A Dairy Tale Ending

Emily sat in the lobby as she waited to hear the news of her Pokémon. Nurse Joy came by and gave her some reassuring news. "Don't worry, Emily. All your Pokémon need is a good night's sleep and they'll be good as new tomorrow."

"Thank you," Emily said gratefully. This wasn't something Nurse Joy wasn't used to. Many of Whitney's challengers came here after their battles and some of them ended up in worse shape than Undine, Lumina, and Sylphid did. These three siblings seemed to have better luck. That was somewhat good news.

The boys weren't sure how to handle the situation at hand. "Emily lost her gym battle," said Joey. "Does this mean we're gonna be stuck here in this world for the rest of our lives?"

"No," Kaiba answered. "A Plain badge was at stake, not a Cobalt Star shard. We still have a chance."

"What chance does Emily have against a Pokémon like Miltank?" Joey asked. "No matter what Pokémon she chooses or what attack she tries, Miltank's just gonna do the same thing and bowl her Pokémon over with Rollout. How can Emily land an attack if she can't even slow Miltank down, let alone stop her?"

For once, none of them knew what to do. This was a first for any of the boys. It was one thing to fight Miltank in the games, but this was reality and the battle was very different. Emily overheard their discussion, but didn't invite herself to join in. She decided to go to bed.

The next morning, Emily returned to the lobby to pick up her Pokémon. The doors opened and Undine, Lumina, and Sylphid were happy to see her. She was happy in the same way to see them looking lively and well again. But the disappointment she felt from her defeat was still lingering. "I'm really sorry for what I put you three through. If I had known what we were going to be up against, I wouldn't have put you in harm's way."

"It's okay, Emily," said Lumina. "We all did our best and that's what matters."

"So you're not upset or disappointed?" the blonde girl asked.

"Of course not," Undine replied. "Win or lose, we're still a great team and we'll always love you."

Emily smiled a little. "I just thought you'd hate me for not knowing what I was doing out there."

"You executed good strategies," Sylphid debated. "Miltank was just a tough opponent. After our defeat when the girls and I tried to sleep, we were afraid you'd be mad at us for letting you down."

Emily shakes her head. "You could never let me down and I could never be mad at any of you. We'll find a way to beat Miltank," she promised and hugged her Pokémon.

Just then, Whitney's voice was heard. "Good morning!" Everyone turned and saw her coming their way. "I came to see how your Pokémon were doing after yesterday's big battle," she told Emily.

Emily appreciated her consideration. "Thanks, Whitney. We're all feeling much better."

Whitney got an idea and decided to treat her friends to something special. "I got someplace I want to take you guys. Come with me," she says, not giving them a chance to answer. Yugi and the others followed her anyway.

She brought the group to the outskirts where her Uncle Milton ran a dairy farm. It was actually one of the best places to visit and a very convenient place. The milk produced by Miltank was very delicious and nutritious. It had the ability to heal sick and injured Pokémon and people used it to make ice cream, yogurt, cream, butter, cheese, and plenty of treats. If it was good as it was rumored to be, then Yugi and his friends couldn't wait to sample a few tastes.

When they got to the house, Whitney and Milton treated their guests to some milk and treats. Whitney got an idea and suggested, "Hey, Emily, why don't you let Sylphid, Undine, and Lumina have some milk too? It'll be good for them after their battle."

"Good idea," Emily agreed and released them from their Pokéballs. Milton placed some dishes of milk on the floor. Sylphid and his sisters drank and found themselves feeling better than they had in a long time. Even Emily and her friends enjoyed the milk. "This really is good," Emily said with gratification. "I'm feeling refreshed and strong."

"I'm a city person, but I have to admit, this is satisfying," Kaiba complimented.

Joey agreed. "And it's good and tasty, just how I like it."

Milton came back and offered Whitney and her friends some yogurt and cheese. It was just as delicious and favorable. After enjoying the treats, Whitney decided to go to the hills to train Miltank. Emily decided to tag along to see how Miltank came to be so strong. It would also give her an idea on what she could do to strategize against her. As Emily watched, she saw that Miltank was rolling down the hills and up again. That was how she came to be so fast. Then she wondered, maybe it was the battlefield itself that gave Miltank such great speed. Maybe that was the key to stopping Miltank. In battle, coordination and balance are everything. That was when Emily knew what she could do to get Miltank to lose her balance.

