Author's Note:
Greetings, my wonderful Poliwags! I apologize for the lateness...I had a variety of technical difficulties to deal with. Anyway, I finally have the next chapter of Bonnie's journey here for you, and it's a big one! Bonnie vs Brawly! So...we might as well get to it. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 23: Flying High
"Wingull, use Air Cutter!"
Bonnie clenched her fists as she watched the Seagull Pokemon soar high in the air, taking advantage of the breeze from the ocean to pick up some additional speed. He locked his eyes on his target as he positioned himself between Roxanne's Onix and the bright sun. Then, he unleashed a barrage of powerful blades of glowing white air.
"OAAAWWW!" Onix roared in response, his rock typing already protecting him from too much damage as he took the early part of the blow. However, he made it tougher on Wingull, slamming his tail into the ground beneath him and keeping his balance even better. He didn't budge an inch.
"WiiinnnGULL!" Wingull cried out loudly, flapping his wings even harder, before finally giving in and tiredly descending to the ground. He looked just as disappointed as Bonnie felt. He landed sadly on the ground in front of her.
"Wow, that Air Cutter was looking really strong," Roxanne said, stepping forward from her place behind Onix as the Rock Snake Pokemon lowered his head to acknowledge her praise as she patted him lightly on the side. "That could certainly do a lot of damage on a fighting type."
Bonnie frowned, staring glumly towards Granite Cave up the path to their left. They'd found a sturdy training ground just outside the cave, where Bonnie was trying to practise putting her opponents off balance with flying type moves. She knew Brawly excelled with keeping his Pokemon steady in battle from what she'd heard so far, and from the little she'd seen in what Shauna had learned from him. His surfing strategy would be tough to handle, even with her supposedly effective attacks.
"You don't think Brawly's Pokemon will be as sturdy as an Onix, do you?" Clyde asked, stepping forward to give Wingull an Oran berry to replenish his energy a bit. "You should give yourselves some credit, Bonnie. That really did look like a strong Air Cutter. Wingull's doing great!" Treecko and Clyde's new Aron nodded in agreement, the latter looking nervously at Onix a moment later, as though thinking it might be angry at the compliment going Wingull's way. It was taking a bit of time for him to get used to Onix not being somewhat of a scary menace.
"We can't rely on a type advantage to win," Bonnie said stubbornly, sitting down on the rocky ground as she considered the problem. Dedenne scurried over to sit next to her. "Onix might be sturdier, even with the training Brawly's Pokemon do, but his Pokemon are also a smaller target. Look at Shauna's Meditite! It can shift away from an Air Cutter like that easily."
Roxanne actually smiled at that, nodding approvingly. "That's a good observation, Bonnie. You're learning to analyze these things quite well."
"Zzt! Updating data! Bonnie is learning!" Rotom cried out, floating away from Bonnie as she reached out to swat at him.
"I'm glad I can analyze it," Bonnie muttered, "but I still need to do something about it." She picked up a stone, rolling it around in her hand absentmindedly. "Beautifly's Gust is better at hitting a wider area, but Air Cutter can do more damage when it lands. How am I supposed to throw them off balance if I-"
"Bonnie, maybe you're just too focused on what Brawly's strategy will be," Roxanne interrupted, kneeling in front of her. "Remember, his job is to test you. If you worry too much about what he's going to do, you forget about what works best for you."
Bonnie looked at her thoughtfully. "But I planned our battle with you around beating Nosepass when it used Sandstorm."
"Did you?" Roxanne looked amused. "I know it was part of how you adapted in our rematch. Dedenne's antennae worked wonderfully. But Sandstorm was far from the only barrier you had to get through. You had a variety of moves you were able to pull off and they weren't necessarily due to my specific strategy making them necessary."
Bonnie opened her mouth to answer, but couldn't find any words. She paused, thinking back to her battle with Roxanne. Maybe the Rustboro Gym Leader was right. Beating Nosepass had certainly been the key point of concern for Bonnie, and Sandstorm was a large part of that, but there had been much more to it. Beautifly had needed to find ways to get in close to use Absorb and use defensive measures to protect against super effective attacks, while Dedenne had needed to find ways to take advantage of the rock field. There had certainly been a lot more going on than Bonnie had even realized at the time.
"Just try to find something that works for you and your Pokemon," Roxanne said, smiling as Bonnie nodded to herself. "You can win this battle. You just need to know what makes you and your Pokemon able to perform at their best depending on the circumstances."
"Beautifly certainly looked like a real force when you were battling Team Archaic," Clyde said. "When we got back from finding Aggron, it looked like she was really making use of her speed. Maybe you don't need to worry about attacking from a distance as much as you think."
"I don't know..." Bonnie knew that Beautifly had managed to increase her physical strength lately with the ocean flying, but it was still a concern putting her, or even the others, so close to Brawly's Pokemon. She'd managed to handle Geodude in the last gym battle thanks to using the rock field to block some attacks and String Shot slowing down an already slower Pokemon. Brawly's Pokemon were probably much faster.
"Hey guys! How's the training going?"
Bonnie looked up at the call, seeing Sawyer heading up the path from the cave towards their training spot. He had a lot of dust on his clothes from the work he and Steven had been doing, but he looked pretty content. They'd managed to set up what appeared to be a pretty secure security system with Aggron in charge, and the Aron and Geodude as the bulk of the scouting force. It seemed as though it would be easier for Team Archaic to set their sights on another target if they wanted to keep themselves a little more under the radar.
"Sawyer!" Bonnie said excitedly, standing up and heading over to greet him with the others. "Just working on some of our attacks to get Brawly's Pokemon off balance. Still trying to work things out, though."
"Well from what I saw of your battling in Granite Cave, you should be fine, Bonnie," Sawyer said, laughing as he looked to Wingull and Dedenne. "When Smeargle stole King's Shield from us, you did a great job using our plan to draw him into using it and staying patient to time our attacks when it started to fade. And you certainly seem to know when to attack head on like Ash. Beautifly's Aerial Ace is super strong!"
"Just be your stubborn old self, and that badge is yours!" Clyde added, smirking as Bonnie glared at him. Then, more seriously he added, "You managed to do well against Shauna, and she uses some of the same training techniques as Brawly. Maybe you can use some of those techniques."
Bonnie nodded to herself, thinking back to a couple of the moves she'd done with Wingull in the battle against Meditite. She still couldn't be sure Brawly wouldn't have a counter, but it was worth keeping in mind. She was glad to have her friends giving her encouragement, though. They certainly knew how to get her thinking of her strong points heading into a big battle. Even though she was nervous, she couldn't help but feel like she was heading into this match with a much better chance than she'd started off with against Roxanne. It felt like good progress.
