Aura Heart Journey Chapter 28 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans! Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter of Aura Heart Journey! Time for a Gym Battle! How will Ash fair against Gym Leader Jack? Using Non-Bird Flying Types might just throw off some challengers!

If you’d like to become a patron and get access to these chapters earlier, just head on over to Pat re on and add a /Kairomaru after the com.

Make sure to thank the patrons that make these stories possible by checking out the Patron Plaque on my profile!

Thanks to my Patron Rafael Ramos for Gym Leader Jack! He created him to fill the position as Azure Town’s Gym Leader! The character’s use of non-bird Flying Types was part of Rafael’s design! If you like it, that was all him!

So without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 28 – Flying Type Gym Leader, Jack

The morning of Ash and Misty’s second day in Azure Town was bright and lovely. The Bird Pokémon were singing, the sun was shining, and there was a gentle breeze passing through the grasslands. Ash was preparing to head to the Azure Town Gym to take on the Flying Type Gym Leader, Jack. He remembered what he’d been told about the man back at Kitako Lake after the Ecology Job. Jack was originally from Kalos, the man liked to use non-bird Flying Types, he was also a Breeder in his down time. He sounded like he’d be a great match!

“You ready, Ash?” Misty asked as she finished tying her shoes.

“Yeah, I’m ready, I wonder how Jack battles?” Ash pondered as the couple left their room in the Pokémon Center. They headed downstairs and picked up Ash’s Pokémon from Nurse Joy. The Pallet Town Trainer wanted to make sure all of his Pokémon were in perfect condition before challenging a Gym. With Pikachu on his shoulder and Misty at his side, they left the Pokémon Center and headed for the large building on the edge of the town proper.

“I assume you’re going to be using Pikachu, since you got him back from Professor Oak.” Misty commented, reaching over to gently pet Pikachu. The Electric Type cooed at her touch and nuzzled against her hand.

“Of course,” Ash chuckled as he watched his girlfriend play with his Starter. “Only a few Flying Types boast a resistance or immunity to Electric Types. So Pikachu’s a safe bet for this Gym. My other Pokémon for the battle will be chosen in response to what Jack sends out. I’m looking forward to it.”

“I know you’ll do great, Ash.” Misty smiled at her boyfriend. “And on the off chance that you lose, I’ll be sure to comfort you afterwards.” She teased while blowing gently against his ear.

“Minx.” Ash turned and pecked Misty’s lips, making the orangette smile at him.

The walk through Azure Town didn’t take too long. The Town was already bustling this late in the morning and work was being done. It was a peaceful town and pleasant to live in from what Ash had seen. He wouldn’t mind visiting on occasion just to relax and take a break. As they approached the Gym, Ash really started to get a sense for how large the building was. It easily dwarfed every other building in Azure Town, barring the Breeders’ Association Facility on the opposite side of town. It had a large, domed roof with plenty of windows for natural light. Ash even noticed a large, fenced off area that had dozens of Combee buzzing about the large flower fields collecting pollen and nectar.

“Hello, how may I help you today?” A man behind a desk in the lobby asked the two teens as they walked through the door.

“My name is Ash Ketchum and I’m here to challenge the Gym.” Ash informed the man.

“Alright, just give me a moment to check with Jack.” The man nodded to the couple as he picked up a phone and hit a few buttons. “Jack, you’ve got a challenger. Are you available right now?” Misty and Ash waited patiently as the man behind the desk listened to the Gym Leader on the other end of the line. “Yes, okay, are you using the indoor field or the outdoor field?” Ash raised an eyebrow at the words of the man behind the desk. “Outdoor? Alright then, I’ll bring them to you.” With that the man hung up the phone and stood up. “Please follow me. I’ll lead you to the outdoor field.”

“Sure thing.” Ash gave a short nod as he and Misty began to follow the man through a set of double doors and down a hallway. They walked for a bit before coming to another set of doors. The man opened them and the bright sunlight filled the hallway. The trio stepped outside and Ash saw the battlefield. It was clearly marked out on a large section of flat ground. The field was covered in short grass and was surrounded by more fenced off fields. Ash saw tall posts topped with bat boxes in the fields. On the ground in one of the fields was a structure that Ash only recognized from textbooks from school.

