The Big Challenge
It's the morning after the Big Festival of Willowcreep City, and Brian is just waking up. Today's the day, he thought, today I see what Ash brings to the table as a Gym challenger.
Brian exited his room in the Pokemon Center and went to Ash's. He knocked on the door. "Ash? You up?" No answer. He opened the door to find that Ash wasn't even in the room. "Wonder where he could be." Brian said aloud.
Brian went down to the lobby of the Pokemon to have a cup of tea. As he sipped his drink, he found his mind drifting with thoughts of Ash's coming Gym battle and whether or not Ash could stand up to Brian's old friend, Weis, back in Gad City. And, more importantly, whether or not he could stand up to the retired Gym Leader from the same town.
Sure, when everyone asked, Weis would tell them that the other Gym Leader was just on vacation, but Brian knew she knew the truth. Or at least he thought she knew. That Gym Leader was done with accepting challenges for good. He was out travelling, getting to know his Pokemon better.
All except for the one he left behind.
Brian knew that Gym Leader thought about his lone Pokemon a lot, the one he had to leave back at the Gym, but there was a good reason for that, even if the Pokemon didn't believe it.
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail! And, Harbotter, Aqua Jet!"
Brian's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Ash's voice. It was coming from the battlefield in the yard behind the Pokemon Center. Brian went out the door just in time to see Ash training by himself as his Pikachu and Harbotter's attacks clashed with each other, knocking both Pokemon back. "Great job, you guys!" Ash said, not noticing Brian. "Now, Harbotter, use Water Pulse, and, Pikachu, dodge it!"
Brian smiled. Ash really showed a lot of heart. Training early in the morning for his Gym battle with Hugo. Most trainers would have just slept in and gone into that battle unprepared and with a lot of undeserved overconfidence. But not Ash. Ash trained hard, and he was going to earn that Gym badge today.
"Oh, hey, Brian!" Ash had finally noticed his friend standing there.
"I see you're training well for your battle today." Brian said. "You excited?"
"Definitely!" Ash replied. "Me and my Pokemon are gonna win that battle for sure! Right, guys?" Ash's three Pokemon all responded enthusiastically. "Okay, now, Pikachu, switch with Curserpillar and let's keep going!"
Brian watched Ash train his Pokemon. Eventually, Luna and her Clefairy had woken up and came out to join them. "Ash seems really excited for his Gym battle today." She remarked.
"Yep." Brian replied as they both watched Ash train. "He's definitely something else when it comes to this sort of thing."
Luna stayed quiet for a while after that. She appeared to be focused on her Clefairy watching Ash train. "Brian," Luna said, "can I ask you something in private?"
"Uh, sure." Brian and Luna went back inside the Pokemon Center. Oddly enough, Clefairy didn't even notice they had left.
"It's about Clefairy." Luna said. "Lately, ever since Ash came and saved her and me on Route 1, I've been noticing… Changes in her emotions."
"Oh?" Brian said. "Like what?"
"Just a lot of little things." Luna said. "Like how she reacts to watching battles now. Before we met Ash, Clefairy wouldn't even go near a Pokemon battle, much less fight in one, but now… Well, look at her out there. She hasn't even noticed we left."
Brian didn't need to be a Pokemon empath to notice that. "I guess that is strange." He said. "But maybe it's a good thing."
"How so?"
"Luna, when you left Prof. Bayberry's lab, he asked you what your biggest goal was for this journey, right?" Luna nodded. "And you said you wanted to bond more with your Clefairy, right?" Luna nodded again. "I think that there's a way for you and Clefairy to bond more as trainer and Pokemon, and I think Clefairy's close to realizing that too. Ash is just giving her the push she needs to allow you to do the thing that helps you bond with her."
"And what is that thing, exactly?" Luna asked.
Brian smiled. "I think Ash's Gym battle will show you that." He said cryptically.
Before Luna could ask any more questions, Ash came in with his Pokemon and Clefairy. "All right! We're gonna rest up real quick, then head straight to the Gym!" He said. "You guys ready?"
"Pika!" Pikachu replied excitedly.
"Harbotter!" Harbotter said with near-equal enthusiasm.
"Curse. Curserpillar." Curserpillar said, keeping its cool, though Luna could still feel wave after wave of excitement for battle rolling off the little worm Pokemon.
But that wasn't the only source of excitement. "Clefairy!" Luna's Clefairy said. Luna was surprised to see her Clefairy so pumped up to watch a battle. She was starting to realize what Brian meant. This Gym battle wouldn't just determine Ash's future in the Zooks Pokemon League. It might also determine Luna's.
