Episode 37: A unique type of Pokémon
"Everyone, meet Druddigon." Niko said to his other five Pokémon as they all examined the Cave Pokémon curiously. Instinctively, Braviary wanted to attack it, but Niko quickly noticed this and stopped. "He's our new teammate, and will be helping us defeat Drayden. As Litwick knows, he's pretty strong already." Niko turned to the Candle Pokémon with a half-smirk.
The team began to train shortly after that, working for the entire day until each one of them dropped from exhaustion, with the exception of Servine, who was hell-bent on doing better. Niko smirked with satisfaction, watching the Grass Snake continue to practice her leaf blade and leaf tornado moves without any sign of stopping.
"Druddigon." Niko said to the tired dragon type. "Think you could try keeping up with Servine?" The Cave Pokémon glared at Niko briefly before nodding. "Go for it, then."
Druddigon did so, slowly getting back up and continuing with his own moves—dragon claw, dragon tail, chip away, and night slash, according to Charlotte's pokédex. At one point, he slammed dragon tail into the ground with enough force to shatter the field directly under him. Servine noticed this, turned to Druddigon, and smirked as well.
Eventually, Servine and Druddigon got tired enough that Niko called off the training. "I think…I think we're ready…"
"Really?" Warren asked, sounding surprised. "Just after two days?"
"I've had quicker rematches." Niko said, thinking of his rematch with Clair, all the way back in Blackthorn City. There was only a day between his matches then.
"Well, from the looks of it, you should do well. But that Haxorus…" Warren said, looking worried.
"I've got a plan for Haxorus this time. Don't worry." Niko said, slapping Warren on the back and walking into the Pokémon Center alongside Charlotte.
That evening, Niko pondered potential strategies, particularly which Pokémon he was going to use and when. Druddigon, Altaria, Flygon, and Haxorus…those are Drayden's Pokémon. I can beat Flygon and Druddigon with relative ease, I think. It's Altaria and Haxorus that I'll have the most difficulty with. No, wait…Boldore can beat Altaria. That leaves Haxorus, and only Haxorus. Okay, then…
He looked over at Servine, who was curled up on a chair next to Tynamo. Litwick was sleeping in the air off to Niko's right, and Braviary was perched on the chair above Servine. Druddigon and Boldore were sleeping soundly on the ground. Niko always appreciated watching his Pokémon sleep peacefully. They had all worked hard to get to this point. It made him feel more confident about his chances against Drayden, and especially in the Unova League.
"Oh? Back for a rematch?" Drayden said as he noticed Niko, Charlotte, and Warren approach the front entrance. The Gym Leader was outside, cleaning the brick statue of the black dragon on the exterior of the gym.
"Yes, please." Niko said.
"Very well." Drayden said, and Niko could see a smile emit from under his thick, gray beard. "Let's get started, then."
He led them into the gym and onto the battlefield. There Niko and Drayden took their respective places on the field; Warren and Charlotte sat in the stands with their Pokémon; and the referee ran down the stairway behind Drayden to judge the match.
"As with before, this will be a four-on-four gym battle, Niko." Drayden said, pulling out a pokéball. "I hope you're ready this time." He then threw the pokéball out. "Druddigon, let's go!"
"Braviary, I choose you!" Niko shouted. "Hone claws!"
"Rock slide!" Drayden commanded, watching at the Cave Pokémon summoned dozens of rocks to fall on its opponent. Braviary, noticing this, halted his own move to evade the rocks, flying backwards, over Niko, to do so. "Crunch!"
"Aerial ace!" Niko called out. Braviary obeyed, diving towards his opponent. White tendrils originated from his beak as he charged at Druddigon, whose mouth was wide open, ready to attack. Braviary crashed into Druddigon, took the crunch attack, but then used air cutter up close to launch Druddigon backwards, across the field, and into the wall behind Drayden. "Aerial ace again!"
Braviary dashed across the field, wings wide open. However, Druddigon was ready. Drayden commanded it to use rock slide on itself. Since Braviary was moving too fast, he didn't have time to react, and ended up slamming into Druddigon just as the two were buried under dozens of rocks. Niko cringed a little. Suddenly, Braviary shot out of the rubble and crashed onto the battlefield, rolling a little before coming to a stop. In his wake was Druddigon, tail glowing bright purple.
"Braviary…can you keep going?" Niko asked. The Valiant Pokémon nodded, ignoring the pain and getting back up. "Use air cutter."
