Route 34
"Psyduck, Zen Headbutt!" "Leafeon, Razor Leaf!" The yellow duck and the leafy fox unleashed their attacks, with the former unleashing a psychic-encased headbutt, while the latter send leaves flying at the other. The attacks collided, and after a moment of pressuring attacks, Psyduck was knocked back. It skidded to a halt, holding its head as it recovered from the attack.
Jackson was true to his word in Azalea Town; with his Air Shoes and an open path, he and Leafeon had flown through the Ilex Forest with no problem, making out of it in no time flat. Now that they were out, they went and challenged trainers all about the new route. If what Bugsy warned them was true, then he and his team had to gain experience to take on the next gym that was said to be a tough hurdle to get over.
"Use Bite!" Jackson shouted to Leafeon, who dove and created energy fangs that she snapped down onto Psyduck, owned by a camper named Todd. There was an explosion, and the duck was sent flying, tumbling onto the ground, until he stopped, unconscious.
"Ah, man!" Todd grimaced, "You really got me good, Jackson. Nice battle!"
"Thanks." Jackson replied, walking up to the trainer and shaking hands with him.
"By the way, would you like to exchange phone numbers?" Todd asked, "I wouldn't mind fighting you again. Plus, if you need to find some deals, I'm your man."
"How so?" Jackson asked, "Hopefully there's no black market or something."
"No, but there are clearance deals at the Goldenrod City shopping mall." Todd informed him, "Whenever those pop up, I can shoot you a message."
"That sounds pretty darn useful." Jackson noted, pulling out his tablet, "I know it's the biggest city in Johto. I bet the shopping mall is pretty big, too."
"Heck yeah, it is!" Todd answered, "It's got more variety of things for all sorts of trainers. It even has a floor where you can purchase moves to teach your Pokémon."
"That's pretty cool." Jackson noted, looking at the tablet and pulling up the picture of the Goldenrod City shopping mall with the list of all they had available, "I might need to go in there. I have got a lot of money." He then traded phone numbers with Todd, and they parted ways with one another.
"Do you think we need to learn new moves?" Leafeon asked.
"We should. Let's expand our horizon and see what moves we can learn." Jackson told Leafeon, and they made their way to the direction where they could see the skyscrapers in the distance. They were getting close.
(Insert 'Never Give Up' By Sonar Pocket)
Instrumental Opening
(Jackson stands at the top of a cliff, looking out into the vast landscape of the Johto region. He turns to the camera with surprise, grins, then draws his sword and swipes it across the screen, transitioning to white with the logo appearing.)
What tough heart! Once I decided that I'd keep up the fight
My road has never stopped unraveling
(Camera circles around Jackson as he runs along an open-plain path with his Leafeon, who after a couple seconds, leaps onto his shoulders as he activates his Extreme Gear and shoots even faster onto the path.)
Carrying a small bit of pride
With my fists clenched
(The screen shows a brief image of Professor Elm, dropping papers from his clipboard, and smiling as he rubbed the back of his head. It shifts to a visual of Kris, Ethan, and their starters, with Ethan punching his fist forward, while Kris spun around with her arms out wide.)
I aim for the goal again step by step
Racing towards it with all my might!
(The screen shifts to Sonic & Tails, the former giving a thumbs up, while the latter waved his hands above eagerly. The screen shifts to Cypher, who glared at the screen with a Pokéball held close to his face.)
Sometimes it'll be a bad day
Where nothing goes the way I want it to
But even if the sky blurs through my tears
(Jackson is sitting by a campfire, his expression full of emotional pain as shadows of his past with red eyes creeped all around him. He curled himself into a ball as the shadow of his father appeared over his head.)
I'm sure my smiles will come back tomorrow
So it's okay!
(Shadows started getting blown away one large piece at a time, until light broke out around Jackson, who looked up to see his Pokémon all standing there, protecting him from his trauma.)
There's nothing out there to fear
I'll keep believing that 'I'm strong'
And get going!
(Silhouettes of the Gym Leaders appeared as the screen scrolled upwards through a gold, silver, and crystal colors behind them. It shifts to the emblem of Team Rocket, with darkened faces of grunts, with the four admins in front, holding their Pokéballs. Jackson readies his blade, as he tosses a Pokéball forward, which opens up and blinds the screen in a white light.)
