Chapter 7: Continuing in Violet City

"Where are you taking me?" I yelled out to Frank as he led me through the streets of Violet City, weaving in and out of crowds of confused pedestrians. After several minutes of running, in which I had taken a purse to the stomach and an elbow to the face, Frank stopped. Panting a little bit, I gave him a mean glare, nonverbally saying This better be worth it.

Eventually, we turned a corner and came face-to-face with a large pagoda.

"Sprout Tower?" I asked, perhaps a little rudely, as Frank as he led me across a small, wooden bridge that spanned a small lake. I recognized it from my Trainer's Guide.

"Why are you taking me here? This isn't going to help me feel better." I complained. I was still a little mad at him for not letting me mope.

Frank turned around, and looked me in the eye. "Look, man. I know you lost your Gym battle, and I know you let your nerves get the best of you, and you feel bad about all that, but trust me, this will help you feel better. You can take the challenge and take your mind off of what happened."

"Look, Frank, I'm flattered you went out of the way like this for me, but I think that if we just went back to the Pokémon Center, I can just get some R&R, and then I'll be better. I can even prepare for my rematch with Falkner, too," I pleaded. Right now, my idea sounded a lot better to me than taking some challenge at Sprout Tower.

"Chris," Frank said to me. "I've been your friend for a long time. I know how you get sometimes, and I know that just laying around in bed isn't going to make you feel any better. You need to get out into the world and take your mind off things. Then, tomorrow, you can plan for your rematch with Falkner. Trust me."

I sighed. Deep down, despite how much I wanted to mope around and wallow in self-pity, I knew Frank was right.

"Fine. I'll take the challenge," I muttered. "But not because of what you said, but because I was already going to do it anyways and we're already here," I added, defiantly.

Frank smiled. "Good. Now come on, let's get this thing started!"

He ran inside, and I followed.

Frank opened the double doors and gestured for me to step inside. The first thing I noticed inside was the large pillar in the center. It appeared to be made entirely out of wood, but what caught my attention the most was the fact that it was swaying.

Several sages were standing around, along with several people who I figured were tourists. One sage in particular approached Frank and I.

"Hello," he said, noticing my fascination with the pillar. "Legend says that that pillar used to be a 100 foot tall Bellsprout."

"That's not possible," Frank told him. "There's no way that a Bellsprout could've been 100 feet tall. They're what, at most 2 feet tall?"

The sage simply smiled. "Well, that's why it's a legend, you see; it's something that these days most people don't believe. I, myself, believe it. But, that's besides the point. I think you two are here for a different reason than to hear about legends. Am I right?"

Frank and I nodded. So far, this visit wasn't exactly making me feel much better.

"Yes. We're here to take the challenge?" Frank asked the sage.

The sage laughed. "Ah, I knew you two weren't ordinary tourists. Well, if you go to the man over there, Jim━yes, he's got a funny name for a sage," he pointed to a sage that was standing near the stairwell to the second floor, "and tell him you'd like to take the challenge, then he'll let you through."

"Can you explain more to us?" Frank asked.

"Nope! Jim will explain everything. Good luck!" he said, shooing us away.

As we walked over towards Jim, I complained to Frank. "I can't believe you're making me do this," I told him sourly.

"Come on, man, it'll be fun!" Frank replied.

"Whatever," I said to him, sulking as we walked.

"Hello, Jim," Frank said as we reached him. "My friend and I would like to take the challenge?"

"Well," Jim said. "Only one of you can take it at a time. The other must wait until the first challenger is finished. Which of you will go?"

Frank and I looked at each other. I was about to say Frank should go, when he interrupted. "Chris, here, he'll do it!"

A surprised look washed over my face, but I went with it, only grumbling a little bit under my breath. "Uh, yeah, I guess I'll do it, Jim," I said, glaring at Frank when Jim turned away for a moment.

"Good," Jim said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, you're only allowed to take two Pokémon with you during the challenge."

Pokémon! On the inside, I suddenly got very excited, and felt most of my sourness disappear. So this'll be a battle challenge, probably. Maybe this wasn't such a mistake after all.

