Like many mornings since Colin started this adventure, he woke up to something screaming in his face. This time, it was Baz who was fully dressed and fully awake. His pokemon were just as exicted as he was. "Colin, I just heard from Gardenia. She and her Pokemon are ready for us at the gym! I'm going training right now. See ya!", Baz stuttered as he left the room. Colin groaned and turned to look at the clock, which read 7:35 A.M. "I just want to sleep!", Colin yelled, turning back over. His Pokemon all seemed to groan in agreement.
About three hours later, Colin shuffled over to the Pokemon Center's training grounds, his Pokemon behind him and Croagunk on his back. A group of frustrated looking trainers shoved passed Colin on his way out. He heard muttered complaints such as "That kid's Golbat is insane!" and "There's no way a Budew should move that fast!". Colin smirked as he knew Baz had sent them all off. When he got outside, he saw Baz talking with Gordon. Gordon saw Colin and beckoned him over before the younger could react. Gordon was still wearing his red hoodie. The shirt underneath it had changed to a yellow tank top with a Zapdos outlined on it.
On his shoulder was an orange monkey Pokemon with a flame on its tail. Instead of talking to Gordon, Colin pulled out his Pokedex and scanned the Pokemon. ~Monferno, the Playful Pokémon and the evolved form of Chimchar. Monferno launches aerial attacks off of ceilings and walls, and its fiery tail is used as one of its weapons. ~ "Hello to you too, Colin.", Gordon commented. Colin blushed and shook Gordon's hand. "It's been a while, Gordon. What have you been up to?", Colin asked sheepishly. "Well, I'm stopping in Eterna to see some relatives and saw you two were here, so I'm just stopping by.", Gordon announced.
As Gordon was about to continue his life story, his watched beeped. He flinched at the sound of it and started for the door. "You ok, Gordon?", Baz questioned. He got no reply as Gordon flung the doors open. "Weird...", Colin said quietly. "So how's training going, Baz?", Colin wondered. Baz's confused frown turned into a frantic smile as he began to tell Colin of how Golbat went 5 matches without switching out and another tale of how Prinplup took a point blank Leaf Storm from an enemy Roselia and lived. Colin would come in with the occasional "cool", "sweet", or "niiice".
Baz stopped talking for a moment and looked at Colin wild-eyed. "You know how many badges Gordon has?! THREE. That's two more than we have and too many we don't have!", Baz exclaimed. "I need to train more! Maybe you should too, Colin!", Baz continued. Colin merely shrugged his shoulders and walked over to an empty section of the training grounds. He took the two Pokeballs off of his belt and tossed them in front of him. From them, came Luxio and Meditite. Colin glanced at Croagunk, who shook its head in response. "Come on...", Colin argued. Croagunk slid slowly off of Colin's shoulder and stood next to the other Pokemon.
Colin knelt next to Meditite. "Ok, Meditite! I know you've got Counter, but I know you can do more. Let's see what else you can do.", Colin stated, pointing at Luxio . "Luxio is going to stand over there and you go up to him and let loose. Luxio can also fight back if he needs to", Colin affirmed. Meditite nodded in agreement and ran up to the cat Pokemon. Luxio braced itself, ready for any attack. Meditite closed its eye, breathing in and out intensely. Luxio took the opportunity and rushed forward and lunged at the fighting-type.
Colin shifted nervously. Luxio was practically on top of Meditite when Meditite opened its eyes and dodged Luxio at the last second. Meditite jumped up and brought its fist hard down on Luxio's back. Luxio cried out and leaped up and bit hard on Meditite's hand. Meditite cried out as its fist glowed bright orange. Meditite's Counter attack caught Luxio at the side of his head. Luxio was sent flying, but managed to catch the ground. Colin began to wave his arms. "Ok! Stop!", Colin cried out. Meditite and Luxio limped over to their trainer. He gave Meditite a potion and told Luxio to head inside to heal up. "Croagunk! You're up!", Colin yelled. Croagunk sulked and headed over to the makeshift sparring field.
Croagunk and Meditite circled each other slowly. Croagunk darted towards the ground and sent a volley of mud at Meditite dodged it, only to be met with a Poison Sting. Croagunk kicked Meditite away from it, sending more poison after it. The fighting-type slid across the ground and and was hit consistently with poison as it went further. Meditite stood up slowly, eyeing the poison-type as it went. Croagunk charged at Meditite with intense speed, its arm glowing bright white as it did so. Meditite walked towards the charging frog Pokemon.
Before Croagunk's Revenge could connect, Meditite held up its arm. The fighting-type's hand glowed a dim purple, stopping Croagunk in its tracks. Meditite's eyes also gained the glow as it tossed Croagunk into a tree. Colin watched on in deep thought. Croagunk was seemingly unfazed by the attack, to Meditite's shock. Croagunk dashed back in, delivering a series of punches to Meditite, who Counter ed where it could. Croagunk managed to stagger Meditite and delivered a drop kick that sent the monk Pokemon flying backwards into a bush. Meditite barely managed to get up when Croagunk sent even more poison at Meditite.
