Author Note: I will be changing up Whitney's team a bit, inspired by video of 'New Teams for Johto' by Lumiose Trainer Zac. Also, here is Jackson's team currently:
Leafeon: Refresh, Razor Leaf, Quick Attack, Solarbeam
Weavile: Ice Punch, Night Slash, Metal Claw, Icy Wind
Dewott: Focus Energy, Water Pulse, Razor Shell, Night Slash
Cyndaquil: Flamethrower, Quick Attack, Swift, Flame Wheel
Goldenrod City
It was morning, and Jackson, Kris, and Ethan had just left the Pokémon Center, fully recovered and ready to go forward. They went down the path northward towards the next route. However, they stopped as they reached the gym, with Jackson and Leafeon stepping towards the direction to it, while the other two stayed put.
"Well, I'll see you guys later." Jackson told them goodbye.
"Best of luck in your gym battle." Kris told him.
"Yeah. You're gonna do awesome!" Ethan told him, "You will win that badge, no prob!"
"Thanks. I wish you guys the best in getting the strength you need to win your gym badges, too." Jackson told them.
"Take care of yourselves." Leafeon added.
"We will." Kris replied, turning around and walking away, "Welp, see ya!" With that, Kris and Ethan walked off, leaving Jackson and Leafeon alone.
"It's gonna be my first gym battle without either one of them watching." Jackson told Leafeon.
"You feeling lonely?" she asked.
"Nah, I got you guys by my side." Jackson answered, and he made his way into the gym.
He entered into the gym, and was nearly blinded by the area's pink atmosphere. To say the place was designed with cuteness in mind was pretty self-explanatory.
"Well, this is different." Jackson noted, looking about.
"I wouldn't be surprised if she took this as a reference from a Sylveon." Leafeon muttered.
"Heeeey~!" chimed a voice. They looked ahead and saw Whitney waving her hand at them excitedly. "I remember you from yesterday! Glad you could make it!" she told him.
"Yep. I'm here." Jackson replied, walking over to her.
"Awesome! I have been looking forward to this since I saw you!" Whitney told him, "You seem pretty strong, so I came prepared. Get ready, cause you're gonna be witnessing a new Whitney no one has seen before."
"Okay..." Jackson muttered. Why did he have a bad feeling about this? What did she mean that no one had seen this version of Whitney before?
(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.)
As they wandered down the path, Whitney turned as she mentioned, "By the way, I had no idea about this before, but did you know that there had been Pokémon who were originally mistaken for being one type when they were really another?"
"I'm sorry, what?" Jackson asked, confused.
"It's true! I mean I always thought my Clefairy was gonna be a Normal-type. However, as it turns out, Clefairy is really a Fairy-type. This was found out in the Kalos region. I always wondered why Clefairy didn't take as much damage to Fighting-type moves, but felt a lot of pain from Poison and Steel-types. There are all sorts of Pokemon, like Togepi, Jigglypuff, and Snubull who were originally thought to be Normal-types, but were really Fairy-types. In fact, Jigglypuff is both a Normal AND a Fairy-type. I had to change things up recently, so I added another Pokemon to my team that is a Normal-type, as that is my gym's typing. I mean, I still use my Clefairy, so spoiler alert on that, but still..."
Jackson was listening in, and realized that this might actually make him change up his team a bit. Not only was Clefairy classified as a different typing, but she also added a new Pokémon? Now Jackson had to really think the matchup for this battle.
They arrived at the main battlefield, which was the traditional dirt gym battleground, with pink walls and white seats around the place. There were even flowers here and there to add to the atmosphere. 'Way too cutesy for me.' Jackson told himself, 'But I gotta focus. This place is where I will battle for my third badge. Gotta get my head in the game!'
They went to their respective sides of the battlefield, coming to a halt as readied themselves for battle. The referee, a woman in a black long-sleeved top and tight pants, raised her hand calling out, "The Goldenrod Gym battle will now commence! The battle will be between trainer Jackson Alpphire of Ecruteak City and Whitney of the Goldenrod City gym. Each trainer will use three Pokémon each. The battle will be decided when one or both sides are unable to continue. In addition, only the challenger is allowed to switch out. Are both trainers ready?"
"Okay over here!" Whitney chimed.
