Before getting on with the story there's something I feel I need to address.
I've gotten plenty of messages from people that have told me how much they enjoy my story, and I greatly appreciate that. But I've also gotten messages from people who want to provide artwork for my story (for a small fee, of course) and while I'd love to take them up on that offer financially I can't. I'm on a fixed income and I have to save every penny I get in case something unexpected comes up. I hope everyone understands.
And now, on to the story.
Chapter 88: Out of the Ordinary
After a trip back to the Pokémon Center to make to appropriate changes to his team, and receiving directions from Nurse Joy, Ash was now ready for his Gym battle against Patty. As they walked to the Gym the two of them spoke about the challenge Ash would soon face.
"Battling with Normal types could be tricky. I mean, who knows what Pokémon you could face," Nikki stated.
"It's that unknown factor that has me excited," Ash told her. "Just thinking about the kind of battle we could have has me even more eager to battle her."
"(Just make sure you have a game plan going in,)" Pikachu advised.
"I know, partner," Ash said. "I have the beginnings of a plan, but it all depends on what Pokémon she chooses."
"Well, I hope your plan works, because we're here." Standing before them was the Anders Island Pokémon Gym, where Ash would compete for his fifth badge. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves Ash pushed the doors opened and entered. Upon entering his eyes were drawn to the other side of the battlefield where Patty stood, a smile on her face.
"You must want this battle just as badly as I do," she commented.
"You bet I do," Ash said.
"You make it sound as though you don't get many challengers," Nikki said.
"To be honest I don't," Patty admitted. "Most people come here to hear me a Jigglypuff sing. Very few actually come to challenge me for a Gym badge."
"Well I plan on doing more that just challenging for a Gym badge. I plan on winning one too," Ash declared.
"Confident. I like it. Let's hope you can back that up," Patty said. Ash entrusted Nikki with Pikachu and took his place opposite of Patty. Nikki wished Ash good luck and took her place in the stands. Moments later a referee appeared.
"The Anders Island Gym battle between the challenger Ash and the Gym Leader Patty will now begin! This will be a three-on-three battle with only the challenger allowed substitutions! Also, only Normal type Pokémon will be allowed!" he announced. "Are both trainers ready?!"
"I'm ready," Ash said.
"As am I," Patty said. With both sides ready there was only one thing for the referee to say.
"Battle… BEGIN!"
"Let's get this battle going strong! Girafarig, center stage!" Patty shouted, sending out her first Pokémon. Curious about Patty's Pokémon Nikki took out her Pokécomm and scanned him.
Name: Girafarig
Species: The Long Neck Pokémon
Pokécomm Entry: Its tail also has a small brain. It bites to repel any foe trying to sneak up on it from behind.
"That could be a tricky Pokémon to battle against," Nikki said. "I wonder who Ash is going to go with first?"
"Staraptor, I choose you!" Ash shouted, sending out his Predator Pokémon.
"(Not a bad choice,)" Pikachu commented.
"Yeah. Staraptor can attack from multiple angles, meaning Patty is going to have to be on her toes," Nikki said.
"Okay, Staraptor, start off with Aerial Ace!" Ash instructed. With a shrill cry Staraptor dove into his attack, diving straight towards Girafarig.
"Defend yourself with Protect!" Patty countered. Right when it looked like Staraptor would make solid contact he bounced off a shield surrounding Girafarig.
"(Wait… what happened?)" Buneary asked.
"Patty had Girafarig create a Protect barrier to block Staraptor's attack," Nikki explained.
"(She knew Aerial Ace never misses so she had him block it instead,)" Pikachu added.
"Now use Crunch while Staraptor is recovering!" Patty said. Girafarig whipped around, letting his second face the still dazed Predator Pokémon. As soon as it was in position its mouth opened wide.
"Look out, Staraptor!" Ash warned. His warning came just in time as Staraptor was just able to dodge the incoming Crunch attack from Girafarig's second head.
"Good work on that dodge!" Ash praised. "Now let's go back on the attack! Quick Attack!" After failing with Aerial Ace Staraptor charged in with a high speed attack instead, charging in with Quick Attack.
"Protect again!" Patty instructed. Once again Girafarig erected his Protect barrier.
"Veer off!" Ash shouted, catching everyone by surprise. Staraptor did as he was instructed and veered off to the side, avoiding the Protect barrier and flying right past the now confused Long Neck Pokémon.
