In this chapter, Ashley is coming out of her shell now that she's getting involved with Gym Leader Clair.
Disclaimer: I do not own any Pokémon characters! I only own my OCs!
Chapter 45: Beauty is Skin Deep
We stopped by a town and rested in the Pokémon Center before we continued our journey to Blackthorn City. Ash and Misty challenged a Trainer who had a powerful Poliwrath, but Team Rocket jumped in and attempted to steal that Pokémon. In the middle of the chaos, Misty's Poliwhirl decided to evolve into Politoed with the King's Rock that Ash gifted Misty after he won a tournament months ago.
It had taken us some time, but now we were closing in on the city. I heard rumors about a lake nearby where it was said wild Dratinis resided, so I was twice as eager and excited to hurry and catch one of my own. Many dragon tamers had Dragonites just like Lance and even Ash had his Dragonair, so I didn't want to be left out as a dragon tamer with no Dragonite in my team.
"Ash! Ashley! Wait for us!" Brock gasped behind us.
My brother and I were running the final meters to that lake where Dratinis were supposed to live. "I want to catch my own Dratini before the Gym!" I yelled over my shoulder.
"And I want to see more Dratinis in the wild!" Ash called.
"Pika pika!" Pikachu ran next to my brother.
"We get it you're excited, but slow down!" Misty panted while she ran behind us with Brock.
"Togi togiprii!"
We ran down a hill and finally made it to the quiet lake. It wasn't as large as the Crystal Lake we saw the other day, but it was still pretty. To my surprise, I didn't see any Dratinis.
"Where are the Dratinis?" Ash wondered when he looked around.
"Pika?"
Misty and Brock caught up to us with heavy breaths. "Y-You sure it's the right lake?" the redhead asked.
Brock grabbed his guidebook and flipped through the pages. "The Dragon's Den is supposed to be around here… Maybe this lake is connected to it?"
"Pika pika!"
Pikachu's shriek made us look up at something he had spotted. Long and behold, we found two tiny Dratinis taking a nap on the grass next to the lake. I almost let out a loud shriek, but I quickly covered my mouth to not scare them away.
"T-Two… There are two of them…", I mumbled excitedly. "And they are babies…"
"Oh no, guys", Ash called out sarcastically. "Insane Ashley incoming."
"We know", Misty giggled while we calmly approached the Dratini pair. "Ashley gets crazy when it comes to dragon Pokémon."
"Are you going to catch both of them?" Brock asked me.
"I'm not sure…", I replied while I held myself back from losing control.
Water splashed up from the lake and revealed a Gyarados. We stopped in our tracks and jumped back when it sprayed a Hydro Pump as a warning sign.
"Hey! What are you doing, Gyarados?!" Ash called out irritably.
"Gyaaaah!"
"Hold it, Gyarados!" a feminine voice yelled out before a tall woman walked toward us with a strict glare. "Alright, what do you four want with those Dratinis?!"
My jaw dropped when I saw the woman. I had read articles and seen her pictures in magazines, so I immediately knew who she was. "Gym Leader Clair!"
"Huh?" Clair blinked in surprise at my outburst.
I ignored Ash and our friends' comments and went straight to the dragon tamer, going into auto mode. "I'm Ashley, a future dragon tamer! I've read all about you and many other famous dragon tamers! I want to become a powerful Trainer like you and I want to learn everything I can about dragons!"
Clair chuckled at my ranting. "I see. So you're a fellow dragon tamer, which means you are a Pokémon Trainer."
"Yes, I am", I nodded before I bowed deeply. "I'm sorry about disturbing your Dratinis, Ms. Clair."
"Oh, they aren't mine", Clair replied. "Well, one of them is, but the other isn't. They are siblings who are about to migrate."
"Kyuu…", the Dratini siblings chirped as they had woken up from the turmoil.
"Migrate?" I questioned curiously.
"Yes, Gyarados was protecting them before they are ready to migrate and shed their skin", Clair explained. "I apologize on behalf of Gyarados for attacking you."
"That's alright, Clair", Ash said. "Gyarados didn't hurt us, so it's fine. I'm Ash, Ashley's twin."
"Pika pikachu!"
"Hi, I'm Misty."
"Togipriii!"
Brock pushed me aside so he could flirt with the pretty dragon tamer. "I'm Brock, but please call me Brock or your boyfriend!"
