Kanto Gets Loud
Chapter 54: Porta Vista Gym Battle (Part 1)
The Next Morning, at Porta Vista,
After saying goodbye to Rito, Lala, Nana and the others, Lincoln and company were now looking for the Porta Vista Gym. They were making their way along the cliffside path, "Let's see, according to that guy, the Gym should be built somewhere into the cliffside here," Raigo commented, as they were scouring the path for any sign of the Gym.
"Is it normal for gyms to built in places like this?" Lincoln asked.
"Not all gyms are. Some are built on the open waters of a beach, while others can even be underground," Brock replied.
"Our gyms are what you would call among the 'normally built' gyms, since they're not too out of the way, and aren't built any special way," Misty added. Soon, they arrived at a cave opening with the Pokemon League Insignia on it.
"Looks like this is the place," Leaf commented, as they made their way to the entrance of the Gym. Inside, they saw several trainers, all in different styles of clothing. Some were dressed in track suits, others were dressed as punk rockers, and the last few were dressed in what appeared to be school uniforms.
"And just who might you all be?" one of the track-suit wearing men asked.
"The three of us are here to challenge the Gym for a Badge," Lincoln replied, as he, Leaf and Raigo stepped forth.
"I see. Tell me, how many badges have you all earned?" one of the punk trainers asked.
"I've managed to earn five badges," Raigo replied.
"And I have three," Leaf added.
"I have three as well," Lincoln added.
"I see. Well, like with most other gyms, you three will have to complete the Test of Character before you have the right to take on the Leaders of this Gym. And that means tackling an obstacle course!" another punk trainer declared, as the lights shone down on three doors at the other end of the room, each a different color of either black, pink, and dark blue.
"Beyond each of those doors lies an obstacle course that you MUST complete. We won't tell you what you'll expect, but we will explain some of the rules, other than the mandatory completion of the course," a school girl stated.
"What kind of rules?" Raigo asked.
"For starters, each course is an equal distance from the start to the goal. Each door corresponds with a particular color of the course you'll have to tackle. Whatever door you pick, you HAVE to stick with the course that's behind it. For instance, if one of you were to choose the blue door, you cannot cross over into the red or yellow courses at any time," a track-suit wearing woman explained.
"What's more, only the trainers that manage to make it through will be granted the honor of challenging one of this Gym's three Leaders," the same track-suit wearing man added.
"Which means if only one of us is late to the goal or is unable to complete the course will be denied the chance for a battle," Lincoln stated.
"Pretty much. In addition, the order in which you three will battle the Gym Leaders will be based on which position you'll come in, and the Leader you'll face will depend on your choice of the courses. For instance, if one of you were to take on the Red Course, you would battle the Gym Leader at the end of that particular course," the first punk trainer explained.
"Which means we need to think hard about which door we want to choose," Leaf commented.
"Correct. You're test of character will begin the instant you step through those doors, and you can't leave without forfeiting the Test. So, make any necessary preparations before you head in," a school uniform wearing boy advised.
"And if the rest of you will follow me, I'll show you to the stands," the school uniform girl from before offered to the large group.
"Ok, that'll be nice," Bobby said, as they proceeded to follow her.
"Good luck in the test, Linkey," Leni said.
"Thanks Leni," Lincoln replied, as he went over to where Leaf and Raigo were at.
"Well, looks like our next battle is going to be up to chance. Who's going to pick first?" Raigo asked.
"I'll go through the pink door," Leaf replied, as she walked up to the pink door.
"In that case, I'll take on the black door," Raigo said, walking up to the black door.
"Which leaves me with this door," Lincoln commented, heading up to the dark blue door.
"Well, here's to hoping that we'll make it through! See you both on the other side," Raigo said, as he proceeded past his chosen door. Leaf was next, followed by Lincoln. Once inside, Lincoln saw what looked to be a corridor from something you'd see at a funhouse at an amusement park.
"Whoa, this is different," Lincoln commented.
