“You really think this is going to work?” June asked me.

“As a Gym Leader, you’d think she’d have to accept challengers,” Ella sighed wearily. “For us to go through this is ridiculous.”

“Well, if this doesn’t work, we’ll have to backtrack our way out of this city and onto Route 4 to try and find that place Ella told us about,” I stated.

“Daint City,” Ella reminded me. “The home of Fay, the Fairy type Gym Leader. But, like I think I told you before, it’s hidden very deep in the woods and from what I’ve heard, just about nobody makes it there.”

“Then it’s settled,” I nodded. “We have to get our Badge from Elesa. The Driftveil Drawbridge is still locked down.”

“But if this plan doesn’t work, then what are we gonna do?” June asked.

A light drizzle of rain fell from above as the three of us stood outside of the Nimbasa City Gym, looking at the twin doors in front of us.

“She might not even answer,” June added. “I don’t even think I want her to at this point.”

“Why? Isn’t Elesa one of your idols?” I joked, turning to her with a big smile.

“Shove it, Gary,” June said seriously.

I snickered before turning back to the door.

“I’ll get the doors for you.” Ella walked up to the doors and raised both fists, proceeding to beat against them repeatedly. “ELEEEEESAAAAAAA!!!! OPEN UP!!! WE WANT TO BATTLE YOU, PLEEEEASE!!!”

“Ella!” I called out. “You have to be nicer about this! You can’t start off by yelling at her like that.”

“I know, I know,” Ella smiled. “I just want to grab her attention. She won’t even open the doors unless we can lure her here.”

“I guess...” I replied uncertainly.

Ella winked at me and I was forced to smile back, her utter cuteness insisting on it. She turned back to the doors and beat against them some more, screaming for Elesa to open them.

I turned around to see people walking by, staring at us as if we were a group of crazy children, which I guess is what we looked like. Some stopped to watch us, and I shot them dirty looks to scare them off. Only a few people walked away at my glare, while others stood their ground and stared back at me silently.

“PLEEEEEEASE!!!! ELEEEEEEESAAAAAAAAAAA!!!” Ella continued. “It’s three in the afternoon!! You have to be awake right now so GET YOUR PRETTY SELF OUT HERE!!!”

I sighed and turned to June.

June brushed her hair aside and watched Ella intently.

Ella kept calling out to the building she was beating her fists against, raising her leg a couple of times to kick it hard, the doors thumping against her foot.

She’s in there for sure, I thought, glaring at the doors. She just has to come out. This has to work. Come on, Elesa. Open up.

“IF YOU DON’T OPEN THIS MOTHA-!!!” Ella stopped and watched as the doors slid apart. “Oh. Hee hee.” She moved to the side, out of the way.

June edged away from me slowly as well.

Elesa glared down at the three of us, her short blonde hair still a mess, as if she had just gotten out of bed. She was wearing the same black and yellow nightgown and black socks we saw her in last time. The bags under her eyes showed an immense lack of sleep on her otherwise surprisingly gorgeous face. Her blue eyes went from Ella, to June, and then to me. Her eyes were cold as ice on the two girls, but they seemed to soften just a little bit when they landed on me.

Swallowing hard, I took a step up to Elesa. “Good afternoon! It’s a beautiful day today, and I can see that you’re looking lovely as well,” I greeted her nervously with my best smile. “I think we got off on the wrong foot the other day, so I really was interested in starting over anew. These are for you, ma’am.” From behind my back, I pulled out a bouquet of roses. “I hope you like these.”

Elesa’s eyes didn’t even blink as they remained glued to my eyes. Her eyebrows furrowed and I immediately knew I had done something wrong. “Ma’am?!?!” she screeched through gritted teeth.

“Wait!” I pleaded.

Elesa smacked the roses out of my hand and they fell to the floor near Ella.

Ella looked down at them and then back up to Elesa, fear in her eyes.

“Come to rub in my face how old and ugly I am, huh?!!” Elesa barked.

“No! I wasn’t trying to say that! I was trying to be polite!” I tried.

“Trying to show respect to your elders, were you???”

“No! No! Elesa, please! You don’t look old at all, for crying out loud!”

“LIAR!!!”

“Eighteen is not old!!!” I screamed at her angrily, taking a step towards her.

Elesa’s eyes bulged out and she gasped.

There was silence amongst the four of us, all eyes now on me.

Elesa’s face turned from shock to a slow, threatening anger as her eyes gave the warning of danger, her lips curled back in a snarl that reminded me of an attacking, vicious dog, and her hands turned to fists that went to the sides of her face. An inhuman growl came from her throat. “You have the nerve to now RIDICULE ME?!?!”

What did I say now? I wondered, taking a couple of steps back, my eyes wide with fear.

“Do you take me for an IDIOT?!?! EIGHTEEN?! I haven’t been eighteen in AGES!!!!!” Elesa bellowed.

Don’t give in, Gary, I instructed myself. Keep going. “WHO CARES???” I shouted, stepping towards her again. “You look amazing at whatever age you are!! I don’t give a damn how old you are!! I just think you’re an extraordinarily beautiful woman and I came back here to let you know that! You’re the most attractive woman I’ve seen during my time in Unova! Period! I couldn’t sleep after the last time we met when you mistakenly thought I said something about you being unattractive! I know I’m just a little boy with no hope of being with someone as stunning as you, but what people say about how remarkably attractive you are is an understatement to your beauty in person, and I’m developing a hard crush on you!”