Then I thought back to my embarrassing battle earlier that day with Falkner; and I found my mood dropping again.

I handed over Cyndaquil and Chikorita's Poké Balls. She was finally in full health, and I had nothing against Cyndaquil, but I wanted to train the two Pokémon that I would be using in my rematch with Falkner: Espeon and Pidgey.

"Alright, Chris," Jim said, "The challenge is simple. There are three sages on the floor above; you must battle and defeat all three of them. Above that, on the final floor, is our Elder; defeat him, and you will have earned the prize."

My curiosity got the best of me. "The prize━what is it?"

Jim laughed. "Well, Chris, you'll find that out if you can defeat our Elder. Good luck━you'll need it!"

He then shooed me away and up the I walked up the steps, my mood was once again improved, and I actually got a little excited. When I reached the second floor, there were 3 sages between me and the next stairwell.

The center one stepped forward, sending out his Pokémon━a Bellsprout. "You will battle me first. I am Chow. Next in line are Nico," he pointed towards the sage on his right, "and Jin," he pointed to the sage on his left. "You are only allowed to use one Pokémon per battle, so make your choice wisely. Good luck, trainer. You have the first move."

Noticing the type advantage, I sent out Pidgey, who landed in front of me.

"Alright, Pidgey, here we go! Time to show these guys who's boss! Gust!" I yelled out.

Pidgey took to the air, flapping his wings furiously to create a windstorm. Bellsprout, with its light weight and "root-feet", as I deemed them, was unable to gain any traction, and was immediately blown back into the wall of the temple. I smiled.

It sounds weird, but at that moment, I finally felt my sour mood completely disappear. I guess battles can do that to you. A bad one can bring you down, and a good one can bring you back up again.

"This shouldn't be too difficult, should it, Pidgey?" I asked him. He responded back with a very confident-sounding cry.

Slowly, Chow's Bellsprout stood up. "Vine Whip, Bellsprout!" he commanded.

With surprising speed, Bellsprout reached long vines out of its body, aimed to hit Pidgey.

"Dodge it," I yelled. As Pidgey flew around dodging the vines, they followed him, and he was forced to take evasive action, flying around the entire floor. As Pidgey flew around, something struck my eye.

"Pidgey, circle the pillar!" I called out. Using the central pillar to my advantage, Pidgey circled it, Bellsprout's vines following. Before Chow realized what was happening, Bellsprout's vines had wrapped around the pillar, and were so tangled up that Bellsprout found itself unable to move its vines, or itself, for that matter. Taking advantage of the situation, I ordered a final attack.

"Pidgey, Tackle!"

Pidgey closed in on the now defenseless Bellsprout, finishing it off. Chow returned his defeated Pokémon to its Poké Ball. "That was very clever, Chris. Perhaps you have what it takes to defeat our Elder. But first, there are still two more opponents between you and that goal."

The next two battles were just as easy as the first. Both Nico and Jin utilized Bellsprout. I sent out Espeon for the battle with Nico, hoping to give Pidgey a break, and then I used Pidgey again to take on Jin. Both battles were over just as quickly as my battle with Chow, and although becoming a little fatigued, neither Espeon nor Pidgey sustained any damage whatsoever.

"Well, trainer," Chow said, "you may now pass. But I'm warning you━do not underestimate our Elder. Otherwise, you will not complete the challenge."

If he's anything like these three, I thought to myself, then he won't be too much of a challenge. This is all just empty rhetoric.

But what I found out was that it wasn't.

"Pidgey, no!" I cried out. I was in the midst of a 2-on-2 battle with the Elder, Li, and already I was finding out how powerful he was. His Bellsprout was on a whole 'nother level than the others I had previously faced━and it had just defeated Pidgey with a Vine Whip, despite the type disadvantage.

Sighing, I returned Pidgey to his Poké Ball. "Espeon, let's go!" I yelled as I threw his Poké Ball.

"Espee!" he cried out, ready for battle as he appeared in front of me.

