Chapter 16: Lucas vs. Fantina
Though the day started late, it was very eventful for the Trainer from Cherrygrove. Ashley and her friends left to go back to Hoenn, and she had given Lucas a Pokemon egg. Then, after some additional moping, the teen ended up spending lunch with Bill and Bebe, innovators of the Pokemon PC Storage System. Bill had ended up giving Lucas the female Eevee his own Pokemon, Gizmo, had fallen in love with. His mood had started out gloomy, but watching the tender affection between the two normal-types finally brightened up. Back to his old self, Lucas refocused on his goal, getting his next badge. The Gym Leader of Hearthome was Fantina, a flamboyant, eccentric Trainer who was also a Coordinator—the same Coordinator who had barely defeated Ashley during the Beauty competition. Based off of what he learned he established Fantina used ghost-types, and that she was at least partially responsible for Ashley rejecting him. While the rational part of his brain argued this was untrue, but the emotional part stated that he needed some kind of scapegoat for the hurt he had felt and the woman who slapped him was as good as anyone else.
Ghost-types where tricky. They were completely immune to normal and fighting moves, were strong against psychics and poison Pokemon and were only really weak against dark-types, of which Lucas had none. Additionally, he knew that many ghost-types had the ability Levitate, which made many ground-based moves totally useless—something he himself exploited with his Pokemon Sparky during his first Gym battle. This would take strategy, and some serious rearranging of his team. His Chingling, which evolved into a Chimecho during his trek in Mt. Coronet would have to go into the PC, as would Donna as her attacks were exclusively normal-type for the moment. He promised Gizmo she'd join the team again the instant they won the badge. Franky would stay with tremendously useful Bite attack, as would Sparky. While Hotrod didn't know any attacks that were super effective against ghosts, he at least was high level and a determined fighter. He decided his Kadabra, the Pokemon he traded for would make a good addition with its status effecting moves, even if it were psychic-type, which left Gizmo. Gizmo would be the centerpiece of his strategy. He couldn't have a sixth Pokemon because of the egg he was carrying, so his team would be as it was.
Lucas returned to the Gym that he first went to the previous day. This time the closed sign was gone, and determinedly, the teen stepped inside. The Gym was pitch-black, there wasn't a single functioning light as far as the Trainer could see. Was it still closed? Lucas wondered to himself, but an instinct told him otherwise. He stepped forward, hearing the clack of his boot heel against the tile echo through the the hall. He kept walking forward, the only sound his own feet and the breathing of both himself and his Eevee. Finally a dim light appeared just to the right of him. He stopped. The light slowly became brighter and brighter. Lucas held his breath. Finally the teen figured out what was happening, the light was a lantern and was held by a grim-looking Trainer with deeply set eyes.
"So you've come to challenge Fantina," he said hollowly, "You are brave to face the terrors of ghost-types, but bravery will do little save you from the powers ghosts possess,"
"Fine, whatever," Lucas was not about to be afraid by the elementary-school haunted house tactics this Gym was offering. Now that he knew what he was getting into, stumbling around in the dark was just going to be a nuisance, "Go! Hotrod!"
"Go! Duskull!" with the Charmeleon out, the shadow effects of the Gym were even less impressive, and the Junior Trainer's Ghost Pokemon was rather low level. With a few fire attacks, the Pokemon and its Trainer were defeated.
Fumbling around further Lucas ran into several more Junior Trainers. Their ghost-types got progressively harder and harder to beat, but Lucas continued to hold Gizmo back, using his other four Pokemon for the battle. After wandering seemingly endlessly through the black labyrinth the pierced teen found his way into a final room. Unlike the rest of the Gym, this room was blindingly lit, and Lucas was forced to shield his eyes from the sudden change in lighting. When his watery eyes finally adjusted he looked around the room. It looked like an ornately decorated parlor, paintings and furniture surrounding the stadium setting in the center. Across the room, seated in a Victorian-styled chair was the garishly purple Gym Leader.
"So you are not just an annoying, rude brat, you are also a Pokemon Trainer," Fantina snipped with her throaty French accent, "But it appears you still look like a tacky pincushion,"
"And you still look like a second-rate Drag Queen," Lucas replied, "I have come to challenge you for this Gym's badge,"
The Leader leisurely got off of her chair, smoothed out her dress and shifted a loose hair back into place, "Bonjour! I am Fantina, the Gym Leader of Hearthome City. I specialize the flowing grace and elegance of the ethereal Ghost Pokemon. I shall tear you and your Pokemon apart with poise and style! Prepare to lose, uncouth boy!" She pulled a Pokeball from her bra and summoned it to the field, "Haunter, mon cher! Go!"
The poison and ghost-type entered the field fluidly, a sinister smile on its face. Lucas knew enough about this particular Pokemon to know exactly what to do, "Go! Sparky!"
Lucas' own ghost Pokemon entered the field with a far less malevolent aura. The Pokemon curiously looked around the Gym and the people in it, before going within inches of the Haunter's face and giving its opponent a huge, happy smile, much to the other ghost's irritation. Fantina huffed her own irritation before calling out the attack, "Haunter! Suckerpunch!"
"Sparky! Confuse ray!" Lucas called out urgently. A Ghost Pokemon that knows dark-type moves seemed categorically unfair, but it did not stop the Leader's Haunter from landing a direct hit. The Rotom was sent for a loop and flung across the Gym. It was out with one hit. The teen snarled, this fight was going to be far harder than he anticipated. He pulled out a second Pokeball, this time not holding back, "Franky! Come on!"