"I'm ready to blade things up a notch!" Jackson declared.
"Blade things up a notch? That's pretty funny." Whitney stated, "Let me show you my new debut Pokémon. Furret, let's go!" She tossed out a ball, calling out a large ferret-looking Pokémon that had a color scheme like a Sentret. "Isn't she the cutest~?" Whitney swooned.
Jackson pulled out his Pokédex, examining the Pokémon. "Furret. The Long Body Pokémon, and the evolved form of Sentret. Furret has a very slim build. When under attack, it can slickly squirm through narrow spaces and get away. In spite of its short limbs, this Pokémon is very nimble and fleet."
"That's the new Pokémon." Jackson noted, "Okay then. Dewott, I choose you!" He threw out his Pokéball, and out came his Discipline Pokémon to the field.
"Alright, It's time for me to show my stuff!" He roared, readying his scalchops.
"Battle begin!" the referee shouted, raising her hands up to signal the match.
"I'm a gentlemen, so make the first move." Jackson told Whitney.
"Isn't that adorable. You'll regret it." She replied, "Furret, use Headbutt!" Furret shot forward at Dewott. The Pokédex wasn't kidding, as it was swift and nimble as it charged at Dewott.
"Dewott, counter with Night Slash!" Jackson called out. Dewott launched forward with a purple energy blade. The two struck one another, with Dewott coming out barely a bit stronger than Furret. "Pretty strong." Jackson muttered, "Use Water Pulse!" Dewott prepared to summon a ball of compressed water from his hands.
"Sucker Punch!" Whitney called out. Furret's eye glistened, before shooting foward at Dewott so quickly, he could barely react, and got slammed by his tail, sending him flying.
"Geez!" Jackson gasped at how impressively quick that was.
"That move would act fast if the opponent was using an attack move." Leafeon noted.
"Dewott, don't let her get to you! Use your Water Pulse!" Jackson shouted.
"Grr..." Dewott growled as he was airborne from Dewott's attack, "Take this!" He shot the Water Pulse at Furret, who panicked as she took the hit hard, causing her to fly backwards in pain. She crumpled to the floor as Dewott landed on the ground on the far end. "Ha! Eat it!" he shouted.
"Oh, no!" Whitney cried out as she saw Furret's condition, "Furret, you'd better recover. Use Rest!" Furret responded, and curled herself up as she closed her eyes and went to sleep, her body glowing as her wounds started to vanish.
"It's healing from sleep?" Jackson asked, "Well, it looks vulnerable right now, so let's take that chance. Night Slash, Dewott!"
"No sleeping on the job!" Dewott roared, lunging forward as he readied his energy blade. However, as he charged, Jackson saw Furret's mouth, and saw it had shuffled something that was in its cheeks, and crunched on it. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open, and she got up. "What?!" Dewott and Jackson gasped together.
"Chesto Berry. Good thing I gave her one!" Whitney stated, "Use Defense Curl!" Furret curled herself up tightly, her body glowing an upward blue hue as Dewott's attack struck her, doing less damage than normal. "Now Headbutt!" Furret unfurled herself and slammed headlong into Dewott, causing him to gag from having the wind knocked out of him.
"Dewott!" Jackson cried out, seeing him fly backwards. He crashed to the ground, getting back up, grimacing in pain. He had been taking a hard beating by Furret.
"It's fast, strong, and enduring." Leafeon noted, seeing Dewott's condition.
"Let's call him back and..." Jackson started.
"No!" Dewott roared, looking back at him, "This isn't like the last gym. I can still win this fight!" He recalled how he ended up having to get called back after being overwhelmed by Metapod, and he felt humiliated if he had to pull out like that again.
"Okay, then you'd better make this count. Use Razor Shell!" Jackson called out. Dewott readied his scalchop, creating a blue energy curved blade from it.
"Use Sucker Punch!" Whitney ordered.
Furret shot at high speeds, slamming hard against Dewott again, who felt the sheer pain of the attack. He was nearly gonna pass out. However, he found the strength to keep moving, and slashed Furret with the Razor Shell, shouting, "I...won't...quit!" His body glowed momentarily as he unleashed his Torrent ability, and mustered all the power to his attack, and sent Furret crashing into the ground. Dewott tumbled along the ground, until he skidded to a halt next to Jackson and Leafeon, both seeing him unconscious. Meanwhile, Furret was rising to her feet, still holding on.