"Swift!" I immediately commanded. Opening his mouth, Espeon shot out several small stars.

"You know what to do, Bellsprout," Li commanded. During our entire battle, he had remained cool, calm, and collected.

Despite its "root-feet", his Bellsprout began sprinting through the room. I watched in awe as it darted left, right, and left again, even running along the room's wooden walls temporarily. Somehow, it dodged the homing missile-like stars, which crashed into the walls of the room. The entire tower shook as Espeon fired another Swift, forcing the Li's Bellsprout to again dash around the room.

"Ho, ho, ho!" laughed Li. "Now this is a good battle! You are a very worthy challenger."

"Whatever," I grumbled as I tried to figure out how to beat his Bellsprout. "I just hope this tower doesn't collapse around us."

"Oh, don't worry, trainer," said Li, as he began laughing hysterically in his ho-ho-ho kind of way, "that's just the tower's way of saying that it's enjoying our battle!"

I struggled to gain my balance while the tower shook. I glanced over at Li, and saw that he was perfectly balanced, the tower's shaking not affecting him in the slightest.

"This was his plan all along," I muttered, slowly realizing what was happening. "Li wanted me to use a move like Swift, which would make contact with the walls when his Bellsprout dodged. He wanted the tower to shake. Well, news flash━I wasn't going to make that mistake again."

"Espeon!" I yelled out. "No more Swift! We're using physical attacks from now on out. And stay away from the walls! Now Quick Attack!"

For a moment, Espeon gave me a quizzical look, as if saying Stay away from the walls? No Swift? Why? But he trusted me, and began chasing after Bellsprout.

The two ran through the room, Bellsprout ran even faster than before, but finally, Espeon managed to land a hit on Bellsprout. Due to its light weight, Bellsprout was launched across the room, smacking into a wall, and causing the entire tower to shake even more. I could only imagine what the tourists and Frank were thinking downstairs.

Not wanting to give Li a chance to regain his composure, I ordered another Swift on the dazed Bellsprout; I knew it wouldn't dodge this time. As it struggled to get up, it was smacked by several of the stars, and fell right back down to the ground.

"Finish with Tackle!" I commanded of Espeon. He ran towards Bellsprout, lowering his shoulder, as he smacked into it with full-force.

His Bellsprout finally finished, Li returned it to its Poké Ball. "I see you figured out my strategy, trainer. Very clever, indeed. But you'll find that my next Pokémon will be just as much of a challenge to you as my Bellsprout. Hoothoot, go!"

My heart stopped when I saw his next Pokémon. A Hoothoot. I flashed back to the morning's battle with Falkner, and the shame and embarrassment I had felt. Just like during my Gym battle, I found myself freezing up.

Noticing that I was thrown off guard by his Hoothoot, Li made his move. "Hoothoot, Peck!"

No, I thought to myself. This is too much deja vu. Taking the challenge here was supposed to make me feel better, not remind of my Gym battle!

Espeon's loud cry snapped me out of my thoughts. I snapped back to reality, only to see him flying through the air after Hoothoot's Peck attack. He struggled to get back up.

"Espeon!" I yelled out. No, I said to myself. No, no, no. I will not have a repeat of my battle with Falkner. I've got to get it together!

Li's Hoothoot flew back to him, landing on his outstretched arm. "Now is the defining moment. Either you prove that you have what it takes to defeat me━or you fall. Hoothoot, once more, Peck!"

His Hoothoot took flight off of his shoulder, headed straight towards Espeon.

"Come on, Espeon! Get up!" I cried out, my voice full of desperation. In response, Espeon stirred ever so slightly, one eye opening. We made eye contact, and I found myself calming down. I knew how we could defeat Li.

"Espeon, flip Hoothoot into the wall!" I commanded. Right as Hoothoot was about to reach Espeon, Espeon rolled over from his side onto his back, using his legs to push Hoothoot.

Using Hoothoot's speed and momentum against him, Espeon managed to push Hoothoot straight into the wall. I was forced to duck as it flew over my head. Both Espeon and I prepared for a counter━but none came. Hoothoot was knocked out.