'With you around, there's nothing to worry about now'
I felt as if the sky was saying that to me with a laugh
(Leafeon leapt forward and swung her tail into a Razor Leaf, before her tail glowed as she charged up sunlight, before unleashing a Solarbeam. Dewott and Weavile shoot through the Solarbeam, unleashing double Night Slash, slicing the beam, before dismissing their blades, and Dewott angrily looking at the calm and collected Weavile.)
With the sweat and tears I build up
I'm sure I'll come out dazzling
(Cyndaquil turns to face the Team Rocket logo, before unleashing his Flamethrower. Cyndaquil sighed in relief as Scyther flew over him, before slashing with his mantis claws like a swordsman.)
Even if I end up feeling anxious after it all
As long as I believe I can do it
(An Aeroblast and Sacred Fire came from the sky, shooting down at Jackson's team, but Jackson stepped in and unleashed several sword beams, countering the attacks and making them explode. He and his team endured the shockwaves and smoke from the explosion, before looking up into the distance, and saw the silhouettes of the Tower Duo flying over the two towers that represented each.)
These footsteps have taught me to
Always
Never Give Up!
(Jackson's Pokémon come to his side as he looked to them, before grinning eagerly, and the group leapt up into the air, taking on the new threat and the new adventure. The screen goes white before showing Jackson standing with his sword stabbed into the ground, his Pokémon companions surrounding him.)
Goldenrod City
The moment they entered through the gates, Jackson and Leafeon were in awe. The enormous amount of buildings that were about the place, lots of businesses all around. The apartment complexes and city houses were all about. From small, family-owned businesses, to skyscraper-sized building for large companies.
"I almost forgotten what the city-life is like." Jackson noted, looking to see a casino in the distance.
"This is the biggest city I had been in!" Leafeon stated, looking about, "I'm almost nervous. You seem to be fine with it, though."
"Didn't I tell you? I lived in an apartment complex, just outside the main parts of Station Square." Jackson explained, "It was big enough for my mom, sister and I to live in comfortably. Of course, I was out a lot, joining my friends in battles against Dr. Eggman and all sorts of other evil characters. Either that, or I was training or taking lessons from my friends to improve my skills as a hero."
"I kinda figured you were an outgoing trainer." Leafeon acknowledged, "I just never expected you as a city boy."
"I may not look it, but even if I don't stay around the big city a lot, I can quickly adapt." he told her, looking at his tablet, "Speaking of which, lets go to the shopping mall. We should see what merchandise they have, and what moves they could teach our team."
"Good thinking." Leafeon replied, and the two raced off to the direction of the mall.
They ended up finding it within a couple minutes, and Jackson was amazed at how big it was. They entered in and saw the many floors with all sorts of shops available. Deciding to get food and medical supplies for their journey, they went to the areas that had those things first, gathering up before moving on to other shops. They found a clothing shop which Jackson examined to maybe get a new set of attire just in case. Finally, they reached the floor where they found the shop where they could teach their Pokémon moves. There were two section in the shop, with one being a bit old-school, while the other was a bit more modern. Jackson went to each of them, learning about what moves they could teach.
A couple hours later, Jackson and Leafeon left the building, with Weavile also out of his Pokéball, too. "That was quite an experience." Jackson stated, "But it was pretty fascinating. and we got all the stuff we needed from it!"
"Not only that, but Weavile and I learned a new move each from that move store." Leafeon noted, looking to her companion, "I learned from the more modern store, while you learned from the old school store."
"Old school? That's fine by me..." Weavile responded, stepping in front of the team, before pulling back a curled claw, gathering up freezing air into his fist, before punching forward, unleashing a punch. "This new Ice Punch will be very useful." he finished, "A good replacement for Agility."
"And the move I learned is pretty powerful, as well." Leafeon noted, "I cannot wait to use it properly."
"Let's go to the Pokémon Center, before we continue looking about." Jackson told the team, "I want to know where the gym is at, and learn what kind of Pokémon the leader has.