"What is he doing?" Patty wondered. In his confusion Girafarig dropped his barrier. Ash smiled, for that's just what he wanted. Girafarig turned around and came face-to-face with Staraptor.
"Close Combat!" Ash called. Before Girafarig could react Staraptor went on the attack. Wings, talons and beak were used to assault the Long Neck Pokémon. Once he was done with his attack Staraptor flew back to his side of the field and awaited further instructions.
"That was pretty sneaky Ash, having Staraptor intentionally miss his Quick Attack like that to have Girafarig drop his guard so you could follow up with that Close Combat," Patty commented. "Unfortunately for you it won't work a second time."
"Once was all I needed," Ash replied. "Now, use Aerial Ace!" Once again Staraptor sped towards his opponent, looking to land a hit with his Aerial Ace.
"Not this time! Stop him with Psychic!" Patty said. Girafarig's eyes took on a bluish glow. Moments later Staraptor froze in mid-air as he too was enveloped in a blue glow.
"Now slam him to the ground!" Patty instructed. With a flick of his head Staraptor was sent crashing to the ground, leaving him a bit dazed.
"Follow up with Stomp!" Patty said.
"Get out of there, Staraptor!" Ash shouted. The Predator Pokémon shook off his dazed state just in time to see Girafarig rear up and prepare to come crashing down on him with a Stomp attack. Reacting fast Staraptor flew out of the way just in time.
"Crunch!" Patty called. Girafarig moved faster than either Ash or Staraptor thought he could as he spun around and used his other head to clamp down on Staraptor's wing with a Crunch attack.
"Try Stomp one more time!" Patty said. Girafarig threw Staraptor to the ground and tried his Stomp attack once again.
"Quick! Use Quick Attack!" Ash shouted. Staraptor used the incredibly fast attack to get out of the way of Girafarig's Stomp attack before turning around and charging him.
"Stop him with Psychic!" Patty countered. Once again the Long Neck Pokémon used his Psychic attack to freeze Staraptor mid-attack.
"Transition into Brave Bird!" Ash said. Through nothing more than sheer willpower Staraptor broke free of Girafarig's Psychic and changed his Quick Attack into Brave Bird, the extremely powerful attack slamming into Girafarig full force. The resulting blow caused a bit of recoil damage to Staraptor, but it was Girafarig who sustained the majority of the damage as he was left knocked out on the ground.
"Girafarig is unable to battle! Staraptor wins!" the referee announced.
"Yes! Great job, Staraptor!" Ash cheered. While Ash praised his Pokémon for a well fought battle Patty recalled hers.
"You did what you could, and for that I thank you," she said to her defeated Pokémon. She then grabbed another Poké Ball and threw it out.
"Miltank, center stage!" she shouted. As Patty's second Pokémon appeared Nikki once again took out her Pokécomm to check it out.
Name: Miltank
Species: The Milk Cow Pokémon
Pokécomm Entry: If it is around babies, the milk it produces contains much more nutrition than usual.
"I wonder how Patty plans on battling with this one," Nikki wondered.
"(We'll soon see,)" Pikachu said.
"Alright Staraptor, start off with Close Combat!" Ash shouted. Staraptor let out a shrill cry and charged towards Miltank. Despite this Patty seemed unconcerned.
"Defense Curl!" she said. Just as Staraptor was about to go into his attack Miltank curled into a tight ball, raising her Defense. Despite the Predator Pokémon's best efforts his attack appeared to do litt;e damage to the Milk Cow Pokémon.
"Now counter with Ice Punch!" Patty instructed. As soon as she saw an opening Miltank swung an icy punch at Staraptor, connecting with the super effective attack. The alreay tired Staraptor was left sprawled out in front of Ash, though not quite out of the battle yet.
"Now use Body Slam!" Patty said, intent on finishing Staraptor off. The Milk Cow Pokémon launched herself high into the air, planning on bringing her entire body weight crashing down on the prone Staraptor.
"Get out of there, Staraptor!" Nikki shouted. Despite his desire to the Predator Pokémon lacked the strength to do so. Left with no other choice Ash grabbed his Poké Ball.
"Staraptor, return!" he yelled, quickly returning his Pokémon moments before Miltank's Body Slam would have made contact.
"Whew… that was too close," he sighed. "Rest for now. I may need you later." With Staraptor safely back in his Poké Ball Ash grabbed another and threw it out.
"Tauros, I choose you!" he shouted, sending out his second Pokémon. Nikki was unfamiliar with Ash's choice so she took out her Pokécomm and scanned him.
