Saint Brandon…" Kristine spoke in awe as the two approached the city. According to the handbook, it is the smallest major city in Inventum, but it was covered with beautiful gardens and well-decorated ponds. It had an enchanting feel to it. There were no tall buildings or neon lights; there was just peace and quiet.
The two proceeded down the path leading into the city, passing by vast farmlands and outskirt residential homes. The city itself had stone roads and buildings as opposed to the paved roads and durasteel buildings that Fort Lexing had.
"It's more open than Fort Lexing," Jason noted. "I like it."
"I dunno," Kristine disagreed. "I liked the energy Fort Lexing had."
"To each their own, I suppose," Jason replied.
The two proceeded into the city, where the pokemon center was right at the heart of it. It was a rounded, stone structure standing at two stories tall. The twins walked inside to see Nurse Joy behind the counter in the lobby.
"Welcome to the Saint Brandon Pokemon Center!" Nurse Joy greeted. "How can I help you?"
"Hi," Kristine greeted back. "We would like a room with two twin beds for a couple nights."
"Very well," Nurse Joy acknowledged. "One room for two Trainers, I can get that sorted out for you."
She then took to her computer terminal.
"Done," she continued. "Room 34 on the second floor is all yours."
"Awesome, thank you!" Jason replied. He turned to Kristine. "Is it okay if I head up?"
"Sure," Kristine gave a nod. "I'll be up there in a few."
Jason headed upstairs to his room.
"Nurse Joy, I also have another favor to ask," Kristine continued.
"Of course!" Nurse Joy smiled. "How can I help you?"
Kristine pulled out Machop's pokeball. "A couple days ago, my brother and I rescued an injured Machop from Darklight Cave, with two members of Team Harmony assisting us. Can you take a look at him? We think he has a sprained leg."
"Absolutely!" Nurse Joy replied. She then left the counter. "Follow me into the patient room."
Kristine followed Nurse Joy into the patient room just ahead.
"Come on out, Machop!" Kristine summoned him.
"Machop!" Machop greeted.
"Hi Machop! Take a seat right over here!" Nurse Joy pointed to the patient's bed.
Machop complied and sat down. Nurse Joy got on her knees to take off Machop's wrap and examine his leg.
"That's a sprain, all right," she felt Machop's leg. "There's a lot of tension going on. I'll go ahead and apply some potion to his leg, but I'd suggest keeping it wrapped for a while."
Nurse Joy then addressed Kristine directly by looking at her. "I'd also suggest sidelining him from any battles indefinitely. Make sure to give him time to rest his leg, but also to help him rehab it by training with him at least twice a day. Also make sure to do follow-ups for each pokemon center you come across, so that we can provide the appropriate treatment and updates."
"Okay," Kristine acknowledged. "Thank you very much, Nurse Joy."
"It's my duty," Nurse Joy replied as she got up and walked over to a nearby cabinet for a potion.
"Sorry Machop," Kristine said to him. "But it looks like you won't be battling for a while."
"Machop…" Machop looked down in disappointment.
"But don't worry," Kristine got on eye level with Machop. "We're going to make sure your leg gets better, and you get back to the form you were before!"
"Machop!" Machop gave a determined nod.
Nurse Joy walked over to Machop and applied the potion on his leg.
"That'll help loosen up the tension in his leg," she said. "Just take it easy for a while and you'll be just fine!"
"Machop!" Machop nodded in approval.
Kristine recalled him shortly thereafter. "Thank you again, Nurse Joy!"
Nurse Joy smiled. "Always a pleasure."
Kristine walked out into the lobby, where a man with a ponytail was standing there. He had a smooth face, dark brown hair, and wore a gray jacket with a black undershirt, to go along with his blue jeans.
"You're Kristine, are you not?" He asked Kristine as if he was anticipating her.
"Yes sir," Kristine nodded. "Can I help you?"
"I appears you already have," the man smiled. "My name is Justin, Gym Leader of Saint Brandon and Leader of Team Tranquility. Steve and Diane contacted me regarding you and your brother's efforts in saving Machop from disaster in Darklight Cave. I just want to say thank you. It is our mission to preserve the balance and harmony of the ecosystem, and while the zubat nest was disturbed for the moment, you were able to save Machop's life. The zubat may be angry, but they can put up with it."
Kristine chuckled. "I felt like we had to do something. Besides, Machop volunteered to join me on my journey."
"That's what I was told," Justin replied. "And you've taken care of him, it appears. It's always nice to see a responsible, caring trainer."
Kristine blushed. "Well, I try."
"If you and your brother aren't too busy or tired from traveling, my wife and I would like to invite you to dinner at our garden tonight," Justin continued. "It's our home just as it is the Tranquility Gym."
"Um, sure!" Kristine happily replied. "I mean, I'll see if Jason's up for it. He was pretty worn out."
"No problem," Justin smiled. "If you are interested, does 6 o'clock sound good?"
"Sure! Gives us plenty of time to rest."
"Then I'll see you tonight," Justin nodded. "Have a good day, Kristine."
"Yeah, you too," Kristine replied as Justin left the pokemon center.
"Justin's done great things for this city," Nurse Joy added. "He helped make it one of the most beautiful cities in Inventum."
"He seems real nice," Kristine noted. "For him to personally thank me like that."
"And he invited you to dinner," Nurse Joy said. "He definitely knows hospitality."
Kristine walked upstairs to her and her brother's room. Jason was on his bed, resting over the covers.
"How's Machop?" Jason asked.
"It's a heavy sprain," Kristine replied. "I'll have to sideline him from any battles for a while, but he's going to be okay."
