Project:Flame

I walk into the gym,holding the door open with my left hand as Ralts walks in,still holding my right hand. As I see all of the moss and trees I put Ralts on my shoulders and walk towards the end. There I see Joshua. "Hey there!" I call out with a smile. "Was wondering if you wanted to battle."

Joshua gripped hard on the handgrip on his chair for a moment before relaxing his grip again. Taking a deep breath, Joshua responded the boy who had just walked into his pokemon gym, "A battle? Very well then..."

Such was the life of a gym leader, Joshua kept finding himself interrupted from the solitary company of his bug pokemon by challengers from all over the lands. Joshua hoped that at least the battle against this challenger would be entertaining enough to be worth the interruption.

I smile as I take out a pokeball and look up at Ralts. "Sorry but I can't have you fighting him." I say as I then throw out the pokeball. "Common out Pansear." The pokeball hits the ground and out of a beam of red light comes my pansear.

I look at the man. "By the way my name is Koga, Koga Urufu." I call out to the man. I take in a deep enhale then exhale,nervous about my first gym battle but also excited. My heart was racing,I could have sworn that Joshua could hear it.

Joshua smiled as he saw the challenger's choice pokemon. The challenger had definitely heard about Joshua's favourite type of pokemon, the Bug type. The challenger had picked a Fire typed pokemon to counter Joshua's. However, this challenger had not the slightest idea of how Joshua had previously beaten the other Fire typed pokemon that had been pitted against him.

"Smart choice there. You have the advantage in terms of typing, but did you think for a moment that I would not have foreseen the fact that challengers to my gym would pick a type that counters my own?", was Joshua's response. Joshua blinked. It was a long time since he had spoken with such a long sentence. A long time spent in solitary had its effects...

As that was said, the challenger responded with his name. His voice was slightly shaky, and Joshua could feel the anxiety that the challenger displayed openly. This would be an interesting match, Joshua could feel the grass all over the gym gearing up and getting ready for an intense match.

"Well then, I, Joshua, the Gym Leader of Fauna City accept your challenge! Go! Ledyba!", Joshua called out as he stood up and threw a Pokeball onto the battlefield that had been cleared out of the grass and moss in the middle of the gym. With a flash of red light, the pokemon Ledyba appeared.

"I know type isn't the most important thing but it sure does help in this situation." I say with a smile. I felt Ralts's chin resting on my head and I smiled,feeling the confidence from Ralts.

I pull out my Azure flute and put it to my mouth. I blow out four notes. The notes are quite simple but the sound coming from the flute was nothing short of beautiful. When Pansear hears the music she reacts.

Pansear ran towards Ledyba,jumps up and uses Furry Swipes. I watched with happiness as Pansear was able to learn the art of the music so easily. I stand and watch the battle,looking for opening and keeping the flute by my mouth.

Joshua's ear pricked up as he heard the tune coming from the challenger's flute. The Pansear's response was instantaneous. Upon hearing the tune from the flute, it had quickly run across to Ledyba, performing a series of rapid scratches that Joshua interpreted as a Fury Swipes attack. So... this challenger was using the tune from his flute to control his pokemon. That was a good call, making it harder for any of his opponents to predict his commands and his pokemon's actions.

Deciding he had to end it fast, Joshua commanded Ledyba to dodge the Fury Swipes that had been used on it. When Ledyba was a safe distance away from Pansear, Joshua asked his Ledyba to use its Supersonic on the Pansear to disable it and make it unable to recognise its master's orders temporarily. This should put an end to the boy's usage of his Flute.

"Try to dodge it Pansear!" I yell out but it was to late. Pansear was caught by the attack and her steps began to wobble. "Nice strategy there Joshua. Not something I wouuld expect." I spin the flute in my hand.

"Pansear come back over here." I say. Pansear runs over towards my direction but is off by a foot or two. She stands facing towards the double version of Ledyba. I blow a slow note for Pansear to quickly recognize and she fires incinerator at Ledyba. "But I don't need just my music. My music is just for contests really." I say with a grin.

"Nice strategy with your flute too. Catching your opponent's off-guard with that will help you win fights easily...", Joshua responded.

The boy was proving interesting. One trick after the other. It seemed Joshua really would enjoy the fight after all. Analysing the Pansear's movements right as the boy played another note on his flute, Joshua could immediately discern that the pokemon was about to use a Fire attack. In response to the incoming Fire attack, Joshua ordered Ledyba to hold still, and then, as the Fire attack was shot, ordered Ledyba to use its Mach Punch attack to rapidly dodge the attack and strike Pansear on its head.

"Thanks. Good to know people enjoy my music ya know." I say with a little smile, remembering when he first got the flute from his mother.

