Well, well, well, it seems after 21 DAYS, I am finally able to post up this chapter! Man, it's almost been a month... I'm sorry about that, I would have finished sooner, but last week was extremely hectic because of exams and my research paper (did I mention how much I HATE them?) Anyway, this chapter basically deals with their return to Avia Town for Ash's first battle! (Figure I have to refresh your memories since its been so long!) On a quick side note, Chapter 12 is pretty damn long (15 pages) so I'm beginning to woner if this is going to start becoming a habit... Anyway, all that aside, here's the new chapter, hope you enjoy it (you've got quite a read ahead of you...), and... that's it.
Chapter 11-Battle atop the Dome
They had now left the forest as Ash marched happily with his newly caught pokemon inside his pokeball in his right hand while Pikachu sat on his left shoulder who couldn’t help, but smile from the excitement for their first Gym battle. Misty walked right by them as she watched Ash look at his pokeball as he held it up above his head proudly. It shined in the bright sunlight and sparkled with promising hope as Ash grinned at the small metal ball in his hand. He quickly placed it securely on his belt once they reached the mountain. He definitely didn’t want to lose Virgel after going through so much trouble just to catch him. They walked up the mountain trail as quickly as they could until they reached that fateful mountain cliff from their last visit to Mt. Mineral. Ash and Misty looked up the long wall; their eyes traveled to the top which seemed very far away from where they stood. The sky above them began to grow dark and clouded and foretold of a fierce storm in the future. Ash stepped forward, grabbed a piece of rock sticking out of the wall, and began to climb. Misty followed shortly behind him and they began their tedious trek up the mountain.
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After climbing up the mountain for at least an hour, they were now very close to reaching their destination. Ash felt something wet drop onto his face as soon as he set his hand onto the flat ground of the top of the cliff. He looked up at the sky and saw that the clouds had become almost black in color as they grew heavy with rain, ready to unleash its load onto the earth below it. He turned around and saw that Misty was not too far behind so he decided not to worry too much about the rain...
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She pushed herself harder as soon as she felt that cold wet drop of water from the sky hit her face. It served as a warning to her for the great flood that was sure to take place and she struggled to go faster as her arms went numb from pushing herself too much. She lowered her head as she stopped to catch her breath as she hung onto the cliff.
“Come on Misty! You’re almost there! Just a little bit more…” Ash yelled as he leaned over the edge of the cliff. She drew a deep breath, paused for a moment, and then a look of fierce of determination crossed her face as she began to move up the mountain quickly. After a few minutes, she only needed a short distance to reach the top so she slowed down a bit to catch her breath. At that moment, she felt something pass close behind her and the hairs on the back of neck stood up. She turned around quickly and there was nothing behind her. Her heartbeat increased and she began to climb faster. All of a sudden, a thin black fog began to appear before her eyes. She stopped for a second when she thought she saw something large flying in a circle behind her as the fog grew darker. Now she was panicking and she climbed up frantically, pulling rocks from the cliff as soon as she grabbed another one as the fog followed her, getting darker and darker every passing second. She now couldn’t see anything in front of her anymore as she searched blindly for a rock to grab. Meanwhile, Ash looked on searching for Misty in the thick fog, but it was a useless task. He grabbed a pokeball from his belt and threw it into the air. The ball opened and from it emerged Virgel as he spread his white wings and let out a fierce cry.
“Go in there and look for Misty!” Ash yelled up to the pokemon as he waited mid-air for Ash’s orders. He nodded and dove into the fog as Ash looked on helplessly.
The fog clouded Virgel’s eyes as he searched frantically for Misty in the dark cloud. Everything was eerily quiet and Virgel began to grow nervous; he felt as if something was watching him and was upset by his presence. He felt something breathe down his neck and he turned around quickly, only to be met by a wing that slammed him across the head. He fell down, but he quickly regained his balance. He strained his eyes to try and see what had struck him. He indistinctly made out the form of a bird attempting to grab something that was hanging onto the cliff. A scream rang out from the inside of the fog and Virgel charged at the bird. He struck him and the bird yelled in pain as he fell backwards. Virgel turned around and tried to find the source of the scream, figuring it was probably Misty. As he neared the cliff, he felt around blindly until he came across something warm.
“Get off of me!” A hand slapped him across the face, catching Virgel by surprise. He was about to grab Misty when the bird tackled him from behind, knocking him forward and into Misty. She screamed as she let go of the rock that she was holding onto, plummeting to the ground below her. Virgel turned around in shock and began to fly towards her as she left the fog with him closely behind. Something caught his attention from the side of his eye and he turned to look at what was following him. From the fog emerged the Covvul that belonged to Alexander as it dive bombed towards Misty as fast as he could. Virgel, having never met Alexander and his Covvul, attacked him with his large wing and knocked him out of the way and into the cliff. Covvul recovered quickly and was infuriated. He cried out loud and dived after Virgel, his sharp eyes focused solely on his target. He struck him in the back with his beak and Virgel cried in pain as he pulled out of his dive. Covvul followed after Virgel and was about to attack him again when a powerful voice rang out.
