"Plainly Tested," written by Freedom Fighter Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or any of the characters associated with the show. All names and likenesses are copyrighted by Nintendo, 4Kids Entertainment, and anyone else who had a hand in creating the show. ====== Chapter 1 (06.24.02) At that very same moment, the staff at the Goldenrod City gym is hard at work preparing the place for the day's battles. The all female staff, that is. Despite being placed in the biggest city in the Johto region, the gym was completely run by females. There were a few part-time workers who were male, but most of the staff, including all of the gym leader's main assistants, as well as the gym leader herself, were female. It seemed odd the gym staff was set up like that. Many trainers would object to it as well. Until they met the gym leader herself. If you were a guy battling at the Celadon City gym in the Kanto region, you'd have to be careful not insult the plants or the perfume that was made there. Otherwise, they would kick you out and deny you the chance of even challenging for a badge. If you were a guy battling at the Cerulean City gym, you'd have to sit through a water ballet and watch as the staff performed. What could be better? Unfortunately, good looks and water ballets were the only things that went well for the gym staff there, as battles were not their strong suit. Half of the time, they'd just give a trainer the badge because they didn't have any Pokémon available to battle! So, between even having trouble getting into one gym and having no challenge at all from a second, trainers, especially males, expect the same when they come to the Goldenrod City gym. They get anything but a weak gym run by little girls. Each of the trainers at the gym are very skilled. Despite how cute all of their Pokémon are, they are also very powerful, and can catch any unsuspecting trainer off-guard. The gym leader herself was no exception. She had one Pokémon in particular that was very hard to beat. Many trainers are forced to quit their journey after battling here, simply because they can't beat her. Only trainers who had Pokémon at several levels above hers even stood a chance at winning. She proves that her love of normal type Pokémon is anything but normal. ====== As the girls at the gym finish their preparations, they head over to a stereo located in the gym's kitchen. They gather around it just as a program starts on the station they are listening to. "Gooooooood morning, Goldenrod! DJ Mary here at Poké-Talk* radio, the Goldenrod metro area's only station for talk, entertainment, and today's best music! It's just after eight in the morning on this gorgeous Monday morning in June, and you know what that means! It's time for 'Mary Talks with the Stars!'" ====== Inside the live recording studio at the Poké-Talk radio station, two women sit facing each other, with microphones in front of them. Off to one side is a large viewing window, where the producer and the rest of the production staff handle the technical aspects of the show. The producer gives them a thumbs up, signifying that they're on the air. On one side of the table is Mary, Goldenrod City's most famous talk DJ. She's been working in broadcasting for six years and has yet to do a bad interview. She has a way of relaxing her subjects and getting them to answer her questions without fear. She's world famous too... she gets listeners from all over both the Johto and Kanto regions, and beyond in some cases. On the other side of the table sits the gym leader of Goldenrod City, Whitney. She's got her own reputation for being one of the Johto League's toughest gym leaders. Whitney has fans of hers too. Some want to be just like her, some want to be able to best her in battle, and some want to take her out on a date. Needless to say, she handles each challenge with the greatest of ease and always does her best to please those who love her. "Today," DJ Mary spoke up again as she talks into the microphone, "we've got a very special guest with us. When she was here last November, I was so surprised that a whole crowd had gathered outside just to get a chance to meet her! In fact, she's so popular these days that we not only had to sneak her into the studio this morning, but as all of you listeners remember, I did not tell you that she was going to be here today. "Even though she is one of the best trainers the Johto League has, you have to be crazy not to know who she is even if you don't like Pokémon! She's cute, sweet, and still available, in case there are any guys out there looking for a date! "Please welcome, my very special guest. She's our city's gym leader, Whitney Emerson!" "Thank you, Mary. And about the being available quip... all requests go through my resident romance expert at the gym, Samantha. She's responsible for weeding out all of the wackos and weirdoes before I meet them. You can never be too careful these days." "Understandable. Let me start by addressing a few rumors that are going around about you and the gym." "I've probably heard about some of them, but go ahead." "There are a lot of listeners out there who are fully aware that you're not