Chapter 5: The First Gym

The following day, the group finally reached Straiton City. "This is awesome!" Shelly said as they walked down the streets towards the Pokemon Center. "My first contest is in three days!"

"Don't forget about our gym battle first," Dani said.

"When are we going over?" Gabri asked.

"I think we should let Nurse Joy give our Pokemon a check-up and then head over after lunch," Gary said, placing his hand on Gogoat's neck.

"That sounds good to me," Dani said.

As the Pokemon Center came into sight, someone walked out of it: Paul. "Hey, it's Paul!" Gabri said excitedly.

Gary blinked. "So?"

"Who cares?" said Shell.

Gabri and Dani apparently cared, for they ran forward to greet the boy. "Hi, Paul," Dani said. She and her youngest sister stood before him, smiling at him. Mo sat on Dani's shoulder while Gabri held Dragon in her arms.

Paul frowned at them. "It's you two. What do you want?"

"Have you battled the Striaton Gym yet?" Dani asked.

"Yes. I easily won, though you two might have some trouble."

"We'll be fine," Dani said.

"Do you want to join us for lunch?" asked Gabri.

"No," Paul said without emotion. He then got moving again and walked past him.

"We'll see you later!" Dani called after him.

"Have fun with whatever you're doing next!" said Gabri.

"Training is not supposed to be fun," Paul called back.

Dani and Gabri exchanged looks. "The training we do is fun," said Dani. Gabri just shrugged.

"What was that about?" Shelly asked as she approached.

"We were just saying 'hi,'" Gabri replied.

Gary frowned. "Why bother? He's not worth it."

"You're wrong," said Dani.

Shelly rolled her eyes. "Just drop it, Gabri. Those two are crazy."

Her sisters knew they were not crazy, but they also knew they could not convince her of that. They remained silent as they entered the Pokemon Center. Hopefully both of them would see in time. Actions spoke louder than words.


The group ate at a nice restaurant in the city. When they were finished, Dani asked one of the waiters where they could find the Straiton City gym because she and Gabri wanted to challenge the gym leader. At this, everyone in the restaurant turned to look at them. The group sweatdropped.

"You're in the Straiton City Gym!" the red-haired waiter exclaimed.

Shelly blinked. "This does not look like a gym."

"The gym is in the back," said the blue-haired waiter who suddenly popped up next to the other.

"I'm Chili and this is Cress," the first one explained. "We're brother gym leaders here. We have a triplet, but he's off on a journey right now."

"Follow us," said Cress.

Dani shrugged and followed them to the back of the restaurant. A bunch of girls trailed behind. In the next room, they all found themselves inside a spacious gym. "Cool!" Gabri said. She had never seen a real gym before.

"You may challenge either of us," Chili explained. "If you beat the one you have chosen, you will win a gym badge."

"Let's each choose one of them," Dani said.

Gabri nodded. "Ok."

"Now we will let you see our Pokemon," Cress said. "Come on out, Panpour." A water type appeared before him.

"You too, Pansear," said Chili, and he released a fire type.

"Ooo... monkeys," Gabri said with a grin. She glanced at her sister. "You can go first."

"I choose Panpour," Dani said.

"Very well," said Cress. "I look forward to it."

After handing Mo off to Gary to watch on the sideline, Dani followed him onto the battle field. She glanced near the restaurant and noticed the girls from before acting as cheerleaders, which she thought was odd. Once they were on opposite sides, she pulled out a Pokeball. "Let's go, Cody!" Her Pikachu appeared with a flash of light.

"I haven't seen a Pikachu in awhile," Cress said with slight surprise. "Do not think this will be easy. I defeated the last Pikachu I was up against. You may have the first move."

Dani knew from experience that gym leaders always had a strategy to make up for disadvantages. She was prepared to meet that challenge. Once she found out his strategy, she could develop a counter-strategy. The best way to figure him out was to start off with an electric move. "Cody, use Thunderbolt!"