“STOP! Get back to the girl, at once!” Covvul paused then turned around and dived after Misty, leaving Virgel alone and giving him the chance to recover. The angelic pokemon took after behind Covvul as they both raced to get to Misty. She yelled in despair as tears fell from her eyes as the ground continued to approach closer. She looked around her desperately and found a branch hanging out of the cliff, miraculously in the reach of her hand. She grabbed the branch and held onto it firmly; so firmly that the branch swung forward and slammed her into the cliff with tremendous force, impacting with her wrist and fracturing her bone. She screamed and instantly let go as her world went dark and she passed out from the intense pain. Covvul reached her first and grabbed her unconscious body with his talons before she reached the ground. Virgel caught up to him and was about to force Misty away from him when the same rough voice from before called out,
“Confuse Ray.” Covvul’s eyes turned a bright white as he looked directly into Virgel’s eyes. His vision blurred and the world around him spun rapidly as he lost all sense of equilibrium. He moved around erratically and hit the wall as he tried to find his way towards Covvul, throwing misguided punches that missed its target. Covvul avoided the confused pokemon and flew up to meet with Alexander and Ash as the heavy rain fell on him. He carefully laid Misty onto the ground and Ash went to her side.
“She’s unconscious,” said the hooded figure. “We’ll need to bring her to the hospital immediately.” Ash looked back at the scowling man. He nodded and stood up as Covvul grabbed Misty once again and began to fly towards Avia Town. He called back Virgel who was still searching for Covvul while flying bizarrely. Alexander and Ash began to run up the mountain trail to Avia Town as the rain fell heavily on the mountain, drenching anything in its path.
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He waited nervously in the white waiting room as he sat on top of a white couch with Pikachu by his side. Alexander stood silently in the corner, avoiding everyone’s awestruck looks as they gathered around the waiting room just to see their hero. The emergency door slid open and an old doctor walked outside. He pulled his surgical mask off and he revealed a gentle smile that could only mean good news.
“Everything will be all right. She just fractured her wrist and will have to wear a small cast for at least two days. If you want you can go see her right now.” Ash’s face lit up in happiness and he immediately stood up and entered the room. She lay in the bed silently with white gauze wrapped around her left wrist and she looked up at him and smiled weakly. He returned her smile and sat in the chair next to her bed as Pikachu leapt on top of her bed.
“How are you feeling?” Ash said gently as he glanced over at her wrist wrapped tightly in the thin white fabric.
“I’m fine, it still hurts a little though, but the doctor says I’ll be able to leave the hospital tomorrow,” Misty said weakly. He sighed in relief and they continued to talk on as Alexander watched silently from the hallway. After a while, Ash left the room and he looked Alexander in the eye.
“Tomorrow you can be sure that I’ll face you in the Gym and I’ll beat you!” Ash said enthusiastically. Alexander merely blinked his eyes slowly and turned around with Covvul landing onto his shoulder, exiting the hospital along with the crowd of people. Ash gritted his teeth in anger as his fists shook involuntarily, but he calmed down and picked a spot on the white couch in the main lobby. He took out his blanket and laid down as he fell into a deep slumber.
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They walked through the front door as the day shone with bright anticipation. Ash took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. A breeze blew through the town and caught his denim vest. He opened his eyes with a fierce fire burning inside them. He clenched his fist determinedly, his heart pumped ferociously in his chest, he took sharp breaths, and he looked off into the distance. Somewhere far-off in the cliffs was the Avia Town Gym, where his first Gym badge lay and where Alexander, that obnoxious snob, waited for him, ready to accept Ash’s invitation to battle with that same scowl that was always on his face.
“Probably thinks I’m not worth it… Well I’ll show him!” Ash thought, and then he screamed at the top of his voice, “I’m going to be the future Pokemon MAS-”
“Aw how cool!” Misty exclaimed, cutting Ash off as he fell to the ground. He turned around and saw that she was looking at a couple passing by overhead in a hang glider. “Ash let’s go hang gliding!” Misty said as she pulled on his shirt.
“Can’t it wait?! I REALLY want to go face this guy!” Ash pleaded. Misty changed her tone and her expression.
“You promised before we even
started on this journey that we weren’t just going to focus on the journey!”
“Yeah I know, but…”
“Well no buts! Let’s go already before the line gets too long!” Misty said as she started to run up the hill. He stood there at a loss of words and his head drooped in defeat.