"That's good," Jason leaned upwards.
"So the Leader of Team Tranquility stopped by," Kristine added.
"Oh?" Jason seemed intrigued.
"He invited us to dinner tonight," Kristine continued. "He and his wife will be hosting us."
"Sweet," Jason replied.
"He wanted to thank us personally for saving Machop's life."
"Justin seems like a cool guy," Jason added.
Kristine nodded. "My thoughts exactly."
As the sun set, the two headed out of the pokemon center after a nice afternoon's rest. Using the local layout of Saint Brandon from the handbook, Kristine helped navigate the way to the Tranquility Gym. They left the heart of the city to the northern outskirts, where a beautiful garden of tulips and roses awaited them.
"How very pretty," Kristine looked in awe as she and Jason walked straight ahead to a stone structure before them.
Justin and his wife awaited their arrival at the entrance.
"Welcome, Jason and Kristine!" Justin greeted. "It's a pleasure to have you here. This is my wife Fiona."
"I have heard about you," Fiona spoke elegantly with a distinct accent. She had long, smooth brown hair and wore a silver dress. "It is great to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too!" Kristine smiled.
"Thank you for having us!" Jason added.
"If you'd like, I can show you around our garden," Justin said, as he opened the door to the building.
"We'd love to see it!" Kristine replied.
Justin and Fiona led the way for Jason and Kristine to proceed inside. The first room had no ceiling. There were stone paths that led around the garden in the center.
"We made this establishment as open as we can make it," Justin explained. "We have separate gardens throughout the establishment. Since you're both trainers, I think you want to see this."
Justin and Fiona led the twins around the path and into the next room straight ahead. It was the battle floor itself, with a nice, grassy field. Planted flowers and bushes outlined the floor, while a second floor balcony overlooked it in all directions.
"The battle floor…" Jason muttered.
"This is where we hold our gym battles," Justin added. "I test one's ability to work with their polemon, to see if they have purged themselves of their internal conflicts and truly see what they want to accomplish in life."
"It looks amazing!" Kristine complimented.
"I know you'll want to battle very soon," Justin continued. "But I'll get to that."
Justin and Fiona led the twins across the floor to another room further ahead. There, a statue of a lugia stood there with its wings spread over a decorative stone water fountain.
"Team Tranquility was founded 50 years ago with Lugia as its sigil," Justin pointed out. "Legends once tell of conflict with Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. Their hostilities altered the weather patterns of our world, thus threatening life as we know it. Lugia ended those hostilities, spreading tranquility among all three legendary pokemon, thus restoring balance to the world.
"50 years ago, Inventum had a lot of trouble with organizations that dabbled into criminal activity. Team Vitality originated in Viceport and was the first to conduct criminal activities such as importing and producing illegal enhancements and selling them on the black market. Team Mystic, though hailing from Kalos, established a branch in Inventum where some of its followers went rogue and began capturing legendary pokemon to sell to the highest bidder.
"The crime got out of hand, so my grandfather Peter stepped up, founding an organization of elite law enforcement officers and pokemon rangers called Team Tranquility. Together, they exposed the bad seeds of Team Mystic inside the month, and they went after Team Vitality among other groups and individuals. They arrested dozens of criminals, many who served life sentences. Since then, all organizations must be registered, inspected, and approved by the government regularly.
"When there was conflict, it was once again Lugia who brought peace and harmony and restored balance across the region. Today, Team Tranquility is a small organization. I do my part to maintain a peaceful environment and community in Saint Brandon. It was only several years ago that the Pokemon League asked me to become the Gym Leader of this city, given my prior experience as a well-respected ranger."
"And I help maintain the beauty of this city," Fiona added. "When Justin became the Gym Leader, we moved the gym to our garden, and we converted the old gym in the city into a community center."
"You both sound like amazing people," Kristine was taken back.
Justin felt flattered. "We try. We do our duty to make this world a better place not only for ourselves, but for generations to come."
"That's a cause worth dedicating to," Jason added.
"We thought so," Fiona nodded. "When I traveled in Inventum twenty years ago as a contest coordinator, I met Justin here. That's where I soon retired from being a coordinator and fell in love with him."
"That's adorable," Kristine felt her heart warm up.
"Fiona gave up a lot coming from Kalos to settle here," Justin added. "I'll never forget that as long as I live."
"Awww," Kristine replied.
Jason only smirked at Kristine's reaction.
"Well, shall we have dinner?" Justin suggested. He faced the twins. "I bet you're starving."
"Yeah, a little bit," Jason felt his stomach growl.
"Fiona makes the greatest salad, you'll have to try," Justin boasted. He and Fiona led the twins into an enclosed corner of the garden.
"This is our home," Fiona said, leading the twins inside. "It's small, but we only really need it to eat and sleep."
Jason and Kristine looked around the stone interior. There was a small kitchen and dining area, with a hallway leading to the bedroom and bathroom.
"Well, you do have a massive beautiful garden outside," Kristine added.
"We spend most of our waking hours outside, if not all," Justin said.
Jason realized there was no electricity in the home. He decided not to make any comment at all.
The twins sat down at the square table with Justin. Fiona brought them bowls of salad a few minutes later.
"So," Justin spoke while everyone was digging in. "Diane told me about the story you told Machop, Kristine," he mentioned.
"Huh?" Kristine was caught off guard. Then she remembered. "Oh yeah."
"Is there any truth to that?" Justin asked.
