Ash bit back a sigh, and Pikachu sweat dropped. They really should have seen it coming. Along their journey to Nimbasa City, they happened to bump into Georgia, the self-proclaimed dragon buster. Naturally, she and Iris began bickering, and Ash had to restrain his girlfriend a few times.

The primary sticking points, were Iris' lack of Dragon-Type Pokémon. Aside from Fraxure, Dragonite and Gible, she didn't have any more Dragon Types. After Georgia sauntered away after one last taunt, Ash just rubbed his girlfriend's shoulders, finally getting her to relax. He mused, "Iris, I get that Georgia's annoying, but you can't let her get to you like that. Look on the bright side, at least her team hasn't changed much. And that she doesn't know about Alolan Ninetales."

She leaned into his touch and glanced at him curiously, "What's its typing?"

"Ice and Fairy. Making it completely immune to Dragon types."

Iris sucked in a breath, "Oof! That's got to be the ultimate bane of Dragon Types. What about Excadrill and Emolga?"

Ash dug out his Rotom Phone, "Well… It's damaged normally by Electric Type attacks, and same for Flying. However, Excadrill has an advantage, as Steel Type moves are super effective against it. Alolan Ninetales can also be damaged by Rock Type attacks. Anyway, we're close to Nimbasa City, let's go find the Pokémon Centre. I want to strategize for the rematch with Elesa."

After an hour, they finally reached the Pokémon Centre. The couple checked in, Nurse Joy cheekily whispered to them, "You two seem close! I hope you keep it PG if you're sharing a room! Can't believe the number of times Audino has caught some couples together, especially when they share a room. I've even starting sending her on patrols around the Centre."

Ash and Iris blushed violently as they walked away. Inside the room, Ash sat down on the bed, cross-legged. He mused, "Last time, Elesa used Zebstrika, Emolga, and her ace, Tynamo. I'm pretty sure Tynamo would have evolved by now. Let's see, Zebstrika is weak to Ground Types. I'm tempted to let Palpitoad get his redemption. Or I could use Torterra, Donphan, Gliscor, Krookodile or Gabite."

Iris mused, "Excadrill could be a good option."

Ash nodded and then checked Tynamo's Rotom Dex entry. He grunted, "Huh… Not weak to anything? That sucks. Immune to Ground types? Hmm…. Guess that's why he kicked Palpitoad's butt last time. Eelektrik is also immune, and Eelektross as well. I guess I'll have to go with Pikachu again. As for Emolga, it's weak to Rock and Ice. So it will be a toss-up between Glalie or Lapras, or even Tyranitar, Lycanroc and Boldore."

The next morning, Ash stayed behind to train his team, while Iris went to challenge Elesa. She returned a while later, jumping with joy, and the couple embraced each other tightly. They spent the rest of the day, exploring the city, taking in the sights and sounds.

After their walk, Ash and Iris had a small meal back in the Pokémon Centre before turning in. In the next couple of days, Ash trained Pikachu, Donphan, and Lycanroc. He also roped in Palpitoad, just in case Elesa threw in some surprises.

When he and Iris entered the Gym on their fourth day in the city, they saw Elesa waiting for them in the Gym lobby. However, she wasn't alone, with her were three other ladies. One was a slim dark-skinned woman with black hair, shades of blue highlights and blue eyes, there was also a woman with violet hair and hazel eyes. Though Ash did recognise the last person, "Hey Valerie!"

The model smiled at him, "Hello Ash and Pikachu! It's been a while! I have to say, I find it admirable that you're retaking Elesa's challenge! Have you visited the Galar and Paldea regions yet? No? Well, I'd like you to meet Nessa, she's a Gym Leader in the Galar region, Water Type. And this is Tulip, Gym Leader in the Paldea Region, a Psychic Type Gym Leader."

Nessa spoke for the first time, and she had a bit of an accent, "Hello there! Elesa and Valerie have been talking about you a lot. Ellie thinks that you have potential, but have just been bloody unlucky in the leagues."

Ash rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "No comment?"

