During the last leg of their journey to Fortree City, Summer and Weldon participated in the annual Crossgate Town PokéRinger Contest. Weldon limited himself by not using his battling ability, but Summer encouraged him to battle with his full power. The Kantonian agreed and put up a strong effort against his traveling companion, but the latter won the tournament through Errol's mastery of Heat Wave. Now that they arrived in Fortree City, Summer started to feel more tired and miss out on the last bits of training. Will she be able to beat the Gym despite her lack of sleep?
Chapter 39- A Shift in the Atmosphere
I cowered in a dark space, trying to block out the familiar female voices around me.
"She got a C on her exam? I thought she was supposed to be the best in the Trainer classes."
"She doesn't know what makeup is? She's way too much of a country girl."
"The only thing Summer Scorcher's good for is her knowledge of Pokémon. I'm getting A's in the Trainer classes by cheating off of her."
No, stop… Th-That's not true! Th-They would never say those things!
Suddenly, I fell and hit something hard. I rubbed my head and opened my eyes, realizing I fell off my bed.
Oh, it's morning already? I looked at my Pokégear and panicked. Eight o'clock?! I'm late for training!
I rushed getting ready and bolted to the Pokémon Center cafeteria. Weldon and Lightning were finishing breakfast as I ran in.
"There you are, Summer!" the Raichu exclaimed as she walked towards me. "I left you to sleep in, but I didn't think you'd sleep for that long."
I yawned. "I'm sorry, Lightning…"
Weldon got up and examined my face. "You don't look too well, Summer. Have you been staying up late?"
Shaking my head, I answered after another yawn. "No… I've been going to sleep around 10, but…I've been having so many nightmares ever since we arrived at Fortree City."
"Maybe you should take a nap later. That should help."
"No, it's fine. I…yawn…should be okay once I get outside."
My coach frowned. "Summer…you really need to get all the sleep you can get. Your Gym battle's tomorrow."
"Don't worry, Weldon. I'll be…" I felt my eyelids close and did my best to keep them open. I braced myself on the table and tried to remain standing.
A pair of hands gently held me up. "Summer…" Weldon whispered. "Please go back upstairs and sleep. I'm canceling the training for today."
"N-No! I…I need to-"
The Kantonian took one of my Poké Balls off of my belt and let out Errol. "Errol, bring Summer upstairs to her room and make sure she gets enough sleep."
The Noctowl saluted him. "Yes, Mr. Weldon!"
I tried to resist, but Errol took control of my body with his psychic powers and brought me back to my bed. I turned around to face the wall, trying to hide the fact I couldn't close my eyes. But with the Flying type's reassuring presence, I drifted into a deep sleep void of any dreams.
Lightning paced around the waiting room as Weldon looked at his Pokégear.
When Errol appeared from the floor above, the Raichu ran over. "How's Summer, Errol?"
"Just fine, Ms. Lightning. Ms. Summer has fallen asleep. I did not sense any internal disturbance but will return to the room shortly to continue my watch."
The Kantonian nodded. "Thanks, Errol."
After the Noctowl flew back upstairs, Lightning sighed. "I don't know what's wrong with Summer. She's had nightmares before, but not back-to-back ones like that."
This piqued Weldon's interest. "Wait, this is the first time Summer has had recurring nightmares?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Hmm…no reason."
The nurse, a light-skinned woman with long light brown hair and green eyes, approached them. A gold Tropius pin was fastened to her cap.
"Weldon, you have a video call."
"Oh, thanks, Nurse Hiwamaki."
The Electric type cocked her head after she left. "I didn't know you were expecting a call."
He smiled. "It's a pretty important one. Can you join Errol in watching over Summer?"
"Of course! See you later."
As Weldon went to the video phone booths, he thought, I wonder if Summer's nightmares are related to what Tawny told me. But if that's the case, why is Summer having them now? It can't be a coincidence. Or could it?
The next day…
I stretched my neck as Weldon and I walked on the wooden decks and bridges leading towards the Gym.
