Episode 401: Lucas Rocks the Gym
After witnessing Roxas's first Gym battle, he became more determined than ever to earn his first Gym Badge and be one step closer to the Sinnoh Pokémon League. He trained harder than ever, wanting everything to go as planned. Psyduck uses Confusion to lift up the rocks and slammed them together, breaking them apart.
"That was awesome, Psyduck. I doubt Roark would see that coming. Chimchar's Power-Up Punch and Turtwig's Razor Leaf and Earth Power will be useful, too. Just watching Sora and Roxas just made me want to win even more," Lucas said. Turtwig charges at a rock while surrounded by a green aura. Lucas knew what it was. "That was Trailblaze. Another new trick for Roark."
Ash, Ethan, and Brendan were watching Lucas train for his Gym battle and it reminded them of their days as beginners.
"It takes me back, you guys," Brendan said.
"It does the same for me, too. At least Lucas didn't dragged in the realm of darkness like Kris, Lyra, and I did back in Johto," Ethan said.
"If I'm remembering right, that's where you got yours, isn't it?" Ash pointed out.
"Yeah. But we got out, didn't we?" Ethan asked.
"You did," Ash said.
"Well, that didn't happen with me either, so I got my Keyblade after May did. But I wonder if Lucas is one the chosen," Brendan said.
"We've all been thinking it, Brendan. I also had thoughts of Dawn or maybe Zoey. For all we know, it could be just about anyone," Ash said.
"Even Barry or Paul?" Ethan asked. They all thought for a few seconds and they all had the same answer.
"Nah," Ash, Ethan, and Brendan said in unison, thinking how unlikely it is.
Meanwhile, Jeri has come across a golden yellow Shinx. She saw that the tuft of hair was long, so she could tell it was a male Shinx.
"Ooh, a Shiny Shinx. And it's a boy, too. Hm. If I remember right, Electric-type Pokémon don't do so well against Ground-types. Okay, here I go," Jeri said, taking a Pokéball and threw it. "Cubone! I choose you!" Her Pokéball opened and her Cubone came out and glared at Shinx, and she glared back at the Lonely Pokémon. Shinx attacked with a Thunder Shock, but Cubone resists the electric attack. "Cubone! Use Headbutt!" Cubone lands a Headbutt on Shinx. "Use Bone Club!" Cubone swings its bone and smacked Shinx with it. Shinx fought back with a Tackle, followed by a Bite. Shinx came at Cubone with another Tackle. "Bonmerang!" Cubone threw its bone, hitting Shinx on the mark. Shinx got back up, but the bone came back and lands another hit onto Shinx. She took out a Pokéball and threw it. Shinx flowed inside and the Pokéball wobbles around and around. Stars swirls around the Pokéball to confirm the catch. Jeri went over to her new Pokéball and picked it up. "Now, I've caught myself a Shiny Shinx."
"Cubone, bone," Cubone said.
"You were wonderful, Cubone," Jeri said. She gave Cubone a Sitrus Berry to eat.
Meanwhile, Kenta came across a Piplup.
"Hey, a Piplup. One of Sinnoh's starter Pokémon. People say that catching a Piplup in the wild is rare thing, but I'm going catch me one," Kenta said, taking out a Pokéball and threw it. "Corphish! You're going in!" Kenta called out. Corphish came out to battle. Piplup attacked by using a Peck. "Crabhammer!" Corphish swings its pincer at the Penguin Pkémon. Piplup is hit by Corphish's Crabhammer. Piplup fired a Water Gun at the Ruffian Pokémon. "You use Water Gun, too!" Corphish fired Water Gun, colliding with Piplup's Water Gun. Corphish managed to overpower Piplup's Water Gun. "Dig!" Corphish digs underground. Piplup looked around and then Corphish lands a hit from underneath. Kenta took out a Pokéball and threw it. Piplup flowed inside the Pokéball and the Pokéball wobbles around and around. Stars swirls around the Pokéball to confirm the catch. "Yes! Piplup is good as mine!"
Not too long, Jeri and Kenta rejoined the others as Takato has caught himself a Gible.
"So, how did you do?" Takato asked.
