It was the day after Christie and Ann had captured two of the three Growlithe that had been terrorizing the village of Karratas and for the most part the village was returning to normal to the point where Steve and Dalton had gone into the village to get some more supplies but where did that leave their female companions?
"No Steve, she's not awake yet!" Ann responded with an annoyed sigh as she sat down on the bed opposite Christie's bed which was currently occupied by her, she was currently talking to her older brother on her cell-phone. "And none of my usual tricks are working right now."
"Well, you have to think of something because otherwise Karen and Zach will have qualified for the Pokémon league by the time we reach Cerulean City." Steve responded and Ann nodded before her eyes widened.
"Oh no….." Ann trailed off as a look of horror swept across her face.
"Ann, what's wrong?" Steve asked and Christie put the phone in front of Christie's mouth.
"And I would like to thank myself, myself, Steve, Dalton, myself, Ann, myself, my team, myself…." Christie's acceptance speech went on and on before Ann put her phone back to her ear.
"She's doing an acceptance speech for when she wins the Pokémon League…..in her sleep…." Steve trailed off as he clearly tried his hardest to not burst out laughing. "I don't know what's worse, the fact that she thanked herself five times or the fact that she thanked herself twice before she thanked me!"
"I honestly think that they are equally as bad." Ann responded as she shook her head. "Well I'd better start trying to wake her up." Ann sighed as she started making a plan. "Honestly Steve, she makes you look humble!"
"I know right?" Steve responded and Ann started checking her nails whilst she waited for Steve to realize what she had said. "HEY!"
"You agreed with me there Steve, don't try to deny it!" Ann responded with a massive grin on her face. "Come to think of it, do we still have her mom's phone number on our phones?"
"We never added her mom's number to our phones we called her via Christie's phone after the Beedrill attack remember?" Steve reminded her and Ann nodded. "Why do you ask?"
"Well I was thinking of calling her for advice but I don't know where Christie keeps her cell-phone." Ann responded before realization hit her. "Wait a sec didn't her mom say that she'd send her Pidgey up to wake Christie up if she was going to miss breakfast?"
"Yeah, she did, often blowing her own daughter out of bed in the process." Steve responded and Ann blushed. "I just realized that I made it sound like they're in an incestuous relationship."
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure you forgot to mention Pidgey using gust on her." Ann responded as a sweat-drop rolled down her head before she looked at Christie's Pokeballs. "Okay, I don't think Christie's Spearow and Pidgey are strong enough, not sure what good Eevee would do same goes for Houndour and Combusken…."
"What about the Growlithe she caught yesterday?" Steve asked and Ann checked the Pokeball that contained it only to find it empty.
"That's weird, Growlithe's not in her Pokeball?" Ann muttered before hearing the Growlithe yawn behind her and she turned around seeing Growlithe stretching her paws. "Steve, I gotta go, I got an idea."
"You sure it'll work?" Steve asked and Ann nodded.
"Well, I'm hoping that it'll work!" Ann responded with a sigh. "I'll speak to you later Steve." Ann added before hanging up and turning to Growlithe before kneeling down. "Growlithe, I know you belong to Christie but you mind waking her up for me?" Ann asked and Growlithe looked at her quizzically before turning to her master's bad and nodding, she hopped up onto the bed and walked up to Christie's face. "She's not going to use Flamethrower to wake up Christie right?" Ann thought before the Growlithe started licking her mistresses' face, Christie was asleep for a few more seconds before Growlithe's licking successfully woke her up and she sat up. "I'd say morning but I'm pretty sure it's the early afternoon."
"Don't tell me I slept in?" Christie moaned as she grabbed a handkerchief and started using it to clean her face. "Oh who am I kidding? I've had this morning routine long enough to be used to it!" Christie added before letting out a yawn. "Not used to having my face licked by a newly caught Growlithe on the other hand."
"It was either that or I would've waited until you woke up on your own and Steve thought that by the time you did that Zach and Karen would've qualified for the Pokémon League." Ann responded with a shrug and that was all the motivation Christie needed to get out of bed and start getting dressed. "I did consider using your other Pokémon but most of them are pretty underleveled."
"I have been neglecting most of my team since I won my first badge haven't I?" Christie admitted as she put on a red, midriff bearing tanktop and started searching through her jeans. "To be fair Spearow and Pidgey wouldn't have helped much against Tristan and I haven't really been in a Pokémon Battle since I won that badge."
"Yeah, that's true but what about Growlithe?" Ann asked as Growlithe hopped off the bed.
"I was talking about battles involving me and another trainer, not wild Pokémon." Christie responded as she shook her head. "Besides, Growlithe is about as strong as Eevee is and I only caught her after I had Eevee use Attract."
"That is a fair point." Ann responded as Christie grabbed a pair of jeans and put them on before looking around. "Your badge hoodie is on the back of the door."
"Thanks." Christie thanked her before walking over grabbing the hoodie and putting it on whilst leaving it open before she started tying her hair up. "Where are the boys anyway?"
"They went into the village to get supplies whilst you were asleep." Ann responded as Christie finished tying her hair up in a ponytail. "I don't know when they'll be back as from what I saw business is back as usual now that we've caught those Growlithe."
"That's good to hear." Christie responded before gathering up her Pokeballs and attaching them to her belt, she stopped when she picked up Growlithe's Pokeball but that was to call her back into it, once the Growlithe was in her Pokeball Christie attached it to her belt. "What time do we have to check out by again?"
"Not until the mid-afternoon at least, hence why I was worried about you sleeping in." Ann responded and Christie shook her head.
"I only slept until the mid-afternoon once and that was when my soccer team won the championships for the first time." Christie responded with an annoyed sigh. "One of the other girls snuck some alcohol into the celebration and I ended up having a bit too much to drink."
"How much is a bit?" Ann asked and Christie laughed a bit.
"According to mom I drank so much alcohol that night that she had to send her Dragonite to pick me up, literally because I was too drunk to even stand by night's end." Christie responded before letting out an annoyed sigh. "That said, as fun as it was, dealing with the school officials in the morning wasn't, especially since half the team was hung over."
"I'm guessing you where one of the hung over ones?" Ann asked with a grin and Christie nodded. "So what happened?"
"The team we beat tried to get us stripped off the title citing unprofessionalism but that went nowhere, the girl who snuck in the alcohol got suspended for a month whilst the rest of us got slaps on the wrist, though mine was pretty hard since I was the captain of the team." Christie said before sighing sadly. "Unfortunately that was the last title I won for the team before I suffered my leg injury and, well, you know the rest."
