The Winds of New Beginnings
Like in the game and the series, to qualify for the championship, participants must accumulate eight gym badges. The heroes decided to set their sights for Violet City, where the closest gym was. It would still take some time to get to the city, so the heroes took this time getting to know their Pokémon. Joey had to be careful with his hands because Totodile had a tendency to bite. But Joey also knew that having a big mouth also qualified for having a big appetite. So Joey shared some of his own food with his new friend. Totodile liked it and knew he was going to like his trainer. Yugi was gentle around Chikorita and carefully stroked the leaf on her forehead. Chikorita liked the way he was soothing her. Kaiba figured there would be no difficulty in training Cyndaquil. Even a mild-tempered Pokémon can get fired up. It would just take some work, something Kaiba knew a lot about.
Emily had quite an opportunity handed to her. Instead of getting one Pokémon, she got a full party. The team was evenly balanced with three females and three males. To tell them apart, Emily gave them all names and collars of different colors. The first was Undine, who loved to swim and take baths and play in the rain. Next was her brother Sylphid, who was the fastest and he wasn't afraid of lightning or thunderstorms. Salamando was next in line. He didn't always like to fight, but he had a bit of a temper. After that was the youngest brother Shade. He wasn't afraid of the dark and had a tendency to be sneaky. Lumina was the daintiest of her siblings and she was also a little sensitive. She liked to keep clean and she was also the most calm and collected and observant. Finally, there was Luna, the smallest of the family. She wasn't too big or tough like her older siblings, but she had a lot to give.
To see what their Pokémon could do and to get a feeling of what it would be like to be trainers, the heroes decided to have Pokémon battles. The first match would be Emily against Joey. She decided to battle with Undine and Joey chose Totodile. The battle was a little simple with a few pushes and scratches and bites. Totodile was a tough competitor, but Undine's fur made her slick and capable of evading attacks. Totodile bit down on her tail and tossed her across the battlefield. It didn't hurt too much. Undine still had some fight in her. Totodile launched a Water Gun attack, but Undine enjoyed it. She felt refreshed and restored. After getting the water off of her fur, she charged right in and used her Quick Attack, knocking Totodile out and ending the battle.
Kaiba wanted a shot at a battle too. It would benefit him and Emily. So he decided to pit his Cyndaquil against Salamando. Salamando was strong, but Cyndaquil was fast. They say the best offense is a good defense, and that was what happened. Cyndaquil dodged most of Salamando's attacks with Flame Wheel and the same Flame Wheel was used to deal damage. Salamado had learned to endure any attack being thrown out because he believed taking in pain was the key to getting stronger. He tried to use Quick Attack to counter Flame Wheel, but he still ended up taking some damages. He tried a different approach like attacking from afar by means of Swift. The stars couldn't even faze Cyndaquil because the flames of Flame Wheel protected him. Cyndaquil charged in once more and knocked Salamando out.
Yugi was the only one left. He and Emily decided to pit an easy Pokémon for an easy Pokémon. So it would be Chikorita against Lumina. The battle was just as simple with them always tackling each other and butting each other. Chikorita had the ability to release an aroma to distract her opponents. The scent was captivating, but Lumina tried not to get distracted. But it was too late. Chikorita was using her leaf to tickle Lumina. The leaf also touched her nose and ended up making her sneeze. Chikorita had the advantage now by getting Lumina's sinuses to act up, so she used Vine Whip to catch Lumina and toss her across the battlefield. Lumina couldn't take anymore, so she told Chikorita she had enough. Chikorita accepted her opponent's word and they settled it by holding their paws out to each other.
With the battles done, it was time to get the Pokémon spruced up. Undine, Salamando, and Lumina were bathed and groomed, Joey gave the Pokémon some lunch, and Yugi and Kaiba reached into the first-aid kit and began healing the Pokémon. When everyone was done, they agreed to get back on the road to Violet City. From what the heroes knew, the Violet gym leader specialized in flying-type Pokémon, so Emily knew that the best Pokémon to help would be Sylphid. He was fast and would be capable of taking on the flying-type Pokémon. Needless to say Emily would be training Sylphid a lot on the way. And while on the way, the boys could build up their arsenals.