Kristen, Ricky, and Jacob had only two badges left: the Volcano Badge and the Marsh Badge. The three friends planned to meet up in Cinnabar in anticipation of a battle with the fire master Blaine.
"Nidoqueen and Poliwhirl's time to shine, I'm assuming, Kristen?" Ricky asked as they stepped off the ferry from Pallet Town.
"Oh, yes," said Kristen. "I'm glad I spent all that time training Poliwag." She looked around. Cinnabar was gorgeous, with the volcano overlooking all of the quaint island buildings.
"Jacob will be coming from Fuchsia; he'll be on the other side of the island. Race ya!" He called Arcanine out of his Poke Ball and mounted the massive dog Pokemon.
"Well, that's not fair!" Kristen exclaimed as Ricky took off through the crowd.
"Puff!" Kristen's partner Pokemon squealed in frustration beside her.
"Come on, Jiggly!" Kristen said, shrugging off her friend. "We'll take the beachfront scenic route!"
"Jiggly!" Jigglypuff agreed. The pink Pokemon jumped up and floated into Kristen's arms. They strolled casually to the beach. People and Pokemon were crowding the sands. Some were clearly in relaxation mode, laying out with books or with eyes closed. A Snorlax covered one entire section of beach, people walking around it in both fascination and annoyance. Some people were having casual Pokemon battles, and others were playing games with their Pokemon. A Houndour cut right in front of her and Jigglypuff to catch a frisbee. "Sorry!" called the trainer, a man with long, blonde surfer hair.
"It's okay!" Kristen replied with a laugh. She spotted a snow cone stand and decided to get off the beach and get herself a treat. She'd almost forgotten she was supposed to be meeting Ricky and Jacob, but she knew that if she kept following the beachfront, she'd make it to them eventually.
After procuring her strawberry snow cone, she came to a section of sidewalk that was particularly crowded. "Jiggly!" Jigglypuff said in excitement. Kristen looked ahead and saw a Poke Puff stand. Kristen sighed. "Well, I treated myself, so I guess you can have one." She began standing in a line of excited trainers, most of them young females, and their Pokemon.
The sun beat down on her, and her mind started to wander as she shuffled forward. Finally, she was at the head of the line. "One Frosted Poke Puff please," she said to the guy at the counter. He had full brown hair, gray-blue eyes, and was accompanied by an Umbreon. He laughed at her and reached out to Jigglypuff.
"Funny," he said. He picked up Jigglypuff, and Jigglypuff squirmed and kicked at him. "Wow, this is a feisty one!"
"Excuse you? What are you doing?" Kristen gasped. "Give her back!"
He put Jigglypuff in a glass container on a little platform atop a machine and pressed a button. "Uhh," said the guy in confusion, "I need your Pokemon in here for the program to run. She'll be okay." The machine whirred, and Jigglypuff looked around in confusion and panic.
"Wait...what is this? I thought I was in the Poke Puff line," Kristen said, and then she looked up and read "WIN A NIGHT WITH GARY OAK IN THE POKEMON MANSION!" There was a picture of the guy on the banner with his Umbreon.
"Riiight. Don't be shy," said Gary. He picked up a picture of himself from a stack on the counter. "What's your name?"
"Uh, it's Kristen," said Kristen.
Gary scribbled "To Kristin from Gary Oak You can do anything you set your mind too!" and handed her the picture. "Selfies are ten dollars."
"I'm not paying for this," said Kristen. "You spelled my name wrong and used the wrong 'to.'"
"I meant if you want a selfie with me...you are the weirdest fan I've ever met!" Gary said. The machine Jigglypuff was sitting on dinged.
"I'm not...I really just wanted to get Jigglypuff a Poke Puff," she said.
Confetti burst from the machine. "WINNER! WINNER! WINNER!" it said in a robotic voice. Girls behind Kristen screamed.
"I have no idea what's going on," said Kristen.
Gary was staring at Jigglypuff slack-jawed. "Your Jigglypuff has perfect IVs!"