"Just when I thought your bad luck couldn't get any worse." Steve's voice rang out and Christie looked up seeing him and Dalton standing in the doorway. "Then again the only way it could've been worse is if you got Magikarp as a starter instead of Eevee."
"And then our battle would've been even more one sided." Christie responded as she shook her head. "How long have you two been there?"
"Since you started telling the story of how you got really drunk whilst celebrating with your soccer team." Dalton responded and Christie sighed in response. "Anyway, we've got enough food and supplies to last us until we reach Cerulean City so we're pretty much ready to go when you are."
"I don't know if you noticed but we haven't even packed yet." Christie responded as she motioned around the room which was covered with women's clothing and other stuff. "And I'm guessing that you haven't either."
"Actually we did that as soon as we returned to our room." Dalton responded with a nod. "Once we were done Steve decided to see how you two were doing."
"Why? Was he hoping to see me naked?" Christie teased him and Steve blushed.
"That would've been a perk but it was mostly to check if you were awake yet." Steve responded as he shook his head. "Anyway, we have already had breakfast so if you guys want to grab breakfast before we leave for Terracotta that's fine by us." Steve added and Dalton nodded in agreement.
"What time is it anyway?" Christie asked and Ann checked the time on her watch.
"Just gone half ten, we have plenty of time before the cafeteria closes for breakfast." Ann responded and Christie nodded. "How about we have breakfast and then return to our room to pack up before meeting you guys outside the Pokémon Center?"
"That sounds good to me we need to figure out the quickest route to Cerulean City anyway." Steve responded with a nod. "Come to think of it, couldn't your mom help out with that Christie?"
"You know how bad I am at getting up in the morning?" Christie asked as she stood up and stretched her arms. "Believe it or not my mom's even worse! I'm still surprised that she woke up before I did when I started my Pokémon journey."
"I guess we know where you got your sleeping habits from." Dalton commented and Christie rolled her eyes. "See you guys outside." Dalton added before Steve closed the door behind them and the boys walked off. "Steve, remind me to buy Christie an alarm clock the next time we're in a large town or city."
"That wouldn't exactly work when we're camping." Steve pointed out with a frown.
"I meant for when we're spending the night at a Pokémon Center like this one." Dalton responded and Steve nodded in agreement. "As for when we're camping, we'll have to improvise."
"Having her Growlithe wake her up by licking Christie's face seemed to do the trick." Steve commented with a shrug before frowning. "But on the other hand it might get a bit harder for her to sneak up on Christie if Christie ever gets her hands on a Fire Stone and uses it to evolve her into Arcanine."
"True but if she's smart she'll wait until Growlithe has gained a few levels first." Dalton pointed out and Steve nodded in agreement. "And besides, it's not like Growlithe is her only Pokémon, anyway we'd better get going." Dalton added and Steve nodded before the two boys walked off.
*later on*
"No offense to Steve." Christie commented as she leaned back in her chair opposite Ann, the two girls had just finished their breakfast in the Cafeteria and where taking it easy for the most part. "But I'll take a Pokémon Centers food over his cooking any day."
"To be fair he pretty much has to cook everything over a fire because we can't carry much." Ann responded with a grin as she patted her stomach. "But yeah, that was good!"
"Ugh, is there anything to do is this damn village?" A frustrated female voice from a nearby table rang out and the two girls looked up, the sole occupant of the table was a teenaged girl around Christie's age with long red hair that was tied into a low hanging ponytail that went down her back and green eyes wearing a black baseball cap, red crop top, black denim shorts and matching boots.
"What's her problem?" Ann wondered and Christie shrugged her shoulders as she turned to the younger trainer.
"Beats me, she's probably just bored or something." Christie responded as she glanced back at the trainer, however once she had a closer look at her she noticed something attached to her belt and her top respectively. "Six Pokeballs and the Boulder Badge, if she's not a trainer I'll eat my Pokedex!" Christie thought as an idea sprang to mind. "Hey, are you a trainer?" Christie asked and the girl looked up.
"I think the Pokeballs attached to my belt gives that away, don't you?" The girl responded before noticing Christie's Pokeballs and grinning. "Are you challenging me to a battle?"
"That's the idea, and besides…." Christie trailed off as she opened up her hoody revealing her boulder badge. "I can see that we both have the Boulder Badge." Christie added and the trainers grin grew wider.
"You're on, the name's Alex." The female trainer, now known as Alex, responded with a grin. "And if you think you can my team your welcome to try."
"My name's Christie, trust me, I'm confident that I can take your team." Christie responded with a grin before Ann realized something.
"Err, Christie we still haven't packed our stuff." Ann pointed out and Christie frowned once she realized that Ann had a point.
"That's fine I'll wait for you outside." Alex shrugged her shoulders as she finished her breakfast. "Besides, Pokémon Centers have rules against battles on the premises so it's not like I would've been able to battle you here and now." Alex added before standing up and leaving the cafeteria, several male trainers where temporarily distracted as she walked by them and Christie rolled her eyes.
"Boys…." Christie sighed under her breath as she stood up. "You have any ideas for how to deal with her team?"
"If I knew what her Pokémon where I'd happily give you advice but obviously I don't." Ann responded as she shook her head. "But I do have one piece of advice."
"Shoot." Christie responded as the two girls walked out of the cafeteria and once again the nearby male trainers where distracted this time by Christie. "You'd think they had never seen a pretty girl before." Christie thought as she caught a few trainers checking her out.
"Try to use Pokémon other than Eevee, he may be strong but at this rate he'll end up eclipsing your other team members." Ann responded once Christie turned her attention back to her. "In fact, why don't you ask her if she's interested in a six on six battle?"
"You mean a full battle? That's not a bad idea, at least then my team will get some decent experience." Christie responded as the two girls made their way up stairs and back to their rooms.
*a bit later on*
"Good grief, where is she?" Alex thought as she sat down on the grass and rested her cheek on her hand. "If I had known that she would take this long I would've insisted that she battle me sooner!" Alex thought before letting out an annoyed sigh.
"Okay Steve, are you sure you've got everything?" Dalton's voice rang out and Alex looked up seeing the two trainers approaching the Pokémon center. "I think you've brought enough supplies to last us until the Pokémon League!"
"You can never have enough supplies!" Steve responded with a grin not noticing that Alex had recognized Dalton and was getting up. "And besides, given how much the girls eat in one sitting we need all the food we can get!"