"Panpour, aim your Water Gun at the Pikachu's feet," Cress said.

Cody jumped up and prepared to use Thunderbolt. Before he could get an attack in, however, Panpour shot water at his feet, causing him to fall flat on the ground on his belly.

"Ok, use Electro Ball."

"Mud Sport!"

Cody started to form a ball of energy on his tail. Meanwhile, Panpour dug up mud that coated him and also flew in a stream towards the Pikachu. Cody was knocked back, the attack was stopped.

"Good job, Panpour. Now use Water Gun."

Just as Cody stood up, a stream of water knocked him right back off his feet. Dani could tell this was not looking good. The water type had not taken any damage at all! Maybe it was time for a different strategy. "Cody, use Slam!"

"Double Team!"

Cody ran towards the Panpour, but he skidded to a halt when many of them suddenly appeared. He looked around in confusion.

"Now Scratch!"

"Use Thunderbolt to find the real one!"

Cody released his electricity, hitting fake Panpour that disappeared. Just as he got to the second to last one, the real Panpour jumped on him and scratched his side, causing him to cry out.

Dani knew she needed to think of something quickly to turn this battle around. Then an idea occurred to her. "Cody, plant your tail in the ground!"

Cress looked at her in confusion. "What are you doing? Panpour, use Water Gun!"

Cody jumped up with his tail down. As he fell down, his tail became planted in the ground. The Water Gun hit his feet, but it did not knock him down.

"Now Thunderbolt!"

Cody released a powerful stream of electricity that hit the Panpour. When the attack finished, the water monkey was panting.

"Clever," said Cress, "but it won't be enough. Use Scratch!"

"Double Team!" Dani said.

Panpour ran towards the Pikachu, but this time he was the one surrounded by doubles. "Use Water Gun on them all!" his trainer said.

"Electro Ball!" Dani cried.

Panpour sot streams of water at the Pikachu that were all getting ready to use Electro Ball. Before he could it the real one, Cody sent his ball of electricity flying. The Panpour cried in surprise as he was flown backward, badly injured.

"Finish it with Slam!" said Dani.

As Panpour struggled to his feet, Cody raced forward. The water type had just stood up when the Pikachu slammed into him. Panpour slid across the field before fainting.

"Panpour is unable to battle," Chili said. "Cody is the winner, and victory goes to Dani!"

Dani grinned as her Pikachu raced towards her. "We did it, buddy!" Cody jumped in her arms, and she hugged him tightly.

"Good job," Shelly said as her sister returned to the sideline.

"That was amazing," said Gary.

"Cynda!" Mo said in agreement from his shoulder.

"Congratulations," Gabri said with a small smile.

Dani nodded. "Thanks, guys."

"That was an impressive battle," Cress said as he approached her. He held something out to her. "You've earned this. It's a trio badge."

Dani grinned as she accepted the badge. "Awesome. Thanks!"

"Would you like to battle me now?" Chili asked Gabri, smiling at her.

Gabri hesitated before nodded. "Yeah."

While the two of them left for the field, Dani took Mo back. The Cyndaquil climbed onto her right shoulder while Cody perched on her left to watch the battle.

"I will be using Pansear," Chili said as he stood on one side of the battlefield with his monkey before him.

Gabri set her Tepig down in front of her on the other side. "I'm going with Dragon."

"Fire against fire? Alright. We're ready when you are."

"Dragon, use Tackle!"

"Pansear, use Flame Charge!"

The two Pokemon ran right at each other. However, Pansear soon became engulfed in flames. When the two collided, it was the Tepig that was flown back.

Gabri frowned. She had not been expecting that. "Dragon, Tail Whip and Ember!"

"Pansear, dodge and use Fire Punch!"

Dragon whipped his wiggly tail back and forth before shooting out fire balls at the monkey. Pansear dodged as he ran forward. When he got close to the Tepig, he came out him with a flaming fist. Dragon cried out as he was struck.