"Yep," Kristine nodded. "See, it was our first day as trainers. Both Jason and I got our own eevee, and we headed out. We realized that we were totally unprepared for heading out on our own like that."
Fiona chuckled. "No one is truly prepared for a grand adventure like that. It hits you really hard, really fast."
"No kidding," Jason added.
"So after a full day of mishaps, we snapped at each other and had an argument." She faced Jason. "What was it over, anyways?"
"I think the pikachu you tried to catch zapped my bike, or something like that." Jason shrugged.
"Something like that," Kristine snickered. "Anyways, I got real mad at Jason and left him when I had a working bike. It wasn't more than a minute I almost hit a skiddo when I wasn't paying attention, and I came tumbling down the hill on my left. Jason ran after me, putting himself at risk so that he could get to me. So I was in a panic, and –"
"So was I," Jason added.
"And Jason tried to get me to safety."
"There was a massive pokemon flying overhead," Jason mentioned. "I couldn't make it out, but whatever it was, it brought a sense of peace between us. Like whatever we fought over was irrelevant, and what really matter was each other."
"Wait a second," Kristine connected the dots. "You wouldn't think that could possibly be lugia?"
"That sure sounds like a lugia was flying overhead," Justin leaned back. "That's certainly something you don't see everyday."
"How awesome is that?" Jason looked at Kristine.
"Totally cool," Kristine replied. "But I'm grateful that you carried me to the pokemon center the way you did."
"That was the only choice," Jason said. "There was no alternative."
"That is quite touching," Fiona replied. "It's nice to see siblings that are close friends."
"We had our fights growing up," Kristine added. "But what's a best friend without reaching an impasse at one point or another? I've come to learn that true best friends get through those struggles together."
"Well, I wouldn't trade my traveling companion for anyone in the world," Jason said. "She's always been at my side, especially since our father passed away two years ago."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Justin spoke with sympathy.
"It's okay," Jason continued. "I wouldn't know how to handle it if it weren't for Kristine."
"And I honestly would have given up on a lot of things if it weren't for Jason," Kristine replied. "The past month as shown us many things, and it has made us respect each other more than ever."
"That is very interesting," Justin leaned forward. "Thank you for sharing that with us, both of you."
Jason, Kristine, Justin, and Fiona continued eating. As they were finishing up, Justin spoke up once more.
"So I think I have the perfect challenge for both of you," Justin mentioned.
Jason and Kristine both leaned forward.
"Both of us?" Kristine asked. "Like, together?"
Fiona simply chuckled. She knew what her husband was getting at.
"Tell me," Justin continued. "Have you ever had a tag battle before?"
"A tag battle?" Jason spoke. "I've heard of it, but we have never done one before."
"Perfect," Justin smiled. "You two will be traveling together all over Inventum. As long as you live, you will be at each other's side. You two have explained that you have come to respect one another's company in harmony. Demonstrate that to me and Fiona in a tag battle tomorrow at noontime, and the Tranquility Badge is yours."
"Do you know the official rules for standard tag battles?" Fiona asked.
The twins shrugged.
"A tag battle, of course, is two trainers against two trainers," Justin explained. "Each trainer uses one pokemon on the field, and has one Pokemon in reserve. That means each of you will need to choose two pokemon to battle."
"We'll give you the night to prepare for tomorrow," Fiona added.
"Just be ready," Justin said. "It's my duty as Gym Leader to challenge trainers competing in the Inventum League, so we will not go easy. Our pokemon are our friends and companions. We will work with each other to our hearts' content."
"We will be," Jason spoke, determined to come out as a victor in tomorrow's match.
Later that night, the twins headed back to the pokemon center.
"So, we're going to be working together," Kristine said.
"We make a good team already," Jason added. "We can do this."
"I'm sure we can," Kristine nodded. "But remember: tag battles are very different from your traditional battles. There will be two pokemon against two pokemon, which means our tactics will have to be in sync if we hope to beat them."
"You're right," Jason listened to Kristine's reason. "Let's check the extranet when we get back and see what we can do."
Back in their room, the twins reviewed their opponents on the extranet.
"So Justin utilizes fairy, grass, and water type pokemon," Kristine read an article. "He's the Gym Leader, so there's much more information on him than Fiona."
Kristine continued reading, with Jason standing behind her.
"Okay," Kristine added. "Justin's strongest pokemon is Milotic, whom he rescued as a feebas straight from Lake Serenity a long time ago. He's been registered in almost every single battle since he became Gym Leader."
"Milotic's going to be hard to fight," Jason said.
"Sunflora is also a popular pick," Kristine mentioned. "He might be going with him, too."
"Try researching Fiona as a contest coordinator," Jason suggested.
"It's been a long time," Kristine said. "But okay."
Kristine brought up an article relating to Fiona's career.
"It says she used to be fond of what are now fairy type pokemon," she read. "Oh, here we go. A recent interview with her explains her continued love for Fairy pokemon. Clefable and Sylveon help her maintain the gardens around Saint Brandon."
"Then I think we found our opponents," Jason crossed his arms and smiled.
"Yet we don't know how they fight together," Kristine added. "But we should expect moves that aid one another in battle."
"Right," Jason nodded. "So we need Pokemon who can work together in battle."
"Machop can't fight," Kristine said. "And Magikarp, well, isn't Gyarados yet. So that leaves to three pokemon each, and we need to select two."
"It won't be easy sitting one out," Jason added.
"Well, we're very similar in the fact that we have one electric pokemon, one flying pokemon, and one psychic pokemon each," Kristine pointed out.
"Should we send two pairs of the same type or should we mix it up?" Jason asked.