"Druddigon, rock slide!" Drayden commanded. Braviary backed away as he ascended into the air, crossing his wings before opened them and shooting out light blue blades from the tips of his wings at Druddigon, who shielded itself with rock slide. "Crunch!"
Druddigon now took flight to challenge Braviary in the air, charging upwards at his opponent, maw open wide. Braviary dodged the attack and, being more agile in the air than Druddigon, managed to circle around and use aerial ace from behind, pushing the Cave Pokémon into the ground.
"Air cutter again!" Niko shouted. While Druddigon lay on its face, Braviary opened his wings wide once more, emitting small blades of air at his opponent. A cloud of dust erupted as a result. Once the dust dissipated, Druddigon lay there, unable to move.
"Druddigon is unable to battle, Braviary is the winner!" The referee declared. "Leader Drayden will now use his second Pokémon!"
"Druddigon, return. Well done. Flygon, I choose you!" He shouted, clearly switching up his order this time, which threw Niko off slightly. "Rock slide!"
"Braviary, dodge and use aerial ace!" Niko commanded. The Valiant Pokémon turned towards Flygon and shot towards it, moving through the rocks aimed directly at him before colliding with Flygon, and knocking the Mystic Pokémon into the ground below. "Air cutter!"
"Rock slide!" Drayden shouted. Flygon obliged, summoning more rocks from high above, aiming for them to crash down on Braviary. This time, it was successful. Just as Braviary was about to use air cutter, he felt the rocks hitting him, one by one. The rock slide carried Braviary towards the ground. "Now, dragon tail!"
"A purple aura burst on Flygon's tail as it charged at Braviary, slapping the Valiant Pokémon with it, and launching him across the side of the field towards the stands, where he collapsed onto the ground in defeat.
"Braviary is unable to battle, Flygon is the winner! Challenger Niko will now send out his second Pokémon!"
"Braviary, return. You did good, buddy. Well done. Servine, let's go!" Niko shouted, summoning his trusty Grass Snake Pokémon. "You ready for this? You're up second."
Servine turned to Niko and nodded. She rarely looked more confident in her abilities. Smirking, Niko commanded her to use leaf blade, to which she obliged, charging at Flygon with ambition in her eyes.
"Flygon, earth power!" Drayden commanded.
"Wait for it, Servine!" Niko shouted while she was running. "And…NOW!"
Servine, just like in the previous battle, leapt into the air just as the earth power struck. She somersaulted and, tail glowing bright green, landed it on Flygon's head, forcing the Mystic Pokémon into the ground below. Niko then commanded Servine to use leaf tornado once more, and this also landed successfully.
"Dragon tail!" Drayden called out. Flygon spun around on the ground, gaining momentum to carry it back into the air, where it struck Servine in the side just as she was descending back to the ground. Servine was launched into the side of the field, just as Braviary before her. She collapsed to the ground, but unlike Braviary she got back up, albeit slowly. She had never taken a hit from Flygon before this—not that she remembered, at least.
"Servine, we can do this. We always can. Use leaf blade!" Niko shouted. Servine got up quickly and ran at Flygon, spinning through the air, using leaf blade aimlessly to gather up enough momentum. Niko smirked—Servine knew exactly what to do this time. However, it also seemed that Drayden did, too. Niko quickly saw him begin to mouth a command and, thinking on his feet, changed his strategy. "Servine, quick to the right!" He shouted, asking his Pokémon to move back towards him. Servine obeyed without question, and ultimately dodged an earth power. However, the shockwave generated from the attack still hit her, and she tripped and rolled across the battlefield before quickly gathering herself once more, getting back to her feet.
"Hmm…good job, Niko." Drayden said with a smirk. "You're learning. Flygon, earth power!"
"And you're not. Servine, leaf blade!" Niko shouted. Servine nodded, once again charging up momentum to eventually strike her opponent, just like last time. However, Niko had something else in mind. Once Servine was close enough, he issued his new command. "Up into the air! Leaf tornado!"
Servine, confused but sure of Niko's judgment, leapt into the air and spun vertically, eventually pointing her tail directly above Flygon and unleashing a powerful torrent of leaves, engulfing the Mystic Pokémon.
"Now, finish it off with leaf blade!" Niko shouted. Servine ended the leaf tornado and, as she was descending, struck Flygon in the back with leaf blade, forcing her opponent into the ground.
"Flygon is unable to battle, Servine is the winner! Leader Drayden will now send out his third Pokémon!"