"Huh?" Clair was certainly confused about his statement, but her attention went back to the Dratinis. They slithered into the water and swam past Gyarados before they started going up the river. "Gyarados, the migration is starting. Let's go!"
"Ghyaah!" Gyarados swam after the siblings while Clair followed them next to the stream.
"Wait, can I go with you?" I called out while I ran after her.
"Sure! Come along and I'll teach you about dragon Pokémon!"
It was like my brain forgot everything and everyone around me. I was set on going with Clair and look after the two Dratinis. I thought I had another unknown voice behind us, but I ignored it and watched the Dratinis swim up the river.
"So what exactly are they doing, Ms. Clair?" I asked curiously.
"Just call me Clair", she giggled. "You see, around this time of the year, Dratinis leave their nests to go to a safe place where they can shed their skin without anyone interrupting them when they are at their most vulnerable state. It is said that every time a Dratini or Dragonair sheds its skin, it's one step closer to evolve into its next form."
"Wow… I didn't know that", I gaped in awe.
"Tell me, how long have you been on your journey, Ashley?"
"This is my second year as a Pokémon Trainer. I've traveled across Kanto with my brother and our friends last year and participated in the Kanto League."
"That sounds fun. How far did you make it in your first League?"
"I ended up in Top 16 and my brother in Top 8."
"That's very impressive for first-timers. How many dragon Pokémon have you caught so far?"
"Not that many. I started my journey with a Charmander who is now a Charizard training in the Charicific Valley and-"
"Charicific Valley?" Clair cut me off. "My friend Liza lives and protects the Charizards who are training there."
"Yes, we met her. Ash and I left our Charizards there for special training, but we can call them back whenever we need them for an important battle. I'm thinking of getting Firered for a Gym battle against you when you are done protecting the Dratinis, Clair."
"I will gladly accept your challenge. And I'm safe to assume your brother wants to battle me as well for a badge?"
"Yep."
We came to a brief halt when the Dratinis slowed down and took a rest in the water. They were still young, so they had to often take naps to restore their energy to fulfill this little journey. Gyarados remained by their side to make sure nobody would dare to touch them while sleeping.
"Ms. Clair!"
My brother and our friends and an old man caught up to us. Clair narrowed her eyes at the old man who was carrying a bag over his shoulder. "Kaburagi. What do you want?"
"Ms. Clair, you know very well today is an important day!" the old man, Kaburagi, gasped for air after he put down his luggage. "You need to perform the Purification Ritual on the Dragon Fang in the lake water for the sake of our dragon Pokémon!"
"A Purification Ritual…?" I mumbled in awe.
"Yes, I'm aware of my duty!" Clair snapped back at Kaburagi. "But I can't leave the Dratinis alone right now! If all goes well, I can perform the ritual before midnight once their migration is done."
"Yes, that is true, but these baby Dratinis are still young and might need more than a day to finish shedding their skin!" Kaburagi argued.
The Dratinis woke up and started swimming up the river. Clair instantly resumed to her task. "Gyarados, we're continuing!"
"Ghyaah!" Gyarados responded before he and Clair followed the dragons.
"Wait!" Kaburagi called out and rushed after the Gym Leader with his luggage.
I turned to Ash and our friends with pleading eyes. "Please, can we go with them?"
"I think that would be the best option", Brock nodded. "The Gym's closed, so the least we can do is provide protection for the Dratinis."
"I agree", Misty said.
"Togiprii."
"And maybe we can learn a little more about dragons from Clair", Ash added.
"Pika pika."
"Exactly!" I nodded eagerly.
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Clair appreciated our support, so we followed her and Kaburagi up the river which turned into a shallow stream, making it impossible for Gyarados to continue going. We walked for a couple of hours with regular breaks whenever the Dratinis needed to rest. By the next break, Clair heard our stomachs growling, so she decided to give us some of her snacks she had packed along.
Those snacks turned out to be rice balls in different sizes, all from small as tennis balls to large as side plates. "Here, have some of these. I made a lot knowing this journey might take a while."
"They look interesting to say the least…", Misty mumbled at the large rice balls.
"Thank you, Clair", Ash said before he grabbed two and gave one to Pikachu.
My rice ball was wrapped in two sheets of dried seaweed that made the ball look like a soccer ball. I gave a silent prayer for the food before I dug my teeth into the soft cloud. I hummed in delight when the taste of salt and bonito flakes hit my tongue. "It's delicious!"
"It has the right amount of salt and the soft rice compliments with the bonito", Brock nodded after he got a taste himself.
