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First Flight:Chapter #3 (final) - Skyward~

Disclaimers: I do NOT own Pokemon, its characters, its locations or

anything associated with it. It all belongs to Nintendo."...Bagon?"Brendan stood there in sheer astonishment, hardly daring to

believe that the Salamence poised before him, shielding him from the others, was

the Bagon that he had parted with over half a year ago.The Salamence did not answer Brendan or even look at him as

his full attention was focused upon his equals, staring down all three with a

challenging glare. And then the inevitable confrontation began. One of the opposing Salamence undraped its wings and blasted

forward, screaming through the air like a jet, but was decisively repelled by a

powerful stream of Dragon Breath from the one protecting the human. The other two took advantage of their comrade's initiative

by moving in close in the meantime to engage their rogue brother in close

combat. Brendan's Salamence was forced to duel the other two at once

at point blank range in an exchange of Dragon Claw attacks. Despite being

outnumbered, he still managed to hold his own, blocking and dodging a good

portion of their swipes and strikes and returning as much damage as he took

from them both.With the trainer-friendly Salamence occupied with defending

on two fronts at once, the third Salamence who had been the first to strike

went for his open back, taking advantage of the distraction and the blind spot.

It swiftly closed the distance between them and lashed out with a Dragon Claw

that streaked trails of white light through the air. The tail of Brendan's Salamence unexpectedly flicked upwards

in a fluid arcing motion that was heavy with momentum to strike the ambushing

Salamence in the base of the jaw in an uppercut strong enough to dislodge bone

and it was toppled onto its back with a resounding crash, its surprise attack neutralised

before it had a chance to connect. Drawing inspiration, the remaining duo struck out with their

tails too. One coiled around a foreleg of Brendan's Salamence and the other

snagged one of his hind legs. The tails pulled taut to stretch the Salamence's

limbs in opposite directions. Having already recovered from the surprise blow, the third

Salamence launched itself with a burst of air again at the awkwardly restrained

one, landing a direct Double-Edge attack that sent Brendan's ally across the

cave at a terrible velocity before he impacted the far wall in an explosion of

dust and flying rubble.   Brendan's Salamence arose out of the dissipating cloud of

dust on his feet, mostly unharmed apart from a couple of bruises along its body.However, as he squared off for a fresh bout against his

enemies, the steady beat of pulsing wings interrupted them.  Brendan watched in horror as another pair of Salamence

hovered down from the highest level of the cave to form ranks with the first

three, possibly attracted by the din of the battle.   Undeterred, Brendan's Salamence let out a shrieking roar rumbling

with pugnacious defiance that was answered fivefold. The battle began anew.For a brief moment, Brendan thought that his supporter might

stand a chance, but that childish optimism was reduced to cinders as his

Salamence became quickly overwhelmed, hammered and bruised by one attack after

another as the horde of enemy Salamence unleashed their fury on him without a

shred of mercy.  I need to help him!Brendan tried to crawl over to where his party lay in

jumbled Poké Balls but his limbs would not obey him at all. He could not break the effect of the spell, the source of which was these

manifestations of his darkest fear standing not even twenty metres from him,

and could only lie there, petrified.  "Help me!"It was a futile outburst borne out of desperation but miraculously,

as if his plea had somehow reached them in their stasis, the Poké Balls quivered

and then burst open one by one, releasing their passengers in a multitude of

flashing lights - Milotic, Absol, Aggron, Gardevoir and Sceptile.  Without waiting for an order from their trainer, Brendan's

Pokémon sprang into action at once, splitting up and racing to confront the Salamence

gang.Absol threw its head back while dashing straight at the group

of dragons. The elongated horn on its head glowed and fired off a crescent

shaped blade of energy that spun through the air and hit one of them in the

back of its shoulder, catching its attention. The Salamence stomped around to face Absol, snarling, and

retaliated by propelling itself straight at the mammalian Pokémon with its wings

outstretched and skull primed for a debilitating Headbutt attack.  Gardevoir glided in front of

