Moi-Moi: Hey guys! Because it was asked for, I'm giving you the roster for Alex's Pokemon. ;) Complete with genders and levels of each one.

Scythe (male Scyther, Lv: 28)- Quick Attack, Wing Attack, Fury Cutter, Double Team

Hera (female Heracross, Lv: 69)- Horn Attack, Brick Break, Take Down, Mega Horn

Batty (male Crobat, Lv: 51)- Supersonic, Poison Fang, Wing Attack, Bite

Pincher (male Pinsir, Lv: 63)- Bind, Guillotine, Seismic Toss, Vice Grip

Aries (male Ariados, Lv: 42)- Poison Sting, String Shot, Fury Swipes, Night Shade

Beatrice (female Beedrill, Lv: 34)- Twineedle, Fury Attack, Pin Missile, Toxic

Additionally, I've posted up a poll on my profile that I would really like you guys to answer. It would really help me decide where to go next with my Pokemon fanfictions. Anyways, thanks for all the support you guys and happy voting! :D

I also thought that it's wouldn't hurt to share this little one-shot I've had written for months. So I decided to pick Alex re-challenging the Fortree Gym for the setting of the one-shot. I felt that it would give me a chance to explore Winona's dynamic with Alex, Alex's battle style, as well as Alex's character in general all at the same time.

Winona stood atop her customary platform at her Gym. The sun was directly above the field and beating down on her and her challenger. It was her job as Gym Leader to test the readiness of Trainers before they could enter Hoenn League. By challenging her, Trainers should receive decent preparation against Flying type Pokémon. Since she was the most talented flying type Trainer in Hoenn, her challengers were always well prepared. Being a Gym Leader also meant testing her capabilities as a Gym Leader and her ability to learn from her challengers. And Winona was sure that she would be able to learn a fair amount from her latest challenger. "Are you ready to begin, Alex?" Winona called out across the field to where her younger brother stood.

"I'm ready," Alex said and gripped a Pokéball, the wind rustling his dark blue hair.

"I should warn you. Big sister's gotten stronger since your last time challenging the Fortree Gym. I won't make it easy on you," Winona smirked.

"I was just about to tell you the same thing," Alex smirked in return.

"This will be a three-on-three battle. The battle will be over when all Pokémon on one side are unable to continue. Furthermore, only the challenger is allowed to substitute Pokémon," the referee announced.

Winona narrowed her eyes before calling out her first Pokémon. "Skarmory!"

"Batty, let's go!" Alex responded and released his Crobat. Crobat and Skarmory hovered in place while glaring each other down. On more than one occasion, the two had flown through the skies together as comrades. But now, they were opponents fighting for a victory for their respective Trainers. "Batty, use Supersonic!"

"Dodge it, Skarmory! Then use Steel Wing!" Winona commanded.

"Skar!" Skarmory screeched while flapping its wings. Skarmory lifted its large body higher into the air to dodge Batty's Supersonic attack. Once Batty had finished its screeching, Skarmory dove down quickly and struck the purple bat with its glowing wings.

"Use Bite, Batty!" Alex commanded quickly. Skarmory was still in the process of pushing Batty down towards the field when Alex had responded. Batty seized Skarmory's wing between his teeth before piercing the steel plating around Skarmory's wing.

"Skar!" Skarmory bellowed and hesitated in its attack. This hesitation gave Batty enough time to slip out from under Skarmory's wing and put some distance between them.

"Supersonic again, Batty!"

Batty glared at Skarmory's back and uttered a high-pitched sound from its mouth. The blue rings traveled with the sound before colliding with Skarmory's back. Ear's ringing from the attack, Skarmory suddenly dived down towards the ground.

"Skarmory! Snap out of it!" Winona urged her Pokémon when Skarmory began smashing its body into the field.

"Batty, use Bite again!" Alex commanded. Bite was the only move now that would have any sort of effect on Skarmory. Unfortunately, physical attacks barely did any damage against Steel types. Real force would be needed if they were going to do any damage to Skarmory's hard skin.

"Skarmory, look out!" Winona warned.

Alex smirked. Batty was doing a good job focusing his attacks on one spot on Skarmory's wing. It was a little bit of damage every time, but it was having an effect. Coupled with Skarmory's self-abuse, the battle wouldn't last much longer. Just as Batty was zooming in for another Bite attack, Skarmory quickly snapped out of its confusion. Winona's eyes widened in relieved surprise. "Skarmory, dodge that!"

"Skar!" Skarmory screeched before quickly flying upwards.

"Nice try," Alex smirked. "Stay on it, Batty! Use Bite again!" Alex ordered. Batty quickly swooped upwards before closing in on Skarmory. The Steel type's eyes widened in surprise just before Batty placed the decisive blow and landed a critical hit.

"Skarmory is unable to battle! Batty is the winner!" the referee announced.

"Great work, Batty," Alex complimented his Pokémon. Batty nodded to his Trainer over his shoulder before readying himself for another go.

"I'm impressed, Alex. Your Crobat managed to get much faster. He's even faster than my Skarmory now," Winona smiled. Alex smiled and nodded in thanks. "So I'll need a Pokémon that can keep up with your speed. Swellow, it's your turn!"

"Swellow!" Winona's shiny Swellow cried out while stretching its wings and taking flight. Alex frowned. He remembered that Swellow was a powerful battler with powerful moves and excellent speed. Batty was starting to look worn out from his first bout and wouldn't last long if he didn't battle smart. "Aerial Ace, Swellow!" Winona started.