the only single member of the gym leader staff. Clear up who is available and who isn't, because there have been a lot of crazy rumors flying around. For example, we've heard from several people that Carrie just got engaged, while several others are saying that's not true." Whitney laughs. "Gee, I think the girls are as shy as me when it comes to revealing if they're single or not. I hope they won't hurt me after telling the truth, but here goes. As of this very moment, Samantha is the only one actually engaged to marry anyone at this moment. Carrie is not engaged, but she does have a steady boyfriend. Victoria and Bridget are just as free as me, though, so don't be afraid to give them a call too!" "Does anyone interested in either of them have to go through Samantha too?" "No, that's just for me. Guys, if you want Victoria or Bridget, call them up personally!" "How about this one... there's a lot of talk that the gym leaders at Cerulean City in the Kanto region are going to be fired within the next week or so and that the Pokémon League has picked you as their replacement!" "Well, if the League does intend to get rid of Misty and her sisters, they sure haven't told me about that one! Seriously, though, I haven't heard about that rumor about them, nor have I been told that I would be moving there. So, as far as I know, I'm still staying here!" "I think I know the answer to this next one, but I'm gonna ask anyway. The Goldenrod Gazette, among other newspapers and magazines, printed an article within the past week about how close you and Azalea Town's Bugsy Montgomery were at the annual Slowpoke race there. Are you two a couple?" "Definitely not! We're just close friends, that's all." "Let's see... oh, I love this one! Rumor has it that you're going to help Goldenrod become only the second city in the entire country to have more than one Pokémon Center." "We finally have one that's true! Thank goodness!" "So, what's this about?" "Beginning next month, construction will start on an extension to the gym. This extension, which will be built on the eastern side of the building, will have all of the amenities of the current Pokémon Center on the southside of the city. We'll be able to feed and heal Pokémon, as well as provide food and shelter for all trainers that may be passing by. The biggest reason that we're having this built is for convenience. Many trainers, especially after coming to the gym to battle, want to leave the city as soon as possible and move on. This new center will allow them to heal their Pokémon much sooner. "The second reason it's being built is to solve an overcrowding problem. There have been times in which the current center has been overwhelmed by both locals and passersby. This new center will hopefully direct some of the traffic towards us, which will not only alleviate their problems, but make it easier for trainers to get here to my gym. "And the third reason is to benefit the gym leader staff itself. The center will house extra rooms for the entire gym staff, as many of us have become accustomed to staying late every night performing our duties. And we're sometimes so tired that we don't want to go home. So, this should serve as a great alternative to having to drag ourselves home." "Amazing! It's nice to see you doing what's best for not only the city, but for all of the trainers that come through." "Thank you!" "When will it open?" "Right now, we think it'll be ready by the end of August. Too late to help out this summer, but it'll be open in time for anyone passing through afterwards!" ====== As the gym staff continues to listen to the program, one of them hears the fax machine from Whitney's office in the next room over start up. Bridget, Whitney's second-in-command, jumps up and runs over to check it. Seconds later, Bridget returns, reading the just-received fax. "Victoria! Samantha! Carrie! I think you should look at this!" The other three gym trainers turn their attention from the radio and over to Bridget. Carrie reaches over first and grabs the fax from Bridget. She reads it aloud to the others. "It's an official message from the Pokémon League. It says that a teleconference involving all of the Johto League gym leaders will begin in thirty minutes regarding the disappearance of the Azalea Town gym by an unknown force." "Disappearance?" Victoria asks. "As in no longer a gym? It's been destroyed? What?" "It doesn't say," Bridget replies. "I'll call Whitney on her cell and tell her about this." "But this message doesn't make any sense!" Samantha exclaims. Bridget shows them the cover letter, which only has three completely red Pokéball stamps next to each other in the center of the page. "No matter if it makes sense or not, three red Pokéball stamps means that it's extremely urgent. It must be something terrible and unexpected for them to call a teleconference meeting on short notice." "I wonder how Whitney will react when she hears the news," Carrie says. "We'll find out now," Bridget says, reaching for the videophone and dialing Whitney's cell phone number. ====== At the radio station... "And that's my prediction of how our gym will fare in the annual Battle of the Johto Gym