"If we look at Justin's pokemon, Sunflora is weak to flying and fire, while Milotic is weak to electric," Kristine said. "Fairy is going to be neutral against everything that we have anyways. I'd hate to say it, but if we want to have a type advantage, I'd say we sit Ralts and Espeon out."
"Which leaves Tallow and Fletchinder as the starters with Jolteon and Pikachu in reserve, assuming Sunflora comes out first."
"Precisely," Kristine nodded. "Are you on board with this plan?"
"I think we can synchronize pretty well with this group," Jason replied. "Let's do it."
"Then that's it," Kristine declared. "We have a plan for tomorrow. Tranquility Badge here we come!"
The next day, the twins put on their gear. They tightened their belts and attached their pokeballs to them. They were ready to battle side by side against Justin and Fiona, and win the Tranquility Badge. After eating a hearty breakfast downstairs within the pokemon center, the two headed to the outskirts. With plenty of time before their battle, they managed to get some practice and pre-battle briefing in with their pokemon.
Jason and Kristine summoned all of their Pokemon in a lightly forested area with a nearby stream so that Magikarp could also be involved.
"Okay, everyone," Kristine addressed. "We're going to be battling Justin and Fiona today, which brings up some hard decisions that we all need to understand."
"The battle is going to be two versus two, with two more Pokemon on reserve for both sides," Jason added. "Which means that two from my team and two from Kristine's team will battle today."
All pokemon, save for Machop, realized that there's a chance they won't battle today.
"So if you're not selected, don't feel bad," Kristine said with a smile. "All of you will have your chance to battle, because you're all great. We are going with the best possible matchups with what we believe Justin and Fiona are using."
"I'm going to go with Jolteon and Taillow," Jason announced.
"Jolt!" Jolteon barked in approval.
"Taillow!" Taillow cheered.
"Ralts…" Ralts looked down in disappointment.
"Karp…" Magikarp did the same.
Jason approached Ralts and Magikarp.
"Ralts, your abilities are powerful," he said. "And Magikarp, you're a very fast swimmer. You're going to battle Gym Leaders in the future, I promise."
"Ralts!" Ralts cheered up.
"Magikarp!" Magikarp did the same.
"And for my team," Kristine spoke up. "I'm choosing Fletchinder and Pikachu. Espeon, I hope you can understand why I'm sitting you out. You are amazing."
"Espeon," Espeon nodded in understanding.
"So for those of you on the bench today," Kristine continued. "We're all on the same team. I need everyone to cheer us on!"
All pokemon shouted their names in approval.
"Then Jason," Kristine faced him. "I say we draw our battleplans out."
Jason smirked. "Let's get to it."
After more than an hour of warm-ups and tactical planning, the twins approached the Tranquility Gym on the north side of the city. A member of team harmony at the entrance, wearing a silver coat, black shirt, and khakis, greeted them.
"Hello," the man gave a nod. "If you'll follow me to the battle floor, Justin and Fiona are ready for your battle."
Jason and Kristine followed the man inside, and approached the battle floor. They took to their side of the field. As they looked around, at least a dozen Harmony members spectated from the balcony that surrounded them.
The same man that greeted Jason and Kristine took to the referee's box at the left-hand side of the center of the floor. A moment later, Justin and Fiona approached the field from the opposite end.
"My my," Fiona spoke, looking at the determined twins. "Don't you look prepared for today?"
"I can see you spent quite some time researching for this battle," Justin seemed impressed. "I look forward to seeing what you have planned for today."
"Today's battle will be a tag battle between Gym Leader Justin and his wife, Fiona, and challengers Jason and Kristine Kyar," the referee announced. "Each participant has one pokemon each with one more in reserve. The battle is continuous if one pokemon goes down in the fight. The match is over if one team's pokemon and their reserves are unable to battle."
The referee faced Justin and Fiona. "Justin and Fiona, are you ready?"
Justin and Fiona both simply nodded at him.
"Challengers, are you ready?" the referee turned his head to Jason and Kristine.
"We are," Kristine said.
"Then the Gym Leader's side will bring out their pokemon first, while the challengers make the first move!" the referee added. "The battle may begin!"
"Go, Sunflora!" Justin threw out his pokeball, summoning a sizeable, cheerful pokemon with the resemblance of a giant sunflower.
"Clefable, let's have some fun!" Fiona threw out hers, summoning a pink, bubbly creature with long, black pointed ears with small wings on its back.
"Sunflora!" the sun pokemon greeted cheerfully.
"Clefable!" the rare fairy pokemon waved.
Jason and Kristine both faced each other and nodded at one another, following through with their plan. They were exactly right in predicting what Justin was going to use.
"Let's go, Taillow!" Jason summoned.
"Showtime, Fletchinder!" Kristine threw out her pokeball.
Both flying Pokemon took to the sky as soon as they were summoned.
"Wing Attack on Sunflora!" the twins called at the same time.
Taillow and Fletchinder dove down on Sunflora. Fletchinder's Gale Wings propelled him to move faster than Taillow.
"Clefable, use Follow Me!" Fiona responded.
"Sunflora, Razor Leaf, if you will!" Justin called.
Clefable locked onto Fletchinder's approach and got in front of Sunflora. She waved her hands, causing Fletchinder to mistake her for Sunflora. Fletchinder then struck Clefable with Wing Attack, causing Clefable to slide back, taking the brunt of the damage.
Meanwhile, Sunflora projected razor sharp leaves into the air, aiming at Taillow.
"Switch to Quick Attack!" Jason commanded.
