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Truth and Illusions; Adventure and Romance: A Unova Journey
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Post by Principal Sash on Feb 7, 2016 19:18:43 GMT -5
Chapter 15: Burning Fire
The following day, the group of five made their way to the Castelia City Gym. However, they soon found themselves in what looked like a greenhouse. "Is this really a gym?" Shelly said, staring up a large tree where a Caterpie sat.
"According to the guidebook, we're in the right place," said Gary. "Gym leaders are free to design their gyms however they want. Many build areas that are good habitats for the Pokemon type they prefer."
Drew observed all of the trees, shrubs, and bushes. "This sure looks like a good place for bug types to live." He glanced at Dani. "But you know, the gym leader may have dual type Pokemon that are not weak against fire. And he probably has a strategy against fire types."
"I know that!" Dani said. He smirked at her, and she could not help but smile back. She knew he meant no harm.
"Is that the gym leader?" Gabri pointed to a man leaning against a tree with his eyes closed, dressed in colorful clothing.
"Gym Leader Burgh!" Dani called out as the group approached the tree.
The man opened his eyes, brightening upon seeing the trainers. "Hello there," he said. "I am Burgh. What a wonderful Cyndaquil you have there!" he smiled at Mo. "They are quite rare in the Unova region."
"Thank you," Dani said. "I'm Dani, and these are my sisters, Gabri and Shelly. We're from the Johto region."
"I'm Gary from the Kanto region."
"And I'm Drew from the Hoenn region."
"My, what a diverse group," Burgh said. "And three Pokemon eggs too!"
"They're Eevee eggs," Gabri said. "They'll be hatching soon."
"Won't that be wonderful?" The gym leader looked at each member of the group. "Are you all challengers?"
"Just me," said Dani. "Do you have time right now?"
"There is always time for a battle." Burgh snapped his fingers, and a battlefield suddenly game up from the ground on the right. The trainers looked in awe at the grassy field. "Let's start now, shall we?"
Dani handed her egg to Gary before taking her place at the end of the battlefield. Her friends stood off to the left of her while a referee stood on the right. "This will be a three on three battle," said the referee. "The battle will end when all the Pokemon on one side can no longer battle. Only the challenger may substitute Pokemon. Begin!"
"I will show you my Pokemon first," said Burg from the other side of the field. "Whirlipede, come out and join me!" A purple spiked bug Pokemon appeared before him, looking quite fierce.
"Mo, you're up," said Dani. The Cyndaquil climbed down her back and then ran in front of her to face off against the bug and poison type. It was time to battle! "Alright, use Flamethrower!"
"Iron Defense," said Burgh. Whirlipede became outlined in blue, and then iron seemed to cover him, causing the flames to flick off of him with little damage.
Dani frowned. That Iron Defense could be problematic. She did not know Whirlipede knew that attack. "Fine. Use Rollout and don't stop!" If they attacked repetitively, they could eventually wear their opponent down.
"Whirlipede, Steamroller," Burgh said. The two Pokemon rolled into balls and cruised towards each other. Whirlipede's attack was more powerful, for he sent Mo flying back, forcing him to uncurl. "Now Poison Sting!"
Dani gritted her teeth as the bug type spat out sharp needles at her Pokemon. The Cyndaquil cried out as he was struck, and his skin became tinged purple. He was poisoned! This was no good. The trainer decided to rely on power to win the battle. "Hang in there, Mo, and use Inferno!"
"Solar Beam!" Burgh cried.
While the bug type gathered energy for Solar Beam, the flames on Mo's back turned blue. The Cyndaquil hurled is fire at Whirlipede seconds before the other Pokemon released his own attack. The move's collided, but the Inferno overtook the Solar Beam and sent Whirlipede flying back. The bug type struggled to his feet.
"Now Flamethrower!" Dani said.
"Steamroller!" Burg countered.
Mo spat out flames at his opponent, but Whirlipede rolled around them and struck Mo in the side.
"Now's our chance," said Dani. "Use Flamethrower once more!"
"Iron Defense!"
Now at close range, Mo turned on the bug Pokemon and released his fire once more. Whirlipede glowed with iron, but the Cyndaquil's attack was too much for him. He was blown off his feet and landed hard on the ground. He could not get up.
"Whirlipede is unable to battle," said the referee. "Mo is the winner."
"Nice battling, Whirlipede," Burgh said with a sad smile as he returned him to his Pokeball. "Time for my second Pokemon. Come on out, Dwebble!" He released an orange crab that had half of his body encased in a hard shell.
"I'll stick with Mo," said Dani. "Start off with Flamethrower!"
"Dwebble, use Dig," said Burgh.
Dwebble scurried under the ground while Mo's Flamethrower passed harmlessly above the hole. The fire type looked around warily. A second later, the ground opened up beneath him, and Dwebble smashed into him.
"Flamethrower, again!"
"Protect!" Something glowed around Dwebble, and the fire attack did not harm him. His trainer nodded in approval. "Now Rock Wreck!"
Dani knew that Protect lost its effectiveness the more it was used, so she saw this as he chance. "Dodge it and try Flamethrower once more!"
Mo jumped off to the side, barely missing the large rock thrown to him. A split second later, his flames engulfed the bug type. However, the Cyndaquil was the Pokemon that fainted, the poison finally take its final effects.
"Mo is unable to battle," said the referee. "Dwebble is the winner."
"You battled great," Dani said with a faint smile as she strode forward, bent down, and scooped the Cyndaquil up in her arms. "Thank you, Mo."
"Why doesn't she return him to his Pokeball?" Drew whispered to Shelly.
"She lost it once and never bothered getting a new one," Shelly said with a roll of her eyes. "Mo never liked his Pokeball anyway."
Dani brought her Pokemon to her friends, but she hesitated when she realized that Shelly, Gabri, and Gary had their arms full with eggs. She turned to Drew, who rolled his eyes before taking the Cyndaquil from her. "Fine; I'll look after him."
"Thanks, Drew!" Dani said happily before returning to her spot.
"Whatever," Drew said.
"Cynda," Mo said, giving the boy a faint smile and earning one in return.
"Simon, it's your turn!" Dani's Oshawott appeared in a flash of light.
"Not a bad choice," Burgh said, "but you still won't be able to defeat my Dwebble."
"We'll see about that. Simon, use Water Gun!"
"Dwebble, Protect!"
Simon took a deep breath and let it out in a stream of water, but Dwebble's Protect shielded him from damage. The water type glared at him in frustration.
"It's alright," said Dani. "Use Razor Shell."
"X-Scissor, my dear Dwebble!"
Simon swiped his scalchop from his shell and formed a beam of white light behind it. At the same time, Dwebble crossed his claws and pushed out a light of 'X.' The two attacks hit each other and sent the Pokemon flying back.
Dani knew she needed to allow Simon to get close enough to use Water Gun against Dwebble. However, it seemed like Burgh was at his strongest when his opponent was close. Remembering the Dwebble's attacks, she suddenly got an idea. "Simon, let's use Tackle!"
"That won't work," Burgh said. "Dwebble, use Rock Breaker!"
Dani smirked. This was it. "Jump up on the rock and use Water Gun!"
Simon had been running at Dwebble when the bug and rock type started to form a large rock with his claws. Just as he started to throw it, the Oshawott used his tail to fling himself into the air. He landed on the rock and scurried on it. Then he jumped into the air and hit Dwebble with a jet of water.
Burgh's eyes widened in surprise. "Incredible, but I'm afraid that will not be enough. X-Scissor!"
Dani gritted her teeth. That Dwebble was tough. She needed to show the gym leader that her Oshawott was tougher! "Get down and use Water Gun!" She hoped one more attack would do it.
Dwebble slashed at the air once again. As the 'X' came flying at him, Simon fell onto his back. He then aimed his Water Gun in a space between the 'X.' Both Pokemon were struck by the attacks, and both Pokemon fainted.
"Dwebble and Simon are unable to battle!" the referee said. "This round is a draw!"
"Thank you, Dwebble," Burgh said. "Take a rest now." The two trainers returned their Pokemon to their Pokeballs. "It's time for my final Pokemon. Time to shine, Leavanny!" A bug Pokemon clothed in leaves soon stood before him.
Dani knew exactly who she was going to use. "It's finally your turn, Luke!" She tossed a Pokeball in the air, and the powerful Charizard appeared, letting out a loud roar.
"A Charizard? Another rare Pokemon. This will be fun."
Dani was determined to win this battle. She and look had been training hard to evolve since they had met in Kanto when he was a Charmander. Now it was time to put all their hard work to the test. "Luke, use Flame Burst!"
"Protect," said Burgh.
Luke spat out an orange-yellow ball, aiming for the Leavanny. Leavanny, however, was unaffected by the attack. Dani gritted her teeth. This one knew Protect as well? This was going to be more difficult than she thought.
"Now use Leaf Storm."
"Dodge that!" A tornado of leaves flew out from Leavanny's body. Luke took off into the air, far above the reach of the leaves. "Now Wing Attack!"
"String Shot!"
Luke's wings glowed as he swooped down to the ground. Leavanny stood her ground and shot out sticky string, which covered Luke's torso and wings. The Charizard lost his balance and crashed into the ground. He stood up and tried to move his wings, but he was impaled by the String Shot.
"Now Hyper Beam," Burgh said with a smirk.
"Get out of there!" Dani cried, but her Pokemon could not fly and was struck by the beam of lead the Leavanny aimed at him. She gritted her teeth. There had to be a way to get rid of that String Shot. Maybe they could bite it off... "Luke, use Fire Fang on yourself to get rid of the string!"
"Leavanny, use Leaf Storm while they're distracted!"
Luke's fangs glowed red as he sliced into the string, successfully freeing his body, and he only received a minor injury from his own attack. Unfortunately, Leavanny's leaves slammed into him, making him almost fall off his feet.
"Now Hyper Beam," said Burgh.
"Into the air!" Dani said. Luke took off once more, dodging the oncoming attack. "Flame Burst!"