"Thank you", Clair smiled and gave one rice ball to Kaburagi who was a little tired. "Here, have one."
"Alright", Kaburagi sighed and took a rice ball. "I guess I need my energy if I have to follow you the whole day."
"Excuse me, Clair, but once Dratini are done shedding their skins and you've performed the ritual, will you let and Ashley challenge you to a Gym battle?"
"Why, yes, I'd be delighted", Clair replied. "Your sister asked me about it before, so I'll make sure to have my Gym ready once we go back to Blackthorn City."
"Great! Thanks a lot!" Ash smiled widely and opened his jacket to show the other badges he had obtained. "Once we get yours, Ashley and I can participate in the Johto League!"
"That's very impressive coming so far", Clair smiled.
"I see you have a Glacier Badge, so that means you've been in the Mahogany Gym, correct?" Kaburagi asked after he finished his rice ball.
"That's right, sir", Ash replied.
"We actually heard a crazy rumor a while ago about two red Gyarados causing all sorts of trouble close to Mahogany Town", Kaburagi said.
"Oh, that's more than just a crazy rumor", Brock said. "It's a true story, but things are alright now."
"The Pokémon Champion, Lance, was already there for a mission and saved everybody", Misty added.
Clair's eyes lit up when she heard the name. "Really? You've met my cousin Lance?"
"He's your cousin?" Ash asked in surprise.
"Yes. We've trained together in the Blackthorn Gym back in your age", Clair explained. "Even to this day, Lance visits the Gym so we can practice together with our Pokémon."
"That's so cool", I smiled. "I hope we can practice together when we get older, guys."
"So I presume you four saw those red Gyarados?" Kaburagi asked.
Ash's eyes hardened when he remembered how those Gyarados came to be. "Yeah, Team Rocket had a secret hideout north of Mahogany Town where they experimented with some kind of radio wave that forced Pokémon to evolve. Those Gyarados were the results of that experiment."
"Oh dear…", Clair gasped softly in horror. "Team Rocket forced Pokémon to evolve?"
"Yeah, but we stopped them together with Lance", Misty explained. "In fact, he caught one of the red Gyarados."
"And what happened to the other one?" Kaburagi asked curiously.
I grabbed the Fast Ball from my waist and showed it to them. "I caught it."
"Well, look at you, Ashley", Clair chuckled with a smile. "It's very impressive to catch a Gyarados as they are known to be aggressive if you agitate them."
"Poseidon was already weak, so I wanted to catch him before Team Rocket could and treat him", I glanced at the Fast Ball, trying to transfer some of my feelings to him, to tell him that he was always going to be safe with me.
"Now I'm excited to see what you two have", Clair said.
"I am too for the upcoming Gym Battle!" Ash nodded.
"Pi pikachu!"
"Me too", I nodded. "I'm going to use my dragon Pokémon, but I need some time for preparation."
"My Gym will always be open for you whenever you feel ready", Clair said and gave us a smirk. "Just don't expect me going easy on you two."
"Oh my, what have we here, Pa?"
We turned to the sound of the voice and saw a pair of elderly people walk up to the stream where the Dratinis were resting. There was something about the couple that made my skin tingle like they were familiar in some way.
"It's two lovely little Dratinis, Ma", the man replied.
"Oh, thank you, Lord Arceus!" the elderly woman wiped a tear. "It has always been my dream to see a Dratini with my very own eyes, and now my prayers have been answered with two precious Dratinis!"
"Thank you for making Ma's wish come true, Lord Arceus", the man wrapped his arm around his partner, wiping a tear from his eye.
"Pa, we must preserve this magical moment. Will you take a picture of me with them?"
"Of course, dear Ma! We must show this to our grandkids!"
We watched how the elderly couple took pictures with the Dratinis in the background. I noticed they got a little closer to the stream for each picture they took, which made me uncomfortable. Clair must have felt the same because she went to talk to them.
"Excuse me, you two. Could you just be a little quieter, please?"
"Oh?" the pair hummed.
"These Dratinis are going through a difficult time and they need to have some rest."
"Oh, good gracious! We're sorry for the commotion, young lady", the woman apologized with a familiar laughter coming from her throat.
"We didn't have the intentions of bothering anyone", the elderly man chuckled.
"No problem. I understand your excitement of seeing Dratinis", Clair nodded.
"Pa, we better respect their wishes and stay quiet", the elderly woman told her partner.
