We meet up with Brendan again, and he says, "Guys! You've been looking for Pokémon here? Huh?"

He notices May's Mega Bracelet and says, "That bracelet you've got on... It's like, I don't know, really cool... ...Whoa. So that's the Mega Bracelet? And you can use it for Mega Evolution... So you'll just keep getting closer to your Pokémon and getting even stronger... All right, then. I guess I've just gotta help you test how strong you've become, huh? Show me in battle how much better you've gotten! Come on! A battle! I'm challenging you to a battle!"

May says, "Sure I can have a battle with you."

Then they battle with Brendan using Shroomish, Slugma, and Marshtomp, while May uses Ivysaur, Skitty, and Beautifly to defeat them. Brendan says, "Sheesh, May... You've gotten pretty darn decent. I'd say you're good enough to search for Pokémon anywhere by now. Here, I'll give you this, so try it out. You should be able to use it fine."

Then he gives May the HM for Fly. "With Fly, your Pokémon can carry you back to just about anyplace you've visited before. Of course, you'll need the Fortree Gym Badge first, though... Well, I'm going on ahead. But I'm definitely winning next time!"

After he leaves, I say, "With Fly, everything is going to be easier."

"I see..." May says as we enter Fortree City.

After we arrive at Fortree City, Max says, "Look at all the treehouses!"

"It's an old tradition, but lots of people in the Fortree City still live in them." Mark says.

When we arrive at the gym, I want to issue a gym battle, but much to our surprise, the one who comes out of the gym is East, and he says, "You're finally here, guys!"

"Hey, East. Where's your mother?" I ask.

"My Mom is in town today and since she's very busy at the moment. The feather carnival is here."

"Oh, the Feather Carnival, so it's today." Alice says.

"What's a Feather Carnival?" Max asks.

"It is a once-a-year celebration of the sky in the city." East says. "Do you want to come as well?"

"Of course, and we're a little hungry as well." I say.

Then we look around the city, and Max notices something in the sky. "Look at that! Something's flying towards us."

We look up to see a Skarmory and Aunt Winona is riding on it. East says. "That's my Mom."

When we decide to walk towards the town square, we also notice Steven walking away from the city to Route 120. "Hm... It looks as though that Pokémon can be found up on Route 120..."

"Is that Steven?" May asks.

"I wonder what he's doing over there..." Max says.

"I think he has some work to do." When we turn around, we are surprised to see who is there with us.

"Mom?" Minami asks, "What are you doing here?"

"Hello children. Winona invited me to the festival and I've been looking around. Have you guys enjoy it?" My Mom asks us.

"Everything in the festival looks great so far." I reply.

Then we see how Winona is surrounded by the children, and we decide to greet her. Winona notices us and she says, "It's nice to see you again, Ash, Alice, Mark, Minami. I see that Aurora also managed to bring you here as well."

"Actually, I didn't invite them, they're here at the right time and at the right moment." My Mom replies.

I say, "Winona, I come here to challenge the Fortree Gym. I have five badges now and I want to challenge you for my sixth badge."

"Ah, so you're doing the Hoenn Gym Challenge, I did hear East mention that. But you see, I'm in the middle of something, how about we have our battle after the festival?"

Then she decides to bring more children to the skies. Then we decided to hang out around the carnival, and we were surprised to see Aarune in one of the houses.

"Yo-o-o-o, guys! I knew we'd meet again!" Aarune says. "This is the Secret Base Guild, of course!"

"So what is this place do?" Alice asks.

"Oh, you! No need to be shy, my girl! The Secret Base Guild is here to fully support everyone so they can have a Secret Base life full of adventure! We can give you hints on how to enjoy your base and items you can't get anywhere else! And, best of all, coming here means that you can always meet me! Anytime you want! Y'know, that reminds me... You still haven't made yourself a team, have you?"

"What team?" I ask.

