Jen worked her team hard when she and James returned to the Pokémon Centre after James' Gym victory. Now that she'd had a chance to see how Morty and his ghosts battled, she could come up with a strategy to take them out. Even though she had an idea of her team selection, she wanted to give the team a last run-out before deciding who to send into battle.
“I'm pretty sure I'm gonna send out the same team that battled Whitney,” she told James after about an hour's practice. “Togepi's Metronome is too unpredictable, and the Gym's environment will freak Pichu out, so she's gonna have to sit. Now all I have to do is work on these guys' movement and accuracy. I don't like the idea of going in against that Gengar, so I'm gonna have to come up with a strategy to pin it down.”
“You're gonna have to do something unexpected. I was lucky that Quilava's Blaze kicked in, otherwise I would've been finished. No offense, Jen, but I don't think your Pokémon are up to a direct assault.”
“I know that. My best attacker is Magby, but she can't take on three Ghost-types head-on by herself. I'll think of something, we just need to practice for a while.”
“Well, let's get back to it, then. Those ghosts are tough to beat.” Jen nodded, and the gang got right back to their training.
At about seven that evening, Jen called a halt to the day's training, and the gang reluctantly stopped their intent preparation for the morning's challenge. Magby in particular was raring to go, and Jen had to talk the Fire-type out of any more practicing.
“Magby, you need to rest up for tomorrow. I need you and the others to be at peak energy to battle those ghosts, so we're done training for today. Okay?” Magby hung her head, then darted a few yards away. “Hey, don't run off! I just don't want you to overdo it, Magby. Please don't get upset.” Magby closed her eyes and huffed, then nodded. Jen recalled her and sighed. “I guess Magby's a little too eager, huh?”
“She's itching to jump into battle, all right.” James was finishing up with recalling his own team, and then moved to see how Quilava was feeling. “You alright, buddy?” Quilava growled in affirmation, ready for a good night's rest. Jen giggled as the Fire-type made a beeline for the sliding doors to the Pokémon Centre.
“Looks like Quilava's ready to drop, James.” James shook his head and followed the Volcano Pokémon.
“I'll meet you in the cafeteria, okay? I'm gonna take Quilava to our room so he can get some sleep. Even though he got healed up, today's battle took a lot out of him.” Jen nodded and looked at the pink-tinged clouds as James caught up with his starter.
She knew what she wanted to do in tomorrow's battle; the trick was being able to pull it off. Morty employed the kind of strategies she had begun to use herself: quick strikes and withdrawals, using the surrounding environment to mask his Pokémon's movements. The trouble was, the battle environment would be against her the entire time unless she did something about it. Add in the limited scope of her team's attacking capabilities, the environment would have to be neutralized. But how?
Shaking her head, Jen walked into the Pokémon Centre to meet James in the cafeteria. She would finalize her strategy tomorrow; right now, she was too hungry to think anymore.
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The next morning, the two youngsters had a short training session before heading for the Ecruteak Gym. Jen had kept her silence on how she would take on Morty, but James knew she was ready for anything. Quilava's eyes darted from one thing to the next as he slunk alongside the pair, on edge for some reason.
As they entered the Gym, they found Morty waiting for them.
“All right, you're here. Ready to go?”
“You know it.”
“Cool, let's get started, then.” Morty headed to the battlefield, and the youngsters followed him. James headed for the stands, while Jen started looking at the placements of the unlit torches on the walls. As she reached the challenger's technical area, the judge began his speech from the midline of the field.
“Attention! This Ecruteak Gym battle between Jennifer, the challenger from Violet City, and Morty, the Ecruteak Gym Leader will now begin!
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Jen Richards
A: ★
D: ★★
S: ★★
Morty
A: ★★
D: ★
S: ★★
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A Fog Badge is the prize! Each side may use three Pokémon, and the battle will end when all three Pokémon on either side are unable to continue! Additionally, only the challenger is permitted to make substitutions during battle! Trainers ready?”
“Ready!” Jen shouted, taking out a Pokéball. Morty grinned.
“So am I. Don't think we'll be easy to stop, Jennifer. You saw what we're capable of yesterday.”
“Well, I'm not leaving without a badge, and we're ready to go!”
“Alright, battle begin!”
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“Misdreavus, let's go!” The blackish Screech Pokémon floated in the faint torchlight behind Morty, prepared for battle. Jen smiled, then tossed out her own Pokéball.
“Magby, come on out!” Embers dripped from the Fire-type's mouth as she emerged, lighting the area around her for brief moments before they cooled. Jen took one more look around the darkened gym, then sprang into action. “Okay, Magby, just like we planned! Spin and use Ember!” Magby jumped up as she spun, and Jen ducked as a fire bolt zipped over her head. The attack wasn't random, either; one by one, the remaining unlit torches on the walls began to glow as they were set alight, illuminating the entire room.