"How are you feeling, Summer?"
"Okay, I think. I feel like I got a good amount of sleep, but I hope it's enough to keep me awake for most of the day. I didn't get a chance to read Winona's Gym Leader biography one more time though."
"Oh, don't worry. I'll summarize it for you. She's a Flying type Gym Leader who loves to be in high places where she can feel the winds. She's said to be one with bird-like Pokémon, which gave her the title, 'The bird user taking flight into the world'."
"Huh. I guess when you summarize it, Weldon, it's a lot more concise."
He chuckled. "It's an acquired skill."
I stroked my chin. "So she'll most likely have an open-roof battlefield, similar to the Violet City Gym in Johto."
"I agree. At least you won't have any trouble with Rocky breaking the roof of the Gym."
I laughed. "True. But he may struggle with not having any roofs or walls to cut off the movement of Flying type Pokémon. I should keep that in mind."
"Good idea. Oh, and Winona's known to have a shiny Swellow. She'll likely be faster and stronger than regular Swellow, so be careful about that."
"Got it."
We climbed down the ladder leading to the Gym, a large stone structure looming over all the trees making up Fortree City. We opened the doors to find a light blue lobby covered with Winona's trophies and photos with her and the many Flying type Pokémon she met. There were several baskets filled with tillandsias of various colors hanging from the ceiling, a surprising difference from the plants I've seen at the previous Gyms.
Suddenly, a red stripe climbed a wall and knocked down some of the plants. From the hallway, a man with curly brown hair chased after the red stripe.
"Y-You're not getting away this time, Kecleon!"
"Kecleon?"
[Kecleon, the Color Swap Pokémon. A Pokémon that has the ability to alter its body colors to match its surroundings. A Kecleon reverts to its original colors if it is startled.]
Weldon was exasperated. "At a time like this, Summer?"
"S-Sorry, force of habit," I apologized, rubbing the back of my head.
We were about to help when a white disc-like device zoomed out from the reception desk. It released a white beam of light that surrounded the invisible Kecleon. After a few loops, Kecleon absorbed the light and reappeared, no longer acting rebellious.
The man breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness. I thought I wouldn't be able to get him out of the building."
A cheery, confident female voice giggled from the hallway. "Of course, that's what a Ranger-in-training does. Good thing I set my Capture Disc in the lobby to catch the Kecleon off-guard."
The source of the voice revealed herself, a teenage girl wearing a green jacket and blue shorts. She had crystal blue eyes, medium-length brown hair with streaks of white and blue, and lightly tanned skin. She looked a little familiar, but when I saw the swirling orb emblem on her jacket and the green wand-like device in her right hand, I knew who it was.
"Crys, is that you?"
She turned around and beamed. "Summer! It's been a while! How've you been?"
We hugged, and I replied, "I'm doing well. How about you?"
"Doing great. Just responding to a local request." Then, she noticed the person standing next to me. "Oh, you're Weldon, right?"
The Kantonian nodded, a little intimidated by the cheerful girl.
Crys grinned, rubbing the back of her head. "Sorry, I can be a little forward when I talk to new people. I'm Crystal, but you can call me Crys. I'm a Pokémon Ranger-in-training."
Knowing she couldn't help but explain her role to any new person she met, I checked myself in as she kept my companion occupied.
"A Ranger-in-training?" Weldon asked, his arms crossed. "Like the Trainers near the city?"
"Oh, no. Those Rangers are more of an active enforcement unit since they engage in Pokémon battles more frequently. I'm in the unit that deals with passive enforcement, with the help of my Capture Styler." She held up the green device. "It allows me to 'catch' Pokémon through the feelings of friendship I convey into this device. I can then use the Pokémon to help me with tasks, like clearing obstacles or traveling faster, but usually, people just need help calming down agitated Pokémon like this Kecleon here. Speaking of which, I should probably release him outside soon."
"Wait, Crys," I interjected as I returned. "Before you go, do you want to watch my Gym battle?"