Name: Tauros
Species: The Wild Bull Pokémon
Pokécomm Entry: Once it takes aim at its foe, it makes a headlong charge. It is famous for its violent nature.
"(I wonder which one that is,)" Pikachu said.
"(What do mean?)" Buneary wondered.
"(Ash has a herd of about thirty Tauros at Professor Oak's ranch in Pallet Town, so he has plenty to choose from,)" Pikachu explained.
"I didn't know he had that many," Nikki said.
"(Yeah. He caught them all at the Safari Zone in Fuchsia City, though I don't know why he'd need that many,)" Pikachu said.
"Tauros, charge in with Horn Attack!" Ash shouted. With a loud bellow the Wild Bull Pokémon lowered his head and charged towards Miltank, intent on delivering a powerful Horn Attack.
"Intercept that attack, Miltank!" Patty instructed. Miltank braced herself and, right when he was in range, she grabbed Tauros' horns. She was pushed back a bit, but in the end she managed to stop the Wild Bull Pokémon's forward momentum.
"N-No way!" Ash gasped.
"Just how strong is that Miltank?" Nikki wondered.
"Good. Now toss him!" Patty instructed. With a bit of effort Miltank managed to throw Tauron over her head, sending the Wild Bull Pokémon crashing to the ground on his back.
"Hit him with Body Slam!" Patty shouted. With Tauros still down Miltank jumped into the air and prepared to deliver a Body Slam.
"Oh, this is going to be bad," Nikki said.
"Roll out of the way, Tauros!" Ash yelled. Despite still being a bit dazed from being thrown the Wild Bull Pokémon managed to roll out of the way of Miltank's attack and get back to his feet. Ash took a moment to let out a sigh of relief before giving his next command.
"Alright, let's use Rage!" he said. Tauros let out a bellow before charging Miltank, striking her with a body tackle.
"Hit back with Ice Punch!" Patty countered. The Milk Cow Pokémon threw an icy punch at Tauros, hitting him right between his horns. In response Tauros let out another bellow and tackled her again, this time hitting quite a bit harder.
"That's it, Tauros! Keep that Rage attack going!" Ash urged. Each time Miltank hit him Tauros countered with a body tackle, each one doing more damage than the last.
"(I hope Ash knows what he's doing,)" Pikachu said.
"(What do you mean? It looks like he's winning to me,)" Buneary commented.
"(Rage is an attack that causes more damage the more times you're hit,)" Pikachu explained.
"So the more times Tauros is hit the stronger the attack gets, but at the same time that's more and more damage he's taking," Nikki added.
"(Right,)" Pikachu confirmed. "(If Ash isn't careful Tauros could find himself in a lot of trouble.)" As they kept watching both Pokémon kept exchanging blows, each one sapping a bit of strength from the combatants.
"Okay Miltank, let's change things up! Use Rollout!" Patty shouted. Miltank curled into a ball and began furiously rolling towards Tauros.
"That's not going to work!" Ash said. "Use Earthquake!" As Miltank rolled towards him Tauros reared up and stomped the ground, sending out an Earthquake towards the charging Milk Cow Pokémon. The shaking of the ground threw off her balance, forcing Miltank to abandon her attack.
"Quick! Hit her with Take Down before she can recover!" Ash instructed. With Miltank still off-balance Tauros let out a loud bellow and charged her, hitting her with the full force of his body in a devastating Take Down attack. The resulting attack did cause some damage to Tauros, but it had the desired effect of knocking Miltank out of the battle.
"Miltank is unable to battle! Tauros wins!" the referee announced.
"Yes! Ash got through her first two Pokémon! Now all he has to do is defeat one more and he'll win the badge!" Nikki cheered.
"(Yeah, but something tells me I know who her last Pokémon is going to be,)" Pikachu said. Patty recalled her defeated Miltank, thanking her for her efforts. She then looked over at Ash, a smile on her face.
"I have to thank you for this, Ash. I can't recall the last time I had this much fun," she said.
"I'm enjoying myself too," Ash said.
"Now, let's see how you do against my final Pokémon," she challenged. "Jigglypuff, center stage!" Just as he figured Patty's final Pokémon was Jigglypuff. Ash took some time to think about his options before acting.
"Knowing what I do about Jigglypuff I have to end this battle fast," he mused. He grabbed Tauros' Poké Ball and recalled him.