"What's an IV?" Kristen asked.
"What's a," Gary stammered, shaking his head. As Gary stared in shock at the numbers on the screen at the base of the machine, Kristen read more of the signage around the booth. "Be Gary's research partner for a night! First lucky lady to show Gary a Pokemon with perfect IV's wins! Do you have what it takes to spend a night with the world's dreamiest Pokemon researcher in the Pokemon Mansion?!"
Gary picked up Jigglypuff and handed her back to Kristen. "Well, Kirsten, I'll be seeing you and your Jigglypuff tonight at 8! Do you live here on Cinnabar, or are you staying at the Pokemon Center?"
"Pokemon Center," Kristen said. "But, if someone else wants it, that's fine."
"There you are being shy again! Don't worry, Kristy, I'll be right there to protect you! Look for a limo at 8:00 sharp!"
"Don't call me...wait, did you say a limo?!"
"Jiggly?!"
"Well, yeah, what else would you expect from the Oak family?" Gary said, puffing out his chest.
Kristen stared at him. Everything about this guy annoyed her to the core. But Umbreon was cool, and she'd never been in a limo before. "Okay!" she exclaimed excitedly. "I'll be waiting!"
Kristen threw the contents of her suitcase across the hostel room floor. "UGH! I don't have a thing to wear!"
Ricky and Jacob looked at the outfits strewn across the floor. Ricky dared ask, "What's wrong with what you have on?"
Kristen glared down at her shirt, which was actually what she'd worn to bed and decided was okay when she woke up at 6 A.M. to catch the ferry to Cinnabar. It featured a dancing Sunflora saying "meep meep!" She glared up at Ricky. "Oh, yes," she said coldly. "How silly of me. I should totally go on my date with Gary Oak wearing a 'meep meep' shirt!"
"Woah," said Ricky. "Date?" He fell back on his bed laughing. "This isn't a date! It's a gimmick!"
Kristen wasn't listening. She stared at herself in the mirror. "Why is it even saying 'meep meep'?! It's so stupid!"
"Hey, chill out," said Ricky. "Even if Gary thought this would be a date, he's what, seventeen? I'd hope that the fact that a twelve year old won his contest squashed that."
"Such a dumb Pokemon!"
"Okay, what's really going on? You said you liked Sunflora," said Ricky.
"Why? It's weak," said Kristen.
"You said it was cute," said Ricky. "You said it literally on the way here."
"Well, I changed my mind. It's a dumb weak Pokemon," said Kristen. She picked up a shirt with a Quagsire on it. "I guess this is better." She looked frantically at the clock. "Maybe I could go get a dress real quick. There was a clothes shop right by here."
"What is with you?" Ricky pressed. "You like Gary Oak now?"
"No! He's annoying, and he's not even as cute as they all say," she stammered, but a blush betrayed her. "Ugh! You don't get it. I'll be buying a dress that doesn't have a dumb cute Pokemon on it. Bye!" She threw the Quagsire t-shirt at him and stormed out the door with Jigglypuff running after her.
"Geeeeeeez," Ricky said, tossing the shirt back towards her suitcase and laying on his pillow. "She's getting weirder and weirder every day!"
"I mean, I'd be nervous too if I was going to spend a night with Gary Oak," said Jacob.
Ricky sat up and raised an eyebrow at him. "What, you're in love with him too now?"
"Look," said Jacob. "Regardless of his personality, which is annoying to say the least, he's kind of a big deal."
"Just because his grandpa is Professor Oak," said Ricky.
"No, he's smart on his own. He's done tons of research in Johto," said Jacob. "Apparently he's an expert battler too."
Ricky picked up the autographed picture on the nightstand. "You can do anything you set your mind too," he read, and then thrust the picture in Jacob's face. "T-O-O, Jacob. T-O-O!"
"Even so," said Jacob. "You need to stop pestering Kristen. She's under a lot of pressure."