"Good point but at this rate you'll have no money left for Pokeballs and other Pokémon related things." Dalton pointed out not noticing that Alex had got a running start. "All I'm saying is that you should save up some money before it bites you in the ass…."
"DALTY!" Alex yelled out before tackling Dalton who let out a yelp of surprise as she hugged him. "You didn't tell me that you had started your journey!"
"Alex? Can you get off me before you crush me?" Dalton asked once his surprise wore off and Alex complied after a few seconds. "And I thought I told you to never call me that!?"
"Let me guess, ex-girlfriend?" Steve asked whilst suppressing his laughter and Dalton glared at him.
"Nah, just childhood friends, she started her journey late as well." Dalton responded as he dusted himself off. "What are you doing here Alex?"
"Well for one thing I got challenged by another female trainer whilst I was eating breakfast." Alex responded as she put her hands on her hips. "But the young girl she was with said that they hadn't packed away their stuff yet so I decided to wait for them."
"Let me guess, the older girl was tall had dark brown hair in a ponytail, blue eyes and was wearing a hoody over a midriff bearing tank-top, blue jeans and black boots whilst the younger girl looked like him…." Dalton trailed off as he pointed to Steve. "And had shoulder length red hair?" Dalton asked and Steve nodded.
"Yeah, she was wearing a dress, let me guess, you know them?" Alex asked and the two male trainers nodded.
"The young girl is my younger sister Ann, the girl who challenged you is Christie, they are our traveling companions." Steve explained and Alex nodded. "Don't underestimate Christie, she's a tough trainer."
"I can handle her!" Alex asserted with a smirk which only grew wider when Christie emerged from the Pokémon Center with her bags in hand and Ann followed her out. "You're not going to back out, are you?"
"Me? If anyone should consider backing out it's you!" Christie responded with a grin. "And besides, I've got a proposal that should make this battle more interesting."
"I'm listening." Alex responded with a curious look on her face.
"Well, I've mostly been using my Eevee recently and as good as he is he's going to end up leaving the rest of my team in the dust." Christie responded as she folded her arms. "So my idea is this, our battle will be a full battle."
"You mean Six Pokémon against six Pokémon?" Alex asked and Christie nodded, Alex considered it for a moment before grinning. "All right, you're on! Don't go crying to Nurse Joy when I wipe out your team though!"
"Bit cocky, aren't you?" Christie asked and her companions sweat-dropped. "What?"
"To echo what Karen said yesterday, pot calling the kettle black." Steve responded and Christie sweat-dropped whilst laughing nervously.
"Karen?" Alex asked with a confused look on her face.
"She's Steve's total bitch of an ex-girlfriend." Christi explained and Karen nodded. "So, who's up for reffing the match?"
"Well, I haven't had a chance to ref a match so I guess I will." Steve said before stepping in between the two women. "Okay, this will be a six on six Pokémon battle between Christie from Pallet Town and Alex from, I'm guessing, Viridian City."
"Technically I'm from a town just outside Viridian City but otherwise your spot on." Alex responded as she activated a Pokeball. "I'll go first! Drowzee, go!" Alex tossed the Pokeball and the Psychic Type Pokémon emerged from it.
"Who's that Pokémon?" Christie asked before digging out her Pokedex and pointing it at it.
"Drowzee, the Hypnosis Pokémon, if you think that you had a good dream but you can't remember it there's a good chance that a Drowzee has probably eaten it." The Pokedex's entry read out and Christie pocketed it.
"Sounds like a Psychic Type, good thing I have a Dark Type in my team, Houndour, go!" Christie tossed the Pokeball and her Houndour emerged from it.
"If you think your Houndour's going to scare me, think again! My Drowzee has more than a few tricks up his sleeve!" Alex commented as a small group gathered to watch the Pokémon battle.
"Tricks or no tricks, I have the type advantage here!" Christie responded with a confident grin before the two girls turned to Steve, unbeknownst to them there were two familiar faces in the crowd and none of the gang members would be happy to see them.
"So, she's having a six on six battle against Christie huh?" Butch commented as he looked at the two trainers. "This is perfect! All we need to do is wait for them to finish and her Pokémon will be ours for the taking."
"Why stop there? We could steal her opponent's Pokémon as well, that Drowzee looks strong!" Cassidy commented with a smirk. "Doesn't matter who wins this battle Mitch, either way we'll be the real winners, now come we have to set this up before the battles over!"
"The name is Butch!" Butch reminded her and Cassidy hushed him to avoid drawing attention to them.
"Begin!" Steve called out and the two girls smirked.
"Houndour, Ember now!" Christie commanded and the dog like Pokémon charged towards the Drowzee as flames started forming in his mouth.
"Drowzee, use Protect!" Alex commanded and the Psychic Type started its arms around before erecting a barrier which deflected the flames. "Houndour might have the advantage in terms of type but I taught my Drowzee a few tricks to protect himself…."
"Houndour, use Bite!" Christie interrupted her and before Alex could respond the Houndour leapt towards the Drowzee before biting him on the stomach and biting him. "Did you really think I was going to let your trash talk distract me?"
"Actually I was hoping you'd do that, Drowzee, use Shadow Ball at point blank range!" Alex commanded and Christie's eyes widened as the Drowzee recovered enough to form a ball of energy in his hands and launch it at the Houndour, the Houndour had no time to respond and the attack hit forcing him to let go and sending him skidding back a few feet. "Now follow it up with Power-Up Punch!" Alex commanded and the Drowzee charged in with his fist raised high….
"I've seen Dalton use that a few times with his Manky, I can't let her get it off!" Christie thought with a frown before getting an idea. "Hold your ground Houndour!" Christie commanded and the Houndour braced himself as he waited for the Psychic Type to close in. "Now, dodge and use Ember!" Christie commanded and the Houndour leapt out of the way of the punch just in time before hitting another Ember before he could respond knocking the Drowzee out.
"Drowzee is out! Houndour wins!" Steve announced as Alex called back her Pokémon. "Christie, you may want to switch out Houndour, I can see from here that he took quite a bit of damage from that Shadow Ball."
"Maybe but it was just one attack, I'm sure my Houndour has more in him." Christie responded and her Houndour nodded in agreement. "See, what did I tell you?"
"You'll regret not calling him back, Blitzle, I choose you!" Alex tossed the Pokeball and the Pokémon that emerged from it resembled a baby zebra but was mostly black in color and had a white mane, Christie dug out her Pokedex again and pointed it at the Pokémon.