“Hurry up Ash!” Misty yelled at the top of the hill. He groaned and he slouched up the hill slowly and miserably to the top where a tiny building lay where Misty waited impatiently for him in front of the door.
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They waited in the long line inside of the black building for a turn on one of the hang gliders built for two. The hang gliders rested in the wide opening on the side of the building that faced the edge of the cliff the building was situated on. Once Ash and Misty reached the front of the line, an effeminate skinny young man with dark green eyes and blonde hair walked up to them.
“Will you two be riding together?” he asked as he pointed at them. Misty nodded eagerly while Ash stood beside her with a bored expression on his face, still thinking about the Gym battle.
“Alright, well you have two choices: you can either choose the regular hang glider…” He pointed to a neon yellow hang glider with two harnesses strapped to the metal bars attached to the wings. “Or…” he said with a coy grin, “You can choose the couple glider that we are currently having a special on; 50 percent
discount!” He pointed to the glider that lay next to the neon yellow hang glider: its wings were shaped as a giant pink heart with white flowers along the edge of the wings with cursive letters written on the back that read: Flying High with Love. Ash and Misty both gave the young man a repulsed look as they both were repelled from the sickeningly cute design of the glider.
“I think we’ll just take the regular one…” Ash said quickly averting his gaze from the couple glider. Misty agreed, taken aback from the whacky glider. The blonde boy shrugged and took out piece of paper from his pocket. With the pencil that was resting on his ear, he began to calculate the prices on the paper. Ash looked at him curiously until he flipped the paper around and showed Ash the cost of renting a regular hang glider. His mouth dropped open as his eyes widened at the unbelievable price.
“I can’t afford this!” he exclaimed. He looked over at Misty to see what she thought. She smirked at him and he wondered for a moment what she was smiling about until he realized that she was looking at the cheaper yet humiliating design of the couple’s glider.
“Oh no…”
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They were now on their way to Avia Town Gym, cutting through town as Ash walked quickly down the path with Misty trying to catch up behind him.
“Oh, come on Ash; don’t tell me you’re embarrassed!” Misty teased. He lowered his hat in shame as he walked faster. She grinned as she remembered their brief flight over the town; Misty convinced him, or rather
forced him, onto the lovey-dovey hang glider and they traveled over the town as the people below them jeered at them from below. As they passed in front of a small brown house, a crowd of people recognized them and started to shout at them.
“Aw, look, it’s the High Flying Couple!”
“Let’s see a kiss!” They cheered and whooped at Ash and Misty and she embarrassedly smiled back at them. A guy with short brown hair about 25-years old whispered, but loud enough for Misty to hear, to his friend,
“Man I would
love to get with that redhead!” The two of them cheered and screamed and she turned around enraged.
“WHAT DID YOU SAY?!” she bellowed. His friend cowered, rejoining the group, but the young brown-haired man walked up to her with as much macho confidence he could muster. He had a smug look on his face with his eyes half lowered and he opened his mouth to say something when Misty threw a punch that hit him across the face that knocked one of his teeth out. He fell to the ground and she immediately started to stomp him with her feet since she couldn’t use her other hand to hit him. His group of friends yelled in protest, but didn’t move from their spot against the wall of the white house (they were probably too scared) as she continued her onslaught against the defenseless man. Ash ran up behind her and grabbed her arms as she panted furiously. He walked her back up the hill to the Gym as she continued to scream at the group that was now helping their battered and bloodied friend up until they were out of sight.
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The Gym lay off in the distance, separated from the world by a large gap in between the island of rock it sat on top of and the mainland of the mountain. Ash looked at the Gym as his heart beat faster and his stomach turned inside him.
“I haven’t battled in a long time… Could I lose this match?” His throat grew dry and he began to sweat as the drops of perspiration slid down his face. His breath came in short gasps for air;
“This is it…” he thought.
“I’ve got to win this… I-I’m going to win this!”
“Alright!” he shouted, startling Misty. His eyes blazed with determination, incinerating his doubts and anxious attitude. “You better watch out Alexander because I’m coming to earn my Soar Badge!” Pikachu shouted along with him and held up his hand in victory as Ash stepped boldly in front of the zip line. He placed the metallic handlebars onto the cable and he took a deep breath as he paused for a moment. He jumped off the cliff and sped down the line until he jumped off at the end of the line. He looked across the gap at Misty who stood still as she looked over the cliff nervously.
“Aren’t you going to go with me to see the match?” he yelled across.
“I’m not going on that zip line! Besides I can’t use my other hand to hold onto the metal handlebars! Get Virgel to bring me across!” He shook his head as he pulled Virgel’s pokeball off of his belt. A couple of seconds later, she was back in front of him after being safely carried across the gap by the Guardian Angel pokemon. They stepped in front of the gigantic door and Ash laid his hands on it. He struggled as he pushed the heavy door open and they entered into the blackened building. Their footsteps echoed throughout the Gym as they walked up the winding “Challenger” stairs.
