It was time. In 20 minutes White would be pitted against Chili and his pansear for the Trio badge. White tapped her feet on the floor as she waited for Cilian, who had finished his performance with the musicians, to join her with some people that she requested to see before she went out on stage. After her dance with N, White was mobbed by a bunch of people that wanted to talk to her about her upcoming battle or boogie with her across the dance floor. She was able to get away, but never found her friends and family while she was out and about.
"White! I've found them," Cilian announced as he opened the door to the side room of the stage.
"So this is like backstage at a show! This is so cool, huh, Cheren?" White heard Bianca bubble about to Cheren.
"White? Hun?" White's mother appeared behind Cilian and crashed into White for a hug. Bianca also gave White a huge bear hug and Cheren offered her a stiff nod. White grit her teeth and greeted Professor Fennel and Professor Juniper who came to cheer her on as well. After catching them up to speed, Cheren finally spoke up about her match.
"Do you have a strategy on how to beat the gym leader?" Cheren said while fiddling with his necktie. Everyone in the room went silent waiting for White's answer.
"To tell you the truth? I haven't really thought of anything," White said with a shrug while playing with the lace on her dress. Nearly everyone in the room gasped. Professor Juniper shook her head in disapproval and White's eyes narrowed. Cheren reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a small, blue ball of bubblegum.
"Take this. It helped me a lot when I went against the gym leader here," Cheren responded. He placed the object into White's hand. It was slightly firm, but very light weight.
"What is White supposed to do with that gumball, Cheren? Does it make you less nervous or something?" Bianca said while studying the orb as White rolled it around on her palm.
"It isn't bubblegum. It's a berry that can help your pokemon. Have Snivy hold it during battle. If he takes a hit, he can eat the berry and it will make him feel rejuvenated," Cheren explained.
White glanced to the side as she saw Cilian twitch in the corner of the room. He had a small frown on his face and looked like he wanted to say something.
"That is how I was able to win so easily against the water gym leader. Tepig was only able to dodge his water attacks for so long. Once he got drenched, he ate the berry and was able to get a revenge hit in after that," Cheren said while straightening his glasses.
"Is that…allowed? It kind of seems like cheating," White said while tilting her head to the side.
"Pokemon can hold one item at a time. There are many different items that naturally enhance a pokemon's abilities that they can hold such as a quick claw to allow faster movement, or an air balloon so that they can't be hit by ground type moves. Berries are perfectly legal held items," Professor Juniper interjected.
"That's so cool! Good for you, White!" Bianca said while giving her friend a pat on the back, "Nice dress by the way! It's got chess pieces on it!"
"Thanks Sherlock Horsea," White said while cracking a smile.
"I was nervous about you shacking up with these three boys but they seem nice enough," White's mother said. Cilian laughed a little at White's mother's remark.
"Mother. Are we really going to have this discussion here? In front of everybody?" White said with a sigh.
"Professor Juniper told me that they were trustworthy, though," White's mom winked at Professor Juniper while completely ignoring her pleading daughter. White could feel her discomfort growing by the second.
"Who was that person you were dancing with?" Cheren blurted out as if he just remembered. White thought her embarrassment had reached a maximum and now she had to lie.
"No one in particular. Just a guest from the cafe," White said while she shook her head.
"He was talking to you an awful lot," Cheren pointed out.
"Just an acquaintance," White squeaked. She wasn't the best liar.
"White. I need to get you on the stage. It's time," Cilian commented. White screamed her thanks to Cillian in her mind.
"I know you'll do well, White! You're a trainer prodigy! A super nice trainer prodigy!" Professor Fennel exclaimed dramatically.
"We're cheering for you, girl!" Bianca said with equal enthusiasm.
"Thanks everyone!" White said decidedly. Cheren straightened his glasses.
"Well…don't forget about the berry, okay?" he said. White nodded.
"I won't!"
White returned to the dark stage where she had been a couple hours ago with the brothers. The curtains were drawn and loud talking could be heard from the ballroom past the heavy fabric.
"Was there something you needed to tell me in there, Cil?" White said sweetly to Cilian. Cilian stopped and turned around.
"You looked awful fidgety when we started talking about the battle. You can tell me," she reassured him.
"Normally my brothers and I frown on giving our challengers any hints about how to win, but I feel as if I need to steer you in the right direction when it comes to battling Chili. From one grass pokemon trainer to another, you know," Cillian admitted.
