Jackson's current team:
Leafeon: Quick Attack, Solarbeam, Leaf Blade, Refresh
Weavile: Icy Wind, Metal Claw, Ice Punch, Night SLash
Dewott: Night Slash, Swords Dance, Razor Shell, Water Pulse
Quilava: Quick Attack, Swift, Flamethrower, Flame Wheel
Scyther: Slash, Vacuum Wave, Agility, X-Scissor
Ecruteak City
Dusk was starting to settle the next day, and Jackson and Leafeon had just arrived at the Ecruteak City Gym. They had spent the morning and afternoon planning for the battle with everyone, and were ready to take on Morty.
"This is it." Jackson told Leafeon, "You guys know the plan. This time, I have faith that you will follow through with how things go."
"Trust us. After all that training, I know we're ready to go." Leafeon assured him.
"I do trust you." Jackson replied, "Now, let's go get that win together!" They marched up the steps to the front entrance, and Jackson knocked on the door. "I'm Jackson Alpphire of Ecruteak City! I've come here to challenge the gym leader Morty!"
"I have been waiting for you." Morty replied, "Please enter." Jackson opened up the door, and walked along the path into the gym field once more. There, Morty waited for him, as well as the referee.
"Welcome back to my gym, Jackson." he greeted, "I actually have been looking forward to this battle. I'm surprised you waited this long for our rematch."
"During some time in my past, I learned of the thing called 'the gloaming'." Jackson explained, "While it is referring to twilight or dusk, it is also referred to the time of the day when the supernatural tends to happen. Course, the Pokémon world is already filled with the supernatural, so..."
"Ah, I see. I've heard of things like that." Morty answered, "In other words, you prefer a time when Ghost-types might be at their best, right?"
"That's right. I will beat you at your best." Jackson told him, "That way, my Pokémon and I can fight at our best!"
"I see. Well, let's see how well our battle at dusk goes." Morty told Jackson, as the two walked to their respective sides, ready for the rematch.
"The Ecruteak City Gym battle will now commence!" The referee announced, "Each trainer will use three Pokémon each. The battle will decide when one or both sides are unable to continue! In addition, only the challenger will be able to switch out his Pokémon. Are both trainer and gym leader ready?"
"Better than last time." Jackson answered.
"I'm ready for anything." Morty responded.
"Then let the battle begin!" the referee shouted.
"Haunter, I choose you!" Morty called out.
"Dewott, let's blade it up!" Jackson shouted. The two tossed out their Pokéballs, and brought out the Pokémon to the field.
"I am so ready to fight!" Dewott shouted, drawing out a scalchop.
"Time to set our plan into motion!" Jackson declared, as the referee shouted, "Let the battle begin!"
(Insert 'Never Give Up' By Sonar Pocket)
Instrumental Opening
(Jackson stands at the top of a cliff, looking out into the vast landscape of the Johto region. He turns to the camera with surprise, grins, then draws his sword and swipes it across the screen, transitioning to white with the logo appearing.)
What tough heart! Once I decided that I'd keep up the fight
My road has never stopped unraveling
(Camera circles around Jackson as he runs along an open-plain path with his Leafeon, who after a couple seconds, leaps onto his shoulders as he activates his Extreme Gear and shoots even faster onto the path.)
Carrying a small bit of pride
With my fists clenched
(The screen shows a brief image of Professor Elm, dropping papers from his clipboard, and smiling as he rubbed the back of his head. It shifts to a visual of Kris, Ethan, and their starters, with Ethan punching his fist forward, while Kris spun around with her arms out wide.)
I aim for the goal again step by step
Racing towards it with all my might!
(The screen shifts to Sonic & Tails, the former giving a thumbs up, while the latter waved his hands above eagerly. The screen shifts to Cypher, who glared at the screen with a Pokéball held close to his face.)
Sometimes it'll be a bad day
Where nothing goes the way I want it to
But even if the sky blurs through my tears
(Jackson is sitting by a campfire, his expression full of emotional pain as shadows of his past with red eyes creeped all around him. He curled himself into a ball as the shadow of his father appeared over his head.)
