OMG I'm not dead! I'm sorry for not updating in, like, forever. I got kinda lazy over the summer and then school started and I'm in Marching Band, so... yeah. I had like, no free time.

But anyway, I have a few important updates on this story!

1. Most of it is already written. I have about twenty nine chapters written (not finalized, but written). The only problem is, pretty much all of them are missing some pokemon battles. So that's kinda important. I'm going to write those soon, and I'll update as I do.

2. I gave Cheren and Bianca last names, which I'm going to be adding to the earlier chapters. They were just kinda important in later scenes, so I added them.

3. I'm changing the main character's name! THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE ALL OF YOU WILL BE CONFUSED IF YOU DON'T READ IT. Jasmine's name is going to be Calanthia. Don't even ask how that one happened. It just did.

I'm going to update the earlier chapters after I post this one. So don't freak out, please. I have to reupload all of the chapters cause I haven't been on for such a long time, so that might take a while.

Anyway, without further adu, here's the next chapter, where Calanthia takes on the Striaton Gym Leader!

The trip back to Striaton City wasn't very eventful. We ran into Bianca on the way to the Pokemon Center, but other than that, it was pretty boring. I was just thankful she was so mad at us for ditching her she forgot to mention the thing about that boy…

The next morning, it was finally time for my first Gym Battle. I couldn't believe it was actually happening. I was really a Pokemon Trainer. I was actually going to take the Gym Challenge. And not only that, I was taking it with my best friend.

Cheren and Bianca were waiting for me in the lobby of the Pokemon Center.

"Good morning, guys," I said, as I ran downstairs. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

Cheren smiled. "It's no problem. You ready for your first Gym Battle?"

I nodded cheerfully. "How about you?"

Cheren nodded, but before he could say anything, Bianca jumped in. "Then let's get going! I wanna watch you guys's first Gym Battles! Come on come on come on!"

I sighed. And Bianca was still as impatient as ever.

Cheren just shook his head. "Whatever you say, Bianca. It's not like we need breakfast or anything before the Gym Battle."

Bianca smiled. "I'm glad you're seeing it my way! Now come on!"

Bianca literally shoved Cheren and I out of the Pokemon Center.

"Bianca, stop it!" Cheren exclaimed. "Do you even know where the Striaton Gym is?"

Bianca stopped short, causing both Cheren and I to fall to the ground. "Oops," she said. "Cheren, where's the gym again?"

I wanted to comment on how stupid it was for Bianca to just charge forward without knowing where the gym was, but then I realized I was about to do the same thing, so I kept my mouth shut.

Cheren was shaking his head as he got back to his feet. "Bianca, you're hopeless." I also got back up. "Girls, follow me," Cheren said. He lead us through Striaton City, until we stopped in front of what looked like a giant restaurant.

"Um, Cheren?" I said. "Why did we stop? Where's the gym?"

"What do you mean where's the gym?" Cheren said. "We're standing right in front of it."

Bianca and I looked at the restaurant. It didn't really look like anything special. Bianca said, "Cheren, do you need to get your glasses checked? That's not a gym, it's a restaurant."

Cheren sighed. "Like I said, hopeless." Cheren shoved Bianca and I into the restaurant. It was actually a lot smaller than it looked. While it did seem to be a pretty high class restaurant, there weren't that many tables. And all of the tables were filled, anyway. What were we even doing here?

Cheren walked up to the front desk. Bianca and I walked after him, still confused. Cheren said, "Excuse me, miss?" The hostess at the desk looked up. "My name is Cheren. And I'm here for a Gym Battle."

The hostess smiled. "Of course! Right this way, sir." She got up from her seat, and walked to the back of the restaurant, where there was a giant curtain for some reason.

"I'm assuming these two are here to watch your battle?" the hostess said.

"Um, actually I'd like a battle as well," I said. "My name is Calanthia."

"I'm afraid it's not possible for two people to challenge the gym at the same time," the hostess said. "One of you will have to come back later."

"Could you make an exception?" Cheren said. "Calanthia and I are on our journeys together, and I think it's only natural for us to get our first badges together. Besides, we chose different starter Pokemon, so there shouldn't be a problem."