"Blitzle, the Electrified Pokémon, its mane shines when it discharges electricity they use the frequency and rhythm of these flashes to communicate." Christie pocketed the Pokedex once the Pokémon's entry was read out and Steve looked at the Pokémon curiously.
"That Pokémon's native to the Unova Region, how'd it get all the way over here?" Steve asked and Alex smiled a bit.
"My family's originally from that region and my dad's a Zebstrika trainer, he gave me Blitzle when I started my journey." Alex explained and Christie blinked in confusion. "Oh right, Zebstrika's the evolved form of Blitzle."
"I'm going to take a wild guess and say that they are both Electric Type Pokémon?" Christie asked and Alex nodded. "I was planning on using Spearrow or Pidgey after Houndour if he gets knocked out in this fight but I'd better save them until after I deal with Blitzle and Combusken, Eevee or Growlithe should do the trick there."
"Are you still sure about leaving Houndour out?" Steve asked and Christie nodded in response. "Begin!"
"Blitzle, use Quick Attack!" Alex commanded and the Pokémon charged at Houndour at high speed…..
"Dodge and use Bite!" Christie commanded and the Houndour leapt out of the way just in time before spinning around and biting into the Blitzle's side. "Keep hold of him and use Ember!" Christie commanded and the Houndour proceeded to fire several point blank embers into Blitzle's side.
"Break free with Thunderbolt!" Alex commanded and the Blitzle charged up his electricity before letting lose, the Houndour was able to hold on for a few more seconds before it was forced to let go and whilst Houndour had clearly taken a lot of damage from that attack he managed to get back to his feet gingerly. "Now finish it with Volt Switch!" Alex commanded and the Blitzle charged towards the Houndour at high speed as electricity started to form around it, Houndour saw the attack coming but it was too late as the attack hit knocking him out.
"Houndour is out! Blitzle wins." Steve announced as Christie called back Houndour.
"That Blitzle's stronger than he looks, fortunately so is Eevee so he should be a good match for…." Christie's thoughts trailed off when she realized that Blitzle had been called back by Alex. "Calling him back already?"
"I didn't exactly have a choice, that's the second effect of Volt Switch." Alex responded with a shrug before activating another Pokeball. "But I could see that he needed a break anyway so it works out!"
"I'd better wait to see what she sends out if I send out Pidgey or Spearrow first she could just send another Electric Type out." Christie thought before Alex activated the Pokeball.
"Go Magby!" Alex tossed the Pokeball and the small fire type emerged from it, Christie got her Pokedex out again and pointed it at the Fire Type.
"Magby, the Live Coal Pokémon, Its magma-like blood circulates throughout its body and its body's heat can top 1,100 degrees F." The Pokedex entry read out and Christie frowned.
"On one hand it's just typical that I face a fire type the day after I send my only Water Type Pokémon back to Professor Oak, on the other hand my only Water Type was Magikarp so it's no big loss." Christie thought before activating a Pokeball. "Pidgey, go!" Christie tossed the Pokeball and the Pidgey emerged from it. "I don't know how strong that Magby is and this is Pidgey's first battle, I'd better hope that he can hold his own."
"Begin!" Steve announced and the two girls grinned.
"Magby, use Ember!" Alex commanded and the small Pokémon started firing off embers at Pidgey at high speed.
"Blow them away with Gust!" Christie commanded and the Pidgey took flight before using his wings to blow away the Embers damaging Magby in the process. "Now use Tackle!" Christie commanded and the Pidgey swooped down at the Magby as it recovered from the gust.
"Come on, just a bit closer…." Alex thought before the Tackle hit sending her Magby skidding back a few inches but it maintained his ground.
"That Magby's tougher than he looks." Christie commented before Alex smirked.
"So is your Pidgey, but he's not looking so tough now!" Alex responded and Christie blinked before looking at her Pidgey and realizing that it had been burnt. "All Magby share the Flame Body ability, basically when a move like Tackle hits its mark the attacker gets burnt!"
"Great and I never got around to buying a burn heel!" Christie thought with a frown before getting an idea. "Pidgey, use Quick Attack!" Christie commanded and the Pidgey dive-bombed towards the Magby.
"Magby, use Ember!" Alex commanded and the Magby fired off the embers, each one hit its mark but the Pidgey kept coming before it eventually hit his mark knocking out the Magby.
"Magby is out! Pidgey wins!" Steve announced before Pidgey collapsed as well. "Looks like those embers did a lot of damage too, so Pidgey's out as well!" Steve added before the two girls called back their Pokémon.
"I'm impressed most of the trainers I've battled so far haven't managed to get past my Magby." Alex commented with a grin before she activated another Pokeball. "But we're both down two Pokémon and I still have Blitzle waiting in the wings."
"Yeah and I'm beginning to think that Eevee would be my best bet when she sends that Pokémon out again." Christie thought as she activated a Pokeball. "Combusken, go!" Christie tossed the Pokeball and her only evolved Pokémon emerged from it.
"Another fire type huh? Unfortunately for you I have just the Pokémon to deal with it! Psyduck, I chose you!" Alex tossed the Pokeball and the yellow, duck like Pokémon emerged from it.
"He doesn't look that tough." Christie commented before getting her Pokedex out again.
"Psyduck, the Duck Pokémon, it is constantly wracked by a headache. When the headache turns intense, it begins using mysterious powers." The Pokedex's entry read out and Christie went to pocket her Pokedex again but Steve extended his hand out to her.
"If you're going to keep using that thing, and I know you will, at least let me hold onto it for you so you don't have to keep reaching into your pocket each time she sends a Pokémon out." Steve offered and Christie nodded in agreement before handing it over. "Also be careful, Psyduck may be pure Water Type Pokémon but they do learn quite a few Psychic Type attacks naturally."
"And since Combusken is a Fire/Fighting Type Pokémon that's double trouble for me and Combusken." Christie responded with a frown as Combusken got ready for battle and Psyduck stood there with a blank expression on his face.
"If you're done giving my opponent tips I'd like to get this battle started." Alex responded with a frown and Steve nodded before returning to his spot.
"Begin!" Steve called out and the two girls grinned.
"Psyduck, use Water Sprout!" Alex commanded and the Psyduck raised its head high before letting lose a stream of water that covered the field.
"If your intention was to get my clothes wet then you missed." Christie deadpanned as she folded her arms.
"Unfortunately…" Steve thought before shaking his head. "Actually Christie, Water Sprout's a move that weakens Fire Type Moves for a few turns."