Elesa’s face softened to a blank stare as she stared down at me.

I was trembling on the spot, my left arm in a tight fist at my side, glaring up at her, my heart knocking rapidly against my chest.

“What did you say?” Elesa whispered, her voice trembling, her eyes filling with tears. She raised her hands higher, her wrists pressed against her face, her elbows pressed together underneath her chin.

“I-I said I have a crush on you,” I stammered. “I-I-I think you’re b-beautiful.”

“Gary means it!” June chimed in. “That’s why me and Ella are here. He was too nervous to tell you to your face, and was hurt about what happened last time between you. We told him he just had to tell you how he felt!”

“Yeah,” Ella agreed. “He was so shy, though. How adorable is that?” Ella smiled at me.

I could feel my face getting really hot all of a sudden.

“It is cute…” Elesa said softly.

“Huh?” I stared with wide eyes into Elesa’s smiling face.

She walked up to me and knelt down onto one knee, her nightgown rising up her legs. Her right hand gently caressed my face and she leaned in even closer.

My eyes nearly popped out of my skull as I froze, unsure of what to do next. This wasn’t a part of the plan at all.

“What happened to you, cutie pie?” she cooed. The bags under her eyes were even more evident up close, and I could see that her eyes were red. She clearly wasn’t getting a lot of sleep. Her eyes also looked puffy, as if she spent a lot of time crying.

“I, um, huh?” I trembled, my chest beating from my heart kicking it so hard.

“Your sling,” she said, not taking her eyes off of me. “You’ve been in some kind of accident, haven’t you?”

I nodded slowly. “Well, there was this incident in the Nimbasa Subway. I was down there when the attack happened, with-”

“You poor, sweet angel!” Elesa cried. She wrapped her arms around my neck gently.

Admittedly, I really liked the attention she was giving me. It was a struggle not to smile in the moment. I inhaled the sweet aroma of perfume coming somewhere from her body.

“You said something about your time in Unova, right?” Elesa was now rubbing the back of my neck. “Are you not from here?”

Her touch tickled me, and my face broke into a smile as I snickered a little bit, trying not to laugh. “No. I’m from Kanto, actually.”

Elesa tsked softly as she shook her head. “Poor baby. I apologize that your first trip to Unova has given you such a terrible memory.”

“Thank you, Elesa.” I smiled more as the back of her hand rubbed against my right cheek.

“You really think I’m the prettiest girl you’ve seen in Unova?” Elesa whispered, moving her face even closer to mine, our faces nearly touching.

I nodded quickly, focusing my eyes on Elesa’s, determined not to lose contact. “You’re perfection, Elesa. I’d love to know more about you. I’m just a silly little kid with a silly little crush, but if there were any chance of it happening, I’d love for it to become more.”

Elesa’s face turned a deep red very fast and she smiled, her eyes lowering.

This is really working, I thought in disbelief. Just stay on the path. Don’t swerve. “I’ve heard a lot about you. I know that you raise Electric type Pokemon and are the best when it comes to using those types.”

Elesa looked up at me lovingly. “I love Electric type Pokemon with all my heart, but how about you and I talk about that later. You’re welcome to come in and we can talk all about each other, if you’d like.”

“Um…” I turned to Ella, who had her arms crossed, staring at Elesa in confusion and shock.

“Unless you’re only being sweet on me to battle me for a Gym match for you and your girlfriends, and then will just desert me if you win!” Elesa snapped suddenly, standing up and crossing her arms, glaring at me.

“No! It’s not like that! These aren’t my girlfriends! I’m not seeing anybody! It would be an honor to battle you, but, it’s not a priority of mine at all! I came here for a battle, but then I saw you and I think I’ve realized that I want more out of life!” Good one, I told myself. That might just work.

Elesa let out a thrilled cry and wiped at her eyes.

Great, I thought. What have you gotten yourself into, Gary? “I’ll bet you’re every bit as strong as you are beautiful.”

Elesa’s hand went to her cheek as she looked up into the sky, blushing.

“So, since this will be my last day with my two friends, will you honor us both with a Pokemon battle?” I asked her. I could feel June and Ella’s stunned eyes focusing on me, but I maintained eye contact with Elesa.

Elesa brushed aside her hair and smiled down at me. “Yes, I gladly will,” she nodded. “Oh, I feel like I’m sixteen again!” She sighed happily, her eyes closing. “Okay.” She turned to Ella and June, a look of disgust on her face. When she turned back to me, she wore a winning smile. “If it’s alright with you, please come back in about three hours. I need to call up the referee. I haven’t seen her in ages and I hope she’ll come around to judge our match. I also need to get into some more appropriate clothing.” She giggled lightly. “I’ll see you soon, sweetie pie.” She winked.

I smiled and nodded. “Thank you, Elesa.”

*

“I think she’s nuts,” June said. “I totally think she’s lost it completely. I’d rather just go to this Fairy Gym at this point. I mean, she’s in her twenties, right, Ella?”

“Late twenties, at least...” Ella nodded silently, staring at the ground.

“And you’re thirteen, Gary!”

“I just want the damn Badge, June,” I said angrily. “Let’s just battle her, get that Badge, and run like Hell.”

“She’s insane, Gary! She’ll probably kill herself or something if you do that! You built up her confidence just to battle her! She’ll never trust men again!”