She slyly replied, "Well, before I took on this assignment, I wanted to surprise you by coming here. So, I guess I already accepted your offer."
I laughed. "Great! I'll let you release the Kecleon."
"Sounds good. I'll see you in a bit!"
After Crys ran out, I turned to Weldon, who was still absorbing all of the student Ranger's words.
"I never met a Ranger like that before."
I giggled. "Yeah, Crys really exemplifies what those Rangers do really well. Sorry I didn't get your opinion about inviting her to watch."
"As long as she's a friend of yours, it's fine with me. How did you meet her anyway?"
"She's my pen pal when I was in Trainer School. It was part of a program where school kids, Trainers or not, can exchange letters and even attend sanctioned events to meet in person to learn more about their lives. I met her a couple of times before, but she looks so different now, with her highlights and Capture Styler."
The Kantonian smiled. "I'm glad you had that program and still keep in touch with friends that live so far away. The only interaction I got with Trainers from other regions was through the battle tournaments at the other academies. And…it was a little too competitive to be friendly." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, what did the attendant tell you?"
I pointed to the doors. "There are two elevators past those doors. One goes right up to the top where the battlefield is. The other is for challengers to…walk up the building."
"Walk up the building? What for?"
"He said it's a tradition of this Gym," I replied. "It's supposed to help challengers mentally and physically prepare themselves for the higher altitude and strong gusts of wind."
"Huh. I guess it makes some sense. But, you're afraid of heights. Are you going to be okay?"
I'm glad he remembered that. "Y-Yeah, I'll be fine. I might just…be slower, that's all."
My coach frowned. "In that case, I should go with you. N-Not because I think you can't do it! It's just…for moral support."
I gave him a soft smile. "I know, Weldon. And I appreciate it. I'll just let Zachary, the attendant, know and we can head up."
After doing that, Weldon and I walked through the double doors and entered the elevator that went up to the sixth floor. We followed the corridor and exited the building, revealing the path and the stairs to the battlefield. Although it was brighter out, it was a little chilly due to trees no longer protecting us from the winds around us. Still, we pressed on and slowly ascended. After a few minutes, and with Weldon's steady encouragement, we made it to the top.
The dirt battlefield was an open area, like Weldon said. Instead of the Trainer boxes being on the floor, they were on stone towers where the platforms could rise above the field. There were also four red benches, one at each corner of the arena, and the referee box was on an elevated platform. Due to the nature of the arena, there was no television screen.
"There you two are!" Crys called from the northwest bleacher. "I was wondering when you would get here."
"Sorry to have kept you waiting," I replied.
Weldon sat next to the young Ranger, then gave me an encouraging nod. I nervously went to the challenger platform, and when I rose to the middle of my tower, the Gym Leader gracefully jumped onto her elevated platform from the top of her tower.
Winona was a beautiful woman in her late-twenties with long lavender-colored hair sticking out of her blue valkyrie helmet. A set of green goggles were placed over the rim of the helmet, paired with a loose light blue jumper with white sleeves and pants, showed that she wanted to be in tune with the winds around her.
"Welcome to the Fortree City Gym, Summer," she said in a flowy voice. "I'm Winona, the Gym Leader here. I watched you and Weldon at the Ringtown PokéRinger Contest, and I was impressed by your skills and empathy."
"Oh, thanks, Winona."
Her calm demeanor changed into a fierce one. "But that doesn't mean I'll go easy on you. Norman and Flannery have told me about your recent training, and I would love to see your Noctowl in action."
That's the first time I've heard a Gym Leader ask to battle one of my Pokémon specifically. But since she talked to Norman and Flannery, then she knows about Errol learning Heat Wave. I need to be more strategic about this.
Zachary then walked into the referee box and shouted, "This match is a three-on-three singles battle between Summer Scorcher from Littleroot Town and Winona, the Fortree City Gym Leader. The challenger is allowed to switch her Pokémon and will have the first move. The winner will be decided when the opponent's Pokémon are unable to battle. Winona, please select your first Pokémon!"