The tall woman giggled, "I heard about you re-challenging the Gyms in Unova. I say, do you mind if Tulip and I stick around to watch your match. I'll throw in something to sweeten the deal."

Ash blushed a little and Iris cheekily ribbed him, "Heh, heh, I'm already in a relationship with Iris and a few of my friends."

Nessa tittered again, "Aren't you sweet. No, I wasn't referring to joining your little collective. You're much too young for me. Anyway, if you beat Elesa and the other Unova Gyms, I will personally endorse you for the Galar League."

He tilted his head curiously, "Endorse me? Is the Galar League different? Cause usually when a trainer registers for the Pokémon League, they are set."

Nessa shook her head, "It works a bit different in our region. This league is organised by Chairman Rose, who put forward this rule. No trainer can compete unless they are given an endorsement, either by the champion, the Chairman himself, the regional professor, or one of the Gym Leaders."

Ash grinned, "Awesome! I accept!"

Elesa grinned back, "But you will have to go through me first! Now, Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, show me how much you've improved!"

She grabbed a Pokeball and tossed it in the air, "Feel the spark and feel the tingle! Watch me mix and mingle! Zebstrika! The bright light is on you!"

Ash grinned, "Zebstrika, huh? Well! Donphan! I choose you!"

Elesa mused, "Interesting choice! I hope this goes better than last time."

He snarked back, "Way to rub salt in my wounds! Now, Donphan! Use Take Down!"

The Armor Pokémon began charging towards Zebstrika. Elesa struck a pose, "Zebstrika, dodge it and use Flame Charge!"

Zebstrika deftly dodged and activated its fiery attack.

Ash hollered, "Meet it head-on with another Take Down!"

Both Pokémon charged towards each other and butted heads. For several seconds, neither Pokémon gave an inch, but then Donphan's bigger size managed to push it back, as the flames licked over its body.

Zebstrika was sent skidding back, and Elesa ordered another Flame Charge. This time, Ash countered with Rollout, and Zebstrika was thrown back yet again. Elesa then ordered a Double Kick, but Ash counted that immediately, "Defense Curl!"

The attack did very little damage, and Zebstrika was showing signs of tiring. The battle raged on for a while longer, then Elesa made a mistake. She called out, "Quick Attack!"

With its speed being boosted, Zebstrika thundered over in double quick time. Then Ash grinned, "Okay Donphan, use Hyper Beam! Point blank!"

Elesa paled, "No! Wait! Zebstrika, retreat!"

However it was too late, the elephant-like Pokémon opened its mouth and a strong beam of light slammed into Zebstrika. The force was enough to send it flying and it landed on the ground, knocked out.

The referee called out, "Zebstrika is unable to battle and Donphan wins! Gym Leader, send out your next Pokémon!"

Elesa called out, "Alright Emolga! The bright light is on you!"

Ash raised his Pokeball, "Good job, Donphan! You earned a good rest, Pikachu! It's your turn!"

Both Pokémon took to the field. Elesa ordered Acrobatics, but Pikachu dodged them with Quick Attack. She ordered it again, and managed to land a few hits. Pikachu got his revenge with a Thunderbolt, and then Elesa went for a familiar strategy, "Emolga, use Attract."

However, Ash was ready for her, "Okay Pikachu! Time to break out an old tactic, Counter Shield!"

With a sh*t-eating grin, Pikachu began spinning around on his back, and firing a Thunderbolt. Waves of electricity emanated from the mouse, pushing the Attract attack back, and away from it. Emolga couldn't get away fast enough, and was promptly shocked.

Elesa had a big smile on her face, "Wow! Now that IS a dazzling move! But don't count us out yet, Aerial Ace!"

Once the Counter Shield dissipated, Emolga struck, sending Pikachu flying through the air. Fortunately, he was able to land, though he was a little unsteady. Elesa followed it up with Electro Ball. Then, Ash got an idea, "Pikachu! Send it back with Electroweb!"