“Ash…” He looked at her and saw that she was in deep thought, as if something was troubling her. “Haven’t you gotten a weird feeling… about that guy Alexander?” He raised his eyebrow.
“Like what?”
“Well… as if he wasn’t what he’s supposed to be…?”
“What?” Ash said, completely confused at what Misty was trying to get at.
“Everybody in town thinks he’s such a big hero because he rescues people everyday. Yet, don’t you think it’s kind of weird that he’s always there whenever somebody is in trouble?” she asked.
“Well I think that’s the reason of why he’s such a big hero! You know, the fact that he’s always there when you need him is pretty amazing!” he said enthusiastically. She sighed and said in an exasperated whisper,
“You just don’t get it Ash…” He looked at her strangely, but seeing that they were already at the top, he decided to drop it so he could concentrate on his match. He pushed open the cold metal door as the clean air rushed in. The dark clouds were back in the sky, but they seemed to be leaving the area with the sun shining above them. With every footstep he took his heart beat faster. He didn’t know why he was so nervous… He clenched his fists uneasily as his stomach turned inside of him. He climbed up the short metal stairs and stopped on the designated spot for the trainers as Misty took her spot by the referee. Standing across from him was Alexander with his hand casually in his jacket pocket as he frowned across at him. His faithful pokemon was perched on his shoulder, his quiet brooding interrupted by the sudden challenger. He glared across at Ash and his hair stood on end as the vulture-like pokemon stared at him, as if he was dissecting him bit-by-bit in his mind. The referee quickly glanced at both trainers and raised his flags into the air.
“Challenger Ash Ketchum will face Avia Town Gym Leader Alexander for the Soar Badge. It will be a two-on-two battle provided that each trainer has enough pokemon for the match.” There was a long pause as Ash concentrated on Alexander. He stood motionless like a statue, yet the Gym leader’s mind ran fiercely in his head, calculating anything that Ash could throw at him… Ash snapped back to reality when he realized that everything was quiet. He looked around and realized that everyone was looking at him.
“Oh! Yeah, yeah, I have a Muntein pokemon…” he said as his hand felt over Virgel’s pokeball. Pikachu slapped his forehead as he shook his head in embarrassment at his trainer’s stupidity.
“OK then… Ready?” They both quickly nodded. “BEGIN!”
“Go Pikachu!” Ash yelled. His pokemon jumped off of his shoulder and onto the match floor.
“Go ahead, Covvul.” Alexander said calmly. His pokemon squawked fiercely as he ascended into the air, flapping his magnificent jet black wings.
“What is he thinking? I have a type advantage against him…” he thought. “This is going to be easy…” he muttered to himself. “Alright Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!” Pikachu charged up and fired off a bright bolt of electricity directly at the bird.
“Quick Attack!” Alexander yelled out sharply. Covvul quickly dodged the attack at an amazing speed as he ascended higher and higher into the sky. Ash gritted his teeth in frustration as he knew that he would have to come up with a different strategy to counter Covvul’s staggering speed.
“Use Agility and then Thunderbolt!” He smiled at his ingenious plan as Pikachu took off at a blinding speed. Alexander wouldn’t know what would hit him… Pikachu darted across the field, almost at an invisible speed as Covvul tried to spot him on the field.
“Covvul, use Haze to hide yourself.” The pokemon cried out as he began to fly around in a circle. He shook his feathers vigorously and thick black dust began to spread all around him. Ash cursed at Alexander’s quick wit once he saw that the pokemon was enveloped in a thick black fog that would block out the sun if it was shining in the sky. Pikachu stood still for a moment on the field, wondering what he could do now when Alexander called out fiercely,
“Use Quick Attack to catch them by surprise!” Suddenly out of the fog, Covvul darted out and launched himself towards Pikachu from behind. Before he even could have the chance to face his attacker, Pikachu was struck down by the quick tackle. He fell back in pain, but quickly picked himself up, determined not to give up.
“Keep going, Covvul!” Alexander bellowed coldly. The bird flew back into the dark cloud as Pikachu looked around for the pokemon, attentive for any noise that Covvul could make. He shot out of the cloud behind Pikachu and struck him again with another Quick Attack. Pikachu keeled over face forward as his face rubbed against the hard, cold match floor as Covvul hid amongst the dark clouds. Ash looked on in frustration as Pikachu stood up shakily and breathed heavily in exhaustion. Misty looked bewildered at the cloud. It was strikingly similar to the black fog of the mountains which would also explain the bird-like figure she saw inside the fog during their climb up the mountain. If that was true then that would mean it was Alexander who staged all of the accidents in the mountain… She gasped in shock then glared at Alexander who watched on emotionlessly at the match as his pokemon continued to fly down and attack Pikachu with blinding Quick Attacks when Pikachu least expected it.