Absol and conjured a number of translucent hexagonal panes that all attached to

each other to form a defensive charm that repelled the Salamence's charge with

a bright ping like ringing metal.All the other wild Salamence, too, wheeled about in order to

deal with the wave of new threats assailing them from behind, abandoning the

caning of their fellow Salamence. One aimed a Dragon Breath at the Sceptile rushing it, but

the jungle gecko sprang nimbly into the air with an incredible lightness,

somersaulting several times in quick succession over the head of its attacker. Landing

precisely on the Salamence's back, Sceptile slammed down with an unavoidable

Leaf Blade.  Brendan's Salamence seized a laggard and twisting it back

about, he brought it in close until their foreheads clanged together with a

sickening crunch. The Headbutt left the other Salamence reeling and dazed with

pain. Brendan's ally instantly followed up with a Dragon Claw that pummeled it

right down into the earth, and it did not get up again afterwards.In the meantime, Gardevoir and Absol worked together to

bring down their opponent but were unable to make much headway. After Gardevoir

would block each physical attack with Reflect, Absol would then charge in to

counterattack, but was unable to deal any real significant damage.Just as Gardevoir was on the verge of directly attacking the

Salamence itself, the latter spread its jaw wide to charge a swirling ball of

dazzlingly bright orange energy. The Hyper Beam cut through the air toward

Gardevoir and Absol.    Brendan's Salamence pounced in front of the two Pokémon and

fired off his own Hyper Beam. The two arrows of energy met and struggled

momentarily against one another before merging into a singular force that

immediately collapsed upon itself in a tremendously powerful explosion that

sent every surrounding combatant flying. Absol was slammed into the base of a

nearby amethyst stalagmite while Gardevoir and the friendly Salamence were strewn

chaotically far across the cave.      The enemy Salamence was the first to recover, appearing out

of the thick, dark smoke that poured in all directions from the epicentre of

the devastation to finish them off.Milotic suddenly streaked high through the air like an

elegant twirling ribbon. With a high-pitched whine much like a laser, it unleashed a

jagged bolt of Ice Beam that locked the attacking Salamence in place who shrieked

in pain as its legs were encrusted in blooming crystals of ice so ruthlessly

cold that they burned like fire.Gardevoir, Absol and the allied Salamence then combined

attacks in order to take down the trapped Salamence for good, easily smashing

right through and shattering the thick and tall ice crystals imprisoning it. Having already dispatched the Salamence it had initially

encountered on its own at some point during the battle, Sceptile had now joined

Aggron in a pitched double battle against the remaining two wild Salamence.The battle was brought to a standstill when Milotic,

Gardevoir, Absol and the allied Salamence flooded onto the scene, all four of

them filing up at Sceptile and Aggron's backs to reinforce them. It was now six

on two.Recognising an unwinnable fight, the pair retreated without

further ado, flexing their wings and taking flight, soaring back up into the

darkness behind that high waterfall at the top shelf of the cave from whence

they came.After they were gone, Sceptile spat in disgust at their

cowardice before joining the rest of Brendan's Pokémon, who had all crowded

around their trainer in collective concern. "I'm okay - I'm not hurt," Brendan assured them, flashing a

weak smile as he finally stood up with some trouble. "You all...actually heard me

when I called, thank you...and thank you

-" he added quietly, directing his words at the only Salamence left behind; the

Pokémon that had protected him and who was one that had run him over so long

ago, "- for saving me." Aware of the fact that it was possible that more Salamence

could attack them again at any time, Brendan led the group through the nearest

exit to a natural rock platform outside, which they found to be very close to

the top of Meteor Falls.        Even now, it was still difficult for Brendan to look at the

Salamence meandering along at his side without feeling an anxiety that was

almost suffocating, and did his best to avoid eye contact.But when Brendan glimpsed Salamence's clawed feet scraping

the ground as they turned around to point at him at the borderline of his

vision, he forced himself to raise his sight to their owner.  Salamence had his head downcast in a deferential sort of way

and his front legs were bent. For one confused second, the boy thought that

Salamence was bowing to him but then understood the meaning of the invitation. "You want me to ride on your back?" Salamence fixed Brendan with a dark eye that gleamed with

affirmation. This was the small Pokémon that Brendan had rescued and

cared for over half a year ago - the one that recklessly leapt of cliffs, broke

benches and happily quaffed down his own ice cream.  It was the same obstinate and vibrant soul.