I'm sure my smiles will come back tomorrow
So it's okay!
(Shadows started getting blown away one large piece at a time, until light broke out around Jackson, who looked up to see his Pokémon all standing there, protecting him from his trauma.)
There's nothing out there to fear
I'll keep believing that 'I'm strong'
And get going!
(Silhouettes of the Gym Leaders appeared as the screen scrolled upwards through a gold, silver, and crystal colors behind them. It shifts to the emblem of Team Rocket, with darkened faces of grunts, with the four admins in front, holding their Pokéballs. Jackson readies his blade, as he tosses a Pokéball forward, which opens up and blinds the screen in a white light.)
'With you around, there's nothing to worry about now'
I felt as if the sky was saying that to me with a laugh
(Leafeon leapt forward and swung her tail into a Razor Leaf, before her tail glowed as she charged up sunlight, before unleashing a Solarbeam. Dewott and Weavile shoot through the Solarbeam, unleashing double Night Slash, slicing the beam, before dismissing their blades, and Dewott angrily looking at the calm and collected Weavile.)
With the sweat and tears I build up
I'm sure I'll come out dazzling
(Quilava turns to face the Team Rocket logo, before unleashing his Flamethrower. He huffed in confidence as Scyther flew over him, before slashing with his mantis claws like a swordsman.)
Even if I end up feeling anxious after it all
As long as I believe I can do it
(An Aeroblast and Sacred Fire came from the sky, shooting down at Jackson's team, but Jackson stepped in and unleashed several sword beams, countering the attacks and making them explode. He and his team endured the shockwaves and smoke from the explosion, before looking up into the distance, and saw the silhouettes of the Tower Duo flying over the two towers that represented each.)
These footsteps have taught me to
Always
Never Give Up!
(Jackson's Pokémon come to his side as he looked to them, before grinning eagerly, and the group leapt up into the air, taking on the new threat and the new adventure. The screen goes white before showing Jackson standing with his sword stabbed into the ground, his Pokémon companions surrounding him.)
"Let's do it like last time, Haunter." Morty told his partner, who was readying a Curse.
"Now, Dewott!" Jackson shouted.
"Too slow! Water Pulse!" Dewott shouted, summoning a compressed ball of water, and throwing it at Haunter, who looked caught off guard. It got blasted by the attack as Dewott charged in, Jackson watching as he thought to how this strategy was made.
(Flashback) Early in the morning, on that same day, Jackson had all of his Pokémon out at a battlefield near the Center, and was ready to train them. "Listen up, guys. In order to prepare ourselves for the rematch, we need to find ways to counteract Morty's combo of attacks." Jackson told the team, "Basically, we need to stop or counter his first attack before he uses the second one."
"Easier said than done." Quilava noted, "We can't just take them out that easily."
"It's true." Weavile admitted, "Haunter's Curse and Mean Look combination was the reason I was shamefully bested."
"Ha! You stood no chance against him, huh?" Dewott scoffed, "Bet I can do it."
"And that's why you ARE gonna be up against him." Jackson told Dewott, surprising he was getting called out, "And before you ask, no, it's not because you asked for it. It's because I have a strategy I am sure you can pull off."
"Oh? So I'm the only one who can accomplish it?" Dewott asked, intrigued.
Jackson nodded, and walked away from the group, standing on the other end of the field. He pulled out one of his golden rings he had for currency exchange, and held it aloft at his shoulder level. "I need you to strike this with your Night Slash before it drops to the ground. Think you can do that?"
"If I give myself a good run, then I can!" Dewott answered, drawing out his scalchop, and readying a Night Slash.
"Dewott, even with your sword skills, you can't possibly get to that ring from here and strike it." Scyther argued.
"I would have to agree on that." Leafeon argued.
"Oh, yeah? Watch this!" Dewott shouted, dashing towards Jackson, who dropped his ring. He had not even reached halfway across the field before it hit the ground, causing him to stop.
"And you've been cursed, Dewott." Jackson told him, "A straight-forward attack is not gonna be fast enough to stop Haunter and his attack. Think outside the box."
"And how do you plan I stop the attack?!" Dewott questioned.