“You’re a fake and you know it!” Misty screamed at Alexander as she ran into the middle of the field and pointed towards him. Everyone turned to look at her, surprised at her sudden outburst and they stood in silence, waiting for a response from Alexander. Typical of his character, he ignored her comment and said in low gruff voice,
“You are interfering with this match. Step off of the match floor before I declare this as an act of forfeiting on behalf of your friend.” She remained unmoving even though she could Ash screaming from behind her to get off of the arena.
“Come on Misty! I really need to win this badge!”
“You have until the count of three before Ash from Pallet is disqualified!” The pleads of Ash and the authoritative voice of the referee mixed together in a disarray of sounds as Misty stared coldly at Alexander. He continued to scowl with his thick black eyebrows furrowed deeply over his eyes, making no movement at all. Ash fell onto his knees and pleaded desperately towards her with the palms of his hands clasped together.
“
Please Misty; get off of the stage before I’m disqualified!” She turned to him sharply and spoke in a fierce tone, drowning out the forewarning countdown of the referee.
“You don’t understand Ash. This
man has been using his pokemon to endanger the lives of the rock climbers of this area just so he can enjoy being in the limelight!” The referee finished his countdown and raised Alexander’s flag into the air.
“This match has ended due to the act of forfeit from-” Alexander raised his powerful hand, silencing the referee as the young man looked on in confusion.
“I want to hear what this girl has to say about me,” he said quietly towards the referee. He then turned to face her. “Go ahead; tell me what crazy theories you have made up about me, this wouldn’t be the first time it’s happened so by all means, do not hesitate!” She gritted her teeth in anger at his nonchalant attitude towards her accusation, but she continued without faltering.
“You’ve been using your pokemon’s Haze attack so you could create a fog not only to block out your target’s sight, but also to hide your pokemon as he does your dirty work inside of the fog!” He remained unconvinced even though Ash and the referee were very interested to hear what she had to say. “I realized it when I was attacked yesterday by your pokemon as we climbed the cliff. When I was covered inside that thick black cloud, I could feel your pokemon flying around behind me, scattering his dust to make the cloud. Then after he was done, he was going to pull me off of the cliff if it wasn’t for Ash’s pokemon coming to save me!” Everyone stared in shock at the accusation. Everyone except for Alexander; he had his eyes closed as if he was in a state of deep thought.
“That explains why he’s always there when someone is in trouble!” Ash blurted out. Misty turned around and he smirked back at her, completely understanding now.
“That’s strange because I also had that same sensation as if something was flying behind me when I was also rescued by Alexander in the mountains…” the referee said thoughtfully. Everyone’s attention was now turned towards Alexander who remained motionless. He suddenly opened his eyes fiercely as his nostrils flared in anger. He stepped quickly towards Misty as he clenched his fists in rage.
“What would you know about me anyway, you pestering girl?!” he screamed in unabated anger. She stepped back in fright as he neared closer to her. The referee jumped onto the match floor and held him back as the veins in the neck of the Gym leader popped out as his blood rushed to his head. “All the years that I was mocked for having an unnatural obsession with the mountains… It’s the least those miserable people in that vile town deserve!” Misty stepped up bravely to him as she spoke in a soft whisper,
“But why would you do such a horrible thing? Don’t you know that you could
kill somebody if anything bad happened?!” He closed his eyes in pain at her comment as his hands shook in anger.
“I don’t CARE! I don’t care what happens to anybody! Not after what they did to me in my childhood…” he spoke more gently now as he flashbacked to a past time.
“I was always different when I was younger… Everyone couldn’t wait to go hang gliding after school and they would do it everyday. I would always go to the mountains after class ended though, and usually by myself… I didn’t like to hang glide because I was severely afraid of heights! And nobody would want to talk me because of my supposed ‘unnatural obsession’. One day though…” His expression changed as his voice grew more intense and volatile. “They found me one day sitting on the side of the mountain after they finishing their hang gliding. They offered me to ride on it and I refused. They continued to coax me until they grew frustrated and forced me into that despicable metal harness! They threw me off of the side of the cliff and laughed as I screamed in terror…” He couldn’t bear it anymore as a tear slid down his cheek. Misty really sympathized with him and she neared closer to him. He quickly lifted his head as he fought back his tears. He breathed heavily as he avoided everyone’s gaze until he stopped crying.
“That still doesn’t mean you have to get back at everyone for such a horrible thing… Not everyone is bad, as you can see since everyone thinks of you as the town hero!” Misty said with a warm smile. He looked back at her with his usual scowl.
