Chapter 82: Not Just a Boy's World
After a bit of traveling Ash and Nikki finally arrived at their next destination: the Valley of the Iron Fist. Taking a moment to look around the first thing they noticed was the tall cliffs on either side of the valley. The second thing was the small town in front of them, where they figured they'd find the Area Boss they came looking for.
"Let's make our way to the Pokémon Center," Ash suggested. "Hopefully we'll find out where the Area Boss is along the way." The two of them headed into town on their way to the Pokémon Center. As they walked they looked around at the various buildings. There didn't appear to be anything to noteworthy until they came across what looked like a martial arts dojo.
"You don't suppose that's where the Area Boss is, do you?" Nikki asked.
"Could be," Ash replied. "We'll have to ask around to see, though." As they were about to continue on their way they heard voices, and from the sounds of them they didn't appear to be having a friendly conversation.
"What do you think all that's about?" Nikki wondered.
"No clue," Ash replied. "You want to find out?"
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't just a little bit curious," Nikki responded. With their curiosity piqued the two of them followed the sound of the voices. It didn't take them long to find the source, which was a group of boys and girls who appeared to be in an argument.
"I'm telling you, you're wrong!" one of the girls yelled.
"No, you're wrong!" one of the boys responded. This went on for a few minutes, leaving Ash and Nikki very confused. They glanced to each other, hoping that one of them had an answer as to what they were witnessing.
"And just why can't girls be strong Pokémon trainers?!" one of the other girls challenged.
"Because girls are just interested in cutesy Pokémon! Boys are all about strong Pokémon!" the boy answered. Now that they understood what the argument was about Ash and Nikki couldn't believe how wrong the boys were. Unfortunately for them they had been noticed by the group of children.
"Well, what about him? He's got a Pikachu!" one of the girls pointed out. "That's a cutesy Pokémon, isn't it?"
"(I take offense to that,)" Pikachu grumbled.
"Come on, buddy, you know looks aren't everything," Ash told him. "You may look cute but you're powerful." This seemed to make the Mouse Pokémon feel a little better.
"He's probably waiting to evolve it into a Raichu," another boy argued.
"That still doesn't prove your point about girls only liking cute Pokémon!" one girl shouted.
"If you want proof then just look at her Pokémon!" one boy said, pointing at Nikki.
"(He's talking about me, isn't he?)" Buneary assumed.
"If I had to guess then yeah," Nikki confirmed.
"That's just one! Her other Pokémon could be strong!" one of the girls argued. Now it was Buneary's turn to be offended.
"Hey, don't let their words get to you. I know you're plenty strong," Nikki whispered to her.
"You think her other Pokémon are any different? Please. If she challenged me I could beat her without even trying," the boy declared. That statement seemed to get Nikki's attention.
"You sure about that?" she questioned.
"Huh?" the boy said.
"You seem to think that I don't have any strong Pokémon," Nikki assumed.
"I know you don't. You're a girl," the boy stated.
"Alright then, face me in a battle," Nikki challenged. "You do have Pokémon, don't you?"
"Yeah, I've got some," the boy confirmed.
"Then I'm sure you wouldn't mind facing me in a battle," Nikki said. "If my Pokémon are as cutesy as you believe them to be then this shouldn't be a difficult battle then."
"Yeah, Billy, show her how strong your Pokémon are!" one of the other boys urged. The boy, who they now know was named Billy, turned to his friends with a smug look on his face.
"Yeah, I'll wipe the floor with her!" he shouted. He then turned back to Nikki and grabbed one of his Poké Balls.
"Okay, three-on-three, and no crying when I defeat you!" he said.
"That's fine y me, though I don't think you'll be defeating anyone," Nikki calmly replied, readying her own Poké Ball.
"We'll see about that! Go, Raticate!" Billy shouted, sending out his first Pokémon. With his Pokémon ready for battle Nikki tossed her own Poké Ball.
"Persian, the stage is yours!" she shouted, calling on her Classy Cat Pokémon. Billy and the other children seemed surprised to see Nikki with such a strong looking Pokémon, but Ash just smiled for he knew what Persian was capable of.
"Having second thoughts?" Nikki asked.
"N-No way! I'll still defeat you!" Billy declared. "Raticate, use Quick Attack!" His Raticate charged towards Persian, trying to use a hi-speed attack to catch them off guard.
"Fake Out!" Nikki called. Right before Raticate's attack landed Persian slapped hi across that face, forcing him back and canceling his attack.
"Hey, that was a cheap trick!" Billy complained.
"That's part of battling," Nikki replied. "Now, use Power Gem!" Persian quickly formed a ball of Rock type energy and fired it at the still stunned Mouse Pokémon.
"Shatter that attack with Super Fang!" Billy countered. Raticate opened his mouth wide and caught Persian's Power Gem, shattering it with his powerful fangs.
"That's showing her, Raticate!" Billy cheered.