"No!" Gabri exclaimed. This was hard. She did not know how her older sister did it. "Use Ember again." This time, the Ember struck its target, and Dragon wagged his tail happily.

"Pansear, use Fire Blast!"

"Dodge it and use Tackle!"

Dragon ran forward while Pansear gathered up energy. Before the Tackle could hit, Pansear blasted the Tepig with an intense fire. The fire seemed to have badly damaged Dragon, but he started running again until he knocked into his opponent.

"Good job, Dragon. Now use Ember."

"Fire Blast, once more!"

Dragon's fire balls hit Pansear, but he responded with another swirl of fire. The fire spin hit Dragon and sent him flying back near his trainer, where he promptly fainted.

"Dragon is unable to battle," Cress announced. "Pansear is the winner, and victory goes to Chili, the gym leader!"

"Yay!" the cheerleaders exclaimed, waving their pom poms.

"No!" Gabri cried as she rushed to pick up her Tepig. Dragon gave her a small smile as he opened her eyes. "You were great. Thanks for trying." She returned him to his Pokeball to give him a rest. Then she sadly walked to the sideline to face her sisters and friend.

"That was a good try for your first battle," Dani said weakly. "We'll be in Striaton City for awhile, so you can train and challenge the gym again."

"We would be happy to have you back," Cress said.

"I can help you train," Gary offered.

"Thanks, guys," Gabri said with a slight smile. She nodded at Cress and Chili. "Yeah, I'll be back." She was disappointed in her defeat, but she was determined to get stronger and leave this city with a badge just like her big sister!


The next day, the group visited the contest hall so that Shelly could get her Unova pass and register for the Striaton City contest. After that was taken care of, they left the hall with plans to find areas to train separately. They stopped when they saw two people they recognized headed for the hall. "It's May and Max!" Shelly said, waving.

The two of them noticed the group and headed for them. "Hey, guys," May said, stopping in front of them. "How are you doing?"

"Great!" Dani said. "I won my first Unova badge."

"Awesome," Max said with a grin. He glanced at Gabri. "Have you challenged the gym yet?"

Gabri hesitated. "Yes, but I lost." She smiled sheepishly.

May gave her a sad smile. "That's alright. It happens. You'll just train harder and win next time, right?"

Gabri nodded. "We'll be here for a few days more, so I'll challenge the gym again after the contest."

"How have you two been?" Gary asked.

"We're doing well," May said. "I'm excited for my first Unova contest."

"Me too!" Shelly said.

"I'm excited for my first ever gym battle," Max said. "Oh, and I caught a Tympole!"

"Cool," Gabri said as she checked er Pokedex for the Pokemon.

"Oh, May," said Shelly, "we met your boyfriend."

May blinked. "My boyfriend?"

Shelly smirked. "Yeah, Drew."

May's eyes grew wide. "Drew's not my boyfriend! Why would you think that?"

Just then, Dani noticed Drew several yards away walking in their direction. He certainly had great timing. "Hey, Drew!"

"Hello," Drew said, stopping in front of the group. "What's going on? What are you talking about?"

May's face grew white. "Nothing! I need to go register for the contest! Be back later!" Color returned to her face, and she blushed as she turned and fled for the contest hall.

Drew furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he stared at the spot where she had just stood. "Did I do something?"

Shelly smirked. "Not at all. Don't worry about it. You need to register too, right? Go do that and see how she's doing."

Drew looked at her oddly. "Ok..."

"This is going to go well," Max commented to Gabri, who held back a laugh.

"If you want help practicing later, we could battle," Dani said to Drew as he walked away.

Drew simply nodded at her in acknowledgement.

Shelly elbowed her older sister in the side. "Dani, don't flirt with him; he's taken," she said under her breath.

Dani rolled her eyes. "Battling isn't flirting, Shell."

Gary laughed. "I'll battle with you, Dani."

She smiled at him, ignoring Shelly's annoyed look. "Great."

"After my sister recovers, do you want to watch my gym battle?" Max asked Gabri. "It might help you with your rematch."

