Chapter 14: An Earth-Shaking Confrontation
After a good nights rest at the Pokémon Center Ash and his team were ready to face the Gym Leader and earn their first Legenda League badge. While Ash was confident that he would win Nikki wasn't as confident.
"I still think you should have taken a bit more time to come up with a battle strategy," she said. After his battle with Itchy Ash had failed to come up with a battle strategy, though it didn't seem to bother him that much.
"I wouldn't worry too much about that. I've been in situation like this before and still came out on top," he bragged.
"Yeah, but…"
"Relax. It'll be fine," Ash reassured her. He then continued to walk to the Gym, his confidence at an all-time high. Nikki, on the other hand, was a bit concerned that his confidence was actually over-confidence.
"(Do you think he has a chance?)" Buneary asked from her perch on Nikki's shoulder.
"I don't know," Nikki replied. "He may have faced similar challenges in the past, but I doubt if any of those leagues were as difficult as this." She then hurried and caught up to Ash as the duo continued on to the Lunick Town Gym.
"Wow… so this is the Lunick Town Gym," Ash gasped. The group arrived at the Gym and were now standing in front of the massive double doors that would take them inside. The large building was impressive from a distance, and even more so up close. Just by standing in front of it gave Ash goose-bumps. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves before a look of confidence came over his face.
"Okay, let's do this!" He placed his hands on the doors and pushed. He was granted access as the doors opened easily. He stepped inside with Nikki right behind him and looked around. There were bleachers on both sides of the Gym, and the battlefield in the center was covered in a loose layer of dirt and sand.
"Hello? Is anyone here? I've come for a Gym battle!" Ash shouted.
"Well, so my next challenger has finally arrived!" Across the battlefield Ash saw a young man who he assumed was the Gym Leader. He was wearing a white t-shirt with a tan vest, tan cargo pants and dark brown hiking boots.
"My name is Clayton. Are you my next challenger?" he asked.
"I am. My name is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town," Ash announced.
"Pallet Town, you say? You've certainly traveled a long way from home," Clayton commented.
"I heard this league was challenging, so I came to see for myself," Ash said. This earned him a laugh out of Clayton.
"Is that so? Well, I hope we do not disappoint you," he laughed. "I assume since you've heard about this league you are aware of the rules?"
"I have," Ash replied.
"In that case I accept your challenge. Just don't expect me to go easy on you," Clayton warned.
"I don't want you to," Ash responded. While Ash and the Gym Leader prepared for their Gym battle Nikki took Pikachu and Buneary with her into the stands. As the took their seats in the front row the Pinegrove Town native could only hope Ash wasn't getting too overconfident.
"I hope he's prepared," she said to herself.
In a forest on the outskirts of the town the trio of Jessie, James and Meowth were searching for new Pokémon to add to their team. Unfortunately for them their search hadn't turned up anything that caught their interest.
"We've been looking all morning and have absolutely nothing to show for it," Jessie whined.
"Hey, less whining, more searching," Meowth demanded. "Those Pokémon aren't going to come to us."
"Come on, Meowth. If we haven't found anything yet what makes you think we'll find any if we keep looking?" James questioned.
"James is right. If there were any Pokémon worth finding we would have found them already," Jessie agreed. This earned the two of them a painful Scratch from their Pokémon companion.
"Ow! What was that for?" James shrieked.
"If you two go out with that attitude then we'll never find any Pokémon!" Meowth hissed. Jessie glared at Meowth, angered that he would turn his claws on her.
"Why you… I'll teach you to scratch my beautiful face!" Before Meowth could feel her wrath the trio heard some rustling in some nearby bushes.
"Hey! I think we found one!" James shouted. As they watched a Pokémon popped his head up from behind the bushes. The head was green with what looked like fruit hanging from his chin. A long neck went down to a quadruped body with large fern-like leaves that appeared to act as wings.
"What Pokémon is that?" Jessie wondered.
"Hold on. Let me check," James said. He took out his Pokémon flash cards and began searching though them. Eventually he found the one showing the Pokémon before them.
"Ah, it's a Tropius," he stated. "It's a Grass and Flying type that have edible fruit growing from their necks."
"Oh, that sounds yummy!" Jessie squealed.
"But… the fruit only ripens twice a year," James added. This immediately put a damper on her spirits.
"Well isn't that just great. This Pokémon produces a delicious snack that we can only eat twice a year," she griped.
"Try thinking with your head instead of your stomach," Meowth said. "What we have here is the perfect Pokémon to combat the twerps with."
"What do you mean?" Jessie questioned.