"Ugh, what is it with her and older, jerky guys? I bet she got in that line on purpose. I'm not buying this Poke Puff story, are you?"
Jacob laughed. "Now it sounds like you're jealous."
"No! And you know what? I'm going to prove myself better than Gary Oak! I'm challenging him to a battle!"
"Riiiight. And Kristen's the crazy one," said Jacob.
Ricky and Jacob were gone when Kristen came back from the store. She put on the purple cotton dress she'd picked out, but it was a little big on her, and the straps kept falling down. Kristen's mom always had to alter clothes for her, but there was no time for that. She sighed and put on the Quagsire shirt, deciding to focus on make-up instead. She put on way more than she ever had, hoping that would make her look more mature, but it just looked sad, so she wiped it all off. She stared at herself in the mirror and sighed. She was completely and utterly twelve.
"Jiggly?" Jigglypuff looked up at her in concern.
"Stupid Gary Oak. Stupid contest. I don't even want to do this! He's so conceited and dumb!" She remembered the look on his face when he realized Jigglypuff had perfect stats and laughed. "So dumb. So so dumb. T-O-O. Blah! Why do I care?"
Because he was an Oak, and he was picking her up in a limo, and he had fluffy hair and steel blue eyes and millions of girls would pay to be in her shoes.
The phone rang. It was eight o'clock. Slowly, she walked out of the bathroom and looked out the window at the limo that had parked in front of the Pokemon Center. She picked up the phone.
"Kirsten Manx?" Nurse Joy asked.
"Kristen," Kristen corrected her. "Yes, that's me."
"Your ride is here!" Nurse Joy said cheerfully.
"Thank you," Kristen said nervously.
Here goes nothing.
A guy that could only be described as a butler opened the limo door for Kristen, and she climbed in. Gary barely looked up from his Pokegear. He was wearing a black collared shirt and a necklace with a blue pendant. It annoyed Kristen that she thought it looked good on him. A guy wearing a necklace? Blah.
"You put Umbreon in a Poke Ball?" Kristen asked.
"Yeah," said Gary. "You must let Jigglypuff out a lot."
"She even has her own bed," said Kristen. The limo started to move, and her stomach dropped.
"Do you like sparkling grape juice?" Gary asked.
"Uhhh...I guess?"
Gary opened a compartment on his side of the limo, grabbed what looked like a wine bottle, and poured the contents into a couple of plastic flutes. "Here," he said.
"Oh, thanks," said Kristen. She sipped it. It was like a cross between pop and juice. This must be what rich kids drink, she thought.
"Alright, listen," said Gary. "When we get to the mansion, don't touch anything, and don't get in my way. Same goes for your Jigglypuff."
"Puff!"
"Uhh, sure," she said.
"In all honesty, I prefer to work alone," said Gary. "But fans follow me everywhere, so my agent thought if we just let one of you in it might deter the hordes."
Kristen forced a giggle. She tried to imagine having a bunch of people following her all the time. "That actually sounds pretty terrible," she said.
"It is what it is," he said.
"Can I ask what you're looking for in the mansion?" Kristen asked.
"Well, I mean, you heard about the explosion," said Gary.
"Of course," I said. "The gas explosion."
"Yeah," said Gary. "Well, a bunch of wild Pokemon live there. So I'm checking on them."
"Awww," said Kristen.
Gary shrugged. "Should be simple. But just in case. Don't wander off. Not that you'd want to leave me, of course."
"Yeah," said Kristen weakly. "Can't imagine why anyone'd want to get away from you." She turned towards the window and rolled her eyes. "I wonder what Ricky and Jacob are doing."
"Who are they?" Gary asked.
"My friends that I travel with."
Gary looked up from his Pokegear and put his flute of grape juice in a cupholder. "Well, well, well," he said. "Kirsten Manx."
"Kristen," she corrected.
"You travel with two boys, huh?"
"Yeah," she said, and then she read the look on his face. "No! It's not like that!"
"Sounds like you've got yourself a little fan club too!"