"Ok," Gabri agreed, smiling at him. "That sounds like a good idea." She was not sure what it was, but there was something she liked about the boy. Maybe it was the connection they had because they were both new trainers with the same goal.

"I am going to go practice my routine for the appeals," Shelly said. "See you later."

With that, they all went their separate ways.


Training continued into the next day. Dani decided to take a break and explore the city. After lunch, she found herself back near the contest hall. In the distance, she could see a coordinator and Pokemon working on combinations. Walking closer, she saw that it was Drew and his Bayleef. "Hi," she greeted them, stopping a couple of yards away.

"Hello," Drew said coolly, "can I help you?"

Before she could respond, she heard the noise that was made when a Pokemon was released from its Pokeball. Then, standing before her, was her Oshawott. She looked at him in surprise. "You let yourself out, Simon?" She had never had that happen before. It did not seem normal to her.

"Oshawott," Simon said confidently, pointing to the Bayleef.

Bayleef blinked. "Bay?"

"Uh, sorry about that," Dani said. "He likes to battle Pokemon who have an advantage over him."

"It's fine," said Drew. "I like his attitude. I'll battle him."

Dani had not been expecting this, but she nodded. "Oh, ok." She set Mo down on the ground so that he could watch. Then she backed up to give them room to battle.

"Since you're so eager to battle, you can have the first move," Drew said. Bayleef stood confidently before him.

Dani was not sure how this was going to go, but she would give it her best. "Ok, Simon, use Tackle."

"Dodge and use Razor Leaf!" called Drew.

Dani let out a breath of relief when Simon ran towards the Bayleef. Unfortunately, the grass type jumped out of the way before shooting sharp leaves at him.

"Ok, Water Gun," Dani said.

"Magical Leaf."

Simon shot a stream of water at the Bayleef, but Bayleef sent a spiral of leaves crashing right through the water, sending droplets flying everywhere. Simon's eyes widened, and at the last second he was able to dodge.

"Try Tackle again."

"Razor Leaf."

Simon jumped up and used Water Gun, which hit this time. Bayleef spun out some leaves, but as Simon fell back to the ground, he was able to dodge them.

"Get close and use Poison Powder."

"Water Gun!" Dani said, hoping he would listen this time.

Bayleef ran towards the Oshawott, who ran towards her as well. It looked like the two would collide until Bayleef skidded to a halt and poured purple dust on the water type. Simon cried out as he tried to wave the dust away with his arms.

Dani gritted her teeth. This was not good at all. Then she got an idea. "Use Water Sport!" That should wash the poisonous powder right off!

Simon did use his water, but he aimed it at the Bayleef, hitting his mark.

"Bayleef, use Synthesis."

"Simon, now is the time to use Tackle." Synthesis took time to work, so they needed to get an attack in now.

Once again, the Oshawott ignored her and used his Water Gun. Bayleef was pushed back in the ground, but she dug her feet in and finished her attack. She seemed to glow with energy as she smiled.

"Magical Leaf!"

"Dodge it!"

A twirl of leaves whipped through the air straight for the water Pokemon. Simon tried to bat them down with his Water Gun, but this only sent a few of them flying off to the side, leaving the rest to hit him.

"Fine. If you want to use Water Gun, sue it now!" Simon seemed to think this was a good time for a Tackle, for he ran straight towards the Bayleef. "No! Water Gun!"

"Razor Leaf!"

Simon finally used Water Gun while running. Bayleef jumped to the side to avoid it. Some of the water hit her, but she shook her head to get it off. Then she stopped the running Oshawott by hitting him with her razor-sharp leaves. Simon fell to the ground and did not get up.

"No! Simon!" Dani ran forward to where her Pokemon lay. "Are you alright?" she asked him as she helped him up.

"Oshawott," Simon said sadly.

"That was pathetic," Drew sneered.

Dani looked up at him with a frown. "What?"

"That Oshawott didn't listen to anything you said. He's never going to become strong and win battles if he keeps acting so immature."