"See, a team is made up of, like, the pals that hang out in your base with you. I guess you could just call 'em friends, but doesn't "team" sound cooler? When you meet people in other bases, you can ask 'em to join your team! Nothing wrong with playing alone, of course, but having some pals around sure can liven things up in your base! If you haven't tried it yet, I think you oughta give it a shot before you write it off!"

"Okay..." Mark says.

"Oh yeah! You've been collecting flags, little pal? Here at the Secret Base Guild, we assign ranks to all the teams based on how many flags they've managed to get, see. The more Secret Bases you find and the more flags you snag, the higher you and your team will end up in the ranking!"

We didn't actually collect any flags, but we're curious as to why we should do that. Aarune says, "Huh? You wanna know why we do that? Ain't it obvious? It's more fun that way! A bit of rivalry gets everybody fired up! And doesn't it seem full of adventure to be on an endless hunt for more flags? The higher your rank gets, the richer your base life will become. You'll see! So go out there and find those flags, and then bring 'em here to show me! So lemme give a gift to my fellow base fanatic, for coming so far to see me here!"

He gives us a Proclamation for our secret bases, and he adds, "A Proclamation will let you set the battle format that will fly in your own base. There are lots of Decorations with special and cool effects like that! Whenever you get a new bit of swag for your digs, check it out to see what it does! And enjoy the base life!"

Then we decide to leave the place and continue exploring. There are a lot of Flying Pokmon in the city, and as we look up in the sky, we bump into something that causes Alice to fall down.

"Alice, are you alright?" I ask.

"I'm fine... but what did I bump into?" Alice asks.

"I didn't see anything." Minami says. "Something's fishy here..."

It is then Steven walks to us. "Hello, Aurora. How are you doing?"

"It's nice to see you here as well, Steven." My Mom says. "Are you enjoying the festival?"

"I have to say that it is very great." Steven says while turning to us. "How has it been? Have you been using the Mega Bracelet wisely? May? I suppose I needn't even ask, though. Not when it comes to you and your team."

"Actually... I don't have a Pokemon that I can Mega Evolve yet... well, I have the Venusaurite, but my Ivysaur needs more training."

"It's fine, just take your time." Steven says as he also notices the path is blocked. "I wonder... Have you noticed? Hm? There's something here you can't see."

"That's what we're going to figure out." Mark says.

"Now, if I were to use this device on the invisible obstacle... No, no... Rather than describing it, I should just show you. That should be more entertaining."

Then he gives us the Devon Scope, and we decide to look at the invisible wall. It turns out to be 5 Kecleon that are blocking the road.

"They are Kecleon!" I say. "5 of them!"

"That means we're going to chase them away." Minami says as we battle the 5 Kecleon, and both of us capture one each.

Kecleon: The Color Swap Pokemon: Normal Type. Kecleon alters its body coloration to blend in with its surroundings, allowing it to sneak up on its prey unnoticed. Then it lashes out with its long, stretchy tongue to instantly ensnare the unsuspecting target.

"Just as I expected. That's called a Devon Scope. It's a fantastic piece of tech that lets you see Pokémon in hiding. Consider it a gift from me. Take it." We put the Devon Scope in my bag, and then my Mom says, "Speaking of Mega Evolution, I think you should take these as well."

I receive three Mega Stones from my Mom, a Sceptilite, a Blazikenite, and a Swampertite. May also gets a Blazikenite as well. I say, "Thanks, Mom. We really need them."

"No problem, you are all hardworking children and I'm sure you can use those stones wisely." My Mom says.

"Hm? It seemed as though something just... shone for a moment in your Bag. I'm sure I sensed the power of some kind of stone... A Meteorite...? No, it couldn't be..." Steven says. "Let's meet again someday."

After we bid farewell to Steven, we decide to continue exploring and Max manages to fly with Winona in the sky, then it's May's turn. Once we're done, we decide to finally go to the gym.

"So we're finally here." I say. But much to our surprise, Team Rocket comes and tries to take away all the Flying Pokemon around the area. And they also seem to have a new Pokemon Chimecho in their team.

"So they are the famous Team Rocket that follows you guys on your journeys?" Winona asks.