I snap back into reality as I see Ledyba coming "Step to the right Pansear!" I called out quickly. "Use your incinerator again!" I call out to Pansear. Pansear's vision bettering as the affects are begging to wear off yet not completely.

Joshua watched as the boy ordered his Pansear to dodge Ledyba's attack by quickly dodging to the right. That was some display of skill. It showed a bond between pokemon and trainer that the trainer's commands and thoughts were able to be passed to the pokemon very easily and quickly.

With a soft, but firm voice, Joshua called out, "Ledyba! Silver Wind!".

In response to that command, Ledyba flapped its wings hard and incited a silvery breeze throughout the gym. The breeze was not strong, in fact, it was not made to damage the Pansear at all. Rather, the Silver Wind was done to provide Ledyba with enough updraft so that it could dodge the Pansear's Fire attack by flying upwards. With the Silver Wind dissipating the fire from Pansear's attack and increasing Ledyba's flight ability, Ledyba was able to narrowly avoid the Pansear's attack.

I watch as the weak Silver wind is used. I then see for what reason. "Very nice. Have Ledyba generate wind to be able to move itself faster around the feild. Not bad,not bad at all." I say with a little admiration. "Now let's see how much time that bought you. Because with that increase of wind the power of fire attacks also increases seeing as fire burns up oxygen and with more oxygen to burn the better it is for us don't ya think." I say as I put the flute to my mouth and play 5 notes.

Pansear jumps high into the air,just under Ledyba and fires off a quick Incinerator to attempt to burn it. "We won't give up through because you're causing a little bump in the road." I say out of the corner of my mouth.

Joshua moved fast, as soon as the Pansear leaped into the air, Joshua immediately commanded Ledyba to use Supersonic on the Pansear to throw off its jump and the inevitable Fire attack that he knew would be launched at Ledyba with Pansear's aim thrown off, it became easier for Ledyba to dodge the Fire attack.

With Pansear's jump and aim both thrown off, Joshua knew that it would take a while before it could orientate itself. Joshua waited, intent to see what the challenger's response to Ledyba's attack would be. This would be the second time that he would have seen Supersonic.

Pansear,dazed by the sonic wave,manages to land on her feet,however wobbly they may be."You know I really diden't want to do this but I want to see just how well this will work." I hold out Pansear's pokeball and return him. "Go on Ralts." I say and Ralts jumps off my shoulders and onto the arena.

I put the flute to my mouth and make a group of sounds. A moment later Ralts disappears in a teleport yet doesn't reappear on the arena. I sit and wait,my flute to my mouth.

In response to the challenger's switch in pokemon, Joshua recalled his Ledyba and sent out his trump pokemon, Scyther. Joshua noted the challenger's choice of pokemon. He had chosen a Psychic typed pokemon for use in a Bug typed Gym. Surely he knew what he was doing. When one did not have the type advantage in a battle, the only other way was to win with skills.

When the challenger's Ralts activated its Teleport, Joshua commanded Scyther to use its Focus Energy, sharpening its mind to allow it to detect even the slightest bit of interference in the air. Joshua had trained Scyther to be mentally alert and fast, honing its reflexes to an almost unnatural level.

"Interesting move...", Joshua complimented the challenger. "But not good enough!"

I blew two musical notes but nothing happened. Nothing but dead silence for what could have seemed to be months to most people. Most people would suspect an attack and brace themselves mentally and physically, but nothing. Everything sat still.

As a small gust of wind entered gym,rustling the leaves of the surrounding trees is when Ralts acts,on that split second when all with the wind is different. Ralts uses confusion,firing the pulse wave at Scyther in order to capture him. Ralts himself standing on top of a tree,barely noticeable due to only his green helmet barely showing.

Joshua and Scyther's ears remained pricked up as the challenger blew onto his flute. There was no movement, nothing within the Gym. Where had the Ralts Teleported to? When there was no movements to the notes of the flute, Joshua and Scyther relaxed slightly. And that was when it happened...

There was no warning, just a slight rustling of leaves that instantly put Joshua and Scyther on alert. It was too late though, as a pulse of psychic energy slammed right into Scyther just as Ralts reappeared once more. The timing was perfect, Ralts had appeared right as Joshua and Scyther had relaxed themselves. Of course, Ralts has the ability to sense emotions. It would make it easy for it to time itself to surprise them.

"Good play...", Joshua spoke up, in the same soft, quiet tone that he had used since the start of the Gym fight.

Closing his eyes and preparing himself, Joshua commandered Scyther to use its Quick Attack, and attack that would enable Scyther to strike fast and hard.

I made a few notes as I watched Scyther use quick attack to get over to Ralts. I watched with the most careful eye I had,my eyes focused around two feet from Ralts. As I saw Scyther pass that two foot radius from Ralts I made one last note.