Winona took out a Great Ball. "Dance amongst the skies, Solano!"
A Skarmory with sturdy wings appeared in the air. I felt one of my Poké Balls shaking and knew who wanted to go first.
"Go, Errol!"
The Noctowl flew in front of me, glaring at the Steel type.
That grudge still won't go away, will it?
Winona smiled. "It looks like we'll get the chance to face Errol sooner than I thought."
Zachary waved his arms. "Battle begin!"
"Errol, Air Slash!" I commanded.
Winona waved her left arm. "Counter with your own Air Slash, Solano!"
The Flying types threw airy orbs that collided and blew both Pokémon back. With the battlefield being an open space, they were able to straighten themselves out without hitting any walls.
The Gym Leader shouted, "Solano, set up some Spikes!"
The Skarmory waved his wings and swirled around like a top. Medium-sized spikes emerged from his feathers and littered the ground.
That's strange, Spikes wouldn't affect Flying types like Errol. Unless she's preparing for my other Pokémon. I should still be careful around them.
"Solano, Aerial Ace!"
"Errol, use Psychic!"
The Armor Bird Pokémon charged at Errol but was stopped when the latter's psychic powers surrounded his body. The Owl Pokémon hurled Solano onto the field, dealing a decent amount of damage. The Steel type growled before returning to the air.
"Now, Errol, use Hypnosis!"
As my Pokémon aimed the white rings at his opponent, Winona smiled. "Errol is quite strong for a Noctowl, I'm impressed. But it won't stop us. Solano, Steel Wing!"
His silver-glowing wings cut through the hypnotic rings and struck Errol on the head. The Normal type slammed into the ground.
"Are you okay, Errol?" I asked.
He slowly returned to the air. "Y-Yes, Ms. Summer…"
"Let's change it up then. Use Heat Wave!"
Errol nodded and flapped his wings, creating a gust with embers.
Winona smirked. "That must be the move they told me about. A smart attack, but it won't stop us. Solano, Aerial Ace!"
The Steel type charged through the flames. Despite getting hit with the super effective move, he was able to strike Errol once more. The Noctowl fell but was able to stabilize himself in time and avoided the spikes.
The Flying type user waved her hand. "Now, Solano, set up another round of Spikes!"
He spun around, preparing to launch more of the dreaded projectiles.
I can't let them set up more and hurt the rest of the team! "Errol, throw the Spikes back with Psychic!"
Just as Solano threw more spikes from his feathers, Errol used his powers to stop every single one from hitting the battlefield. Then, with a flick of his head, he threw all the spikes back at the Skarmory. Winona's Pokémon screeched in pain but he remained in the air.
Seeing both Pokémon were panting, I knew I had to take a gamble.
"Errol, Heat Wave!"
The Noctowl sent another gust of flames at his opponent.
Winona raised her right hand. "Solano, Air Slash!"
The Steel type mimicked his Trainer's movements and shot the airy orb into the flames. As it was cutting through the hot wind, I smiled.
"Now Errol, counter with your Air Slash!"
The Owl Pokémon launched the orb into the Heat Wave, causing it to absorb the embers around it and make the other Air Slash dissipate. The combined move struck Solano and knocked him onto the battlefield.
Seeing Solano was not getting up, Zachary shouted, "Solano is unable to battle! Errol wins! Winona, please choose your next Pokémon!"
"Excellent work, Solano. Get some rest," the Gym Leader said as she returned her Pokémon. "Now, dance amongst the skies, Monsoon!"
A stout, white pelican-like Pokémon with blue-tipped wings flew at our level. His large spoon-like yellow bill covered most of his body, and the blue coloring also covered his head and feet.
[Pelipper, the Water Bird Pokémon and the evolved form of Wingull. It skims the tops of waves as it flies. When it spots prey, it uses its large beak to scoop up the victim with water. It protects its eggs in its beak.]
I looked at Errol, who was having trouble staying in flight. Sorry, guys. I need you to endure the Spikes the best you can. "Errol, return! Go, Lightning!"