"Whoa," I murmured. "That was quick."

Li chuckled, and approached me as he returned his Hoothoot to its Poké Ball.

"That was very unconventional, indeed," he said. "But I believe you are worthy of the prize. You have completed the challenge, and passed with flying colors, trainer."

"Thank you," I told him. "And the name's Chris."

He reached into his robe, and pulled out a necklace that contained a small, unsubstantial-looking seed. Bowing, he reached out his hand and offered it to me. "You have earned this, Chris."

Cautiously, I took it from him. "Thank you, Li. But, um...what is this?"

Again, he chuckled. "That, my friend, is a Miracle Seed. Do you have any Grass-type Pokémon with you?"

I glanced down at Chikorita's Poké Ball. "Yeah, a Chikorita. Why?"

Li smiled. "Because a Miracle Seed powers up Grass-type attacks. I assume your Chikorita knows some?"

I scratched the back of my head, a little embarrassed. "Well, yeah. Only one, though. And, she's not very strong yet."

"Don't worry about that," Li said. "In due time, your Chikorita will come to make great use of the Miracle Seed, I am sure."

He glanced at his watch. "That is all for now, though, Chris. I must leave you there."

Li bowed, and awkwardly, I bowed back. "It has been a pleasure, sir."

After about a half hour of waiting outside of the Sprout Tower, Frank appeared. His head was down.

"What's wrong, man?" I asked him. "Did you lose?"

"Yeah," he muttered. "I overworked Cyndaquil, and by the time we got to the Elder, he was too exhausted to fight. We got our butts kicked."

"Sorry to hear that, man," I said. For a moment, I almost laughed. We had entered Sprout Tower with Frank trying to make me feel better; now, our roles were reversed.

"It was hard for us too, if that makes you feel any better. We didn't roll over the Elder either."

Frank lifted his head. "Enough about me. Are you feeling better?" he asked, putting aside his own emotions for a moment.

I smiled. "Yeah, actually. Turns out some battles were all I needed to take my mind off━" I hesitated for a moment, recalling my Gym battle with Falkner, before picking back up again. "━my Gym battle. Now I'm ready to train and come up with a strategy to beat Falkner. I've got all of tomorrow to prepare, and I plan to make the most of it!"

"That's good," Frank said, still a little dejected. "But, if you don't mind, I think we should get back to the Pokémon Center. It's getting late," he added, pointing out the dusk sky around us.

"Yeah, you're right. We should get back."

The rest of that day and the next flew by quickly. After our bout at Sprout Tower, Frank and I returned to the Pokémon Center, immediately collapsing on our beds after the long day. I spent the entire next day training Espeon and Pidgey, hoping to get them fine-tuned for our rematch with Falkner, while I also formulated a strategy based on the events that had transpired during our first battle.

After our hard day of training, my Pokémon and I had spent the night resting up again in the Pokémon Center. For some reason that Frank had refused to divulge, he had to immediately head to the Ruins of Alph to meet his parents. As such, I was forced to face my rematch with Falkner alone.

With a mixture of nervousness and excitement, I woke up on the day of my rematch, and went through my normal morning routine. The day moved at a snail's pace, until finally it was nearing 2 o'clock, and I left for the Gym.

Briskly, I walked to the Gym, forcing myself to stay confident. I had everything worked out, and if my strategies worked, I'd win for sure. I approached the Gym doors.

"You can do this," I muttered to myself, as I entered the Gym.

Once inside, I approached the receptionist. "Hi," I said. "I'm here for my rematch with Falkner."

The receptionist looked up. "Oh yes, I remember you."

Checking her computer, a quizzical look dawned on her face. "It says here that 'Bob' is scheduled for the 2 o'clock...but you're Chris, aren't you? I remember you from a couple of days ago."

Sheepishly, I cleared up the confusion. "Yeah...me and Falkner had a bit of an 'incident'. I'd rather not talk about it."