"Take a break for a while, Tauros," he said. "Staraptor, you're back up!" He once again called upon his Predator Pokémon, who looked a bit better than he did the last time he was called on.
"I don't get it. Why did Ash bring Staraptor back out?" Nikki questioned.
"(I think I know why,)" Pikachu said. "(He probably wants to end this quick, and knows he'll have a better chance with Staraptor.)"
"How do you figure?" Nikki inquired.
"(It has to do with the attacks Staraptor knows, or to be specific one in particular,)" Pikachu explained. Nikki thought about it for a bit before coming to a realization.
"Of course. Staraptor's Close Combat," she said. "That's a Fighting type move, and those are super effective against Normal types."
"(Bingo,)" Pikachu confirmed. "(If he can land a few of those he'll have this battle in the bag.)" Now that they knew Ash's game plan they felt better about his choice.
"Alright, let's finish this quick! Close Combat!" Ash shouted. Staraptor took flight and flew towards Jigglypuff, trying to end the battle with one attack.
"Jigglypuff, Defense Curl!" Patty countered. Jigglypuff curled into a ball and endured the attack, taking blow after blow from the Predator Pokémon.
"Now use Mimic!" Patty instructed. Once Staraptor's attack was done Jigglypuff uncurled. She then flashed a wicked grin as she prepared to go on the attack.
"Now give Staraptor a taste of his own medicine!" Patty shouted. In a move that surprised everyone Jigglypuff fought back with what looked like her own Close Combat, striking Staraptor with hands and feet in a flurry of blows. When she was done Staraptor was left knocked out.
"Staraptor is unable to battle! Jigglypuff wins!" the referee announced.
"Wait… what just happened?" Nikki asked.
"(Things didn't go to plan,)" Pikachu answered. Ash recalled Staraptor and weighed his options. He still had the numbers advantage, but this latest development with Jigglypuff left him stunned. He knew he'd have to be careful with his next move.
"Tauros, I need you again!" he shouted, calling on his Wild Bull Pokémon.
"I hops this battle goes better than the last one," Nikki said.
"Use Horn Attack!" Ash called. Tauros charged towards Jigglypuff with his head lowered.
"Dodge that!" Patty instructed. Jigglypuff inflated her body and flew up into the air, letting Tauros pass harmlessly below her.
"Now use Close Combat!" Patty said. Just like she did with Staraptor the Ballon Pokémon battered Tauros with her hands and feet, much to the surprise of everyone.
'Wait! Since when could Jigglypuff use Close Combat?!" Ash asked.
"Since her battle against your Staraptor," Patty answered. "You remember when I had her use Mimic after you had your Staraptor use Close Combat? Well, thanks to that she now knows the move, and she can use it for the duration of this battle."
"You're kidding!" Ash groaned.
"She's taking Ash's strategy and using it against him," Nikki said.
"Well now, I think it's time to put an end to this battle. Use Pound!" Patty shouted. With Tauros still reeling from the Close Combat assault it was easy for Jigglypuff to deliver one last blow with Pound, effectively knocking the Wild Bull Pokémon out of the battle.
"Tauros is unable to battle! Jigglypuff wins!" the referee announced.
"(Now it's down to a one-on-one,)" Buneary said.
"I still believe Ash can pull this off," Nikki confidently said. She watched as Ash recalled Tauros, wondering what he'd do now.
"Man, Jigglypuff has more tricks up her sleeve than I thought," Ash mused. He grabbed his last Poké Ball and looked at it.
"It's all up to you now," he said. "Go, Snorlax!" The ball opened and the massive Sleeping Pokémon was released. Nikki could only stare wide-eyed at the sheer size of Ash's Pokémon.
"He's huge!" she gasped. Se immediately took out her Pokécomm and scanned him.
Name: Snorlax
Species: The Sleeping Pokémon
Pokécomm Entry: It stops eating only to sleep. It doesn't feel full unless it eats nearly 900 pounds a day.
"Alright Jigglypuff, let's hit them hard right out of the gates! Close Combat!" Patty shouted. The Balloon Pokémon did as she was instructed and began hitting Snorlax with everything she had. However, due to the sheer size difference between the two Pokémon it didn't appear as though Jigglypuff's attack was doing much damage to the massive Snorlax.
"Use Ice Punch, Snorlax!" Ash instructed. Snorlax interrupted Jigglypuff's Close Combat by punching her with an icy fist. The Balloon Pokémon bounced across the ground, coming to a stop right in front of Patty.
"You okay, Jigglypuff?" Patty asked.