"Shadow Claw!"
"Bite!" This time the Gyrados' speed advantage won out, and the Haunter was severely damaged, but not knocked out. It responded with its Shadow Claw, which did considerable damage to Franky, which Lucas did not anticipate. The boy wasn't about to lose, not to this nasty, stuck-up woman. If Franky hit first again, the Haunter would go down for sure, "Bite it again!"
The second hit took the ghost out and Fantina summoned out her next Pokemon, a pure ghost this time, another Duskull. Franky was still weak, so Lucas called him back and sent out Hotrod. The Charmeleon was effective against the first Duskull, perhaps he could do a repeat performance. Dragon Rages and Embers inflicted decent damage, and the fire-type avoided getting confused by the wily ghost, but the Duskull's Shadow Claw attacks were wearing him out quickly. The exchanged blows finally put Duskull ahead, and the stubborn fire-starter collapsed from its damage.
Lucas gritted his teeth. Though this woman looked and acted ridiculously, she was merciless as a Trainer. The teen was not about the back down or quit. She had beaten Ashley, and he would avenge her loss. The boy risked sending out Franky again, still weakened from the previous battle. All that he needed was one more Bite attack. He needed his other Pokemon for his strategy. Even exhausted, the Atrocious Pokemon still had some speed left and soon the Duskull was defeated. Now Fantina would summon her final Pokemon. Lucas knew exactly what it was going to be.
"Go! Mismagius!" Fantina summoned the Pokemon she used at the Super Contest. This was what her opponent had been preparing for. Lucas may not have been particularly clever, or even a master strategist by anyone's definition, but the boy had enough sense to remember exactly what attacks the Leader had used during the Contest. Contest Pokemon required different attacks than battle Pokemon, and while Fantina was a powerful battler, it was clear the Contests were her true passion. During her face-off with Ashley, both Coordinators used all the attacks they knew to try to impress the judges. Lucas now knew every single attack the Mismagius knew, and what to do about it.
"Franky! Good job, you've done enough," Lucas pulled out Kadabra, "Kazza, it's your turn! Use Disable!"
The psychic-type sat in a meditative state and shot a beam of energy out at his opponent. Fantina responded with another Shadow Claw attack, the Kadabra was seriously damaged but the effect was set. With Mismagius Disabled, the final piece of the puzzle was ready to be used.
"Okay Kazza, good enough, go, Gizmo!" the pierced teen exchanged Pokemon, and the expression on Fantina's face seemed to fall. This was exactly what he was expecting, "What the matter, there Mantina? Why, you look like like you've seen a Ghost, or, more like, something a Ghost can't touch,"
Fantina tried to act unfazed, "Ha! Why should I be concerned over a normal-type? Normal-types cannot touch ghosts, you stupid little boy!"
"Because that's the funny thing about Ghost Pokemon. Normal-type attacks cannot touch ghost-types, but in a weird relationship, ghost moves can't touch normal pokemon either. And I know every single move your Pokemon can make: Shadow Claw, Astonish, Night Shade and Psybeam. All ghost moves except Psybeam, which is a Beauty move that you used a lot in the Contest. But with Mismagius disabled, the only moves you have left are one that can't affect Gizmo,"
Fantina smirked, "Then it appears we are in a bit of a Stalemate. Neither of us can do anything until Mismagius isn't disabled anymore, since your Pokemon cannot touch my Pokemon,"
"See, that isn't exactly true," Lucas sneered, "Ready Gizmo?"
"Vi! Vi!" The Pokemon readied itself for its Trainer's command.
"Shadow Ball!" Lucas announced. Fantina's mouth dropped open as a ball of black and purple energy appeared above Gizmo's body. The ball got bigger and bigger and finally exploded towards the purple ghost floating in front of the Eevee. The Pokemon was crushed back, and fell to the ground from the impact. Struggling, it pulled itself up and looked back at its Trainer, desperate to know what to do next.
Fantina looked to her Pokemon and back to her opponent, "How is this possible?"
"Amazing what a TM will do, isn't it?" Lucas laughed, "I found the TM for Shadowball when I went through the stuff Team Cosmic left behind in Mt Coronet. Eevee don't have the greatest natural movepool in the world, but it's crazy what all sorts of moves they can move from TMs."
From that point on, the battle was Lucas'. Fantina hoped desperately for Mismagius to get over its disabled attack, but the opportunity never came. After three more Shadowball attacks, Gizmo was the victor.
The purple-haired Trainer ground her teeth and muttered angrily in French as she called back her defeated Pokemon. Lucas stood with a cocky grin, scratching Gizmo's head triumphantly. Though he was thrilled to have avenged Ashley's defeat, he only wished she had stayed around to see it. No, this victory wasn't for her, like all his others his victory was for him. He still needed to show the world he wasn't just some screw-up, that he had worth. Along the way he would probably fall in love again, find more enemies, make new friends, be happy, be sad. He couldn't forget his goal and this fuming woman and the feeling he got from beating her was just the reminder he needed.
"I Fantina, leader of the Hearthome City Gym, recognize you as the victor and award you the Fog Badge. Along with the badge I present you this TM for Shadow Claw, as you have found, a very powerful attack. Now get out of my sight,"
"Hey Fantina, I'm sorry about the Drag Queen remarks," Lucas said wryly, "Most Drag Queens usually make an effort to get rid of their five o'clock shadows,"
Fantina chased the boy out out of the Gym, screaming at him in French. Though he had no idea what she was saying, he had a pretty good guess.