"There's a trick I learned." Jackson replied, looking to Scyther as he asked, "Scyther, can you grab this ring, and drop from a similar distance away from me?"
"Yes, sensei." he replied, flying over to Jackson, grabbing his ring, and flew back to his position again. At this point, Jackson had pulled out something from his backpack; a kunai he had for training. Scyther was ready as Jackson drew his sword in his left hand, having the kunai in his right.
"Do it!" Jackson called out. Scyther dropped the ring from his scythe hand, and Jackson flung his kunai before running in. The thrown weapon made the ring bounce off of it, sustaining more time in the air, allowing Jackson to close the gap, and strike the ring with his sword, causing it to fly into the cage of the battlefield, causing it to bounce off the mesh and fall to the ground. The Pokémon were amazed at this.
"You see? By hitting the target with a long-ranged attack, you phase it long enough to get in close and strike it." Jackson told them as he walked over and grabbed the gold ring, "Haunter can really only use his Curse attack when he has more than half of his stamina available. That's why you gotta strike it with a super-effective attack that will shave off that stamina in one clean hit. And no offense, Weavile, but I feel like your Icy Wind won't be enough to phase him from using Curse. Dewott's Water Pulse can phase him with a compressed blast."
"Makes sense." Weavile understood.
"So that's the plan?" Dewott asked him.
"Yep. Use Water Pulse to strike Haunter, giving enough time to close in and unleash a Night Slash before he uses Curse." Jackson told Dewott, moving into a position the same distance from his Water-type, "You up to the task of doing this?"
"Watch me!" Dewott answered, readying his scalchop, while concentrating as he produced a Water Pulse.
"Then go!" Jackson shouted, and they begun their training. (Flashback ends)
Haunter looked pretty phased by Dewott's Water Pulse as Morty called out, "Haunter, get yourself together and use Curse!"
"Too late!" Jackson shouted, as Dewott leapt up, "Night Slash!"
"Try this out!" he shouted, swiping his purple energy and with one clean sweep, he slash right by Haunter as he flew, creating an explosion of energy, and causing Haunter to fall out of the sky, his hands and body resting on the ground, weakened greatly.
"No! Haunter's too weak to use Curse!" Morty grimaced.
"Ha! Was that to your plan, Jackson?!" Dewott asked.
"Perfect! You rock, Dewott!" Jackson called back, "Now let's keep it up! Razor Shell!"
"Clever, but Haunter and I will still win! Sucker Punch!" Morty shouted. Haunter suddenly vanished and reappeared, slugging Dewott with a free fist in the face, causing him to be phased for a moment.
"No... You won't stop us!" Dewott roared, the fist still on the side of his face as he turned and slashed Haunter with his crescent watery blade, sending him back.
"Night Shade!" Morty shouted. Haunter was able to recover in midair, and shoot black energy down at Dewott as he fell to the ground.
"Dewott, Water Pulse on the ground directly below you!" Jackson shouted.
Dewott mentally questioned what he was planning with this callout, but followed through as he unleashed a compressed ball of water directly on the ground beneath him. The result? The explosion of water shot Dewott upwards, the Night Shade missing him as he flew upwards, the explosion making him flip around in the air a bit.
"Using an attack to push himself out of the way?!" Morty questioned, as Dewott landed on the ground, glaring up at Haunter.
"Use Water Pulse again!" Jackson shouted, and Dewott flung another ball of compressed water at Haunter.
"Stop it with Night Shade!" Morty shouted, and Haunter unleashed more black energy from its eyes that canceled Dewott's attack, causing an explosion. Through the smoke, however, Dewott flew right through, getting in close to Haunter, startling him and Morty.
"You fell for it twice!" Dewott snickered, drawing his scalchop as he heard Jackson shout out, "Night Slash!" With one final slash, he struck Haunter as he flew, landing onto the ground, and placing his scalchop back on his hip as Haunter crashed to the ground, spirals in his eyes.
"Haunter is unable to battle! Dewott is the winner!" the referee announced.
"Now that's what I call a finisher!" Jackson cheered, as Dewott furled his arms, smirking at the results of his attack.