"Say, if we're very quiet and still, may we take a closer look?" the man asked.
"Of course, please do", Clair said, giving them permission.
I didn't realize one of my legs was bouncing until Misty called it out. "Ashley, your leg is shaking."
"Huh?" I looked up and immediately stiffened my leg. "Oh, I didn't realize that."
"What's wrong, Ashley? You are usually quiet and calm", Ash said. "Is something bothering you?"
"Yes… Those two people", I nodded at the couple who had now crouched down in front of the sleeping Dratinis. "I don't feel comfortable with them."
And my intuition was right once more. The couple fired nets from their canes and caught both Dratinis who had woken up from the commotion and struggled to get out of their prison. The Dratinis were still small enough to be carried in the net compared to the normal size.
"Hey! What's the meaning of this?!" Clair yelled at the couple.
"Prepare for trouble, don't get deceived by our age!"
"Double trouble, 'cause we're about to take stage!"
The couple ripped off their disguise and revealed their true selves. "Team Rocket!" we yelled angrily at them.
A Meowth air balloon flew over to the stream and lowered a rope for Jessie and James to grab onto before they were pulled up to the basket by Meowth and Wobbuffet. The grunts tied the net containing the Dratinis under the basket before they threw smoke bombs at us. I got blinded by the thick smoke and coughed to get the nasty taste of soot out of my mouth.
"Come back!" Clair yelled while the smoke cleared up.
"Bye bye!" the trio replied and flew off.
I jumped out of the smoke and threw a Poké Ball. "Mystic, fly after Team Rocket!"
"Togitiic!" Mystic chirped determinedly and flew after the air balloon.
"What do we do now?!" Kaburagi coughed to clear his throat.
"We're going after them!" Clair replied determinedly. "I'll never let the Dratinis down!"
"Let's go!" I called. "I sent Mystic after them, so we can locate them!"
We grabbed our backpacks and rushed into the woods in the direction where we saw the balloon going. The forest was thick and we couldn't really see much, so Clair jumped up the trees and from branch to branch to see the balloon. I was in awe of how athletic and graceful she was. She was the type of dragon tamer I wanted to become; graceful but powerful.
Thanks to good collaboration, we found Team Rocket who had ended up crashing down for some reason. Mystic was protecting the Dratinis, forcing Team Rocket back with Extrasensory until we reached them.
"Dratini!" Clair yelled and stood in front of the Pokémon, protecting them from unwanted hands. "Alright, you are going to pay for what you've done!"
"Count me in!" I snarled and stood next to Clair with Mystic coming up to my shoulder. "I can never ever forgive someone who harms Pokémon, especially dragons!"
"Think you are so tough, huh? Your dragons don't scare us!" Jessie spat back. "Arbok, show them what you can do!"
"Shaarbook!" Arbok hissed when it came out from Jessie's Poké Ball.
"Go, Weezing!" James called out his Pokémon.
"Wheeezing!"
"Let's team up with both our Gyarados, Ashley!" Clair said and threw her Poké Ball. "Go, Gyarados!"
"Let's go, Poseidon!" I yelled and threw his Fast Ball.
There was a river right next to us so our Gyarados went there as soon as they were called out. They looked extremely aggressive and roared threateningly at Team Rocket. "GHYAAAAH!"
Team Rocket flinched by their roar, but they swiftly recovered from the intimidation. "Weezing, use Sludge attack!" James yelled.
"Bheeez!" Weezing spat a large lump toward Poseidon.
"Arbok, Poison Sting!" Jessie shouted.
"Shaaar!" Arbok fired dozens of barbs heading toward Gyarados.
"Block them with Whirlpool, Poseidon!" I quickly shouted.
"Ghyaaah!" Poseidon splashed his tail repeatedly on the water before he created a whirlpool going upward in front of him and Gyarados. The poison moves were absorbed into the whirlpool and remained there until the water splashed back to the river.
"Gyarados, use Hydro Pump!" Clair shouted.
"Ghyaaaah!" Gyarados fired a large water beam aimed straight at Weezing. The poison Pokémon tried to dodge, but it got caught by the water and was thrown back to the ground. James shrieked in panic at the sight of his fallen Pokémon.
"So that's the power of a Gym Leader…", Meowth said impressed.
"This isn't the time to admire someone!" Jessie bonked Meowth's head, giving him a large bump.
"Poseidon, use Aqua Tail on Arbok!" I shouted.