The trio went to the Gym as soon as Ash's Pokemon were all rested up from their training session. "I'm here, Hugo!" Ash declared as he walked into the Gym. They stepped out to the battlefield: a simple field that was just a large rectangle of earth with bleachers set up for supporters and fans. The tiny Gym Leader, Hugo, was already at his end of the battlefield.
"Heh. I've been waitin' for ya, you young whippersnapper!" He said. "And I ain't going down easy! I may be small, but me and my Pokemons' spirit is just about as tall as the great Giant, Foresquatch, himself! I ain't gonna just roll over and let you have this badge! You've gotta earn it!"
Ash grinned. "I will!" He stepped up to his place on the battlefield. The referee took his place in the middle, and Luna and Brian took a seat in the bleachers. Luna kept her eye on her Clefairy, determined to find out what her Pokemon was feeling during this battle.
"The battle between Hugo the Willowcreep City Gym Leader and Ash the challenger will now begin." The referee said. "Each trainer will have the use of three Pokemon, and only the challenger may make substitutions during the battle. When one trainer's Pokemon are unable to battle, the battle will be over. Trainers ready?" Both Ash and Hugo nodded. "Then battle begin!"
"Curserpillar, I choose you!" Ash said, throwing out his first Pokemon.
Curserpillar appeared from its Pokeball completely ready for battle. "Curse!" It said gruffly.
"A Curserpillar, eh?" Hugo said. "Then Munchlax, you're up!" Hugo threw out his Pokeball, and from it appeared a Munchlax.
"Munchlax!" The hungry little Pokemon said happily.
"A Munchlax?" Luna said aloud. She scanned it with her Pokedex.
"Munchlax," the Pokedex said, "the Big Eater Pokemon. A Normal type. This Pokemon eats its own weight in food every day. It eats and eats and eats, but rarely ever feels full."
"Judging by the use of this Munchlax and the Bigfeet we've already seen him with, I'd say Hugo is a master of Normal types." Brian said.
"Right you are, Brian!" Hugo said. "Normal types are my specialty! And, when it comes to my Pokemon, the bigger the better I always say! Ash, you can have the first move."
"Thanks, Hugo." Ash said. "Curserpillar, Infestation!"
"Cuuuuurser!" Curserpillar let loose a swarm of little, black specks that converged on Munchlax immediately.
"Munchlax, Defense Curl!" Hugo ordered. Munchlax curled up into a ball as it was attacked by the specks Curserpillar had sent out. This increase in Defense made it seem as if it was completely unbothered by the specks at all. "Now use Chip Away!"
"Munchlax!" Munchlax rushed forward to try and attack Curserpillar, but the little worm Pokemon's oddly extreme agility helped it dodge the strikes.
"Curserpillar, try and slow him down with String Shot!" Ash ordered. Curserpillar fired a string of sticky web right at Munchlax's feet, stopping it in its tracks.
"Munch?" Munchlax said worriedly.
"Now use Tackle!" Curserpillar rushed forward, hitting Munchlax hard in the gut and sending it flying backwards.
"Muuuuunch." Munchlax said in a daze as it got back up. It was already running low on energy.
"Hmm. That Curserpillar of yours is a mighty powerful one," Hugo said, "but let's see that little worm stand up to this! Munchlax, Odor Sleuth!"
Munchlax began sniffing the ground until it had identified Ash's Curserpillar. "Why would Hugo use such a useless move?" Luna asked. "His Pokemon won't last much longer. He should be attacking."
"Oh, he will." Brian said darkly. He had a feeling what was coming next.
"All right! Curserpillar, finish this up with a Tackle attack!" Ash commanded.
"Curse!" Curserpillar sped forward, ready to end this battle.
"Heh. I don't think so." Hugo said. "Munchlax, Last Resort!"
"What?!" Ash could only watch as Munchlax summoned a large star-shaped energy blast and hurled it at Curserpillar. The little worm Pokemon was already too close to avoid it. There was an explosion as it got hit that sent wind whipping at everyone in the Gym. When the dust cleared, Curserpillar was down for the count.
"Curserpillar is unable to battle! The winner is Munchlax!" The referee declared.
"Wow… That's a really powerful move." Luna said in awe.
"And it was executed perfectly." Brian said. "Last Resort can only be used once a Pokemon uses all its other moves in battle. And, by using Odor Sleuth last, Hugo ensured that Munchlax would have perfect aim at Curserpillar when it used it."
"Wow. Ash may be in trouble." Luna said worriedly.
But Ash wasn't worried. He was proud Curserpillar put up such a good fight. He returned it to its Pokeball and said "Good job, Curserpillar. Now take a good rest." He drew his second Pokeball from his belt. "Harbotter, you're up!"