Sawyer noticed the grin coming to her face. "So how about it, Bonnie?" he said, laughing as he looked off in the direction of Dewford Town, where the gym was waiting. "Your gym battle's close. Feel like you're ready?"
"Zzt! By my calculations-" Rotom started to say, before Bonnie grabbed him angrily.
"I don't need to hear about-"
"Zzt! Let me finish!" Rotom snapped back. "By my calculations. Pokemon Trainer Bonnie has approximately a seventy three point eight percent chance of earning the Dewford Gym Badge."
Bonnie stared at the PokeDex in shock. Her friends were doing so as well. "What? You think I'll win?" She let him go, continuing to stare at him in surprise.
Once he was free, though, Rotom had a smiley face appear on his screen."Zzt! I never said how many times it might take!"
Bonnie just shook her head and laughed with the others. No matter what, that win would come today. She felt ready, and she knew her Pokemon were as strong as ever. Whatever Brawly threw her way, she would have an answer.
"Let's go win that badge!"
Bonnie was feeling as refreshed as her Pokemon after their Pokemon Centre checkup. She stared up at the sign on the archway out front of Brawly's gym, and she sighed in contentment, knowing that the time had finally come to take on the fighting type leader and try for her second badge. She knew that few things could compare to winning her first badge, but there was definitely something special about taking the lessons from that win and moving forward with them to win further badges. Today, she intended to do just that.
"This is really exciting!" Sawyer said from behind her, stepping forward to look at the gym with her. "I haven't watched a gym battle since Ash's Snowbelle match. And it's the first real chance I get to see you battle. You know...without Team Archaic maniacs distracting me."
Bonnie felt a little nervous about that, but she managed to smile at the comment. It would be good to have Sawyer there to see her battle. Even though Ash had beaten him in the Kalos League, Sawyer's ability to analyze battle styles and find their strengths and weaknesses was tough to match. He would be able to give Bonnie some good pointers no matter what happened in this match.
"Have you decided which Pokemon you're going to use?" Clyde asked, joining them as he and Roxanne caught up. Bonnie had, of course, run ahead once the gym was in sight.
"That's a secret," Bonnie said, winking at Dedenne, who smiled knowingly from her shoulder.
Clyde frowned, looking a little frustrated, but Rotom floated down in front of them a moment later, perfectly willing to predict who Bonnie would use. "Zzt! Considering Bonnie has three Pokemon that are ideal matchups for Gym Leader Brawly, but only De-"
Bonnie was about to grab Rotom to get him to stop, but at that moment, the front doors of the gym opened up, and Shauna and Brawly emerged. Shauna quickly rushed forward to greet the group, while Brawly went over a little more slowly, looking as though he was embracing the bright sun. Bonnie could see the excited gleam in his eyes, though.
"Bonnie! I'm so excited for the battle! Are you ready?" Shauna asked, grinning as she stopped in front of the group.
Bonnie nodded, pumping her fist confidently. "You bet! We've got some really powerful moves prepared for Brawly!"
Shauna smirked, glancing back at Brawly. "I hope you have a few of those moves saved for me."
"Of course!" Bonnie said. "We'll battle again before we leave Dewford."
"Maybe you don't even have to wait that long, little dudette," Brawly then said, finally coming up behind Shauna, chuckling at Bonnie's challenging look. "I've gotta make sure you're ready after all!"
"What do you mean?" Bonnie asked, heart suddenly beating a little faster. "Aren't you supposed to accept my challenge?"
"That is a gym leader's duty," Roxanne murmured, sounding a little confused herself.
Brawly laughed again, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "No worries, dudettes. You can challenge the gym for sure. You just have to get through stage one, first!"
"Stage one?" Clyde asked. "Like...a test?"
"A little something like that, yeah." Brawly gestured to Shauna, who looked liked she was ready to burst with excitement for some reason. "Today's gym challenge has a little twist. See, usually challengers take on my gym with a two on two battle. Well, it'll still be that way today, but the first part of that battle will be against Shauna! If you beat her, you'll use whatever Pokemon you have left, whether that's both of them or just one."
"Ah...interesting idea," Roxanne said, looking intrigued. "It forces Bonnie to adapt to two different styles and she can either put herself at an advantage before facing you, or be at a disadvantage if Shauna is able to force her into using both Pokemon. An excellent way to force her to think a little differently."
"It is pretty unique," Sawyer said, nodding thoughtfully. "It certainly forces you to have a strong strategy with who you choose to battle with."
Bonnie smiled, already having her choices in mind. This new twist didn't change that. It just made her more excited. She wanted to have a chance at a rematch with Shauna, and now she had one. Now, it just had higher stakes and that made it all the more exciting. "Seems like an awesome idea!" she said. "Then I challenge both of you!"
Brawly grinned. "That's what I like to hear! Challenge accepted, little dudette!"
"I've been wanting to say this forever!" Shauna added. "I accept your challenge, too!"
"So how about we get this match started?" Brawly asked, before blinking in surprise as Shauna darted past him, reaching the doors of the gym in an instant. "Uh...I guess that's a 'yes'!"
The rest of them quickly followed Shauna, and as Bonnie entered the gym for the first time, she took a deep breath, ready for the next big challenge of her journey. Whether she was battling two trainers or not, this was still a gym battle, and it wouldn't be easy. She already knew Shauna was strong, and she had studied under Brawly for a long time. And surely he had made sure she had worked on some further things since their first battle. Even if Bonnie beat Shauna, Brawly would be there right afterwards.
Once inside, Bonnie took her first good look around. It wasn't a particularly fancy field, but to her, that fit a fighting type gym. It was well lit, so unlike Roxanne's dark, rocky field, it was quite bright and made for each side having a good view of their opponent. There were seats at the side, just like at Roxanne's gym, and the battlefield was fairly plain. It made Bonnie think of a workout room without all the equipment, which she supposed was probably the point with it being a fighting gym.
"As you can see," Shauna said, "Brawly prefers a head on match with few distractions. He does have another field that uses water with geysers that shoot up throughout the match, but for most challengers he uses this field."
"For a trainer just starting out," Brawly explained, seeing Bonnie looking a little disgruntled hearing about the more unusual field, "I figure this field is much more suitable. You need specific kinds of Pokemon to make use of the other field. Plenty of stronger trainers need to fight here instead, so we can still have a pretty gnarly battle, little dudette."