Ralts fires yet another confusion attack out at Scyther,from near point blank range. The confusion attack was to not only push Scyther away but to knock it back to the ground,seeing as they were on top of a tree. I was confident with Ralt's psychic abilities and it's own sensing abilities to know when the Scyther was ready for the full on swing.

I removed my eyes from that spot but as I did my own eyes blurred,being focused to long ,I could barely see what the outcome of the two attacks were.

The Ralts' timing was perfect, waiting patiently until Scyther was in point blank range before firing its Psychic pulse. However, both Joshua and Scyther were prepared for such an attack. As the pulse neared Scyther, Scyther ducked quickly to the right of the attack running in one full circle until it was behind Ralts.

"Fury Cutter, Scyther!", Joshua called out, his voice showing a different, slightly more firm nature. From that range and position, it would be hard for Ralts to completely dodge the Fury Cutter, even by a timely Teleport.

Slightly shocked by what I see I instantly blow a quick two notes. With the two notes Ralts turns around to face scythe and fires another confusion just as it is hit on the right shoulder. It was clearly a suicide attack, I knew either way he would get hit to some severity but I decide why not hit back. Ralt's instant co-operation shower the faith he had in me.

The confusion attack was meant to do just the same but this time potentially toss the scyther into the gym door,seeing the new positioning. I could only hope the attack paid off.

Scyther let out a cry as the Psychic pulse hit him at point blank range. Joshua could tell that the Psychic pulse had done a lot of damage to Scyther, Scyther had been knocked back a few feet by that attack. However, Joshua could tell that from that exchange, it was Ralts who had taken a greater amount of damage. That Fury Cutter, combined with the Focus Energy that Scyther had used earlier would have caused a huge amount of damage on Ralts, especially since a Bug type move would be extremely effective on a Psychic type pokemon.

"Scyther! Fury Cutter again! Deal the second blow!", Joshua called out in a slightly louder and anxious tone than he had used before. He really was getting very into the fight. This was definitely an interesting fight.

Scyther stood up with slightly heavy steps and then, with a sudden burst of speed and force, charged towards Ralts with a Fury Cutter attack.

I blow three music notes and Ralts disappears into a teleport as Scyther is about to slash at him. Ralts reappears infront of Joshua,yet he faces Scythe,panting slightly heavily. "just a little more and that scyther will be done. If I recall Ralts it will be Pansear vs Leyba again. This is his strongest Pokemon and Ralts is mine. I know we can do it." I think to myself as I stand and wait for Joshua's next move.

I stand in place,watching Scyther and with my perihelia vision I keep an eye out on Ralts. I quickly lick my lips,readying myself for the next musical notes.

Joshua watched as Ralts Teleported away from Scyther's Fury Cutter. That Teleport was the only thing keeping Ralts safe from Scyther's Fury Cutter attack. If that Ralts were to do anything else, such as preparing itself for a Confusion, Scyther's Fury Cutter would definitely hit and Ralts would be knocked out. Ralts would not be able to Teleport for much longer and so, Scyther would have the advantage in the battle of attrition.

"Scyther! Repeated Fury Cutter!", called out Joshua, excitement and anxiety both showing in his voice. He was no longer composed, long succumbed to the effects of the fight.

In response to its master's command, Scyther put on a burst of speed and charged at Ralts, intent on ending the battle there and then.

Both Ralts and I can sense the excitement coming off of Joshua,I felt the same way but I was holding it back,keeping a collective mind so that Ralts can defeat Scyther at the very least.
I lick my lips once more before I let out a single tone. I however hold this tone. Ralts prepares for impact and his own attack.
"RRRRRRRALTS!!!"
He yells out as I watch Ralts fire a point blank confusion at Scyther,Ralts however getting hit with the final furry cutter. Ralts attempts to get up but falls back down and faints. I smile as I hold out his pokeball. I recall Ralts back. "Very nicely done." I say as I then take Pansear back out,she now no longer dazed.

Joshua watched as Scyther and Ralts simultaneously hit each other with their attacks. Both Scyther and Ralts were knocked out simultaneously, leaving the battle between Scyther and Ralts as a draw. Both of them still had another pokemon, and Joshua wasted no time in recalling Scyther for his Ledyba. Taking a more careful and passive stance, Joshua waited for the challenger to make his first move before he made his.

I look over at Joshua. "Pretty exciting dont you say? Both of our main pokemon knock each other out." I put the flute back in my mouth and blow a few notes to communicate with Pansear.

A moment later Pansear runs directly underneath Ledyba and jumps straight up,getting as close as possible,it opens it mouth as if about to bite but instantly instead fires out Incinerator at Ledyba,creating a false attack quickly before it fired off the real one.