Harbotter popped out of its Pokeball primed for battle. "Haaaaarbotter!" It roared, ready to take its opponent down.
"Harbotter, use Water Pulse!" Ash commanded. Harbotter summoned up a ball of aquatic energy and hurled it at Munchlax.
"Dodge, Munchlax, then use Last Resort!"
"Uh-oh." Brian said. "Now that Munchlax has already used all of its moves, it's free to use Last Resort as much as it wants. Ash might just be finished."
Munchlax weaved past the Water Pulse and hurled another star-shaped blast at Harbotter, but Ash was ready for this. "Aqua Jet, let's go!" Harbotter surrounded itself in a veil of water and rushed underneath the blast to hit Munchlax hard and fast, ending the battle in one shot.
"Munchlax is unable to battle!" The referee declared. "The winner is Harbotter!"
"Wow! That was pretty impressive using all that speed from Aqua Jet to dodge the attack." Luna said.
"Clefairy Fair!" Luna looked at her Clefairy. "Clefairy! Clefairy! Clefairy!" The little Fairy Pokemon was chanting, and Luna sensed how excited it was to see Harbotter win. But more than that, did Clefairy want to… Join the battle?
"Munchlax, return." Hugo returned Munchlax to its ball. "You take a nice, long rest there, buddy." He drew another ball from his belt and threw it. "Puppeela, I choose you!"
Hugo's next Pokemon was a large dog. "Puppeeeeeel!" The Pokemon howled. Luna was suddenly reminded of her Puppeela friend in the meadows of Route 1. She was happy to see another of its kind, but still wanted Ash to win.
"Okay, here we go, Harbotter!" Ash said. "You ready?"
"Harbott!"
"Kay. Then use Water Pulse!" Harbotter fired forth another ball of aquatic energy.
"Dodge it and use Howl!" Puppeela rushed to the side with incredible speed, dodging the Water Pulse and howling loudly, causing it to be surrounded by a bright red aura.
"Puppeela just raised its Attack power!" Brian said.
"Now, Puppeela, use Bite!" Puppeela rushed forward, jaws glowing bright, ready to strike, but Ash had an idea.
"Let it in close, Harbotter!" Ash said. Harbotter didn't move, braving the attack like no other Pokemon could. Puppeela brought its jaws down hard on its arm. "Haaaaaarb!" Harbotter cried out. Ash felt bad for the poor Pokemon, but he knew it would enjoy this. "Now use Water Pulse!" With its jaws already locked on Harbotter's arm, Puppeela was blasted backwards from a critical blow from Water Pulse, causing it a lot of damage. But Harbotter was struggling in this battle too after that powerful Bite attack.
"Puppeela, you okay?" Hugo asked.
"Pup!" The large dog Pokemon barked.
"Great! Then use Tackle!"
"Puppeela!" Puppeela charged forward, ready to strike Harbotter head on.
"Harbotter, use Aqua Jet!" Ash commanded.
"Haaaaarbott!" Harbotter charged forward, clashing with Puppeela in a battle of strength. A battle that Harbotter was determined to win. "HARBOTTER!" It pushed forward with enough power to knock Puppeela back clear across the field and into the back wall. The large dog Pokemon was down for the count.
"Puppeela is unable to battle! Harbotter is the winner!" The referee declared.
Hugo returned his Pokemon to its ball. "That was some powerful stuff, kiddo!" He complimented Ash. "That Harbotter of yours is a real firecracker! Which is ironic since it's a Water type."
"Yep! My Pokemon are the best there is!" Ash said. "I have complete faith in them, and they never let me down!"
"Good on ya, kiddo!" Hugo said. "But you're gonna need a lot of faith to beat my final and bestest Pokemon! Bigfeet, go!"
A brown fuzzball with humongous feet appeared from Hugo's last Pokeball. "Bigfeet!" It said confidently.
"You still okay to battle, Harbotter?" Ash asked.
His Pokemon had taken quite a bit of damage, but it still responded with a confident thumbs-up. "Harbotter!" It said, assuring Ash that it would be fine.
"Great! Then let's start off with Aqua Jet!" Harbotter sped forward, surrounded by a veil of water as it charged at Bigfeet.
"Bigfeet, knock him back with Double Kick!"
"Big!" Bigfeet hopped up and hit Harbotter square in the face with its powerful foot, sending the otter Pokemon flying back.
"Harbotter?" Harbotter said, confused at how a Pokemon that weak-looking could have such a powerful kick. What it didn't realize was that there was a second one coming.
"Bigfeet!" Bigfeet roared as it leapt up and brought its foot down hard on Harbotter's head, slamming it into the ground. This was one attack Harbotter couldn't take. It was out.