"Wait, what?!" Christie yelled out before noticing that her Combusken was soaked. "Unless I can drag it out until then that means that Growlithe won't be much help when I decide to use her for the first time, for once I'm going to have to make this match as long as I can!" Christie thought before pointing to Psyduck. "Combusken, use Double Kick!" Christie commanded and the Pokémon leapt into the air before diving at Psyduck.
"That's just what I was hoping for." Alex thought with a grin on her face. "Hold your ground Psyduck!" Alex called out and the Psyduck…..didn't move, at all.
"That's not what I call holding your ground." Christie commented as a large sweat-drop rolled down hers, Steve's, Dalton's and Ann's head.
"Maybe not but my Psyduck has his own way of defending against attacks!" Alex responded as the Double Kick hit it's mark with Combusken hitting the Psyduck twice, it was hard to tell if any damage was being done to the Psyduck at all as it barely reacted to the kicks. "Feel free to try again!"
"Is she actually encouraging me to attack her Pokémon?" Christie thought with a look of disbelief on her face. "It's your funeral Alex! Combusken, follow it up with another Double Kick!" Christie commanded and the Combusken started kicking the Psyduck multiple times in a row, however after the final kick the Psyduck's eyes started glowing blue and before either Combusken or Christie respond the Fire/Fighting type was levitated by psychic energy.
"Never fails to work!" Alex commented with a massive grin on her face. "Psyduck use Psychic!" Alex commanded and the Psyduck threw his arms forward sending Combusken flying back with Psychic energy stopping just a few feet away from Christie. "Remember when your Pokedex said that Psyduck can tap into mysterious powers when its headache gets nasty? Call this a weaponized version of that fact!"
"Well it's certainly a unique and effective strategy." Steve commented as he rubbed the back of his head.
"WHO'S SIDE ARE YOU ON?!" Christie yelled at him and Steve sweat-dropped whilst laughing nervously.
"If you ask me he's on the side that's about to win this battle! My Psyduck's undefeated and he even earned me my Boulder Badge when I challenged the Pewter Gym." Alex responded with a grin…..that quickly disappeared when Combusken willed himself back to his feet. "No way, not even the Pewter City Gym Leader's Pokémon survived that!"
"Yeah but two things, Combusken here also beat one of the Gym Leader's Pokémon, he even evolved from Torchic during the course of that battle." Christie responded with a grin. "Well, that you've literally only used one offensive move on him!"
"Make that two! Psyduck, Hydro Pump!" Alex commanded and once the surprise wore off Psyduck opened his mouth again before firing off a stream of high pressured water at Combusken.
"Dodge it!" Christie called out and Combusken quickly leapt out of the way, realizing that the water was now headed her way Christie quickly moved to the side and managed to avoid getting soaked. "Now to see if my guess is right!"
"What guess?" Alex asked as she nervously tugged on her shirt's collar.
"I'll show you! Combusken, use Peck to finish that Psyduck off!" Christie responded and the Combusken charged towards the Psyduck before hitting him with his beak and knocking it out.
"Psyduck is out! Combusken wins!" Steve announced before checking his watch. "And just in time to boot, by my watch Water Spout's effect should've worn off by now."
"Yeah, sounds about right." Alex agreed as she called back her Psyduck. "But what I don't understand is why Psyduck was knocked out by that peck! He endured the two Double Kicks."
"He may have endured them but he still took seven kicks from a fighting type Pokémon." Steve responded with a frown. "Add in the fact that the Torchic line is known for their leg strength and it was just a matter of time."
"Ah well, it doesn't matter as I have three more Pokémon to choose from including Blitzle." Alex responded before activating another Pokeball. "But I'm saving Blitzle for last, Pancham, I chose you!" Alex tossed the Pokeball and a small panda like Pokémon emerged from it, Christie instinctively reached for her Pokedex but remembered that Steve had it.
"I'm way ahead of you Christie." Steve commented as he pointed Christie's Pokedex at the Pokémon.
"Pancham, the Playful Pokémon, it does its best to be taken seriously by its enemies, but its glare is not sufficiently intimidating. Chewing on a leaf is its trademark." The Pokedex's entry read out and Steve pocketed it.
"And I have a couple of questions." Steve added as he folded his arms. "Pancham is a Pokémon native to Kalos, I should know, I'm from there originally, how did you get it all the way over here?"
"I caught it, don't know how it got here but I caught it with Drowzee's help." Alex responded and Steve nodded.
"Second, you're sending a fighting type Pokémon against a Pokémon that you know knows Peck, a Flying Type move, why didn't you just send out Blitzle?" Steve asked and Alex shook her head.
"Have you seen the state of her Combusken?" Alex asked and Steve looked seeing that Combusken was exhausted. "I may have only been able to hit Psychic but it's clear from here that it did its job!"
"Maybe, maybe not but that Pokémon's still a fighting type, this'll be a piece of cake!" Christie asserted before realizing something. "Come to think of it, what's with your team? With the possible exception of Drowzee none of them looked very tough!" Christie added and Alex lowered her head. "Oh crap, it looks like I hit a sensitive spot."
"I guess it kind off reflects off me." Alex sighed sadly and Christie blinked. "I'll give you the short version, growing up I spent most of my childhood in hospitals as I was a very sickly kid, at one point it got so bad that the doctor's thought that I wouldn't live to see my sixteenth birthday." Alex added before removing her baseball cap.
"I'm guessing that's why you got a late start?" Christie asked and Alex nodded. "Obviously you've recovered, how did that happen?"
"As cheesy as it sounds my love of Pokémon was what led me to recovery." Alex responded and Christie blinked. "Growing up I always wanted to be a Pokémon Master, trust me I cried for hours when the doctors told me that I would not be able to start me Pokémon Journey on my tenth birthday, my dad promised me that he'd give me a Blitzle once I was well enough and even after the docs told me that I wouldn't live to see my sixteenth birthday I didn't give up, they ended up eating their words when I recovered by my seventieth birthday and by the time I was eighteen I had finally recovered."
"Now I'm feeling kinda bed." Christie said with a nervous laugh and Alex gave her a curious look. "The reason I got my late start is this, I tend to sleep in in the mornings." Christie responded and Alex face-faulted. "Well that and breaking my leg in a bike accident but that's beside the point."
"So, Dalton, did you know all that?" Steve whispered to Dalton and he nodded.
"Yeah, and even after it looked like she was going to die I didn't give up on her and well, now look at her." Dalton responded with a nod. "What can I say? She can be stubborn."
