A Goldenrod Opportunity

It's been a long time coming, but the heroes finally made it to their destination along the Johto Region. They were finally in reach of Goldenrod City.

"I can't believe we're finally here," Emily said with glee.

"This place is huge," said Joey. "It's bigger than Domino."

"That makes this an easy city to get lost in," said Kaiba. "We've got to stay together."

Goldenrod City was definitely a metropolis. It was hard to find the gym. But as the heroes continued to find their way around, they were intrigued by the sales in the shops and the fine dining. None of them would mind being preoccupied with browsing around shops or sampling a few snacks.

When they finally found the Goldenrod gym, there was a sign that read that the gym would be closed until tomorrow. It was disappointing, but they didn't come all this way for nothing. They would spend the rest of the day exploring the city and stocking up on supplies.

After eating lunch, the heroes decided they wanted to check out the Goldenrod Galleria. On the way, a Clefairy came by and surprised the heroes. "There you are," a voice cried. Everyone turned and saw a young girl with dark pink hair and white clothes. "Sorry about that. My Clefairy has a tendency to wander off."

"No harm done," said Emily. "We were just on our way to the Goldenrod Galleria until your Clefairy came by."

"If you want, I can take you there," the girl offered. "I know my way around like I know my own name and that's Whitney," she introduced.

"Thanks. We would like that a lot," said Emily. "We just got here and we're not familiar with the city. My name is Emily and these are my friends Yugi, Joey, and Kaiba."

Whitney became ecstatic when she heard their names. "No way! The four champions of Duel Monsters? Oh, wow, this is so exciting! I can't believe I'm meeting you guys and getting to show you around!"

The heroes chuckled nervously at Whitney's enthusiasm, but they didn't mind hanging around with her as they would explore the city. To avoid the crowded streets, she led them to the tunnels that led underground. Not only would passersby cut through to the other side of the city, but they would also get to enjoy the arcades and salons and mini marts.

Unfortunately, the tunnel led them further away from the Goldenrod Galleria. Whitney was embarrassed, but she remained optimistic and told her new friends not to worry. All they had to do was backtrack and take another route. It actually worked. The funny thing Whitney thought about herself was that she always knew where she was going when she didn't know where she was going. But after the confusion and embarrassment, everyone was where they wanted to be.

"Well, I think we'll hang out here for a while, then find a Pokémon Center where we can rest," Emily decided.

"Thanks for taking us around, Whitney," Joey said. He admitted to himself that she was a bit of a ditz, but he didn't mind. He was the same way sometimes.

Whitney was just honored that she got to hang out with the four champions of Duel Monsters. "It was awesome meeting you guys, but Clefairy and I had better get going." So she picked up her Pokémon and went on her way.

The stores in the Galleria showed intriguing merchandise like jewelry, clothes, accessories, appliances, electronics, toys, almost everything. But although Emily and her friends admired the different merchandises and were intrigued by the sales, they avoided the temptation of buying anything. None of them wanted to go through the trouble of dragging unnecessary luggage. As they climbed to the top floors, they could see everything in the city.

After browsing and window shopping, everyone agreed that it was time to go. So they left the Goldenrod Galleria and went on their way to find the Pokémon Center. On the way, they came to the Magnet Train station. Travelers could take the train and cut through to Saffron City in the Kanto Region. It sounded exhilarating, but they didn't have the time to take a large detour. Everyone agreed to finish traveling through the Johto Region before exploring Kanto.

When they finally found the Pokémon Center, the heroes met up with Whitney again. "Hi, Whitney," Emily called out.

She turned around and gave them her attention. "Hi, Emily. Hey, guys. Did you get to shop around?"

"Yeah, but we decided not to buy anything," the blonde girl answered. "We came back here to rest up after an exciting day and for tomorrow."

"You see, that's why we came here," Yugi was saying. "Emily's going to challenge the Goldenrod gym leader when the gym opens up again tomorrow."

"Why didn't you just say so," Whitney asked. "I could have taken you there right away."

"We were there before we met you, but the sign said it was closed until tomorrow," said Joey.