"Well, you've faced three Gyms already, so you know that they're not all going to be the same," Pikachu replied.
"True. Well, in any case, lets get moving. Try to keep an eye out for any possible tricks or trap doors, would you?" Lincoln asked.
"No problem," Pikachu replied, as he and Lincoln began running through the hallway. They soon came across their first obstacle; a series of rope swings over a pit of water.
"Well, this looks simple enough," Lincoln commented.
"Are you sure you can handle it?" Pikachu asked, as he climbed up onto Lincoln's shoulder.
"I think so. I've seen it done on TV loads of times," Lincoln replied, as he leapt out onto the first swing. He swung a good distance before he moved onto the next one, "Ok, this is a bit harder than it looks, but that's ok, I'm making excellent progress," Lincoln commented, as he continued to swing from rope to rope, eventually making it to the other side.
"You holding up alright?" Pikachu asked.
"Just need a moment to catch my breath," Lincoln replied, panting a bit. But he was able to calm down enough to proceed, when…
"Not bad, kid," one of the track-suit wearing trainers said, as she came out from behind a corner.
"Thanks. So, do I keep moving?" Lincoln asked.
"Heh, you wish it were that simple! Now, you have to battle me!" the trainer said, holding out a Pokeball.
"A battle? Here and now?" Lincoln asked.
"That's right. Some gyms will have you battling other trainers while you make your way to face the Gym Leader. Our bout will be one-on-one. Defeat me and you may pass. Lose, and you'll have start all over from the beginning," the trainer explained.
"What?! Even though I cleared those swings?"
"That's right. You'll have to start the entire course over again when you loose to one of the Gym Trainers. Of course, if you managed to defeat the previous ones, then you won't have to battle them again. And you can heal your Pokemon in between battles, so there's a plus," the trainer explained.
"Well, alright. Then let's battle," Lincoln said.
"Good. Now, here's my choice; Go, Seadra!" the trainer said, as she sent out a spikey looking seahorse like Pokemon that looked like a larger form of the Horsea Lincoln saw yesterday.
"Who's that Pokemon?" Lincoln wondered, pulling out his Pokedex.
"Seadra, the Dragon Pokemon, a Water Type, and the evolved form of Horsea. Touching the backfins causes numbness. It hooks it's tail onto coral to stay in place while it's sleeping," Dexter explained.
"Pikachu, you're up!" Lincoln declared. Pikachu was quick to jump into battle.
"A Pikachu, huh? Glad to know you know your type-matchups. However, don't think for a moment that means you can win easily. Seadra, start off with a Smokescreen!" the trainer said. Seadra then belched out a thick cloud of smoke.
"Trying to lower our accuracy? Good plan, but not good enough! Pikachu, use Shock Wave!" Lincoln instructed.
"Already on it!" Pikachu replied, as he fired off Shock Wave, which was able to strike Seadra from inside the cloud of smoke.
"Not bad, but not good enough either! Seadra, use Focus Energy, then into Scale Shot!" the trainer ordered. Seadra began glowing orange and then fired off scale like projectiles.
"Pikachu, dodge them!" Lincoln called out. Pikachu did his best to dodge the scales, but got hit three different times. Seadra then glowed red then blue, "What was with that?" Lincoln wondered.
"Information: Scale Shot: A Dragon Type move that deals damage two to five times in one move. The user's speed increases, but its defensive power reduces," Dexter explained.
"And that's not all. With Focus Energy, Seadra's chances of landing Critical Hits also increases," the trainer added.
"Pikachu, are you alright to keep going?" Lincoln asked.
"Y-Yeah, I think so, but those scales hurt like hell. We may need to finish this up fast," Pikachu advised.
"No need to tell me twice. And with Scale Shot's backlash effect, we may have an opening to do so. So Pikachu, use Thunder Punch!" Lincoln instructed. Pikachu's fist then became enveloped in electricity, as he charged at Seadra.