"And I'm proud of it!" Alex responded with a massive grin as she put her cap back on. "That's also why I was complaining about there being nothing to do, I hate being in one spot with nothing to do for too long and as for my team choices, it's simple, every Pokémon on my team has a badass evolved form, or two in Magby's case and their current forms represent me when I was growing up."
"And once they evolve they'll represent you now, right?" Christie asked and Alex nodded. "Look, despite all that I've learned about you Alex I'm still not going to take it easy on you, is that clear?"
"Crystal, besides I wouldn't want you too anyway!" Alex responded with a grin. "This battle has been the most fun I've had since I started my journey!" Alex added and Christie nodded in agreement before the two girls turned to Steve.
"Begin!" Steve called out and Alex grinned.
"Pancham use Tackle attack!" Alex commanded and the fighting type charged towards Combusken.
"Combusken use Fire Spin!" Christie commanded and the fire type fired off some flames that encircled Pancham, despite the fact that the small Pokémon was clearly feeling the heat from the flames it kept charging eventually slamming into Combusken.
"Now show that Combusken a real flying move, Aerial Ace!" Alex commanded and the Pancham leapt into the air before slamming into Combusken at high speed knocking it down, Combusken tried to get up but this time it stayed down.
"Combusken is out, Pancham wins!" Steve announced as Christie called back Combusken. "Both teams are down three Pokémon, at this point it's anyone's game."
"As far as I'm concerned it's my game to win!" Christie responded as she activated her Pokeball. "Spearrow, go!" Christie tossed the Pokeball and her second flying type emerged from it.
"So she has another flying type, maybe I should switch out for Blitzle?" Alex thought before shaking her head. "Nah, besides Pancham has more than a few tricks up his sleeve!" Alex thought as the two girls waited for Steve to give the go ahead.
"Begin!" Steve announced and the two girls grinned.
"Spearrow, use Fury Attack!" Christie commanded and the Pokémon few up to Pancham before hitting him several times in a row.
"Fight him off with Karate Chop!" Alex commanded and the Pancham managed to chop away the Spearrow giving him a chance to recover, however thanks to Spearrow's type advantage it didn't do that much damage. "It's time for a change of plans." Alex thought before pointing to Spearrow. "Pancham, use Payback now!" Alex commanded and the Pancham started storing up dark energy before firing it at the Spearrow.
"Dodge it!" Christie called out and the Spearrow was able to fly over it just in time. "Now use Gust and follow it up with Peck!" Christie commanded and the Spearrow started flapping his wings causing a gust to pick up.
"Get out of the way Pancham!" Alex called out but the wind was too strong for Pancham leaving it an open target for Spearrow as he closed in and pecked at the Pancham several times with the last one being enough to knock it out.
"Pancham is out! Spearrow wins!" Steve announced and Alex called back the Pokémon, whilst that was going on a certain pair of Team Rocket members where planning their move.
"So, we attack just as the battle's ending right?" Butch asked and Cassidy nodded.
"Exactly, their Pokémon teams will be too exhausted to put up much of a fight by then and they'll be ours for the taking." Cassidy responded as she watched the battle. "The only real problems I can see are the Bishops but if we can snatch up their Pokémon as well it'll be that much better Anthony!"
"The name's Butch!" Butch reminded her but she ignored him.
"If you think I'm sending Blitzle out this early think again!" Alex commented as she activated a Pokeball. "But the Pokémon I am sending out will still have an advantage over your Spearrow, Sandile, I chose you!" Alex tossed the Pokeball and a small light brown crocodile like Pokémon emerged from it.
"You know what to do Steve." Christie said as she nodded to Steve who got her Pokedex out and pointed it at Alex's Sandile.
"Sandile, the Desert Croc Pokémon, It moves along below the sand's surface, except for its nose and eyes. A dark membrane shields its eyes from the sun." The Pokedex's entry read out and Christie quickly noticed the frown on Steve's face.
"Something wrong Steve?" Christie asked and Steve turned to her.
"Not really, it's just that Sandile is another Unova region Pokémon." Steve responded as he pocketed the Pokedex. "Unless her mom raised Krookodiles I don't know how she got it."
"I caught it with Psyduck's help." Alex responded as she folded her arms. "In fact, just to be clear here, the only Pokémon I inherited from my parents is Blitzle."
"If you say so, anyway, begin!" Steve called out and the two girls grinned.
"Sandile, use Bite!" Alex commanded and the Pokémon started charging towards Spearrow with his mouth open.
"Dodge it and use Peck!" Christie commanded and the Spearrow took flight, however Sandile was just quick enough to catch Spearrow on the leg with his bite which slowed down his ascension.
"It looks like your Spearrow isn't as quick as you hoped!" Alex commented with a grin on her face and Christie frowned before getting an idea.
"Spearrow, kick that Sandile into the air!" Christie commanded causing Alex to do a double take as Spearrow took flight at the same time using its momentum to launch the Sandile into the air. "Now use Peck before it hits the ground!" Christie commanded and the Spearrow flew up to the Sandile before pecking at it repeatedly before backing off just as it hit the ground. "Looks like I have it won!"
"Look again!" Alex responded and Christie blinked before realizing that Sandile was getting back on his feet. "Did you forget about Sandile's type advantage already?"
"Type advantage or not that still did some damage." Christie responded once her surprise wore off. "Spearrow, keep up the attack with Fury Attack!" Christie commanded and the Spearrow flew at the Sandile.
"Not this time! Sandile, use Hidden Power!" Alex commanded and the Sandile's eyes started glowing before it let loose with a wave of energy that knocked Spearrow back, Spearrow tried to get back on his feet but failed.
"Spearrow is out, Sandile wins!" Steve announced as Christie called back her Spearrow. "Okay, only Pokémon that Christie has left are Eevee and Growlithe, if she's smart she'll send out Eevee since Growlithe will have a type disadvantage against Sandile….."
"Growlithe, go!" Christie tossed the Pokeball and the newest member of her team emerged from it ready for battle.
"Or she'll send out Growlithe and defy all logic." Steve thought with a frown. "Christie, wouldn't Eevee be a better choice?"
"I'm saving Eevee for last, besides if I did send out Eevee against Sandile and he ended up being knocked out I'd have to potentially face two of her Pokémon with one team member left." Christie responded with a frown.
"And if Growlithe gets knocked out by Sandile you'd have to do that anyway!" Steve pointed out and Christie rolled her eyes. "I know you want to take out your new Pokémon for a spin but it would've made more sense to use it earlier."