They made their way to the Pokémon Center quickly thanks to a map they got of the city. Once they arrived, Jackson made his way to Nurse Joy, and gave her his Pokémon for a checkup and recover. While they were in recovery, he went around to the trainers, gathering information, mostly looking into what the gym leader, Whitney, was capable of. From what he could tell, a lot of the trainers here got trashed by her team, particularly her ace.
"Whoo! Whitney seems to be a really tough customer." Jackson muttered, "Especially that one Pokémon they mention called Miltank." He pulled up his Pokédex, and looked up the name to see a picture of a fat bipedal cow on it. "Miltank. The Milk Cow Pokémon. Miltank gives over five gallons of milk on a daily basis. Its sweet milk is enjoyed by children and grown-ups alike. People who can't drink milk turn it into yogurt and eat it instead."
"The Pokédex doesn't tell a lot about its potential." Jackson noted, putting his dex away, "But if what people say is true, I shouldn't underestimate this Pokémon's potential."
Just then, the automatic door to the Pokémon Center opened up, and Jackson turned to see who entered in. He was surprised, as it was both Ethan and Kris, both of which looked pretty worn out and depressed.
"I can't believe just how tough she is!" Ethan exclaimed, taking off his hat and ruffling his hair, "How is anyone able to beat that Miltank?!"
"No joke. Bugsy warned us she was a tough opponent to beat, but I never expected her to be THAT tough!" Kris sighed, "I really need to think through how to beat her."
"Looks like you've guys had better days." Jackson told the pair, who turned to see him standing there with a smile.
"Jackson!" they cried out together, as he approached them.
"When did you arrive?" Ethan asked.
"Just this morning. I wanted to go explore the city a bit. And let me guess; came back from the gym?"
"What gave it away?" Ethan asked sarcastically.
"We'd like to explain it to you, but we should give our Pokémon to Nurse Joy to help them heal up." Kris told him.
"Sure. I can wait." Jackson replied.
They made their way to the front desk as Nurse Joy and her Chansey came out with Pokémon in tow, including Jackson's team among them.
"Thank you for your patience. Your Pokémon are completely fine." She told Jackson, handing his tray of Pokéballs, with Leafeon coming around the desk to his side.
"Thank you, Nurse Joy." Jackson thanked her, taking the Pokéballs and pocketing them.
Ethan and Kris looked to Jackson's Leafeon, and Kris asked, "Hey, is that your Eevee? She evolved into a Leafeon!"
"That's incredible!" Ethan stated, as he and Kris handed the Pokéballs containing their defeated allies, "Did you do that in Ilex Forest?"
"Yeah, and I nearly died afterwards." Jackson muttered, recalling the Beedrill attack right after.
"What, really?" Kris asked, "How?"
"A swarm of Beedrill nearly ended his life." Leafeon explained, "I was just trying out my new Razor Leaf, and accidentally struck their nest. Jackson now has trauma from the incident."
"Oy, that has to hurt!" Ethan grimaced, "Sorry you had to go through that, Jackson. Beedrill are no joke."
"The opposite of joke, to me." Jackson muttered, his face paling from the memory of the attack.
"Aaanyway..." Kris said, trying to divert the subject, "Are you about to take on Whitney just yet?"
"Not yet. I plan to explore the city, then prepare myself for the gym battle tomorrow." Jackson stated, "I was just gathering up information about Whitney's Pokémon while I waited for my team to heal up."
"Oh, yeah? Well, even I looked up information, and that didn't work for me." Kris muttered, "It's one thing to have that information, but to experience the power she has was something different."
"No joke. I even got myself a Machop for the battle, which is suppose to be super-effective against Normal-types, and I still failed!" Ethan grimaced, "Whitney's cute, but way too powerful."
"Oh? And just what about her did you find 'cute'?" Kris asked, a dark vibe starting to emanate from her.
"Well, she seems like a simple girl, but her look and her personality both were pretty cute." Ethan explained, "Plus, the way she holds her Clefairy in her hands also adds more to the cute factor."
Kris's expression darkened and she pulled out a Pokeball, before calling out Togepi to her, placing her in her arms. "And what about Togepi? Is she not cute at all?" she asked, getting full attention from Ethan.