"Think about it. Whenever we try to make our getaway in our balloon the twerp always has his Flying type put a hole in our plans, right? With that Tropius we'll finally have a Flying type that can go head-to-head with his feather-heads," Meowth explained.
"Makes sense," James agreed.
"Hold on! What about my Yanmega? She's a Flying type too, you know!" Jessie argued.
"Please, your Yanmega stands about a much a chance against the twerps as a Caterpie does against Arceus," Meowth commented. Jessie gritted her teeth, a menacing growl emanating from her. Unfortunately, she knew the Scratch Cat Pokémon was absolutely right.
"So, who's going to catch him?" Meowth asked.
"Well, seeing as how I already have a Flying type and James seems to have a thing for Grass types he can have him," Jessie said. James was a bit surprised that Jessie would pass on the opportunity to catch a new Pokémon, but he was never one to look a gift Ponyta in the mouth.
"Alright, Carnivine! You've got work to do!" he shouted. He tossed Carnivine's Poké Ball, but instead of getting ready to battle the Tropius his Pokémon turned around and chomped down on his head.
"This isn't the kind of work I was talking about!" James cried. While he worked on dislodging his over-affectionate Pokémon from his head a rice ball fell from James's pocket and bounced along the ground, stopping right in front of Tropius.
"Hey! You're dropping your snack rations!" Meowth warned. Before any of them could retrieve the runaway rice ball the Tropius bent over and sniffed the snack. Curiosity took over and the Fruit Pokémon scooped it up in his jaws and devoured the snack.
"That was my rice ball!" James cried. While he mourned over the loss of his rice ball the Tropius apparently like the taste of it. He quickly walked up to James and began sniffing him to see if he had any more.
"H-Hey! What are you doing?" James yelped.
"(That thing… do you have any more?)" the Fruit Pokémon asked.
"What? You mean my rice ball?" James questioned.
"(Is that what it was? It was tasty,)" the Tropius said. "(Do you have any more?)"
"Oh boy… this thing thinks with his stomach, too," Meowth groaned. While Meowth complained James was busy trying to get Carnivine off his head while Tropius continued to sniff him for more rice balls.
"H-Hey, th-hat t-tickles," James laughed.
"(I'm just looking for more rice balls,)" Tropius protested. After struggling with Carnivine for a bit more James was finally able to remove the Bug Catcher Pokémon from his head. With that issue dealt with he was free to address the Tropius.
"(Please tell me you have more rice balls,)" the Fruit Pokémon pleaded.
"You really like rice balls a lot, don't you," James commented. The Tropius nodded his head vigorously. This gave James an idea on how to catch the Tropius with minimal effort.
"You know, if you come with me you can have all the rice balls you can eat," he said. Almost immediately the Tropius's eyes grew big.
"(Really?)" he gasped.
"Really," James replied. "So, what do you say?" The response he got was the Tropius tackling him to the ground and nuzzling him with his head.
"(Yes! Yes! I'll go with you! As long as I can have more of those delicious rice balls!)" he shouted. If it wasn't for the fact that he was being crushed under the weight of the Tropius James would have been a very happy person at the moment.
"(So when are you going to catch me?)" Tropius excitedly asked.
"As soon… as you get… off me," James wheezed. The Pokémon quickly got off and waited for James to capture him. After taking some time to catch his breath the Team Rocket member got to his feet.
"(Come on, come on! Hurry up!)" the Tropius urged.
"Alright. Just be patient," James replied. He grabbed an empty Poké Ball and faced the Tropius.
"Now… Poké Ball, go!" He hurled the red-and-white sphere through the air at the waiting Tropius. The Fruit Pokémon made no attempt to dodge as the ball his him and sucked him inside. The light on the front flashed three times before a 'ping' echoed through the air, signaling that the Pokémon had been captured. James walked over and picked up the Poké Ball containing his newest capture.
"Hehe, Tropius is mine!" he cheered.
"Well, now that that's out of the way it's high time I caught something of my own," Jessie declared. She then began walking away, Meowth right behind her.
"Would you come on, James!" she hollered. Once he realized they were leaving him he recalled Carnivine and rushed to catch up.
"Hey! Wait for me!" he cried. Once he caught up with Jessie and Meowth the trio resumed their search for new Pokémon.
"The Lunick Town Gym battle between the challenger, Ash of Pallet Town, and the Gym Leader, Clayton, will now begin!" the referee announced. "Each trainer will be allowed the use of three Pokémon with only the challenger being allowed to make substitutions! As per the Gym guidelines only Ground types are allowed!" Nikki, Pikachu and Buneary waited patiently for the battle to get underway. All three knew Ash was determined to win, but they also knew Clayton was just as determined.