Poseidon raised his tail that got enveloped by water. He violently swung the tail at Arbok and threw it back onto James. "Ow!"
"Alright, Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!" Ash yelled.
"Pika! Pika…CHUUU!" Pikachu jumped up and fired a lightning bolt heading toward Team Rocket with the hopes of blasting them away. But this time they were ready.
"Wobbuffet, use Mirror Coat!" Jessie shouted.
"Wooobbu-"
"Gyarados, use Dragon Rage on Wobbuffet!" Clair yelled fast.
"Ghyaaah!" Gyarados breathed blue and yellow fire at Wobbuffet, interrupting it from activating Mirror Coat. That gave an opening for Pikachu's lightning bolt to strike and electrocute Team Rocket.
"Poseidon, send them away with Whirlpool!" I shouted.
Pikachu canceled his move so Poseidon could summon a whirlpool that sucked in Team Rocket and their Pokémon. Poseidon made the whirlpool taller and the current go faster so the evil humans and Pokémon were thrown far away into the sky, hoping it would take a while for them to show up again.
"LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAaaaain…!"
"WOOOBbuuufeeet…!"
"And there they go getting blasted away by a whirlwind of waterpool!" Kaburagi laughed at his own terrible joke.
Clair turned her attention immediately to the Dratinis. "Are you two okay?"
"Kyuu…", the Dratinis chirped.
I crouched next to Clair after I returned Mystic and thanked him for keeping an eye on the Dratinis. "They look unharmed, so they should be able to continue their journey."
"Yes, they were protected by your Togetic. Thank you, Ashley."
"Kyuu…", one of the Dratinis slithered to me and stared eagerly at me with big eyes.
I smiled at it and held my hand out for it to smell. I held back a joyful shriek when it nuzzled my hand. "So cute…"
"It looks to me that Dratini has taken a liking to you", Clair chuckled.
"I'm glad it trusts me", I replied and gently caressed its head, making it purr like a sleeping Meowth.
"Do you have a Dragonite, Ashley?" Clair wondered.
"No, but Ash has a Dragonair", I replied.
"Oh? That was unexpected. Tell you what, Ashley; if you win against me in the Gym battle, I'll give you this Dratini."
I turned my head to her so fast I almost caused a whiplash. "D-Do you really mean it?"
"See this as a gift from a dragon tamer to a future colleague", Clair winked, which made my heart take an extra leap.
"Look at you, Ashley!" Ash said happily. "Clair has acknowledged you as a future dragon tamer."
"I… I couldn't be more honored", I replied, my smile reaching my ears and cheeks flushed.
XXXXXXXXXX
We followed the Dratinis up the river until we reached their final destination late in the evening. A lake surrounded by a pair of cliffs that looked like they were about to embrace the silver moon. Coincidently, this lake was the same place where Clair had to perform the Purification Ritual. She changed her clothes and stepped into the water to purify the Dragon Fang.
It was a majestic sight to say the least. When Clair poured some of the lake water onto the Dragon Fang, the nature itself seemed to respond and purified the fang in a golden light that blended together with the silver moonlight. The legend said that whenever a dragon Pokémon became one with the stars, it would always watch over the next generation of dragons and guide them to make sure they never lost themselves in their own power as it could destroy everything with its mighty strength.
Ash, Clair and I agreed we were going to wait a week to prepare ourselves for the Gym battle as soon as we arrived to Blackthorn City. Clair was kind to tell us it was going to be a 3 versus 3, so I could coordinate my Pokémon for one of the most important battles in my life.
But first, Ash and I had to make a couple of phone calls.
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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)
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Ashley's roaming Pokémon:
Crystal the Suicune (genderless)
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Ash's party:
Pikachu (male)
Bayleef (female)
Cyndaquil (male)
Dunsparce (male)
Heracross (male)
Phanpy (male)
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Ash's Pokémon at the Lab:
Tauros (male)
Ivysaur (male)
Snorlax (male)
Kingler (male)
Poliwrath (male)
Wartortle (male)
Shiny Noctowl (male)
Croconaw (male)
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Ash's roaming Pokémon:
Entei (genderless)
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Misty's party:
Staryu (genderless)
Psyduck (male)
Togepi (female)
Politoed (male)
Lanturn (female)
Corsola (female)
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Misty's Pokémon in the Cerulean Gym:
Goldeen (female)
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Brock's party:
Geodude (male)
Onix (male)
Crobat (male)
Forretress (male)
Magcargo (male)