"Protect!"
Luke's great fire attack did no damage to the Leavanny who shielded herself. Dani remained calm as she thought through this situation. As long as Luke remained in the sky, he could dodge any attack. Protect was not likely to work more than once, so she had to attack now. "Use Flame Burst while you fly down!"
"Dodge that and use Hyper Beam!"
"Wing Attack!"
Luke first blew fire at the ground while he zoomed in on the battle field. He scorched the earth with a ball of fire while the bug and grass type jumped out of the way. Once the fire seized, Leavanny turned and started to form a Hyper Beam. However, Luke flew up at the last second to dodge the attack and then came back down to hit Leavanny with his wing. His opponent cried out and fell to the ground.
"Clever," Burgh said. "Leavanny, String Shot!"
"Use Flame Burst!"
"Dodge!"
Luke shot out fire once again, dissolving the String Shot. Leavanny leaped out of the way just in time.
Dani knew she needed to slow down the Leavanny, and she had an idea. "Use Flame Burst everyone on the ground!" She hoped this would work.
"Leavanny, use Leaf Storm!"
Luke appeared confused, but he obediently shot out large fire balls, hitting much of the battle field. He grunted when Leavanny's Leaf Storm hit him. He was obviously wearing down.
"Now aim at Leavanny!"
"Dodge and use Hyper Beam!"
Leavanny jumped to the side, but her eyes widened upon landing on hot ground. She jumped again with the same result. When Luke aimed his Flame Burst this time, the attack hit Leavanny straight ton. She had no time to cry out as she fell to the ground, defeated.
"Leavanny is unable to battle," said the referee. "The winner is Luke, and victory goes to the challenger, Dani!"
The Charizard roared before flying to Dani's side. The girl smiled and embraced him. "You did it, Great job, Luke."
"Impressive," Drew said as he walked forward with everyone else. "... for a gym battle."
"Quil!" Mo said from his spot on Drew's head. When she got close, he hopped onto Dani's shoulder.
"That was fun to watch," Gary said. "Both of you have great skill."
"And I learned a lot!" said Gabri.
Shelly nodded. "Me too. Congratulations."
Dani smiled at them. "Thanks, guys."
"They're right," Burgh said, striding up to the group. "That was a fantastic battle. Thank you for the pleasure. And this is yours." He held out a tiny item. "It's an insect badge."
Dani took the badge and grinned. "Thanks, Burgh. I had fun."
"Good luck on your journey. All of you."
She nodded. "Thank you." She returned Luke to his Pokeball, took her Eevee egg back form Gary, and then headed out of the gym with her sisters and friends.
"Where are you guys going to go next?" Drew asked as the Pokemon Center came into sight.
"We discussed going to Eindoak City," Gary said.
Drew glanced at Shelly. "Are you going to enter the contest there?"
She nodded. "That's right."
"I'll be taking some time off. After all, I already have two badges." He smirked.
Shelly rolled her eyes. "Soon I will as well."
The group stopped outside of the Center. "Well, good luck," Drew said. "I'll leave you all here."
Dani smiled at him. "We'll see you later, Drew. Thanks for watching my battle. It's been fun hanging out with you."
He nodded without saying anything. Then he turned around, giving a long wave as he walked off.
"He seemed nicer today," Shelly mused.
"He's a good guy," Dani said, watching his retreating back, "even if he doesn't always realize it." She was glad she had the chance to become his friend.
***
The group departed the following day. Dani had switched out George the Ivysaur and Cody the Pikachu for Jewels the Mightyena and Freddie the Cubone. She liked to switch out two of the Pokemon at the end of the month so she could keep all of them strong. She might need them for the Unova League, after all. Meanwhile, Shelly had switched out Gloria the Ponyta so she would have room in her team when her Eevee egg hatched.
The eggs were supposed to hatch soon, but it was not until several days of walking through the woods that something happened. Dani stood at the edge of a hill, gazing down at a field of flowers. "This is cool," she said.
Shelly stood beside her. "It is pretty."
Gary came up to Dani's other side. "Ah, what a lovely view. Should we take a break here?"
"Let me see!" Gabri cried. She ran towards the hill, Dragon by hers side. Before she could reach the edge, she tripped and slammed into all three of the people standing on the hill. Their eyes widened as they suddenly tumbled down the hill. The three Eevee eggs fell from the girls' arms and rolled in front of them, safely landed within the field of flowers.
"Gabri!" Shelly exclaimed. She stood up and brushed her skirt off, glaring at her sister. "You're lucky the eggs appear safe."
"Sorry." Gabri smiled sheepishly as she stood up.
"Hey, guys," said Dani. "Look!" She was still on her knees beside Gary, and her eyes were fixed on the Eevee eggs, which were now glowing.
"They're hatching!" Gary said in awe.
The four teenagers crowded around the eggs. One at a time, eggs fell away to reveal beautiful baby Eevee. "But whose is whose?" Shelly asked. The eggs had gotten all mixed up when they had rolled down the hill.
"Who cares?" said Gabri. "This is amazing."
The Eevee looked around their surroundings curiously. One of them glanced at the ground and started digging. Dani smiled. "I want this one." She picked up the small Eevee, and the Pokemon watched her intently. "I'll call you Midnight." This one was a female.
"Eevee," Midnight said happily.
A second Eevee sniffed the lilies in the field. She stuck her head in, sneezing upon getting pollen in her nose. "I want that one!" Gabri said. She picked up the Eevee and looked her over. "You like those lilies, so how about I call you Lily?"
The Eevee smiled. "Eevee!"
"Then I'll take the last one," said Shelly. This Eevee was busy cleaning herself. She looked in surprise when her new trainer picked her up and held her in her arms. "I'll call you Crystal."
"Three Eevee sisters for three sister trainers," Gary said. "I like it."
The girls looked at each other and smiled in agreement.
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Post by Principal Sash on Mar 28, 2016 20:07:02 GMT -5
Chapter 16: Trip
"Ok, guys, it's time to train." Dani smiled as she looked at the three Eevee in front of her, her sisters beside her. The Pokemon appeared attentive.
"I'll bet Umbreon can help," Gary said, standing off to the side. He grabbed a Pokeball and tossed it into the air. The dark Pokemon appeared in front of the Eevee. "We're going to help train these Eevee, ok?"
Umbreon nodded his head. He then turned to the Eevee. The brown fox Pokemon moved forward to stand close to him. They appeared fascinated to see one of their evolved forms.
"Hey, guys!" a female voice shouted.
The group turned around and saw May and Max jogging across the field towards them. "Hi," Gabri greeted them.
"Are those Eevee?" Max said with wide eyes. "Your eggs hatched?"
"Yep!" Shelly said with a grin. "Aren't they cute? Mine's name is Crystal, Gabri's is Lily, and Dani's is Midnight." She pointed to each Pokemon in turn.
"That's so cool," May said. Her eyes landed on the dark Pokemon. "Is Umbreon going to help train them?"
"That's right," Gary said proudly. "He's been with me a long time, and he has a lot of experience." He smiled fondly at the memories.
"Do you mind if I let my Glaceon help as well?"
"No, that would be great," Dani said.
"Hey," said Max, "I can get one of my Pokemon to help, and we can split up in groups of three to get some personal training done."
"We can switch it up later so the Eevee can learn from all three Pokemon," May added.
"Sounds good to me," Shelly said. Everyone else nodded in agreement.
"Dani, let's train together first." Gary grabbed hold of Dani's arm and pulled her away before anyone could protest. Shelly felt irritated as she watched them.
"Shelly, you can train with me," May said.
Shelly snapped back to reality. "Ok." She forced a smile.
"That leaves you with me!" Max said to Gabri.
The three groups spread out across the field. Mo and Dragon slept near their backpacks while their trainers worked with their Eevee. May's Glaceon helped out Crystal for awhile before their trainer's spoke to each other.
"Shelly, is something wrong?" May asked in concern as the Pokemon took a break.
"I'm fine," Shelly said, looking away. Her gaze fell on Dani and Gary, and she frowned.
"Did you have a fight with Dani?"
Shelly glanced at her and hesitated. "Not really. I just don't like how close she and Gary seem to be getting."
May smiled. "Oh, I get it. You're jealous."
Shelly flushed. "I am not!" At her friend's skeptical look, she sighed. "Ok, maybe I am. What do you think I should do? I don't know how to get Gary to notice me, and I don't know how to stop Dani from being around him. She says she doesn't like him that way, but I think she may be oblivious to her own feelings."
May appeared thoughtful. "That is possible." She frowned slightly. "I don't know what it's like to have a sister, but I don't think you should be fighting over a guy. If Dani does like Gary and he likes her, then you should let them be together."
"Maybe you're right," Shelly mumbled. "But if Gary ends up liking me more, Dani should do the same for me, right?"
"Yes. Gary is not committed to anyone right now, so I don't see anything wrong in showing him that you're the one he should be with. Just don't hurt your sister in the process."
Shelly nodded. "That sounds good. I just have trouble talking to Gary. It's awkward being around a guy I like."
"You can talk to him while you train together today! I'm sure it will get easier with time."
"I hope so."
"Let's switch now!" Gary called out.
May smiled at Shelly. "Go get him."
Shelly smiled back at her."I'll try my best." She picked up Crystal and walked over to Gary. She still felt nervous around her, and she willed herself to be calm. "Hello."
"Hi, Shelly," Gary said brightly. "Is your Eevee ready to train?"
"I think so." She set Crystal down in front of Umbreon. She hoped they would both do well today.
It turned out that training was a good way for Shelly to be comfortable around Gary. She talked to him a little bit and was pleased with the attention he gave her. She was disappointed when it was time to move on. She passed Dani as she made her way over to Max and his Sewadle.
Meanwhile, Dani approached May with Midnight. "Hi!" she greeted her friend.
"HI. How's it going?"
"Good." Dani set her Eevee on the ground. Midnight stepped up to Glaceon and sniffed her curiously. "We saw Drew in Castelia City the other day."