"(Go for it, Ash!)" Pikachu cheered.
"(You can do it!)" Buneary added.
"Show him what you're made of!" Nikki shouted. Ash looked to his friends and waved.
"Thanks for the support! I'll do my best!" he replied. There was no doubt in their minds he'd do his best, but they all wondered if his best would be good enough, especially since he failed to come up with a battle strategy.
"If you don't mind I'll get things started," Clayton said. "Quagsire, to the field!" From Clayton's Poké Ball came a blue Pokémon that stood upright on short legs, using his tail for balance while his arms hung to his sides. It's body was slightly rounded as he stared ahead with a slightly blank expression.
"Let's see what my Pokédex knows about him," Nikki said. She took it out and scanned him.
Quagsire, the Water Fish Pokémon. Due to its relaxed and carefree attitude, it often bumps its head on boulders and boat hulls as it swims.
"Not exactly the choice I would have made," she commented. "On the bright side this plays right in Ash's favor." Once he saw what Pokémon Clayton chose Ash wasted no time in selecting his own.
"Torterra, I choose you!" he shouted. The Continent Pokémon emerged from his Poké Ball and declared his dominance by slamming his four feet onto the ground, sending shockwaves throughout the Gym.
"M-Man… Torterra looks ready to rock!" Nikki commented.
"Smart move, sending out your Torterra against my Quagsire," Clayton praised. "Of course it'll take more than a type advantage to defeat me."
"Torterra has more than just the type advantage," Ash said.
"Is that so? Well then, show me what other advantages your Pokémon has over mine," Clayton challenged.
"Gladly! Torterra, Leaf Storm!" A loud bellow escaped Torterra's mouth as the tree on his back began to glow. Moments later a swirling vortex of leaves shot from the tree, spiraling upwards. Torterra then redirected the leaves at Quagsire.
"Use Dig to dodge!" Clayton instructed. Right before the Leaf Storm hit the Quagsire burrowed underground, completely avoiding the attack.
"What the… where did he go?" Ash shouted. He and Torterra looked around for any indication of where Quagsire would surface.
"Now, Ice Beam!" Clayton instructed. The next thing they knew Quagsire surfaced behind Torterra and shot him with a freezing-cold Ice Beam. Despite being vulnerable to that type of attack Torterra managed to withstand it, though the attack did take its toll.
"Stay strong! I know you can do it!" Ash urged.
"(Come on, Torterra!)" Pikachu cheered. Through the support from everyone Torterra found the strength to keep going.
"(Okay… I'm ready to go!)" Torterra growled.
"Alright! Now, use Energy Ball!" Ash shouted.
"Dig!" Clayton said.
"Again?" Ash groaned as Torterra's Energy Ball passed over the new hole Quagsire dug to dodge.
"Ice Beam!" Just like last time Quagsire shot up from the ground and blasted Torterra with his Ice Beam. This time, though, the attack caused quite a bit of damage to the Continent Pokémon.
"This isn't good. Clayton's found a perfect way to protect his Quagsire from his weaknesses while still allowing him to attack," Nikki commented. "Ash is going to have a rough go of it if he can't find a way to land an attack." The group continued to watch as Quagsire used Dig to dodge Torterra's attacks and then counter with Ice Beam.
"Oh man… Torterra's getting take apart out there," Ash mused. "I have to land an attack somehow, but every time I attack Clayton has Quagsire dig underground… dig underground? That's it!" With a battle plan set in his head Ash went back on the offensive.
"Use Energy Ball!" he shouted. Just like before Torterra formed the glowing green sphere in his mouth and fired at Quagsire.
"Dodge with Dig!" Clayton shouted.
"Just like I planned," Ash thought. He watched as the Quagsire dug underground and avoided the Energy Ball.
"Now use Rock Climb!" Ash shouted.
"(Oh, I get what he's doing now!)" Pikachu shouted. While Nikki and Buneary were in the dark about it Ash's plan went into action. The claws on Torterra's feet grew in length. He then stood up on his hind legs briefly before coming crashing back down to Earth. The impact caused the ground to shoot up, going higher the further it went along. Once the peak rose up Quagsire was expelled from underground.
"Yeah! No go get him!" Ash cheered.
"(You got it!)" Torterra roared. Filled with a newfound energy he ran right up the incline on a beeline for Quagsire.
"Well, that was quite the unique tactic. But I'm afraid that it's not enough!" Clayton shouted. "Use Dig!" In a move that surprised everyone Quagsire dug into the incline.
"Oh no!" Ash shouted.