"First of all, Ricky and I grew up together. He's like my brother. And Jacob has a crush on my friend Sarah. He won't admit it, but it's super obvious. He turns red if you so much as mention her."
"Just like you're turning red now."
"AH!" she gasped. She touched her face, and he was right. It was warm. She put her head down against the car door to hide it. Then she jumped because she felt Gary's hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, it's okay," he said. "There's someone out there for you. You're what, thirteen? Fourteen?"
She looked up and smiled. Gary Oak thought she could be fourteen.
"This is. By far. The dumbest thing we've ever done," Jacob said as he followed Ricky up the hill where the Pokemon Mansion stood.
"Don't you want to see what Gary and Kristen are doing in here?" Ricky asked.
"I do," admitted Jacob. "But it's not safe." They had already crawled past orange cones and signs telling them the mansion was closed to visitors. They came to a line of police tape, and Ricky simply lifted it and continued on. Jacob groaned.
Gary let Umbreon out of his Poke Ball. "Bree!" the dark fox Pokemon said.
"So cool!" Kristen gushed. Umbreon looked at her and wagged its tail. Gary was setting up an incense to lure mansion Pokemon to them. "Can I pet it?" she asked.
"Of course," said Gary. "Umbreon loves pets."
Kristen extended her hand to the strange Pokemon, and Umbreon gingerly stepped forward to sniff it. After determining she smelled okay, Umbreon leaned into her hand for pets. Its fur was shorter and rougher than most Pokemon. It kind of felt like velvet. She sat down next to Umbreon and looked around her surroundings. The mansion was mostly intact, but it was obvious something had roughed it up recently. The walls all had cracks in it. It definitely wasn't what she would consider a romantic spot, if that's what most of those girls had had in mind. Gary's incense was mostly drawing Rattata and Raticate. She felt really silly about being nervous about being here. This was boring. Jigglypuff was starting to fall asleep.
Gary was satisfied with the first level Pokemon. He led them up the stairs to the second level, where they encountered a bunch of Grimer. "Ugh, they smell," Kristen said. "Are they okay?"
"Yeah," laughed Gary. "The smell means they're healthy."
"Lovely," Kristen said sarcastically. She looked around at the damage to the second floor of the mansion. There were holes in walls and even in the floor. As Gary continued studying the Grimer and Koffing that kept appearing, Kristen suddenly started to feel unsettled.
"Okay, I think we're good here," said Gary. "To the third floor we go."
"Yeah," she said weakly, following him up the stairs. Then suddenly it hit her. "Gary, they said this place blew up in a gas explosion, right?"
"Correct," said Gary, annoyed.
"This doesn't look like an explosion though," she said. "If anything, it looks like a lot of explosions. It looks like something or some things had a big, violent battle here. You know what I mean?"
Gary's eyes grew wide as she talked. "I...uh...just don't wander off."
Ricky's Fearow pecked open a side door, and the two boys crept inside. They were greeted by the stink of a large Muk sleeping in the hallway.
"This is where Gary Oak takes girls on dates? Alrighty then," said Jacob. "Oof. This place has seen better days."
"Sure has," Ricky agreed. The walls looked like swiss cheese. "C'mon." They tiptoed around the Muk and into a larger room. Fearow landed on top of a stone statue of a creature neither of the boys recognized and squawked. Ricky shhh'd his Pokemon before deciding to simply put him back in the Poke Ball. The boys heard nervous laughter coming from above. "That must be them," said Ricky.
"Stairs are over there," Jacob said, pointing.
"Wait," said Ricky. There was a hole in the ceiling, and they could smell a sweet scent coming through it. Ricky recognized it as a garden variety incense. A wild Vulpix hopped across the hole, and Kristen squealed in excitement.
"I have a Vulpix," Kristen's voice said. "I love her so much! I named her Shiny."
"You have a shiny Vulpix?!" Gary's nasally voice exclaimed.
"No, it's not shiny," said Kristen. "But it was covered in pink paint when I caught it, so I thought it was."