"Dewott is unable to battle! Furret is the winner!" the referee called out.
Jackson raced over to Dewott's side, picking him up as he said, "You did a good amount of damage in that battle. Good job."
"It wasn't enough, though..." Dewott grimaced, "I need to train myself harder."
"I'll do just that, buddy." Jackson answered, "For now, get some rest." He called back his partner, and got to his side of the field.
"Furret is badly damaged, but she still is kicking." Leafeon noted, "Do you want me out there?"
"No. We just need to deal damage before it could strike with that Sucker Punch again." Jackson noted, "Cyndaquil, let's do it, to it!" He tossed out a ball, calling out his little buddy to the battlefield.
"Aw, it's such a cute Pokémon." Whitney stated, "Too bad we have to crush it."
"Cyndaquil, prepare for an attack. Jump high!" Jackson commanded.
"O-Okay." he answered, leaping high into the air.
"What are you planning?" Whitney, "No matter. Ready to use Sucker Punch!" Furret bent low, ready to go strike.
"Curl up into a ball." Jackson told Cyndaquil, who rolled into a ball. "Ignite your flames!" His next command was followed by Cyndaquil flaming up his back. "Spin!" Jackson added, and the fire mouse spun like a wheel. "Put it together, and... Flame Wheel!" Jackson finished, and his partner became a flaming wheel.
Whitney looked startled. "He set it up so I couldn't... Use Headbutt!" Realizing she had to switch moves, Furret instead went into a charging head bash into Cyndaquil, who came down crashing on top of it. There was an explosion of dust and flames, which disappeared as Jackson Pokémon stood away from Furret, who had spirals in her eyes.
"Furret is unable to battle! Cyndaquil is the winner!" the referee declared.
"Oh, man!" Whitney exclaimed, "Furret, you did amazing for your debut. Take a good rest." She called back Furret to her Pokéball.
"Glad that worked out." Jackson sighed in relief.
"I'm sorry, what happened?" Leafeon asked.
"You said it yourself; Sucker Punch only works if the Pokémon is setting to do an attack move. So I decided to call out all the movements required to use Flame Wheel. I wanted to prevent them from striking before I unleashed it."
"Pretty genius way of fooling your opponent." Leafeon noted.
"That was such a meanie move." Whitney noted, "My next Pokémon and I will show no mercy! Clefairy, I chose you!" She tossed out her ball, and out came the little fairy-like creature, who looked giddy with joy.
Jackson pulled out his Pokedex to examine it. "Clefairy. The Fairy Pokémon. On every night of a full moon, groups of this Pokémon come out to play. When dawn arrives, the tired Clefairy return to their quiet mountain retreats and go to sleep nestled up against each other."
'Memory serves right, the moves Clefairy knows, according to other trainers, are Metronome, Sing, Wake-Up Slap, and Cosmic Power.' Jackson pondered, 'A versatile moveset with all sorts of possibility, especially Metronome, which can conjure up any move known by Pokémon.'
"Clefairy, use Cosmic Power!" Whitney called out. Clefairy suddenly became encased in a cosmic space of energy, causing an blue uprising energy to emanate around her. Her defenses have been boosted.
"Gotta act. Use Quick Attack!" Jackson shouted, and Cyndaquil shot quickly at Clefairy, knocking into her, and sending her skidding backwards, but with her defenses boosted, she took the hit well.
"Sing, Clefairy!" Whitney called out. Clefairy suddenly started to sing a lullaby, sending musical notes towards Cyndaquil.
"Use Flamethrower!" Jackson shouted. Cyndaquil inhaled, tried to unleash his attack, but the musical notes caught up to him, and he ended up getting drowsy from their presence, before crashing and falling asleep. "Shoot! Needed more distance!" Jackson growled.
"Now wake him up with Wake-Up Slap!" Whitney followed up, and Clefairy's stubby hand glowed, and gave a hard slap across Cyndaquil's face, causing, for a brief moment, his eyes to bulge out of his slits, before being sent hurling across the field, skidding to the floor next to Jackson.
"Are you okay, Cyndaquil?!" Jackson called to him.