Awkwardly, I proceeded to finish up with the receptionist, and entered the elevator.

You can do this, I repeated to myself as the elevator ascended to the battlefield. Just stay calm, and don't freeze up. You spent all of yesterday training for this━you can do it. The elevator doors opened. Slowly, I stepped out.

"You again?!" blurted out an angry, but familiar, voice. I turned and saw Falkner standing in the box on his half of the battlefield. "I'm supposed to be facing a trainer named Bob! Not you."

"Look, I'm really sorry about━" Falkner cut me off.

"I already said I don't want an apology," he managed through gritted teeth. "And where's your little friend?"

"Oh, uh, Frank? He can't be here at the moment," I explained. I didn't need to explain why. Not to this jerk.

"Whatever," Falkner said. "I don't even know why I asked."

Man. This guy makes no sense. Either way, I was ready for my battle.

Slowly, taking the time to gather my confidence, I walked towards my own box. "What do you say we get this battle started?" I asked Falkner.

Despite an obvious internal battle, I knew Falkner was obligated to take my challenge; it was his job. "Fine," he said. "But only because I have to. And besides, it'll be fun to crush you again. I'll even start with the Pokémon that you insulted. Hoothoot, go!"

At seeing his choice of Pokémon, I winced. Not exactly who I wanted to see first, but nonetheless, I forced myself to keep my composure.

"Pidgey, go!" I yelled as I threw out his Poké Ball.

While the referee explained the rules of the battle to us, again, for it was obligatory, Hoothoot and Falkner gave Pidgey and I a stare that probably could've cut through steel. It was the same format as last time━2-on-2. When the referee was finished, Falkner spoke. "Regretfully, I give you the first move, challenger." Apparently he wasn't going to refer to me by my proper name during the battle.

I took the chance to begin implementing my strategy. "Pidgey, circle Hoothoot! Just like we planned!"

My goal was simple: Entice Hoothoot to chase Pidgey around. Pidgey could fly around with more ease than Hoothoot; it's simple physics. Pidgey has larger wings, and thus, expends less energy than Hoothoot. If all went according to plan, we'd strike when Hoothoot became fatigued.

I knew Falkner couldn't resist chasing after Pidgey. As Pidgey circled, diving in and then popping back out, Hoothoot and Falkner got closer and closer to cracking and going after Pidgey. Add in the fact that Falkner was very emotionally charged during this battle, and within only a couple of circlings, Falkner cracked.

"That's it. Peck, Hoothoot! Show this challenger who's boss!" Falkner yelled.

"Stick to the plan, Pidgey!" I urged, hoping he'd stay disciplined.

And so, Pidgey flew around the battlefield, chased diligently by Hoothoot. Whenever he would pull away from Hoothoot, he would slow down to make sure Hoothoot and Falkner kept chasing him; they had to think they could catch him.

After what felt like an eternity, at which point I had begun to worry if it would ever tire, Hoothoot began to slow down. It was covered in sweat, and was visibly fatigued. I now had the perfect opportunity to strike.

"Now, Pidgey! Drop and use Tackle from behind!" I commanded.

Again, Pidgey did as we practiced. He ceased flight just long enough to drop down, then came in behind Hoothoot, who by that point had been too tired to stop in time, and had flown right past Pidgey, who had dropped beneath him. Climbing, Pidgey then charged Hoothoot, smacking the surprised Pokémon from behind.

Due to its fatigue, Hoothoot fainted upon impact, only managing to give out a faint cry. As it fell towards the ground, Falkner mercifully returned it to its Poké Ball. Pidgey flew back to me, landing calmly on my outstretched arm. Although he probably looked fine from Falkner's view, I could hear him breathing heavily━Hoothoot wasn't the only one who had gotten fatigued during the fight.

"Hoothoot is unable to battle," said the referee.

Slowly, Falkner realized what I had done. "I see," he said. "You tired out Hoothoot so that he'd be weak and vulnerable to attack. Well, that won't work on my prized Pidgeotto. Pidgeotto, go!"

