"No way! I got to the Unova Region first—how did you collect Badges faster than me?" Ash asked, baffled.
When Ash had returned to Pallet Town from the Sinnoh Region, he'd wanted to battle Gary, only to learn that Gary had already left for the Kanto region. Before Gary came back, Ash got dragged off by Professor Oak and Delia to travel to Unova instead.
When Ash saw Gary here, he'd naturally assumed he had arrived in the region first and collected more Badges—so how could Gary possibly have one more Badge than him?
"I can ride my Pokémon. No need to hike everywhere. Naturally it's faster," Gary said.
"Alright, Gary, it's our turn to battle," Burgh cut in.
"Battle? Didn't you just finish one, Mr. Burgh? Don't your Pokémon need rest?" Iris asked.
"It's fine, I have other Pokémon I can use." Burgh smiled.
"Then I'll stick around and watch Gary's Gym battle too," Ash said.
"Suit yourself."
Gary didn't care about people watching his Gym match. If anything, it might put a little pressure on Ash.
Gary and Burgh took their places in the command areas at opposite ends of the field, waiting for the referee.
"The Castelia Gym challenge will now begin. Each side may use three Pokémon. The battle ends when all Pokémon on one side are unable to continue. Only the challenger may substitute Pokémon."
[Ding! Mission issued:]
[1. Obtain the Castelia Gym Badge. Reward: High-grade Rare Candy ×3, Struggle Bug Permanent Move Tutor, Premium Silver Powder ×1!]
[2. Use a Unova Region Pokémon to obtain the Castelia Gym Badge. Reward: High-grade Rare Candy ×3, Bug-type Self-Select Permanent Move Tutor, Random Held Item ×1, Ability Expansion Stone ×1.]
Seeing High-grade Rare Candy among the rewards, Gary was satisfied.
"Gary, let me show you my strength first. Come on out, Durant!" Burgh threw his Poké Ball.
Go!!!
[LV54 Durant♂ / Quasi-Elite]
Durant was an ant-like Pokémon encased in steel armor—a Bug- and Steel-type with an excellent typing combination whose only real weakness was Fire.
"What Pokémon is that?"
It was Ash's first time seeing a Durant, and he immediately pulled out his Pokédex.
Pokédex: "Durant, the Iron Ant Pokémon. Encased in steel armor, it builds nests inside mountains. The intricate tunnels it digs form a maze-like network."
"Durant, huh? Then I'll leave it to you." Gary tossed out his own Poké Ball.
Go!!!
Chandelure appeared on the field, floating like a ghostly chandelier.
"What about that one?"
Ash swung his Pokédex toward it right away.
Pokédex: "Chandelure, the Luring Pokémon. The evolved form of Lampent. It sways its eerie flames to lull opponents into a hypnotic state."
When did Gary get a Chandelure?
Ash knew Gary's team pretty well, and he definitely didn't remember seeing this Pokémon at Professor Oak's Laboratory.
"So you've prepared a Fire-type to counter me. But my Durant isn't afraid." Burgh gave his order calmly. "Durant, Stone Edge!"
Durant condensed a volley of sharp stone blades and launched them toward Chandelure.
"Fire Blast!" Gary ordered.
Chandelure's body blazed to life, and a massive burst of purple flame roared forward. The stone blades that hit the fire turned to black char on contact—but there were too many of them, and the Fire Blast couldn't hold under the barrage. It detonated.
Boom!
The explosion sent flames sweeping outward like a storm. Although Durant's Stone Edge had broken through the Fire Blast, the resulting blast wave caught it in the aftermath, dealing considerable damage.
The shockwave from a Fire Blast explosion still carried Fire-type energy, and since Durant had been so close to the point of detonation, the hit it took was severe.
"Fire Spin," Gary said.
Purple flames drifted out from Chandelure's lamp-like body, forming a ring around Durant that slowly began to tighten.
"You won't trap my Durant that easily. Dig!" Burgh ordered.
Durant tore into the ground with its jaws and burrowed out of sight, leaving the Fire Spin to close around nothing.
Gary looked down at the hole. There wasn't much he could do.
Chandelure had one clear weakness in this situation—it couldn't target opponents underground, and it didn't know any moves that could reach below the surface.
Bang!
The ground erupted more than a meter behind Chandelure. Durant burst out and charged straight at it.
"Minimize!" Gary ordered immediately.
Chandelure shrank its body in an instant. Durant couldn't adjust mid-air and shot right past, its back now completely exposed.
"Now—Fire Blast!" Gary called.
Chandelure unleashed another torrent of purple flame that swallowed Durant whole.
Boom!!
Durant was hammered into the ground, its hardened body punching a small crater into the earth. It didn't get back up.
Durant's weakness to Fire was extreme, and its special defense was paper-thin. One clean hit from a Fire-type special attack was practically a death sentence.
"Durant is unable to battle! Chandelure wins!"
"So strong—he beat Durant just like that?" Iris was shocked. She hadn't expected Gary to be this powerful.
"This guy actually has a Pokémon like that…" Ash muttered. He was certain now that Gary had caught and trained Chandelure himself.
"Quite the fiery flavor," Cilan commented.
Burgh wasn't surprised by Durant's loss. After all, Durant's weakness to fire was common knowledge.
"This one wasn't your fault."
He recalled Durant and sent out his second Pokémon.
"You may have prepared a Fire-type, but it won't help against this one. Come on out, Accelgor!" Burgh threw his next Poké Ball.
Go!!!
[LV55 Accelgor♂ / Elite]
Accelgor appeared with its arms crossed over its chest. Its entire body was wrapped in gray-black bandages except for its head, and the four-pointed star pattern on its forehead extended into the trailing pouch behind it, giving it a sleek, sharp look.
"What Pokémon is that? It looks so cool!" Ash pulled out his Pokédex, excited.
Pokédex: "Accelgor, the Shell Out Pokémon. The evolved form of Shelmet. Having shed its heavy shell, it gained remarkable agility, and its combat movements resemble those of a ninja."
"That's awesome—I want to fight an Accelgor too." Ash scratched his head enviously. "Why didn't Mr. Burgh use Accelgor against me?"