"Yeah, over 200 times in Hoenn, Reisa can also vouch how annoying they are." East says.

Then we decide to work together to send them flying once more, but because of them, it is turning night time and the gym battle can only hold off to tomorrow.

As we enter the gym, we are surprised to see how many windmills are there, and the gym guide says, "Yo, how's it going, Champ Ash? Fortree Gym Leader Winona is a master of Flying-type Pokémon. She's waiting at the back of this Gym, behind the rotating doors. She's waiting for new challengers who are trying to take wing! OK, go for it!"

Then we decide to move and there are some wood doors that we can push through, and then we find the first trainer, a Bird Keeper named Jared. "Behold the elegant battle style of bird Pokemon!"

He uses Swellow and Skarmory, but it's a good thing I have Pikachu with me, and it uses Thunderbolt to defeat both Pokemon with ease. "You... You're strong..."

The second trainer is a Picnicker named Kylee, and she says, "Winona taught me personally! You can't beat me easily!"

"Let's see about that." I say. She uses a Swablu, so I go for Lunatone and uses Ancient Power to defeat it. "I was beaten..."

The puzzle is a little complicated as we have to move the same way again to make the door usable, but we reach the third trainer, a Camper named Terrell. He says, "There's no need for Winona, our Gym Leader, to deal with you!"

He seems confident, and he uses a Doduo and a Pelipper, so I go with Manectric, and with both Ice Fang and Thunder Fang, the two Pokemon are easily defeated. "Winona, I... I lost!"

I continue forward and reach the Bird Keeper named Will. "The lovers of bird Pokemon aspire to join this Gym. As a member of the Fortree Gym, I'm not allowed to lose!"

He goes for Dodrio, while I go for Pikachu again and a Wild Charge defeats the Pokemon with ease. "It was too much of a load for me to bear..."

The final trainer is a Bird Keeper named Bran, he says, "As a bird-Pokemon user, I solemnly swear to battle fair and square!"

He uses a Pelipper, and it is also defeated by Manectric with ease. And once we're done, we arrive at the battlefield, which is actually very high up. Winona says, "I have become one with bird Pokémon and have soared the skies... However grueling the battle, we will triumph with grace... Witness the elegant choreography of my bird Pokémon and me!"

Then we each get to the platform and now we're elevated to the skies. Winona kneels and says, "Oh great skies above, I ask that you grant us wings! Grant us your power to conquer even the strongest of stormy winds, and please, guide us to your great blue world and let us share its infinite power and majesty!"

"What is it that Winona is doing?" May asks.

"Our Mom likes to do that before her gym battles." East says. "We believe that both the sky and the ocean are a powerful god that guides our family."

The battle is a four-on-four, which seems to be difficult for me. Winona's first Pokemon is Skarmory, the same one that she used yesterday for the children. I say, "Sceptile! I choose you!"

I send out the Pokemon, and everyone is surprised at my choice. Skarmory begins the battle with a Wing Attack, but Sceptile counters with Bullet Seed and then jumps out of the way but gets attacked afterwards.

"Sceptile! No!" May yells.

"This is looking bad!" Max adds.

"Use Steel Wing!" I have Sceptile dodge it by climbing up a totem pole and doing a backflip.

"I'm impressed with your Sceptile. It's obvious from that quick reaction that you raised it quite well. But, no one wins the battle with defense alone."

Then Skarmory goes for Air Cutter, it hits Sceptile direct hit, but Sceptile doesn't seem too affected by it. It uses Air Cutter again, but I have Sceptile dodge the attacks.

"I don't understand how Sceptile takes those hits but keeps fighting!" Winona gasps.

"Now, Sceptile! Bullet Seed!" I yell, and the attack hits the Skarmory on the back. Skarmory resorts to ascending even higher. Despite the increased altitude, Sceptile rebounds off a pole and slashes Skarmory with a Leaf Blade. And then he continues to hold the attack, pushing the pair directly into the battlefield. Skarmory is unable to battle, so I have my first win.