Bonnie nodded, looking to Dedenne, who smiled back. "We'll win no matter what, right?"
"Nene!"
"So," Shauna said, looking a little more focused now that they were in front of the battlefield, "I guess we should take our positions, huh?"
Brawly nodded, looking to Bonnie's friends. "We can all sit up in the stands over there," he said, gesturing to the seats. I'll take Shauna's place if Bonnie can beat her in round one!"
"Zzt! Not if! When!" Rotom said quickly, before suddenly looking flustered as Bonnie looked at him in surprise. "Zzt! Error!"
Bonnie just exchanged an exasperated look with Dedenne, before everyone moved to their various positions. The gym's referee took his place at the sidelines, while Shauna took her place across from Bonnie. Rotom stayed hovering by Bonnie's side, while Dedenne scurried down off her shoulder to stand beside her. The time had finally come. The match was about to begin.
"Good luck, Bonnie!" Roxanne called out as she and the others were seated. "Stay focused and remember our training!"
"You'll do great!" Clyde added, Treecko nodding at his side. "Badge number two is yours!"
"Let's see what you've got!" Sawyer finished, leaning forward excitedly. "Ash and I need another strong rival!"
At that, the referee looked to Brawly for confirmation to begin, before stepping forward and turning each way to ensure both trainers were ready. "The two round match between the Dewford Gym Leader team of Brawly and assistant Shauna against the challenger Bonnie from Lumiose City will now begin! The challenger will use two Pokemon, while both Shauna and Brawly will use one each. The challenger must defeat Shauna's Pokemon in order to battle Brawly's. Only the challenger is allowed to substitute. The match will be over once both Pokemon are defeated on one side."
"Are you ready, Bonnie?" Shauna asked, her pokeball in hand.
"You bet I am!" Bonnie answered, also holding her first pokeball.
"Then let's battle! Let's go, Meditite!" Shauna yelled, her pokeball opening in a bright flash of light to reveal her Meditite.
Bonnie smiled. "We've been excited for this rematch! Wingull, let's rumble!" She threw her own pokeball out, and a moment later, Wingull emerged, flapping his wings excitedly, before lowering himself to the ground, waiting for the match to begin.
"Make it a good fight you two!" Brawly called out from the stands. "I want Bonnie fighting with everything she has if she's gonna get to battle me, okay Shauna?"
"You can count on me!" Shauna said, smiling. Bonnie could tell that she desperately wanted to prove she deserved this chance to participate in a gym battle like this. This would be a very tough first round.
"Let the battle begin!" the referee then called, and by instinct, Bonnie jumped into action.
"Wingull, Air Cutter now!"
"Gull!"
Shauna, although excited for her chance to prove herself on this stage, apparently wasn't prepared for Bonnie's desperation. She blinked in surprise as Wingull flapped his wings hard, propelling himself up into the air and forward towards Meditite. The Meditate Pokemon appeared just as shocked as his trainer, eyes widening as his opponent rushed towards him, flapping his wings with everything he had as he neared, before unleashing the blades of air.
"Meeed!" Meditite cried, the flying attack crashing into him with full force. He was struck in the chest, the blades exploding against him and sending him sliding across the field. He came to a stop only a couple of feet in front of Shauna, who looked stunned.
"Better watch out, Shauna!" Brawly called out, although not sounding as though he was chastising her. He seemed more impressed with Bonnie's quick move. "Never forget how desperate and focused a challenger is likely to be heading into a gym battle."
"Right," Shauna muttered, smiling as she locked her gaze onto Wingull, who had turned back to hover in the air. "Well, we can be desperate, too. Meditite, High Jump Kick!"
Bonnie was ready, smiling as she watched Meditite's eyes narrow with focus, his leg glowing white as he prepared to jump. "Rain Dance!"
"Gull!" Wingull braced himself as Meditite rushed up towards him, a cloud slowly beginning to form above him. Then, as Meditite's leg struck, he cried out, staggering away. He righted himself a moment later, though, just as Meditite fell back to the ground, immediately looking refreshed as a light rain began to fall on his wings.
"Clever move," Bonnie heard Sawyer saying. "Taking an ineffective hit to get Rain Dance in effect so that Wingull can not only immediately refresh itself, but continue to heal as the match goes on."
"Bonnie's got a good head for this kind of thing," Clyde said in response. "She worked out a really good strategy against Roxanne, too."
It's not over yet, Bonnie thought, noticing Shauna focusing on Wingull closely. She was clearly thinking of a strategy to deal with Bonnie's defensive tactic. "Not bad, Bonnie," she said, smiling as Meditite tensed up, looking ready to charge in again. "Wingull can only heal so much, though. Meditite, Focus Punch!"
"Water Gun!" Bonnie countered, hoping to use Rain Dance to power up the water type move.
"Gull!"
Unfortunately, Shauna and Meditite's surfing training proved useful. Even though Meditite wasn't using a surfboard, and didn't even touch the water attack as it rushed towards him, he made use of expert balance as he leaped upwards and flipped over the oncoming attack. That left Wingull wide open, just as the Meditate Pokemon's fist was glowing with his powered up Focus Punch.
"Med!"
Wingull cried out as he spun in midair, the fist having smacked hard into the side of his beak. Shauna didn't let up, either, following up on the attack to take full advantage as Meditite quickly righted himself midair. "Quick, use High Jump Kick!"
"Wingull!" Bonnie called out in concern, seeing there was nothing she could do. She winced as Meditite quickly spun around, slamming his leg hard into Wingull's side and sending him careening off to the side of the field, barely managing to stop himself from hitting the wall. He shook his head, barely looking refreshed even as Rain Dish regenerated a little bit of energy.
Shauna seemed to be in a rhythm now, using Wingull's recovery time to get Meditite to power up further as he descended back towards the ground. "Now, Meditate!" His eyes glowed blue and a blue aura surrounded his body, slowing his descent. A moment later, he was already prepared to attack again, and this time with more strength. "Focus Punch!"
Bonnie knew she and Wingull needed to take control of the fight again, and quickly, so she countered as fast as she could. "Wingull, Water Gun and keep it going as much as you can!"
"Gull!" The Seagull Pokemon shook his head once more to get his bearings, and then locked his eyes on Meditite as the psychic and fighting type pulled his fist back and began to run. As Meditite's fist glowed, Wingull took a deep breath, before exhaling and unleashing a powerful blast of water.