“A Vespiquen nest.” Misty exhaled heavily.

“It’ll be alright,” Ash gently squeezed her hand with his. “If anything happens, I’m right here.”

“Thank you, Ash.” Misty steadied her breathing and gently squeezed his hand in return.

“So you’re my newest challenger?” A man came over from the side of the field. The man had short, black hair, with a tan complexion, and kind black eyes. He wore a brown leather bomber jacket with light brown pants and a pair of boots. “I’m Jack, the Leader of the Azure Town Gym.”

“Yes sir,” Ash gave a short bow. “My name is Ash Ketchum. I’m here to challenge you for the Breeze Badge.”

“Nice to meet you Ash!” Jack gave him a laidback smile. “What’s your Trainer Level? That’ll determine how many Pokémon we each use.”

“I’ve recently become an Adept Level.” Ash informed the Gym Leader.

“Adept is three on three here at Azure Town Gym” Jack explained to the teen. “Is that alright with you?”

“Yeah, I’m ready to go.” Ash grinned and Jack smiled at the fire in the young man’s eyes.

“Let’s get this started then.” Jack chuckled as he made his way toward the opposite end of the battlefield.

Ash quickly made his way to the challenger’s box and waited for Jack to get ready for battle. He watched as what looked like a student brought over two large metal briefcases. When Jack picked one up and opened it the contents were revealed to be Pokéballs. The dark-haired Gym Leader seemed to browse over all the shrunken Pokéballs before carefully choosing three of them. The two cases were then taken back inside by the student. A referee made her way to the field and Ash blinked as cameras rose up from the fence posts surrounding the outdoor battlefield.

“Good luck, Ash!” Misty called out to her boyfriend. The orangette was sitting on one of the fences as she watched the battle not too far from the referee.

“This is an official Pokémon League Gym Battle. The Challenger is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. This will be a Three on Three battle, the first Trainer to have all three Pokémon rendered unable to battle loses. Additionally only the Challenger may substitute Pokémon. Are you ready to begin?” The referee asked as she went through the standard League pre-battle announcement.

“Ready to fly!” Jack confirmed with a chuckle.

“Anytime!” Ash set himself into a ready position.

“As Gym Leader, I’ll go ahead and reveal my Pokémon first!” Jack ha a laidback smile as he tossed his first Pokéball forward. In a flash of white light the Gym Leader’s first Pokémon appeared.

“Pluff!” A Jumpluff called out as it materialized onto the field. The Grass/Flying Type had a round blue body, two small limbs that ended in fluffy cotton puffs, small blue feet, a cute little face and an antenna that also ended in a cotton puff on top of its head. This was the fully evolved form of Hoppip.

“Pidgeotto, you’re up!” Ash sent out his Bird Pokémon. A flash of white light and Pidgeotto was ascending into the air.

“Geotto!” Pidgeotto sized up her opponent with a fierce gaze as she flapped her wings.

“First Round will is Jumpluff vs. Pidgeotto!” The referee announced. “Begin!” With a wave of her flags the match began.

“Into the air!” Jack went from lackadaisical to battle mode in an instant. “Sunny Day!”

“Jump!” Jumpluff bounced into the air, the slight breeze more than enough for it to take flight. A ball of bright light was launched from the cotton puff on top of the Grass/Flying Type’s head. The ball rocketed into the air before exploding. The intensity of the sun seemed to increase and the temperature noticeably increased.

“Pidgeotto, Agility then Gust!” Ash instructed, his hand raised towards his Pokémon.

“Pidge!” Pidgeotto’s form blurred as she flew around the battlefield rapidly. A red glow surrounded her body as her Speed increased by two stages. She flapped her wings furiously and sent a spinning column of air toward her opponent.