"You did it, Sceptile!" I say.

"So Ash is just pretending to run away just to get the right time to strike." My Mom nods, "And since Sceptile is so fast, it is a perfect choice for him."

"I must say, your strategy is excellent. You caught me completely off guard." Winona says.

"Thanks, but I have to tell you that this match is just getting started." I say.

"That's true. And don't think you can get my gym badge that easily! Even if you're Aurora's son! Now Pelipper! I choose you!"

I decide to return Sceptile and go for Pikachu.

"I figure as much, you can start your attacks whenever you like!" I then have Pikachu use Thunderbolt, but Pelipper counters it by using Steel Wing on the ground. Causing the Electric attacks to fail.

"Hold on..." I gasp. "Why aren't Pikachu's electric attacks use on it?"

Then the Quick Attack hits Pikachu and causes it to fall to the ground.

"Of course! That Steel Wing that Pelipper is using is stopping Pikachu's electric attacks just like a lightning rod!" Minami says.

"So we've gotta get closer." I have Pikachu use Quick Attack, but Pelipper goes for Hydro Pump. The force of the attack causes Pelipper to de-ground itself and I see a chance to use a Thunder attack on Pelipper. In the end, it is a draw.

"Wow... look at that." May says.

"I thought Pikachu was going to win for a second there." Max says.

"I did, too. But the Hydro Pump is too much, it is too much." Mark says.

Winona smirks at me, and she says, "Ash, on days that are so beautiful and clear like today, my Flying Pokemon and I are able to manifest much greater power than we're able to in less able conditions. Those of us whose dreams are reached to the skies are loved by the skies."

Then she sends out a Shiny Swellow, much to our surprise. "A Shiny Swellow?" Alice gasps.

"So you're going to battle with a Swellow..." Then I go back with my Sceptile.

Sceptile uses Leaf Blade, though Swellow is seemingly unscathed by the swipe. Swellow is ordered to use Aerial Ace and hits Sceptile. I try to have Sceptile do the jump-and-Leaf-Blade combo again, but Swellow dodges it and carries Sceptile to the sky before tossing it directly into the battlefield.

"Good job, excellent work, Swellow." Winona says.

I return Sceptile and go for my Swellow. Winona says, "I see you use your own Swellow, let's see how this Pokemon does."

"Fine. I'm going to command the sky just like you do, and I'm going to get my sixth badge!" I yell.

Both Swellow start with the Wing Attack, but Winona's Swellow strikes first, causing mine to lose control of its flying as it begins to descend towards the field below.

"With both Pokemon being airborne, using Wing Attack can work against the attacker. The force causes Ash's Swellow to lose out of control." My Mom explains.

"Trying to pull yourself back together!" I yell as Swellow is getting back. Winona orders her Swellow to repeatedly Peck mine, and it deals a lot of damage.

"Now Hyper Beam!" Winona yells. "Dodge it!" My Swellow dodges it, but when the second time occurs, my Swellow is hit directly.

When Winona is trying to attack with Hyper Beam again, I yell, "Spin out and use Quick Attack!"

The attack is dodged, but Winona's is faster and it dodges the attack as well as countering with Aerial Ace.

"Swellow... no..." I mutter in surprise. The battle becomes an aerial chase between the two Swallow Pokémon, my Swellow is in a disadvantage.

"There's gotta be something we can do to shut down that Aerial Ace once and for all..." I notice the dust being stirred on the ground by Swellow's rapidly changing direction in midair close to the ground. It gives me an idea.

"If we do that, I think I can win this one."

"Hyper Beam again!" Winona yells. "Swellow, this is it! Now! Quick Attack and rush towards the Ground."

Winona is confused at first with his strategy, then she says, "Follow it with Aerial Ace!"

As the Swellow is chasing mine, I say, "Swellow! Use Wing Attack and pull it towards the ground!"

Swellow uses Wing Attack on the ground, whipping up a disorientation dust cloud. The momentary distraction allows my Swellow to launch a direct hit with another Wing Attack, knocking its opponent out.