Just like in their first match, Meditite met the Water Gun head on, bringing his fist forward to meet the water rushing towards him. With Water Gun powered up by Rain Dance and Focus Punch powered up by Meditate, the clash sent water spraying out in all directions. Bonnie could even hear her friends startled cries as water splashed them. She was too focused on Wingull and Meditite to look over, however, and clenched her fists as Meditite tried to force his way through.
Ultimately, the two sides were even, and Meditite dropped down just as Wingull sagged and ended his Water Gun, both Pokemon breathing deeply. Fortunately, Wingull still had Rain Dance providing a little more refreshment and his ability helped him further recover from the damage he'd taken earlier. He was ready to resume the fight just a little quicker, and he and Bonnie took full advantage.
"Air Cutter, now! Dive down!" Bonnie yelled, Wingull nodding immediately and folding his wings as he darted down to the surprised Meditite.
"Wingull!" the blades of air rushed down as Wingull steadied himself lower to the ground and then flapped his wings ferociously. Meditite was thrown back, rolling across the ground for a few feet before managing to right himself, wincing as he glared back at Wingull. Bonnie noticed him shifting his stance a little, mimicking the position he had taken during his surfing training lessons. Going on the defensive? she thought, surprised as Shauna didn't order an attack. Shauna had been fairly aggressive once getting into the battle so it was a bit confusing. Bonnie wanted to keep the pace high, though.
"Water Gun!" she ordered, narrowing her eyes to watch Meditite. She had a feeling she knew what Shauna might try.
"Gull!" Wingull cried out, taking a deep breath, embracing the rain slowly falling on him, before unleashing the jet of water outwards.
"I don't think so, Bonnie! Detect!" Shuana then countered, Meditite smirking as his eyes flashed with a blue light and he shifted to the side at just the right moment. Bonnie was ready for that, however.
"We can deal with that! Fly up and use Air Cutter quickly!" she shouted, already seeing Meditite preparing to dart forward for the quick counterattack. Shauna ordered it just as Bonnie was giving her command.
"High Jump Kick!" she called, but immediately looking shocked by Bonnie's quick move.
"Med!" Meditite's leg glowed brightly and he kicked off aiming just for where Wingull had fired off his Water Gun. Unfortunately for the Meditate Pokemon, Wingull had been ready with Bonnie's order and he was up in the air before Meditite could strike. The psychic and fighting type missed, and he stumbled painfully into the ground a few paces behind Wingull.
"Zzt! High Jump Kick causes damage to the user if it misses its target!" Rotom quickly informed Bonnie. "Meditite is vulnerable!"
Bonnie nodded, smiling as Wingull turned, already flapping his wings to fire off his attack. His Air Cutter rained down just like the water from Rain Dance, battering into Meditite with full force. The Meditate Pokemon was sent flying across the ground once more, before landing hard on the ground towards the end of the battlefield. He groaned, struggling to rise up as the referee watched closely.
"Meditite!" Shauna called in concern. "Are you okay?"
"Medi...tite..." the Meditate Pokemon groaned, managing to rise to his feet. He shook his head briefly, before nodding. It wasn't over yet.
"Awesome!" Shauna said happily, reminding Bonnie of Ash with her quick enthusiastic reactions to the flow of the battle. "Then get in there with Focus Punch!"
"Water Gun!" Bonnie countered, hoping she could continue to fight off Meditite's close range attacks from a distance before launching her more effective counter.
Wingull's eyes narrowed, his expression confident. He seemed to be feeling quite good about his performance thus far, and Bonnie couldn't blame him. He'd been quick and precise, just as he needed to be. Unfortunately, just as he inhaled to prepare his Water Gun, his Rain Dance began to peter out, disappearing above him. As he fired off his Water Gun, it wasn't nearly as powerful, and the slight distraction threw off his aim.
"Med!" Meditite cried out confidently, swiftly sliding out of the way as his fist glowed with increased power. He rushed forward as Wingull awkwardly moved to the side, stopping his attack once missing. Then, Meditite struck, slamming his fist into Wingull's side and sending the Seagull Pokemon crashing to the ground.
Bonnie hadn't had Wingull for long, but even so, she knew he seemed to have a good tolerance for taking blows. His time out at sea seemed to have given him the strength to power through rough moments. She knew in her heart he would be able to fight through this, so it gave her the confidence she needed to call her order right away, surprising Shauna with the quick counter.
"Air Cutter!"
"GUULLLL!" Wingull flapped his wings with everything he had, just as his body rolled along the ground. The blades of air he generated seemed to swirl around each other as they rushed away towards a stunned Meditite, trapping the Meditate Pokemon in circle of swirling air. He was lifted off his feet, battered as the attack struck at him from all sides. He was completely vulnerable as Wingull managed to right himself completely and take aim.
"Finish with Water Gun!" Bonnie shouted, pumping her fist with the command.
Wingull inhaled deeply, and even though he didn't have Rain Dance in effect, his focus was perfect. He took aim at Meditite, still suspended in midair by the Air Cutter, and he fired the attack. The jet of water rushed out, slamming into the psychic and fighting type with full force. Meditite had no way to defend himself, and dropped to the ground a moment later.
"Meditite is unable to battle!" the referee called, pointing towards Bonnie and Wingull. "Wingull is the winner!"
"Hooray!" Bonnie cheered, jumping and raising her arms as her friends celebrated from their seats. Wingull came over a moment later, flapping his wings excitedly, looking quite pleased with his first gym battle showing. "You were so awesome, Wingull!" Bonnie said, meaning every word. "You're a natural!"
"Gull!" Wingull replied cheerfully, accepting a high five with his wing from Dedenne.
"That was a great battle, Bonnie!" Shauna then said, her voice coming from a few feet away where she was now helping Meditite to his feet. Brawly was making his way over from the stands as well. "I never imagined getting the chance to be part of a gym battle like that. I knew I always wanted to be in one but...that was really intense!"
"That was certainly a gnarly fight!" Brawly said, reaching Shauna and helping her up once she'd ensured Meditite was okay. "You two were like the waves crashing with more intensity each and every time. I knew I made a good decision getting you to participate, Shauna."
"Yeah, that was really fun!" Bonnie agreed, happy that Shauna didn't seem too disappointed. It certainly hadn't been easy, and Shauna had made the next stage much more difficult. Wingull, despite his joy from winning, certainly looked pretty tired.
"Well hopefully you guys have just as good a battle," Shauna said, looking to both Bonnie and Brawly. "That badge isn't yours just yet, Bonnie."
"That's right!" Brawly said, grinning as he pulled out a pokeball and looked to Bonnie. "Ready to get things started again, little dudette?"
