Chapter 23

Fuschia City, the Passion Pink city. It didn't use to be a city 25 years ago. There was just a gym out in the middle of the forest.

"Yes! We're finally here!" sighed Shari as she hopped out of the truck and stretched.

"Let's go to the gym!" Flint exclaimed. "I'm going to get the next badge! C'mon, Pikachu!"

Pikachu looked at him like he was crazy. "Pika, pi pika. Chu kachu pika?" (No way, I'm too tired. Don't you ever sleep?)

"It's too late, Flint," Ollie said. "We need to sleep."

"Well, guys," Todd started, "after we check in and get in our rooms, you probably won't see me again. I'm going to be leaving really early in the morning."

"Oh. Well, thanks again for the ride, Todd. It was nice meeting you," Ollie said as he shook Todd's hand.

The rest of them did the same and then Todd said to Flint and Ollie, "Tell Ash, Misty and Brock hi for me, okay?"

"Will do," Flint said.

Todd started walking towards his truck.

"Aren't you going to get a room in the hotel?" Shari asked Todd.

Todd turned around. "Oh, no. I just sleep in my truck," he replied.

"Well, Flint and Ollie would be more than happy to share a room with you."

"We would?" Flint asked.

Shari elbowed him in the gut.

"No, that's okay," Todd told them. "I actually prefer my truck."

"Are you sure?" Jackie asked.

"Yes, I'm sure."

And with that, he hopped back in his truck.

"Well, let's get some rooms now," Ollie said.

They found a hotel and went inside. They went to the front desk and flashed their Pokedex's. Nowadays, Pokemon trainers can show hotel clerks their Pokedex's to prove they're trainers, and get special discounts. The lady at the front desk scanned the Pokedex's.

They paid and she gave them their keys. They got on the elevator and found their rooms. "Here it is, room 14E," Flint said as he opened the door.

Shari and Jackie had the room across from it. "Night guys," they said as they shut their door.

Flint, Ollie and Pikachu walked in their room. There was one bed and a rollaway.

"I get the bed!" Flint exclaimed as he jumped on it.

"Oh no, you don't!" Ollie yelled as he pushed Flint off.

"Pi pikachu pi! Chu pika pi!" Pikachu said as he jumped on the bed too. (Let's settle this in an orderly fashion! I get the bed!)

"Ok, ok," Ollie said. "We'll pick a number from 1 to 20. Pikachu, choose the number."

"Pika pika! Pikachu pi ka!" (No way! I want the bed too!)

"Ok we'll let Shari and Jackie choose it."

They walked across the hall to their room and knocked on the door.

Shari opened the door. "Wuddya guys want?"

"We're deciding who gets the bed by picking a number 1 through 20!" Flint said.

"Oh my gosh, you guys are so immature. Ok fine."

Shari whispered the number in Jackie's ear.

"Ok, pick. Go first, Flint," Shari said.

"7."

"Ollie."

"8."

"Pikachu."

"Pi." (6.)

"He said six," Flint said.

"Pikachu wins," Shari said. "It was 4."

"Crap," Flint and Ollie said.

Pikachu laughed.

"Now go away," Shari said as she slammed the door in their face.

"Rowr," Ollie said as they walked back in their room.

"Ah, I like em like that," Flint said.

"You like Shari?" asked Ollie.

"Sorta, I guess. She's just so cute when she's mad."

Ollie rolled his eyes.

"Don't tell her, though. I don't know if she likes me back."

"Can I tell Jackie?"

"No. They're best friends, they're not gonna keep anything from each other."

"Hmm...that's true. Dangit, I hate having all these secrets and not being able to tell em!"

Later, they went to bed. Flint and Ollie fought over the rollaway, so they did the number thing and Ollie won, so Flint got the floor.

Flint was just laying there. He couldn't get to sleep for 3 reasons. 1)He didn't like sleeping on the floor. 2)He was excited about the Pokemon battle coming up tomorrow in the Fuschia gym. And 3)He was thinking about Shari. What he didn't know though, was Shari was thinking about him too.

The next morning, they all got up, got ready and met in the hall. Then they went downstairs to eat breakfast.

"I need, like some Wheaties or something," Flint said. "Good for that upcoming battle today. It is the breakfast of champions."

