Amber opened the map and looked at it. She was waiting in the Pokèmon Center, waiting for Midnight and Persian to be healed.
She had asked Nurse Joy for a map, as she did not want to go through the forest. She found there was a detour- a cave that
tunneled underground, then came up again at Magenta Town. It was slightly smaller than Jade City, but also had a supposed stronger
gym. She smiled and folded the map, standing up as she heard Nurse Joy coming with her Pokèmon.
"So, leaving for good, are you?" she asked. She had become fond of the little red-head in her three visits. Fewer and fewer
trainers had been visiting her lately.
"Yup. Well, I might come back later. You never know," Amber replied.
"Yes, you're right," Nurse Joy said, sighing. "See you again sometime."
Amber walked out of the Pokèmon Center.
*
Nurse Joy watched the door she had gone through for a long time. There was potential in that girl- she could feel it. In fact,
she would not be surprised if she became the Pokèmon League Champion and beat the Elite Four themselves. She smiled, then
turned and pushed open the door to attend Pokèmon in greater need.
*
Amber realized why she had missed the fork in the road earlier- this one was used less and plants had grown over it. She
followed the path. Ahead she could see the cave. It did not look as forbidding as the forest, at least. She soon reached it.
She walked silently in, Midnight and her Persian following. The cave was in most ways silent and became almost pitch black
quickly, but she asked Midnight to use fire attacks occasionally to light it up. At a certain point in the caves, she saw
transparent crystals that shone when Midnight lit them up. She saw Sandshew, Zubat, and Diglet occasionally, but decided not
to disturb them as she was more worried about quality in her Pokèmon, than quantity. After a while the crystals became more
sparse. Finally, she saw natural light. She climbed out of the cave. She saw another path and followed it.
Before long she had reached Magenta Town. She decided to visit the gym, as her Pokèmon were not hurt. She looked at the sign
outside- it red: Eli, the Dark Trainer.
'Dark types...' Amber thought. 'I have one of my own. I wonder what he'll have.' Slowly she walked in. The gym was nearly
pitch black. She walked for a while, then a few lights came on. The room became dim.
"I challenge you to a gym battle!" she called out.
"I accept," a voice said. She saw a figure come closer. "It will be a one-on-one match. Choose carefully.." his voice was
mysterious as he said that.
'Well, I only have two Pokèmon to choose careflly from...' she took the two Pokèballs from her belt. Who would she choose?
She assumed Persian was stronger, being evolved, but she had used Midnight more often. Finally she decided on Midnight, as the
fact the gym was based on the Dark element might give her an advantage.
"I choose you, Midnight!" her Houndour leapt out onto the battlefield.
"Go, Murkrow," the other voice said.
Amber almost laughed. Murkrow was relatively weak. Didn't he know that? He was, after all, a gym leader. She shrugged. Maybe
there was more to the black bird Pokèmon than it seemed.
"Midnight, Bite!"
Midnight jumped towards the flying Pokèmon.
"Faint Attack," Eli said calmly.
Suddenly Murkrow disappeared. Midnight chomped down on air. As she was falling back towards the ground something hit her hard
from behind. Surprised, she landed flat on her stomach instead of her feet. She stood up and growled.
"Ember!"
"Dodge it!"
Midnight fired a ball of fire. The Murkrow easily rose above it, flapping harder.
"Try to Bite it again!"
"Dodge then Peck!"
Midnight leaped as high as she could into the air, but once again bit absolutely nothing. The Murkrow had moved quickly out of
the way. Now it was diving towards her. It Pecked her on the muzzle. She winced.
'I shouldn't have under-estimated him,' she thought. 'There's still a chance though...'
"Finish it off! Night Shade!"
"Smog!"
Instead of focusing it into a small ball, Midnight released the Smog all around her. It covered the battlefield. The Murkrow
could not find her, so it didn't use Night Shade.
"Find it and use Ember!"
Midnight used her excellent senses of smell and hearing to locate Murkrow, then fired an Ember towards it. Surprised, it fell
to the ground.
"Get up, Murkrow!"
"Finish it, Bite!"
Murkrow stood and tried to take off, but Midnight was too fast. The dog Pokèmon sunk her teeth into the black bird, fainting it.
They stood for a minute in silence. It was diffucult to see Eli's expression in the darkness and the smog that was still left.
"Well.. you win. Return, Murkrow. I give you the Shade Badge. You deserve it."
"...Thank you," Amber said breathlessly. She still couldn't believe she won. She walked outside, then shouted excitedly, "I
GOT THE SHADE BADGE!!!"
