Chapter 87

The next day, both Aizen and Leaf headed to the Cinnabar Gym early in the morning. Their matches were scheduled at 7 am and 8 am respectively, and when they arrived, the new Gym Leader, Blue Oak, was already waiting for them.

Leaf was shocked to learn that it was Gary's Father and former Kanto and Unova League winner who had now been designated as the Guardian of Cinnabar Island.

Even though she had only met him one time before, years ago, when both Blue and his wife Hilda had attended the Parents-Teacher meeting at their school, she immediately recognised him, and it was the same for the Oak.

The man in his forties, who looked young enough to be counted amongst people in their late twenties, happily chatted with her about Gary and their License Exams as they waited for the clock to hit 7 am.

She asked if Gary knew that Blue was the new Gym Leader of Cinnabar Island, and the man laughed at her words, shaking his head. He had checked the logs and informed her that Gary had not challenged the Cinnabar Gym yet. He planned on giving his son a surprise, and Leaf agreed to not inform her friend beforehand about it.

Later, as both Blue and Aizen left for the battle Arena, they talked about some important affairs and decided to meet each other in the evening after the Gym's closing time.

The girls were pretty excited to see how their match would pan out, and Leaf was putting all her focus on his match. She wanted to learn the most from it to help herself out in her own match.

However, as expected, Aizen faced no problems in the battle as his Lapras and Wartortle did all the work against a Growlithe, Magmar, and a Flareon. And then, Arcanine simply ended things and won his Master his 6th Gym Badge.

He recalled Lapras after it won its round against the Growlithe, and then Wartortle alone prevailed against Magmar and almost against Flareon too, but fell short due to exhaustion and lack of speed. Arcanine did not have much work left for him, and a simple Extreme Speed charge attack was enough to take out the Fire-Type evolution of Eevee.

Strangely, Leaf was a little more nervous after witnessing Aizen win so easily. However, she regained some confidence after he comfortingly patted her head and gently smiled at her.

Though her match was scheduled for 8 am, they started their match 20 minutes early.

The first Pokemon Blue called out was a Magcargo. And Leaf sighed in relief when she saw that it was something that could be easily dealt with, considering its slow speed.

Without taking any considerable risks, she called forth her Exeggutor. Though it was weak against Fire-Type Pokemon, its Psychic-Type was an asset that could not be ignored. And since Magcargo was a Rock Type Pokemon as well, it was not resistant to Grass-Type moves.

The battle proved to be quite a spectacle as Magcargo put up a great fight against the mighty Exeggutor, however, in the end, a ruthless Extrasensory struck it, and the magma Pokemon lost consciousness.

Exeggutor seemed fit to continue the next round, but after she saw that Blue had called out a Charmeleon, she switched it with her Pidgeotto, deciding to let Exeggutor rest and prepare for Blue's final Pokemon.

The match between Charmeleon and Pidgeotto turned out to be a one-sided affair for most of the round. The bird simply stayed in charge the whole round, but the tough evolution of Charmander nearly caught it off-guard with a powerful Fire Blast, making Leaf's heart threaten to jump out of her throat.

Pidgeotto fell down on the battlefield after suffering some painful burns, but it had not lost consciousness and still tried to get back in the air. However, Blue wanted to end it and nearly succeeded, if it was not for a miracle.

The pigeon bird, whose wings were already darkened enough, finally exuded a brilliant white light that soon engulfed it.

Everyone knew that Pidgeotto was close to its Evolution, but no one was expecting it to evolve at this moment.

When the majestic bird that was more than twice in size of her last Evolution shot up in the sky and proudly announced itself, Leaf had tears brimming in her eyes and her heart was finally at peace in this match.

"Preeee!!!"

Pidgeot ruthlessly looked at Charmeleon, who was already quite haggard, but true to their name, the draconic Pokemon did not show weakness and glared back at it. However, it was completely helpless against the powerful Brave Bird, the move Pidgeot had learned upon its evolution.

It was a reckless move since the bird suffered some damage too, and Leaf, who was still in the state of surprise, could not stop it from performing that move in time.

However, Charmeleon had lost, and Pidgeot, despite harming itself with Brave Bird, still looked ready to prey on her next opponent.

Leaf did not know what she was expecting to face next, but a Nintetales took her off-guard. The beautiful nine-tailed fox, which was a force to be reckoned with, given its Fire and Psychic Types, sent bells of crisis ringing in her head.

She knew that her plan to save Exeggutor had now failed as its Psychic Moves would not be as effective against a Ninetales. And she had no other Pokemon on her Roster that could stand a chance against this beautiful fox.