"I caught myself a Piplup. Pretty cool, huh?" Kenta asked.
"I caught myself a Shiny Shinx," Jeri said.
They let out their newest Pokémon for them to see. Guil went over to them and greeted them. Shinx and Piplup took a liking to Guil and they smiled.
On the next day, the group all came to cheer on Lucas as he is about to have his Gym battle against Roark next. Even the DigiDestined came to root for Lucas for thos match.
"The battle of the Oreburgh City Gym is about to begin! The battle is between Roark, the Oreburgh City Gym Leader and Lucas, the challenger! Both Trainers will be using three Pokémon each! Only the challenger will be allowed to switch his Pokémon anytime! The battle is over when all three of either the challenger's or the Gym Leader's Pokémon are unable to battle! Let the battle begin!" Roark makes his first move.
"Geodude! Let's go!" Roark called out. His Pokéball opened and his Geodude came out to battle. Lucas took out his first Pokéball and threw it.
"Psyduck! You're going in first!" Lucas called out. His Pokéball opened and his Psyduck came out to battle.
"Lucas made a smart move, sending out Psyduck against Geodude," Dawn said.
"That's true, Dawn. Water-type Pokémon has the advantage over Rock-types," Sora T said.
"Roark will only start up with that Stealth Rock," Mimi said.
"True. But I doubt Roark will fall for the same trick twice. It's my own opinion Roark wised up from his battle against Roxas," Wes said.
"Geodude!" Roark ordered. Geodude unleashed spiked rocks, but Lucas was ready for that.
"I don't think so! Psyduck! Use Confusion on those rocks!" Lucas ordered. Psyduck uses Confusion on the Stealth Rock and sends them flying. The Stealth Rock shatters into millions of pieces.
"He used Confusion on the Stealth Rock?!" Ash exclaimed.
"I guess Lucas found his own way around it," Sora said.
"I'll say he did. He figured Roark was too smart to fall the same trick twice, so he came up with his own trick," Roxas said.
"Okay, Psyduck! Use Water Gun!" Lucas ordered. Psyduck fired a Water Gun at Geodude.
"Hidden Power!" Roark ordered. Geodude uses Hidden Power on Psyduck's Water Gun and overpowered it.
"Confusion!" Lucas ordered. Psyduck unleashed Confusion on Geodude's Hidden Power, blocking it. "Send it back!" Psyduck sends Hidden Power back at Geodude, dealing some heavy damage on the Rock Pokémon.
"That's impressive! Rollout!" Roark ordered. Geodude does a Rollout and heads right for Psyduck.
"Dodge it!" Lucas called out. Psyduck managed to dodge Geodude's Rollout. "Use Cnfusion!" Psyduck unleashed Confusion on Geodude, dealing some damage and confuses Geodude.
"What's wrong with Geodude?" Dawn asked.
"Geodude is totally confused, that's what. There's a chance when a Pokémon is hit by Confusion then they would end up being confused and they would often hurt themselves," Brendan explained. Geodude rolled into a rock, hitting itself in its confusion. "Water Gun!" Psyduck fired a Water Gun and struck Geodude on the mark. The Rock Pokémon ends up being knocked out.
"Geodude is unable to battle! Psyduck wins!" The referee announced.
"Great job, Psyduck!" Lucas said.
"Psyduck," Psyduck said.
"Psyduck took down Geodude and Roark has Onix and Rampardos to contend with," Kari said.
"That's right. Even with Psyduck using moves like Confusion, Roark won't be easy to beat," Wes said. Roark called back his Geodude and smiled.
"Well done, Geodude. You've earned yourself a nice, long rest," Roark said. He took out his next Pokéball and threw it. "Onix! You're going in next!" Roark's Pokéball opened and Onix came out with a roar.
"I'll be sticking with Psyduck," Lucas said.
"Onix! Dragon Breath!" Roark ordered. Onix fired a Dragon Breath at Psyduck.
"Use Confusion on that Dragon Breath and send it back!" Lucas ordered. Psyduck sent that Dragon Breath back at Onix, dealing some damage on the Rock Snake Pokémon. Onix ends up being paralyzed by its own attack.
"Wow, Onix is paralyzed by its own Dragon Breath," Amy said.