"Huh… maybe he's not as much of a rookie as I thought," Nikki mused.
"Okay, Raticate, use Double Edge!" he shouted. Raticate charged forward, his body giving off a white glow.
"Dodge and use Iron Tail!" Nikki called. Persian waited until right before Raticate's attack would land before nimbly jumping out of the way. Then, before the Mouse Pokémon could recover, he swung a Steel charged tail and struck him in his face, causing him to recoil a bit.
"Follow that up with Night Slash!" Nikki said. With Raticate still reeling Persian slashed at him with his claws, striking him twice for critical damage.
"Now finish him with Power Gem!" To conclude his assault Persian formed a ball of Rock type energy and fired it at Raticate. The Power Gem struck home and exploded on impact, knocking the Mouse Pokémon out cold.
"No, Raticate!" Billy cried. Neither him or the other boys could believe that he had just lost to Nikki. Ash, on the other hand, didn't seem surprised at all.
"Wow, she's pretty good," one of the girls commented.
"Good job, Persian," Nikki praised as she returned him to his Poké Ball. "You still want to keep going?"
"Of course I do! That was just a fluke!" Billy shouted as he recalled his defeated Raticate. "Now feast your eyes on my Loudred!" As his second Pokémon appeared Nikki smiled, for she already knew who to send out to deal with him.
"Ninetails, the stage is yours!" she shouted, calling on her Fox Pokémon. Once again everyone but Ash was surprised by Nikki's choice in Pokémon.
"Start off with Pound!" Billy instructed.
"Shield yourself with Iron Tail!" Nikki countered. The Big Voice Pokémon went to strike Ninetails with his fist, but all he got did was hurt his hand as he struck Ninetails' Iron Tail shiled instead.
"Now strike with Flamethrower!" Nikki called. Ninetails uncurled her tails and spewed forth a powerful Flamethrower, forcing Loudred back a bit. Now Billy was starting to get frustrated with how things were going. He just couldn't believe he was losing to a girl.
"Loudred, use Stomp!" he yelled. Loudred leapt into the air and started to come down, looking to stomp on Ninetails.
"Dodge, Ninetails!" Nikki called. The Fox Pokémon easily jumped out of the way of the incoming attack.
"Keep it up! Don't let her get away!" Billy ordered. Loudred continued to try and stomp on Ninetails, but each time the Fox Pokémon jumped out of the way. This went on a few more times until Nikki saw an opportunity to go back on the offensive.
"Iron Tail!" she called. As Loudred came down for one last Stomp Ninetails once again dodge, but this time she charged up an Iron Tail and struck the Big Voice Pokémon, sending him tumbling backwards.
"Now trap him with Fire Spin!" she instructed. Before Loudred could get back to his feet Ninetails spewed a Fire Spin, trapping the Big Voice Pokémon in a fiery vortex.
"Loudred, use Hyper Voice to blow that away!" Billy shouted. Loudred took a deep breath and let out a loud shout, using the shock waves from his attack to blow the Fire Spin away. The attack left him with a few burns and drained him of a bit of strength. Unfortunately he would receive no reprieve, for when he looked up Ninetails had her tails spread wide gathering sunlight.
"Okay, fire your Solarbeam!" Nikki called. Billy could only watch as Ninetails let loose her Solarbeam, the Grass type attack striking Loudred and rendering him unconscious.
"Not again!" he griped upon seeing another one of his Pokémon go down in defeat.
"Thank you, Ninetails," Nikki said as she returned her. She then watched as Billy recalled his defeated Pokémon and appeared to be thinking about giving up.
"Do you want to stop?" Nikki asked. Hearing her question seemed to light a fire under him, for he looked at her while grabbing his final Poké Ball.
"No way! I'm not going to let you humiliate me like this!" he replied. "Go, Toxicroak!" As his final Pokémon appeared the other boys began to cheer.
"There's no way Billy loses now! Toxicroak is his ace!" one of them declared. As she looked at his Pokémon Nikki knew who she wanted to use against him.
"Gallade, the stage is yours!" she shouted, calling on her Blade Pokémon. For the third time they were surprised to see what Pokémon Nikki had chosen, none more than Billy who seemed to be in some kind of trance.
"Alright Gallade, go on the attack with Thunderpunch!" Nikki instructed. Billy was snapped out of his trance once he saw Gallade charging towards his Toxicroak with Electric charged fists.
"Quick, dodge that," he shouted. As Gallade threw his Thunderpunch Toxicroak jumped back out of the way. Gallade followed up with another Thunderpunch, but once again the Toxic Mouth Pokémon jumped out of the way.
"Okay, fight back with Poison Jab!" Billy instructed. Toxicroak's fist took on a purple glow as he drew it back for a punch.
"Teleport!" Nikki countered. Right as Toxicroak threw his punch Gallade used Teleport, vanishing from sight. Seconds later he reappeared behind the Toxic Mouth Pokémon.
"Toxicroak, behind you!" Billy warned.