The Mouse Pokémon promptly formed the attack from his tail and sent a massive electric net towards Emolga. Along the way, it collected the Electro Ball, and the trapped Emolga, dozing with two attacks at the same time.

When the light show died down, Emolga was down for the count. Elesa returned her Pokémon, "Well! I haven't had this much fun before, and so much inspiration. Now, it is time for my ace! Come on out, Tynamo!"

Ash called out, "Okay Pikachu! You still good to continue?"

"Pika!" came the reply. Right off the bat, Tynamo began its hit and run tactics, with repeated Tackle attacks. Pikachu was only smacked around a couple of times, before he wised up and employed his own speedy tactics. Eventually, an Iron Tail from Pikachu felled Tynamo, and Ash pumped his fist in victory.

Iris also ran over and hugged him and the couple danced around. Then they heard the sound of applause, as Nessa slowly approached them. She cheered, "That was brilliant! It was one of the most exhilarating battles I ever saw! All that being said, I'm a woman of my word. After you finish challenging the other Gyms, come and meet me at my Gym in Hulbury and I'll write you a sponsorship letter. Now, I want to make this clear, this will only happen after the current Gym season ends, the next one won't start for another six months. So, take that time to really get your team ready and give us a Gym challenge that we'll never forget!"

The next few weeks passed as a bit of a blur. Ash had his rematch against Clay, his Combat Tauros beating Excadrill, Corphish beating Krokorok, and evolving into Crawdaunt. Finally, Thwackey beat Clay's Seismitoad after a tough duel.

When he faced Skyla, Lycanroc beat her male Unfezant, and the best news was that she was actually battling him. Gengar also made short work of Swoobat, and then came Swanna, her ace. Skyla had evidently trained it up, as the swan was giving him a great fight. Gengar eventually lost, and Raichu didn't last long, so it was down to Lycanroc. Skyla hollered, "Okay Swanna! Use Hurricane!"

The attack blew the Dusk form of Lycanroc off his feet. There was a slight struggle, but Lycanroc got to his feet and emitted a spine-chilling howl. Ash heard it and grinned at her, "Hey Skyla! Since leaving Unova, I've been doing a lot of travelling, and picked up a few things."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small light brown gem, which he placed on a wrist bracelet. He put the gem in a small slot, "This is the first time I'm using it in a while. Alright! Here we go!"

Ash struck a series of poses, grunting, "Use full power! Continental Crush!"

Lycanroc howled louder and leaped high in the air. Underneath his paws, dirt and rocks all gathered together, to form one gigantic landmass, that nearly blocked out the sun. Then the entire floating landmass dropped down on a visibly exhausted Swanna, who couldn't dodge. By the time the dust and debris cleared, Swanna was down for the count and Ash was on a roll.

By now, they just had two gyms to challenge. Iris lost in the Ice Type Gym against Brycen, while Ash beat him, with Riolu defeating Beartic, Honedge beating Vanillish and evolving into Doubledge. Cryogonal was a challenge, but Ash defeated him with the Blaze Tauros.

Later on, Iris had a second crack at the Ice Type Gym, and eventually swept it with Dragonite and Excadrill. From there, the two had a bit of a debate, as they had a choice between Roxie's Poison Gym and Drayden's Dragon Gym. Eventually, they settled on Ash tackling both, as Ash had never faced him before. Ash beat Roxie with Palpitoad, who soon evolved into Seismitoad. He then used Mr. Mime to defeat Scolipede and Gabite to beat Garbodor. Iris elected to skip it and head straight to Drayden's Gym.

When they got to the Opelucid Gym, he had been waiting. He said, "So, I am Iris' last obstacle before the Unova League? Ahh! Ash Ketchum, I had been hoping to face you, one of these days. So, who will face me, first?"

Iris stepped forward with a determined look on her face, "I will."

The stern-looking man simply nodded, "Very well. Remember several years ago, I told you that I would like you to be my successor in the Opelucid Gym? Time for you to prove that you have what it takes. This match will be a three on three, and only Dragon Types allowed!"