"Shiny Vulpix aren't pink," said Gary.
"Well, I know that now," Kristen said.
"Blehhh," Ricky muttered. He picked up a piece of pipe that was laying on the ground and crouched behind a stone statue.
"What are you doing?" Jacob asked.
"Shhh! Hide," said Ricky.
Jacob saw a room full of books, shrugged, and wandered in.
Kristen let out Shiny to play with the Vulpix Gary had finished examining. The two six-tailed foxes scampered around the hole together.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," said Gary.
"What? Umbreon is out," said Kristen, patting Umbreon. "Besides all the holes in the walls, I really don't see what's so scary about this place. The Pokemon have all been fine."
"True," said Gary.
But then a deep voice resonated up through the floors. "Gaaaarrrrryyyyy Ooooooooooaaaaakkkkkk!"
Gary jerked up in surprise as he was picking up the incense, and the device slipped out of his hands and fell down through the hole. The two Vulpix stopped frolicking and stared at the people.
"Ummm," Kristen said, holding Jigglypuff nervously. "Shiny, return!"
"Vulll!" Shiny said as she returned to her Poke Ball. The other Vulpix squeaked in surprise and disappointment.
"Fiiiiiiiight meeeeeeeee," the voice said.
"Holy Arceus," Gary swore. "It's true. It can talk!"
"Wha...what can talk? Gary...!"
Gary clapped his hand on her shoulder. "We've gotta go. NOW!"
"Yoooooouuuuuu caaaaannnnottttt ruuuuuuuuunnnnn!"
"What. Is. That?!" Kristen demanded.
"Mewtwo," Gary whispered.
"Mew WHAT?!"
Jacob heard Ricky's feeble attempt to antagonize Gary Oak and rolled his eyes. The books before him were much more entertaining. Hundreds of volumes, mostly about Pokemon genetics and breeding. "These books are so valuable," he said to himself. "Maybe I could take just a few." He started pulling books off the shelves, and a bunch of pages fell out of one. Jacob gasped as he tried to shuffle them all back into the book. It appeared to be a journal. He saw a drawing of a creature that could best be described as a really buff Mew. "Ew," said Jacob. He picked up the page.
"Mew gave birth. We named the newborn Mewtwo."
He set aside the rest of the books and continued flipping through the journal.
"Mewtwo is far too powerful. We have failed to curb its vicious tendencies. It's no use. I cannot control it!"
Kristen followed Gary and Umbreon to the staircase. He was practically tiptoeing, trying not to betray their location to whatever was calling out Gary's name.
"Kristen, you were right," said Gary. "The Pokemon Mansion wasn't destroyed in a gas explosion. It was destroyed by a Pokemon."
"A Pokemon? You mean this Mewtwo thing?"
"That's right," said Gary.
"What happened? Where is Mewtwo now?"
"Sounds like it never left," said Gary.
"Is this why you came here? To see about Mewtwo?"
"Partially," Gary admitted. "I didn't expect it to be here. I'm sorry, Kristen. I've put you in danger!"
"What type Pokemon is it?" Kristen asked.
"Psychic," Gary answered. He saw Kristen frown and shuffle through the Poke Balls in her bag. "Kristen, no, we're not fighting it!"
"Well, then what do we do?" Kristen said. "It knows your name!"
"I know! I'm freaking out!" Gary cried. He looked out the window. "Do you have a flying Pokemon?"
"I have a Pidgeotto," said Kristen.
"Ugh, that's no good," said Gary. "We need something to carry us. Ugh. Okay. Let's see..."
"GAAAAARRRRRRYYYYY!" the voice came again.
Gary squeaked and wrapped his arms around Umbreon.
"I'M WAAAAAAAIIIITTTIIIIINNNNNGGGG!"
"When Umbreon was an Eevee, he had his own bed too," said Gary randomly.
Kristen also snuggled beside Umbreon with Jigglypuff.
