Bittersweet rivalry

It begins early in the morning at the Pewter City Gym, as a young girl and her pokemon sat outside in the cool morning air.

"Dratini, or should I say Black Dratini, now," Reshon started as she rubbed her pokemon's head. "A lot has happen since we started on our journey hasn't it." "I mean I have already had fours battles, received my first gym badge, met two new friends, and caught four pokemon, and according to many this is just the beginning." "I still have seven other badges to attain, before I can even think about taking on the elite four for the right to become a Pokemon Master."

"Dratini, Drat," Black Dratini sang as she tried to comfort Reshon.

"No, Dratini," Reshon spoke sweetly to her pokemon," I'm not sad about the changes." "I'm just a little worried." "That power we displayed during the last battle, I can't truefully say that I had nothing to do with it this time." "I felt myself lending you the power to accomplish that move." "So, do that mean that you and I was destiny to meet because of that great power, and maybe that would explain why I can all of a sudden understand Pokemon Language perfectly."

"Dratini, Dratini, Drat, Drat,ini, tini," Black Dratini interrupted.

"Ha, Ha," Reshon responded," maybe you're right." "I probably shouldn't worry about these things so much, and just enjoy the ride along the way." "So I guess in that case I should just go back inside and try to get a few more minutes of sleep."

"Dratini!"

Then Reshon got up from the grass and turn back toward the gym's doors.

"Wait," a voice yelled behind them.

"Huh, who is it?" Reshon yelled in response to the mysterious voice.

"You don't remember me," a young girl glared as she stepped from around the gym's sign where she had been hiding.

"Racheal!" Reshon gasped," what are you doing here?"

"Humph, I'm here for my second badge what else," Racheal spat out at Reshon.

"Your second?" Reshon replied questionably.

"Of course, I did leave before you, and so I was able to fight the gym leader Geo, and I won!" Racheal smirked.

"Well, I also have a badge," Reshon quickly responded as she quickly took out her boulder badge.

"So, I guess in that case, we are even," Racheal smirked again. "So, there is nothing wrong with me challenging you to a rematch." "Three on Three this time, and winner has to give up one of their pokemon."

"No way!" Reshon yelled at Racheal," according to the rules I only have to give you half of my money, so if you think I'm going to battle you for one of my friends you have another thing coming."

"CHICKEN," Racheal yelled and then she began to tease and berate Reshon all the way back inside the gym.

Once inside, Brown appeared before the girls and then walked straight up to Reshon and pulled her aside as Racheal continued her teasing from a distance.

"I heard everything," Brown spoke lowly," I want you to go ahead and accept her challenge."

"But I don't want to lose one of my pokemon..," Reshon started.

"Don't worry about that I have you covered," Brown smiled as he turned toward Racheal. "Racheal, if you defeat Reshon I will give you your boulder badge, but if she wins, you'll have to give her anything she wants from your bag or belt."

"Wow, this is going to be the easiest badge I'll ever win." Racheal laughed making Reshon angry.

"Let's go!" Reshon growled as she pulled the still laughing girl into the arena.

"Ok, you two," Brown began," this is a three-on-three match, so fight fairly.

Then the match began as Racheal call out a small rat-like pokemon, Rattatta, and Reshon called out her Arbok, Venom.

"Let's end this quickly Rattatta, quick attack!" Racheal yelled as she attempted to take the first attack.

"Venom, dig," Reshon yelled as the snake-pokemon quickly dug a hole in the gym floor. Leaving a streaking Rattatta without a target as it flew over the hole.

"Rattatta, stay on the look out for that snake," Racheal yelled.

Then suddenly as Rattatta look back at its trainer to respond to her yelling the ground underneath it began to tremble as Arbok hit Rattatta from below sending the rat high into the air and then crashing into the ground below. But this one hit wasn't enough to make Rattatta faint as it got back onto its feet shakily.