Staffs next month." "Last year, the Goldenrod Gym just missed out on getting on the podium by less than a tenth of a point! This will be the third year that you will lead the team at Indigo, but it will be the first time in nearly a decade that our city's gym staff has a shot of winning it all. Good luck next month, Whitney." Music begins to play in the background as Whitney responds to Mary's good luck wish. "Thank you, DJ Mary." "We'll be back with more from Goldenrod's own gym leader Whitney Emerson in a few minutes, but let's take a time-out and play some music! Here's the newest from Sheryl Crow. It's called 'Soak Up the Sun.'" Mary and Whitney's microphones then shut off as the song begins to play. The two ladies continue to converse with each other, though. "I'm surprised you don't even have a boyfriend, Whitney." "Being a gym leader is hard work. I'm dedicated to be among the Johto League's elite trainers. I want to stay there." "I'm sure you can find a way to balance work and pleasure. Look at me... I'm twenty-seven and happily married to the man of my dreams. But I wouldn't have met him if I didn't stay socially active while working at my university's music radio station." "Trust me, Mary. I would do anything to be in the same position as you are. But I just haven't found the right guy yet." "What about Bugsy?" "Bugsy? You still think I like him?" "Well, the tabloids are still true forty-eight percent of the time," Mary smirks. "Maybe you don't want to admit it." "Well I..." The conversation is interrupted when one of the staff members runs into the recording studio and hands a news bulletin to Mary. The member then goes into the connecting room and hands a similar message to the recording director. Mary reads the bulletin, then looks up at Whitney. "What is it?" Whitney asks. "The Azalea Town gym was attacked by an unknown assailant this morning." Whitney gasps. "Bugsy..." "It says the guy was a trainer who challenged the gym staff, as any other normal person would. But after defeating each member of the staff, he somehow took their Pokémon for himself. Even Bugsy couldn't stop him." "You're serious?" Mary nods. "The guy then made the entire gym and everything inside of it disappear! Only Bugsy and his staff were left unharmed." "How in the world?" "That's all it says." Mary and Whitney then hear the phone in the production room. The producer answers it, talks for a few seconds, and then motions for Whitney to come up. Whitney gets out of her seat and heads into the room. She takes the phone from the producer and answers the caller. "Hello, this is Whitney." "Whitney, it's Bridget. We've got urgent news!" "Yes, I've heard. Bugsy's gym was attacked this morning." "Well, the Pokémon League thinks there's more to this than meets the eye. They want to hold a teleconference with all of the Johto gym leaders at eight thirty." Whitney glances at the clock on the wall. "It's eight o seven already. Why are you just telling me this now?" "I was trying to call you on your cell a few minutes ago, but you didn't answer." "That's strange," Whitney thought out aloud. "My phone was on." "Anyway, we need you down here!" "I'm on my way!" Whitney hangs up the phone, then bows to the producer apologetically. "I'm sorry that I have to cut the interview short. Official Pokémon League business." "It's about the Azalea Town gym, right?" Whitney nods. "I wish there was a way I could stop you, but there's no way we can hold you for something that important. You can go." "Thanks. I'll see if I can reschedule in the next week." Whitney then runs out of the room and back into the studio, where she immediately heads for the exit. "Whitney, where are you going?" Mary asks her. "Official Pokémon League business. I'm sorry about this, but I have to go." Before Mary could object, Whitney opens the door and turns left, heading for the staircase. "So much for today's radio show." Seconds later, Whitney reappears with a confused look on her face. "Sorry to bother you, but where exactly was the staircase again?" Mary points in the opposite direction that Whitney had ran initially. "Turn right at the first junction, then go to the end of the hall. The stairs are the second to last door to the left." "Thanks." Whitney then disappears, running off in the correct direction this time. "That's the only thing I don't like about her," Mary comments out loud. "She has a bad sense of direction." "What am I supposed to do with the show now?" the producer yells through his microphone. Mary thinks for a second before having a bright idea. "We'll follow Whitney back to the gym and see what all the hubbub is about! Whitney can update us on the situation in Azalea, and then I can finish our interview!" "That's a great idea! Get the mobile radio staff ready to roll! We've got a show to do!" End Chapter 1 What will Whitney and the other Johto gym leaders think when Bugsy tells them word-for-word what exactly happened? How will they all react? Come back next Monday for Chapter 2 and find out! * Update (7/23/02) - Listed as KROD radio in the original but changed to Poké-Talk radio, thanks to having seen the episode with DJ Mary in it ("Air Time") last week.