"I am rather impressed." Morty noted, calling back Haunter to his ball, "You were able to counterattack all my moves, and pull off a win far better than the last time we battled. Consider me impressed."
"You don't know the half of it." Jackson replied, "We're just getting started."
"Then let's continue this battle. Misdreavus, come on out!" he shouted, calling out the second Ghost-type Jackson fought before.
"Dewott, let's switch out." Jackson called out, returning Dewott to his Pokéball. He placed it away and looked to Leafeon, saying, "You're up, girl. Do me proud."
"You know I will." she replied, bounding forward.
"You're switching it up, aren't you?" Morty noticed.
"Trust me, I have a good reason for doing this." Jackson replied.
"What a shame. I don't sense the fear I felt from you before." Misdreavus noted.
"I left my fears and doubts behind. Let's go, Leafeon! Leaf Blade!" Leafeon dashed forward, her tail glowing green as she charged.
"Counter with Thunder Wave!" Morty shouted. Misdreavus unleashed a wave of electricity at Leafeon, who got caught in the attack, and ended up feeling static all about her body. She felt parts of her body go numb, but pushed onward, and unleashed a swing of her tail, striking Misdreavus, causing her to fly away, while Leafeon stumbled and fell.
"Misdreavus, get yourself together and use Hex!" Morty called out. His Pokemon recovered and was ready to unleash the ghostly attack that would do more damage to Leafeon, now that she was paralyzed.
"Leafeon, Refresh!" Jackson called out. The Verdant Pokemon responded by making her body glow just as the Hex surrounded her and was about to do damage. There was an explosion, covering Leafeon, before she was sent skidding backwards. She fumbled and got onto her feet, dragging to a halt, and glaring up at Misdreavus, her paralysis completely removed.
"You stopped the Hex's bonus effect by using Refresh to cure the paralyzing effect of Thunder Wave." Morty noted, "You did have a plan for this, too?"
"Leafeon and I are well prepared for whatever you have coming at us!" Jackson replied, thinking to their training session.
(Flashback) While Dewott was left with Scyther training on the strategy, Jackson turned to the remaining three, with Jackson saying, "Up next, let's strategize on Misdreavus, which is a lot less straight forward than Haunter is."
"True. He totally took me out with the combination of attacks she had." Quilava sighed.
"Pain Split, Thunder Wave, and Hex." Jackson counted down the moves he knew, "I bet there is a fourth move we are unaware of. While I am not completely sure of how to stop Pain Split other than the same tactic involving Curse, we have to also deal with Thunder Wave. Fortunately, Leafeon is qualified to deal with that."
"How do you figure?" Weavile asked.
"My Refresh, of course." Leafeon answered, "That could work out for us."
"Right. The only problem now is that we only have two move that work against a Ghost-type, being Leaf Blade and Solarbeam."
"And without bright enough sunlight, it will take a while for my Solarbeam to charge." Leafeon argued.
"Then let's practice the trick we did before in the last gym." Jackson told Leafeon, "Store up that Solarbeam, but still be mobile enough to avoid attacks before firing it off."
"It will be very tricky, but I can." Leafeon replied, "It was only pure luck I was able to sustain it like I did last time."
"Hold on, Jackson." Weavile stopped him, "There might be a way to charge and fire the attack very quickly."
"But none of us can make the sun harsher with Sunny Day." Quilava argued.
"I didn't say we needed Sunny Day to do that." he replied calmly, "I remembered that before I met you, Jackson, there was an herb that, when chewed, can allow a Pokémon to unleash attacks that require charging."
"There's an herb like that?" Jackson asked.
"I heard about this, too." Leafeon recalled, "Might be worth looking for one for this battle." (Flashback ends)
'We managed to find one this afternoon thanks to some locals, and Leafeon has it on hand.' Jackson told himself, 'We got one shot to use it. Let's time it right when we can!'
"Misdreavus, use Psybeam!" Morty called out. His Pokemon responded by firing off a beam of psychic energy down at Leafeon.
"Dodge with Quick Attack!" Jackson shouted, and Leafeon dashed ahead to evade the blast that almost struck her.