But, he was still a Salamence. In his mind's eye, he had a terrible vision of this gentle

Salamence violently turning on him, slicing grievous cuts across the head with

his claws and spattering crimson blood everywhere just like the vicious beast

that ravaged him as a child had done.Cracks of uncertainty and apprehension flitted through

Brendan. No matter what, he still could not shake off that connate fear that

existed within him like some irremovable parasite. He took an unconscious step

backwards; a physiological response that was not missed by the Salamence who

did nothing to react but to hold its posture exactly, unblinking and patient. I can't...Just as the pathetic lament echoed in Brendan's mind, he

sensed a wave of peacefulness wash over him like warm water. This was followed

by another, and then another, and yet another; each tide gradually rinsing away

the reservations and insecurities that tormented him.Subsequently, Brendan felt a shift in his mental equilibrium,

like a door that had been shut for a long time had been thrown suddenly open.

And then, there came a fountain of unfamiliar feelings that were not his -

aching loneliness, hopeful yearning, tempered patience, trust, and underlying

all of it was a burning flame of unbreakable and honest loyalty.   Brendan glanced behind him and saw his Gardevoir lowering it

arms and opening its eyes, and he understood. It had projected its Calm Mind

onto him to soothe his inner conflict and then used its powers to establish an

empathic link between his mind and Salamence's, allowing him to directly

experience Salamence's unspoken emotions firsthand.    It gave Brendan the conviction he needed but had been unable

to bridge by himself. With new confidence, he reduced the gap between Salamence

and himself until they were finally face to face. Lifting a hand, he hesitated

for a breath's duration as if making sure of his ability, and then placed it on

the side of that long blue neck.For a moment he stood there, breathless, wondrously

marveling at the sheer fact that he was able to simply touch a Salamence like

this after so many years of not being capable of even looking at a picture of

them. He turned back to his Gardevoir."Thank you...I..." he said, at a loss for how he could convey

the level of gratitude he had, but the graceful Psychic-Type did not seem to

require anything more and curtsied back. Salamence gave Brendan a gentle and encouraging nudge in the

ribs with its snout, bringing him out of his reverie."Right...I can do this!" Using the inclined leg that Salamence offered to him as a

foothold, Brendan hoisted himself up onto the dragon's back and perched himself

at the bottom of the neck where he would be the safest from the slipstream with

his feet on either side.Taking a moment to check that Brendan was securely lodged

first, Salamence then took a running start by making a headlong dash for the

end of the ledge.Brendan immediately had misgivings about what was about to

occur."Wait...you're not going to -" Salamence hurled them right off the cliff and they both plummeted

straight down the mountainside."WHAT THE HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL?!?!?!" Brendan screamed. Practically in free fall, he frantically gripped with

everything he had around the girth of Salamence's neck as he was dragged by the

dragon's much heavier mass toward the earth at breakneck speed, his fingers a

brush away from slipping off. "I THOUGHT YOU COULD FLY!"Salamence cast his wings out wide and straight on either

side with a sound akin to windswept sails and they curved sharply out of their

dive until they were suddenly gliding silkily along a perfectly horizontal

plane.The Dragon Pokémon glanced behind him at Brendan and the

light of amusement glimmering in its eyes could not have conveyed the message

any clearer.Just kidding. "Jerk." Brendan muttered under his breath.With a mighty blast from his wings, Salamence launched them

upwards again into the fathomless heights of the deep and pristine blue night

sky. Brendan's hands redoubled the strength of their grasp to the dragon as

Salamence carved a steep ascent to gain altitude. Peering down, Brendan saw the entirety of Hoenn rolled out

beneath them from the smoking crater of Mt. Chimney as phosphoric as a live

coal all the way to the distant South-East islands where the Battle Tower rose

lone and tall above all else with the moonlight glinting off its glass

structure and across to a small white patch at the foot of the mainland that

was actually the beach of Slateport.   They swooped, plunged, wove, looped and strafed without any

restraint through the balmy night air with Brendan laughing giddily all the

while as he enjoyed the various maneuvers that Salamence pulled off as much as he

would a roller coaster. Salamence climbed even higher and Brendan thought that he

was striving for the heavens themselves as they approached a dense blanket of sheer

white that might have been the sky's ceiling and before he knew it, everything

was cold, moist and foggy to the point that he was virtually blind...  It all vanished as quickly as he had been engulfed. His

sight returned to him and it was as if they had broken through a wall and

trespassed into an entirely different world.The moon reigned as round and bright as the sun during the

day over an endless sea of clouds just under them that stretched on as far as

the sky itself like some lunar-soaked desert of bumpy fields and swirling

fluffy constructs the size of castles. As they cruised lazily over the tideless

pale and lumpy ocean, a flock of Altaria rose up below out from its depths to

accompany them, their soft calls like song. 