"You bet!" Bonnie answered, holding up her fist confidently.
"Then it's time to brave the wave!"
Clyde felt a bit awkward as Shauna came over to join him and the others in the stands, but fortunately, she didn't seem to be too down about her loss. In fact, she seemed quite pleased to have been able to take on an opponent like Bonnie. As she sat down, she was quick to express how amazed she was by Bonnie's ferocity and quick thinking right from the beginning of the battle.
"She was strong in our first match, but she's clearly improved a lot even just in the few days she's been here," Shauna said almost breathlessly. "Bonding a bit more with her Wingull has done wonders, and I'm sure getting a chance to do some of the surfing training, even if she wasn't a fan of it, helped some of her focus whether she realized it or not."
"I agree," Roxanne said, smiling as she looked over to where Bonnie was whispering with Wingull, Dedenne and Rotom, presumably coming up with a battle plan. "Bonnie seemed a little worried about coming into this battle with the training style Brawly appears to use, and that you seem inspired by, but she managed to take what worked and stick with the strengths of her Pokemon."
"She certainly did well with the fairly limited moveset Wingull has right now," Sawyer pointed out, looking thoughtful as he watched Bonnie making her plans with her Pokemon. "I assume your style isn't quite like Brawly's, though, is it Shauna?"
Shauna laughed, looking a little embarrassed. "I'm a bit less patient than he is. I go on the offensive with my Pokemon a little quicker."
Sawyer nodded to himself, although he didn't say more. Clyde was curious, though. "Do you think Brawly will have a plan that Bonnie can't handle?" he asked.
"Not necessarily," Sawyer said, smiling to reassure Clyde. "Bonnie is a quick thinker. I just think that with a less aggressive trainer, she might find it a little more difficult to use some of those quick counter moves she managed to pull off. Whenever she was in a rough spot against Shauna, Wingull managed to use his effective attacks immediately to take away any advantage she had. It should be interesting to see if Brawly's style is able to prevent that."
"Brawly certainly knows how to draw his opponents in and strike at the right time," Shauna said, nodding. "And he can adapt his style to fight with speed pretty well. His Machop won't be an easy opponent, even with Bonnie having both her Pokemon."
"She'll win," Clyde said confidently, looking to the field as Wingull moved forward and Brawly called out his Machop. "Bonnie's on a roll, now!"
As though to accentuate Clyde's point, Bonnie pumped her fist and locked eyes with her Wingull. "Let's show 'em what we can do, Wingull! That badge is ours!"
"Gull!"
"We'll see, little dudette!" Brawly called back, smiling as his Machop readied himself. "Let's do our best, Machop!"
And with that, the referee waved his arm. "Let the battle begin!"
Once again, Bonnie called the first attack, using the same strategy as she had used with Shauna. "Air Cutter!"
"Chop!"
Clyde was impressed with Wingull's speed, the Seagull Pokemon launching himself into action immediately despite his previous battle wearing him down. However, Machop's speed was even more impressive, the Superpower Pokemon locking his gaze on his quickly approaching opponent and swiftly ducking to the side as the blades of air rushed at him. Bonnie apparently wanted to keep up the pressure, though, immediately ordering a follow up attack.
"Water Gun!" she shouted, with Wingull still in motion from his Air Cutter.
"Gull!" he cried out, opening his beak and aiming the blast of water towards Machop, who narrowed his eyes, as Wingull aimed the attack.
"Machop!" he cried out, spinning away this time, easily going under the water and bringing his body up straight a moment later at the other side.
"It really does look like he's surfing," Roxanne murmured, sounding awed by Machop's movements. It's just a slight movement of his legs, but Machop is able to move out of the way so smoothly that it's remarkably quick and efficient."
"I've tried to master Brawly's style forever, but it's tough to match," Shauna said, sounding just as awed by Machop's movements. "It's so effortless for him and his Pokemon."
Bonnie wasn't losing focus with Machop's easy dodges, however, continuing to keep up the pace as she called for another Water Gun, and then another Air Cutter soon after as Machop slid away once more. Brawly didn't even need to order anything. He seemed to move with Machop silently, the two of them sensing what needed to be done as Bonnie called her attacks. They were perfectly in sync, and they knew exactly what style they wanted to battle with.
"This is what Brawly wanted to test Bonnie with," Sawyer murmured, just as Wingull charged forward again, this time aiming an Air Cutter at Machop's feet, attempting to disrupt its movements, but not fast enough as Machop flipped out of the way. "By having her go up against Shauna and be forced into a more aggressive match, he's seeing if she can adjust and manage a slower pace. Right now...it doesn't look like she can force that to change, as much as she's trying. And each attack is bringing Wingull closer and closer to Machop. Eventually..."
Clyde knew what Sawyer was getting at. Wingull couldn't land his attacks, so each time he was trying to attack from just a bit closer range. But the problem with fighting types, was that they were at their best when the battle was in close. If Bonnie and Wingull were forced to fight Machop where he was at his best, they were in trouble. Especially with Wingull not knowing any moves that were meant for close range fighting.
"Wingull, one more time!" Bonnie then yelled, sounding a little frustrated, but desperate to try to keep Brawly on the defensive. "Air Cutter!"
"Wingull!" Wingull responded, flapping his wings hard as he charged towards Machop. "GULL!" he screeched a moment later, flapping his wings even more ferociously as he closed in, the blades of air beginning to form.
"Now, Machop!" Brawly shouted, smiling as he narrowed his eyes, focused on Wingull. His Machop smiled, too. "Karate Chop!"
"Chop!" Machop responded, ducking low and kicking off so that he slid under both Wingull's Air Cutter attack and the Seagull Pokemon himself, leaving the perfect opening to strike. Machop lashed out with a glowing fist and slammed it hard into Wingull's underside, causing the Seagull Pokemon to cry out and crash hard to the ground as he lost control.
"Seismic Toss!" Brawly followed up, voice confident as Machop darted towards Wingull, arms reaching out quickly to grab the water and flying type. The Superpower Pokemon pinned his opponent to his chest, preventing him from squirming free, before jumping high into the air.
"MaaaCHOP!" Machop then cried out, taking Wingull by the wing and swinging him around in midair, before throwing him to the ground with full force. The Seagull Pokemon cried out as he rushed to the ground, unable to stop himself, before hitting with a loud smack and rolling over for a few feet.
Clyde couldn't blame Bonnie for staring blankly at her Pokemon as it lay still a moment later.
"Wingull is unable to battle. Machop is the winner!" the referee declared, pointing towards Brawly and Machop. "The challenger will now select her final Pokemon!"