“Evade and then counter with widespread Sleep Powder!” Jack returned and Jumpluff moved its cotton puffs and rode the breeze, easily avoiding the Flying Type attack. Ash blinked at the swiftness of the movement and the ease at which the dodge was pulled off. Jumpluff spun in the air releasing the blue-green spores of Sleep Powder in a three-hundred-sixty degree move.

“Pidgeotto, blast it away with Whirlwind!” Ash wasn’t about to let a status condition take Pidgeotto out of the fight!

“Otto!” Pidgeotto screeched as she flapped her wings powerfully kicking up a gale that blasted the floating spores away easily.

“Float!” Jack smiled and Jumpluff rode the changing air currents caused by the Whirlwind to safety. “Fairy Wind!” Jumpluff sent a wave of sparkling air across the sky towards Pidgeotto.

“Dive!” Ash instructed and Pidgeotto plummeted down towards the ground.

“Barrage it!” Jack pointed at Pidgeotto and Jumpluff quickly let out wave after wave of Fairy Wind at its opponent. Pidgeotto dodge the first three waves but got clipped by the fourth and then took the fifth head on.

“Pidge!” Pidgeotto cried out as she struggled to not crash into the ground.

“Pidgeotto, Agility again and Quick Attack!” Ash called out and Pidgeotto pushed through and blurred as a red glow enveloped her body. A blazing white streak shot at Jumpluff like a bullet.

“Sorry about this, Ash!” Jack had a smile on his face as he called his next move. “Protect!”

“Shit!” Ash swore as Pidgeotto slammed into the glowing green barrier and bounced off. “I knew it, Jumpluff has Chlorophyll!”

“You got it in one, good job!” Jack praised the teen for figuring out his Pokémon’s Ability. “Jumpluff moves pretty fast, huh?”

“Heat Wave!” Ash shouted and Jack’s eyes widened.

“Pidgeotto!” Pidgeotto let out a powerful screech as her wings turned red and she beat them furiously. A red-orange gale slammed into Jumpluff just as Protect dropped and the Grass/Flying Type cried out in pain at the super effective move!

“He turned Sunny Day against me!” Jack couldn’t help but grin at the teen. Jumpluff floated to the ground, singed and burned, and had swirls for eyes.

“Yes!” Ash cheered for Pidgeotto’s first Gym win. “That was a great shot, girl! All of our practice paid off!”

“Geotto!” Pidgeotto cawed proudly as she flapped her wings to maintain her position in the air.

“Jumpluff is unable to battle! The winner of the first round is Pidgeotto!” The woman refereeing raised a flag in Ash’s direction.

“You did great out there Jumpluff, return!” Jack called out, recalling his Pokémon in a beam of red light. “You take a nice long rest. We’ll get you healed up and floating around again in short order.” He looked over to Ash as he put Jumpluff’s Pokéball back on his belt. “That was some quick thinking Ash. You turned a failed attack into an opportunity, that’s good work. I’ve never seen a Pidgeotto that knows Heat Wave before. I’ve seen it used by Pidgeot, but not Pidgeotto. You made good use of the Move Tutors at the Training Facility, huh?”

“It was a reward and an investment for the future.” Ash chuckled as he looked up at Pidgeotto proudly. “Steel Types resist both Normal and Flying Type attacks and Ice Types are strong against Flying Types, but weak to Fire. Heat Wave was good for covering those two weaknesses.” He gave a grin towards the Gym Leader. “With this move in her arsenal, Pidgeotto is even more versatile and capable of taking on more opponents.”

“Already thinking ahead, good on you, Ash.” Jack chuckled as he picked out his next Pokéball. “As a Flying Type Expert, I’ll give you some good news. That lovely bird of yours is well on her way to evolving!”

“Really?” Ash blinked before looking at Pidgeotto with a beaming smile. “That’s great Pidgeotto!”

“Pidge!” Pidgeotto puffed up her chest feathers with pride.

“I hope you’re ready to continue, Ash!” Jack smiled at the teen. “We still have two more rounds to go!”

“Take a break, girl!” Ash smiled as he returned Pidgeotto to her Pokéball. He might need her again later for all he knew. “Ready whenever you are!”

