Chapter 4 Virima Gym Battle
"So this is the gym." Ash says as they are stepping in front of the house, and Alice says, "Yeah, now we just need to head inside."
As they enter the gym, they see a Mudkip acting as a gym guide, and to their surprise, it can talk as well. "Welcome, gym challenger, and...Jim challenger! My name is Couragi, and I'll be your guide!"
"Okay, Couragi, can you tell us about this gym?" Ash asks, and he says, "You have to do a Gym Mission before facing Jim, and there are four keys throughout the gym you'll need to find! Each of these keys is in a different room, and to get the keys you'll have to battle the trainers who hold them! Once you've gathered all four keys, return here and place them in the key slots. When all four keys are in their slots, the doors to Jim's room will be unlocked!"
"And can you tell us about the Gym Battle?" Alice asks.
"Jim tends to be the first leader that gym challengers face, especially visitors from abroad since Virima is the most popular docking point! Jim is aware of this, so he tries not to be insurmountable to newcomers. His type goes well with being the favorite first since Normal is known for being neutral both ways in a lot of type matchups. It allows for many trainers to not stress about weaknesses and resistances for their first gym battle. That doesn't mean you should expect him to be a pushover, though! Normal is a very diverse type that can fit a variety of roles, and Jim has one of the most varied moves in his arsenal: Hidden Power. Every one of Jim's Pokemon could be considered a wild card!"
"Normal Type and Hidden Power...it really gives me a lot to think about...though I wonder what kind of person is the gym leader..."
"I can also answer that question." Couragi says, "Outside of being a Gym Leader, Jim is also a tour guide for P.I.E Tours, whose main building is located in Olidroll City! Jim has been a tour guide for longer than he's been a Gym Leader, and his knowledge and experience with all kinds of terrain factored him into him being chosen. Some challengers prefer to battle Jim on one of his tours rather than his house here. Those challengers must book a tour with him and they can battle him after the tour is over. As you travel around the Ceolis Region, you'll likely run into Jim on one of his tours!"
"That's all the information that we need." Alice says, "Let's go."
Ash nods as they enter the house, they can see five doors with the middle one being locked, they head west to the Study Room and they battle a girl with an Eevee, after that, they get the Blue Key.
The second room to the west is the Living Room, they battle the Gym Leader's wife, who has a Glameow and a Deerling with her, after defeating her, they get the Red Key.
The first room to the east is the Dining Room, they battle a boy with a Rattata, Doduo, and a Pidove, after defeating him, they get the Green Key.
The second room to the east is the Meeting Room, they battle a maid with an Indeedee, which is not good for Fighting Types, but they still beat her and get the final Yellow Key.
After putting all four keys into their keyholes, they open the door and see Jim standing in front of them. He says, "Hello, challenger. You must be Ash and Alice, right?"
"How did you know our names?" Alice asks in surprise.
"Your sister Emily told me about you two. She earned my badge not long before you came in. Some challengers feel awkward about battling in my house, but I assure you that you're not intruding in any way."
The man then realizes something and he says, "Oops, I haven't even formally introduced myself yet. My name is Jim. And before you mention it, yes, I know. I've heard it over a million times. Chelsea doesn't let it go."
"Who is Chelsea?" Ash asks. "And what do you mean by over a million times?"
"I think he is talking about how his name and Gym are pronounced the same." Alice says, "We heard from Couragi that he also did that."
"Oh, Chelsea is Ceolis' Water Type Gym Leader, and she makes a lot of puns. But for now, I am the leader you should be focusing on. My type is Normal, but I'm a Gym Leader. There's nothing normal about my power!"
As the referee explains the rules, which Ash knows is going to be a six on six, Jim says, "Come on out, Sky!"
A Starly is sent out, and Ash says, "Starly, huh? It is not only a Normal Type, but it is also a Flying Type as well. If that's the case, Pikachu! I choose you!"
Pikachu rushes to the field as the battle begins, Starly uses Quick Attack, and Pikachu dodges it with the same attack, then it goes for a Thunderbolt, which deals a lot of damage.
"I see this Pikachu is very well trained. But can it block my Hidden Power?" Jim says as the attack hits Pikachu, seeing that it is neutral damage, Ash sighs in relief and says, "It is not Ground Type, since it is not Super effective. But it is not a Flying Type as well, since it still deals some damage..."
Then, in the end, Pikachu knocks out Starly with the Electro Web. Jim says, "I see you have a lot of experiences. Here is my second Pokemon, Meadow!"
The Pokemon that comes out is Deerling, and Ash decides to recall Pikachu for his next Pokemon, which is going to be a Noivern, a Flying Type Pokemon.
"A fully evolved Pokemon...maybe it is a mistake by using a lower level team against you...but it can be affected by Leech Seed!" Ash widens his eyes as Noivern is trapped with the vines coming from the seeds, and its energy is being taken by Deerling. Alice says, "So that is how Leech Seed works..."