“That’s not my problem,” I shrugged. “I mean, I don’t wanna be like that, but, like you said, she’s out of her mind. We need to maybe call the police or the Pokemon League officials or whoever to see her. She needs help.”

“Yeah, but you’re still about to battle her right now,” June said disapprovingly.

“She probably thinks I’m older than I am,” I reasoned with June. “She can’t be that desperate to want to be with some random kid. She’s a doll! She could get any man she wants!”

We stopped in front of the Nimbasa City Gym and looked up at it. It was three hour later, and the three of us had returned, as promised.

“I don’t feel good about this,” June said warily.

“It’ll be fine, just watch. Me and Ella will get our Badges, and then we’ll figure out a way to just go,” I told her reassuringly.

“Maybe you could say you’ll come back after you challenge the Unova League,” Ella suggested. “If things go wrong, I mean. You could convince her that you’ll return to her as something really great and respected. You could tell her that you’ll defeat the League in her name and honor! It’d be like a love story! How romantic would that be? What girl wouldn’t want to be with a Pokemon League Champion?”

“Good idea, Ella!” I said happily. “We’re all set. Let’s get that Bolt Badge.”

I stepped up to the twin doors to knock on them, but to my surprise, they slid apart immediately.

We walked into a small room.

The red walls had yellow protrusions reaching from the floor to the ceiling. A blue door at the end of the room slid open once we reached it, revealing a room that looked similar to the one before it, except, on the wall to the left stood a large blue door with a yellow lightning bolt design on it, and in front of us sat a track car on a track that lead into a dark tunnel.

“Hey! That’s how you reach Elesa!” Ella said excitedly. “You get in the car and it takes you on a roller coaster ride to her. It’s supposed to be really fun!”

“That sounds nice, but what’s that?” June walked over to the car and picked up a piece of paper that was taped to the back of it. “Gary, please take the elevator to your right to reach my Gym. The others can take the roller coaster.” June lowered the note she read and looked at me in confusion. “Is she serious?”

“Great. We’re just ‘the others.’” Ella rolled her eyes. She shook her head, sighing. “Well, I guess we better just do what she says.” She placed a hand on my left shoulder. “Good luck, Gary.”

“But why?” June questioned, looking down at the note again.

“Let’s just do what she says, regardless of why,” I suggested. I walked over to the elevator and it opened immediately. The inside was a silver, metallic color with a blue hue. I stepped inside and turned to June and Ella.

“June, get in quickly!” Ella urged as she climbed inside of the car.

June turned to me uncertainly as she slowly got into the car.

The elevator door closed.

Where are the buttons? I wondered as I looked around.

I gasped as the elevator suddenly started moving, taking me down silently. In what couldn’t have been more than five seconds, the elevator stopped smoothly and the door opened.

“My sweet, sweet Gary!”

Something wrapped around my neck carefully before I could see what it was, but I knew who it had to be before I finally recognized her.

“My sweet love, how are you? It’s been too long since we saw each other.” Elesa removed me from the elevator and pressed me up against the wall next to the door. She was now wearing black high heels, yellow and black striped pantyhose, and a stunningly tight yellow dress that showed off every imaginable curve on her thin body.

The small room we were in looked just like the rooms before, closed twin yellow doors at the end.

We were alone.

“You’re so cute. You know that, right?” Elesa said softly, her face mere inches from mine. She was wearing makeup now, black mascara around her eyes, her face now containing a glow to it that wasn’t there earlier, and even the bags under her eyes seemed to be almost entirely gone, though her tired eyes still looked red.

“Th-th-thank you. You-you’re looking amazing, as always.” My eyes kept moving up and down her frame, mesmerized by the shape of her body in what she was wearing, unable to stop my eyes from checking her out as my heart beat nervously, wondering what was about to happen next, and what that amazing scent that was coming from her body was.

“You seem a little nervous, Shnookums.” She leaned her face in even closer. Her lips, slightly red from a light amount of lipstick on them, puckered out towards me.

This is wrong! I thought frantically. She’s about to give me my first kiss! This isn’t how I imagined it would be, nor the person I imagined it might be with! She’s a Gym Leader! An adult! No, no. She can’t! She won’t! She wouldn’t!

Elesa closed her eyes and leaned in even closer, her lips ready to touch my mine.

My eyes widened as I swallowed hard, and I closed my eyes, preparing for the kiss.

A sound near the end of the room, followed by a few gasps, made my eyes open.

Elesa had her eyes open wide as she stared at me.

The slightest movement forward from either of us would have caused our lips to touch.

She turned around and gasped.

Ella, June, and another woman were standing by the now open doorway, shocked looks on their faces.

“Elesa?” The woman squinted at Elesa. She wore a pair of black sweatpants with one yellow stripe on each leg. Her hoodie was striped in yellow and black. Thin white gloves covered her hands. Her short, dark blonde hair bounced lightly as she shook her head in disbelief. “What are you doing?”

“I was just…” Elesa said nervously, her face turning red. She turned to me quickly and then turned back to the woman. She didn’t speak for a while, everyone staring silently at her. “…giving him a little hug. He seemed nervous about battling me. Anyway, let’s all get to the battlefield, shall we?” Elesa turned to me and winked before walking away, swaying her little hips, stepping through the doorway.

The woman with June and Ella stared at me for a moment before following Elesa.

Ella and June ran up to me.

“Are you okay?” June whispered.

“Looks like we got here at the right time,” Ella said. “That roller coaster ride sure was fun, though.”