May's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Really? Did you talk to him?"
Dani nodded. "We hung out, actually. We had a battle, and he helped Luke evolve into a Charizard. Luke gave us both a ride in the sky, and later he helped me win my gym battle with Drew watching."
"You got him to watch your battle? How did you get him to stick around so long?"
She shrugged. "I know how to get to him."
"Oh. You two seem close." She seemed almost sad as she glanced at her Pokemon.
"I'm sure you could do the same," Dani said, giving her an encouraging smile. "I'm just good at intuitively understanding people. I'm sure he'll open up to you if you don't give up on him. I don't think he wants you to..."
May looked at her with shock. "Really?"
Dani smiled and nodded. "Sure. He cares about you more than you think."
May smiled warmly at her. "Thanks, Dani. I won't give up on him." She looked at the little Eevee. "Now let's train!"
Dani grinned. "Great idea."
The training sessions soon came to a close. Shelly and Gary volunteered to cook lunch while everyone else relaxed and played in the field. Later on, May and Max had to head their own way. Dani, Shelly, and Gabri continued to train their Eevee. They were excited about what the future might bring.
***
The group arrived in Eindoak City five days later. Everyone was in awe of the beauty of the former majestic kingdom. Unfortunately, they all had some training to do before they could explore. After resting up for a day, the girls split off to train separately while Gary headed out to stock up on supplies.
Gabri found a small park with few people around to practice. She would be having her second gym battle soon, and she wanted to make sure her Pokemon were prepared. She decided to start with Dragon. "Show me your Ember!" she said in a commanding voice.
Tepig took a deep breath and then shot out small bits of fire from his nose. When he was finished, he turned around and looked at his trainer proudly.
"Not bad... for a beginning," said a male voice.
Gabri turned in surprise to see a boy not much older than herself watching her. He had dirty blonde hair that fell along his face and grey eyes that seemed to pierce through her. He wore an orange jacket covering a dark sweatshirt, his arms crossed.
"We are beginners," she said with a small frown. Dragon watched him skeptically.
"I hope you're not planning on challenging gyms with that thing," the boy said as he let his arms fall to his side as he waltzed toward her. "I bet he couldn't even beat an ice type."
Gabri usually remained calm, but like her eldest sister, when her Pokemon were insulted, she had to defend them. "I bet he could! We've already won one gym battle, just so you know."
The boy raised his eyebrows. "And did you win on your first try?"
Gabri faltered. "No, it was my second, but that was my first gym battle!"
The boy shook his head and turned around. "Just as I thought. You won't last long here."
"Tepig Tepig!" Dragon said angrily. He took a battle stance against the boy.
"You only saw one attack," Gabri said hotly, "and we were just warming up. Wy don't you have a battle with me if you're so confident?"
"It would be a waste of my time."
"Or you're just scared."
The boy sighed and turned back around, a Pokeball in his hand. "Fine; I'll show you what a real battle looks like. Consider it my good deed for the day. Come on out, Vanillite!" He opened the Pokeball, and a white and blue ice type appeared.
Gabri's anger disappeared upon seeing the Pokemon, and her eyes grew wide. "An ice cream cone!" She grinned. She had to catch one of those!
The boy rolled his eyes. "You really are a kid. I'll let you go first."
Gabri pushed her admiration away. She had to show this guy how strong she had become! "Ok, Dragon, use Ember!"
"Dodge and use Icicle Spear!" the boy called.
Dragon stood his grand and shot out a series of small fire balls. The Vanillite moved out of the way while he was in the air. He then floated above the Tepig and caused shards of ice to rain down on him. Dragon cried out and ran around the field to escape from them, though a few of them managed to hit him.
Gabri could see that she was going to have problems since her opponent could float in the air. She wished she was better at coming up with strategies like her sisters. Her mind sifted through all the moves available to her. "Dragon, use Tail Whip and then Ember!"
"Blizzard!" said the boy.
Dragon moved his curly tail back and forth while Vanillite blew out a lot of snow. The snow covered the field, making the Pokemon invisible. Dragon aimed his attack, but he was the only one who ended up hurt.
"Fine. Try Flame Charge." This one had to work.
"Ice Shard."
Dragon could see the Vanillite through the snow, so he stomped in place until he became covered in flames. He then raced forward. At the same time, Vanillite shot out a sharp spear made of ice. Dragon was hit by the spear as he jumped in the air, but he was too late to stop his attack. Vanillite was unable to get out of the way, so he was finally struck.
"Good job," Gabri said happily. "Now Ember."
"Dodge and use Ice Beam," said her opponent.
Vanillite was able to dodge the Ember attack by flying out of the way. He then aimed an Ice Beam at the Tepig, freezing him in place.
Gabri's eyes widened in horror. "No! Use Ember to get free!"
The boy smirked. "Blizzard."
Dragon's eyes moved frantically, but there was nothing he could do. Vanillite set forth another Blizzard attack. The snowy winds knocked Dragon into the air and caused him to crash on the ground. The ice broke into pieces, but the Tepig had fainted.
"Dragon!" Gabri cried. She ran forward and scooped him up in her arms. She spun around when she saw something flash in her direction. The boy held a teal digit camera. "Did you take a picture of us?"
"Yes," he replied. "I like to document my battles." He turned towards his Pokemon. "Good work, Vanillite." He returned him to his Pokeball before glancing back at Gabri. "Like I expected. You need a lot of practice."
Gabri blushed and glanced at the ground. "Yeah, well, I'll work on it." She watched in surprise was the boy started to leave. "Hey, you're just leaving?"
"There is nothing more for me here. Battling was all I was interested in."
Gabri frowned. This guy seemed like someone in between the personality of Paul and Drew. He was not sure if she liked it. "Are you a new trainer? Are you battling gyms to enter the Unova league?"
He stopped in his tracks. "I have already entered the Unova League, and I did not accomplish my goal. I am training until I can enter again."
"Oh." She wondered why he didn't go onto another region like many other trainers, but he was already walking away. She then realized she forgot something important. "Hey! What's your name?"
"Trip."
"My name's Gabri."
He waved his hand in acknowledgement, and then he was out of sight.
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Post by Principal Sash on Mar 31, 2016 10:58:13 GMT -5
Chapter 17: Crash
“That does not sound like a good encounter,” Shelly said, her arms crossed as she frowned at her younger sister. Gabri had just explained her battle with Trip while the group of four sat on a bench in the Pokemon Center to catch up after training.
“He was rude to me, but there’s something I like about him,” Gabri commented.
“He sounds like someone you should stay away from,” Gary warned.
“I don’t think you know enough about him to know that,” Dani pointed out. “I would try talking to him. He seems more open to that than Paul.”
Gabri smiled at her. “I will. Thanks.”
Shelly rolled her eyes. “You two are hopeless.”
Gary nodded, his eyes shining with disapproval. “Be careful.”
“Hey guys!” a high voice rang out. Gary and the sisters turned to see Dawn burst through the doors of the Pokemon Center, and Kenny walked in – out of breath – a second later.
Shelly immediately brightened upon seeing their friends. “Hi, Dawn. Hey, Kenny. Are you here for the contest?”
“You bet!” Kenny said with a grin. “I’m assuming you are as well.”
“Yep!”
“That’s great!” Dawn exclaimed.
Piplup stood beside her and nodded his head. “Piplup.”
Dragon walked over to the water type and smiled. “Tepig.”
Next, Mo crawled down Dani’s leg and walked until he stood near the other two Pokemon. “Quil!”
Shelly smiled at the three of them. “It’s good to see they’re getting along.”
“Yes,” Dawn agreed. She looked form Kenny to Shelly. “Let’s do our best in the contest!”
“Good luck to all of you,” Gary said.
The contest was still five days away, so there was time for some more training! After a good night’s rest, that was exactly what they all planned to do.
***
Shelly examined herself in the mirror one last time before deciding she was satisfied with her look. She did not have the space for extra clothes, so she wore her contest dress, and her hair was done up in a bun. She nodded and turned to look at the TV backstage so she could see what was going on.
“Hey, Shelly!” Dawn said, waving at her as she approached with Kenny. “Good luck today.”
Shelly smiled. “Thanks. You too.”
Kenny smirked. “I don’t plan on losing this time.”
“Piplup,” the penguin Pokemon said from his trainer’s arms.
Just then, Astoria announced the start of the contest. Shelly was surprised to find she was giving the first performance. Her friends gave her one more set of smiles before she took a deep breath and headed out to the stage.
She could see her friends sitting in the fifth row, and this made her feel better. Crystal, her Eevee, sat with Gary so that she could learn from this contest. She took a deep breath before releasing her Pokemon. “You’re up, Angel!”
The Mincinno spun in a circle in the air and then landed on her feet, striking a pose. Shelly smiled slightly. “Ok, prance!” As Angel moves across the stage, Shelly tossed out flower petals, which rained down on the Pokemon. “Tickle!” The Mincinno swished her tail back and forth, hitting the petals and causing them to move around her faster.
“Now use Pound!” Angel’s tail slammed on the ground. The petals flew up in the air and then gently rained down around her, falling to the floor. “Baby-Doll Eyes.” The Pokemon sat down and made a cute face. Then she stood up and bowed with her trainer.
Shelly felt nervous and she returned backstage, but she knew she had done her best. She wanted to give her new Pokemon some experience even though she did not know many attacks yet. She only hoped it was enough.
She was impressed as she watched Dawn with her Togekiss and then Kenny with his Pidgeot. The two of them stood beside her, saying noting. Finally, the coordinators who would be moving on were announced.
Shelly held her breath. Dawn and Kenny had gotten in, but she could not see her own picture yet. She let out her breath when it became clear that she had not made the cut.
“It’s alright, Shelly,” Dawn said, giving her a sympathetic smile. “It happens to the best of us.”
“Well, it never happens to me,” Kenny said. Dawn shot him a look and he shut his mouth.
Shelly shrugged and glanced at Angel on the ground. The Mincinno looked up at her in concern. “It’s not your fault,” she said to the Pokemon. “We have not had enough time together to train.”