"Please make an exception!" I chimed in. "It wouldn't feel right doing this without Cheren. This has been his dream forever, and I want to help make it come true!" Cheren smiled at me, and I returned the smile.

The hostess hesitated for a second. "I suppose I can let you both in. But I can't guarantee they'll let both of you battle." She pulled on a long, yellow rope that was hanging from the ceiling. The curtain in the back of the room opened.

I gasped.

Behind the curtain, it looked like an entirely new building. The design was similar, but it definitely was not a restaurant. Instead of tables, there were weird panely things on the ground. Each of them had a different symbol on them, representing water, fire, and grass. Where the hostess's counter should've been, there was a guy standing next to two oddly shaped statues. The rest of the area was cut off by another curtain, but judging from this experience, I assumed there was a way to get past it.

"Wow…" I breathed. "Cheren, what is this place?"

"Welcome to the Straiton City Gym, Calanthia," Cheren said. "Are you ready for your first ever Gym Battle?"

"This is all a lot fancier than I thought it would be…" I murmured. "Are all of the Gyms like this?"

Cheren shook his head. "The Gym Leaders get to design their own gyms."

"He's right," the hostess said. Oh right. She was still there. "The Gym Leaders base the designs of their Gyms on their personalities and what types they specialize in. So the challengers get a different experience in every gym!"

"That's so cool!" Bianca exclaimed. "I wonder how a Gym I designed would turn out!"

Cheren and I exchanged glances. "Very colourful," I said.

"And completely unorganized," Cheren continued, pushing up his glasses.

"And you would probably get lost in it," I finished. "After about five minutes."

Bianca sighed. "Yeah, probably."

The hostess started talking to us again, and I kinda zoned out a bit. I was thinking about what a gym I designed would look like. And what type I would specialize in. Becoming a Gym Leader seemed like a lot of hard work. But it seemed to be worth it. I wondered what it would be like to be a Gym Leader.

"Calanthia, were you paying attention?"

Cheren's voice cut into my thoughts.

I smiled. "Totally! So… what are we doing?"

Bianca laughed as Cheren sighed. "I guess I should expect this from you by now…" he said. "The hostess told us the Gym Leaders are waiting in the back of the gym. In order to get to them we have to get past these curtains. According the panels on the ground have something to do with this Gym's puzzle."

Gyms had puzzles? That was kind of annoying… maybe I didn't want to be a Gym Leader after all. I would have no idea what to do with my Gym's puzzle.

"So what exactly are we supposed to do in this Gym?" I asked.

"Ooh, I know!" Bianca exclaimed. "Maybe we have to step on the panel that has the same image as the curtain!"

I looked up at the first curtain. It had a picture of a leaf on it.

"That seems kinda straight forward, don't you think?" I said. "I feel like it would be more complicated… but I guess we could try."

I started to walk toward the leaf panel, but Cheren stopped me and said, "No. Don't step on the leaf. Step on the flame."

I turned to him. "How do you know what I should step on?"

"I actually did my research," Cheren replied, pushing up his glasses. I glared at Cheren. Of course he did. That was so like him. "To open the curtain, you have to press the switch that is super effective against the type on the curtain."

I hesitated. Type matchups. Right. Those were kind of important. "So fire?" I clarified.

Cheren nodded, and stepped on the fire panel. There was a loud dinging sound, that made me jump. About a second later, the grass curtain parted.

"Yay!" Bianca cheered. "It worked. Cheren, you're really smart!" I nodded in agreement, but I don't think Cheren noticed me. Instead, he smiled at Bianca.

"Thanks," Cheren said. "Let's keep moving."

Bianca and I nodded, and we followed Cheren into the next section of the gym. The curtain there had a water symbol on it.

"So… for this one we press the grass panel, right?" I asked.

Cheren nodded. "That's right. Go ahead."

I stepped forward and pressed the switch on the left, the one with the leaf picture. This ding still made me jump, but it wasn't as bad as the first time. The blue curtain parted, revealing the next section of the gym. The curtain here was red, representing the fire type.