 Brendan shivered. Not only had he been drenched through and

through from condensation but whereas the temperature had been pleasantly warm

closer to the ground, all the way up here it was absolutely freezing and was

only made worse by the wind dragging and snapping at his clothes as they flew.  There was nothing but hushed silence up in this secret

world, save for the gushing wind moaning in Brendan's ears and the occasional

bar of the Altarias' music. The quiet almost had a solemnity to it, as if

paying respect to the grandeur of the transcendent wonder that was the

immeasurable void looming right over the two where the blue sky darkened into

the beginnings of space. Here, before the splendour of the engorged full moon that seemed

so close and a hundred billion haphazard battalions of winking stars, the sights

of what was beyond their tiny world were in full bloom - planetary bodies like

spherical giants, glowing blue and green trails of mysterious cosmic aurora and

multi-coloured miasmic fireworks of unimaginable phenomena. Eventually, the two returned to the ground after whiling

away most of the night away flying, with Salamence touching down lightly

adjacent to a tall and majestic waterfall at the base of Meteor Falls.The earlier titanic battle had left them caked in dirt and

grime so Brendan was thankful for the opportunity to wash, wasting no time in

jumping straight into the rocky pool that caught the waterfall without even

removing his clothes first.Scooping up the icy water, Brendan rinsed his face four or

five times, each cold slap stinging but leaving him ultimately refreshed.

Pinching his nose, he dipped his entire head below the surface and then popped

back up again a few seconds later. He glanced over to where Salamence was currently showering

under the dense curtain of falling water and found himself struck by the way

that stray droplets streaked down its low slung strong torso.  This is the Pokémon

that risked his own life by turning on his own kind to save mine. Even after when

I had turned my back on him and wasted that amazing amount of faith and trust

that kept him waiting all that time me to come back, and I never did.       Acting on an inner compulsion, Brendan waded across the

basin to the dragon Pokémon. He reached up to cup both sides of Salamence's

muzzle in his gloves and pulled the beast's head down until it was low enough

for him to stamp a firm kiss on the tip of his snout and then rest his forehead

against it. "I'm sorry."Brendan's simple apology was weighted in tones of pained

sorrow and indelible regret. With those glittering rubies of his stashed away behind

fallen eyelids, Brendan felt Salamence's tongue breezily lap once at his face -

a universal expression common to all Pokémon that communicated nothing but pure

affection.  Brendan couldn't help but smile without opening his eyes. It

was a simple answer for a simple apology. He leaned his head around the snout to

plant his lips against the corner of Salamence's long mouth. Salamence's maw unsealed and his tongue ventured forth again

to swipe Brendan's cheek, but this time it wasn't a gesture of forgiveness - the

way that it skated over his skin, prodding the lobe of his ear and sketching

the shadow of his jaw was much more intimate than just a friendly interaction. As Salamence's tongue flicked in and out from under that

snout, darting across the boy trainer's face, Brendan let his mouth open so he

could introduce his partner's slimy and much larger sensory appendage to his

own but his quarry was too busy moving to its own rhythm and they ended up

bumping or grazing only two or three times.Brendan drew back after a few minutes of their outstretched

tongues dancing and twisting sloppily together out in the open air, his eyes

wide as if though he had just realised what they had done. Wow. Did I really

just?... Even as that bashful thought transpired, Brendan couldn't

help but notice that Salamence tasted comparable to raw meat except warm and

moist and think to himself that it really shouldn't have been that surprising

and that he should probably start getting used to having his steaks rare.     The two went back to cleaning themselves in the rock pool

and after they were done they prepared to depart the area."The others are probably wondering what's taking us so

long," Brendan surmised, as he clambered atop his companion. Salamence threw its wings out and the two took to the skies

once more where the colours of a newly minted morning were gradually spreading

across the distant horizon and draining the last dregs of night away.