He sent out his prized, and most powerful, Pokémon━Pidgeotto. Next to me, I heard Pidgey whimper for a moment at the prospect of facing Pidgeotto again. We had barely squeaked by last time, forced to resort to Sand Attack. But I knew that wouldn't work twice. Falkner would be ready for it.

Taking a deep breath, I sent Pidgey back to the battlefield. Although he was tired, I hoped he could finish the battle. After all, I wanted to keep Espeon out of the fight for as long as possible, to give Pidgey a chance to tire out Pidgeotto as much as he could.

"Alright, Pidgey. Let's go. Gust!" I yelled out.

My first move was a risky one. Pidgeotto would most likely overpower Pidgey's Gust with its own, but I had no other good alternatives. Without a Sand Attack to block Pidgeotto's vision, I doubted Pidgey could do much against it. Pidgeotto was faster and physically stronger.

Falkner laughed. "A weak little Pidgey like yours, that has yet to overpower a Pokémon on pure power alone, and you think its Gust will defeat my Pidgeotto? Think again, challenger. Pidgeotto, Gust!"

Instantly, Pidgeotto whipped up a windstorm that dwarfed Pidgey's. Quickly, Pidgey was overpowered and knocked backwards, haphazardly trying to keep himself in flight.

Shielding my eyes from the wind, I called out for Pidgey to stay strong. He struggled to keep himself under control as the violent winds whipped around him. My hat even blew off, although I managed to catch it.

Finally, the windstorm stopped, and Pidgey managed to fly back towards me.

"I figured as much," I muttered, pulling out Pidgey's Poké Ball. "Pidgey, return."

I eyed my next Poké Ball thoughtfully for a moment, before sending him out. "Espeon, go!"

Falkner laughed even harder than before. "Espeon, again?! I hope you're not hoping for a repeat performance. Because it did so well last time!"

I gritted my teeth; so did Espeon. I knew we would probably face some trash talk and rude words from Falkner, but that was really rude. Like, man this guy's a Gym Leader? type of rude.

"Espeon, keep your cool!" I pleaded with him, as I noticed him begin to walk towards Falkner, crying out angrily. "Focus on the battle! You defeat Pidgeotto, and we win!"

I was surprised at how much Espeon was being affected by Falkner; usually he had a strong grasp on his emotions, but this time━well, not so much. I had expected myself to lose my cool quicker than my best Pokémon.

A cruel smile crept onto Falkner's face. "Ah, losing your cool a little bit? Real champions don't lose their cool. But obviously you're not a real champion. Although, I knew that before we even started battling today."

It took every ounce of my willpower to hold my tongue and keep my composure. I had worked so hard to not freeze up━but I hadn't prepared for Falkner to be this...this...malicious.

"Espeon, Swift!" I yelled out, hoping to take away the focus from Falkner's incendiary words. Hopefully, by forcing Falkner to command his Pidgeotto, he would quiet down a bit.

Espeon shot small stars out of his mouth, which homed in on Pidgeotto. During our first battle, I hadn't had a chance to utilize the attack, due to Espeon's early knockout. But as I had outlined a plan the day before, I realized how much Swift would help. No physical attack from Espeon would hit Pidgeotto; it would simply take to the skies. But a ranged attack, like Swift's homing stars, could possibly deal some major damage.

Upon Falkner's command, Pidgeotto took to the sky, but to no avail, as the stars homed in and impacted right on the small of Pidgeotto's back. It let out a short cry of pain, and temporarily began to fall, before catching flight again.

"It's going to take more than that if you want to beat Pidgeotto," Falkner commented. "Now Pidgeotto, Gust!"

"Espeon, just like we rehearsed! The wall!" I cried out.

Espeon made eye contact with me, nodded, and sprinted toward the wall about 20 yards behind me. He flattened himself against it, taking away the possibility of Gust's windstorm knocking him off his feet like last time. Pidgeotto was forced to give up the attack.

"Clever," Falkner snarled, his anger rising even more at my seemingly perfect response to his every move. "But you're going to need to stand and fight if you want to beat me, not run and hide."