"Going after Seadra's weakened Defenses, huh? Nice try, but we won't let you! Seadra, blast back Pikachu with Bubblebeam!" Seadra then fired off Bubblebeam at Pikachu, who was quick to dodge the oncoming attack, and proceeded to land Thunder Punch, knocking out the Dragon Pokemon. It was then that Pikachu felt woozy.
"Pikachu, what's wrong?" Lincoln went to the Mouse Pokemon's aid.
"Th-that Seadra… I think it's ability was Poison Point," Pikachu replied shakily.
"What's 'Poison Point'?" Lincoln asked.
"It works the same way as Pikachu's Static Ability, except it causes Poison status," the trainer replied, as she recalled Seadra.
"Thankfully for me, I went and stocked up on medicine while I was at the Pokemon Center," Lincoln said, as he dug through his bag and pulled out an Antidote, and proceeded to spray down Pikachu. In seconds, Pikachu was feeling better.
"Ha, thanks Lincoln. Being poisoned was NOT the most pleasant of feelings," Pikachu thanked.
"I can only imagine," Lincoln replied, as he turned to the Gym Trainer, "So, I guess this means I can proceed?"
"You can, but be warned; The next two trainers you'll have to battle will be just as tough, if not tougher than I," the trainer informed, as she stepped to the side, allowing Lincoln to pass through.
Meanwhile, in the battlefield,
The others were sitting on the bleachers, watching Lincoln, Raigo and Leaf on big TV Screens as they continued to progress through the obstacle course, "Looks like they've all made it past the first trainers," a nearby punk trainer commented, sounding unimpressed.
"Well, the next battle they'll face will be a bit tougher," a track-suit wearing trainer replied.
"If we can ask, what does the Porta Vista Gym specialize in?" Girl Jordan asked.
"Well, you've probably heard that the Porta Vista Gym operates with three Gym Leaders. Each of them specialize in three different types of Pokemon. Those types are Dark, Fairy, and Dragon Types," the track-suit wearing trainer replied.
"Which of those Types would Lincoln stand the best chance against?" Clyde asked Misty and Brock.
"Well, you'd need to think about each of those Type's Weaknesses. Dark Type Pokemon are weak to Fighting, Bug, and Fairy Type moves, and take no damage from Psychic Type attacks. Fairy Type Pokemon are the most vulnerable against Poison and Steel Types, and they're also immune to Dragon Type Moves. And finally, Dragon Type Pokemon are weak to Ice, Fairy, and other Dragon Type moves. So far, Lincoln has yet to catch a single Ice Type Pokemon, but he does have at least one of each of the other types I listed," Brock replied.
"If he ends up battling the Dark Type Leader, he can go with a Bug Type, like Buzzerker or Heracross, a Fighting Type, like Riolu or Mienfoo, or a Fairy Type like Clefairy or Lapis. If he were to battle the Fairy Type Leader, he'd need to go with a Poison Type, like Buzzerker or Weezing, or a Steel Type like Gawain or Beldum. As for the Dragon Type, he would need to use either a Fairy Type, like Clefairy or Lapis, again, or another Dragon Type like Goomy or Dragonair," Misty added.
"But Goomy and Lapis are back at our house, and he hasn't had a chance to train with either Weezing or Beldum," Leni replied.
"Well, I wouldn't worry too much. After all, this is Lincoln we're talking about. Strategy is his middle name," Rusty replied.
"Really? I thought it was 'Abraham'?" Leni commented, causing everyone to look at her.
Meanwhile, back with Lincoln,
A small, black dog like Pokemon with a red muzzle and a skull shaped growth on it's head was sent down to defeat by Riolu's Force Palm, "Not bad, kid. Not many people can outfox Houndour like that," the punk trainer Lincoln was battling commented, as he recalled his Pokemon.
"It pays to have a good strategy in hand," Lincoln replied, as he knelt down to Riolu's level, "Nicely done, Riolu."
"Sure thing, Mr. Lincoln! I'm glad to be of help!" Riolu proudly declared, as Lincoln recalled his Pokemon.