"What?" he asked, seeing her expression, before realizing he might be in hot water, though he had no idea why, "Oh, yeah. It's cute, too." Kris huffed as she turned away from Ethan, puffing her cheeks. He then looked to Jackson, who averted eye contact. "What's with this atmosphere?!" he asked.
'Even I can tell she wanted him to say she was cute, too.' Jackson mentally told himself, 'But as I am more considerate about how a girl looks on the inside than outside, I don't know if I'm able to help.'
"This is quite the situation." Leafeon noted, chuckling a bit at what was happening.
Jackson decided to leave the pair alone as he stepped outside with Leafeon at his side to get away from the situation, and go explore the town a bit more. They wandered around town, learning about there is to know about the place. He took one pathway first, seeing a lot city homes and apartment complexes in this area, before discovering a bike shop. Considering he had no need for a bike, he decided to leave and go a different area.
The next area he visited was the underground shopping district, where Jackson also noticed trainers battling each other, as well as some odd shops, including hair salons and a medicine lady. Jackson looked at the latter, but Leafeon advised not getting any, as she was repulsed by the bitter smells of the meds, regardless of good prices. Jackson understood, and left the scene.
Finally, Jackson visited the radio tower, which was the radio system for the entire Johto region. Jackson looked about the areas where guests were allowed to visit, witnessing a live broadcast himself, and even gaining a Radio Card that was suppose to be for the Pokégear. However, Jackson worked his programming skills, and added the radio system to his tablet. It was handy for him, especially if he needed to listen to what stuff was happening around the region.
"I'd say it was really good look around." Jackson stated, walking away from the radio tower as they made their way to a different path.
"I wonder if Ethan and Kris have made up, just yet?" Leafeon asked.
"Don't know about that. If I learn anything from Amy Rose, it's that girls can hold grudges for a long time." Jackson muttered.
"And you think I would, too?" Leafeon asked.
"I don't know. Would you?"
"I haven't experienced anything like that, yet. So I wouldn't know."
"Then let's make sure we keep it that way." Jackson told her, as they look to see the other exit out of Goldenrod City far off in the distance, "Looks like we're done here. Let's head back and..." He stopped as he looked to one side and recognized the familiar logo that indicated he was right next to the gym. He stopped and looked up at it. It was spherical, with a solid dome, unlike the glass one in Azalea Town.
"This is the gym, huh?" Jackson asked, looking up at it, before hearing the door open, and seeing a pair of people come out. One of them was a young boy that looked like he might've been a challenger, and he looked like he could cry. The other was a girl that looked in her late teens. She had pink hair that was tied in short, pink eyes, spiked twintails, with yellow hairpieces at her side bangs. She wore a white and red short-sleeved shirt with yellow buttons, with a black shirt underneath, blue short-shorts, blue and black-striped socks, and red and white tennis shoes. She also had a red band on her right wrist.
"I hope you come back to battle me again!" the girl chimed, waving goodbye to the depressed challenger.
"There's no way I could win!" exclaimed the boy, before running away with his eyes balling. He ended up passing Jackson as he did so, who watched him run away.
"Hey there!" greeted the girl, getting Jackson's attention back on her. She raced towards him as she asked, "Are you a challenger?"
"Yeah. I assume you must be Whitney." Jackson asked.
"Yep, that's me!" she answered, pumping her fists in excitement, "Whitney, the incredibly pretty girl and gym leader of the Goldenrod City."
'Not the most humble girl, is she?' Jackson wondered, 'She even reminds me a bit of Amy, as well.' He then cleared his throat as he told her, "Sorry, I'm not gonna challenge you today. However, I do plan to challenge you tomorrow, when I'm all ready."
"Really? That's neat! I can't wait!" she told him, "Just letting you know, I am pretty good."
"I've heard." Jackson noted, "You really love your battles, don't you?"
"How could I not! I mean, everyone is so into Pokémon, so I got into it, too!" Whitney stated, "Plus, they are soooo cute, too! Like your Leafeon, there!" She bent down and patted the Grass-type's head, making her smile in pleasure.
"Well, Leafeon is not only a pretty Pokémon, but my reliable partner." Jackson told her, "I might just have her battle you tomorrow."