"Lucas is doing a much better job at it than I thought," Sora said.
"Yeah, he's doing so awesome out there," Chase said.
"Pikachu," Volt said.
"Okay, Psyduck! Chilling Water!" Lucas ordered. Psyduck unleashed a Chilling Water, hitting Onix on the spot.
"Chilling Water?" Dawn asked.
"It's a move that unleashes water so cold, it cuts down on the target's attack power," Riku said.
"Lucas really has this in the bag since Onix is paralyzed," Naminé said. Lucas called back his Psyduck and took out another Pokéball and threw it.
"Okay, Turtwig! Go!" Lucas called out. Turtwig emerged from inside, ready to battle. "Use Trailblaze!" Turtwig is surrounded by a green aura and charges at Onix, landing a hit on the Rock Snake Pokémon.
"Impressive, but will it be enough?" Roark asked.
"You're gonna have to see!" Lucas said.
"I intend to! Onix! Use Head Smash!" Roark ordered. Onix charges at Turtwig with a Head Smash.
"Dodge and use Razor Leaf!" Lucas ordered. Turtwig fired Razor Leaf, hitting Onix on the mark. "Trailblaze!" Turtwig dashed at Onix with a Trailblaze. "Wrap it up with Earth Power!" Turtwig slammed its feet on the ground, unleasing a magma geyser, finishing Onix off.
"Onix is unable to battle! Turtwig wins!" The referee announced.
"You were awesome, Turtwig!" Lucas said.
"Wow, Lucas is really giving Roark a run for his money," Michael said.
"I guess watching Sora and Roxas really fired him up even more than any of us thought," Kris said.
"I'll say. Go get him, Lucas!" Dawn called out. Roark calls back his Onix and he looked right at Lucas.
"I have to say, I am very impressed by your battling skills, Lucas. Judging by how you handled your Poémon is proof that you have a handle on your Pokémon, and that deserves respect! But there is only one more obstacle for you to have, and that obstacle is..." Roark said, taking out his third Pokéball and threw it. "Rampardos!" Roark's Pokéball opened and Rampardos emerged from inside. Rampardos was ready to go.
"Turtwig, fair warning. Rampardos knows Flamethrower, so be ready for that," Lucas said.
"Twig," Turtwig said.
"Rampardos! Flamethrower!" Roark ordered. Rampardos fired a Flamethrower at the Tiny Leaf Pokémon.
"Dodge it and use Trailblaze!" Lucas called out. Turtwig dodged Rampardos's Flamethrower and lands a hit with Trailblaze, dealing some heavy damage. "Great! Use Bite!" Turtwig bites on Rampardos's tail and sends it flying. Rampardos lands on its back, but quickly stands up on its feet.
"Use Zen Headbutt!" Roark ordered. Rampardos charges at Turtwig with a Zen Headbutt.
"Dodge it!" Lucas called out. Turtwig dodged Rampardos's Zen Headbutt. "Earth Power!" Turtwig lands an Earth Power on Rampardos, hitting the Headbutt Pokémon with another magma geyser. Rampardos was still standing on its feet from the intensity of the attack.
"Rampardos is still standing after taking that hit from Earth Power," Joe said.
"Yeah, Joe, even though Rampardos is weak against Ground-type attacks, it looks like Rampardos isn't going down that easily," Ken said.
"Ken's right. Rampardos took the hits from Roxas's Pokémon, and it almost took all three down," TK said.
"Use Headbutt!" Roark ordered. Rampardos came at Turtwig with a Headbutt.
"Dodge it, Turtwig!" Lucas called out. Turtwig managed to dodge Rampardo's Headbutt.
"Keep using Headbutt until you hit it!" Roark ordered.
"Dodge them all!" Lucas called out. Rampardos came at Turtwig, but the Tiny Leaf Pokémon kept on dogding them all. Turtwig moved from left to right as Rampardos kept trying to land a hit on Turtwig. Rampardos lands a hit on the ground as Turtwig successfully dodged Rampardos's last Headbutt. Use Razor Leaf!" Turtwig unleashed Razor Leaf, hitting Rampardos on the mark. "Way to go, Turtwig!"