"So that was a the final move." Leafeon understood.
"Having varying moves is the key, especially when Ghost-type moves have no effect against Normal-types." Morty noted.
"Too bad I have no Normal-types on hand." Jackson sighed, "Leafeon, Leaf Blade!" Leafeon leapt upwards at Misdreavus with her glowing tail, slashing her hard.
"Use Pain Split!" Morty shouted, and Misdreavus unleashed a glowing string of energy, binding herself to Leafeon, and the two ended up getting their stamina brought to equal levels, Misdreavus taking energy from Leafeon.
'Can't think of a better time than now.' Jackson told himself, "Leafeon, Solarbeam!" Leafeon made her tail glow again as she charged up solar energy into her body.
"You might be a bit reckless to unleash a charging move at me at this point." Morty noted, "Misdreavus, stop her with Psybeam!"
"Leafeon, use it now!" Jackson called out.
"Got it!" Leafeon answered, ruffling her fur, causing a red herb to come falling out of it, right into her face, and she snatched it into he mouth, chewing and swallowing it.
"Is that...a Power Herb?" Morty questioned, before gasping, "Oh, no!"
"Oh, yeah! Leafeon, fire away!" Jackson shouted. Thanks to the effects of the Power Herb, just as Misdreavus fired her psychic attack, Leafeon quickly charged her attack, and fired from her mouth right back at her. Leafeon's Solarbeam cut right through Psybeam, and blasted Misdreavus into the wall, where she fell right behind Morty, who noticed she had completely knocked out.
"Misdreavus is unable to battle! Leafeon is the winner!" the referee called out.
"I feel satisfied." Leafeon sighed in relief, landing on the ground as Jackson cheered for Leafeon's victory.
"Come back, Misdreavus." Morty called to her, returning her to her Pokéball, "Clever that you used a Power Herb to shorten the charging of Solarbeam. You are definitely not the same trainer that I remember fighting only two days ago."
"It's thanks to Leafeon and the Kimono Sisters that I was able to recover from what was eating at my heart at the time." Jackson told him, "I'm sorry you had to fight me when I was weak then."
"Don't worry about it. We all have to go through those times of self-understanding." Morty answered, "But don't think that I will go easy on you for that reason. And don't think that just because you have a full team doesn't mean you will win against my best Pokémon."
"We are ready for this." Jackson replied, as he and Leafeon both looked ready to fight.
"Then I'll test your mettle. Gengar, come forth!" he shouted, tossing out his Pokéball, bringing out the Pokémon that finished him off before.
"Here it is." Jackson muttered, looking at the sinisterly grinning Pokémon.
"Let's go." Leafeon spoke up, before dashing forward.
"Gengar, Hynosis!" Morty called out.
"Go to sleeep!" Gengar ordered, unleashing hypnotic waves at Leafeon.
"Dodge it with Quick Attack!" Jackson shouted. The Verdant Pokémon moved quick enough to evade the hypnotic energy. Gengar pursued with his gaze, and Leafeon was running towards the wall, giving a small smirk. Jackson saw what she had planned, and called out, "You can evade it!"
"Just like yesterday!" Leafeon replied, moving to the wall, before making a leap towards the wall, before ricocheting off of it, moving far off Gengar's range, but got close to him.
"Now Leaf Blade!" Jackson called out, and Leafeon brought down her leafy tail towards Gengar.
"Shadow Ball!" Morty called out, and Gengar conjured up a sphere of dark ghostly energy. Leafeon came down as he tossed it up, and there was a massive explosion, causing the two trainers to shield themselves against the force. Gengar and Leafeon flew away from one another, both taking damage from the attack. Gengar was able to regain himself, but Leafeon fell on her side, with spirals in their eyes.
"Leafeon is unable to battle! Gengar is the winner!" the referee called out, as Leafeon raced over and picked up his partner in his hands.
Leafeon opened her eyes, looking up at Jackson as she muttered, "Sorry for getting knocked out so easily."