"I look forward to it!" Whitney replied, standing up straight again, "I look forward to our battle tomorrow!" She ran away from Jackson, waving goodbye to him as she left. Jackson waved back in response.
"She certainly is full of personality." Leafeon noted, looking to Jackson, "But I really appreciate the compliments you gave me."
"Just stating the obvious." Jackson told her, looking to see Whitney enter her gym, "But now, I'm practically suppose to set you up in my team. That's one Pokémon slot added. And considering that this is a two Pokémon battle, that's one slot filled up."
"Then who is your other choice? Weavile?" Leafeon assumed as they turned and made their way back to the Pokémon Center.
"What, because he learned a new move?" Jackson asked, "Not really. From the research I got, Whitney's Pokémon, Clefairy and Miltank, both have moves that are super-effective against Ice-types like Weavile, being Wake-Up Slap and Rollout. That leaves Dewott and Cyndaquil."
"Cyndaquil has definitely been getting a lot of experience since we first met him." Leafeon acknowledged, "Maybe it's time he takes on a gym leader."
"True. Cyndaquil has definitely gotten a lot of experience since then." Jackson admitted, "Maybe it would be good for him to lead off in the gym. Okay, let's do that setup."
They returned to the Pokémon Center, with Jackson making a decision on the way over. He looked to see Ethan looking a bit nervous, while Kris was still peeved at not getting acknowledged for her own cuteness. "Still at it, huh?" he muttered, "Well, I'd better ease up tension..."
He walked over to the pair, coming to Kris as he asked, "Hey, are your Pokémon good to go?"
She looked up and saw Jackson, saying, "Oh, you're back. Yeah, my Pokémon are fine."
"Cool! Let's have a battle, then." Jackson told her, surprising both Ethan and Kris, "I need one last bit of battling before I take on the gym. Sound cool?"
"Sure. I all for that." she replied, standing up, "Plus, witnessing your battle in Azalea Town got me interested to see what kind of tricks you could pull off."
"Th-Then I'll watch!" Ethan added, standing up, "I also wanna battle Jackson after Kris battles him!"
"Fine. Then let's go to a battlefield to do this!" Jackson told the team, and they left the Pokémon Center.
Finding a battlefield wasn't hard, as there was one in the back of the Pokémon Center. Jackson and Kris stood on either side, readying themselves for battle.
"Let's do two Pokémon each, like the gym battle." Jackson suggested.
"Fine by me. I'll start things off." she told him, pulling out a Pokéball, "Phanpy, go!" She tossed out her ball, calling out the small blue elephant to the field.
"Weavile, Let's blade it up!" Jackson shouted, tossing out a ball to call out Weavile to the field. "I'll let you make the first move." Jackson told Kris, "Ladies first, after all."
"You ask for it! Rollout!" Kris commanded, and Phanpy spun like a wheel, its ears sticking out, as it charged at Weavile.
"Jump over it!" Jackson shouted, and Weavile did a front flip over Phanpy's spinning body, landing on the ground behind.
"Come at him again with Rollout!" Kris shouted, and Phanpy turned around and came at Weavile again.
"Dodge, and use Icy Wind!" Jackson called out. Weavile side-stepped the attack, before turning around and unleashing a gust of freezing air from his mouth at Phanpy, hitting his side and made him wobble and fall over, taking the super-effective attack not well.
"What?!" Kris questioned, realizing her attack was completely stopped.
"Take it from someone who has been around and can do a spindash in a similar manner as Rollout; striking from the side is the most effective way to stop that attack." Jackson explained.
"Seriously?! It's that simple?!" Ethan questioned.
"I see. taking on a Rollout head-on, or even trying to slow down with long-ranged moves won't be as effective as striking the side." Kris noted, recalling that her Phanpy's Rollout couldn't overpower Miltank's, nor could Ethan's Quilava's Swift attack do anything to stop it.
"Weavile, use Ice Punch!" Jackson called out, and Weavile leapt forward, with an ice-encased curled claws.
"Phanpy, use Slam!" Kris called out. Phanpy charged in and with its nose, whacked at Weavile just as he slammed his attack into Phanpy's face. The two ended up sending the other flying. However, while Weavile was able to stay standing, Phanpy hit the ground hard, his eyes spinning.