"Altaria, I choose you!" Drayden said. To this, Niko pulled out his own pokéball.
"Servine, return." He said. "You'll have too much difficulty against Altaria. I want you to save your energy." He then exchanged pokéballs. "Boldore, let's go!"
"Altaria, sing!" Drayden commanded as soon as Boldore entered the field. Boldore, thinking quickly, and with Niko's instruction, used smack down just before falling into a deep slumber. Altaria crashed into the ground at the same time from the smack down. "Now, dragon pulse!"
Boldore took hit after hit from dragon pulse, barely budging. Niko also was silent, biding his time and waiting for Boldore to wake up. He knew the Ore Pokémon could withstand more than this. Plus, Altaria was stuck to the ground—it wasn't going anywhere either.
Sensing—wrongly—that Boldore was on the verge of defeat, Drayden commanded Altaria to use fire blast this time. Getting hit from the five-pointed fireball was enough—for whatever reason—to wake Boldore up this time. The Ore Pokémon then began moving again. Niko immediately commanded Boldore to use smack down, and he obliged, summoning another golden orb and hitting Altaria with it.
"Rock slide!" Niko commanded now. Boldore attacked once again, this time pelting his opponent with rocks. Altaria attempted to block with cotton guard, using her fluffy wings to protect her from the falling rocks. "Smack down again!"
Boldore, having distracted Altaria with rock slide, used another smack down to hit his opponent, knocking it over onto its back. Drayden called for Altaria to use dragon pulse as soon as it got up, to which Boldore retaliated with smack down. Both attacks collided in the middle of the field, resulting in a stalemate. Niko then calmed himself, focusing exclusively on Altaria's movements.
"Boldore, mud slap." He said. The Ore Pokémon obeyed, not quite understanding what Niko was up to here. Nevertheless, he kicked dirt into the air furiously. "Now, smack down!"
The Ore Pokémon obeyed once more, launching a final golden orb through the dirt cloud he created with mud slap, and hit Altaria directly in the chest, nearly knocking it into Drayden. Once it hit the ground, Altaria was unable to move.
"Altaria is unable to battle, Boldore is the winner! Leader Drayden will now use his final Pokémon!" The referee declared.
"Wow…Niko might win it this time…" Warren said in surprise. "He's only lost one Pokémon."
"That's because he knows what to expect this time." Charlotte explained. "He wasn't prepared to fight that Haxorus. Now he is, and I think he's trained his Pokémon specifically for that."
"Haxorus, I choose you!" Drayden shouted, summoning the now-familiar Axe Jaw Pokémon. "Use dragon dance!"
"Boldore, smack down!" Niko shouted. Boldore hit Haxorus directly in the chest, which somehow ended the attack. "Keep it up! Don't stop hitting Haxorus!"
"Dragon tail." Drayden said plainly. The Axe Jaw Pokémon charged at Boldore, its tail emitting a purple aura. Haxorus slashed at the smack down attempts, knocking them from side to side before reaching Boldore, spinning around, and slamming its powerful tail into the Ore Pokémon, immediately knocking it to the ground in defeat.
"Boldore is unable to battle, Haxorus is the winner!" The referee declared. "Challenger Niko will use his next Pokémon!"
"Boldore, return. Well done, buddy. Servine, I choose you!" He shouted, re-summoning the Grass Snake Pokémon. Upon seeing Haxorus, Servine's eyes flared up with a rage. Without instruction, she charged at Haxorus. Her tail was glowing bright green, and she spun through the air in an attempt to hit the Axe Jaw Pokémon. Instead, she met Haxorus' blackened claw, since Drayden commanded it to use shadow claw. The attack hit Servine in the side, and slammed her hard into the ground.
"Haxorus, dragon tail!" Drayden shouted. The dragon type's tail started glowing again, and it slammed it into Servine, who was in the process of getting back up, albeit slowly. Servine was then flung across the field, like during her last match with the Axe Jaw Pokémon, and hit the stands directly under Warren and Charlotte. This time, though, she didn't collapse in defeat. She slowly got back up just as Haxorus began to use dragon dance.
"Leaf blade!" Niko commanded. Servine nodded, leaping through the air, slashing leaf blade through the air to gain enough momentum to hit Haxorus. She was successful this time, slapping Haxorus in the right side of the neck. As soon as she did, however, Haxorus slashed at her with shadow claw, bringing her to the ground.