Taillow closed her wings and dove right underneath the barrage of leaves, diving down on Sunflora. Taillow struck Sunflora, knocking her back.
"Sunflora, use Ingrain!" Justin issued.
"Sunflora!" Sunflora rooted herself in place. Then, green orbs seemed to rise from the ground, healing part of the damage done to her.
"Clefable, use Heal Pulse on yourself!" Fiona called.
Clefable waved her hands to project a blue aura and approached it. Much of the damage done to her was healed as well.
"They're going to try to outlast us, Jason!" Kristine said to him.
"Then we just gotta hit them with everything we got!" Jason replied.
"Clefable, use Disarming Voice!" Fiona commanded.
Clefable let out a deafening screech aimed at Taillow and Fletchinder in the shape of hearts.
"Dodge!" Jason and Kristine yelled at the same time.
Taillow and Fletchinder soared into the sky to avoid Clefable's Disarming Voice.
"Sunflora, use Razor Leaf again, please!" Justin wanted to keep the pressure going.
Sunflora fired another barrage of leaves. Taillow and Fletchinder soared as fast as they can to narrowly avoid the leaves. At one point, both of them had to maneuver through the leaves.
"Fletchinder, use Ember on Sunflora!" Kristine commanded.
Fletchinder fired a ball of flame aimed at Sunflora.
"Clefable, use Follow Me!" Fiona responded once more.
Clefable got in front of Sunflora again and waved her hands. Fletchinder's Ember struck her instead of Sunflora.
"Taillow, now's your chance to attack Sunflora, Quick Attack!" Jason saw the opportunity.
"Taillow!" Taillow dove down on Sunflora.
"Leech Seed, Sunflora!" Justin called.
Sunflora spat out a seed at Taillow, striking her chest right before she managed to strike Sunflora.
Sunflora tilted backwards, but her Ingrain kept her upright. Taillow flew back into the air, but the Leech Seed sprouted vines across her body, siphoning her energy to Sunflora. Sunflora's Ingrain was also healing some of the damage done.
"We need to change things up," Kristine suggested to Jason. "Clefable's going to take all the damage and heal from it, while Sunflora will just stand there and do whatever she likes."
Meanwhile, Taillow's seed glowed red, siphoning ever more energy from her.
"Keep pressure on Sunflora," Jason insisted.
"What?" Kristine seemed puzzled.
"I have a plan," Jason assured her. "We'll work them down before they work us down."
"Clefable, Heal Pulse!" Fiona issued.
"Follow through with me," Jason said to Kristine. He then quickly faced Taillow. "Taillow, Supersonic on Clefable!"
Taillow let out a supersonic screech aimed at Clefable. She took a few steps backwards as she seemed dazed and confused, unable to get her Heal Pulse off.
Jason faced Kristine and nodded to her. She nodded back.
"Fletchinder, Ember on Sunflora!" Kristine commanded.
Fletchinder spat out a ball of flame at Sunflora, striking her.
"Sunflora!" Justin yelled.
"Clefable, hang in there!" Fiona tried to encourage her pokemon.
Sunflora stood tall, using Ingrain to partially heal herself. She also siphoned more energy from Taillow using leech seed.
"Quick Attack, Taillow!" Jason commanded.
Taillow ran at Sunflora for one more Quick Attack. Before Sunflora could react, Taillow struck her.
Sunflora took considerable damage, but with all the healing she received, she withstood the attack.
Jason faced Kristine once more. "Switch on my mark, and hit 'em with everything!" he suggested.
"Gotcha," Kristine replied.
"Sunflora, Mega Drain on Taillow!" Justin called.
"Sunflora!" Sunflora complied.
Suddenly, a massive green orb was sucked out of Taillow and was transferred to Sunflora, significantly healing her. Taillow fell out of the sky and smashed to the floor.
"Taillow…" Taillow struggled to get up. To Jason's relief, she did.
"Focus Energy, Taillow, hang in there!" Jason yelled.
"Taillow!" Taillow pumped herself up.
"Razor Leaf on Taillow, Sunflora!" Justin commanded.
"Sunflora!" Sunflora projected one more volley of leaves.
"Dodge it!" Jason yelled.
"Fletchinder, Wing Attack!" Kristine commanded.
Fletchinder swooped down and struck Sunflora hard, stopping her Razor Leaf. The attack was so severe that Sunflora was uprooted. She fell to the ground, but was slowly able to get up.
Meanwhile, Clefable seemed to be aware of her surroundings.
"Clefable, help out Sunflora!" Fiona called. "Use Heal Pulse!"
"Now!" Jason gave his sister the signal.
"Wing Attack on Clefable!" Both of them shouted at the same time.
Taillow and Fletchinder dove down on Clefable with glowing wings. They all struck her in a crisscross pattern, flying away after the assault. Clefable stood there for three seconds, unresponsive, before felling on her knees and onto the ground.
"Clefable is unable to battle!" the referee declared.
"Yeah!" the Twins cheered.
"Good call, Jason!" Kristine complimented.
"Thanks, sis," Jason responded.
Just then, Taillow took even more damage from Sunflora's Leech Seed.
"We need to take out Sunflora, and fast!" Jason suggested.
"Return, Clefable!" Fiona called her. "You did your best. Thank you."
"Taillow, quick attack on Sunflora!" Jason quickly commanded.
"Sylveon, go, quickly!" Fiona responded. "Defend Sunflora and use Fairy Wind!"
Fiona threw out her last pokeball.