"Turtwig!" Turtwig said as it suddenly started to evolve. Everyone was surprised by Turtwig's sudden evolution.
"Turtwig's evolving," Xion said.
"Eevee," Celeste said.
Turtwig has now become a Grotle.
"Hey, that's cool! Turtwig is now a Grotle," Davis said.
"Evolution might be a good thing, but in this battle, it's a bad thing for Lucas," Izzy said.
"What do you mean a bad thing, Izzy?" Davis asked.
"What he means by that is since Turtwig evolved into a Grotle, it takes away the speed it had as a Turtwig," Wes said.
"And that makes Grotle an easy target," Michael said.
"I wasn't expecting his Turtwig to evolve into a Grotle, but it works out for me, because Grotle will be too slow to dodge," Roark said.
"I guess I trained you better than I thought. But that means your attacks have gotten stronger! Okay, Grotle! Trailblaze!" Lucas ordered. Grotle charges at Rampardos with a Trailblaze, but slowly.
"Just as I thought. Rampardos! Zen Headbutt!" Roark ordered. Rampardos dashed at Grotle and lands a hit onto Grotle, making it flinch.
"You called it, Izzy. Grotle is slow," Sora said.
"And Grotle won't be able to dodge like he used to," Kairi added.
"Flamethrower!" Roark ordered. Rampardos fired Flamethrower, hitting Grotle on the spot. Grotle was now knocked out by the powerful fire attack.
"Grotle is unable to battle! Rampardos wins!" The referee announced.
"So much for an advantage in evolution," Lucas said, calling back Grotle. He looked at his Pokéball. "Sorry about that, Grotle. I guess you evolving was hurting me than helping me. You did your best out there. Get some rest for right now." He took out Psyduck's Pokéball and threw it. "Psyduck! You're going back in!" His Psyduck came back out to battle.
"Rampardos! Use Zen Headbutt!" Roark ordered.
"Dodge and use Chilling Water!" Lucas ordered. Psyduck unleashed cold water and struck Rampardos on the mark. Rampardos's attack has gone down a bit.
"Rampardos! Focus Energy and then Zen Headbutt!" Roark ordered. Rampardos builds up focus and charged right at Psyduck.
"Dodge it!" Lucas called out. Psyduck tried to dodge, but Rampardos came too fast for the Duck Pokémon to dodge.
"Rampardos came too fast for Psyduck to dodge," Lyra said.
"Zen Headbutt again!" Roark ordered. Rampardos lands another Zen Headbutt, dealing some extra damage. Psyduck was knocked out on the spot.
"Psyduck is unable to battle! Rampardos wins!" The referee announced.
"Now each are down to one left," Mimi said.
"That Rampardos is tougher than I remember," Meiko said.
"Meowth," Little Mei said.
"Yeah, and those two are the only ones that are effective on Rock-types, so he'll have to make his next one count," Sora said. Lucas called back his Psyduck.
"You did your best, Psyduck. Rest up," Lucas said. He took out his next Pokéball. "Well, I was going to use you as a last resort, and it looks like it's down to this." He threw his Pokéball. "Chimchar! You're up next!" His Pokéball opened and Chimchar came out to battle.
"Chimchar!" Chimchar said.
"He's using a FIre-type against a Rock-type? That's a big risk," Joe said.
"Well, he was put in the position to make risks, Joe," Ethan said.
"He's right, Joe. Besides, Chimchar knows Power-Up Punch, so that's a Fighting-type move," Brendan said.
"Okay, Chimchar! Use Power-Up Punch!" Lucas ordered. Chimchar rushes at Rampardos with a Power-Up Punch.
"Use Zen Headbutt!" Roark ordered. Rampardos charges at the Chimp Pokémon, but Chimchar's agility kicks in as Chimchar goes over Rampardos and lands a Power-Up Punch onto the Headbutt Pokémon.
"Yes! Chimchar might be at a disadvantage, but that Power-Up Punch surely will increase his attack power," Kairi said.
"Eevee!" Angel said.
"Not only that, but Chimchar's agile ability sure comes in handy," Matt said.
"Zen Headbutt again!" Roark ordered.