"Gengar was powerful, and you were already dealt with damage from Misdreavus." Jackson told her, "Let's root for the rest of the team, okay?" He brought her back to his side of the field, where she rested herself. He pulled out the Pokéball as he called out, "Dewott, let's go again!" He called out the Discipline Pokémon to the field, who looked ready for battle.
"It's this guy again, huh?" Dewott questioned, drawing his scalchops out.
"Dewott, let's start things off with a Water Pulse!" Jackson called out, and Dewott fired off a ball of compressed water.
"Dodge and use Hypnosis!" Morty ordered. Gengar faded away like the ghost it was, causing Dewott's attack to miss, before he came behind Dewott, startling him as it unleashed the hypnotic energy from its eyes. Dewott became sleepy, and conked out right then and there.
"No, not again!" Jackson grimaced.
"Now, Dream Eater!" Morty ordered, and Gengar chomped down on Dewott, causing a pink mist to form from the attack. He then sucked it up, healing from the damage it took from Leafeon.
"Dewott, you gotta wake up!" Jackson called out.
"Get up, Dewott!" Leafeon cried out. Their calls were of to no avail, as Morty got Gengar to use Dream Eater again, and sucked more stamina from his Pokémon.
'There has got to be a way to wake up Dewott like this!' Jackson told himself, 'I already created a plan with Weavile on how to counter sleep, but...' His mind then thought on what he just said, and his expression changed to that of one who got inspired. Smirking, he knew the perfect way to wake up Dewott. He breathed in deeply, before shouting, "Dewott! Weavile is showing you up with a better Night Slash! Are you gonna let him get away with that?!"
Morty looked puzzled, until he noticed Dewott's eyes snap open, and he shouted, "OH, HELL NO! LIKE I LET THAT FEATHER-HEADED MORON GET THE BETTER OF ME!"
"He woke up?!" Morty gasped.
"Only THAT would work on Dewott." Leafeon sighed.
"Finally woke up, buddy?" Jackson asked.
Dewott spun around the field, before looking at Jackson as he snapped, "Hey! Weavile's not out here!"
"It got you out of your sleep." Jackson argued, "Now, let's get serious! Swords Dance!"
"Thanks, I guess." Dewott replied, concentrating as he summoned up swords to increase his attack strength.
"Now, Razor Shell!" Dewott responded to Jackson's call with a crescent blade of water energy from his scalchop, before lunging at Gengar.
"Dodge, and use Clear Smog!" Morty called out. Gengar vanished quickly to evade Dewott's attack, before appearing from above, and breathing down smoke down onto Dewott, causing him to cough profusely as his Swords Dance effect was diminished.
"I figured you would do that." Jackson responded, "Uppercut Razor Shell!"
Dewott was able to get his focus, and his body glowed a blue hue as he shot upward, slashing Gengar hard with his attack, causing him to fall back in pain, his body glowing a dark blue downward hue.
"You even expected that?!" Morty asked.
"Not only that, but Dewott's Torrent ability came into effect, plus his Razor Shell's secondary effect to lower physical defense!"
"Gengar, use Shadow Ball!" Morty ordered, and Gengar unleashed a ball of ghostly energy.
"Use Water Pulse, Dewott!" Jackson called out, and Dewott fired off his compressed ball of water to counter the Shadow Ball, causing another explosion.
"Now, go in, Dewott!" Jackson shouted.
"Right! Time for a Night Slash!" Dewott roared, launching into the smoke of the explosion. Unbeknownst to Jackson, Morty smirked as he expected this.
Dewott came out of the smoke to slash Gengar, Night Slash at the ready, only to see he wasn't where he thought he was. He looked around, before noticing Gengar was hanging upside down in the air behind him, a Shadow Ball at the ready. "Crap! It was a trap!" Dewott exclaimed.
"Unleash your Shadow Ball!" Morty called out, and Gengar fired off his attack, causing the move to strike Dewott and explode, causing him immense pain. When the smoke all died away, Jackson saw Dewott had fallen, his eyes spiraling.
"Dewott is unable to battle! Gengar is the winner!" the referee announced.
Jackson raced over to Dewott, grabbing him as he was brought back to his side of the field. "Good going, Dewott. You set everything up for us to win, okay?"