"You have just one more battle ahead of you before you can clear the course," the trainer said, as he stepped out of the way, allowing Lincoln to pass through. After walking for a bit in the hall, Lincoln found himself at the third and final obstacle; a rock-climbing wall.
"Oh great, rock climbing," Lincoln groaned.
"Something wrong?" Pikachu asked.
"Rock climbing walls like this one are one of the many things Lynn likes doing back home," Lincoln replied.
"I see. Well, we won't hold it against you if you decided to back out now. We'll understand," Pikachu reassured. Lincoln smiled at his partner's compassion.
"Thanks Pikachu, but we've come this far already, and I'm not going to stop now for anything," Lincoln replied. Some Gym Staff came over to him with a safety harness.
"All Gym Tests of Character are designed to challenge any challengers that come to face them, but they're also designed for the challenger's safety in mind. You can proceed when ready," the staffer said, as he helped secure Lincoln to the harness.
"Thanks," Lincoln replied. Pikachu leapt up onto Lincoln's shoulder, as he began climbing the rock wall. Things were going fairly well, until he had a near slip and fall about halfway, "Whoa, that was close! You ok, Pikachu?" he asked, as he repositioned himself.
"Yeah, but that was quite the surprise," Pikachu replied.
"Yeah. Lucky thing we didn't fall all the way back down," Lincoln commented, as he continued to climb. With a few more slips, he was finally able to reach the top. Some staffers were already there to remove the harness, and allow him to face his last Gym Trainer opponent; a school uniform wearing girl.
"So, you've managed to make it all the way to me. Just goes to show how tenacious you are," the trainer commented.
"Well, I don't necessarily see that as a bad thing," Lincoln replied.
"Yes, well, even so, this is going to be as far as you go! You'll never challenge any one of the Gym Leaders unless you somehow manage to defeat me!" the trainer replied, holding out a Love Ball.
"Well, should we go ahead and get this started then?" Lincoln asked.
"Indeed we shall. Now, Jigglypuff, let's go!" the trainer said, as she sent out a small, round pink Pokemon with large, blue eyes and a single strand of curly hair. Lincoln took a moment to scan the new Pokemon.
"Jugglypuff, the Balloon Pokemon, a Fairy Type. Jigglypuff has top-notch lung capacity, even in comparison to other Pokemon. It won't stop singing it's lullabies until it's opponent has fallen asleep," Dexter explained, as Jigglypuff puffed up slightly, as if trying to intimidate Lincoln.
"Ok, sounds like it's specialty is singing lullabies, so I need to watch out for that. In that case, Gawain, you're up!" Lincoln exclaimed, sending out Gawain.
"Ah, yes! So good to be back in the front lines again!" Gawain exclaimed.
"Goodness! I didn't expect a Steel Type like Perrserker," the trainer said in surprise.
"What can I say? I'm full of surprises," Lincoln replied.
"Alright. As per the rules, you have the first move," the trainer stated.
"Alrighty then! Gawain, use Metal Claw!" Lincoln called out. Gawain wasted no time in charging at Jigglypuff, claws glowing and ready to attack. But Lincoln was puzzled as to why the trainer wasn't ordering Jugglypuff to dodge. Lincoln then saw Jigglypuff eating what appeared to be green berry that looked something like a pinecone. The Metal Claw then made contact with Jigglypuff, who was still standing confidently, "What the…?! I thought Steel Type Moves were super effective against Fairy Type Pokemon?"
"Then allow me to explain: The berry that Jigglypuff ate was called a Babiri Berry. It powers down any super effective Steel Type attacks that are used against the holder," the trainer explained in a haughty fashion. But then her expression turned to one of confusion upon seeing Gawain, "Uh, is your Perrserker a Male by any chance?"
"Yeah, that's why I call him 'Gawain'," Lincoln replied.
"Tsk, so much for relying on Cute Charm," the trainer hissed.
"'Cute Charm'? What's that?" Lincoln asked.