Cyndaquil quakingly got to his feet again, muttering, "I-I'll be fine. It hurt a lot, but I can manage."
"Let's try it from this distance. Use your Flamethrower!" Cyndaquil inhaled deeply, and fired off the jet of flames at Clefairy.
"Time to make a game of chance! Use Metronome!" Whitney shouted. Clefairy started to waggle its fingers as they glowed, like a pair of metronome hands. Her hands stopped as she suddenly became encased in a spiraling storm of flower petals, and shot them at Cyndaquil's Flamethrower. The two attacks collided, and for a while, they pushed off each other.
"That looks like Petal Dance!" Leafeon recognized.
"A Grass-type move, yeah?" Jackson asked, "But against a Fire-type move..." His unsaid prediction came true when the Flamethrower finally started to burn through the attack, and struck Clefairy hard, knocking her back. The Charcoal-boosted Flamethrower did a lot of damage.
"Don't give up, Clefairy!" Whitney cried out, "Hit him with another Sing so we can finish him off!" Clefairy started to sing again, sending musical notes at the Fire Mouse.
"Counter with Swift!" Jackson called out, and Cyndaquil shot stars at the music notes, countering the attack and causing sparkles to go everywhere from each attack colliding. Whitney got dazzled by the sparkles from the attack, she almost didn't hear Jackson call out, "Now, use Flame Wheel!" She witnessed Cyndaquil going into a flaming wheel and striking at Clefairy, sending her flying in pain.
"We gotta turn this around! Metronome!" Whitney shouted, and Clefairy spun herself in the air as she waggled her fingers again, before raising them high, and creating a dark aura around her body, and gave a spiteful glare at her opponent.
"What is going on?" Jackson asked, "Whatever, we got a chance here. Use Flamethrower again!"
"Wait, Jackson, stop!" Leafeon shouted, but it was too late. Cyndaquil unleashed his stream of flames again at Clefairy, and consumed her in them. She came out of the flames, covered in soot, and her eyes spiraling. However, the aura around her body suddenly got transferred to Cyndaquil, who coughed up flames, but could not use them to their fullest.
"Clefairy is unable to battle! Cyndaquil is the winner!" the referee declared.
"Aw, that's too bad..." Whitney muttered, "But, you did cause an effect to Cyndaquil that will help!"
"What just happened?" Jackson asked Leafeon.
"I'm pretty sure Clefairy just used Grudge." she explained, "It's a move that only comes into effect if the next attack knocks it out. It stops the target from using that move again in this battle!"
"So basically, Flamethrower cannot be used again for right now." Jackson understood, glaring as Whitney called back her Clefairy to her Pokéball, "I really stabbed myself in the foot with that one."
"Clefairy did a lot of damage to you, and I cannot be proud of her." Whitney stated, "Now, it's time I introduce you to my ace. Miltank, it's time!" She tossed her ball out, calling out the Pokémon Jackson recognized from looking it up on the Pokédex the day before. It was around three times taller than Cyndaquil was.
"That's the Pokémon that destroyed the pride of so many trainers." Jackson told low enough for only himself and Leafeon to hear.
"The biggest hurdle that is currently in our path is that Pokémon." Leafeon muttered.
"And without Flamethrower, I won't be able to unleash our best move." Jackson noted, "Best go in with what we can use. Flame Wheel!"
"I'll do all I can!" Cyndaquil cried out, spinning into a flaming wheel at rolling himself at Miltank.
"Miltank, use Rollout!" Whitney called out. Miltank trampled forward, before going into a high-speed roll, charging at Cyndaquil. The two collided, and Cyndaquil got instantly overwhelmed by the Rock-type move, sending him flying.
"Don't let up! Keep up the Rollout, Miltank!" Whitney called out. Miltank continue to spin, coming at Cyndaquil as he fell.
"He'll get hit again!" Leafeon cried out.
"We can't hit him directly. Cyndaquil, pepper the ground with Swift!" Jackson called out. Cyndaquil was able to recover and unleash a storm of stars from his mouth, hitting the ground directly underneath him, causing small divets here and there to pop up from the collision. Whitney wasn't sure what he was planning, but it didn't matter. Miltank still found her target, and slammed into Cyndaquil sending him flying towards Jackson. He positioned himself and caught his partner in his hands, skidding ever so slightly back from the attack. Even with his feet dug in, the impact was strong. Cyndaquil, unfortunately, was dazed.