"Lay off her already Steve." Alex interrupted the argument as she pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance. "In the end it's her choice, it's a dumb choice but it's still her choice!"
"And besides, you'll end up eating your words when I beat her Sandile!" Christie added before pausing. "And I don't make dumb choices THAT often!"
"Well there was that one time you agreed to a Pokémon battle where you'd have to provide sexual favors to the opponent if you lost, and that time you sent Eevee out into your battle against the Pewter City Gym Leader twice, and that time you tried running from a Beedrill swarm despite your bum leg…." Steve trailed off when he saw the glare Christie was giving him. "And I'm going to shut up now!"
"Good, and besides those incidents you mentioned did work out in the end!" Christie pointed out as she folded her arms. "The incident with the pervert led to Houndour joining my team, I have the Boulder Badge in spite of the fact that I sent out Eevee against the Pewter City Gym Leader twice and the Beedrill swarm attack, well for starters what the hell was I supposed to do? Lightly jog away from the swarm whilst they stung me?!"
"Good point." Steve admitted as he shook his head.
"Anyway that led to you and Ann being my travel companions!" Christie added before wincing. "Then again that was on my first day as a trainer."
"Man that is some shitty luck!" Alex admitted with a small laugh. "As for the incident with the pervert, he didn't happen to have a shaved head, did he?"
"He tried the same tactics on you?" Christie asked and Alex shook her head.
"He didn't even get as far as challenging me, when he slapped me on the ass I responded by kicking him in the balls repeatedly and then storming off to set up camp elsewhere despite it being late at night!" Alex responded and Christie sweat-dropped.
"Why didn't I think of that?" Christie murmured to herself before the two girls turned to Steve.
"Begin!" Steve called out and the girls grinned.
"In that case let's get this battle over with! Sandile, use Dig!" Alex commanded and the Sandile leapt into the air before it started digging into the ground.
"I don't think so, Growlithe, use Take Down before her Sandile can finish!" Christie commanded and the Growlithe charged into battle and slammed into the Sandile sending it flying and managing to stop the Sandile's digging before the hole could get big enough for it to fit into it in the process.
"I'm not going to let you get away with that! Sandile, use Bite!" Alex commanded and the Sandile quickly recovered before charging at Growlithe and biting her.
"Here's hoping this works." Christie thought as the attack continued. "Growlithe, Retaliate now!" Christie commanded and her Growlithe managed to break free before hitting the Sandile with a swift hard attack that sent it flying but didn't knock it out. "Okay, so that Pokémon's a lot tougher than it looks!"
"Sandile, finish that Growlithe off with another Hidden Power!" Alex commanded and the Sandile's eyes started glowing again.
"If that attack hits Growlithe will likely be knocked out and that'll mean that Eevee will have to defeat Alex's two remaining Pokémon on his own, I need to attack and fast!" Christie thought before getting an idea. "Growlithe, quick, use Take Down now before Sandile can get off that Hidden Power!" Christie commanded and the Growlithe leapt into action as he sped towards Sandile, the attack hit just before Sandile's Hidden Power could get off causing it to miss.
"Very clever but your forgetting two things, one, Take Down also damages the user and you've used it twice, second it won't take Sandile long to get off another Hidden Power!" Alex responded with grinning as an idea popped into her head. "In fact…Sandile, use Hidden Power whilst you're airborne!" Alex called out and the Sandile's eyes started glowing again as it positioned itself so that the blast would hit Growlithe.
"Growlithe, jump up and use Flame Wheel quickly!" Christie commanded and the Growlithe nodded before leaping into the air as flames started to surround her, the attack managed to hit Sandile at the same time as Hidden Power and both Pokémon crashed down to the ground, however Growlithe was able to get back to her feet whilst Sandile stayed down.
"Sandile is out! Growlithe wins!" Steve announced as Alex called back her Sandile. "Only one Pokémon left on your team Alex and we both know what it is!"
"You got that right!" Alex nodded in agreement before she activated Blitzle's Pokeball again. "Christie, you've beaten the rest, now you get to deal with my best! Blitzle, go!" Alex tossed the Pokeball and her Blitzle emerged from it apparently fully healed from its earlier battle against Houndour.
"Steve, I know she doesn't have any more surprises up her sleeve so you may as well just give me my Pokedex back!" Christie commented as she turned to Steve who nodded in agreement before handing over Christie's Pokedex to her and she pocketed it. "Are you still good to go Growlithe?" Christie asked and the Growlithe nodded in response.
"Your Growlithe may be strong but she was just in an intense battle against my Sandile!" Alex responded with a grin. "She's practically a sitting duck for my Blitzle."
"If you two are done trash talking, begin!" Steve interrupted them and the two girls grinned. "I'm beginning to regret volunteering to ref this match my arm's getting tired from raising it so much!"
"Suck it up Steve." Christie responded as a large sweat-drop rolled down the two girls' heads. "Growlithe, use Flame Wheel one more time!" Christie commanded and the Growlithe started charging towards the Blitzle.
"Two can play at that game! Blitzle, use Flame Charge!" Alex commanded and the Pokémon started charging towards the Growlithe at high speed as flames enveloped both Pokémon, the attacks hit sending both Pokémon skidding backwards however Christie's Growlithe seemed to be worse for wear after the Flame Charge. "It looks like your Growlithe is still sore from its battle against my Sandile!"
"That may be true but she can still fight!" Christie responded and her Growlithe nodded in agreement. "Growlithe, use Retaliate!" Christie commanded and the Growlithe started charging towards the Blitzle again at high speed.
"I saw how much damage that did to my Sandile and it's not happening again!" Alex responded before pausing. "Hey did you hear a helicopter fly over us just now?"
"I didn't see any, must be your imagination." Christie responded as she looked around the area. "Then again this village is in a rural area, plenty of places for a helicopter to hide if it belongs to Team Rocket." Christie thought as her Growlithe neared her target.
"Blitzle, don't give her the chance to hit you, Thunderbolt!" Alex commanded and the Blitzle fired up the attack before launching it at the charging Growlithe, the attack hit but despite the obvious pain that the Growlithe was in she kept charging managing to hit the Retaliate on Blitzle and dealing quite a bit of damage to the Pokémon, however the Thunderbolt proved to be too much for the Growlithe and she was quickly knocked out.
"Growlithe is out! Blitzle wins!" Steve called out as Christie called back her Growlithe. "Well Christie, you've only got one Pokémon left and I think we both know what it is!"