White looked at Cillian intently in the dimly lit area. Cillian continued.
"Chili fights differently than Cress and I. Think about what his style of battle would be based on his personality. Momentum is everything in a battle against Chili. Just…remember that and you will be fine," Cilian said quietly.
"That kind of makes sense, I guess. Thank you, Cilian," White approved. They could hear footsteps coming up to the stage from the side room. Cilian leaned over and whispered one more bit of information to White.
"One last thing: don't put to much stock in that berry your friend gave you. It may work against Cress or myself, but-"
"Hey you two. We've been scouring the ballroom for you both. Ready?" Cress asked.
"Ready as I'll ever be," White said, determined to hide the shaking in her voice. She had suddenly begun to get a little nervous but she had to keep telling herself it was just a battle. Just a little, simple battle.
White walked into a white square that was marked on the floor on the right side of the stage. Chili also stood in a white square on the opposite side facing White. White did a couple deep breaths and then sent out Snivy. The pokeball made a small flash on the dark stage. Snivy looked up at White happily.
"Ready, buddy?" White asked her little green lizard. He nodded lazily and smirked.
"Take this and eat it if you get hit out there, okay?" White kneeled down and handed the tiny blue berry to Snivy. He took it and observed it before nodding in agreement with White. He placed it on the tip of his tail and shook it back and forth quickly to prove to White that it could hold on to the little berry safely.
Chili had sent out Pansear previously and they were already getting psyched up for the battle. Cilian and Cress wished White good luck and then pulled back the curtains. Light poured onto the stage as well as the loud applause from the audience. White and Chili stared each other down while the adrenaline began to pump though them. There was something inspiring about being on stage that made White more determined than ever to win her first gym match.
"Challenger," Chili addressed White loudly, "State your purpose here tonight!"
"My name is White from the town of Nuvema. I've come here to challenge you, Chili of the Sriation gym, for the trio badge!" White said loudly while stamping her foot. She hoped that was dramatic enough. White had been planning to say that all night ever since her terrible performance from earlier that evening. The crowd continued to cheer and Chili smirked.
"I accept your challenge. Ohh yeah! Let's do this!"
Snivy and Pansear leap to the center of the stage, scowling at one another. White drew in a breath to signal a vine whip attack for Snivy, but she was left with no time to yell.
"Light it up! Incinerate, Pansear!" Chili shouted.
White hardly blinked before Pansear shot out a long beam of fire pointed straight at Snivy.
"Roll right!" White gasped and Snivy managed to barely dodge the fire shot. Pansear wiped its mouth with its little furry arm and grinned.
"Fury swipes!" Chili roared while pointing at his opponent. Pansear followed Chili's orders quickly and dashed up to Snivy at breakneck speed. He slashed the green lizard a few times with his tiny claws, but Snivy managed to dodge most of them. Snivy landed away from Pansear. He was already looking a little stressed.
"Snivy! Vine whip to get him to stay still!" White remembered Cillian's suggestion for keeping up the momentum in battle. Snivy's most deadly combo had proven to be a vine whip followed by throwing the opponent so she decided to go with it to gain control of the battle.
"Watch it, Pansear!" Chili shouted, but Snivy's vines were too accurate. After a hit, Snivy's vines wrapped around Pansear and squeezed him tightly. Chili yelled, with a big smile on his face.
"Perfect! Incinerate!"
White gasped when she realized that she had walked right into his trap. The flame traveled up Snivy's vines and then smoldered the grass type with crackling flame. White's eyes widened.
"Snivy! NO!" she screamed.
She collected herself quickly as she noticed Chili give one last command to finish him off. She noticed that Chili's fighting style really was just like his personality, rash, and erratic.
"Roll to put the fire out, Snivy!" White shrieked.
Snivy quickly rolled to the side of the stage while simultaneously dodging a fury swipes from Pansear. This did not stop Pansear's assault, however, and he ran to Snivy to attempt an attack on him again. White shouted the only thing she knew that would get the fire monkey to back off.
"Leaf tornado!"
A very scratched and burnt up Snivy reacted and quickly spiraled. Before Pansear could stop his assault, his little red body got caught in the tornado. The crowd gasped in awe and amazement at Snivy's tornado, which towered far above White and Chili. The small leaves that the tiny lizard released in the gale slashed across Pansear, and Chili looked reasonably shocked. Snivy finally released the fire monkey, who landed to the floor with a thud. Snivy landed, but wobbled and fell over in the process.