“I’m alright. Who’s that woman?” I asked.

“That’s the judge Elesa told us about,” Ella answered. “She was just outside the door when we got here, wondering where Elesa was.”

“Good thing she found her,” I sighed. “Let’s get this battle over with. At this point, I’m thinking I’d rather battle Fay.”

The three of us walked after Elesa and the judge, who were standing in another small room, and the yellow doors slid shut behind us. A short, wide, blue platform was in front of the door we stepped through, and we stepped down from it, walking over to Elesa and the judge in this new brown room. We all stood near a closed set of purple twin doors with a yellow lightning bolt in the middle.

“This is where we’ll be battling,” Elesa waved at the doors, turning to smile at me.

I nodded with a smile as the doors slid apart before us, a bright white light shining through the opening.

“Wow!” June, Ella, and I exclaimed as we stared at the huge battlefield before us.

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“This is huge!” I cried excitedly as Elesa and the judge led the way inside, and the doors slid shut behind us.

The entire Gym was painted yellow, with lights along the ceiling and walls, pink hearts and blue and yellow circles painted all over the walls. Two large balconies hung near the ceiling, one over each side of the battlefield, but no one was in them. The battlefield wasn’t a flat portion of the floor, but rather its own risen platform built up. Most of it was yellow, outlined in white, and the rest of the small area around the white line was black, outlined in a light blue. A thin path resembling a runway extended from the field to the door we had walked through, the other end reaching to closed twin doors on the opposite side of the room. The path reflected our images like a mirror. The closed doors behind us were colored a deep sea blue with a thin, pink circle, the closed twin doors on the opposite side of the room matching them. The remaining two walls held more designs and paintings, one containing a Poke Ball design. A circular blue platform sat on either side of the battlefield where me and Elesa would stand, made of the same reflective glass material that the runway had.

Elesa walked like the professional model she was down the runway and to the end of the battlefield, and the referee walked to a short, blue stand outside of it.

I turned to Ella and June.

June nodded determinedly. “Good luck. She may be out of her mind, but she’s still a Gym Leader. Please, be careful.”

“Hurry up so we can get out of here,” Ella winked. “Take her out, then I’ll have a go, and we can figure out what’s next.”

I smiled and turned to walk away.

“Hey,” Ella said suddenly.

I stopped and turned back to her. “What?”

“Even after we beat Elesa, if the Driftveil Drawbridge is still closed, we won’t have much of a choice but to try and find Daint City,” Ella realized.

She’s right, I thought as I lowered my eyes. Without a word, I turned away from them and left them by the door as I walked to my end of the battlefield. My eyes met mine in the reflection beneath me. How could someone looking like that be sweeping an angel like Elesa off her feet? Age aside, I pondered miserably at myself.

“This will be a three-on-three Pokemon battle between Nimbasa City Gym Leader, Elesa, and Gary from the Kanto region!” the referee shouted. “Only the challenger is allowed to substitute Pokemon. When one trainer is out of usable Pokemon, the match is over. There is no time limit. Let the battle begin!” She waved her hand.

Elesa raised her hand to her mouth and blew me a kiss. “Good luck, baby. It’s time for the battle you desired. Now prepare to watch me glow! Emolga, dazzle for the stage!” She threw her Poke Ball.

“Emolga!” a cute rodent Pokemon cried as it stretched out its wings and glided around the field.

Emolga. The Sky Squirrel Pokemon. Using their cape-like membrane, Emolga can glide from tree to tree. It sometimes shocks people and Pokemon for fun as it glides away, leaving the victim confused.

“Emolga. Electric and Flying??” I gasped. “No way!” This must have been what June was talking about, I realized. Excadrill won’t be much use. “Alright, then let’s start things off with Darumaka!”

Darumaka jumped around excitedly on the battlefield as he appeared from his Poke Ball.

“I insist that you have the first move, honey,” Elesa said lovingly. “The bright light is shining on you!”

“Um, thanks,” I said, blushing. I shook my head hard and focused. “Let’s begin with Headbutt!”

Darumaka lowered his head and ran at Emolga.

“Emolga, use Discharge!” Elesa said with an energetic, captivating smile, her blue eyes twinkling lovely.

Emolga’s body was covered in a bright flash of electricity and several bolts fired at Darumaka.

Darumaka leaped around one, but got zapped by the next jolt. He dropped to the ground and remained still.

“Darumaka!” I stared down at him, my eyes wide. “Darumaka, get up!”

“Her Pokemon are really powerful, Gary!” June called out to me.

“Darumaka, we’ve got this! Get up and let’s keep fighting!”

Darumaka’s eyes closed even tighter, and he pushed himself back up, turning quickly to Emolga with an angry look on his face. He jumped repeatedly, yapping sharply.

“That’s the spirit, Darumaka! Don’t give in! Now use-!”

Darumaka’s body suddenly glowed in a bright flash of light, interrupting my orders.

“Darumaka!” I gasped, taking a stunned step back.

Darumaka’s body widened and lengthened, strengthened and bulked up. When the light faded, my new Pokemon flexed his muscles and roared his name threateningly.

Ella and June gasped behind me.

Elesa and Emolga wore matching, shocked faces.

The referee stared at my Pokemon in disbelief.

Darmanitan. The Blazing Pokemon and Darumaka’s evolved stage. A very physically strong Pokemon, some have been recorded using Psychic abilities even better than their physical prowess in rare, specific circumstances.