Whitney knew, but she told them not to worry. She was the one who placed the sign on the door because the gym leader decided to take the day off. That was when Emily and the boys figured out that Whitney was the Goldenrod gym leader. And now that she had a challenger, she could welcome the heroes to the gym. "I'd be honored to have a battle with you, Emily," Whitney told her. "It'd be exciting to face one of the champions of Duel Monsters in a Pokémon battle."

"I'd be just as honored, Whitney," Emily said and shook her hand.

As promised, Whitney brought everyone back to the Goldenrod gym. Thankfully, this time, there were no detours. It seemed to be the only place Whitney knew how to get to. The referee raised her voice and made her announcement. "Emily Briar, the challenger, faces Whitney, the Goldenrod City gym leader in a Pokémon Battle. A Plain badge is at stake. This will be a three on three match, but only the challenger will be permitted to substitute Pokémon. Are you ready?"

"I'm ready for a real rumble," Whitney replied. "Are you?"

"I'm ready too," Emily replied.

The referee raised the flags and cried, "Battle begin!"

Whitney tossed her Pokéball and called on Nidorina. Emily tossed her Pokéball and called on Lumina. It was a good choice. Poison-type Pokémon like Nidorina are weak against psychic attacks. Nidorina attacked with her Poison Sting, but Lumina countered with Swift. Nidorina charged in for a Tackle, but Lumina stopped her with Psychic. The attack took its toll on Nidorina and she was no longer able to battle.

Whitney chose Clefairy as her next Pokémon. The pink fairy stepped into the battlefield and began waving her fingers in the air. Emily knew what was coming. Clefairy was using Metronome; an attack that would become a random attack. Emily warned Lumina to stay on her toes because there was no telling what Metronome was going to be. The suspense turned into disappointment when the attack turned out to be Rain Dance. Bored with her opponent's attack, Lumina used Swift. Clefairy got frightened and started running to avoid damage.

"Stop," Whitney pleaded, "Clefairy can't take this!" So Whitney lost that round due to Clefairy's forefeit. It didn't matter. This last Pokémon was Whitney's trump card. It was Miltank, a milk cow Pokémon. Miltank were usually mild-tempered and didn't like to battle, but that didn't mean they were pushovers. This Miltank was going to be a very formidable foe.

She was already proving to be when she bowled Lumina over with a Rollout attack. Sure enough, Miltank was no pushover. And it was going to get worse because as long as Miltank would use Rollout, her attack would get stronger and she would move faster. Lumina tried to slow her down with her Psychic attack, but Miltank just kept coming. And because Miltank was moving faster, even Lumina's ability of clairvoyance would be of no help to her. There was no telling where Miltank was going to attack from and even if she knew, she wouldn't have time to escape. Miltank bowled Lumina over once more, knocking her out.

Emily called Lumina back and gave her praise for her effort. She chose Undine to battle. Rain Dance was still in effect, so a damp field could give her a field point advantage. But it helped Miltank too. Because the floor was slick, it raised her speed. Miltank was ready to bowl Undine over with Rollout. Undine tried to slow her down with her Water Gun, but Miltank kept coming and charged at her. Undine kept using Water Gun as much as she could, but got knocked out the same way her sister did. Now Emily was down to one last Pokémon. That could actually be all she needs. The rain stopped, but the arena was still wet and so was Miltank. Emily called on Sylphid to finish the job his sisters started. Miltank was using Rollout again. Sylphid tried to attack with Thunder Shock, but Miltank wasn't taking a lot of damage. The maneuver would have worked, but the problem was Miltank was rolling so fast, her fur dried off quickly. Sylphid tried zapping the field instead, but even that didn't do a lot. All he could do now was match speed for speed, but even he couldn't keep up with Miltank. He ended up with same defeat as his sisters. The match was over and Whitney was the winner.

"That was a great battle, Emily," she complimented. "And if you ever want a rematch, just let me know."

Emily said nothing. She looked at the ground in sadness. She was sorry for what she put her Pokémon through, which also caused her to be disappointed in herself.

"With a Pokémon like Miltank, what's the point of having a rematch," Joey wondered.

"Joey," Yugi scolded.

Emily remained in silence, but finally got up and left the arena. The boys followed her and went to the Pokémon Center.