The Raichu landed on the field, but one of the spiky traps poked her left paw. She winced but was able to shake off the pain and maintain pressure on her hurt appendage.
Winona grinned. "You made a smart move by selecting an Electric type against my Pelipper. But Monsoon and I have a few tricks up our sleeve."
"We'll overcome them, Winona. Just you wait and see."
"Battle begin!" Zachary shouted.
"Lightning, use Thunderbolt!"
She charged her cheeks and shot the lightning bolt at the exposed Flying type.
"I expected you to have that move. Monsoon, Protect!"
The Water type surrounded himself with a spherical shield, causing the Electric type move to dissipate immediately upon contact.
I gritted my teeth. So Monsoon has the fully encompassing Protect barrier. That'll be troublesome.
Winona looked at the sky and shouted, "Monsoon, Rain Dance!"
The Pelipper flapped his wings in a rhythmic pattern and included some aerial movements. The air became colder, and I felt raindrops falling from the cloudy sky.
That's weird. Why would she make it rain if it'll also benefit Lightning? I pushed my worry aside for now and shouted, "Thunderbolt once more!"
She launched another lightning bolt at Monsoon, who gracefully dodged the move.
Not again! I raised my right fist. "Thunderpunch!"
She charged her right paw and, using her tail as a springboard, leapt at the Water Bird Pokémon.
"An interesting tactic, but I was hoping you would do that," the Gym Leader remarked, making me uneasy. "Monsoon, trap Lightning with Twister!"
The Pelipper flagged his wings, causing a tornado to form. The twister grew in strength from the rain around it and touched the ground, drawing all the wind towards it. Lightning got sucked into the cyclone and winced in pain.
"Lightning, hang in there!" I shouted.
Winona waved her right arm, causing the water on her weather resistant clothes to fly off. "Monsoon, throw a Water Pulse into the twister!"
He made an orb of swirling water, which also increased in size due to the rain, and threw it into the tornado. The full force winds broke the orb, causing additional damage.
After hearing her scream, I knew I had to get her out of there. "Lightning, break free from the Twister with Iron Tail!"
I saw a silver glow within the wall of wind, and Lightning emerged as she sliced the cyclone with her tail. The twister dissipated, allowing her to return to solid ground. She was panting but kept her focus on the tricky opponent.
We need to find a way to get Monsoon to lower his guard. Otherwise, Lightning won't be able to handle much more.
"Use Thunderbolt!"
She nodded and released another long range lightning bolt.
Winona chuckled. "You know we won't fall for that, Summer! Monsoon, dodge and use Twister!"
The Pelipper used the wind current to evade the super effective move while creating another tornado.
Lightning braced herself, but I could see she was starting to lift off the ground.
"Lightning, anchor yourself with Grass Knot!"
She slammed her paws into the ground, and several strong blades of grass tied themselves over her body. Once she secured herself, she dug her tail into the ground and did her best to withstand the whipping winds.
"I've never seen a strategy like that," Winona said as the tornado disappeared. "You two are quite a pair."
I smiled. "We're not done yet. Lighting, use Thunderpunch!"
She emerged from the grass and, charging both paws, jumped up using the increased power from her tail.
Winona shouted, "Monsoon, Water Pulse!"
As he charged his attack, I waved my right arm. "Cut through the Water Pulse with Iron Tail!"
Her tail glowed silver, and when Monsoon launched the Water type move at her, she swung her tail into the orb, causing it to split open. With new momentum, she prepared to punch the Pelipper.
"Monsoon, Protect!"
He raised the translucent shield and stopped the attack from going through.
"Don't give up, Lightning!" I encouraged. "Keep using Thunderpunch!"
Nodding, she hit the barrier multiple times. Monsoon tried to maintain it, but cracks began to form from the constant pressure. The shield shattered from a left Thunderpunch, leaving him open to a more powerful right Thunderpunch. Monsoon slammed into the ground and tried to stand up.