“My Darumaka evolved into Darmanitan!” I cheered. “Alright! YES! Congratulations, Darumaka! Um, Darmanitan!”

“Daaaaarmanitaaaaaan!!!” Darmanitan flexed his arms.

“Alright! And Hustle is no longer your Ability! You have Sheer Force!” I noted gratefully, putting away my Pokedex. “Let’s continue with the battle and use Roll Out!”

Darmanitan leaped into the air and curled up into a ball. He rolled as he landed on the ground and flew right into Emolga.

“Emooool!” Emolga was forced through the air and landed hard.

“Emolga, no!” Elesa reached out to her Emolga who was just a few feet away.

Emolga shook its head and stared in shock as Darmanitan crashed into it again, with even more force. “Mooooooolga!” Emolga uttered. Sliding on the ground, it bared its teeth and struggled back up.

“Emolga, use your Volt Switch, now!” Elesa begged.

Darmanitan moved quickly to roll into Emolga again.

Emolga hopped to its feet and leaped high. It put its hands together and a large ball of electricity appeared. It tossed the ball at Darmanitan and it hit, outlining his body in yellow as he roared in pain. Emolga suddenly glowed red and vanished.

A white beam hit the ground, and a new Pokemon stood there!

“Hey! What? You just retreated Emolga!” I accused her.

Elesa looked stunned at my accusation. “I would never cheat! Volt Switch is a move! I didn’t substitute the Pokemon!”

“Volt Switch?” I pulled out my Pokedex.

Volt Switch. The user attacks the opponent, and is then switched out with another Pokemon in its Trainer’s party.

“Oh…” I said stupidly.

“Volt Switch does not count as substituting a Pokemon,” the referee declared. “The match may continue.”

“Fine, so what’s that thing?” I asked.

Stunfisk. The Trap Pokemon. They are tickled when they are hit with Electric attacks or use their own Electric moves. Despite being an Electric and Ground type Pokemon, they are often found at the bottom of lakes. When washed up on beaches, they shock those who step on them.

Darumaka was still in the midst of his Roll Out and slammed into Stunfisk.

“Stun! Stun! Stun! Stun! Fiiiiisk!” Stunfisk’s body flapped wildly like a fish out of water as it was sent flying.

“Stunfisk, Earthquake, now!”

Stunfisk stopped flapping about and with surprising force, it slammed down to the ground, rocking the field.

Darmanitan unraveled from his attack as the Gym quaked, tossing him through the air, and he came crashing down heavily. “Dar…” he moaned weakly.

“Darmanitan! Don’t give up!” I shouted.

“Darmanitan is unable to battle,” the referee waved at Elesa. “Stunfisk wins!”

“Didn’t the spark of that battle just tickle you?” Elesa gushed, her eyes squeezed shut, smiling adorably, shaking her shoulders in excitement.

“That wasn’t bad at all,” I admitted, returning Darmanitan. “That was full of surprises. But now, I’m going with Cottonee!”

“Coooottoneee!” Cottonee cried out happily as he was sent from his Poke Ball.

“Cottonee, use Stun Spore, now!”

“Stunfisk, use your Bounce attack!” Elesa ordered.

Cottonee’s Prankster Ability let him move faster as he sprayed Stunfisk with Stun Spore, Paralyzing it.

“Stun! Stun! FIIIISK!” Stunfisk’s body sparked, showing signs of Paralysis, but then the sparks ended, and Stunfisk now seemed to be laughing! It leaped into the air, flapping its fins almost as if it were flying!

“Whoa! What’s that?”

Stunfisk turned around in the air and flew back down, right into Cottonee with the Super Effective move.

“Cottoneeeee!!” Cottonee was forced down, bouncing along the ground before coming to a stop.

“I wouldn’t try to Paralyze my Stunfisk,” Elesa giggled. “Its Ability, Limber, makes Paralyzing it impossible.”

“Limber…” I whispered. “Hmph.”

“Dizzying, wouldn’t you agree?” Elesa winked, staring at me seductively, one finger to her mouth.

“Then use Giga Drain, Cottonee!”

“Fly out of the way!” Elesa commanded.

“Fly?”

Cottonee’s body glowed green, the two leaves on the sides of his body glowing the brightest, and a pair of light green beams flew from his leaves, reaching for Stunfisk.

Stunfisk leaped quickly, out of the way, and flapped its fins. To my complete amazement, Stunfisk was hovering in the air!

“No way!” Ella shouted.

“Go, Stunfisk! Illuminate brightly for all to see!” Elesa laughed, extending her arms into the air excitedly.

Stunfisk flew around as Cottonee tried to grasp it with Giga Drain. It flew around in poor fashion, but good enough to stay out of the way of getting hurt.

“Now it’s our turn to Paralyze you, sweetie!” Elesa blew me a kiss. “Thunder Wave!”

“Poison Powder!” I reacted quickly.

Cottonee moved first, spraying a purple and black powder on Stunfisk.

Stunfisk coughed and choked on the powder, dropping to the ground. It continued to cough hard as its face flushed with purple.

“Stunfisk!” Elesa’s face was shocked.

“Now we’ve got it! Giga Drain it!” I told Cottonee.

Cottonee attacked with Giga Drain and caught his prey, sapping its health and restoring his own.

“Stuuuuuuunnnnn!!” Stunfisk wailed as it struggled to break free.

“Drain it, Cottonee! Finish it off!” I urged.