"That was intense." Max says.

"Yeah..." Minami replies. "But he did it somehow."

My mom says, "But Winona's last Pokemon is her real Ace..."

"Swellow, return." After recalling the Pokemon, Winona says, "Now I will be sending my final Pokemon, and believe me, Ash. You know this Pokemon really well."

The last Pokemon is of course going to be an Altaria. I say, "Great... Altaria..."

"Altaria is a Dragon and Flying Type, I wonder how Ash's going to deal with it..." Alice says.

And with a Dragon Pulse, Swellow is defeated, so I decided to go with my final Pokemon. "Steelix! I choose you!"

As the crystal Steelix appears, Winona says, "That sure is a rare Steelix you have there."

"And there's more for it to do!" I say while pressing the Key Stone on my glove. "Mega Evolve!"

Steelix responds to me and now it has become a Mega Steelix. Max says, "He did it! He Mega Evolved!"

Altaria begins the battle with a Peck attack, but Steelix uses Iron Defense to block the attack. Winona then commands Altaria to do another Peck, it hits Steelix and causing him to get backward.

"Use Dragon Breath now!" I have Steelix use the same move, and my Dragon Breath suppresses Winona's and hits Altaria. Winona again commands Altaria to use the same attack, and Steelix gets hit and paralyzed. But Steelix manages to gain victory by using Iron Tail with a Rock Tomb.

"We did it!" I yell. "Steelix, you're great!"

"Never before have I seen a Trainer command Pokémon with more grace than I..." Winona smiles. "I recognize your talent and present you with this Gym Badge."

I receive the Feather Badge and she says, "With the Feather Badge, all Pokémon up to Lv. 70, even those received through trades, will obey your every command. You will also be able to use the HM move Fly outside of battle. You won against me... I know you'll keep aiming higher and higher! Someday, you may even fly up into the sky... That's the impression I get from you."

Then the others congratulated me, and East said, "Well, looks like you beat my Mom with ease as well. But considering I did see you defeat the Johto Gyms, it is obvious."

"I'm glad that you're not mad about that." I say.

Then much to my embarrassment, my Mom is rubbing my head and says, "You are not slacking, that is for sure. You know, the battle is really heating up as I really wanted to have a battle with you."

"Stop it, Mom. My hair is already messy..." I groan as everyone laughs.

Yay... the chapter is finished. Ash gets his sixth badge. I hope you like it and the next chapter will be Route 120 and 121

Ash + Alice's Pokemon:

Butterfree x2 (One Pink), Pikachu x2, Lapras, Meganium, Espeon, Steelix (Crystal), Mantine, Sceptile, Blaziken, Swampert, Mightyena, Linoone, Beautifly, Dustox, Lombre, Shiftry, Swellow, Pelipper, Kirlia, Gardevoir (Shiny), Masquerain, Breloom, Slaking, Ninjask, Shedinja, Loudred, Hariyama, Nosepass, Delcatty, Sableye, Mawile, Lairon, Manectric, Plusle, Minun, Volbeat, Illumise, Roselia, Gulpin, Sharpedo, Wailmer, Camerupt, Torkoal, Grumpig, Spinda, Vibrava, Cacturne, Swablu, Zangoose, Seviper, Lunatone, Solrock, Whiscash, Crawdaunt, Claydol, Lileep, Anorith, Feebas, Castform, Kecleon, Tropius, Latias, Latios, Jirachi

May's Pokemon:

Ivysaur, Combusken, Beautifly, Skitty

Mark's Pokemon:

Blaziken, Swampert, Ludicolo, Pelipper, Surskit, Breloom, Hariyama, Sharpedo, Wailmer, Camerupt, Torkoal, Whiscash, Crawdaunt, Milotic

Minami's Pokemon:

Linoone, Swellow, Gardevoir, Slaking, Loudred, Delcatty, Mawile, Grumpig, Spinda, Swablu, Zangoose, Lunatone, Solrock, Claydol, Castform, Kecleon