"Dodge and use Power-Up Punch again!" Lucas ordered. Chimchar dodged Rampardos's attack again and lands another Power-Up Punch. "Great! Now, use Flame Wheel!" Chimchar rolls into a ball of fire and plowed right into Rampardos.
"Focus Energy and then Headbutt!" Roark ordered. Rampardos built up its focus again and rammed into Chimchar, dealing some heavy damage on the Chimp Pokémon. "Use Headbutt again!" Rampardos charges at Chimchar with another Headbutt. Chimchar rolls on the battlefield. "Headbutt one more time!" Rampardos charged at Chimchar again.
"Dodge it, Chimchar!" Lucas ordered. Chimchar dodged Rampardos's Headbutt and it shattered a rock pillar.
"That was a narrow escape for Chimchar," Sora said.
"Even though Chimchar had taken a lot of damage from Rampardos's Headbutt again," Riku said.
"Focus Energy and then, Zen Headbutt!" Roark ordered. Rampardos builds up focus and then charges at Chimchar with a Zen Headbutt.
"Use Flame Wheel to dodge!" Lucas ordered. Chimchar dodged Rampardos's attack by using Flame Wheel. Chimchar then lands a hit onto Rampardos on the side.
"Zen Headbutt again!" Roark ordered. Rampardos charged at Chimchar with another Zen Headbutt and deals a lot of damage.
"Man, even I felt that!" Davis said.
"Chimchar, you okay?" Lucas asked.
"Lucas, wait!" Roark called out. Lucas looked at Roark. "I think you should surrender the match while you still can! A good Trainer thinks about the well-fare of your Pokémon! I don't want to hurt your Chimchar even further, so I think it'll be wise if you surrender!" Lucas thought it over for a moment.
"CHIMCHAR!" Chimchar shouted. Lucas looked at his partner and saw he wasn't willing to give up just yet. And he remembered how hard Sora and Roxas battled and he knew he had to stay in it, too.
"I'm going to keep going, because Chimchar is willing to keep going, so I'm going to back up my partner!" Lucas said. A red aura surrounds Chimchar's body.
"What's going on with Chimchar?" Dawn asked.
"I think I know. It's Blaze," Tai said.
"What's Blaze?" Dawn asked.
"Blaze is an ability that Fire-type starter Pokémon all has. It takes Fire-type attacks and increases their power when their stamina is down," Tai said.
"Okay, Chimchar! Use Flame Wheel!" Lucas ordered. Chimchar rolled right at Rampardos, dealing some heavy damage and Rampardos ends up being burned.
"Use Flamethrower!" Roark ordered. Rampardos felt its burn kick in before it fired Flamethrower at Chimchar.
"Flame Wheel!" Lucas ordered. Chimchar rolled right into Rampardos's Flamethrower and lands a hit on the Headbutt Pokémon, dealing some heavy damage. "Use Ember!" Chimchar's flame burns intensely and Chimchar fired Flamethrower instead. Rampardos is engulfed in the flames. The flames has subsisded and Rampardos was just standing there as steam seaps through its body. Rampardos fell backwards, beaten.
"Rampardos is unable to battle! Chimchar wins! The winner is Lucas from Twinleaf Town!" The referee announced.
"Chimchar, that was awesome!" Lucas said.
"Chimchar," Chimchar said.
"I wasn't expecting you to learn Flamethrower the way you did. I mean, it sure was epic," Lucas said.
"How did Chimchar learn to use Flamethrower like that?" Yolei asked.
"I seem to have a thought. I think it was Chimchar's determination Chimchar had when he was battling Rampardos," Ken said.
"I agree with Ken. Chimchar's burning desire to win and refusual to stay down is what allowed Chimchar to learn Flamethrower when it mattered to him the most. It's not very often we see a Fire-type attack like Flamethrower overpower a Rock-type Pokémon like Rampardos, but Chimchar has pulled it off in an unexpected way," Izzy said. Roark called back his Rampardos and smiled.
"You've done an excellent job, Rampardos. You have earned a good, long rest," Roark said. He approached Lucas with a smile. "Lucas, I am very impressed with your resolve. The way you overpowered my Rampardos despite a disadvantage in type is a sign you have so much potential as a Pokémon Trainer. Not many would have pulled off what you did. So, as proof of your victory here in the Oreburgh City Gym, it pleases me to present you with the Coal Badge." Roark presents Lucas his Gym Badge and he accepts it.