"Sylveon!" the Pokemon barked as she ran forward to Sunflora's aid. One of eevee's eight evolved forms, Sylveon is cream colored in general, with pink feet, ears, and tail. It has two natural bows on its left ear and its neck. Ribbons extend from these bows, which are called Feelers; they are used to help calm and soothe other Pokemon and individuals. Sylveon's light blue eyes gleamed as she raced to Sunflora.
"Syl-veon!" Sylveon used her feelers to project a mystical wind directed at Taillow. Taillow flew right into it, overwhelmed by Sylveon's Fairy Wind. Taillow was tossed backwards as she tumbled to the ground right before Jason and Kristine. She did not get up.
"Taillow is unable to battle!" the referee declared.
"Return, Taillow!" Jason recalled her. "Good job out there."
"Sunflora, use Razor Leaf on Fletchinder!" Justin commanded.
"Sylveon, use Fairy Wind once more!" Fiona added.
Razor sharp leaves propelled by a mystical wind were projected right at Fletchinder.
"Jolteon, use Swift to stop those attacks!" Jason commanded, summoning Jolteon.
"Jolt!" Jolteon barked, and quickly fired a swift of stars directed at Sunflora's and Sylveon's attacks. The stars exploded with the leaves and managed to halt Fairy Wind.
Kristine gave a nod of gratitude to Jason. She then faced Fletchinder. "Fletchinder, Ember on Sunflora one more time!" she commanded.
"Fletchinder!" Fletchinder fired Ember, striking Sunflora head on. Sunflora, unable to withstand another attack, flopped over, unable to get up.
"Sunflora is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "The Gym Leader's side are out of reserves!"
"Thanks for the assist, Jason!" Kristine commended.
"Don't mention it," Jason smirked. "We're not out of this yet."
"Return, Sunflora!" Justin recalled her. "You did great."
Justin then pulled out his second pokeball. "Milotic, have some fun out there!"
"Milo!" the massive beautiful serpent greeted. Her anttanae and "hair" was red, while her tail was light blue in color.
"So that's Milotic…" Kristine was taken away by the beauty of the twenty-foot long creature.
"You two have done quite well so far," Justin commended. "Now, let's see how you can work with each other under stressful circumstances!"
"Like this wasn't stressful enough?" Kristine added.
"Milotic, use Aurora Beam on Jolteon!" Justin commanded.
"Milo!" Milotic fired a beam of aurora colors at Jolteon.
"Double Team, Jolteon!" Jason responded.
"Fairy Wind, Sylveon!" Fiona called as Jolteon projected multiple copies of himself.
Aurora Beam tore through two of Jolteon's copies, while Fairy Wind blew away the rest.
"Fletchinder, use Wing Attack on Milotic!" Kristine called.
"Now's our chance to take out Fletchinder, dear!" Justin saw an opportunity. "Milotic, Twister!"
While Fletchinder moved in and struck Milotic with glowing wings, the massive serpent was unmoved. She responded with a vortex that Fletchinder could not escape from. He was sucked into it, spinning around and around.
"Sylveon, use Helping Hand!" Fiona called.
"Sylveon!" Sylveon's Feelers moved towards Milotic's direction, projecting energy that would boost Milotic's attacks.
"Milotic, Water Pulse!" Justin commanded.
"Milotic!" Milotic shot out a ball of water that morphed into a whirlpool. The water spun around the twister, enveloping Fletchinder in a powerful aqua vortex.
"Fletchinder, no!" Kristine yelled.
Fletchinder became engulfed by the attack. By the time the vortex faded, Fletchinder fell, slamming to the ground. He was unable to continue.
"Fletchinder is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "The challengers are out of reserves!"
"Return, Fletchinder!" Kristine recalled him. "You did great out there. No worries, we got this!"
She took out another pokeball. "Pikachu, showtime!" she summoned Pikachu.
"Pika Pika!" Pikachu ran forward.
Jolteon and Pikachu faced off against Sylveon and Milotic.
Kristine faced Jason. "Sylveon will keep powering up Milotic's attacks," she addressed. "We need to take her out first."
Jason nodded in approval. "Let's do it."
"Pikachu, Thunder Shock on Sylveon!" Kristine commanded.
"You too, Jolteon!" Jason added.
Both electric pokemon fired out Thunder Shock, aiming at Sylveon.
"Milotic, use Aurora Beam!" Justin issued.
Milotic used Aurora Beam to stop Pikachu's Thunder Shock.
"Sylveon, dodge!" Fiona responded to Jolteon's attack.
Sylveon managed to jump out of the way just in time.
"Use Quick Attack on Jolteon!" Fiona followed up.
"Milotic, Water Pulse on Jolteon!" Justin issued.
Sylveon charged at Jolteon while Milotic fired another ball of water.
"Pikachu, use Electro ball on Water Pulse!" Kristine commanded.
"Pika-chuuu!" Pikachu hurled Electro Ball from his tail. The Electro Ball smashed against Water Pulse, evaporating it and sending a mist of water throughout the floor.
"Jolteon, Double Team!" Jason ordered.
Jolteon projected copies of himself as Sylveon ran through one of them.
"Jolteon, Double Kick!" Jason followed up.
Jolteon emerged from his copies and used his hind legs to kick Sylveon back. Sylveon was knocked back, but she was able to maintain her balance.
"Now, Swift!" Jason commanded.
Pikachu, Thunder Shock!" Kristine added.
A swift of stars and Thunder Shock were projected at Sylveon.
"Milotic, Twister!" Justin commanded.
Milotic projected another vortex.
"Sylveon, Helping Hand!" Fiona yelled.