"Then water is good against fire!" I said. "See, this puzzle makes so much sense when you know what you're doing!"

"Most puzzles are like that, Calanthia," Cheren said. "Just step on the last panel."

I stuck my tongue out at Cheren before walking over to the water panel. I stomped on it. This time I was finally prepared for the ding. That made me feel a bit too accomplished.

The last curtain finally parted. This section of the gym looked kind of like a restaurant again, but there were three battlefields in the back instead of a kitchen. A man with short green hair was standing in the middle of the center battlefield. He was dressed up like a waiter. Cheren and I walked over to him. Bianca went to sit at one of the tables to watch.

"Hi," I said. "Cheren and I would like to challenge the gym."

The guy smiled. "Welcome to the Striaton City Gym, Challengers. My name is Cilan. I like grass type Pokemon."

Another guy walked out from behind Cilan. He had red hair in the shape of a flame.

"I'm Chili! I light things up with fire Pokemon!" he said.

Fire Pokemon… so I was going to face this guy, then.

A third guy walked out from behind Cilan. He had blue hair with bangs that covered one of his eyes.

"I'm a water type specialist," he said. "My name is Cress. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"It's nice to meet you," Cheren said. "My name is Cheren Lysov, and this is my friend Calanthia Black."

I waved. "Nice to meet ya!"

Cilan smiled. "It's not everyday we have two challengers come in at the same time. You two must be very close friends."

Before Cheren could reply, I said, "Well, Cheren and I have known each other ever since we were five years old. We became friends pretty soon after we met."

"Since we started our journeys together, we decided we should get our first badges together, too," Cheren said.

Cress smiled at us. "That's very admirable of you. Usually, we can't accept two challengers at once, but as long as you chose different Starter Pokemon we'd be happy to accept both of your challenges."

"Well, I chose Tepig," Cheren said.

"And I chose Snivy," I said. "So will you let us challenge your gym together?"

Chili grinned at me. "We sure are. And Calanthia, since you chose a grass type, the fire type scorcher Chili, otherwise known as yours truly, will be your opponent!"

"And as for Cheren, you will face my esteemed water types and I in battle," Cress said.

Chili walked over to me. "Come with me, Calanthia. Cilan, Cress, and I each use different battlefields. Just in case the hostess forgets we're already battling a challenger. That's what these extra tables are for, too."

Chili lead me over to the battlefield furthest to the left. I glanced over my shoulder to see Cress leading Cheren of to the battlefield on the right. I also saw Cilan sit down at one of the tables.

"Chili…" I said. "How often do you get multiple challengers?"

Chili shrugged. "Not too often. Usually it's just a coincidence, though. I've never seen trainers plan it like you and Cheren."

"Really?" I said. "That's strange…"

"It really doesn't matter that much. Let's just get this battle started!" Chili said. "I'm definitely the strongest of us brothers! There's no way you can beat me!"

I smirked, reaching into my bag to grab a Pokeball. "We'll see about that!"

"The battle between Gym Leader Chili and the Challenger, Calanthia, is about to begin!" a new voice shouted.

I jumped. I didn't know someone else was there. I looked around until I saw someone wearing a striped uniform thing. My dad brought me to Big Stadium a lot before I moved, so I was able to recognize him as a referee. I didn't know Gym Battles had official referees. I wished Cheren told me about that.

"This will be a two on two battle!" the referee said. "Only the challenger is allowed to make substitutions!"

I glanced over at Cheren. He and Cress had already called out their Pokemon. Cheren had his Purrloin out, and Cress had a lillipup.

Wait, lillipup wasn't a water type! That didn't make much sense… unless all three of the brothers had lillipups! Even though the three brothers specialized in different types, it was a good idea to keep at least one Pokemon consistent. I glanced up at Chili. He already had his Pokeball in his hand. I hoped he was going to start with lillipup, and pulled out Shuman's Pokeball.

"Are both sides ready?" the referee said. Chili and I nodded. "Then battle… begin!"

The referee swung his flags down, signifying the start of the battle. Chili was the first to throw his Pokeball into the air.