"That was so sudden..." Clyde whispered, watching as Bonnie rushed forward to check on Wingull. "Looks like Brawly can be really fast when he wants to be."
Shauna nodded. "Just like the waves, he can be slow and steady, or crash with full force."
"Now we'll see what Bonnie's really made of," Sawyer said, leaning forward with an interested gleam in his eyes. "Wingull might've been beaten, but she still could've learned a lot from that fight."
"I think Bonnie might surprise us here," Roxanne said, smiling as Bonnie recalled Wingull to his pokeball and returned to her spot on the battlefield. "She was nervous about Brawly's strategy, but now she's seen it in action. She can plan pretty quickly, as long as she's trusting her Pokemon."
"I wonder who she'll use," Clyde murmured, watching closely as Bonnie prepared for the final match.
"I'm not going to lose, Brawly!" she shouted confidently, grinning as she looked across at her opponent. Brawly smiled back, looking pleased by her determination. "We're ready for anything!" She looked to Rotom, then Dedenne, and then finally pulled out a pokeball. "Let's rumble!"
Beautifly emerged from her pokeball looking as stunning as ever with golden sparks shooting around her and the light flashing brightly around her, making her shiny colouring appear even more impressive. What Bonnie noticed most of all about her Butterfly Pokemon, however, was the readiness for battle in her posture. Upon emerging from her pokeball, Beautifly was tense and focused immediately, looking ahead to her opponent, and ready to defeat Machop and earn that second badge alongside Bonnie.
"Whoa, little dudette!" Brawly exclaimed, looking impressed. "What a gnarly Beautifly you've got yourself there!"
"She's even more impressive in battle!" Shauna called from the sidelines. "You should've seen her against Team Archaic!"
"Well hopefully Bonnie and Beautifly can show me something close to it," Brawly said, smiling across at her, while his Machop stepped forward and positioned himself for battle. "Ready to get this battle started?"
"We sure are!" Bonnie said, locking eyes with Beautifly, the two nodding to one another. As intimidating as Brawly's style had been to Bonnie while training, she felt much better after getting a chance to see him in action. He would still be tough to beat, but she had faith in Beautifly. They could do this.
Dedenne gave her an encouraging smile, and then Bonnie looked over to the referee as he held up his arm, looking to both trainers, who each nodded, signalling they were ready. Then, he waved his arm. "Resume the battle!"
This time, Brawly was the first to attack. "Machop, get in there with Karate Chop!"
"Beautifly, Aerial Ace!" Bonnie countered quickly.
The quick move from Brawly surprised her a little, but Bonnie had been prepared to use Beautifly's Aerial Ace as a key advantage against his fighting types, even if it forced her into close range fighting. If she was going to win, it would be with her effective flying type moves. And Beautifly, despite her early fears of flying Pokemon, had certainly become a very capable flying type herself.
"Chop!"
"Flyyy!"
This time, it was Brawly and Machop who were thrown off by their opponent making a swift and impressive move to dodge. Beautifly dove straight towards Machop as he charged at her, his fist glowing, but just before he was about to reach her, she flapped her wings quickly and seemed to disappear as her body glowed with a white aura. A moment later, she was launching herself at the Superpower Pokemon from behind, slamming hard into his back and sending him face first into the ground.
"Choooop!" Machop groaned, quickly getting to his feet, but wincing as Beautifly retreated towards the air, circling and waiting for Bonnie's next order.
"Hang in there, Machop," Brawly called encouragingly, before smiling across at Bonnie. "Impressive move, little dudette! Your Beautifly's got some strong wings. Must've powered herself up flying in the sea breeze!"
Bonnie nodded. Beautifly had struggled with flying on the ocean air, unable to glide as easily as Wingull and Peeko while travelling to Dewford, but she had kept up at it, trying to improve as best she could. Even here on Dewford she'd done some practice flying over the beaches. It hadn't been clear until her battle against Team Archaic how much of a difference it had made. "Beautifly's going to be a master flying type in the future, and she'll be stronger than any opponent she meets in the air!"
"Beauuutifly!" Beautifly sang out in agreement, looking pleased by Bonnie's words.
"Well, that's an opponent worth battling, that's for sure!" Brawly said, nodding to his Machop. "So let's do our best. Cross Chop!"
"Gust, Beautifly!" Bonnie shouted back, grinning as she felt the intensity level rising. This was what she'd always wanted for herself when she'd watched Ash's battles. Now she could finally experience it.
"Fly!" Beautifly cried out, circling back quickly as Machop crossed his arms in front of himself, before running forward. Then, as he began to close the distance, Beautifly flapped her wings with everything she had. Wind burst outward, and Bonnie could see Machop wince instantly as it pushed against him. Somehow, he managed to keep running forward, though, his legs showing the strength they'd gained from his surfing training.
"Chooop!" he shouted, leaping up as Beautifly continued to flap her wings. The Butterfly Pokemon looked stunned by Machop's determined jump, and she had no chance to dodge as his attack slammed into her, sending her flying back. Machop landed as she crashed to the ground, although he dropped to a knee, gasping for breath after taking on that Gust.
"Beautifly, are you okay?" Bonnie called out in concern, watching as Beautifly weakly flapped her wings and slowly began to rise into the air again.
"Fly!" she replied determinedly, nodding with a glance back. Machop seemed to have steadied himself as well.
Brawly seemed a little more wary as he watched Beautifly now, apparently concerned after the Gust managed to tire out Machop despite his Cross Chop landing. "We'll need to be a bit more careful, Machop. That Beautifly can certainly match power for power!"
He wants me to attack like I did with Wingull, Bonnie realized, seeing Brawly's eyes shift to her. She'd allowed her battle with Shauna to force her into an aggressive style earlier, but she realized now that Brawly would have to be handled differently. Fortunately, Beautifly did fight differently from Wingull. Thanks to her match against Roxanne and her rock types, she'd learned how to deal with defensive Pokemon that could hit hard when they wanted to. The issue with Brawly's Machop, however, was its speed.
"Beautifly, use String Shot!" Bonnie then ordered, hoping she could negate Machop's quick foot movement with the sticky webbing.
"I don't think so, little dudette," Brawly said, sounding amused. "Machop, cut that String Shot with Karate Chop!"
"Chop!" Machop answered quickly, darting forward as Beautifly fired off the webbing in a straight line. Just as Brawly had ordered, the Superpower Pokemon sliced through the attack with ease, scattering the webbing into pieces too small to do much at all.
