"Wow, this place is huge," murmured Zoe, stepping inside the enormous glass building. Inside was a jungle of exotic plants and trees. Sunlight streamed through the glass panels above and the air was hot and humid. Pokemon could be seen moving amongst the flora.
"I wonder where the gym leader is?" asked Nate, looking around the enormous green house.
"I bet I can find her first!" Yelled Zoe, sprinting off through the trees, leaving Nate to cough on the dust cloud she created.
"Corphish, Pachirisu, take the stage!" Cried Mac; throwing out his two poke balls. The crowd burst into applause as the crab and squirrel appeared beneath the spotlight.
"So, we have a water type Corphish and an electric type Pachirisu. But how will Mac show them off?" Questioned the MC, looking stunning in a floor length green dress. A bright pink rose adorned her hair and the rose matched her sparkly pink shoes.
"Ok, let's do this thing! Pachirisu, sweet kiss!" Pachirisu pressed its fingers to its lips before smacking its lips audibly together. Glossy red hearts spilled out from Pachirisu, gliding up towards the lights.
"How adorable!" Squealed the MC, clutching her hands to her chest.
"Now Corphish, bubble beam!" Corphish held out its claw and let out a gentle stream of bubbles, each one swallowing a heart. Little heart filled snow globes bobbed happily around the arena.
"Now, Pachirisu, swift!" The little electric squirrel hopped up onto Corphish's back and then leapt high into the air. Then, crunching its petite body, Pachirisu let off jets of stars in all directions, popping all the bubbles.
Twisting into a gymnastic dive, Pachirisu dive-bombed back down towards the ground, landing cleanly on Corphish's claw.
"Wow, what a beautiful combination!" Gasped the MC, "I wonder what the judges have to say?"
"Clearly Corphish and Pachirisu are well-trained pokemon. 8.9!"
"I can see that both pokemon trust Mac a lot! Especially Pachirisu's death defying fall! 9.6!"
"A brilliantly co-ordinated and executed performance, 9.4!"
"That gives the Mac a brilliant score of 27.9!"
Mac grinned as he strolled off the stage, Corphish and Pachirisu skipping behind.
Nate raced through the trees, being careful to avoid low hanging branches. His mind was set on the battle ahead. He knew that Erika used two grass pokemon and that the gym battle would be a double battle. He began to wonder which pokemon he should select for the battle whilst his feet continued to pound beneath him.
An unexpected bump in the path sent Nate flying, head over hills, leaving him sprawled on the earth.
Nate looked back angrily to try and find the source of his fall. A small green bulb sat in the path behind him, looking at him with beady eyes.
"Turtwig!" It grinned.
"Oh, it's a Turtwig," laughed Nate, rubbing the little green pokemon's head. Suddenly, Turtwig opened its jaw and clamped down on Nate's fingers, crushing them mercilessly.
"Oh!!" Squealed Nate, "let go! PLEASE!"
Reluctantly, Turtwig let go of Nate's fingers, giving him a sheepish grin.
"I guess I'll forgive you," said Nate, now much more careful of its hands, "So you're one of Erika's pokemon, I assume."
"ERIKA!" Nate remembered, jumping to his feet. "I'm meant to be finding her!" Nate prepared to sprint further into the greenhouse, but found himself snagged on a tree branch. Leaning down to unhook his trousers he discovered a large green jaw clinging onto his trouser leg.
"Uh… you are not going to let me go, are you?" groaned Nate.
"Now Persian, shadow ball!"
"Flaafy, Thunder bolt!"
Mac watched as the tall, blond, skinny co-ordinator ordered her pokemon around the arena. He could see that this girl was definitely a foe to be reckoned with.
As Persian and Flaafy finished with a synchronized spin, the girl turned to the camera and blew a kiss. Mac grinned, as though the kiss had been intended for him.
"And that gives Elise a score of 28.4!" Screamed the MC, the crowd began to chant Elise's name. They chanted it like a crowd who had done it before. Mac could tell that this wasn't her first contest.
Mac hurried over to the doors as Elise strutted in. She was even more striking in person. Long blonde hair, impossibly skinny and tall, glossy red lips. She wore skinny blue designer jeans and a white zip up top that hugged her perfect shape.
"You were…amazing," spluttered Mac.
"I'm sorry," she sneered, "Who are you?"
"I'm… Mac, a co-ordinator." Mac explained.
"Oh… right," she said patronizingly, "Your first contest?"
"No, its my third," Mac laughed, "I won the contest in Vermillion."
"Oh… wow," said Elise sarcastically, but still paying slightly more attention to Mac, "well I've already got two ribbons and I'm about to get my third."
"Not if I beat you to it!" Laughed Mac, but Elise fixed him with a steely glare.
"You may think you're very strong… Mac," she hissed, "But my father has bought me the best pokemon money can buy and you don't stand a chance." With that she turned on her heel and strutted off towards the changing rooms.
"Ok Zoe, I'm ready to battle," smiled Erika. "It will be a double battle, first to KO their opponents two pokemon."
"Awesome, I'm ready when you are!" Grinned Zoe. "Although I wonder where Nate's got to," she muttered.
"Ok! Vileplume, Victreebell, help me out!" Erika threw out two poke balls, each one bursting open in front her. They revealed a large yellow pitcher plant and a huge red flower with a little blue body.
"Alright… Let's go Nidoqueen and Solrock!" Cried Zoe, releasing her two pokemon.
"I hope that you put on a good show!" Encouraged Erika, "Vileplume, petal dance, go!"
Vileplume spun on one foot and let out a whirlwind of pink petals. They span towards Nidoqueen at lightning speed.