"Who said anything about running and hiding?" I said, smiling to Falkner. "Espeon, Quick Attack!"

Espeon sprinted towards Pidgeotto, but just like last time, Pidgeotto simply climbed through the air.

"Follow it, Espeon!" I commanded. "Then Psybeam!"

This was the riskiest part of our entire plan. I knew that Espeon wouldn't be able to fire a long-range Psybeam, but if he could get close enough━like by jumping━Psybeam had a chance to stay strong over the shortened distance and retain all its power. But, Psybeam still hadn't been mastered, and as such, I wasn't be completely sure that my plan would work. And, there was the whole aspect of landing the attack.

Surprised by my move, Pidgeotto was caught off guard by a Psybeam from no more than 5 yards away. It was smacked right in the face by the attack, but managed to stay aloft.

Espeon, on the other hand, began falling towards the ground. My heart stopped as I watched him fall, hoping he could land properly. We'd practiced his landings, but like with the Psybeam, we weren't sure Espeon would be successful.

Time seemed to stop. If Espeon botched the landing, he'd take a massive amount of damage, and would be an easy picking for Pidgeotto, at which point I'd be forced to turn to Pidgey, where I'd be at a huge disadvantage.

Espeon's eyes were filled with panic as he neared the ground, and his limbs flailed.

No! I cried out in my head. He's not going to make it! We're done! All that work for nothing!

But somehow, miraculously, Espeon managed to gain control of himself, managing to execute a perfect landing.

A tidal wave of relief washed over me. "Yes, Espeon, yes!" I cried out.

Falkner coughed. "Excuse me, challenger, but you still have a battle to finish. One that is not scored upon the quality of a landing, in case you were wondering."

"Whatever, Falkner," I said. "It's time for me to finish this up. Espeon, Swift again!"

Espeon fired the stars from his mouth once again, straight at Pidgeotto. Apparently not expecting me to respond so quickly after his snide comment, Falkner was unable to call out a command to his Pidgeotto as the stars neared, and Pidgeotto was hit and immediately knocked out.

"Pidgeotto is unable to battle," said the referee as Falkner returned Pidgeotto to its Poké Ball. "Since Falkner has lost both of his Pokémon, the challenger, Chris, is the winner."

For a moment, I stood in shock. Espeon came running over, excited, but I just stood there, in shock.

"Oh my goodness," I repeated over and over to myself. "I just won my first Gym Badge!"

I was finally brought back to reality by a cough from Falkner. He was standing right in front of me.

"Oh," I said in surprise. I hadn't noticed him approaching, I was so excited.

"Just take it," Falkner said, sticking out his hand, which contained a small, metal badge shaped like a pair of wings. "You've, uh, earned it, I guess."

For a moment, he actually seemed like he was trying to be nice.

I stood in awe for a moment, before reaching into my backpack and getting out my badge case. "No way," I muttered as I took the badge from Falkner and put it into the first of eight depressions in the case, one for each of the eight Johto Gym Badges.. "My very first Gym Badge!"

"Yeah, yeah, have your moment," Falkner said under his breath. Clearly he still harbored some negative feelings towards me.

"But," he added, his voice turning stern, "don't you ever go around insulting Gym Leaders, like you did to me. You don't want any of us as your enemies."

Was that a threat? Either way, I ignored his advice. I was too excited, too in-the-moment to worry about anything. As I left the Gym, with a still-miffed but somewhat nicer Falkner in my wake, I found that not too much mattered to me at that moment. After all, I just won my first Gym Badge.

AN: Wow! Longest chapter yet! Anyways, hoped you guys enjoyed! And tell me, what do you think of Falkner's last advice? Is it a foreboding of things to come? Or not?

Oh, and since I used some of the "actual" names for the sages, I'd like to point this out for precautionary measures: I do not own any of the characters (barring the OC's of Chris, Frank, Jim, the receptionist, and kind of the referee, depending on if you watch the anime or not), and all are creations of and are owned by the Pokémon Company and Satoshi Tajiri.