Iris nodded firmly and he started off with an Axew. In response, she sent out her Gible and the battle began. After a tense few minutes, Gible managed to defeat it, but not before evolving into Gabite.

Then he sent out Druddigon, who faced off against Dragonite. This was a fierce duel, with a flurry of attacks, Flamethrower met Flash Cannon, Thunder Punch met Dragon Tail, Dragon Rush just about missed its target, thanks to Double Team. Then Druddigon rocketed forward with a Dragon Claw and nailed Dragonite on the gut. Then Dragonite countered with Ice Beam. The two Pokémon separated before resuming the bout. All the while, Drayden and Iris were calling out attacks or telling their Pokémon to dodge. Eventually, both Pokémon were knocked out.

Drayden gave a single nod towards her in respect, "You have grown a lot since we last met. But you still have one final challenge, Haxorus! Go!"

Iris wasted no time either, "Okay Fraxure! Let's do this!"

Second evolution faced final evolution, and the stare down was intense. Haxorus made the first move with a Giga Impact. But Fraxure dodged and retaliated with Dragon Pulse. Unperturbed, Haxorus used Rock Smash, which Fraxure was unable to dodge. After recovering, Iris ordered a Psycho Cut, which deal some damage to its final evolution.

As he watched, Ash couldn't help but bit his nails. Back on the gym field, Breaking Swipe clashed with a Slash attack. Both Pokémon met each other in the middle before being blown backwards. Finally, Drayden yelled, "Haxorus! Finish this with Giga Impact!"

Iris then pulled her ace in the hole, "Fraxure, use Outrage!"

No sooner had she said that, that Fraxure was enveloped in a red aura. With a battle cry, it charged forward as fast as it could. He met the Giga Impact head-on and somehow stopped it in its tracks. Then he began hacking and slashing at Haxorus. Finally, with another loud cry, Fraxure gave one last swipe at its evolved form's chest, knocking it backwards. The larger Pokémon flew back and thudded against the wall, before slumping forward, knocked out.

The referee raised a hand and gestured towards her, "Haxorus is unable to battle! Fraxure wins! Challenger Iris has won this match!"

In the stands, Ash cheered and hooted, while Iris was frozen on the spot. She softly spoke, "I won. I won?... I won! I beat Drayden!"

The stern-looking man calmly returned his Pokémon, as Iris charged forward and began celebrating with Fraxure. He smiled, "I was right about you. Iris, you have come a long way. You are ready to step up as a gym leader, like I knew you would."

She was still pretty pole-axed, but shook off her surprise. Then the girl spoke, "Master Drayden, I'm honoured that you think so highly of me. Being the Gym Leader of the Opelucid Gym would be a dream come true! But… I'm afraid I have to decline the offer."

He raised an eyebrow and Ash's jaw dropped, "Oh?"

"You see? I firmly believe that I have a bigger destiny in mind. Instead of being a Unova Gym Leader. I want to be the Unova champion, I want to beat Alder and be the new champion."

It dawned on Ash and he gazed at her with new respect. Iris herself was resolutely looking at her former mentor and he locked eyes with her, neither breaking eye contact for a long time. Finally he nodded, "I understand and respect your decision. I know that the Village of Dragons will also support your decision. I wish you well for your goal. Show the world the power of the mighty Dragon Type!"

He handed her the Opelucid City badge and then turned to Ash, "Our match will take place tomorrow, after my Pokémon have sufficiently rested. Before we begin, how many Dragon Types do you have and tell me?"

Ash frowned in thought, "I've got five Dragon Type Pokémon. Do you want names?"

He nodded and Ash continued, "I have Goodra, Dragonite, Noivern, Gabite and a Naganadel."

Drayden cupped his bearded chin, "Goodra and Noivern are Kalosian, right? Everyone knows of Gabite and Dragonite, but I'm not familiar with that last one."

Ash explained, "Well… Naganadel is technically counted as an Ultra Beast. Mostly found in the Alola region."

"Excellent! This should be interesting. I will see you tomorrow Mr. Ketchum. Tomorrow will be a five on five battle."