“I don’t care if I am the town hero or not! Everything is just an empty victory since they’ve started to hail me as a hero. In fact, maybe one day… Covvul won’t be able to catch someone in time and they’ll suffer an unfortunate
accident…” His face contorted into a twisted smile that spread from cheek to cheek. Misty felt a shiver go up her spine as chills ran through her body as he took his position back on the other side, his smile starting to fade away from his face. The referee pulled Misty back off of the field as she looked back at Alexander. Somewhere inside of his soul, she knew he was still begging to be set free from the grips of vengeance…
“The match will now commence once again once all the pokemon from each side return to the match field,” the referee declared as he raised his head and his flags towards the dark grey sky as he waited for Covvul to descend. The Brooding pokemon landed back onto the ground and matched Alexander’s scowl as he glared across at Ash and Pikachu, unnerving them both. The referee looked at both of them, nodded, and yelled out,
“BEGIN!!!”
“Into the sky again, Covvul!” Alexander yelled out. He took off the ground with a cry as he ascended rapidly into the air. “Now use Haze!” Covvul shook his feathers powerfully as once again, the black dust from his feathers began to form a black fog.
“Oh no you don’t!” Ash yelled. “Pikachu, shock Covvul before he gets the chance to set up that Haze!” The yellow rodent shot off a Thunderbolt that was aimed directly at the bird pokemon. Covvul quickly moved to the left in an attempt to dodge the attack, but it managed to catch his right wing. He shrieked in pain, but he was soon covered inside the dark black haze of the dust from his feathers, hiding his whereabouts from Ash and Pikachu.
“Use Quick Attack now!” Alexander yelled suddenly as Ash struggled to find a way to counter his strategy. Covvul flew out of the cloud, but at a much slower pace, slow enough that it allowed enough time for Ash to think of a plan. As Covvul approached Pikachu, Ash waited so he could get the timing right.
“Now Pikachu jump and use Iron Tail!” Pikachu back flipped as Covvul passed beneath him and just as he lashed out with his tail, Covvul dodged just in time to avoid any damage. Ash grunted in frustration at how close he was as Covvul entered the black fog again. Suddenly he remembered an old tactic that he and Pikachu had practiced over their time spent alone in Johto a few years ago.
“Pikachu, charge all of your energy into a Thunder!” Pikachu looked behind him, surprised at hearing the old tactic. Ash gave him a knowing wink and Pikachu smirked back. He began to charge an unbelievable amount of energy into a Thunder that almost drained him of his energy. He unleashed the attack and shot it directly above him. It cut through the fog and made a hole as it passed, but it completely missed Covvul who was on the other side of the cloud. Alexander shook his head in disappointment as he considered Ash’s plan completely absurd. Even Misty didn’t know what the heck he was planning. But apparently the plan was working perfectly as Ash had a smirk on his face that simply meant he was up to something. He knew that from all the amount of energy the Thunder attack was holding, it would come back down to the earth and plow through anything in its path. He just needed to time it well…
“Enough! Let’s end this Covvul and take him out with a Quick Attack!” He appeared out of the fog as he sped towards Pikachu. Pikachu turned around as he faced him directly, waiting for him to approach.
“Dodge now and grab him!” Ash yelled. Pikachu jumped into the air and he grabbed hold of the feathers on Covvul’s back. “Flip him around and hit him with a Thunderbolt!” Using his momentum, Pikachu turned Covvul over and threw him up. He shot off a Thunderbolt and it hit Covvul squarely and he cried out in pain from the super-effective hit. Suddenly, fed by the force of gravity of the earth, the Thunder that Pikachu had shot before returned back down from the sky and hit Covvul squarely on, increasing the intensity of the electricity flowing through his body. He yelled louder until Pikachu stopped shocking him. He fell to the ground limply as he sizzled from the two electrical attacks, fainting on the spot.
“Covvul is unable to battle! Pikachu is the winner!” Ash jumped up in victory as he pumped his fist into the air while Pikachu flashed the victory sign with his fingers. Misty yelled and cheered as Alexander sullenly returned his faithful pokemon to his respective pokeball.
“You did good…” he whispered to the pokeball. He looked up to the field with a look of determination. He knew it was a clever plan and he now acknowledged Ash as a worthy opponent. “Let’s go… my friend…” He pulled a pokeball hidden behind his cloak at the back of his belt and he threw it forward. A pink colored bird pokemon sprang out of the ball and called her name calmly while spreading her tiny wings
. Ash was taken aback by the new pokemon in front of him and immediately pulled out his Pokedex and it began to display the new pokemon’s information:
“Flingmo, the Long Leg Pokemon. 4’ 10”, Normal/Flying: The legs on this pokemon are at least three feet long, accounting for more than half of this pokemon’s height. Its long neck is very elastic-like that it can constrict its prey like a snake then proceed to peck at it with its sharp beak. It mainly attacks using its long, stretchy legs, yet rarely uses its wings, due to the fact that they are too short to be of any use offensively. But they can use these wings to fly if they curl up their legs into their body in order to balance itself out. Because it uses mainly Fighting-type attacks, a lot of research has been involved into this pokemon to determine the reason why it is a Normal-type instead. The results of this research pointed to the calm and carefree nature of these pokemon; because they are so peaceful, they lose all of their Fighting-type traits.”