"Lillipup, let's do this!" he shouted. There was a flash of red light, and a lillipup appeared.

I smiled. I was right! He had a lillipup, too!

"Come on out, Shuman!" I shouted, also throwing my Pokeball. There was another flash of light, and Shuman emerged from his Pokeball.

"Lillipup, use Work Up!" Chili called.

Work Up? What did that do?

Lillipup barked, and suddenly began glowing with a red light. After a few seconds. The light faded.

Let's just say that attack looked weird and pointless. I wondered why a Gym Leader would use it.

"Okay then," I said. "Shuman, use Vine Whip!"

Shuman nodded, and a pair of green vines emerged from his necky thing. Shuman used the vines to grab Lillipup, and lift him up into the air.

Chili laughed. "As if that would work on my Pokemon! Lillipup, use Bite!"

Lillipup glowed red for a second, before biting down on Shuman's vines. Shuman instantly recalled his vines, dropping Lillipup.

"What was with that red light?" I asked.

Chili smirked. "That red light was Lillipup's Work Up attack. Work Up raises a Pokemon's attack power. So, do you still think you can beat us?"

"Of course I can!" I said. "Shuman doesn't only know Vine Whip! Use tackle!"

Shuman cried out, and charged at Lillipup. He slammed into the normal type Pokemon, and sent him flying back a few inches.

"Good job, Shuman!" I said. "Use Tackle one more time!"

Shuman crashed into Lillipup once more, and this time Lillipup was down for good.

"Lillipup, no!" Chili said.

"Lillipup is unable to battle!" the referee called. "The victory goes to Snivy!"

I smiled. "Yes, Shuman, you did it!"

Shuman ran over to me. I knelt down to get closer to his height. "Great job, buddy! You were amazing."

I high-fived Shuman. He then leapt into my arms, and I hugged him, laughing. I glanced over at Cheren, and he gave me a thumbs up sign. He had also managed to take out Lillipup.

"Way to go, Calanthia!" Bianca shouted from her table. "One down, and one to go!"

I grinned at her. "Thanks, Bianca!"

I then turned back to Shuman. "Thanks for all your hard work. You really did a great job today. Return."

After recalling Shuman, I put his Pokeball back in my bag, and swapped it out for Pavati's. I then looked up at Chili again.

"Are you ready, Chili?" I asked.

He laughed. "That's my line, Calanthia! Let's finish this battle! This is my last Pokemon, so I'm going to give it my all! Come on out, Pansear!"

The Pokemon that came out of the ball basically looked like a fire version of Pavati. It wasn't really all that exciting.

I also threw my Pokeball into the air. "Let's go, Pavati!"

Pavati emerged from her Pokeball, eager for a battle.

"Let's finish this up quickly, Pavati! Use Water Gun!" I shouted.

Pavati nodded, and shot a Water Gun attack toward Pansear.

"Don't think this is going to be easy! We're just getting warmed up!" Chili said. "Pansear, use Incinerate!"

Pansear's entire body turned white, and the tuft of fur on his head grew. It was actually kinda freaky.

Pansear started to charge toward the Water Gun. When he made contact, there was a loud hissing sound. The Water Gun evaporated the second it touched Pansear.

"Pansear and I knew we were gonna have to battle a lot of water type Pokemon," Chili said. "So we figured out the perfect defence against water type moves."

"Pretty impressive," I admitted. "But that's not going to stop Pavati and me! Pavati, use Scratch!"

Pavati glanced at me before charging at Pansear. Her claws started to extend as she prepared her Scratch attack.

Chili scoffed. "Do you really think that will work? Pansear, counter it with Fury Swipes!"

Pansear started to charge at Pavati, his claws also extending.

"Pavati, grab Pansears hands to stop the attack!" I shouted. "Now!"

Chili stared at me. "What?"

Pavati also seemed confused, but when Pansear was close enough, she grabbed his wrists and held them above her head.

"Perfect!" I said. "Now, since he can't use Fury Swipes, use Water Gun one last time!"