Meditite took the blast and got into a fighting stance. Croagunk seemed to chuckle and ran to Meditite with another Revenge at the ready. Meditite did not release the pose, however. The air around Meditite seemed to be getting colder and colder with every second. A bright white aura enveloped Meditite while shards of ice seemed to cluster at its feet. Croagunk got closer and closer, the permanent smile on its face growing wider. Between Meditite's hands, a small light blue ball of energy began to grow. It seemed to be the source of the cold. Croagunk realized what was happening and attempted to stop itself, but it was too late. Meditite suddenly ran forward and blasted Croagunk with the ball of energy at point-blank range.
Croagunk did not fly backwards, but merely fell over spiral-eyed. Colin ran forward and picked up the frog Pokemon. He attempted to deicde whether or not he was excited for Meditite or worried for Croagunk, so he chose to be both. He called Baz over and the two headed inside with their Pokemon. Luxio was waiting paitiently at the front desk and sat with the trainers as the other Pokemon were being healed. "Dude, I've been training for the past five hours. I am SO READY to challenge Gardenia today!", Baz exclaimed. "I found out the moves that Meditite can use, so that's always helpful.", Colin added.
Nurse Joy called them over to retrieve their Pokemon. Croagunk hopped on Colin's back. Baz's Golbat landed on his shoulder. "Wow, it's only 3:00?! Wanna go get some food before we challenge Gardenia?", Baz asked. Colin shook his head. "We can get something after.", he assured. All of Baz seemed to agree with Colin except for his stomach, which growled with resentment. "Let's go, Let's go, LET'S GOOOO!", Baz screamed as he sprinted outside toward the Eterna City Gym. Colin followed behind slowly, but watched Baz as he entered the Gym.
Gardenia lightly tapped her fingers against the Gym's front desk. She lazily checked the clock for what seemed like the twentieth time when she heard a furious knocking at the door. Looking over, she saw an extremely enthusiastic Baz jumping up and down with Colin behind him, looking concerned. She smiled widely and opened the door. Baz raced past her and headed into the battlefield. She turned to Colin, seeming concerned. "He's been up and training since 7:35. I think he should go first.", Colin confirmed.
Gardenia merely nodded and the two headed for the battlefield. The Gym floor looked like it had been abandoned. Overgrown vines and trees sprouted from the sides of the arena. The field was freshly cut and the air seemed more fresh. A skylight beamed sunlight down onto the field. Baz raced to the opposite side of the arena while Gardenia strutted over to her side. Colin walked to a nearby bench and slumped down. An official waited paintently for everyone to get situated . "The battle between the Gym Leader Gardenia and the challenger Baz of Twinleaf Town is about to begin.", the official barked.
"The battle will be a 3v3 battle with substitutions allowed. Trainers, send out your first Pokemon!", the official continued. "Alright! Turtwig, come on out!", Gardenia cheered. She tossed her Pokeball and from it, came her Turtwig, ready for a fight. "OK! Budew, you're up first!", Baz screamed. His Pokeball flew from his hand, releasing Budew. The official's hand went skyward. "Let the battle begin!", the official said, dropping his hand. "Turtwig, Sunny Day!", Gardenia commanded. Turtwig tilted its head up the skylight, its twigs shining in the light.
"Budew, use Pound!", Baz ordered. Budew sped towards Turtwig with blinding speed. "Turtwig, go for Grass Knot!", Gardenia called out. Turtwig's twigs glowed slightly brighter and the grass blades in front of it tied themselves together. Turtwig backed up as Budew hit the Grass Knot, skidding across the ground. "Follow up with Razor Leaf!", Gardenia called. Turtwig turned to where Budew had landed and summoned and then fired leaves at the bud Pokemon. Budew caught the ground, stood up, and was hit with the leaves. The attack sent Budew backwards even more. "Budew! Run at Turtwig and use Stun Spore!", Baz yelled. Budew flew across the field toward Turtwig and fired a yellow cloud toward the starter Pokemon. "Turtwig, Reflect!", Gardenia resquested. A dim purple barrier shined around the starter Pokemon.
The Stun Spore reflected off of the barrier onto Budew stunning it. Baz stood gaping. "Razor Leaf!", Gardenia proclaimed. Yet another leaf volley launched toward Budew, who was unable to move. Budew took the attack head on and fell to the ground, spiral-eyed. "Budew is unable to battle. The first round goes to Gardenia!", the official bellowed. Baz, still shocked, returned Budew to its Pokeball. "Oh, ok.", Baz said calmly. "Go, Golbat!", Baz exclaimed. The bat Pokemon burst forth and flew into a nearby tree.
"Round 2, begin!", the official announced. "Golbat, Wing Attack!", Baz ordered. Golbat flew forward and slammed a wing into the starter Pokemon. "Turtwig, hold onto Golbat!", Gardenia called out. Turtwig bit down hard on Golbat's wing. "Golbat, lose Turtwig in the trees!", Baz stuttered. Colin leaned forward in his seat. Baz's confidence seemed to be crumbling. Golbat sped off into the forest. Sounds of struggling came from the forest until Golbat emerged at the top of a cluster of trees. "Turtwig, Razor Leaf!", Gardenia ordered. Leaves flew from the surrounding trees slicing into Golbat as it raced for Baz. "Golbat, slam Turtwig into the ground!", Baz commanded.