"Get up Snivy, come on! I know you can do it!" White encouraged him. Snivy shakily got himself up, but was heaving from exhaustion. His normally soft scales were burnt and tattered. Pansear got up, but not without wincing. Chili took the risk of having him get hit by a vine whip earlier; Also, while leaf tornado wasn't good against fire types, it was a powerful attack nonetheless that ended up costing Pansear a lot of durability. Luckily, White had something to make Snivy get back in the game.
"Snivy! Eat your berry!" White commanded him. Snivy smiled with relief and went to reach for his berry, which he had been keeping safe on the end of his tail. He froze when he found nothing there.
"Sniii!" Snivy called worriedly to White.
"D-did you lose it?" White asked frantically while scanning the stage. Chili immediately began laughing.
"One of the coolest parts about Pansear's incinerate attack is that is burns up berries that a pokemon is holding!" Chili guffawed. White clenched her fists. So that was what Cillian had warned her about. She had been such a fool…if only they had been more defensive and played it safe! Now the situation was not looking sunny for White and her beat up pokemon. Snivy was about to faint from getting hit by a fire attack and from doing a leaf tornado. She would need to think of something quickly if she wanted to win this match.
"Incinerate!" Chili called. Pansear shot out the beam of fire, but Snivy barely avoided it.
"Get in close, Snivy," White commanded. Snivy began running up to Pansear while avoiding the shots of fire. When he got close enough, White gave the order.
"Grab him with your vines, bring him up to you, and use leer!" White announced. Snivy was only a couple feet away from pansear when his singed vines grabbed him.
"Wha-wha wait!" Chili said, getting a little disheveled. Snivy pulled Pansear up to meet him face-to-face and glared at him. Pansear squirmed nervously under Snivy's gaze until he was paralyzed completely from terror at the little angry lizard.
"Now fling him up and send him crashing!" White said finally.
"Get out with incinerate, Pansear!" Chili said worriedly. He looked as if he was bouncing up and down almost. Snivy threw Pansear into the air. He came crashing down at the center of the stage. Snivy panted for breath as he glared at Pansear. Pansear struggled to get off the ground, but finally slumped down and gave up.
And with that, the crowd went nuts while White stood rooted to her spot with her eyes wide. Her pink lips spread into a smile.
The match was over. White won.
"Did you try their emergency line? And xtranscievers?" one of the police officers said to another who was working the front desk at the precinct between Striaton and Nacrene.
"I did, but they've got that thing at the cafe tonight so there is no way that we will be able to get in touch with them in time. The chief said that someone is gonna be here to collect the prisoners that the trainer girl and the leaders picked up for brutality against a pokemon. They haven't been given a court date, hell, they've hardly been in jail for a day and they're already being let free! This ain't right!" the officer said. He took off his hat and threw it on the ground in frustration.
"How deep into their pockets did we have to go in order for them to be released, I wonder?" the other officer said with a sullen look on his face, "If only the gym leaders knew…they could put a stop to this with their rank!"
"Keep trying to get a hold of them," the officer said desperately, "just keep trying."
At the end of his sentence the front glass doors of the lobby opened. In strode a man, his face obscured by a flashy mask. His dress shoes clicked across the grimy linoleum floor as he walked. He stopped in front of the desk and bowed to the two men.
"Greetings. I am here this evening at the behest of the sages of Team Plasma. I believe you know what I am here to collect," the man said politely. The officers glared at his smiling face.
"This ain't right," one of the officers spat angrily. The masked man put his gloved hands up in a peaceful manner.
"My good men, do not fear. In our hands these prisoners can be given a punishment far more severe than that which you can bestow. Violence against an innocent pokemon is an unforgivable act. Now, if you please, return to me what is ours."
/Chapter 15 end/
Almost uploaded this chapter with a finalized list of N and White's pokemon and their attacks (for their final battle) with this chapter! HAHAHA-ahah…hah.
Anyway, sorry if the battle was boring to some people. Since everyone was so nice and left such sweet comments, I'll give a harmless spoiler: White gets to meet up with N again during chapter 18! Look forward to it! :3
ALSO did anyone happen to see what season 2 of Pokemon Best Wishes is dishing out? It's going to have N, Ghetsis, and Colress! Yay! I haven't been this excited about the anime in a long time!