Ricky let Arcanine out of his Poke Ball. "Arc," the dog Pokemon started to say.
"Shhh!" Ricky said. "Arcanine, we're going to go upstairs and have a very important battle. Are you ready?" Arcanine started to bark again, but he remembered Ricky had told him not to speak. He wagged his tail and waited for further instructions. Ricky wandered into the library where Jacob was laying on the floor, completely enthralled with the Mewtwo journal.
"Ricky," he said. "You've gotta see this!"
"Later," said Ricky. "I'm going up to fight Gary."
Jacob closed the journal. "Okay, I'm coming with," said Jacob. This journal was definitely something that the Oak family needed to see.
Gary and Kristen listened breathlessly as the floorboards creaked up the stairs. "I can't believe this is how I'm going to die," Kristen said.
Gary punched some buttons on his Pokegear. "We're not going to die," he said. "I'm calling for help. Kristen, we're going to have to fight to hold him off. Are you ready?"
"Jiggly!' replied Jigglypuff, jumping out in front of Kristen.
Gary laughed. "Well, normally I wouldn't be too confident in a Jigglypuff, but that is why you won the contest. Okay, Umbreon?"
"Bree!" said Umbreon, standing beside Jigglypuff.
"Our Pokemon are ready," said Gary, getting up. He gulped. "Let's do this."
A flash of orange and black fur jumped from the stairwell to their floor. Gary shrieked, and Kristen tried desperately to remember Jigglypuff's attacks, when Arcanine barked. "Ummm," said Kristen. Ricky and Jacob appeared in the stairwell.
Gary's eyes were closed. "What's happening?" he whispered.
"It's not Mewtwo," she said. "It's my friends."
"Huh?" Gary said, opening his eyes. "Oh, are these your boyfriends? Get behind me, kids!"
Kristen ignored Gary. "Guys, what are you doing?! We were freaking out!"
"I came to challenge Gary!" Ricky exclaimed.
"What? Now's not the time, kid," said Gary. "There's a violent Pokemon in here!"
"No, there's not," said Jacob. "It was Ricky being stupid."
"That makes sense," said Kristen with a groan. "Ugh! Of all the dumb-!"
"Hey," said Ricky. "I came seeking a challenge. Are you really going to turn me down?"
"No," said Gary. "I'll fight you, but we gotta get out of here first. You might have been the one talking to me, but there still could be a dangerous Pokemon around."
"I don't think so," said Jacob. He stepped forward and handed Gary the journal. "Mewtwo escaped. It's all in here."
"Wow," said Gary, casually flipping through the journal. "Thanks, kid! This is really important! I'll make sure it gets into the right hands." He closed the journal and tucked it under his arm. Ricky was still staring him down. Gary sighed. "Okay," he said. "Our work here is done. Let's go."
They had a lot of explaining to do when they got outside the Pokemon Mansion. Gary's call had been answered by Blaine and the island's Officer Jenny. Neither were thrilled with Ricky's decision to go past all the police tape and into the Mansion.
"Although," said Gary, "some good did come of it. I determined that the Pokemon currently living there are safe. I can't detect any negative effects from the experiments, although it is something we should keep an eye on. But James here made a breakthrough discovery."
Gary gestured to Jacob, who looked around before realizing Gary was referring to him. "Oh, well, it was nothing," said Jacob, not even bothering to correct Gary. "I interned for Bill, so I was interested in the books in the Mansion, when I stumbled upon a diary documenting the creation of Mewtwo."
"WHAT?!" Blaine cried. "That's incredible! It's a shame what happened, and it wasn't very smart of you boys to follow Gary in there, but it looks like everyone is safe. What do you think, Jenny?"
Jenny had picked up her Growlithe and was leaning against her motorcycle. "I suppose," she said, and then muttered something under her breath about why kids shouldn't be allowed to travel alone. "Don't let it happen again." She hopped onto her bike and rode off.
"Blaine," said Gary, turning to him. "I was hoping to ask you for a favor. Ricky here would like to battle me. Could we possibly use your gym?"