Golbat flew toward the ground and dropped Turtwig onto the ground hard. Golbat hovered in front of Baz, injured heavily. "Uh, Leech Life, Golbat!", Baz requested. Golbat flew forward and bit hard into the still recovering Turtwig. Turtwig cried out. "Turtwig, Grass Knot!", Gardenia yelled. Two long blades of grass tied themselves to one of Golbat's feet. Gardenia smirked as Baz cried out. "One more Razor Leaf, Turtwig!", Gardenia continued. Leaves just as big as the Grass Knot blades flew from Turtwig's back, cutting deeply into Golbat. Turtwig slumped over on the battlefield while Golbat flew slowly over to Baz.
"Turtwig is unable to battle! Round 2 goes to Baz of Twinleaf Town!", the official proclaimed. Colin clapped loudly. Baz cheered. "Golbat! You good for another round?", Baz asked. Golbat did a roll in the air. "I'll take that as a yes.", Baz responded. Gardenia returned Turtwig to its Pokeball and pulled out another one. "Cherrim, your turn!", Gardenia beamed. From the gym leader's Pokeball came a purple bulb-like Pokemon with a green set of leaves at it top, along with a pink stem. From the bench, Colin went to pull out his Pokedex. Before he could, the Pokemon seemed to absorb the light from the skylight and change form. The bulb sprouted open to reveal a yellow Pokemon with pink leaves surrounding its head. Above its head were two red orbs.
Colin finally managed to scan the Pokemon. ~Cherrim, the Blossom Pokémon. Cherrim stays quiet until its flowers bloom when it becomes quite excitable.~ Colin watched the Pokemon closely while Croagunk peeked over his shoulder. "Cherrim, Safegaurd!", Gardenia called. Cherrim waved its arms and a faint blue veil covered itself and Gardenia. "Golbat, Wing Attack!", Baz responded. Golbat sped forward again, hitting Cherrim with its wings. This time, however, it looked like Golbat came off from the hit worse than Cherrim. Golbat staggered in the air trying to regain control. "Cherrim, Magical Leaf!", Gardenia commanded. Blazing white leaves flew forth from the bushes and began to circle Golbat.
The leaves sent the bat Pokemon flying backwards before making Golbat hit the ground hard, sprials in its eyes. "Golbat is unable to battle! Round 3 goes to Gardenia!", the official yelled. Baz lowered his head, retrieving Golbat. "Prinplup, go for it.", Baz said. Prinplup ran to the battlefield and turned back to look at its trainer. Baz couldn't look at his starter Pokemon. "Prinplup, Metal Claw.", Baz ordered. Prinplup turned around and raced towards Cherrim. "Grass Knot!", Gardenia retorted. Grass blades flew from the ground and caught Prinplup's feet, causing the penguin Pokemon hit the ground. "Follow up with Leech Said!", Gardenia said triumphantly.
A singular brown seed launched from a petal on Cherrim's head and latched onto Prinplup's chest. The brown seed exploded into green vines that wrapped around Prinplup's body. "Prinplup, shake them off!", Baz yelled. Prinplup struggled and fell to the ground. "Magical Leaf!", Gardenia requested. More white leaves from the bushes slammed into the Penguin Pokemon. Baz was silent. "Grass Knot!", Gardenia followed. Grass tied Prinplup's feet to the ground. Baz still was silent. "One more Magical Leaf, Cherrim!", Gardenia cheered. Cherrim sent more and more leaves at Prinplup. All of them connected to Prinplup, who could only stand and take every hit as its trainer merely stood there.
After what seemed like an eternity of silence from Baz, Prinplup fell over unable to take anymore. "Prinplup is unable to battle! The round and match go to Gardenia!", the official concluded. Baz walked forward and talked with Gardenia a little before getting Prinplup and walking out of the Gym. Colin got up and walked over to Gardenia. "Is Baz OK?", Colin asked. "I'm not sure. He thanked me for the battle and then walked off mumbling about training.", Gardenia stated. "I'm going to get my Pokemon healed up and then we can have our battle.", Gardenia continued. As the gym leader walked off, Colin could only wonder what happened out on that battlefield. Regardless, he took his place on the battlefield and readied himself for his second gym battle.
~Author's Note~
Hey everyone! I'm still alive! I took a little break from writing to focus on school stuff and personal business. Hope you can understand. Anyway, my birthday has come and gone, and I got a laptop as I hoped so updates will (hopefully) be a little more frequent from now on. I'm working on the next few chapters as you read this very sentence and they'll be released shortly. Hopefully that can make up for my absence the past few months. Enjoy!
I lost to Gardenia the first time I played Diamond & Pearl too...
here's some links i guess
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