"Cyndaquil is unable to battle! Miltank is the winner!" the referee called out, as Miltank spun back in the area in front of Whitney, doing a stationary run to hold the momentum of her attack.
"I'm sorry..." Cyndaquil, tearing up, "I...I failed to help."
"What are you talking about?!" Jackson asked, "You managed to win against Furret AND Clefairy. I'm proud of your first gym battle! Now don't worry about it, and take a good rest." He called back Cyndaquil to his Pokéball, and put it away. He then turned to Leafeon as he told her, "Time we settle this battle, once and for all."
"Right. We planned for this battle." Leafeon replied, "I'm ready to go!"
"Then blade things up a notch, Leafeon!" Jackson called out, and Leafeon bounded onto the field, ready to go.
"This is the moment I was really excited for!" Whitney cheered, "I don't even remember facing a Leafeon before. This will be exciting!"
"Then I'm not gonna waste any time. Leafeon, Razor Leaf at Miltank!" Leafeon swung her tail, sending a storm of glowing leaves at Miltank.
"That won't work! Use Rollout!" Whitney shouted, and Miltank went into a high speed roll, deflecting the leaves as he charged.
"Leafeon, let's give them the runaround. Quick Attack!" Jackson ordered.
"Right! Like we planned!" Leafeon replied, and she begun dashing to one side, evading Miltank as it rolled after her. The two kept running and rolling about the field, Leafeon dodging the Rollout as he kept up pursuit. However, as soon as she got a chance, Leafeon evaded, pivoted, and struck Miltank on the side, getting damaged a bit from the side rotation, but still sent Miltank into an out of control roll. She tried to get ahold of herself, but one of the divots formed by Cyndaquil's Swift caught her underneath, and she ended up tripping out of Rollout, tumbling and skidding to a halt.
"No, Miltank!" Whitney cried out, "That's why he had Cyndaquil use Swift on the ground?!"
'As someone who is familiar with spindashing, I know what makes a spindash unstable.' Jackson told himself, 'From what I heard, Rollout is one of the biggest obstacles in Miltank's arsenal. At least I don't have to worry about it or Attract, since Leafeon is a female like Miltank.'
"Miltank, recover with Milk Drink!" Whitney called out. Miltank reached down, grabbing its udder, and turned away from Jackson and Leafeon's eyesight. From what they could tell, it was finding a way to drink down its own milk. Jackson was perplexed and a bit disturbed on how she would do that. Regardless, she glowed with a milky white energy, and her injuries were gone.
"We gotta find a way to take her down before she can use that move again." Leafeon told Jackson.
"Agreed. I do have a plan for that." Jackson replied, "For now, let's use Razor Leaf again!"
"Understood!" Leafeon shouted, swinging her tail to send a storm of leaves at Miltank, who turned just to get peppered by the attack.
"We won't let THAT stop us. Use Body Slam!" Whitney ordered. Miltank was able to regain herself, and did a high jump before slamming down on top of Leafeon, pressuring her hard with her body. "Now, go into a Rollout!" Whitney ordered, and Miltank rolled over and off of Leafeon, who was weakened and paralyzed by the Body Slam effect.
"Leafeon, Refresh!" Jackson called out. Leafeon nodded as she got to her feet, and glowed as Miltank was swerving around to come at Leafeon again. She was able to recover from the paralysis as Jackson shouted, "Jump, now!" Leafeon saw Miltank coming, and leapt over Miltank just barely, her feet only grazing the spinning body of the cow.
'Good thing I asked Leafeon if she could do this next action, otherwise I wouldn't know what to do.' Jackson told himself, before calling out, "Leafeon, head to the wall and begin charging up!" Leafeon understood and shot towards the wall, turning around as she did so, and begun making her tail glow.
"That looks like..." Whitney recognized, before smirking, "You've got a lot of guts to try and use Solarbeam in this situation. My Miltank won't let you unleash that move. Rollout at her!" Miltank spun around and shot at Leafeon, moving too fast for Leafeon to fully charge her move in time.
