had done. The wild Pokémon rushed to her aid telling her it wasn't her fault.

My eyes leaked as well as Dragonite continued sobbing. It hurt for me just as much for seeing Dragonite blaming herself. And it was all thanks to Team Rocket.

My sorrow was replaced by anger as I turned around to face the bad guys who looked ready to leave. "Stop right there!"

Team Rocket flinched and cautiously turned around to face me, Firered and everyone else. "You've done a huge mess this time, Team Rocket", Ash growled at them.

"Pikaaa…!" Pikachu hissed aggressively.

"W-We didn't mean this to happen…", Meowth said sheepishly.

"Firered, blast them off with Flamethrower!" I shouted. I had no more patience listening to their excuses for today.

Firered and Charizard breathed a double Flamethrower at Team Rocket, catching them on fire as punishment. Then Pikachu sent them away with his Thunderbolt.

"LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAaaaain…!"

"WOOOBbuuufeeet…!"

"I hope we never see those crooks again!" Kaburagi puffed his chest while we joined the others outside of the scorched Dragon Shrine. Geodude held the golden bowl with the Prayer Flame since he was the only one who could touch it without getting burned.

"The Dragon Shrine is still standing thanks to the rock walls", Liza informed Clair.

"Good. Then we can put the Prayer Flame back where it belongs", the Gym Leader said.

"But what about the Holy Land?" Misty asked concernedly.

"This land will recover in due time", Clair replied. She stared at Dragonite who hugged the wild Pokémon, her cries now had calmed down into light sobs. "And Dragonite…will need a long way of recovery after this dramatic ordeal."

With the Prayer Flame safely returned in the Dragon Shrine, we flew back to Blackthorn City. It was evening by the time we returned, so Clair and I agreed to have our Gym battle the very next day.

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Ashley's party:

Cedric the Pupitar (male)

Mystic the Togetic (male)

Queendra the Kingdra (female)

Poseidon the shiny Gyarados (male)

Kobra the Arbok (male)

Firered the Charizard (male)

XXXXXXXXXX

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)

Victor the Houndoom (male)

Lily the Espeon (female)

XXXXXXXXXX

Ashley's roaming Pokémon:

Crystal the Suicune (genderless)

XXXXXXXXXX

Ash's party:

Pikachu (male)

Bayleef (female)

Cyndaquil (male)

Dunsparce (male)

Croconaw (male)

Charizard (male)

XXXXXXXXXX

Ash's Pokémon at the Lab:

Tauros (male)

Ivysaur (male)

Snorlax (male)

Kingler (male)

Poliwrath (male)

Wartortle (male)

Shiny Noctowl (male)

Heracross (male)

Phanpy (male)

XXXXXXXXXX

Ash's roaming Pokémon:

Entei (genderless)

XXXXXXXXXX

Misty's party:

Staryu (genderless)

Psyduck (male)

Togepi (female)

Politoed (male)

Lanturn (female)

Corsola (female)

XXXXXXXXXX

Misty's Pokémon in the Cerulean Gym:

Goldeen (female)

XXXXXXXXXX

Brock's party:

Geodude (male)

Onix (male)

Crobat (male)

Forretress (male)

Magcargo (male)