"It's Jigglypuff's ability. When an opponent makes direct contact, it can sometimes cause them to fall in love with Jigglypuff, but only if they're of the opposite gender. My Jigglypuff is a boy as well, so Cute Charm won't work on your Perrserker," the trainer explained.
"Oh, well, lucky me then," Lincoln mused.
"Maybe so, but your luck is about to run out! Jigglypuff, use Sing!" the trainer called out. Jigglypuff then began singing, causing musical notes to float through the air.
"Gawain quick, use Dig to get away!" Lincoln called out. Gawain quickly dug underground, just as Sing floated over to where he once was.
"Keep your guard up Jigglypuff!" the trainer warned. But it was all for naught, as Gawain emerged from underneath Jigglypuff, striking the Balloon Pokemon hard, "Jigglypuff's still reeling from the damage from Metal Claw on top of that Dig. In that case, use Flamethrower!" Jigglypuff then fired off a stream of fire, that dealt a considerable amount of damage to Gawain, who remained standing.
"Whoa, I wasn't expecting a Fire Type move," Lincoln commented.
"That's the thing you got to watch out for; some Pokemon are able to learn moves to counteract Pokemon Types they're normally weak against," the trainer replied.
"Yeah, I know that," Lincoln replied.
"Well, your lack of insight is going to cost you big time! Jigglypuff, use Flamethrower again!" Jigglypuff once again fired off Flamethrower.
"Gawain, dodge that attack, and use Pay Day!" Gawain was able to skillfully dodge, and then it fired off a coin like projectile at Jigglypuff, causing coins to scatter around the battlefield, "Now, follow up with Metal Claw!" Gawain once again struck Jigglypuff with Metal Claw, sending the Balloon Pokemon down to defeat, "Awesome! Nicely done, Gawain!" Lincoln praised, as he, Pikachu and Gawain gathered up the coins from Pay Day. Lincoln then proceeded to spray down Gawain with a Super Potion.
"Not bad. You might actually pull of a win against the Gym Leader," the trainer said, as she stood to the side. Lincoln then proceeded past her, and through the final door. On the other side, he saw that Raigo and Leaf had already made it through.
"I was wondering when you'd get here," Raigo commented.
"Some of those obstacles and battles were a little tougher than I thought," Lincoln replied.
"Well, at least now we take on the Gym Leaders," Leaf pointed out.
"That you can!" a woman's voice said, as three different spotlights shone down on three different individuals. Among them was the boy they met in the Pokemon Center the day prior.
The second was a teen girl, a little older than the three challengers. She had blonde hair done in pig tails and freckles and was wearing a magenta jumpsuit similar to that of the spies from Totally spies, along with a hot pink vest.
The third and only adult among the three was a young-looking woman, probably later 20's, early 30's, wearing what could hardly be considered a modest outfit. Her attire consisted of what could be viewed as a cavewoman outfit, including a torn top that barely held her M-Cup breasts, and a loin cloth. She had wild, messy brown hair, a necklace that looked like it was made from fangs, tribal tattoos, and she was also holding, what Lincoln hoped was a fake, spear.
"Hey, I remember you from the Pokemon Center yesterday!" Raigo commented, pointing to the boy.
"Yeah, I'm one of Porta Vista's Gym Leaders. The names Matthew, and I specialize in Dark Type Pokemon. I'll be your opponent today," the boy replied.
"Hiya! My name's Kate! My specialty is Fairy Types! Here's to a good battle!" the teen girl said, as she looked towards Leaf.
"Likewise, Kate," Leaf replied.
"Which leaves you with me, little boy," the woman said, looking down at Lincoln, who was trying very hard to keep his eyesight above the woman's neckline, "My name is Natalie. I'm the Dragon Type Specialist of the Kanto Region Gyms."
"Buh-buh-buh," Lincoln was quick to correct himself, "M-my name is Lincoln Loud, ma'am."