"Now Ice Beam!" Clayton instructed. The next thing Ash knew Quagsire shot out of the ground right beneath Torterra, sending the massive Pokémon sliding down the incline. Then, as a final touch, Quagsire hit the Continent Pokémon with Ice Beam, finally defeating his larger opponent.
"Torterra is unable to battle! Quagsire wins!" the referee announced. Ash stood there in shock as the Pokémon he considered his trump card went down in defeat. He recalled him, thanking him for his efforts.
"With Torterra down Ash's chances of winning just took a huge hit," Nikki commented.
"Now Donphan, I choose you!" Ash shouted, tossing his second Poké Ball. The Armor Pokémon appeared and immediately got in his battle stance.
"Start off with Take Down!" Ash shouted. Though he wasn't very swift Donphan charged forward, an orange glow in his wake.
"A head-on attack… not too wise," Clayton commented. "Stop him with Water Gun!" Quagsire breathed in deeply and spat out a powerful stream of water, hitting Donphan in mid-attack. Unfortunately it did little to stop him. In fact it barely slowed his momentum down.
"Quick, Dig!" Clayton shouted. With little time to spare Quagsire retreated underground just as Donphan reached his position.
"Oh come on, not this again?" Ash griped. In the stands Nikki and the Pokémon could see Ash losing his composure.
"Now use Water Gun!" Clayton instructed. Right as Donphan passed over the hole he was sent into the air by a powerful stream of water.
"Quick, use Ice Beam before he hits the ground!" While Donphan was still airborne Quagsire shot out of his hole and fired his Ice beam. Because Donphan was still slightly damp from the Water Gun the Ice Beam was much more effective, freezing some of the water covering the Armor Pokémon.
"Use Rollout to break your fall!" Ash shouted. With little time to act Donphan curled into a ball and began rolling. Just as Ash had hoped using Rollout did soften the impact a bit, but Donphan was still left a bit shaken up from his fall.
"Can you keep going?" Ash asked. Donphan cleared his head and looked back at his trainer.
"(Oh yeah! I'm ready to keep this thing rolling!)" he bellowed. Ash smiled at his choice of words.
"Well then, keep that Rollout going!" he said.
"(You got it!)" Donphan bellowed. He quickly curled into a ball once again and began his Rollout, this time heading right for Quagsire.
"Use Ice Beam on the ground!" Clayton shouted. Both Clayton and his Quagsire noticed that the ground was still wet from the earlier Water Gun, giving them the perfect opportunity to take advantage of Donphan's momentum. The Mud Fish Pokémon fired his Ice Beam at the ground, freezing the water puddles that were in Donphan's path.
"Quick, Ash! Call off Donphan's attack!" Nikki shouted. By the time Ash realized what was happening Donphan was already slipping and sliding across the ice.
"Now use Water Gun!" Clayton shouted. As Donphan slid past Quagsire hit him in the back with a Water Gun, making the Armor Pokémon slide faster. He eventually hit the Gym wall, where he was knocked out cold.
"Donphan is unable to battle! Quagsire wins!" the referee shouted. Nikki and Buneary gasped while Pikachu looked on in disbelief.
"Now he's down 3-to-1 and all he has left is Onix!" Nikki panicked.
"(How is he supposed to win now?)" Buneary asked.
"To tell you the truth I don't think he can," Nikki answered. "What do you think, Pikachu?"
"(It doesn't look good, but I still believe that Ash can pull out a win,)" the Mouse Pokémon said. The three of them watched as Ash grabbed his final Poké Ball.
"I know this is your first real battle, but I know you have what it takes to win," he said. He pulled his hand back and hurled the Poké Ball.
"Onix, I choose you!" he shouted. The Poké Ball opened and released the massive Rock Snake Pokémon. Onix bellowed, issuing a challenge to the opposing Pokémon. Quagsire glared back, but everyone could see he was tiring.
"Quagsire must be tired after facing off against Torterra and Donphan," Nikki commented. "Hopefully this will give Ash and Onix some kind of advantage."
"Let's end this quick, Quagsire! Use Water Gun!" Clayton shouted. Quagsire fired his Water Gun, but it was clearly not as strong as it was earlier.
"Counter with Dragonbreath!" Ash instructed. Onix opened his mouth and expelled a white flame, the Dragon-type attack colliding with Quagsire's Water Gun. At first it appeared to be a stalemate, but with Quagsire's exhaustion catching up to him Onix was able to easily overpower the Water Gun and strike Quagsire with his Dragonbreath. The attack, combined with the toll taken from the previous battles, was too much for Quagsire. The Pokémon fell over, finally defeated.
"Quagsire is unable to battle! Onix wins!" the referee announced.
"Alright! Way to go, Onix!" Nikki cheered. Pikachu and Buneary also cheered for Onix's victory.