Sylveon projected more energy towards Milotic, making her vortex even wider than before.
"Double Team!" the twins commanded at the same time.
Pikachu and Jolteon used Double Team. The twister sucked in many of their copies, with them nowhere in sight. Then, Fiona spotted Jolteon from her far right and Pikachu from her far left, approaching Sylveon.
"Jolteon, Swift!" Jason commanded.
"Pikachu, Electro Ball!" Kristine added.
Jolteon's volley of stars swiftly approached Sylveon.
"Fairy Wind!" Fiona yelled.
"Sylveon!" Sylveon projected another mystical wind that met Swift head on. The result was a cloud of smoke following the exploding stars.
Meanwhile, Pikachu launched Electro Ball, only to be met by Milotic, who emerged and stuck her head up so high she was on Pikachu's eyelevel in mid air.
"Water Pulse!" Justin commanded.
Milotic fired a ball of water that once again deflected Electro Ball. The result was another shroud of mist that blanketed the field.
Kristine faced Jason. "You do what you and Jolteon do best, and take out Sylveon," she suggested. "Pikachu and I will keep Milotic occupied."
Jason gave a nod. "Jolteon, Quick Attack!"
Jolteon ran right through the smoke.
"Sylveon, Quick Attack!" Fiona responded.
Both pokemon struck each other, knocking one another down.
"Milotic, Aurora Beam!" Justin issued, focusing on Pikachu.
"Dodge it, Pikachu!" Kristine yelled.
Pikachu narrowly dodged the attack.
"Jolteon, Thunder Shock!" Jason commanded.
"Jolt!" Jolteon fired a bolt of electricity at Sylveon. Meanwhile, Pikachu kept dodging Milotic's constant stream of Aurora Beam.
"Dodge it, Sylveon!" Fiona yelled.
Sylveon dodged Jolteon's Thunder Shock.
"Now use Draining Kiss!" Fiona followed up.
"Don't let her close in on you!" Jason yelled. He knew what Draining Kiss was. It was a close up fairy type attack, where the user would kiss the opponent with magical energy, practically sucking the life out of them. Jason knew Jolteon would be in trouble if Sylveon managed to affect him with Draining Kiss.
"Jolteon, Double Kick! Now!" Jason yelled as Sylveon closed in on Jolteon.
Jolteon turned around and sprung his hind legs, throwing Sylveon back in a well-timed attack. Sylveon tumbled to the ground, struggling to get up.
"Jolteon, Thunder Shock! Let's go!" Jason followed up.
"Jolt-eon!" Jolteon fired a strong bolt of electricity at Sylveon, zapping her. She fell back to the ground, covered in ash, and was unable to get up.
"Sylveon is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "Fiona is out of pokemon!"
"Sylveon!" Fiona gasped. "Oh no. Return," she recalled her. "You did great out there, Sylveon! Get some rest."
Fiona turned to her husband. "I'm sorry dear."
Justin smiled. "There's nothing to be sorry about. You gave them a challenge and that's all I could ask for. These kids are tough."
Milotic assumed a defensive stance, aware of Jolteon and Pikachu circling around him.
"Jolteon, Swift!" Jason commanded.
"Thunder Shock, Pikachu!" Kristine issued.
"Milotic, use Aurora Beam on Thunder Shock!" Justin responded.
Milotic fired Aurora Beam to deflect Thunder Shock, but was struck from behind by Swift. He still stood strong despite the sheer number of exploding stars impacting her.
"Use Dragon Tail on Pikachu and focus on Jolteon!" Justin yelled.
"Milo!" Milotic swerved her body around, using her tail to strike Pikachu, sending him flying back and tumbling to the ground.
"Pika…" Pikachu was slow to get up.
Milotic turned her sights to Jolteon.
"Double Kick!" Jason yelled.
"Twister!" Justin reacted.
Milotic unleashed a vortex and sucked Jolteon right into it. He spun around and around, unable to escape it.
"Now use Aurora Beam!" Justin called.
Milotic zapped Jolteon out of the sky with a beautiful aurora beam. As the Twister faded, he fell to the ground, struggling to get up.
"Jolteon's weak…" Kristine said to Jason.
Jason turned to Kristine. "We talked about it," he replied. "It's time. Let's end this."
Kristine gave a nod. She then turned to Pikachu. "Pikachu, get back in it! Run towards Jolteon!"
"Pika!" Pikachu complied, and sprinted back into the fray.
"Milotic, use Water Pulse!" Justin commanded.
Milotic fired a ball of water at Jolteon.
"Double Team, Jolteon!" Jason yelled.
Jolteon projected multiple copies of himself, many of which were enveloped by the whirlpool seconds later.
"Find him, if you can!" Justin politely issued.
Milotic scoured through the remaining copies of Jolteon. She finally found the real one retreating from her and running towards Pikachu.
"Pikachu, use Thunder Shock on Jolteon!" Kristine commanded.
This call left many spectators and Fiona confused.
Pikachu fired Thunder Shock at Jolteon, but instead of damaging him, it recharged him. Any wounds inflicted on him were removed. He stood tall and strong with electric currents sparking out of his body.
"Jolteon!" Jolteon felt reenergized.
"Pikachu regenerated Jolteon with Thunder Shock…" Fiona noted in awe.
"That means Jolteon's special ability is Volt Absorb," Justin explained. "Any electric attacks done to him are reversed, using that energy to heal his body." He faced the twins with admiration. "Well done, Jason and Kristine. Well done."
"It's all you, Jason!" Kristine faced him.
Jason gave a nod. "Jolteon! Thunder Shock with everything you got!"