“I’m sure you’ve both learned a lot from this experience,” Dawn said.
Shelly wanted to be hard on herself, but she could not do so with her friend’s encouragement. “You’re right. Thanks. And good luck to you.” She would have plenty of time to worry about what went wrong later. Right now, she had to root for her friends!
It turned out that Dawn and Kenny made it all the way to the finals. Dawn battled with Quilava while Kenny used Magnemite. It was close, but in the end, Kenny pulled through. Shelly made her way to the stands while she watched Kenny receive his ribbon. He had deserved it.
“Shelly!”
The pink-haired girl turned to see her friends coming towards her. Gabri had been the one who shouted. The coordinator forced a smile. “Hey, guys.”
“Sorry you didn’t win,” Gary said as he handed her Eevee back to her.
“I thought Angel was good,” Dani said.
“You’ll win for sure next time,” Gabri said.
Shelly was glad that they were not disappointed in her. “Thanks. Now I need to find another contest to attend.” It was time to start looking to the future!
“We can discuss that at the Pokemon Center,” Gary said.
The four of them headed off together. Once they returned to the Pokemon Center, they asked Nurse Joy where she recommended they travel to next.
“Nimbasa City has a gym and a contest coming up soon,” Joy said. “However, you might want to stop in Nimbasa Town on the way there. The Battle Club will be hosting a tournament. It would be great practice if you were all to take part.”
“That does sound fun,” Dani said. “I could use more training for my next gym battle.”
“Me too,” Gabri said.
“That sounds like a good idea to me,” Shelly said. She turned to Gary and smiled shyly. “You should join too. Then we could all have fun together.”
Gary hesitated before nodded. “It’s been awhile since I’ve entered a tournament. Ok. I’ll do it.”
Everyone looked at each other and grinned. They needed something exciting to get themselves out of this current slump. A Battle Club tournament seemed just the thing!
***
The group departed the following day. It was only until they were looking to stop for the night the following day that anything of interest happened. They had just emerged from the trees into a green area when they found that this camping spot was already taken.
“Isn’t that Drew?” Dani said, watching the green-haired boy take out cooking supplies.
“I think it is,” Gary said with a smile. The four trainers continued forward.
“Drew!” Dani called once they were a yard away.
The boy looked up in surprise. Then he smiled upon recognizing the group. “Hey, guys. What are you doing out here?”
“We’re on our way to Nimbassa Town, but we’re stopping for the night,” Gabri said. “Can we join you?”
Drew hesitated and then dipped his head. “Sure. If you do the cooking.” He smirked.
Shelly rolled her eyes. “Fine. Whatever.”
“I’ll do it,” Dani offered.
“And I’ll help,” Gary said as he took his bags from Gogoat.
Shelly frowned as she watched them. Perhaps she should not have been so bitter. She shrugged off her feelings and focused on setting up a space for them to eat.
A little while later, everyone had eaten there fill and were lying in the grass, looking up at the darkening sky. The Pokemon of the five trainers appeared pleased to be let out of their Pokeballs. Dani kept her eyes on Drew’s Flygon, and she soon had an idea. “Hey, Drew, have you ever flown on Flygon?”
Drew sat up and blinked at her. “No. I’ve never thought of that.”
“It would not hurt to learn,” Gary said as he stood up and started to collect their ditches. “You never know when it may be helpful to be able to fly out of a tricky situation.”
Dani wondered if Drew would even know how to ride on his dragon. She remembered how he had seemed to fear flying on Luke when he had first evolved. “I’ll help you out.” She offered him a warm smile. “You ride on Flygon and I’ll ride on Luke.” When she stood up, the Charizard took a step towards her.
“That sounds like fun!” Gabri said.
“If you’re not too scared,” Shelly said with a smirk.
Drew shot her a look and stood up quickly. “Alright. Show me how it’s done.”
Dani grinned. “Great!”
Everyone cleared the way so that Luke and Flygon had space to stand side-by-side. Drew watched as Dani grabbed onto the place where Luke’s wing met the rest of his body and hoisted herself onto him. Drew now turned to Flyogn. A determined look crossed is face as he copied his friend. It was a struggle, but he was eventually able to secure himself on his Pokemon’s back.
“Not bad,” Gary said. “Now let’s see you fly.”
Dani glanced at Drew and nodded. “Let’s go.” She gently patted Luke’s side, and he launched himself into the air. The girl closed her eyes as the wind whipped through her hair. Then she opened them to see Flygon take off with Drew on his back. The Charizard waited until they were flying side-by-side. “This is not too bad, is it?”
Drew smirked. “This is easy.”
Dani laughed. “Then let’s go higher.” Luke flapped his wings and gained speed, and Flygon was right on his tail.
Shelly watched them from the ground, a sad smile on her lips. That sure looked like fun. It was not jealousy that drove her emotions, however. She glanced at her younger sister who was playing with her Pokemon. If only she could be so carefree. She sighed and leaned against a tree.
“Is something wrong?”
Her eyes widened at Gary’s voice, and her heartbeat quickened. “N-no, I’m fine.” The last thing she needed to do was to burden him with her problems.
Gary stopped in front of her and frowned. “You can trust me, you know. We’re friends, right?”
Shelly immediately felt guilty. She had not meant to make him feel like she did not believe she could talk to him. She hesitated before speaking again. “I’m just disappointed with my last contest performance. It’s been awhile since I’ve lost two contests in a row and even longer since I’ve not even made it past the appeals round.” She had only made it seem like it was no big deal so as not to worry anymore.
Gary looked at her in concern and put a hand on her shoulder. “I understand. I used to feel that way when I lost several battles in a row. But if you focus on those feelings, you’re never going to improve. It’s ok to feel down, but you have to let motivate you to try your hardest next time.”
Shelly nodded. For some reason, his presence made her calm instead of nervous like usual. She appreciated how much he seemed to care about her. “Thanks, Gary. I’ll be alright. I need to stay strong for my Pokemon.”
He smiled at her. “Good.”
She turned and stared at the sky once again. She felt happy for Dani and Drew in her heart. This journey had its ups and downs, but it was worth it already for all the friends that they had made.
---
Dani and Drew ere happy yet tired when they returned to the ground. By then, the sun had set, and stars had begun to litter the sky. Everyone agreed it was time to wind down and rest for the night. Since the weather was so nice, they all decided to sleep outside instead of setting up their tents. The sleeping bags were set up in a circle in this order: Gary, Dani, Drew, Gabri, and Shelly.
Dani lay on top of her sleeping bag and gazed up at the sky. “The stars are so beautiful. They remind me of home.” She was not from a big city, so it was easy to see the stars on a clear night.
“Same here,” Gary said. “The stars are brilliant in Pallet Town.”
“I can see the stars better here than in my hometown,” said Drew. “That’s one of the drawbacks of living in a big city.”
Dani turned her head to glance at him. “Do you ever miss it?”
“No. I’m fine where I am. I have no need to go home.”
“I miss home,” Gabri admitted. “I’ve never been away from my parents for so long.”
“I did not miss home at first, but now I feel homesick sometimes,” Shelly said.
“At least we’re all together,” Dani said. “It’s good we can stick together as a family.”
“Family is important,” Gary agreed. “I feel lonely if I don’t go home every now and then or at least call Gramps.”
“I agree with you in theory, but I don’t think blood itself is enough to create strong ties,” Drew said. “Everything doesn’t always work out the way it should.”
Dani gazed at him in compassion even though he was staring at the dark sky. “I’m sorry you feel that way. It must be terrible to not have a family you can count on.”
“That’s life sometimes,” Gary said, a hint of bitterness in his tone. “Maybe blood should be enough, but some people don’t care. They betray blood and refuse to form ties. They leave family members alone to fend for themselves.”
“Exactly,” Drew said. “Even when family does stay… that doesn’t mean they’ll love you. It doesn’t mean they’ll act like a family should. Sometimes it’s harder for them to stay when you know they really don’t feel much for you.”
“That’s terrible,” Shelly murmured.
“I’m sorry,” Gabri whispered.
Dani returned her gaze to the stars as she reflected on the words of her friends. She wondered if Paul had a similar story. That would certainly explain his attitude. There had to be answer that would help them all. “Maybe blood isn’t all that’s important,” she said quietly. “Maybe family can mean those people who love you even if you aren’t related. Maybe choosing to care about someone means more than staying out of obligation.”
“I’m starting to realize that,” Gary said. “That’s why I’m glad I agreed to go on this journey.”
“And if you don’t have other people, if you’re a trainer, you’ll always have your Pokemon.”
“Yeah,” Drew said. “Pokemon are family.”
Dani saw him smile. At least he understood that much. She hoped this was a lesson Paul would learn someday as well. Regardless, she was grateful for her sisters and friends.
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Post by Principal Sash on Apr 21, 2016 14:28:47 GMT -5
Chapter 18: Club Battle Begins
"So this is Nimbasa Town?" Shelly said as she and the others started for the Pokemon Center. "It doesn't look like much."
"This is one of the oldest towns in Unova," Gary said, a guide book in his hands. "It's in honor of the history here that they hold the Club Battle Tournament."
"It seems like a great place for a tournament," Dani said. "Let's register right after we check in at the Pokemon Center!"
Gary smiled and nodded. "That sounds like a plan."
As they reached the Pokemon Center, they noticed two familiar people exiting the center. Max brightened when he saw his friends. "Hey, guys!" he called.
Gabri smiled slightly. "Hi, Max."
"Hi, May!" Dani jogged over to meet her. "Are you here for the tournament as well?"
May nodded. "It sounds like a great way to train."
"That's why we're all entering," Shelly said.
"Are you entering, Gary?" May looked at the older boy curiously.
Gary nodded. "I thought I might as well. It sounds like fun."
Max looked up at him in awe. "I can't believe I will be in the same tournament as the famous Professor Oak's grandson."
Gary smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm not that good."
"Are you going to go register?" Shelly asked.