"Yeah, and since her Blitzle is still hurt from the Retaliate this match is mine! Eevee, I chose you!" Christie tossed the Pokeball and her starter Pokémon emerged from it.
"So that's your Eevee huh? He looks strong, I'll give you that." Alex complemented her and Christie's Eevee grinned. "Actually I have a question."
"Shoot." Christie responded with a smirk.
"Where did you get your Eevee? I've been trying to get one since I started my journey." Alex responded and Christie frowned.
"Sorry, I can't help you." Christie responded and Alex frowned. "Eevee was my starter Pokémon."
"I think I heard that there's some Eevee to the south of Cerulean City if that helps." Steve added and Alex nodded in response. "Anyway are you two ready to start?"
"I'm ready when she is." Alex responded with a nod.
"What she said." Christie added and Steve nodded.
"Then begin!" Steve called out before sweat-dropping. "And if I ever volunteer to ref a match again feel free to punch me in the face." Steve added and the two girls grinned.
"Eevee, use Take Down!" Christie commanded and the Eevee charged into battle against the Blitzle.
"Blitzle, Flame Charge!" Alex commanded and her Blitzle started charging towards the Eevee as well, like in the last battle the two attacks hit but before either girl could give another command the sounds of a helicopter flying overhead rang out again. "Okay, I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only one who hears that this time."
"You're not, look!" Steve responded before pointing above their heads and the two girls looked up seeing a black helicopter flying overhead with what looked like a large crate with a giant vacuum attached to it attached the underside of the helicopter, before anyone could do anything the vacuum sprang to life sucking up Blitzle and Eevee. "Blitzle!"
"Eevee!" Christie called out and to the two girls' horror their Pokeballs quickly followed suit. "What the hell's going on?!" Christie asked and her question quickly got answered by a pair of familiar voices laughing evilly. "Ugh, not those guys again!"
"Prepare for trouble…." Cassidy's voice rang out and Steve frowned.
"And make it double….." Butch's voice quickly followed suit.
"Now here's our mission so you'd better listen!" The two Team Rocket members quickly added.
"To infect the world with devastation….." Cassidy's voice rang out again
"To blight all peoples within our nation….." Butch added not noticing that Steve, Dalton and Ann had gotten their Pokeballs ready.
"To denounce the goodness of truth and love…." Cassidy added as the two girls glared at the copter.
"To extend our wrath to the stars above….." Butch added as several other trainers got their Pokémon ready including Michael.
"Cassidy….." Cassidy said as the copter started to take off.
"And Butch off course….." Butch said with a big grin.
"We're Team Rocket, circling Earth day and night!" Cassidy finished her part of the motto as the trainers got ready for battle.
"Surrender to us now or you'll surely lose the fight!" Butch added with a grin on his face.
"Give us our Pokémon back Cassidy and Dutch!" Christie called out to the copter and whilst they couldn't see them Butch face-faulted before opening up his window of the copter.
"The name is Butch! Weren't you listening to my intro?!" Butch yelled at her and Christie glared at him. "And if you think we'll surrender that easily think again!"
"Don't bother trying to negotiate with them we'll get those Pokémon back!" Steve responded and the rest of the trainers in the village nodded.
"Err, Cassidy, we have a problem." Butch said as a large sweat-drop rolled down his head.
"What kind of problem Biff?" Cassidy asked and Butch face-faulted.
"I told you before, the name is Butch!" Butch responded before frowning. "Anyway, it's the kind of problem that arises when a whole village of Pokémon Trainers teams up to stop us."
"Oh….." Cassidy trailed off with a wince. "Well we can't settle down yet, we'll have to lose the cargo first and I'm not about to waste the bosses money."
"I get the feeling we won't have a choice in the matter to be honest." Butch responded as he looked out the window again.
"Skarmory, go!" Steve called out as he tossed the Pokeball and his Skarmory emerged from it.
"Froslass, go!" Ann called out as she tossed her Pokeball and Froslass emerged from it.
"Go get them Manky!" Dalton added as he tossed the Pokeball and Manky emerged from it, soon afterwards the rest of the village tossed out their Pokémon.
"Remember guys, our priority is saving their Pokémon, we can report the attempted theft to Officer Jenny the next time we see one." Steve told them and the trainers nodded before sending their Pokémon into battle.
"Hey Chuck, I just had a thought, why can't we just use the vacuum on all of their Pokémon?" Cassidy asked and Butch shook his head.
"The name is Butch and I did a quick headcount! The amount of Pokémon that's about to attack the Helicopter is too much for the crate to hold!" Butch responded with a frown. "And we already have twelve Pokémon in there!"
"Good point….wait, what was that about Pokémon attacking the Helicopter?" Cassidy asked as her eyes widened and before the copter started rocking. "Why don't we send our own Pokémon out?"
"We don't have any flying types!" Butch responded before looking at the action outside, the Pokémon where attacking the crate exclusively and the Pokémon who couldn't fly like Dalton's Manky where being supported by Pokémon like Steve's Skarmory. "We have nothing to worry about! They're not even attacking the support beam!"
"Good, let's get out of here!" Cassidy responded before her eyes widened. "Butch, did you turn off the loudspeaker?"
"I thought you did." Butch responded as realization quickly hit them.
"Skarmory, use Steel Wing on the Support Beam!" Steve commanded and the Skarmory flew towards the support beam before severing it with the Steel Wing and causing it to crash to the ground, fortunately no one was under the crate's location when it crashed, destroying the vacuum in the process, and the two girl's Pokémon where quickly freed.
"We'd better get out of here and quick." Butch commented and Cassidy nodded in agreement before flying off. "I am not explaining this to the boss!"
"Thanks for the help guys." Christie thanked them as her Eevee leapt into her arms and Alex's Blitzle ran up to her. "That was way to close."
"Yeah well, that battle was the most fun we've had all day! It was the least we could do." Michael responded as the girls were handed their Pokémon back.
"I'm just disappointed that it ended the way it did." Alex sighed as she attached her Pokeballs to her belt buckle before getting an idea. "Christie, how about the next time we see each other we have a rematch between your Eevee and my Blitzle?"
"You're on." Christie responded with a grin as the helicopter disappeared from site. "And hopefully that battle won't be interrupted!"
"Yeah, hopefully it won't." Alex agreed with a nod. "I'm off to Terracotta Town as soon as my Pokémon are healed, what about you guys?"
"We're heading there as well." Steve responded with a nod before the trainers entered the Pokémon Center.