Bonnie gritted her teeth, frustrated with Machop's quick counter. She needed a way to slow him down if she was going to be able to take full advantage of Beautifly's flying attacks. She would've liked staying at a distance, but Machop had already fought through Gust once. She had to risk going in close. "Beautifly, Aerial Ace, now!"
"Bulk Up, let's go!" Brawly countered, smiling despite Beautifly's quick dive down towards Machop.
Bonnie watched closely, surprised as Machop didn't seem to be readying himself to dodge. Instead, as Beautifly darted towards him, he flexed his muscles and puffed out his chest, clenching his jaw as his whole body appeared to ripple with increased strength. Bonnie's eyes widened as Beautifly crashed into Machop, sending the Superpower Pokemon sliding back a few feet, but not doing nearly as much damage as she'd thought it would. Beautifly even appeared to bounce off slightly, shaking her head a bit as she retreated backwards.
"Zzt! Be careful!" Rotom warned quickly. "Bulk Up increases both attack power and defensive power. It's a particularly useful move for a fighting type Pokemon."
Bonnie nodded, quickly seeing that it would be a threat. Machop, despite being hit by the super effective Aerial Ace, didn't seem too bothered. Instead, he was flexing his muscles once again, appearing to relish in the increased strength he felt. He grinned as he took up his battle stance again, ready for Brawly's next order, which came right away.
"Get in there with another Cross Chop!" the Dewford Gym Leader ordered.
Bonnie knew she didn't really have much choice but to defend the same way she did last time. But this time, she would be ready with a little something extra. "Gust, Beautifly!" she yelled, hearing surprised murmurs from her friends, and a disappointed "Zzt!" from Rotom.
Brawly seemed to see something in Bonnie's gaze, though, because he smiled, appearing interested. "Let's see what they've got, Machop!" he yelled encouragingly as Machop charged into action, just as Beautifly began flapping her wings.
Just as before, a powerful Gust struck down as Machop rushed at Beautifly with his arms crossed in front of him. The wind slowed him down, causing him to grunt in discomfort, but his balance was strong and he continued to make his way forward. With a strong kick off the ground, he managed to reach Beautifly and unleash his Cross Chop, striking her in the chest and sending her spinning away. She cried out in pain, but Bonnie could see she was ready for what she had planned for this encounter.
"Absorb! Quick!" she ordered, pumping her fist as Beautifly managed to spin in midair, wincing with the effort but startling Machop a little with the quick move as he dropped back to the ground, vulnerable for her quick strike as she glowed in a green light.
"Flyyy!" Beautifly cried out, flapping her wings once again as Machop also glowed in a green light. A moment later, the Superpower Pokemon hit the ground, quickly gasping and dropping to a knee as three green orbs flew out from his chest, up towards Beautifly, who appeared to brighten as she absorbed the energy. With the increased health, she was ready to keep up the momentum.
"Now, Aerial Ace!" Bonnie shouted, grinning with the increased confidence of landing the successful attack.
Beautifly flapped her wings and then dove rapidly towards Machop. He and Brawly could do nothing, the effect of the Gust and the Absorb making the gutsy fighting type vulnerable. He was struck with full force as Beautifly darted behind him and then drove into his back. He fell flat on his face, crying out in pain as Beautifly quickly flew into the air to keep herself safe from a counterattack.
"Yeah! Great job, Bonnie!" Clyde called out, looking completely awed by the attack.
"What a great use of Absorb and Aerial Ace!" Roxanne added. "Increasing Beautifly's energy and then using a super effective attack was a great combination!"
"That certainly was impressive, little dudette!" Brawly agreed, nodding respectfully from where he stood, while Machop rose to his feet. "You'll need a little more fighting power to keep us down and win that badge, though."
"Beautifly's ready for anything!" Bonnie said confidently. "Aerial Ace, once more!"
"Not so fast!" Brawly answered with a smirk. "Dodge, and use Karate Chop!"
Beautifly answered Bonnie's order immediately, diving once more towards Machop, her speed increasing as she plummeted to the ground. Unfortunately, as she appeared to disappear and reappear behind him, he was ready. The Superpower Pokemon spun away, his feet twisting and sliding along the ground gracefully, just as though expertly manoeuvring along a choppy wave on a surfboard. He then slammed down as Beautifly was passing by him, hitting the Butterfly Pokemon hard in the back and sending her crashing to the ground.
"Now, Seismic Toss!" Brawly shouted, punching the air with the order, clearly confident the move that finished Wingull would be the difference maker once again.
"Hang in there, Beautifly!" Bonnie yelled, clenching her fists, sensing the importance of the next few moves. "Aerial Ace again!" Beautifly glanced back quickly at the order, locking eyes with Bonnie, who nodded, smiling. "Slow Machop down!"
"Flyyy!" Beautifly cried out, eyes shining with determination as she took off towards Machop, who was preparing himself to attack.
"Not going to work, little dudette!" Brawly said, smiling as Machop watched Beautifly approach, carefully shifting his stance. He ducked as she swooped over him, and then slid to the left as she quickly darted back, dodging perfectly each time.
Or so he thought.
Bonnie smiled, watching as Beautifly turned, ready to charge again, but this time, Machop moved, leaping forward and taking hold of her. Bonnie's smile faltered as Machop began to spin the Butterfly Pokemon around, preparing to throw her with all his might, just as he'd done with Wingull. If Beautifly couldn't take it, the battle would be over. But if she could just hang on a bit longer...
"Let's go, Machop!" Brawly then yelled, punching the air as Machop let go, jumping into the air and sending Beautifly flying across the field, before she crashed to the ground in front of Bonnie.
"Beautifly!" Bonnie cried out, looking nervously to her Butterfly Pokemon, who groaned in pain as Machop landed on his feet, stumbling slightly. Out of the corner of her eye, Bonnie saw a flicker of confusion cross the Superpower Pokemon's face.
"Beau...ti...fly," Beautifly then gasped out, her wings slowly moving as she struggled to rise. The referee, who had taken a step forward, nodded and moved back.
"Are you okay?" Bonnie asked.
"Beautifly!" Beautifly nodded, flying back into the air.
"Nene!" Dedenne cheered, along with Bonnie's friends in the stands.
"That Beautifly's a gnarly fighter!" Brawly said, nodding approvingly. "A worthy opponent indeed."
Bonnie smirked, holding up her fist as Beautifly flapped her wings above her, readying herself to continue the fight. "She's got even more to give than that! Beautifly, let's finish this! Use Gust!"