“She neutralized the cover of darkness by using Magby's Fire-type moves to light the torches.” Morty grinned; he'd never seen anyone try that before, and he was genuinely impressed. “Alright, Misdreavus, don't let that Magby beat you! Confuse Ray!”
“Get moving, Magby!” Magby darted forward, sidestepping the disorienting purple light as her fist caught fire. “Okay, Fire Punch!”
“Psywave!” Misdreavus released the harsh blue waves of psychic energy straight at Magby, who couldn't avoid them. The attack knocked her down, and Misdreavus floated closer.
“Quick, Ember!” The fire bolts scorched Misdreavus, who shrank back from the move.
“Psywave again!” More psychic energy pushed Magby down as she fought to stand. Misdreavus floated ominously, and Jen started to worry. She was hoping Morty wouldn't use Perish Song on her, but her mind told her he might try it anyway.
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“Fire Punch, Magby!” Magby jumped up and ran hard at Misdreavus, her fist bursting into flames again. Misdreavus fired off another Psywave, but Magby ducked the blue energy wave and slammed her fist into the Screech Pokémon's face. Misdreavus dropped to the floor, heavily damaged. “Alright, follow it up with Ember!”
“No way! Psybeam!” This time, a multicoloured beam flashed from the gems on Misdreavus' body, hitting Magby and knocking her off her feet. Magby held on, got back on her feet, and launched the fire bolts at the ghost, who couldn't get out of the way in time. It hit the ground again, this time for good.
“Misdreavus is unable to battle! Magby wins!”
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“That was some strategy,” James murmured as he watched Misdreavus go down. “I wish I'd thought of that yesterday, it would've made the battle a lot easier.” Quilava growled in annoyance at this, and James turned to the Fire-type. “No, it's not your fault, buddy. I'm just saying, Jen's proven herself a lot more perceptive than I am.” The Volcano Pokémon growled again, then slumped down to watch the battle again.
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“Alright, Jennifer, look out, because here comes my next Pokémon! Haunter, let's go!” The purple gas cloud that emerged formed up and made its usual intimidating face, but Jen just smiled and recalled Magby.
“Take a break, Magby. I'll need you later.” She took out another Pokéball and threw it out onto the field. “Elekid, let's go!” Elekid started spinning his arms as he appeared, readying himself for battle.
“An Electric-type, huh? Let's see what it can do, then.”
“Elekid, ThunderShock!” Elekid stopped spinning his arms, then fired yellow sparks at Haunter, who simply shrugged them off.
“Haunter, Night Shade!” The resultant black beam struck Elekid in the chest, knocking him down as Haunter floated menacingly towards him.
“Oh no! Elekid, ThunderShock again!”
“Hypnosis!” Haunter released its black hypnotic circles, which caught Elekid and forced him into sleep. “Now, Dream Eater!” The shadowy copy swept through Elekid's body, causing him to shudder.
“Elekid, you've got to wake up, now!” Haunter simply laughed at Jen's panic, and released another shadow-copy, draining more of Elekid's energy. Elekid reacted to the assault by opening his eyes, but they changed from their hard glare to a dazed, knocked-out stare.
“Elekid is unable to battle! Haunter wins!”
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“Unbelievable.” James couldn't help but think that using Elekid was a mistake. Since his only useful move was ThunderShock, it limited Jen's attacking options. Togepi might have been unreliable, but the resistance to ghosts coupled with Metronome's occasional devastation might have been better. “She's got to come back fast. Morty won't let her get away with much more.”
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“Elekid, return.” Jen was stunned, even being able to see Haunter hadn't helped. She took out her last Pokéball, hoping for a good run from her final choice. “Zubat, let's go!” Zubat chittered as he was released, flying to Haunter's level. Jen knew that as a Flying-type, Haunter's hovering abilities would be less effective. “Alright, start this out with Supersonic!” Everyone, even Morty, covered their ears at the harsh noise, but Haunter simply stared at Zubat. “No deal, huh? Alright, Air Cutter!”
“Night Shade!” The blade-like air current slashed away at the black energy, and the moves cancelled one another out. “Alright, Haunter, Hypnosis!”
“Dodge, Zubat!” Zubat flitted away, avoiding the sleep-inducing move. Jen knew that if a Dream Eater hit, that was likely it for Zubat. “Now, dive and use Bite!”
“Don't let it go! Hypnosis again!” Haunter released more hypnotic rays, but Zubat avoided them and bit hard into the Ghost-type's hand. Haunter shrank back in pain from the super-effective move, and Zubat bit down hard again.
“That's it, Zubat! Don't let it go!” Zubat tried to bite Haunter's hand again, but the ghost floated away and out of range. “Okay, then, Air Cutter!”
“Use Night Shade to counter!” This time, the sharp air cut through the Night Shade and slashed at Haunter, causing more damage.
“Finish this up, Zubat! Bite attack!” Zubat flitted in, too quick for Haunter, and bit hard, causing a small burst of energy and knocking the Ghost-type out.