"Wow! That's gotta hurt!" Ethan exclaimed.
"Phanpy..." Kris muttered, going in and picking up Phanpy.
"I'm sorry..." he apologized, "I couldn't even hold out that long."
"It's okay. You don't have to apologize. I'm the one who made the wrong choice." Kris told him, "You take a good rest." She called back Phanpy to her ball. She pocketed before pulling out another ball. "Okay, Croconaw, let's go!" she tossed out her ball, calling out her starter.
"Croconaw, huh?" Jackson asked, "Weavile, come back!" He called back Weavile to his ball, putting it away. "Leafeon, you're on!" he thrust a hand out, and Leafeon darted onto the field.
"Switching out to using a Grass-type against my Water-type? You're really trying to control the battle." Kris stated, "Too bad it won't work like that. Use Scary Face!" Croconaw suddenly created a face at Leafeon that instigated fear, which caused her body to glow with a downward energy. "That should slow you down!" Kris stated.
"Leafeon, you good?" Jackson asked.
"I'll be fine." Leafeon replied.
"Then let's use Razor Leaf!" Jackson commanded. Leafeon jumped up and swung her tail, unleashing a storm of leaves.
"Dodge it!" Kris shouted, and Croconaw tried to evade the attack. He still got chipped hard by the attack, and he fell over. "You can do it! Let's show him your teeth!" Kris called out, "Ice Fang!" Croconaw's jaw opened wide, and he created teeth made of ice, and launched himself at Leafeon, who couldn't dodge it in time, and got caught in its fangs, causing major damage. She was tossed away, crumpling to the ground.
"Leafeon, get up!" Jackson called out, "You've been through worse!" Leafeon acknowledged, rising to her feet, wincing a bit, but still in the fight.
"We won't let up! Crunch!" Kris shouted, and her Pokemon dove at Leafeon, snapping his jaw around her neck. She cried out in pain as she struggled to break free, but was unable to let go. "Good luck freeing yourself from Croconaw's jaws!" Kris told Jackson, "Once he has his jaws around something, he will not let go, no matter how much you struggle."
Jackson grimaced at the situation, seeing how much pain Leafeon was in, before coming up with a plan. "Leafeon, don't struggle! You'll only make it worse!" Jackson called out, "Instead, ready your new move!"
"Oh..kay." She answered in pain, stopping herself from flailing, and instead focused as her tail began to glow, charging up energy.
"What's going on?" Kris asked.
"Wait a minute..." Ethan realized, "Kris, you have to move! She's doing a super-powered attack!"
Kris looked from Ethan to her partner and Leafeon, before realizing what was happening. However, it was too late. Leafeon's tail was glowing like the sun.
"Now, here we go. Solarbeam!" Jackson shouted.
"Let go now!" she shouted, unleashing a beam of solar energy from her mouth, blasting the ground and causing an eruption that caused Croconaw to release his grip on Leafeon, flying backwards, before crashing to the ground.
"You had that kind of move on hand?" Kris asked, "But, without sunlight, Solarbeam takes time to charge up before attacking."
"True, but I can make that time." Jackson replied, "Leafeon, use Razor Leaf!"
"Time to end this!" Leafeon shouted, swinging her tail to unleash a storm of leaves, peppering Croconaw, until he couldn't take any more, and he passed out.
"Guess this was our loss." Kris sighed, noticing her Pokemon could not continue, but smiled at Jackson, "You were really amazing, Jackson."
"Thanks. I'm glad I impressed the one who taught me how to do Pokémon battles." Jackson replied, walking up to her as she went over and lifted Croconaw into a sitting position, "You doing better now?"
"Yeah? Why do you ask?" Kris asked, a little confused.
Jackson bent over and whispered so Ethan didn't hear, "Just figured you needed to vent a bit after someone didn't acknowledge you." He tilted his head at Ethan when he said 'someone'.
Kris looked to Ethan, who saw the attention he was given, and asked, "What's up?"
The female trainer giggled as she whispered back, "Don't worry. I'm not bothered anymore. When it comes to Ethan, he is 'tactical' when it comes to battle, but 'tactless' when it comes to understanding other people's feelings. Still, thanks for trying to help me out."