"Machop, use...huh?" Brawly's eyes widened as Machop took an awkward step forward, stumbling slightly and looking to his feet. "Oh no!"
"Zzt! You had Beautifly use String Shot during that last Aerial Ace!" Rotom blurted out, sounding completely stunned.
"No way!" Bonnie heard Shauna cry out in surprise.
She tuned out the surprised calls of the others, though, smiling as Beautifly obeyed her most recent command. As Machop tried to position himself, he made the webbing around his legs spread around even more, tangling them up and restricting his movement so that he had nowhere to go. He'd managed to grab Beautifly before with Seismic Toss, but now the webs had hooked onto each of his legs. As Beautifly unleashed her Gust, he was thrown backwards, unable to balance himself properly. He cried out in surprise as he fell on his back, rolling over a moment later as the wind continued buffeting him.
"Machop!" Brawly called out worriedly. "Try to use Bulk Up to break free."
It might've worked if there had been more time, but Bonnie was already prepared to finish the match, and Beautifly was as well. "Aerial Ace, one last time!" she yelled, punching the air as Beautifly immediately launched herself down towards Machop, who had managed to barely get himself up in a kneeling position.
"Chop!" he cried out in alarm, throwing himself sideways to avoid Beautifly as she whipped by him, his muscles bulging as he tried to use Bulk Up. It wasn't enough, though, and as he tried to turn around, he could see quickly that he had no way to avoid the worst of it.
"Flyyy!" Beautifly then cried out, circling back and slamming hard into Machop with the full force of her Aerial Ace. Her momentum carried her through and she only managed to stop herself just a few feet in front of Bonnie, hovering in the air as she turned her head slightly to look back at Machop. The Superpower Pokemon was lying face down, not moving.
There was a moment of silence, before the referee stepped forward. "Machop is unable to battle!" he yelled, pointing to Bonnie and Beautifly. "Beautifly is the winner! The match goes to the challenger, Bonnie, from Lumiose City!"
"Zzt! We did it!" Rotom shouted first, darting around Bonnie excitedly a moment before she jumped in the air alongside Dedenne. "My advice tipped it in your favour!"
Bonnie laughed, deciding to let Rotom think as he wanted. "Of course! Couldn't have done it without you, Rotom!" She then looked to Beautifly, who was tiredly flying over to them. "Great job, Beautifly! You were really awesome out there. I knew I could count on you to land that String Shot while using Aerial Ace. That was amazing!"
"Beauuutifly!" Beautifly said happily, landing atop Bonnie's head, her eyes shining with contentment.
"Nenene!" Dedenne added cheerfully, scurrying up to Bonnie's shoulder.
"You were a big help, too, Dedenne," Bonnie said, giggling. "I always need you by my side."
"Bonnie, great job!" She looked up as she noticed her friends rushing over, Clyde in the lead, a huge grin on his face. "You looked like an expert! That String Shot was so cool!"
Sawyer nodded in agreement. "It really was a good strategy. A great way to turn Brawly's defensive movements against him."
"That String Shot has come in handy twice now!" Roxanne said, eyes shining with amusement. "You'd better be careful you don't rely on it too much."
Bonnie shrugged, looking up to Beautifly. "It's an important move for us, right Beautifly? It's helped us get out of a lot of trouble!"
Clyde nodded, looking as though he was remembering something. "It's come in handy a lot, that's for sure. Even the first time we met!"
"It's always nice for a Pokemon to have a special move it can depend on in a tough spot." Bonnie and the others turned their attention on Brawly, who was now approaching with Machop and Shauna, who had gone over to check on him. "You certainly seem to understand Beautifly's strengths, Bonnie. You really do have a gnarly Pokemon there. Your Wingull, too."
"You were all amazing!" Shauna added, holding out a fist. "That was some awesome battling!"
Bonnie gave her a fist bump, laughing in her excitement. "I really enjoyed it! Didn't you, Beautifly?" she asked, looking back up to the Butterfly Pokemon, who nodded happily. She then pulled out Wingull's pokeball, releasing the tired Seagull Pokemon. "You were great, too, Wingull. Did you like your first gym battle?"
"Gull!"
"Well, you've all certainly proven you've earned this!" Brawly then said, pulling something out of his pocket and handing it to Shauna, who stepped forward. "Shauna, please do the honours!"
Shauna nodded, looking as excited about this as she had about getting the chance to battle as part of the gym challenge. "Bonnie," she said, holding out her hand, "as proof of your victory at the Dewford Gym, we are pleased to present you and your Pokemon with the Knuckle Badge!"
Bonnie looked down at the badge, her heart racing as she studied it briefly. It appeared to be in the shape of a blue boxing glove, with a small orange orb in the centre of it. It was shining brightly in the lights over the top of the battlefield. Beautifly made a noise of excitement from her head, clearly as impressed with the badge as Bonnie was. She finally reached forward to take it, hand shaking.
"Thank you so much, Shauna and Brawly," she said, looking at the badge in her hand, before holding it up for her Pokemon to see.
"Nenene..."
"Beautifly..."
"Gull..."
"Zzt..."
Bonnie grinned, raising the badge even higher. "All right!" she yelled. "We got the Knuckle Badge!"
Author's Note:
And so, Bonnie has won her second badge! I must say, it's a blast writing her gym battles so far. And this one was extra fun with it being two Pokemon she's caught in Hoenn that she won it with. I can't wait to get to the later ones. As for this one, though, hopefully it was interesting having Shauna be part of the battle. I figured it would be a good way to make it a little different from Ash's battle and make it fit a bit more for a rookie trainer. Might've made it a double battle, but I figured it works better keeping just the Mossdeep Gym for that.
In other news, last week (March 8th), Gotta Catch That One celebrated its 5th anniversary. I can't believe I've been writing here for five years. For those of you that didn't see my Twitter post about it, you can check it out there at KingPoliwag. Just wanted to thank you all for being so supportive, especially during the Lumiose University rough times. It's awesome having people read and enjoy my work. Never would've gotten here without the support.
As for what's next, there will be a little three-shot coming soon. I run a fantasy hockey pool on Twitter and the prize I owe a two-time winner (NS5) is a three-shot focusing on Ash taking on Tobias in a legendary rematch. We've got an interesting little idea cooked up, so I think it should be pretty cool. Hope you enjoy it.
As for long term future plans, obviously this story is priority number one, but if you keep updated with my Twitter feed, you may get to see some glimpses of an original fantasy world I'll be working on little bits of. Won't be doing anything too big while still doing fanfiction, but the odd short story may pop up from time to time.
Anyway, that's all for now. See you next time.