"(That kinda smarts,)" Jigglypuff complained while rubbing her cheek. Patty was relieved that Jigglypuff appeared to be fine, but she also knew she had to come up with a game plan to combat Ash's Snorlax.
"Well Jigglypuff, it's time for you to do what you do best," Patty said. "Sing him a lullaby, won't you." Jigglypuff smiled as she took out her trusty microphone.
"Uh oh," Nikki said as Jigglypuff began to sing. As her song reverberated throughout the arena Snorlax began to sway back and forth, indicating that Jigglypuff's Sing attack was having the desired effect. Within a few seconds the massive Pokémon had fallen asleep.
"Good. Now that he's sleeping we can attack without fear of a counterattack," Patty said. "Now get in there and use Close Combat again!" Confident that she'd be able to attack without interruption Jigglypuff charged in. However, Ash had a trick of his own up his sleeve.
"Use Sleep Talk!" he shouted.
"Sleep Talk?!" Patty gasped. To her surprise Snorlax bounced right up and threw an Ice Punch at Jigglypuff, sending the Balloon Pokémon tumbling backwards. After launching his attack Snorlax fell over, still sleeping.
"Something told me that move would come in handy one day," Ash said. Nikki seemed confused by what he meant, so Pikachu decided to explain.
"(Ash's Snorlax has a habit of falling asleep at the worst times, so Ash decided to teach him Sleep Talk in case he ever did that during an important battle,)" he explained.
"Okay, so that strategy didn't work," Patty groaned. "Jigglypuff, use Pound!"
"Sleep Talk again, Snorlax!" Ash countered. As Jigglypuff charged Snorlax once again used his Sleep Talk, which once again came up Ice Punch. However, Jigglypuff was ready for it this time and jumped over the icy punch. She then struck Snorlax hard across the face with her Pound attack, instantly waking the Sleeping Pokémon up.
"(Hey, what gives? I was having a good nap,)" he yawned.
"Use Pound again!" Patty shouted.
"Catch her attack!" Ash countered. Right as Jigglypuff swung her hand Snorlax caught her in his massive paw. Jigglypuff frantically tried to break free, but nothing she did could break Snorlax's grip.
"Good, Snorlax! Now throw her to the ground!" Ash instructed. As hard as he could Snorlax threw Jigglypuff to the ground, dazing the small Balloon Pokémon.
"Now finish her with Body Slam!" Ash called. Patty could do nothing but watch as Snorlax sent his entire body weight crashing down on Jigglypuff, his massive frame causing the entire arena to shake upon impact. When Snorlax got up everyone saw a flattened Jigglypuff, clearly in no shape to battle any further.
"Jigglypuff is unable to battle! Snorlax wins! The victory goes to the challenger, Ash!" the referee announced.
"Yes, we did it!" Ash cheered. "You were awesome, Snorlax!"
"(Thanks,)" the Sleeping Pokémon replied. "(Can I go back to sleep now?)"
"Sure. You can sleep as long as you want," Ash told him. With a satisfied grunt Snorlax fell over and went back to sleep. Ash smiled and returned him to his Poké Ball. At the same time Patty was checking in on Jigglypuff, who was just now recovering from the battle.
"How are you feeling?" she asked.
"(I've… been… better,)" the Balloon Pokémon said. "(I'm… sorry I… couldn't win.)"
"Don't worry about it," Patty told her. "We'll win next time." She helped Jigglypuff to her feet just as Ash and Nikki approached.
"Is Jigglypuff going to be alright?" Nikki asked.
"She'll be fine," Patty replied. "She's a lot tougher than most people think."
"Believe me, I know first hand how tough she is," Ash sid.
"Well Ash, you defeated me, so that means I owe you this." Patty walked over to s small stand and grabbed a small box. She opened it and took something out and handed it to Ash.
"This is the Simply Normal Badge, proof of your victory here," she said. Ash looked at the badge in his hand. There wasn't anything special about it, but to him it meant a lot.
"Thank you, Patty," he said. "Alright! We just won the Simply Normal Badge!"
"(Way to go, Ash!)" Pikachu cheered.
"That's badge number five. You've been on a roll lately," Nikki commented.
"And I plan on keeping it going," Ash stated. With his fifth badge now in his possession things were definitely looking up for him.
After a hard fought battle Ash has claimed victory, and more importantly his fifth badge. After this latest victory what lies in store for him next? Fine out in the next chapter of Search for Power!
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