"Dodge it and use Poison Fang, Batty!" Alex commanded.

Batty used all four wings to swoop up to dodge the attack. Swellow was quick to make a return trip to try to strike the bat from behind. Reacting quickly, Batty allowed toxic poisons to seep over and from his teeth before tightly latching onto Swellow's wing. Batty held on while Swellow bucked to ensure that enough poison attacked the bird's system.

"Use Peck, Swellow!" Winona commanded. With a hard glare, Swellow began to quickly peck at Batty with a rapid-fire succession. With a final groan, the bat released Swellow's wing before falling to the ground.

"Batty is unable to battle! The winner is Swellow!"

The victory was short lived, however. Swellow was just starting to feel the effect's of Batty's poison coursing through its body. Out of sheer will and determination, Swellow released a fierce cry of, "Swellow!" and shook out its wings.

"Beatrice, you're up!" Alex chose and released his Beedrill from its Pokéball. "Use Toxic!"

Swellow was able to quickly dodge the first spray of the rancid, purple liquid, but quickly found itself in a game of "Toxic Tag" with Beatrice. The field below them was quickly getting covered with splatters of the purple poison, making it nearly uninhabitable. "Switch to Pin Missle, Beatrice!" Alex commanded. Swellow was able to dodge every one of Beatrice's attacks, but wasn't able to do more than dodge. Alex could notice Swellow slowing slightly, its endurance being sapped by the poison in its veins.

The Pin Missile put a halt to Swellow's escape. The glowing pins exploded upon contact and sent Swellow careening out of control. "Toxic! Once more!" Alex yelled. He was afraid of letting Beatrice get in too close to Swellow. The bird could be injured this second and then quickly turn around and launch a close range Peck attack.

"Swellow is unable to battle! Beatrice is the winner!"

"I'm starting to question how you could have lost at the Hoenn League. You're Pokémon are very strong and well-trained," Winona complimented. Alex felt his cheeks warm slightly at the compliment, his freckles blending in with his flushing skin. "But this is our last bout, Alex. It's been fun. I like having you home," Winona smiled.

"You bet. I'm going to win this and get the Feather Badge all over again," Alex grinned.

"Altaria! It's your turn!" Winona chose.

"Altaria, huh? Alright Beatrice, use Pin Missile!" Alex commanded.

Charging up the spears on her arms, Beatrice let a barrage of glowing pins fly towards Altaria. "Dodge it, Altaria!" Winona commanded. Altaria was quick to move away from the missiles, Beatrice kept on her tail.

"Keep it up, Beatrice!" Alex commanded with a grin.

Winona frowned as she watched Altaria dodge the many attacks. What was Alex trying to do? Was he trying to tire out Altaria? Well, it wasn't going to work. "Altaria, use-!" Winona started.

"Now, Beatrice! Use Toxic!" Alex interrupted.

Winona gasped. Her eyes widened in panic when she spotted how close Altaria had gotten to Beatrice. She hadn't been paying attention and Altaria had paid the price. "Use Refresh, Altaria!"

"Quick, Beatrice! Use Fury Attack!" Alex commanded. Before Altaria could summon up a healing energy to wash over herself, Beatrice closed in on her and began thrusting her spears at the Dragon Pokémon.

"Get out of there, Altaria! Use Dragon Breath!"

"Don't let it escape! Use Pin Missile and follow with a Toxic!" Alex commanded. Beatrice dodged Altaria's poor-aimed Dragon Breath before launching a Pin Missile at the Pokémon. In combination, Beatrice fired some quick spurts of Toxic that rained over the Pin Missile and tainted the glowing, white missiles purple. The Toxic Missiles hit Altaria directly, exploding upon contact, and caused the Dragon to lose her ability to sustain flight.

"Altaria is unable to battle! The winner is Beatrice! The victory goes to the challenger, Alex!"

"Good work, Beatrice. Take a well-deserved rest," Alex smiled and recalled his Pokémon. Alex met up with his sister back on the ground. She was waiting for him with an impressed smile. "Thanks for the battle, Winona."

"I should be thanking you. You've given me a really good battle. I learned a lot from our battle. I'm gonna need to start working to make sure my Pokémon are at their best for any other challengers that stop by," Winona smiled before offering a Feather Badge. "Here you go, little brother. You earned it…again."

Alex grinned. "Thanks," he said and accepted the Badge. "This is stop number one. Now I've only got eight more to go," Alex said.

"Good luck, baby brother," Winona teased with a smile.

"Baby?" Alex groaned just before Winona pulled him into a tight embrace. "Winona! You're embarrassing me!" Alex complained without any real upset. He always enjoyed his sister's hugs (but he'd never tell her that).

"I can't help it. I'm so proud of you. Now that I've seen how strong you are, I'm sure you'll win the League this time around," Winona said before releasing Alex slowly. She looked down into her brother's grey eyes and smiled softly. "Alex, I know you can win. I'm not just saying that as your sister. I'm saying it as Gym Leader. I've seen Trainers come and go and you've definitely got what it takes."

"Thanks, Winona. You're the best," Alex smiled before quickly embracing his sister. Winona had been caught off guard by his display of affection and wasn't able to respond before he could pull away. "I'm gonna get my Pokémon to Nurse Joy! They've got to be all healed up before we leave tomorrow!" Alex grinned before rushing down the steps of the Gym.

"Tomorrow!?" Winona balked and reached out for Alex feebly. After a few seconds, she sighed with a smile. "Hm. That's Alex for you," she shook her head and descended the steps at a slower pace.