“Haunter is unable to battle! Zubat wins!”
“Way to go, Zubat!” Jen was relieved that the bat had taken out Haunter with little damage sustained himself. Since Gengar was sure to be a much more significant threat, keeping the damage low was important. “Are you okay to keep going?” Zubat chittered back in response, and Jen grinned. “Alright, terrific. Let's win us that badge!”
“That won't be easy, Jennifer. Gengar's not going to lie down and let you guys win, that's for sure. Here we go!” As the Shadow Pokémon appeared, Jen felt the usual temperature drop, and noticed the lit torches flicker a little.
“Alright, we can see it, but it's still not going to be an easy battle. Zubat, let's hit hard early! Air Cutter!”
“Dark Pulse!” As Zubat fired its sharp air current, Gengar clapped its hands together and released its black-and-purple stream of energy. The moves met and created a cloud of smoke that Gengar quickly floated into.
“Aw, no, now we've got to find it again. Zubat, Supersonic! If we can confuse it we might be able to...”
“Shadow Punch!” Jen was stopped mid-sentence as Gengar caught Zubat from the side with a hard strike. Zubat tried in vain to find where the hit came from, but this gave Jen an idea. “Zubat, you may not be able to see it, but you can still find it with your sonar!” Zubat instantly released another high-frequency shriek, and zipped toward where he thought Gengar was. “Alright, use Bite!”
“I don't think so! Gengar, Dark Pulse!” Gengar shot another convulsing beam at Zubat, who took it full in the face. As he fell, Gengar floated towards him and caught him with another Shadow Punch, ensuring the Poison-type's defeat.
“No, Zubat!” Jen had been counting on Zubat's super-effective attacks to weaken Gengar, if not take it down altogether. Even though she still had her best attacker left, it wasn't an ideal situation.
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“Seeing the opponent and taking them down are two different things,” James didn't like the way this match was turning, it looked just like his match the day before. Magby didn't have an ability like Quilava's to bail her out if things got rough, and Gengar's mobility meant it would be hard to pin down. Quilava simply watched intently, knowing that the ghost would be a challenge for his opposite number.
Jen took a deep breath as she took out Magby's Pokéball. She had battled hard to this point, although it was only through her advance planning that she'd even been in contention. Magby just had to pull this off; they'd worked too hard to lose now.
“Magby, you're up!” Magby pointed at Gengar as she emerged, and the ghost laughed eerily. Jen was unfazed, and began the match anew. “Magby, let's do this! Ember!”
“Dark Pulse!” Once again, the moves collided and exploded. “Now, drop into the smoke!”
“Ember again!” The fire bolts zipped past Gengar as it ducked back into cover, and Jen groaned. “Quick, Magby! Fire Ember into the smoke!”
“Not happening! Dark Pulse again!” Fire bolts slammed into the dark energy beam, and once again they cancelled.
“This isn't gonna work. Magby, start moving towards it and use Fire Punch!” Magby ran for the smoke cloud, which was already starting to disperse, and raised a burning fist.
“Shadow Punch! Block that move!” Ghost met fire and Gengar took the worst of the hit. Magby took the opportunity to blast more flames at the Shadow Pokémon, scorching it further.
“That's the way, Magby! Keep up that Ember!”
“Shadow Ball!” Gengar conjured a blob of dark energy that neutralized the flaming darts and crashed into Magby. Magby shrank back, stunned by the powerful attack. “Now, Dark Pulse again!”
“No way! Ember!” This time, the burning flurry disintegrated the Dark Pulse attack and hit Gengar again, causing even more damage. “Now, Fire Punch!”
“Shadow Punch!” Magby took the hit from Gengar, then swung its fist in a hard uppercut. Gengar was caught just below its grinning mouth and knocked the the ground, visibly shaken.
“Ember!” Magby's attack smashed into the prone Ghost-type, and rendered it down for the count.
“Gengar is unable to battle! Magby wins, and the victory goes to Jennifer from Violet City!” Jen jumped up in delight and headed to the battlefield, wrapping her first Pokémon in a hug.
“You did it, Magby, way to go!” Magby squeaked in response, happy to have done her trainer proud. As Jen recalled the Fire-type, Morty walked over, holding the Fog Badge in his hand.
“Well done, Jennifer. You and your team fought well; your strategy to light the torches in the Gym was an inspired move.”
“I knew from James' battle that being able to see would help, so I tried to use that to my advantage.”
“And it worked to perfection. Here's your Fog Badge.” Jen took the small badge from the Ecruteak Gym Leader, and grinned broadly.
“Thanks, Morty. Good luck with your future challengers.”
“And good luck on the rest of your journey, Jennifer. I'll be keeping an eye on your results.” Jen thanked Morty again, then ran to meet James at the door.
“Ready to go?” she asked as James and Quilava started towards the exit.
“Yeah, let's get out of here, I've had it with dark places for a while.” Jen punched him on the arm playfully, then followed him out of the Gym.