"Thanks, Roark. This is my very first step," Lucas said. After the battle, everyone returned to the Pokémon Center to have Chimchar, Grotle, and Psyduck healed from the battle. Lucas made a call to his family in Twinleaf Town. Lucas's mother answers it. "Hey, mom!"
"Lucas, hello! I was wondering when you were gonna call, but your father kept assuring me that you're doing okay, but I wasn't too sure about that. Is there a reason why you called? Is something wrong?" Lucas's mother asked.
"No, mom, everything is fine. I'm calling to tell you that I won my first Gym Badge. Have a look," Lucas said, showing his mother the Coal Badge.
"Lucas, that's so wonderful!" Lucas's mother said.
"What's going on?" Lucas's father asked as he and Wendy walked in the room.
"Lucas is on the phone," Lucas's mother said. Wendy got on the phone.
"Hi, big brother!" Wendy greeted.
"Hey, squirt! I'm calling to say that I won my first Gym Battle," Lucas said.
"Is that so? That means you only need seven more Gym Badges, right?" Lucas's father asked.
"Yeah, dad. I mean, I'll tell you, it was more of a challenge than I thought," Lucas said.
"Well, no one said that Gym battles are easy, son. Your mother and I are very proud of you," Lucas's father said.
"Thanks, dad. And I'm going to make some plans for my second Gym Badge," Lucas said. He heard the bell, letting Lucas know his Pokémon are completely healed. "Oh, gotta go! My Pokémon are ready to be picked up."
"You go and do that, son. Just do your best out there," Lucas's father said.
"I will, dad," Lucas said.
"And don't forget to call home every once in a while," Lucas's mother said.
"I won't forget, mom," Lucas said.
"Big brother, I wanna know if you're going to catch a Pokémon for me to catch?" Wendy asked.
"Sure, little sis. What kind of Pokémon would you want me to catch for you?" Lucas asked.
"I was wondering if you could catch a girl Shinx for me? I hear that a girl Shinx has shorter hair than a boy Shinx does," Wendy said.
"Sure thing, Wendy. I'll keep my eyes peeled for one and I'll catch a girl Shinx for you," Lucas said.
"Promise?" Wendy asked.
"I promise," Lucas said.
"Okay," Wendy said.
"Anyway, my Pokémon are waiting for me. I'll call back when I can," Lucas said.
"Okay. Take care," Lucas's father said.
"Love you, Lucas," Lucas's mother said.
"Love you too," Lucas said, hanging up. He rejoined the group as they were having a discussion.
"Sora, I think it'll be a good idea if we separated. It's just so we each can compete for a Gym battle at a separate pace," Roxas said.
"You sure you wanna do that, Roxas?" Sora asked.
"Yeah, I'm sure," Roxas said.
"We've actually been talking about it for a while," Xion said.
"So, they'll be hanging with us," Tai said.
"I get it. I mean, you do need to do your own training," Sora said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
"Pika," Xipak said.
"A lot of us would be going to different places in Sinnoh, just so we could check it out," Chase said.
"And catch some Pokémon in Sinnoh," Brendan said.
"There are some restaurants and stores I wanna check out," May said.
"Okay, we can make the split in Jubilife City. But we can an agreement on making contact when something happens," Rei said.
"Right," the group all said.
With that said, the group took their leave of Oreburgh City and started to make their way back to Jubilife City in order to make their way to their next destination. After a couple of days, they group went their own way, leaving Sora, Kairi, Riku, Naminé, Lucas, Dawn, Rei, Pikachu, Angel, Eevee, Azurill, and Piplup.
"Okay, the next stop would be Eterna City," Sora said.
"Well, we should get a move on, right?" Riku asked.
"Yes, we should," Rei agreed.
With that said, Sora, Kairi, Riku, Naminé, Lucas, Dawn, Rei, Pikachu, Rei, Pikachu, Eevee, Azurill, and Piplup have started to go north of Jubilife City and to their next adventure.