"Sure thing." Dewott grimaced, "Please don't tell me that dumb Weavile will finish things off for us."
"Sorry, but he is." Jackson replied, "But he wouldn't be able to finish the job without you softening it up for him."
"It doesn't matter..." Dewott muttered, "I don't want him to start or finish the job. It should've been all me!"
"Next time, okay?" Jackson told him, before returning him to his Pokéball.
"Dewott really doesn't like to let Weavile do anything for him." Leafeon sighed, shaking her head.
"You wouldn't want to owe your rival anything, would you?" Jackson asked, "I get that, but still, this is a team effort. Let's work together and win." He pulled out the final Pokéball, and shouted, "Weavile, let's blade it up!" He tossed out the all, and his Sharp Claw Pokémon looked ready to fight.
"Repetitive tactics like what you were doing just now is the reason why Dewott lost." Morty told Jackson, "Don't assume we can fall for the same trick twice."
"Yeah, I kinda figured." Jackson replied, "But we still have more tricks up our sleeves!"
"Too bad I won't let you use them. Hypnosis!" Gengar got in close to Weavile, who prepared as he got hit with a point-blank sleep-inducing wave of energy, causing him to start to fall down, getting drowsy. Jackson gritted his teeth, praying that he would do what they had planned.
(Flashback) Quilava and Leafeon ended up training together after coming out with the strategy for Misdreavus, before turning to Weavile. "Listen, Weavile. I'm gonna be frank with you, but while I have faith in both Dewott and Leafeon, I feel like that Gengar will be tough to knock out. That Hypnosis and Dream Eater combo he showed last time is very dangerous, and looking into it, I learned that Dream Eater, being a Psychic-type move, will mean you won't be affected by it."
"True. But I will be affected by Hypnosis." Weavile noted.
"That is why you gotta keep yourself awake despite of that attack." Jackson noted, "And learning from experience, I find a cold shower keeps me up and alert."
"You don't say?" the Dark/Ice-type responded, "You're saying you want me to splash water on my face?"
"No. Here's the tactic." Jackson started, and he muttered it inaudibly to Weavile, who looked a bit surprised, before nodding in understanding. "Good. Now, let's practice your reaction speeds." the trainer continued, pulling out his practice sword, "You need to deal with the unexpected movements of a Ghost-type, so let's get started."
"Go." he replied, readying his claws. His trainer smirked, and he went in for the attack. (Flashback ends)
"Weavile, do it!" Jackson called out. Weavile was barely able to hear Jackson's voice through his grogginess, but was able to respond. His claw became encased in an icy aura as he powered up an Ice Punch. As he fell, he positioned his fist over his face before it hit the floor, literally punching himself with the freezing attack. Morty and Gengar looked surprised, while Jackson prayed his Ice-typing wouldn't make it not effective. Fortunately, the plan work, as the freezing fist was able to alert Weavile and snap him awake. He pushed himself onto his feet, giving himself some distance from Gengar.
"But how?!" Morty gasped.
"It's like I said toe Weavile; a cold shower will instantly wake me up." Jackson explained, "I assumed Weavile's Ice Punch on his face would wake him up in the same way, and it worked like a charm."
Morty gritted his teeth, before his expression turned into a grin, and he them laughed heartily at the trick. "I would've never thought of THAT as an idea for waking up from Hypnosis! You are filled with so many surprises!"
"Looks like the only way for you to finish this fight is with an all-out brawl!" Jackson told Morty, "Weavile, Metal Claw!"
"Time to go on the offense." he spoke up calmly, going in at Gengar, who was still thrown for a loop by the unusual awakening, and he got struck by the attack.
"Gengar, recover yourself and hit him with Clear Smog!" Morty shouted. Gengar got himself flipped around, and breathed clear fumes out of his mouth at Weavile.
"Counter with Icy Wind!" Jackson shouted, and Weavile breathed out a blast of freezing air to counter the Clear Smog, canceling each other out.
"Hit him with a Shadow Ball!" Morty shouted. Gengar vanished and reappeared from behind Weavile, charging up a ball of ghostly energy, before firing it at his opponent.
