FJ040

==Synopsis==
Justin earns the Plain Badge through unconventional means.
==Summary==
When it is time for the Pokeathlon games to begin, Justin is set with Furret, Eevee, and Hoppip. Declan chooses Jolteon, Zubat, and Phanpy. Whitney chooses her Miltank, Clefairy, and Clefable.
The first leg of the race is Pennant Capture in a game of capture the flag. Pokemon collect as many flags as they can and bring them back to their Pokemon. During this leg, Furret shines with his Keen Eye ability and digging skills to swipe many flags from underground. Declan's Jolteon is lightning fast, and Whitney's Miltank uses Rollout to mow down opposition. Declan ultimately wins the first leg of the event and Justin is in second. 
In the second leg, The Pokemon undergo the Hurdle Dash. This time, Furret falters because he is not one to jump. Eevee and Hoppip pick up the slash but they finish in third. To everyone's surprise, Miltank is a superior jumper as are Whitney's Clefairy and Clefable, which earn Whitney first place in the second leg of the race.
The final leg is the relay race, and all Pokemon show they are equal. It's a matter of pure speed and endurance. Hoppip falters because her species is one that floats. However, Furret and Eevee are speedy as wver. Declan has similar problems with Zubat as his wings are not fully developed, her his species, but Phnapy and Jolteon dash across the field. Miltank is naturaly very fast, but Clefable and Clefairy are not. The race comes down to Jolteon and Eevee, and naturally the evolved Lightning Pokemon wins the race.
Declan wins first place in the Speed Course and earns the Gold Speed Medal. Whitney claims second place, and Justin claims third. Even though Justin technically lost to Whitney, she awards him the Plain Badge. By league regulations she was never able to withhold the badge from Justin, but she simply wished to defeat him. Justin does not mind either way. He happy to have earned his third badge.
As Justin gets ready to leave National Park, he crosses paths with Declan. The two trainers home to meet again someday and declare each other rivals.
==Major Events==
*Declan is revealed to own a Zubat and Phanpy
*Declan wins the Speed Course of the Pokeathlon; Whitney comes in second and Justin comes in third
*Whitney awards Justin the Plain Badge
For a list of all major events in this anime, please see Major Events (First Journey). 
==Characters==
===Humans===
*Justin
*Declan
*Whitney
*Jacob
*Grimsley
*Marnie
*Piers
*Emcee
*Trainers
*Civilians
===Pokemon===
*Eevee (Justin's)
*Furret (Justin's)
*Hoppip (Justin's)
*Jolteon (Declan's)
*Zubat (Declan's)
*Koffing (Declan's)
*Clefairy (Whitney's)
*Clefable (Whitney's)
*Miltank (Whitney's)
*Bisharp (Grimsley's)
*Purrlon (Marnie's)
*Skarmory (Jacob's)
*Venonat (Jacob's)
*Donphan (Jacob's)
Category:First Journey