The three of them did not go inside the gym. Instead, they followed the long stairs on the outside. They climbed toward the very top of the gym pyramid.
Looking up from the bottom already made the place feel high. But when they were on the long stairs, they saw that the height was very shocking.
If you counted by normal building floors, it was at least twenty-six or twenty-seven stories high. This trip was very tiring because of the long passage they walked before.
By the time they were halfway up, Misty was already breathing hard.
"It's too high..." she said. She wiped the sweat from her forehead. She felt helpless. "Why didn't they install an elevator inside? I understand this might be to train the challengers, but they should consider the feelings of those of us who are just coming along..."
The staff member next to them was used to the climb. He was not tired and his face was not red. He looked completely normal. He smiled and said, "This is a Flying-type gym. Actually, you can ride a Flying-type Pokémon directly to the top of the tower. However, I still believe that climbing once in a while is beneficial for the body and mind."
The long and steep stairs finally ended.
When the two of them stepped onto the top of the tower, they were shocked by the wide scenery.
It was the tallest building in Fortree City. Standing here, they could see the whole city at once. Below them, it looked like a green sea made of trees. Only a few tall buildings were visible above the forest. After the long climb, looking at this view made them feel good.
"It really is beautiful," Natsui said with a sigh. "It was worth the hard work of climbing up here."
After looking at the view, he turned to see the top of the tower.
The top of the Fortree Gym was a normal battlefield. The ground was covered with thick soil. This meant Ground-type Pokémon could use the move Dig. On the left and right sides, there were lift platforms. These could raise the trainers high so they could give orders from the air.
At the other end of the battlefield, a woman in her twenties was watching him. She wore a flight suit and a helmet with goggles.
This person was the Gym Leader of Fortree City, Winona.
Winona was quite pretty. She had long, grey-purple hair. Her body looked very fit because she trained for flight for many years.
Winona saw Natsui and spoke to him.
"Welcome to my Fortree Gym. I am the Gym Leader, Winona."
Winona's title was "The Bird Pokémon Trainer who soars across the world." This name showed she specialized in bird Pokémon. She could read how the wind moved. She believed that living together with nature was the best way to live. This was why she built her gym here.
Also, Winona thought that elegance and grace in battle were very important. Because of this, people called her a powerful trainer who respected beauty.
"Hello, I am Natsui."
"I am Misty."
The two of them introduced themselves. They were strangers but they knew why they were there, so they did not waste time. Misty walked to the seats. Natsui followed the staff member to the trainer area on the side.
Once Winona walked to the other side, the platforms beneath them rose. This took them ten meters into the air above the battlefield.
Natsui thought this was a special feature of the gym. It felt like commanding a battle in the sky.
However, for people who were afraid of heights, being at the top of this tall tower on a high platform would be very scary.
But for Natsui, this was not a problem. He often rode Pokémon to fly above the clouds. This height was easy for him.
The staff member walked onto a platform in the center. He was the referee. He said to Natsui, "Now, we will begin the gym battle between the Fortree Gym Leader, Winona, and the challenger, Natsui. Three Pokémon can be used in this gym battle. The match will end when all the Pokémon on either side are unable to battle. Additionally, only the challenger is allowed to switch Pokémon at any time!"
The rules were very normal. They were the same as most other gyms.
Even though it was an aerial gym, there were no special rules.
Winona was ready. She took out a Poké Ball and threw it with power. An Altaria appeared in front of Natsui.
Natsui was not surprised.
This was Winona's best Pokémon and her main partner. Everyone thought of Altaria when they heard her name.
She sent out this Pokémon immediately without knowing the opponent's strength. This showed that Winona did not go easy on people. She took every gym battle seriously. This was not a problem for Natsui. He wanted her to use her full power. But for new trainers, this would be a very hard fight. They might even get bad memories or feel afraid if they lost.
However, nothing could be done about that. Everyone has a different personality. Some leaders like to help new trainers with a weak team. But others are serious about fighting from start to finish.
There were good and bad things about this. If a challenger won against a leader like this, they would grow a lot.
Natsui thought about which Pokémon to use.
He took a Poké Ball from his bag and threw it at the battlefield.
A blue light flashed. Winona saw Natsui's Pokémon clearly.