Jolteon faced Milotic.
"JOLT-EON!" Jolteon roared, emitting the most powerful burst of electric energy yet.
The lightning shot out of his entire body, aimed at Milotic.
"Water Pulse, now!" Justin yelled.
Milotic fired Water Pulse in a desperate attempt to stop such a powerful attack. However, not only did Thunder Shock vaporize the defense, it went through it like nothing happened.
Milotic was left defenseless against Thunder Shock. It struck her, sending electric currents coursing throughout her body.
"Milo!" she yelled, not able to bare the onslaught.
After Thunder Shock was over, electric currents rippled the open air of the arena. Milotic stood there, dazed and paralyzed from the attack. She then slammed her head onto the floor, unable to continue.
"Milotic is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "Which means the challengers Jason and Kristine are the winners!"
"Yes!" Kristine cheered.
"Alright!" Jason did the same.
The two faced each other and hugged.
"You did awesome, Jason," Kristine commended.
"So did you, sis," Jason replied.
"Return, Milotic," Justin recalled her. "You did excellent."
Jolteon and Pikachu ran over to Jason and Kristine to celebrate.
"You guys were awesome!" Kristine cheered.
"Well done, everyone!" Jason added. "This is well deserved."
"Well deserved, indeed," Justin smiled as he approached the twins alongside Fiona.
"You've worked together very well, there is no doubt about that," Fiona added.
Justin nodded. "You've demonstrated your skills as an individual and as part of a team. Most importantly, you demonstrated your ability to communicate with each other and your pokemon. You clearly want to become champions, and as long as you set yourself on that goal, you will accomplish it in time."
Justin and Fiona both revealed a box for each of the twins. They both revealed it at the same time.
"This is the Tranquility Badge," Justin presented the silver badge in the shape of a lugia's head. "Your next step in competing in the Inventum Cup."
Jason and Kristine gladly took the badges.
"Best of luck on your journey," Fiona smiled.
"You still have a long road to go," Justin added. "It will be a long time before your next gym battle in Richland Port. The Nappalchan Mountains will likely test your merit along the way. Remember that if you demonstrate what you did today all the time, nothing will hinder or halt your progress."
"Thank you, Justin and Fiona," Jason replied, humbled to accept the Tranquility Badge.
"Yes, thank you for everything!" Kristine expressed her gratitude.
"We have you to thank, as well," Fiona said. "You helped our rangers, befriended Machop, and made the most polite and humble guests here in our garden."
"Machop's going to have a lot of fun with us, I promise," Kristine said.
"The both of you care about your pokemon," Justin acknowledged. "There is nothing better than being able to work with your pokemon in harmony."
Soon after, the Twins began to exit the Tranquility Gym.
"Take care, Jason and Kristine," Justin waved goodbye.
"You will do great out there, I know it!" Fiona added.
"Bye!" Jason and Kristine both waved farewell.
The two headed back to the pokemon center. By dusk, they called their mother through the terminal in their room.
"Hi, Jason and Kristine!" Veronica smiled.
"Hi Mom!" Kristine greeted excitedly.
"Mom, guess what?" Jason grinned.
"What's that?" Veronica guessed what was going on, but she let the kids reveal the news anyways.
Jason and Kristine pulled out their Tranquility Badges.
"We got the Tranquility Badge!" Kristine boasted. "Just ten more to go!"
Veronica chuckled. "Only, huh?"
"Next stop is the Nappalchan Mountains, on the way to Richland Port," Jason added.
"Right," Veronica nodded, and seemed to change her tone to be more serious. "Remember when I told you to call me when you started to head in that direction? Well, thank you for remembering, because I have some words of caution for you."
The twins were silent.
"The Nappalchan Mountains are rugged," Veronica continued. "There are pokemon lodges and ranger outposts throughout the range and they try to make the journey as safe as possible. That doesn't mean there have been accidents before. Trainers have been forced to quit their adventures because the conditions were too harsh, or they were severely injured and had to be pulled out by helicopter. Sometimes, trainers die in the mountains. I don't want to frighten you, but it is the reality of being a pokemon trainer. Those kinds of risks are present at times.
"So I ask that the both of you be safe," Veronica spoke clearly. "It is likely that you will spend about two months in the Mountains before you get to Richland Port. I recommend stocking up and getting a lot of rest at each pokemon lodge you come across. They say those who pass the Nappalchan Mountains become more hardened, experienced trainers."
"We'll be safe, Mom," Kristine assured her. "I promise."
"That's the number one thing when traversing the Mountains," Veronica added. "Always be safe. The majority of accidents that happened there could have been prevented. Your father made it through the Mountains unscathed."
"He had two of his pokemon evolve there too," Jason added.
"That's correct," Veronica nodded. "Like I said, you can become hardened, more experienced trainers from the Mountains."
"Well, I think we're up to the challenge!" Jason said.
"We got this!" Kristine added. "As long as we're smart about it, we'll get through it!"
"Good," Veronica smiled. "Call me during your journey in the Mountains. The pokemon lodges should have extranet connections."
"Will do!" Kristine nodded.
"Have a good night!" Veronica waved. "I love you both!"
"Love you too!" Jason and Kristine both said at the same time.
The extranet comm was then cut.
"The Nappalchan Mountains sounds like a hard place to get through," Jason mentioned.
"Have no worries!" Kristine pulled out her handbook. "As long as we have this, we can definitely make it through with no trouble."
"Yeah…" Jason sighed. "But the one thing we learned so far is that nothing really goes according to plan…"