Finally, she gathered her courage and approached Whitney. "Excuse me, Whitney."

"Oh, hi, Emily. What's up?"

"Sorry to interrupt your training, but I'd like to ask for something from you."

"Sure. What is it?"

"I'd like to face you and Miltank in a rematch."

Whitney had been waiting for Emily to say so. "I'd be happy to face you in a rematch. Would you like to come back to the gym tomorrow?"

Emily actually had another request. "Actually, I'd like for us to battle right here and now. Is that too much to ask?"

Whitney shook her head. "There's no such thing as a tall order from a champion. If it would honor you for us to battle here and now, then I accept your request."

The stage was sent, but Emily's friends weren't too sure. "Why is she doing this?" Kaiba asked. "Nothing's changed since the last battle."

Yugi disagreed. "Emily is highly observant and takes time to notice things she may have missed. She might actually have a plan."

Just like before, Emily decided to have Lumina face Miltank first. Miltank made the first move by attacking with Rollout. Lumina used Psychic to try to hold Miltank and wear her out, but she was only straining herself as she was concentrating. Miltank charged and attacked Lumina. This wasn't an official gym battle, but Whitney wanted to win as much as Emily did. Lumina was getting tired, but she held her ground and continued focusing her psychic energy on Miltank. But the cow continue to charge and bowl Lumina over.

Lumina couldn't take much more, so Emily called her back and sent Undine to take it from here. Miltank was ready to bowl Undine over with Rollout again, but Undine was ready. Instead of focusing on her opponent, she focused on the battle. A field point advantage worked before and it would work again if adjusted. Undine used Water Gun to make ditches in the ground. As Miltank continued to roll, she got caught in the ditches and ended up losing her balance. This was the opportunity she needed. Emily called Undine back and sent Sylphid to finish the job his sisters started. He jumped in a ditch and as Miltank fell in, Sylphid used Double Kick to toss her in the air and break her coordination. She was tossed and no longer curled up. Sylphid acted fast and zapped Miltank with his Thunder Shock. It did more damage than before and Miltank could no longer battle.

It worked. With their team effort, Emily and her Pokémon were finally able to beat Miltank. Kaiba was amazed. "Briar really did have a plan after all."

Yugi nods. "First she had Lumina wear Miltank out with her psychic powers. Then Undine dug ditches to cause Miltank to lose her balance. When Sylphid got under Miltank and tossed her in the air, that was the opportunity he needed to land an attack."

Whitney approached Miltank with concern. She was going to be fine, but she certainly wasn't expecting this to happen. Whitney hadn't had a challenge like that since a few years ago when another trainer fought Miltank in the same way. That was when Whitney knew what needed to be done. She got on her feet and stood with pride. "I need to give you something, Emily." And she reached into her pocket and held out a Plain badge.

Emily was confused. "But our match wasn't an official gym battle."

"True, but you beat the gym leader's top Pokémon," Whitney explained. "And for that, you've rightfully earned this badge."

For that matter, Emily gladly accepted the Plain badge and cheered in triumph. Her Pokémon and friends cheered with her.

When Emily returned to the Pokémon Center to get her team healed up, word got out fast that she defeated Whitney in a Pokémon battle and won a Plain badge. She was asked to attend this afternoon's radio show for an interview. It was pretty nerve-wracking. Emily had never attended a radio show before. Nonetheless, she decided to go to the radio show to be interviewed.

As if coveting a Plain badge wasn't thrilling enough news, the producer, DJ Mary, quickly learned that Emily and her friends were the four famous duelists and she wanted to interview everybody. Like many other fans, DJ Mary knew of their reputations as dueling champions and figured it must be exciting for them to be Pokémon trainers and are traveling the Johto Region. Emily spoke up and agreed, but she said she had always wanted to see the wonders of the Pokémon world and that would make the journey all the more worthwhile. Traveling and seeing the world was always the better thrill. It was one truth. But the heroes couldn't reveal their motive for being here in the Pokémon world. If they let it out to the public that they were sent here from another world to find a sacred object, listeners would think the heroes were crazy. Thankfully, the interview was over and Yugi and his friends could move on.