Chapter 3

Golden Girl

Gold was in Goldenrod City, exploring the huge city, preparing for a showdown with the Goldenrod gym leader. He was ahead of his rival Silver, and quite happy about it. His team of Pokémon was quite strong, with his Typhlosion being the main strength of his team.

He found the Goldenrod gym, and read a sign outside it that said: "Goldenrod City Gym – Leader: Whitney – The Incredibly Pretty Girl!" Entering the gym, he found his way through the female trainers inhabiting Whitney's gym, making it to Whitney herself.

Whitney had beautiful red hair. She had an attractive smile. Gold knew exactly what the sign meant- she was incredibly pretty!

"You've come to battle me?" she asked.

"Of course," Gold said.

"And your name is?" Whitney asked.

"Gold," he replied.

"I claim that all challengers are afraid to battle me with all my Pokémon, so I offer you an agreement," she said. "You choose three Pokémon, and I choose one. If you win, you get the Plain Badge."

Gold could not understand the generosity. He was not afraid of Whitney's Pokémon. Yet she was willing to handicap her team in order to help him… why?

"Sure!" he said.

"I knew it!" Whitney said. "Another guy who's afraid of a girl. You want to go six-on-one?"

Gold realized Whitney's strategy. She wanted to show her boldness, and make him look scared. He was no chicken, however.

"I came to beat you fair and square," Gold said. "I insist on a one-on-one battle."

"Fine!" Whitney said. "But you'll be sorry…"

Gold sent out Typhlosion. Whitney countered with Miltank, a cow-like Pokémon. When Gold saw Miltank, he thought he would start laughing. That cow's going to beat my Typhlosion? he thought.

"Fire Blast!" he yelled.

Typhlosion's attack hit Miltank hard.

"Rollout!" Whitney said.

Miltank's attack was an okay one, but did not hurt Typhlosion that much. However, as Typhlosion continued to attack Miltank, Miltank was able to stay in the battle, while its attacks became more and more powerful.

"What's going on?" Gold asked.

Miltank's next attack sent Typhlosion flying. The match was over- Typhlosion fainted. Whitney smiled.

"I gave you an opportunity," she said. "You thought you could take me on easily because I'm a girl, but that wasn't the case."

"You're a pretty girl," said Gold, hoping Whitney would let up on him.

"Oh, so you think I'm weak because I'm pretty?" she asked.

"No, no," Gold said. "You're not weak."

"Sorry, but this match is over," Whitney said. "You're not getting a Plain Badge for that loss."

Gold frowned. He walked out of the Goldenrod gym slowly and sadly. He not only lost- he thought Whitney was really cute. But there was no time for a crush on her, he thought. He needed to get back to training.

That night, he walked over to a theater where a play was going on. He figured he could watch the play before attempting some late-night training. Only, he noticed the lead actress in the play, a blonde-haired girl around his age, looked beautiful.

She's great, he thought. I wish I could meet her.

The play finished, but before a curtain call, Gold heard his cell phone ringing.

What's Mom calling me for now? he thought.

At that moment, a large bald-headed man named Cueball walked up to him.

"Get out," Cueball said. "No cell phones allowed here."

"But-" Gold said.

Cueball picked Gold up and placed him on the street. Then Gold realized it wasn't even his mom calling- his cell phone apparently was being called by a bug-catching trainer, who got his number by mistake. He turned his phone off angrily.

Who was that actress? he thought. He found a hotel room and went to sleep. The next day, he woke up, walking back to the Goldenrod gym. He stood outside the door of the gym.

What's the use? he thought. That Miltank is unbeatable.

"So, someone disrupted the play last night," a voice said.

Gold looked behind him. Whitney was standing there.

"Whitney?" he asked.

"I'm coming to my gym as always," she said. "And I don't want anyone here that plays pranks at public events."

"What?" Gold said.

"Security ejected someone who looked like you from the big play last night," she said. "Everyone in town knows about it."

"It was an accident!" Gold protested. "My cell phone went off, and-"

"Well, turn off your phone before entering the theater," Whitney responded. "There's another play tonight- don't spoil the curtain call of that one, too."

"I won't," he said. "But who was that lead actress? I want to meet that girl."

"You won't get the chance," Whitney snapped. "That girl is popular in Goldenrod – she doesn't trust boys, though. They're always chasing her, just because they think she's beautiful."

"I'm not like that," Gold said. "I'd treat a girl with respect."

"You?" Whitney said with disbelief. "Please. You were flirting with me yesterday. That girl would be furious if she saw you flirt with her."

Gold frowned. "You don't seem like you want a battle," he said. "I want a rematch."

"Sorry," Whitney said. "Come back in a week."

"A week?" Gold protested. "Why a week?"

"I don't want you flirting with me constantly," she said. "Now bye-bye."

"Wait!" Gold said. "Do you know that actress?"

"Everyone knows her," Whitney said. "Why? Want to flirt with her?"

"No, no," Gold said. "Tell her she's an excellent actress."

"Everyone tells her that," Whitney said. "How are you any different?"

"Whitney, I know what it's like to have great expectations, as that actress must have," Gold said. "It's not easy. I feel for her – she may be popular, but she may also feel great pressure."

Whitney looked at Gold differently. "So you are sensitive?" she said. "Girls like that. You treat girls with respect, and they'll do the same to you."

"I'll see you next week for that badge," Gold said.

Whitney smiled, then entered her gym, while Gold walked away. How did he not know that actress, if supposedly everyone else did? Maybe he could catch the play again, he thought.

That evening, Gold went back to the theater. There he saw Cueball again, the security guard who through him out the first time.

Great, he thought. Now what do I do?

However, Cueball did not bother him, allowing him to enter the theater. There he watched the play again, mesmerized by the lead actress's performance.

This time, he got to see the curtain call.

"The star of our show…" an announcer said. "Whitney!"

Whitney took off her blonde wig as she took a bow.

Whitney? Gold thought. He was shocked to realize that Whitney was the actress – and that he had not been able to figure that out until finding it out now. As he exited the theater, he thought about Whitney – great at acting, great at battling…

"Gold!" a voice yelled.

Gold turned around to see Whitney, who snuck out of the theater after him, as she had seen him in the crowd.

"You were great," Gold said.

"Yeah, well, that's what they all say," Whitney said. "But when you say it…" She blushed.

Gold smiled back at Whitney. "So we'll battle sometime next week?" he asked.

"Battle?" she asked. "Why don't we… oh, I don't know…"

"Go out?" Gold said.

Whitney and Gold began their friendship there. Whitney gave Gold the Plain Badge as a gift, similar to Jasmine's gift to Silver. The two of them spent some time talking to each other about their lives, and preparing to travel to nearby cities so Gold could claim enough badges to enter the upcoming Pokémon League tournament.