"Venom, end it with a poison sting attack," Reshon yelled as Venom slowly began to rear up. He then opened his mouth and fired five tiny stingers, which Rattatta was able to avoid mostly. One of the tiny stingers struck it on its tail and the poor pokemon pass out as the poison began to take affect

"Rattatta!" Racheal yelled," return!"

their next match.

"I choose you, Clover," Racheal yelled as she sent out her newly evolved Ivysaur.

"Huh, I thought Clover was a bulbasaur!" Reshon yelled to her opponent.

"He evolved from a Bulbasaur into a Ivysaur at the last gym, now enough talk," Racheal yelled. "Let's continue this battle!"

"Ok, Venom return!" Reshon recalled her pokemon and sent out another one. "I choose you, Growlithe."

"Humph, I see that you're going to use my own pokemon against me," Racheal sneered," but that won't help you, Clover sleep powder!"

"Growlithe, use your take down!" Growlithe then charged straight through the cloud of yellow dusty and rammed into Clover sending the pokemon flying in the opposite direction.

Clover hit the ground hard, but was quickly back on his feet. As for Growlithe, he had simply fallen asleep in the middle of the arena.

"Growlithe, return!" Reshon yelled as she returned the now sleeping puppy back inside his pokeball. "Sorry about that Growlithe, I guess I should have told you to use Ember instead."

"Second match goes to Racheal," Brown announced as the two girls glared at each other.

"Well, we're even!" "So, winner takes all, Reshon." "Make sure to use your best pokemon," Racheal smiled," because I'm going to use mine." "I choose you, Kangaskan!"

"Black Dratini, let's go!" Reshon sent out her best friend and first pokemon.

"Dratini, Dratt!" Black Dratini yelled as she slithered unto the arena and the final match began.

"Kangaskan, use your dizzy punch!" "Kangaaaaa," the huge kangaroo like pokemon yelled as it quickly started forward."

"Black Dratini, evade, Reshon yelled when the huge creature was inches away from its target." Black Dratini then teleported as the huge Kangaskan punch a hole in the ground where she had once been, and then reappeared behind Kangaskan and used her slam attack to send Kangaskan into the ground. Then Kangaskan quickly hopped back to its feet and charged at Black Dratini with its Dizzy Punch again, and like the other time Black Dratini simply teleported away when Kangaskan got too close.

"Hah, do you think that that same trick is going to work more than once." "Kangaskan, use earthquake!" The huge pokemon then pulled out of its punch and then jumped high into the air and hit the ground with a large thud shaken the entire arena. <Now, there isn't going to be anywhere to teleport to,> Racheal thought as the entire gym was shaken up by Kangaskan's move.

Things had gone exactly as Racheal had planned as Black Dratini reappear and was critically wounded by the move, and now she was moving a bit sluggish as Kangaskan charged her with its Dizzy Punch.

"Black Dratini," Reshon yelled as her pokemon was barely able to avoid the attack. Reshon was now at a lost as to what to do. Black Dratini was in trouble and she wasn't exactly sure how to help her.

"Now, Kangaskan finish it with your rock throw!" Racheal smirked.

"Black Dratini, watch out," Reshon yelled as she watched Kangaskan remove a huge boulder from the ground and hurl it at her pokemon.

The rock connected and Black Dratini went down with the rock on top of her.

"Black Dratini!" Reshon screamed as she looks at the place where the rock sat on top of her pokemon.

"Well," Racheal began as she look toward Brown," I would like my badge, now!"

"Fair is Fair," Brown replied as he slowly headed toward Racheal with the badge in his hand."

Meanwhile, Reshon had run unto the arena floor and was trying to remove the boulder from on top of her pokemon.

"Black Dratini, Black Dratini," Reshon yelled! "Can you hear me? Please answer me, but still there was no sound, then suddenly the rock began to crack. Reshon step back as the rock exploded revealing a newly evolved pokemon. Black Dragonite.

"DRAGONITE!" Black Dragonite roared as Brown smiled and retrieved his badge from the girl's hand. "It would seem that the match isn't over yet!"