“Alright then, how about this one?” Jack tossed out his next Pokéball and revealed his Pokémon for the second match. From the white light a new Pokémon took form.

“Ves!” The Pokémon called out as it buzzed while hovering over the battlefield. It was a bee-like Pokémon with a yellow and black striped abdomen resembling a ballroom gown. Underneath the expansive abdomen were honeycomb-like sections. The Pokémon had black, skinny arms with two orange claws and was hovering with a pair of relatively small wings on its back. Its yellow upper body was a nearly perfect sphere and its waist was black and slender. The Pokémon’s orange face had intimidating red eyes, oversized, yellow, protruding mandibles, and a red gem on its forehead. The top portion of its head was similar to a headpiece with yellow and black horn-like projections.

“A Vespiquen.” Ash glanced towards Misty to see his girlfriend making a face at the large Bug/Flying Type. This could be tricky; Vespiquen had a wide move pool available to it. “You up for it, buddy?” Ash questioned Pikachu, who was sitting next to him in the challenger’s box.

“Pika!” Pikachu rushed from the edge of the challenger’s box and onto the field. The Electric Type sparked his cheeks at the hovering Vespiquen.

“Second Match, Vespiquen vs. Pikachu! Begin!” The referee waved her flags and the match began.

“Pikachu, Light Screen, Reflect, and Thunder Wave!” Ash belted out his combo as soon as the match started.

“Pika!” Pikachu cried out as he was enveloped in a white field of light, then an off-white field, before his body sparked and blue arcs of electricity were sent at Vespiquen.

“Dodge, Defend Order, and Power Gem!” Jack countered with his own combo. Vespiquen strafed to the side to dodge the electricity and then spectral, green, miniature Combee flew around her body. The Bug/Flying Type glowed red as her Defense and Special Defense increased. The red gem on her forehead glowed and a beam of energy was fired at Pikachu.

“Double Team!” Ash called out and Pikachu separated into ten copies. The Power Gem attack blasted a hole into the grass and dirt as it missed. He’d been hoping to paralyze Vespiquen and make it practically a sitting target. It looked like he was going to have to really work if he wanted that plan to happen. “It boosted its Defense and Special Defense too. Let’s confuse it, Pikachu, Double Team and Electro Ball!”

“Pika!” Pikachu and his copies all blurred around the field and seemingly split into even more copies. Each copy formed a ball of electricity on the tip of its tail and as one they all launched their attacks together.

“Ascend and Defog!” Jack reacted and Vespiquen rose above the wave of fake attacks and the single real one hidden among them. The next instance and her small wings nearly screeched as a powerful wind blew through the field.

“Damn!” Ash cursed over the wild wind. Defog was a pain in the ass for their strategy! It removed moves like Reflect and Light Screen and reduced evasiveness, so it shut down Double Team fairly well too!

“Chu!” Pikachu gripped onto the grass to prevent himself from being blown away. His defensive barriers vanished as did all of his Double Team copies. This Bug was becoming annoying!

“Infestation!” Jack called out and Vespiquen sent a swarm of green lights at Pikachu. The attack landed and Pikachu felt like there were tiny bites happening all over his body. “No running away now, Ash.”

“Discharge!” Ash bellowed and Pikachu let loose the powerful blast across the field.

“Quen!” Vespiquen wasn’t fast enough to avoid such a widespread attack and took damage from the super effective move.

“Talk about luck.” Jack tsked as sparks leapt over Vespiquen’s body signaling paralysis. “Heal Order!” The small, green, spectral Combee appeared again and swarmed around Vespiquen restoring some of her health.

“Electro Ball!” Ash called to Pikachu. They couldn’t give Vespiquen time to heal or Jack would definitely find a way to win this battle! Pikachu formed and launched the ball of electricity as fast as he could, scoring another hit on the severely slowed Bug/Flying Type.

“Defend Order into Power Gem!” Jack retaliated and Vespiquen was covered in the energy-based Combee for a moment as she glowed red again, further increasing her Defense and Special Defense.

