Cress

"Triple Trouble!"
Cress
Species	Human
Hair color	Blue
Eye color	Blue
Base	Striaton City
Relatives	Cilan, Chili (brothers)
Debut	Pokémon: Black and White Versions

Cress is one of the three gym leaders of Striaton City's Pokémon gym who collectively count as the first gym leader to battle within the Unova Region in Pokémon: Black and White Versions. Cress specializes in water-type Pokémon.

Background

Cress, along with his brothers Cilan and Chili, became the gym leaders of the Striaton gym. They were also chefs, and the gym doubled as a restaurant. Cress was an intellectual fellow who considered challengers to be lucky if they had the opportunity to face him, but he also thought they were lucky not to have to face him. The three of them each specialized in a different type that formed a triangle and was the same as the traditional starter Pokémon types. Rather than forcing challengers to battle all three of them, the brothers would see which starter Pokémon that the challenger had, and then the challenger would face the brother who had the type advantage. Victorious challengers would earn the Trio Badge.

In Pokémon: Black and White Versions, Hilbert/Hilda faced Cress if they had chosen Tepig as their starter Pokémon. After Hilbert/Hilda defeated him or one of his brothers to win the Trio Badge and TM 23: Work Up, Cress realized that if there were seventeen brothers, they would truly be able to cover all of the types. They were later beaten by Cheren and Bianca.

The three brothers were presumably present when the gym leaders had a meeting about Team Plasma. Bianca later went around gathering all of the gym leaders when N's Castle arose at the Pokémon league, but she went to Striaton last, and the brothers wound up being the only gym leaders who did not make it in time. If Hilbert/Hilda revisited the gym later, Chili would note that the trainer's fire now burns much more intensely than it used to.

Pokémon Roster

In battle, Cress's Pokémon are Lillipup and Panpour.

Other Appearances

Other Media

• In the Pokémon anime, the brothers first appeared in a two-part episode where they served Ash food until he demanded to meet the gym leader. Ash actually had to fight all three of them, and Cress was the second of the three to battle him. Cress's Panpour actually defeated Ash's Pikachu, although Ash still earned the Trio Badge by winning his battles with the other two. He appeared in a later episode where he was concerned after his attempt at constructively criticizing Chili's fighting style wound up driving him away and called Cilan. Cilan was able to help Chili regain his confidence and return to the gym.
• In the Pokémon Adventures manga, the Striation gym leaders appeared early in the Black/White arc. Black, Bianca and Cheren engaged the three of them in a three-on-three battle. Cress was able to hold his own, but Chili was beaten, and Cilan's Pansage inadvertently wound up reviving the opponents' fallen Pokémon, so they ultimately lost.

Trivia

• He is named after an aquatic herb called watercress.