"Leafeon, hold your charge, and jump to the wall!" Jackson called out. Leafeon understood, holding the solar energy she had gathered so far, and leapt at the wall, bounding off of it just as Miltank came crashing into it. She, too, ricocheted off the wall, about to catch Leafeon underfoot. However, the verdant Pokémon was precise in her footing, and bounced off of Miltank's body.
"How did...?!" Whitney gasped, wondering how Leafeon could not only hold off a charge for Solarbeam, but also step over Miltank while in a Rollout.
"Now, charge up and fire!" Jackson shouted, and Leafeon finished her charging as Miltank was spinning helplessly in the air. Once ready, Leafeon fired off the Solarbeam from her mouth, hitting Miltank from behind, and sent her crashing into the wall on the far side. She ceased her Rollout again, as she fell.
"Now to deal with our own body blow. Quick Attack!" Jackson called out, and Leafeon shot forward at high speeds, striking Miltank in the udder in mid-fall, causing her to cry out in pain. She hit the wall again, before hitting the ground. Leafeon stood there, panting from overexerting herself, but stood as Miltank was on her back, with spirals in her eyes.
The referee got close to see the results, before declaring, "Miltank is unable to battle! Leafeon is the winner! The victor of this match is Jackson Alpphire!"
Jackson whooped in victory as he rushed over to Leafeon, who turned to him, pleased with herself. "You were amazing, Leafeon! I knew you could do it!" Jackson praised.
"You really put me through the woodworks with that plan." Leafeon muttered, "You realize how taxing it is to hold a charge from a Solarbeam like that, even for a few seconds?!"
"You're right. Sorry about that." Jackson replied, "Maybe we should practice doing that so you are a bit more use to it." He picked up Leafeon, and placed her over his shoulders, so she could rest herself.
Meanwhile, Whitney walked over to where Jackson, Leafeon, the ref and her unconscious Miltank. She was oddly quiet, her eyes shadowed as she pulled out Miltank's ball, and called her back in. Jackson and the ref looked to her, the latter realizing what was gonna happen. Finally, she raised her head, and Jackson saw her eyes pouring tears, before she went into a bawl.
"WAAAAAAAH! You meanie! You weren't suppose to be so serious!" She cried, "You child! Why did you have to be so serious?! WAAAAAH! ...'sniffle', hic."
"Uh..." Jackson muttered, bewildered at her change in personality.
"Oh, dear..." the referee sighed, "Do not worry, young man. She always gets like this if she loses in such a way."
"She's kinda acting like a spoiled brat." Jackson compared, "I mean, I won the battle fair and square, so there's no need for the waterworks."
"All of us who work here understand that feeling." the referee agreed, turning to Whitney, "Hey! It's time to get yourself together. You still need to provide the challenger with his badge!"
"What?" Whitney sobbed, wiping away her tears, before sniffling as she pulled herself together as she said, "Oh, right. The badge. I almost forgot." She dug into her pocket, and pulled out a diamond-shaped badge that was cream with a white outline. "This is the Plain Badge." She explained, "Go on. You can take it."
"Thanks..." Jackson replied, taking the badge hesitantly from Whitney, before looking at it. He then flicked it into the air, spun around, and caught it effortlessly, before holding it between his fingers, grinning. He had earned his third badge.
"I will admit...that was kinda fun." She told Jackson, "You not only became the first challenger for my Furret to take on, but you also managed to defeat me, which doesn't happen often."
"I've heard." Jackson replied, "I was pretty worried, but the faith I had in my team allowed me to win this battle!"
"That's...almost cute. Though not as cute as me." She told Jackson, causing Jackson to chuckle nervously at this, "Ah, that was a good cry. By the way, what are your plans after this?"
"Actually, I was told that there were two things up north to look forward to, being the Pokéathlon and the Bug-Catching Contest. I plan to go to both of them."
"Oh, sweet! I actually was going to the Pokéathlon, myself!" Whitney stated, "Once my Pokémon are fully recovered, I wanna go take it on! Maybe we can compete against each other!"
"Sounds like another challenge I can't wait to do." Jackson told Whitney, "I look forward to it." He raised his hand to her, and she took it, shaking hands with her. Their time together was not over just yet. Up next; the Pokéathlon."