"Dour, houndour!"
"Peeersiaan!"
She had asked Nurse Joy for a map, as she did not want to go through the forest. She found there was a detour- a cave that
tunneled underground, then came up again at Magenta Town. It was slightly smaller than Jade City, but also had a supposed stronger
gym. She smiled and folded the map, standing up as she heard Nurse Joy coming with her Pokèmon.
"So, leaving for good, are you?" she asked. She had become fond of the little red-head in her three visits. Fewer and fewer
trainers had been visiting her lately.
"Yup. Well, I might come back later. You never know," Amber replied.
"Yes, you're right," Nurse Joy said, sighing. "See you again sometime."
Amber walked out of the Pokèmon Center.
*
Nurse Joy watched the door she had gone through for a long time. There was potential in that girl- she could feel it. In fact,
she would not be surprised if she became the Pokèmon League Champion and beat the Elite Four themselves. She smiled, then
turned and pushed open the door to attend Pokèmon in greater need.
*
Amber realized why she had missed the fork in the road earlier- this one was used less and plants had grown over it. She
followed the path. Ahead she could see the cave. It did not look as forbidding as the forest, at least. She soon reached it.
She walked silently in, Midnight and her Persian following. The cave was in most ways silent and became almost pitch black
quickly, but she asked Midnight to use fire attacks occasionally to light it up. At a certain point in the caves, she saw
transparent crystals that shone when Midnight lit them up. She saw Sandshew, Zubat, and Diglet occasionally, but decided not
to disturb them as she was more worried about quality in her Pokèmon, than quantity. After a while the crystals became more
sparse. Finally, she saw natural light. She climbed out of the cave. She saw another path and followed it.
Before long she had reached Magenta Town. She decided to visit the gym, as her Pokèmon were not hurt. She looked at the sign
outside- it red: Eli, the Dark Trainer.
'Dark types...' Amber thought. 'I have one of my own. I wonder what he'll have.' Slowly she walked in. The gym was nearly
pitch black. She walked for a while, then a few lights came on. The room became dim.
"I challenge you to a gym battle!" she called out.
"I accept," a voice said. She saw a figure come closer. "It will be a one-on-one match. Choose carefully.." his voice was
mysterious as he said that.
'Well, I only have two Pokèmon to choose careflly from...' she took the two Pokèballs from her belt. Who would she choose?
She assumed Persian was stronger, being evolved, but she had used Midnight more often. Finally she decided on Midnight, as the
fact the gym was based on the Dark element might give her an advantage.
"I choose you, Midnight!" her Houndour leapt out onto the battlefield.
"Go, Murkrow," the other voice said.
Amber almost laughed. Murkrow was relatively weak. Didn't he know that? He was, after all, a gym leader. She shrugged. Maybe
there was more to the black bird Pokèmon than it seemed.
"Midnight, Bite!"
Midnight jumped towards the flying Pokèmon.
"Faint Attack," Eli said calmly.
Suddenly Murkrow disappeared. Midnight chomped down on air. As she was falling back towards the ground something hit her hard
from behind. Surprised, she landed flat on her stomach instead of her feet. She stood up and growled.
"Ember!"
"Dodge it!"
Midnight fired a ball of fire. The Murkrow easily rose above it, flapping harder.
"Try to Bite it again!"
"Dodge then Peck!"
Midnight leaped as high as she could into the air, but once again bit absolutely nothing. The Murkrow had moved quickly out of
the way. Now it was diving towards her. It Pecked her on the muzzle. She winced.
'I shouldn't have under-estimated him,' she thought. 'There's still a chance though...'
"Finish it off! Night Shade!"
"Smog!"
Instead of focusing it into a small ball, Midnight released the Smog all around her. It covered the battlefield. The Murkrow
could not find her, so it didn't use Night Shade.
"Find it and use Ember!"
Midnight used her excellent senses of smell and hearing to locate Murkrow, then fired an Ember towards it. Surprised, it fell
to the ground.
"Get up, Murkrow!"
"Finish it, Bite!"
Murkrow stood and tried to take off, but Midnight was too fast. The dog Pokèmon sunk her teeth into the black bird, fainting it.
They stood for a minute in silence. It was diffucult to see Eli's expression in the darkness and the smog that was still left.
"Well.. you win. Return, Murkrow. I give you the Shade Badge. You deserve it."
"...Thank you," Amber said breathlessly. She still couldn't believe she won. She walked outside, then shouted excitedly, "I
GOT THE SHADE BADGE!!!"
"Dour, houndour!"
"Peeersiaan!"