After Lightning landed back on the field, I shouted, "Finish Monsoon with Thunderbolt!"
She aimed the lightning bolt at her opponent, who didn't have enough energy to create the protection barrier. The super effective move hit its mark, knocking him out instantly.
"Monsoon is unable to battle! Lightning wins!" Zachary shouted as the sun broke through the rain clouds. "Winona, choose your last Pokémon!"
Winona returned the Pelipper and said, "Excellent work, Monsoon. Go and get some rest." She then smiled at us. "You know how to adapt to sudden changes in the weather. Not many Trainers have done that so quickly. But now, my last Pokémon will truly test your ability to handle the wind. Dance amongst the skies, Calima!"
She threw a Luxury Ball into the air, revealing a large bird-like Pokémon with long crest feathers and a forked tail. Her blue throat feathers had a V-pattern that extended from her neck, and the feathers above and below the V were red. Though, her coloring was a little brighter than the ones I've seen before. When stars emerged from her body and I heard the chime, I realized why she looked different.
[Swellow, the Swallow Pokémon and the evolved form of Taillow. A Swellow dives upon prey from far above. It never misses its targets. It takes to the skies in search of lands with a warm climate.]
So Calima's the shiny Swellow Weldon mentioned… I watched a panting Lightning. I hope she can last longer.
Noticing my concern, she gave me a strong nod.
Reassured, once Zachary gave the go-ahead, I shouted, "Lightning, Thunderbolt!"
The Raichu launched a lightning bolt at the Flying type.
Winona smiled. "Calima, Double Team!"
The Swellow made multiple copies of herself, dodging the attack and confusing Lightning at the same time.
"Stay calm, Lightning! Focus on the one that looks like it'll move towards you!"
She closed her eyes and used her ears to single out the real Calima.
"That would be the usual strategy for a Double Team counter, Summer. But we anticipated that. Calima, Brave Bird!"
All of the Swellows dashed towards the Electric type in a bright orange light, yet Lightning stayed still. Then her ears perked up and she looked at the one on the right.
"Lightning, stop Calima with Grass Knot!"
She slammed her glowing green paws into the battlefield, causing long blades of grass to sprout and surround the approaching Flying type. However, Calima was so fast, she struck Lightning before the blades could even touch her. The Raichu slid back and was able to stay on her feet.
"Iron Tail!"
She charged forward and launched herself with her glowing silver tail.
That didn't faze Winona. "Calima, Double Team then Brave Bird again!"
The Swallow Pokémon dodged Lightning's attack with her illusions before surrounding herself with a powerful orange energy and slamming into the Mouse Pokémon again. The force of the Brave Bird knocked Lightning out, even though it wasn't super effective.
"Lightning is unable to battle! Calima wins!" Zachary shouted. "Summer, choose your next Pokémon!"
"Thanks, Lightning. You did really well." After I returned her, I knew I needed to help Rocky as much as I could. "Go, Errol!"
The Noctowl flew at Calima's eye level, his flapping not as forced as earlier.
Once we got the go-ahead, I shouted, "Errol, Air Slash!"
As he charged the attack, Winona waved her right arm. "Calima, Double Team then Brave Bird!"
The airy orb passed harmlessly through a copy as the remaining ones surrounded Errol. This time, the Owl Pokémon kept his focus on one by his left as they all charged at him.
I smirked. You can't escape from us this time. "Errol, throw Calima to the ground with Psychic!"
His eyes glowed magenta and the same colored energy surrounded the real Calima. The Swallow Pokémon slammed into the ground, but Winona remained calm as her Pokémon returned to the sky.
"Interesting tactic, Summer," Winona noted. "But you'll need more than that to stop Calima."
I definitely do. "Errol, Heat Wave!"
The Noctowl flapped his wings and released a gust of flames at Calima. Surprisingly, Winona did not instruct Calima to dodge or even use Double Team. The Hoenn Flying type took a decent hit, and a burn mark appeared on her chest.
Yes! But my joy disappeared when a red light temporarily appeared around her. N-No… Calima has the Guts Ability!