"I knew you could do it!" Ash praised. Then, without warning, Onix grabbed him with his tail and hugged him, nuzzling him with his head.
"(I did it! I won my battle!)" he exclaimed.
"I'm… so proud," Ash said, struggling to get his words out through Onix's crushing hug. After a bit Onix placed Ash back down and got ready for his next opponent.
"Gliscor, to the field!" Clayton's second Pokémon resembled a bat with a long forked tail.
"T-That Pokémon looks wicked," Nikki stuttered. She once again took out her Pokédex and scanned Clayton's new Pokémon.
Gliscor, the Fang Scorp Pokémon. It's flight is soundless. It uses its lengthy tail to carry off prey. Then its elongated fangs do the rest.
"(I would not want something like that carrying me off,)" Buneary said, her body shivering slightly with fear. Nikki picked her up and held her close, doing her best to comfort her scared Normal type.
"Don't worry. I'd never let that happen to you," she said soothingly. Buneary's fear eventually subsided, allowing them to watch the remainder of Ash's Gym battle.
"Let's make our first move a good one, Onix! Use Rock Throw!" Ash called. Onix bellowed, a glowing white sphere forming in front of him. The sphere materialized into a large rock. Then, using his tail, Onix knocked the rock right at Gliscor.
"X-Scissor!" Clayton instructed. Gliscor's claws took on a bluish glow as he slashed at the rock, his claws forming an X-shape. The rock was successfully sliced apart, the four pieces flying harmlessly by the Fang Scorp Pokémon.
"Ice Fang!" With the rock gone Gliscor went on the attack, the fangs in his mouth taking on a blue glow.
"Stop him with Dragonbreath!" Ash shouted. Once again Onix expelled the white flames from his mouth.
"Dodge it!" Clayton shouted. With a slight shift of his wings Gliscor easily avoided the Dragonbreath and continued on to deliver his Ice Fang. He bit down on Onix's neck, his ice-cold fangs causing a great deal of damage.
"Hang in there, Onix!" Ash urged.
"(It… hurts!)" Onix groaned, the Ice type attack causing him great pain.
"Now finish him with Guillotine!" Clayton ordered. Gliscor dove for Onix once again, his right claw opened wide for his final attack.
"Watch out, Onix!" Ash warned. The Rock Snake Pokémon looked up just in time to see Gliscor diving for him, but not in time to avoid the attack. The claw clamped down on his throat as Gliscor drove him to the ground, knocking him out instantly.
"Onix is unable to battle! Gliscor wins! The victory goes to the Gym Leader, Clayton!" Ash stood there in shock. There was no way he thought he'd lose on his very first attempt.
"No…" Nikki gasped. She, Pikachu and Buneary were just a shocked by the outcome as Ash was. On the other side of the field Clayton recalled his Gliscor.
"Well done, my friend," he praised. He then turned his attention to Ash, who had just recalled Onix.
"You need to work on your battle strategy some more if you want to defeat me," he said. Though it wasn't what he wanted to hear Ash knew he was right. Not having some kind of battle plan really cost him in this battle.
Back at the Pokémon Center Ash's Pokémon were getting looked at by Nurse Joy. Ash was sitting at one of the tables going over his Gym battle in his head. No matter how he looked at it he knew that without a strategy he was doomed to lose.
"Maybe I should have taken Nikki's advice and came up with a plan before challenging the Gym Leader," he mused. As he was thinking Nikki approached him with Pikachu and Buneary in tow. She sat down across from him, a look of concern on her face.
"You okay?" she asked.
"About as okay as I can be," Ash answered. "You were right. I should have taken time to come up with a battle plan. If I did I might have won."
"Well, that's just something you can work on for next time," Nikki suggested.
"Yeah, but that's not the only thing I need to work on," Ash stated. "His Pokémon are really powerful. No matter what attack I threw at them they had an answer for it."
"What are you saying?" Nikki wondered.
"It's going to take more than just a battle plan to win. I'll need to work on strengthening my Pokémon's moves," Ash explained.
"(Does that mean it's time for some special training?)" Pikachu asked.
"Yeah. By the time we're done that first badge will be as good as ours!" Ash declared. Nikki was amazed by how quickly Ash's mood turned around.
"He doesn't stay bummed for very long," she said. She smiled as she watched Ash and Pikachu get excited about their upcoming training session. Hopefully this upcoming training session would translate into a victory for Ash and his Pokémon.
Ash's first Gym battle may have resulted in a loss, but already Ash is looking forward to preparing for the rematch. Will he be able to come up with a winning battle plan? Find out in the next chapter of Search for Power!
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