"Solrock, stop them with confusion!" Solrock's eyes glowed blue as it froze the petals in mid air.
"Now, Victreebell, vine whip!"
Solrock was defenceless, using all its power to hold the petals. The vines slammed into the rock pokemon, throwing it backwards.
"Nidoqueen, focus punch!" Nidoqueen charged forwards its fist glowing brightly.
"Zoe, focus punch only works when your opponent isn't going to hit back. Victreebell, slam!"
Victreebell threw itself at Nidoqueen, sending it skidding back across the floor, its fist losing all power.
"Zoe, come on you can do it!" Yelled Nate, running onto the scene, Turtwig at his heels.
"I see you have some support Zoe, but don't think I'm going to go easy! Victreebell, razor leaf! Vileplume, petal dance!"
Both plants unleashed their attacks in a flurry of petals and leaves.
"Solrock, use fire spin!" Solrock belched out a spiralling vortex of flame, eating through the incoming attack.
"Nidoqueen, earthquake!" The blue dinosaur slammed its foot into the ground, splitting the earth beneath them. Vileplume and
Victreebell were thrown backwards and Zoe grinned happily.
"Now, Vileplume, solar beam!"
Vileplume began to charge energy in its flower.
"Zoe, quick you have to stop that solar beam!"
"Solrock, fire spin, again!"
Solrock fired out another spiral of flame.
"Victreebell, protect Vileplume!"
Victreebell darted in front of Vileplume, taking the powerful fire attack.
"But grass pokemon are weak against fire!" Gasped Nate. Turtwig bit his ankle angrily, annoyed that Nate wasn't paying attention to it.
"Nidoqueen, go for a double kick!"
Nidoqueen pounded towards Vileplume, but it was too late.
Vileplume had charged up and unleashed an enormous beam of light energy. It crashed into Nidoqueen, throwing it backwards and the beam carried on striking Solrock as well.
"Nidoqueen, Solrock, no!" Cried Zoe.
"Victreebell, synthesis!"
"So that was her plan," gasped Nate, "she let Victreebell take the heavy hit, knowing she would have a chance to heal later. Look out Zoe, she sure is clever!"
Nidoqueen rose to her feet and Solrock levitated back into the air.
"Solrock and Nidoqueen use hyper beam!" Ordered Zoe.
"Vileplume, Victreebell, dodge it!" The two plants leapt out of the way at the last second, narrowly dodging defeat.
"Zoe, you shouldn't use hyper beam, unless you're sure it will hit. Because now both your pokemon need to recharge." She smiled evilly.
"Vileplume, use petal dance! Victreebell, Razor leaf!"
Both attacks slammed into Zoe's fighters throwing them both back onto the floor.
"Solrock, Nidoqueen, get back up!"
Nidoqueen, pushed itself back onto her feet, her whole body shaking. Solrock floated back up as well, but it was clear that they both couldn't take much more.
"Solrock, use hyper beam!"
"Zoe! Didn't you learn from last time?" Roared Nate.
"Victreebell, Vileplume, dodge again!"
"Now Nidoqueen, focus punch!"
Vileplume leapt out of the way of the beam straight into Nidoqueen's glowing fist. "Now, Nidoqueen thunderbolt!"
Nidoqueen let off a bolt of lightning which shocked both of Erika's pokemon, making them the ones to fall for once.
"Good strategy Zoe," conceded Erika, "but don't think you've won yet!"
"Victreebell, use slam!" Vileplume rushed towards Nidoqueen, but Zoe was prepared.
"Nidoqueen grab onto Victreebell!" Nidoqueen latched onto Victreebell, digging in with its sharp claws.
"Vileplume, use petal dance, stop Nidoqueen!"
"Solrock, confusion!"
The petals were held in mid air by an eerie blue light, leaving Vileplume powerless.
"Send those petals back!"
Solrock turned Vileplume's attack back on itself, the petals slamming into vileplume's weak body.
"Now Nidoqueen, use hyper beam!" Nidoqueen, still holding Victreebell, unleashed a devastating hyper beam, hurling Victreebell back across the grass.
"Solrock, fire spin!"
Vileplume was hit full on by the flames and thrown backwards to land on top of Victreebell.
"Victreebell and Vileplume are unable to battle! Zoe is the winner!" Announced the judge.
Nate cheered happily and even Turtwig hopped to and fro in a celebratory dance. "Congratulations Zoe, that was a spectacular battle. I'm proud to award you the rainbow badge!"
"Now Nate, I assume you want to go next?"
"Definitely!" Grinned Nate, "I'm going to use…" but Turtwig nudging him in the back of his leg interrupted him.
"What is it Turtwig?" asked Nate confused.
"I think Turtwig wants to battle for you…" said Zoe slowly.
"But Turtwig, you're Erika's pokemon."
"No, that Turtwig isn't mine," said Erika, "It turned up here a few weeks ago, so I just let it stay in the greenhouse. It's mostly just stayed out of everyone's way, but obviously it likes you a lot."
"Turtwig?" Nate asked, "You want to come with me?"
Turtwig nodded happily, latching its jaw around Nate's leg once more.
"OHHHH!" He squealed, "I'm glad you're so enthusiastic, but let me go!"
"Ha," giggled Erika shyly, "if you want I can give you some time to practice with Turtwig."
"Thanks that would be awesome," smiled Nate, shaking Turtwig off his trouser leg.
"Alright Turtwig let's get training!" Cried Nate.
So Nate's got a new pokemon on his team
And a gym battle leading up
But how will Mac cope in the contest?