The Pokedex closed up and Ash sized up their new opponent; her feathers gleamed brightly as the sun began to appear from behind the clouds. Her beak curved like a scythe and she stretched out her legs. She looked across at them calmly yet she had the appearance of a seasoned fighter with a fire burning in those calm and lazy eyes.
“The fight will now begin!” the referee yelled.
“Hit her with a Thunderbolt!” Ash called out. Pikachu charged electricity while Alexander yelled to his pokemon,
“Charge forward and attack him!” Flingmo ran forward, her long legs stretching out in front of her as she charged towards Pikachu. Pikachu shot the bolt directly at the bird who was rushing towards him. With lightning-quick reflexes, she leapt up into the air and curled her legs into her body, dodging the Thunderbolt. She resembled an American football as she flew towards Pikachu quickly, flapping her tiny wings up and down. She extended her leg and kicked Pikachu in the face powerfully. He flew backwards and slid across the ground until he came to a stop. He picked himself up slowly, all the while in pain as he breathed heavily, his vision blurring as he tried to focus on his opponent who began to run towards him again.
“Use Bounce to end this match!” She stopped in her tracks, contracted her legs then jumped high into the air aiming directly for Pikachu. Ash panicked as she began her descent, extending her feet preparing for the final attack.
“Pikachu, you have to move out of the way!” But he didn’t respond; he was too busy catching his breath, too tired from the long and winding match with Covvul. Flingmo’s foot collided with Pikachu’s body and crushed him into the ground. He yelled in pain from the astounding pressure of the attack until he fainted from the pain.
“Pikachu is unable to battle! Flingmo is the winner!” She held her stringy neck upwards in victory as she smiled with Alexander behind her nodding his head knowingly; he knew he had made the right choice in choosing her to battle Pikachu since he was so tired from the battle. Ash ran towards the field and picked Pikachu off of the ground gently.
“Are you okay, buddy?” he spoke in a gentle whisper. The little mouse gave him a weak smile and tried to lift his head, but could not muster the energy. “Don’t worry, you did a good job today. Take a nice rest…” Ash said smiling. Pikachu returned his smile and fell asleep. His face turned serious as he left Pikachu in Misty’s arms and he returned to his spot on the match floor. He took a pokeball off of his belt and looked at it. He closed his eyes and, in a low whisper, he began to speak to it,
“I know we haven’t had a battle together yet… But I need you to do this… For me and for you…” He lowered the pokeball and threw it forward as Alexander and the Long Leg pokemon awaited their new opponent. Virgel appeared out of his pokeball and spread his wings as he tightened his fists while emitting a powerful battle cry. The referee lifted both flags in the air and dropped them.
“BEGIN!!!” Virgel charged towards Flingmo with his fist reared behind him, charging up for a Mega Punch. Alexander waited for him until he released his punch.
“Constrict his arm!” She wrapped her neck around his arm and stopped him flat. He struggled to be set free from the grip, but she had him strongly wrapped in her neck.
“Now use Peck!” She jabbed at him with her beak as he stood helpless in her constriction as he was hit by the barrage of Peck attacks.
“You have to break free! Use your wing!” Ash called out. He winced in pain as Flingmo continued to attack, but he managed to stand up and smack her with his large wing. Her head swung back and she loosened her grip on his arm. He pulled out and jumped back as he outstretched his wings. Her neck returned to its original form as she awaited orders from her trainer.
“Take to the air.” Alexander said calmly yet calculating his and Ash’s every move. She leapt into the air as she curled her long legs into her body. She ascended into the air and circled around the dome. The sun was out and it shined majestic yellow rays onto the dome of the building. Virgel followed his opponent in the sky with his eyes as he eagerly awaited Ash’s orders. He stood still, trying to figure out a battle plan for Virgel since this was their first time battling side by side.
“Go, now!” Flingmo dive-bombed towards Virgel who was now pressured to move. He looked desperately at Ash who was also panicking. They locked eyes and at once they calmed down. Their thoughts were clear and now they understood one other as though they were linked together by a psychic bind. Ash nodded towards Virgel and he nodded back as he leapt up into the air, dodging Flingmo by a second. She stopped herself from hitting the ground by extending her legs. She looked up and sprang into the air as Alexander yelled,
“Follow him!” They chased each other around the sky directly above the match floor, not allowed to move from the boundaries or else they faced disqualification. Which is exactly what Alexander had on his mind.