"Just helping the only way I can." Jackson replied.
"What are you guys whispering about?" Ethan asked.
"Oh, we're just wondering how much easier it will be for me to beat you." Jackson replied loudly.
"You probably wouldn't stand as well of a chance as I did." Kris added, egging on the sass.
"What?! Oh, that's it!" Ethan growled, raising a fist as he looked angry, "I'm gonna make you eat those words! Come on, we're going at it, right now!"
"Fine by me!" Jackson replied, running to his side of the field as Kris called back Croconaw into his ball, and watched Jackson and Ethan ready their battle. Ethan threw out a ball, calling out his Quilava. Jackson tossed out his ball, calling out Dewott. The two Pokémon readied themselves, before charging at the other.
That evening, Jackson, Ethan, and Kris decided to share a room together at the Pokémon Center that evening. They let their Pokémon rest at the Center until they needed to pick them up the morning after. They were all in their pajamas, Ethan wearing a loose black tank top and boxer shorts, Kris wearing a short-sleeved, light blue, button-up top with fuzzy blue and dark blue polka-dotted bottoms, and Jackson wearing a lime green short sleeve shirt with black pants that were rolled up close to his knees. They were all at their beds, with Jackson at one of the top bunks, while Ethan and Kris took the lower bunks.
"Man, you must be ready for the gym battle tomorrow." Ethan told Jackson, "You and your team have gotten really strong!"
"Thanks. You guys have some incredibly tough Pokémon, too." Jackson noted, "But after hearing from you guys and everyone else about how tough Whitney is, I can't help but feel a little nervous and excited. If an opponent is that tough, I just have to challenge myself against them!"
"I totally know that feeling!" Ethan exclaimed, "But that battle was really too tough for me. I have to watch you battle to see if there is a hint to winning against her."
"Hold on, Ethan. I think we shouldn't." Kris butted in.
"What? Why not?" Ethan asked.
"Think about it; You've been watching Jackson's gym battles since you came here." Kris explained, "I think it would be best if we come up with our own strategies instead of watching him. Besides, I think we should go train up north for a bit before returning and taking her on."
"I guess." Ethan understood, looking to Jackson, "You went from having no clue about Pokémon to being pretty darn strong. How do you do it?"
"I took my experience from my world, including my skills in martial arts, combined it with the lessons I learned from this world, and worked around those tactics and skills with my Pokémon." Jackson explained.
"That explains why you're such a natural at it." Kris noted, "In that case, there are a couple more events you should try out after your gym battle then; the Bug-Catching Contest, and the Pokéathlon."
"Wait, what?" Jackson stated, looking confused.
"The Pokéathlon is an event for your Pokémon to test their athleticism." Kris explained, "Their speed, skill, power, stamina, and jumping skills are what they judge the Pokémon on. I bet you and your team could do amazing at it!"
"Yeah, there is no Pokémon battle in it. Only you and your Pokémon's physical capabilities." Ethan finished.
"So a series of marathon events. Sonic and his friends always talked about doing stuff at the Olympics." Jackson recalled, "They said there was always a rival group they faced against from a far-off land. So what about his other event."
"The Bug-catching contest is an event they do about three times a week, where people come to the National Park north from here, and capture Bug-type Pokémon." Kris explained, "They will rate the Pokémon based on how strong they are, and how well you managed to weaken them before you captured them."
"And best of all, you get to keep the Pokémon you capture." Ethan added, "There are even rare Pokémon that show up at that event."
"I see. I would like to take that on." Jackson stated, "Could be a good opportunity to get a new Pokémon to my team. Just no Beedrill, please." He shuddered at the thought.
"Man, you really got shaken up by that event, huh?" Ethan questioned.
"We should probably head to bed so we can get moving tomorrow." Kris told the team, walking over to the light switch at the entrance, and flicking it off."
"Okay..." Ethan grimaced, wanting to stay up longer. However, despite that, he was the first to fall asleep out of them all.
Jackson looked at the ceiling, thinking to himself. There were a lot of things he could do in this world. He might as well try them all. For now, he had to prepare himself for tomorrow. His next gym battle was on the line.