Seeing I made the correct assumption, Winona confidently shouted, "Calima, Brave Bird!"
She somersaulted then charged fast at Errol.
"Errol, Air Slash!"
He raised his right wing, but Calima struck him before he could create the orb. Errol slammed into the battlefield as the Swellow pulled up, suffering from the recoil damage.
Zachary observed the motionless Noctowl, then shouted, "Errol is unable to battle! Calima wins! Summer, please choose your final Pokémon!"
"Thanks, Errol," I said as I returned him. "You did really well; go and get some rest. Go, Rocky!"
The Steelix roared, glaring at the flying Swellow. He winced from the spikes around him but maintained his gaze.
Winona stroked her chin. "I haven't seen a Steelix since I visited Jasmine, the Olivine City Gym Leader."
I chuckled. "Funny you should mention that. We trained with her and her Steelix, Ord."
Laughing, she replied, "Then I expect a stiff challenge from the both of you."
Zachary waved his arms. "Battle begin!"
I threw out my right hand. "Rocky, use Dragonbreath!"
He opened his mouth and breathed a wide stream of green flames at the flying Pokémon.
Winona shook her head. "Sorry, Summer. You'll have to do better than that to stop Calima. Double Team!"
The Swellow once again dodged the Dragon type move by making copies of herself.
"Rocky, Stone Edge!"
He roared, creating shards of rock around him.
The Gym Leader braced herself. "Calima, Roost!"
The Flying type removed the copies, then surrounded herself in a green sphere. As she recovered her health, she was struck by the super effective move. Or so I thought.
That's weird. Stone Edge should have done more damage than that.
"Ah, I see you noticed that, Summer." Winona smiled, unnerving me. "You see, Roost has two effects. The first is that the user is healed; the second is that if the user is a Flying type, it'll temporarily lose its Flying typing."
So that's why. It's a pretty good strategy actually. Calima gets more protection from Rock type moves. But I wonder… "Rocky, Iron Tail!"
The Steel type lifted his glowing silver tail and swung it over his opponent.
"Calima, dodge and use Hidden Power!"
The Swallow Pokémon easily avoided the Iron Tail and shot several blue orbs at Rocky. When he roared in pain when they made contact, I immediately knew what typing the Hidden Power was.
Of all the types it could be, it had to be Water. I have to find a way to break Winona and Calima's rhythm. I looked at the spikes on the ground and got an idea.
Sensing a shift in the wind, Winona shouted, "Calima, use Hidden Power again!"
She formed more blue orbs and used the wind to increase their speed.
"Rocky, use Stone Edge!"
He roared and shot pieces of rock at the orbs. Not only did they pierce the Hidden Power, they also struck Calima. The Swallow Pokémon did her best to withstand the super effective move, but it dealt a lot of damage.
The Gym Leader gritted her teeth. "That Stone Edge is quite a powerful move. But we won't fall to it! Calima, Roost!"
As the Flying type healed herself, I smirked. "Rocky, Iron Tail!"
The Steel type slammed his tail into the stationary Swellow, and she crashed into the battlefield. Calima tried to stand up but was pricked by the spikes on the ground.
Winona gave a nervous chuckle. "I see. You took advantage of Calima's temporary Flying type loss so she gets injured from both the Iron Tail and Spikes. Quite clever."
Calima flew into the air, mirroring her Trainer's determination.
"Calima, fly down low and use Brave Bird!"
She dove towards the ground, then charged at Rocky in the powerful orange light.
Rocky and I prepared ourselves. "Stone Edge!"
The Steelix slammed his tail on the battlefield, causing stone spikes to erupt and head towards the approaching Swellow. Calima smashed through the first several pillars but couldn't power through the rest and collided into all of them. She then tumbled and stopped in front of Rocky.
Zachary examined the motionless Swellow, then waved his arms. "Calima is unable to battle! Rocky wins, and the winner of this match is Summer from Littleroot Town!"
"Great job, Rocky!" I shouted.