So, they all had breakfast, and Flint and Pikachu had some Wheaties.

After that, they all headed over to the gym.

Flint read the sign out front: "Fuschia City Gym. Gym Leader: Shin Tau, the Poison Pokemon master."

"Shin Tau?" Ollie asked. "What is this, some sorta Bruce Lee movie?"

"I don't know," Flint said. "Let's just go in."

They walked inside. They didn't see an arena. They saw what looked like an old Japanese house.

"This is the gym?" Jackie asked. "It looks like my grandma's house."

"Hello? Is there anyone in here?" Flint called.

He looked around. "Well c'mon guys."

He heard nothing and turned around. "Guys? Ollie? Pikachu? Shari? Jackie? Where are you?"

Suddenly, he felt nothing under his feet and looked down. "Oh, crap!" he was falling. "AAAHHHH!!!!!"

He was sitting on what looked like a slide, twisting and turning. Finally, he reached bottom, and there saw his friends.

"There you are, Flint!" Ollie said.

"What the-? Where are we?"
"Well, it looks like someone set a trap for us."

"Obviously."

He looked around. The room was dark. There were no windows or doors anywhere.

Suddenly, one of the walls slid to the left like a sliding door. The room revealed behind the wall was the arena.

"We're here!" exclaimed Flint as he ran in, only to be kicked backward.

"Hey, Flint are you okay?" Ollie asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What just knocked me down?" he got up.

"Have you come to challenge Shin Tau?" a mysterious voice said.

"Who's that?"

The person that owned the voice came out of the shadows.

"I am Shin Tau, the leader of this gym. Which one of you wishes to challenge me?"

Flint stepped up bravely. "I have!"

"Then let's begin."

They stepped up to the ring. "We will each use three Pokemon," Shin Tau said.

"Fine by me!" Flint took out a Pokeball and threw it. "Psyduck, go!"

Psyduck came out of the Pokeball. "Psy! Psyduck!" it said.

Shin Tau took out a Pokeball and threw his. "Come out, Venomoth!"

A moth like Pokemon came out of the Pokeball.

"What's that thing?" asked Flint as he took out his Pokedex and pointed it at Venomoth:

"Venomoth, the dust-like scales covering its wings are color coded to indicate the kinds of poison it has."

He put the Pokedex back in his pocket. "Be careful, Psyduck. This thing's poisonous. Ok, Psyduck scratch!"

Psyduck charged towards Venomoth, arm up ready to strike. Psyduck lunged its claws at Venomoth, but it flew up and Psyduck missed.

"Venomoth, psybeam!" Shin Tau ordered.

Venomoth shot a beam at Psyduck and hit. Psyduck wobbled around, it's head hurting.

"That's good," Ollie whispered to Jackie and Shari. "It looks like it's headache is getting worse."

"Psyduck, water gun!" Flint yelled.

Psyduck shot water out of it's mouth at Venomoth. It hit Venomoth back a little, but didn't seem to have that much effect.

"Venomoth, tackle!" Venomoth dove down at Psyduck, knocking it down.

"Ok, I think he's ready for his strong attacks," Flint said. "Psyduck, confusion!"

Psyduck closed it's eyes.

"Venomoth, stun spore!" Shin Tau yelled.

Venomoth shot yellow dust at Psyduck. Psyduck just stood there. Suddenly, just before the stun spore hit him, he opened his eyes, which were now glowing. The stun spore blew back and hit Venomoth. Venomoth was paralyzed.

"Venomoth, poisonpowder!"

Venomoth tried to move, but it couldn't.

Shin Tau sighed then took out a Pokeball. "Venomoth, return!"

Venomoth was back in his Pokeball, and Shin Tau called out another. "Go, Arbok!"

A cobra like Pokemon shot out of the Pokeball.

"I remember Dad talking about this Pokemon with the old Team Rocket," Flint recalled. He took out a Pokeball and threw it. "Go, Clefairy!"

The little white Pokemon came out of the Pokeball, looking kind of itimidated by the big snake it saw before it, but willing to fight.

"We gotta build you up, little guy," Flint told Clefairy. "Use Pound!"

Clefairy charged towards Arbok, jumped up and pounded Arbok in the face.