"Night Slash!" Jackson shouted just as Weavile conjured up the purple energy sword, twirled around and slashed the Shadow Ball, causing it to prematurely explode. "Dance with blades!" Jackson ordered. Weavile smirked as he started twirling his Night Slash, striking over and over on Gengar, preventing him from escaping or recovering, continuously getting slashed by the experienced swordsman of a Pokémon. Finally, Weavile did one final slash, cutting right through Gengar, before landing on the ground. With that last attack, Gengar fell to the ground, with spirals in his eyes, unconscious.
"Gengar is unable to battle! Weavile is the winner!" the referee announced, "The victor of this match is Jackson Alpphire of Ecruteak City!"
"Hilt yeah!" Jackson cheered, punching the air, before dashing over to Weavile, crouching down to him as he dismissed his Night Slash, looking back at his trainer. Jackson raised a fist as he said, "We won this whole thing together."
"Yep. Dewott, Leafeon, me, and you." Weavile replied, pressing his curled claw into Jackson's fist, returning the bump, "You are the coolest, Jackson."
"Right back at you." Jackson chuckled.
Leafeon joined their side as Morty approached Jackson. "I've never seen someone so clever in strategy, nor someone who has such a strong bond with his Pokémon as you, Jackson." he commended him, "The trust in one another, and the fact both you and they know what to do against my Ghost-types shows you trained them well. I'm glad I got to face someone like you."
"Thanks, Morty." Jackson replied, "The time here in Ecruteak has really helped me and my team to become better."
Morty closed his eyes and smirked as he said, "You know, maybe there is a reason why the Legendary Beasts approached you, Jackson. And according to the Kimono Sisters, you even had an audience with Celebi. I bet you are destined to be something special. I'll just have to work harder so I can be worthy of their presence, as well as Lugia's and Ho-Oh's."
Jackson couldn't say anything about that. The fact was he had some interesting encounters, from the hidden room in the Ruins of Alph, to the encounter with Celebi and what she showed about his future, and now, the Legendary Beasts. This added up to something big that would happen in his future. He wasn't exactly sure when it will take place, but for now, the only thing he could do is keep moving forward, with his Pokémon by his side.
"As proof of your win against my gym, I present to you the Fog Badge." Morty told Jackson, pulling out a badge that was purple and circular-like, with two silver slits for eyes that made it look like a ghost, "Let this be a reminder of you learned here in this city."
"Thank you so much, Morty." Jackson told him, taking the badge. He flicked the badge into the air, broke into a breakdance spin, flipping back onto his feet, and caught the badge, raising it high as Leafeon cheered, and Weavile huffed in amusement.
That evening, Jackson had his team in recovery, while Jackson was in bed, looking at his badge case. The four badges he had gathered up to that point were right there, polished and cleaned up. "Halfway there." Jackson told himself, placing the case in his backpack, before pulling out his tablet. He pulled up the screen, paused for a moment, before connecting himself with his friends in the other world. After a little while, Tails' face popped up.
"Jackson, it's been a while!" he greeted.
"Nice seeing you again, pal." Jackson responded.
"Hey, any greeting from the best hedgehog?" Sonic suddenly appeared on-screen, with his usual smirk.
"Hey, Sonic. Glad I caught you, for once." Jackson joked, getting a chuckle from his friend.
"How are things in the new world, so far?" Tails asked.
"You look a little bit happier than before, so I guess things are going well." Sonic noticed.
Jackson smiled as he said, "Yeah. A lot has happened. Strap yourselves in, because I've got a lot to tell up to this point. Where did I leave you guys at?"
"Last time we checked, it was back when you were trying to learn how to communicate with Pokémon." Tails recalled.
Jackson sweat-dropped as he replied, "Yeah... there is a LOT to tell you guys."
For the next hour and a half, he explained all the new adventures he had experienced, the new friends he made, the rivals, the gyms, Team Rocket, and the apparent destiny that he learned about. And the best part was that his story was still not over. He had a heck of a lot more of the world to explore, which was now bathed in the moonlight shining above Ecruteak City at this point.