After some deliberation, she recalled Pidgeot and sent out Magnezone to deal with Ninetales. She had no other option, and she decided to tire out the Fox enough with Magnezone and Exeggutor so that Pidgeot could handle things in the end.

Everyone watched with bated breaths as Magnezone fought against Ninetales, giving its all. And Anira could not suppress her emotions when Magnezone's Mirror Coat worked, and Ninetales suffered from its own Fire Blast.

Leaf clenched her fists when she saw the Psychic Fox take some damage, but her heart nearly stopped when Ninetales used Will-O-Wisp and succeeded.

The round continued for another few moves, the Electric-Steel Tank gave its best, but it was just not meant to be.

The Sunny Day was already in effect, and after Magnezone was hit by a Mystical Fire, it stopped levitating and dropped down to the ground.

However, Leaf was relieved after she saw the Ninetales trying to catch its breath. It was getting tired, and her plan was still in effect.

She sent out Exeggutor next, but right off the bat, she suffered as a waiting Future Sight hit the Grass-Psychic Pokemon, inflicting some damage.

However, Exeggutor stood tall and fought well against the Psychic Fox, tiring it out some more before a powerful Fire Blast ended the round.

"It's all up to you now, Pidgeot." She lightly smiled at the majestic bird as she sent it out.

"Preee!!!" And Pidgeot ruthlessly looked at the white Fox, who despite its exhaustion, indifferently looked back at it.

"Ariel Ace!" She called out.

"Use Psychic..." Blue calmly said.

"Abort, and fly up!" Leaf immediately instructed. "Keep going!" She watched as Pidgeot kept flying up, and then watched Psychic hit her Pokemon. However, Pidgeot recovered from the blow and kept its distance from the Fox.

"Feather Dance!" Leaf instructed. "And then send out your finest Air Slashes at it."

The light screen saved Ninetales from letting Feather Dance take effect on it, but it had to constantly dodge and use Psychic against the oncoming Air Slashes to protect itself.

"Double-Team, Aerial Ace!" Leaf called out.

"Heat Wave. Surround yourself with it." Blue instructed, and Leaf gritted her teeth in and brave her heart.

She knew that Pidgeot would suffer if it came in contact with Nintales with the terrifying heat that it had just exhaled.

"Abort! Use Hurricane!" She called out, and Pidgeot managed to save itself in time and started assembling a powerful Hurricane.

Blue saw that there was no safe way to escape now, and so he instructed the Ninetales to use Psychic to protect itself.

Nintetales managed to save itself from the Hurricane by shielding against it, but then helplessly watched as Pidgeot rushed at it.

"Brave Bird!"

The Heat Wave had already been dispersed, and before Ninetales could do anything, the Brave Bird struck it, making it lose its consciousness.

As soon as the referee announced the result, Leaf rushed towards her Pideot and hugged it with all her might.

"Congratulations!" She happily said and then planted a kiss on its head.

"Preee!!"

"You were awesome!" She giggled and then gently brushed its feathers with her fingers.

Her friends soon arrived by her side and happily congratulated her.

"I enjoyed your match way more than I enjoyed Aizen's." Misty truthfully said, making everyone chuckle at her words.

The hazel-eyed girl hopefully looked towards Aizen and earned some gentle pats on her head.

"Well done!" He said and watched her bloom in a bright smile.

"It was an impressive match, Leaf." Sabrina too informed her, making the hazel-eyed girl even more happy.

"Here's your Volcano badge, Leaf. You have earned it!" Blue gently smiled at her and presented her with the beautiful red badge.

"Thank you, Sir!" She graciously said and accepted it before flashing it at her friends, making everyone laugh at her smugness.

"Which Gym are you heading to next?" Blue curiously asked, and everyone turned to look at Aizen.

"We are going take a Ferry to the Fuchsia City, and after it, will we head to the Neon City." He said, much to the surprise of the girls.

They all thought that they would be heading back to Vermilion City to go to Saffron City next, after all, Sabrina had to pay a visit to her adoptive parents. But it seemed like there was a change in plans.

"So, Poison and Bug Type Gyms." Blue nodded to himself. "They should be easy for the two of you." He honestly said.

Since Aizen and Leaf had already won at Water, Fighting, Ghost, Normal, Electric, and Fire Type Gyms, only Poison, Bug, Grass, Psychic, Rock, and Ground Type Gyms remained.

"But if you are planning on taking them all on, be careful in the Psychic and Ground Type Gyms. Because once you have won the 8 Badges, they won't go too easy on you."

"We will be fine!" Aizen smiled and said, and Leaf brightly smiled at his words before nodding her head.

"Good luck!" Blue said and then looked at Aizen. "I will see you in the evening."

The Orayen Prince nodded to the new Guardian of the Cinnabar Island and then left with the girls to celebrate their victory.