He knelt to the level of my platform and accepted my petting. "Thanks, Summer. I'm just glad we could get through all that."
Chuckling, I replied, "Me too."
I returned him and headed back to the battlefield level. There, Winona greeted me with a smile.
"That was truly an excellent match, Summer. Your skills and bonds with your Pokémon overcame my aerodynamic battling style. You truly danced amongst the winds in your unique way." She took out a teal badge shaped like an upstroke wing. "You deserve this Feather Badge as proof of your victory."
"Thanks, Winona."
I accepted my prize and said my goodbyes. I then rejoined Crys and Weldon, who were still by the bench.
"That was an awesome battle, Summer!" the Ranger-in-training exclaimed. "It's been so long since I've seen a Pokémon battle, I forgot how exciting they were!"
"They sure are, aren't they? I'm glad you could make it, Crys."
"Me too." Suddenly, her Capture Styler rang. She sighed. "Well, gotta get back to base. Oh, if you're going to be on Route 121 next week, you and Weldon should visit the Pokémon Ranger Fair."
"Oh, nice! That'll be fun. We'll do our best to come."
She beamed. "Great! See you both soon!"
She dashed towards the elevator, leaving me and Weldon on the roof. Noticing he was pretty quiet, I looked at him and saw he was staring at the forests on Route 120.
"What are you looking at, Weldon?"
"O-Oh, it's nothing. Let's head back to the Pokémon Center."
We went back to the lobby via the elevator. After we left the Gym, he said, "Great job, Summer."
"Thanks, Weldon. Did you hear what Crys and I talked about?"
"I did. Seeing what those types of Rangers do has gotten me interested. I'm excited to go."
"Me too." I yawned, which made my coach worried.
"Are you getting sleepy again?"
"K-Kind of… I guess I should take a nap before we celebrate."
My eyelids grew heavy, and I struggled to keep standing. The last thing I remembered before falling asleep was collapsing on Weldon's shoulder, hearing his concerned voice call my name.
Summer's Pokémon:
Blaze (Blaziken, male): Brave Nature, Blaze Ability, moves: Fire Punch, Flamethrower, Blaze Kick, Sky Uppercut
Errol (Noctowl, male): Rash Nature, Keen Eye Ability, moves: Psychic, Hypnosis, Air Slash, Heat Wave
Aurora (Dewgong, female): Calm Nature, Thick Fat Ability, moves: Water Pulse, Ice Beam, Aqua Tail, Signal Beam
Lightning (Raichu, female): Adamant Nature, Static Ability, moves: Thunderbolt, Iron Tail, Thunder Punch, Grass Knot
Rocky (Steelix, male): Lonely Nature, Rock Head Ability, moves: Stone Edge, Crunch, Dragonbreath, Iron Tail
Olive (Grovyle, female): Timid Nature, Overgrow Ability, moves: Fury Cutter, Double Team, Mega Drain, Quick Attack
Weldon's Pokémon:
Venusaur (male): Serious Nature, Overgrow Ability, moves: Solarbeam, Razor Leaf, Earthquake, Sludge Bomb, Vine Whip; in rotation- Solarbeam, Body Slam
Fearow (male): Adamant Nature, Keen Eye Ability, moves: Heat Wave, Steel Wing, Fury Attack, Aerial Ace; in rotation- Drill Peck
Golem (male): Bold Nature, Rock Head Ability, moves: Rock Slide, Earthquake, Rollout, Double Edge
Gyarados (male): Sassy Nature, Intimidate Ability, moves: Surf, Ice Fang, Payback, Waterfall
Arcanine (male): Naughty Nature, Flash Fire Ability, moves: Hyper Beam, Extremespeed, Flare Blitz, Fire Blast
Electabuzz (male): Rash Nature, Static Ability, moves: Thunder, Mega Kick, Thunder Punch, Shock Wave
Questions for the Chapter:
Why is Summer having nightmares?
What did you think of Winona and Crys?
What did you think of Summer's Gym battle?