“Stunfisk, no!” Elesa’s hands rose to her cheeks.

After another moment, Cottonee’s Giga Drain ended.

“Fiiisk…” Stunfisk uttered in a low voice.

“Stunfisk is unable to battle! Cottonee is the winner!” the referee waved to me.

“Alright! Cottonee, you did it! That was great!”

“Cottonee! Cooottoneee!” Cottonee was flipping in the air.

“Return,” Elesa said sadly, returning her Stunfisk, slouching her back. She wiped at her eyes, but then stood up tall, keeping her eyes closed, and took a deep breath. Her smile returned to her face and her eyes opened as she went for another Poke Ball. “We’re far from done. It’s time to shine bright! Go, Emolga!”

“Emoooolgaa!” Emolga flew out from its Poke Ball, soaring around.

“Use Stun Spore, now!”

“Emolga, Thunder Wave, quickly!”

Cottonee Paralyzed Emolga with Stun Spore, but right after, Emolga stunned Cottonee with Thunder Wave.

“Return!”

Cottonee was returned to his Poke Ball.

Elesa stared at me, a slightly surprised look on her face.

“Okay, this time I’m going with Excadrill! Go!” I threw his Poke Ball.

“Excadriiiiiill!” Excadrill leered at Emolga.

“A Ground type! I was wondering if you had brought one or not,” Elesa commented.

“I wasn’t sure if I would use him or not, but I think it’s time. Use Rock Slide!”

“Emolga, watch out! Double Team!”

Emolga’s body split into multiple copies rapidly as Excadrill called to the skies, creating white circles in the air that dropped enormous boulders. Many of the rocks tore through the clones of Emolga as they all tried to avoid getting hit.

“Emoooool!” Emolga was hit, the rest of the copies disappearing instantly. Emolga hit the ground and its little body twitched as it struggled to get back up.

“Slash attack to wrap this one up!” I called out.

Excadrill’s claws glowed white as he charged at Emolga and slashed at the downed squirrel.

Emolga’s painful cry rang out through the Gym as it was forced back, flying right into Elesa’s arms.

“Oh!” She stumbled backwards, finally falling. “Emolga!” She looked up at me, her eyes watering, giving me a hurt look.

“Elesa!” I took a step towards her.

“Emolga is unable to battle! Excadrill wins!” the referee said, waving to me.

“Are you okay?” I called.

She sadly lowered her head and let out a hurt cry, returning her Emolga. She wiped at her eyes with both hands and stood up. Managing a smile, she lowered her hands, but I could see the lightly smeared mascara on her face. “You’re quite amazing, I must say. But, I’m not out of useable Pokemon, yet. I still have one more left. I absolutely have to win!” She glared at me, which took me by surprise. “Eelektross, my Electric Queen, shine brighter than the sun!” She sent out her final Pokemon.

“She has an Eelektross!”

“Yes, my dear Eelektross,” she said, a hint of pride in her voice. “My most powerful Pokemon.”

“We’ll see just how powerful it is,” I said eagerly. “Excadrill, use Earthquake and take that thing out!”

“Excaaadriiiill!!!” Excadrill jumped high and came back down to the floor, shaking the Gym with tremendous force.

The referee cried out as she was easily tossed to the ground.

Elesa also fell onto her back from the strong quake.

June and Ella called out from behind me.

I stumbled around uncontrollably.

Eelektross’ body sparked with electricity as she… immediately hovered in the air!

My eyes widened as I tried to make sense of what I was seeing.

Eelektross was in the air, outlined in electric sparks, avoiding the Earthquake attack!

When Earthquake ended, Eelektross gently descended, and the sparks around her body disappeared.

“Impossible! What was that?” I couldn’t believe what I had just seen!

Elesa got to her feet and dusted off her clothes with a smile. “Honey, Eelektross’ Ability is Levitate,” Elesa explained. “Ground moves will not work on her.”

The referee climbed to her feet, shaking her head, and then maintained a focused glare at the battle.

I swallowed nervously. Elesa really knows what she’s doing, I thought. I wasn’t prepared for this. Okay, so Ground moves won’t work, and Steel moves on an Electric type aren’t very strong. “Excadrill, use your Slash attack!”

“Cadriiiillll,” Excadrill groaned. He was bent over, his body sparking.

“Gary, he’s Paralyzed!” June informed me.

“Huh? Why? From what?!” I turned to her.

“When he used Slash on Emolga! Emolga’s Ability is Static! Contact with that Pokemon may cause Paralysis!” June told me.

I angrily turned back to the battle.

“Eelektross, let’s truly sparkle this time! Flamethrower!” Elesa twirled her hand above her.

“She knows Flamethrower?!” I shouted in horror.

Eelektross cried out and a stream of fire flowed from her gaping jaws, burning Excadrill.

My Pokemon fell to his knees.

“Excadrill, don’t give up! We can win this battle!” I encouraged.

Excadrill struggled to get back up after the flames had finally died down.

“Excadrill, Swords Dance, now!”

Excadrill raised his claws and they glowed a dark purple as he slashed at the air, boosting his Attack.

“Hone Claws, Eelektross!”

Eelektross’ claws glowed white as she slashed at the air to increase her Attack and Accuracy.

“Slash attack!”

“Eelektross, use Brick Break!”

“Excadriiiiiill!!” Excadrill’s claws glowed white as he ran at Eelektross.

Eelektross raged loudly as she flew at Excadrill.