“Double Team!” Ash called and Pikachu split into ten copies as the Power Gem struck the area it had been in.

“Ves!” Vespiquen wasn’t stopping her attack and turned her head to follow the speedy Electric Type. One copy was hit by the Rock Type attack, then another, and another.

“Discharge!” Ash called and all the remaining copies, along with the real Pikachu, burst into a storm of bolts. Vespiquen screeched as she was hit again, cutting of her attack.

“Defog!” Jack ordered and the powerful winds whipped up again as Vespiquen vibrated her wings. The remaining Double Team copies disappeared as Pikachu had to hold onto the grass to keep from being blown away.

“Electro Ball!” Ash yelled over the wind.

“Pika!” Pikachu gathered electricity to his tail and formed the attack. The second the gale died down the attack was launched and slammed into the nearly immobile Vespiquen.

“Attack Order!” Jack called for Vespiquen’s strongest attack. Another cloud of the same spectral, green Combee appeared and was launched at Pikachu.

“Double Team, Reflect, Discharge!” Ash knew Pikachu would have a hard time getting back up if he was hit by that attack!

“PIKA!” Pikachu split into multiple copies again, each of the now ten Pikachu were covered by the white barrier, they all gathered the electric sphere on the tips of their tails. The Attack Order slammed into the middle five Pikachu. All five vanished into the green blast while the other five went flying from the shockwave. Four of the Pikachu disappeared as they flew through the air. The real Pikachu launched the Electro Ball with all he had and nailed Vespiquen in the head.

“Vespiquen!” Jack exclaimed as he saw his Pokémon take another super effective attack.

“Critical Hit!” The referee called out as the dust cleared enough for her to see. “Vespiquen is unable to battle!” The referee raised her flag in Ash’s direction. “The winner is Pikachu!”

“Well damn.” Jack shook his head. Not much he could do about a critical hit. Vespiquen didn’t have the Shell Armor or Battle Armor Abilities after all. “Return Vespiquen, you were great today.” In a red beam the Bug/Flying Type was recalled into her Pokéball.

“Pi…ka…” Pikachu was panting as he sat on the grassy field. The Infestation attack had been doing damage since it hit so he was nowhere near full health. Not to mention it had been hard to use his moves during the battle, so he was low on energy now.

“Come here, buddy, I’ve got you.” Ash carefully picked Pikachu and gave him a smile. “You did awesome out there. I’m really proud of you.”

“Pikapi…” Pikachu exhaled as Ash carried him off the field.

“Misty, can you take care of Pikachu for me?” Ash asked his girlfriend with a gentle smile. “I’m pretty sure Vespiquen had the Pressure Ability. That means Pikachu had to try twice as hard to use his moves. He’s probably done for the day.”

“Of course,” Misty smiled softly as she took Pikachu into her arms and gentle stroked the Electric Type’s back. “That was a great battle, Ash. Just one more match and you win your next Badge.”

“Yeah, I’m kinda worried though.” Ash admitted as he got his own breathing back under control. Jack was full of surprises and he’d been doing everything he could with his Aura to try and keep ahead in the battle. “I’d know what to expect if he used bird Pokémon, but these other Flying Types bring up a whole different set of challenges.”

“You ready to go, Ash? We still have one more round!” Jack called out to the teen with a Pokéball already in hand.

“I’m ready!” Ash jogged back to the challenger’s box and grabbed a Pokéball off his belt. “I’m getting that Badge!”

“Confident, huh?” Jack chuckled at the young man. “Try keeping that up when you see this guy!” In a bright flash of white light another new Pokémon appeared.

“Gliscor!” The new Pokémon bellowed as it quickly balanced itself on its long tail.

Gliscor was a large, blue-purple bat-like Pokémon. Its legs had two toes and a slightly darker circular coloration on the underside. Its tail possesses two barbs on the end. Its arms were red with thin striations, completely detached from its black wings, and each ended in large, powerful pincers. Its ears were a dark-red on the inside and its eyes were a bright yellow. It had six visible fangs in its mouth, and its waist, just like its arms, are red and striated.