"X-scissor!" Drayden called out. Haxorus leaned downwards, its claws glowing bright red. It slashed at Servine while she was still laying on the ground. Once the attack landed, Servine found it difficult to get back up.
"Servine! We can keep going! Don't give up!" Niko said, worried more for her psyche than her current health. She would physically recover from this battle. But if she lost…it would be hard on her. The Grass Snake did get back up. "Vine whip!" He shouted. Servine, albeit weakly, summoned two green vines from her neck to slap Haxorus, but was once more brought down by an x-scissor, finally defeating her.
"Servine is unable to battle, Haxorus is the winner! Challenger Niko will now send out his final Pokémon!" The referee declared.
"Return." Niko said. Dammit…not again…He said, expressing disappoint in this. First Boldore, then Servine. Can Druddigon do this…? It's vulnerable to dragon types, but so is Haxorus…Niko waited a moment, calming himself down before making his next move. Drayden looked like he was about to say something when Niko whipped out a fourth pokéball. "Druddigon, I choose you!"
To this, Drayden smirked. "So…you did take my advice. Well done, Niko. Haxorus, let's go! Use dragon dance!"
"Not this time! Druddigon, dragon claw!" Niko shouted. We're not giving them the luxury this time. Not like we did with Palmer, and not like we did with Drayden! Niko shouted in his mind. Druddigon, for his part, charged at Haxorus, gliding low to the ground with his medium-sized wings. He then slashed at Haxorus, who blocked with shadow claw.
The two dragons engaged in close combat, slashing and hacking at one another with x-scissor, or shadow claw, or Druddigon's dragon claw. On a couple occasions, Haxorus tried to use dragon dance, but Druddigon—with Niko's help—prevented that.
Eventually, both Pokémon stood mere feet from one another, having exhausted themselves. Neither Pokémon was gaining any ground on one another. Once more, Drayden commanded Haxorus to use dragon dance, to which Niko shouted at Druddigon to use chip away.
The Cave Pokémon charged forward, swerving to the right and slashing at Haxorus from its side. "Now, dragon tail!"
"Dragon tail as well!" Drayden shouted. The two dragons once more collided, their tails hitting one another. Both Druddigon and Haxorus then repelled one another, each flying in opposite directions. Druddigon, remembering his training with Servine, quickly got back up and glided towards Haxorus, his claws glowing bright purple.
Haxorus did the same, its claws glowing a shadowy, inky black color. They collided in the center of the field, crossing past one another and falling to one knee as a result.
For a moment, the entire field was dead silent. No one moved, no one spoke. And all eyes were on Druddigon and Haxorus. Then, after what seemed like forever, Haxorus collapsed to the ground. Druddigon, wincing in pain, stayed up as long as he could. Just as the referee was declaring his victory, he collapsed as well.
"Haxorus is unable to battle…Druddigon is…the winner?" The referee said in response to Druddigon also fainting. "The victory goes to…"
"Niko from Pallet Town." Drayden finished. "Haxorus, return. You did superbly."
Niko, astonished, ran over to Druddigon and, in an attempt to hug his dragon Pokémon, accidentally cut his palm again. "You did great, buddy. I'm very proud of you." He said quietly, returning the Cave Pokémon to his pokéball so that he could rest. He then noticed Drayden, Charlotte, and Warren approach him.
"Pokémon battles are about working with others to meet our challenges together." Drayden said. "Congrats, Niko. I was very impressed with how well you dealt with the challenges I thrust at you. Dragons are by no means easy to defeat, but you've proved that you are able to. Here." He then handed Niko a small silver and black badge in the shape of a dragon's head, with the snout pointing downwards. It could also be construed as a dragon's wing when stretched out. "The Legend Badge, as proof that you've defeated me. You've certainly earned it."
"Thank you for the chance to rematch you, Drayden. I…really appreciate it." He said, staring at the Legend Badge. "I find myself learning more and more about dragons every time I battle against them. And now that I own one myself, I feel like I understand them even more."
"They're a unique type of Pokémon, to be sure. That's good, though. Any great Pokémon trainer should understand the intricacies of each type and species, and be able to deal with them accordingly. You have done that today."
Nodding, Niko thanked Drayden once more before leaving the gym with Warren and Charlotte. They went to celebrate at a restaurant before heading back to the Pokémon Center to rest for the remainder of the day, as well as plan for the next leg of their journey. And, hopefully, the penultimate one, too.