Excadrill’s claws swiped at Eelektross as Eelektross swung a glowing white fist down on Excadrill’s head.

Eelektross flew back, sliding on the ground on her feet.

Excadrill staggering about lazily, finally dropping.

Eelektross shook her head and then roared victoriously to the ceiling.

“Excadrill is unable to battle! Eelektross is the winner!!” the referee announced, waving at Elesa.

Elesa giggled. “Looks like all you have left is that cute little Cottonee. You’re a great Trainer, Gary. You’ll be a wonderful boyfriend.”

The referee’s eyes widened to the size of basketballs as she whipped her head to Elesa and then to me.

I turned away from the referee and forced a smile at Elesa. “I… can’t wait!”

Elesa blew me another kiss, and I slowly, nervously returned it with a kiss of my own.

I have to win, I thought. I can’t give in this fast. There must be a way out of this. “Cottonee! You’re my last Pokemon! Let’s give it our all! Go!”

“Cooooottonee!” Cottonee sang out.

Now what’s the better option? I thought quickly. Stun Spore, or Poison Powder? Stun Spore lowers the Speed, but-

“Allowing us to go first?” Elesa asked. “You’re just too sweet.” She winked at me. “Flamethrower! Now!”

“Wait! Um!” I was lost for words as Eelektross attacked.

Cottonee screamed out shrilly as he was consumed by the flames.

No! I screamed angrily in my head. This can’t be the end. There has to be a way out of this! We can’t lose like this! We can’t lose at all! Me and Ella have to beat Elesa!

The flames died down and Cottonee was on the ground, eyes closed.

“Cottoneeeeeee!” I called out to him.

“Gary!!” Ella shrieked.

I turned to her and saw the fear in her eyes.

June’s eyes were staring intently at Cottonee.

“Cottonee is unable to battle!” the referee declared, turning my head around quickly.

“Cottoneeeeeee!!” Cottonee’s body was consumed in a burst of flames and he screamed out. As the fire faded, he opened his eyes and glared at Eelektross.

Eelektross let out a stunned cry.

Elesa gaped down in horror at Cottonee. “But, how?”

“Cottonee is Burned!” June pointed at Cottonee. “He’s still able to battle! If he were beaten, he couldn’t be Burned! This battle has to continue!”

The referee looked down at Cottonee, shocked. She looked at June with the same glance before turning back to Cottonee. “This battle may resume!”

Elesa shot June a look promising an early death.

“Cottonee, we don’t have much longer! It’s our turn to fight! Endeavor, now!” I screamed desperately.

“Endeavor!” Elesa gasped.

“Cottoooooooneeeeeeeeeeee!!!!” The shrill screech that rang out from Cottonee made my ears hurt, ringing like an alarm inside of the Gym, but I didn’t move a muscle, keeping my eyes on him as his body became outlined in white. He flew at Eelektross and slammed into her face, knocking her over.

Eelektross roared loudly as she collapsed to the ground.

“Eelektross, please! This can’t be! Get up! One more Flamethrower!” Elesa begged.

“Giga Drain!”

Eelektross rolled over onto her stomach, struggling hard to push herself up. Her arms shook hard, but she started to get to her feet.

“Cottoneeeeee!” Cottonee screamed as he wrapped up Eelektross in his Giga Drain and sapped her health.

Eelektross was helpless as she screamed, her remaining energy leaving her body. With a final heave, she drooped in Cottonee’s hold, silent. The light green beams around her body disappeared and she fell to the ground.

Cottonee screamed as the Burn returned, surrounding him in flames temporarily. He descended, hovering just an inch above the ground, breathing hard.

“Eelektross is unable to battle! Cottonee wins!” the referee said with a smile, waving her hand to me. “The winner of this battle is Gary, from the Kanto region!”

A scream burst from my throat as I ran to Cottonee and wrapped my arm around him. “Cottonee! I knew you could do it!! WE REALLY WON!! WE WON THE BOLT BADGE!!!”

Cottonee sang happily in my arm as his soft body rubbed against my face.

With excitement, I threw my other five Poke Balls to the ground and sent out the Pokemon inside.

“Pidooove!” Pidove immediately flew to my left shoulder.

Elgyem hovered over my right shoulder, being careful not to sit on it as he watched me.

Darmanitan and Excadrill both looked exhausted, but looked up at me expectantly.

Tympole bounced along the ground.

“We won our fourth Badge, everyone! The Bolt Badge is ours! YEAH!” I cheered.

Everyone leaped up for joy over our victory.

“Endeavor, huh?” Ella said from close behind me.

I turned to her and smiled proudly.

“A move that lowers the opponent’s health to match the user’s,” Ella nodded. “Good one!”

June, standing next to Ella, nodded, smiling. “Congratulations, Gary.”

A loud shrill shriek broke our joyful gathering and we all turned to see that Eelektross was no longer on the field.

Elesa was on her knees, screaming up mournfully to the ceiling.

“Elesa!” I wasn’t sure if I should run over to her or not, so I just remained with my friends.

“I’m… ugly!!! I’m just an ugly, old, WITCH!!!” she sobbed openly, her mascara running down her cheeks.

“Elesa,” I said, taking a step towards her.

“You said it yourself!” Elesa was now glaring at me. “You said I’m as good a battler as I am beautiful! And I lost! I llllooooost!!”

“But you battled amazingly! You were great, Elesa!” I tried, not sure if I should be consoling her or running away, but then I remembered that I didn’t get my Badge from her yet.