"We're headed there right now," May said.
"We'll be there in a little bit," Dani said. "You can on ahead."
"Alright. See you later!"
"Bye!" Max said as he followed his sister down the road.
"I wonder if anyone else we know will be here," Gabri said.
"As long as Paul is nowhere to be seen," Shelly mumbled.
Gary nodded. "Agreed."
Dani and Gabri exchanged a look and then shook their heads. They knew by now it was useless to argue with them.
***
Gabri walked through a tunnel with her sisters and friends, astonished that this was such a big deal. She could see the light, and she soon found herself in a huge stadium. The stands were filled with cheering people, and there was a big screen TV so everyone could see the action. It was like they were players at a soccer match!
"Hey, it's Paul," Dani said. She pointed at the purple-haired boy with their backs to them several yards away.
Shelly frowned. "Great."
"Who's Paul?" May said curiously.
"You don't want to know."
Max glanced at her and blinked. "Ok..."
"Oh, and that's Trip." She smiled as she recognized the boy she had met not too long ago. He too had his back to them.
"He doesn't look too happy," Gary said. "You should just stick with us."
Gabri frowned at him but did not say anything.
The MC then began the tournament by introducing Don Georges, the sponsor of the tournament. Don Georges showed the prize for the winner of the tournament on the big screen – a set of feathers that would boost the stats of the users Pokemon. After a lot of cheering, the matchups for the first round of the tournament were shown one by one.
Shelly, May, Paul, Dani, Trip, and Gary were all up against strangers, but the last battle consisted of Gabri and Max. The two of them looked at each other in shock. Gabri knew she would probably end up going against a friend eventually, but she had not anticipated it would be so soon.
"This will be fun," May said with a smile. "Good luck, you two."
Max grinned. "Yeah! Let's do our best, Gabri."
Gabri smiled back at him and nodded. "Yes." What was she worrying about? Everything was going to be fine.
Gabri watched from the stands as her sisters and friends beat their first opponent using their starter Pokemon. They were allowed three Pokemon that they had put on their signup sheet. Gabri had chosen Dragon, Cashew, and Grace. She had her Tepig's Pokeball in her hand as she stepped onto the battlefield.
"Let's have fun, alright?" Max said from the other side. He tossed a Pokeball in the air, and a Sewaddle appeared before her.
"Right," Gabri said. She was surprised that he was not using his Ralts. His bug and grass type must be strong. "Dragon, you're up!" She opened his Pokeball, and the fire type vaporized before her.
"Ladies first," Max said.
Isn't he a gentleman? Gabri pushed the thoughts away so that she could focus on the battle. "Dragon, use Ember!"
"Sewaddle, dodge that and use String Shot!"
Dragon took a deep breath and released a barrage of fire balls. The Sewaddle darted to the side. Then he shot out a sticky string that stuck to the Tepig. The pig's eyes widened as he struggled with the string.
"Now Bug Bite!" Max shouted.
Sewaddle sprang forward and latched onto Dragon. The Tepig grunted when he felt tiny teeth sink into his skin.
Gabri knew she had to get that bug away from her Pokemon, but Tackle would not work as long as Dragon still had String Shot around him. "Dragon, use Ember!" She hoped this worked.
"Dodge that!" said Max. "And then use Razor Leaf!"
Sewaddle hopped backwards to avoid the oncoming fireballs. He released a series of sharp leaves that hit Dragon, but they also freed him from the String Shot. "Thanks!" Gabri said with a smile while Max rolled his eyes. "Now Tackle!"
Dragon grinned as he ran straight at the grass and bug type. Sewaddle's eyes widened before he was struck.
"Sewaddle, String Shot!"
"Ember!"
Sewaddle shot out his string again, but Dragon's fire balls incinerated them. The fire kept going until a few of the balls struck the smaller Pokemon.
Max gritted his teeth. "Alright, use Tackle!"
Gabri smirked. This was perfect. "Flame Charge!"
Both Pokemon ran at each other. However, as Dragon ran, flames began to take over is body. By the time they collided, the Tepig was aflame, and he sent the Sewaddle flying across the field. When he landed, the bug type fainted.
"Sewaddle is unable to battle," said the referee. "Dragon wins the battle and Gabri wins the match!" The crowd erupted in cheers.
Dragon turned and ran to his trainer. "We did it!" Gabri said happily as she embraced her Pokemon. That had won an important battle together, and it felt great. Maybe she wasn't bad at this trainer thing after all!
"Good match," Max said with a small smile as he strode across the field to meet her. He held out his hand. "We'll battle again."
Gabri smiled and shook his hand. "Yeah."
The two of them walked back to their seats where there friends were waiting. As soon as she approached, Dani shot her sister a grin. "Congratulations!"
"That was good strategy," Gary said.
Shelly nodded. "Good job."
Gabri smiled, feeling good. "Thanks, guys."
"You have to train harder, Max," May teased.
Max shrugged. "Yeah, I know."
"That as the last battle of this round," Gary said. "I wonder who we'll be paired up against next." They all turned to look at the big screen.
"These are the eight moving onto the second round, which will take place tomorrow," said the MC. "Get plenty of rest and be ready for another exciting round!"
"I guess we'll have to find out tomorrow," said May.
"Let's go back to the Pokemon Center," Gary said.
Gabri spotted someone out of the corner of her eye. "I'll meet you there."
"Where are you going?" Shelly called after her, but she was always gone.
Dani saw her youngest sister headed towards a guy with dirty blond hair and smiled. "I think she'll be fine."
Max glanced at her uncertainly. "If you say so."
Gabri met up with Trip just as he was exiting the arena. "Hi!" she greeted him, offering him a small smile.
Trip looked at her, his face expressionless. "Hello. Do you want something?"
"It's nice running into you here," she said. "My sisters are in the tournament too. Maybe you'll end up battling one of us." And then she could make up losing against him before.
"I hope they have better battling skills than you."
Gabri frowned. "We all made it to the second round."
"Could have been a fluke. We'll see tomorrow if any of you have what it takes." With a small smirk, he disappeared from her sight.
Gabri bit her lip as she watched him leave. He was not as mean as Paul, but he still would not talk to her. She wondered if it was worth it to try to get to know her. She would have to talk to her oldest sister later. She was much better at this stuff than her.
***
Everyone was up bright and early the next day. The excitement was still in the air as the group of friends entered the arena. It did not take long for the second round matchups to be announced: Paul vs. a boy, Dani vs. May, Gary vs. Gabri, and Shelly, vs. Trip.
"This is going to be interesting," Shelly said as she stared at the screen.
Dani watched Paul make his way to the battlefield and release his Pokemon. "He's using that Zorua again. He must have recently caught her."
"She seems like a tough Pokemon," Gary mused. "I wonder how she'll fare against that Snivy."
Sure enough, Paul and his Zorua made quick work of the boy and his Snivy. They did not even seem fazed by the challenge. Then it was time for Dani and May.
"Good luck," Dani said to her friend.
May nodded. "You too."
"Go May!" Max called as the two of them left for the battlefield.
Dani knew exactly which Pokemon she would choose. "Freddie, you're up!" She wanted to use the Cubone in her next gym battle, so she thought this would be a great opportunity to prepare him.
"I've never seen that Pokemon before," May said. She took out her Pokedex to check on Cubone's information. Then she pulled out a Pokeball of her own. "I'll choose Glaceon!" The ice type appeared before her, ready to fight.
Dani knew she had to be careful because ice types had an advantage over ground types. It was best to start off strong. "Freddie, use Bone Club!"
"Glaceon, Ice Shard!"
Dani watched as pieces of ice flew at her Pokemon. Seeing Freddie ready for his own attack, she got an idea. "Use your bone to deflect the ice!"
Freddie gave her a curt nod. Then, as the ice fell towards him, he hit the pieces back skillfully with his bone club. Then he started to move forward while he struck the ice like baseballs. Glaceon's eyes widened when he closed in on her and attacked her with the bone.
"Hang on, Glaceon!" May called. "Use Shadow Ball!"
"Dodge that and use Focus Energy!"
A dark ball of energy formed in Glaceon's mouth. As she shot the ball at Freddie, the Cubone darted to the side, barely missing the attack. He then took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"Now Headbutt," said Dani.
May gritted her teeth when Freddie slammed into Glaceon with his bone-covered head. "Secret Power!"
"Growl."
The Cubone let out a low growl as he braced himself. Glaceon's body glowed a sparkling pink. She slammed into Freddie, causing his body to glow as well.
"Now Bone Club!" called Dani.
May narrowed her eyes as Freddie struck her ice type with his club. "We have to get rid of that bone... Glaceon, use Shadow Ball on the bone!"
Freddie glanced at the trainer in confusion. Then Glaceon's Shadow Balls truck his hand. He cried out as he lost his grip on his bone club, sending it flying across the field.
"Go get it!" Dani exclaimed.
May smirked. "Now Ice Shard."
Freddie raced across the field as shards of ice rained down on him. He winced when some of them struck him, but he did not slow down.
"Now use Shadow Ball!" said May.
"Deflect it!" Dani cried.
Freddie dove for his bone club while Glaceon prepared her attack. The Eevee evolution aimed and sent the ball of energy flying just as Freddie grasped his bone. The Cubone spun around and struck the Shadow Ball, sending it flying harmlessly to the side.
May widened her eyes. "No way!"
Dani smirked. "Now Bone Club!"
"Secret Power!"
The Pokemon ran at each other. Freddie leapt at the last second, coming crashing down on the ice type. He then hopped back to his feet as Glaceon struggled to stand.
"Glaceon, you need to use Ice Shard again!"
This time, the attack was too close range for Freddie to deflect. He was sent flying onto his back as the ice slashed his body.
"Hang in there!" Dani said. "Bone Club once more!"
"Finish it with another Ice Shard!"
"Use that Ice!"