“Poliwag, you’re up!” Ash called out and tossed his Pokéball forward. Poliwag appeared on the grassy field with a chirped. When Poliwag saw its opponent it blinked for a moment, then its whole body glowed a bright white.

“It’s evolving!” Jack exclaimed as he watched the Tadpole Pokémon’s form change. He was used to Pokémon evolving after winning a battle, on rare occasions a Pokémon might evolve during a battle, but he’d never seen one evolve right after being sent onto the field.

“Poliwhirl!” The newly evolved Poliwhirl called out as the glow faded and its evolution was complete.

“That’s great, Poliwhirl!” Ash laughed as he praised his Pokémon. “You ready to win this now?”

“Whirl!” Poliwhirl raised both of his fists into the air with a cry.

“Third Round, Gliscor vs. Poliwhirl! Begin!” The referee waved her flags again and the match was underway!

“Into the air and Swords Dance!” Jack was taking no chances. He’d have Gliscor increase his Attack and then take down Poliwhirl in a single hit!

“Scor!” Gliscor launched itself into the air with its tail and then began to spin in midair. A strong red aura blazed around the Ground/Flying Type as its Attack increased two stages.

“Rain Dance!” Ash called his first move of the match.

“Poli!” Poliwhirl formed a blue ball of energy between his hands and then launched it high into the air. The ball burst apart and the sky overhead quickly filled with thick, black rain clouds. Rain began falling heavily in seconds.

“Swords Dance again, then Wings Attack into Thunder Fang!” Jack was taking the Water Type down in one shot!

“Gli!” Gliscor spun in the air again, scattering the rain drops that fell on it. It glowed in another brilliant aura of red as its Attack rose another two stages. Its black wings glowed white as it dived down from the air towards Poliwhirl!

“Scald!” Ash barely had time to call the move as Gliscor dived from the sky towards Poliwhirl for a combo that would surely put his newly evolved Water Type out of commission.

“Abort!” Jack called out and Gliscor did a perfect aileron roll to avoid the steaming stream of water. The Ground/Flying Type retreated into the air to await its Trainer’s next order.

“Bubblebeam!” Ash took advantage of the retreat to make the battle move to long-range. Gliscor’s Attack boost wouldn’t mean anything if it couldn’t connect!

“Dodge!” Jack was quickly showing off his skill with Flying Types as Gliscor nimbly flew through the air dodging the continuous stream of bubbles. “Get in close and take Poliwhirl out with Thunder Fang!” Gliscor flew down, constantly dodging Bubblebeam of Poliwhirl as it corkscrewed through the air. Just as the crackling, electric-coated fangs of Gliscor were getting close to Poliwhirl, Ash made his move.

“Hypnosis!” Ash yelled and Poliwhirl emitted a powerful wave of Psychic Aura from the swirling pattern on its stomach.

“Abort!” Jack called out, but it was too late. The waves slammed into the rushing Gliscor and it toppled out of the air. The Fang Scorpion Pokémon crashed ito Poliwhirl at speed and sent both Pokémon rolling along the ground.

“Oh shit!” Ash swore as Poliwhirl bounced across the soaked grass twice after the collision. “Poliwhirl are you okay?”

“Gliscor! Gliscor you gotta wake up, buddy!” Jack called to his sleeping Pokémon.

“Poli!” Poliwhirl forced himself back to his feet, though it was clear the impact had done some damage to the Tadpole Pokémon.

“Hit it with Scald before it wakes up!” Ash instructed and Poliwhirl blasted the downed Gliscor with the near-boiling water. Gliscor was blasted backwards across the field from the hit. “Again!” Ash was going to end this battle now! He didn’t know what other tricks Gliscor might have and Pikachu wasn’t going to be able to battle again. If Pidgeotto got hit by a powered-up Thunder Fang it would be just as bad as it was for Poliwhirl.