But in the end, Ash beats the Pokemon with the Hurricane. Jim's third Pokemon is going to be River, his Bidoof, and because of the Leech Seed, Ash recalls Noivern and goes for Sirfetch'd.
Sirfetch'd has a hard time attacking the Pokemon because it keeps using Rollout, after it gets tired, River goes for a Hidden Power, which also deals some damage to the duck Pokemon.
"Hidden Power sure is something...if only we can know what type it is..." Ash says, and Alice is showing worry.
In the end, Sirfetch'd be able to defeat the Bidoof with the Brutal Swing, Jim says, "I can tell you really have a lot of experiences in battling, with the full team that I have, for now, I might not be able to win against you."
"What do you mean by that?" Ash asks in confusion, and Jim says, "It means that I can just forfeit since I know that I am going to lose, but I am not going to do that since I want to battle at the very end! Go, Desert!"
The fourth Pokemon is a Helioptile, Ash decides to go for Krookodile. With the Charge, it keeps raising its Special Defense, and the Hidden Power turns out to be Super Effective against Krookodile, and Ash says, "Are your Pokemon using the same type of Hidden Power?"
"Of course they are. But I am not going to tell you." Jim says as Helioptile goes for the Pound attack, but with the Earthquake, it defeats Helioptile in the end.
The fifth Pokemon Jim is using is Farm, which turns out to be a Wooloo, so Ash goes for Lucario. Going for the Hidden Power, it is also super effective, Ash says, "I get it, the type of the Hidden Power is Fighting! We need to be careful."
Alice says, "It takes him five Pokemon to figure out the type of the Hidden Power? That is so amazing..." Pikachu can only shrug as he is surprised at Ash figuring out the Hidden Power.
Wooloo keeps using Rollout and Defense Curl, but Lucario uses a Close Combat to knock out the Pokemon. Jim has only one more Pokemon and it is Savanna, his Girafarig. Ash sends out Heracross as his final Pokemon as well.
Heracross uses Megahorn to deal a lot of damage, but Savanna is using Stomp to flinch the Pokemon, and then using Confusion to give the Pokemon a lot of damage.
"Heracross! Use Hyper Beam!" Ash yells, but Girafarig manages to dodge the attack and goes for the Hidden Power, it is a good thing that Fighting is not effective against Bug, but the Confusion is giving Heracross more damage as it is recharging. In the end, A Mega Horn is capable of defeating the Pokemon.
"Good Game." Jim recalled his Girafarig and says, "For tourists, you and Emily did exceptionally well."
Ash smiles at the compliment and Alice says, "He's right. You are awesome in the battle."
"Well, my Pokemon did the job, so they should earn the praise." Ash says.
"Don't get carried away by that compliment and your performance here, though. You have seventeen gyms left, not to mention the Elite 4. You might be ill-suited to deal with a certain type, have trouble cracking a leader's strategy, or lack the firepower to bring down one of their Pokemon. On the other hand, don't let that discourage you either. You're not limited to one attempt, and if you're defeated, you can learn and improve! Anyway, here is the Clear Badge. You've more than earned it."
Ash takes the badge and thanks to him, "He says, "Now there is seventeen to go...Jim, do you know where I can find the second gym?"
"The closest gym from here is Cianosa, which is just past Virima Trail to the north. There are two ways to travel through Virima Trail. You can ride through on a bicycle, or you could speak to the ranger in the gatehouse about walking on the trial with a Furret. Maybe the people and Pokemon you meet there will be different depending on whether you're biking or walking with a Furret."
"Furret Walking sounds like an interesting idea." Alice says.
"And biking is also good considering we purchased them for free." Ash says.
"I'll definitely encourage you to try both. Have fun on your vacation and good luck with the league. I hope we can have a rematch someday! I'm also a tour guide for P.I.E Tours, so maybe we'll see each other again while you're adventuring in Ceolis!"
Ash and Alice bid farewell to Jim as they leave his room, on the way, they meet Couragi and he says, "Congratulations on winning your first badge, Ash! That was pretty evenly matched from beginning to end. I don't think anyone could have confidently bet for or against either of you. You showed a lot of promise, so I hope I'll be seeing you in some more gyms!"
"We will." Ash says as they leave the gym.
Here is a new chapter, and in this chapter, Ash has won against the first gym leader as he gets the first badge, the Clear Badge. In the next chapter, we will be having the Virima Trial, and what will you choose if the choices are Furret Walking or Biking?
Ash's Pokemon: Snorlax, Sirfetch'd, Noivern, Krookodile, Lycanroc, Heracross, Gengar, Lucario, Charizard, Greninja, Sceptile, Pikachu, Pheromosa
Alice's Pokemon: Alolan Vulpix, Blipbug