Freddie panted as he stood with his club in his hand. He reacted slowly, but he was still able to hit back most of the ice shards as they flew at him. Glancing down, he noticed some ice on the ground. He jumped on two pieces of ice and used them to glide forward. Glaceon appeared surprised as he gained speed, his bone club swinging. By the time she turned to run, it was too late. Freddie came down on her with his club, and this time, she did not get up again.
"Glaceon is unable to battle," said the referee. "Freddie wins, and that means Dani will be moving onto the semifinals!"
"Great job, Freddie," Dani said, smiling at her Cubone.
"Thanks for trying, Glaceon," May said as she returned her Pokemon to her Pokeball. Then she strode over to Dani and held out her hand. "That was a good battle. Good luck in the semifinals."
Dani smiled and shook her hand. "Thank you."
Don Georges then announced a break. The remaining trainers rested and let their Pokemon have a small snack. Soon enough, the tournament resumed, and Gary and Gabri made their way to the battlefield.
Gabri took a deep breath as she pulled out a Pokeball. She knew her friend was an experienced trainer, and beating him was not going to be easy. Still, she had to try her hardest for her Pokemon's sake. "Go, Grace!" She hoped her Deerling was ready for her first battle.
"Umbreon!" Gary said loudly, tossing a Pokeball in the air. "Help me out!" He then nodded at his opponent. "You may have the first move."
Gabri smiled slightly. "Thanks." It was another Eevee evolution, and this one looked tough. Hmm... What should she start off with? "Grace, Tackle!"
"Dodge that and use Sand Attack."
Grace raced forward. Umbreon watched her and did not move. At the last second, he skid out of the way, sweeping up dirt and sand, which struck Grace and momentarily blinded her.
"Now Hidden Power!" said Gary.
Umbreon's eyes glowed white, and then he unleashed black radiating waves of energy. The Deerling cried out as she was struck and flung back across the battlefield until she lay near Gabri's feet.
The female trainer winced when she saw how little strength her Pokemon had left after only one hit. She really was up against a strong trainer! She strained her mind to think of a strategy to win. "Get up, Grace! Use Sand Attack too!"
Grace struggled to her feet. She took a deep breath before chasing after the Umbreon. The dark type darted to the side, but he was still struck by some sand when the Deerling attacked.
"Ok, now Double Kick!" Gabri said.
Grace jumped over to Umbreon, who was trying to paw the sand out of his eyes. She turned and kicked him twice with her hind legs.
"Umbreon, Psychic."
Umbreon dug his heels in the dirt and focused on the Deerling. Grace suddenly started to glow and rose in the air. Gabri watched in horror as she was thrown across the field. She rolled to a stop near her feet, fainted.
"Grace is unable to battle," said the referee. "Umbreon is the winner, and the trainer moving on is Gary!"
"No, Grace!" Gabri cried. She bent down next to the Deerling and stroked her fur. "I'm sorry."
"Good job, Umbreon," Gary said. He strode across the field and offered Gabri his hand. "You just need more experience. You'll be a great trainer someday."
Gabri smiled slightly as she took his hand and let him pull her up. "Thanks." She hoped he was right. She did not have much time to think about it now. She had to cheer on Shelly!
The pink-haired girl had a determined look on her face as she took her sister's place on the field. "I'll beat this guy for you," she whispered to her. She knew Trip was the guy who had beat Gabri awhile back. She glared at the blond boy who stood opposite of her. "You'll pay for what you did to her!"
Trip raised his eyebrows at her. "The girl with the weak Tepig is your sister? I hope you're a more adequate trainer."
Shelly pushed down her anger, knowing it wouldn't help her battle. "I'll show you! Go, Fluffy!" The Flaafy that appeared looked tough and ready to battle.
Trip smirked. "Lampent." A weird floating purple Pokemon appeared in front of him.
"Cool, a lamp!" Gabri called from the stands.
Shelly shot her a look. "Who's side are you on?"
Gabri bit her lip and grew silent.
"This will be easy," Trip said. "Lampent, Flamethrower!"
"Fluffy, dodge that and use Confuse Ray!"
The Flaafy dashed out of the way of the oncoming fire. By doing so, she got within several yards of the Lampent. She then shot out rays from her eyes in an attempt to confuse him.
"Use Flamethrower," Trip said. However, the Lampent looked around in confusion and ended up harming himself.
Shelly saw her chance. "Thunder Shock!"
Fluffy took a deep breath and then let out an electrical charge. The Lampent cried out as he was struck.
Trip narrowed his eyes. "Lampent, Shadow Ball, now."
"Electro Ball!"
Lampent and Fluffy formed their attacks at the same time. Lampent let a dark orb loose while the Flaafy sent an electric ball hurling after him. The Shadow Ball struck the electric type, but the Lampent moved out of the way of the Electro Ball.
"Alright, Take Down!" Shelly said. She hoped this move would be strong enough.
"Wait and then use Flame Burst," said Trip.
Fluffy charged at her opponent. Just as she closed in on him, Lampent shot out a huge fire ball. The fire struck Fluffy and sent her hurtling back.
Shelly gritted her teeth. "Thunder Shock!"
"Flamethrower!"
The electric and fire attacks struck each other and held for several moments. Then the Flamethrower grew in strength and pushed the Thunder Shock back. Fluffy was soon engulfed in fire. When the embers faded, it could be seen that she had fainted.
"Fluffy is unable to battle," the referee said. "Lampent is the winner, and Trip will be moving onto the semifinals!"
Trip smirked. "As expected."
Shelly felt dejected as she stared at her defeated Flaafy. "Thanks for trying, Fluffy." She returned her to her Pokeball and sighed. Then she trudged back to her group of sisters and friends.
"I told you he was tough," Gabri said.
"It was a good effort," May said with a sympathetic smile.
Shelly smiled slightly and nodded. "Thanks, guys." She turned to her older sister. "Good luck in the semifinals."
Dani grinned. "Thanks."
Everyone looked at the screen when the semifinal matchups were shown. It would be Dani vs. Trip and Paul vs. Gary. Dani and Gary exchanged glanced, knowing they were up against strong opponents.
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Post by Principal Sash on May 30, 2016 10:52:01 GMT -5
Chapter 19: The Great Club Battle Finale
“Beat him for us,” Shelly said to Dani as she left for the battlefield. She did not like that Trip, and she really wanted him to go down.
Dani noticed how confident Trip appeared. She was not as angry as her sister, but she still thought he could use a lesson in humility. “Good luck,” she said. ‘You beat my sisters, but I’m not planning on let you beat me.”
Trip stared at her across the field. “There are three of you? We’ll see if at least one of you has some talent. Go Seperior!”
Dani taught the large snake was quite impressive. However, he would be no match for her Charizard. “Luke, you’re up!” She tossed a Pokeball in the air and released her fire and flying type. “Start off with Flame Burst!”
“Dodge that,” Trip said swiftly. “Then use Dragon Tail.”
Luke sucked in air and then released it in a large ball of fire. The grass type slithered out of the way just in time. He ended up near the Charizard, his tail turned to him. His tail glowed bright blue before he used it to strike Luke in the side.
Dani was not bothered that Trip had the first hit, for she knew she would have the last. “Luke, Smokescreen!” A thick fog filled the air, making it hard to see. “Now Wing Attack!”
Movement could be seen through the smoke, and a second later the Seperior cried out. Luke landed right in front of Dani where she could see him.
“Pretty clever,” said Trip, “but it will take more than that to take down my Seperior. Frenzy Plant!”
Dani could see nothing as Seperior acted. Luke tensed as he waited for the attack. Then leaf filled vines appeared from the ground and hit the Charizard, causing him to growl.
“Alright, time for Dragon Rage!” said Dani.
Luke took a deep breath as he gathered a ball of energy in his hands. Then the energy sprang forth in a blinding light. The force of the attack caused Seperior to almost fall over, and it also cleared the last of the smoke.
“Quick, use Wrap!” said Trip.
Serperior struck out his tail. He wrapped it around Luke and squeezed him. His grip made it hard for the Charizard to move.
Dani grit her teeth as she wondered how to get out of this. Then she got an idea. “Stay calm, Luke. Use Flame Burst!”
“Quick, get out of there!”
Seperior unwrapped himself from Luke and started to slither away. However, he was not quick enough to avoid the ball of fire. The force of the attack sent him flying to the ground. He struggled to get back up, his eyes blazing.
Trip smirked. “Good. You can still battle. Use Dragon Tail!”
“Wing Attack!”
The two Pokemon moved towards each other, Serperior slithering and Luke flying. The attacks struck on the same time. Both Pokemon appeared tired, but the grass type was obviously more wiped.
“Energy Ball!” Trip called.
“Dragon Rage!” Dani countered.
The Pokemon gathered the attacks and threw their energy at the same time, causing a great explosion that blocked the view of the action. When the smoke cleared, Luke was still standing and Serperior had fainted.
“Serperior is unable to battle,” said the referee. “Luke is the winner, and victory goes to Dani!”
“Great job, Luke,” Dani said with a small smile. “I knew you could do it.”
“Serperior, return,” Trip said, holding out a Pokeball. He looked across the field at his opponent, his expression unreadable. “Not bad. At least one of you has some talent.” And then he turned and exited the stadium.
Dani nodded at Trip as she watched him leave. She would take that as a compliment. She retuned Luke to his own Pokeball and then headed back to her friends, where she received many congratulations.
“You’re up next,” May said to Gary.
“Good luck against Paul,” Shelly said, not sounding pleased.
Gary’s eyes darkened. “Thanks.” He took a deep breath before walking onto the battlefield. Paul already stood on the other side, waiting for the battle to begin.
“Gogoat, you’re up!” Gary said, kissing his Pokeball before releasing his grass type. After all the long walks he had taken with him, he knew the Gogoat was itching for some action.
“Zorua,” Paul said. A black fox appeared in front of him. This was the same Pokemon he had used in the past two rounds of the tournament. “Shadow Ball!”
“Seed Bomb,” Gary said.
“Dodge that!”
Zorua opened her mouth and formed a dark ball of energy. Gogoat was not quick enough to dodge the move. Te dark type, however, darted out of the way of the seeds that were headed her way.