"Osha?" Simon seemed hurt by Drew's words, and tears formed in his eyes. Then he turned and fled.

"Simon!" Dani called after him, but he did not stop. She glared at Drew. "Nice going. Come on, Mo." After the Cyndaquil climbed into her shoulder, she took off after the Oshawott. Bayleef followed on her heels. Shaking his head, Drew took up the rear.


Meanwhile, May was practicing combinations with her Beautifly. She turned her head when she heard the sound of someone running towards her. It was an Oshawott. "Oh, hello." The Oshawott stopped before he crashed into her and looked up at her with tears in his eyes. "Hey, don't I know you!"

"Simon!" Dani called as she ran towards the Pokemon. She stopped and smiled apologetically at May. "I'm sorry if he bothered you." She frowned at the water type. "You shouldn't run off like that."

"Oshawott," Simon said sadly.

Bayleef then approached. She let one of her vines out and touched Simon's shoulder. "Bay?"

"Oshawott," Simon said, jerking his shoulder away. Drew stood back and watched the scene unfold.

"Isn't that the Oshawott from Accumula Town?" May asked as her Beautifly landed on her head.

Dani nodded. "After Nurse Joy let him go, he let me battle him and capture him."

"Oh. So what's wrong with him?"

"He had a battle with my Bayleef, but he wouldn't listen to any of her commands and lost," Drew explained. "He ran off after I called him out on it."

"Oshawott," Simon said, glaring at Drew. Bayleef tried to approach him again, but he ran from her into May and clung onto her leg.

"Thanks for trying," Dani said, smiling slightly at Bayleef.

May bent down and patted the blue Pokémon's head. "Well, he has been on his own trying to become stronger by himself. It might take awhile for him to realize he needs to work together with his trainer."

"He has a lot to learn," Drew said. He paused. "Maybe he's not the one to blame. It is the trainer's job to control their Pokemon, after all."

Dani frowned. "What does that mean?"

"You can't let your Pokemon run wild like that. Whatever you're doing is not working. You're never going to become stronger if you keep this up. How do you expect to get into the Unova League?"

"Hey, she's trying," May said, sending him a sharp look. "You don't have to be so mean."

"No, it's fine," Dani said. The tension from the moment had passed, and now she could think more clearly and calmly. "He's just trying to act tough. His Bayleef is so sweet that he must be too in order to raise a Pokemon like that." She smiled and rubbed Bayleef's neck.

"Bay," the grass type said, smiling back at her.

Drew crossed his arms and turned away. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I bet you have a good heart."

May smiled. "I agree."

"Bayleef, we need to train," Drew said, seeming annoyed with the turn the conversation had taken."

"Bay!" Bayleef said, having at the two girls with her vine before following her trainer.

"Bye, Drew!" May called after him. "See you at the contest!" He made no sign that he heard her.

Simon let go of her leg and walked over to Dani, looking up at her sadly. "It'll be alright," she said to him. "We'll do some special training."

"How did you handle that situation so well?" May asked. "I would have gotten angry with him."

Dani shrugged. "I don't like conflict."

"Still, I know what you said is true because I've known Drew for awhile, but how did you know?"

"It's a skill, I suppose. Once I am able to push my own emotions away, I can look beyond what someone is saying or doing and see their real motivations."

"Oh, that's cool. I can't seem to figure him out."

Dani paused, wondering whether she should reveal what she knew. "He likes you. He thinks of you as a friend."

"Really?" May said in surprise. "How do you know?"

"My group and I met him in the forest, and he had lunch with us after we battled. Shelly got him talking, and he mentioned you."

"Oh." She smiled slightly. "He didn't run off after the battle?"

"Well, he wanted to, but I convinced him to stay for a bit."

"That's good. I can't seem to get him to stick around."

"You just need to be persistent and not let him get to you. His bark is worse than his bite." As she watched her Oshawott staring up at her, she wondered if she could through to him.