"Oh? It's a Metang." She nodded and praised him, "From a type-matchup perspective, while Steel-type Pokémon can't cause super-effective damage to my Altaria, Altaria's Flying and Dragon-type moves can't cause effective damage to it. I have to say, it's a good choice."
Natsui did not expect her to talk about his choice. He could see she was very confident.
Altaria flew high in the air. Metang did not fly high. It stayed one meter above the ground. One was high and one was low. They both stared at each other. They both wanted to win.
The Pokémon could feel each other's power more clearly than the trainers. They could guess how strong the opponent was.
Altaria looked excited. But Metang was a Steel-type with a cold heart, so it did not show its feelings.
The referee announced the start of the match.
Winona attacked first. Altaria dove directly at Metang!
This was a risky idea. It closed the distance quickly, but it was a straight line. It was easy to be hit by an attack while moving like that.
Is she very confident in her speed?
Natsui guessed she was, but he wanted to test it.
Natsui told Metang to attack Altaria.
Metang shot a psychic force of Confusion at Altaria. But Altaria felt it. It moved its wings slightly. It changed direction in the air and flew in a circle. It dodged the Confusion and flew at Metang from the side!
It was very fast.
Winona was brave to use that attack because her Pokémon was fast.
Natsui was a bit surprised, but he expected it. Metang missed the first shot. Now Altaria was in front of Metang. Metang could not attack again or dodge because Altaria was too fast.
"Now is our chance!" Winona's eyes lit up and she shouted.
"Use Peck!"
Natsui was stunned.
She had a great chance, but she used a simple attack?
Then he saw that her "Peck" was different from other Pokémon.
Altaria's beak flashed with a cold light. It pecked at Metang many times. In a few seconds, it pecked dozens of times!
It was very fast. It looked like a blurry image.
Clang, clang, clang, clang—!
The sound of metal being hit echoed.
Peck is a basic attack and does not do much damage. But many fast hits can do decent damage. Natsui respected this. Training a Pokémon to do that was not easy. This was why it was her best Pokémon.
But Altaria's attacks only did half damage to Metang. Metang also had high defense. It looked scary, but it did not do much.
"As expected." Winona saw this and shook her head.
"This move of mine has defeated many trainers by surprise. Although I foresaw this outcome, it seems I am still helpless when dealing with a Pokémon with such a type advantage."
Natsui did not say anything.
He could hear that Winona felt a bit helpless. He did not pick Metang on purpose. He just had a few Pokémon that needed training. Everyone would get a turn.
It was just Metang's turn.
Altaria's attack ended. Metang counter-attacked.
Metang used Metal Claw with its arms to hit Altaria. But Altaria was ready. It spread its wings and dodged.
This was how flexible Flying-type Pokémon were.
Natsui did not think Metal Claw would hit. He used Confusion for a long-range attack.
Altaria did not get close again. It dodged the Confusion. It attacked from a distance with Dragon Breath and Dragon Pulse.
But mistakes happen in fast battles. Altaria hit Metang with Dragon Breath once. But Altaria also made a mistake. A small mistake can be a big problem!
Altaria was hit by Confusion. It was now controlled.
It took damage. The psychic power pulled it toward the ground and toward Metang.
"Altaria! Break free quickly!!"
Winona gave the order. But Altaria could not break free from the Confusion.
She was an experienced Gym Leader. She saw that strength did not work, so she thought of a new plan.
Altaria used Dragon Pulse on the ground below it. When the move hit the ground, it pushed Altaria back up. There was a big explosion. Smoke and force surrounded it!
The smoke helped it get control of its body again.
But before it could feel safe, Winona shouted.
"Watch out above!"
Altaria looked up. Metang was in front of it. It was moving very fast. Its claws were glowing and it attacked!
It had no time to move. It used its soft feathers to block the hit.
Natsui knew what she was planning when she used Dragon Pulse on the ground.
He had more experience and saw the plan.
He had Metang use Agility. It moved quickly to Altaria and used Metal Claw.
But Altaria reacted very fast. It used Cotton Guard to defend.
Only a few Pokémon with many feathers can use that move.
It makes defense much higher. It is a very good way to stop close attacks!
It really isn't simple.
Natsui felt impressed.
Winona did not give that order. Altaria did it by instinct!
Natsui thought again that Winona's best Pokémon was not simple!
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