“Alright, use Vine Whip,” said Gary.
“Dodge and use Dark Pulse.”
Gogoat extended his vines and brought them down in front of him. Once again, Zorua was able to move out of the way of the attack. Then purple waves came out of her body, striking her opponent. Gary grit is teeth. He knew he had to think of something to turn this battle around quickly.
Paul smirked. “Had enough yet? Zorua, Night Daze!”
Gary knew this attack took some time to complete. This was his chance. “Gogoat, Takedown!”
Zorua’s eyes glowed blue as she raised her paws in the air. At the same time, Gogoat ran towards her. Just when he was about to reach her, she slammed her paws on the ground, creating a wave of energy that ripped forward around the entire battlefield. Gogoat grunted as he pushed forward, slamming into the fox.
Gary felt slight relief. At least his opponent had taken some damage. However, he did not know if his own Pokemon could take much more. “Now Seed Bomb!”
“Hyper Voice!”
Gogoat sent out another barrage of seeds. Zorua stood her ground, opened her mouth, and lot out a high pitched shriek that caused even Gary to cover his ears. Both Pokemon were clearly affected by the respective moves.
“Takedown!” Gary called. He had to use his best attack if he wanted to win.
“Shadow Ball after you’re hit!!”
Gogoat panted as he raced forward. He succeeded in ramming into the Zorua, but as she fell back, she blasted him with her Shadow Ball. The Gogoat fell to his side and did not get up again.
“Gogoat is unable to battle,” said the referee. “Zorua is the winner, and the victor is Paul!”
“Thanks for the battle, Gogoat,” Gary said with a sad smile as he returned him to his Pokeball. He narrowed his eyes at Paul. He did not like the way he pushed his Pokemon. With a huff, he returned to the rest of the group.
“Good try out there,” Dani said as he approached.
“Too bad you couldn’t win it,” May added. Shelly nodded beside her.
“You’ll have to beat him for me,” Gary said to Dani. The finals were the following day, so they had the night off.
Dani nodded. “I’ll do my best. For now, let’s all get some rest.”
Everyone readily agreed.
---
That evening, the group enjoyed a meal together. Dani sat across from May and next to Gary at the end of the table. She was mostly silent as she thought about her battle with Paul the following day.
“Are you nervous?” May asked, breaking her from her thoughts.
“Yeah, a little bit,” Dani admitted. “I’ve beat him once in the past, and I don’t know if I can do it again.”
“Which Pokemon will be using?”
“I’m thinking about going with Luke.”
May smiled. “Then you’ll do just fine. Your Charizard is very strong. Paul will probably use that Zorua again, so you’ll know what’s coming.”
She nodded. “I guess so.” Paul must have caught that Zorua recently. She was impressed with how strong she was already. She thought of something else as she nibbled on her food. “We ran into Drew the other day. We got him to slow down and rest with us for a day. I even got him up in the air on his Flygon.”
May looked at her in surprise. “Really? I’ve never gotten him to stay in one place for long. He must really like you.” She was smiling, but her eyes were sad and almost… regretful? Jealous?
Dani knew she had to fix this. “It’s not like that. I’m just good at reading people. I think Drew’s a lot easier to deal with than you think. Just stay calm and don’t back down. If you want to spend time with him, just say so. I think he might be waiting for you to ask.”
May blushed and glanced down at her plate. “You think so?”
Dani smiled at her. “Sure. Give it a shot.”
She smiled back at her shyly. “Thanks, Dani.”
“Hey, May!” Shelly called from the other side of the table. “Where are you going after this?”
“Oh, I’m going to Nimbassa City for the Pokemon Contest,” May said.
“So are we. You should come with us.”
Max turned to Gabri beside him and grinned. “Yeah, that sounds fun. I could use some company other than my sister.”
May rolled her eyes but then smiled at Shelly. “Sure. If we’re all heading in the same direction, why not?”
Everyone else nodded their approval. So it was set. The planned to leave the day after the Club Battle tournament ended. Soon, it was time for bed. Dani fell asleep with dreams of Paul and Pokemon battles.
***
Dani and Paul stood across from each other on the battlefield. The girl tuned out the sound of the cheering crowd. This battle meant more to her than winning a tournament. Though part of her knew she shouldn’t care, she wanted to win her opponent’s respect. She also hoped to teach him that there was more to Pokemon than strength.
“Go, Luke!” she said, tossing a Pokeball in the air. The Charizard roared as he landed in front of her.
Paul smirked as he took out his own Pokeball. “It seems you’ve learned something about Pokemon evolution.” He released his Zorua as expected.
His words made Dani realize something. “And it seems like you’ve learned that there’s more to winning battles than evolution and size.” After all, he had used Zorua to beat Gary’s evolved Gogoat.
Paul frowned but did not respond. “Zorua, use Dark Pulse!”
“Luke, Wing Attack!”
As Zorua extended her tentacles of energy, Luke took to the sky and dodged the attack. He then swooped down to attack with his wing. “Shadow Ball!” Paul called. Just after she was hit, Zorua shot a ball of dark energy at her opponent. Luke grunted as he landed on the ground.
Something about the way Paul battled rubbed Dani the wrong way. “You know, Zorua must be tired after battling the entire tournament. You shouldn’t push her so hard. She needs a break.”
“I don’t need you to teach me about Pokemon battles,” Paul growled. “Hyper Voice!” Luke and Dani both covered their ears as a high pitched sound filled the stadium. “Now Night Daze.”
“Use Dragon Rage!” Dani shouted above the noise.
The Pokemon prepared their attacks at the same time. Zorua finished first, slamming her paws on the ground to produce ripples on the battlefield. Luke released his energy just before he was struck.
Dani had to admire the spirit of the Zorua. She almost pitied her for having to put up with Paul. “Luke, fly up and use Flame Burst!”
“Dark Pulse!”
Luke leapt into the air. He managed to swerve out of the way of Zorua’s attack until he was right above her. He then blasted her with a giant fire ball, causing her to whimper.
Dani wanted to end this before Zorua got too hurt. “Luke, Fire Fang!”
“Stand your ground and use Night Daze.”
Dani widened her eyes. Was he really going to risk his Pokemon getting hurt at this point just to win the battle? “You’re pushing her too hard!”
“That’s none of your business!”
Dani held her breath, hoping everything would turn out alright. Luke’s tooth glowed as he ran forward. Zorua tensed, but instead of preparing her own attack, she leapt out of the way.
Paul appeared startled, but a second later he narrowed his eyes at his Pokemon. “I said Night Daze!”
“She doesn’t think there’s enough time!” Dani grit her teeth when she realized her opponent would not listen to her. She watched Zorua should a Shadow Ball at Luke, hitting her target. It was time to end this. “Flame Burst!”
“Use Hyper Voice!”
Luke took to the air once again. Zorua stared up at him. She looked at her trainer once before returning her gaze to the Charizard. She made no move to dodge or attack. Then Luke’s fire struck, and she was blown across the field. Luke landed on the ground, and the smoke cleared to show that the dark type had fainted.
“Zorua is unable to battle,” the referee said. “Luke is the winner, and victory goes to Dani from Ecruteak City!”
“We did it,” Dani said, nearly in disbelief. Then she ran forward and embraced her Charizard. “You were amazing, Luke.” He roared in agreement. When she pulled away, she noticed Paul mumble something as he returned his Zorua to her Pokeball. Then he made his way over to her.
“Congratulations,” he said. “You’re not as bad as I thought.”
Dani blinked in surprise when he extended his hand to her. Maybe he was being polite because of the crowd, but she did not care. She smiled as she shook his hand. “Thanks, Paul. You battled well too.”
He grunted in response. Before he could drop her hand, Don Georges was there, and he lifted both of their hands into the air. “Give it up for our finalists and a great battle!”
Paul seemed somewhat awkward with the applause that followed, and when Dani smiled at him, he looked away. He started for the exit as soon as he was free.
Dani did not have time to worry about him, for she was handed the even Feather Driftveil Wing set. She held it up as she stood on a podium with Luke behind her.
“Congratulations, Dani,” the announcer said. “May we have a few words about your victory?”
Dani was not usually comfortable with the attention, but winning had put her in a good mood. “It was all thanks to Luke and my other Pokemon,” she said. “They were great, and we’re going to continue to work hard!” She caught the eyes of her friends in the audience and gave them a smile. She was glad when she finally had the chance to get back to them.
“Dani! You were amazing!” Gary said. Before she could respond, he pulled her into a hug.
She was surprised, but it felt good, so she hugged him back. “Thanks, Gary.”
“That was a great battle,” May said.
“Totally,” said Max.
“It was good to see you beat Paul,” Shelly said with a smile.
“Congratulations,” said Gabri. Then something caught her eye. It was Trip leaving the stadium! “I’ll be right back.”
She was out of there before anyone could protest. She walked quickly and managed to grad onto Trip’s sleeve before he exited. He looked back at her and stopped. “Gabri?” he said in surprise.
Now that she had his attention, Gabri was not quite sure what she wanted to say. She decided to go with the first thing that came to her mind. “Did you watch the battle?”
“Yes. Your sister is not bad. You could learn a thing or two from her.”
“And then we can battle again?”
He paused before giving her something in between a smile and a smirk. “Sure. See you later, Gabri.”
The girl was not sure why she was acting this way around him, and she did not care. With a smile, she turned and walked back to her sisters and friends. They had a victory to celebrate!
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Post by Principal Sash on Jul 14, 2016 20:00:50 GMT -5
Chapter 20: Nimbasa City
May and Max traveled with the group for the next couple of days. Finally, they arrived in Nimbasa City. Everyone was in awe at the huge city looming before them. The first stop, of course, was the Pokemon Center. As they entered the building, they noticed Drew checking in.
"Hey, Drew," Dani greeted him. "Are you here for the contest?"
Drew turned around, seeming slightly surprised to see the group. "Yes. I'll be a spectator this time. I want to get a better handle on the competition."