“NO! I sucked!!! I lost to a Cottonee!” She covered her face. “I raised this Eelektross from a Tynamo since before I was even a Gym Leader, and I lose to some Cottonee! It’s the proof I’ve always needed! I’m UGLY!!! I can’t be a Gym Leader anymore! I’m never showing my ugly face to the world again!!” She threw something to the ground and ran to the doors behind her. They slid apart and then closed when she ran through them.

Ella, June, the referee, my Pokemon, and I, all stared at the closed doors silently. Slowly, we all turned to face each other.

The referee walked over to the object Elesa had tossed and bent over to pick it up. With a sigh, she turned and walked over to me. “You earned your Bolt Badge,” she said with a smile. “I apologize for misjudging your Cottonee.” She smiled down at him. “It’s made of some tough stuff!”

“Thank you,” I said appreciatively, taking the golden Badge in the shape of a lightning bolt, the upper quarter of the inside being orange, while the bottom was yellow.

“But, what about my battle…?” Ella asked meekly.

“Miss, I think you’d be better off trying for another Gym, to be honest,” the referee told Ella, shaking her head. “Elesa hasn’t been herself in the past few years. She hasn’t appeared on a runway in ages. She doesn’t really battle anymore, either.”

“But, why?” I asked.

“Well, when she turned, I think, about, twenty-four, she felt like she was too old to model anymore,” the referee revealed to us. “It’s a lot of pressure being a model. I can only imagine. Once she stopped modeling for magazines and whatnot, she just didn’t care about Gym battles as much, and it was a wrestling match to get her to battle. She would rarely show her face in public, and always kept her head down when she did go out, refusing to sign any autographs and just being miserable and self loathing, pitying herself. She even neglected all of her good friends. I don’t know what you two had going on, but I thought for a moment that maybe the old Elesa had come back to us when she called me to referee your battle. The last battle I judged for her was over a year ago. I couldn’t believe it when I got that phone call. She sounded so happy.”

“She really believes she’s old and ugly. I tried to be a bit nice to her and convince her that she’s gorgeous because she wouldn’t battle me because she kept freaking out about her looks! I didn’t intend for her to end up being all over me! She actually… liked me!”

“How old are you?” the referee asked.

“I’m just thirteen.”

“Yeah, that could have been awkward, not to mention illegal. Elesa’s like twenty-nine, if I’m not mistaken.”

“Isn’t there a word for people like that? A tiger?” I tried to remember.

“A cougar, silly,” Ella laughed. “And that applies to much older women liking younger guys. Although, I guess, since you’re so young, it could apply.”

I sighed. “Whatever. The point is, we won the Bolt Badge!” I raised the Badge high in the air to my Pokemon’s cheers.

*

“Well, that really sucked,” Ella complained. “We went through all that and I didn’t even get to battle Elesa.”

“Yeah. Just make sure you don’t lose that Town Map of yours,” I warned Ella. “If we’re going to be hunting after some Fairy Gym in the middle of nowhere, we’re really going to need that map.”

“What happened to yours?” Ella asked. “Didn’t Prof. Juniper give you one, too?”

“Yeah,” I nodded. “But… I lost it.” I nervously chuckled.

“Oh, Gary,” Ella rolled her eyes with a sweet smile.

“Well, let’s first just make sure that this bridge is still closed before we start worrying about that Fairy Gym,” June said.

It was the next day, the middle of a freezing cold afternoon, as June, Ella, me, and my Pidove, sitting on my left shoulder, made our way across a yellow pathway with a white barricade, overlooking the water as we walked towards the Driftveil Drawbridge.

Boats sailed by, some fast, while others cruised slowly.

A guy and girl stood close together, overlooking the water, leaning on the barrier.

Other people, some alone, some in small groups of three or four, some just as couples, walked by us, caught in their own conversations or the surrounding atmosphere.

Ella nudged me in the side lightly. “Romantic, don’t you think?”

“Um…” I replied nervously.

“Or, it would be if it were nice and not freezing cold,” Ella continued, looking away from me. “Or maybe if you were here with a different girl, eh?” She turned to me slyly with a sneaky smile.

“No! I mean, I think it’s romantic,” I said quickly. “I mean, I don’t need to walk here with a different girl. I mean, not that I need to walk with anybody, but if I did walk with somebody, you’re perfectly fine. I mean, like, uummm…”

Ella burst out laughing at my nervousness.

June sighed with a smile and shook her head, gazing at me sympathetically.

“There’s Officer Jenny,” Ella pointed. “Let’s see if she knows if we’re allowed to cross yet.”

We both moved a little bit quicker, making sure June didn’t get left behind, as we reached Officer Jenny.

She stood by a red bridge and smiled at us. “Hello. Are you kids trying to cross here?”

“Yes! Is the bridge open?” Ella asked quickly.

“You bet! It opened up this morning. You’re all free to cross whenever you’d like.”

Wow, I really miss Kanto, I thought to myself with a smile as I scanned Officer Jenny’s body. My eyes got stuck on her long, smooth legs in her short skirt for a moment.

“Gary?” a voice called out.

I looked up. “Hey! Wait for me!”

Ella and June were already on the bridge, looking back at me in confusion.

I ran up to then with a nervous laugh, and together, we walked across the Driftveil Drawbridge.

On our way to Driftveil City.

On our way to the beginning of a relationship none of us could’ve dared imagined.