“Whirl!” Poliwhirl blasted another Scald into the sleeping Gliscor and the Ground/Flying Type was left with swirled-out eyes. The rain let up just a few moments later. Rain Dance had come to an end.

“Gliscor is unable to battle! The winner of the match is Poliwhirl!” The referee pointed her flag in Ash’s direction once more. “The winner of the battle is Ash Ketchum!”

“We did it, Poliwhirl!” Ash cheered as he ran out onto the field and hugged his tired injured Water Type. “You were awesome!”

“Poliwhirl…” Poliwhirl let out its equivalent to a sigh. The Tadpole Pokémon was glad that all of its training in Cerulean City had paid off.

“Return Gliscor. That was excellent flying, my friend.” Jack smiled as he recalled his Pokémon in a beam of red light. “We’ll get you three taken care of soon.”

“Take a long rest, buddy. You’ve earned it.” Ash praised Poliwhirl as he returned him to his Pokéball in a flash of red light.

“Not bad, not bad at all!” Jack laughed as he put Gliscor’s Pokéball back on his belt. With a bright smile he fished in the pocket of his bomber jacket and pulled out a case. “You have quite the strategic mind, Ash.”

“Thank you, sir.” Ash returned Jack’s smile with one of his own.

“As proof of your victory here at the Azure Town Gym, I present you with the Breeze Badge!” Jack opened the case to show a white and gray badge in the shape of a cloud. It had swirls on it that made the cloud look as if wind was pushing it along.

“This is number four.” Ash smiled at the Breeze Badge as he opened his Badge Case and place it next to the Cascade Badge. He was already halfway qualified for the Indigo League! He was making good time with his Journey.

“Of course you also get a Voucher for one free Flying Type TM at any Training Facility too.” Jack handed Ash the voucher. Ash took it and put it in the top of his Badge Case with the other three. These would certainly be coming in handy soon as he faced stronger and stronger Trainers.

“It was a great battle, sir.” Ash smiled as he held out his hand to shake.

“It was, you really gave my three Pokémon a workout.” Jack chuckled as he shook Ash’s hand. “My Starter is probably going to want to put them through Flight School again though.”

“Your Starter?” Ash blinked at the twenty-something Gym Leader.

“Yeah, my buddy right up there.” Jack pointed up towards the roof of the Gym building. Ash turned his head and followed Jack’s pointing to see a shocking sight.

“Holy…” Ash trailed off as he beheld Jack’s Starter Pokémon.

Hanging upside down under the wide awning of the roof of the Gym was a magnificent Crobat. It was larger than average for its species, Ash could tell that even from this distance. But what clued Ash in the most to the power of this particular Crobat was his Aura Senses. The Poison/Flying Type radiated an immense amount of Aura. It was very similar to Daisy’s Lapras in the amount of power it exuded. He felt the Crobat’s strength, even from way over here.

‘If it wasn’t for the Gym Challenge System we wouldn’t stand a chance.’ Ash thought to himself as he beheld the powerful Pokémon. If Jack was allowed to bring out that Crobat against any challenger, he’d wipe entire Teams with it! Ash could easily tell that even if the match had been six-on-one, Jack’s Crobat would have single-handedly stomped his entire Team without much trouble.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m going to head inside and get out of these wet clothes.” Jack chuckled as he patted Ash on the shoulder. “I hope to see you at the Indigo Conference when it comes around. I’m sure you’ll make it to the Main Tournament without trouble!”

“Thanks for the confidence, I’ll do my best.” Ash smiled at the Gym Leader. Jack nodded to the teen and then headed into the Gym. Misty suddenly pressed herself against Ash’s back and hugged him. Neither much cared that they were both soaked from Poliwhirl’s Rain Dance.

“That was great, Ash! I knew you could do it!” Misty praised her boyfriend as she hugged him.

“Thanks Misty…” Ash trailed off as he turned and saw just how transparent Misty’s yellow t-shirt was when it was soaked.

“What?” Misty grinned at him. “See something you like?” She bounced once on her heels to make her breasts bounce.

“That’s…wow.” Ash didn’t know why, but this seemed even hotter than just seeing Misty in something skimpy.