"Oh, that's good, I guess," May said. "Shelly and I will be in the contest."
Drew smirked. "Really? Then how about having a practice battle against me?"
May hesitated. "We were going to head over to the gym."
Dani smiled and touched her shoulder. "It's fine. You can stay here if you want, and the rest of us will leave for the gym."
"Yeah, Dani will be fine," Shelly said. "We'll see you later." She winked.
May blushed and nodded. "Ok."
"Then let's head out," said Gary. Everyone else agreed.
---
It took some effort to reach the Nimbasa Gym. When the group entered the building, they found a roller coaster cart waiting for them. Gary had to persuade the girls to sit down and enjoy the ride. The roller coaster took them deep into the building, and everyone was glad when the fun was over.
Elesa, the Nimbasa City gym leader, was waiting for them in front of a huge door. It was decided that Dani would have a battle then and Gabri would set up an appointment for another day. The youngest girl wanted to witness one more gym battle before she tried one herself.
"Are you ready to begin?" Elesa said, flashing the challenger a big grin.
Dani nodded. It felt like they were in a stadium. There was a cheering crowd of mostly girls going crazy over the gym leader. Then she remembered that Gary said something about Elesa being a fashion model. This would be an interesting battle.
"This is my first Pokemon, Zebstrika!" An electric zebra appeared on the battlefield.
Dani already knew who she would choose. "Jewels, you're up!" She released her Mightyena, and the Pokemon snarled as she took a battle stance. "Use Tackle!"
"Dodge that!"
And the battle began. Dani found the electric type to be quite tough because of his speed. His Flame Charge and Wild Charge did a good amount of damage to Jewels. Finally, the Mightyena was able to confuse her opponent with Swagger and get in some moves of her own. Once the confusion wore off, Jewels received another beat down.
"Jewels, return!" Dani said, taking out her Pokeball. This was all part of her plan. "Freddie, your turn!" A Cubone appeared a second later. Elesa seemed intrigued by this change. "Use Bone Club!"
"Dodge that with Double Kick!"
Freddie raised his bone club. He ran forward, but the Zebstrika jumped out of the way. Then the electric type turned and struck him with his back legs twice.
"Now Flame Charge!" said the gym leader.
"Jump and use Bone Club!"
Freddie stood his ground as the Zebstrika ran at him, covered in flames. At the last second, he leapt in the air and came crashing down on his opponent with his club. Dust filled the air, and when it cleared, Zebstrika had fainted and Freddie stood victorious.
Dani was pleased she had won this round, but she knew she had a long way to go in order to win a badge. Elesa brought out an Emolga next, so the challenger returned Freddie and chose Mo as her third Pokemon.
"Mo, use Flamethrower!" she said.
"Acrobatics!" said Elesa.
Mo released his fire, but Emolga flew out of the way. Then she swept down low and attacked. The Cyndaquil's next move hit and did a good deal of damage, but then Emolga's Attract zapped all of Mo's motivation. Dani grit her teeth after watching her partner become subjected to several damaging moves. It was time to switch Pokemon again.
"Mo, come back!" Dani sighed in relief when her Cyndaquil waddled back to her. Then she released Jewels again. "Stay there."
"Fine, I'll move," said Elesa. "Aerial Ace!"
Emolga flew down and attacked the Mightyena at a high speed. She growled at her, barring her teeth. Dani was glad that Attract would not work. "Now Crunch!"
When Emolga flew down to attack again, Jewels opened her jaws and clamped them around the electric and flying type. After a struggle, she finally fainted.
"Great job," Dani said. She suddenly grew wary when the crowd cheered loudly for Elesa's final Pokemon: a small Tynamo. "Be careful, Jewels. Use Bite!"
"Tackle!" Elesa called.
With lightning speed, Tynamo dodged Jewels' oncoming attack and ended up running into her himself. The Mightyena promptly fainted.
Dani clenched her teeth as she returned her dark type. That Tynamo was fast! "Mo, get back out there." Thankfully, the Cyndaquil was back to normal. "Start with Flame Wheel!"
"Spark," said Elesa.
Mo formed into a ball of fire and sped forward. Tynamo moved out of the way again. Then he attacked with a strong bolt of electricity, causing Mo to cry out.
"Hang in there," Dani said. "Inferno!"
"Charge Beam!"
The attacks struck at the same time. Both Pokemon appeared tired. After another Spark from Tynamo, however, Mo was out of the game.
"Thank you, Mo," Dani said as she carried her Cyndaquil back to her side. It was time for Freddie to finish the battle. The Cubone appeared ready to fight. "Now, Bone Club!"
"Dodge and use Tackle!" said Elesa.
"Don't give up!"
Freddie tried to attack with his bone club, but Tynamo zipped out of the way, rounding to strike with a Tackle. The Cubone stood his ground, and when Tynamo started to move again, his club hit its mark.
"Not bad," Elesa said. "Tackle and shine, my Tynamo!"
"Use Headbutt!"
The Pokemon charged into each other. Both fell back from the impact of the collision, but only Freddie was able to get back up again.
"Tynamo is unable to battle," said the referee. "Freddie is the winner, and victory goes to Dani, the challenger!"
The crowd erupted in cheers. Dani found this to be a bit uncomfortable, but she was happy she had won. "Great job, buddy." She picked up the Cubone and hugged him.
"You really shined out there," Elesa said as she strode over to her. "You deserve this."
Dani smiled as she accepted the badge. "Thanks."
"And I expect a good battle from you next."
Gabri, who had walked over with Shelly and Gary, smiled shyly and nodded. She was glad her older sister had gone first. Now she knew just what to expect!
***
The following day, Gabri decided to train for her battle while Gary did some shopping and Dani and Shelly relaxed at the pool. The young girl did not mind that she had been left alone. She worked better that day, anyway. For several hours, she worked hard with her Pokemon to come up with a strategy to beat Elesa's electric types.
After a lunch by herself, she felt refreshed and decided to take a walk. She was not one to enjoy big cities, so she stayed where she found nature. She walked into a park and was surprised to see Drew and his Roserade working on Magical Leaf.
She watched them in silence for several minutes. Then she said: "I thought you weren't entering the contest here."
Drew seemed surprised to see her, but then he smirked and replied, "I have to keep my skills sharp for the next contest I will enter."
Gabri nodded. "You two look close." She noticed how well he worked together with his Pokemon and how much they seemed to care for each other.
Drew smiled fondly at his Pokemon. "We've been together for longer than I've been a trainer."
Gabri smiled as she thought that Dani was right about this guy. He came off as tough, but he was a good guy deep down. She hoped she could become his friend as well.
Then a disdainful voice broke through the peaceful moment: "I came here to find a challenge, but instead I found an amateur trainer and wimpy coordinator."
Gabri winced. She would know that voice anywhere. "Paul." She looked him over warily. She was usually happy to see him, but now was not a good time.
"I wouldn't underestimate coordinators," Drew said, glaring at the older boy. "We have to be more skilled than trainers."
Paul scoffed. "I would like to see you try to beat a trainer."
Roserade stood in front of Drew and took a battle stance. "Then let's go," Drew said.
"You'll regret this," Paul said as he took out a Pokeball.
Gabri sighed and made her way to the middle. It looked like she would be the referee. She hoped this ended well.
"Zorua!" Paul exclaimed, releasing his black fox. "Use Shadow Ball!"
"Magical Leaf," said Drew.
The Shadow Ball soared through the leaves, and both attacks struck their targets.
"Hyper Voice," said Paul.
Drew covered is ears at the painful sound. "Roserade, Mega Drain!"
Gabri watched as the two Pokemon continued to battle. They seemed to be evenly matched. She found this surprising since Zorua was just caught and Roserade had been with Drew for years. That was one powerful dark type!
"Zorua, you need to work harder," Paul growled as Roserade dodged a Shadow Ball. "You will never be any good if you don't use your full potential!"
Zorua flicked her ears and sat down, seeming annoyed. Drew eyed the other trainer oddly before giving out another command: "Solar Beam!"
"This is your chance," Paul said. "Night Daze!" But Zorua swished her tail and lifted her nose in the air. "You need to obey me right now!"
But it was too late. Roserade released her Solar Beam, striking the Zorua straight on. The fox yelped as she was thrown across the grass. She did not stand up again.
"Roserade and Drew win," Gabri said. She bit her lip as she watched Paul return his Pokemon. Hasn't this happened at Nimbasa Town Club Battle? There was something going on with that Pokemon.
"You were great, Roserade," Drew said as he rubbed the grass type. He smirked at Paul. "What were you saying about coordinators?"
"I would have won if Zorua would have obeyed me," Paul said. "I should have beaten Dani and her Charizard as well."
Drew took out a Pokeball and returned his Pokemon. "If a Pokemon does not listen to you, it is due to a lack of training, and that falls on you. You deserved to lose."
"It's not my fault I have an insolent Pokemon!"
"You need to figure out why she's not obeying you," Gabri said quickly. She did not want a fight to break out between the two boys. "The same thing happened to Dani when she caught her Oshawott. He kept attacking on his own."
"I remember that," Drew said thoughtfully. "Did she figure out the problem?"
Gabri nodded. "She learned that different Pokemon respond to different types of training, and she had to adapt her style to his." She turned to Paul. "Maybe you should talk to Dani about Zorua."
Paul scoffed. "I don't need anyone's help."
"Obviously you do," said Drew.
"There's nothing wrong with using other trainers to become stronger," Gabri said. "We all have different talents."
"Unless you're too weak to admit when you need help," Drew said with a smirk.
Paul let out a heavy sigh before glancing at Gabri warily. "I can figure it out on my own, but if it will help me become stronger faster, I will talk to Dani."
Gabri smiled. "Great. I know where she is!" The two teenagers followed her as she left the park. She felt good about what she had accomplished. Every small success was worth celebrating!
***
A/N: I decided to cut down on the battles and summarize so that I can get more into the actual story. I hope this speeds up the pace and makes it less boring. Let me know if you like the new format.
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