“Hit him in the back, Flingmo!” She extended her long neck and pecked at him until he lost control. He came barreling dangerously close to the match line until he regained balance. She approached him and stopped before him. They locked eyes as they tried to read each other’s movements.
“Use Peck to knock him out of the sky!”
“Wrap your arms around her body!” Everyone looked at Ash, shocked at his command, but he had a simple smirk on his face that reaffirmed everyone that he was planning something. She proceeded to peck at Virgel as he wrapped his arms around her round body, wincing in pain from the sharp stabs of her beak. He covered her wings and she struggled to be set free, pecking at his shoulder while flailing her legs.
“Let go of her and knock her down with a Wing Attack!” Ash yelled, determined his plan was going to work. He threw her down and swiped her with his wing. She fell at a high speed towards the ground until she collided forcefully with it.
“Finish the job with a barrage of Comet Punches!” Ash cried out, smiling in victory. He dived at where she had crashed into the ground and hit her with a bombardment of quick and effective punches. She cried in pain as Alexander watched on helplessly with no effective counter in mind. Virgel finally stopped and he jumped back standing in front of her. She didn’t move as her head rested on the ground, her eyes closed from defeat.
“Alexander has been defeated! The winner is Ash Ketchum!” the referee declared as he lifted Ash’s green flag in the air. He jumped up and down in happiness as he ran towards his pokemon with his arms held out in front of him. Virgel smiled and jumped into Ash’s arms as he laughed and congratulated him on battling so well. Misty walked behind him and slapped him hard on the back, knocking his hat off. He turned around only to be met by her warm, gentle smile. He smiled back and laughed as she joined him as the sun shone brightly on the horizon.
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They stood in front of the Gym, waiting for Alexander who was bringing his badge. He opened the large double doors of the Gym with a sigh as Covvul rested on his shoulder. He seemed tired yet he no longer scowled which Misty immediately noticed. He looked at Ash then at Misty. And then he smiled. Not his twisted smile that sent chills down the spines of everyone, but a warm half-smile that reached halfway up his cheek as his eyes glimmered with kindness.
“Over the past few minutes, I have learned… a lot… I learned… that I was miserable…and that I was horrible for taking out my misery on the citizens of Avia Town. They meant no harm to me and what I did to them was wrong… I misled them and endangered their lives for something that had happened
years ago. And all it took was for you to discover me, Misty. I am truly grateful to you.” He bowed his head respectfully towards her as she smiled modestly. “To be honest, if it weren’t for that fateful day, I would have never met Covvul here!” he said smiling as he petted the head of his longtime companion. “If I was never pushed out on that hang glider and cried for help, Covvul would have never sensed me and rescued me… In a way, I owe it to those school bullies for finding me the only friend I ever really needed in my life.” He finished petting Covvul’s head and turned to them. “But that’s not what you waited for so here is what you truly want Ash.” He pulled out a silver badge that had three silver boomerang-shaped crests that ran upwards with three thin black lines running vertically through them. Ash looked at it in awe then at Alexander. He nodded at Ash and he grabbed it eagerly. His blood rushed through him as he raised the badge in the air then thrust it out in front of him in his classic pose, smiling from excitement. Misty exhaled from relief; she was very nervous for Ash before the match even started and now that he had won… she was immensely happy. Ash smiled brightly as he looked back at Alexander. He returned his smile and extended his wide hairy hand at Ash. He looked at it in surprise then shook his hand with a smile.
“You fought very well today Ash. I can tell that you are going to go far…” Alexander said, with deep admiration in his voice. He nodded, in great disbelief, but also in overwhelming gratitude. After a few minutes, they waved their hands in the air as they looked back at Alexander who had his two pokemon out. They waved back as Ash and Misty walked off into the sunset, Ash taking the zip line down while Misty was carried off by Virgel, heading towards their next destination…
Author's Notes
Well there you go! A chapter to hold you off for another 3 weeks!
I'm just kidding (the scary part is it might be true
) Anyway, as I wrote about Alexander's past, I was actually going to make him someone that had killed a civilian on accident and he was driven by guilt by it... but I decided this story was much darker and cooler!
That's basically it...
Title Explanation: Title is pretty self-explanatory, the Gym battle is on top of the dome of the Gym... As for Flingmo, I can't help but smile everytime I read that name in my mind. Flingmo...
Anyway, the name is just a play on Flamingo which is the type of bird she is obviously based off of. The play is to make it sound like a fighting type as in the word "fling."
Okay so that's it for now, things are starting to move along in this fic as per Chapter 12. You'll see the introduction of one of the rivals that Ash and encounters on this journey and they begin to travel to their next Gym. Where will they go? Which Gym will they choose and what new pokemon will they encounter? Who is this rival? All of your questions will be answered will be answered in the next two months when this chapter is finally posted up!