"Well, certainly," said Blaine, looking curiously at Ricky. "Have we battled yet, son?"
"No," said Ricky. "We came here for you, really. But then Kristen won this contest, and she got all crazy."
"Got all crazy, eh?" Gary asked.
Blaine laughed. "Seems like you threaten Ricky's honor, Gary."
"Geez, Ricky," said Kristen. "Stop overreacting! You know Gary doesn't mean anything to me. But it was still exciting to get to go in a limo and stuff."
"I'm only right here," said Gary. "Limo and stuff?"
"Well, I'm interested to see this battle. You know, Ricky, I must warn you, Gary will likely be a more difficult battle than I will be," said Blaine.
"How about a double battle?" Kristen suggested.
"A double battle?" Blaine asked. "You and Ricky against Gary?"
"Yes," said Kristen. "That sounds way more fun than sitting in a Mansion with you, Gary."
Gary managed a smile. "Alright, kids. You're on."
"Oh, wait, I didn't even ask Ricky," said Kristen. She turned to her friend.
He nodded. "Let's do this!"
The Cinnabar Gym was located at the base of the volcano. Real molten lava dripped around the arena, and Kristen started to sweat as soon as she entered it. She already wasn't looking forward to coming back for her gym battle with Blaine. To her amazement, Blaine was wearing purple pants, a purple vest, and a thick white jacket. It must be made out of some cooling material, she guessed, because there was no way he wore outfits like that down here otherwise. Gary had removed his black polo so he wore only a white tank top, and Kristen wasn't even ashamed to admit it this time. He looked good.
Blaine took the referee stand. "This will be a two-on-one battle between Gary Oak and the team of Ricky Grover and Kristen Manx. Gary, which Pokemon will you be using?"
"I suppose I have stronger Pokemon," said Gary, "but when it comes down to it, I'll always bet on black. Go, Umbreon!"
Umbreon materialized and barked "Bree!"
"I guess we're using our signature Pokemon, then?" Ricky asked Kristen.
Kristen nodded. "Go Jigglypuff!"
"Puff!"
"And go Arcanine!" Ricky declared. Arcanine appeared and howled in approval.
"No substitutions may be made," Blaine said. "Battle begin!"
"ARCANINE, EXTREME SPEED!"
"JIGGLYPUFF, SING!"
Arcanine slammed into Umbreon in a blur, and then Jigglypuff's song filled the gym. Both Arcanine and Umbreon yawned and curled up to sleep.
Ricky glared at Kristen. "Sing? You thought that was the thing to do in a double battle?"
"Ah! I don't know! It's just what I always do!" Kristen said, flustered.
"Well, undo it!" Ricky fumed.
"Fine," Kristen said, digging into her bag for an Awakening. Jigglypuff stared at Kristen and Ricky in confusion. "It's okay, Jigglypuff. Go use Double-Slap on sleeping Umbreon."
"Puff!" Jigglypuff jumped over to Umbreon as Ricky went to heal Arcanine.
Gary laughed. "Clearly neither of you have double battled before. You need to be in sync with each other as well as with your Pokemon. It's okay. I'll give you a do-over," he said smugly.
Jigglypuff got a couple of slaps in on Umbreon before Umbreon woke up. "Bree!" Umbreon said.
"Umbreon, use Double-Edge on Jigglypuff!" Gary said.
Umbreon was right next to Jigglypuff and scored a direct hit. Ricky finished awakening Arcanine and rushed out of the way. "Arcanine, use Flamethrower on Umbreon!" Ricky called to his Pokemon.
"Umbreon, turn around and use Dark Pulse on Arcanine!" Gary said.
The Flamethrower and Dark Pulse collided, leaving a dark smoke in the arena. Kristen took the opportunity to launch another attack on Umbreon. "Jigglypuff, use Double-Edge!" she said.
"Umbreon, jump and dodge, and then use Confuse Ray!" Gary said.