Pavati cried out before shooting another jet of water at Pansear. She released Pansear, and the Water Gun attack slammed Pansear into the wall. Pansear slid down to the ground. There was no way it could get up after that.

"And Pansear is unable to battle!" the referee said. "That means the winner of this match is the Challenger, Calanthia!"

"Yes!" I cried. "Pavati, you did it!"

Pavati turned to me, and gave me a thumbs up sign.

Chili sighed and recalled his pansear. "You did a good job, Pansear. You deserve a good rest." He put the Pokeball into the pocket of his apron, and walked up to me.

"Well, you got me," he said. "I'm burned out. You're pretty tough, kid."

I giggled. "Thanks. I had a lot of fun."

Chili smiled. "I'm glad. That's what's really important in a battle. Anyway, as proof of your victory, I would like to present you with this Trio Badge!"

Chili reached into his apron pocket, and pulled out a shiny thing.

I took it from him. The badge was really nice. It looked like someone took three different colored diamonds and stacked them up. It was also sparkly, which I always liked.

"Thank you so much!" I said.

"This is your first badge, right?" Chili said. I nodded. "Then I'll also give you this. An official Unova League Badge Case!"

He pulled something else out from his pocket and handed it to me. The top half of it was pink, and the bottom was black. There was a Pokeball design in the middle. I opened it up. The inside was lined with some sort of fabric. There were eight indents in the fabric for the eight badges of the Unova League. I put the Trio Badge into the first slot, then put the badge case away in my bag.

"Thank you again, Chili," I said.

Chili started to say something or other, but was interrupted when Bianca ran up to us. She wrapped her arms around me, nearly knocking me over.

"Calanthia! You finally got your first Gym Badge!" she cried. "Congratulations!"

"Yes! It's exciting! I know! Now please let go of me! Can't breathe!" I said, my voice strained.

"Oh! Sorry!" Bianca immediately released me. "Hey, let's go watch Cheren finish up his battle!"

"Good idea!" I said. Bianca and I ran over to where Cheren was battling Cress. We watched as his pansage used Vine Whip to slam Cress's panpour into the ground.

Bianca and I cheered. Cheren turned to us, slightly surprised.

"When did you guys get here?" he asked.

"Just now," I replied. "Hey, I got the Trio Badge!"

Cheren smiled. "That's awesome, Calanthia. Good job."

"She definitely earned it," Chili said, walking over to us. "Calanthia's a pretty strong Trainer."

"And you've earned it as well, Cheren," Cress said, also joining us. "You're really quite remarkable. Take this Trio Badge."

Cheren couldn't hide his excitement as he took his first Gym Badge. I couldn't help but smile. Cheren barely ever got excited over anything, so it was nice when he did.

"Cheren!" Bianca said. "That was really great! Congratulations! Ooh, I'm just so proud of both of you!"

Bianca wrapped one arm around each of our shoulders, and pulled us in for a group hug. "You guys are gonna be the best Trainers in Unova! I can just feel it!" she said. Cheren and I simply grinned at each other.

"Those were some impressive battles," Cilan said, walking up to us. Bianca finally let go of us, so we could turn to face him. "Gym Badges are proof of a Trainer's abilities. If you have a lot of Gym Badges, people will be able to tell how far you've come with your Pokemon. How you've helped them get closer to their full potential."

Pokemon reaching their full potential… could a Gym Badge really prove how hard a Pokemon has worked? That didn't really make much sense to me, but I trusted the Gym Leaders.

"Now, in the Unova Region, we are still novice Gym Leaders," Cilan said. "Which means the other Gym Leaders are much stronger than we are. So you guys can't give up. I'm sure you two will be able to overcome any obstacle you face."

"Good luck on your journeys, guys!" Chili said.

"Thank you for everything," I said. "I'm sure I won't forget this for a long time."

Cheren, Bianca, and I waved as we ran out of the restaurant gym.

I hope you guys enjoyed this very late update to Pokemon Black: Seeking the Truth! I'll try to update on a better schedule now. Please review, so I can improve my writing skills. I'm open to suggestions even though I have chapters written already.