"Zen Headbutt!" Nikki called. Before Toxicroak could turn and face him Gallade struck him in the back with a powerful Psychic charged headbutt, sending him crashing to the ground.
"Come on, Toxicroak! Fight back with Sludge Bomb!" Billy shouted. After recovering Toxicroak took a deep breath and spat out a large glob of sludge at Gallade.
"Use Psychic on that Sludge Bomb!" Nikki said. Gallade's eyes took on a blue glow as he used his Psychic attack to freeze the Sludge Bomb in mid-air.
"Good! Now send it back to where it came from!" she instructed. With a flick of his wrists Gallade sent the attack right back at Toxicroak, the Poison type attack striking the Toxic Mouth Pokémon in the face. The attack didn't cause much damage, but the sludge did obscure Toxicroak's vision a bit.
"Alright, Gallade, time for Thunderpunch!" Nikki said. With Toxicroak temporarily blinded Gallade took this opportunity to launch into another Thunderpunch, charging the Toxic Mouth Pokémon with electrified fists.
"Look out!" Billy warned. By the time Toxicroak cleared his vision Gallade was already on top of him. He could do nothing but take the Thunderpunch attacks, each blow flooding his body with electricity.
"Now use Zen Headbutt!" Nikki instructed. To finish his assault Gallade hit Toxicroak with a super-effective Zen Headbutt, the Psychic type attack knocking the Toxic Mouth Pokémon down for good. Billy just stood there, not wanting to believe what just happened.
"N-No way… I lost… to a girl," he muttered to himself. Nikki, on the other hand, had thanked Gallade for his efforts and recalled him to his Poké Ball. Taking a moment to look around Nikki noticed that all the children's eyes were on her and Billy. The girls looked amazed while the boys looked shocked.
"Wow… she's strong," one of the girls commented.
"Yeah, she is," another agreed. The boys remained silent, unsure of what to say. It was Billy who finally broke the silence.
"This… This isn't right! You're not supposed to have Pokémon that strong!" he stated.
"Says who?" Nikki asked.
"That's just the way it is!" he argued.
"Why?" Nikki wondered.
"Well… you're a girl! Girl's are supposed to have cute Pokémon, not strong ones!" Billy argued. Now it was Ash's turn to speak up.
"That's not true," he said, getting everyone's attention. "I've come across plenty of strong trainers who were girls. In fact, some of the strongest trainers I've ever battled were girls."
"Really?" one of the girls asked.
"Really," Ash answered. "Gym leaders, Elite 4, even some League champions are girls. There's no rule that says girls can't be powerful trainers."
"Well said, young man." Everyone turned towards the sound of the new voice and saw a muscular man with short black hair wearing a karate gi walking towards them.
"Master Lesley!" one of the boys said. "How long have you been here?"
"Long enough to see a masterful display of battling by this young lady," he replied. He then turned his attention to Billy.
"I hope this battle has taught you a lesson," he said. "There are many girls out there who value a Pokémon's strength over its looks. Saying that girls only value a Pokémon if it is cute is a very narrow minded way of thinking, one I hope you one day abandon."
"Yes, Master Lesley," Billy replied. With that done Lesley turned his attention to Nikki.
"You and your Pokémon showed great strength and strategy in your battle, miss," he praised.
"Thank you, sir," Nikki replied.
"Please, call me Lesley" Lesley said. "Now, what brings you here to the Valley of the Iron Fist?" It was at that moment Ash stepped forward.
"I'm looking for the Area Boss," he said. Lesley turned his attention to Ash.
"Ah, so you are my next challenger," he stated.
"Wait, so then you're the Area Boss?" Ash inquired.
"That I am," Lesley confirmed. "No doubt you passed by my dojo on your way into town." Ash nodded.
"Then that means you'll be battling with Fighting types, right?" Nikki assumed.
"That we will," Lesley answered. "I assume you have the required number of combatants?"
"I do," Ash said.
"Splendid," Lesley said. "Then gather you Pokémon and I shall gladly meet you on the field of battle."
"Master Lesley… would it be alright if we watched your battle?" Billy wondered.
"Of course," Lesley said. "I invite all of you to come and watch our battle." The other children cheered, excited over the prospect of witnessing a battle between Lesley and Ash.
"Well then, I shall await your arrival at my dojo." With that Lesley left with the children close behind him. Ash and Nikki watched him leave, with the Pallet Town native growing ever more excited for his upcoming battle.
"He looks like he's going to be a tough customer," Nikki commented.
"That's find by me," Ash replied. "The tougher the battle the stronger we get." Now that that knew what to expect Ash and Nikki headed towards the Pokémon Center so Ash could make the necessary changes for his Area Boss battle.
After a battle between Nikki and a young trainer Ash now must prepare for battle against Lesley, the Area Boss of the Valley of the Iron Fist. Can he emerge victorious? Or will it all end in defeat? Find out in the next chapter of Search for Power!
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