"Harbotter is unable to battle!" The referee declared. "The winner is- What's this?"
Bigfeet had started to glow. It began growing in size, growing a pair of powerful legs and equally-powerful arms. It grew in height until it was at least a good seven feet tall. When it was done, the glow disappeared and the new Pokemon roared "SASQUASH!"
"Ho-ho!" Hugo said happily. "I told you my big, ol' boy was close to evolving! I can't believe it just happened now!"
Ash looked up at the new Pokemon nervously. "Sasquash?" He said, scanning it with his Pokedex.
"Sasquash," the Pokedex said, "the Normal Giant Pokemon and the evolved form of Bigfeet. A Normal type. According to legend, each of the three legendary Giant Pokemon of the Zooks region leads an army of their own Sasquashes. These Pokemon are powerful brutes and are extremely rare."
"Powerful brutes, huh?" Ash said nervously. He returned his fallen Harbotter to its ball. "Pikachu, you think you're up for this?"
"Pika Pika!" Pikachu said confidently.
Ash smiled. "Right. We've faced bigger challenges before. Go get 'em, buddy!"
"Pika!" Pikachu rushed on to the field. Hugo just laughed.
"Sorry, boy-oh." He said. "It looks like I'll be winning this one. My Bigfeet's even bigger now that he's a Sasquash!"
Ash just grinned. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall!" He said. "Pikachu, Electroweb!"
"Pika Pika! Pi!" Pikachu said as it hurled a web of electricity at its opponent. The web was barely big enough to cover Sasquash's face, and the giant Pokemon ripped the web off easily.
"Sasquaaaaaash!" It roared.
"Sasquash, Hammer Arm!" Hugo commanded.
Sasquash rushed forward, slamming into Pikachu with its new powerful arm, which sent the little mouse Pokemon flying backwards.
"Pikachu! You okay?" Ash asked. Pikachu managed to stand back up.
"Chu!" It said, cheeks sparking and ready for a revenge blow.
"Kay. Then use Thunderbolt!"
"Pika!" Pikachu leapt up to charge for its signature Thunderbolt attack.
"Don't let it blast you!" Hugo said. "Grab it and use Brutal Swing!" Sasquash reached forward and grabbed Pikachu. Ash grinned. Big mistake.
"Now, Pikachu!" He commanded. Pikachu let loose with its powerful Thunderbolt before Sasquash could use its attack. The giant Pokemon got a shock sent through its system. It dropped Pikachu and stumbled around in a daze.
"Keep it together, Sasquash!" Hugo said. "We can still win this!"
"Not a chance!" Ash declared. "Pikachu, one more time! Thunderbolt!"
"Piiiiikaaaaachuuuuuuuuuuu!" Pikachu yelled as it let loose with another Thunderbolt. Sasquash was too dazed to dodge and took the full brunt of the attack. The giant Pokemon stumbled and fell forward, unconscious. The battle was over,
"Sasquash is unable to battle!" The referee declared. "The winner is Pikachu, which means victory goes to Ash the challenger!"
"All right!" Ash cheered. Pikachu leapt up into his arms and Ash swung him around happily. "You were great, buddy!"
"Pika!" Pikachu said happily.
"Actually, Ash, all your Pokemon were great this battle." Hugo said, walking up to Ash. "And I have something that'll prove it." The referee handed him a platter with a badge on it in the shape of a large humanoid figure. Hugo picked it up and offered it to Ash. "Ash, this Giant Badge commemorates your victory here at the Willowcreep City Gym. Wear it with pride, whippersnapper."
Ash accepted the badge. "All right!" He cheered. "I won the Giant Badge!"
"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu cheered with him.
Brian and Luna applauded Ash from the stands. "That sure was a great battle, wasn't it?" Brian remarked.
"Yeah, it was." Luna said. She looked down at her Clefairy which was leaping up and down with joy for Ash.
"Clefairy! Clefairy! Clefairy!" It chanted happily. Luna sensed something in her Clefairy that she had never sensed before. It was a readiness of some sort. She bent down to get face to face with her Pokemon.
"Clefairy, are you sure?" Luna asked her Clefairy.
Clefairy thought for a moment, then gave a small nod. "Clefair!" It said. Luna smiled.
"Hugo!" She said. "I have your next challenger!"
"Really?" Hugo said. "And who's that?"
Luna smiled with a confidence she had never felt before. She was ready for this. Her once-afraid Pokemon was now ready for this. They were a team, and they were going to work together to win.
"Your challenger is me!" She declared.
Will Luna and Clefairy be able to beat Hugo in a Gym battle? And are Clefairy's fears of battling actually completely gone? We'll find out as the journey continues.