“Come on, we need to get out of these wet clothes.” Misty took his hand and started leading him away from the battlefield. Pikachu looked on curiously from the ground before he trotted after his Trainer and his Trainer’s mate.

“Couldn’t you just pull the water from us with your Aura?” Ash questioned as they left the Gym.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Misty gave him a sexy grin. “Wouldn’t you prefer that we take a shower together to warm up?”

“Yep!” Ash replied instantly as he was now the one pulling Misty towards the Pokémon Center in a speed walk. Misty’s melodious laughter rang out and brought a smile to Ash’s face. The couple made it back to the Pokémon Center in half the time it took them to get to the Gym earlier.

-End Chapter-

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Woo! Another Badge! Now for celebration! *Hehehe~*

Ash defeats another Gym Leader, but also realizes that he’s still a Low-Class Trainer compared to what the Gym Leaders can really bring to bear!

There’s always a bigger fish! Always a stronger Pokémon Trainer!

It’s a long Journey to the top! But with love and support, along with an indomitable will and drive, one can make it!

Now, how to wind down from a Gym Battle?

Azure Town is pretty relaxing, I’m sure Ash and Misty can find something to do together!

Keep reading to find out!

Ash's Current Pokémon

Pikachu – Static – Iron Tail, Discharge, Growl, Quick Attack, Electro Ball, Thunder Wave, Volt Tackle, Double Team, Light Screen, Reflect

Lucario – Inner Focus – Metal Sound, Quick Attack, Blaze Kick, Bulk Up, Copycat, Force Palm, Screech, Detect, Double Team, Aura Sphere

Poliwhirl – Water Absorb – Watersport, Water Gun, Hypnosis, Bubble, Double Slap, Body Slam, Rain Dance, Bubblebeam, Scald

Butterfree – Compound Eyes – Tackle, String Shot, Bug Bite, Harden, Gust, Confusion, Sleep Powder, Stun Spore

Pidgeotto – Keen Eye – Tackle, Sand Attack, Gust, Quick Attack, Whirlwind, Twister, Heat Wave, Agility

Gogoat – Sap Sipper – Growth, Vine Whip, Double Team, Leech Seed, Razor Leaf, Synthesis, Take Down, Bulldoze, Seed Bomb, Energy Ball

Teddiursa – Pick Up – Covet, Lick, Fury Swipes, Feint Attack, Sweet Scent, Bulk Up

Phanpy – Pick Up – Tackle, Defense Curl, Rollout, Endure

Misty's Current Pokémon

Staryu – Natural Cure – Harden, Rapid Spin, Water Gun, Recover, Psywave, Swift, Bubblebeam, Camouflage, Signal Beam

Starmie – Natural Cure - Rapid Spin, Signal Beam, Recover, Psychic, Swift, Bubblebeam, Psych Up, Protect, Brine, Thunderbolt

Seaking – Lightning Rod – Peck, Tail Whip, Watersport, Supersonic, Horn Attack, Flail, Water Pulse, Aqua Ring, Fury Attack, Waterfall

Poliwhirl – Water Absorb – Watersport, Water Gun, Hypnosis, Bubble, Double Slap, Icy Wind, Body Slam, Mud Shot, Toxic

Gogoat – Sap Sipper – Growth, Vine Whip, Tail Whip, Leech Seed, Razor Leaf, Synthesis, Take Down, Bulldoze, Seed Bomb

Quagsire – Water Absorb – Water Gun, Tail Whip, Mud Shot, Slam, Mud Bomb, Protect, Water Pulse, Yawn, Toxic

Bibarel – Unaware – Water Gun, Aqua Jet, Headbutt, Hyper Fang, Crunch

Spheal – Thick Fat – Defense Curl, Powder Snow, Growl, Water Gun

Ash will challenge four Gyms besides the eight canon Gyms with Steel Type, Ghost Type, Flying Type and Dragon Type being the four. All four now have OCs planned out thanks to some awesome patrons!

Until I get your reviews, later!