"Ah, so you're the American I've heard so much about. Hope you can make this a good battle," Natalie replied, as she pressed a button on her spear (which Lincoln was thankful for being a fake), which caused the nearby wall to sink below, revealing the battlefield in question, which was a mix of both land and water. Up in the rafters, Lincoln and the others saw their friends.
"Well, there they are now," Liam commented, and almost immediately upon seeing Natalie, all the boys, Ronnie Anne, and even some of the girls were drooling at the sight of her.
"Whoa, now there's a wild woman!" Brock commented.
"And I thought Ms. DiMartino was sexy, but she's a straight up goddess!" Zach added.
"How much do you think she's carrying in those things?!" Ronnie Anne exclaimed, as she and the other girls looked down at their, comparably smaller breasts.
"I don't know if she can carry anything in that outfit. There aren't even any pockets," Leni absentmindedly commented. Bobby then patted her on the head.
"Attention, everyone!" a Gym Referee called out, catching everyone's attention, "We will now begin the series of Gym Battles between the Porta Vista Gym Leaders, Matthew, Kate, and Natalie, and the challengers, Raigo, Leaf, and Lincoln! Each battle will be undertaken in the order in which the challengers completed the Test of Character! The first match up will be pitting Gym Leader Matthew against the Challenger, Raigo, from Lavaridge Town! The second bout will be Kate VS Leaf, and the third is Natalie VS Lincoln! Only the challengers that manage to defeat the Gym Leaders will be awarded Badges, and the rules for each match will change based on the Gym Leader and how many Badges the Challengers currently possess. Now, if the first pair of trainers will make their way to the trainer's boxes, we will begin the battle!"
"Well, that means I'm up," Raigo said, as he made his way up to the box. Lincoln and Leaf decided to head up to the stands with the others.
"So, managed to complete your Test, huh?" Clyde asked Lincoln.
"Yeah, but I gotta tell you, some of those obstacles were tough," Lincoln replied.
"So, what's your plan for taking on that babe?" Rusty asked, causing the girls to glare at him.
"Well, Natalie specializes in Dragon Types, so I'll go with Clefairy and Dragonair, for sure. But I don't know how many Pokemon will be allowed by both sides, so those two are set in stone," Lincoln replied.
"Just be careful, Lincoln. Dragonair is vulnerable to Dragon Type moves as well," Sid warned.
"Now, the first bout of this Gym Challenge will now commence! Both trainers may use three Pokemon each with no substitutions allowed at any time. The battle will continue until all of either side's Pokemon are declared unable to battle. Now, trainers, select your first Pokemon!" the referee proclaimed.
"Alright, here's my first choice!" Matthew said, as he sent out what appeared to be a black Doberman like Pokemon with long, devil like horns and a long, spaded tail. Giggles was first to scan the new Pokemon.
"Houndoom, the Dark Pokemon, a Dark and Fire Type. Long ago, people imagined it's eerie howls to be the call of the grim reaper. Getting burned by Houndoom's flames causes pain that never goes away," her Pokedex explained.
"Wicked," Haiku commented, while the others seemed unnerved by the information.
"Alright, so his first choice is Houndoom, so my choice is going to be Shelldon!" Raigo said, as he sent out a large, spherical rock Pokemon. Clyde was the one who scanned this one.
"Golem, the Megaton Pokemon, a Rock and Ground Type, and the fully evolved form of Geodude. It sheds its hide once a year. Its boulder-like body is so tough, not even dynamite can harm it," his Pokedex explained.
"Since Houndoom is a Fire Type, a Rock and Ground Type like Golem is the perfect choice," Brock commented.
"Alright, the first battle of Houndoom vs Golem, BEGIN!" the referee declared.
Time once again for a Trivia Question! This time, it's deciding what type of Badge each Gym Leader will hand out, as they all have their own unique one. Be sure to leave a detailed description of the badge in the comments. And without further ado, here's the Question:
How many Dragon Type Pokemon can be found among the Pokemon living in the Kanto Region? (This is excluding Regional Variants, so Exeggutor doesn't count)