Umbreon dodged Jigglypuff's Double-Edge and turned around to hit her with Confuse Ray. "No!" Kristen called.
"It's okay," said Ricky. "Arcanine, use Extreme Speed!"
Arcanine hit Umbreon again, and Gary turned his attention away from Kristen and Jigglypuff. "Umbreon, Assurance!" Umbreon smacked Arcanine back and sent the dog Pokemon sliding backwards across the slick stone floor. Arcanine whimpered. Gary took the opportunity to try to hit Arcanine again. "Now use Dark Pulse!"
"Get up, Arcanine!" Ricky cried. Arcanine began to rise, but the dark energy hit him before Ricky could call another attack, and Arcanine fainted. "Oh no, Arcanine!" Ricky turned to Kristen as Gary laughed. Kristen didn't have anything in her bag that could cure confusion. She watched Umbreon turn from Arcanine to her and Jigglypuff. "It's all up to you, Kristen!" Ricky said.
Kristen screamed internally. Umbreon and Gary had gone from being cute to scary as soon as the battle begun. She looked at Jacob and Blaine, who nodded in assurance. Okay, she thought. Just because a Pokemon is confused doesn't mean it has to hurt itself. Jigglypuff is a smart Pokemon. She can do this. "Jigglypuff, Double-Edge!" Kristen declared.
Jigglypuff rushed head-on towards Umbreon. "Umbreon, finish this with another Dark Pulse!" Gary declared. Jigglypuff was undeterred by the dark power emissions from Umbreon. She continued on through and struck Umbreon on the forehead, sending Gary's Pokemon sailing backwards. Jigglypuff fainted.
"Woah," said Gary.
"Jigglypuff!" Kristen cried, running to the middle of the arena to pick up her Pokemon. "I'm sorry. That was reckless," she said. "Take a good rest." She put Jigglypuff into her Poke Ball, a rare occurrence but necessary for the situation.
"Bree," Umbreon mumbled. Gary's Pokemon was still standing but weak.
"Good job, Umbreon. Take a good rest, too," said Gary. Umbreon licked Gary's face before materializing inside the ball. "Kristen, Ricky," said Gary, advancing towards them. "That was an excellent battle!"
"For you," Ricky said bitterly.
"Umbreon is incredible," said Kristen. "We didn't stand a chance!"
"Your Jigglypuff is fearless!" Gary exclaimed. "So that's what a 100% IV Jigglypuff can do, huh? I had no idea. And Ricky, your Arcanine is strong. I think you'll be a formidable contender one day. You kids are going to the Indigo Plateau, right?"
"I suppose that's where I come in," said Blaine. "Well done, you two! Watching that battle made me eager for a fight as well. Too bad both of your Pokemon are tuckered out. I'll be excited to see you two again. Unless?" Blaine turned to Jacob. "Unless my friend Jacob here would oblige?"
"Now?!" Jacob squeaked.
"Hey, why not, Jacob?" Kristen said.
"Yeah, you're ready," said Ricky.
"Well," said Jacob, staring at everyone around him. "Okey-dokey."
"Would you mind officiating for us, Gary?" Blaine asked.
"Not a problem," said Gary.
Blaine and Jacob took their respective posts at either end of the arena, and Kristen and Ricky took a seat in the stands. The seats would have been pleasantly warm in a cooler environment.
"Remember Jacob's first battle?" Ricky asked Kristen.
Kristen laughed. It had been the most awkward thing. Jacob second-guessed everything so much, he could barely get a word out in the Cerulean Gym. But that was then. Jacob had six gym badges under his belt now, and also on his belt was a Pokemon she wouldn't want to go up against under any circumstances.
"Battle begin!" Gary announced after Blaine had gone through the Cinnabar Gym rules, through which Kristen had spaced out.
Jacob pulled his secret weapon off his belt. "Go, Slowking!"
Blaine's eyes widened, and he smiled. This new generation of Pokemon trainers was full of surprises. His heart swelled with pride for the future of Pokemon.